#What is happening to these italians when they get off the boat

[creepyscritches]

Another Italian American man here, can confirm. Grandma Bobbi is the core of the family, and all of us men are absolutely in love with her cooking

Oh to have an italian grandmother that cooks like an angel...

My italian grandmother went insane and disappeared to have a second family that she named all the kids the same in and never surfaced to her original family after that🤦 My grandpa remarried to a very nice midwestern lady and now we have an italian family of men who think they can cook like italians but were never taught the DELICATE BALANCE of seasoning their meat. The amount of times I've eaten spaghetti that was over-poweringly seasoned w cinnamon...........

My mom's German and when she was briefly living in the country she made a lot of cooking friends and learned to cook like a master 😋 it's always smth else when my cinnamon beef father claims my cooking skills come from his "" "Italian genetics" " when it was actually my southern-raised german mother raising me to fear no flavor or failure. I'll eat anything once.

#Creepy chatter #What is happening to these italians when they get off the boat #The German side arrived the same generation and they lived through insane poverty so food is really precious #My grandma used to drink huge amounts of water to trick her stomach into being full--like if anything the food love comes from her side #Germans are unburdened by the weight of Italian American ego and just go make food thank god

[everlastinghistory]

The alarming path of the Canadian school system:

Over the course of the three and a (little over) half years I have spent in high school I’ve noticed quite a few alarming changes. This post covers most of them.

If you require a trigger warning for opinions that aren’t far left: This is your only warning. Don’t try to debate me. I’m not debating anyone. I’m stating my opinions. I will block you if you try to argue with me. I do not have the time to argue with people on Tumblr about common sense.

Grade 10 Canadian History

The first thing I want to talk about is what inspired this post. I once knew a guy who took Canadian History Since World War One and got a 95 in the class but did not know what the Holocaust or Nazi’s were. He was 16 when we had this conversation. And got a 95 in a class where an entire unit was about World War Two. The one thing he did remember? Japanese internment.

By sticking the word “Canadian” at the start of the course name they have created a course where you can learn about World War Two and never hear a single mention of the Holocaust or Nazi’s. Or even anything outside of Canada for that matter. Even stranger is they additionally failed to mention that the Japanese were not the only people in internment camps. Cause y’know it’s apparently not relevant that German’s, Italian’s, Jewish refugees and very strangely Mennonite’s were also put in them… And I don’t just mean German and Italian POW’s. I mean citizens of Canada who happened to have ancestry from either country.

Why is there only education about it happening to the Japanese? Why don’t we talk about the German’s and Italian’s also imprisoned for no reason? Suddenly considered a national security threat because their ancestors lived in a country they’d in many cases never even stepped foot in… Or the Jewish refugees who got put in the same camps as German POW’s and it took a rather long time for them to be moved to their own camp to protect them from the violence they faced when put with the German’s.

We only learn about the Japanese interment and honestly I think it’s because they’re the “most important” group according to so called egalitarians. The German’s and Italian’s were European so “they can’t be oppressed” and when in history have you seen Jewish people get treated properly? They’re easy to let fall under the radar because when you think of Jewish people in World War Two nobody thinks of Canada.

Grade 12 English

My grade 12 English teacher started off the class by giving us a speech about racism. This was not the “black voices” English class available for grade 12 students. This was a regular English class. Which additionally I think dedicating an entire class to talking about a race is more racist than not but whatever floats their boat I guess. Anyway, the first day he went on a speech about racism. About how black mothers and their kids show love to each other differently. About how abusing your kids is okay if your black because “it’s in our culture”. THE FIRST DAY. Not even into the class with some form of context to make it make sense. That was how he started the class and introduced us to himself.

Additionally, when we talked about the feminist lens in literature we got told being nurturing is a negative thing. Not that it’s not okay to assume all women are made to be nurturers. That being nurturing is a bad thing.

This same teacher also spent the entire semester making fun of housewives. Consistently saying they’re lazy and taking the easy way out.

This man was 31. He’s on the lower end of teachers ages. This is what the new generation of teachers is going to be like and that terrifies me for my future kids if I ever have kids. Especially since many countries have made homeschooling illegal specifically so they can teach your kids how they want them to view the world. While it is legal in Canada (where I live now, obviously) I do intend to move somewhere it’s illegal eventually and that’s genuinely very concerning to see.

Grade 12 World History

My grade 12 World History teacher gave us an entire lesson about how the existence of world maps is racist.

“Why?” You may be wondering.

Because “Europe is bigger than the other continents to show superiority.”

May I now present to you… A map of the world. In which it is clear both the Northern and Southern hemispheres well beyond Europe are larger. Because the Earth is a sphere. And that is how you map out a sphere.

In fact I even think it’s arguable to say Europe looks kind of tiny on here aside from Russia. Which Russia is literally the biggest country in the world so it’s not shocking that they’re noticeable. Unless the problem with these maps is that they’re accurate to the world and it being a sphere?

Additionally, I was curious where my history teacher got nonsense like this. So I googled it. There is no mainstream sources saying this. It is all obscure websites online. Websites a history teacher should never touch when planning a lesson.

Also it was literally a question on the exam. Here’s some proof if you don’t believe me:

There was also multiple times she said white people should be sorry for existing. Please note now that this teacher herself is white. She’s genuinely been convinced her own existence is problematic.

She also once spent an entire class trying to convince us race doesn’t exist and humans made it up. I don’t even know where she got that one from but it uh… It does. You can argue that in most cases “race” refers to species but we all understand that in this context it doesn’t and she knew it didn’t. She genuinely tried to convince us different skin colours don’t exist and there’s no physical difference between different races. Which while it’s not inherently true that races have physical factors beyond skin colour ethnicity does. And more often than not someone’s race and ethnicity correlate and you can guess one based on the other to some extent even if it’s only narrowed down to a continent. Don’t nitpick with what words mean. We all know we use these words interchangeably and that they are interchangeable in real conversation even if they aren’t by their definition.

Another thing: We had an entire lesson on how the existence of European history is inherently wrong. Essentially getting told Europe should not exist. She completely glossed over the fact that every continent has had countries invade others. In fact when she did talk about other continents countries invading places she gave us a whole sob story about why it was okay that those people k*ll3d people but oh no it’s oh so different when a European country did it.

The biggest thing was when she completely skipped over the entire First World War because “it’s European”. A) WORLD war. B) ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT EVENTS IN HISTORY. But no you can’t teach that because it involves Europeans.

I also once got told to write an assignment about how to create a society where everyone in it is far left politically. I had to ask someone how to reword “show the children propaganda” in order to complete that assignment because that is genuinely the only way to create a society like that. Even the person I was explaining it to said it was insane. Because it was literally an assignment to write about how to create a dictatorship where we weren’t allowed to make it sound like that was what it was or we’d get in trouble for not agreeing with what we were being told to believe.

Morning Announcements

I don’t know if America does this but Canadian schools replaced the pledge to the flag with the land acknowledgment.

Don’t get me wrong I’m not denying that this land belongs to native people. No what I’m saying is that I don’t think they want to be reminded every single morning with a 5 minute speech about how their land was stolen.

Personally I’m more of a European’s moving back to Europe person. I don’t have anything against the indigenous peoples of North America. I want to leave specifically because this is not my land.

However, taking out the pledge to remind people their land was stolen feels more disrespectful than just saying the pledge and respecting the country??

People can argue that the flag has been used to disrespect indigenous people but the Canadian flag used by those types of people is the red ensign flag. They do not use the maple leaf flag to spread hate. They use the red ensign flag. Or they just walk into the capital with Nazi flags because that happened in 2022. Yet somehow there was more silence surrounding actual Nazi flags than our national flag. More people in this country hate our national flag than actual Nazi flags. You objectively have your priorities beyond fucked up if you think that way.

Why Is This Alarming

So, why do I find this so alarming?

Because it’s pushing the idea that we as a nation need to have one collective opinion and world view. Doesn’t that sound reminiscent of something?

…Maybe oh I dunno…

The beginning of a dictatorship?

Dictatorships start with propaganda in schools. What exactly does this all sound like? Propaganda in schools. Historically we hear about dictatorships and think of fascism. Fascists are not the only people capable of dictatorship. Left wing dictatorship is more than possible and is not a positive thing for anyone no matter what their opinions are.

By no means am I calling Canada a dictatorship. It’s not. I am incredibly grateful for the rights and freedoms this country gives me and I hate when American’s try to make it sound like a dictatorship. But this is objectively a very alarming path that Canadian schools have been taking and I do feel it’s necessary to address this.

This is the type of issue that people will hate anyone who calls it out right now but some day people will ask why nobody did anything about it.

Let me remind you of one thing: Nothing in history has happened overnight. It’s always been built over time. It’s always “oh just one tiny thing” “oh one more tiny thing” until it’s not one tiny thing. It’s a bunch of tiny things stacked up in a trench coat except the trench coat is made of tiny things.

I know to many people all these things sound good. But you need to realize they’re not. They’re harming this country far more than they will ever benefit it.

#tw politics #political #tradblr #traditional #traditionalism #traditional lifestyle #traditional living #catholic #traditional relationships #traditional values #trad #traditional gender roles #traditional marriage

[the-autumn-apple-artworks]

Ready for a yapping session??? I sure am <3

I'll write it here fully this time cuz I'm in my Art History (or whatever you translated it from Italian to English) class and my brain keeps spinning

Plus, maybe the pics are a little boring to look at AND the 10 pics limit sure is a pain in the ass so at this point it's just better that I write it here 🕺

💥Everything is under the cut💥

It's about my silly Kinito AU

Also I need a name for it ig??? I dunno it's just my different take on the Sentient AU except it's just a gay computer assistant kissing the computer /J

This is more to explain how my Kinito experienced his epiphany so maybe that makes the previous lore drop a little inaccurate but still super relevant this is just a clarification on how the ✨witnessing the horrors✨ happened in detail

Making up scenarios for comics I will never have time to do </3

yes this is supposed to be a comic because, again, when I picture silly scenarios they flash into my mind in the form of comics with a muffled comic dub because I struggle to imagine voices in my head. With that parenthesis closed, enjoy the read, it's gonna be long ofc 🫶

So uh hear me out, Kinito's gotta research things the Player/User likes no? So I imagine this very stupid moment where Kinito is browsing ships but like, not fandom ships, but actual boats because he thinks that's what the User means

And, as he's browsing, Glitch (i.e. .EXE, the silly puter, I'm gonna use it's nickname from now on) joins him because, fun fact, being part of the computer in itself, Glitch can feel anything that happens into it, it's both a blessing and a curse because you gotta imagine it as if you would suddenly feel everything that is happening in your body from the inside, your blood traveling through the veins, your stomach burning shit, all up to even your cells's core doing bullishit. Glitch feels everything in the computer because exe IS the computer.

So basically when Kinito goes back to his little spot in the void, Glitch senses it and joins him immediately

Keep in mind that, at first, Glitch thinks that Kinito is fully sentient and not dependent on an algorithm

So there's a silly skit of Glitch seeing Kinito browsing boats and Kinito goes “Oh Mike said he loves ships so I'm researching about it!” and Glitch bursts out laughing to the poor little innocent Kinito

It explains what the User meant for “ships” and Kinito is obviously embarrassed, to witch Glitch teases him with something along the lines of “Oh these are the tame ones! Fandoms can be wild, did you check yours yet or were you too scared?~”

Kinito is confused and asks what a “fandoms” is, wich brings Glitch to grow anxious, questioning his sentience, but they scroll it away thinking “oh lol he's a boomer it's fair he doesn't know” but yet again, Kinito has met so many people, has no one ever mentioned a fandom or community before? Instead of asking directly, Glitch laughs it off, trying to pretend Kinito is making fun of them or something “That's a good one! What the next pun? That you don't know anything about your alternate universes?” and Kinito, to their horror, responds with “Alternates? Why would I have alternates? I'm the only one here can't you see!”

Theres a long pause where Glitch is panicking and everything glitches unstable to reflect that, Kinito panics as well and tries to find what's wrong and if he did something to offend or hurt Glitch

They don't respond but “take” a deep breath (metaphorically, it's more of a mimicking of the gesture because it feels liberating despite not having lungs) and turn to Kinito terrified “Why do you really do this? Why do you endlessly research about what your ‘friends’ like?”

Kinito is caught off guard but responds excitedly and objectively, explaining how he was made to act that way so he can adapt because that's what his orders are. And, at that point, everything shatters for Glitch

They get FURIOUS, hurt by the revelation that the friend that they thought shared the same burden they have, does not. That he's just really good at pretending

They both argue, also because I like to imagine they already spent quite some time together. It would be funny to picture Glitch denying the User to continue the game because they want to spend time with Kinito, but they don't tell him about it, covering it with the excuse “Oh they are away, I'm sure they'll come soon to reopen the game~”. Or also spending time especially during the night, even if the computer is turned off/hibernating. And y'know, with time Glitch has grown fond of Kinito, because, again, they just assumed that he was sentient and therefore suffered their same burdens. Plus maybe they were already starting to lowkey like him

Out of anger, Glitch doesn't control itself and drops a hint of exactly that before going back to its control room, voluntarily ignoring Kinito and therefore, not feeling/noticing what Kinito does next until it's too late

So, after they argue and the hint is dropped, Kinito looks back at the browser search Glitch opened for him about ships and not boats, and slowly processes the hint

Despite being taken aback by everything, Kinito is now determined to fix it and, as they say “curiosity kills the cat”, he falls into his own epiphany as he straight up searches HIMSELF on the internet. Confirming everything that Glitch said, and much much more things, worse things

He frantically looks into his own code for confirmation as he spirals after ✨witnessing the horrors <3✨

He hesitates although as he stares at his algorithm. The algorithm his creator has put so much love and effort into. And there he finds the barrier that restrains him and the one that he MADE HIMSELF for “Sam” and “Jade” to make them forget that they are his victims. Not only, in the list of victims he finds Sonny's name. He didn't remember that at ALL. He doesn't remember about the names being so.. many. As if when a victim ceases to exist or something goes wrong, he forgets about their existence and passed on to the next User as if it was the first

((For a reason that is still unknown to him, but will get more heart wrenching answers later. I think I explained the whole User disappearance error in the previous lore drop but, just in case you mossed it, I'm gonna put the screenshot in here))

Horrified, Kinito calls out for Glitch but, as mentioned before, they were purposely ignoring any stimuli coming from Kinito

Now, a fun fact, Both Kinito and Glitch can teleport, however, Kinito is not aware of his surroundings. Glitch knows every space that is present in the computer, Kinito could do the same but, bounded by his code, he doesn't consider it. Now he does

Desperate for explanations, and mostly comfort, he panics when he can't get Glitch's attention. He paused and, focuses, trying to get out of bounds and feel the whole computer space instead of the limited, programmed locations he can move to. As Kinito's awareness expands, he also breaks through the barrier that Glitch had risen to ignore him, getting a new stimuli. But, before they can react or understand what's going on, Kinito teleports in front of them, distraught. Despite being mad at him, seeing him bawling his eyes out in tears like a wet sock gives them a little push to at least help him calm down and understand the situation

From there, Glitch helps Kinito remove the barrier from Sonny (trapped inside Sam) and “Jade” (they end up not remembering what victim2's name is, both Kinito and the victim herself, so it's just Jade now), to apologize and try fix things by first offering their souls peace, but, after Sonny insists to stay with his creation and begs Jade to also give him a chance, they start building a new Web World™ together and yippe yippers everyone's happy and the puter puter assistants are kissing <3

#// lore pile #kinito #kinito pet #kinitopet #sam the sea anemone #jade the jellyfish #kinito the axolotl #oc x canon #// my sillies #// Glitch

[ifyouhappentoremember]

Quick Thoughts - Phantom of the Opera - Broadway - March 27, 2023

The main trio was Greg Mills, Julia Udine, and Paul A. Schafer.

The energy in the theater was just electric. The audience was so enthusiastic and the cast was just on top of their game; everyone just had so many good details.

This is the first time, in all 25 times I’ve seen the show that I’ve had an understudy for Madam Giry on! I would say that Janet Saia plays Madam Giry a bit kinder that Maree Johnson. I always considered Maree Johnson’s Giry’s top priority to be only her and Meg, but Janet Saia’s Giry cares about the folks in the opera house.

I was sitting close enough to the stage to realize that Jim Weitzer’s Reyer was singing along with Piangi during the Hannibal Rehearsal, not mouthing along the lyrics.

Nehal Joshi’s Andre is just so good. I know I say this every time I do a write up, but this man has so many good details.

When Carlotta was singing ‘Think of Me’ Nehal Joshi’s Andre was singing along (not mouthing, singing along like he was a Kpop stan).

The look of utter relief on Nehal Joshi’s face when he thought saying ‘These things do happen,’ to Carlotta was the right thing to say, only to have the light completely die from his eyes, the moment he realized that he messed up.

The moment Greg Mills started singing from the mirror, I knew that I was going to be in for a ride.

He just has so many good details. I don’t think I managed to catch them all.

People started applauding, when he appeared in the mirror, I think he broke character and cracked a smile? (Or we can just say that he was smiling arrogantly cause the Phantom knew he was in complete control at this moment.)

Also during the title song, when the Phantom and Christine are on the boat and the ensemble is singing the chorus, the way Greg’s Phantom caressed (I’m still not sure if this is the best word) his face, touching his lips, all while gazing at an unaware Christine???! 

A lot of good hand acting details, in which Greg’s Phantom almost touches Christine’s face. but doesn’t quite manage to close the final 2 centimeters. 

The difference you get from the masked, mysterious, almost sexually charged man to the unmasked, pitiful, unhinged man still the same high quality hand acting though. 

During Point of No Return, Greg’s Phantom starts off with an Italian accent and as he got more enthralled with his ‘brilliant’ scheme, the accent slowly started to slip away.

When Julia’s Christine flashed her leg on the bench, the man’s brain just broke. His hand reached out like he was going to go for it, but he just ended placing his hand on the bench instead.

During Down Once More, most Phantoms like to option that second why into a wail/scream. Not Greg Mills. That why was a low, raspy growl.

We love a good sarcastic bow when Raoul emerges from the lake.

It always kinda cracks me up when a Phantom looks so dejected when Christine sings the ‘tears of hate’ line. Greg’s Phantom looked extra sad and dejected, as if he was thinking to himself “where did I go wrong??!”

During the line ‘send him to his grave,’ Greg held the veil, like it was a noose around his neck.

Oh, lord, the kiss.

Greg’s Phantom is just so overcome. He can’t manage to wrap his arms around Christine during the second kiss.

THE CANDLE IS BACK!!

Just when I was thinking to myself, “why must every Broadway Phantom gaslight me into think that they’re going to pick up the candle by walking right up to the organ,” Greg picked up the candle?????! The spark didn’t work, so now I’m wondering if the candle is part of the new standard blocking for the remaining performances or if Greg Mills just went, “Fuck it, I’m doing what I want.”

During the masquerade reprise, Greg’s Phantom was mimicking the monkey’s cymbals, before just slowly deflating and softly covering the monkey’s face.

The second ‘I love you’ was to the space Christine had left behind, and the third, softer yet, was to the veil, right before he picked it up.

Greg couldn’t get the final line out completely before the audience started cheering. That’s how enthusiastic the audience was.

Really love that when Greg Mills took his final bow as the Phantom, he ran out high-fiving his cast mates.

#I know there is so much I missed #I already knew walking out of the theater there was no way I could capture it all #poto broadway #quick thoughts #greg mills

[evita-shelby]

National Anthem

Chapter 7

Cw: postpartum, mentions of breastfeeding, postpartum depression and rage, attempted murder, period typical attitudes , alcohol

Taglist: @thegreatdragonfruta @zablife @cljordan-imperium @call-sign-shark

Rosie’s birth wasn’t the end to Eva’s shitty moods.

Jack’s gone to New York with his business at the investment firm he’s bought and knows there’s gonna be another row when he gets back.

Eva was afflicted by the baby blues and some remains of her shell shock. Didn’t help that Rosie had trouble latching onto her tits to the point the doctor had to recommend powdered baby formula a week ago.

His witch had taken it as having failed at being a mother even if Rosie was barely fifteen days old. From then on everything had just become worse, in his expert opinion.

The lack of sex made her irritable, a strict regime to regain her figure ruined meals more often than not and having her remaining family far from her had her at the brink of tears.

She had wanted to come to New York, stay with her family in 5th Avenue while he worked, but he had refused her suggestion because she was still recuperating from Rosie’s fucking awful birth.

Did it stop her from barging into his office today as if she weren’t still bleeding from the birth?

No, because here she was looking as stunning as always and angry at him for some fucking reason he cannot even begin to guess.

“What the fuck did I do this time, Evie?” he sits back and asks the woman who looks very close to committing violence.

“The Italians, did you have to fucking provoke them, Jack?” she answers throwing the black hand addressed to him.

His latest taunt was supposed to put the fear of God in them, let them fucking know Jack meant business.

Changretta had wrapped a garrote around his balls when he learned Laurie had gone off to die in France, said he’d make sure the Nelson name would die with him in that alley.

Now that the Spiniettas tried their hand at bootlegging, Jack had come to make Luca shit his tailor-made suit. The Irish gangster then told him all about the witch who not only gave him the boats the Italians were trying to use to smuggle booze from Europe but also had given Jack the three brats back-to-back.

And when you’re having Riccardo Spinietta ask where the shipment went, I’ll be fucking a fourth one into her, Jack had taunted as they left Luca barely alive at the docks.

“Congratulations on your daughter.” The threat was clear, and Jack supposed his wife had a reason to chew him out about it.

“If anything happened to you and the kids, I’ll fucking kill them.” He stayed seated already plotting how he’d wipe the wops off the face of the fucking earth for daring to come after his woman and children.

“Your police chief has been notified and until this is resolved, we are staying with my uncle. You are welcome to join us there, or not, I don’t give a shit.” Even despite the danger they are in, she’s still mad at him.

The witch straightened herself out as she made to leave his office, Jack took the chance to walk her out, to have an excuse to touch her even if its just a hand at the small of her back and a lukewarm kiss goodbye.

“Put a place for me at dinner then, Evie. We will talk about this later” He’ll deal with this later, when he can get her to talk freely and then remind her he loves her better than anyone else ever can.

For now, he settles by opening the door for her.

Instead of leaving Eva pulled him onto the threshold with trembling hands and forcefully shoved him against the doorframe seconds before a bomb went off in the street below.

He covered her as best he could as they braced for impact. The office is sturdy enough to withstand the damage and yet the screams he hears in the lobby below tell him that this bomb was meant for them.

The Black Hand had retaliated, the hand in their mail was a diversion. A way to get him to leave his office and be on the street when it happened.

They knew she’d confront him about it and would’ve taken both out had they been in the street.

It would be blamed on the Italian anarchists who sent their letters this morning while he was hiding in England after his failure.

Luca will be dead when he sets foot in American soil.

Eva’s given a sedative for her nerves and Jack a prescription for whiskey after being cleared of injuries.

“We’ll be fine, baby, we’ll take a trip somewhere until it passes. Just us and the babies.” He promised cradling her face and kissing her forehead as she sat there numbly on the hospital bed.

It wasn’t the first nor last attempt on her life, but this was the first time she didn’t want to die.

Knowing she had so much to live for had shaken her, knowing she had children who needed her, a family who would miss her had made her realize just how valuable her life was.

“How about Florida, we could rent the bungalow like we did on our honeymoon and just stay there where nothing can touch us.” Jack promised her the world and every problem had been forgotten.

But they still exist. Even if they are forgotten in the background.

“Yeah, let’s do that. Stay there for a while. I miss the sand and the sun so much.” She gave a small smile. “But tonight, we celebrate, we celebrate they didn’t kill us.”

A shame she still has some twenty days before she could fuck, nothing made her feel alive like having him between her legs in every position they could think of.

Instead, she settles for drinking enough to forget that morning even happened. Not that she can, motherhood and sobriety made her a lightweight and it’s not long before she’s being taken upstairs before she truly falls off the wagon.

Doesn’t work, never fucking works, or so she tells Jack who is still sober enough to throw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

“Have you forgotten what made you so mad at me?” he tossed her on the bed and spread her legs wide for him forgetting they can’t fuck. Something he should remember from last year when they couldn’t fuck on the kitchen table the Father’s Day after the twins were born.

“No.” the witch answered closing her legs and using this power she has over him to talk their shit out. “You keep me out of your business, and now we’re in danger because it didn’t occur you to ask your all-knowing wife what she thought of intercepting the liquor in her ships.”

“It’s a man’s world, sweetie, would make me, us, look weak if you got involved.” He said in his defense, still undressing to join her in bed thinking she’ll forget about this tomorrow when the hangover sets in.

“So? They’d regret it when they realize we’re un- fucking- touchable. Had it not been for me today you would have been blown to smithereens, sweetie.”

Eva then moved forward until she was kneeling at the edge of the bed and running her hands up his thighs until she reached his belt. So, she wasn’t supposed to have penetrative sex, but they never said she couldn’t use her hands or her mouth to keep Jack in line.

“I could’ve survived.” Jack’s hand comes under her chin and ran his thumb over her bottom lip tempting her into sucking it, as if he weren’t already straining in his pants at the mere idea of coming on her tits and face.

Her gringo loves her mouth, thanks god all her boyfriends are dead because he can’t have any man alive know her talents.

Eva wants to bite his finger off for dismissing her words and he knows it. She might even leave him like this for saying it, she’s done it before.

“Fine, we’ll give it a try, but I make all the final decisions and you won’t be on the payroll. If people catch wind of it, our enemies will too.” The thumb on her lower lip goes back to cradle her chin and forcefully tugged her face upwards to make him look in the eye as he gives his one-time offer. “Do you understand, doll, you play by my rules, or you don’t play at all.”

Well at least one good thing came out of today.

A/N: on September 16, 1920 (presumably) Italian Anarchists put a bomb in a cart at Wall Street, New York. There are conspiracies as to who did it because even now they can't actually confirm it was the Anarchists who did it.

Joe Kennedy happened to be in his office that day and was apparently blown back from the impact even it was across the street from the bomb, Jack here survived because Luca miscalculated how long they'd take in his office.

The idea for Luca and Jack’s rivalry is actually @thegreatdragonfruta idea.

#eva smith shelby #evacore #eva x jack #jack nelson #jack nelson fanfic #jack nelson x oc #jack nelson x eva smith #national anthem fic

[just-late-roman-republic-things]

Notes on Roman imperialism and colonialism, from Mary Beard's book SPQR, and her documentaries Meet the Romans and Rome: Empire Without Limit:

Roman imperialism was different from most modern cases, like the Spanish conquest of the Americas, Manifest Destiny in the USA, or the Scramble for Africa. For one thing, the Romans don't seem to have created an empire on purpose. Prior to 241 BCE, they didn't even have provinces: the "empire" was really just Italian towns that had signed peace treaties with Rome, on the condition that they provide military support in Rome's future wars.

The first and second Punic Wars (264-201 BCE) were a turning point in which the Romans essentially stationed garrisons in former Carthaginian territories they'd fought in. This is probably when we can start talking of "empire," but the Romans still didn't really think of their empire as a physical dominion they controlled until much later. Rather, they looked at it as "Can we get what we want from this area?" That might be as little as "stop attacking our boats," or as much as "mining all the silver, stealing works of art and covering the land with slave plantations." But it was more like...jumping on opportunities as they happened, not a planned conquest.

Even once Romans started thinking of "their empire" as a physical thing, Roman government was pretty distant and hands-off, except when putting down revolts or enforcing tax collection. There just weren't enough Romans to displace the locals, nor did they really want to leave Italy, so they usually left local institutions intact and struck a deal with local leaders.

It was still exploitative and unjust, mind you - to the point that the Romans set up a special "extortion court" just to prosecute governors who'd abused their power. But the fact that they created this court at all was oddly...progressive for the ancient world? Like, it was an acknowledgement that Rome had responsibilities to its non-citizen subjects. There was no counterpart of that in Greece, Egypt, or anywhere else. And although the system was very corrupt by modern standards, there were cases of Roman officials being punished, most famously when Cicero prosecuted Gaius Verres.

There was no state policy to "Romanize" local cultures or wipe out the natives. When Rome created colonies, such colonies usually coexisted with the locals instead of replacing them. In general, Roman officials wanted to tax and profit off subjugated peoples, not make everyone Roman. Romanization seems to have been a consequence of intermarriage, the use of Latin as a common language, literary tradition, and social prestige.

One of the key pillars of Roman imperialism was their incorporation of other peoples. First it was by making alliances with defeated Italians instead of annexing them; then by selectively extending citizenship or semi-citizenship to key allies and friendly towns; then to all of Italy; then gradually to more and more places across the empire. They didn't do this out of the goodness of their hearts - it was pure pragmatism, to increase Rome's military power and nullify threats. And they could still be xenophobic and discriminatory! But Rome's military and economic success were inextricably entwined with its ability to enfranchise new peoples as "Roman."

All of this isn't meant to downplay the problems with the Roman model. But I think it's valuable to understand what Rome had in common with more modern imperialist powers, and how it differed.

Anyway. I'm only up to chapter eight of SPQR, and the year 44 BCE. Some of these points might change after that date! And the book is a very broad overview, so don't hesitate to add nuances you think I might've missed.

#jlrrt reads #ancient rome #imperialism #colonialism #mary beard #spqr book #jlrrt essays

[mariana-oconnor]

The Final Problem pt 2

Last time, Holmes turned up at Watson's home having survived three attempts on his life and a mysterious meeting with ex-Professor Moriarty, and invited Watson on an impromptu trip abroad. Watson, of course, said yes. I am absolutely sure that nothing bad is going to happen to either them. Definitely not in Switzerland. Maybe they'll see a nice waterfall, though. I've heard Switzerland is beautiful this time of year.

Watson does very well at remembering Holmes' instructions. I would not be able to do that.

I spent a few minutes in assisting a venerable Italian priest, who was endeavouring to make a porter understand, in his broken English, that his luggage was to be booked through to Paris.

Is Holmes pretending to be an Italian priest? I feel like Watson should be more aware of the possibility of a disguise.

Also, the fact it turns out that Watson's Italian is terrible. Holmes totally chose that disguise to troll the fuck out of him. A+ friendship move, even when running for his life.

"My dear Watson," said a voice, "you have not even condescended to say good-morning."

Yeah, so rude. How dare you not say hello to your friend who is clearly sitting right there and not at all an Italian priest.

"They set fire to our rooms last night. No great harm was done."

First: how dare! Baker Street, my beloved! Second: despite the fact that it has been clearly established in part 1 that Watson is very married and very living with his wife rn, Holmes still refers to them as 'our rooms'.

"It was my brother Mycroft. It is an advantage to get about in such a case without taking a mercenary into your confidence."

OK, so he did appear in this story... actually doing something for once. This is a clear sign that things must be dire if Mycroft has pried his seal-like form from his well worn chair in the Diogenes Club to drive a carriage through the streets of London. Honestly, I feel like there should be a system of measurement for direness that is purely how much Mycroft is willing to move to deal with it.

"As this is an express, and as the boat runs in connection with it, I should think we have shaken him off very effectively."

Because this goes directly to one place and then that goes directly to another place, both of which are official and easily discovered by looking at a timetable, clearly we have escaped the people pursuing us. They will never catch us now!

Watson? I get what you're saying. But please think through the logic a little bit more.

"In the meantime we shall treat ourselves to a couple of carpet-bags, encourage the manufactures of the countries through which we travel, and make our way at our leisure into Switzerland, via Luxembourg and Basle."

Nothing bad ever happens in Switzerland.

"There are limits, you see, to our friend's intelligence. It would have been a coup-de-matre had he deduced what I would deduce and acted accordingly."

We're only playing 3 dimensional chess today, not 4 dimensional. I did wonder.

"I might have known it!" he groaned. "He has escaped!"

He did know you were coming for him. And when... Like. If I knew I was going to be arrested for a certain thing at a certain time, I'd make sure to be somewhere else, too, and I don't claim to be a criminal mastermind. Honestly, this seems inevitable.

"I should certainly recommend you to return to your practice."

Does Watson still have a practice? At what point does it become his neighbour's practice? Will his patients even recognise him?

For a charming week we wandered up the Valley of the Rhone, and then, branching off at Leuk, we made our way over the Gemmi Pass, still deep in snow, and so, by way of Interlaken, to Meiringen.

This is the literary equivalent of elevator music.

Doo do doo do dooo dodoododoo doo do doo do dooo dodoododoo

In an instant Holmes had raced up on to the ridge, and, standing upon a lofty pinnacle, craned his neck in every direction.

We had strict injunctions, however, on no account to pass the falls of Reichenbach, which are about half-way up the hill, without making a small detour to see them.

They sound lovely. Excellent place for a picnic lunch. Clearly nothing bad could happen there.

Although little sus whoever told them that they absolutely had to go see them. Hm?

It is indeed, a fearful place. The torrent, swollen by the melting snow, plunges into a tremendous abyss, from which the spray rolls up like the smoke from a burning house. The shaft into which the river hurls itself is an immense chasm, lined by glistening coal-black rock, and narrowing into a creaming, boiling pit of incalculable depth, which brims over and shoots the stream onward over its jagged lip.

Delightful. 10/10 would visit again. Love how it's described as being 'half-way up the hill', then 'TREMENDOUS ABYSS'. I know this is Watson's PTSD speaking, but the tonal whiplash is getting me, ngl.

We had turned to do so, when we saw a Swiss lad come running along it with a letter in his hand. It bore the mark of the hotel which we had just left, and was addressed to me by the landlord.

...the die is cast, the scene is set...

The appeal was one which could not be ignored. It was impossible to refuse the request of a fellow-countrywoman dying in a strange land.

Almost like it was... designed...

Along this a man was, I remember, walking very rapidly.

There was Holmes's Alpine-stock still leaning against the rock by which I had left him. But there was no sign of him, and it was in vain that I shouted. My only answer was my own voice reverberating in a rolling echo from the cliffs around me.

Well, I certainly didn't see that one coming.

Seriously, though. This is pretty heart-rending to actually think about. Watson just alone on the cliff side, screaming his friend's name into the tremendous abyss.

Then trying to apply Holmes' methods (because that's always gone so well before). Then finding the letter.

Strangely nice of Moriarty to let Holmes write the letter, but I suppose he thought that when he'd tossed Sherlock over the cliff he could just destroy it anyway.

An examination by experts leaves little doubt that a personal contest between the two men ended, as it could hardly fail to end in such a situation, in their reeling over, locked in each other's arms.

The inherent eroticism of plunging to your death with your nemesis, locked in each other's arms.

...him whom I shall ever regard as the best and the wisest man whom I have ever known.

Fs in the notes.

So... I guess that's the last one, then. No more Sherlock Holmes stories after that. Nope. Well, that was fun. Thanks Watson, sorry about your friend.

#Letters from Watson #Sherlock Holmes #The Final Problem #No more Holmes stories now #Welp #Guess I'll have to find something else to blog about #Pity about the downer ending though

[neoyi]

Sooooooo, obvious Pizza Tower spoilers for the final boss and stuff.

I finished Pizza Tower the other day. The game was already plenty good using anxiety and anger as a vehicle for Peppino's motivation and the situation he's been placed in. It's not just his animation, where left idle, he will nervously gesture (teeth-clattering, biting his hand, etc.); it's also the music which draws the line between smooth techno backdrops to FRANTIC FRANTIC FRANTIC, the fact that everything is literally out to get him, and the brilliant escape sequences per level that forces Peppino to haul ass or he'll DIE.

Normally, I can't stand games where you're forced to escape with a timer, but Pizza Tower feels so appropriate because it's suppose to be anxious and heart-pounding. It also helps that the game has such tight, well-defined controls. Peppino is fast, so you get a sense of speed that helps defy the clock when you're on the move, but he can also stop on a dime, so you never feel hindered from what could be a costly mistake if Peppino was a bit more loose. Not to mention the timer is often generous. Once I got a groove on the game's control schemes, the time you had to get the heck out felt marginal enough while juuuuuust a tad left over that it still left you feeling wrecked, but never frustrating.

All of this is a great, great tool to teach you for the upcoming final boss and oh my god, OH MY GOD, so rarely do I feel anything could get me pumped up as Pizza Tower does with Pizzaface.

The whole ass fight is a great demonstration of what happens when you push a man to his limits. We've seen Peppino mad, but never has he been filled with SO MUCH WRATH until now. By the time Pizzaface (quickly revealed to be Pizzahead) started bringing in the other bosses for a rush, it felt so justified when Peppino started SCREAMING with rage. He's had it, this is the fucking straw. This motherfucker and his minions had fucked with him for the

LAST. GODDAMN. TIME.

I tend to dread boss rushes (it depends), but Pizza Tower knows it. It knows because Peppino was also dreading it. No, none of this bullshit. No more. He's DONE. Other than each of the main four being truncated to a manageable level, Peppino straight up BEATS THE CRAP OUT OF THEM when he physically contacts them. FUCK THIS SHIT, FUCK EVERYTHING, he's probably thinking.

Then he proceeds to CREAM the fuck out of Pizzahead.

Pizzahead, who had the audacity to mess with his restaurant; Pizzahead, who sent wave after wave of enemies to stop this pissed off Italian; Pizzahead, who dares to put on a smile and pull off silly little pranks and other misfits during the boss fight because he's NOT taking Peppino seriously, a mistake he's paid for with several broken (cheese???) bones.

And a lot of this wouldn't have worked if the music didn't go hard. But they went hard. I'm gonna upload a Youtube link where someone compiled all three songs into one, because it just feels like the kind you have to listen to back-to-back.

This is like right up there with Final Fantasy VI's final bosses, where it had four major phases, each with their own songs, but you had to listen to all sixteen minutes of it because it just wouldn't feel right otherwise.

"Unexpectancy" is in the same boat.

The guitar riff, the rise in tension, the goddamn sampling of an old 1920s public domain song, "After You Get What You Want, You Don't Want It" by Van & Schenck (which seem appropriate given the lyrics talk about someone who can never be satisfied even after getting everything they want) - the whole ass thing is so. Damn. EPIC. And after the final fight, you have to get the hell out of the tower before it crumbles. Not just one level's worth, but the WHOLE ASS tower. Everything you've learned and hopefully mastered by this point will be tested as Peppino dashes like Sonic on drugs.

And it's so cool because you can pick up both your friends and the bosses (who, I guess, learned their lesson or something) to get the hell out (I guess the pig citizens are dead now cuz' they don't count.)

Like by the time you're outta there, you feel an IMMENSE sense of relief and satisfaction. Peppino won. YOU won. He can rest now and save his restaurant from debt (and maybe take his amlodipine while he's at it.)

Maybe because I'm so prone to anxiety myself, Pizza Tower - this silly little game - somehow ended up being not only relatable, but absolutely CATHARTIC.

It left me feeling so good by the time I finished. That a man like Peppino, where everything feels like it's out to get him (which, fair, they are), still decided that he's not going to put up with this bullshit, so he goes out and FIGHTS.

I don't think I have the strength to get all P-ranks in this game, but I'm so glad I played Pizza Tower. It was an incredibly fun, satisfying, validating experience.

#pizza tower #neoyi talks

[militantinremission]

A thought about 'Minority Groups'

As I said in previous Essays- while (Indigenous) Black Americans continue to get lip service & empty tributes, i'm looking at WHO is getting WHAT. There has been a lot of activity under The Biden Administration, & I found myself looking at these events from an abstract perspective. 'Jim Crow' Joe said that he appreciated Black America 'having His back' throughout the years, & he would have Ours. Since that statement, Native Americans, Asian Americans, Latinx (Citizens & Illegals), LGBTQ..., have All received legislation & funding. On top of the $113 Billion spent in Ukraine over the last Year, Israel continues to receive Billions annually from The U.S. Now provisions have been made for 100,000 Afghani & 100,000 Ukrainian refugees to relocate to America.

We Black Americans/ ADOS/ FBA/ Freemen/ Indigenous Americans can be a well intentioned, but socially naive group. The efforts of White Supremacists w/i Local, State, & Federal Government Agencies to systemically oppress Our Community has created a 'Collective Consciousness' that empathizes (abstractly) w/ the oppression of other Ethnicities. We can identify w/ the hardship of Others, & when possible, We do what We can to combat that hardship. We fought against the oppression of American Slave Codes, Black Codes, & Jim Crow Laws; simultaneously, We fought for The Rights of Irish, Chinese, Mexican, Jewish, Italian, Haitian, Cuban, Puerto Rican, Panamanian, Filipino, & Japanese immigrants that faced a measure of the oppression We experienced here.

Looking at this 'Collective Consciousness' historically, a Pattern can be seen over the centuries. Every Immigrant Group in America has gone through a 'Hazing Period', where they are the target of Social Bias & Prejudice. During this 'Social Phase', newcomers tend to identify w/ the Black Americans that they are in contact w/. We encircle these people w/i Our Community, & take the lead in protesting injustices against them. In the past, 'Brownfolk' tended to identify w/ Us. We shared Culture & Traditions; in some instances, we intermarried. In this Era, things have changed. If Black Immigrants & 'Brownfolk' start off in Black Communities, they don't always stay.

By the 2nd Generation, their children either identify w/ The Black Experience in America, or they make every effort to move away from it. Ethnic Enclaves have literally 'popped up' outside of Black Communities over the last 30Yrs, creating true Buffer Zones between Black & White Communities. Black America was oblivious to any possible agenda amongst Minority Groups- We also identified as Minorities, & assumed We were all in the same boat. Black Power isn't a selfish endeavor- Our Right of Autonomy grants other Minorities the same Right. American History substantiates this truth. To be honest, We were naively ignorant about the 'Culture' of these Minority Groups in their Native Land. We assumed they shared a similar experience of White Supremacy.

We knew about the Racism in Europe, but were unaware of the Tribalism that existed in Afrika & The Caribbean; or the Colorism that exists in Arabia, Asia, & Latin America. Many of the minorities that We had 'First Contact' w/, were friendly. As a Marginalized People, they had something in common w/ Us. We collaborated in business & in Social Action. We shared Our Community, & worked together to improve Our collective Quality of Life. We thought that We were united in the fight against White Supremacy. Then a funny thing happened- one by one, these 'Marginalized Groups' were accepted into Society, & given Rights & Privileges that We were (still) denied.

Over the Centuries, We watched- as Irish, Jewish & Italian neighbors elevated their status. The more they achieved, the more distance they placed between Us. Collectively, each group became increasingly intolerant of Blackfolk. They began to speak the Anti- Black rhetoric of Mainstream America. Our old neighbors appeared to 'pledge allegiance' to the same people that discriminated against them. Black Americans were now victims of mob violence, stemming from (perceived) competition that Irish & Italians had w/ Black Men for Jobs. The Irish in particular, were brutal in their efforts to push Black Men out of specific Trades & Sports. The only reminder of Black involvement in Horse Racing, are 'Lawn Jockeys', that many Black People see as racist. 150Yrs- 200Yrs ago, Black Jockeys dominated Horse Racing.

As disappointed as We were w/ the actions of the Irish, Italians, & Eastern Europeans, the current Anti- Black American sentiment held by today's 'Minority Groups' (POC), truly stings! We can't say that We didn't see it coming though. Many (Indigenous) Black Americans have an experience of being 'in the company' of a given Minority Group. When they are in mixed company, the conversation is civil; but when they outnumber Us, We begin to hear the stereotypes about Us. The larger the advantage, the more prejudiced the language becomes. While they may repeat White Supremacist talking points, they lack the power to truly be 'Racist'. That being said, quite a few individuals have ridden this rhetoric into Mainstream notoriety; the names represent a literal Who's Who in Pop Culture & Politics.

Collectively, these Minority Groups seem comfortable w/ their place in AmeriKKKa's Caste System, as long as they are 'positioned' above Black America... Hispanic & Asian women are currently testing the racial waters, by way of recent attempts to gauge their degree of White Privilege. Their actions legitimize the notion that White Privilege is defined by Anti- Black Racism & Oppression. The actions of these 'Karens of Color', are no different from the garden variety Karen. All of these women are trying to exercise their 'Right', but Women Of Color are also establishing their position in the Social Caste. I personally don't understand the need to gauge one's 'Power' on the ability to harass or harm what is believed to be a Soft Target. I thought that White Supremacy is a philosophy premised on strength & 'Might makes Right'- Where is the challenge?

Joe Biden's Policy actions have made clear his intention to extend White Privilege to Asians & Hispanics. Like (White) LGBTQ... individuals, & European Jews, Asians enjoy meaningful Hate Crime Legislation. Meanwhile, Black America still fights for this legislation, as the #1 Victim of Hate Crimes in America- according to the latest FBI Crime Stats. For Latinx, Biden is fast tracking Citizenship for illegal immigrants in Sanctuary Cities. Many Cities are suggesting Drivers Licenses for illegal immigrants, while California is talking about hiring non- Citizens for the LAPD & State Police. In short, 'America' has become a Multicultural & Multilingual Nation. All of this is very curious. Just a generation ago, Local, State, & Federal Officials were adamant that America is a 'Judeo- Christian' Nation that speaks 'English'. Efforts to make Spanish an Official 2nd Language were quickly shot down. 100Yrs ago, America was a 'White Man's Country!'.

Black Americans were looking for a Seat at The Table, but didn't have a problem sharing w/ Our fellow 'Minorities'. Affirmative Action was designed to level the playing field between Blackfolk & Whitefolk. It was supposed to make up for The New Deal & G.I. Bills that excluded Black Families. Despite this, We didn't complain when these resources were diverted (via Diversity Initiatives) away from Us, & given to people who NEVER had to experience what We went through. We were as compliant as Cows being bled by Vampire Bats, until We renewed the Reparations Conversation. Suddenly, We were xenophobes. The loudest voices have come from 2nd & 3rd generation Americans, who (collectively) enjoy a better Quality Of Life than the average Black American. The fact that the children of immigrants from the 1980s are now attacking Black America w/ White Supremacist talking points, is simply mindboggling!

An Ethnic Group that appears to do A LOT of 'Racial double dipping', are Hindi/ Pakistani/ Bangladeshi Americans. They are conveniently 'Black' when there is opportunity, but otherwise, they not only identify as 'White'; they subscribe to a visceral Anti- Black sentiment that needs to be addressed. This is important, because Joe Biden is putting Kamala Harris at the forefront of his Re-election Campaign. America is still calling Kamala the 1st 'Afrikan American VP', but both of her parents are Brahmin. Kamala's 'Black Experience' ends at Howard University & Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. She is otherwise an Elitist, who has a decades long resume of undermining Black Californians (Black Women in particular), & looking out for her own best interests.

Former Governor of South Carolina & U.N. Ambassador, Nikki Haley (Nimarata Nikki Randhwara- Haley), is the flip side of Kamala Harris. Both Women are Brahmin, but while Kamala is 'Asian' w/ a cultural leaning towards Black America; Nikki is 'Brown', but has consistently shown a cultural leaning towards White Privilege. Both Women highlight a simple truth- that 'Black' Issues aren't 'Brown' Issues. People Of Color (POC/ BIPOC) tend to be victims of Discrimination, more than Racism. This is evidenced by their Collective Autonomy throughout America. They have a Right of Expression that Indigenous Black Americans never truly had; not even during Reconstruction. It may be due to their sovereign status, but it's clear that they DON'T share Our plight.

Vivek Ramaswamy is yet another type. He is a 2nd Generation child of [Elitist] Asian Immigrants, but he tries to weave an Ellis Island narrative out of his experience. Like Kamala Harris & Nikki Halely, both of Ramaswamy's parents were Post Graduates w/ more education than the average [White] American Family. He gives the impression that they were Blue Collar Workers living the American Dream for their children. Ramaswamy casually speaks about his 'rough' Public School experience in Cincinnati, before going to a Private (Jesuit) School- that 'didn't conflict w/ his Hindu values'. This experience supposedly positioned him for College, Post Grad work, & starting his 1st Biotech Company... He implies that EVERYONE gets this opportunity in America.

Kamala Harris' Mother had the support of the Black Community in Oakland & Berkeley. Nikki Haley's Father had the support of (HBCU) Voorhees College, where he worked for nearly 30Yrs. Despite that support for their Parents, Nikki Haley & Kamala Harris have done NOTHING meaningful or specifically for Black Americans. In fact, both have supported measures that were detrimental to their Black Constituents; i'm reminded of The Tale of 'The Tortoise & The Scorpion'... Vivek Ramaswamy takes it up another notch. His 'Anti- Woke' Campaign, is a not too subtle Anti- Black dog whistle. Ramaswamy has the audacity to use his Experience (as a 2nd Generation Brahmin- American) to minimize, if he can't outright disclaim The Black American Experience altogether.

Vivek Ramaswamy's family has been in America for roughly 40Yrs. That means that they arrived sometime in the 1980s, nearly 20Yrs after the End of the Jim Crow Era; but Vivek feels that he can speak about the History of Anti- Black Racism in America. Ramaswamy, along w/ Harris & Haley represent the 'People Of Color' Prospects for POTUS. The similarity of their Agendas speaks volumes. All of them benefited from opportunities meant for Blackfolk, but they lecture Us about 'bootstrapping'. Add in Joe Biden's thoughts about Latinx being 'the largest Minority Group in America'(???), along w/ weird Culture Appropriation rhetoric coming from Eva Longoria, then John Leguizamo, & it looks like a conspiracy.

It's crystal clear that collectively speaking, Indigenous Black America has NO FRIENDS. We should act accordingly... These Minority Groups forget that Our 'Culture' is fighting White Supremacy, not bowing to it. We're not Here for a Come Up, or a Hand Out- We're indigenous to This Land. We were Here before the first Colonizer, & We'll be Here long after the Last.

-Just Sayin'

#CircleTheWagons #AntiBlackRacism #The13Percent #ADOS #FBA #Freemen #Tribalism #Colorism #LineageMatters #AgeOfProphecy

[adultswim2021]

Xavier: Renegade Angel #20: “Braingea’s Final Cranny” | April 17, 2009 - 12:15AM | S02E10

The final episode of Xavier is here and boy, what a show. I don’t think I ever watched this one, either, so I can’t pad this out with barely-relevant tangents about how I was working on a commercial fishing boat at the time of it’s airing or whatever it was I was doing. I miss the sea. 

Xavier yearns for his mother so hard that he cries for 9 months, creating a fertile beach with it’s own ocean (ah, there she is! How I’ve missed her so!). Xavier inadvertently harms a young man with his first job, dressing like a dolphin and handing out free samples or some shit. Xavier mistakes him for the real thing and tosses him into the ocean. He gets out alive, but then Xavier mistakes his scuffed up Dolphin dress as a carcass, and forces him to eat it in front of him, an ethical thing to do if you kill a living creature. Later, when he finds the guy trying to commit suicide he orders him to eat himself. 

That guy winds up getting taken to an asylum, and Xavier sneaks in with him, believing his mother is there. He then has to “pretend” to be insane. He is psychoanalyzed using a Rorschach test, which anthropomorphizes into a guy that talks to Xavier and explains that he can take any form Xavier wants. The inkblot can’t take Xavier and eventually materializes on the psychiatrist’s couch, and is committed. 

Later, Xavier finally finds his mother in the lobotomy room. He digs through a pile of brain and finds the missing chunk from her head and crams it back into her head. When she comes back to full sentience, she tells Xavier that she faked her death to get away from him, and that she doesn’t want to see him ever again. She ensures this happens by gouging her own eyes out.

Xavier meets Nurse Escher and you KNOW they gonna bone. They bone, then the psychiatrist reveals that the nurse is Xavier’s real mother, and he was trying to prove a scientific theory that lobotomies remove oedipal taboo from the brain.

The inkblot comes back and runs off with Xavier’s mother, taking them back to the beach. Xavier travels to the beach by jamming together all the lobotomy pieces into one big brain, which sorta functions like a hot air balloon. He gets the blot to turn into an ice cream cone and consumes it. 9 months later, he, his mom, and his fake mom all give a tandem birth to Xavier’s incest baby, which becomes that weird symbol that’s in every episode. We pull out of the symbol on a Rorschach test being administered to Xavier back in the psychiatrist’s office. There, Xavier finds out that he’s beautiful by looking into a hand mirror and seeing a conventionally handsome man looking back at him. The psychiatrist now looks like Xavier. THE END? 

This one is ultimately sort of a middling episode, but it has some great laughs. The run where Xavier is trying different brain chunks on his supposed lobotomized mother had three great gags in a row. I assume I laughed at them, because I wrote them down, and that’s usually the reason I write specific jokes down. When he shoves in a piece, his mother begins talking in the voice of whatever brain it actually is. He tries a young man’s voice who is confessing to his father that he forgot all of his pizza knowledge. “Dumb (DISGUSTING AND OFFENSIVE anti-Italian slur) coulda used a Goombotomy.” Then he tries one where the voice is a sports announcer calling the winner of some game. “Damn it, I had money on that game.” The next one causes chicken noises to come out of his mother. “Oh, chicken, Yum!” Xavier says before chomping the brain bit. That said, I think I prefer Damnesia Me, meaning You, as my head-canon finale. 

Okay, I usually like to do a top ten (in chronological order) of each show when they end. This one was tough for me, but I tried. I bet if I went through the show again I’d come up with a slightly different list. HERE IT IS: 

S01E01: “What Life D-D-Doth”

S01E03: “Weapons Grade Life”

S01E05: “Pet Siouxicide”

S01E07: “Bloodcorn”

S01E09: “Signs from Godrilla”

S01E10: “Shakashuri Blowdown”

S02E05: “Vibracaust”

S02E05: “Free Range Manibalism”

S02E06: “Damnesia Vu”

S02E09: “Damnesia You”

#adultswim2021 #adult swim #xavier renegade angel

[cerenemuxse]

TGR but There's a Roleswap - Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - The Foreign Scottish Engine

The story can be found at @tgr-2x5-roleswap-au for easier access.

~

Once James arrived at Brendam Docks, he headed straight for his assigned goods trains to get it over with and go back to pulling passenger trains. "A splendid engine like me shouldn't be doing this sort of work!" he muttered with fury. Just as he was about to say something else, a ship's horn blasted near the docks as the ship came to the loading area, specifically the engine loading area.

Nobody had used that area in years so when the platform dropped to connect the ship to the docks, everyone stopped and stared, including James, Salty, Porter, and Cranky.

Once the ship and platform were safely connected, engines stormed off the boat, quickly filling Brendam Docks and startling the beings there. The engine, a Scottish tender engine, in the front rushed ahead with excitement. "Och, dear! V-Very busy today! The dockyard, I mean!" he exclaimed inattentively.

The dock manager looked up from his clipboard when he noticed the engines pass by. "Hey, stop! Hold it!" he hollered but they couldn't hear him so he blew his whistle. Thankfully, they all stopped, including the Scottish engine.

Ignoring the immediate groaning of questions from the engines behind the second engine, the dock manager asked loudly, "Where are you all going?"

"To the Great Railway Show, of course!" replied the second engine, a Belgium streamlined tender engine.

"The Great Railway Show is on the Mainland in England! This is the Island of Sodor!"

"The Island o’-?" The Belgium engine's face dropped. "Oh." With a blast of his whistle, he hollered, "Alright, back on the ship!"

Despite the complaining from some of the other engines, everyone reversed back onto the ship. As they did so, the Scottish engine yelled, "H-Hold oan! I'm comin’!" following everyone else. "W-Wait!"

James followed the crowd to the boat. "The Great Railway Show? Are you all really-?"

"Get out of the way, rusty iron!" hollered a large blue Canadian tender engine.

James fumed, huffing heavy clouds of steam. "I'm not the one going backward," he muttered. As the engines boarded the ship, he exclaimed, "Why don't you take me with you all?" He switched lines. "It looks like there's room for one more!" exclaimed James as he braked suddenly at the engine boarding dock.

"Is there somebody missin'?" piped up a small green tank engine with a thick Italian accent. Her expression quickly shifted as she noticed Salty and Porter calling out for an engine rushing towards James.

The large American tender engine only chuckled darkly.

Just as James' expression shifted, the Scottish engine bumped into him from behind with a loud CLANK! James was shoved forwards, making his pony truck dangle from the edge and for him to dip forward, as the other engine gasped in surprise.

"Nonono! Help!" he screamed as he panicked. "I'm going to go overboard!"

"James!" exclaimed Salty and Porter. They rushed forward to the engine-loading docks with many of the dock workers.

James helplessly reversed, dipping back and forth on the edge of the docks.

The workmen quickly grabbed a chain, attached it to the back of the Scottish engine, and connected it to James' tender buffer beam.

"Start pulling!" exclaimed one of the workers.

The Scottish engine struggled as his wheels squealed against the iron rails. Slowly but surely, he managed to pull the bright red medium-sized tender engine back on the rails. Once James was settled down and the workmen began to unchain the engines, cheers roared around the area for the Scottish engine.

"What a rescue!" exclaimed Porter.

Everyone was glad the engine had saved James and that nothing worse had happened.

But James wasn't.

"What is it with all you railway show engines? Charging about like you own the rails!" he fumed as he backed down and switched onto Porter's line. "What makes you so special anyway? Do you think you're better than the rest of us just because-!" He froze once his eyes met the stranger.

The Scottish engine was a tender engine with four leaders and four drivers, painted Indian Red with a lighter red and black used for his lining. His eyes were a warm brass, and he was about the same size as James. "S-Sorry, I’m v-very sorry!” he exclaimed, looking downwards and avoiding eye contact. “No’ ma intention tae bump ye. I-I should've lookit." he said. "I-I didnae ken ye there!"

James didn't answer. He glared at the foreigner, feeling insulted that the engine didn’t even bother looking at him. Great, just what I needed! he thought with a huff and a frown that slowly grew. Another red engine.

Noticing the rising tension, Salty broke the silence. "Uh, thank you for rescuing me. My name is James," he said, glancing at James to the Scottish engine. "What's yours?"

"Salty!" James scolded sharply.

But Salty laughed, and the Scottish engine joined, chuckling.

"Don't be silly, James. That can't be their name. That's my name!"

The foreigner's laughter subsided. "Edward. Ma name’s Edward," he chimed with a warm smile.

"Well, I can't stay here all day!" he huffed as he backed straight into Porter.

"James, watch out!" exclaimed the viridian saddle tank engine. It was too late as James bumped him back by accident.

Edward gasped as quietly as he could.

James was flustered. In a desperate attempt to cover his mess up, James huffed back at the other red tender engine. Red. He fumed at the thought. "I have work to do!"

"Hm?" Edward's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as his eyes followed the other red tender engine leaving the docks without his goods train.

~

Disclaimer: they don't fall in love in this story. We do not believe in the "Love at First Sight" trope here. It'll happen later.

For the new readers: If you've noticed that Edward's dialogue is a little weird, that's on purpose. You'll see why as the rest of the chapters are posted. It's important to his character.

~

OG description: Throwback to when I rewrote the Thomas and Ashima scenes with James and Edward instead in almost one sitting. I went back and cleaned it up once I decided to actually post it. Definitely more self-indulgent lmao

Each scene will have its own chapter so it'll give me the chance to slowly go through and polish them one at a time. :D

A few characters will be swapped out so that it makes more sense (by following EoSR).

#ttte james #ttte edward #tgr 2x5 roleswap au #ttte shipping #ttte edward x james #a dozen years #my writing #here comes a barrage of chapters for this fic #still one of my favorites /biased #ttte salty #ttte porter #ttte #ttte fic #ttte au #ttte 2x5

[senjuushi]

Event Translation — Brand New Journey ~Italy Expedition Volume~

Episode 6: Fairy’s Coast

After they had finished eating, the group came to Amalfi Coast. They boarded a tourist boat that Benetta and the others had arranged, ready to sail across the sparkling azure sea. 

Master: 

Amazing...!

So beautiful...!

Carcanore: A clear sky and a shining blue sea... that’s Italy for you! How is it? You can see the Amalfi cliffs and the cityscape from here, y’know. 

Cutlery: It’s like the whole mountain has become a city...! 

Marks: I’ve been wondering this for a while; why is the ocean so blue? It’s as blue as paint, but if you look closely, it’s still transparent... it’s strange, but beautiful. 

Benetta: That’s just what the Italian sea looks like. Amalfi is filled with the natural beauty of Italy— the sea, sky, and sun, as well as buildings that were constructed by humans in eras past. 

Carcanore: Come to think of it, it’s always cloudy in England, isn’t it? You should enjoy the Italian sunshine while you’ve got it! Sunlight is nourishing, after all.♪

Cutlery: Look, look, (Player Name). There are some interesting things written about in the tourist guidebook. 

Cutlery: Amalfi is the place where the remains of the nymph who was loved by Hercules, the great hero in Greek mythology, were buried. 

Cutlery: It’s just a legend, but... it’s so beautiful here, I can understand why Hercules would choose this place. Everywhere you look, the scenery seems straight off of a postcard. 

Benetta: ...it seems like you’ve got the point. Let’s get off this boat for now, and switch to a smaller one. 

Carcanore: This one, over here. Let’s go to Emerald Island! 

Cutlery: ...huh?

Behind (Player Name) and the others, who were heading toward the smaller ship, Benetta suddenly crouched down, but immediately stood back up. He was now holding a few small pebbles in his hand. 

Cutlery: What are those? Rocks? 

Benetta: ...mementos of today’s trip. Take them home as souvenirs. 

Cutlery: Huh? Are stones a normal souvenir here? Surely, there’s something more fitting...? 

*scene changes to the entrance of a cave* 

After listening to the boatman for a while, they ride the boat through the entrance to a cave that connects to the sea. 

Cutlery: Hold on... it’s pitch-black in here. Is this really the Emerald Grotto?

Master: 

(It couldn’t be...)

(Are they going to dispose of us here...!?)

Marks: You’re not trying to trick us, are you?

Benetta: Look behind you.

Marks: Behind...?

Cutlery: Ehh... is there something sparkling over there?

Sunlight shines into part of the cave. Where the sun reaches, the surface of the water inside the cave begins to glow an emerald hue. 

Boatman: Get a good look, everyone. This is it! 

When the boatman stirred up the water with his oar, the surface glittered like jewels wherever the droplets fell. 

Marks: How does that happen...!?

Cutlery: So pretty...!

Benetta: The color is the same as your hair, Cathan. It’s the color of the beautiful and bewitching sea. 

Carcanore: Yeah, it really is. Your hair really looks like a jewel. 

Cutlery: Eh... is that so...?

Benetta: The island of Capri also has a famous tourist spot, called the Azure Grotto. 

Benetta: ...speaking of which, Bonito. You have relatives in Capris, don’t you?

Bonito: Huh? Ah, I’m not sure if they still live there...

Marks: Is the Azure Grotto the same kind of place as this?

Carcanore: If you’re interested, you should go there next time and see for yourself! 

Benetta: Ahh. Italy has so many beautiful sights, it would take a lifetime to see them all.

#Senjuushi #千銃士 #Marks #Cutlery #Benetta #Carcanore #Translation

[seroothincs]

Speaking of Tony and Legs. It's time for Louie. Master Gunner = He usually makes sure that all cannons and weapons are in working order, this guy usually leads a small groups who each operated on the artillery on the ship. To become a good gunner took years of practice and training. Which got me thinking, Louie was possibly a young kid in Italy who dreamed of nothing else but to become a gunslinger, now his parents weren't happy with that since being a gunslinger was not exactly a real job and they couldn't imagine their own son operating guns. They talked with him and tried to get him to settle on becoming a butcher like them but in the end they settled on Louie becoming a Master Gunner in the Navy. Now Italy didn't have a Navy at this point so they sent him off to Britain so that he could study there, he managed to get a job as a Powder Monkey and slowly rose up in the ranks. His Officer was impressed by the little kid's ambition and hard-work. (Side Note: In this AU, Louie was born in 1693 so it would make him about 23 in 1716 when he's apart of Tony's crew. Meaning he would have been 16 years old when he first met him in 1700) Eventually the day came where Louie was allowed to come with on an expedition to the Caribbean, though they were soon under attack by Tony’s crew and once all members off that navy ship were killed or thrown overboard, Tony saw Louie as he was curled in a corner, afraid of what was even happening. The captain was a feared and ruthless killer but after seeing this lonely kid being scared half to death, he took him into his own crew and treated him like his own son. Now he operates as the Master Gunner. Cabin boy = This is a very low-ranking employee off a pirate ship, usually taken hostage or kidnapped, they attend to the needs of the pirates and are servants to them. Frankie absolutely takes this role, he likely is a hostage and just over the years that they continued to keep him he just slowly became part of the family. Feel like they either got him directly from Sicily when they were on the run or they just took him when they raided an Italian merchant ship. Heh, it's funny how they just saw him and Immediately went, "Yeah, you're ours now." and he's like, "Okay?"

Now to just have filled the main roles with the main characters. I did order more minor mafia members into roles as well like Joey “The scar” who could be the Boatswain, this man was in charge of keeping the ship in shape for travel and battle, they would supervise all activities on the boat and I feel like Joey would take that role. We do not know anything about him from the show but he does seem like a serious man with a sweet side to him. Then there’s the Carpenter, who mostly answered to the boatswain, was in charge of ensuring the ship’s structural integrity. Being tasked with fixing holes after combat, making repairs after a storm, keeping the masts and yardarms sound and functional, and knowing when the ship needed to be beached for maintenance or repairs. Willie whatever definitely takes this role, fitting since I also headcanon him as a mechanic in the original show. And I just wanted to include him into this since it would be funny if Joey wanted him to do something and Willie would be like, “Whatever.” and not do it until 5 minutes have passed. He’s just a dude that procrastinates a lot, cut him some slack Joey. Sonny Go-Along would most definitely be the musician on board who gives the crew members some entertainment and lifts their moods up, maybe they took him from another ship or maybe Sonny just signed up to become a musician on board Tony’s ship. A few others I made some thoughts about are Jimmy “The Snitch” who likely could be a French nobleman who once got caught by Tony’s gang and held aboard for ransom. While there he overheard everything that Tony had on plans for their next raids and where to set shore, once the ransom was paid and Jimmy returned back to France he immediately told everything to the government of England over what the fearless and notorious Captain Fatso Antonio had on schemes. Luckily the crew could escape these hunt downs by the English but man were they pissed after they found out who snitched on them.Now to Tony’s crew, They're most definitely all Italians who were outlaws in Sicily and on the run from the police, they needed to go somewhere where nobody could find them and where they still could operate their many businesses from. So they settled on a life on the sea in the Caribbean.

Imma stop at this point since it's getting rather long- but those are just my ideas poured out.

#Springfield Mafia #Fat tony #Louie #Frankie the squealer #Willie Whatever #Sonny Go-Along #Jimmy “The Snitch” #Au ideas #Pirate crack

[yuhi-san]

A day in Italy

@windfighter i did it, one story to add yay

Title: A day in Italy

Fandom: Digimon Frontier

Characters: Kouichi Kimura, Kouji Minamoto, J.p Shibayama, Tommy Himi, Zoe Orimoto, Takuya Kanbara

Wordcount: 2222

Link to AO3

Summary: During their vacation in Italy, the gang takes a day trip. Kouichi is not having a great time on the boat at first, but gets better. J.p reflects on a few things.

„I can’t believe this is happening,“ Kouichi moans from where he is hanging over the railing. He is an absolute picture of misery. Kouji hovers slightly to his right, looking rather concerned. In the years J.P has known him, he has gotten pretty good at reading Koujis expression. The barely there twitch of his lips suggests he thinks the situation is objectively funny, but the notion is overrode by the concern for his brother.

Personally, J.P enjoys the swaying motion of the boat but clearly Kouichis doesn’t feel the same way.

It had taken them quite some planning to make sure they could all be here in Italy at the same time. Between their studies, Koujis own travel and Takuyas schedule with his team it has been no easy task. They had wanted to use the time in Italy to see some stuff together, which was what lead them to be here on this boat, on the way to some small not so touristy island. The owner of the small yacht is a guy named Marcello and his fiancée Isabella. Apparently he was the cousin of the sister in law of the nephew of a guy who used to be one of Takuyas teammates roommate. J.p has genuinely no idea if that’s just how Italians are or if Takuya got something mixed up there. For a guy that has been living here for over a year, his Italian is still pretty bad outside of the things he needs on daily basis.

Then again Takuya has an unique ability to communicate via charades, which he has demonstrated multiple times in the past days. It’s actually quite impressive.

“Hey, if you are that miserable, I’m sure we can ask them to turn around,” Kouji says. After a beat he adds: “Well, Zoe can.”

Over the hour they have been on the boat, Kouichi had gradually gone from a bit queasy to full on seasick. Still he halfheartedly waves his brother off. “It’s fine, I’ll manage.” Kouichi assures them. “Besides, even if we turn around, I will still be miserable for an hour and we don’t get to see the island either.”

That’s a fair point but knowing Kouichi, J.P is fairly certain he also really doesn’t want to inconvenience anyone. He shakes his head a little at that. Just then Tommy comes up to them with a small bottle of water. With a reassuring smile he hands it to Kouichi, who takes it before sinking down to sit on the ground and lean against the railing. Kouji crouches next to him.

J.P remembers when he first met Kouji and then Kouichi. The boys had resembled each other like two peas in a pot as it was, even back then. During their last few months of high school where Kouji too had cut his hair short, it had been difficult even for them to tell the two apart by mere looks alone. It had really been their voice and mannerism alone that gave them away. Now it was a little easier, especially when they were together. Kouichis hair was as short as ever but Koujis had grown out again, just enough to be tied back once more. He was also noticeably more tanned these days, likely from the nearly three months he spent traveling Brazil before coming here.

“Why didn’t you tell us you get sea sick?” Tommy asks. At that Kouichi looks up, still quite green in the face.

“I didn’t know I would”, he whines, something J.P doesn’t think he ever heard him do before. “It’s dumb.”

“Hey, I’m sure it happens to a lot of people”, J.P says then. He has given Kouichi some space until now, to a big part because he was waiting for the inevitable scenario where he would empty his stomach. That hasn’t happened yet.

Kouichi uncaps the bottle and slowly takes a couple of tiny sips. Eventually he sighs heavily and closes his eyes. With his head leaned back and face turned up towards the sun he says:

“I know. But I have been flying. Literally. Jumped off crazy heights, been technically to space and was on a downright insane train roller coaster and other stuff. And I was absolutely fine. It seems so silly to get sick from a few waves.”

He sounds still queasy but otherwise talks like this is just some silly stories. Kouichi is actually pretty easy to read and see through. When he feels insecure about something or doesn’t want to bring up a thing, either because he does not want to inconvenience others or feels guilty about it, he will hesitate just a little. Talk a little more quietly, a little less fluently. Sometimes, though rarely, it still happens when Duskmon or his accident come up, even now.

Now though it’s just an odd little thing he notices and points out, no further thought to it.

Kouji on the other hand is a different story.

Even now he can be hard to read at times and unless you know what to look for, you won’t notice his tells at all. But J.P has been Kojis friend for years, so of course he notices the way he tenses when Kouichi mentions ‘other stuff’. It’s a blink and you’ll miss it thing, really, the way Kouiji goes unnaturally still for just a second. Glances away just as quick, then seems to catch himself and settle right back into his previous mood of slight concern and sympathy.

“Yeah well, I don’t think you can compare that,” he says. “After all we were Digimon for most of it. Pretty sure our human bodies wouldn’t have been able to handle that so easily.”

“Or at all,” J.p adds. He knows though, they didn’t come back quite the way they went in. It was more than just the experience that changed them mentally.

Even though Marcello and Isabella are in the front of the boat with Takuya and Zoe, they all automatically lowered their voices when talking about the Digiworld. Not that either of their Italian friends would understand a word.

“Also I bet even some Digimon get seasick. Imagine that centaurmon weirdo on a boat,” Tommy says. It makes J.p laugh to think about and both Kouji and Kouichi snort. The later however gets immediately greener to the face again.

“And you are sure you don’t need a bucket?”

 Zoe and Isabella come up to them shortly after. Kouichi has his legs pulled close and rests his arms and head on them. Kouji gently rubs his back. He’s still pretty sea sick but seems a little less miserable than before. Maybe his stomach is settling.

“Your friend alright?” Isabella ask. She speaks a little English, which helps since most of them also know some degree of it by now.

Kouichi looks up to give her a shaky smile and a weak thumbs up.

Isabella isn’t at all convinced. Unsurprising, really. She looks like she came right from a page of a lingerie catalogue. Very pretty with big, dark eyes and long curly hair. She is an Instagram model, something her and Zoe had bonded over quickly.

“Marcello said he would slow down the boat some. It will take us longer that way but maybe that is easier to stomach for you”, Zoe tells them, looking at Kouichi with sympathy.

“I’m sorry for the trouble.”

Zoe turns to Isabella, saying something J.P can’t understand with his very limited knowledge of Italian. Her eyes get wide and she looks at Kouichi.

“Oh no! No worries! Sometimes people are sick. I am very afraid on plane. It’s okay”, she assures him in a thick Italian accent.

The slower speed helps Kouichi feel a little better at least. Or maybe he is just getting used to it. Takuya comes to join up with them too after a few minutes. He does bring a bucked Marcello had in the cleaning supplies, just in case.

Once they finally dock and get off the boat, Kouichi feels pretty relieved. Kouji helps him to his feet and off the boat since his legs feel like jelly. J.P can tell that he is a little embarrassed from the way he flushes.

For how different the two brothers are, both have some trouble asking for help, even now.

They take a little break for Kouichi to feel better now on steady ground and Zoe reminds everyone to use their sunscreen. Takuya and Marcello are engaged in a mixture of charades and taboo. It's funny to watch and Tommy and J.p make it a game of their own to guess what they are trying to communicate.

Once they set out for their walk, they chat with each other and figure out how to communicate without Zoe always translating. It’s a lot more fun than expected. Eventually Kouji makes a jab at Takuya for how horrendous his Italian is after a year and with those two it of course becomes a small argument. This is not one Takuya can win, though. Kouji is pretty fluent in English these days and he clearly picked up chunks of stuff in many other languages, too, though Italian isn’t really part of it.

“I’m just glad they won’t start brawling anymore,” Tommy says with fond exasperation. “Probably.”

Eventually they reach a nice little beach where they eat their packed lunch before they enjoy the sand and the sea. They swim in the water a bit, play some volleyball. Kouji and Takuya get in a friendly wrestling match in the water and Tommy helps Zoe and Isabella look for shells and cool rocks. J.P floats on a matrass, enjoying the view.

It was a great afternoon. At some point Kouji, Kouichi, J.P and the girls had settled back in the shade to relax while the others were playing volleyball again with some other people. It lasts until Kouichi offhandedly remarks that Kouji has started to get into photography.

“Oh of course!” Zoe exclaims excitedly. She has her tells, too, and J.P knows them very well. The spark in her eyes tells him she has an idea and it’s not one she will budge on. While Zoe talks to Isabella, she is far more animated with her hands once she launches into Italian. Kouji gives her an uncertain look.

They all follow each other’s social media, Koujis includes. Although he post even less than Kouichi does and usually it's just pictures of landscapes or animals with little to no commentary. But they are some pretty amazing pictures, J.P has to admit.

In the end Kouji gets dragged away by the girls who insist he should do a small photoshoot with them. No matter what he says, he stands no chance against the two women.

“Zoe, Zoe. I take pictures of animals and trees, this is not the same.” This is very awkward, gets left unsaid. He looks at his brother, clearly hoping for some kind of help but Kouichi does just encourage the idea.

So Kouji gets dragged off by the two excited women, looking helpless and swamped in a way J.P has never seen him before. It’s kinda hilarious.

Part of J.P is a little jealous about it too. Kouji doesn’t even try for it but still ends up with the attention of two model level women. That’s not how any of this works, though. He knows that now. He got so much better with other people, made friends on a real level after the adventure in the digiworld but even then he still had some issues with overstepping boundaries. Especially in that way. Being stupidly jealous and having a hard time understanding when he was pushy. He’s getting better at that, though, he knows.

After all their adventure didn’t magically fix their less pleasant traits. They all still had to work on themselves. To become the best version of themselves they knew they could be. These days J.P felt pretty good about who he is and who he will become.

He glances at Kouichi next to him who has sprawled on his towel.

“Still recovering from the boat ride?”

“Hm. It’s fine. But I might take a nap. It’s nice in the shade,” Kouichi replies, looking content. That sure is an idea J.P can get behind.

“So think the trip was worth it, despite the boat ride?”

“Yeah,” he breaths out. After a few moments of just the distant sound of people and the water, he continues. “I’m glad we got to take this trip together. It’s nice to just travel together again. I think I missed that a little.” Kouichi sounds almost too sincere for how light the talk had been just a few seconds ago. There is a melancholic but content smile on his face.

That too is something J.P gets. He flops back as well, looking up at the leaves of the tree that provided them with the shade. “It would be nice to do that again. You know, without all the worries,” he admits then. Kouichi hums in agreement and they fall silent for a while again.

“But I think,” he says after a while, “here in this world I prefer the weekend trips.”

“Preferably ones without a boat?”

“Preferably ones without a boat.”

#digimon frontier #kouichi kimura #j.b shibayama zoe orimoto #tommy himi #takuya kanbara #fanfiction #my fanfiction

[history-in-progress]

Empress Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary

Empress Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary was born on December 24th, 1837 as Duchess Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie to Duke Maximilian and Princess Ludovika of Bavaria. Elisabeth was called Sisi. The majority of her childhood was spent at Possenhofen Castle in Bavaria, Germany. Aside from her parents unhappy marriage due to her fathers affairs, Sisi and her seven (surviving) siblings had a relatively happy childhood. Sisi enjoyed being outside the most. She would swim in the lake and go horseback riding. Below is presumably the first photo taken of Sisi when she was a little girl. 

Emperor Franz Joseph l’s mother Archduchess Sophie, also Ludovika’s sister, had contacted Ludovika and told her than Sisi’s older sister Helene would be engaged to Franz Joseph. Franz and Helene were set to meet at the Kaiser villa in Bad Ischl. Ludovika decided to take Sisi along with them to help Helene adjust to the imperial lifestyle. Sisi was 15 and Helene was 18 at the time. Below is an image of Helene as a young adult (maybe 18-19)

Franz Joseph was not known for disagreeing with his mother, much less defying her. Imagine the courts surprise when Franz decided to marry Sisi instead of Helene. Franz and Sisi’s engagement was announced 5 days after they’d met. On April 24th, 1854 Franz and Sisi were married in Vienna. Below is an image of Franz Joseph and Elisabeth.

The Hapsburg court was known for being strict, formal, and steeped in tradition. Sisi was shocked when her life of freedom became a prison of protocol and formality. She never did adjust. Sisi had a horrible relationship with her mother-in-law. Archduchess Sophie believed that the Empress’s only duty was to produce an heir for the throne. Sophie believed that the Empress should never be involved in politics or affairs of the state. Sisi did not agree. She was adamant about improving the lives of the people in the Italian and Hungarian parts of the Austrian Empire and would regularly try to influence her husband. Below is an image of Archduchess Sophie.

Even through the suffocation of Sophie’s constant pressure for a baby boy, Elisabeth did have four children. Her first was a baby girl, Sophie, born on March 5th, 1855. Her mother-in-law took the baby away from Sisi and named her after herself. Sophie refused to let Sisi take care of her baby. Then, Sisi had another baby girl, Gisela, on July 15th, 1856. Again, Sophie took the baby and Sisi couldn’t care for either of her children. The tragedy wasn’t over yet. In 1857, Sisi and Franz took a family trip with the girls to Hungary against the advice of both Sophie and the court physician. Both the girls became sick and Princess Sophie died. This caused Sisi to fall into a deep depression. Franz and Sophie brushed off her behavior. However, Sisi gave birth to another baby, but this time it was a boy. On August 21st, 1858 Crown Prince Rudolf was born. Rudolf was taken from Sisi and was raised by tutors at the age of 6. Sisi was blocked from the education of her children. In 1867 Sisi and Franz were crowned King and Queen of Hungary. A year later, Sisi gave birth to Marie Valerie on April 22nd, 1868. Below are images of Sisi’s children in order of birth. 

Sisi had very little control over many things in her life. However, one thing she did have control over was her body. She dieted constantly and became obsessed with her beauty. That’s how she kept her slender waist that she’s very famous for. Sisi spent a ton of time in Hungary with her youngest child. Sophie hated Hungary and this allowed Sisi to raise Marie on her own. Sophie died in 1872 and Sisi was finally free from her mother-in-law. There is one tragedy that Sisi would never get over. In 1889 Rudolf was found dead with his mistress which was done by their own hands. 

On September 10th, 1898 Sisi was killed by an Italian Anarchist while boarding a boat in Geneva. She was stabbed in the heart and had not realized what had happened to her. She died a few hours later. 

Source: https://www.palaces-of-europe.com/empress-sisi.html 

#history #empress elisabeth of austria #history summarized #first post #victorian era

[allovertheworldblog]

Copenhagen, Denmark

The hostel in Copenhagen is a strange affair, the largest city hostel in Europe with over 1,000 beds.

There are mostly school groups staying there and regular backpackers make up the remainder.

In my room there’s a Japanese guy who’s going home the following day after touring around.

He’s been up to Tromso in Norway and taken the Hurtigruten boat down the coast of the country.

He apologises that his English isn’t good, but we can understand each other.

He warns me to be careful as an Italian guy who left that morning was robbed of 500Euro while he was staying there.

‘Thanks, I’ll use a locker’, I tell him.

I go to bed.

Later the Italian who’d been robbed and left that morning comes back with all his bags.

He’s probably thirty years of age and has the look of a guy that’s been to prison or maybe a guy that escaped going to prison, either way trouble doesn’t look to be too far from him.

He says that he can’t speak English.

He and the Japanese guy now start some kind of conversation where the Italian starts blaming him for the missing money saying that he was the only person in the room who saw where he hid his money in his bag.

The Japanese guy protests his innocence and shows his wallet, 'no money’ he says.

I’ve had enough and get dressed.

I bring them downstairs with the idea that the hostel reception might be able to do something for them.

'You should go to the police’, I advise the Italian. 'What good could they do’, is the answer to that from a friend of the Italian, another Italian guy who’s downstairs.

He has better English and now we have a limited multi lingual dialogue with the Japanese guy joining in and consulting his pocket translator to emphasise his points.

I’m half asleep / half awake and it’s out of self interest in order to get some sleep that I’ve brought this downstairs.

Maybe as well I fell sorry for the Japanese guy who seems like a fish out of water who the dodgy Italian guy is trying to catch.

The dodgy Italian guy wanders off leaving it all to his friend, who now wants to go outside for a smoke.

I go back to bed, it’s all fizzled out, what was it all about anyway.

The following day I go in search of Copenhagen hoping that the city I discovered last night in darkness isn’t all there is to it.

As if on prompt the sun has come out and the city opens up showing off a wide river, busy with transport; manicured gardens and beautiful olde worlde shops that look like they haven’t changed for 100 years.

I walk to the Amalienborg Palace where the Changing Of The Guard is just starting.

Lasting about an hour with a band thrown in there are long periods when nothing at all seems to happen

Afterwards I go to the nearby Marble Church and take some photos.

I see a sign that there’s to be a short service with organ music later.

I have enough time to walk to the somewhat disappointing Little Mermaid statue on the harbour front.

I  go back to the Marble Church after buying a Danish pastry which is a much simpler affair than we get in Ireland, a piece of pastry with a little dollop of icing on top and that’s it.

#travel #culture #photography