#100m well spent

[footiehoemcfc]

I don’t care what anyone says, this man was worth EVERY SINGLE PENNY

[rowzien]

I spent quite a long time on this tailcoat and have gotten very busy without time to work on other projects, so I will dedicate a post to it.

Firstly big thank you to @vinceaddams for his deaths head button video which I used to make mine as well as links for making buckram!

Deaths head buttons weren’t really as popular any more by the regency period, but they still had Thread wrapped buttons for coats as well as one vest example I found for.

I made the buckram from scratch using linen I got at a second hand store and glue.

Decorative interior stitching was based directly off an 1830s tailcoat at the MET.

I used silk thread for all of the visible stitches, and it was like butter to hand-sew with. 100m/110 yds was more than enough for that as well.

(You can see the mutton chops I did :] )

[justforbooks]

Stieg Larsson

His Millennium trilogy was a worldwide hit. But to the Swedish author, it was only ever a sideshow to his true life’s work: fighting fascism, racism and rightwing extremism

It is a relatively well-known fact that the author of the bestselling and most widely known Nordic noir crime series of all time never got to witness his own success. Swedish novelist Stieg Larsson died of a sudden heart attack 20 years ago this week, aged only 50, before the publication of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and the Millennium trilogy that followed.

What is less well known is that on the day of his death (9 November 2004), Larsson was due to give a lecture on the Nazis’ November pogrom at the headquarters of the Workers’ Educational Association in Stockholm. Kristallnacht, “the night of broken glass”, was an important date in Larsson’s calendar, which he commemorated every year. To him, it epitomised the abyss of far-right extremism he spent his life fighting.

Larsson’s life as an antifascist activist has been increasingly overlooked in the wake of his books’ phenomenal global success. One of Sweden’s most lucrative literary exports, the Millennium series has sold more than 100m copies across its various titles, according to publisher Norstedts. The novels have since been adapted into a number of Swedish TV films, a Hollywood blockbuster starring Daniel Craig, and expanded into two further trilogies by two other authors.

“And yet, the trilogy is only one episode in Stieg’s journey through the world, and it certainly isn’t his life’s work”, his life partner, Eva Gabrielsson, wrote back in 2011 in her memoir. Gabrielsson refers to the “Stieg of the ‘Millennium industry’” as being created after his death. The Larsson she knew was an unwavering antifascist – a deeply rooted conviction that shines through passage after passage of his page-turning crime thrillers.

Two decades on, the novels read like a gloomy premonition of Sweden’s political landscape to come, with the far-right Sweden Democrats a de facto part of the governing coalition since 2022. Larsson exposed the undemocratic underbelly of a country usually associated with Scandinavian exceptionalism rather than murderous Nazis. It was a side of Swedish society he knew all too well as a journalist.

In The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, a suspenseful whodunnit set on a fictional Swedish island inhabited by a wealthy industrialist family, Nazi pasts are never far beneath the surface of the plot. The Vanger brothers – Richard, Harald and Greger – were all members of the extreme right organisation New Sweden, with Harald becoming a “key contributor to the hibernating Swedish fascist movement”. The investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist later finds photos of Greger with Sven Olov Lindholm, a Swedish Nazi leader in the 1940s. And the fascist ideology of Richard – grandfather of the missing Harriet and her vicious brother Martin – led him to the Finnish trenches in the second world war.

In the sequel, The Girl Who Played With Fire, we find the biker gang Svavelsjö MC (whose logo features a Celtic cross, a symbol common among white supremacy groups) at the centre of a sex trafficking ring. The gang is well connected with the organised extreme right: its number two, Sonny Nieminen, has had dealings with neo-Nazi groups such as the Aryan Brotherhood and the Nordic Resistance Movement while in prison. Lisbeth Salander’s nemesis and, as it turns out, brother – a giant brute who feels no pain called Ronald Niedermann – was part of a skinhead gang in the 1980s in Hamburg, we are told; it’s a nod to a nascent far-right subculture in Germany responsible for arson attacks and murders.

And in Larsson’s final novel, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest, Blomkvist and Salander expose a shadowy clique within Swedish intelligence called “the Section”, comprised of members of the extreme right Democratic Alliance. “Within the Section this was no obstacle,” we learn. “The Section had in fact been instrumental in the very formation of the group.”

While the Millennium trilogy touches on many themes, especially violence against women (the original Swedish title Larsson insisted on for the first novel translates as “Men who hate women”), Larsson condemned the Swedish far right’s influence at all levels of society.

These convictions were rooted in his biography. His grandfather, with whom he grew up with in the icy north of Sweden, was an anti-Nazi communist imprisoned in an internment camp during the second world war. The grandfather would recount the horrors of the November pogrom, leaving a lasting impression on the young Larsson, himself a committed activist, first in the anti-Vietnam war movement, then in Maoist and Trotskyist circles. But it was Larsson’s commitment against the far right that would shape his politics for the bulk of his life.

In 1979, Larsson joined the Swedish news agency Tidningarnas Telegrambyrå, where he spent the next 20 years of his modest career as a low-level journalist. But as rightwing extremists began robbing banks, stealing weapons and murdering people in Sweden in the mid-1980s, Larsson became the agency’s go-to expert.

From 1983, he began writing for the British antifascist magazine Searchlight as a Stockholm correspondent. In 1991 he co-authored a Swedish-language book on rightwing extremism. And over the years he penned numerous reports and articles on contemporary antisemitism and the far right for organisations and institutes in Israel, Belgium and France.

A pivotal moment came in 1995. Larsson co-founded the Expo Foundation, which publishes a quarterly magazine on racism, antisemitism and the far right to this day. By 1999, it had become his day job. It was a calling that came at great personal cost, landing him on neo-Nazi hitlists. He received bullets by post. Colleagues were targeted through shootings or car bombs. According to Gabrielsson, it was for security reasons that they did not marry, leaving her without inheritance rights under Swedish law.

“Stieg was a nerd at heart, but there was a certain machismo to covering the far right in the 90s,” says Daniel Poohl, head of the Expo Foundation since 2005. “It was men researching dangerous other men and sometimes that meant having a baseball bat to protect yourself. Because that’s what you do when you feel that you’re on your own.”

Poohl is sitting in the first floor office of Expo in a nondescript block in a residential neighbourhood in Stockholm. Framed covers of the compact, stylish magazine, which today has 7,000 subscribers, adorn the wall behind him. In the next room, the 14 staff members are busy planning the coming issue, page drafts of which are plastered on the wall.

It’s hard not to think of Larsson’s fictional investigative publication Millennium, with which there are plenty of parallels in the novels. “A lot of people have said to me that Millennium is basically Expo,” says Poohl. “But it’s not. Millennium was the ultimate dream magazine. Stieg was a bad businessman, so it would never work in real life.”

The success of the novels, which Larsson wrote in his spare time, has partly helped the foundation, however. A representative of Larsson’s estate said that the holding company that controls it has donated a total of over 40 million Swedish kronor (£2.9 million) over the years, which “have clearly been crucial for Expo’s activities.” .

Poohl from Expo confirmed that the foundation received one off payments, as well as an additional yearly support from the Larssons for a period and a cut of the fourth novel in the series, The Girl in the Spider’s Web, published in 2015 and authored by David Lagercrantz.

“People sometimes think we received a lot of money through the books, but it’s less than they think,” he says. “We’re thankful for the financial support that we have received during the years. But the royalty agreement has since ended.” Poohl adds: “The sad part is that Stieg didn’t get to use his fame to further his political work.” Joakim Larsson, his brother, declined an interview request due to health reasons. Gabrielsson, now 70, didn’t respond to multiple interview requests.

With the electoral success of the far-right Sweden Democrats, a party rooted in Swedish nazism, Larsson’s political nightmare has in many ways come true. “He tried to show that they weren’t simply a gang of madmen plotting to infiltrate Swedish society … but a real political movement that had to be combated through political means,” wrote Gabrielsson back in 2011. The “Millennium millions”, as a Swedish documentary has called the fortune made through the trilogy, would have undeniably been a big boost to his other life’s work.

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[qsycomplainsalot]

Excelsior-Thevenot type AF Grenade

Manufactured by F. Thevenot fils in France c.1914-15 for the French and Italian armed forces. 60mm caliber, 220mm height, 80gr explosive charge, 40-100m range, sheet steel and brass. The Excelsior grenade launcher is somewhat of an oddity, even among other ad-hoc French WW1 artillery, in that it could almost be compared to the single-use recoilless AT weapons used by modern armies, in design if not in purpose. Thevenot’s Excelsior grenade was originally a percussive stick design, meaning the impact of it landing caused it to explode. Unlike other percussive grenades, it used an impeller to measure some time of flight before arming itself, which made it safer for its user but also more likely to be a dud due to possible malfunction of this mechanism.

The Excelsior was called the P2 in French service, for percussive, and also the “ballerina” for its fabric skirt. This was supposed to make sure the grenade would fly impeller first, so it would arm itself properly.

Because the French army is not known to let any stockpiled ordnance go to waste, the hand grenade was redesigned into a rifle grenade, and more interestingly into a light mortar. Both these designs increased the projectile’s range which in turn made sure its arming device based on air-time would work reliably. The lightweight launcher was built out of sheet steel, painted blue for explosive and red for incendiary ordnance. It carried a single Excelsior grenade, now with a rounded brass shell and a steel finned body.

For firing, the soldier would kneel and set the bottom of the mortar firmly into the ground. The launcher’s cap would be removed as well as the firing system’s cover, exposing the hammer and propellant cartridges. Because of the layout of the weapon but mostly because this is a French weapon, the cartridges were Gevelot&Gaupillat 24mm pinfire brass-and-cardboard designs.

The hammer was cocked by being turned to either side to strike the chosen cartridge, with the left one ranged for 40m and the right for 100m at a 45° angle. The device was aimed at the correct angle using the simple alidade on its side. Before firing, the safety pin of the grenade was removed to unlock the impeller.

Although the Excelsior-Thevenot type AF launcher is recorded to have been used as a trench mortar, offering continuous light artillery support to infantry, but the instruction label on it clearly states that spent launchers were to be brought back to an ordnance depot, indicating a single-use system. It is not clear why this discrepancy exists.

[aikakyu]

💌 君と見る夢～楽久編 — 3rd place !! 🌙🌟🩷

finished gaku's birthday event this year at 3rd !! 🥺🩷 it's the highest i've tiered so far in the jp server~ i'm really happy !! 🪘💌 especially becausd i've been saving up so much dias for it too waaa... i managed to achieve lots of things i couldn't last year due to still being pretty fresh to this server (like clearing all 60 stages) too, so overall my feeling of satisfaction is just up the roof TwT ♡

i love gaku so much :( i'll work even harder in the future !! 💌

getting 3rd here reminds me of the time i also ranked the same in his FoHL event on ARR, and after that i kept wanting to aim higher and higher so achieving the same on jp makes me hope that i can get a higher rank next year as well :"D GRAAA GOSH.... i always have lots of fun tiering for gaku in his birthday events even if i'm constantly like CAN IT END ALREADY ?!!! WAHAHAHWHS

i really want to compile all the things i've achieved in events someday, maybe in a single post or a carrd or any place i deem good enough LOL but anyways! all the cards i collected~ next year i'll be aiming for more FTBFY card copies !! i only managed to get one this year cause i used the rest of my bonds to exchange for the limited stories.

all in all, i spent around 4183 💎 to get to 50m pts :) !!

the pts system for birthday events has been modified since last year because of the new yang attribute i assume, but if we base it on the pts system of earlier events then 50m should equate to 100m? since the modification is just them cutting the given pts per clear by half :O if that makes sense LMAOOAHWS just wanted to give the comparison yaaayy~

next year... might be hard for me considering they've been giving out less free dias, but we'll see :)

[christopher-bangnaldoskzz]

VIRGINITY - JEONGIN

Jeongin X Female Reader 

Genre: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Word count: 3.5K

Summary: You and your best friend go camping with her boyfriend and his best friend.

Warnings: 18+ MDNI, Lose of virginity, Protected sex, fingering and hand jobs. Please if you are uncomfortable with the above subject then feel free to scroll along.

“Could you please tell me again.... why I agreed to go camping with you” you say, throwing your camping gear into the back of your best friend Stacey’s car. 

“Because you love me”, she smiled. You scoff at her answer, making her laugh. “Fine, because Jeongin will be there” she knows your weakness. Jeongin was so sweet since that night at Stacey’s house, where you spent hours talking about absolutely everything. It was hard to stop thinking about him, so when Stacey’s boyfriend asked if you girls wanted to come camping with him and Jeongin on the weekend, you agreed. 

You said nothing to Stacey as you wandered towards the car, opened the front door and sat inside, waiting for her to close the boot. 

“Oh, come on, Y/N, don’t act like you are not excited to spend time with him,” she said, hopping in the car “you practically jumped at the idea when changbin said to come along” you hated it when Stacey was right. 

“Shut up and drive”, you smiled as you put your seat belt on. 

You drive 2 hours to the camping grounds “ omg, Stacey, please, I need to pee so bad”, you stay, running out of the parked car while Stacey checks you in.

You come out of the toilet and notice that Stacey is down the hill at the campsite already. You walk down towards her car and see changbin and Jeongin helping Stacey unpack the car. 

“Oh well, hello you,” Jeongin says, smiling. 

“Hey,” you say back, helping him carry the tent out of the back.

“Hey, Y/N, did you want to bunk in with Jeongin….changbin and I want to share a tent” she gave you those stupid eyebrow wiggle things people do when they think they are being funny. You roll your eyes at her “sure. I don’t mind….just make sure you set your tent up as far away from me as possible”, you snarl. 

The last thing you wanted to hear was those two fools going 100m meters from you. 

“Jeongin, you okay with that” Jeongin looked nervous, looking over to changbin, who smiled as he hammered the pegs into the ground. 

“I umm…okay”, he could barely form a sentence. 

Jeongin and changbin set up both tents while you and Stacey unpack and set up the camp kitchen. 

…..,

“Soooooooo you and Jeongin, aye,” she says, elbowing you. 

You roll your eyes because there is honestly nothing going on between you too. Stacey giggled as the boys walked up to the pavilion for lunch. 

“Oh, babe, that looks so fucking good,”changbin says, grabbing his sandwich from her hands and taking a huge bite. Stacey smiles at him as she kisses his nose. “What” he looked at her, scrunching his nose, “nothing, your just so cute,” Stacey said, turning back around. You have never seen Stacey so friendly to someone in your life. It made you queasy how in love she was. 

“God, don’t they just make you sick?” You hear from behind you. You giggle as you move out of the way so Jeongin can grab some food. 

……..

“Binnie…..come with me….I want to go for a swim,” Stacey whines, pulling changbin towards the tent. 

“But I don’t want to,” he says, resisting. 

Stacey whispers into changbins ear, and he blushes “well, in that case …I’ll just get changed”, he said, practically pulling her inside. 

“I wonder what she said to him,” Jeongin said, going back to chopping the carrots for tonight’s dinner. 

“I don’t want to know” you smiled at Jeongin, who chuckled. 

You both stayed behind as they giggled and ran down to the creek to do god knows what. 

You chop and prepare dinner in silence, shoving as much meat and veggies as possible into the iron pot. Glancing over at Jeongin tending to the fire made you feel warm inside. He carefully spread the coals around and turned his head to see if you were ready, catching you staring at him. 

“Are you ready” he laughed, signing for you to come over.

You shake yourself out of your trance and try to pick up the pot. You struggle to pick it up, so Jeongin slightly jogs over to help you. 

“Here, let me take it,” he says, moving you to the side by your hips. You freeze. As soon as he realised what he had done, he apologised and racked his hand back.

“Y/N, I am so so sorry”, he panics.

“It’s okay, Jeongin,” you said, trying to sooth him. You bushed up and down his arm, and he turned to look at you. 

His eyes scanned your face and paused on your lips. “I should get this pot over on the fire now”, he gulped, lifting the iron pot so quickly. 

As the sun starts to go down and the temperature drops, you feel a little cold. Stacey and changbin are back sitting by the fire for warmth. 

“Here,” Jeongin said, handing you a hoodie. 

“Huh?…. What’s this for?” You said, holding onto it and feeling the fabric as he smiled.

“I saw your bag…looks like you packed light….it’s going to get cold soon, so I thought you might like my hoodie” he was so sweet to you, your cheeks turned red, and you quickly looked down to the floor. 

“Thank you”, you smile, looking back up at him. He’s now scanning your face again. 

You put the hoodie on after he starts to walk towards the fire staring at the stew you made together. The hoodie smelled so good. It was so fluffy and warm. It was huge on you, tho, but you didn’t mind. 

“y/N…. I think it’s ready,” he smiled, looking over at you. 

You grab the bowels and spoons and head over to the fire, Stacey grinning from ear to ear. 

“That’s a cute hoodie” you knew she was going to say something. Jeongin cheeks turn red. 

“Thanks”, you smile, rolling your sleeves up, so they don’t get stew all over them. 

……..

Later that night 

“Binnie did you want to come to bed with me,” Stacey says, running her hand down his arm. 

“No, that’s okay, I’m not tired”, he was oblivious. It made you giggle.

She again whispers in his ear, making his eyes widen, and he swallows hard “ughhh would you look at the time It’s getting late” Jeongin chuckles at how ridiculous changbin is. 

“I’ll head to be too, I think,” you said, standing up cozy in Jeongins hoodie. 

“Okay, well, we are all going to bed, so I’ll put the fire out,” Jeongin said, walking towards the camp kitchen to get some water to smoulder the fire. 

By the time Jeongin had finished packing and cleaning the camp kitchen, you were in the tent, curled up in a sleeping bag. You were freezing. Why did you not think to bring warm clothes or an extra blanket

“It’s so cold out there,” Jeongin says as he walks in. 

“Tell me about it,” you say with the sleeping bag covering your mouth so you don’t have to feel the cold air hitting your lungs. 

Jeongin takes his shirt off and try’s to find his long sleeve top, not realising what he’s just done. Until you clear your throat, and he turns his head, eyes wide “oh shit, I’m so sorry”, he says, covering his body with the shirt. 

“It’s okay….we are sharing a tent after all”, you laugh. 

“Are you warm enough” he smiled, looking at you, practically shivering. 

“I’m okay,” you say, not wanting to bother him more than you already have. 

He finds a shirt and hops into his sleeping bag “okay good night Y/N.” 

“Goodnight, Jeongin” he turns off the torch suddenly, you have this urge to pee. 

You try to stay as still as you can. You can hear Jeongin getting comfortable on his mattress. You didn’t want to go to the toilet alone. What if someone kidnapped you. You lay there contemplating whether or not to go and grab Stacey without fully realising that you yourself were restlessly flopping around on your mattress.

“Y/N”, Jeongin interrupts your thoughts.

“Mmmhm” 

“What’s wrong? You’re moving so much, and it’s annoying,” he groans, turning the light back on. 

“I need to pee,” you say, staring at him sweetly. 

“Then go pee” he was not happy. 

“I can’t. I’m scared,” you said, pulling your sleeping bag up. 

“Fuck sake,” he said, pulling his blankets off and standing. 

“What?” You looked up at him. 

“Get up. I’ll walk you,” he growls, and he rubs his shoulders.

“You okay,” you say, immediately regretting it as soon as the cold air hits your body. 

“Just a bit cold. Let's hurry up and go so we can come back,” he said, opening the tent.

“I can give you your jumper back you say, lifting it, not realising your shirt underneath was also coming up. 

“No, no, no….keep it on,” he says, shoving the hoodie back down. “Let’s go,” he says, dragging you out using the torch to light our way to the portable toilets.

“Here, take this inside. I’ll be right here,” he says as you open the door, god you hated portable toilets. They were the worst in the ways they smelt. They looked dirty, and did I mention the smell? 

As quickly as possible, you were in and out of those things “well, that was gross”, you said, exiting the toilet. 

“You all good now?” He said, taking the torch back.

“Yes, thank you,” you said, waking beside him. 

On the way back to the campsite, you suddenly hear a rustling from a bush next to you. Suddenly you scream, backing straight into Jeongin. You hold yourself steady by the hips. 

“It’s just a possum”, he laughs, shining a torch on it still with one hand grabbing your hip bone. 

“Scared the shit out of me,” you said, holding your pounding chest. Your body then becomes aware that not only is Jeongin keeping your hips but that you have backed your whole Body into his. 

You pause as Jeongin hand slides to your pelvic bone. Jeongin hand fell from your body as you heard a “let's go” softly.

Opening up the tent, Jeongin singled for you to go in first “are you cold….you can share my extra blankets,” he said as you shivered back into your sleeping bag. 

You look at him, thinking about it for a moment “oh, come on, I don’t bite”, he laughs, looking down “ you’ll be in your sleeping bag….I’ll be a perfect gentleman”, he smiles. You liked how Jeongin made you relax. Even though you’ve known him for a short time, you felt safe in this tent with him. 

“Oh, Ummm, okay,” you say, getting up and moving your mattress next to his. 

After rearranging the tent, you both lie under the sleeping bags and extra blankets. You felt so cozy and warm. You decided it would be easier to undo both sleeping bags so you would have three layers of warmth. 

Jeongin turned around to turn the torch off, and his back was now touching yours. “Jeongin”, you whisper.

“Mmmmm yeah,” he said sleepily. 

“Is it bad that I’m still cold” he could feel your body shake against his. 

“Hold on,” he said, rolling over half asleep he wrapped his arm around your waist and shimmied closer to you. 

“Better,” he said in a husky voice on the back of your neck. 

“No,” you said, rolling over to face him. Without thinking, Jeongin pulled you into him, your face in the crook of his neck, your arms wrapped around each other.

“Perfect”, you mumble Jeongin's body goes stiff, and as soon as you realise, you pull back. 

“What’s wrong?” You say, lifting your head. 

“I….umm….I,” he is fumbling over his words. 

“Don’t tell me you have a girlfriend?” you said, completely letting go of him now. 

“No….no god no, I don’t have a girlfriend,” he said, tightening his hold.

“I just really want to kiss you right now” he inches his face closer to you, so your noses are now touching. 

“What’s stopping you?” You whisper back, Jeongins hand now caressing your face.

He lifts his head and leans down so his lips hover over yours. “I just think you are perfect,” he says, lightly linking his lips to yours. He rolls your body over, so now his chest is hovering over you. 

You are the one who decides to deepen the kiss caressing the back of his neck. Jeongin hand rests on the side of your breast, his thumb lightly sitting just under as you part your lips enough for his tongue to enter your mouth. You pull back “wait before you get too excited….I, Umm, have never done this before,” you said shyly. 

“Done what?” He was confused. 

“Had Ummm sex”, you managed to get the words out. 

“Wait…..wait, you want to have sex” it dawned on you that maybe that wasn’t Jeongins plan. You think to yourself, “have I just fucked this up.” 

“You haven’t answered me?” He said, interrupting your train of thought. 

“I thought that what this was….I’m sorry if I got my signals wrong” you felt like a real dick. 

“Just for the record….I wasn’t planning on sex….but I’m more than okay with it if that’s what you want,” he said, adjusting his body position. 

“Just one issue…I don’t have a condom.” 

“Don’t laugh, okay” Jeongin was giving you a confused look. “But when I was getting changed earlier, I noticed some in my bag I borrowed from Stacey”, Jeongin props himself up on his elbows.

“Didn’t notice them while you were packing?” He is now back to giving over your lips. 

“I think she snuck them in after” you lean up and reconnect your lips. 

“Well, you’ll have to thank her later for me,” he said, pulling away. His hand travelled down your body as he continued to kiss you. Slowly his hand lifts his hoodie. He slides his hand up your shirt and cups your breast. 

“So, did you want me to get one out?” You say, pushing his chest up. 

“Hold on so…..you’ve never had sex…like ever?” He said, just realising what you said to him earlier.

“Jeongin, did it take that long for your brain to process?” You giggle Jeongin lets go of your breast and removes his hand from under the jumper. 

“But you’ve done other stuff, right?” 

“No… I’ve only kissed one other guy except you” you began to become awkward. 

“Oh okay…well….shit, this just got awkward,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“Oh well….we don’t have to if you don’t feel comfortable,” you said, shifting further away from him. 

“Hold on….hold on, who said I didn’t want to do this with you…. I’ve just got to rethink some stuff.” 

“What, like whether or not you’re going to sleep with me….just forget it, Jeongin” you turned your body around so your back was now facing him. 

“It’s not like that… listen… I don’t want your first time to be some silly little fling….I don’t want you to regret it the next morning….this is a big deal,” he said, running his hand across your hip bone. 

“It would be because it’s with you,” you say, rolling over to face him. “I like you….your what I’ve been waiting for,” you say, lightly cupping his face and kissing him. 

“You want me?” He said, squeezing your ass. 

“Yes,” you say, linking your lips to his as he rolls you onto your back again. 

“Well, okay, then you should probably get those condoms out”, he smiled. 

You threw the blankets off and walked to your bag, bending down and pulling out one of the loose condoms in the bottom. 

You walk back and sit down. Waving the condom packet in his face, Jeongin wraps his arms around your waist, pushing you down. Placing kisses all over your face, you could help but giggle.

“Sooooo… that means I’m the first person who’s ever touched you?” He said, kissing your neck. 

“Mmmm”, you moan. 

“God, this is so fucking hot” he kisses your jawline, and you enjoy his hand gliding across your stomach as he kisses down to your shoulders. 

He reaches for the condom in your hand, places it above his head then rolls on top of you, placing his hands on either side of your head. 

He slides his hand down, hovering over your pants string. You stiffen at the thought of his hand being close to your throbbing centre. 

“You okay?” He stopped pulling his hand away. 

“Huh?…..yeah, I’m okay”, you smiled Jeongin kissed the top of your nose. 

“We don’t have to do this?” He pulled back the heat from his body, hovering over you warmed you. 

You lean and run your hand across his neck before pulling him down. Using your hand, you play with the drawstring on his pants. 

“As much as I love my hoodie on you….I’m going to take it off you now” he leans back as you sit up and take his hoodie and T-shirt off, the cold air hitting your nipples and making them hard. 

Jeongin takes a deep breath before he glances down at your breasts, licking his lips before you grab him and pull him back down. 

“You can touch me, Jeongin”, you giggle as he cups your breasts, squeezing them.

His lips were warm. You part your lips, allowing his tongue to enter your mouth. You could feel his breath tickle your face as your lips matched his pace. 

His hand was moving down your body again, hovering over your pants. He slides his hand into your sweatpants, his index finger spreading you open. 

Jeongin circles your entrance while his lips move against yours, and you moan into his mouth.

“I can’t believe you’re all mine”, he whispers into your ear, making your pussy drip for him. 

You suck and nibble on his earlobe. Jeongin slowly inserts one finger inside you to start stretching you out. 

“God, I can’t wait to feel inside you” his confidence was so hot that he inserted another finger, making you gasp at the feeling. 

He paused and lifted his head, still keeping his fingers inside. He gave you a moment so your body could adjust to his fingers as he slowly started to pump them in and out again. 

“That feels so good, innie”, you whimper softly. 

Jeongin pumps faster as he starts to kiss down, taking your nipple into his mouth and using his tongue to swirl and suck it. 

“Fuck”, you moan loudly, Jeongin shushing you with his hand. 

“We need to be quiet”, he whispered, you nodding in agreement. 

He reaches do the condom, and you work on untangling his drawstring. Jeongin pulls his pants down while you remove your underwear. 

“Jesus…you look fucking stunning all spread out like that for me”, he smiles as he crawls back on top, lining himself up with your entrance. 

He pushes your legs wider as inches of the way into your core. “Please”, you whine. 

“I’m just getting started, babe” he clicks his tongue as he places his hand on your thighs, pushing them further apart, opening you up for him to go deeper inside. 

“You feel even better than I imagined”, he moaned. 

He thrusts into you slowly, initially allowing you to adjust to his rhythm. “You are doing so well for me”, Jeongin grunts into your ear. He starts to use his fingers to stimulate your clit “holy shit”, you moan, having Jeongin know all the right places to touch had you squirming under him. 

“Fuck innie, I’m going to cum” you feel the burning ignite in your stomach and realise moving through your whole body. 

You arch your back as Jeongin helps you through your orgasm. 

“How was that,” he said, leaning down and kissing you softly. 

“That was amazing……but you didn’t finish,” you said shyly. 

“Don’t worry about me?” he said, pulling out, but you couldn’t help but feel like a disappointment. 

“But..but that’s so unfair” you didn’t want him to pull away. You wanted to please him. 

“Tonight was about you….I can finish next time” he kisses your forehead as he rolls over and disposes of the condom in the bin bag. 

Jeongin lies down next to you, still, naked sweat beading down his face. You decide to curl up next to him, running your fingers across his stomach as he looks at you. You kiss him softly as your hand travels down to his cock. 

“What are you doing?” He says into your mouth. 

“Your turn”, you smile as you grab his cock in your hand. You start to jerk him off as you deepen the kiss, using your tongue to part his lips. He begins to Moan into your mouth. 

“Fuck…are you sure this is your first time?” He giggled as he tucked your hair behind your ear as he reconnected to your lips. 

You continued to pump his cock. “I’m so close, baby”, he moaned, and he ejaculated into your hand. 

“I like you, Jeongin,” you said as he lay panting. 

“I really like you,” he said, pulling you in. 

“Shall we, Umm, get cleaned up?” You giggle. 

Thank you please like reblog and comment i can not tell you how much i appreciate you all 

Taglist: (open) @9900z @daceydeath​ @armystay89​

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Joan E. Greve at The Guardian:

Summer Lee, a Pennsylvania congresswoman, easily beat back a primary challenge on Tuesday, delivering progressives one of their most significant victories yet of this election cycle as they brace for a wave of pro-Israel funding targeting pro-ceasefire candidates. The Associated Press called the 12th district Democratic primary at 9.21pm, roughly an hour and an half after Pennsylvania polls closed at 8pm ET. Lee defeated local council member Bhavini Patel, who had criticized the progressive “Squad” member over her calls for a ceasefire in Gaza. Patel had pitched herself as a “pro-Biden Democrat”, suggesting she would better support the president’s agenda in Congress.

But Lee waved off that criticism, and she often pointed to the $1.2bn in government funding she delivered for her Pittsburgh-based district over her first term as evidence of her legislative effectiveness. “I am so humbled and proud to win my first primary re-election to be the congresswoman for this incredible district I’ve spent my life fighting for,” Lee said in a statement celebrating her victory. “Our campaign was built on a record of delivering for our democracy, defending our most fundamental rights, and expanding our vision for what is politically possible for our region’s most marginalized communities.” That argument appeared to sway many of Lee’s constituents as well as local Democratic leaders. In February, the Allegheny county Democratic party formally endorsed Lee for the first time, after the group backed her rival in the 2022 primary.

Lee’s 2022 primary made national headlines because of the involvement of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac). According to OpenSecrets, the Super Pac United Democracy Project, which is affiliated with Aipac, spent a total of $3.3m against Lee in 2022. She ultimately defeated her opponent, Pittsburgh attorney Steve Irwin, by less than 1,000 votes, or 0.9 points. This year, progressives largely expected pro-Israel groups like UDP to again invest heavily in attack ads against Lee. But surprisingly, they chose to stay out of Lee’s primary, a choice the congresswoman’s allies credited to her popularity and legislative record. Despite the absence of the pro-Israel lobby, one Super Pac did get involved in Lee’s primary to boost Patel’s campaign. The Moderate Pac, which aims to support centrist Democrats and is largely funded by Republican megadonor Jeffrey Yass, spent more than $600,000 supporting Patel. Lee and her allies turned Yass’ involvement in the race into a campaign issue, lambasting the billionaire’s Super Pac contributions.

[...] Although UDP opted to stay out of Lee’s race, progressive leaders believe her successful campaign strategy could still be instructive for other pro-ceasefire lawmakers expected to be targeted by pro-Israel groups in their primaries. Aipac and its political affiliates reportedly plan to spend $100m this election cycle, after pouring nearly $50m in to the 2022 midterms. At least two other “Squad” members, Jamaal Bowman of New York and Cori Bush of Missouri, have already attracted primary challengers, and Aipac has already endorsed their opponents. Lee alluded to Bowman and Bush on Sunday, telling supporters that her victory would reverberate around the country.

AIPAC and pro-Israel Apartheid groups got handed an L last night, as incumbent pro-Gaza Ceasefire progressive Dem Summer Lee holds on in the PA-12 primary, fending off Bhavini Patel.

[georgiapeach30513]

I too considered the term “flop” to be about budget.

For example if a movie costs $100,000.00 to make and it makes back less than that then it is considered a flop because the studio lost money. Even if it hits the budget, it may be looked at by studios at as …..we failed because we gained nothing. But artistry wise, if the world loved it and becomes part of pop culture in a good way…..then is it really a “flop”?

Now of course it’s subjective once you go away from budget. A movie with terrible audience ratings and critics ratings could also be considered a flop but that’s dependent on your individual taste. How many of us have movies we hold dear to our hearts for whatever reason yet they failed at the box office, critics and audiences reviews were terrible yet we watch the movie and like or love it and go…..wth is wrong with people, they don’t understand good art. 😂

As far as the actors standpoint, if I were an actor and my movie flopped at the box office financially, yes I’m nervous because those things are, I assume taken into affect of if I can carry a movie or not, but my saving grace would be if the movie ratings were high, meaning critics and audiences loved the movie, it’s still a win. It also would help my popularity and possibly help push me up the ladder to better opportunities?

Unfortunately with the current trajectory, it seems money is the primary focus for the head executives in charge at these studios and they are scared of taking creative risks and just want profit so from a creative standpoint they don’t care if the movie was well received or not as long as it brings in more money than they spent and gets popularity for said project and actors, then those actors again can use that as leverage when looking for roles.

It seems very complex and again this is all my opinion…..I don’t know crap about that industry. 😅 but I do wonder how spot on I just might be. 🤭

Yes, it’s a loss of money. You have to find that perfect balance of making the money back and a profit plus being a hit with audience, and maybe even critics. I think this is a well thought out ask. I still don’t know why the studio dropped $100M on a romcom was a bad call. At the most, I could see this getting a bit of a surge of viewership at some point, but Apple really needs to work on promotion. What projects do really hear that much about besides Morning Show?

[footiehoemcfc]

“Man city are ruining football😠” “oil club🤬” “only win trophies bc of money😠” “cheating bastards🤬” “paying 100m for a player ridiculous😠”

Chelsea have spent almost a billion under their new owner and were sitting in 12th place last season

Man united have spent even more than city the last 10 years and have won fuck all

Liverpool apparently have no money and dont waste any money, yet they bought a 75m striker who did nothing last year and barely got into europa league, now bought a player for 100m+ euros…?

Arsenal bought an ingredient for over 100m euros, spent like 200m this transfer window and the last one and they won the “we pushed man city in the league” award and a dinner plate.

And what is funny on top of all that, all of them have a bigger net spending than city. It’s one thing to have money and spend the money WELL, and another to spend money and not win shit.

I really hope all of these signings of 90m-100m players they have bought get the same hate and attention like Grealish.

Players now even if they are i guess average, will cost a lot of money. Every club is bound to spend A LOT OF MONEY. But somehow city is the only one who gets the headlines AMAZING🥰.

And do not even get me started on real madrid and even barcelona..

If we are so irrelevant and nobody cares? Shut up about us will u?😀

[sosa-royals]

Ingrid: Good morning your highness. I’m surprised you’re awake already

Maria Aisha: Well I’m starting to get used to this

Ingrid: For today’s engagement your highness will be heading to-

Maria Aisha: A primary school, right?

Ingrid: Yes your highness. Her Majesty is a patron of the primary school and they are having their sports day event today. Her Majesty agreed to attend and present some awards and you will be accompanying her and Princess Isabella

Maria Aisha: Do I have to wear a dress?

Ingrid: Actually, Her Majesty advised against a skirt as it’s likely you will be participating in an event or two with the children

Headmistress: Thank you everyone for your patience. It is now time for the final event of the day, the famous 100m sprint race. 

Headmistress: The children will be joined in the race by Princess Maria Aisha. Everyone please take your places!

Headmistress: On your marks, get set...

Sam sighs

Headmistress: Go!

Maria Aisha: Come on, you have to finish

Sam: Why bother, I’m not going to win anyway

Maria Aisha: What kind of mindset is that?

Sam: A practical one

Sam groans

Maria Aisha: Are you okay?

Sam: I think I sprained my ankle

Maria Aisha: Can you walk?

Sam: I’ll be fine, you should keep going, you could still win

Maria Aisha: What’s the point of that when my time would be better spent helping someone with a sprained ankle. Come on, get on

Sam: No. That’s embarassing

Maria Aisha: Well, can you walk?

Sam: No

Maria Aisha: Then just get on

Queen Francesca: What on earth is she doing?

Isabella: Relax mother, I think this might be a good thing

Sam: Thank you

Maria Aisha: I wasn’t expecting to hear that from you

Sam: I do know how to show gratitude

Maria Aisha: Just not with a smile on your face

Sam: I’m injured, what’s there to smile about

Maria Aisha laughs

Sam: What’s funny?

Maria Aisha: You just remind me of someone. He’s a surly kid just like you

Sam: I’m not surly, I just don’t like wasting energy or emotions on unnecessary things

Maria Aisha: That’s even more like him than you think. Anyway, all done! Do you want to head back to the field or stay here?

Sam: I’ll stay here

Maria Aisha: Waiting for your friends to come and see you?

Sam: I don’t have any friends

Maria Aisha: That can’t be true

Sam: It’s true. No one likes me. They all think I’m too... surly

Maria Aisha: Oh... I’m sorry

Sam: Don’t be. Who wants fake friends anyway? They’re all so annoying

Maria Aisha: If it makes a difference, I’d like to be your friend

Sam: You’re just saying that

Maria Aisha: Doesn’t mean I don’t mean it. Like I said, I have a friend, his name’s Raphael and he’s just like you. He doesn’t have many friends and finds everyone annoying, but he’s a really good guy and he’s very fun to be around. He’s super nice, and loyal and he loves helping people even when he doesn’t want to

Maria Aisha: The kids around you right now may not want to be your friend but that’s only because they don’t know what a great kid you are. But one day you’ll find someone who does know. And then more people will come to understand the real you. And eventually you’ll have so many friends, you’ll be sick of them being all loud and annoying around you

Sam: ...Really?

Maria Aisha: Yes. And, if you want, I can get my friend Raphael to come and visit you sometimes too

Next | Previous

@officalroyalsofpierreland​

[187days]

Day One Hundred Fifty-One

I had a panic attack this morning for absolutely no reason (besides the fact that I'm in my forties now and my body has decided to hate me a bit for it), so I spent a good chunk of my prep block in the nurse's office. The School Nurses are awesome, and made sure nothing more serious was going on. An ice pack on the back of the neck, some juice, some box breathing, and I was fine.

Still not a great way to start the day, though!

But the rest of it was good. My APGOV students started their last practice test (after an epic round of Kahoot during flex time), and they're doing really well. And I started teaching about the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict in Global Studies. I asked students to share anything they knew; they're aware of the Oct. 7th Hamas attack, the civilian casualties in Gaza, the fact that the fighting over the land has gone on for decades, and a few other things. Once they'd finished sharing, we read an article about the roots of the conflict (touching on some ancient history, WWI and WWII, the 1948 war, the Six-Day War, the Intifada). The article ended at the Olso Accords, so then I put on the documentary Promises, which was filmed shortly after that. We watched as much of that as we had time for, we'll finish it next class.

After school, we had a track meet. Since it's our last home meet of the season, we honored our seniors beforehand by having them run down the pole vault runway, with all their teammates gathered around, to receive flowers and be applauded. Then, after the meet- which we won (yay!)- the seniors took one last lap around, and The Head Coach jogged the final 100m with them. That's a longstanding tradition that makes everyone emotional, but in a good way. It was a terrific meet.

[georgegraphys]

I don’t think Elkann made this decision level-headed. He had one chance to sign very good driver who was being ‘let go’. He might have promised LH a ton of money for a lot, but at the end of the day he might have had some financial audit or something if he had reconsidered his big investment, either on a personal or from the business level. Also, didn’t he promise to be implicated in mission44? So that should be a couple of more money on top of LH salary.

If this decision with hp as a title sponsor came about, then my guess is that he will not sponsor LH ventures only by his money or his business, he might find other people to do so, or backtrack his promises altogether… which we cannot predict. There is also the talk of their contract, like how many years did they promise to sponsor, how much money, the salary after the first year, and so on and so forth… it’s a shit ton of business talks and contract drafting that at some point will come out… cannot wait to see how long they plan on contributing!

There have been a few people saying that as a brand ambasaador, lh will bring new customers and all that yada yada, but I don’t think they know what they’re talking about. A ferrari is well worth over a couple of thousands, so the spike in sales does not depend entirely on him, but with this we go into other depths of the discussion about microeconomics. It’s a difference between a ferrari and a mercedes after all. And both are not renaults cheap. Do you think his presence will change anything for ferrari? apart from the money spent on him

Warning: Opinionated.

The details about his contracts and everything... That is something only time could tell and maybe as we go, both of them will drop a few details. Or probably when they piss each other off, a blunder will happen and we might get more details about it. So far we haven't hear any of LH and Ferrari/JE. Of course, Ferrari/JE will not pay for everything +/- 200M investment and 100M salary is TOO MUCH. From a business standpoint, they could afford it but it is simply too much of a loss so they had to acquire title sponsors maybe.

I believe, whether it's GR or LH or CL or CS or any other driver that one day might get signed to be an ambassador to a car company, they will not bring anything significant to the valuations. Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren, Audi, BMW, Porsche, Lamborghini, etc are brands that have established their branding for years, decades or even hundreds of year like Merc and Ferrari. They are brands that does not need any individual to represent them as their brands as their brands have represented themselves as it is. Whoever they hired, anyone, will not affect anything or add anything. A small amount? Yes but 0.0001%. The least they could add are following, engagement, marketability, etc. But for them to add on the sales? To add on the overall popularity around the world? No. Why? Because in the end, Formula One fans are just a small percentage of their overall market. Really small. How much F1 fans can REALLY afford a Ferrari or Mercedes irl? Not much.

People might say "Oh Ari but look at those clothing brands that have Kpop idols as ambassadors! Their sales increased" That was fashion. It is nothing compared to a car. You can walk into a random Dior store and buy 20 of their items and could still store them somewhere in your house. But if you buy 20 Mercedes or Ferraris, where do you put them? How do you do the maintenance? This part differentiates between cars and other fields like fashion. Every field has a different role for the ambassadors. Car ambassadors do not have the same influence as fashion ambassadors. Sometimes they are just there as the face. But not bring any impact. They are just there not to ADD anything but sometimes just to ENHANCE or HIGHLIGHT a certain part that the company wants to highlight about their car. For example, George with AMG C 63 S E Performance. He is driver number 63 and an F1 driver. He fits to promote a Mercedes AMG 63 line up car because he's an F1 driver and he's promoting an F1 based car. Did the sales go up because of him? I don't think so because customers don't give a flying fuck on whose modelling. They look at the specification. They don't care about who is promoting and who isn't no matter how great the ambassador is.

My conclusion is No. LH will not add anything to Ferrari as a car brand. Ferrari has established its solid branding for a really long time and that will never change just for a guy who has won the world championship 7x being their ambassador (not even sure if the contract is there). The role of an ambassador for different products differs. In the automotive field, they are just there to enhance and highlight the car's aesthetical promotion not change anything, pitch in design ideas or others. They are just there to be the pretty models. Even if barely anyone cared about it when it comes to buying the car itself. Mercedes and Ferrari target different rich people's niches. But one thing for sure is that they don't expect the existence of someone to boost the sales of their own car as they are THE brand itself. They don't need anyone's name. Brand ambassadors are just the cherry on top for these big car brands. Not the determinant of a car sales. I am not a hater but i'm simply speaking facts that NO ONE, no ambassador, will be able to do such things as 'boost' the sales or 'add' something or 'change' something. Brand ambassadors are employed by the company, they have ZERO autonomy to make some changes or to add something. Whether it's LH or whoever it is, this fact stays the same. Ferrari is Ferrari because they're Ferrari, they simply do not owe it to anyone nor will they allow anyone to add even a spark of change to their brand. Why? They are very proud of their legacy. Nothing touches or matches their legacy.

So will he add something...

Finance wise? No.

Branding wise? Little but not significant. Ferrari will always be remembered as Ferrari. Not by someone's name.

[uptoolateart]

When your day job merges with your obsession....

--------------------------

Dear Gabriel

Overview / Inheritance and Succession Planning

Further to our recent meeting at the mansion, you were referred to me for advice in relation to setting up a suitable plan for passing on your inheritance as well as ensuring that your son Adrien (14) is looked after, following your death, where you have confirmed that you only have a few weeks left to live.

You confirmed that you have tried all forms of medical intervention, even time travel. However, this only worsened your condition.

I want to thank you for taking me into your confidence, as your circumstances are highly delicate. This letter will now summarise the key points of our discussion.

Background

You are 45 and widowed, your only child being Adrien. You work as a fashion designer and head the internationally successful Gabriel brand, in addition to your recent business ventures with Tomoe Tsurugi, including the smart ring / personal assistant device Alliance.

Your main residence is fully unencumbered and valued at c €40m, while your net worth is estimated at around €11 bn.

You have few liabilities, aside from business costs, although you noted that you recently spent €100m constructing sensory deprivation rooms in London for Adrien and Tomoe’s daughter Kagami, to ‘keep them out of harm’s way’ as you initiate your final business enterprise.

We agreed it was ‘not worth your time’ to undertake a full income and expenditure analysis. Suffice to say, you generate substantial surplus income each and every month to fund your lifestyle.

You are in the process of drafting a new will, leaving a portion to Tomoe, nominal amounts to your staff including Adrien’s bodyguard, and the remaining estate to Adrien.

As Adrien is a minor, his inheritance will be placed into trust until he attains age 18. Previously, you willed guardianship of Adrien to your assistant, Nathalie Sancoeur. However, due to personal differences, as well as her own failing health, you will now determine a new guardian, potentially your sister-in-law Amelie, who resides in London, although you are not on good terms and you are concerned that your nephew Felix is a ‘bad influence’.

You will also nominate someone to take over the Gabriel brand, as Adrien has expressed that he does not wish to continue in the fashion industry, having resigned as a model.

On a more personal note, you play piano, you are a keen fencer, and you recently took up cooking – thank you for the pancakes! You also enjoy the occasional game of golf.

Objectives

These are all very short-term, due to your unfortunate terminal illness:

Obtain the ladybug and cat miraculous

Bring your wife Emilie back from the dead

Ensure Adrien is looked after

Ensure Adrien marries the girl you have selected for him – namely, Kagami

Remove Marinette Dupain-Cheng from Adrien’s life ‘permanently’

Minimise the level of inheritance tax that will be payable by Adrien upon your passing, wherever possible

Arrange life cover for Adrien, to ensure the estate is not lost should someone wish to ‘make him disappear’

Ensure the miracle box and associated kwamis are passed on to a new guardian, after your passing – potentially to Adrien, although this would involve a difficult conversation with him, to spare him learning your secrets posthumously

Protect your secret identity as Hawk Moth / Shadow Moth / Monarch after your passing – this will entail some costs, as you will need to dismantle the missile security system in ‘the dome’ and seal off the underground lair in the secret basement

Should you not succeed in reviving Emilie, you will need to relocate her body, to ensure she can remain in suspended animation – you also wish to ensure that your mission for revival is picked up by a successor, namely Tomoe

Ensure the security of the ring that controls Adrien

Totally random - Keep reading at Ao3

[sassyfrassboss]

I’m really curious now what is in Harry’s Spare book. There are allegations that Netflix received an advance copy of the manuscript and they were so perturbed that they called Harry and Meghan in to discuss how different Spare is from the docuseries.

So the bottom line must be that their stories will change again in another month and we’ll get Round 365 of lies, mistruths, and misinformations.

This is why we are getting the rumors that Netflix won't do anymore projects with them.

So that $100M was not a $100M and what they received has already been spent.

H&M are officially unemployed and well on their way to being broke.

No wonder they were putting out strong PR at the funeral that Charles needed them.

[timoswerner]

one of conte's major flaws imo is his inability to improve players and we've seen this here and at chelsea. the worrying thing about giving him money was always him spending it on players who did ok in other tactically organised teams but him unable to coach them well in his own set up i think this has been the case with his failure to integrate richy, perisic and bissouma into a good rotating system. 2017 summer chelsea transfer window is also a good example of this- dropping over 100m on players like morata, rudiger, drinkwater who won "winning mentality" trophies before they arrived but actually regressing under his coaching- tuchel was the one who revived rudiger's career. ppl think things will definitely improve when he buys good wing backs but in the past he also spent money on zappacosta who as awful under his coaching too. His talent ID kinda sucks! As well as his allergy to creative AMs. ppl have said his poor record in the CL is because elite level CL management requires spontaneous tactical tweaking and he's always been way too stubborn and predictable to change anything.

you’re absolutely spot on. alright tuchel didnt do a good job at improving strikers at chelsea but genuinely just think they’re cursed in that department 😭 but the way he improved that defence in just a few matches? that’s good coaching. i’ve also seen some people talk about the players we had under poch as if they were just always magically good and he couldn’t win anything with them because he was shit - he made them as good as they were. he actually coached them. conte is not doing that with the players he has now.

and you’re sooooo right about his taste in players, i don’t trust him at all!! that was one of the reservations i had with him when he first came in i was like ‘oh fuck this guy signed danny drinkwater who the fuck is gonna bring in to us’. his allergy to creative AMs is deffo a problem in how we’re playing - there’s no to do anything creative half the time??? im pretty sure at inter he wasn’t really playing eriksen until he absolutely had to and that was when things clicked for them?? use your brain antonio that’s what we need!!

his record in the CL is actually so poor. not winning a knockout match since 2013???? how am i meant to take that seriously. that’s something else i have to give to tuchel - he was so good in cups? 2 fa cup finals, a league cup final and winning the champions league is insane for the short amount of time he was there.

predictable is exactly the right word. and that’s why we’re having the same problems every match because other teams know exactly what we’re going all the time.

[umichenginabroad]

Visiting Vietnam Part 2 (Week 17)

With one day left in the Hanoi area, we scheduled a day tour to Ninh Binh where we biked around rice fields surrounded by mountains, took a boat trip down a river in Tam Coc which went through three different caves, climbed up steps to Lying Dragon Mountain, and visited Dinh King temple. The various mini-adventures were all stunning, but it was hard for me to properly appreciate them after spending three days in the most beautiful environment I’ve ever laid eyes on. The intensely hot and humid weather (which wasn’t a problem in the mountains of Ha Giang) didn’t help either. Just a few minutes of walking outside was followed by sweat and dehydration. If anything, this weather encouraged us to always have a smoothie or juice of some sort in our hands. For $1-2, the drink options are endless and we sure took advantage. Once we returned to Hanoi, we quickly made our way to the airport and flew to Ho Chi Minh City where we were spending the next two days.

^ The view from Lying Dragon Mountain

Our first day in Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, was spent exploring the city and doing a food tour in which we once again rode on motorbikes, but this time in the city. Let me tell you, being on the back of a motorbike in a Vietnamese city is not for the faint of heart. Bikes and cars are constantly appearing out of nowhere and are often on a collision course with you until the very last second. The stream of vehicles never stops — not for pedestrians, not for other vehicles, sometimes not even for an ambulance. A perk of the food tour was that our three drivers were young university students who knew a good bit of English, so we could finally ask questions about their lives and experiences as well as Vietnamese culture. The other highlight was the food. I had the guides help me make a list of all the foods we tried:

Bun bo hue - spicy noodles soup

Banh xeo - Vietnamese pancake/crepe eaten in lettuce wraps with shrimp, bean sprouts, and a variety of leaves including basil and mint. It is dipped in a sweat sauce. (This was a personal favorite)

Dim sum

Banh mi - Vietnamese sandwich

Banh trang nuong - Vietnamese pizza

Bo lui xa - grill beef and lemongrass

Kumquat & sugarcane iced tea (personal favorite)

Coffee Banh flan - flan cake (personal favorite)

^ Banh Xeo - A very yummy dish which requires skilled rolling to produce.

^ Banh flan - literally the best flan I’ve ever had over a bed of crushed ice and coffee.

It goes without saying that we left that food tour with happy stomachs and a strong desire for a nap. Later that day we did some shopping! It turns out that Vietnam has endless stalls of knock-off (but very high quality) backpacks, bags, clothing, and so much more. We were particularly eager to buy backpacks and fanny packs which were significantly cheaper than normal prices. As crazy as it may sound, over those two days in Ho Chi Minh, the three of us bought 13 bags/backpacks for us and our friends/family in addition to other clothing, coats, and souvenirs. To this day I will never know how I managed to bring everything I bought back to Sydney in addition to my already full backpack and one-weeks-worth of clothes. I do always love a packing challenge!

With one day left in Ho Chi Minh, we had to take a tour of the Cu Chi Tunnels not too far away. These tunnels were the site of many battles between American forces and the Vietcong during the Vietnam war. In addition to getting to see several traps used by the Vietcong and learning about how the Vietcong formed (and survived in) the tunnel system, we got to walk 100m in the tunnels ourselves! Walking so far crouched over in a tunnel with a height of 1.5 meters was not easy, so you can imagine our shock when we got out and learned that the tunnel we went through was made 1.5x larger than the actual tunnels used in order to accommodate tourists.

^ examples of traps used in the Vietnam War

^ A cross-section view of the underground tunnels used by the Vietcong. Traps were set at the entrances and throughout the tunnels in case intruders found their way in. The kitchen was strategically designed so that smoke from a fire would leave through incremental holes making it less visible near the ground. To prevent wild dogs from approaching the smoke and revealing its position, spices were mixed with water and poured around the smoke’s backdoor to scare them away. The tunnels were only built at night as well so as not to draw attention, and all entrances were covered with leaves to blend into the environment.

Between the nature, people, culture, food, and shopping, Vietnam was hands down one of the best trips I had the chance to go on and I can’t wait to return one day. Cheers!

David Bayer

Biomedical Engineering

University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia