#it’s downhill from there though 😬

[beautiful-basque-country]

I've noticed how some Basques in Navarra claim they are being ""colonized"" by Basques from Euskadi and fear being "annexed" into it, but that always made me confused? Because the Basque Kingdom of Navarra started in... Navarra.

(Addendum) I don't know if it's a similar thing with the one that happens with Catalunya and Valencia, where Valencians claim they are not actually Catalans and don't speak Catalan and that Valencian is a different language altogether... 😬

Kaixo anon!

It has similarities, but it's not the same case. All of this is the consequence of the zonification of Nafarroa: it’s divided in 3 different regions regarding Basque language.

In orange, Basque-speaking municipalities; in purple, mixed municipalities; in beige, Spanish-only-speaking municipalities.

A quick historical recap. Although it’s true that the southern side of Nafarroa was the part that suffered the Roman influence the most - it was an ideal location for Roman agriculture - and was very quickly romanized, Euskara didn’t disappear into thin air.

Back in the Middle Ages, Castilian king Alfonso X the Wise used Latin expression “lingua navarrorum” (the language of the Navarrese), and king Charles III of Navarre swore his coronation “in ydiomate navarre” (the language of Navarre). This language was clearly regarded as a different and opposed one to Castilian Romance or Latin, and scholars suspect it would have been probably Euskara.

These mentions happened after Muslim invasion, so we see that after centuries using Latin, Arab, and Romance in Southern Nafarroa, there still remained native languages which were used by many people; people enough for the kings to use it so they could be understood by their subjects, at least.

A bit further in time, in 1566, queen Jeanne III of Navarre requested to translate the New Testament to Euskara so her Basque-speaking subjects could understand it (Bibles and masses were solely in Latin, a language only known by priests and nobility by then). Why even bothering if in the Kingdom of Navarre Basque-speakers were a minority? We highly doubt that a queen was interested in bringing the Bible to a tiny part of the Navarrese population specifically…

However from the 16th century on, everything goes downhill: Castile assimilates the Kingdom of Navarre, all the high public servants would come from Castile or Aragon, and were unable and unwilling to speak Euskara. In 1795 the social elite (mayor, priests, etc) of Artaxona [also in the South, remember] went to court to demand that the town public notary learnt the Basque language since it was “the language most commonly used in town”. They lost the trial.

In the 19th century, the French invasion and the Carlist Wars hastened the regression of Euskara in southern Navarre, that turned almost 100% Spanish-speaking. Franco’s dictatorship just consolidated that situation.

So historically, Basque was spoken by most Navarreses - no matter from the north or the south -, it was just in the last 200 hundred years when it was lost in the southern part of the region.

Nafarroa becoming divided into zones [Basque-speaking, transition, and non-Basque-speaking] is said to be based on history but we all can see it’s bullshit.

That said, it’s a bit easier to understand why some Navarreses have this animosity towards Basques - not only towards Basques, also towards Basque-speaking Navarreses. They like to be considered Navarrese and not Basques - which is super respectable - because the kingdom of Navarre was the one that included Basque people and not the other way around - which is also very true... if we stopped in the Middle Ages. If we go back further in time, we'll find the county of Vasconia, though.

However don’t be fooled. They will swiftly drop historical accuracy to defend that Basque was never spoken in middle and southern Nafarroa and that Basque is being imposed as part of a Basque political agenda; that Basque people are trying to colonize them and make them lose their identity; and that they should resist at all costs by rejecting Basque as an imposed language. Spanish wasn't the imposed one, Euskara is. French and English - taught in every school - are also not imposed and free to go on seemingly.

See how just 2 centuries of assimilation and banning of Basque have twisted their perception? Basque people are imposing our language on them… our language that for centuries was called… the language of the Navarrese??? It’s insane. The Spanish Constitution includes the possibility of uniting Euskadi and Nafarroa in just one Autonomus Community if approved by a referendum, but of course with this social situation the mere mention of it will be controversial to say the least.

So this is what dividing a region into here you can speak a language, here you can speak it but you’ll be part of a tiny minority, and here you’ll find every obstacle imaginable to speak / learn it does to people. Language zonification in Nafarroa is evil and a blatant tool for assimilation that has worked wonders.

[football-and-fanfics]

After All These Years - Benjamin Pavard

Who: Benjamin Pavard Request: Could I request the reader and Benji knowing each other since childhood and they were close friends and in love with each other, but had lost contact because of benji’s and the reader’s careers, and they meet again years later and they realise they still have feelings for the other so they confess to each other and so overall super cute 🥰 thank you ♥️♥️ Requested by: @frenchgirlinlondon Warnings: none

A/N: sorry for the long wait on this 😬

You had to admit that it was quite a surprise when you ran into Benjamin in Paris. It was a pleasant surprise, though, and completely by chance that you attended the same charity event.

"Mon dieu... it really is you." Benjamin stepped towards you. The look on his face was one of utter surprise, but also their was a strange kind of admiration in his eyes. "Oh my god." You were completely caught off guard, too.

You had known Benjamin ever since you were both kids. For years you were together, and everyone expected you to get married and live happily ever after. But when both your careers took off, and it meant you spent more and more time away from each other, things went downhill. The both of you tried, you really did, but eventually you had to admit that you had come to grow apart.

It had been the hardest break-up you had ever gone through, because, deep down, you never stopped loving Benjamin. And from what you heard from mutual friends was that it hadn't been easy for him either.

So when you saw him today, for the first time in years, it raked up a lot of old feelings. The most persistent of those feeling, and that even surprised yourself, was love. As you looked into those brown eyes, saw those pretty curls and watched that loving smile tug at the corners of his mouth, you couldn't believe you had ever let this man go. And judging from the look on his face, Benjamin was feeling the exact same thing.

After your initial surprise of running into each other, you and Benjamin spent the entire evening talking.

"I..." Benjamin started off hesitantly all of a sudden. "I think I have a confession to make." "I know what you want to say," you smiled, "and I... still have feelings for you, too." "You do?" Benjamin chuckled in relief. "I thought I was being an idiot." "No, you're not." You slowly shook your head. "After tonight I have started to believe breaking up was the right choice back then, but it might not be anymore."

Benjamin reached for your hand. Even after all these years, your hand still fit perfectly in his. Almost like it was always meant to be back there at some point.

"I agree." Benjamin smiled softly. "So, can I... maybe take you out to dinner tomorrow night?" There were butterflies in your stomach at the mere thought of going on a date with Benjamin again. "I would love that."

Tags: @evie-pr, @auawdo, @meteora-fc, @stonesyyyy, @drizzyreese, @hbstre, @liverpoolfanfiction, @sternennebel2001, @mrswinksy, @themoon-shines

Add me to the tags list General masterlist | Benjamin masterlist

[fbwzoo]

Animal room updates!

Not much new with Spoon or Misdreavus, really. Spoon does seem more reluctant to eat his kibble this year, which is odd for him. I think we're going to make him a vet appointment soon here to check his teeth. He's way overdue for one anyway. 😬

Misdy is still a ghost ham, and occasionally starting to cause more mischief finally! She chewed the side of her waterer, and dumped it one night too. So I'm starting to increase her enrichment to keep her busy! I think it took her this long to start the usual female Syrian trouble bc she was just so happy to have plenty of space to make tunnels in.

We've been working on slowly making Clover hedgie 's viv into a bioactive-ish set up. She now has wheat grass that's growing really well due to a misting system Jack added. We're planning to add some powder orange isopods & maybe some mealworms. I'm hoping we'll have to top them up if it means she's hunting them & getting some good enrichment from that! She seems to like the grass and has some pathways made in it. (Please excuse her dirty wheel)

The rats are... mostly doing okay. We had to euthanize Maven a few weeks ago, she had gone pretty downhill and it was time. She got tons of treats in her last week, and lots of malt paste, her favorite. We got some of get footprints to remember this very very sweet girl with. 💜 We moved the white twins (Quail & Pippi) in to the oldies cage with Zucchini & Cecil, who are both doing really well still.

We do have another goodbye coming up in the next few weeks though, I think. Sauce, one of the Terror Twins, has been growing a lump on her side and it's getting pretty big. She's still getting around fine, so she's been getting extra treats each night in the meantime. Everyone else is doing fine right now though! 🤞I'm planning to start increasing their enrichment in particular along with the dogs as I get myself back into the swing of things. We have a well stocked room of stuff to use, I just need to start using it!!

[jess-moloney]

back when jamie and ruby dated, he posted about how she was his rock and how she helped him with his sobriety.

now he just shares cryptic posts on instagram story about how his sobriety is NOT being supported and her stans, who are his stans, don’t see any red flag from their “goth queen” 😬

I don’t understand how any of them don’t see the red flags. They are abundant. There’s also thousands of excuses about everything involved with this. That they know he’s okay with being around alcohol (even though he’s never made any statements to support this that I’m aware of). Or that there’s nothing wrong with having non-alcoholic beer or wine for someone in recovery (despite copious amounts of research there is something wrong with it and it appears he’s only had these beverages after getting with Jess). It’s clear on multiple levels that she’s not only guilty of denying him support but also actively encouraging him to relapse. Who knows if non-alcoholic drinks are the only thing he’s had by this point because if he is slipping up and relapsing it would certainly explain a lot of his behavior and why it’s been going so downhill.

[brightgnosis]

I'm just kind of tired lately. Sleepy. Exhausted. Lethargic. Not particularly motivated to do much of anything; I'd really rather just sit on the couch and veg, and it takes quite a bit right now to convince myself to get up and do things.

I know part of it's the fact that I massively messed up my sleep schedule while my husband was on vacation, and I'm recovering from that and trying to get my sleep back on track. Which is normal; Fibro relies so heavily on a good, consistent sleep schedule for treatment. Especially since the REM state is so difficult for us to access, and our sleep cycles aren't as naturally restful as a result.

The other part of it, though, is that I can feel insomnia kicking in lately, over about the last week; I thought it was just me recovering from his vacation initially. But taking 3 hours to fall asleep, and tossing and turning a bunch, even on a 25 mg Delta-8 Gummy, isn't normal for me even with a borked sleep schedule. So I think the other part is the fact that my menstrual cycle's under 2 weeks out now.

My mood's also started going downhill, which is contributing to me thinking it's likely my upcoming cycle contributing to the sleep issue and the overall lethargy; I was slightly off yesterday- not quite depressed, but also not quite right either. And today I'm a bit grumpier and more easily annoyed than usual. Both of which are pretty common around cycle time.

Considering I skipped my last cycle because of the surprise cycle I had when I messed up my Daysee rotation because I didn't pay attention to which side of the pill packet I was taking (and the new brand's cycle pills aren't as easy to differentiate from the regular pills) ... This one's kind of lining up to be a doozy of a cycle. Which I am really not looking forward to given how severely my PMDD and BP II interact with each other 😬

[stylesunchained]

https://at.tumblr.com/stylesunchained/i-knew-from-the-second-he-signed-onto-this-film/sxvclmkr73yb

😱 I feel like this was a universal feeling, because I literally felt this too the second rumors of him joint the cast started. I was sort of excited, because he would be working with Flo [I didn’t even give a shit about Olivia then or ever think all this would’ve come from it] but As soon as he was confirmed to have signed on, I felt a huge weight. I don’t know how to explain it but I just felt very heavy and negative energy from reading the article of him being apart of the cast. And again, when those pictures and videos of him at her trailer, I didn’t think too much of it but I did get the feeling of him looking lost. But obviously something did happen to him during those months though, because that Jingle ball video he did he looked a bit dead and exhausted. He hasn’t been the same since the end of 2020 😬

He’s been weird af since October 2020 and it’s gone downhill since then

[depressedhatakekakashi]

Do you think Kakashi ever taught Team 7 at least one pg interrogation lesson? i was rewatching this comedy anime about assassins and one of the character's thing was making people fess up info by one by one feeding them increasingly spicy peppers and stuff- and if that doesn't work he shoved wasabi in their nose 😬 yikes, but also it came from a teenager so it's interesting lol makes you wonder what younger more creative kid would do in that situation, Kakashi would ask of them what their plan would be in the most ""non-violent"" way possible y'know just for starters, and Naruto is pretty inventive plus he's made dozens of pranks before that seemed to have worked even on jounin so it'd be cool to see what he comes up with XD

Kakashi had a few months between getting the team and the Chunin exams (or the Zabuza mission where everything went downhill fast for the team) so i can see him teaching them some PG interrogation techniques (or tbh not even Pg. man put Sakura in a genjutsu of a broken and bloody sasuke. He knows no restrictions XD)

He taught them how to set traps (Sakura set traps around Naruto and Sasuke to protect them during the chunin exams. They weren’t perfect cuz she was still learning but she did manage to catch the enemy off guard) and how to fight better (databook says all three improved a lot under his teaching) so I can see him sitting there one day and being like ‘ok time to learn some basic interogation techniques”

The team doesn’t know what to expect but Kakashi’s just gives them a scenario. They have an enemy in the field and they need intel to complete their mission. How do they get it

This is where Naruto shines

Sakura is very by the book at this point so she has a textbook answer and Kakashi’s like ‘yes, doable but unimaginative try again’

Sasuke’s an angry boy so he’s going overbored and probably killing the enemy at the end of the day. Kakashi’s having to reign that in just a little cuz Sakura and Naruto look HORRIFIED

Naruto though, he just sits there thinking for a second and then comes up with the most ridiculous answer of ‘i’ll use sexy no jutsu’ or ‘i’ll sing in a highmpitched bad voice until they give in’ or ‘i’ll be my most annoying self until i get the intel.’ And honestly, Kakashi’s impressed

That shit would work on a lot of people. It’s imaginative and not bloody so he approves

And it unlocks something in Naruto who just immidiatly picks this up as a go ahead and starts using it eveytime they need intel. Even when hs’s 15. Kakashi’s standing there at his side like ‘ok this is getting bad’ but nine times out of ten it works and the enemy gets to live. The one time it doesn’t work Kakashi take sover and…

He usually sends the kids away XD it’s not gonna be pretty

[many-but-one]

Ugggggggh. Sorry about the COVID. Good luck + feel better soon. (Rest is apparently really important if you can manage it)

Yeah, I figured that out lol. Hadn’t been able to manage much rest due to the pain in my chest and inability to breathe, which is what kind of tipped me off that I needed to go to the ER. I haven’t posted an update on that, but I did get released in the wee hours of the morning. They got me some good meds to help my airways and helped me get some fluids in which was dope because I was also hella dehydrated due to being too exhausted to even drink water🥲

Doing wayyy better today, able to breathe and sit normally now and actually walk around without feeling like I’m gonna faint😂 When I say it out loud that sounds so bad. What the doctors were most worried about was my stupidly high heart rate that they could only barely get below 100 (which is not my normal when laying down, fyi😂 Usually I’m in the 60-70 range) and when walking it would still spike up to a 115ish. Which, when I walked in my resting was 115 and my standing/walking was jumping to 155 and even higher (170-180😬) depending on if I was walking up or down stairs. I have a family history of heart issues (and a fuck ton of trauma which can also seriously effect your heart, shocker) so they were paying attention to that. However I was stable enough to GTFO and I did cause I already know this bill is about to be absolutely bonkers and I really don’t even want to think about it tbh😂😩 Yes I do have insurance but that often doesn’t do as much good as one would think. (Non-American readers, for reference, my less than 48 hr stay in a mental ward last September cost over $8,000 before insurance and was a fun $1,500 after insurance.) Whether the amount is before or after insurance, it’s still way too much for us to afford currently. Sigh. Healthcare sucks ass for so many reasons. I don’t fucking trust hospitals or doctors and I know you have similar feelings about them, so I know you get it.

Overall my experience was fine and the nurses and doctors were kind, but I definitely didn’t want to be there, it was simply a necessity. However, doing that could have potentially saved my life because they did say with my underlying conditions and the unpredictability of COVID it could have gone downhill really fast, so it’s still good that I came in for the preventative work to keep it from progressing further. Considering it was only my second day of the sickness, it was obviously concerning that I was doing so poorly so soon. Also just gonna put it on the record that We as a collective fucking HATE CT scans and the last time we had one I have no memory of it which is probably for a good reason but DAMN that shit triggered us hella bad. We got locked up and freaked internally but knew that an external freak out would probably not be super duper so we just kept all that inside. Dissociation babey😎

Thanks for the message, though! Always nice to hear from ya! We’re doing much better and are definitely on the mend. The sucky part is wondering if these effects will last a long time or be permanent or pop up later. My left atrium was already looking sketchy according to the EKG but they didn’t really address it with me and didn’t seem worried about it so🤷🏻 I’m just not gonna think about it til the problem comes cause why worry about something I can’t control like fuckinnn heart failure. If I die, I die, I guess. 😂😂 No I’m not suicidal, I just have a pretty cynical view of life. I’m trying to be better about that. I was joking though, that I was going to be pissed that I was finally having happiness and planning my future for the first time in my life not to mention had gone through unimaginable shit as a child just to get taken out by a fuckin VIRUS?! Fuck that shit, I’m living outta spite now.

Gonna shut the fuck up now cause my Rona brain fog is clearly getting to me LOL.

-Jules & Co.

[mvggedoff]

SAINT AGUILAR ( cis male, he / him, tommy martinez ) is 28 and a LINE COOK from BUENOS AIRES. they are known as THE PERFECTIONIST because they are ROMANTIC, but if things kick off, they can be a bit OVERCRITICAL. they’re BISEXUAL and describe their type as FIT, BUT STILL WILLING TO EAT A LOT. SHORTER THAN HIM, BUT NOT TOO SHORT. OH, AND THEY HAVE TO BE A CAT PERSON. AND WANT KIDS. AND ALSO— *THIS DESCRIPTION HAS BEEN CUT OFF DUE TO TIME CONSTRAINTS*. from their time in the villa, they’re hoping to find LOVE. ( a handmade apron that reads “kiss the chef,” laundry lists of deal breakers and ghosted trysts, a skin indent on the ring finger where a wedding band used to be )

kati said short and sweet but that’s really not my strong suit, so please know i’m trying my best here 😭 also hi i’m aura ! feel free to hmu on discord ( baby²#3050 ) if you’d like to chat about our muses ! i’ll likely be basing everything off chemistry due to the nature of the rp, but i still love hearing about everyone’s characters :>

first things first, he also goes by august, so feel free to use whatever name suits your / your muse’s fancy !

he’s living in buenos aires currently but he actually grew up and spent most of his life in texas.

his parents have that storybook type of love you never see anymore, the kind that makes you believe that soulmates are real and a once in a lifetime love exists somewhere for everyone. so of course saint said that. i want that.

he got married to his first love pretty much the second he could. once the honeymoon stage wore off though things went downhill fast. they tried the counseling route, but then his wife ended up cheating on him so that was a total bust. to make matters worse, they never signed a prenup, and she had no problem trying to take everything he had ( which she damn near did ). the divorce was long and messy, lasting an entire year and a half of saint’s life. by the time it was officially finalized, he was 25 years old. soooo yeah. that kind of messed him up a bit !!

once he was free from that ordeal, he turned his focus inward. he traveled, finished culinary school abroad, even became a bit of an instagram based anthony bourdain ( rip king ) before eventually winding up in his forever home in a latin fusion restaurant in buenos aires.

during that time he messed around with various types of people, tried out the fuckboy / casual hookup thing since he never really gave himself the chance to before. it never really felt right though. despite everything, he still believed in the Real Deal. he figured if there’s any place he’ll find someone who ticks all his boxes ( and i do mean all ), it’ll be on the show specifically designed to do that for people. sooo yeah ! that’s how he ended up on love island !

personality wise he’s generally chill most of the time. he likely comes off as intense and mysterious, a real bad boy type, but he’d describe himself as a big teddy bear ( mostly accurate, though he is actually pretty intense lol ). he’s charming and romantic, really good at eye contact, and he knows ! what ! he ! wants ! doesn’t beat around the bush when he sets his mind on something ( or someone ). 

suuuper fussy and judgy. think anna s5 not stepping forward for anyone day 1 because they weren’t tall enough, and lucy saying she’s been put off by how a guy looks in flip - flops. the second he deems you’re not his forever person, he will immediately dump your ass and ghost. it’s like day and night. one second he’s putting it on real thick : making breakfast in bed for someone, giving them his utmost time and attention, and then they’ll have a weird sneeze or something and he’s like 😬 anyway ...

can cook, handy, likes kids. would be the domestic wet dream if he wasn’t such a b*tch.

he’s here to find love so he WILL be stepping on toes if need be 😌 sorry boys.

probably the designated chef in the villa given . . . the obvious, but he’s honestly fine with that. he likes cooking for people. 

yes, he did bring the apron. it was a silly present from one of his co - workers.

tommy doesn’t have them, but in my head saint has tattoos. similar placement style as this picture while also peeking onto his shoulders and pecs. i don’t have specific tattoos in mind yet, but they’re all little things he’s collected over the years to represent his family and travels.

punches myself in the face before i can write more and make this too long :’>

[alexstorm]

Ahh yeah the strike. I totally understand that though Hollywood went downhill. But he's still young one day we'll get that movie in the theatres.

Oh you don't like Bob Dylan's work?

// He seems to be in prep now according to his Stories and the director. But given the SAG strike happening now he won’t be starting to shoot anytime soon. But at least we get Dune and Wonka. The year is saved!!!

I don’t like his whiny voice, no. And I’m also not that familiar with his work apart from the song Prince covered. 😬😂

[amateurd18]

Hii Ami!! Secret Santa here!! ✨

I’m doing okay, on my break at work as I type this lol. At least it’s Friday!! The end of a long week!! Hope you’re doing okay as well!!

We have a very similar story on how we entered the fandom, actually!! Back in middle school (circa. 2012), my one friend at the time showed me a picture of Harry and how he was so cute and was part of this band from the UK and all this other stuff!! At the time, I kinda brushed it off cause I thought I was “too cool” to be interested in a band like them. I remember walking through Walmart and seeing their debut album on the shelf and my babysitters daughter kinda scoffed at the display shelf. At the time, I didn’t really know why she did it, but oh well..

Anyways, one day after school, I was a bit intrigued, so I searched Harry Styles on YouTube and found a bunch of video interviews of the boys, but I specifically remember seeing videos that had, like, facts about them!! I watched all of those religiously (and taking them as gospel practically, even though they obviously weren’t always true!!) just so I could get an understanding of these weird ass boys!! I didn’t get on tumblr until 2014 and didn’t actively blog about the boys until about 2015-2016, took a fandom break and got right back on the horse in 2019 and I’ve been on here ever since 😬.

And it’s been downhill since the beginning. ✨

I feel like this ask has become very long, so I’ll stop it there 😅!! Next question as well: I see you’re a larrie? Icon behavior!! I’d love to know your story on how you because a larrie?!?? 🎄✨

I love how long some of us have been here. Circa 2012 means you've also been around, in whatever form, for 10 years. That's insane to me, that we've been around loving these idiots for forever essentially. I'm only 26, so 10 years is almost half my life, which. Absurd.

To answer your question, i don't really remember how i became a larrie😂. I think it's always been who I am. I don't know how I got hooked into it, but iirc there was a set of Larry compilations on yt from someone who's since disappeared because people are shit, and that kinda made me think a bit. And then 2012 and the bearding started and i remember looking at Lou and Eleanor saying this is not how i would behave if i was dating someone,you know? Here's the tl;Dr version. I've been a larrie for as long as I can remember, but I don't remember how it started.

What about you? Are you also a larrie? Any other ships you love?

[velvetcloxds]

monique not logan and tristan on your reading blog, I expected better from you, dean is the only acceptable love interest for rory 😬

bestie no! not the walking red flag sdfsd

here are my two cents on the top 5 pretty boys for rory

jess- they clicked the best, he got her and was always willing to call her out on her shit- though he was too good for her by the end of the show, let's be honest

logan- accepted her lost girl phase, kind of encouraged the lost girl phase, to begin with, was wiling to not be a shitty human by the end of season 6 which was growth (ignoring the existence of a year in the life)

robert- idk they meshed well, would've loved more moments with them, think it would've been a cool dynamic

tristan- he was clearly in love with her, just needed some growth and his last scene was prove enough that there was something there and he would've worked for it if they let him

marty- maybe without the cringe and being so threatened by logan he'd have been good, very cringe though, still better than dean and I stand by that

dean was good for season one, but his entire character just went downhill from there and I personally have always felt that his toxic behavior was the reason for a lot of rory's character development and decisions in the later seasons

obviously, like always, fanfiction is different from the show and everyone is free to love dean as much as they want, but he's not my cup of tea, especially for rory

also, let's face it, tristan and logan are some very pretty boys, of course, I'm going to read for them lol

[clatterbane]

Another "first but definitely not last" a little while ago: my first roll up the street on my own after dark. (Which means after maybe 5 p.m. here already. 😬)

Because I really needed to get out of the house and get some exercise, but kept putting it off thanks to the weather this afternoon.

Headed up the other way again, at least partly because it's easier on the way back with the little bit of downhill.

More accessibility observations from the next cluster of businesses in that direction!

At a casual glance, the first offie should at least be possible to roll into, with no steps to the door. As I remembered.

(Though, as my partner was commenting earlier, good luck trying to navigate around it at all--considering it's crammed enough that he has to turn around carefully on foot! I kinda noticed that before too. It was extra fun with a cane.)

That would be if you could actually get through the door past a snack foods display, though! 🙃

Even more of a shame, since that one is open until 10 p.m. 7 days a week!

Next up, the post office/corner shop also has a level threshold, at least.

Sadly, their door was shut, so I couldn't readily see how much shit they'd put into the path in. From memory, good luck even getting to the non-post office shop counter from the door, though.

On the next block, another off-license that's open pretty late. With no steps!

...never mind. They're blocking the way in with some display too! 🤨

Several prizes--and more business--should go to this chippie on the way home, though!

We actually used to get stuff from there a lot, in a couple of previous takeaway incarnations. (Mr. C has often been grabbing some quick lunch there lately, too. Bit of a leg stretch and decent food, he says.)

As I remembered? It's easy to roll into, and there's actually space to move around once you do.

But, what's this?

Extra points to them for those signs!

Shame that's even necessary, but it really really is. 👿

[n0tmyname]

I’ve been to the Jack the Ripper tour in Whitechapel! Very grim place I have to say. When we got to Mary Kelly’s murder site the guide said “be careful, the people in the flats above like to throw eggs and vodka at tourists.” We all thought he was joking. Minutes later as he’s telling us about the history of the building someone on the upper floor opens their window and yes, starts chucking eggs and FULL VODKA BOTTLES at us, a group of 15-year-olds 💀 Made the tour very memorable to say the least

As someone who has travelled the entirety of Britain, allow me to give you some reviews and recommendations;

Manchester is probably my favourite city in the country. Outstanding music scene, very diverse population, massive alternative subculture and known for being one of the gayest cities in the world. Canal Street (aka The Gay Village) is actually very pleasant during the day and a very calming place to stop and have a cream tea. At night, though… oh boy. Good luck, in the least daunting way possible. There’s also Leeds in Yorkshire, which is basically Manchester Lite. They have an emo cafe there. It’s pretty cool.

Brighton is also a lovely place to visit! Another one of the most LGBT-friendly places in the country and has lots of beautiful beaches too… including a nudist beach, if you’re into that 🤭 One of the other landmark cities of the country is Blackpool in Lancashire and although I think every Brit agrees that it’s gone downhill in recent years, it’s still an absolute must for tourists and UK citizens alike. There’s the world-famous Blackpool Illuminations, (which every Brit hears about daily from their mum if they leave too many lights on in the house) and then there’s the Blackpool Tower, which is like the Eiffel Tower except shit. They do stand-up shows and a circus there sometimes. They’re actually quite decent.

Finally as runners-up I’d recommend Norfolk, Sussex and Norwich. They have many places to visit suitable for a nice holiday and lots of pleasant scenery (as well as usually having somewhat decent weather), but they unfortunately are a little more conservative than the other places I’ve mentioned. True to stereotypes, in my experience I also tend to find that the further up north you go, the friendlier people are (and yes, that includes Scotland. I can also recommend some places to go in Scotland if you’re at all interested.)

I hope this was interesting and/or helpful and I do hope you visit England some day and enjoy yourself 🤗 (Part of me also hopes you get a bit of a culture shock, too. I find it quite amusing when Americans visit Britain and realise it mostly isn’t at all what Harry Potter and the like would have them believe 😂)

-Traveller Anon

This is INCREDIBLE information and I hope other people see it and benefit from it as well! Thank you so much! I’ve definitely heard that Northerners are nicer and I believe it haha All the places you’ve described sound wonderful and I will absolutely keep this saved on my phone for when I visit. Thank you again!!!

Also—they threw FULL VODKA BOTTLES? Dangerous and horrible, first of all, but second—a waste of vodka?! I don’t understand but I’m glad you escaped in tact! 😬😂

[vaguely-concerned]

Some disordered Twisted Fate/ Graves thoughts

Because sadly both Blizzard and Riot seem to have figured out that the way to my heart is a good animated short and I cannot help myself when I see a good Partnership OR Road to El Dorado-esque dynamic. Disclaimer that I have no background in League at all except what I’ve gleaned from some tbskyen videos and a few rounds of Legends of Runeterra, so I really only know what’s on the Universe page haha

- They met when they both cheated outRAGEOUSLY at a card game and ended up with eight aces between them -- and instead of like throwing punches about it or anything they apparently went ‘same hat!!!!’ and then from that day on they were partners :’)  dumbass drift compatible soulmates

- can we talk about... how t.f. gave his name back to the river not when he was exiled, but when he lost graves (or at least had every reason to believe he’d never see him again).................. dsfhsakjdflhdsa

- I don’t think he’s connected the dots yet, but in graves pov it really feels like he’s deeply confused and slightly mad about how hot he thinks t.f. is

he’s like ‘t.f. is just too pretty and lanky and charming and smells nice and for no particular reason I can divine this makes me want to act like a boy pulling pigtails to get an honest reaction from him *splashes water on him*’

(he does literally refer to him with ‘pretty face’ at one point in ‘burning tides’, though to be fair that was sort of part of a death threat. to be even more fair there were a lot of misunderstandings and miscommunications involved in that death threat and there is some very strange sexual tension running through that whole chase scene so my point still stands lol)

- “I ain’t touching no one-eyed octopus, Tobias”

the height of the english language; everything will unfortunately be downhill after this and we’ll just have to live with that

- it is so incredibly sweet to me that graves’ narration in ‘destiny and fate’ consistently refers to them as a unit/partnership -- it’s ‘we’ and ‘us’ the whole way through ;_______; it’s subtle but also so effective in showing how he feels about it before he quite realizes it himself (and makes the reader feel the connection as well). they R partners again folks

- I  L O V E  the juxtaposition of

“Well, I can’t get us out of this one,” T.F. says, over his shoulder. “I always knew you’d get me killed one day.”

A laugh escapes my lips at that. It’s been a long time since I laughed.

with how they’re both laughing and bickering and being idiots in ‘destiny and fate’. it’s just so nice and so obvious they have a lot of fun together. these two idiots. sometimes good things happen and it’s very funny

- t.f.’s barely-even-between-the-lines determination to regain graves’ trust and to be worthy of that trust all through ‘destiny and fate’......... hELP ME

just a card boy and his thinly veiled abandonment issues out there breaking my heart

- bilgewater gets to have all the ARRR and the YEEHAW energy, how could any other faction compare tbh (also the best voice lines in legends of runeterra no I will not debate this, nautilus alone is enough)

- the two of them aggressively trying to give their lives for each other back and forth like a damn tennis match at the end of ‘burning tides’ (and it being the only reason they both survived the explosion) is inspirational exquisite mindblowing I can’t --

THEY SAVED EACH OTHER’S LIVES EVEN WHILE THEY WERE HAVING THE ARGUMENT OF A LIFETIME BECAUSE IT’S INSTINCT ON THE SAME LEVEL AS BREATHING WHAT THE FUUUUUUUCK

- friends/partners to (extremely one-sided, t.f. really isn’t out to hurt him at any stage) enemies to friends/partners to lovers motherFUCKERS, the ARC!!!!  

- when t.f. is like ‘sounds like I kept you alive’ and you have to go ‘😬 buddy I don’t think you’re wrong but also very much Not the time, the place, the circumstance or the tone for it please shut the fuck up for your own good’

- graves tells the dude who punches him in ‘burning tides’: “My old ma hits harder than you do, boy. And she’s been dead and buried five years now.”

which a) ooof some troubling implications there, probably a reason he left home pretty early huh and b) does that mean she died while he was in prison? :(

- I have to give a lot of credit to the authors for how much emotional work they manage to get done in ‘burning tides’ and how well it works with the characterization. I had no experience with these characters at all except the legends of runeterra short beforehand, and this story alone built them out well enough that I feel like I get it and is really emotionally compelling in how it does it. (I also love how much implied swearing they get away with lol. they have successfully communicated ‘we’ve got a pg rating to think of but yeah, they’re cussing’. for graves it’s mostly just that he’s cut short before he gets to the bad word, but special shoutout to ‘for Luck’s sake’ for the sheer transparent audacity of it)        

- I was always going to love twisted fate (the... problematic aspects of a lot of his concept aside, they really haven’t moved far enough away from the blatant romani coding of the river people for it to not be racist as fuck) because he’s like. a sad clown trickster with emotional intimacy issues and that’s basically my entire Type, but let me say that I appreciate graves so much, it’s incredibly comforting to be in his pov. local man too grouchy to feel fear, refuses to let things like ‘forethought’ and ‘common sense’ slow him down

- can u belive graves spent a literal decade clinging to sanity only through his burning, unending rage and needing to see t.f. destroyed (well that’s what he thinks it is, anyway lol he does seem to interpret most of his emotions as some shade of Mad, if you read between the lines it’s more like a hurt that betrays the depth of attachment that was/is there)

and the moment he does see him actually, honestly sad and defeated his immediate response is ‘oh no :(’ and then he tries to die for him like twice…… no ship like a partnership

(he seems way more upset with having unjustly dragged t.f. down with him than the idea that he’s about to die himself, something he treats like a minor annoyance, and like. how much keysmashing could I ever do to do that justice)  

- Shoutout to Then all I can see in my mind is his pissed-off face disappearing into the depths for making me go both 😂 and 😭 at the same time. there’s some really strong (and hilarious) first person voice in these stories. that mental image of graves scowling at the bottom of the ocean fadfhsjka. the grudging affection, familiarity, annoyance, regret and certainty they manage to pack into those few lines. (Son of a bitch. I can’t leave him. Not after last time. There’s no running away from this. I know where to go. Like they somehow managed to have him literally spell out his entire arc in this without making it feel too on the nose, which is wild to me but there you go)

- I take a deep breath. It really is a long way down.

“Tobias,” Malcolm says. “Step back.”

I pause. I haven’t heard that name in a long time.

aaaaah the good stuff, right in the feelings. god I’m so easy for meaningful uses of first names haha. the mortifying ordeal of being known deeply enough by your partner that you can’t just bullshit him to get away from engaging in emotional honesty huh t.f.

- the contrast between graves’ ‘nearly too hurt to be coherent’ pov in ‘burning tides’ to his much more lucid and comfortable voice in ‘destiny and fate’... you love to see it, rekindling his marriage has clearly done him a world of good

graves gaining a little caution with age and t.f. growing bolder is also a nice detail (besides anything he’s got backup again now! he’s not alone!)

- graves saving the hat is very cute but may I also propose: t.f. wearing the hat and literally nothing else during sex at one point. on a dare or for some other reason I’ll leave up to the imagination lol  

- Now, I’m secure enough in myself to admit the sound I made when the old lady sat up was perhaps a little more shrill than I’m proud of. But to be fair, T.F.’s cry was even less dignified than mine.

I’m sorry but this is just a Road to El Dorado scene

- in ‘double double-cross’ graves throws that card so effortlessly; how much do you want to bet t.f. has shown him how and it’s what they used to do when they had to sit around waiting during a job (in the opposite direction I very much doubt graves taught t.f. to shoot, b/c I’m not confident he could use destiny without his shoulder dislocating immediately.)  

- the last sentence of graves’ profile is ‘Maybe this time around, the pair of them will find their stride and be able to pull off the ultimate heist…’ which makes me desperately desperately want their story to reach the logical conclusion of their tendency to be involved in something huge and spectacular mostly on accident. like a ‘the boys steal the bearded lady/noxian invasion of bilgewater/corruption of the shadow isles’ thing and then at the end you get an equivalent scene of them watching all of bilgewater burn or the seamonster taking down the prince’s ship together like ‘...huh’. the tulio and miguel energy is off the CHARTS already, I just want them to repeatedly stumble into important historical/cosmic events and somehow manage to get out of it again while clinging to each other and bickering

- I’d also like to recommend TB Skyen’s animation breakdown of the Double-Double Crossed short for being informative, hilarious and entirely correct in how much they are Husbands, even though Riot will probably never go further than queerbaity plausible deniability allows them to in canon because the games industry is a nightmare  

[thisfairytalegonebad]

oh, since you mentioned apprenticeships! 1) how is all of your stuff going? and 2) i have decided to quit my apprenticeship and i'm looking at doing a duales studium instead, but i'm still trying to decide which job to go for

It's going. Backwards and downhill, but it's going, as my co-apprentice would say. Seriously though, I'd say it's going pretty well so far. I'm exactly halfway now, next department change is just around the corner (though I really don't want to, right now I'm in the accounting department and I really like both the work and the people, but the next one is with the management's secretaries and like. I both really hate the thought of having to do stuff for the CEO like make coffee for his meetings and making restaurant reservations, and the people ill be working with also don't make a great impression to me so 😬 but I guess we'll see, maybe it'll be better than expected. Anyway I'm having to prepare an important presentation for some paper I had to write but I'm quarantined right now so I don't know when I'll actually be allowed to be back in the office and actually do the presentation (because the Plague Laws have recently changed and now it's unclear how long I'm quarantined for) so that's very fun.

And ah, yes, I read about that on the server (I lurk and read along quite often... that sounds a bit stalkerish but yeah)! Yknow, I was gonna say that I kinda forgot duales Studium was an option and wondered why I'd never considered it, but a quick web search tells me it's still pretty new here so I don't think it would've been an option after all. Anyway, when you say you haven't yet decided yet, does that mean you've picked options to choose from, or not yet? Either way, I hope it works out well for you, you don't hate it, and, uh, congratulations for surviving retail?