#Also there's too many Bethan moments for me;; I love them all | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

bethansfandoms · 2 years

Note

kisses under the mistletoe and how they came to happen pretty please with a cherry on top? 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 thank you bethan!

"James, what are you doing?"

James practically jumped out of his skin as he turned to look at Remus. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Yes, desperately."

"I just thought the place needed a bit of decoration!"

Remus looked around at the common room and frowned. "You're hanging mistletoe outside the stairs to the boys dormitory."

"Your point?"

Remus shook his head in bemusement. "No point, just thought it was a bit weird, is all."

He heard James mutter something under his breath but didn't quite catch it.

"Why are you hanging mistletoe outside the boys dormitories?" Peter asked as he stepped through the portrait hole.

James threw his arms up in a fit of frustration. "Just... the place wasn't looking very Christmas-y and Gryffindor tower is throwing the Christmas party later!"

Remus looked over to the large Christmas tree in he corner of the room but refrained from pointing it out.

A party the night before the Christmas holidays began was a bit of an unspoken rule in Gryfindoor tower. The Prewett twins had started it, but once they had left the marauders had taken it upon themselves to keep it up.

Remus didn’t overly care for them, the common room was simply not big enough to comfortably hold all of Gryfindoor at the same time and it usually got too hot and too noisy for Remus’ liking.

He did, however, enjoy seeing his friends have fun. He was also quite partial to mulled wine he knew Marlene was planning to provide somehow.

“Hoping of catching a boy under the mistletoe or...” Lily asked as she entered the common room. James threw his arms up in frustration. “Screw all of you.”

At seven o’clock, Remus was placed in charge of casting the appropriate silencing charms and by half past seven the party was in full swing.

Marlene had indeed managed to provide mulled wine and Sirius had created a playlist which Remus had counted as having Elton John’s ‘step into Christmas’ on it three times already.

Lily, obviously feeling some qualm due to her head girl position, took on the role of making sure nobody under the age of sixteen was drinking alcohol because whilst most people were underage, a line had to be drawn somewhere.

“May I have this dance?”

Remus turned to see Sirius, clearly a little drunk, extending an arm. “You want to dance with me to Feliz Navidad?”

“Problem?”

Remus sighed and put down his drink. “Fine, whatever.” There were so many people jumping around already that he decided joining them wouldn’t make him too self conscious as presumably nobody would pay him much notice.

What he had not expected was for Sirius to place his hands on Remus’ waist. “What’re you doing?” Remus shouted over the music.

“Dancing!” Sirius shouted back.

“You can’t slow dance to this song!”

“You can if you’re drunk enough. Lighten up Moony, it’s almost Christmas!”

Remus sighed. “You’re insane.”

“I’m sure something slower will come on in a minute if you’d prefer that.” He held up a hand and as the song finished, listening to see what would play next. When ‘step into Christmas’ came on again, he whooped and placed his right hand on Remus’ shoulder blade. “Remus! I love this song!”

“I know, it’s come on four times now.”

Sirius, once again, failed to acknowledge that the song was far too quick to try and waltz to and took one of Remus’ hands, attempting to move them gracefully which was made difficult by the sea of people, the fact that he was drunk, and the fact that Remus couldn’t dance.

“Are you waltzing?” Remus turned his head to see Peter, drink in hand, watching them in amusement.

“Don’t ask,” Remus replied, flushing slightly. “His idea, obviously.”

Peter just shrugged and walked away to sit on the sofa. Remus looked around the room to see if anybody else was actually watching. He was sure they weren’t, but in that moment it felt like every eye on the room was on him.

“Moony?”Remus turned his face back to Sirius. “You’re worrying.”

“I’m not—”

“You are,” Sirius sing-songed.

Remus rolled his eyes. “I’m fine, just... worried people are watching, you know?”

“So what if they are, hm?”

Remus opened and closed his mouth a few times. “I don’t... I don’t know?”

Sirius removed his hand from Remus’ shoulder blade but kept hold of his hand. “Come on, then.” Remus let himself be pulled out of the crowd and towards the dormitory stairs. “Less people here. Shall we?”

“This playlist really is not the appropriate tempo for—” He broke off as he heard the opening bars to Joni Mitchell’s ‘River’.

“Oh yes!” Sirius enthused. “I added this one for you! I know you love her.”

“My mum loves her, not me,” Remus corrected.

Sirius scoffed. “I think we’re good enough friends for me to know that’s bullshit.”

Remus gave him a half smile before letting himself be led in a waltz again. He couldn’t help but think it was an incredibly strange way to be spending a common room party, slow dancing to a Christmas playlist concealed by the wall of the dormitory stairway.

When the song ended and something upbeat and festive Remus didn’t recognise came on, Sirius kept them twirling and Remus finally voiced his thoughts. “Why aren’t you dancing with a girl, hm?”

Sirius stopped and stood upright, suddenly appearing far more sober. “Would you rather I was?”

“I didn’t say that, I just asked why you weren’t.”

“Because it’s a Gryffindor party and out of the four girls in our year, Lily is clearly about four seconds away from agreeing to go out with James, Dorcas and Marlene appear to be dancing together, I’m pretty sure Mary has fallen asleep on the sofa, and despite what people may think maybe I don’t want to dance with a girl.”

He suddenly straightened even further, apparently recognising what he’d said, and let go of Remus entirely. “Hey,” Remus said softly. “It’s s okay.”

Sirius held eye contact with him and Remus could practically see the way his head was working around his thoughts. “I didn’t— What if isn’t?”

Remus had no idea what he meant by that, and so he just shrugged and repeated himself. “It’s okay.”

Sirius opened his mouth to reply but his eyes suddenly darted towards the ceiling. “Since when has that been here?” he asked, and Remus followed his eye-line before remembering.

“James was hanging it up earlier. Im not sure why.”

“Remus, I didn’t know that. I didn’t— that isn’t why I took you over here I could see you were getting anxious and I thought, oh, this will be out of eyeshot and—”

“Sirius,” he laughed. “It’s okay. I didn’t think that.”

“You’d have every right to,” he muttered, “I just told you I’d rather dance with you than a girl and then pointed out mistletoe it’s coming on a bit fucking strong if you ask me.”

“Well…” Remus started, “actually, how drunk are you right now?”

“Honestly, not very…”

“Okay.” Remus ran his hands through his hair and took a deep breath. “I’d rather dance with you too, then. Than a girl, I mean.”

Sirius raised an eyebrow. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Remus lifted his eyes to the ceiling and then back to Sirius. “Hey, we don’t actually have to… you know.”

“And refuse Christmas tradition on the day before the Christmas holidays?”

Remus felt his heart speed up a little. “Well, you raise a good point.”

Sirius placed a hand on his face, giving him time to change his mind. When he didn’t, he closed the gap between their lips and kissed him, and Remus had never been so thankful for James Potter’s weird decoration ideas.

“Ohhhh,” Lily said under her breath. “Is that why you put mistletoe there? You knew they’d go up to the dormitory together?”

James scoffed, “Obviously.”

#wolfstar #wolfstar fluff #wolfstar fanfic #Remus Lupin #Sirius black #marauders #wolfstar oneshot #wolfstar textpost #wolfstar fanfiction #wolfstar headcannon #mistletoe

425 notes · View notes

beatricethecat2 · 4 years

Text

if/then (v2.0) - 23

Hello everyone out there, I hope you're surviving social distancing! It's been quite a while since I managed an update for this, but here we go. It's on the longish side but there's lots of dialog, so I think it goes fast. Also lot of fluff in here. (Links to previous chapters in the comments) Typos are all mine, I will fix them eventually! (edited 5/2/20)

///////////////////

“Ow!“ Myka mouths as she steps into the mini-bus, a stray soccer ball bouncing off her knee. The cabin’s filled with girls yapping blissfully, while two, no, three girls wrestle over the backs of their seats.

"Girls, settle down,” Helena shouts from her spot behind the driver. She’s standing, but facing away from Myka.

Conversation slows, and the wrestling ceases. All eyes fall on Myka.

"Who's the lady, Coach Harry?" one girl asks.

"This is Myka," Helena says, glancing over her shoulder at Myka. "Our good luck charm from America."

"Hello," Myka says, smiling, in what hopefully is a friendly way, adding a tiny wave for good measure.

The girls whisper amongst themselves, the word "American" floating throughout.

"Hello," Myka says, smiling, in what hopefully is a friendly way, adding a tiny wave for good measure.

The girls whisper amongst themselves, the word "American" floating throughout.

"Girls, manners," Helena chides. "Please welcome our guest."

A chorus of "hellos" rises in the bus, a mish-mash of comically pronounced "Mykas" tacked on.

"Sit," Helena says, turning and tipping her head towards the empty spot next to her.

Myka studies Helena's face as she settles into the seat. The bandaid on her forehead makes sense, covering the gash from yesterday, but the sunglasses are a mystery.

“Onward, please," Helena says to the driver, grabbing hold of the seat as the bus lurches into action. She turns back towards the bus's occupants. "In approximately a half an hour, we'll face our toughest opponents yet. I suggest you reserve your energy for the game rather than waste it on tomfoolery. Owen, please assist the young ladies in the back, and place the balls back into their bags." Helena looks towards Owen, who has already jumped up from his seat and is on his way.

"Aye coach!"

"Did you sleep well?" Helena asks as she turns and sits down.

"What's up with these?" Myka says, reaching out to grab Helena's glasses.

Helena places her hands on the sides, blocking Myka's grab. She slides them down then back up again, revealing a swollen lid and slightly red eye.

"That can't be from yesterday. What happened?" Myka scoots closer and yanks the glasses off . She cups Helena's chin and tips her face up, moving it from side to side to view the damage.

"A ladder mishap—"

"Mom, Gwen says she's going to be sick," Christina says, poking her head over the seat.

"But we've only just left!"

"I know. I think she's nervous."

"Alright," Helens huffs. "Sit with Myka while I sort this out." She snatches the glasses from Myka's hand and slides them over her eyes. "Pardon me," she quips, with a hint of provocation, as she shimmies past Myka and into the aisle. Before making her way to the rear of the bus, she whispers something into Christina's ear. Christina then scrambles over the seat and fills Helena's former spot by the window.

"Did you see your mom's eye?" Myka asks.

"Did you see her shoulder? It's purple!"

"What?" Myka looks toward Helena, visibly wincing as she crouches down to speak with what must be Gwen. Did a thug rough her up to get information? And if so, does Christina know? "She said she fell off a ladder."

"Yeah, she does that sometimes. Especially when she can't sleep and she's working on the house. And she's always working on the house. You'll see."

Of course, Helena's remodeling their house. And, of course, she has trouble sleeping. "Shouldn't she see a doctor?"

"Probably, but she never does," Christina says, seemingly offhand but with underlying concern. She scoots closer to Myka and lowers her voice. "Mom said we're being watched. Someone came by about the painting."

Helena smooshes Myka over as she slides onto the seat. "Crisis averted. For the moment. Let's hope there's no rough road ahead."

"What happened last night?" Myka asks, turning slightly to face Helena, constrained in the middle. She wriggles an arm free and pushes Helena's jacket collar back, first on the left, then the right, searching for the bruise.

"I cooperated fully."

Myka hooks her fingers under Helena's hoodie and stretches the fabric gently to the side. She touches a finger to Helena's collar bone, the inflammation evident without much pressure. "You should ice this."

"I'll get an ice pack," Christina says, clamoring over the seat and out into the aisle.

"I'll see the medic at the pitch," Helena says, placing her hand over Myka's. She lifts it up and off, then lays them together on her lap. "It's only a bruise."

"I don't like you being hurt."

"Nor do I wish to be. But I assure you, this was my folly." Helena squeezes Myka's hand, eyes focused on Myka's lips as she leans forward and speaks in low tones into her ear.

"They're ringing later with details. Though it suffices to say, I'll be taken to Leeds imminently. But there's something off about all this, things are not as straightforward they're meant to seem."

"McPherson's not behind this?"

"Not singularly. I'd wager, were one to peel back the layers, someone else is pulling the strings."

"Great," Myka says, meeting Helena's concerned gaze, eyes flicking down to Helena's lips, mere inches away from her own. She aches to kiss them, though she knows this is neither the time nor the place.

"Mom, here." Christina returns, her fist beating an ice pack into submission.

"Scoot in," Helena says to Myka, and they shift to accommodate Christina. She takes the ice pack and slips it under her collar. "Let's inform Myka of the backstory we concocted."

Christina's smile is a carbon copy of Helena's, their conspiratorial glee almost too much to bear.

"Freezing your tits off yet?" Sondra says as she approaches Myka at the top of the bleachers.

"Um…yes?" Myka hadn't realized just how huddled she'd become waiting for the game to begin. Her muscles ache in protest as she straightens.

"Sun's made an appearance today, but the damp's set in." Sondra holds out an army green jacket, which Myka readily accepts. "Harry said you wasn't prepared for all this."

"Definitely not." Myka sheds her soiled trench coat and slips on the fluffy parka. The warmth it offers is instant; she wants disappear inside this coat for the rest of her stay. "Thanks."

"Not a bad fit, is it? It's David's, you know. You're a mite taller than me and Harry."

"True." She'd noticed Sondra was several inches shorter than Helena last night when they said their goodbyes. "Won't he mind?"

"Nah. He's on tour. Bethan's gutted he's not here."

"There's always next week," Myka says, folding her trenchcoat and sliding it under her posterior for extra warmth.

"Between you and me, I doubt we'll qualify," Sondra says, taking the seat next to her. "No offense to Coach Harry."

"I'll take your word on that." Myka zips the parka up and flips the hood halfway over her head. "Thank you so much for this," she says. "I only have work clothes."

"Harry said that." Sondra reaches into her bag and pulls out a thermos. "Cuppa?"

"Sure."

Sonrda unscrews the lid and hands it to Myka, then pulls a second cup out of her bag. She hands to the cup Myka then unscrews the stopper and pours steaming liquid into both. She then screws the stopper back in and sets the thermos on the bleacher.

"Harry also said you two used to knock boots." Sondra plucks the second cup from Myka's hand.

"Used to what?"

“Knock boots."

"Kick each other?" Myka takes a sip from her cup.

Sondra snorts a short laugh. "Mind you, Harry might wind you up enough for that. But nah. Mollock about."

"Mollock?"

"Shag, love."

"Oh, that. Yes. Yes, we did." Myka sips her tea again, burying her gaze in the clear brown liquid, the heat of embarrassment creeping up her neck.

"Star-crossed lovers, she said. Long-distance. Then she up and disappeared."

“All true," Myka says, her disappointment ringing clear. Their actual story, in that sense, somewhat mirroring the one Helena dreamed up. But the rest of it, not so much: Helena latched onto Christina's multiple city idea but turned her nose up at the dating app. Instead, she concocted a near fairy-tale level, met-across-a-crowded-room scenario, one which she likes better than the actual circumstances under which they met.

Sondra tops up Myka's tea without prompting, the jolt of warmth radiating pleasantly through the metal cup into her fingers.

"You know why she's here then?" Sondra asks.

"Not exactly. Do you?"

"Heard she saw a murder."

"What?" Myka spits out her tea. "Where'd you hear that?"

"Village talk. What'd you hear?"

"Money laundering. Her boss."

"Better that than the other," Sondra says. She looks out onto the field, waving as she catches her daughter's eye. "Here to warn her, are you?"

"Am I?"

"You, turning up out of thin air? Something's not right."

Myka stares out into the field, mimicking Sondra's action. Christina hops up and down, waving as Myka sees her.

"The village can help, you know. Make them disappear like they never were here. Lots of places to hide in the mountains leftover from the war."

"I-I'll let her know. I'm sure she'll appreciate it."

"Sondra! Get down here, they're starting!" a woman shouts from the bottom of the bleachers.

"Alright, in a minute!" Sondra yells back. "Join us lot for the event of the season?" she asks Myka.

Myka surveys the group of parents, many she recognizes from last night. And just like last night, she should be able to disappear in their midst, which works for her. "Sure." As she stands, Sondra looks down at her flats.

"Oh, bugger me," Sondra says. "Not got my head on straight, do I? There's socks and boots for you in the car."

"Really? That's awesome," Myka says, genuinely excited to have more appropriate footwear. She follows Sondra down the bleachers and out into the parking lot.

"Harry's lucky to have you, Sondra. You're a really good friend," Myka says as Sondra opens the back of her SUV.

"I do my best." Sondra pulls out out a pair of lightly worn work boots. "David's, again. Maybe a little rough for your taste."

"I'll take anything." Myka snags the boots and plunks down on the tailgate, fishing a sock out of a shoe.

Sondra leans on the fender next to her. "While you're here, if you're up for it…well, Harry, she's a bit, all on her own, if you know what I mean. Maybe you two could…."

Myka's lips curl up as she tugs on a lace. She certainly does know and certainly hopes they do. "That's not up to me."

"She's still mad for you, she said."

"That's sweet."

A whistle blows from the field.

"Game's on. Let's go!" Sondra shoos Myka off the tailgate and throws it closed in record time.

The game was lackluster at first, but by the end, Myka was cheering like a pro. In a suspenseful twist, a tie was broken in overtime by a penalty kick from Christina's team. High spirits followed, leading to an overly social lunch. Congratulatory pats on the back and constant recaps squashed any hopes of chatting with Helena alone.

But at least she's understanding conversations better, following the lilt of the words rather than hear them as an indecipherable mash. It seems the Welsh add syllables generously, such as the word "roll" strung out into "ro-ew-ell." And H's often sound like Y's: "here" as "year," "heard" as "yurd."

"So, I promised ice creams for the team," Helena says after their sausage rolls and chips are depleted. "Will you help me distribute them?"

“Sure,” Myka says.

"Charlotte, you and Bethan gather the team."

"Ok, mom!"

Christina and Bethan scurry off while Myka and Helena join the line at the ice cream truck. Helena looks down at Myka's boots and gives them a tap with her sneaker.

"I see Sondra's clothed you as David. But the parka suits you. Perhaps you might keep it for your stay."

"Sondra said I could."

Helena smiles and inches closer, slipping her hands into Myka's pockets and tugging her towards her. But the line moves all too soon, and as they shuffle forward, Helena's phone buzzes. "I have to take this," she says, frowning as she looks at the screen.

"Is that 'the' call?"

"I believe so. Here." Helena fishes her wallet out of her pocket and hands it to Myka. "Flakes for all of them."

"Flakes? What's a Flake?" Myka asks, but Helena continues walking, already absorbed in the call.

The line moves forward. Christina and Bethan return.

"What can I get you, miss?" the man behind the counter asks.

"How many do we need?" Myka asks Christina.

"Twelve. Vicky didn't want one, and we couldn't find Tessa and Harpreet."

"Ok, twelve, um, 'Flakes' please?" Myka says to the server.

Bethan giggles at Myka's shaky ordering skills. "Do you not have Flakes in America?" she asks.

"No, we don't."

"It's just an ice cream with a chocolate bar in it."

"And a very pointy ice cream at that," Myka says as the man hands her a cone. She nearly passes it on, but instead, holds it up and studies it. “Oh! The Outer Hebrides—"

"Miss?" The server holds out a second cone.

"The outer what?" Christina asks as Myka passes both cones over.

"There's an island shaped like these cones way up in Scotland."

"Cool! How'd you know that?" Christina asks.

"I, um…I thought you and your mom might…" Myka thinks twice about finishing her sentence as she passes the next cones to an expectant Bethan. "You two better deliver those before they melt. And hurry back! He's doling them out fast."

The man hands her another cone. "Can I pay for these while we wait? How much is it?"

"Fourteen pounds."

She balances the cone and Helena's wallet in one hand and draws out a twenty with the other. As she waits for change, she slips out Helena's driver's license. Helena's hair is even shorter and freshly bleached, and again, she's hardly recognizable as herself. Angharad Haf Llewellyn lives on the very non-descript Mill Road, one of probably hundreds of others in Wales alone.

"Your change," the man says as Myka slips the card back in. He hands Myka a note and a coin, which she tries to stuff in the wallet, but the cone drips down her wrist, and the wallet tumbles to the ground.

"Allow me," Helena says, plucking the cone from Myka's hand. She licks the drip, slowly and deliberately, keeping eye contact with Myka. Myka watches, transfixed, as Helena's tongue drags up the soft-serve, leaving a deep groove in its wake before playfully nipping the pointy top off.

"Would you like some?" Helena says, brandishing a haughty smile as she moves the cone closer to Myka's mouth.

“Sure?" Myka holds Helena's gaze as she licks off another drip, aroused but puzzled by this shift back to flirting. There's something she should ask, something Helena's deflecting… “ hat happened on the phone—"

"Ma'am, your cones," the server says.

"Oh, sorry." Myka turns and takes both cones.

"I'm pleased to see your curls are regaining their integrity. The wave they've taken on is quite flattering," Helena reaches out to finger a lock.

Myka raises a brow, high. That's a non-sequitur if there ever was one.

"Here's mom's wallet stuff," Christina says, having returned unknowingly and scooped up its contents. She holds the cards and cash out towards Myka.

"Here, I, um…" Myka hands a cone to Christina and Christina passes the wallet contents to Myka. Myka grips the items tightly while handing over the other cone.

"Miss," the ice cream man says and Myka looks toward him. He's holding two more cones.

"I'll manage this," Helena says just as Bethan reappears.

Myka steps to the side and shoves the bills back in the wallet, but as she does so, notices a sliver of paper sticking out of a seam. She gently pries the seam open and slips the paper free. It's crinkled and faded, but instantly recognizable: it's the photo of Helena's family that once occupied her locket. Something Helena, or rather Harry, should not have on her person.

She glances at Helena, dutifully passing cones on to the girls, and blinks back tears welling up behind her eyes. She was isolated in LA, but she was at least, mostly, able to be herself. Helena and Christina had to be other people, vigilantly, with different names and backstories, acclimating to a foreign culture, with no access to their past.

Whatever this next trial is, it better be quick and painless, as this charade needs to end now.

"Tonight. Or tomorrow," Helena says, finally alone in the Rover, in response to Myka's question of when she'll be taken to Leeds.

"It better be tomorrow," Myka grumbles as Helena navigates out of the school parking lot. "If they know where it is, why do you have to be there?"

"Morgana and I both must be present to open the vault. She's on her way there now."

Helena slows at a junction and glances at Christina, wilted and spread out, covering the entire backseat.

"Perhaps she should stay with you tonight at the inn."

"No, we're staying with you." Myka pokes Helena's bruised shoulder, lightly, but hard enough it elicits a wince. "And you're putting that sling on the medic gave you." She looks toward Christina, who has one eye popped open.

"Mom..." Christina drawls, the implication clear without further clarification.

"Alright," Helena says, huffing out a small, defeated sigh. "We'll pick up Myka's bags and head home."

"It seems our only option is pasta," Helena says, poking her nose in the pantry. "Saturdays offerings can be quite slim as Sunday's our big shop."

"Pasta's fine," Myka says, looking around their galley kitchen while dragging a finger along a pristine marble countertop. White cobblestone walls and exposed timber beams ooze country charm, while everything else seems lifted from a high-end lifestyle magazine. "You did all this?"

"Most of it. With licensed builders when necessary. The house was a shambles when we arrived, as you'll see from other rooms. I'm told parts of it date from the eighteenth century, but it's been heavily modified. When it's light out, you'll glean that from the roofline."

The drive from the school was less than fifteen minutes, but it was dark by the time they arrived. And a portion of that was spent navigating their claustrophobic driveway. When they emerged from the hedgerows, the lights from the house glowed like a portal to another dimension. Stars glittered in the sky, so far removed were they from light pollution.

"How'd you find this place?"

"Morgana did, years ago."

"Years?"

"This exercise was pre-planned, in anticipation of just an event." Helena reaches into a cabinet under the countertop and pulls out a medium-sized dutch oven pot.

"That...makes sense." It's irksome this wasn't as seat-of-the-pants as Myka thought, as it reminds her of how little she really knows about what's going on. "When did you learn to fix cars?"

"Giselle's cousins. Several are mechanics. They taught me the basics. We ran with the idea once Morgana found the house."

Myka frowns as she watches Helena fill the pot with water. Morgana, Giselle, both good people, both more helpful than she's been.

Helena sets the pot on the stove and lights the burner. "Allow me to show you our humble home," she says. "This is the kitchen, of course."

"Which is amazing," Myka says.

"Christina deserves it, after all I've put her through. We even added a small wood-fired oven, which may or may not have been present in the original kitchen." She points to a brick arch in the space where the fireplace is.

"I'm sure she loves it."

"She'll regale you with our trials and tribulations if you ask. Though she might even if not prompted." Helena guides Myka beyond the kitchen towards the back of the house. When they stop, Helena motions towards a closed door.

"The bath is just here, in the extension. Fully renovated as well. Nothing like our old apartment. It might even rival Claudia's."

Myka lifts a skeptical brow.

"Our water pressure's not as hearty, but serviceable. I'd say we could peek in, but Christina's grown quite accustomed to her privacy. Perhaps it's best to circle back after she's finished showering."

"She is ten now. I guess she's grown in lots of ways," Myka says with a chuckle.

"More than you can imagine." Helena swings back through the kitchen towards the living room. "Once the novelty of being here wore off, there were some difficult times."

"She seems settled now."

"Her happiness has been hard won." Helena stands by an enormous fireplace with a heavy wooden mantle, the flip side of the kitchen hearth. "We'll build a fire here after dinner, and the entire house will warm."

"It's pretty warm right now, but that would be nice." Myka's sure Helena turned up the heating already just for her. But it's been years since she's been anywhere with a real fireplace, the last time a ski trip to Vermont with Abigail and some friends in grad school.

Helena guides Myka up a narrow set of winding stairs to the second floor. "Mind the plastic."

"You fell down these?"

"Yes. The water damage I've been wrestling with is just there." Helena points to a spot where the hallway ceiling meets the slope of the stairway. "We need a new roof."

"That's a big investment."

"Indeed. The longer we're here, the more it needs doing. I've been patching it for now."

"That's ok, right? You won't be here forever."

"Myka," Helena says, the plastic crinkling as she steps forward and takes hold of her hand. "Even if this were over tomorrow, I'd still be deported. And my involvement with this case won't look favorably towards shortening my sentence. If I'm ever allowed into America again."

"T-They can't…you didn't do anything wrong! Interpol can fix it. They have to!"

"They'll try, but there are no guarantees."

"But…no," Myka says, voice softening, looking Helena directly in the eye, waiting for a flicker of hope but seeing only apologetic resolve. "Would you stay here if you couldn't come back?"

"I'd rather Christina not be moved again unless it's to Claudia's. But it's not entirely my decision. There may be other factors. Let's remain optimistic, please." Helena squeezes Myka's hand.

Helena's "please" tugs on Myka's heartstrings. She nods in response, afraid her voice might crack if she spoke. And again, there are so many things factoring into this she's not privy to. She should know better; nothing these days is ever set in stone.

Helena clears her throat. "Christina's room's just there." She tugs Myka's hand, guiding her down the hall.

Myka pushes the door open and peeks in. The room is bigger than she thought, being that the house seems small, but it must extend over yet another extension. She walks in and steps up to a wall filled with drawings made with markers, pens, pencils, and even pastels. The image of a tuxedo rabbit is repeated throughout; this must be Mr. Bubbles, his coloring similar to Dewey's.

Myka turns toward Helena. "These are really good."

"Her sketchbooks are brimming. She's dying to show you."

"Maybe after dinner?"

"Which we should get to making. After one final stop." Helena takes Myka's hand and leads her down the hall into her bedroom. "I've only shored up the crumbling walls in here. This is what the house was like when we arrived."

The water damage is evident, as is the questionable taste of the former occupants. Overly-floral wallpaper covers half of the room, the other half ripped-off to reveal bubbling plaster.

"But you decorated. And it looks like you really live here." A four-poster bed fills the far corner, while a matching dresser sits on the opposite wall. There's a deep-set window with a seat underneath, perfect for reading or napping, but currently covered in folded laundry.

"That was our mandate," Helena says, walking toward the mantle, fidgeting with a wooden knick-knack of a cat. "I channeled my mother's antique leanings but added a modern flare. Homemaking was never my strong suit, but the task required it. And Christina deserved a home she could boast about to her new friends."

"This feels very…settled."

"I wish it to be equated as such. I believe Christina feels safe here, which is the most important thing in the world to me." Helena walks towards the bed and sits on its edge.

"What about you? How do you feel?" Myka sits next to Helena lays a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm …all right," Helena says, the pause clearly indicating a censure of honest feeling. "But, I do have a confession."

"Ok." Myka withdraws her hand and turns slightly to give Helena full attention. She wants to know everything, but a confession? That doesn't sound good.

"A few months ago, in a moment of weakness, I stalked you on the internet. Not here...during some downtime on a job in Cardiff."

"Oh." Myka's relief is palpable. "Do you think that's how they found you?"

"I was certain I was careful. But now...I'm questioning that theory." Helena looks down at her hands, balling them into fists to stop their fidgeting.

"What did you find about me?"

A smile tugs at Helena’s lips. "I found an extraordinary woman willfully moving forward, making connections wherever she traveled, working tirelessly for a museum, continuing to exhibit her art."

"The job part is right, but the rest...I had to project a certain lifestyle, just like you."

"There was an article in the New York Times about your show in LA—"

"Group show. And not just that one, other shows in LA, too."

“—with a beauteous photo of yourself standing next to an attractive, dark-haired woman with a beguiling smile."

"T-They made us stand that close. The photographer did," Myka blurts.

Helena raises a brow.

"She's a friend, one I met at that residency, in LA. She got me into the show." Calm down, Myka. You do not want to have this conversation right now, if ever. "That show got really good reviews. I'm lucky."

"I'm so pleased with all your successes," Helena says, taking hold of Myka's hand and threading their fingers together. "I wish I were there to support you."

"You're there in spirit, always." Myka scoots closer and leans in to kiss Helena, to remove any doubts floating in her mind.

Helena turns to align their lips, but grimaces and pulls back. She circles her shoulder and rubs her neck, groaning as she hits a tender spot.

"Here, let me," Myka says, pushing back onto the bed and laying her hands on Helena's shoulders. "You really should wear that sling. And take a bath to loosen up your muscles, help them heal."

Helena groans even louder as Myka presses her thumbs into her trapezius muscles. Myka's stomach flutters at the sound and the memories it conjures.

"Do you remember the first massage I ever gave you?” Myka asks.

“How could I ever forget? The one where it took every ounce of my being to not turn and ravish you."

"Uh-huh." Myka maneuvers so that she's entirely on the bed, her legs stranding Helena's hips from behind.

"I was madly in love with you already." Helena turns her head toward Myka as far as it will go.

"So was I." Myka twists her body to meet Helena's gaze. She brushes her fingers over Helena's blackening eye then trails them down, cupping her jaw, guiding Helena's mouth toward hers until their lips meet.

"Mom, water's boiling!" Christina yells.

"I'll be down in a minute!" Helena yells back, lips quickly returning to cover Myka's. "If I'd made better choices earlier on," she says between soft but heated kisses, "perhaps we'd not be in this predicament."

"Ravishing me then wouldn't have changed this." Myka's hand tangles in Helena's short mane.

"Had I read you in earlier, you might at least be here with us now."

Helena's kisses trail along Myka's jaw, then down, towards the crook of her neck. Myka moans as Helena's nose digs into the well above her collarbone.

"You didn't know me well enough to trust me. And you couldn't have predicted any of this—"

"MOM! The water's boiling away!"

"Alright! Add the pasta."

"The whole box?"

"Yes. And remember to stir it."

"I don't forget. You do."

"Yes, but I'm reminding you." The end of Helena's sentence is buried in Myka's neck, as she returns to kissing her way across.

"Is there sauce?" Christina shouts.

Myka barks a laugh as Helena sighs into her shoulder. "In the freezer, leftover from the last batch we made." She rests her head on Myka's chest as they wait for Christina's answer. Myka hugs Helena close, combing her fingers through Helena's locks, which are still, thankfully, just as silky smooth as ever.

"I can't find any."

"Then we're out. Butter and garlic it is," Helena declares. "Wait a moment, and I'll come and help." Then to Myka, "Barebones supper, I'm afraid. I hope you don't mind."

Myka tips Helena's head up and kisses her as if she'd said they'd be eating a five-star meal. "Any dinner with you two? Best. Dinner. Ever."

They eat in the kitchen at the thick, wooden table, its cloth napkins and lit candles making it almost a formal affair.

"The candlesticks came from an estate sale. Christina has her grandmother's eye for decor." Helena smiles at Christina, a proud twinkle in her eye.

Christina beams at the compliment and launches into other finds, such as the wooden bread bowl on the counter and a cuckoo clock above a sideboard.

"I haven't heard it cuckoo," Myka says of the clock.

"It's yet to be fixed, but it's on our list," Helena laments.

"Aunt Claudia could fix it," Christina adds.

"She sure could," Myka agrees.

Helena doesn't comment.

The table quiets. Forks scrape and ice cubes clank as everyone tucks into their food. Speaking freely about the past is clearly a contestable issue.

Helena glances at the clock, then at Christina. “Your Aunt Claudia would add tech to make the bird sing."

"Or talk. Sing and talk," Myka adds.

"And you could control it from your phone," Christina says.

"That must be a thing already. We should look it up." Myka slips her phone out of her pocket.

"No phones at the table." Helena gives a disapproving look.

"But yours is right there." Myka points with her eyes to Helena's phone, next to her plate.

"Extenuating circumstances."

“Oh...right." The normalcy of their meal lulled Myka into a sense of false security. This wasn't merely a pleasant ritual, they were waiting for the call that could potentially change everything.

"We'll add 'make cuckoo sing' to our list of summer projects," Helena says, swaying the conversation back to trivialities.

"Will we still be here?" Christina says.

"I believe so."

"Can Aunt Claudia visit us now, since Myka's here?"

"Perhaps. But I can't make any promises. The next few days will be telling."

Christina lays her fork down, her plate three-quarters cleared. "I'm done."

"At least finish your toast," Helena says.

Christina stuffs what’s left of her garlic bread into her mouth all at once.

Helena purses her lips in disapproval. "During your foray into the freezer, did you spy any ice cream?”

"No, but there's cake."

"The Genoise or Chiffon?"

"Genoise, with the strawberry frosting. It's really yummy!" Christina says to Myka.

"It's quite a delight. One of our more successful forays into baking."

"I believe you," Myka says.

"Why don't you pull some out and we'll have it later."

"Ok!" Christina pushes her chair back and makes a beeline towards the fridge.

"Why wouldn't you be here in the summer? She knows you're still deported, right?"

"Yes. But she also knows, since our location has been compromised, we may need to disappear again."

"You didn't say that earlier. You said if you cooperated, everything would be fine!"

"I also said certain decisions were not up to me. I didn't want to sound alarmist."

"If you go, I'm coming with you. You can't do that to me again."

Christina lays a plate on the table containing two pieces of frozen cake and looks at Myka expectantly.

"Wow, those look great!" Myka says, a little too emphatically, changing her tone on a dime. She turns the plate for a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree view. Fluffy layers of yellow cake sandwich pink icing with strawberries and even more strawberries line the top.

"Fancy a spot of tele after the washing up?" Helena says to Christina.

"There's a new Bake Off! Have you been watching?" Christina asks Myka.

"I haven't."

"I'll catch you up."

"Shall I light the fire, or you?" Helena asks Christina.

"I'll do it!" Christina scurries into the living room.

"Well. That's sorted." Helena stands and moves towards the kitchen.

"Hey." Myka touches Helena's forearm, her fingers sliding down as Helena continues moving away. She cuffs Helena's wrist, and Helena flinches, her arm stretching, the pressure straining her sore shoulder. Her wrist slips free as Myka’s grip loosens, but Myka hooks their fingers together before Helena disengages entirely.

"Where's that sling the medic gave you? You should put it on."

"I believe it's in the car."

"Go get it. I'll clean up."

"I'll clean up. It would please Christina to no end if you'd assist her with the fire."

"Sure, but—"

"You're our guest."

"Guest? Since when am I a guest?" Myka stands and squeezes Helena's hand.

Helena closes her eyes and lowers her head, letting out a deep, weighted sigh.

"What's wrong?"

"You're cross with me."

"No. I'm just…hey, look at me." Myka tips Helena's chin up.

Helena's eyes flick up to meet Myka's.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you. But it's frustrating, being in the dark about everything."

"Were there time, I'd explain."

"I know." Myka cups Helena's cheek and brushes her thumb over her brow. Helena's physical state is bad enough, but hurting her emotionally? Not ok.

"We can talk later." Helena says, leaning into Myka's touch.

"Talking is not what we're doing later. Or not much of it."

Helena’s eyes light up. "I like the way you think.”

"Mm-hmm." Myka leans in and presses a soft kiss to Helena's upturned lips.

"Mom, do you know where the long matches are?" Christina shouts from the living room.

Helena pulls back and rolls her eyes. "They're in here, love."

"I'll bring them in. I want to see this fire being made!" Myka answers. "Come with me," she says to Helena. “Leave the cleanup for later." She laces their fingers together, on Helena's good arm, and gently tugs.

Helena looks towards the dishes then back at Myka. “Quite the genius tonight, aren’t you?"

“I know.” Myka grins. “Grab those matches, and let's go."

-TBC-

#BERING AND WELLS #fan fiction #Helena HG Wells #Myka Bering #W13 #if/then

9 notes · View notes

saltyfilmmajor · 5 years

Text

Benji’s Life as a Narrative Stake in Rogue Nation - How Benji’s Character Becomes the Heart of the Film, and his connection to Ethan Hunt.

Dedicated to @ineverhadadoubt

Rogue Nation, or I as I often call it “The Benthan Movie”, is one of my favorite films of all time. If you have followed my blog for any particular length of time you can tell that it’s my favorite film out of the Mission: Impossible franchise.

I love this film to pieces, and yet many people see Benji as merely comic relief.

While he is a funny character, he isn’t just some punchline. His character is how the stakes of the narrative stakes are quantified. The film itself is structured around Benji being the emotional center of the film. So due to my lack of cooperation from my fiction writing brain, have this Analytical essay for day 2 of Bethan week!

(I know, I was surprised I haven’t actually talked about this aspect of the Film in-depth.)

(also this is not quite discussing the Inherent gayness of the Franchise, however, I know @ineverhadadoubt will still appreciate where this essay will go. :fingerhearts:)

The concept of whether Benji lives or dies is introduced about a quarter into the film at the Vienna Opera house sequence. The moment Ethan tells Benji: “For your sake, we shouldn't be seen together.” Right there the story establishes 2 things for the audience:

1) Ethan will prioritize Benji’s life over the mission.

2) Benji is already being put in a considerable amount of danger.

So, when the Boat Scene happens, those two facts are cemented firmly into the minds of the audience, there is an understanding of what the narrative is asking: What’s going to happen to Benji and what will Ethan do about It?

This scene shows two instances of Ethan prioritizing Benji’s life: Near the beginning when he wants to send Benji back home and at the end after he explains how dangerous the Syndicate actually is.

Ethan has a backup plan to get Benji to Washington D.C. after the mission ends badly. He sets everything up so that Benji can get home safely, and he tells him to lie so that Benji can stay safe.

“Your life depends on them believing you Benji, it’ll go easier if you tell them what they want to hear.”

And then of course: “I can’t protect you. That’s why I need you to leave.”

Often this phrase is analyzed without the full context behind it, so let’s rewind a little and show the full line that Ethan says

“That’s why I brought you here in the first place and look what happened. I can’t protect you, that’s why I need you to leave.”

Ethan brought Benji in so that they could find Lane, but now the Chancellor’s dead despite Ethan’s best efforts to put him out of harm’s way. He can’t guarantee to Benji’s safety and he’s afraid of losing more people. Even if it makes the mission more demanding for himself, he’d rather continue while knowing that Benji is safe.

But Benji refuses to accept this. He takes the gamble and demands to stay with Ethan. To him, he’s been out of the game standing on the sideline. He has all this pressure being put upon him back home because he has to lie about his connection to Ethan. The decision is being taken out of his hands and he can’t stand that. He wants to help Ethan, and even if his life is being put in danger. It is a better option.

“I know the risks, more than that I am your friend. No matter what I tell the polygraph every week.”

The next time the narrative hints at Benji’s life being put into danger is after Ethan drowns in the torus. Benji says this: “I appreciate everything you do for me, but one of these days, you are going to take it too far.”

Firstly, Benji recognizes that Ethan risking his life in the torus was to ensure Benji stays safe. The dialogue choice foreshadows what will happen in the third act of the film: Ethan doing something reckless to keep Benji safe. Benji even mentions it again at that particular point.

“You remember how told you one day you were going to take things too far?”

After Benji gets kidnapped, Ethan’s main priority is to get Benji back safe and sound. Almost every time someone objects to his plan he brings up Benji: Ethan: We have to take the prime minister.

Brandt: Let’s just think about that for a minute

Ethan: It’s the only way to get Benji back.

As well as this Exchange:

Luther: Ethan, wait.

Ethan: If I'm not there in 15 minutes, he'll kill Benji.

Luther: Your mission is to bring down the Syndicate. If Lane gets his hands on that money, we're unleashing a terrorist superpower.

And what does Ethan do? He takes things too far again for Benji. This time by holding the PM hostage and giving lane 50 million dollars in exchange for Benji’s life.

Also, Ethan technically fails the mission. Because as Luther said, the mission was to bring down the syndicate.

But Ethan gives them some of the money anyway, and It can be inferred that because of that money, the apostles were able to form. Ethan gave money to know terrorist, against the advice of his closest friend, all to save Benji’s life.

That’s how much Benji’s outcome influences Both Rogue Nation and Fallout.

#My Essays #benthan #benthanweek2019 #day 2 #hurt/comfort #Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation #Rogue Nation #Salty Film Major™#supergeekytoon #Sorry this wasn't as long as i had hoped but i wanted to get this out there #I might make a part 2 to this #cause there was some interesting shit that i really couldn't include #otp: I owe him nothing

50 notes · View notes

sims3morgans · 5 years

Photo

Siblings Interview Tag

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

Tagging: @simcatcher

Interview under the cut...

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

1. Which one of you is the older sibling?

Bethan: That would be Olwyn.

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

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

2. What do you like about your sibling?

Interviewer: Bethan, would you like to start?

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

Interviewer: And you Olwyn?

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

3. What annoys you about your sibling?

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

Bethan: Olwyn?

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

Bethan: I’m a bit much!

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

Bethan: That ****.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

//Bethan’s mouth drops open.//

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

//Olwyn shrugs.//

Olwyn: It’s what you do.

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

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

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

Olwyn: I…

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

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

//Bethan pauses, then grins.//

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

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

7. Do you have nicknames for each other?

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

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

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

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

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

9. Did you get along when you were younger?

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

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

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

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

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

Olwyn: Oh I definitely knew what I was saying.

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

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

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

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

Olwyn: I am a wordsmith Bethan!

12. Did you compete with each other?

Bethan: Nope.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Interviewer: Hmm, moving on…

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

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

//Bethan nods.//

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

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

16. Who’s better at math?

Olwyn: Bethan.

Bethan: Yep, definitely me.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bethan: I’m not sure we’re there yet!

Olwyn: Bethan, you have matching tattoos.

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

20. Lastly, how often do you argue?

Olwyn: Not often.

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

Olwyn: Whereas mum...

Both laugh

#sisters #interview #sims3morgans #sims #sims story #sims storytelling #transcript #sims 3 #sims 3 screenshots #sims 3 story #ts3 #ts3 simblr #simblr #sims questions #sims q&a

6 notes · View notes

hyperfixus · 5 years

Text

OPEN YOUR EYES, HEART AND MIND

Open up. It’s good for you.

This post is a little different to the others I’ve written. This one isn’t just about my experiences. In light of May being Borderline Personality Disorder Awareness Month, and last week being Mental Health Awareness Week, I’ve asked for those around me who live with BPD to contribute to my blog with their own thoughts, feelings and experiences. I would like to say a big thank you to those who felt brave enough to open up to me and so many others about the intimate details of their lives. I hope this post can make others who live with BPD feel a little less alone. 🖤

***

ANONYMOUS

Well I'm not sure what you'd like to know. But I've seen the stigma first hand and have cared for my mum who has been totally consumed by BPD due to the death of her first child. When I was growing up and looking after her I wasn't told what was wrong with her. So when the symptoms got stronger and she'd lash out and say things she didn't mean it had a huge effect on me as I didn't understand why she would say things and act like she did. As soon as I learned from her what was actually going on it became way easier to process and forgive her because I knew it wasn't her, it was her illness. Awareness for the people around people with BPD is so important in creating balanced and healthy relationships without resentment, as it was so difficult when I was small and clueless so I feel like there should be way more support for not only the people with BPD, but for the families because the nature of BPD makes it difficult to communicate sometimes unless you can understand it!!

ANONYMOUS

So I got my diagnosis around a year ago after a suicide attempt, I wasn’t really shocked about the diagnosis as I had done so much research due to having friends with BPD also so it was almost a weight off my shoulders being diagnosed. After I got diagnosed me and my ex split up due to him not “being able to handle it” which was sucky but a blessing really as I met better people after him, people who were able to “handle” it. I think one of the worst parts about having BPD is not being able to differ what is my actual personality vs BPD traits, I try to not divide the two and think too much into it but I do always wonder what parts are me and what parts are the illness. Certain things I struggle with a lot are my reactions to things that are considered “normal” one of the biggest things for me is when someone reads my message and doesn’t respond, sometimes I’ll literally consider blocking the person from my life or sending them a whole paragraph as to why they are the worst person on the planet, even I know that’s so intense but I literally cannot help it and it really sucks as it has caused so many fallouts and arguments for me. Another thing is reckless behaviour such as the time I took out 6 credit cards and I’ve maxed them all out and now I’m in a whole load of debt lmao. My reckless behaviour currently is going out most nights a week getting so blackout drunk because I’m trying to just cover up the fact that I’m going through a really bad time mentally, one of my ex’s has really broken me and I know that’s what I’m trying to get through by doing stupid things, it’s annoying that I can recognise why I’m acting like this but I can’t stop it, it’s a repetitive cycle. I do hope one day I can just be content with my life and get off the meds and stop the self destructiveness but right now I’m so numb that self destruct is the only way I feel absolutely anything and that’s just sad. If you have friends/family who seem to have all the traits of a person with borderline personality disorder please be kind to them, don’t call them out for their behaviour because they will be struggling a lot more than you realise, I wish people had been kinder to me and not so judgemental when I did silly things. Borderline personality disorder is such a hard thing to diagnose and it sometimes takes way longer than it should to be diagnosed, I only got my diagnosis because I tried to kill myself and I don’t think that’s right at all it should not be that way.

ANONYMOUS

For me, being diagnosed with BPD was one of the happiest but also scariest moments of my life. I was 21 when i found out and always kind of knew it was more than just anxiety and depression that made me feel the way i did. Knowing what was actually wrong felt like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders as it really just made me realise that I don’t have full control over my moods and emotions but there are still ways i can manage it and make life easier for myself. I don’t take medication anymore because i always felt like a zombie but honestly it is still difficult when your head moves faster than you can manage. Meditation helps me a lot, it was difficult to get into but even just trying to regulate my breathing and ground myself in times of stress has helped more than i ever thought it would. With BPD i think it’s important to just take things one at a time, i overthink a lot and that doesn’t help with being constantly overwhelmed, but learning to focus on the things i *can* deal with, rather than the “what if’s” is one of the biggest helps for me

BETHAN, 19, LIVERPOOL

I've had diagnosed bpd for like a year now, getting the help I've needed has been near impossible. I spent about a year and a half undiagnosed and having no idea what was wrong with me made my symptoms worse. I always found myself getting into dumb situations due to impullsiveness, ever since my diagnosis I've been able to handle myself a lot better :) I think something people need to realise is that clarity can really help with bpd and even though it's hard in the UK to get help it is out there

DALE, 24, CLACTON-ON-SEA

So I was only diagnosed with bpd this year, until that point I was always given the blanket term of depression and mixed anxiety. [My experiences since diagnosis have been] kinda difficult I guess I got comfortable living with the standard depression diagnosis and so to be diagnosed with BPD kinda of shook my boat so to speak. I mean my mum and dad both suffer from mental health issues my mum being bi polar and my dad having Paranoid Schizophrenia so I didnt come from the best genetic stock in the forms of mental health

EVIE, 20, DURHAM

Having BPD is both a blessing and a curse to me. It is a curse because I am constantly tormented with intrusive thoughts, irrational behaviours and extreme insecurity. I question everything and often find myself in difficult situations because of my fears, and acting out in anger. It is a curse because I am constantly terrified of being abandoned, and that the people around me don't love me, and secretly hate me. It is a curse because some days I cannot physically get out of bed, because I'm- because I'm so mentally exhausted from the aggressive thoughts plaguing my mind. It is a blessing because after 10 long traumatic years, I have the answers I was looking for, my family was looking for and my loved ones were looking for. It is a blessing because you will never meet anyone who loves you as much as I do. I feel, and I feel hard. And I embrace it. It is a blessing because although I deal with such an awful disorder, I am not what happened to me. And BPD does not define me.I am still worthy of love, and I always will be. I am Evie, not BPD.

#bpd #borderline #borderline personality disorder #borderline awareness #bpd awareness #bpd awareness month #mental health #mh #mental health blog #pma #positive mental attitude #self help #self care

4 notes · View notes

buttercream-imagines · 7 years

Text

After the Afterparty || Conor

all masterposts found here

pairing - Conor x reader [ft Mikey, Jack, and Joe] word count - 1,301 warnings - none A/N -

summary - The one where Conor hears you singing

It was rare for you to find someone who was as passionate about music as you were. There was hardly ever a moment where music wasn’t playing throughout your house, in your earbuds, or simply in your head. You were always singing and dancing to some sort of melody, even if no one else could hear it out loud.

It was this passion for music that made you start a YouTube channel. You only had a little over 200,000 subscribers, but you weren’t in it for the fame. You just loved singing and sharing your voice with anyone who would listen. Growing up the only people who would listen were your parents and your grandma, and that was always enough. You still couldn’t believe that anyone more than that wanted to hear you.

You recently moved to London in hopes of expanding your YouTube career. You knew that a lot of other YouTubers lived in London, and you thought that maybe being closer to them in location would give you a higher chance to collab with them. Your mind swam with thoughts of collabing with dodie or Carrie or Bethan or, if you were really lucky, Conor.

Sure you liked a lot of cover channels that were based in the UK, but Conor made your heart skip a beat. Not only was he a fantastic singer who put so much passion into this songs, but he was also insanely gorgeous and you definitely had an Internet crush on him. You had a feeling though that collabing with him was not in your near future. Hell, you weren’t sure you’d get to collab with any of your dream channels. Regardless, you were loving your new place.

You had only been in your new flat for a few days and were still working to unpack all your boxes. You didn’t hire a moving company so you definitely had your work cut out for you. The one thing you managed to unpack right away was your camera equipment. You wanted to film a cover on the porch of your new place as it overlooked the city, and you thought it would be a nice video background. So, as the sun was beginning to set one Sunday evening, you set up your camera and started the video.

“Hey guys, I hope you liked that new cover!” you said happily. You were planning on putting this bit at the end of the video. “As you can kind of see, I’ve moved house! I thought I’d film this cover and then maybe later once I’m more settled in I can do a bit of a house tour!”

You finished the intro (or rather, outro) and then began your cover. You had your guitar with you and had decided to sing an acoustic version of After the Afterparty by Charlie XCX. It was one of your favorite songs at the moment and you hadn’t seen many covers of it online, so you thought you’d throw one out there yourself.

You got halfway through the first recording and messed up, so you had to start over. You weren’t too bothered except for the fact that halfway through your second try, there was a knock at your door. You contemplated ignoring it, but you didn’t want it to interrupt you again, so you thought it best to just answer. “Coming!” you called as the person knocked again. As you approached the door, you heard a bunch of voices on the other side. Thoroughly confused now, you braced yourself for what you might find when you opened the door.

You were definitely not prepared for who you saw.

There stood Conor Maynard and his brother Jack, along with Joe Sugg and Mikey Pearce. You weren’t hugely into YouTube aside from the covers you watched, but you had seen Jack, Joe, and Mikey in random livestreams Conor had on his channel. “Um, hi?” you managed to say. You were in a bit of shock and it was taking a lot in you not to completely freak out.

“I’m sorry,” Conor said immediately. “I wanted to come over by myself but they insisted on coming.” You quirked an eyebrow, clearly not understanding what he was saying. “Sorry, I’m Conor,” he explained. “These are my friends Joe and Mikey and my brother Jack.”

“Nice to meet you guys,” you said, confused still. “I’m (Y/N). Do you guys, like, live in this building?”

“Oh, right, yeah, sorry,” Conor stuttered. “I live just a floor below you. I, well, we heard you singing-”

“Oh, sorry,” you said immediately. “I can keep it down-”

“No, that’s not it at all,” Conor said quickly. “I wanted to come up here and tell you how great you sound. Like I said, I didn’t want them to come along but they don’t listen to me.”

“We wanted to tell you you sounded good too!” Mikey said defensively.

“Yeah but I wanted to ask if she wanted to collab whereas you just wanted to see if she was hot,” Conor mumbled to him. You stifled a laugh as Mikey scowled at Conor. “So, yeah I don’t know if you know but I have this YouTube channel-”

“I’m very much aware of who you are Conor,” you laughed lightly. “I actually have a channel myself.”

“Really?” Conor smiled.

“Yeah,” you said. “Sorry, I’m being rude. Do you want to come in?” Mikey looked like he was going to speak, but Jack beat him to it.

“Actually, Mikey, Joe, and I were just about to head out,” he said. “It was nice to meet you (Y/N).”

“I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of each other,” Joe said. “We’re always around.”

“Bye!” you said with a smile. As the boys left, Mikey was muttering angrily to Jack, but you and Conor were now alone. “Do you want to come in?” you asked him.

“Yeah sure,” he nodded. He walked into your flat and let out a little laugh. “So you must’ve just moved in.”

“Is it that obvious?” you laughed. “Yeah, I’ve only been here for like, three days. I’ve only unpacked my bedding and some clothes and my camera stuff. I was actually filming a cover when you heard me.”

“Oh I’m sorry,” Conor said. “I don’t want to interrupt.”

“It’s fine,” you said. “I can finish it another time.”

“I don’t mind if you finish it now,” he said. “I mean, if that’s not weird for you.”

“Are you sure?” you said.

“Positive.”

So, you walked back over to your patio and sat down where you had left your guitar. Conor sat on a chair behind the camera and smiled at you before you began. This time, you sang the song flawlessly. You smiled widely before shutting off your camera and turning your attention fully to Conor. “You’re honestly amazing,” Conor said sincerely.

“Thanks,” you smiled. After only a second of silence, you added, “So would you really want to collab sometime?”

“Definitely,” Conor said.

“Cool,” you said. “Well, you know where I live now.” You both laughed and Conor took out his phone.

“Why don’t you give me your number,” he said. “That way I don’t have to just show up at your door one day.”

“I wouldn’t mind if you just showed up,” you said quietly. You meant to say the words in your head but they fell out before you could stop them. While you felt your cheeks turning a bit pink, Conor just smiled.

“Well then maybe I’ll have to stop by again sometime,” he said.

“Yeah,” you said, breathing a quiet sigh of relief at his casual response. “Maybe.” After exchanging numbers, Conor took off the hoodie he was wearing and rubbed his hands together.

“So, how would you like an extra hand at tackling these boxes?”

#conor maynard #conor maynard imagine #conor maynard request #request #buttercream squad #buttercream gang #buttercream boys #buttercream

112 notes · View notes

mygangtome · 7 years

Text

Where They Were, Where They Are Now - Lucy Griffiths

She was the Nightwatchman, Lady Marian, the proud and strong lady in Nottingham who fed information to our favorite outlaws, stood toe to toe with the Sheriff and caught the attention and desire of Guy of Gisborne. Here is a list of the project Lucy Griffiths has worked in since her days as Marian ended.

U Be Dead (2009) – Bethan Ancell

A doctor and his girlfriend are stalked by a woman who claims to be in love with him. Meanwhile, the man falls in love with a younger woman. Based on a true story.

Character bio: The much younger and second fiancee of Dr. Jan Falkowski, who is caught up in the events as the doctor’s stalker refuses to relent.

Fan comments: Not one that I have seen or heard much about at all, so I have little insight to offer. It seems like it could be a suspenseful story, and the cast is pretty strong, so it does have that.

Collision (2009) – Jane Tarrant

The story of a major road accident and a group of people who have never met, but who all share one single defining moment that will change their lives.

Character bio: Jane is living a normal, possibly dull, life; she works at a fast food joint and living with her boyfriend. When he suggests they get married, she gets frustrated and is afraid of being trapped. When the massive car crash drives victims to her workplace, she meets and begins an affair with Richard Reeves, an older business man.

Fan comments: I did see this one, and enjoyed the suspense and the trail of stories that weave together at the collision point. The individual characters are intriguing, and the plot holds your attention. Lucy does very well, though it was a shock to see her in blonde hair!

Inspector Lewis (2010) – Madeleine Escher (1 episode)

Inspector Robert Lewis and Sergeant James Hathaway solve the tough cases that the learned inhabitants of Oxford throw at them. Falling Darkness - During a Halloween, one of Dr Hobson’s college roommates is found dead with a stake through her heart and a garlic bulb in her mouth.

Character Bio: Madeleine Escher is one of four students living in a house that is apparently haunted, but is one of the three who are initially unconcerned.

Fan comments: I have never seen any Inspector Lewis, nor this episode, though it sounds clearly like a Halloween episode with supposedly supernatural connections to crimes that have mundane answers.

The Little House (2010) – Ruth

A reluctant mother, young Ruth Clee’s post natal vulnerability and failure to bond with her baby is exploited by Elizabeth, her manipulative mother-in-law in a battle to seize control of the child.

Character Bio: Described as emotionally fragile, Ruth is diagnosed with post-partum psychosis after the birth of her son. Her mother-in-law’s controlling nature only compounds Ruth’s other troubles, which include spectral sightings of her own mother, confusion and memory loss.

Fan comments: From the reviews I read, it feels like the script lets the actors and characters down, rushing development and skipping things that would lead to better understanding of their emotional development.

Dirt 3 (2011) - Store Manager (voice)

A racing game about a guy and a woman wanting to race against humanity can they do it? Your story your choice.

Fan comments: I couldn’t find anything about a character, so there is not much to talk about her.

Billboard (2011) - The Ex

A dark, twisted tale of two young suicidal characters who, through a series of unfortunate events, come together for one crazy night.

To shake things up, here is the teaser trailer, which does feature a lot of Lucy:

youtube

And here is another video of her talking about the project:

youtube

Awakening (2011) – Jenna Lestrade

Two sisters find themselves on opposite sides of a zombie uprising.

Another video clip, as there is next to nothing else to be found about this made for TV movie.

youtube

The Numbers Station (2013) – Meredith

A disgraced black ops agent is dispatched to a remote CIA broadcast station to protect a code operator. Soon, they find themselves in a life-or-death struggle to stop a deadly plot before it’s too late.

Character bio: One of the code dispatchers / operators at the broadcast station; leaves a code for Katherine (lady lead), which is a vital part of the code breaking that needs to be done.

Fan comments: This seems like a thriller that I would be interested in, with codes and a race against the clock. Lucy’s part does not seem large, though it is a part important to the plot.

True Blood (2012-2013) Nora Gainesborough (21 episodes)

Telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse encounters a strange new supernatural world when she meets the mysterious Bill, a southern Louisiana gentleman and vampire.

Character bio: “ Nora was irreverent, intelligent, intimidating, cool under pressure and a very good liar. Like many siblings, she and her “brother” enjoyed a fiery love/hate relationship. Though she cared for him deeply, and looked up to him, she dedicated her life to a higher purpose. However, she lacked self-discipline and, unlike her maker, seemed to have little regard for human life. Like Godric, Eric and Pam, Nora spoke Swedish. Nora was a devout religious vampire and when she was captured by the Authority and placed in her cell, the only thing she did is pray to Lilith. When Lilith mercilessly destroyed Godric, Nora finally realized that Lilith was evil and cowered in fear of her.” (from True Blood Wiki)

Fan comments: I will say that I have no intention of watching this show. Vampires on HBO is not really my speed. Though from that description of Nora, there might be moments were we see Marian’s brand of stubbornness and fire showing up.

Winter’s Tale (2014) – Young Woman

A burglar falls for an heiress as she dies in his arms. When he learns that he has the gift of reincarnation, he sets out to save her.

Character Bio: Lucy is credited only as young woman, so I have a feeling she barely shows up on screen.

Fan comments: And as I have not seen this one either, I cannot say for sure how much she shows up. But it is a pretty looking movie, so let’s have the trailer:

youtube

Last Summer (2014) – Rebecca

Having lost custody of her six year-old son, a young Japanese woman has four days to say goodbye to him on-board a yacht belonging to her western ex-husband’s wealthy family. Alone with the crew, who are under direct instruction to keep a watchful eye on her, the woman must try to forge a connection with her son before she has to part from him for many years.

Character bio: One of the yaht crew, Rebecca is the person that young Ken clings to when first interacting with his mother.

Fan comments: The only trailers I could find of this film were in Italian, but I don’t think the film was shot in Italian. The reviews have said it is a quiet film, artistic and beautiful, with a hopeful ending. I might track it down, because Rinko Kikuchi is the main character, Naomi, and that with Lucy in the film intrigues me.

Don’t Look Back (2014) – Nora Clark

An adult woman must face the trauma and horrors of her difficult childhood after avoiding it for years.

Character bio: Nora is a writer of young adult books, struggling with a writer’s block and the death of her grandmother. She decides to move back to her grandmother’s house (where Nora had been raised), to deal with the estate and the other details. She opens the house to a lodger, Peyton, who develops an unhealthy attraction to Nora. At the same time, Nora’s life continues to be bombarded by skeletons from her past.

Fan comments: This is another one that the writing fails any and all of the talent from the cast by all accounts of the reviews.

Constantine (2014) – Liv Aberdine

A man struggling with his faith who is haunted by the sins of his past is suddenly thrust into the role of defending humanity from the gathering forces of darkness.

Character bio: Liv winds up working with Constantine to banish a demon that is hunting her. She also inherited a pendant from her father that allows her to see multiple planes of existence, making her more than an ordinary office worker as we first think.

Fan comments: So Constantine has been on the back burner of my shows for awhile, since I heard it was actually pretty well done, despite not being renewed. I may bump it up the list now that I know Lucy is in it.

Home for Christmas (2014) – Alice

Beth Prince has always loved fairytales and now she feels like she’s finally on the verge of her own happily ever after; a dream job in a charming independent cinema by the seaside and a gorgeous boyfriend. There’s just one problem - no man has ever told her they love her. Desperate to hear their crucial three little words for the first time Beth takes matters into her own hands - and wishes she hasn’t.

I couldn’t find much info, though it apparently a rom com with Christmas, and is generally feel good. Though I did find this video and thought I would share it:

youtube

Uncanny (2015) – Joy Andrews

The world’s first “perfect” Artificial Intelligence begins to exhibit startling and unnerving emergent behavior when a reporter begins a relationship with the scientist who created it.

Character bio: Joy is at first just curious about the actual AI project, but then develops a friendship with David, the creator of the AI, Adam. This friendship builds to a sexual relationship, and the AI develops more and more human emotions which puts Joy in danger.

Fan comments: I would have put this on a list of movies to see, but in the course of researching, I’ve seen all the spoilers… and well, I might still watch it.

Preacher (2016) – Emily (10 episodes)

After a supernatural event at his church, a preacher enlists the help of a vampire to find God.

Character bio: Emily is no-nonsense single mother of three. Emily’s a waitress, while also serving as a church organist, bookkeeper and Jesse’s loyal right hand. (bio from Preacher Wikia)

Fan comments: While the premise of the show doesn’t quite catch me (so sick of vampires, sorry), Lucy’s character seems an interesting change from some of the other roles I’ve seen her in, and from those that I had to research. I may have to look up her episodes.

That is it for now in Lucy’s filmography, but I am interested to see what her career will bring!

#my gang to me 2017 #lucy griffiths #who they are now #lady marian #bbc robin hood #lafseanchai #submission

11 notes · View notes

submissivelynick · 7 years

Text

Domesticity | Bethan & Nick

Tagging: @duvaldomme & @submissivelynick Location: Bethan’s Suite Date: Friday, May 26th, evening Summary: Scene Week scene, involving home ec [Nick].

Bethan found it strange to see Nick on his knees by her couch but then she knew if they didn't start out the correct way the whole scene would fall apart. They could chat later, for now she needed to set the rules. "For the purposes of this scene you will call me Miss and I expect you to complete each task to the best of your ability. Do you understand? I don't think I'm going to ask you to do anything that you do not know how to do but if you are unsure at any point I expect you to ask promptly and not waste our time. Now I don't intend to push any limits but remind me of them and your safeword just to be sure."

Nick didn't mind kneeling for Bethan. When he'd seen that he was paired with her for the presentation, he'd initially felt a little weird about it. She was his sister, after all. The more he thought about it, though, the more he realized that he trusted her implicitly. With trust being such an important foundation for a scene, he really couldn't think of anyone he'd be more comfortable submitting for. "Yes, Miss," he said when she was finished speaking. "I understand. My safewords are yellow to pause and red to stop, and my limits are anything sexual and anything that would create a permanent mark."

Bethan smiled at him with a nod. "Be careful with the knives then," she grinned as she stood up. "I plan to make some spring rolls later so I want you to be my sous chef to start us off. I need carrots, cabbage and scallions all finely sliced and put in a bowl. Everything you need is laid out. I have some homework to finish so I'll just be in my bedroom when you are done and I expect you to come and find me once it is tidied away and the chopped vegetables are in the fridge. Any questions?"

Nick rolled his eyes at his sister's comment about the knives. He knew plenty well how to use a knife safely. "No, Miss," he said, giving a shake of his head. "No questions." He stood up and headed into the kitchen, seeing that she really had set everything up for him. He washed his hands and set to work quickly, getting all of the chopping done in just a few minutes. The veggies went into the fridge and he spent a few more minutes cleaning off the counter top and washing up the few dishes he'd used. He double checked that everything was taken care of before going back to his sister's bedroom and knocking on the door. "All done, Miss," he said with a smile.

Bethan looked up as he knocked and surprised he was finished so fast but then they had both been taught by their mother and knew what they were doing. It was for that reason she didn't bother going to check that they were done correctly either. "I would like you to dust the bookshelves please and then vacuum the living room. Once that is done you can choose to either help me with the spring rolls or I will find you another cleaning task." It felt slightly awkward asking him to clean her room but he was always much tidier than she was so it amused her a little too. However they had to complete the scene but she didn't want to push his good nature too much.

Nick 's smile faltered when he heard the list of things Bethan wanted him to do. He knew it was part of the scene, and he also knew that this was an easy way for both of them to gain some points, but it still bothered him a little bit. "Yes, Miss," he said, deciding not to argue. He found a feather duster in a closet and used it to take care of the dust on the bookshelves, lifting up the few knickknacks on them to get those clean as well. He went from room to room, making sure he got all of the bookshelves in the suite, before putting the duster away and moving on to vacuuming.

Bethan didn't miss the change in Nick's smile and while it upset her to see it she was impressed at the way he pushed it aside and got on with the task. He was clearly doing a thorough job on the dusting as it took him quite a while to finish up but she finally heard the vacuum start up. When it was finished she went to find him. "You're doing really well sweetheart, thank you. For now I want you to choose between helping me in the kitchen or cleaning the bathroom but I also want you to think about what you would like as a reward when we are finished. You can tell me when I have finished making the spring rolls."

Nick was just putting the vacuum cleaner away when Bethan joined him again, and he nodded at the praise. "Thank you, Miss," he responded quietly, trying not to let his annoyance get the better of him. He wrinkled his nose at the thought of cleaning her bathroom while she got to do the fun job of cooking. "Obviously I'm going to help you in the kitchen," he said, laughing a little. "How is that even a question, Miss?"

Bethan laughed along with Nick. "It's a question because you may have suddenly found a great love of cleaning bathrooms and I would be denying you that right by saying straight away we are going to the kitchen." She walked to the kitchen with him following and once hands were washed and she had put on her apron she was ready to start. "Get out the veggies and then heat the silver wok, I need it half full of oil," she ordered. The kitchen was one domain where she had no issue giving instructions and while he did that she got out the filo pastry. "Chop four sprigs of coriander and two red chillies please," she instructed as she began to mix up the filling.

Nick rolled his eyes again at Bethan--something about her just brought out that teasing nature in him. "Right," he said, shaking his head as he followed her into the kitchen. Doing what she told him to do was fairly easy going now. The fact that they were both working together to cook helped a lot, rather than it simply being him doing the work--and also, he was familiar with the recipe she was going to be using to make the spring rolls, so he was able to anticipate what she was going to tell him to do. He got the oil heating in the wok and chopped what he was asked to, setting the knife down to the side on the chopping board to await further instruction.

Bethan glanced over a few times but she didn't need to monitor Nick closely and noticing he was done she scooped up everything off his board and added it to her mix. "Do you want to roll or make the dressing," she asked before remembering it was a scene and she should be giving clear instructions. "In fact I would like you to fill and roll the pastry and I will make the dressing. You need an egg wash to seal it." He knew all this but she needed the practice too and being clear in what she wanted was probably going to be something she needed to work on.

Nick was about to respond that he'd do the dressing when Bethan changed her mind and decided to give him the other task. It struck him as odd, but he didn't really care what he did as long as he was here in the kitchen and not stuck cleaning the bathroom while she cooked. "Yes, Miss," he said, moving to grab a bowl and get the egg ready before he started to fill and seal the rolls.

Bethan worked quickly and effortlessly making up the dressing, she was sure she could make these in her sleep. "You should get 12 out of that mixture," she advised Nick as she looked over. "Just start frying them off as soon as they are ready." She got a plate and kitchen towel ready, not wanting him to take too long as the oil was hot and beginning to spit.

Nick nodded. "Gotcha." He counted through the rolls that he'd already made, then divvied up the rest of the filling into equal parts for the remaining rolls. It didn't take too long for him to finish making them, and once he'd sealed the last one, he started to put them in the hot oil. He stood back and glanced at the clock on the microwave to keep track of how long they were in the wok.

Bethan stood back and let Nick finish off the snack. It was dangerous to have too many people dealing with the oil anyway. Once done she took the plate and left it to the side for a moment to cool before giving him his final orders. "Leave the oil to cool but you can wash up the boards and knives and then serve the snack. I'm just going to finish of something quickly and I will meet you at the table in ten minutes." She wanted to leave him to tidy up as a final reminder it was a scene but she felt this was the best way without rubbing his face in it. They did work well together in the kitchen but in this instance it wasn't an even share of the workload.

Nick just kept working through his sister's instructions. He knew how to handle cooking with her, and he'd been cleaning up for his mom for years. "Yes, Miss," he said lightly as he finished frying the rolls. It was calming to finish cleaning everything up on his own--kitchen work always had been for him--and he brought the plates rolls to the dining table when he was finished. "All ready, Miss," he said as he slid the plate onto the table. "Bin appetit." He stood back, wanting to wait to see if he had any more instructions before joining her.

Bethan smiled at the sight as she came through. "Good boy," she said softly, knowing it was strange to them both to hear her use it in an actual scene but wanting to let him hear it all the same. "Come and join me Nick. You've done everything I asked and without any issues so you can definitely come and eat and as far as I'm concerned the scene is over. But you also deserve a reward so it's your choice. We could watch a movie or it's not too late to go into town or whatever you want really."

Nick blushed a little at the praise. He definitely liked hearing it, but it was just another reminder that this whole afternoon had been a scene for them. He slid into the chair across from her and served them both an egg roll--he'd heard her say the scene was over, but he could still be a gentleman. Their parents had raised them both correctly. "So, is getting some of your brownies completely off the table, Miss?" he asked with a grin.

#gleedsmscene1 #para #p:bethan #p:domesticity

1 note · View note

thesecondmate · 3 years

Text

reading: wk5-6

helloooo wow it’s been a while! my absence is due to spending a week almost solid on social media promo & technical prep for my charity’s conference, which happened last weekend (feb 6-7) and which i am still in awe of. we had such an incredible range of speakers speaking on all areas of refugee & migration issues; i am so humbled to have been a part of it, and to have chaired the mental health panel with 3 doctors whose work i admire so incredibly. a true honour. discussion post pending once i get all my thoughts straight (or at least more digestible!).

anyways, readings-wise, this won’t be complete as i have a lot of stuff to read after the conference but ! u get the idea. i’m doing well on my mission to read more books, which is nice!

degree-wise, i’ve finished my orthopaedics/trauma/emergency rotation (goodbye my one true love, the resus bay!!) and am about to move onto my general practice/derm/palliative block. hyped for GP and to expand my skillset; really not hyped for derm...also lots of other tasks pending: lgbtq+ issues to work on fixing at my med school + we (medact in my local area) want to run some “patients not passports” training on the hostile environment in uk healthcare for my fellow med students, which i’m impossibly behind on the organisation for...i really lived & breathed this conference y’all. plus we’re about to start the meta-analysis portion of our systematic review, which is exciting!!! vv keen to see the results of this bad boy.

BOOKS

✩ the secret history // tartt (finished)

✩ sudden traveller // hall (in progress)

LITERATURE

✩ The Doubling of Self: An Interview with Richard Siken - Peter Mishler, Tin House from 2014. absolutely go OFF richard - this interview was beautiful. i will be re-reading. fave moments: - “It seems to me that everything in the world is actively trying to kill everything else in the world, on every level, and always has.” - “I loved it when I first discovered work that had concerns other than plot...Attention to language was important, they assured. It was electrifying.” !!!! - “I’m interested in the way we gather knowledge. The Socratic method—rhetoric: questioning and debating—has been crucial to our understanding. The scientific method—hypothesizing, testing, measuring—has also been crucial. And then there’s the artistic method—evoking, provoking, suggesting—which is just as crucial but consistently underused. These are both the modes, as well as the subjects, of the poems.” i’m so emo....richard!!!

ARTICLES: WORLD NEWS i’ve read a huge number of articles on us politics, covid vaccines, and covid drugs; i will not subject myself to writing them all out lol.

✩ Covid: We could live with virus 'like we do flu' by end of year, says Hancock - BBC i agree that covid-zero is not feasible, especially when our govt has so roundly fucked up our response; i can imagine this is not going to be a popular take but i feel like people also do not realise just how many deaths we have from influenza each year in the uk. the new data for tocilizumab are really interesting, as is 14 million people vaccinated - progress! now just to get everyone jabbed before the damn thing mutates thanks to the selection pressure of the vaccine!!

MEDICINE similarly i’m not going to list all the stuff i’ve read about covid vaccines; suffice to say i’ve read a lot!

✩ 10 steps before you refer for palpitations - Wolff & Cowan (2009) this made me smile: “This symptom [palpitations] often causes considerable distress and anxiety for the patient and can evoke a similar feeling in the consulted healthcare professional.”

✩ An Italian doctor explains “Syndrome K,” the fake disease he invented to save Jews from the Nazis - Caitlin Hu, Quartz this gave me chills - stories like this about healthcare professionals always do. i hope fervently that i would do the same for my patients if it came to it.

✩ Inflammation and immunity in schizophrenia: implications for pathophysiology and treatment - Khandaker et al. (2015), The Lancet Psychiatry so so interested in this field. this is what made me consider psychiatry seriously back in first year of med school (previously i ruled it out due to my constitution).

✩ Schizophrenia risk from complex variation of complement component 4 - Sekar et al. (2016), Nature

✩ Control of infectious diseases in refugee and displaced populations in developing countries - Paquet & Hanquet (1998), Bulletin de l’Institut Pasteur i wrote up a post on refugees/asylum seekers and the myth that they bring infectious diseases into countries, hence all the refs!

✩ Do migrants have a mortality advantage? - Borhade & Dey (2018), The Lancet

✩ Migrant Mortality, Healthy Migrant Effect - Razum (2008)

✩ Poorer self-perceived health among migrants and ethnic minorities versus the majority population in Europe: a systematic review - Nielsen & Krasnik (2010), Int J Public Health

OP-ED/ESSAY & HUMANITARIAN

✩ What a picture of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in a bikini tells us about the disturbing future of AI - Arwa Mahdawi, Guardian

✩ Becoming Anne Frank - Dara Horn, Smithsonian Mag

✩ Yemen’s Houthis – and why they’re not simply a proxy of Iran - Vincent Durac, The Conversation vv interesting!! a must-read given the current media framing of the yemeni crisis.

✩ Ten humanitarian crises and trends to watch in 2021 - New Humanitarian really great article - lots of links to read!

✩ Snatched from a beach to train North Korea's spies - Rebecca Seales & Hideharu Tamura, BBC i cried reading this.

✩ Biden cancels Houthi terror designation, restoring Yemen aid - Reuters via the Guardian

✩ Yemenis give cautious welcome to US shift in policy on conflict - Bethan McKernan, Guardian initially i was v positive on reading this headline; however, the US won’t end ‘defensive support’ for riyadh, which...how much will materially change. i really really hope a lot, but they really need to end defensive support too bc otherwise i believe that many more attacks by the saudi-led coalition will be construed as ‘defensive’ moves rather than offensive! also, wtf @ uk govt: step the fuck up and do the same.

✩ Colombia Makes ‘Historic’ Decision to Grant Legal Status to 1.7 Million Venezuelan Migrants - Julie Turkewitz, New York Times

PODCASTS/TV i have consumed relatively little tv this week!

✩ Declarations: The Human Rights Podcast have been listening to quite a lot of this over the last week - a speaker at our conference was v involved in this. a lot of interesting viewpoints - cannot recommend chase madar’s episode enough. i’m in love. obsessed. finally someone as cynical and as focused on the raw compassion of human rights as opposed to their legality/sexy foreign policy aspect as me!! marry me @ mr madar pls.

#weekly #reading 2021

0 notes