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#they're a thing where I used to live in romania
denimbex1986 · 3 months
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'...In season 2, Gaiman and his co-writer John Finnemore takes us beyond the pages of the original book and focuses on the millennia-lasting connection between the book-loving angel Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) and the demon Crowley (David Tennant), who cares more about saving humanity than he'd care to admit.
While fans are certainly eager to see more of Aziraphale and Crowley, actors Sheen and Tennant were also more than happy to reprise their roles. "It was very pleasing to slip back into those slightly too-tight trousers," Tennant joked to me about donning Crowley's wardrobe once more. I talked to him about "Good Omens 2" before the SAG-AFTRA strike, and we touched on how season 2 even came to be, what it was like to have Jon Hamm's amnesiac Gabriel throw a wrench into Crowley and Aziraphale's relationship, and — for a brief moment — about fan fiction.
With the first season, there was the source material from the book, but season 2 is new territory. How did Neil [Gaiman] pitch season 2 to you, and when did he pitch it to you in the process?
It gradually came into focus over a couple of years, probably. I mean, from the initial idea that there might be more story to tell, which probably had its genesis way, way back as a sort of fantasy idea, really, where we were shooting [season] 1.
And then [season] 1 came out, and I think from that point, there was a slow realization that actually there might be more to come. Neil was clearly excited at the idea, and I think Amazon were keen to do it. And Michael and I were thrilled that we would get to return to [these] characters. We always thought it was a one-off. That was how it was pitched. That's what we were contracted for. When we started off on that journey, there was never a sense to go further, but what a treat that it was going to. And I think Neil would drop us little nuggets down the months and years, really.
Then there was a point, now when would it have been? I was in Romania filming "Around the World in 80 Days." Michael was, I can't remember where he was, but we had a Zoom call together where Neil read us the first scene, the opening scene, which is, if you've seen it, you'll know we meet a very youthful Crowley and Aziraphale, very much way back at the beginning of time. And Neil read that out to us over a Zoom call and then gave us a quick sketch of what the rest of the series was going to be. He told us some of the other writers that he was working with, and some of the early ideas, and he told us how it ended. That was all worked out, and it just felt delicious, really. I mean from that moment on, it just felt like it was always meant to be. It felt like it was such a perfectly formed idea. I think it's fair to say that Michael and I didn't need much persuading.
One thing I love about both seasons is that Aziraphale and Crowley are definitely an odd couple, but in "Good Omens 2," they're an odd couple who gets a toddler — at least in the first few episodes with Gabriel.
Yes, yes. That's a very good logline. Yes. The odd couple with a toddler.
I have a toddler, and some of the lines, I was like, "Is Neil in my house taking audio of my child?" Because you had the established dynamic with Michael for Crowley and Aziraphale in the first season, how did the dynamic change in those scenes with the two of you and with Gabriel when he's in that toddler state?
Well, I suppose it's Gabriel's very presence that changes it, isn't it? I mean, he's the grit in the oyster there, because I think they've just about managed to figure out a way of existing separately and together without their head offices ruling their lives. They're living with existence in the shadows on Earth and actually having probably quite a reasonable time. I mean, Crowley's living in the back of his car, which isn't ideal, but they're bumping along, and they can spend time together with less of the threat of being told off for it.
The absence of heaven and hell has actually been quite a good thing for them on the whole. So to have Gabriel revisiting is a bit of a disaster. Especially — I mean, he did try to discorporate Aziraphale and that Aziraphale was actually Crowley at the time, and that's not something Crowley's wanting to forgive. So to have Gabriel back in their midst and inexplicably amnesiac at the same time, it's not really what they needed and it's not helping them to keep their heads down. So it's brilliant in terms of setting these characters off on a new story and taking them to places they didn't imagine they would ever have to go. It's a fantastic device and like you say, yes, it's a bit like the odd couple with a kid, or two supernaturals and a baby, something like that. And I think that's the joy, isn't it? If there's characters that you know and love, you just want to spin them into a situation that they've not been in before and sit back and enjoy it.
Another thing in season 2, and I'm going to keep this spoiler-free, but there are a lot of flashbacks to other points in time, which you got a little bit of in the first season. But I think we get more of it here, and one of the things with those flashbacks is that you, especially as Crowley, get to wear the most magnificent costumes. What was that like for you, to embody these clothes and portray Crowley through all those different points in time?
Who wouldn't get a kick out of being able to reimagine what that version of Crowley would've been? Because unlike Aziraphale, who tends to be a bit more conservative in the way that he addresses whatever period he's living through and in some ways sort of changes very little, Crowley leans into wherever he is and tries to find the zeitgeist of the moment and chew it up and spit it out a little bit. So from a design point of view, that's great fun. Obviously, Kate Carin, our costume designer, was allowed to run riot, because you get to design a period look and then add another 25% on top of it. And Stevie Smith, who designs my makeup on it, gets to find new ways of sticking facial hair on me. And it's hugely fun to play, and hugely fun for everyone to create.
And those little stories — the stories within the story — to get to see those characters at different points in their existence, it's a treat. It was always Michael and I's favorite bit of the first [season], that sequence — episode 3 where you saw them traipsing through history. And so it was delicious that there was more of that in season 2, and they're very much crafted at specific points in the story to illustrate an element of how Aziraphale and Crowley's relationship has developed over the millennia and why they are where they are now. So they're not just indulgences for us all. They're very specific plot points to tell.
I'm sure there's fanfic out there that's similar to what we see of Crowley and Aziraphale, and it's interesting to see the official version of it.
Yes. I mean, I've experienced some fanfic in my time. I think it's best, probably not for me [to read]. Sometimes you find yourself doing some very, very extraordinary things. So perhaps I'll leave that ....
No, I think that's wise on your part. And then for my last question, it just looks like you're having fun when you're playing Crowley —
I wouldn't want you to imagine anything other than very, very hard work. Very difficult, very dull, very boring. I'm never enjoying myself at all.
Yeah, no, of course not! But for Crowley, is there anything you do to get into that mindset?
It was interesting going back for series 2, because there's been quite a gap between filming 1 and 2, and I was a little bit concerned that the voice or the walk or whatever else it might be have slightly left me. But once I was staring at Michael Sheen's bleached white hair and his ... oh, I could be rude. I'm not going to be rude. So no, it all sort of seemed to come back fairly easily, to be honest. I felt, there's certainly, it's a very pleasing character to inhabit and all that full cynicism that he splashes around himself, which actually hides, I would say, a heart of gold, although Crowley would never admit that himself. It was very pleasing to slip back into those slightly too-tight trousers. It really was a pleasure. It was great fun.'
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mxlfoydraco · 1 year
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hey! pretty new to the fandom and I’m looking for some specific fic that I cannot find through the tags on ao3. so I’m hoping you would be the place to ask, if not no worries <3 so I’m looking for drarry fic where they are at least 30 years old. like that's it, I just really love when they're older and find each other. if you happen to to know any good ones id love to hear. hope you have a good day!
I think they are 30 and/or over 30 in these but also the cut off can be iffy so be nice to me and nod along if there's a late 20s or sth in the mix
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When Harry’s in need of a divorce lawyer, he has no choice but to turn to the best in the trade. Draco Malfoy’s reputation for discretion is flawless, and his track record for winning cases is close to perfect. But he’s also ruthless, passionate, and as infuriating as ever, and the brief relationship he and Harry had in Eighth Year still feels painfully fresh despite two decades spent apart. What Harry and Draco used to be is all in the past. And surely they can work together in these new, emotionally charged circumstances without falling in love all over again… can’t they?
Number Seven by sara_holmes (253k)
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Turn by Saras_Girl (306k)
One good turn always deserves another. Apparently.
Blood and Fire by @lqtraintracks (44k)
Harry has spent the last twelve years in Romania, not returning to England as often as he knows he should. It's complicated. But when Ginny asks him to be her best man and help her plan her wedding, he can't say no. Having a reckoning with his choices, with himself, won't be easy. To say nothing of seeing Draco again.
All Life is Yours to Miss by Saras_Girl (114k)
Professor Malfoy’s world is contained, controlled, and as solitary as he can make it, but when an act of petty revenge goes horribly awry, he and his trusty six-legged friend are thrown into Hogwarts life at the deep end and must learn to live, love and let go.
Historians by @oknowkiss (29k)
It’s the Dumbledore’s Army Reunion Holiday, and Harry’s found himself in hot water with his friends once again, after telling them he has a boyfriend he definitely does not have. In an attempt to fix things, he’s made it his colleague on Level Nine, Draco Malfoy’s problem too. Featuring a ski chalet in Switzerland, a pair of bunk beds, and an agreement that should’ve been simple, were it not for all the bloody feelings getting in the way.
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Albus and Scorpius are getting married, and they’ve put Harry and Draco in charge of the reception. Which is fine with Harry. Really, it is. He’s not holding on to childhood grudges anymore...but he can’t stop thinking about that one kiss. And dating your son’s fiancé’s father is really, really not on.
The Wonder of You by @ladderofyears (72k)
A Family Man AU. In the year 2000, Harry left Draco behind in London, intent on America and Quidditch fame and never looked back. Thirteen years later, Harry gets the opportunity to see what his life could have been like, had his life unravelled in a different way. Nothing in Harry’s world is the same, but Harry soon comes to realise that fatherhood, marriage and the biggest, laziest Crup in Hogsmeade add to up a life he enjoys more than he could ever have imagined.
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Draco breaks a cup, and one thing leads to another. A story of redemption, tattoos, dreams, mistakes, green eyes, long conversations, and copious amounts of coffee.
Set in New York twelve years after the war.
Burn the Witch by @lettersbyelise (95k)
When Harry Potter is sent in to investigate Draco Malfoy’s successful potions company, posing as Draco’s bodyguard, he doesn’t know the case will launch a series of events that will change his life — and Draco’s.
A story about choices, scars, Chopin piano pieces, and finding all kinds of love in the most unexpected places.
Are You Mine? series by gracerene (91k)
A trilogy of fics set in an Epilogue-Compliant Harry Potter 'Verse, with various accompanying time-stamps and one-shots. Fics are in chronological order.
*They are first together younger and then get back together later
Shibboleths by @lol-zeitgeistic (109k)
Muggle Immersion co-Professor Harry Potter spends his days hanging with his son, reading to his “dog,” teaching magical kids about the internet with his cousin Dudley, and irritating Snape’s portrait. He’s understandably annoyed when his cosy life is interrupted by the Headmistress hiring on Draco Malfoy to be Hogwarts’ new Ancient Magical Cultures and Spellcasting professor. But then the explosion happens, and it turns out they’ll all need Malfoy’s knowledge if they want the magical world to survive. The one with the scary things and Professor Dudley.
when by now and tree by leaf by @aibidil (46k)
When Scorpius Malfoy is saying goodbye to his dying mother, he doesn't expect to hear her confess, "Your father slept with another man and became pregnant with you." Grappling with his grief and his identity, Scorpius sets out to discover his other father, who it turns out has a lighting-shaped scar and no idea that Scorpius exists.
When Times are Dire by @aibidil (130k)
Magical Britain is screwed, and it’s once again up to Harry to save it. This time, by marrying Draco Malfoy.
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Harry Potter and the Great Cat Caper by @kbrick (78k)
Harry's lonely in the aftermath of his divorce. Except for the weekends that he has the kids, Harry's cooking gourmet meals for one in his big, empty farmhouse, with only his seven cats for company. Until, that is, Harry finds Al and Lily playing with Scorpius Malfoy in the front yard, and learns that Draco Malfoy is his closest wizarding neighbor. Oh, and also, Harry's favorite cat is stolen (multiple times!) by someone who had the audacity to put a sparkly pink collar on her, with a nametag that reads "Plumeria Seraphin Snugglybug". These things (Malfoy and the cat-snatching) may or may not be related. Featuring: a cat-loving Harry who loves to cook, has playdates with Pansy Parkinson, and tends to rap when he's wasted, and good-dad Draco Malfoy who's still a prat, albeit an irritatingly attractive and charming one. Also featuring: a slew of adorable children, a stolen cat named Stormy, copious amounts of sexual tension, divorce betting pools, amoral yet charismatic Slytherins, peeping-tom Harry, foot massages given while under the influence, Harry's first time with a bloke, and did I mention cats?
More Than That by joosetta (10k)
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Harry Potter and the elusive day off by @fuckyoupbk (71k)
Auror Potter needs a fucking break. He is wiped. He is exhausted. He probably didn't intend to put himself into a magical coma but these things happen. And who cares, really? He is comfortable in a house where he has hidden away all the shit he can't deal with. Guaritore Christopher Black is an exceptional psychiatrist with a specialisation in sleep disorders. He is also Draco Malfoy in a Glamour. Minister Hermione Granger knows the dangers and the complications, but she needs her best friend back.
And, On The Other Side, A Welcoming Voice by @blamebrampton (38k)
For twenty years, the official history has told readers that Harry Potter died at the Battle of Hogwarts. The next edition is going to require some significant revisions.
Shine, Even in the Darkness by @raitala (41k)
Harry hasn’t seen Draco for over fifteen years, but now he’s showing up everywhere and Harry is sort of weirdly attracted to him, but that can’t be right?
Across the Multiverse by @hsvh-hp (108k)
Thirteen years after the war, Draco Malfoy is quite happily tucked away in the Department of Mysteries as an Unspeakable. When an Auror disappears through a broken Vanishing Cabinet, it presents the perfect opportunity for Draco's research to finally graduate beyond theory. Unfortunately, Harry Potter will also be along for the ride.
I Do Not Love You by Writ_and_romance (228k)
In 2013, a carefully-designed Obliviation leaves Harry reconfiguring his life and identity without any memories of true love; an act that’s essentially erased Draco Malfoy from his mind despite a wedding band and shared home. In 2000, Draco had expected Pansy’s relationship with Luna to bring the Gryffindors a bit closer to his orbit of quiet, carefully pacifistic existence, but he never expected to navigate such a transparent embrace into a unit of family, friendship, and love. A mystery, two love stories, and a reminder that learning to love never has an end date.
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Trouble finding a wand for Scorpius leads Harry and Draco to something they never imagined. Career Choices: Harry: Wandmaker; Draco: Single Father/Hermit
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Harry has terrific friends, an amazing girlfriend and his job as Head Auror enables him to work on challenging cases and Ministry reform. He just wishes he could work out why he’s been so out of sorts. When Draco Malfoy is arrested for gross indecency, Harry’s comfortable life begins to unravel. He’s forced to decide if it’s worth risking everything for love in a world where following his heart is a criminal offence.
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Minister for Magic Harry Potter does not love his job. The one bright point in his life is his secret relationship with Quidditch Super Star Draco Malfoy. When they're 'outed' by a peeping tom with a camera, Harry has to decide what's really important.
The Stars Have Courage by @fantalfart (85k)
Draco waited five long years to watch his husband wake up from a coma. He's not ready to meet a Harry with no memory of anything that happened after he died at The Battle of Hogwarts, twelve years ago.
Dwelling on Dreams by @the-sinking-ship (135k)
Draco thought he could avoid Potter for the duration of his brief return to England. He’d stick to his schedule and be back home in Paris, where he belonged, in a few short months. No trouble at all. He had plenty to occupy him, what with the opening of the London branch of his successful apothecary, his innovative research, drinks with Pansy, a backlog of unread potions periodicals. Except Head Auror Potter is everywhere — in Draco’s chair, at his door, in his dreams. All six feet of motorbike-riding, combat-boot-wearing, sex-hair-sporting Saviour of the World packed into one unfairly fetching uniform. Potter won’t leave Draco the bloody hell alone, won’t let him breathe, let him forget, let him sleep. Because no matter how fast Draco Malfoy runs, Harry Potter is always hot on his heels.
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yuikomorii · 1 year
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As a fellow Ruki stan I'd love to know how you'd rank his routes 🌸
// Sure thing! ^^
1. More Blood
You probably didn't see this coming, but I really enjoyed his MB route! I'm aware of how hated it is because of the cat scene, and while I disagree with Ruki's actions, they didn't ruin him for me. I just love how SASSY Ruki can be, even if some of his roasts are really mean, but I'm sure they're just there to make the audience laugh. I think the funniest one was when he told Yui "Today we will go home on foot. Why? Because a person such as yourself who doesn’t know how to stop when eating is very prone to put on some pounds after all.” He's so savage, and I love it, but I wouldn't want to deal with such a person in real life, lol. Aside from that, his last Ecstasy chapter was the first to make me cry, and his Vampire Ending was stunning, especially the kissing cg!
2. Chaos Lineage
Another unpopular choice because I've seen a lot of people complain about it being boring and lacking significant romantic interactions due to including his brothers too much, and while I can't say his route was very good, I still really like it! I'm glad Ruki was less obsessed with Karl there, and he seemed more relaxed and genuine overall. He even pouted at one point, which was so cuuute! I love the Mukamis, so I'm always up for family moments, and the romance was adequate, neither exaggerated nor non-existent.
3. Dark Fate
Would have given it a higher rating if Ruki hadn't been such a jerk in the first half, and what bothered me the most was how he treated his brothers. Kou had very good reasons to be mad at him, and it's already becoming frustrating because they're supposed to be best bros, yet Ruki and Kou always find a way to fight. What did I love about it? He got down on his knees and apologized to Yui for saying such horrible things. I was moved to tears by the scene in which he cried for her because I had not expected Ruki to do such a thing. Furthermore, his Vampire Ending is probably my favorite of all games; it's simply the best possible outcome for him and Yui.
4. Lunatic Parade
I don't remember much about LP, but his route was fun, and I think he was more flirty than usual there, which is a plus! Well, everyone had great LP routes in my opinion because that game was truly lighthearted!
5. Lost Eden
He was ideal in the first half of the route, but the second half irritated me greatly. Maybe I have high expectations, but are you really going to tell me that in the previous game, a "dummy" character only heard ONE thing about Karlheinz yet immediately connected all the dots about all his victims, realizing that he's truly the root of all evil because he was using everyone for his selfish desires and then… there's Ruki who 1) was told by Christa that Karl was Trismegiste aka the person who ruined his life, 2) went to Romania to read about the Revolution, where Trismegiste was mentioned, 3) had his ghoul-father tell him that Karl is Trismegiste and that he slaughtered a bunch of people to make ghouls out of them only to have Ruki say this "I'm sure Karlheinz-sama regretted his actions, that's why he gave our lives back". If he had regretted, he would have rewinded time long ago. I'm aware that different writers exist, but they should be more careful when writing these parallels because it can cast their own characters in a negative light, since one reaction will always be better than the other. Still really liked the lore and the fact Rejet learnt something about Romanian history.
6. Vandead Carnival
I enjoy VC as a game, but Ruki was a little too stiff for my liking. It wasn't bad, but I felt like Ruki was babysitting Yui for almost the entire route. :”)
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rinadragomir · 2 years
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Julie Plec and convenient diversity 🙃
Okay so when I found out they chose a British guy to play Dimitri I was a bit upset but in a super chill way cause 1)he looks fantastic 2) British accent kinda reminds me of Russian so I thought they not gonna have any problems with working on it.
Then my Tumblr friend made a post and I found out they erased that part of him. TV show Dimitri is not Russian anymore. I was kinda confused cause 1)then why would he have a Russian name👀 2)what about the fact that Rose spends the whole book in Russia, what about Roza, what about half of their jokes😟
BUT TODAY 🤡I FOUND OUT 🤡WHAT THAT PIECE OF HUMAN 🤡SAID ABOUT THAT CHANGE 🤡
Okay it's not a literal quote but it's almost it:
Dimitri is not Russian anymore, you'll be fine with it when you learn more about that amazing man playing his role.......It was important for us to convey the spirit of modernity, to show today's world with all the diversity of its cultural idiosyncrasies. Accent, origin and race do not matter because we are all part of the same community.
That clown living her clown life 🎪
Okay let's see
So she put 1) diversity is important, we all different and it's cool to show it AND 2)why diversity if we're the same person? 🥺 IN ONE FUCKING SENTENCE?!?!????!
Julie Plec literally said: OF COURSE diversity is important, we have Black Americans! Latins, Chinese guys...or not Chinese, I mean asian people = only Chinese right? And of course ...*whispers* I can't remember more..... um.....what? Turks? what is it? Turkey? Like ...Turkey on Thanksgiving day?🥺Yeah? Russian? Russia... sounds familiar where is it👀ugh nevermind some white dudes, they sound like British anyway
I forgot to mention I HAVE NOTHING AGAINST THE CAST they're babies and they do the best they can, their acting is the reason I watched that trailer✋they just do their job and do it perfect
I have BIG ISSUES with creators of this show
⚠️Before some of you start with your American "um bitch u know dat black people live in Turkey and British people live in Russia and Latin people live in Romania" I'll say: they definitely MIGHT live there, tho I've never seen anything like this in any of these countries (I live in one of them and I've been in two others
But after Dimitri being a British announcement, there's no way Rose is Turkish. No fucking way. No one actually cares about the diversity. Diversity is a thing ONLY when it comes to people who live in America.
When people from Turkey, Russia, Romania even slightly open their mouth EVERYONE SHUTS THEM UP with "um....white dudes talking again 😴we have Black and Asian people, others don't actually exist👁️👄👁️)
If you think that "WOW we have a cool beautiful black girl as a lead, finally some good fucking food, finally a WELL WRITTEN WOMAN OF COLOR"
no think again😍you really believe that a woman who thought "ugh....idk all of these Turkish and Russian....ugh language, traditions are so hard🥺" will MAKE AN EFFORT?! To write a proper black lead girl? Seriously? I have some news
If you look at the cast and think "we have a proper diverse cast! That's so great! Different cultures were so important in the books, I'm sure tv show creators will explore this topic even deeper" you're poor innocent silly soul, that's who you are.
👉🏻IT'S NOT ABOUT AN "AdApTaTiOn" IT'S ABOUT PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THESE BOOKS AND THEY DON'T WANT TO, BUT THEIR LITTLE DAMAGE BRAINS CAN'T COME UP WITH THEIR OWN NEW UNIQUE STORY (and even when they can, it's so fucking bad, no one wants to watch it), SO THEY TAKE A POPULAR TITLE AND MAKE THEIR OWN SHIT PRETENDING IT'S ALL THE SAME CAUSE THEY DIDN'T CHANGE CHARACTERS NAMES. 👈🏻
And a little reminder how people look outside of England and the USA for my beloved Julie Plec and people saying "real diversity is here, who needs these white guys on the screen" (Turkish, Romanian, Russian)
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theothersarshi · 4 months
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So, one of my hobbies is looking at real estate websites and checking out the best and worst out there. I like seeing what crazy things people come up with.
I would like to take you on a ride. Today, it's not a good ride.
The first thing you need to know is that I live in Romania, so the real estate websites I look at tend to be Romanian. The best known is probably imobiliare.ro, which literally means "real estate dot ro".
The second thing you need to know is that Romanians tend to be home owners, not renters, unless they're students or young.
The third thing you need to know is that ther's a wide availability of offers for everything home-related, and it's not that expensive, but taste is in short supply.
That being said, I was looking at houses in Bucharest today. I found one that was built in 1999, 5 rooms, 3 bathrooms, 1 kitchen, 1 balcony, 312.58 square meters total, built on 120 square meters on the surface. Selling price: 239,000 euros, which feels too cheap for such a big place in the capital (even if it's in an undesirable area).
Are you ready?
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This is the place. Look at that building. Somebody went creative on it. It's like you bought your own plot of land, but missed the apartment block aesthetic and wanted to recreate it. Except maybe with some really weird choices regarding the... gables? Roof? I can't tell from here.
It's nice having a courtyard that you've cemented. It really cements the fact that this is your property and you can do whatever on it.
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I'm more used to seeing this... cement marble mosaic or whatever indoors, in institutions. Schools, maybe?
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Oh. Wait. They've added it indoors and I don't even. Why would you use it inside your house? Why do the stairs not have a railing? Why do the doors look like they miss the castle they were stolen from? Why is there an extra step next to the stairs? Why is there what appears to be a tiny door towards the *inside* of the stair? (Cupboard maybe?)
This will be a ride.
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The kitchen! The owners went wild here. I'm not sure what they were going for, but they definitely got something. I wonder if the table truly matches the walls or if it's just an impression. I feel like every color here clashes with every other color.
I used to live in a place that had a similar kitchen, except the walls were shades of pink. I used to cry when cleaning it, because its colors showed under the grime.
The back of the chair has writing on it saying "back of a chair 1 person 6 pieces"
Where are the other 5 chairs? Don't answer that.
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The bathroom! Huge. Blue, except for the cement. No cupboards. A toilet and a bidet. I think I'd feel awkward taking a bath there. It would feel like taking a bath in a disused storage room. Not sure why.
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Going up the stairs, these people *really* don't believe in railings, but they at least have a desk to block your impending doom if you wander too close to the stairwell.
The cement mosaic stays and feels oppressive. I'm loathing it with a passion, but the Greek-style, waist-high decorative column on the left distracts me from the ugliness with confusion. There seems to be a bonsai on top.
Next to a mirror, someone who might be a silver Virgin Mary stares at us.
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A photo taken from the opposite direction shows us more castle doors and shelves hold porcelains, mostly depicting animals.
This house feels disconnected. Like the rooms are probably their separate, individual places. These huge hallways are just meant to connect them. Maybe this place belongs to 5 separate people who each do their thing.
Maybe not.
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Finally, a room.
This looks like granny's workout room. The pale blue walls, the watercolor painting in the gilded frame, the old-style, cheap, lacquered wardrobe... All it's missing is some stucco.
I wonder why they bought two identical smaller carpets when they could've bought a bigger one.
But at least it has wooden flooring! It doesn't look as uncomfortably cold and hard!
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Another angle makes this room look entirely different. Almost like the wardrobe isn't hanging out on half the wall awkwardly. We see another framed watercolor and what seems to be an overly crowded table.
This bedroom doesn't contradict my theory that people might be living here separately. It's big enough that I can see someone hang in there whenever they're home. And there's the workout equipment. All it needs is a TV.
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Never mind, it has a TV, too. (But no place where you might sit with a laptop.)
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A picture of another bathroom, this one in black. It has a cupboard and a shower curtain and looks like it might be used on purpose.
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Another room!
This one's blue. Blue-painted wooden floor, blue-ish carpets. Someone put some thought into making it comfortable and nice. It has shelves, and a wardrobe that stretches the whole length of the wall, and loads of light. I can even see a theme here, as each room seems to have some workout equipment.
While a breath of fresh air, it reminds me of camgirl aesthetic.
It's also the last room we get to see.
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Except this one, unless it's a hallway. It has a ping-pong table! Neat. And loads of maps on the walls, presumably so the owners find someplace to run that's not this house.
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A picture from the other side shows us more workout equipment. What even is this place?
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More workout equipment. What is this, a gym with bedrooms attached? I've got nothing.
And that's about all the relevant pictures.
What can I say? The more I look at it, the more perplexing, ugly and uncomfortable it seems. It never ceases to baffle me that somebody chose to make it like this. Presumably they liked it, if they either lived there for 20 years or bought it and moved there at some point during that period.
You can see the listing here, with a few extra pics from different angles.
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carewyncromwell · 7 months
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"But the tigers come at night With their voices soft as thunder, As they tear your hopes apart -- As they turn your dream to shame...!
You can take -- (And still I dream he'll come to me,) You can give... (That we will live the years together,) Let him be! (But there are dreams that cannot be,) Let him live! (And there are storms we cannot weather!)
If I die, let me die! Let him live..."
~"Bring Him Home/I Dreamed a Dream (mash-up)" by Adam Bayjou and Lucy O'Byrne
x~x~x~x
Talbott's Death's-Head-Hawkmoth bolo tie // original inspiration for Carewyn's dress
x~x~x~x
Hi all! Recently Hogwarts Mystery put out a rather underwhelming sidequest about Voldemort possibly returning to the Wizarding World, and I decided it'd be a great time to make some Second Wizarding War content for my girl Carewyn...specifically about the good friend she grew even closer to in that time, Talbott Winger!
Even at school, Talbott and Carewyn did discover they were truly "birds of a feather," upon becoming friends in their fourth year. They're both the type to put walls up around their hearts to hide their more fragile emotions, as well as to prefer the company of a few close friends to large crowds, and they both harbor a strong desire to improve the world around them despite the personal traumas of their respective childhoods. Post-Hogwarts both Talbott and Carewyn even pursue careers in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement as an Auror and lawyer, respectively, and it's with Talbott, his Auror partner Tonks, his Auror mentor Mad-Eye Moody, Hitwizard Ben, her own legal mentor Amelia Bones, and fellow lawyer Chester Davies that Carewyn ends up working with most closely, at the start of her career.
When the Second Wizarding War happened, though...well, that list of Ministry associates Talbott and Carewyn had accrued shrank very, very fast. Amelia Bones and her entire family was assassinated not long after Voldemort's return was fully revealed in the spring of 1995. Mad-Eye was killed in the summer of 1997 while trying to get Harry Potter to safety before his 17th birthday. Tonks had to immediately go into hiding after Bill Weasley's wedding due to her connection with the Order, and Ben had to go into hiding not long later from the newly formed Muggle-Born Registration Commission. Even Chester Davies ended up taking an assignment in Romania during a large stretch of the War, so as to support and protect his old associate and fellow Prefect Felix Rosier, who was a persistent mark for Death Eaters trying to force him to join their ranks. Several of Carewyn and Talbott's other friends outside the Ministry, like Chiara Lobosca, Barnaby Lee, and Bill Weasley, had also been forced underground to evade the Death Eaters. This left Talbott and Carewyn largely alone to deal with the blatant rot and evil that had corrupted their Department -- the place where they'd both so desperately wanted to make a difference, and yet now was forcing them to march lock-step with their disgusting whims.
Fortunately one other thing Talbott and Carewyn shared was their determination to not just cowardly shrink in the face of evil. And so covertly, both of them found a way to support the fight against Voldemort. Neither of them ever joined the Order of the Phoenix like Tonks did -- Carewyn had way too much negative feelings toward Dumbledore to ever accept him as her "commander," and Talbott preferred to follow his father's example and not explicitly join any formal organization -- but they were still valuable in their own way in opposing the Death Eaters. Carewyn smuggled intelligence out of the Ministry to anti-Voldemort causes and even took charge of the Ministry and put Umbridge under citizen's arrest during the Battle of Hogwarts. Talbott was a pivotal correspondent at Potterwatch (using the name "Raptor"), reporting on the glossed-over casualties of the War, but also frequently writing and reading aloud inspirational pieces to promote hope in Voldemort's disheartened victims. And they also worked together sometimes to smuggle prisoners out of the Ministry to safehouses, such as Carewyn's future "ward" Erik Apollo and eventual legal partner Orion Amari and his daughter Eos.
Although in retrospect, their fight was not in vain, and their eventual triumph could be seen as worth all of the turmoil and pain they suffered through, however, this doesn't mean that in the midst of it, Carewyn and Talbott didn't experience their fair share of despair, hopeless, and grief. One of these such moments was on Boxing Day, 1997, when Carewyn visited Talbott at his home in Godric's Hollow. He had called into work that day without any warning -- a very unusual occurrence -- and it prompted Carewyn right away to check on him. She arrived very late at night, when just about everyone else in Godric's Hollow was asleep -- and when Carewyn entered Talbott's Secret-guarded cottage, she found her friend collapsed in his armchair, his tear-stained face more worn and exhausted than Carewyn had just about ever seen it. Talbott had immediately bolted up at someone entering, wand raised, and had not relaxed even an molecule of an inch until they exchanged questions and answers that would verify each other's identity.
"What name did I call you, in the poem I wrote after we first met?" "'Looking-Glass Eyes.' What did you bring me on my first night in the Hospital Wing, after Rowan's death?" "A handwritten copy of the poem 'Immortality' by Claire Harner."
It was only then that Talbott slowly lowered his wand and, seeming a bit weak on his feet, swayed back to his armchair. Carewyn immediately rushed over to support her friend as he collapsed back down into it, wiping the moist mix of sweat and tears from his face.
"...Bathilda Bagshot is dead," he said at last.
Carewyn looked up, horrified.
"She'd kind of retreated into her house, these last few months," Talbott explained lowly. "An understandable thing, under the circumstances. But on Christmas, her house just blew up out of nowhere, and the Aurors were sent to investigate, and...well, even if Yaxley's crew tried to cover it all up, I saw her body, before they took it..."
Talbott's head fell as he closed his eyes, almost as if wanting to shut out the image.
"She'd been torn to pieces, Carewyn," he whispered. "Like some disgusting parasite had buried itself inside of her and then just ripped her apart..."
Carewyn slowly eased herself down onto the footstool beside his armchair, her blue eyes rippling with sorrow.
"Talbott, I'm so sorry...I know she was kind to you, when you first moved in here. Mum's always spoken so well of her -- everything I've ever heard of Bathilda Bagshot was how sweet and helpful she was..."
"She was a good woman," Talbott agreed.
He exhaled heavily through his nose as he slowly opened his eagle-like eyes.
"That's not all, though. After the fact, it came out that the reason the Aurors were called out so quickly was that 'Undesirable Number 1' may have been spotted in the vicinity of Bagshot's house."
Carewyn gave a start. "Potter?"
Talbott nodded.
"When I followed up with the rest of Potterwatch, they didn't have any real idea what he might've been doing there or what happened to Bagshot, while he was in her house...but Lupin thinks it's very likely he came to Godric's Hollow because it's where his parents died. If so...then it's possible that Bagshot found him and brought him back to her house, before whatever happened."
Carewyn's eyes softened with sadness. She knew full well Godric's Hollow hosted the old ruins of the Potter home -- she'd passed the old memorial a few times when she'd come to visit Talbott in the past. Talbott even walked over there with Carewyn, Tonks, and Chiara one Halloween not long after he first moved in, so they could all pay their respects.
"I know it's silly for me to wish I was there, but..." Talbott brought his head into his hand, his eyes falling down to the ground. "...He must've come to see his parents. They're buried in a plot only about ten feet away from where my parents are -- a plot I've visited on every holiday, bar this year..."
Talbott closed his eyes and hung his head.
"If I'd just visited this year, maybe I would've been there, when Potter was. He could've hidden out at my place instead -- I could've been more able to fight whatever attacked him and Bagshot -- "
"Talbott, don't blame yourself!" Carewyn said fiercely.
Her hand clutched at his arm, even as her eyes likewise fell down to the carpet, rather than remaining on him.
"...We don't know what it is that attacked Potter and Bagshot. For all we know, it could've been some elaborate trap set up by You-Know-Who, in case Potter ever showed up. After all, you moved here because your parents are buried here...it would make perfect sense if Potter wanted to visit this place as well..."
"Of course it does!" said Talbott, his voice strained. "That's all the more reason to wish I was there. I understand why he'd want to be here...I understand it probably more than anyone else..."
Carewyn's hand ran gently along Talbott's forearm, trying to comfort him. Talbott looked down at his own feet as he once again exhaled.
"Fred and George talk about him all the time. Lupin and Shacklebolt, as well. He's a lot like you, from what I gather -- modest and brave...with the ridiculous tendency to play the hero in every situation," the slightest of wry smiles flickered at the corners of his lips before quickly fading. "...Most of all...I gather he's never forgotten his parents. Lupin said once that the only real memories Potter has of his parents is of the night they died -- of them selflessly trying to save him, even as Vol -- the Dark Lord closed in..."
Talbott's lips twitched unhappily -- he hated the Taboo that forced him not to use Voldemort's real name.
"...I know I've never met the kid, but...I know what that's like. The not being able to forget. The knowledge that your parents gave everything, just so you could live. The shadow it casts over you...and how much it makes you fear losing anyone else...all those people who've become your family, in the place of the one you lost..."
His reddish eyes seemed to burn. Carewyn could feel waves of empathetic pain pooling off of her friend, even without him looking her right in the eye.
"I know it's silly, but...even if I don't really know Potter, and it's not like he'd have any reason to trust me in that circumstance when he doesn't know me from Adam...I wish I'd been there, for him. Because...I've been him, more than once."
The sorrow in Carewyn's eyes deepened. She bowed her head, and her forehead ended up lightly grazing the top of Talbott's head as she closed her eyes.
"You feeling that way is not silly," Carewyn said very softly. "It's noble. It's kind. And I know...if Potter is as much like you as he sounds to me...then he would appreciate knowing he wasn't alone."
Her low volume couldn't mask the strong emotions that choked her voice. Even though Talbott lacked Carewyn's flair for Legilimency, Talbott knew at his heart that -- like him -- Carewyn was likewise full of empathy for Potter's pain...because she, like both of them, also understood how much grief could isolate you...how much time could never take away the phantom pains of that loss.
Do not stand by my grave, and weep -- I am not there, I do not sleep...
The memory of the poem he'd given Carewyn after Rowan's death ran over Talbott's mind again as he looked up at his old friend. He took in the paleness of her face and the pain in her shut eyes, and he found himself bringing his own hand down to hold her arm, the way she was his. Talbott didn't speak, instead just keeping their posture as it was, with both of them leaning on each other and holding each other's arms.
Sometimes true solidarity -- true friendship -- requires no words.
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trainsinanime · 8 months
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Sometimes I wish I still used Twitter (until I remember what that place was like), because some news items just deserve immediate "holy shit" commentary. Like this. DB Cargo UK is getting rid of most of its remaining fleet of electric locomotives, and replacing them with diesels with "sustainable" fuels. They call it a bold decision, but they make it clear that this is due to market forces.
This decision will increase carbon dioxide emissions from the British rail sector, at the same time as the British government has given out new licenses for drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea. That little country is insistent on making global warming worse, not better.
It is easy to criticise DB Cargo UK for this decision, and I think we should, especially us German tax payers who ultimately own this company. I don't care if this is a good economic decision, it is bad globally.
But at the same time we must also place a lot of blame with the British government. The UK famously has way too little rail electrification. Only a few big mainlines are electrified, and those are so busy with passenger trains that freight often can't use them all that much anyway. New electrification projects either haven't happened at all or have been severely cut back (e.g. the Great Western Mainline which is still not fully electrified), and various conservative governments have said, "biofuel is way cheaper than electrification in the short term, so we should do that" for years now.
Over the past 25 years, literally thousands of new electric locomotives have been built by Bombardier (now Alstom) and Siemens for the European continent. There are entire websites dedicated to listing all of them. And none of those operate in the UK.
The total number of new UK electric freight locomotives in the past 25 years is 10 (with sixty more on order), none of which were run by DB Cargo UK. Compare that to 500 new diesel locomotives (class 66 alone) over the same time frame, many of which are run by DB Cargo UK (Also compare that to 400 new electrics for Austria alone, divided between class 1016, 1116, 1216 and 1293).
The class 90 electrics that DB Cargo UK is getting rid of are from the late 1980s, and at 30 years, they are getting on in age, with more and more maintenance required. Getting rid of them isn't weird, weird is that they're being replaced with diesels instead of electrics. And if the UK government isn't willing to spend the money on the necessary infrastructure, then more diesel locomotives rather than fewer is inevitable.
This is nowhere near the first of these announcements, by the way. Plenty of other British rail companies have gotten rid of some or all of their electrics already. Even DB Cargo UK has sold some of their machines before this. You will find a lot of former British machines in Romania or Hungary, which have the same electrification system, and crucially, enough electrified lines where you can make good use of these machines.
So, yeah. Things in the UK suck. If you live in the UK and can vote there, maybe consider changing things, perhaps.
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zukkas · 7 months
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wait hang on now im curious you said americans call apple juice apple cider and im thinking... because apple juice and apple cider are also different things here :o ! they're both non alcoholic too so im just curious the differences between all three
so at least where im from (romania) we only use the word "cider" for alcoholic beverages usually with low alcohol content and made out of apples (though sometimes they have other fruit too).
when we want to refer to what americans call apple cider, we say "natural apple juice" (in other places, i've also seen "freshly squeezed apple juice")
and we also have apple juice from concentrate, which is referred to either as that or just apple juice. they never come in the same kind of packaging so a lot of the time it's not necessary to specify what kind of apple juice it is, since it's obvious from context
im pretty sure these apply to most of europe, from having visited/lived in a few places and talking to friends about it, but i could be wrong lol
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hiveswap · 6 months
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Ok sorry to do this again despite admitting I don't know shit the first time (I'm the "isn't it both" anon) but I had some more thoughts.
So, even tho being ex eastern bloc is defo relevant for certain analyses of current situations, I don't think it should play too hard into tryna determine whether a country you aren't from can be considered eastern Europe (tho i think it's valid to bring into it if it's about your own country probably? I am not a politically versed person) and one of the reasons I say this is that my mum is from Saxony which was part of the GDR.
The family had been preparing to leave for years and eventually did so a few months before reunification (kinda hilarious tbh) and I myself grew up in (former) western germany (tho i was born years after reuni anyway) so I never lived in the GDR or even in any former GDR states myself but my mother has always shared a lot of stories but that's besides the point.
And like... nobody is calling the ex GDR states (let alone germany as a whole) eastern Europe. There's even ppl who consider us western Europe (I think we're pretty firmly central but tbh western vs central as a distinction isn't as important (bc I do know central vs eastern carries a lot more weight n stuff) so I don't really care) despite part of our country having been eastern bloc. So when people (specifically non ex eastern bloc folks, you're obviously fine) use it as an argument it feels hypocritical.
And obviously ex GDR states had the support of other german states so it was much easier for them to recover but imo the modern day economics are way closer to helping determine whether a country is eastern Europe? Not geographically obvs but in my mind (feel free to correct me) eastern european is kinda like asian in that it shouldn't be an important distinction going by geography but in terms of politics and dynamics and stuff it very much is and it matters.
Like, eastern europeans, at least within Europe, dunno how true it is elsewhere, are kinda oppressed? Like, if I meet a western european (esp an english person) they're prolly not gonna be xenophobic to me when I tell them where I'm from but if I was like Belarusian or something, they might. And then there's the economic stuff and also like social progression.
I've heard a lot about eg LGBT rights in Hungary and stuff like that and no shade or anything ofc, especially to the LGBT ppl living there such as (i think?) yourself and the other Hungarians I follow, but it does feel a lot less progressive.
Things aren't perfect here either or anything but they're getting better, we've had marriage equality for same sex couples (not (all) nb or intersex ppl tho) for over half a decade, forced trans sterilisation was declared unconstitutional 12 years ago and we're finally getting that self-determination bill put into place next year and then I can get that d. D stands for diverse in this case, it's our third legal gender (tho we also have "none", none gender can't get married)
Meanwhile transitioning in Hungary was outlawed three years ago and there's plenty of other countries where it's still a struggle and all in all it just feels kinda... distinct? Like how scandinavian (or nordic in general) countries feel like they're on a different economic and societal level from us(excl), the latter especially in regards to sexism, education and incarceration but also other stuff.
Obvs there's always so many factors but it's always felt to me like they were, forgive me for simplifying, the "higher" tier of europeans in at least those areas compared to my life in central Europe. Grass is always greener somewhere I guess. But I'm gonna get back on track.
So even tho geographically it's hard to argue that Hungary isn't central Europe, I think it might be politically. And it's not the only country that feels like this to me, like eg Romania is geographically southeast but politically I personally view it as firmly eastern tho obvs I'm no authority.
Anyway, sorry this got so long lmao I have not been awake for long yet and my brain's a little squished lol. Hope this wasn't a completely useless read, sorry if it was. Keep on keeping on 👍
Oh hi i got scared for a sec when i saw that i got a whole block of text. I'm not really up to politics talk rn, but what you're saying makes a lot of sense to me!! Though i havent seen anyone consider romania central before, i've always thought of the border between us as the edge of central europe. Probably because of the timezone difference ngl
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Things we've talked about/students have written about in this class:
the ethics of cannibalism
whether hot dogs are tacos
whether we should literally just murder old people
George Carlin
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eating guinea pigs
bug ass memes
a student going missing in the woods as a bit for their final project
elvis presley conspiracies
Lord of the Flies but IRL
If Women Do Indeed Be Like
rabbits talking with their gods as a metaphor for the American healthcare system
clowns
why is incest considered wrong if Gay People
using monkey neuron AI to determine if hot dogs are indeed sandwiches
"I know this experiment resulted in a guy killing himself but what if we did the experiment again and just added another person there"
the small daily sufferings of people living under the Communist regime in Romania
And now I'm grading this portfolio where the student's bit is that they're running a Gossip-Girl-esque blog.
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nightroo · 2 years
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So, as some of you may know, I moved countries. I now live in a big city, and it's all very exciting for me to explore, since I lived my whole life in a tiny town with practically nothing to do.
While I was exploring I found an art store, and when I went in, I almost wanted to cry out of joy. It has EVERYTHING, from resin to pigments, glass paint and a place to custom order a canvas!!! There are things there it took me years to find, because they're so rare. And to top it all, it's extremely cheap!
So after I saw all of that I went back the next day knowing what project I want to start.
Since I live in student accomodations, I'm not allowed to mess with the furniture that came with the room (obviously), but I do have a bookshelf and a cabinet (both are like dark wood and from Ikea), and to those I can do whatever I want...so... I thought I could paint some stuff on them. So I bought paimt for wood and varnish (along with some other misc supplies like a scrapper and sponges, dirt cheap stuff but things I couldn't find in the store back in my hometown).
I than realized I haven't practiced painting in months, and also maybe I shouldn't jump straight to the hardest part (without a plan either). But then I saw an ugly wooden box that I used to transport my more fragile supplies, so I decided to test the waters with it.
As for my inspiration, I started looking at antique furniture (idk if it's considered antique when it's a few centuries old, but whatever). Than I remembered I recently saw some Ceangăi furniture that are beautifully painted.
For the cabinet and bookshelf, I decided that I would go with a celestial and nature themes respectivly, so I combined them for the box. It has mostly stars, with flowers on the sides.
Now, I talked about this in my other blog, but I think I never mentioned it here, but I'm half Ceangăi (chan-gei). I'll shortly explain what even that means, because I'm positive excatly 0 of my followers ever heard of them.
So the Ceangăi are a group of Hungarians that live in closed villages in Romania, and they have lived separatly for at least the last 500 years. The reason they stayed separated is because they were catholic, and the rest of Romania was orthodox (still is mostly) so they couldn't marry outside of the village. In that way they're similar to the Jewish villages that used to be in Romania (which is where my other half is from btw). The Ceangăi culture is unique in a few aspects- first of all they have their own dialect of Hungarian, and (this is the coolest part) it hasn't changed much in the last 500 years. So while Hungarian has evolved in Hungary and changed, the Ceangăi still speak like they used to 500 years ago. They essesially preserved the language for hundreds of years! Another unique features are their textile work, their painted furniture, and their songs. Unfortunatly, the culture is dying, and about 5000 people know the dialect, mostly older folk, that will die out in the near future.
Sometimes I can't help but feel guilty about that.
ANYWAYS so the elements I took from the Ceangăi paintings are the borders (little half circles) on the edges of the lid, the star on the front, and the flowers on the sides (which I saw repeating in many furniture, unlike the other elements). I couldn't help but feel a bit connected to them, painting the same things in the same manner...
I learned a lot on how the paints work, and also how long this stuff takes (the box took me 4 hours, including a gesso layer, which is basically a base coat for paints). Tomorrow I'll add varnish and start on the bookshelf.
I think I rambled enough lmao. I didn't think I had that much to say...
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wyrmfedgrave · 3 months
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Pics:
1. Lena Heady is a British actress best known for: "Games of Thrones", "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles", "The Jungle Book", "The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance ", "Masters of the Universe: Revelation", "The Brothers Grimm" & Zach Snyder's "300"!!
She was born in Bermuda, but, now lives in, both, London & LA.
Weird Bit: For "Games of Thrones," she learned how to ride horses, shoot arrows & how to skin rabbits!
At home, she likes to practice yoga & how to box...
2. Cole Hauser is an American actor best known for: "2 Fast 2 Furious", "Good Will Hunter", "Yellowstone", "ER", "Pitch Black", "Chronicles of Riddick", "Olympus Has Fallen", "A Good Day to Die Hard", "Dazed & Confused"; plus, "Transcendence."
Has a long & impressive career - even though he dropped out of high school - to pursue acting & professional soccer! He lives in LA.
Weird Shit: His great grandpa helped found the great Warner Bros Studios!
3. The poster for "The Cave" seems to correctly(?) describes the Earth as being a demonic location!! Remember, "Below Heaven, there's Earth!" "Below Earth, there's Hell"... "Below Hell, there's... the "Cave"!!
4 & 5. Behind-the-scenes photos of the movie's creature FX.
1906: The Earth is Not Hollow.
Intro: This is an American-Dutch horror flick, with an emphasis on the creature FX.
Exterior scenes were mostly shot in Bucharest, Romania. This serves as the story's above ground setting.
However, the watery underground cave system was shot at the Hidden World Cenote (a well) Park in Quintana Roo, Mexico.
Plot: A small team of spelunkers (cave explorers) enter a vast subterranean cavern, to find out what happened to an earlier expedition.
After following long, cramped stream, they become trapped a mile beneath the surface!
Worse, it soon becomes clear that something else lives down here. And, that they're not harmless...
The crew of the original expedition have been mutated into monsters - by underwater parasites!!
(Such a large & complex evolution would normally take millenia to occur.)
These things attack the cave divers & the movie just becomes another survival genre type of film.
One character is eaten outright. A 2nd one's hauled up a cliff face & another leaps onto the back of a flying thing!!
The rest of the crew are chased thru dark 'corridors' deep under of the Earth!
Following a cold stream, they emerge where it merges with a regular river.
Only 3 characters return to the upper world - 1 of which has been infected!!
(The parasite's been trying to get out onto the surface for millennia!)
Sometime later, 2 of the survivors meet at a cafe's sidewalk table.
There, it's revealed who's brought the parasite to the outer world...
Criticism: Decently crafted, but, not very original. The original creature FX are among the few, true moments of entertainment.
(What does that even mean?)
This work is kind of a mix of "Alien", "Predator" & quite a lot of the "Texas Chainsaw Massacre"!!
Should appeal to viewers who like unusual locations, a fast pace & lots of jump scares.
If you're seeking more credible fare, please exit this theater. We'll wait...
Now, although it's a violent movie, the monster attacks are way too frenetic!
There's splashing water, quick cuts & short peeks of the monsters' bodies to deal with.
Shooting movies this way, makes it very hard to follow what's going on.
But, I understand that it's done to save money on 'dressing' the set & to curtail the use of SFX...
Notes:
1. There seems to be some kind of evolution going on for subterranean stories on these list.
Specifically, the list starts out with whole cavern worlds serving as primal jungle adventures.
These existed in conjunction with ancient races & utopian fantasies...
Not so anymore.
By 2005, these locations are getting closer, becoming far more personal.
From wide, cradled worlds down to ever tight, suffocating spaces.
From primal sociopolitical concerns to basic human survival...
2. Movie fans know that, sometimes, two films will come out bearing the same premise!
So, audiences get to experience some rather similar dualities.
In 2005, we had "The Cave" & "The Descent" come out in the same year.
3. Both concern spelunking horrors, but, represent different subgenres: grim survival & revenge 'fantasy'!!
"The Cave" is a horror thriller - with ravaging monsters.
And, "The Descent" seems to be nothing but, more of the same.
Yet, "Decent's" monsters might be nothing more than a damaged psyche's self delusions or just plain lies...
Anyway, we've moved on, out from fantastical worlds & down into our own personal thoughts.
Which I find fascinating - &, scary as heck...
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eurovision-revisited · 5 months
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2000 Stockholm - Number 9 - Directia 5 - "Poți să visezi"
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Direcția 5 are a big name in the Romanian music industry - even today. They were formed in 1991, and rapidly set about releasing well-received albums throughout the decade. By 2000, they have seven albums and a huge following. They even split into two separate bands with the same name for a short period, but that just proved confusing.
Romania, like Croatia and Finland, are using the EBUs mandate to bring Eurovision into the realm of commerciality by getting their big names into the field of their national final. Selecția Națională and TVR have been brave and chosen for it to be 100% televote. If they can get the Direcția 5 fanbase to call in, well, it'll be good.
Their sound, a driving alt/indie infused rock, would be a huge breath of fresh air for Eurovision and unlike some national finals this year Poți să visezi (You Can Dream) is true to their output. Actual commercial rock. Driven by an urgent bass, hard drums and guitar riffs in the choruses, it enthusiastically pushes forward while all the time maintaining its pose of diffidence. It tells us that dreams are great. Go for it people. You can do anything.
Now, I have only found the music video for this. There's no sign of the national final performance. This is not necessarily a bad omen for how things went - several other Romanian national finals performances aren't available - however the televote did not come through for Direcția 5. They ended up 10th of the 13 songs. That's way down on where I think anyone would have expected them to finish. Perhaps the Romanian Eurovision watching public still weren't ready for commercial music to start creeping in.
It didn't put them off and not only did Direcția 5 have another attempt at Selecția Națională in 2011, they're now up to at least 30 albums including compilations and live performances. They kept touring until 2017 and the most recent album was released in 2022. I understand that there may have been one or several 'personality clashes' within the band at some stage, but that shouldn't detract from their achievements.
2000 truly is the year when the broadcasters and delegations were trying for what the EBU wanted - relevance and commerciality. It's not quite coming off for them though.
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naoa-ao3 · 6 months
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Returning
William or Spike or whatever the hell he's been calling himself is an idiot as far as Darla is concerned. Dru isn't much better and without Angelus around everything is rotting.
Darla feels like she's been burned. Her Angelus, her beautiful boy with a soul stuffed into him. . . it makes her skin crawl, makes her flesh peel and shrink.
Now it's just her and the two dolts.
They'd been amusing when she'd still had Angelus, everything had been amusing and then. . . those Gypsies.
They'd fled Romania and now she regrets that they didn't kill every last one of them before they did.
She goes out and feeds alone now, pimps and streetwalkers and anyone who happen upon her and Spike and Druscilla go out together, arm in arm the way she used to with Angelus.
She's starting to hate them. They prattle and sneak off together. . . Spike isn't any less annoying without Angelus and now that he's had a Slayer under his belt he's even more obnoxious and loud.
This is torture and she's started to consider that maybe without Angelus there's no reason to stay. No reason to stay and listen to these idiots and their love sick cacophony. Spike is an idiot and Dru doesn't have a thought in her head.
Darla goes out one night and hunts, finding people and turning them down. She wants something special. A very pretty boy she can sink her teeth into, something to get the bitter taste out of her mouth and she finds him locking up a shop on a dim street.
"I don't suppose you could help me?" She asks, drawing up to him and sounding waifish. She can't help it. The timber stays in her voice. She just chooses to use it.
He blinks. "Are you hurt?" He asks.
She shakes her head. "No but I'm lost." She smiles and he seems relaxed. "Oh please help me. I don't know this neighborhood." She say's.
He's tall and has brown hair, green eyes. . . she likes his jaw and his mouth, the way his neck strains when he looks around.
"It's not a bad neighborhood but a lady shouldn't be out on her own." He say's. "Where are you trying to get to?"
She pretends to be embarrassed. "Oh, just home." She say's, pointing the way she'd come. "I got lost in the dark."
The gas lamps overhead glow. In other places in the world they're being replaced with electric lights. Edison's invention, killing her darkness and her shelter. At one time she might have feared them but her Angelus had taught her differently. He showed her a brighter world and didn't she love it? The dresses and the views. . .
She wants him back but all she has is this victim tonight, a green eyed fool holding out his arm to her.
She slips her's in delicately.
She's good at giving men what they want, she's good at giving women what they want and in the end she get's what she wants. That's what it's all about. That's what it's always been about.
"Do you live far?" The man asks.
She shakes her head. "I don't think so. I just can't find my way back."
She's leading him but he seems pleased with himself, glad to be there and maybe he's a good man. If he is it's too bad for him. She's going to kill him and the closer they get to nowhere the tighter she holds on to him.
"Are you scared?" He asks.
"A little." She lies. "But not with you here."
She's started to relish these hunts when she can get away from Spike and Druscilla. The cold wind and the lack of petulance is refreshing.
She remembers her master and a boy she'd had in an alley once. A beautiful, beautiful boy who had returned her to the world.
Perhaps now it was time to return to her Master.
She turns and stops, looking at the man so sad and needy that he melts for her. She let's him kiss her for just a second. It's for her, not him and then she's got him against a wall and is tearing into his throat and neck, tasting sweetness and life as it flows into her and down her own throat.
Kill the pretty, little things in the world.
Rip them apart.
Angelus would have loved this and she finishes with the man, not nearly satiated and lets him fall to the ground.
They go so fast, the mortals. So fast.
"My beautiful boy." She whispers, smelling the stink of his soul and the perversion of nature he'd become with it.
She's done.
She's done with pining and hurting and Spike and Dru and all the nonsense they talk about.
She'll go back to her master. They'll be alright. They have each other but she never asked for them and they were never her's. She doesn't need them and perhaps her master will take her back.
They're at the house when she get's home. Sitting on top of one another like vulturous love birds.
She shakes her head and leaves them to it. She's done here. She's so done.
She packs and leaves them before the night is out.
Her master is waiting and he will take her back, she's confident of it. She was always special to him and her boy is gone and her view with him. She has nothing else, not at this moment and so she leaves, all of the years she and Angelus shared behind her and their two wayward companions unknowing and untold.
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40sandfabulousaf · 1 year
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大家好! Besides GST hikes of 1% p.a. next year and 2024, public bus and MRT fares will rise in December. To help everyone deal with these changes, the government distributed vouchers which can be redeemed at participating food stalls and stores. I received $100 each last year and this year. Low income households received more.
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半炸半汤酿豆腐 ban zha ban tang niang dou fu - half deep fried half soup yong tau foo, rice not pictured $9
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I'll use my vouchers for my dental appointment. The remainder will go towards a pair of glasses for work. Speaking of work, this week was very hectic and the coming ones will be just as busy because people from HQ will be in town. Leave is not approved during the period the people from HQ visit us; colleagues said that they were asked to switch their block leave or approval was withheld. It seems like quite a momentous occasion because we were informed that all of us must be in the office for the whole week.
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Japanese fusion set meal with pork steak, salad and tomato soup $14.20++
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To make things busier, Lingy, an old uni friend now residing and working in Australia, texted to say she's flying back with her family for a visit during the same period! It would be nice to see her again though; it's been too long. I'll take her and her family out for some really nice noodles. Besides, I can do with some yummy food after a hectic time at work. After the busy period, I'm catching up with Mrs T, perhaps for something nice to eat!
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散寿司 san shou si - barachirashi $15.50
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Inflation is forecast to remain high in 2023 and challenging times ahead are predicted for my country. Keeping to a budget will remain in our lives, at least for the short term. In order to cut costs, Grace and Douglas have enlisted Grace's sister's help to care for their infant daughter. Grace's sister lives in Malaysia, where infant formula and disposable diapers are cheaper. So during the week, the baby is cared for by the sister and on weekends, they bring her back and enjoy those wonderful bonding moments.
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People may judge Grace and Douglas where parenting is concerned but I'd rather not. These are very lean times and their arrangement with Grace's sister ensures that their daughter will be brought up with the best they can afford. It doesn't make sense to keep her with them and she suffers because they're struggling to keep up with the higher costs of infant formula and disposable diapers. In this way, their family is less financially strained, they cope better and everyone's mood is more cheerful. 下次见!
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spaghettioverdose · 3 years
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*sees the build a bear post*
"Build a bear.... build a bear.... builda bear..... WAIT BUILDER BEAR???? THAT FUCKING SCP NAME MAKES SO MUCH MORE SENSE NOW"
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