#my dads first and last name? Irish

[crippled-peeper]

a cis british woman telling me to shave and pluck my horrible scary ginger man beard is so insulting. do you know how bad that looks from a historical perspective too lol

[maidservant-hecubus]

My father is an Ashkenazi Jew. His parents were first generation Americans. Their parents escaped the pogroms in Russia and Ukraine and came to find their American dream. They fought in wars and opened businesses and assimilated and my generation barely has a few words of Yiddish between us. My mother is as much of a WASP as it gets. American Revolutionaries and Signers and some household name civil war feature players. Not old money, but old America and undoubtedly white. I'm patrilineal. Not a Jew to a lot of Jews. Not a Jew to a lot of my Jewish family. Even though i was raised Jewish. Even though I look like my father. Even though i got enough of something in my DNA to get asked "What are you?" more often than not. More often than I'm just accepted at face value as "white". When i was little we lived in an Irish Catholic neighborhood. Like the 5-10 kids in every family sort of Irish catholic neighborhood. The kids calling me a christ killer and refusing to play with me because they heard it from their parents sort of irish catholic neighborhood. For some reason my parents tried to send me to the catholic school down the street. I lasted less than a week because i didn't understand their rituals and their language and they found out my father was a Jew and they couldn't have a christ killer in their midst. I was just sad i didn't get to wear the cute plaid skirt anymore. So i went to the public school and my well meaning shiksa mother who never converted but learned the Chanukah prayers and helped cook Seder dinners came to the school to teach the class about Chanukah. She taught them songs and all the kids got dreidels and had so much fun spinning the top for chocolate coins. It was nice to feel normal. A few weeks later a boy in a higher grade attacked me on the way to the bus and smashed my art project (we had made pig noses from solo cups to celebrate reading charlotte's web) into my face and called me a filthy jew. I didn't understand, i was more upset to lose the project i was so proud of. Other things happened. Things I wont talk about because putting them in context would doxx me. But a million reminders that i wasn't one of them. I wasn't welcome because i was Jewish. My parents divorced. My mother left. Far away so I'd only see her a handful of times growing up. And I went to live with my Dad in a city that seemed like it was overflowing with Jews. Everyone knew my holidays! In public school the teachers looked like my family and had familiar sounding names. We had the high holy days off just like christmas or easter. We sang Chanukah songs in the winter recital and nobody's mom had to come teach them to the class. Finally I belonged! My friends and cousins started planning for their b mitzvah celebrations and i asked for my own. I asked to go to hebrew school so i could be more like the people i belonged with and celebrate the things i loved about myself and them. "But you're not jewish." My father would say. This was news to me. The christ killer. The filthy jew. But a 10 year old has little power over their lives. So i didn't go. I didn't have a bat mitzva while my cousins had theirs. It was okay because i still belonged more than i ever had. But i was still jewish enough to keep the holidays and pray and fast and get sent with a box of matzo to my WASP grandmothers for easter, and have matzo packed in my lunch to eat in AP algebra in 7th grade and get asked if I'm a "Yid" by the teacher. And still to this day not know if it was endearment or insult but by then I knew even in this magical city being a Jew wasn't always safe. in highschool I tried to take hebrew lessons with a friend in a similar situation as me. She was also hungry to reconnect. I don't remember why the classes or the friendship fell through, but they did. My next "friend", a goy raised catholic from another neighborhood, liked to accuse me of being money driven when i picked up a penny on the sidewalk or tried to ask who was going to pay for the zine's she wanted to publish.

 "What are you?" I'd get asked a lot on the street by curious strangers, "Where are you from?" "Are you Italian?" Always Italian. I never really understood that, but its become code in my head for "You look like you're white but something about you is very not white and I just can't place it, so Italian seems safe and polite." I'm not here to unpack the Italian part of all that. I don't even know what I'm unpacking for myself by writing this except I've been sick for days and I'm so tired and this is all that my foggy brain can wrap itself around. Later I'm an adult and on my own and getting bloodwork done. The Nurse is a black woman and so sweet to me. She can tell I'm nervous about the needles because I've already stumbled through my apologies for my herd to find veins. So she distracts me with small talk. Where do i live? I tell her. She looks worried for me. Tells me that it used to be a nice neighborhood before white people took it over and she warns me like she's my own mother to be careful because they aren't safe. I doublecheck the skin she's putting a needle into. Whatever she sees isn't white. I love her for it. For a moment I belong there with her. She doesn't ask what I am or where i'm from, but she knows what i'm not. I'm the only one keeping the holidays with my family. We celebrate Passover because I go home to my fathers and cook the dinner and print out the Haggadah and lead the Seder to the tune of my drunk catholic stepmother eating my food and telling me i'll never be a jew. She's more of a jew than I'll ever be because she grew up in a jewish neighborhood and her friends were all jews and she married a jew and i was just playing pretend. I stopped going home for holidays and they stopped observing anything except Christmas. I marry a goy. "Is he a jew?" is the first thing my father asks and he's disappointed when i say no. He's abusive, i run. I end up living in the attic of this older old money WASP couple who need a live in house sitter. They're pillars of their church and they know someone from the WASP side of my family very well and its a funny coincidence and they think i belong there. I know from their divest from Israel bumper stickers that i don't. Then they find out I consider myself Jewish and i see the light in their eyes die and its replaced by something hard and disappointed. Now, while writing this, i can laugh about being the jew in someone's attic. But then, it was only a few months after that they started coming up with excuses for why I needed to move out. I did, their excuses never manifested into reality. I got married again. A jew this time! a Jewish medical professional liek grandma always wanted. She's a convert and her ex was a rabbinical student. I think maybe i'm home finally. She has to understand. I'm not Jewish enough for her. We don't keep holidays at home because i'm not a jew. I cry every year when pesach comes and goes and i haven't recited the plagues or eaten matzo piled high with horseradish. She insists on putting up a christmas tree. She turns abusive. I run.

I'm alone now and no longer in that magic jewish city. I'm far away and surrounded by mega churches and cows and the bagels suck and people quote the bible at me like some call and response that i don't have the cheat code for and I don't belong here at all but i'm finally finally free to light my menorah and recite the plagues and study torah with the group i found here on tumblr who love and accept me even though i'm patrilineal. Oct. 7th happened a few weeks after I moved here. I worry about my family back home and i think no one will look for Jews here among the cows and mega churches, so I can be a safe place for them to run if things get bad again. But i still don't fit in here. I don't look right. The last name I have now is common here and too white for whatever people see when they look in my face. I get interrogated about it a lot. But i learned quickly how to smile and say "have a blessed day". I hide my menorah when maintenance comes to work on my apartment. I flew home last month. Just for a visit. I've never been away from home this far or this long. And I'm the type that covers nerves and anxiety with chattiness, so at the airport i made a for-now-friend while we both waited for the plane to board. She's Puerto Rican. We talk about our lives. Our families. Her twin sister and i go by the same nickname and so we're family now. We talk about food. So much food and how much we love cooking and how important food was at home. "Are you Italian?" she asks as we're stepping through the hatch into the plane. Why always Italian? I wonder for the millionth time in my life. And I freeze up for a moment between fighting my carry-on over the gap and terror that I'm about to see the light go out behind her eyes and i'll lose this for-now friend. "No," i laugh but its not a real laugh and i see the concern in her face as we squeeze through the aisle because she can hear the apprehension in my voice, "I'm Jewish." And something strange happened because her face lit up and she smiled and said "No way?! You guys have GREAT food!"

[claritys-silly-things]

It’s that time again yall

Headcanons! It’s a long one this time

Emetophobia tw

- (I think I can classify this as modern) Rip sodapop curtis you would’ve loved saying “I’m just a girl 🎀”

- Soda never liked haircuts. When he was a small feral child his long hair would get tangled a lot, but he’s tender headed as FUCK so he would scream and cry when his momma brought the brush out. Darry put sodas hair into braids sometimes just for fun and soda didn’t mind bc it kept his hair from getting tangled, and then it didn’t hurt to brush. He’s always had really soft hair and it grows super fast.

- Jealous little soda asksjks (this was about soda being jealous over pony getting attention as a baby but I don’t wanna edit the original ramble I wrote down)

- When ponyboy was born he just kind of STARED. No crying or anything just 👁️👁️. Even Darry cried when he was born. Soda cried a lot.

- Adding on, Darry and pony were pretty quiet babies. They still cried for food and stuff sometimes but not a lot. Soda was a LOUDDD crier, and a frequent one too. It was the type of crying that sounds like it hurts the baby’s throat cause they’re shrieking their head off. Also soda would cry for, like, the first year of his life if he was ever handed to his dad.

- If Johnny survived the fire and got a wheelchair, he’d be running over people’s feet. Constantly. Just because. Or bc they asked for it. Either way, the moment he gets a hang of that wheelchair it is OVER for yall. And probably before that too.

- Ponyboy gets the same. Goddamn. Thing. At EVERY restaurant. Partly because it scares him to order anything else, partly because he’s picky asf. He makes sure it’s there on the menu and has his order memorized by now. “Chicken tenders, fries, and a Pepsi please.” He’s tried to ask for other things in the past like eggs, cuz he likes those, but the moment they asked him “how would you like them done” he just stared at Darry because he didn’t know what all the different types of eggs were, and now he’s scared bc he’s taking longer, and the server is still there, so he just got sunny side up eggs and they were slimy and he wanted to go home and cry (based on a true story sadly)

- Basically pony has anxiety and probably autism (so me)

- Ponyboy likes avocado. That’s it that’s the headcanon. It’s like one of the only healthy-ish things he’ll eat.

- Soda gets suuuper nauseous really easily, and pony gets carsick on occasion. So the first time pony went to a theme park, his family was scared that he would throw up like soda. They go on a ride and he’s like “yall im fine dawg.” Soda is jealous bc pony can go on rides unaffected (soda will still go on rides anyways, he just throws up afterwards)

- Pony is the most PALE ASS BITCH you’ve ever seen. He burns soo easily. His face gets red really quickly, no matter what’s going on. The only time he gets the slightest bit darker is when he burns and tans. Two-bit has been like “you ain’t white you translucent” multiple times because in the right lighting you can see pony’s veins. It’s even worse because soda and Darry tan so wonderfully, and pony looks like he had an allergic reaction if he doesn’t reapply his sunscreen when he’s supposed to. I feel like Mrs Curtis is the reason for this, she didn’t tan. Mr Curtis did tho.

- Pony has mild (severe) ocd

- Marcia’s last name is smith she is white-Hispanic on one side and Native American on the other thank you for coming to my TED talk

- Marcia is Cuban and Native American

- Marcia’s full name is Marcia smith that’s it that’s the end

It’s funny cuz I listed these things like three times and just forgot about the other two

- Twobit is Brazilian end headcanon

- Mr Curtis had autism and Mrs Curtis had inattentive adhd

- Mr Curtis was half Mexican on his mom’s side and half Irish on his dad’s side. Mrs Curtis was full Italian-American.

- Darrys the typa guy to make pony and soda turn off a show or movie if it talks about possession or like demonic stuff/soul stealing stuff

- (Modern au) Darry will get a text from ponyboy about something, like “can I go in your room rq” and he sees it but doesn’t actually open the text message until later and like, two hours later he’ll just respond “no” and thinks it’s the funniest shit ever

[the---hermit]

19|09|2023

I am fully back into my studying routine, and it's going smoothly so far. I was a bit intimidated at first because I was afraid I would stuggle after these months of rest, but honestly everything is coming very naturally. I am still paying very close attention to give myself time to get used to it again, so I take all the breaks I need even if I just need to get up and walk around the room for a couple of minutes, but I feel good about being back into the routine. It doesn't feel like a trap, it's just my comfortable productive habits. Today I continued working on the recorded lectures of last semester, I check the exam dates and for some reason the exam for this class will be later than expected. It will be in January, but honestly it's fine so I'll have time to do everything and study for a couple other classes in the meantime. I never realized how much I took for granted ppt presentations during lectures, because this class has only audio recordings and I am wasting so much time stopping and replaying things because I am not sure about dates or names. Despite this, which will surely make my progress a bit slower, I am liking the class. It's definitely more challenging than I was expecting but it's very interesting. Also an highlight of the day was my dad bringing me a cup of tea because he didn't see me in the kitchen at the usual time since I was working. I am a creature of habit and my day is indeed divided by my tea times.

cozy hobbit autumn activities and productivity:

6 am morning routine my beloved (I love I went back to this as days are getting shorter because waking up while the sun isn't up yet is one of my favourite things in the world. I don't know why it gives me internal peace)

read first thing in the morning while sipping my waking up tea (aka a blend of green tea and mint)

checked infos I needed on some classes

read and answered emails

worked on two lectures of my theories of men and power practices in the modern era class

polished my notes adding highlights and key words

had an amazing second breakfast (it's a hobbit list of course I am including this)

wrote a couple of book reviews I will post soon

really got to relax my brain during my lunch break so when I got back to work in the afternoon I was super energized

daily Irish review on duolingo

wrote my to do list for tomorrow

continued working on my crochet mushroom cardigan while catching up with podcasts (this time it was book unbound and re:dracula)

📖: Of Ghosts And Goblins by Lafcadio Hearn

[transthadymacdermot]

Decided to finally bite the bullet and bravely send you an ask bc we've been following each other and silently interacting for weeks now but I just want to say I am SO curious about and invested in your OCs. Please talk to me about your favourite, I am desperate to know more, they seem so richly fleshed out!!!

Omg I'm so glad you like them! ok so my favourite, to probably no one's surprise, is my babygirl Eoin O'Donnell

Primarily he's just called by his first name or by his surname depending on who the speaker is but he is sometimes also called "Eoin Dubh" (pronounced roughly "owen doo" or "owen duff" depending on the dialect of Irish; the characters would pronounce it in the former way) which translates to "Black Eoin," black here being more akin to "evil" rather than anything about skin colour (as Irish that meaning is so much more prevalent that the word for Black as in skin colour is "gorm," literally meaning blue, to avoid calling someone evil).

Anyway he's a young (maybe mid 20s but his age is vague) man living in the south of Co. Armagh in what is today Northern Ireland in... a vague time in the late eighteenth to early nineteenth century when there's a war with France and widespread agrarian violence. His location is also vague (are u sensing a theme) but it's very rural, primarily catholic, and here's on the map roughly where it is on a map of Ulster, the northernmost province of Ireland. ignore the other stuff on the map this was the only one on my camera roll lmao

Eoin is... a deeply troubled young man. His childhood was marked by poverty and a father who he only learned wasn't called "da" when his name was announced at his execution. When he was in his mid teens his mother essentially kicked him out of the house to go earn some money, following which he descended as quickly as any 16 year old boy suddenly independent into crime. This eventually got him arrested and he was given the choice between the noose and the army; after choosing the army he successfully convinced several of his new comrades to desert with him and become highwaymen. When his aunt found out about it she dragged him home and forced him to join the local anti-landlord anti-protestant gang so that he could have a more. um. socially acceptable. outlet for what she saw as a natural inclination towards violence. Nowadays he leads this gang and generally terrorises the countryside with his friends.

Personality wise he's known for being a womaniser and kind of generally not right in the head. This second fact is mostly because he's autistic and therefore has a really really hard time connecting with people or controlling his emotions but has no idea why (and it frustrates him constantly because he knows something's wrong but he can't figure it out and causes him to lash out. horrid). His autism also causes him to throw himself wholesale into people pleasing in the weirdest way possible; essentially much of his whole gangster schtick is about trying to get the other lads to think he's cool and to get his neighbours to either deem him so necessary he can't be excluded or be so scared of him they don't dare piss him off by picking him last during a game of football again or whatever. Likewise, he sleeps around so much because he feels less like someone is trying to kick him out of the club for being strange & off-putting when he's literally on top of them. Also ❗ he has a whole complex surrounding the concept of evil because from day 1 he has been taught by everyone from The Establishment to his own damn aunt and uncle that he's horrible or evil or even actually demonic because he's autistic / he's Irish / he's poor / his dad was an awful person and it has caused him to spitefully throw himself into being the worst person possible and to, to quote my notes, "develop an abrasive personality and a tendency towards extreme violence and kinning the devil."

Some more stuff about him:

His special interest is in what we would probably term the natural sciences today... think Stephen Maturin but with fewer resources. He loves bones and skeletons and reconstructs models of birds using collected bones and wire in his spare time

He's illiterate. He speaks English and Irish fluently and has some Latin but he can't read or write at all, with the exception of being able to kind of scribble his own name

He lives with his girlfriend Aoife, but their relationship kind of sucks in that he mostly just uses her for someone to do his laundry and she primarily likes him because she thinks it's hot when he kills people. Also he's obsessed with his childhood friend Mary, a similarly troubled young woman who does love him back but REFUSES to even date him until he STOPS killing people (since it's dangerous etc). Aoife on the bottom right and Mary on the top left below

Eoin's best friends are his cousin Donal McCluskey and his friend Dan Maguire. Dan is like his partner in crime and they're close enough that. well. you look at them and think one drunken handjob in 2006 if you know what I mean. and then he kind of uses Donal as an emotional crutch because Donal is also a whole case unto himself and loves to flay himself alive emotionally for other people. Dan on the bottom left and Donal on the top right above

Ummm his other most important relationship is with Kathleen, the daughter of the local pub owner. She's a longtime fwb of his who he has a complex and sometimes extremely toxic relationship with. She helped him fake his own death once, he distracts her father while she smokes behind the pub rather than running the damn shop, etc. They have fun

He was of course raised catholic -- though he doesn't really attend mass as an adult for obvious reasons -- and his confirmation saint is Michael

If u have any more questions PLEASE ask them I could talk about him for 1000000 billion years. or I can answer questions about his friends too. genuinely they're like parasitic organisms in my brain atp

[sihtricfedaraaahvicius]

Hey could you write Modern Sihtric x Reader,where he is a single dad of a 4 year old and falls in love with younger Reader who is a teacher of his baby. And he is afraid of commitment and heartbreak but at some point he realizes it's worth the risk. Just a thought I had. Thanks a lot. I admire your writings. Your fics always make up my day.

Warnings: mention of shitty divorce, kidnapping and slight violence. angst/fluff

Pairing: Modern!Sihtric x you (f)

Summary: see request!

Word count: 6.6k

Note: sorry it took me a while to get to your request! I enjoyed writing this, so thank you for the challenge! I hope it's worth the wait :) I also will die on this hill saying Cynlaef was his son so there you go.

taglist: @clairacassidy @finanmoghra @uunotheangel @hb8301 @bathedinheat @neonhairspray @anaeve @bubblyabs @travelingmypassion @sylas-the-grim @heimtathurs @bubbles-for-all-of-us @valeskafics

'Maybe because no one loves me, or cares about me, or needs me!'

******************

'Hey,' you said compassionately to the child who was still waiting to be picked up after school, 'will your father pick you up today?' 

The little boy shrugged and looked down at his feet. 

You sighed. This was the third time in one week that the poor kid was picked up late, and so it was the third time you had to try and call his father, asking him why he wasn't there and if someone could take home his son before the school closed for the day.

The little boy, Cynlaef he was called, was the 4 year old son of one Sihtric Kjartansson. You had never met the man or even spoken to him, but you knew the last name all too well. Several years ago the newspapers had been full with headlines about Kjartan and his son, Sven, who apparently had a long track record of abusive behaviour before they were finally arrested. However, there had never been any mention of Sihtric, so maybe he was not related, which you hoped, because you wanted a bright future for the little kid. 

Unfortunately, Sihtric would never pick up his phone when Cynlaef was more or less forgotten, and the man who had picked up the boy every time was an Irish man who had introduced himself as Finan, Cynlaef's uncle. Finan was smart enough to give his number to the school the first day, in case no one was able to reach Sihtric, which had been the case these past few days.

Cynlaef started in your class only three weeks ago, when the new school year had already started. The boy was quiet and seemed thoughtful, and you had already noticed he could become trouble, as he wasn't afraid to strike a punch when someone took his toy sword during playtime.

'Is your uncle Finan picking you up today?' you asked, but Cynlaef quietly shrugged again.

'Okay,' you sighed and took his hand, 'come wait inside, I will call your father.' 

You took the boy inside and sat him down at your desk in the classroom. 'Wait right here, okay?' you said and handed the boy a lollipop, 'I will be right back.' You ruffled the boy's hair and walked out to the hallway where you rang his dad, not expecting him to pick up the phone, but it was mandatory to always try to reach the parent first, before someone else.

'Hello?' Sihtric's voice sounded rough when he picked up.

'Uh, hi,' his voice threw you off a little, 'I am your son's teacher, and he is still wa-'

'Oh, gods,' the man groaned, 'I am sorry. I will be there as soon as I can.'

And before you could say another word he had already hung up the phone, which left you surprised and a little heated. You had to tell this man off for neglecting his son like this, again.

'Cynlaef?' a bewildered looking man stepped into your classroom as he called out for his son.

'Daddy!' Cynlaef cheered and threw his hands up.

'Cynlaef!' the man sighed and sprinted over to the little boy, took him in his arms and kissed his head, 'I am so sorry, little one.' 

You watched the man, who had a pained and guilt ridden expression on his face as he held onto the kid for dear life. He was well built and you could see his scarred, toned arms, as well as a part of his muscular torso as he was wearing a tank top with low sides. The man had long, dark hair, which was tied into a bun, a well kept goatee, a tattoo on his neck that ran up into his hair, and when he looked at you, you saw he had two different coloured eyes, as well as a scar on his forehead and one on his cheekbone. He had to be Kjartan's son.

'I'm sorry,' he said and walked over to you, 'I'm Sihtric,' he held out his hand, staring at you with his big, beautiful eyes, awaiting your introduction.

'Oh, uh, hi,' you stammered with a chuckle, you shook his hand and introduced yourself. 

You blushed at his firm handshake and quickly looked away from him when the man brought his focus back to the child in his arms. You felt silly. You had met quite some handsome young fathers during your few years as a teacher, but none with such a striking look as Cynlaef's father.

'Eh,' you cleared your throat, 'Mr. Kjartansson, I'm really so-'

'Please,' Sihtric interrupted while he stole Cynlaef's lollipop and stuck it in his own mouth, 'just call me Sihtric. I do not carry my family name with pride.'

'I- I see,' you stammered. So he was related indeed. 'Well, Sihtric,' you chuckled lightly, 'eh, I'm sorry to throw this at you right now but,' you paused and met his eyes, making your cheeks heat up as you continued, 'we really have to talk about Cynlaef. In a short period of time there have been several issues after school already. We can't have a child here with no one to pick up. It is irresponsible. You- you need to do better.' You were a little taken aback by your own words.

Sihtric looked down at his feet while he clenched his jaw, showing his guilt again.

'I know,' he said quietly, 'I'm really trying.'

'I'm not saying- I don't mean that you are not trying, I just don't understand how this can happen. It's such a simple task to pick up your child,' you said as compassionately as you could.

'Yeah,' Sihtric sighed as he scratched his forehead, 'it is a simple task.'

An awkward silence fell and you looked for some flyers.

'Here,' you said and held out a flyer to him, 'there are many parents who can't pick up their child right away, you could sign Cynlaef up for an after school program. Then he gets picked up here after school and brought home before-,'

'No,' Sihtric said firmly, 'I will not hand my child over to a stranger. What kind of father do you think I am?'

'I-I'm sorry,' you replied quickly, 'I didn't mean to offend you. But I can assure you these programs are safe.'

'No,' he shook his head and held his boy tightly, 'I won't do it.'

'But then you have to make sure he is picked up every day after school,' you said, 'if you keep this up I have to file a complaint to the headmaster. This can result in Cynlaef being sent away from school as well as a visit from child protection services, as it will be filed under neglect.'

'I am not neglecting my son!' Sihtric raised his voice slightly, which startled you and he seemed to regret it immediately, 'I- I am sorry, lady.'

'Yeah,' you whispered as you looked down for a moment and took a deep breath, 'okay. Also, eh, next week there will be parent and teacher conversations, to give a quick update about how the children are doing. We have sent letters to every legal guardian, have you received one?'

'Maybe,' Sihtric sighed, looking playfully mean at Cynlaef after the boy had pulled the lollipop out of his mouth, 'I haven't been home in a while.'

'You haven't been home?'

'It's complicated,' Sihtric said, not meeting your eyes.

'But where does Cynlaef stay?'

'With me.'

'But… not at home?'

'We have been staying with his uncle, Finan.'

'Oh,' you said, and you watched how Cynlaef hugged his father, to which Sihtric smiled and closed his eyes, and you thought Sihtric's eyes had teared up when he looked at you again.

'I best get going,' Sihtric said, 'thank you for looking after him, lady.' 

He gave you a weak smile and turned to leave. You smiled at Cynlaef who waved at you over his dad's shoulder as he was carried away. And your heart skipped a beat when you met Sihtric's eyes as he unexpectedly looked back at you while he walked out.

The next few days had gone well, Cynlaef had been picked up in time every day, albeit not by Sihtric, but by Finan. And on friday afternoon, when most parents had left already with their child, you decided to talk to Finan while he was tying Cynlaef's shoelaces.

'Hi, Finan,' you smiled. 

The Irish man looked up at you and greeted you with his warm smile.

'Hi yourself,' he winked.

Uncle Finan was a charmer, and you knew many mothers had already eyed him up the past few weeks, which he had been very aware of. And you were convinced Finan took advantage of Cynlaef, so he could talk to the single moms and see what his chances were. You had to say you were fond of Finan by the little you had seen of him.

'Can I ask you something?'

'I already gave you my number,' he joked.

'Oh my god,' you snorted.

'I'm only joking, what is it, love?'

'It's… his father,' you nodded at Cynlaef, 'what's his deal? He seemed rather bewildered.'

'Oh, so you've met the bastard finally,' Finan grinned, 'yeah,' he then sighed, 'look, Sihtric's a good lad, but his divorce has been rough on him. He's been in a legal battle with his ex wife for two years already.'

'Oh, goodness,' you said, and you felt for Sihtric and his little boy.

'Yeah, it's a disaster. They have been staying over with me for a while already. A few months ago his ex broke into their previous shared home and she has changed all the locks.'

'What?' you scoffed.

'I know, another legal fight they are working out right now. The house is in her name, yet he bought it and basically owns everything inside the house. But because it's in her name, and god knows how that happened, he can't do shit,' Finan sighed, 'it's a nightmare. It has really fucked him up. He thought she loved him but apparently all she wanted was his money.'

'What about Cynlaef? Is she his mother?'

'Aye, but the whore has never given him time of day, excuse my language.'

'You're excused,' you mumbled and shook your head.

'That is why I usually pick him up,' Finan continued, 'the mom is not in the picture anymore for the boy, not after she managed to pick him up at his previous school one day, unbeknownst to Sihtric. She had plans to take the kid abroad with her, without informing anyone, just to hurt Sihtric.'

'What? You mean like kidnapping?'

'Aye,' the Irish man said, 'she doesn't have custody, and luckily she didn't get far and we got the little man back fast,' he ruffled Cynlaef's hair quickly, who giggled, 'but that is also why he changed schools abruptly. As far as we know she doesn't know where he is now. And Sihtric,' Finan sighed again, 'he's just working day and night. Trying to forget everything. It's not a good coping mechanism but, what can I say, at least he is coping.'

'What does he do? His work I mean?'

'He has his own gym, he teaches and trains people,' Finan said, 'but I know he's not spending his time there to train others. He's just there to rid his own anger, and not always doing it safely. But, after everything I can't blame him. First the shit with his father and then this,' Finan shook his head, 'poor bastard. All he wants is a family.'

You didn't really understand what Finan meant by not being safe, but regardless, you felt bad. Sihtric was clearly trying his best, but his ex wife had simply broken him and his general trust in people. And now you also understood why he didn't want Cynlaef to be signed up for the after school program.

You thanked Finan for his time and you high fived Cynlaef before they left. And you wondered if Sihtric would show up for the conversation next week.

'I'm glad you came,' you smiled politely at Sihtric, who had caught you by surprise when he had walked into the classroom Wednesday evening for the conversation. He had greeted you with a shy smile, which was a pleasant contrast to his muscular arms, which were again visible as he was wearing a white, slim fitting shirt, which showed off his abs underneath. And you wondered if he wore it on purpose. But Sihtric had been oblivious to that, he was just glad he managed to find a clean shirt in time for the conversation that did not have Cynlaef's peanut butter fingerprints on it.

'I managed to find the letter in time,' he said softly and gave you a small smile. And you knew it must have been rough to retrieve that letter, as everything was probably sent to the house he couldn't get into anymore.

You watched Sihtric as he anxiously fidgeted with his rings, and you noticed his bruised hands. And then you understood what Finan meant when he said Sihtric wasn't always being safe at his gym. Meaning he'd often punch bags, or maybe even people, with his bare fists, risking serious damage. You watched him for a short moment and you couldn't help but feel attracted to the quiet, handsome yet pained man.

'So,' you began, 'Cynlaef has been doing well. But he is very quiet for his age.'

Sihtric smiled with a soft hum and he looked up at you with those beautiful eyes.

'I am guessing he learned that from his father,' you chuckled lightly, and you saw Sihtric's eyes light up a little while he looked at you.

'I am afraid so,' Sihtic said quietly with a cheeky smile, before he looked down at his feet again.

'My job is to not only teach, but also observe the behaviour of the children. I just need to be sure Cynlaef has a safe environment to grow up in, back home. A closed off attitude at his young age can be a result of some trauma, or that he is not taught to communicate his feelings,' you spoke cautiously.

'He has a safe home and no trauma as far as I know, back home he is outgoing and happy,' Sihtric said calmly.

'That is all I wanted to hear,' you smiled politely again, 'I am not saying it's the only cause for behaviour like his, but as a teacher, I have to ask.'

'I understand.'

'And… there is another thing I need to discuss,' you rubbed your forehead a little nervously, 'Cynlaef, eh,' you stammered, 'he has a habit of… throwing a punch when another child is playing with him and tries to take his toy sword.'

'A punch?' Sihtric frowned, biting his lip as he tried to hide a smile.

'Yeah, a rather… proper punch,' you also struggled to compose your face, 'which I assume he also learned from his father.'

Sihtric saw you glanced quickly at his bruised hands, which he hid immediately by shoving them into the pockets of his black sweatpants.

'I will talk to him about it,' he said, slightly blushing.

'That would be great, thank you,' you smiled.

And your cheeks coloured a light shade of pink too as you stared into each other's eyes for a moment without speaking. Until Sihtric looked away after a slight hint of fear had made its way into his gaze, and he cleared his throat.

'Is there anything else?'

'N-no,' you said, flustered by the handsome father, 'that is all.'

Sihtric nodded and got up, but before he left the classroom he turned to you.

'If my son, you know,' he chuckled lightly, 'throws another punch, will you let me know?'

'I will,' you smiled, 'if you answer your phone that is.'

'Just text me, lady,' Sihtric said.

You watched him walk out through the hallway, biting down on his lip in an attempt to hide his smile, but you still caught a glimpse of it.

friday.

You: Sihtric, your son has punched another classmate. I had to call the crying child's mother, who had a go at me…

Sihtric: gods

Sihtric: was there blood involved?

You: what? 

You: no, goodness!

Sihtric: oh

Sihtric: good

Sihtric: :) 

You giggled at his reply, which was very unprofessional of you, but you couldn't help yourself.

You: it's nothing too serious, but he spooked the other kid a little

You: and now his mother demands a word with you after school in the classroom

Sihtric: you're serious?

You: unfortunately…

Sihtric: what time?

You: around 3

Sihtric: okay, I guess I'll be there. Thank you

You: no problem :)

You: oh, Sihtric…

You: maybe, you know, hide your bruised hands when you're here

Sihtric: will do, lady ;) 

Sihtric walked into the school a little over 3, just as you were mid-heated conversation with Aelswith, the mother of Edward, the boy who had been on the receiving end of Cynlaef's fist earlier that day. Meanwhile, Cynlaef and Edward were playing outside, as if nothing had happened.

'This is not the first time, is it?' Aelswith snapped at you.

'Well, it's… I mean,' you stammered.

'I know he's a Kjartansson!' she scowled, 'no good man ever came from that family.'

'Hey, that is really rude,' you snapped back, 'you can't say those things. Keep this conversation polite, will you?'

'No!' Aelswith hissed, 'that boy needs to be taught some manners, or he will become a savage just like-'

'What about my boy?' Sihtric spoke calmly, but sternly, as he walked into the classroom.

And you couldn't help but smile when you saw him, looking just as fine as he did the first time you saw him, wearing a black sleeveless shirt, black denim jeans and black leather boots. His hair was loose today, but he carried a black hair tie around his wrist.

'Sihtric, hi,' you said softly and smiled as neutral as you could, hoping you didn't blush.

'Lady,' Sihtric nodded, with the hint of a smile as he looked at you, but his attention was quickly claimed by Aelswith.

'Your boy,' she said, turning up her nose, 'needs to behave himself.'

'Does he?' Sihtric scoffed and raised his eyebrows. 

You tried to hide your smile when you saw how he hid his hands behind his back, clenching his jaw while he let the mother continue her rant. Which became rapidly more rude and hostile on her side.

'Okay, okay,' you interfered, 'look, Aelswith-'

'It is Lady Aelswith!' her shrill voice snapped at you, 'do not forget I am married to the descendant of a king.'

You looked at her, emotionless, which Sihtric apparently thought was funny because he snorted.

'Forgive me, Lady,' you sighed and rolled your eyes, which she didn't see because she was busy giving Sihtric a nasty look. But Sihtric caught your reaction and it did something to him. He liked you. He already liked you the first time he saw you, but he had tried to keep you off his mind. Which turned out to be not that easy. And he had to admit he was quite happy that Cynlaef had given him a reason to see you again. And without thinking, he crossed his arms, causing Lady Aelswith to see his bruised hands.

'Like father like son,' she muttered, to which Sihtric's eyes seemed to darken for a moment.

'I guess that goes for your boy too,' Sihtric snapped back.

Lady Aelswith gasped offended and you quickly interfered before it could escalate again.

'We will talk to Cynlaef about it, I promise,' you calmed her down, 'I already made Cynlaef apologise to Edward, and they seem fine. It wasn't too serious, but I agree,' you glared at Sihtric, who looked at you with his cheeky smile, 'there will need to be a word about his behaviour.'

Sihtric squinted his eyes lightly at you, sensing you weren't just talking about his son's behaviour, and he licked his lips as he looked away from you.

'It will not happen again, Lady,' you said to the mother, who had trembling hands as you walked her out of the classroom. You reassured her that it will be resolved once again in the hallway before she finally left. When you walked back in the classroom you saw Sihtric leaned on your desk, arms crossed, with an amused smile gracing his face.

'It's Lady Aelswith,' he mocked.

'It's not funny,' you said, trying to hold your laugh as you walked over to him.

'It is a little,' he grinned, making you chuckle.

'You just had to provoke her, didn't you?' you pointed at his hands as you sat across from him.

'Honestly,' Sihtric smiled, 'it was not my intention. I didn't think about it.'

'Sure,' you shook your head with a smile and your eyes trailed down to his bruises again.

'Looks pretty bad, no?' you said a little more serious.

'It's fine,' Sihtric stood up, showing you his hands, 'nothing serious.'

'Are you sure?' You got up and took his hands in yours without thinking, inspecting his bruises, 'I mean some of them are rather fresh looking.'

'Maybe,' Sihtric said softly as he looked down at you. And when you looked up at him, his face was only inches away from yours.

'Why do you do that to yourself?' your voice showed a little hurt.

'To feel something,' he shrugged lightly.

'That is not the way to go about it,' you smiled weakly at him, 'there are other ways to make yourself feel something.'

'Are there?' Sihtric asked softly as he pulled you a little closer.

'There are, I promise,' you smiled shyly.

'But what if I am afraid those ways might end up hurting me more?'

His eyes darted between your eyes and your lips as he leaned in closer.

'Then you will never know if those ways may end up not hurting you,' you almost whispered as he cupped your cheek with one hand while his other hand settled on your waist. And you felt his breath on your face for a short moment until he captured you into a soft, sensual kiss. 

And the feeling of his tongue against your lips and in your mouth was something you needed more of, and you couldn't help but tug at his sleeveless shirt as he held you tighter, gradually deepening the kiss, much to both of your pleasure. Your hands ran up his chest, onto his neck and into his hair when he moved his rough hand down from your cheek to your neck, while his other hand slowly slid from your waist to your hip, holding you in an eager and firm grip as both your breaths were slowly turning into soft moans.

'Daddy!' Cynlaef suddenly shouted happily.

You pulled away from Sihtric as fast as you could, both clearing your throats and wiping your lips as the kid ran into the classroom. The little boy jumped in Sihtric's arms and, luckily, the boy was too young to fully grasp that his father had just kissed his teacher. You looked away with red cheeks while Cynlaef distracted Sihtric, or so you thought. Sure, the kid was tugging Sihtric's hair, much to his annoyance, but that didn't mean he wasn't looking at you anymore.

'I- I'm sorry,' Sihtric said, and his whole energy changed abruptly, 'I shouldn't have done that.' He shook his head as he looked down. 'I'm sorry,' he said again as he walked to the door, 'I… it's…this is not a good idea.'

'Bye bye!' Cynlaef yelled to you with a smile when Sihtric walked away. 

You sat down behind your desk and buried your face in your hands. Making out with a father? In your classroom? Of course this was not a good idea. But you didn't regret it. And you definitely liked the man.

The next Monday it was your turn to make sure all the children got picked up by their parents. After you waved them goodbye one by one, there were eventually only a handful of children left. One of them being Cynlaef, who said he would be picked up by his uncle, so you didn't expect to see Sihtric stepping out of the car. You felt yourself blush instantly and picked up Cynlaef so he wouldn't run across the street upon seeing his dad.

'Hi,' you smiled at Sihtric as you put Cynlaef back on his feet, who clung onto Sihtric's leg right away.

'Hey,' Sihtric smiled politely, brushing one hand through his long hair before he took a deep breath. It seemed as if he wanted to say something, but instead he just picked up Cynlaef, and wished you a good day before he got back to his car. Which simply didn't sit well with you.

You: I'm sorry to text you like this, but I just hope things aren't going to be awkward now every time we see each other at school

Sihtric: you don't have to worry about that

You: okay… because you weren't really talking today. Just making sure we're good.

Sihtric: I'm just a little tired today

Sihtric: and it was just a kiss

Sihtric: it didn't mean anything

Sihtric: it was a mistake on my end and I'm sorry

Sihtric: won't happen again

You: well… that's cleared up then

Several weeks had passed since the kiss and Sihtric had made it clear it really didn't mean anything to him. He would greet you when he'd pick up Cynlaef every day, but that was all. Except his eyes always lingered on you, and you just didn't understand what his problem was. After a few days of awkward hellos and goodbyes you started to avoid him and asked a colleague to see off the children for a few weeks.

But you'd have to face Sihtric soon again anyway, as you were only a few days away from another round of parent and teacher conversations. And of course, Cynlaef also decided to throw another punch at Edward again just before the weekend started, which forced you to have another word with Sihtric even before the conversation next week.

You: Cynlaef punched Edward again. Talk after school.

Sihtric: will the Lady be there?

You: no

Sihtric: good

You had no idea what he meant with that, but you also didn't care to ask. You reminded yourself it had just been a kiss. It meant nothing. It was just a silly kiss. A good kiss, though. A more passionate kiss than anyone had ever given you, even the few long term boyfriends you've been with had never kissed you in the way Sihtric had. But it meant nothing and you had to forget about it. 

Cynlaef sat at your desk, looking guilty as charged when his father showed up. And you immediately understood why he had asked if Lady Aelswith would be there. He was dressed in black denim jeans, black leather boots and a comfy looking grey hoodie. His hair was braided and his face sported several bruises; a cut lip, a cut eyebrow, a bruise on his cheek and the remainder of what had been a black eye.

'Daddy!' Cynlaef giggled, rocking on the chair, 'look,' Cynlaef smiled at you and pointed at Sihtric's face, not understanding the injuries, 'my daddy has paint on his face but it won't wash off.'

'Oh my god,' you said and jumped up as Sihtric walked into your classroom. You turned to the child and said, 'Cynlaef, go play outside for a little while, okay, honey?' to which the kid happily obliged and he ran out past his father, who didn't stop him. But Sihtric sighed as he expected to be told off for his appearance as well as his son's behaviour.

He stood in the middle of the classroom while you walked after Cynlaef, closing the door behind the kid and you quickly closed the blinds.

'Sihtric,' you said, calmly but worried as you rushed over to him. And you couldn't stop yourself from taking his hands, seeing those were bruised again as well, 'Sihtric, what on earth are you doing?'

'Nothing,' he played it down and pulled his hands back, 'just working out.'

'You have to stop this,' you sighed, 'I know I can't tell you what to do in your personal life, but showing up like this to pick up your child… it's not a good look. It will raise concern among the other parents and my colleagues too.'

'I don't care,' Sihtric said firmly.

'But I care,' you hissed, 'and I am concerned about you. I mean, look at you,' you gently cupped his bruised cheek, which he allowed and closed his eyes to your soft touch, 'stop getting yourself beat up.'

'I'm not the one who got beat up,' he chuckled lightly, 'you should see the other guy.'

'Sihtric,' you sighed, 'I'm serious. What will it take for you to stop being this reckless?'

He shrugged lightly, clenching his jaw as he looked away from you and took a step back.

'I just want my life back,' he said, 'peace and quiet, just me and my son, without my bitch of an ex wife going after everything I got. How else am I supposed to deal with that bullshit if not this way?' he hissed and immediately regretted his words. 'I'm sorry,' he clicked his tongue and rubbed his eyes, 'just… tell me what Cynlaef did so I can go home.' 

You shook your head and let out a sigh, 'No, I can't just let this happen. I can't sleep at night knowing that one of my students has a father who continuously fights, whether it is in the gym or not, and to know that the kid doesn't have a stable home because "that bitch of an ex wife" changed the locks!' you snarled, and as soon as the words had left your mouth you knew you had said too much.

'Who told you that?' Sihtric asked, heated, as he took a step closer, 'what do you know about that? Hm? Has she been here?'

'What? No! She hasn't,' you looked up into his eyes as he towered over you, 'Finan told me. A while ago already. I never did anything with the information, I never reported it but-'

'And you wish to report it now?' he scoffed, 'fine. Go ahead. Ruin the rest of my life too,' he shrugged, 'let someone take my child away from me. Like I fucking care,' he snapped, 'you're right! I am shit at being a dad, a complete fuck up, and that's what I learned from my father!'

'Calm down,' you hissed as quietly as you could and you grabbed his arms, 'yell any louder and I will have to report it.'

'Go and report it,' Sihtric dared you as he leaned in to you, 'and report that I kissed you too, I'm sure that will help your case.'

'Why on earth would I mention that?' you clenched your jaw and took a deep breath, 'you need to listen to me right now,' you said firmly, 'this behaviour of yours needs to stop. I am not out to take your boy away from you. I want the opposite! I see how you love him and care for him and that you need him. And I do not understand why you are making such a mess of yourself!'

'Maybe because no one loves me, or cares about me, or needs me!' Sihtric shouted, suddenly looking vulnerable.

'Cynlaef loves you,' you said, taken aback, 'he cares about you and he needs you.'

'He does not. How could he? I can't even let him sleep in his own bed.'

'He does! Whatever your ex has done to you, you have to let it go. Because if you don't, it will destroy your life. Forget about her and the past you had together. It is done! Don't punish yourself for her behaviour! And don't punish your child because of her behaviour.'

'You don't understand,' he said.

'You're right, I don't! I have never been divorced, or married for that matter, but all I see is a tormented, handsome man who is the father of a sweet little boy, who clearly loves you,' you cupped his cheeks, 'do not fuck that up, Sihtric. You have no right to do that.'

Sihtric looked at you for a few long seconds before he slammed his lips into yours. But this time the kiss wasn't slow and sensual like when he first kissed you a few weeks ago. This time it was rough, angry and heated, and he had to break the kiss after a short moment before it would go too far.

'And you have no right to keep me up at night,' Sihtric said, and he immediately turned and walked away. Leaving you behind flustered and in mild shock. And you didn't even get to talk about Cynlaef's punch to poor Edward's face.

---

It was already quite late that Friday, and you kept going back and forth with the thought of texting Sihtric about Cynlaef. You really just wanted Sihtric's attention because you had a crappy night, after a falling out with Lady Aelswith on the phone earlier that evening, and you needed that dopamine rush he seemed to give you. And he was just cute as hell. And a good kisser. But as it was nearing 10 in the evening, you weren't sure if you should do it. Until you accidentally hit send on a sentence you had written and wanted to erase.

You: we never got to talk about Cynlaef's behaviour, you really need to have a word with h

'Oh, fuck!' you yelled, and before you could delete the message you saw Sihtric was already typing.

Sihtric: I will, you have my word

You felt relieved that he answered, and rather quickly too, so you just went for it.

You: thank you

You: because I am tired of sweet talking the Lady to make her forget about it

Sihtric: you sweet talk the Lady?

You: I bet you find that very amusing

Sihtric: I may or may not…

You: just talk to your kid okay?

Sihtric: I will

You: and don't forget about the conversation next week!

Sihtric: I won't

You: and say hi to Cynlaef for me :) 

Sihtric: I will not

Sihtric: he's asleep already

Sihtric: I hope at least

You: you don't know if your son is asleep?

Sihtric: no, I mean that I'm not home 

You: don't tell me you're at the gym again…

Sihtric: I won't tell you

You: really………

Sihtric: but 

Sihtric: I was wondering

Sihtric: is there any chance that maybe

Sihtric: I get to kiss you again before the conversation?

Sihtric: or can I only kiss you during working hours?

You: yes

You: business hours only, sorry

You: unless 

Sihtric: unless?

You: you wish to bring me some chocolate right now

You: because I had a shit night, and I'm out of chocolate

Sihtric: text me your address 

---

About half an hour after you had texted Sihtric your address, he rang your doorbell, holding quite a variety of chocolate bars. His hair was loose and still wet, giving away he showered recently. He was wearing black sweatpants, white sneakers and the tank top with low sides, which you secretly liked so much because it showed his toned arms and part of his torso.

'I didn't know what kind you liked so,' Sihtric said and paused, looking at the ridiculous amount of chocolate bars in his arms, 'I got all of them.'

'So, is there anything you like?' Sihtric asked, a little worried as you both stared at the collection of chocolate on your table.

'Oh,' you snorted and felt your cheeks redden, 'well, eh, get inside and we'll see what you got.'

'Hm,' you hummed, 'yeah, most of them,' you smiled at him.

'Oh, thank the gods,' Sihtric chuckled and he rubbed his hand over the back of his neck, 'so,' he spoke slowly, 'does that mean I get to kiss you?'

'That entirely depends on how you are planning to behave afterwards,' you raised an eyebrow and crossed your arms.

'Yeah,' he blushed lightly as he rubbed his arm awkwardly, 'I haven't been on my best behaviour with you. I'm sorry. It's just,' he paused to brush his hands through his damp hair and he groaned lightly, 'I'm afraid.'

'Afraid?' you frowned, 'of what? Surely not me I hope?' you chuckled.

'No, well, yes,' Sihtric sighed, 'I- I like you. But after everything… you know… It's… I'm just afraid to get hurt again,' he said, nervously pulling at the hair tie around his wrist.

'Oh, Sihtric,' you smiled softly and walked towards him, 'I understand that,' you took his hands, 'but why didn't you just tell me that right away? I mean, first you kiss me, which was great by the way,' you both chuckled, 'but after that you barely talked to me. Then you almost fight with me, and then you kiss me again. What was I supposed to make of that?'

'I know, I know,' Sihtric said and threw his head back with a sigh, 'I've been an idiot,' he said and looked back down into your eyes, 'it's just also, you know, being a single dad… doesn't make it easier.'

'But you know I like your kid,' you smiled, 'don't use him as an excuse for your stupidity.'

'I know,' Sihtric chuckled, 'but tell me, how can I make it up?'

'Well,' you looked over at the stack of chocolate with a grin, 'I guess you already did.'

'Did I?' he smiled as he leaned in, 'so, does that mean I get to kiss you now?'

'Oh, I'm not sure,' you smiled, wrapping your arms around his neck.

'You're not sure?' Sihtric wrapped his strong arms around your waist with a cheeky smile.

'Hm, no,' you giggled as Sihtric nuzzled your nose softly, after which he pecked your lips gently.

'And now?'

'Still not sure,' you said, making Sihtric smile against your lips before he kissed you like the first time he had kissed you. Slow, sweet and sensual as he picked you up in his arms with ease to sit you down on your table, where he positioned himself in between your legs and leaned his hands on the table as he looked into your eyes.

'What about now?' he asked with a smile.

'I'm thinking maybe,' you giggled, before he gave you a soft kiss again.

'Maybe?' Sihtric smiled, kissing you once more, 'just maybe?'

'What time do you have to go home?' you asked as you tugged his shirt.

'Finan doesn't expect me until tomorrow night, my boy's with him,' he spoke softly and took your hands, sliding them under his shirt, onto his muscular body.

'Where did you tell him you'd go?' you felt dizzy at the feeling of his abs under your fingertips.

'The gym, I was there when you texted me. I had just finished a workout,' Sihtric said, biting down on his lip as he felt your cool hands on his warm skin, 'I stay over there some nights, when I just need to clear my head and be alone.'

'And you don't want to be alone tonight?'

'No,' Sihtric smiled as he placed his hands on your waist, 'tonight I just want to feel something.'

'Only tonight?'

'No,' he said again and shook his head, 'I was hoping you'd want to make me feel something that isn't temporary,' he kissed you soft and slowly, 'something that is more permanent,' he smiled and kissed you again, 'but won't leave me with any more scars or bruises.'

'I'd like that,' you smiled, before you allowed him to push you gently down onto the table as he climbed on top of you, where he would kiss you so passionately, you became dizzy and had to ask him to stop for a moment. You needed to eat a few pieces of chocolate, because you needed a sugar rush to keep you from fainting once you continued to both make each other feel something, which was only just the start of your lives together.

[dduane]

Hello Lady Duane! 😊 (I feel that if we can call Neil Sir Gaiman, you certainly deserve a title as well!)

I've wanted to tell you for ages now that you are one of my absolute favourite Trek authors, have been since I first read some of your novels over a decade ago as a teen - my parents and I have about? 4 or 5 copies of The Doctor's Orders between us, German and English alike (my dad even bought a copy to keep at the office for reading during his lunch breaks). The Wounded Sky is another one of my favourite Trek novels ❤️

My sister and I also occasionally watch old Barbie movies for the nostalgia. So when we watched Fairytopia a few months ago, we found out that you had written the script for the movie! I literally let out a happy yell when I saw you show up in the opening credits and went "omg, it's Diane Duane!!" That was so unexpected but also very delightful! 😊

And now, thanks to you being on tumblr as well, I found out about your other novels and bought your ebook bundle the other day. :D I'm currently a bit over halfway through So You Want to Be a Wizard and I just wanted to let you know that I'm enjoying it so very much!! ❤️

Thank you for all the wonderful words over the years! It continues to be a joy! 😊💜

Hi there!

Regarding titles: Well, okay... as long as everybody's clear that as a US citizen, titles are usually off the menu for me. (As an Irish one, not so much—the government can approve the use of them if it likes—though the neighbors'd snicker at me down the pub.) Anyway: I accept gratefully.* Though yelling "Yo, Trekkie!" might well be just as effective. :)

I'm glad you've enjoyed my Trek work! It's always been very satisfying to do. The chance to actually write professionally in what was my main fandom (after Holmes) during my late teen years has been a most unexpected—when I got started—and extraordinary thing.

And as for Fairytopia: That was a lot of fun too, and also unexpected. My agent just called me up one morning and said "How are you about Barbie...?" and I said, "Well, okay I guess, I had the usual number of them!" —and we were off. The Mattel people were fabulous to work with, and I look back on that whole project with affection.

Meanwhile, I'm delighted you're having fun with the first of the Young Wizards books! There are plenty more of them in that package (still discounted) that conform to the new timeline, which now launches in 2008 rather than the mid 1980s. (Book 10 of the series didn't need that treatment, and so isn't available in a revised edition.)

Anyway: thanks for letting me know. It's always nice to find out that I'm getting the job done. :)

*But also: according to the usual protocols, Neil—when they finally get around to knighting him, probably when a more literature- and intelligence-friendly government takes over—will properly be "Sir Neil": as UK knighthood's an acknowledgement of the person, not the family, and knights are therefore addressed by their first names. (Not to fret: people from both sides of the Water sometimes get this detail backwards.)

(...Be fun if they stuck him straight into the Lords, though. Usually, if you don't want to use your last name in your lordship's title, you can select the name of someplace in the UK that has personal meaning for you. Seeing Neil ennobled as Lord Neverwhere would be a trip.) :)

[remuslupinschocolat3]

My stardew valley headcanons because no one can stop me!!!!!!!

Part one

In alphabetical order

Abigail:

💎Bisexual

💎she/they

💎Hates children

💎In a Polycule with Sam and Sebastian

💎Shares a braincell with Sam

💎smoked weed once with Sebastian and threw up afterwards

💎has random beef with Haley that Haley isn't aware of

💎gets piercings just to spite her dad

💎was only good in English class in highschool

💎regrets being on 2020 alt tiktok

💎 secretly vandalizes their father's yoba shrine (he thinks it's Sebastian doing it)

💎their gay awakening was Keira Knightley in Pirates of the Caribbean (she just like me fr)

Alex

🏈the definition of comphet

🏈himbo

🏈gay man/lesbian alliance with Haley

🏈his first crush was the team captain of an Opponent's school gridball team

🏈 doesn't drink alcohol because he's scared to be like his father

🏈he had a pathetic crush on Elliot when Elliot first moved to the valley

🏈has a bottle of the perfume his mother used to wear and sprays it on his pillow when he's sad

🏈used to go to a gym in Zu City but stopped after a boy there asked him out

🏈dated Haley in highschool for half a year until both of them came out to the other in hopes to let the other down gently

Caroline

🍃not a single thought behind those eyes

🍃fell out of love with Pierre ten years ago

🍃grows marijuana plants in her tea house (have you seen her two heart event?)

🍃dyed her hair green once when she was 15 and never tried a different color again

🍃has a few secret tattoos

🍃the necklace she wears is a gift by Rasmodios

🍃best friends with Jodi and Robin

🍃loves to gossip, she knows everyone's business

🍃almost became an almond mom but stopped before it could affect Abigail in the long run

🍃she has no enemies, everyone loves her but hates her husband

Clint (it's red cus he's a red flag)

🔨4chan user

🔨incel

🔨used to tell his mom to make him a sandwich

🔨called his parents by their first names

🔨knows the Irish dance (I don't know what it's called lmao)

🔨can't have friendships with women because he always thinks they fall in love with him

🔨hasn't exercised since he finished highschool

🔨stalks Emily (that's canon) (stay away from her)

🔨can you tell I hate him yet?

Demetrius

🧪is the reason his first marriage failed

🧪controlling and possessive (Maru's two heart event)

🧪so boring

🧪thinks missionary is the only way to have sex

🧪I know people headcanon him as autistic but I think he's just petty

🧪 arrogant, thinks he's smarter than everyone else because he knows science

🧪was actually an okay step father to Sebastian until Maru was born

🧪him and Robin are not compatible but neither of them want to go through a second divorce

Elliot

🦀 gay and proud

🦀in his mid thirties

🦀 can't swim

🦀 used to write star trek fanfiction as a teenager on fanfiction.net

🦀so fucking tall

🦀went through three separate gender identity crisis before realizing that he just isn't comfortable expressing himself as a stereotypical manly man

🦀demi romantic

🦀gay man/lesbian alliance with Leah

🦀sees Leah as the little sister he never had

🦀 isn't really broke, he's a trustfund baby who wanted to experience what it's like to be a starving artist (thinks it makes his art more valid)

🦀Leah beat him up when she found out

🦀 obsessed with his hair (I'm so jealous of his luscious curls 😭😭😭)

🦀so dramatic (used to be a theater kid for sure)

Emily

🔮the character I headcanon as autistic

🔮 pansexual and asexual

🔮they/she, trans

🔮dating Sandy

🔮knows everyone's zodiac signs

🔮names her plants

🔮gets the zoomies after work (at night)

🔮Haley hates it

🔮Haley's biggest supporter

🔮vegan

🔮thinks of Clint as a genuine friend (save yourself girly pop)

🔮calls Sandy the weirdest nick names "hello my cuddle bear" "it's been too long since we last saw each other my strawberry jam"

🔮suckles on Pennies (she just like me fr)

🔮reads books about crystals for hours on end, Haley has to take the book away from her and drag her to bed sometimes

🔮has befriended the junimos

🔮Sandy sells the clothes she makes

🔮hates the taste of strawberry in candy and stuff

🔮would vape if vapes existed in stardew valley but not in a I'm a thirteen year old boy way but in a I like the taste and I enjoy making smoke rings kinda way

🔮you can't tell me that she's not a pothead

🔮knows Haley is a lesbian years before her sister figures it out

🔮besties with Shane (refuses to sell him alcohol at the Stardrop saloon)

🔮gets extremely flustered around people she deems as attractive

🔮is really bad at doing her own makeup (Sandy or Haley do it for her)

🔮has a huge tattoo that covers almost her entire back

🔮her energy is contagious

🔮high School was very hard for her but college was the best time of her life

🔮wants to buzz her hair so bad but has enough restrain to keep herself from doing so

🔮loves to make cocktails (she makes Gus try them and he always loves them and puts them on his menu)

🔮makes Shane, Sandy and Haley cosplay with her (none of them want to but they can't say no when Emily looks at them with that wide eyed grin of hers)

🔮unleashed a group of rats in JoJa mart because Shane complained once (1 time) about his working conditions, the store closed for two months

🔮can you tell how much I love Emily?

[redpanther23]

GREETINGS FROM MEOWTER SPACE.

In my travels I've come to find that I have an extremely strange family background. I'm going to be talking about it in some essays, which may contain descriptions of abuse and neglect. Here's the first one (it's long as fuck.)

On my mom's side, my great great grandmother was Creek. She was alive when I was born, and we briefly met. She was over 125 years old (nobody knows how old exactly.) The men on that side, who were all Scottish, died in their early 40s, except for my grandfather, who left when my mom was a kid. (I met him once, but my mom didn't want me to be around anyone Christian as a kid, so I never met anyone else on that side of the family.) I barely know anything about my Scottish ancestry, although growing up we called the native grapes "bullises," which is a Gaelic word for plums (they're also called muscadines, but I don't know what the truth is anymore.)

My family were subsistance farmers since before colonization, until my grandma became a schoolteacher. Our family moved to what would later be the Free State of Jones from what would later be Alabama, though I'm not sure why. During the Civil War, people in Jones county refused to fight, since nobody owned slaves in the area, and it was declared a Free State. My grandma lives in the Free State, in abject poverty with my uncle and his wife, who just scream at each other and beat their kids and neglect their 15 hoarded dogs all day. And if they have a problem with me saying so, they can eat shit and die.

My mom went to school for anthropology, and taught geology at the University of Southern Mississippi. She was extremely ashamed of how poor our background is, and I wasn't allowed to visit family much, although I wanted to very badly. I got to live with my grandma and my two adopted uncles who are around my age for a little while when we were kids, and they're some of the only positive childhood memories I have. I was extremely isolated and abused, especially by my step dad, who is currently (to my knowledge) employed as a programmer at a major video game company, as well as being a child molester starting when I was 2 or 3 years old (some of my earliest memories.) His name is Rigel Cameron Freeman. I ran away when I was 16 to live with my dad. When I told my mom what he did, she called me a liar and quit speaking to me, and that was the last I heard from her directly. So far as I know, she's been in mental hospitals pretty much since I left.

My dad's mom, whose first name was Ellen, was Ashkenazi Jewish, descended from a family who left Germany before the holocaust. She was a beatnik who was friends with Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsburg, and she had personal beef with Grace Slick over a boyfriend. My dad's first guitar was a gift from Cat Stevens, although this was something he was a little embarrassed about and only mentioned to me once. She was especially close friends with Tiny Tim. She was in California trying to break into acting, and almost got a part in the Godfather allegedly (actually all of this is alleged by my dad, I only met her once. He really didn't like her, so I don't think he would make it up.)

Then she met my grandfather, Bob Marshall, who was probably in California to do drugs (sacred family tradition.) I have reason to believe he was mostly Choctaw and possibly Irish, although on that side of the family it's traditional to claim to be "French or Italian" unless you're very drunk, and then it's okay to be Indian. They moved up to Alaska and lived on the Athabaskan reservation, where my father, Rogan Russell Marshall, was born on April 19. Later, my grandfather became a civil rights lawyer, and he defended the right for prisoners with AIDS to be desegregated (basically anyone with AIDS would die in solitary before that.)

My dad got into Emerson, dropped out because no one could afford textbooks, moved to Mississippi and started this crazy punk band, and then went ahead and wrote some movies anyway. My favorite is called the Attic Expeditions, it features Seth Green, Jeffery Combs, and Alice Cooper, and it's very trippy and fun. Unfortunately, he became disabled from the same autoimmune condition I have, ankylosing spondylitis, which, if you're born male, has much more severe symptoms (which is why I chose not to start testosterone.) AS used to be thought of as genetic, but has recently been linked to environmental pollutants, and I was likely exposed to something released by one of our many chemical factories (my uncle who abuses his kids and dogs is adopted, I mentioned earlier, grew up in my grandma's house when we were kids together, and has the same symptoms, and multiple people who lived on the same Hattiesburg street as my dad in the 90s were diagnosed.) He was living in Massachussetts in his mom's basement when he married my step mom, a public defense attourney, to get health insurance, and they lived in Miami for eight years together until she left him, shortly after I moved in.

After that, I had to drop out of high school, and I lived in hell for about seven years while I worked full time, usually multiple jobs, to take care of us, and all the cats he would bring home (as many as 13, but I ran my house like a cat ranch and it was kind of beautiful.) His physical and mental health was dogshit, he wouldn't stop doing hard drugs, and our relationship was so hopelessly abusive that I had to quit speaking to him as well. My feelings are complicated because, while I love and admire his work, and he taught me a lot of extremely valuable and positive things, the things he did to me would put him in prison if I believed in the law. I owe him everything, and at the same time, I almost wish we'd never met (I'll have to talk about that in another post as well, because it's a lot, and exremely heavy.)

My third parent, Scott Panther, I honestly don't know very well. According to local legend, and there are many about him, he's Scottish and Cherokee. He was close friends with my parents before I was born, helped start Rong (and probably came up with the best ideas for it.) He was my mom's boyfriend for a long time before I was born.

My mom met Scott and Rogan at a Rong show, I was conceived after a Rong show (Scott drove Rogan to her house), and the night I was born there was a Rong show. Scott was overdosing when my mom went into labor, and I was born at 4 AM while multiple tornadoes passed through town. Later that night, he was ready to play the show (hats off). No one told Rogan I was born, though in the full video of the show he mentions the other people in town who were born on April 18. Unfortunately, the video is probably lost - he gave all the Rong tapes to someone I don't know, and he didn't say who (he may have even been lying and threw them away.)

I inherited a lot of personality traits from Scott, as many people who know us have noticed, although I gained them not through direct teaching, or through any modern understanding of genetics. I've read that before colonization these kind of things were more common and better understood.

[theformerbastard]

who is/are your comfort character(s)? My love for Jane Lane is pretty well documented.

lighter or matches? When I was a smoker I was obsessed with lighters but matches smell so goddamn good.

do you leave the window open at night? I hate windows so much.

which cryptyd being do you believe in? Bigfoot. I deadass keep my eyes peeled when I drive thru super wooded areas. I think most of the other ones are just people seein' barn owls but Bigfoot is out there, man.

what color are your eyes? Blue

why did you do that? Wanted to

hair-ties or scrunchies? When I had hair I was all about hair-ties

how many water bottles are in your room right now? Got a 2 liter of diet pepsi in the mini fridge

which do you prefer, hot coffee or cold coffee? None coffee

would you slaughter the rich? I mean...no? I know what this is actually askin', I just don't like the wording

favorite extracurricular activity? Drinkin'

what kind of day is it? It's chewsdy innit (it's Thursday but that was the first thing that came to mind)

when was the last time you ate? Like...minutes ago

do you love the smell of earth after it rains? I've never understood people that say "smells like rain"

are you a parent? (all answers qualify) nope

can you drive? yep

are you farsighted or nearsighted? near

what hair products do you use? water

imagine we’re at a sleepover, would you paint my nails? I can paint my own but I think I'd be shit at paintin' someone elses

do you say soda or pop? Soda. People that say pop are lunatics.

something you’ve kept since childhood? anxiety

what type of person are you? anxious

how do you feel about chilly weather? BIG fan

if we were together on a rooftop, what would we be doing? Playin' roller hockey (where my Kevin Smith fans at?)

perfume/body spray or lotion? On me? Nothin'

a scenario that you’ve replayed multiple times? Every awkward encouter I've had since I was like 7

about how many hours of sleep did you get? depends

do you wear a mask? *Jim Carrey doin' Ben Stein* we all wear masks...metaphorically speaking

how do you like your shower water? In the shower

is there dishes in your room? Nope

what type of music keeps you grounded? Country

do you have a favorite towel? Used to. It was light purple. Fuck. Such a good fuckin' towel.

the last adventure you’ve been on? *in my best Jeff Bridges voice* ya know...uhhh we're like in it, man.

is there a song you know every word to by heart? Yes

what’s your timezone? Depends

how many times have you changed your url? A few

someone in your life, other than a relative, you’ve known for 10+ years? Brooke

a soap bar that smells good? Irish spring

do you use lip balm? Nope

did you have any snacks today? Bag of cheetos for lunch #healthnut

how do you take your coffee? I don't

an app you frequently use besides this godforsaken site? Instagram

what’s your take on spicy foods? I'm a bitch

you get a free pass to kill anyone, who is it? That's dark and I don't like that my brain is actually comin' up with names

can you remember what happened yesterday? I'd have to think really hard

favorite holiday film? While You Were Sleeping. It counts.

what was the last message you sent? "ALLLLLLL?!?!!" When @didee-anne told me she wanted me to answer all of these

when did you first try an alcohol beverage? I'm not good with ages but a "friend" gave me a shot of wild turkey and a shot of bacardi 151 in high school. I'd tried my dads beer before that but the shots feel more...significant.

can you skip rocks? It's been years but yeah

can i tag you in random stuff? Why not

[ariadnesweb]

In contrast to the first movie, The second spiderverse movie places a lot of emphasis on Miles's Puerto Rican Heritage:

We are introduced to his universe while Miles is protecting a bodega, eating refried empanadas

The background music during this introduction seems to be inspired by the Bomba genre of music, in which dancers keep the beat to the drum.

The main victim of Miles's double-life as Spider-man seems to be his grade in Spanish, as he presumably skipped out on the language he was already familiar with. This is Very Much to his mom's dismay, as Miles's spanish is littered with spanglish.

(It's not that big of a deal, Rio's spanish is also mixed with spanglish, though it's very much a cultural pride thing.)

Rio's main conflict with Miles is that he's growing up away from her, moving away from Brooklyn, very much living a life she doesn't totally understand.

Rio herself lives in a world defined by familial relationships, in which she's brought to talk preemptively at Aaron's funeral by her family (though she would rather wait for Miles's to be there beforehand). She expects Miles to continue the family heritage and pride, and is confused at the idea that he would have to play up the American Dream Myth to get accepted into his chosen university, despite his own middle-class background.

Miles himself is gathering up the courage to break it to his mom that he is his own person, defined by his double-life as Spiderman, and not necessarily in line with her expectations of him.

Miles's own antagonist throughout the film is the alternate universe spiderman, Miguel O'Hara, a mexican and irish man who created and leads the Spider Society.

Miles slots Miguel in as another 'uncle/dad/older brother' parental figure in his life, ala his dad, uncle Aaron, Hobbie, and Peter B., calling him 'tio'.

Your Mileage May Vary on how Miguel connects to Miles culturally, since his main beef with Miles is tied to what 'Spiderman' represents, but I personally find him reminiscent to my own Cuban stepfather, as an older educated man who found his own place in the world at the cost of a lot of harsh life experience. Both his strength and tragedy is shaped by the loss of his 'old world' upon a new one, as well as personal experience with armed violence. These experiences have shaped Miguel to believe himself the 'lone atlas' holding up society, and whose principles as 'The Man' are to be imposed on the younger generations following him (ie, Miles).

(Miles's victory over Miguel is very much to Not Follow His Example, to carve out his own personality and family for himself.)

The movie ends with Miles-1616 being confronted with his world 42 self - a version of himself that didn't become Spiderman, and instead, followed his uncle's footsteps to become the Prowler. Coincidentally, this version of himself has a 'cleaner' spanish pronunciation of his own last name, with shorter vowels and softer sounds.

(Not to downplay Miles's Black Heritage - his relationship with fellow black teen Hobbie Brown is vital, as well as the smaller relationships like Miles & Spider-Byte.) (Or Miles's Brooklyn connections that connect him to New York specifically.)

(Or to stop anyone from relating to Miles and his difficulties becoming his own Spider-Man.)

[racingliners]

tagged by @schumigrace, tysm my lovely!! 💚

Are you named after anyone? Well, yes and no. My dad wanted me to have an Irish name and him and my Mum struggled to agree on one, and then one night they were watching TV and a presenter on a show was called Seanagh (but one of the anglicised spellings) and they both liked it so my Dad looked up the proper Irish spelling of it and my name has been constantly mispronounced ever since.

(fwiw the first bit is pronounced Sean like Sean Bean, and the g in the -agh is silent)

(my father's Irish ancestry was also somewhat questionable but that's for another post)

When was the last you cried? I genuinely have no idea, I almost cried laughing at work yesterday if that counts

Do you have kids? Nope

What sports do you play/have you played? I was on my primary school's cricket b-team

Do you use sarcasm? More often than I probably should

What is the first thing you notice about people? Their eyes and smile

What is your eye colour? Green!

Scary movies or happy endings? Always happy endings

Any talents? right now, knitting cardigans

Where were you born? London

What are your hobbies? Writing, knitting, sewing, and yelling about sports on the internet

Do you have any pets? our dog Molly!

How tall are you? 5ft1/157cm (Short™️)

Favourite subject at school? Geography, Modern Studies, Chemistry and Biology

Dream job? Exactly what I do now (work for a sports team) but be paid instead of volunteer staff 🥲

I cannot think of 15 people to tag, also no worries if you don't want to do it or have done it already!: @usersewis, @vampire-on-main, @comraderoscoes, @hungriestheidi, @argentinagp, @norrisgp, @dorksdrivingfast, @kylesdubas, @vetteldixon, @draikaesehoch, @scottmcglocklin and @applejuiceboxhero

[annabellelupin]

thoughts I've had while re reading poa as a marauders fan, part one (chapters 1 - 4)

(id just like to point out this is my first time reading the books since middle school and first time I've read the books since I became a marauders fan in 2020)

chapter 1

- ok so ye the Weasleys are really poor, but if they're "extremely poor" you'd figure they'd use their money for something other than a vacation

-I forgot sweet little hedwig existed djdjdjdkdjd

-someone please eat the rat

-let the future cat have him pleaseeeee

-why did I start to dislike hermione so much again??? maybe it's just movie hermione I hate and I can't remember the differences between the two

chapter 2

-why are most of the antagonistic characters portrayed as fat and why is the fact that dudley is obese brought up so many fucking times like that seems pretty fat phobic of you Rowling

- when actually reading and thinking about the Harry potter books and movies I imagine the actor that played sirius and not the fanart marauders sirius I'm more used to, and apparently his hair is depicted as elbow length in the books not shoulder length WE WERE ROBBED. could have had long haired sirius with a bun in ootp

- also I swear marauders Era Sirius and golden trio era Sirius (so canon and fanon sirius) are two completely different people in my mind

- also forgot "muggle" news talked about sirius

-just finished the chapter and seriously he is so sassy (guess that's what you get when you're Sirius and marlenes godson, and James and Lily's actual son)

- also I really fucking hate how much mental abuse is glazed over here like????

- it happens every summer and he's forced to return to his abusers like wtf

- this is why I don't like Dumbledore very much

chapter 3

-forgot padfoot wasn't like an actual dog sized dog

-lowkey forgot about padfoot in general ngl

-bro harry are your really throwing precious and innocent Neville under the bus rn come on dude seriously

-ok like when they mention Sirius I can't help to think of the dramatic, gay, Remus obsessed Sirius from all of the wolfstar text posts I've read

-also the fact they have to clarify what a gun is in the wizard news is wow

-same with Ron not knowing how to use a phone

-no wonder these people keep having Wizarding wars and unstable teachers at their schools

- love how this 13 year old kid is panicking over the possibility of going to wizard prison for breaking one rule

-also side note the more I read the more I feel like Daniel Radcliffe portrayed him super well

- hedwig supremacy

- "ur the literal wizard president" "yea but I'm not ur guardian dumbass I can't sign ur permission slip what in hell is this"

- why is reading stans parts so fucking hard

chapter 4

- ah Florean Fortescue the one genuinely nice adult in these books (isn't he like Alice's dad or something?) I just remembered her last name is actually more or less a headcanon uhhh that's fun

- the Irish quidditch team are actually mentioned along with the quidditch world cup even Harry's checkin out the firebolt

- coincidence that Dean and Seamus are mentioned at the same time? I think not

- seriously jkr why do you keep giving kids abusive gaurdians and acting like it's nothing (talking about Neville and his grandmother)

- "...Ron looking incredibly freckly, Hermione very brown..." (pg 55 in my book). when first reading this part years ago I registered it as Hermione was black/poc and not that she was just tan from the sun lmao

- I swear crookshanks was James' old cat and that's why he hated peter

- also Percy wow this why you don't befriend stray rats man

- the things this rat has seen go on in Percy's and Oliver's dorm room....

- still probably not as bad sharing a dorm with Remus and Sirius tho

- I love the twins sense of humor

- but guys stop messing with my precious baby Percy he's just- an autistic overachiever doing his best guys

- ..."he lost everything..." Yes Sirius did in fact lose almost everything Arthur but not bc what you think happened dude

- "he's safe with Dumbledore-" yea fucking right /sar

- "stationniong soul sucking demons around a school is such a good idea hehehehe" /sar

- literally there's no fucking way McGonagall thought Sirius did it- literally fucking refuse to believe that she did

going to start another post for chapter 5 bc oh boy it's going to be long

[bizarre-blorbo-bracket]

Round 1 poll 13: Rev. Green from Cluedo vs the Nachtraven from Nachtraven

Propaganda under the cut:

Rev. Green:

1) Literally just a random board game character 😪 2) Ok so basically here’s the deal. One day, about a year and a half or two years ago, I saw some random thing related to Clue online. I (dual U.S. American and Russian citizen, because I was born in America to an immigrant parent, I PROMISE this is important) was confused because among the cast of characters was “Mr. Green”. Now, I hadn’t played Clue in a very long time. It wasn’t my favorite game as a kid, my only memories of it were wanting to play as Ms. Peacock and then my brother taking her and making me pick someone else, but I was pretty confident the character was Reverend Green. What happened? Was he excommunicated?? I kind of figured the name was just changed to reflect a more secular culture and that I had unknowingly played an old copy of the game as a kid.

But it fascinated me. So I spent months on and off researching the topic. (poorly, might I add, it wasn’t a complicated issue. But still.) I found out about many changes from version to version. Clue Junior, Clue VCR Mystery, Clue Master Detectives, all of it. And the whole time, Green was there to greet me in each new version. It was the first thing I always checked. Was he Mister or Reverend? I found out in one version he was a defrocked priest turned businessman, and in another a scam artist who pretended to be a member of the clergy to pull of a scheme. Closer. I ran polls, I went to irl Clue events, and eventually I found what I was looking for the whole time. Green was a Reverend in the 1944 patent of the game, and the subsequent 1949 U.K. release of Cluedo. But, because of fear that U.S. Citizens would take issue with a member of the church being suspected of murder, Parker Brothers changed the name to Mister Green for the U.S. release.

That all could have taken me five minutes of googling, but honestly the chase made the result so much more worth it. And yet, there was something more there in the back of my mind. This all was well and good, but why was I so sure of the U.K. version of the name? My father’s family is Irish so we have a pretty healthy hatred of all things British, there’s no way my dad would’ve had us play that version of the game. Right? But thanks to a response from a poll I ran, I found out that the German version also went with Reverend. Because Green is an Anglican, I kind of assumed that the U.S. change might have been carried over into other international releases. But no! That made me realize that Mister Green is an outlier and that almost all languages of the game use Reverend. So then last night the pieces finally clicked together. I asked my mom to confirm a hunch I had, not expecting her to at all remember something this trivial. Like I said, I didn’t play it much as a kid. Maybe we didn’t even own a copy, and I had just played it at a library or a hurricane shelter or a relative’s house or something. But she remembered. We did, in fact, own the game. Not just any version, but a RUSSIAN COPY. I unknowingly grew up with Cluedo! So I had every reason to believe it was Reverend Green and be confused when I heard otherwise.

Tl;dr, minor version difference between Russian and American copies of a board game gave me a hyperfixation and a blorbo.

Nachtraven:

SO! The Nachtraven is the titular character of a Dutch children’s gameshow.

They’re a cyberpunk-synthwave-medieval fantasy knight (which is honestly an awesome aesthetic) who breaks into children’s bedrooms at night, lures from their sleepovers and makes them compete against each other in challenges… and the winners get to have a lovely sleepover at whatever place they were lured to.

Seriously, they’re so ominous, so sinister, so villain-coded, but all they want to do is to make children’s sleepovers even better. They’re just a nice guy/entity.

They don’t speak, and instead communicate using electronic beeps, gestures, tape recordings of a woman’s voice and the visor of their knight’s helmet as an LED display they put words on.

Seriously, if this was an American show, all the cryptidcore kids would be citing them as one of their biggest childhood influences. I hope that one day they will be recognised as the true cryptid they are.

[modern-day-classic]

15 questions, 15 Friends

tagged by @hart-kinsella, @damelucyjo & @sophiedevreaux 💖💖

Are you named after anyone? Not specifically but there's a Sarah and Jane in every generation of my dad's fam so I got to be both

When was the last you cried? Erm last night watching Somebody Feed Phil.... I cry over everything it's rare if I go a day without tears

Do you have kids? I have a tonne of neices and nephews, that's enough for now

What sports do you play/have you played? Oh I've played netball, soccer, touch footy, oztag, hockey, AFL, crossfit and then dancing (jazz, tap & irish dancing mainly) .... I am out indefinitely injured tho which is touch

Do you use sarcasm? haha yes

What is the first thing you notice about people? EYES!!! and then arms

What is your eye color? Green

Scary movies or happy endings? Both?

Any talents? I don’t really know...

Where were you born? Sydney

What are your hobbies? Watching tv shows and movies, reading, listening to music, theatre (going to and performing).... I miss my sports, I usually gym, pilates and play netball and oztag but I'm 18 weeks post knee reconstruction to that's been replaced with crazy intensive rehab

Do you have any pets? Not anymore, I sadly lost my cat just over a week ago

How tall are you? I'm 5'11 or 180cm

Favorite subject in the school? Drama.... but also science

Dream job? My dream job is sitting poolside in an exclusive resort drinking cocktails all day

tagging (feel free to skip it): @movrings @reelega @damelucyjo @5chatzi @boobiebaguettebouquet and anyone who see's this and wants to do it

[deeisace]

So this morning, cs my brain is fried in many ways,

As a companion to the Draculas of New Jersey, have all the Frankensteins of England -

First, on the very first census, of 1841, we have Jacob Frankenstein and his family, living in Liverpool -

There really wasn't much detail on early census records, and whoever's filled this in has done it a slightly odd order (dad, youngest son, mum, oldest daughter, middle son), but we see we have Jacob Frankenstein, who is a merchant, his wife Sarah, and their children Henrietty (age 5), Samuel (age 3) and Nathan (age 1 or possibly 7), and that F in the last column marks them as "born in Foreign Parts".

The house they live in, they seem to share with two other families - an English roper, his wife and four children, and an Irish tailor his wife and their servant. I imagine, if I might, that it may have been one of those tall buildings you get in the town centre occasionally, with a shop below and two or three storeys above - the tailor would have the shop and the floor above, and the one/s above that would be split between Frankenstein and Choppers (the roper)

I'm not certain, cs nothing much is certain on the 1841 census, but I think that must be the case, because there's a 1 for 1 dwelling/building, and then the families have little notch marks separating them (you can just see one above the J in Jacob there).

If we skip forward 20 years, we find them not in Liverpool, but having moved to Islington, London

A little more detail on this record - we find out that Jacob and Sarah are from Hanover, which I gather is now a part of Germany. Henrietty has anglicised her name to Harriet, and that N must be Nathan, which means he was 1 on the 1841 record. We also see Harriet was born in Yorkshire, and Nathan in Liverpool, tho I can find neither record. And that Jacob's merchant-ing is going well enough that they needn't share housing and they actually have a live-in maid!

And, there's another record to show he joined the Freemasons in about 1850, so I imagine he was doing fairly well for himself.

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There is, at the same time as our Jacob in 1841, another J Frankenstein, but this one is an "agent" - whatever that means 180 years ago - and he lives in Stepney!

He is also "of Foreign Parts" and also in his 30s, but he is instead a lodger, with several other single German-sounding men (you can see Doctor Gotentag above him there), in the house of some laundresses (Sarah Kelly, Elizabeth Pryor, and her daughter Sarah)

I jumped forward 10 years to 1851, and couldn't confirm finding this same Frankenstein, but there are a couple of new ones -

We have Adolphus, a tailor from Breslau who is lodging in Manchester with a Polish hawker and his family

And we have Isaac, a licensed hawker - a seller of things, the type that shout you over, like a marketstall man, tho maybe without a stall - in this case, jewellery - and he lodges in Portsea/Portsmouth, with Kitty Barnard and her daughters.

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Then, if we jump again to the 1870s, there are a great many more Frankensteins -

We have Jacob, Israel, Simon and Harris Frankenstein, who are all Polish tailors (tho sometimes the record says "Russia Poland"). Israel and Simon live in London, Whitechapel and Spitalfields respectively. Jacob is in Cheetham and Harris is in Manchester. And all their families, too.

Also in Cheetham, we find Reub and his family - I imagine he is Jacob's brother or cousin (he is also listed "Russia Poland") - he is a glazier, and his teenage sons are tailors.

Philip Frankenstein, also in Cheetham and from Poland and so likely another brother or cousin, is a waterproof manufacturer (did macks exist then?).

And Leon, who lives in Rochester, married a Kentish woman called Lydia Jolley (nee Gladdish), and he is a picture frame maker, also Polish - tho he, unlike the rest, is listed under "Poland, British Subject" - either, he lived in England most of his life and was just born in Poland (see, my John Scarth, who always listed himself as "Portugal, British Subject", and was from Orkney), or because he married an Englishwoman, I'm not sure, and he, nor the census man, are not here to quiz.

If I go any later, I imagine there'll be a great deal many more records to trawl through and I don't really want to, so I shan't.

I am mildly disappointed there are no Adam Frankensteins, tho, I did check