#ೃ⁀➷ ferris' moot list | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

tellthemeerkatsitsfine · 2 years

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The last few times I’ve posted something on here from Twitter, I’ve prefaced it with “I know I said I was going to stop doing this, I’m trying, but in the meantime here’s something I found.” I don’t have to do that this time, though, because I have a good excuse! I commented on one of Mark Watson’s Tweets in which he said you can comment and then he’ll follow you and then you’ll DM him your email address and he’ll put it on a mailing list and then tell you about online comedy shows that his production company runs. Which is a ludicrous process and I’m still not convinced I could actually bring myself to DM my email address to Mark Watson like he’s a normal human being, and that’s probably a moot point because you can only DM him if he follows you (that’s why he told people to comment on the post) and he’s not responded to my comment yet and probably won’t because, obviously, he’s a famous comedian and it is absolutely ridiculous that we can just say things to famous people on the internet. It feels like it shouldn’t be allowed.

But anyway, I gave it a shot, and I can now justify going back to his Twitter page because I want to see if he’s replied to my comment and/or followed me so I can possibly be on an email list where he’ll tell me if his production company puts some comedy on the internet. I have never posted a Tweet, that comment I posted on Mark Watson’s Tweet yesterday is the only time I’ve ever posted anything at all on Twitter, and I have zero followers. If Mark Watson follows me, 100% of my Twitter followers will be famous people. That’s a hell of a stat.

Anyway, while going back to his page, I found this:

Again, amazing. Amazing that they can just ask regular people things like this. Obviously I immediately started thinking of what I’d write if I were the sort of person who can write replies to famous people on the internet. I am not that sort of person, but I can write things on my anonymous Tumblr blog. This blog might just turn into where I write my replies to Mark Watson’s Tweets, except I’m posting them somewhere he won’t see them.

When asked what my wishlist would be for comedy shows I want to see, lots of names come to mind that aren’t realistic. I mean, if we’re just fantasizing here, then I want to see Jo Brand do a show with Sandi Toksvig where Toksvig gives interesting historical facts and Jo Brand says she doesn’t care. I want to see a Chocolate Milk Gang/Honourable Men of Art reunion. I want to see Armando Iannucci do 45 minutes on whatever the fuck happened to the British government in the summer of 2022. I want to see Joe Lycett and Chris Flemming in a room together. They don’t even need to do comedy, I just want to know they’ve met. I want Frankie Boyle to come on the Mock the Week finale and say her pussy’s definitely haunted now. I want Jon Richardson and Russell Howard to write that movie together, the one they were planning in 2008 before the most dramatic breakup of the 21st century. I want a panel show called 10 Out of 10 Cats that’s hosted by Sarah Millican and the panelists just play with cats all episode and no one who’s ever done anything terrible is allowed to be a guest on it. I want more seasons of The Department with the entire original cast, on radio or TV. I want a reboot of Nathan Barley with the same premise of satirizing its time only this one’s set in 2019. I may be getting slightly away from the original remit. I mean, while I’m dreaming, I want Sean Lock back. I want to make the Atlantic Ocean smaller so I could catch a short ferry ride from Canada to see the Edinburgh Festival.

Obviously I’d sell my soul to see Rhod Gilbert’s Book of John show. I want to see Frankie Boyle’s new show, but given... certain historic events, I’m not about to ask Mark Watson for that. I’d sell my mother’s soul alongside my own to see Daniel Kitson do anything. Literally anything. But I don’t think he’ll do gig for someone else’s production company, because he doesn’t do other people’s stuff or production or company. He may occasionally do gigs, but only if no one’s allowed to see them.

But to try to go slightly beyond that into what I think might be the general realm of people who might actually do this sort of thing, and are also people I like and want to see more of their comedy but it’s not always easy to find online (or I’ve already found what’s online and I would like more please, and/or I just want to see what they’re doing currently): Jen Brister, Susie McCabe, Ahir Shah, Sarah Keyworth, Sarah Kendall, Harriet Kemsley, Huge Davies, Ed Night, Angela Barnes, Toussaint Douglass, Rose Matafeo, Rosie Jones, Mark Steel, Andy Zaltzman, Alice Fraser, Paul Sinha, Josie Long, Desiree Burch, Susan Calman, Isy Suttie, Felicity Ward, David O’Doherty, Sophie Duker, Mae Martin, Darren Harriott, Chloe Petts. I know Helen Zaltzman doesn’t do stand-up but I think she should start. And, you know, Mark Watson. (Mark, I’m assuming your boy Kumar from the Taskmaster days goes without saying.)

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scotianostra · 3 years

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On September 26th 1934 the Liner Queen Mary launched at John Brown’s shipyard, Clydebank.

The construction of still the unnamed Cunard Queen Mary ship began in December 1930 (the ship’s keel was laid down on 31 January 1931) in the yard of “John Brown & Co” at Clydebank. The launch was scheduled for May 1932, but the work on the ship was suspended in December 1931 due to the world economic depression. A loan of 9.5 million pounds from the Government was granted to the Cunard Line with enough money to complete the Queen Mary ship and to build a second liner – the Queen Elizabeth.

As a direct result of this most advantageous deal, the Cunard Line merged with its main rival White Star on 10th May 1934 into Cunard White Star Ltd. The Queen Mary construction resumed in April 1934, the liner was completed by August and launched on 26th September at a total cost of 3.5 million pounds sterling.

The work was completed in March 1936. The Queen Mary ship sailed out for preliminary trials and after being painted in Southampton, the liner was handed over to Cunard White Star Line on 11th May 1936. RMS Queen Mary ship first sailing was on 14th May with its Transatlantic itinerary being Southampton-Cherbourg-New York. By May 1937 the liner had carried a total of almost 57,000 passengers.

The main speed-rival of the QM ship was SS Normandie – a liner built in France and operated by the French Compagnie Generale Transatlantique line. The Queen Mary took the Blue Riband (the prestigeous award given to a ship with the speed record for a transatlantic crossing) from the French liner SS Normandie in August 1938, with record speeds for both west- and eastbound crossings of the Atlantic Ocean – the average speeds was, respectively, 30,63 kn (35m25 mph, 56,7 km/h) and 30,14 kn (34,68 mph, 55,82 km/h).

In 1937, the Normandie liner was refitted with new propellers, enabling her to take the Blue Riband, but in 1938 the Queen Mary ship reclaim the honour for best speeds in both directions – westbound 30,99 kn (35,66 mph, 57.39 km/h) and eastbound 31,69 kn (36,47 mph, 58.69 km/h). This record was beaten by the SS United Sates liner in 1952.

The last commercial sailing of the ship Queen Mary was on 30 August 1939 departing from Southampton and then berthed at New York until the end of 1939. With the outbreak of the Second World War, she was converted into a troopship and ferried Allied soldiers for the duration of the war.

Following the war, Queen Mary was refitted for passenger service and along with Queen Elizabeth commenced the two-ship transatlantic passenger service for which the two ships were initially built. The two ships dominated the transatlantic passenger transportation market until the dawn of the jet age in the late 1950s. By the mid-1960s, Queen Mary was ageing and, though still among the most popular transatlantic liners, was operating at a loss.

After several years of decreased profits for Cunard Line, Queen Mary was officially retired from service in 1967. She left Southampton for the last time on 31 October 1967 and sailed to the port of Long Beach, California, United States, where she remains permanently moored. Much of the machinery, including one of the two engine rooms, three of the four propellers, and all of the boilers, were removed. The ship serves as a tourist attraction featuring restaurants, a museum and a hotel. The ship is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has accepted the Queen Mary as part of the Historic Hotels of America.

RMS Queen Mary remains in Long Beach but recently it has been reported it is in need of significant repairs according to assessments and photos in 2019 and 2020. An estimated $289 million in repairs are needed after years of decline and the most recent operator going bankrupt.But even to “retire and recycle” the liner could cost up to $190m.

It has been mooted that it could return to the Clyde.

#Scotland #scottish #shipbuilding #The Clyde #john browns #maritime history #ocean liner

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peterparkers-bad-youtube-apology · 3 years

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Hey guys I’ve decided to run a writing prompt list from now until the end of summer! I’d love to see other writers participate in this too, just make sure you tag + credit me!

As always I write for Peter, Arvin, Tom, and Harrison. Feel free to request au’s (I've got some suggestions below the cut) or within series I’ve written! I hope you guys are as excited as I am! The last day of summer is September 22nd so that’s when the prompt list will end, love you guys xx

Masterlist

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Summertime AUs:

Surfer

Lifeguard

Rich Kid

Camp Counselor

Water/Amusement Park

Summer School

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100 Prompts:

Buying a snow cone machine when the ac goes out

Making the backyard/rooftop into a movie theater

Partying on a boat

Getting jealous at a bonfire

Aquarium date

Getting competitive with fireworks

One gets tan, the other gets sunburnt

Water balloon fight

Sneaking into a concert

Someone’s hammock nap gets interrupted

Playing beach volleyball

Drinking too much at a street fair

Going to a farmer’s market

Going to a drive in movie theater

Trying to build patio furniture

Road trip

Someone gets stung by a jellyfish

Getting stuck on top of a ferris wheel

Stargazing is interrupted by a thunderstorm

Skinny dipping

Body painting

Purposely spilling a drink

One person goes to a party without the other

Having a picnic

Eating fruit off of each other

Going to a party in an abandoned pool

Running from the police after a party gets busted

Falling asleep during a long drive home

Taking a wine tasting and painting class

One gets heatstroke and the other takes care of them

Running into your summer fling for the second summer in a row

Jumping off a rope swing

Going to a house concert

Getting caught fooling around

Meeting the parents for the first time on summer vacation

It’s the last day of summer, and your last day together

Getting drunk and getting married in Vegas

Scavenger hunt

Setting up a slip and slide

Making each other charm bracelets

Carving watermelons like they’re pumpkins

Buying matching Hawaiian shirts

Making lemonade

Sending hand written letters to each other when one is on vacation

Trying to win a prize at the fair

Your mouths getting dyed different colors from popsicles

Trying to make your own ice cream

Going clubbing for the first time

Swimsuit shopping

Putting messages in a bottle

“Can you help me cut my hair?”

“I’m not stuck, I like it here.”

“We are not platonic, and my feelings are never going to be platonic.”

“I’m melting!”

“Shh, we’re gonna get caught!”

“I’m sorry I’ll try to be less good looking in the future.”

“I miss you, I still think about kissing you.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Get that popsicle away from me!”

“I’m happy just to be here with you.”

“I meant it, I love you.”

“You taste like coconuts.”

“We are not cuddling until the ac is fixed.”

“You bought what?!”

“Uh, I think you missed a spot with the self tanner…”

“Do you look this good every morning?”

“They’re hitting on you.”

“You are the center of my universe, meaning everything revolves around you.”

“I just wanna be wherever you are."

"Let's just stay in bed all day, I don't feel like getting up."

"Can you help me with my sunblock?"

"Are you seriously drinking hot coffee right now?"

“I need you to let me in.”

"Please tell me we'll be there soon."

"What happened to you?"

"I'm being eaten alive!"

"Ew, you're sweating."

"Have you ever made a fire before?"

"What the hell is that noise?!"

"Not everything has to be a contest."

"I bought a metal detector."

"If you untie my bikini top again I'll kill you."

"Did you steal that?"

"Why are you sticky?"

"I made you your very own summertime playlist."

"How come you never just, stay home?"

"Oh! The pavement is hot!"

"Let's rent a treehouse."

"Don't go falling asleep on me alright?"

"Can you help me wash the car?"

"I'm sorry, what kind of candy is that?"

"You know he didn't mean it like that."

"I like the sound of your voice."

"Leave."

"Please be careful, you're stressing me out right now."

"I can't believe I agreed to this."

"What kind of surprise is this?"

"I don't know how to swim."

"I don't wanna play with you because you keep cheating!"

"Okay, now make a wish.”

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Taglist + Moots

@spideyssunshine @parkersvogue @tom-softie @starknik22 @farfromharry @shipwreckedstandard @namoreno @niallberry @outshineallthestars @andreagf956 @roseke @tomsirishgirlx @zspideyy @emistrash @peachyafshawn @thevery-firstpage

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chatsu · 3 years

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hi hello hi chelsea !

if you’d like to, wanna ship your moots?

ah okay i'm not prepared & cannot think on the spot

i use the word ' think ' a lot because this is just my opinion and observations so feel free to correct me

++ no particular order, i just went through my follower list and looked for that bright green symbol <3

@maipxilia & iwaizumi — ur recent fic may have been an influence but i honestly think yous would be so cute ahh ! ur v v sweet and always thinking about others, and you share similarities, both supportive, intelligent & well respected (iwaizumi by his underclassmen and u, by me ofc). while iwaizumi is reliable he is also stubborn — who can he depend on ? you !

@missmorosis & bokuto — UR DYNAMIC I'MJSNDNDFJKS ur so comfortable to talk with i remember being ur '<33' anon and that was the first time i ever interacted like ever and u were so welcoming :') bokuto would find that admirable and while he is energetic and playful, when you're around he'd try his hardest to impress you with his wits, and shift to more of a shy demeanour. but since u share many similarities he just becomes his usual, bubbly, loving self. much like u ! idk if he likes rain, but he'd gladly spend his time dancing with u in the rain, even if it's lashing. happy birthday loveee <33

@ellewords & oikawa — i've said this so much but, oblivious idiots to lovers ? need i explain. at first he doesn't understand why there's a pang in his chest when you "reject" his advances, but in all honesty, you'd just grown used to his flirtatious nature and brushed it off, even though you also probably felt something in your chest. butterflies, perhaps. it's only when he labels the photo booth pictures you've taken with terms of endearment, he realises.

@monitsou & kageyama — maybe it's cause ur having a kageyama brainrot but tbh yous would match. he would admire ur kindness but it's when he finds himself laughing with u that he finds comfort and realises lol. i can imagine u as their manager and because u give great advice you would offer him a word or two about his bluntness, but to no avail, cause it's his frank words that confess his feelings for u <3

@xybi & yachi — yes she is intimidated by literally everyone, and she would be intimidated by you but only cause ur v pretty and a single tear would probably shed down her cheeks because of this. she'd become very flustered in your presence and blurt out a handful of compliments — your piano playing, volleyball skills, and most definitely dresses you've sewn, and gift you a dress back. anyways, you both are too cute.

@kohi-zeri & saiki — the disastrous life of saiki k was the first ever anime i had watched, and i loved it sm and when i found out u liked it too ? i knew then and there, i had exquisite taste. i think he'd befriend you, assuming you have similar characteristics, and that he'd rather be friends with u than nendou and kaidou, and to steer clear from teruhashi. but he'd find himself chuckling to your jokes. yes, kusuo saiki, laughing ?? being stubborn and prideful, he would not admit it, but was forced to when you had caught him sabotaging others who had gotten a bit too close LMFAOO. ALSO I JUST SAW UR CARRD AND IT IS SO COOL

@astroqphillic & nishinoya — k i love noya so much he is my number 1, but yous are just too good together omg <33 as expected, he'd fall shy under your gaze but when he found out ur also a libero ?? he is back to his boisterous self. until u compliment him on his receives. whoops, he's gone again. all the flirting n cuddling gets bundled into a box labeled "just friends" because yous are oblivious. until he comes up behind you to give you a back hug. but you. turn around. and lips have met. "just friends" my ass. SOULMATES UR HONOUR.

@mysterystarz & akaashi — i mean, we all saw this coming. who else could it be ? although i was late to ur wedding, i was still able to witness the amount of love akaashi holds for you, and vice versa. it's in his eyes, his playlist when he's handed the aux, and the marks on his hand ?? oh yeah, ink smudges. from writing poems for you with utmost affection. keinova 4 life <3

@rintarhue & sugawara — YOU ARE SO FUN AND LOVING AND EASY TO TALK TO, I LOVE THAT AND I LOVE YOU !! and yk who else would ? sugawara koushi. ah yes, with his soothing yet cheeky personality you both would be perfect, i think. mischievous is the word i'd use to describe your relationship. maybe he'd have you visit his class and you'd become the childrens' favourite ! what a perfect match. jk u match with me, even tumblr said so

63.543 notes ? we clearly have some shippers bae

@shirari & shirabu — okay we haven't interacted much but you seem so kind !! and ur theme is so cute ahsbdh shirabu would probably fall in love with the playlist u made him <33 despite the amount of studying he has to do (medical field things </3) he would definitely spare time for you two <3

@tesoromia & ushijima — u seem so very sweet and i think ushijima would admire that, from afar atleast, being the stoic person he is. but something about the way you dance, fully immersed with the movements and flowing with the music, he can't help but compliment you. expect a lot of compliments, due to his blunt nature.

@planetoru & oikawa — you made him ugly laugh and he contemplated life for a bit. i sense an enemies to lovers typa beat. he started asking all of life's unanswered questions, as well as accusing you of poisoning his coffee cause he felt a funny feeling in his stomach. then he realised you made him laugh cause ur funny, gorgeous, sweet, perfect and he loves you. then i knock him out cause i'm literally going out with u <3 and gojo too even though he could kill me on the spot !

@tooru-luvs & tsukishima — hii i read through a few of your posts to get to know you a bit and i think he would love u ahh <33 u seem very kind but also very determined to get tasks done and he'd admire that ! also sarcasm ? he would definitely love that.

@shoyotime & akaashi — ahh u seem so nice but chaotic and fun at the same time ?? you'd think akaashi would be used to it due to bokuto's enthusiastic personality, but while he seems calm and composed with him, i feel like he'd become flustered whenever you're around ?? he'd definitely go to bokuto for some advice and to accompany him as his wingman when he wants to talk to you HAHBSBD

@kozuelle & kiyoko — k i know u love kenma but kiyoko would be madly in love with u. again, she is one to admire from afar and maybe shower you with compliments once in a while if she's feeling courageous. other times, i feel like she would be big into giving u gifts, or perform acts of service. maybe she'd show up to watch you play the violin, or do ballet and admire your notes ! or perhaps, a heartfelt card showcasing her true feelings for you that she's been harbouring. boom, confession.

@animated-moon & tendou — soulmates yes. he would make custom chocolates for you to help with studies ! unique molds, unique tastes, all curated for you. all the childhood memories really did come in handy along with the several dates you've been on. multiple chocolates placed in a ferris wheel themed box, symbolising your tradition to go on it every year.

@mnzu & kenma — aa u seem so funny and kind !! he is introverted yes, but he has definitely analysed your whole personality while trying to find out more about you. he has vine references memorised with the hope that you will laugh along with him. if you look over his shoulder and into his switch, he's naming his animal crossing island after you. LMFAOO

@elitparadox & kita — U ARE SO SWEET AND KITA WOULD LOVE U !! and he is not afraid to show it. similar to atsumu when he had a cold, he would send baskets full of love for u ! ur fave snacks, fluffy socks, a heartfelt letter. except, he would send this every week, even if you are not sick. a different one yes, but wow you're gonna have so much baskets HAHSBD. you'd been expecting another basket upon hearing a knock at the door, but instead received a confession ! what a lovely exchange <33

@atsuvu & sakusa — no doubt about it, he'd fall in love with your music taste. HAHD IT'S SO GOOD THOUGH. you seem very chill, and he'd admire that, but you're also sweet and funny which he admires too. much to atsumu's dismay when he tells sakusa that he's also extremely funny. also mitski wahh i love her !!

@mattsunbae & tanaka — he'd fall in love with you immediately. best friend's brother typa beat ygm ?? i feel like you and saeko would be best friends for sure, and tanaka would see u, and boom. love at first sight. yeah he'd definitely shower you in compliments every second and knock every male within a 30cm radius. one night you'd be at saeko's house until her window fucking broke ?? you take a glance outside and witness tanaka ryuunosuke. attempting to lift a massive boombox over his shoulder whilst panting heavily, because he had to run back to his house, having initially thought that you were at your own house. boyfriend by big time rush is playing.

@tohman & atsumu — YOU SEEM SO FUNNY AND YOU AND ATSUMU WOULD BE SO PERFECT FOR EACH OTHER !! he'd probably see those men on your phone screen and start bawling with jealousy until you explain that it's from an otome game LMFAOOAOAONDS

@liv-laugh-die & kuroo — u seem very chill but also very sweet and kind !! he'd flirt with u non stop !!! agh i feel like you would be so very cute together, but if you compliment him back,,, whew he'd get so flustered <33

@strawbearisamu & lev — quality time and words of affirmation are his forte ! k while you'd eat spicy ramen, he would definitely attempt !! but once you see tears brimming at the corner of his eye, you have to hold him back from his bowl while he denies that he was ever in pain LMFAO <33 don't be afraid to tell him about your ideas, because he will encourage you and be so supportive ! you can pursue anything <3

@shinalie & bokuto — you seem so kind ahhh and bokuto would fall in love with you at first glance ! he'd compliment everything, from your writing, to your music taste ! everything <33

@moonless-abyss & daishou — yes he is competitive, yes he would fight for your attention. if he ever finds out that kuroo had taken an interest in you ? prepare for war <33

@srkuv & yamaguchi — i feel like he'd bump into you and be so embarrassed bshbhf but you'd reassure him and just like that, he's fallen in love. with your kindness and humour, how could he not ? feel bad for tsukishima though, as he receives a chain full of texts from yamaguchi about none other than you <3

@tetsvhoe / @rantess & kuroo — i think you'd probably report a social media account that was claiming to be you, but in reality it was a fanpage by kuroo. tbh you should've guessed based on the multiple hearts in the pictures and captions, but no regrets as you see a look of panic on kuroo tetsurou's smug, now frightened, face. he'd gift you a kitten as an apology <3

@sakuctsu & osamu — ahh i know we've just interacted recently but you seem very welcoming and so very kind ! he'd listen to your playlist and compliment each song on it. although, your yoga sessions accompanied by rain might be interrupted once you hear the clanging of his pans and ingredients in the kitchen </3 but not to worry, it's a meal just for you ! and he'd add it to his menu <33

#plays +#THIS TOOK ME TOO LONG #i tried to include everyone so #pls tell me if i forgot anyone !#not proofread

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ferris-the-wheel · 9 months

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.×` -> Hello and welcome to my blog; you can call me Ferris! This is a fanfic writing blog. Additional information can be found below. Feel free to interact with me whenever you want!

*~ About Me ~*

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*~ Characters I Love ~*

-> '~♡ Recent Works

• Reader x Fyodor Dostoevsky Series [Part 1]

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-> `~♡ Current Blog Events!

Regular Requests: Open

Special Event: None

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You will be blocked if:

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Please make sure to ask what content I'd like to be tagged in before tagging me.

Comments and reblogs are encouraged on this blog! It gives me more motivation knowing that people enjoy my content! ♥︎

Random song suggestion of the week

Song suggestion changes on 5/30

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casp1an-sea · 9 days

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I HAVE A REQUEST FOR MY MOOTS

(why am o scared to ask this lmao)

If you were to give me a nickname what would it be? Doesn’t have to be associated with any name I go by.

—————————————————————————

just putting my tag list but anyone can answer

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@xen-blank, @thehollowwriter, @l7k-a, @ferris-the-wheel, @keii-starz

@krenenbaker @elenauaurs @the-banana-0verlord @edith-is-a-cat @dove-da-birb

@theosb0rnway @fizzydreamz @ravenwing0110

@diabollicallyangelic @xentari94 @tomatette

@dragonflies-draw-flame @sunshinechildskywalker @cimonim-crunch

#mutuals

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bowieisworried · 3 years

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I was tagged by @ohneweiterebedeutung one of my moots that goes back years at this point I think :D Danke!

List three completely different bands/artists you listen to and tag 3+ friends!

Bryan Ferry

Metallica

Taemin

Say hello to me dragging my ancient gifs out from the depths of my blog before it descended into kpop hell...

Anyway, I’m gonna tag @choicemillionaire @kingleedo @spiritusfabellas and if anyone else sees it and wants to do it, go ahead and tag me :)

#tag game #tagged #about me #ohneweiterebedeutung

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indigomasquerade97 · 4 years

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Brothers Abducted

@brothersapart

Chapter 5 – Vacation All I Ever Wanted

All was silent at the dinner table. Takota fidgeted slightly, glancing between Sam and Jason. Neither were looking at each other, and they both appeared to be lost in their own thoughts.

‘So… how was everyone’s day?’ Takota asked hesitantly.

'Sam got arrested.’ Jason blurted. Sam paused, glaring up at Jason, who just shrugged back as he continued with his meal. Takota blinked, looking over at Sam.

'And just what did you do?’ He queried, trying to keep the disappointment from his voice. This is Sam, he reasoned. He wouldn’t go and do something stupid. Sam shrugged dismissively, staring intently at his food.

'Self-defense.’ He answered curtly, returning to his meal. Takota frowned, turning to his bondmate.

’… Did this have anything to do with Zane?’

Sam blinked, looking back at his caretakers. He scowled, slouching back in his seat.

'You knew about that?’ He demanded. Takota just shrugged.

‘Jason’s been watching him for a while now. I figured it would be him.’

‘Yeah, took longer to catch him than I would have liked,’ Jason said, his tone slowly shifting into an almost accusatory attitude, ‘Would have helped to get some solid facts from a victim beforehand.’ Sam hummed, ignoring the deliberate and hardly concealed jab. A poor attempt to make Sam talk.

‘… That’s it?’ Jason asked, cocking his head, ‘Just a non-committal “hmm”?’ Sam groaned, staring down at his food to avoid the Shifters gaze.

'Well, at least he’s okay.’ Takota said, sending a glare to Jason. Drop it, that look said.

'He could have let us know he was getting harassed.’ Jason mumbled.

Sam loudly threw his fork down, glaring across the table at the colossal Shifter.

'What would have been the point? You always seem to poke your nose into my business, you would have found out eventually!’

Takota slumped in his chair. With a sigh, he placed down his fork, rubbing at his eyes. Here we go, he thought.

'I do not do that!’ Jason said, affronted.

'Yes you do.’ Takota mumbled, never moving from his dejected position.

'Yes I do,’ Jason corrected himself without missing a beat, 'but this had nothing to do with you.’

'Yes it did.’

'Okay, yes it did,’ Jason relented, rolling his eyes, 'but Sam, you were not the only one he was harassing. We would have had to deal with him eventually, whether you were involved or not is a moot point.’

Sam huffed, looking away. He was right. Part of Jason’s job was to keep the peace in the community, which was not always an easy job. He would have caught wind of Zane’s behavior eventually.

Still…

Jason sighed as Sam grew quiet, looking to Takota for help. Takota just shrugged unhelpfully. Ash was right, he thought. This is so much harder than I thought.

Jason cleared his throat, looking back at his small charge. He idly tapped a finger against the screen of his watch as he thought over his proposition.

Hey, I recently was requested to work on a new settlement. I was wondering, with all the craziness going on… would you like to come, Sam?’

Sam frowned thoughtfully. He didn’t leave the planet often. HQ was designed to have everything someone could need. The people there wanted for nothing. But that also meant that it could get a little dull at times.

A new settlement, going through the process of building and integrating into the native society, could definitely be an exciting change.

'I guess so.’ Jason smiled, already bringing up his messages.

'Excellent. I’ll get everything sorted.’

‘After you eat!’ Takota called out. Jason paused, halfway out of his seat. He looked down at the meal he had barely touched, nodding.

‘After I eat.’ He agreed. Sam rolled his eyes. Man, he can be an idiot sometimes, he thought fondly.

…

Sam sighed, fiddling with his seat-belt. Takota was sitting quietly beside him, reading through the reports about their destination.

Earth 364-C. An average sized planet, where the populace would be around the same size as Jason. There were reports of… strange creatures among the native humans. A list was still being comprised, but ghosts were already a confirmed threat.

It was strange to Sam just how many variants of the exact same world existed in the universe. Like some godlike being enjoyed creating humans…

…It made looking for his own world a bleak thought. Like finding a tiny needle in an infinite haystack.

‘Make sure you two are strapped in,’ Jason said through the comm, 'We’re about to hit the ionosphere.’

Sam quickly double checked his seat-belt, making sure that the buckle across his chest was secure. Here we go, he thought with an excited smile.

The shuttle jolted, but Jason was quick to steady them. While he was far from a great Pilot, he had gotten trained by the best. Perks of being an Original, Sam supposed. He snickered slightly as he thought about his brother’s old fear of heights. How would he react to Jason’s crappy flying?

'How long do you think it’ll be?’ Sam asked. Takota shrugged.

'Depends on how well Jason can be a meteor, I suppose.’

It had been agreed that the ship would hide within a natural meteor shower in order to hide their presence from the natives. Their species had evolved quite rapidly, having already landed on their moon and even monitoring their immediate surroundings. They were not stupid, so it was better to be cautious. The Shifters were not ready to make their presence known yet.

The shuttle shuddered, swaying slightly as they entered the atmosphere. Any natives that happened to be looking to the stars would only see a handful of bright lights that skimmed across the sky, gone before they could get a good enough look to see that one light was closer than the others. With careful movements – the route predetermined so that there would be little need for deviation and revealing itself to be more than a mere space rock – the speedy shuttle splashed into the designated lake. The water sizzled slightly as the burning hot metal landed, barely slowing its forward momentum as it headed for an underwater cliff. Then, sensing the presence of the craft, the rocks began to move, sliding apart to reveal a hanger into a hidden underground facility. Like a hidden cartoon lair, Sam mused.

Takota kicked his legs impatiently as Jason docked the shuttle. The two tiny’s glanced at each other when the shuttle came to a hard stop, rolling their eyes as they listened to Jason cursing somewhere above. It was clear he needed to get more lessons on piloting space faring vehicles.

'Okay, we’re clear.’

Sighing with relief, the two men unbuckled themselves, quickly exiting the room. Jason was already waiting for them, one hand held out. They climbed onto his waiting palm, and he ferried them to each shoulder. They took a moment to burrow into the fabric of his hood, threading their tiny fingers through the tiny, almost unnoticeable loops that were built into it. After the first time they had accidentally unthreaded it, Jason had made sure they would have something to hold onto without ruining his clothes.

Once they were ready, Jason easily plucked up their tiny bags, placing them in his pocket. It didn’t even leave a bulge. He then grabbed his own bag, pressing a button on the wall. The entire back wall opened up to the entry bay. There were two Shifters waiting for them. A young man with a clipboard, and a woman in a uniform.

'Mr Metetta?’ She asked.

'Yeah?’

'I’m Diana Terrence, head of security. I’m glad you’re here. We have a request.’

Jason raised an eyebrow. He motioned to the shuttle, which was still dripping from its recent swim.

'I literally just touched down.’ He complained. She nodded, hands clasped around her back.

'I am aware of that, sir. But we have a situation, and need a man with your skills.’

Jason sighed, rubbing at his eyes. He was slow, making sure his movements didn’t disturb his passengers.

'It’s fine, Jay.’ Takota said, patting at his neck.

'You’re here to work. We understand.’ Sam affirmed. Jason turned his head slightly, but couldn’t quite see them since they sat flush against his neck.

'We’ll get settled in our quarters first. Then I’ll report to your office.’ Jason decided. Diana smiled.

'Good to hear.’ She nodded to the young man, who motioned for them to follow him.

'The room was prepared as you requested,’ The young man said, nodding towards Sam and Takota, 'We hope the quarters are to your liking.’

The room was quite bare. Almost like a hotel room. It was, after all, just the guest quarters. But it was still much better quality than the rooms that made up most of Sam’s childhood. It was cosy, with warm colors. The light was tinted slightly blue, giving a calm aura.

Jason threw his bag onto the nearby bed, making a beeline towards the counter with the small apartment that had been placed there for his boys. He leaned against the counter, arms straight to give them a platform. Sam was quick to trot along his arm, the process easy after a decade of practice. Takota was a little hesitant, nervously looking down at the drop below. Sensing his Bondmate’s distress, Jason scooped him up and lowered him to the bench. Takota smiled gratefully, easily slipping down to the counter.

'I’d better go see what all the fuss is about,’ Jason fished out their bags, placing them right at the door of the box, 'I’ll see ya later, guys.’

'Have fun.’ Sam called as Jason began to leave.

'But not too much fun.’ Takota warned. Jason laughed, sending them a grin.

'Now when do I ever have too much fun?’ He laughed, finally leaving the room.

Sam and Takota rolled their eyes, but hoped it would be an easy assignment, whatever it was.

#@brothersapart #Brothers Abducted #contest entry #my writing #chapter 5

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bibhabmishra · 4 years

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The Princess Bride

It feels downright inconceivableI to devote only one chapter in a book about lessons gleaned from eighties movies to The Princess Bride. Why, just off the top of my head, while standing on my head, I can name five life lessons that this movie teaches you that you don’t learn anywhere else: 1. “Never go against a Sicilian when DEATH is on the line!” 2. “Love is the greatest thing—except for a nice mutton, lettuce, and toma- to sandwich when the mutton is nice and lean.” 3. “Life is pain. Anyone who says differently is selling something.” 4. Eventually, you learn not to mind the kissing parts. 5. And most important, “As you wish” = “I love you.” Such is the depth of wisdom in this film that in 2013, twenty-six years after its release, BuzzFeed devoted a listII to the lessons gleaned from it. A BuzzFeed list! Who needs the Oscars, Princess Bride, when you have that ultimate of mod- ern-day accolades? The Princess Bride is so adored that it’s probablyIII now a clichéd response on Internet dating websites: walks on the beach, an open fire, sunsets, and The Princess Bride. And yet, despite this, love for The Princess Bride is not seen as desperately hackneyed or cheesily safe. The Princess Bride is what you’d need a prospective love interest to cite as their favorite movie for the relationship to progress,IV it’s the one film that would make you rethink a lifelong friendship if you found out your best friend “just didn’t get it”—not that they would ever say that, because I honestly don’t know a single person of my generation who isn’t obsessed with this film.

And not just my generation: in As You Wish, a very enjoyable book about the making of The Princess Bride, Cary Elwes—who played Westley the farm boy, of course—recounts being told by both Pope John Paul II and Bill Clinton how much they loved the movie, proving that The Princess Bride appeals to saints and sinners alike.V Now, having said all that, I have a confession to make. I was not the big Princess Bride fan in my family when I was growing up. That title instead went to my sister, Nell. Our mother took us to see it at the movie theater when I must have been nine and Nell was seven, and even though the film was— incredibly—something of a commercial disappointment when it came out, the cinema was absolutely packed with kids like us. In my mind, everyone in the audience was utterly in thrall to this tale of Buttercup (Robin Wright), her true love Westley (Elwes), and their battles against Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon), Vizzini (Wallace Shawn), and Count Rugen (Christopher Guest), and their eventual assistance from the brave swordsman Inigo (Mandy Patinkin), the giant Fezzik (the professional wrestler known as André the Giant), and Miracle Max (Billy Crystal). Afterward, we stood in the cinema atrium as our mother bundled us back into our coats. “Did you girls like it?” she asked. Standing there in her corduroy dungarees and T-shirt, Nell looked in a state of semi-shock. “I LOVED IT. I WANT TO SEE IT AGAIN RIGHT NOW!” she practically shouted. Now, The Princess Bride is wonderful, but in order to understand how unex- pected this proclamation was, you have to know a little bit about my sister. Ever since she was old enough to throw a tantrum, my sister refused to wear dresses. She never played with dolls. She refused to let my mother brush her hair and had apparently no interest in her physical appearance. She did not like mushy stories—she didn’t even like reading books. In other words, she was the complete opposite to me. How much of that was a deliberate reaction against me, a younger sibling defining herself in opposition to the older one, and how much of it was simply an innate part of Nell was already a moot point when we went to see The Princess Bride: Nell’s parameters were so firmly set by then that her nickname in our family was “the tough customer.” She would consent to drink only one kind of fruit juice (apple), and buy only one brand (Red Cheek), and only if it came out of a can (never a carton), so there was absolutely no negotiating with her about mushy princesses. Lord only knows how my mother got her to see the movie in the first place. She must have hid- den the title from her. And yet, like the grandson in the film, Kevin Arnold,VI Nell found that, against all odds, she did enjoy the story, just as Kevin’s grandfather, Columbo,VII promises. I think Nell made my mother take her to see the film at the cinema at least three more times. As she wished. When it came out on VHS, we bought it immediately and it was understood that the videocassette was officially Nell’s, just as the videocassette for Ferris Bueller’s Day Off was officially mine. When she found out that the film had originally been a book by William Goldman, who also wrote the screenplay, she asked my amazed mother to buy that, too. Nell read it over and over until the pages fell out, so she stuck them back in and then read the book again. The Princess Bride was the book that taught her to like books, as much as the movie taught her to relax some of her other rules. She developed a lifelong crush on Westley and, not long after, she started wearing dresses, too. The reasons why Nell loved this film so much exemplify, I think, why it is universally adored in a way that, say, the vaguely similar and contemporary The Never-Ending Story is not. It’s a fairy tale for those who love fairy tales, but it’s also a self-aware spoof for those who don’t; it’s an adventure film for boys and—for once—girls, too, but without pandering to or excluding either; it’s got a plot for kids, dialogue for adults, and jokes for everyone; it’s a genre film and a satire of a genre film; it’s a very funny movie in which everybody is playing it straight; it’s smart and sweet and smart about its sweetness, but also sweet about its smarts. Unlike, say, Shrek, there are no jokes here for parents that go over the kids’ heads: all generations enjoy it on exactly the same level. It’s a movie that lets people who don’t like certain things like those things, while at the same time not betraying the original fans. But most of all, The Princess Bride is about one thing in particular: “The Princess Bride is a story about love,” says Cary Elwes. “So much happens in the movie—giants, fencing, kidnapping. But it’s really a film about love.” This might seem like a statement of the obvious, but it isn’t, actually. Yes, the film is ostensibly about the great true love between Buttercup and Westley, and their most perfect kiss that leaves all the other kisses in the world behind. Both Elwes and Wright were so astonishingly beautiful when they made the film that, watching them, it’s hard to believe any love ever existed on this plan- et other than theirs. And they, rather pleasingly, were quite taken with one an- other. In his book, Elwes talks at length about how “smitten” he was with Wright, and she says precisely the same about him: “I was absolutely smitten with Cary. So obviously that helped with our onscreen chemistry. . . . It doesn’t matter how many years go by, I will love Cary forever.” Disappointingly, however, Elwes insists that they remained just friends. “Everyone asks if there was more!” he says, sounding a little exasperated, apparently unable to see what everyone else can: namely, that it seems against the laws of nature for two such beautiful people not to have had sex at least once. The last scene that Elwes shot was of him and Wright kissing on horse- back, creating “the most perfect kiss” of all time against a sunset. Surely that was romantic. “Well, not really. Robin and I were friends by that point so we kept laughing, and [the director] Rob [Reiner] was going, ‘Touch her face, touch her face!’ ” He laughs. But Westley and Buttercup’s love is only a part of the film, and only one of several love stories in the film. There is also, for a start, the great love between Inigo and Fezzik. The scene in which a drunken and broken Inigo looks up into Fezzik’s face in the Thieves Forest and Fezzik says a simple, smiling hello is much more moving than the moment when Buttercup realizes the Dread Pirate Roberts is actually Westley (not least because she’s just pushed him down a hill). Even if Inigo does become the Dread Pirate Roberts at the end of the film, as Westley suggests he should, it is as impossible to imagine him going off without Fezzik as it is to imagine Buttercup and Westley being severed. This love between the two men is at the root of one of the film’s subtlest lessons. Bad guys teach audiences how to think of opponents in life, and this is especially true of bad guys in books and films aimed at kids. Because stories for kids tend to be relatively simple, villains in these films are almost invariably evil, and that’s all there is to be said about them. Cruella de Vil, Snow White’s stepmother, the witch in Rapunzel: WHAT a bunch of moody bitches. This is also certainly true of movies for children in the 1980s, from the frankly terri- fying Judge Doom (Christopher Lloyd) in Who Framed Roger Rabbit to the enjoyably evil Ursula in The Little Mermaid. It’s a pleasingly basic approach, and one that validates most kids’ (and adults’) view of the world: “I am good and anyone who thwarts me is wicked and there is no point in trying to think about things from their point of view because they have no inner life of their own beyond pure evil and a desire to impede me.” The Princess Bride, however, does something different. It’s easy to forget this once you’ve seen the movie and fallen in love with the characters but Inigo and Fezzik are, ostensibly, bad guys. When we first meet them in the movie, they knock our heroine, Buttercup, unconscious and kidnap her for Vizzini. We are also told they will kill her. Our princess! In the eyes of children, you can’t get much more evil than that. They are hired guns in the re- venge business, which is not a job for a good guy in any fairy tale. But Gold- man flips it around. We quickly see Inigo and, in particular, Fezzik being ex- tremely sweet with each other, doing their little rhymes together and trying to protect one another from Vizzini’s ire. Their love for one another shows us there is more to these villains than villainy. Goldman then ups the ante even further by having Inigo describe to the Man in Black how he has devoted his life to avenging the death of his father, thus giving him the kind of emotional backstory kids can definitely understand, as well as adding another mission to the movie. Soon after beating (but not killing) Inigo, the Man in Black fights with Fezzik, who we already know has a similarly sad past (“unemployed—IN GREENLAND”). Plenty of villains were once good before crossing to the dark side: Darth Vader, many of Batman’s nemeses, Voldemort. The point in those stories is that the difference between true evil and true greatness comes down to one wrong decision, one wrong turn, and there is no going back from that. But The Princess Bride does something more subtle: it suggests that good people some- times end up doing bad things, but are still good, have stories of their own, and are capable of love. Inigo and Fezzik both killed people in the past for Vizzini, but they’re all still good people. This is quite a message for kids (and adults) to take in: not everything is clear-cut when it comes to good and bad, even in fairy tales. In the original novel, William Goldman goes into much greater detail about Fezzik and Inigo’s friendship, and this is one of the reasons why I—in all hon- esty—pre-fer the book to the film.VIII But the film alludes to it enough in order for audiences to understand the real bond between the men, and partly this happens through the script and partly through the actors, especially one actor in particular. At one point, Arnold Schwarzenegger was considered for the role of Fezzik, but, thank heavens, he was already too expensive by the time the film finally started shooting. Where Schwarzenegger is all jarring rectangles and jut- ting jaw, André the Giant was all soft circles and goofy smiles. Where Schwarzenegger palpably punished himself to a superhuman extent to get the body he clearly wanted so badly, the man born André René Roussimoff suf- fered from gigantism due to acromegaly and had no choice about his size, just as Fezzik didn’t, much to the latter’s misery (“It’s not my fault being the big- gest and the strongest—I don’t even exercise”). It would be a patronizing cliché to say André was born to play Fezzik, but he was certainly more right for the role than Schwarzenegger. By the time he made The Princess Bride, André was seven feet, four inches and weighed more than 540 pounds. Easily the sweetest stories in Cary Elwes’s book come from the cast and crew’s memories of the wrestler, who died in 1993 at the age of forty-six, and this is not mere sentimentality. Quite a few of The Princess Bride’s cast have, sadly, since died, including Mel Smith, Peter Cook, and Peter Falk, but none of them prompts the same kind of fondness as that felt for André. “It’s safe to say that he was easily the most popular person on the movie,” Elwes writes. “Everyone just loved him.” Partly this is due to the extraordinary nature of the man. Robin Wright re- calls going out to a dinner with him where he ate “four or five entrees, three or four appetizers, a couple of baskets of bread, and then he’s like, I’m ready for seconds. And then desserts. I think he went through a case of wine and he wasn’t even tipsy.” But it was André’s innately gentle nature that made him so beloved. His “compassion and protective nature,” Elwes writes, helped Wallace Shawn over- come his almost paralyzing fear of heights when they were filming the climb up the Cliffs of Insanity. When Robin Wright felt chilly when filming outdoors, André would place one of his huge hands on top of Wright’s head. “She said it was like having a giant hot water bottle up there. It certainly did the trick; he didn’t even mess up her hair that much!” Elwes writes. When he died, William Goldman wrote his obituary in New York magazine. The last lines were as fol- lows: “André once said to Billy Crystal, ‘We do not live long, the big and the small.’ Alas.” Next, on a smaller level, is the love between Miracle Max (Crystal) and his aged wife, Valerie (Carol Kane). Initially they seem simply like a squabbling old couple, playing purely for broad comedy (and their scene is the broadest comedic one in the film). But it soon becomes clear that Valerie is needling Max only because she wants him to get back his confidence in his work after Prince Humperdinck destroyed it by sacking them, and her little cheer when her husband agrees to make a miracle for Inigo is really very touching. By the end of their scene, they’re working together, finishing one another’s sentences, holding each other arm in arm, and whispering little asides to one another. As a portrait of elderly marriage goes, this one is a pretty lovely one. Finally, there’s the great love story that frames the whole movie: the one be- tween the grandson/Kevin Arnold (Fred Savage) and the grandfather/Columbo (Peter Falk). In the beginning of the movie, the grandson is irritated by his cheek-pinching grandfather and can hardly believe that he has to stop playing his adorably primitive-looking computer baseball game to listen to grandfather read a book.IX As the film progresses, the relationship between the grandson and grandfather progresses almost like a traditional love story: the grandson slowly gets more interested, clutching his covers anxiously when Buttercup is almost eaten by the Shrieking Eels; then he gets angry, banging his bed with his fist when it seems like Westley has been killed; and finally, he comes around entirely and tells his grandfather to come back the next day to read the book again. “As you wish.” His grandfather smiles, and the film ends. “That wasn’t actu- ally in the script,” Elwes says. “They came up with him saying that on, I think, the last day, and it really captures the love between the grandfather and grand- son. You can also see the tenderness between Fred Savage and Peter Falk.”

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jenmaicha · 3 years

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august 26: yesterday i was chatting with one of the aforementioned middle school friends and he mentioned something about happiness not being something you build and achieve but something that just happens while you’re doing other things. he brought up this thing about how people feel happier when they tell themselves they’re happy, which is weird but works.

i sort of had a re-realization that i have a lot of stuff to be happy about and grateful for, and i want to make a list so i can revisit this and pay attention to all of the little (but still good) shit that’s currently going on:

- i saw the nerds yesterday (plus two bonus old friend nerds), this is carryover bc the happiness is still bleeding through to today

- i’m doing work again! both with the moot case and mildly practicing for the orchestra audition, which feels very nice

- i got these led lights from bezos that change colour and they give my room a very cool vibe

- my plant is growing weirdly well

- new anthro episode! i haven’t listened to it yet but i’m excited to and then scream about it with you :)

- the weird slump that i’ve been in for the last few months is starting to clear which feels super nice

- i know a lot of very hecking excellent people and i will be able to spend lots of time with them very soon *wink wink*

- it was pouring rain today and i decided to just go outside and stand there for a bit, it was probably a bad decision and i was very cold but i had fun

- the anticipation for the van trip is growing!

i hope things are going well for you too, and i can’t wait for you to start being a part of these lists (you sort of already are but you know what i mean).

- j

p.s. i haven't taken any new sunset pics in a little while but i have a backlog of them that i took in vancouver and never ended up posting, so i'm clearing them out now! this is a ferry pic

#uwu

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ledenews · 4 years

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St. Clairsville: Timetable Changes Necessitated Additional Changes

When residents want answers to their questions, responses like “I don’t know,” “We’re not sure yet,” and “I’ll have to get back to you on that,” rarely, if ever, produce anything other than anger. That’s a big reason for today’s earlier cancelation of Thursday’s town hall teleconference about the water situation in St. Clairsville. The fact is, prior to information that came out during Monday’s council meeting, city leaders had a lot of those answers. The situation has changed. Mayor Kathryn Thalman reported back from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency’s list of orders that the administration and engineer Jeff Vaughn of Vaughn, Coast and Vaughn had been scrambling to get updated. In addition, Vaughn had been working overtime (figuratively) to prepare a report detailing a rough cost analysis of different options for the city to retain ownership, however modified, of its water services. He noted figures of what was needed, what cost estimates and rate increases might look like for a 10-year period. But the major unknown quickly became the Aqua Ohio portion of the meeting. While Aqua representatives were listening to Monday’s meeting, they weren’t active participants. It was determined in talking with attorney Kimberly Bojko that adjustments to the Aqua contract would be needed prior to approval. “The EPA has issued the orders and just as explained by the mayor, they will require certain improvements to be made, either the city has already made those or is in the process of making and must do so in a certain time period,” Bojko said. “What the mayor just described; you will have to inevitably modify the purchase agreement.”

What Changed?

Two major sticking points caused the need to adjust. One, in the previous plan St. Clairsville submitted to the EPA, the town requested five years to be able to fully switch to purchasing bulk water from the county. That action wasn’t set in stone, but the EPA needed a viable plan. Part of that plan was approved, but the EPA countered, stating the city must do so within two years, not five. That obviously adjusts the timetable. “Respondent shall permanently connect to approved public water supply by first submitting written documentation for approval within six months … what is says is when the EPA Signs off, the clock starts ticking,” Thalman read from the EPA orders. “The water plant and reservoir are to be abandoned and retired in two years.” It’s official then. Surface water will no longer be an option for St. Clairsville in the future and the reservoir will be retired. That means that in two years, St. Clairsville must fully be able to purchase all of its needed water from the county, instead of the hoped-for five-year period. The county’s new water plant, which is being constructed near Muxie’s in Bellaire, was going to take that long to be finished and up and running. That will still be an asset, but to comply with the changes to the orders, the city’s current water plant will have requested and needed repairs completed, and steps will need taken to make sure the county can provide the full necessary allotment in two years. “We have two very large tasks running parallel to each other,” Thalman said. “First is we fix the water plant and reservoir in order to meet EPA standards which will allow the city continue to provide

What’s Been Done?

Fortunately, the city has taken care of a number of needed repairs since January 1. A few are still pending but will be completed in the coming months. One of the key repairs required is fixing the intake structure at the lowest elevation gate in the reservoir. The first two valves work fine, but the third will need silt sucked away and a repair of the gate. A quote of $31,571 was obtained from Total Equipment and the repair is slated to be completed by May 11. Another required restoring a clarifier turning mechanism. There was an issue with oil spilling into the clarifier. That was repaired on April 8. A backflow valve was installed to help prevent drain backup in the plant basement. That was done April 1. Industrial humidifiers are ordered and will be installed at the plant to decrease humidity and also allow for the piping in the lower gallery to be completed. These are repairs that, should Aqua’s purchase be approved, the company wouldn’t be required to perform. On the opposite end, if the two has been mandated to abandon the reservoir altogether and go with a public option for water purchase, that would significantly alter the asset list that Aqua would be purchasing. Changes are necessitated on both sides

St. Clairsville is looking to reschedule the town hall teleconference onw ater, as soon as it has the answers to the updated parameters set forht by the Ohio EPA.

No Definitive Council-Wide Opinion

Aqua Ohio’s May 4 deadline still holds, as of now. Thalman is working to get in contact with representatives to see if that can be changed, given the need for contract updating. If not, that’s a tight window to get a lot of workday, should council choose that direction. As of now, there is no consensus on what that vote would be. “We have some pro and some against,” Thalman said. “There are some very strong feelings both ways. They’ve yet to (all) make up their mind so I can’t tell you how this will go.” Martins Ferry Mayor John Davies had previously noted that the water department is one of the few opportunities a city has to make any kind of profit from its various funds. To lose the water department not only affects grants, control over rates, but a revenue stream for the city’s budget. In that, Thalman agrees. “That’s my feeling, it is an asset,” Thalman said. “I’ve worked for private companies my whole life. I like the private sector. It drives business. But its first fiduciary responsibility is to its stockholders and I know that if Aqua takes over our water system, then that obviates any ability to get grants.”

Will the Town Hall Still Be Held?

She regrets having to postpone the teleconference, but knows for now, it was the right decision. She also noted the town is fully intending to have one in the future, once the questions that will be asked can be answered. Even if that has to happen on the fly. Councilwoman Linda Jordan correctly noted Monday that, any chance to the purchase agreement would necessitate a new ordinance, rendering the previous ordinance still tabled before its final reading, moot. That means if Aqua won’t adjust its May 4 deadline, if any ordinance pertaining to sale would pass, an emergency vote to waive the three-reading rule would, need an approval by at least five of the seven council members. Thalman doesn’t want to do that, so if need be, that town hall may be set up quickly so residents can voice their opinions and have questions answered. “I think we can pull it off quickly if we have to,” she said of the town hall. “I want to give my appreciation to Steve (Novotney) for willing to volunteer to moderate our meeting. He is bright and articulate and fair and I’m appreciative of that. And I have to thank Jim Biehl of Enhanced Sound & Video, along with Jody Williams and Jim Velas for putting these teleconferences together. They have made it happen as we’ve basically went from two dixie cups and some string to being able to hold these teleconferences since the beginning of the year.” Read the full article

#belmontcounty #EastOhio #StClairsville #UpperOhioValley

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