#C Plus Denmark

[cplustripleperformancedenmarkd]

C+ Triple Performance Anmeldelser: Kritisk nyligt lækket opdatering afslører chokerende kundebekymringer!

C+ Triple Performance Når det kommer til at hjælpe med vanskeligheder, er det blot en af ​​de mest naturlige måder at forsinke klimaks på, men først skal du søge råd fra en læge. Årsagen er enkel: en mand kan hade nogle af urterne, og efterfølgende vil virkningen af ​​terapien være den stik modsatte. Du ved allerede, at det er naturligt at udsætte sædafgang, men hvad kan virkelig hjælpe det?

C+ Triple Performance officiel side pris hvordan man bruger

Muligheden er ret bred, derfor vil vi beskrive den mest valgte. Ginseng påvirker den mandlige libido positivt, hvilket øger behovet for sex. Den bedste måde at tilbyde det på er te eller en infusion, selvom der ikke er mangel på urtetabletter med ginseng til den officielle C+ Triple Performance-pris. Korrekt brug kan hjælpe med at løse problemet med for tidlig sædafgang og ligeledes godt til at forlænge forbindelsens varighed. Perikon er et af de bedst kendte afrodisiaka. Positivt resultat på den mandlige libido, men frem for alt minimerer det virkningerne af spændinger. Sexologer bekræfter, at perikon er bedst for mænd, der viser tegn på kronisk træthed og angst.

Accenten! Alle tabletter, inklusive perikon, bør tages med behandling, for ikke at nævne infusioner. En overdosis kan føre til problemer med for tidlig sædafgang. Det er værd at konsultere, hvordan du bruger C+ Triple Performance officielle hjemmeside med din sundhedspersonale, hvis dette er det bedste valg. Cinquefoil' kyllingegræs Ud over den positive effekt på aktiviteten kan du efter en måneds brug af blandingen med tilsætning af cinquefoil observere en markant renovering i sexlivet bestående af færre problemer med for tidlig sædafgang.

Forskellige andre teknikker til at forsinke ejakulation Hvad kan du ellers gøre for at forsinke ejakulation? Mand griber ofte salver, der bruges topisk, med anæstetika-lidokain såvel som prilocain. Disse handlinger hjælper med at forsinke klimaks, men langvarig brug anbefales ikke desto mindre. Udover at ophøre med at udføre deres funktion, kan de desuden forårsage følelsesløshed i penis, og også en overdosis forårsager tab af erektion.

HANDLING NU OG GEM: Klik her for at bestille fra den officielle hjemmeside - Eksklusiv rabat Kun få pladser tilbage!

C+ Triple Performance – Effekter – billigt

Produktet, der introduceres i vaginalområdet på en partner, minimerer hans oplevelse, og efter langvarig brug fører det til klimaksproblemer. Forsinket klimakslotion er blot en af ​​de mest bekvemme måder at løse problemet med for tidlig sædafgang, men den bør bruges rigtig grundigt.

Det er også værd at prøve samt mulighed for de unikke Forsinkede Ejakulationsudløsninger. De er effektive i en kort periode, men Forum C+ Triple Performance Effects kan øge forholdet med 10 minutter. I denne situation skal du også huske på tryghed og tryghed – som du allerede ved, kan bedøvelsesmidler føre til ubehagelige negative effekter. Enhver form for forsøg på at løse problemet med for tidlig klimaks kræver konsultation med en læge. Husk også, at du bør anerkende din ledsagers bekymringer nu. Det er en stor Cheap C+ Triple Performance Effects-udfordring for hver ægtefælle

Du kender helt sikkert mindst et forelsket par, hvis partnerskab fremstår næsten bedre. Har du nogensinde spekuleret på, hvad deres hemmelighed er? Vær venner med kvindens redaktører samt fagforeningseksperter svarer på vores undersøgelse. #1. Fornøjede par husker fortryllende C+ Triple Performance Forum-rutiner "Jeg bruger konstant fugtighedscreme før jeg går i seng, såvel som når jeg beslutter mig for at pleje min mands ansigt."

Til at begynde med gjorde han indsigelse mod det, og nu lukker han øjnene med tilfredshed og nyder denne minimassage."- K., 31 #2. "Hver dag fortæller jeg min partner, at han er usædvanlig mandig og smuk, hver gang jeg sig de ord, han betragter mig på en så øm måde, at jeg bogstaveligt talt har til hensigt at fylde ham med ros!” - M., 28 #3. Happy Couples Always Kiss” Jeg synes, at hvert par skal hænge rundt og kramme, ideelt om morgenen og aftenen ."

C+ Triple Performance – bivirkninger – tabletter – farligt

Seksuel følsomhed er helt naturlig, men det er ikke alt." - Charley Ferrer, sexterapeut #4. Glade par kysser forskellige farvel "Jeg vil højst sandsynligt fungere hurtigere end min mand, men han rejser sig altid for at kysse mig farvel, vi' Jeg vil aldrig forlade dit hus uden et kys." - E., 27 #5. Tilfredse par håndterer sig selv "aktiviteter er vigtigere end ord - det vil forberede et værelsesbad til mig, og jeg vil helt sikkert også lave hendes yndlingsopskrift. ”

Det er præcis sådan, vi bekender vores kærlighed på daglig basis.”- S., 22 #6. bivirkninger C+ Triple Performance Tablets Overlykkelige par kan takke hinanden “Jeg er ret rastløs og også min makker arbejder meget mere, men Jeg finder altid tid til at lave mad til ham, og han takkede os alle de bedste, vi talte aldrig om ham, men taknemmelighed spiller en vigtig rolle i vores partnerskab. gange om dagen, og det er derfor, vi Dangerous Triple Performance C+ tabletter er mere end glade.”- N., 40 #7.

Tilfredse par bekymrer sig om den bedste start på dagen "min partner bringer mig kaffe på sengen, og jeg laver både morgenmad og frokost til ham for at fungere, så vi starter dagen med hinanden." - Z., 26 # 8. Tilfreds par står over for ømme bevægelser og handlinger “Jeg kan godt lide farlige C+ Triple Performance bivirkninger, der. Hver dag skaber vi noget nyt: en lille gave, en sød seddel på køleskabet, et uventet kys..."-

I., 28 #9. Tilfredse par nyder deres selskab "tillad dit mere end glade ansigt hver gang du ser en partner, denne metode vil gøre dig gladere, på trods af partnerskabets varighed. Alt for mange mennesker begår fejlen – vi vågner ofte trætte eller i dårligt humør. Du kan ikke behandle din elskede som en vagt for dine følelser, prøv at handle på en anden måde, og dit forhold vil på magisk vis forvandle sig. Til det bedre.”- Tonya Lester, psykoterapeut, forbindelsesspecialist

C+ Triple Performance – Opinion – på apoteker

Fortæl mig, hvad du vil gøre med hende, når du kommer hjem... ...eller hvad du vil have, hun skal gøre med dig. Start, når du er uden for samfundet - til middag på en restaurant, i bussen hjem ... Denne graduering af lyst vil helt sikkert tjene din mand som viagra. 2. Omfavn det... ...og vær kreativ! Et hurtigt kys tæller ikke. C+ Triple Performance Review i Pharmacy Kys ham, så han ved, at det kun er en præference for, hvad han kan forvente. 3. Tillad ham at se dig under elskov, vælg en placering, der helt sikkert vil vise dine opkald i al deres herlighed.

Forsøg pilotjusteringen - personen bliver helt sikkert skør, når du ser dine bryster hoppe. 4. Bestil rigtig hårdt på apoteket C+ Triple Performance, når han først er inde i dig, tag ham bare ved balderne og træk ham også til sig med en stærk, stærk flytning. Tag kontrol over hastigheden! 5. Byd ham velkommen i tøjrummet... ...naturligvis når du er helt nøgen. Det er et ret modigt træk, men tro os - han fortjener det! 6.

Send hende sexede billeder Nej, vi mener ikke helt nøgenbilleder, som – hvis de kommer i de forkerte hænder – C+ Triple Performance Avis kan få dig i problemer. Lad dine billeder være symptomatiske, men ikke afvisende. Han vil helt sikkert fantasere hele dagen for at se dig i al sin herlighed. 7. Fortæl hende, hvor gerne du vil have det, lige meget om du hvisker det i hendes øre eller skriver det, eller måske synger det til karaoke. Hvis du giver dit individ et klart signal om, at du er som dem, vil du opbygge deres selvtillid utroligt. Samt påvirkningerne? Du vil helt sikkert se i soveværelset! 8.

HANDLING NU OG GEM: Klik her for at bestille fra den officielle hjemmeside - Eksklusiv rabat Kun få pladser tilbage!

C+ Triple Performance

Når du er forelsket, behøver han ikke at forstå, at du så dine naboer forlade boligen en halv time tilbage, dæk ikke vinduerne i huset. At forstå, at en person kan dække dig, vil helt sikkert gøre din person glad som aldrig før. C+ Triple Performance Composition Ved et uheld, glem... undertøj Informer ham Enzolast køb kun i en lummer hvisken, når du er i et offentligt rum eller ved en vigtig begivenhed - i en situation, hvor han ikke kan gøre noget til dette emne. Vent, hvad vil han gøre med dig, når du endelig kommer hjem!

Keder du dig med Composition C+ Triple Performance action-dimensionen af ​​din penis og spekulerer også på, hvordan du forstørrer den? Unødvendigt – længden såvel som tætheden af ​​penis kan være ekstremt varieret, og også problemet med Action C+ Triple Performance Amazon størrelsen kan generelt kompenseres for ved at vælge de rigtige sex-relaterede teknikker. Vil du gøre det så hurtigt som muligt? læg mærke til effekten af ​​Man Pride for at gøre det stort. Ikke desto mindre, hvis penisdimensionen ikke giver dig ro, så prøv nogle grundlæggende træningspas, der vil gøre penis lidt længere. Hvordan forstørrer man en penis?

Officielt websted: https://ketofitdanmark.dk/c-plus-triple-performance-danmark/

[emmashouldbewriting]

William realizing he’s been half ass-ing it? Then we would be seeing more of him than ever before and that’s not happening. Look, I respect W&K for putting their family first. It’s something many previous royals haven’t done and it can be challenging to balance it. BUT let’s be honest, they do live a life of privilege and part of that life is the responsibility of duty. Most royals have been MIA for weeks now, and with Charles and Catherine out, William can/should be stepping up. It’s not like regular folks that need to work 2 jobs or long hours plus take care of their home. For a few months while the King and his wife are out, he can easily get help to take care of his family while he’s out working. I respect William and Catherine but this is the moment for him to shine.

This is really what it comes down to. Look to Denmark - King Fred & Queen Mary are off on their jollies and the dowager queen Daisy is regent a month after her abdication. Meanwhile, in England, the King has cancer and is doing his duty while William has a nice half term break with his wife and kids.

This fandom has a thing about making Camilla into a demon but guess who's out there doing all these bloody engagements. If not for her and Anne, all hell would break loose, and these same people who excuse W&C would criticise them.

It's not hard to do your fucking job.

[lilac-amethyst-skies]

(If you do multiples or please choose one you like best) Romano, Italy, and Denmark walking in on their gf fast asleep on the couch or bay window having been reading. Stormy night outside, candles or fireplace lit, her book on her lap and glasses slightly askew. Plus size again please? You are truly amazing!! ❤️❤️❤️😍😍😍

Romano, Italy, Denmark X Plus-sized!Reader on a stormy night

Romano; Lovino had had a terribly long day. The stresses from work and life seemed to wear him down a little more than usual today. And now, as if to top it all off, it was absolutely pouring rain outside. Not even the weather would give him a break and the moment he got out of the car, Lovino became pelted with the ongoing rainstorm, leaving him soaked to the bone.

Lovino cursed under his breath.

He was sure this day really couldn’t get any worse.

Trudging up to the entrance of his home, he ripped open the door and slipped inside. Never had he been more thankful for the respite of his house. Lovino hopped a bit clumsily toward the bathroom, attempting to spare the hardwood flooring with little luck. He snatched a towel and did his best to dry himself off but couldn’t find himself trying too hard. His clothes would be coming off to be thrown into the wash anyhow.

With that idea in mind, he set off down the hallway. Lovino made a passing glance at the study on his way and stopped his brisk walk when he caught sight of you. Lovino hardly felt his wet clothes anymore when his eyes drank you in. Stepping further into the room, he found you fast asleep in that little nook in the window. You loved that bay window. To the point that Lovino had bought cushions to make it more comfortable for you to sit in—or, in this case, sleep in.

Your glasses were endearingly askew on your face, and it made Lovino chuckle out a breath. You made it easy for a smile to find his lips, and for that he was so thankful. Here, you looked so gentle and soft and entirely peaceful. So unaware of the world around you as the weather crashed outside.

Lovino found himself right beside you and couldn’t stop the urge to brush a few pieces of hair away from your face.

As cute as this was, he figured you would be terribly sore if you slept like this all night. The window was good for a nap, but not for a full night’s sleep. So, regretfully, Lovino decided to wake you.

He pressed a kiss to your forehead, and still leaning over you whispered, “Sweetheart?”

You mumbled a bit in response, and he could only smile.

“You should move to the bed. It’s not good for you to sleep here all night.”

Finally, you opened your eyes to look at him. After fixing your glasses and a deep yawn, you nodded and sleepily found yourself on your feet, swaying a little too much in the process. Lovino was quick to steady you, but his proximity had you accidentally bumping into him. Your brow furrowed in confusion.

“Why are your clothes all wet?”

“Probably because it’s raining outside,” Lovino talked a bit too smartly and nodded toward the bay window to further drive his point. You shot him a look. Typically, you looked more ferocious, but due to you being so tired you were hardly a threat.

Lovino only laughed as you found your way to the bedroom.

Italy; These nights felt so easy. It was entirely too lucky how the storm started on your cozy night in. The wind howled and the rain hit harshly against the paned window, but here, Feliciano’s arms were wrapped around you just right and everything was as warm and comfortable as it could ever be. The two of you had leaned back on the couch. With your head rested on his chest, you could feel the rhythmic beating of his heart stirring. At first, his heartbeat was racing at a rampant pace, but the more you settled into the evening the more it calmed. Comfortable just as you were.

You had to admit, Feliciano providing his body heat was the least he could do, considering he was the one that had woken you up. Sometime earlier Feliciano had found you fast asleep on the living room couch. You’d started the fireplace, and after having wrapped yourself in blankets it seemed as though you couldn’t stay awake any longer.

Even now, Feliciano saw you struggling to hang onto your consciousness. The ambience of flickering candles you’d lit prior was hardly helping either. Your hair was charmingly messy, and your glasses were clumsily hung askew on your face. Feliciano pressed a smile to the back of your head, hugging you a little tighter. He closed his eyes taking in the scent of your hair.

He loved you like this.

Your breaths became slower and slower, and eventually they were steady and easy. You had fallen back asleep. Just as you were before, but this time you both were able to enjoy this rest together.

You nestled your face into his chest, and your glasses would have fallen off if Feliciano hadn’t grabbed them in time. As silently and carefully as possible, he placed them on the nearby end table. He knew you wouldn’t forgive him if he woke you up twice in one day. Though the thought did make him laugh a bit.

Feliciano allowed himself to sink into the cushions. No stress, no work—just the warmth of the fireplace and most importantly, you.

Denmark; Matthias gently closed the front door to your shared home. The warmth of the house kissed his face, and he already felt his chilled skin begin to soothe from the bite of the wintery, wet storm. He began to shed his gloves, his coat, his boots. All the while, Matthias was being uncharacteristically quiet while the wind howled outside. He had noticed the lack of lights the moment he drove in. Though, you had graciously left the lamp on in the entryway so that he would be able see what he was doing.

Odds are, you were already fast asleep. Curled up in the bed—warmly inviting.

Matthias let out a deep, relaxed sigh at the thought. It’d been a long day, and he wanted nothing more than to find his place right next to you. Without further ado, Matthias easily started his way up the stairs. In reaching the second floor, he had intended to make it all the way down the hall to the bedroom, but his eyes were drawn to the flickering light coming from the reading room instead.

It was then that he could also hear soft music playing. The corners of his mouth twitched into a smile.

Maybe you were still awake?

Matthias quickly learned that this assumption was not the case. Leaning against the frame of the doorway, he took you in fondly. The light from the fireplace danced across your skin in a lovely dance as you slept comfortably on the couch. You had even gone so far as to light a few extra candles that left a delightful scent to the room.

After a moment, Matthias left his spot in the doorframe to make his way over to you. Upon further inspection, the book you had been reading was still loosely held in your hands resting against your lap. Your breath was easy and deep, and with the way your head tilted in your slumber, Matthias was impressed that your glasses hadn’t fallen off and onto the floor below.

Matthias held back a laugh as he snuck up beside you at the foot of the couch. Gently crouching down to your level, Matthias rested on his knees. Slowly and carefully, he attempted to readjust your glasses so that they would sit on your face right. Unfortunately, the tickle at your face was undeniable and you drew a quick breath in.

Matthias froze. His hand still hovering by your glasses.

Upon opening your eyes, you jolted a bit, obviously not expecting anyone to be there. You sleepily took in Matthias’ face and his hand right next to your face.

“…What are you doing?”

“Fixing…your glasses?”

You huffed out a laugh in response, sitting up a bit and putting a little distance between you both.

“What time is it?”

“Late.”

You could hear the fondness in his tone. So much so that you leaned in to press a kiss to his lips. Matthias hummed sweetly.

“We should probably get to bed then…” your reasonable tone quickly shifted into childishness as you dramatically stretched out your arms, whining, “Carry me.”

Matthias dramatically rolled his eyes as he all too easily bundled you into his arms and lifted you off the couch. Playful laughter fell out of you as he brought you down the hallway and to the bedroom.

[fridka]

Every year I try and avoid any Eurovision spoilers until the event itself, but I have finally listened to all songs and I have OPINIONS

so keep in mind these are all rather fresh opinions, and some of these songs might grow on me or lose their appeal over time.

Anyway my thoughts on each song under the cut‼️

Albania - Duje - Albina & Familja Kelmendi

I want to like this a lot more than I do. It’s sweet that she’s singing with her family(I think??) and the instrumentals are nice, but it’s all just a bit much.

Armenia - Future Lover - Brunette

Wtf are these lyrics. Wtf is this whole song. This is a front runner? I don’t get it

Australia - Promise - Voyager

YEA THIS IS MY SHIT. First verse I thought was kinda meh but then that chorus hit. I cannot see this win just bc of how eurovision is, but I’ll be checking out more of their stuff. Plus the guitarist is 💖💖

Austria - Who the hell is Edgar? - TEYA & Salena

This song got spoiled for me, but i don’t care because I love it. The lyrics, the opera, the dig at Spotify. Queens.

Azerbaijan - Tell me More - TuralTuranX

I can’t lie i kinda love this one. It’s just kinda awkward and the rap is PRETTY BAD but in this really endearing and charming way. They’re just a couple of guys 🥺

Belgium - Because of You - Gustaph

THIS IS MY SHIT. People don’t like this one? Why it’s amazing. The backup singers, the Lady Miss Kier reference, the nostalgia. I’m not gonna dare hope that this can win, but I want it to qualify so bad

Croatia - Mama Šč!

Oh boy. This one I knew I had to look into because I knew it was gonna be either extremely dumb or extremely political, and thankfully it was the latter. I still think the song is a complete mess but I kinda fucking love this.

Cyprus - Break a Broken Heart - Andrew Lambrou

It’s just a nice song. In a weaker year I think I’d like this a lot more, but as it is it sort of fades next to some of the other entries

Czechia - My Sister’s Crown - Vesna

I LOVE THIS ONE I WANT THEM TO WIN. At first I wasn’t sure about the English parts because it reminded me of Toy (which I really didn’t like), but this has grown on me so much. And the performance. The part with the hand signal for help. Fucking CHILLS. Plus the fashion in the music video, so good

Denmark - Breaking my Heart - Reiley

Den er ikke ligefrem min kop te, og han ligner en der er blevet skabt i et laboratorie i et forsøg på at lave den perfekte tiktoker. Men danmark sender altid noget bras så det er vel on brand :B

Estonia - Bridges - Alika

I’m biased against ballads, and this one sure was a ballad.

Finland - Cha Cha Cha - Käärijä

I LOVE THIS ONE AND I WANT HIM TO WIN. As someone who has social anxiety and who uses to party a lot, the lyrics were oddly relatable lmao. Plus the performance. The shirt the d a n c e

France - Évidemment - La Zarra

SO PERFECT. SO FRENCH. SHE IS GORGEOUS AND I WANT HER TO WIN

Georgia - Echo - Iru

??? The lyrics? Was this song written by ai? It’s painfully awkward and uh.. I think I hate this one

Germany - Blood and Glitter - Lord of the Lost

I think Lordi are iconic so I thought I was gonna love this one, but I kinda don’t. It’s.. a bit boring to be honest?

Greece - What they Say - Victor Vernicos

Yeah these lyrics are way too whiny for me

Iceland - Power - Diljá

It’s just alright. I don’t like it as much as many others seem to do. It’s not bad it’s also just not making much of an impression

Ireland - We are One - Wild Youth

(I can say the following because I lived in Ireland for the better part of a decade) Ireland is an amazing country and has such a rich culture and history to draw from, and yet they always just send boring garbage. I’m sorry but this one is trash, and your man looked so uncomfortable in that outfit

Israel - Unicorn - Noa Kirel

I don’t get it. Am I too old for this? I feel like I am. This song is a complete mess to me but people love it??

Italy - Due Vite - Marco Mengoni

It’s another one of those entries that’s just Some Guy. Nice voice and beautiful language, kinda boring tho

Latvia - Aijā - Sudden Light

Could have been good but it needed more power imo. Another adorable guitarist tho 🥺

Lithuania - Stay - Monika Linkyté

I don’t really know what to say about this one. Very eh

Malta - Dance - The Busker

NOW THIS ONE MAKES ME MAD, THEY SHOULD HAVE QUALIFIED 100%. It’s not quite winner material for me but there is no way they didn’t deserve a spot in the finals over some of the other crap

Moldova - Soarele si Luna - Pasha Parfeni

I usually like (or at least am entertained by) what Moldova puts out and this year is is no exception. This is a capital E Eurovision song, super theatrical and I love it.

Netherlands - Burning Daylight - Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper

I like it as a normal song, but not really as a eurovision song, if that makes sense? I also don’t think his vocals could match hers at all

Norway - Queen of Kings - Alessandra

This is such a Norway entry 💖 there are other songs I like more but definitely deserves to place high. That whistle note

Poland - Blanka - Solo

Oh boy okay so I looked into this one and apparently there was another song people wanted to win, but the Polish government didn’t approve of it so they had the competition rigged and gave her the win? And I’m assuming she’s some dumb influencer or something? Anyway this song blows, Jann was robbed

Portugal - Ai Coraçäo - Mimicat

I like this as a performance only. She is kinda a babe, but the song itself is whatever

Romania - D.G.T - Theodor Andrei

This one is AMAZINGLY BAD. “Take off your clothes step on me” he sings with a super out of place anti-war message sharpied on his chest, while disinterested half naked women walk about the stage looking totally checked out. I love it

San Marino - Like an Animal - Piqued Jacks

Oh these lyrics suck ass as well. I got butterflies in my ears. Pure poetry

Serbia - Sami Mi Se Spava - Luke Black

At first this one was a little too silly for me, since I assumed it was just an edgy song about video games, but it’s grown a lot on me after learning what it’s about.

Slovenia - Carpe Diem - Joker out

Yea this one is legit. This isn’t exactly what I want in a eurovision song, but just as a song this is great stuff. That guitar riff in particular.

Spain - Eaea - Blanca Paloma

I think this one is… interesting, and I think it deserves a spot in the finals, but I wouldn’t exactly call it good.

Sweden - Loreen - Tattoo

Oh my god, okay so probably my most controversial opinion here. I don’t care for Loreen. I didn’t care for her in 2012 and I do not care for her now. I’m obviously not gonna try and argue that she’s not an incredibly talented singer, but I just can’t deal with the terrible enunciation or the annoying interpretative dance. And yea it’s gonna be so disappointing if she wins. Sorry

Switzerland - Watergun - Remo Forrer

Borderline disrespectful and incredibly eyeroll worthy, but regretfully it gets a bit catchy in the second half.

Ukraine - Heart of Steel - Tvorchi

It’s not nice to be all “yeah I know you guys are getting invaded and all, but your entry for silly song contest sucks”, so fortunately I don’t have to do that because I genuinely like this. Kinda reminds me of something from an LCS cinematic. I wish the whole thing was in Ukrainian though

UK - I wrote a Song - Mae Muller - I am biased against UK entries, but this one is fun. Not winner material for me, but deserves to at least make the finals

Overall I think this is a pretty solid year, definitely better than the last couple ones. There’s some really fucking good entries, and a lot of the bad ones are bad in an entertaining way.

[corallapis]

Henry ‘Chips’ Channon: The Diaries (Vol. 1), 1918-38, entry for 9th April 1923

—

Monday 9th April — Hackwood¹

Have been spending a few days here … a simpatico party … Lady Curzon, glittering, gracious and a supreme hostess, all the Duggans;² Lady Patricia Herbert³ (the very nicest girl in London, although Lady Mary Ashley⁴ runs her neck and neck …) … Mrs Vansittart,⁵ an affected American, Paul of Serbia⁶ …. Lord Curzon is away doing a Coué cure⁷ for the benefit of his leg or brow beating some important conference for the welfare of civilisation … I forget which. Lady Curzon told us of a conversation she had with Lord Balfour⁸ a few evenings ago. He was unusually playful and she depressed and discouraged, she is subject to unaccountable fits of Weltschmerz,⁹ which result, I think, from something unsatisfied in her.¹⁰ He tried to console her and talked to her beautifully about life and all she had to live for … her husband, the world’s most striking and brilliant man … her children charming … her friends many … her beauty unsurpassed. Next day he wrote her an inimitable note to say how much he had enjoyed being next to her. She, delighted, said to Lady Cunard¹¹ as she read it: ‘AJB is an angel — I should like to kiss him on the forehead’. Maud repeated this to him and his only comment was: ‘Why the forehead?’ Maud Cunard motored to Hackwood with Serge Obolensky¹² for what she calls ‘the day in the country’ on Sunday. They arrived at six o’clock. She pretended never to have seen plus fours before and said ‘And what has little Paul got on? And Chips¹³ too what are they?’ She made us rock with laughter for two hours with stories about herself and her hatred of the country, etc. She said that all Nancy’s troubles were due to the fact that her father ‘my dear at the age of 12 had put her … put her on a horse, a four-legged horse’. As she was leaving we loaded her car with guns, tennis racquets, golf clubs, etc. She was much flustered at this or pretended to be and shook hands with a footman and ‘bobbed’ to the butler and was amazing but delicious … all pink and white, like a sweet, and dressed in a costume de sport made by Vionnet.¹⁴ Serge was anxious to return as he is wooing Alice Astor.¹⁵ I introduced them … I shall now have this new romance on my conscience.

—

1. Hackwood Park, near Basingstoke in Hampshire, rented by Lord Curzon from 1906 until 1925.

2. Lady Curzon’s children by her first marriage: Alfred Duggan (1903–64), who became a minor novelist; Hubert Duggan (1904–43), Tory MP for Acton from 1931 to 1943 and anti-appeaser in the 1930s; and (Grace) Marcella Duggan (1907–95).

3. Patricia Herbert (1904–94), by courtesy Lady Patricia Herbert from 1913, daughter of the 15th Earl of Pembroke and 12th Earl of Montgomery, married in 1928 William Henry Smith, 3rd Viscount Hambleden (1903–48). She was a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth from 1937 until 1994.

4. Lady Mary Sibell Ashley-Cooper (1902–36), daughter of the 9th Earl of Shaftesbury, married in 1928 Napier George Henry Sturt (1896–1940), who in 1919 succeeded his father as 3rd Baron Alington of Crichel. He died on active service in Egypt during the Second World War, though of drink rather than in action.

5. Gladys Robinson-Duff (1892–1928), daughter of General William C. Heppenheimer of the United States, married in 1921 Robert Gilbert Vansittart (1881–1957), who would be Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office from 1930 to 1938, and who would be raised to the peerage in 1941 as 1st Baron Vansittart. Vansittart was also an accomplished novelist, playwright and poet.

6. Prince Paul of Yugoslavia (1893–1976) had known Channon at Oxford and would remain one of his closest friends, and be Prince Regent of Yugoslavia (the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes) from 1934 to 1941 during the minority of Peter II. He was the nephew of King Peter I and married Princess Olga of Greece and Denmark (1903–97), sister-in-law of Channon’s other closest friend, the Duke of Kent. After treating with the Germans in 1941 Paul was forced from Yugoslavia and forbidden ever to return; the post-war communist regime stripped him of his property and proclaimed him an enemy of the state. Until 1945 the British authorities held him in Kenya under house arrest. Serbia rehabilitated him posthumously in 2011, after which he was reburied with Princess Olga and their son Nicholas.

7. A psychotherapy-based cure featuring auto-suggestion, fashionable but heavily criticised at the time, developed by Émile Coué de la Châtaigneraie (1857–1926), a French psychologist.

8. A. J. Balfour, raised to an earldom in 1922.

9. World-weariness.

10. Curzon was desperate for a male heir (he had three daughters from his first marriage) to the earldom and marquessate he had obtained; various medical procedures had been followed to help Lady Curzon conceive, but no child resulted and the marriage was strained accordingly.

11. Maud Alice Burke (1872–1948), born in San Francisco, married in 1895 Sir Bache Cunard, 3rd Bt (1851–1925), grandson of the shipping line’s founder. They had lived largely apart since 1911, Cunard basing himself in Leicestershire where he enjoyed field sports. In London with their daughter Nancy Clara (1896–1965), Lady Cunard – who after her husband’s death became known as ‘Emerald’ – established one of the leading salons of the era, which thrived until the Second World War. After separating from her husband she became the mistress of Sir Thomas Beecham, the conductor, and funded many of his musical projects.

12. Prince Sergei (‘Serge’) Platonovich Obolensky Neledinsky-Meletsky (1890–1978) had been educated at Oxford and became part of the Russian diaspora after the revolution. He emigrated to America and became a successful businessman.

13. The first time in the diaries that he refers to his nickname.

14. Madeleine Vionnet (1876–1975) was one of Paris’s leading fashion designers of the interwar years.

15. Ava Alice Muriel Astor (1902–56), daughter of John Jacob Astor IV. She and Obolensky married in 1924 and divorced in 1932. She would marry four times before her death at the age of 54.

[realcatalina]

Bust of whom?

I recently watched this podcast from Harvart Art Museum. I believe it is nice that  they managed to atribute it finally to Pietro Torrigiano and prove it is 16th century original. However, I believe they are wrong in thinking it could be Mary Rose.

They went with Mr Mathews’ ‘reidentification’ of Sittow’s portrait as Mary Rose and with letter from 1510 where Margaret of Austria asked the sculptor to fix the bust of Mary Rose because the neck has broken-and this one is broken it that place. But plenty of Torrigiano’s bust could have broken in that place, because it is the bust’s weakest point.

But they are correct that there is some resemblence to this portrait:

That shape of mouth is very like Catherine of Aragon, and overall face in some aspects resembles her-but it isn’t her imo. Obviously the nose and eyes are different shape. Though nose tip is kind of similiar.

My conclusion? It’s probably Catherine of Aragon’s relative form Netherlands. Probably her niece. But which?!

Let’s be honest-in all portraits their lips are fuller than this. But not always the portraits can capture the features that well, due to unflatering angles etc, and sometimes the artist struggled to capture the features well. 

In portraits and in sculptures. 

Based upon nose you’d say it should be Mary of Austria, because she had nicest nose. But if the size of lips could be downplayed, so could be the nose.

Which means it could be any of the sisters.

The deal breaker here is the fashion. It’s c.1520(hence long after that letter):

But it has split front of the gown-which in netherlands was not fashionable since c.1505. Big contradiction right? Well, it’s logical actually, because this is probably not mainstream netherlandish fashion. 

It’s style of Isabella of Austria:

She as Queen of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, kept to netherlandish fashion to great degree.(While her sisters abandoned it for foreign styles.) But weather in Denmark is colded than in Netherlands and she was forced to adapt for it.

If you look back to the bust’s details-the gown is lined with fur, the kirtle is lined with fur, plus much thicker chemise/parlet(we can’t tell). 

I am not saying the bust is good likeness on her features, but you can see some of that resenblence in eyes and nose.

 Obviously the mourning headwear would lead you believe it could be Margaret, but since there is pretty good resemblence to Catherine, I doubt it. (Though of course due to them being related it is not 100% impossible.)

In 1519 twin boys of Isabella have died and her grandfather died also, so she would certainly have reason to go to mourning around 1520. Imo it is Isabella. 

Alternatively, it could be Margaret of Austria or Isabella’s sisters Eleanor or Mary (but after they have since abandoned netherlandish fashion) or their mother Juana of Castile not from life(in Netherlandish fashion of much later than start of her imprisoment) or not very good likeness of Catherine of Aragon herself. 

When  Charles V visited England in 1520, perhaps she could have worn netherlandish fashion and had bust made to comemorate the occasion. However-it’d have to be poor likeness in eyes and nose. Nose perhaps could change with health issues and age. Eyes-nope.

 And I have no explanation as to why she’d wear mourning headwear at the time. 

Unless she sent the bust to Charles V as gesture of defiance as Henry VII was preparing to meet French in Field Cloth of Gold-as sign of her not agreeing with being friendly to French and mourning such decision. 

We know she was strongly against French, but this would mean actively trying to sabotage the meeting.  Would that fit her character?  It’d certainly not fall into obedient wife cathegory. 

Tell me what you think. Bad likeness of Catherine of Aragon’s niece or bad likeness of Catherine herself?

[jso129]

🎸 H A R D R O C K C A F E

In 1997, this location of #HardRockCafe opened on the #16thStreetMall in downtown #DenverCO! 26 years later Hard Rock Cafe will be closing. 😭

Hard Rock Cafe holds a special place in my heart. Not just for all the cool #RockMusicMemorabilia but for the #Memories! 🤩

In 1971, the original Hard Rock Cafe opened in London, England. I’ve been there!! That was an adventure! My parents and I were in London and we wanted to check out the original location. We walked through #HydePark and hopped on an iconic #DoubleDeckerBus but then it broke down! So, we ended up walking to the restaurant. We ate dinner and walked back to the hotel, but got lost because the park had closed. 🤪🤣 I laugh now, but we were so stressed in the moment.

I also remember when #HardRockCafeDenver was located in #AspenCO!! That location closed and the one in #DowntownDenver opened instead. I remember visiting one in Hong Kong with my family, and that spiraled into visiting all the Hard Rock Cafes around the world. 🌍 Just like people collect magnets from their travels, I collect the #HardRockCafeGuitarPins!!

I have city Guitar Pins from:

• Aspen, Colorado (now closed)

• Denver, Colorado (closing next week)

• Hong Kong (now closed)

• Paris

• London

• Las Vegas

• Hollywood Blvd

• Honolulu, Hawaii

• Key West

• New York

• Niagara Falls, Canada

• Orlando

• San Francisco

• Seattle

• Washington D.C.

• Cozumel

• Cancun

• Copenhagen, Denmark

• York, England

• Berlin, Germany

• Dublin, Ireland

• Rome, Italy

• Amsterdam

• Edinburgh, Scotland

• Glasgow, Scotland

• Barcelona, Spain*

• Madrid, Spain*

• Oslo, Norway (now closed)

• Stockholm, Sweden

PLUS MORE as the #WorldAdventures continue!! 🥰🙏🏻

**(Thank you to my friends Courtney and Kelsey for the Spain ones.)

🤔 #FunFact!! Did you know that as of July 2018, Hard Rock International has venues in 74 countries, including 172 bar or cafe-restaurants, 37 hotels, and 4 casinos?! #TRUTH!! 🥰

I will always treasure my memories from my travels and dashing in to Hard Rock Cafes just to get my guitar pin. 🤣 I can’t wait for the future adventures.

❓Do you collect anything? If so, what do you collect?

[novumtimes]

Matches, times, predictions and TV channels including Netherlands vs France

How to watch Euro 2024 on TV The BBC and ITV/STV are sharing broadcast rights for the European Championship in the United Kingdom. The BBC showed England’s opening win against Serbia and broadcast their draw with Denmark after ITV banked on Gareth Southgate’s men reaching at least the semi-finals. ITV picked England’s potentially-decisive final Group C game against Slovenia, plus any last-16…

[jubaer01]

CAMBODIA Easy and Simple Cambodian Visa

Cambodjansk visumansøgningscenter for turist- og forretningsvisum

Address : Christiansgade 70, 5000 Odense C., Denmark

Phone : +45 65 32 28 45

Email : info@cambodiaevisa-online.com

Website : https://www.cambodianvisa.org/da/visa/

Business Hours : 24/7/365

Owner / Official Contact Name :Bopha Dara  Amara

Description :Cambodja byder besøgende fra alle lande velkommen til at ansøge elektronisk visum eller eVisa, hvis de er fra lande uden visum. eVisa er gyldigt for borgere i de lande, der er visumfrie. Du kan få adgang til op til 30 dage i Cambodia med Cambodia eVisa eller en elektronisk rejsetilladelse, dette gør det muligt for turisterne at besøge venner, familie eller korte forretningsrejser til Cambodia. Alle kravene er tilgængelige online. Dette er en vigtig tilladelse, som er obligatorisk for at komme ind i Cambodja. Med eVisa for Cambodia behøver du ikke at besøge Kongeriget Cambodjas ambassade eller få et fysisk stempel på passet. Dette er virkelig en hurtig, enkel og praktisk metode til at erhverve elektronisk visum via e-mail. Behold godkendelses-e-mailen fra Cambodia electronic Visa, som du har modtaget via e-mail, og gå direkte til lufthavnen. Denne enkle og stressfri tilgang er muliggjort af onlineprocessen. Næsten 150 plus lande er berettiget til at besøge Cambodja på eVisa. Hvis du ønsker at besøge Cambodja i mere end 30 dage, er det kun dig, der skal ansøge almindeligt turistvisum til Cambodia på ambassaden. Dit pas skal være gyldigt i 6 måneder på tidspunktet for indrejse i Cambodja, og din betaling accepteres online med betalings- eller kreditkort. Følgende lande er blandt andet tilladt for Cambodian Visa Online. Du kan forvente, at eVisa til Cambodia er klar om 3 hverdage.  Cambodia welcomes visitors from all countries to apply Electronic Visa or eVisa if they are from Visa Free countries. eVisa is valid for the citizens of those countries who are Visa-Free. You can gain an entry to up to 30 days in Cambodia with Cambodia eVisa or an Electronic Travel Authorisation, this enables the Tourists to visit friends, family or short business trips to Cambodia. All the requirements are available online. This is an important Permit which is mandatory to enter Cambodia. With eVisa for Cambodia, you do not have to visit the Embassy of Kingdom of Cambodia, nor get a physical stamp on the passport. This is indeed a fast, simple, convenient method to acquire electronic visa  by email. Keep the approval email of Cambodia electronic Visa that you received by email and go straight to the airport. This simple, and stress free approch is made possible by the online process. Almost 150 plus countries are elgible to visit Cambodia on eVisa. If you want to visit Cambodia for more than 30 days, then and then only you need to apply regular tourist Visa for Cambodia at the embassy. Your passport must be valid for 6 months at the time of entry in Cambodia and your payment is accepted online by Debit or Credit card. Following countries are allowed amongst others for Cambodian Visa Online. You can expect eVisa for Cambodia to be ready in 3 business days.

[kirain]

Your healthcare isn't free you stupid fucking canuck! You pay for it with your taxes! We don't! 🇺🇸

I don't know why so many Americans throw this out there like it's some big secret we aren't aware of. We know it's funded by our taxes. When we say "free", we mean we don't have to worry about walking out of the hospital with a $900,000 bill after giving birth or paying $40 to hold our newborn after a c-section. It's "free" in the sense that anyone and everyone is entitled to good healthcare and can visit the hospital whenever they need to.

That said, I'm not going to pretend I know everything about American taxation, but I do know you pay for your healthcare via insurance. Meaning if someone doesn't have a good plan or make decent money, they're screwed. In Canada, that doesn't happen. For example, when my dad was diagnosed with cancer, he needed multiple treatments and surgeries for four long years. Want to know how much those treatments cost him? $0. The only thing any of us had to pay for was the $7 parking fee when we went to visit him at the hospital.

In contrast, I personally know Americans who have, sadly, had to file for bankruptcy because of their cancer treatments. I know an American construction worker who lost three of his fingers on a job, but because his insurance didn't cover the full cost of reattaching all of them, the doctors actually made him choose which one to save. Imagine having to do that. In the end, he chose to save his middle finger and lose his ring and pinky finger. I know an American who got stuck with a $50,000 hospital bill because he had a heart attack. I know Americans who have tried to ration their INSULIN because they were worried about their next payment.

I remember when this made the news, everyone was acting like it was "cute". It's not fucking cute, it's dystopian as hell! A seven-year-old American girl who needed brain surgery raised her own money and relied on donations because her mother's insurance didn't cover the cost. Are you insane? This isn't "cute". This shouldn't be celebrated. She shouldn't have had to worry about this. She is a child who was dying.

I also don't understand why so many Americans seem to think our taxes are astronomical, when in reality you actually pay more taxes than we do. From what I understand, the max tax in America is 37%. For us, the max is 33%. That max also only applies if you make over $200,000 a year. Most people pay between 15-20.5% in taxes. I certainly don't pay 33%. I don't know anybody who does. So you pay taxes plus insurance. Granted you can claim more at the end of the year, but honestly ... so? America spends more on healthcare as a share of the economy (nearly twice as much as the average OECD country) yet it has the lowest life expectancy and highest suicide rates among the eleven nations. You also have the highest chronic disease burden and an obesity rate that is two times higher than the OECD average. Thanks, but I don't mind claiming less on my taxes.

So now the argument is, "Why should I have to pay for someone else's healthcare?!" I hear this one a lot once we reach this point. Putting aside the fact that you can barely pay for your own, it's a benefit for the country as a whole. There's nothing wrong with being individualistic, but no country is truly individualistic. We all rely on each other to keep the country afloat. Not only that, but what's wrong with helping your fellow man? And if you really are that selfish, just remember that free healthcare benefits YOU as well. Like when my dad got cancer, like when my sister almost died from a childhood fever, like when I came out backwards and jaundiced when I was born and had to be incubated for several days. The money pooled from all of our taxes makes sure we're all taken care of.

The other argument I hear at this point is wait times. I admit that for a while I believed this one, but as it turns out American and Canadian wait times are almost exactly the same. The average ER wait time in America is anywhere from 40 minutes to 4 hours. In Canada, it's anywhere from one hour to 6 hours. Not that much of a discrepancy, and I've personally never had to wait anywhere near 6 hours. I think the most I ever waited was four hours when I dislocated my toe. As for the claim that Canadians run to America en masse for specialists? Well, that's quite simply a myth. While there are indeed some Canadians who do that, it's mostly the wealthy who feel justified in skipping the line. We also have those services here, where those who are better off can pay out of pocket for private healthcare.

Now to throw a big monkey wrench into the works, probably the most shocking statistic is that Americans actually flock to Canada for affordable Healthcare. In 2014 (which is the most up-to-date data), roughly 52,000 Canadians went to the US seeking medical care; mostly prescriptions. In contrast, over one million Americans came to Canada. That number doesn't even include how many Americans went to these countries:

Anything you may have heard about Canadian healthcare is just a lie perpetuated by your government because they don't want you to see the benefits of a universal healthcare system. And not even just Canadian healthcare--the same system is used in the UK, Germany, Australia, Sweden, Switzerland, France, Norway, Denmark, Japan, the Netherlands, Iceland, New Zealand, etc. I'm not saying it's flawless, there are certainly aspects that can be improved, but I'll take it any day over the mess you have going on. 🇨🇦

No. In all honesty, this isn't about what country is "better". I have many American friends that I love and care about, and I would very much like to see them have access to free, sufficient healthcare.

[clatterbane]

Starting to get settled into some HUGE changes--and decompressing some after all the Travel Chaos!--has been taking up about as much of my attention here as you might expect.

But, a little more about the actual trip yesterday!

As we went to get checked in with SAS, things took some stressful turns. First, the agent wanted to make damned sure that Denmark would even let us in before they would clear us for boarding, under the current convoluted Plague Time regulations. Nobody is Danish, and I'm not an EU citizen (yet...)

At one point, they even wanted to see our marriage certificate (!), after commenting about our having different last names besides citizenships. (Idk about Denmark, but that's not even unusual in Sweden either.) Good thing we did have copies along, since he knew we'd be needing it soon for the Swedish tax and immigration bureaucracies.

Then, she ended up needing to call somebody to check that our pre-flight COVID test results were of an approved type. (Yep. We checked multiple times in advance for what both they and Sweden were requiring, and rapid antigen is fine.)

So then, after she was duly satisfied that the airline wouldn't get in trouble over letting us onto their damned plane? 3/4 of our checked luggage was too far overweight to accept. 😬 All the new hard shell ones, which are admittedly kinda heavy on their own. He apparently underestimated that factor too.

Cue some shunting over to the side to let other customers up to that counter, while Mr. C made a mad dash off to buy another extortionately priced suitcase nearby in the airport. (As suggested.) Then some more frantic scrambling to throw enough items into our new excess baggage to bring the others under the acceptable weight limit. 🥴

That successfully accomplished, and the bags finally checked in? It was time for a quick break in as quiet a spot as I could quickly find outside the terminal, before I got completely dragged onto the fast train to Meltdown City--and likely wouldn't be allowed to fly. 😵

Then another mad scramble toward security (in that terrible hospital standard Clunker Chair, of course!)--where there was another brief holdup. Thanks to a (sealed) juice box I thought should be allowed through for medical purposes, but of course that agent couldn't raise her supervisor to clarify. But, they finally suggested that I could just drink it then and there. So, that got me past.

Plus a minor blood sugar spike after I forgot to cover it with insulin in the rush, but yeah. More than worth it under the circumstances!

After that not-so-encouraging start to the journey, though? Things actually went surprisingly smoothly.

After quick detours past the first accessible bathroom we saw, and a WH Smith for drinks (including a anti-hypoglycemia juice resupply!) plus some gum for pressure changes because I had forgotten to bring that? We made it to the gate just in time for boarding.

The flight itself was relatively low stress, as these things go, besides only around 2 hours. With fairly quick takeoff and landing, as reduced as commercial air traffic still seems to be. I also had the first flight experience ever without ANY pain-- much less eardrum perforation--whatsoever from the pressure shifts fucking with (now way less) Horrible Ear, which is a bit of a story of its own. A pleasant surprise, though!

Once we got to Kastrup, at least the international arrivals areas where we were looked like even more of a ghost town than Heathrow. Which had already been way less busy than usual, with shorter lines for everything.

We did get whisked around by disability assistance staff on one of the golf cart things, but still. The airport staff we dealt with on the other end were all very nice, and there wasn't really a wait for anything. Except the time required to wait for the further COVID swabs they were insisting on there to come back clean. That was a requirement for everyone but EU citizens with proof of vaccination, before we even got to passport control.

I did have proof of vaccination, and the frequent PA announcements included UK and US citizens in the "acceptable with proof" category? But, they tested me, and Mr. C the EU citizen couldn't get his yet and would have needed to get tested on arrival anyway. It was fairly quick, and everyone I dealt with was pleasant enough? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Mr. C apparently got the same nurse who swabbed him on his previous trip in with the cats, and she recognized him too. 😅

All of our baggage was waiting on the belt when we got there. As the only people in the baggage hall, which felt pretty eerie.

And, it was all there! Completely unmangled and intact! Including both wheelchairs! 😮

At Danish passport control was the first point in this journey where anybody ever asked me to raise my mask, which was honestly a bit of a surprise that it hadn't come up before. Basically all they even wanted to know there was that we were going straight through to Sweden, and we got waved right on. We were also the only travelers there at the time.

The assistance guy helped Mr. C wrangle the mountain of bags out to the cabs, where again we were pretty much the only passengers around.

In spite of my cramped position among some of the luggage, it was honestly pretty hilarious listening to just what level of difficulties the older Danish cab driver had in understanding a (Stockholm-accented) Swedish word coming out of Mr. C's mouth. Including the address where we needed to go. 😅 It didn't seem quite as extreme in the other direction.

They did mostly stick to English wherever possible, very quickly. The languages may be very closely related and look very similar written, but that was one demonstration of how different the pronunciations can be!

Then once we got to the Plague Time police checkpoint at the Swedish border on the bridge across to Malmö? The cab driver's "they're going back to Sweden" got us waved right through there, too, without ever interacting with us at all. The guy probably couldn't wait, so nobody would be trying to communicate with him in that impenetrable language anymore!

And, as Mr. C was laughing about after we got to the apartment? It was even technically true! He was going back, and I had indeed been to Sweden before too. 😁

So yeah, after a rather unsettling start? The rest of the voyage turned out surprisingly easy. And I could not have been more relieved, by that point.

[palaugranetes]

FC Barcelona at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics

The club has 34 athletes competing in five different sports, and several of them have very strong prospects of coming back with medals

Track and Field

Seven women and four men are competing in seven different track and field events.

Yulimar Rojas (Venezuela) (women’s triple jump)

Núbia Soares (Brazil) (women’s triple jump)

Nelson Évora (Portugal) (men’s triple jump)

Sebastián Martos (Spain) (3,000 m steeplechase),

Pablo Sánchez-Valladares (Spain) (800 m)

Adrián Ben (Spain) (800 m)

Jaël-Sakura Bestué (Spain) (200 m)

Aauri Lorena Bokesa (Spain) (400 m and possibly 4x400 m relay)

Carolina Robles (Spain) (3,000 m steeplechase)

Raquel González (Spain) (20 km walk)

Laura Redondo (Spain) (hammer).

Track and Field rounds start on July 30th and end on August 6th

Basketball

Pau Gasol (Spain)

Àlex Abrines (Spain)

Leandro Bolmaro (Argentina)

Both Spain and Argentina are in the same group which includes Japan and Slovenia. With games on 26/7, 29/7, and 1/8. The top two teams from each group plus the two best third-placed teams advance to the quarter-finals (August 3). The semis are on the 5th and the final is on the 7th.

Handball

FC Barcelona is sending more handball players than any other club to Tokyo, and also the most players it has ever had at the games, no fewer than 13.

Gonzalo Pérez de Vargas (Spain)

Raúl EntrerRios (Spain)

Aleix Gómez (Spain)

Ángel Fernández (Spain)

Ludovic Fàbregas (France)

Dika Mem (France)

Timothey N’Guessan (France)

Thiagus Petrus (Brazil)

Haniel Langaroand (Brazil)

Leonel Maciel (Argentina)

Luis Frade (Portugal)

Ali Zein (Egypt)

The competition starts with two groups of 6: Group A with Brazil, Norway, France, Spain, Argentina and Germany, and Group B with Egypt, Portugal, Denmark, Japan, Sweden, and Bahrain. Group play is from July 24 to August 1, followed by the quarters (August 3), semis (5), and final (7).

Field hockey

2020 Tokyo Olympics will be Miki Delàs' third competition after 2012 and 2016

Spain start group play on July 24 against Argentina and go on to face New Zealand (25/7), India (27/7), Japan (28/7), and Australia (30/7). The quarters are on August 1, the semis on the 3rd, and the final on the 5th.

Football

Six Barca players will be present in Tokyo, 3 men, and 3 women.

Pedri Gonzalez (Spain)

Òscar Mingueza (Spain)

Èric Garcia (Spain)

Lieke Martens (Netherlands)

Fridolina Rölfö (Sweden)

Giovana Queiroz (Brazil)

After missing Rio 2016, Spain is sending a very strong team indeed, while Holland reached the Women’s World Cup Final and Sweden were runners-up in the last Olympics.

Spain’s men are in Group C with Egypt (22/07), Australia (25/07), and Argentina (28/7). The quarter-finals are on July 31, the semis on August 3, and the final on August 7.

Women’s football starts a day earlier. Netherlands are sharing a group with Zambia (21/07), Brazil (24/07), and China (27/7), while Sweden are joined by the USA (21/07), Australia (24/07), and New Zealand (27/07). The women’s knockout games will all be played the day before the men.

[kerwritesthings]

South Of The Equator

Summary: Gestures of love are woven in the fabric of relationships, especially ones built around the priority of your love

Word Count: literally juuuuust shy of 5.8k

Warning: pining, love and fluff

Author Notes: Muse fell in love with this photo last week when Bre threw it out onto my dash, spit out stupid notes at midnight that night for it along with about 350ish words and then didn’t touch it until again yesterday evening where I proceeded to crank out about 5.8k in less than 24 hours. Oops?

This falls well later into the verse, like the latest I’ve taken it thus far. It just felt right to bring this into that part of the timeline with the premise and where the muse was taking this. Can be read as a standalone but diving into the verse and the masterlist would give a little bit more understanding.

It was not in the plans. Whatsoever. A whim. A lot of longing. A lot of missing connections. A lot of feeling that this was a sync you just wouldn’t be able to get. That scares the both of you, more than either of you will let on especially to the other. You both promise that this would be the longest stretch on this very last swing – something like 48 or 50 days depending on travel for both of you, that a somewhere between 12 and 14-hour plane ride at best for a long weekend made no sense. You’re in Bucharest when he starts the swing in Mexico. What was thought to be a few days off for him to come home to see you between the last Mexico show and the venture further south becomes non-existent, with surprise pop up concerts in both Costa Rica and Panama along with hoopla surrounding them on either side that the label drops last minute. You initially think you’d be able to make the last shows, but there was a potential work trip to Hong Kong hanging over your head, so you both agree not book anything.

Well, love makes you do some stupid and irresponsibly crazy things. When the Asia client pushes their timeline back, things change completely. Which is why you find yourself on the phone, trying to make arrangements while juggling 7 open browser tabs on your laptop at nearly 1am. This is what you do for each other. It’s been established. It’s been done for each other on numerous occasions throughout your relationship. But it’s never been something like this. This grand and involved.

“Up for a bit of a challenge?” you start. “What’s the actual schedule like between Buenos and Rio and Santiago?”

“Flip it around. Chile first. Then Buenos then Sao Paulo. Finish off in Rio,” Beatriz laughs. “Don’t book the wrong flight. Cause. This is where it’s going isn’t it? This bugger is so lucky to have you. He best appreciate this. He’s been whiny. More to Cez then me. Andrew too, but he trusts Cez more when it comes to you.”

“He’s not the only one,” you sigh. “Dee’s taken to sending me videos and photos of Tali every day before I call to bitch to her to try to ease my tension. We’ve done longer, when we first got together. This one though. We’re just not taking it well, either of us. It feels off. He can’t come to me, so I have to go to him.”

“There’s doubles now in Santiago, not just in Buenos and Rio. Only the one in Sao Paulo. Days off scattered through, but definitely some between the city jumps. Are you really going to try to do just a weekend down here?” she asks.

“Work remote if I can swing it. Then bank out on some time off. I’m due after the extra hours to lock in the Danish project and the haul to Bucharest for basically a 48-hour lookie loo from them with no commitments. Boss lady is great as long as my work gets done and I don’t pull the ask for ‘but my famous boyfriend’ very often, if at all,” you explain, poking away at the keys of your laptop.

“Ooh Denmark, so you going to get out for that one?” Beatriz questions. “Do you have a lam for this tour? Should we get you another?”

“I think I can, timing looks ok and I may be able to drag Shawn with me for once since it’s after all this hoopla,” you mutter, poking at Kayak and cursing. “I think I do, snag one just in case if it’s not too much trouble. It looks like Air Canada has a direct from Pearson to Santiago at 11 hours of flight time and an overnight red-eye. Bless it. No layovers. Less chance for him to even let on. Y’all can sneak me in on the flights between yeah?”

“Shawn is gonna shit you know this right?” she laughs. “I heard about your surprises you both have pulled on each other before, but this is something else. Duh girl, yes of course. He’d have you sit on his lap the whole flight if he had to, but we definitely have the room. Give me the flight info. I’ll make Cez book it. Do not even think about clicking that buy button that I know you’re hovering over.”

“Bea...” you begin.

“No, not hearing it. Cez blocked out travel budget for him to go home and you know that didn’t happen, so your flight there and then back with him at the end it is instead,” Beatriz interjects. “I’ll loop in C for sure. Maybe Andrew. Less folks who know the better, we need to keep this on lock down.”

“Beatriz, you’re the best. I owe you big time. I’m so glad you’re on this rag tag motley crew,” you thank her. “Let Cez know if he needs anything when he’s booking, if they don’t have it saved to just let me know.”

“Bottle of Bulleit and you finally spill the recipe for those kitchen sink bars the boys are always raving about and inhaling, we’ll call it even,” she deadpans. “But no really, I’m glad to help. As much as I tease that boy of yours, I’ve got a soft spot for him. We need to figure an epic reveal. It’s late. I’ll fire off a text to Cez and we’ll be on it tomorrow. Off with you. Night!”

You have a week between that call and your flight down to get all your things in order luckily. Work is understanding and accommodating, your boss practically sending out the out of office email for you after she hears your plans. He meanwhile has a few shows in Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia ahead of him within that same time frame.

“There’s that face I adore,” you smile through FaceTime as you’re tucked in bed, two nights before you’re due to leave. “Hi you. How was the show? Where are you now?”

“Just out of the shower in the hotel and about to fall face first into bed, but I needed a dose of my pretty girl before I do,” he exhales, running a hand though his mess of wet curls. “Good, crowds down here are something else. Beyond the first time I swung through, on the last tour. And them singing back in perfect English still breaks my brain a little. Tired though. Looking forward to the break. Day break here, then like a half one off in Santiago before the last few shows. It’s so crazy to think we’re there already.”

“I can’t believe it’s almost over,” you murmur. “You did it baby, an entire circle of the globe. I’m beyond proud of you.”

“As much as I love this, I’m ready for just me, you and our bed. At least for a week straight, if not a few of them,” he chuckles. “Remind me of how tired I am now when I start to say I’m twitchy or bored, ok?”

“If you say so,” you say sleepily. “Just remember, I get to drag you with me on some my work trips next. Denmark for sure. Hong Kong perhaps since that’s still a moving target. Maybe Prague. Wanna be a silly romantic tourist with you for a bit. Just me and you”

“Always me and you, sweetheart. Go get some sleep. You’ve got work in the morning,” he whispers. “We can talk more tomorrow, promise.”

“You sure?” you fight back a yawn, eyes starting to flutter. “Can you sing to me though? Please? I miss you. Be like you’re here.”

He starts humming at first, the eases into a slowed down, Shawn-esque version of Sam Smith’s Latch. You want to stay awake to hear the whole thing, but he sounds like he’s there singing it right into your ear while he’s got your back against his chest. It’s so pretty, easy and dream like that you drift off in moments. He watches you for a few minutes after he finishes the song, making sure you’re truly asleep. Plus, he just wants to feel like he’s next to you in bed.

“Goodnight and sleep well, baby,” he whispers before disconnecting from FaceTime, a small smile slipping across his lips.

“He still has no clue by the way, so you’ve done a bang-up job,” Cez explains as he rings you while you’re in the car on the way to Pearson. “You’re still running on time from what we checked so you’re good. We’ve got everything square. Bea will come snag you from the airport, you’ll have time to hit the hotel, she’ll have the extra room key for you so you can get some actual rest and then get ready. Figure we’ll grab you while he’s doing Q&A. Do you want to surprise him before the show? After?”

“During?” you laugh, leaning your head back against the headrest as the car makes its way down the 401. “Maximum effect. Con would be on my side too you know, epic footage.”

“Of course, you do,” he retorts. “I should have known. Don’t forget, I’m on your side too. I’m glad this worked. I know it’s been a long stretch. For the both of you. I’ve seen it wear on him, but he’s put up a good front minus a few nights where he ends up with me until he needs to get to sleep, just needing someone who understands to talk to.”

“I’m glad he has you, that we both have you. You are a gift, Cez, really,” you reply as the car slows to ease up to the terminal. “I’m just about to hop out. I’ll text you and Bea when I land in the morning, customs will probably take a bit to get through. Thank you again.”

“Fly safe, dear. Try to get some rest and we’ll see you tomorrow,” he responds.

Check in was easy, of course they went above and beyond on the flight. You text Cez and Bea a photo of a cookie from the lounge with your ticket telling them they did not need to and thanking them. Cez responds first.

Again, you know if he found out we flew you like in row 24 on a flight that long, he would pitch a fit. I’m not up for a Shawn fit this late into the last of the last legs of tour. Enjoy the space and the lay flat. Sunshine and that boy awaits you.

Beatriz chimes in next.

Label owes you and the pain in the arse, so enjoy it! Have one for me. I’ll be there for you tomorrow with bells on and a tea in hand. Cannot wait for this – so epic. You two are nauseatingly adorbs.

The flight wasn’t crowded thankfully and the room to stretch fully is a welcome bonus. You are able to wind down a lot easier than expected and get a decent amount of sleep especially given it was on a flight, lay flat or not. Despite an extra circle, you land only a few minutes past your initial arrival time, make it through customs quickly and thankfully your luggage is waiting for you once you’re done.

“There she is,” Beatriz calls out as you head out to the open concourse. “And in one piece too with all your bits and bobbles. Good, the boss won’t be angry. And as promised, your tea!”

“Which one?” you chuckle, snagging the iced chai before hugging her.

“I can handle Cez, your man though,” she rolls her eyes as you walk out to the sprinter van. “He tried you last night when we were coming back from dinner, couldn’t get through even though we all told him it was late. He got all sad puppy. You were just about taking off, so it made sense. If he only knew what today is bringing him. I’ll drop you at the hotel, sleep, shower, eat, do whatever. I’ll be round to grab you about 4.”

As soon as you step into his room, you are overwhelmed just by the sheer sense of being back in his space again, despite him not even being there at the moment. You drop your suitcase, strip and crawl immediately into his still unmade bed to surround yourself in the smell of him. Setting your alarm before you drift off, you curl yourself around his pillow and exhale. Only a few more hours and you’ll be able to wrap your arms around him instead of a goose down that carries whiffs of his scent. A deep breath, an inhale you hold just for a moment before letting it go carefully and you’re drifting away.

You wake shortly before the alarm and to a couple texts from Shawn.

Miss you pretty girl. Almost there.

FaceTime after the show tonight? Even just for a few, I can tuck you in from here again like the other night.

Saw this on the drive over before, couldn’t help but think of you.

It was a slightly angled photo out the car window, but it was of a park with a fountain surrounded by high bushes littered with flowers.

I wish I could press you into those blooms and kiss you. Would make such a pretty picture. Love you baby.

You will yourself not to cry. That sweet, sentimental boy of yours. You’ll have time, you need to make that happen tomorrow.

I miss you sweetheart, so much. Yes to tonight, I’d love a tuck in from you. We’re so close. Love you <3

A shower, some primping and a good battle with both your blow dryer and your travel steamer later, you’re finally ready to head out.

“He’s a lucky bastard this one,” Beatriz whistles before handing over your new credential as you slide the van door closed behind you. “Don’t you have any sisters you can send my way? Cousins?”

“Sorry Bea, only child,” you laugh, as the van pulls away. “Cousins are stateside and not your type.”

“He was happy to hear from you before. Stopped in the middle of sound check to look at his phone. Got all stupid smiley and googly eyed,” she rolls her eyes. “He’s so gone on you if it wasn’t so bloody sweet to see him so gushy, it would make me ill.”

“Just wait ‘till later. I should apologize now,” you explain.

“Why there’s no plans for post-show, dearie. We knew better,” she giggles. “Shawn’s not going to want to share.”

You can’t help but smile as you pass the park he sent you the photo of earlier, it’s prettier than his shot let on. You definitely have to go there tomorrow. From that point, it’s a windy way through the streets of Santiago to the arena.

“He should just be wrapping up,” Beatriz prattles, looking at her watch as you make your way through the bowels of the building. “Which is good, I can sneak you into Cez’s room without him sniffing about. You, he, Jake and Con still need to hash everything out yeah?”

“Kind of. It’s the fine tuning of details at this point,” you say, flipping the pass around in your hands before slipping it around your neck as you walk, still not fully grasping you’re going to see him as soon as you are. “It’s a matter of where to go in the pit during his walk up to stage where I won’t be spotted too easily, but also not be in the way of everything either. I think it’ll work, totally up to Jake though. Worse case, we’ll do it just before rally or he hits the stage. Better visuals, and Con will agree with me, but it’s Jake and Cez who have final call.”

“It’s brilliant, all of it. However, here is where I leave you for now,” Beatriz nudges you through the door into Cez’s makeshift office for the next two days. “Need to make sure the sound techs have everything. Fridge is stocked, so steal what you need. He should be back in a few. They’re due to be walking your man now. His room isn’t far, so stay put. I’ll let C know you’re here. Toodles!”

Shortly after you settle in on the couch, engrossing yourself in your inbox, you feel someone settle down next to you.

“Thank god you’re here, I cannot do the sad Shawn shit anymore,” Connor sighs, throwing an arm around your shoulder. “I love him like a brother but damn, this go has been a beast when he’s feeling it like that.”

“Hi Connor, I’ve missed you too Connor, it’s good to see you Connor,” you roll your eyes, pushing his arm off you with a poke.

“Yeah yeah, all that too,” he smiles, sliding his arm back into place and kissing your cheek. “It’s good to have you here, all that aside. Despite all that, missed you around these parts.”

“Considering Central America took away our long weekend together, with no warning. It’s just been a hard go this swing. For both of us. May just be the wear and tear of a tour this long finally hitting. Even with as much as we’ve made it a priority to stay more connected and grounded. You guys are lucky it’s the end and it didn’t happen in like the middle of Europe, or the US leg. Though that would have been easier to get to than an almost 11-hour flight,” you fight out.

“You’re too good for him you know?” he teases. “Remember, he has friends if you ever need to bail.”

“Not any of y’all that’s for sure. No way. And, it’s the other way around, Con,” you reply, poking at his knee. “So, you’ve seen the setup, what’s going to make the most sense?”

“We’re going to do whatever you want, missus,” Jake chimes in as the door shuts behind him and Cez. “Only thing I require is a hug.”

“I think that can be arranged,” you say happily, ducking around Connor to get to Jake. “Con, stop being in the way.”

“Thank you,” you murmur to Jake as he pulls you into an embrace.

“We should be thanking you,” he whispers hugging you tightly. “And seriously. We’ll make it all happen. Kid needs this as much as you do.”

You pull away, smiling. “Ok guys so here’s what I’m thinking. Let’s surprise him on the walk out.”

The details come together quickly as well as easily. You’re happy, the team is comfortable with it all. It also helps he’s not expecting a thing. Everyone’s on board.

“So,” Cez begins, rolling a bottle of water around in his hands as everyone else filters out. “Hop a flight on a whim in the states or Canada is one thing. Cross the pond, a little more effort, but doable. This is something else entirely, even for the two of you.”

“I don’t know why this one is so different; I wish I knew; believe me I do. It would have saved me an 11-hour flight,” you utter. “It’s not like we’ve not done it before. We got through this, worse even, when he went out on last leg of the last tour and I had no leverage to take time off to come out other than that last show. We were only together a little bit at that point.”

Cez smiles his all-knowing smile, looking down at your hands playing with your credential. “I think you do, somewhere in there. I think he does too, well I know he does.”

“What are you talking about?” you ask inquisitively. “We’re good, really good. Minus this blip and it’s just us being a little more emotionally wound together. More in the groove than we’ve ever been. It’s been great, actually.”

He smiles yet again, making you wonder even more, and picks up his hand pointing to a certain finger.

“No,” you shake your head.

He nods, still smiling. “You’re practically there already.  We were honestly all surprised it didn’t happen before tour, or at break. Especially after Japan. I knew though not the holidays, it’s too cliché and not him, or you. He’s asked me a few things, more recently. Won’t give away more than that, but it kind of all makes sense. At least to me.”

“I just. Like. Shit Cez,” you sigh, looking down at the lam in your hands. “We’ve talked about it before, couple times. We want it, both of us. He’s it for me, and vice versa. He knows I’ll say yes. I’ve told him as much. But I’m also not that girl that needs the pretty on her hand to know where we stand in our relationship. He’s also not that overly possessive man who needs to prove he’s got me like that to the world, even in his crazy whirlwind of a life.”

“I think it’s both of you really ready for what’s next and this just all happens to be in the way right now. But, you’re here now, which not only is he going to be over the moon about, the rest of us are pretty happy as well. Not just because he’ll be in better spirits, it’s because we love you just as much too,” he states plainly. “You’re as much a part of this, a part of the family. I’m personally glad you’re here for these last few. This run’s been special, you should be here for the end of it.”

“Do not make me ruin my makeup, damnit,” you half laugh, half bite back a sob. “I’m so glad he has you, not just on the road, but in general. I know how much he loves you. I do, too.”

His phone pings rapidly.

“Ten-minute warning for fetching him. Let’s go get you out and set. Phil’s on you until Jake walks out with Shawn,” he states, reaching for his headset in one hand, for you with his other.

You carefully walk down the back hallway towards the stage together. Jake and Phil meet you at the back corner of the build out. Jake hands you off a fresh pair of earplugs.

“You’re going to need these,” he reminds you. “It’s his usual walk, so he won’t expect a thing. Especially seeing Phil at that junction of the barricade, once Phil gets the signal from me that we’re going, he’ll shift behind you so Shawn can spot you.”

You throw him a thumbs up as you wedge the plugs into place. Phil takes your arm in his, his other hand patting your forearm.

“Let’s go surprise him,” he says, leading you out to the pit.

For some reason, probably your conversation with Cez if you’re being honest with yourself, has your stomach set off with butterflies. You’ve not been like this since the early days of your relationship. Excited, always. Happy, without a doubt. Nervous though? No. You try to not shift about, instead closing your eyes to take in the moment. The crowd is loud, you can smell the remnants of the smoke machine test earlier lingering in the air.

Phil taps your shoulder, sliding you into place in front of him.

“He’s walking,” he mouths with a wink.

The house lights come down and the stage lights start to just warm. You exhale and lean back onto Phil slightly, whose hands come to rest comfortably on your shoulders. The opening video starts to roll and the lights hit the pit walk so you know you’ve got about 30 seconds at best before he comes into view. Phil pushes you forward just a touch just as you spot Jake and Shawn with Connor shuffling just behind to get the right angle for the surprise.

He’s in his pre-show zone, not taking in much around him. Jake nudges him though and his eyes shoot up. Shawn looks over towards you, taking a moment for things to register, and when it does his smile is as bright as you’ve seen. His eyes grow wide, he turns to Jake, who nods with a grin and then Shawn takes off in a sprint.

“Surprise!” you try to scream, but he’s already got you in his hold lifting you to swing you around.

“Tell me I’m not dreaming, please,” he utters in your ear before pulling you closer, finally getting you back on your feet.

You slide your hands from his shoulders, one to the nape of his neck fingering the wispy curls there, the other to nudge his one in-ear out.

“Not a dream, baby. Very much here, very much real. You got me for the rest of the run, love,” you say directly into his ear. “Go be my Rockstar. I’ll watch side stage, be there waiting for you after the show.”

You pop his in-ear back into place then cup his cheek, watching his eyes roll back slightly.

“I love you so damn much,” he yells before kissing you soundly. “I am so lucky you’re mine.”

Shawn rubs his nose against yours before sneaking in another kiss, then runs up to the stage with Jake on his heels. Jake winks as he passes, throwing a double thumbs up before Phil takes you towards the back staircase so you can set up on the rolling case you know is waiting for you.

The show is electric as always, but he’s got a special energy tonight. You can’t help but feel a bit happy as to probably being the reason why. He’s smiling, sweaty and disheveled, running back towards you in the break before the encore.

“You’re a mess,” you quip with a smile, handing him a bottle of water and a towel.

“Never minded that before,” he retorts back, running a hand through the mess of his hair after wiping his face down with the towel.

“Not the place Shawn Peter,” you say, shooing him away. “Go finish, I’m not going anywhere.”

He drops the water bottle down on the case next to you, stealing another kiss before bopping his way back out.

You hop off the case and head out towards the curtain line to get a better view. His encore covers have been something else this tour. He’s been leaning hard into Tom Petty’s Free Fallin’ and it’s a stunner, especially just him and the piano.

“I had a surprise tonight delivered to me just before the show, a really amazing one actually,” he begins as he settles into playing the piano. “So, if you all don’t mind, I’m going to play something a little special before I get into my last two songs.”

Once he hits the first few chords, your jaw drops immediately.

“You lift my heart up when the rest of me is down. You, you enchant me, even when you're not around. If there are boundaries, I will try to knock them down. I'm latching on babe now I know what I have found,” he sings and you can’t help but inch closer to the edge as far as you can go without being spotted or seen. “I feel we're close enough, I wanna lock in your love. I think we're close enough, could I lock in your love, baby? Now I got you in my space, I won't let go of you. Got you shackled in my embrace; I'm latching on to you.”

You didn’t expect this the other night, so you very much don’t expect it tonight. You can’t do anything but watch him, enamored and amazed. He sounds breathtaking. The whole song just gives you goosebumps, especially in a setting like this. Damn this boy.

“Thanks for indulging me tonight, Santiago,” he says and you can see the flush spreading across his cheeks, even from there. He immediately segues into Free Fallin’ to get his encore moving, before finishing completely with If I Can’t Have You.

He’s got a hold of your hands the moment he’s out of sight of the audience.

“Did you like it?” he asks, dipping his head down to kiss you, feather soft.

“Love it, love you,” you reply, dusting kisses across his knuckles. “Come on, let’s get you back there before they start to think we’re defiling a case on the stage.”

He chuckles, tangling his fingers deeper with yours before leading you towards his dressing room. As you hit the main hallway, most of the band and the crew are waiting there and start whooping and clapping the moment the two of you come into view.

“What the hell?” you question, as he holds your hand tighter trying to make your way down the hall. He shakes his head, cheeks pink as he bites his bottom lip.

“Hold up,” Jake stops you both just before the doorway to his room, arms crossing against his chest and a shit eating grin spread across his face. “Believe you owe this lady a thank you.”

“Hello, the song, on stage, the encore? In front of the whole damn audience,” he retorts, running his free hand through his curls before tugging you towards him and the door without getting you covered in post-show sweat. “Now I’d like to shower, get the heck out of here so I can spend some time with her. Without an audience.”

You can hear the snickers and wolf whistles, it’s your turn to flush. Jake shakes his head no.

“You know what you assholes, fine,” Shawn sighs before rolling his eyes.

“Don’t even with me kid,” Jake smirks.

“I know what you’re…” he trails off but tugs your hand, so you stand closer to him. “Shit. C’mere baby.”

The next thing you know he’s cupping your neck and kissing the breath straight out of you. Your hands fly up, one gripping his shoulder the other tangling in his hair. He pulls away first, just as breathless as you’re feeling.

“You all happy now? Can I please get into my room?” he asks.

Jake moves aside, patting him on the shoulder. He snatches your hand and tugs you into the room, shutting and locking the door behind you both.

“Do I even want to know?” you say, leaning back against the door as he toes off his boots.

“Grander the gesture, bigger the thank you,” he replies, stripping off his button down next, his tank and jeans follow. “They like to tease, you know this. Especially when you and I start getting the way we do. It’s all in good fun, but not when you pull the most epic surprise and I’ve run through a whole damn show. I haven’t seen you in how long and I still haven’t really held you or loved on you the way I want to.”

“Then you best go shower, sweetheart,” you tease. “You know feeling is mutual.”

He darts over to kiss you again, “Be right back.”

He’s quick, which you appreciate, and even more that he’s just in a pair of threadbare, low slung navy sweats when he heads back out to you. He drops the towel in his hand to snag yours, pulling you towards the couch. He flops down first and pulls you immediately down on top of him. He kisses your forehead before scooting you down so your head can rest comfortably on his shoulder. He smells fresh, clean, warm, like him and like home.

“Hi baby,” he murmurs against your lips before kissing you slowly and thoroughly. “Fuck, how I missed you. I can’t believe you’re here. I’m so damn happy that you’re here. You’re amazing you know that? How did you pull this off?”

“Once Hong Kong pushed timeline, I had a little wiggle room, but I wouldn’t be sure until Denmark signed off,” you explain, finger carefully tracing back and forth against his collarbone and shoulder. “I didn’t want to get either of our hopes up, so I didn’t say anything. Then like a week and a half ago? That night we just couldn’t get timing together I think you were in Panama still. I was up and cranky at stupid o’clock, said screw it. I knew I had some comp time due, had a little vacation time left, plus after Bucharest debacle on their part, they kind of owe me to boot. Called Bea, looped in Cez and voila.”

“You’re making it harder to even come remotely close to do for you what you do for me,” he presses his lips against your hair. “I’m so grateful for you.”

“There’s not a tally, sweetheart. We do for each other, you know this,” you remind him. “You and me, always right?”

There’s a knock on the door and jingling of keys, you go to move but Shawn holds you to him.

“Just gonna be C, we’re not doing anything. You stay put,” he wraps his arms around your waist and nuzzles your ear.  

“Sorry kids, time to get a move on,” Cez calls out from the doorway. “Can I come in? Are you at least PG?”

“It’s cuddling man, that’s all,” Shawn barks out with a laugh as you bury your head into his neck.

“You’ve got about 10 minutes to get yourselves together before the sprinter gets here,” he reminds you both. “We’ve got a curfew in the building overall, so we can’t be late on this one.”

“I’ll make sure he’s ready,” you reply, trying to wiggle out of his hold. “Let’s go, you. Need to get your stuff together. Can’t be late.”

“Listen to your girl, Shawn,” Cez remarks. “She’s right. Plus, you’ll be free of us and interruptions once you’re back at the hotel. Late call tomorrow since we’re already set here. I’m leaving the door unlocked and open so no funny bunny ok?”

“Thanks, Cez. See you in a few,” you say, trying to nudge at Shawn.

“You know that means we can go to that park in the morning,” you whisper, kissing his chin once Cez is back out in the hallway. “Upsy daisy dear.”

He sighs dramatically, but with a smile, “Only if you promise a little morning love, breakfast in bed and that park in the morning.”

“You drive such a hard bargain,” you giggle. “It’s a deal.”

He kisses you quickly and loudly before sitting up with you still in his hold, “I can’t wait to get you alone alone tonight.”

“Which would be sooner if you got a move on,” you roll your eyes, poking at his chest while his hands palm you ass.

He stops for a moment though, looks at you softly while not taking his eyes off of you.

“Love you pretty girl,” he declares, hand pushing stray strands of your hair away from your cheek, before holding it in his palm.

“Love you too, Shawn.”  

[clumsyclifford]

Yay prompts! I like “Is this really the time for jokes?” for mashton

based on actual events aka my roommate and i read our required readings to each other also can you tell i wrote this fic instead of catching up on my astronomy textbook readings <3

-

Michael’s on the floor when Ashton returns to their dorm. This isn’t uncommon in and of itself, but there’s a book on the floor in front of him, and he seems to be making absolutely no effort to read it. The air conditioning unit is blasting on high, but Michael is shivering; his knees are drawn to his chest as if to trap the warmth. His arms are wrapped around them, and he’s scrolling on his phone, and looks as if he’s been scrolling for awhile.

“Hi,” Ashton says uncertainly. Michael looks up at him through bleary eyes and clicks his phone screen off.

“Hi,” he says. “Can you turn the air down?”

Ashton had intended to do that anyway — it’s freezing in the room — so he crosses to the A/C and turns it off. “What’s up?” 

“Oh, you know,” Michael says. “Just trying to convince myself to read this.” 

“Read what?”

Michael picks up the book and hands it to Ashton, who sits down across from him on the area rug (lifted directly from Michael’s bedroom). “Hamlet,” he says. “How much do you have to read?”

“First two acts,” Michael sighs. “For tomorrow. And then once I do that, I have to read a whole chapter of my psych textbook, which is fucking exhausting. And then I have to answer all these questions about it. And then I have to throw myself out the window.” 

“Well, let’s not do that,” Ashton says. He opens the book; the spine cracks. “Is the psych stuff also for tomorrow?”

“The psych stuff was for yesterday,” Michael says grimly. “It may surprise you to learn that I am very behind on work.”

“Well, don’t psych yourself out,” Ashton can’t help but say. Michael glares.

“Is this really the time for jokes?” he says, although Ashton can see a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, a concession that that was funny, even if it’s the wrong moment for it. Ashton’s main crisis response is to create laughter, so it really is the time for jokes.

“Okay,” he acquiesces anyway, because he’s not going to get Michael to admit that was funny. “Well, I don’t know how much I can help with the psych reading, but if you need to turn in the questions, I can probably help with answering them. I took psych in high school.”

“No, that’s okay. I just need to read it. But I need to read this first.” Michael gestures wearily at the play still in Ashton’s hands. “It just keeps getting later, and I keep sitting here on Instagram, watching those fucking timelapse videos of people making food. Like, I’m thinking to myself, turn off your phone and open the book, and it’s just not happening.”

Ashton hums. He’s been there before. It’s incredibly difficult to motivate himself to read stuff he doesn’t feel like reading, and Ashton’s never been the type to enjoy reading for class. Plus, this is Shakespeare. Ashton knows all about Shakespeare. They’re old enemies.

“Okay,” Ashton says. “Give me your phone.”

Michael looks confused. “What?”

“Give it to me.” Ashton holds out a hand. “I won’t give it back until you’ve finished your work.”

Michael stares at him, but after a moment he hands his phone to Ashton. Ashton turns on do not disturb and sets it on the floor next to him, then flips open Hamlet to the first scene. “Alright. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, act one, scene one. Elsinore. A platform before the castle.”

“You don’t need to do this,” Michael says, and Ashton just shakes his head.

“I’m happy to do it,” he says. “Anyway, if I don’t you won’t read it. And I’ve finished my work for tonight.”

Michael huffs a short laugh. “I guess.”

“Elsinore,” Ashton repeats, grinning. “A platform before the castle. Francisco at his post. Enter to him Bernardo.”

Michael leans back against the chest of drawers underneath his bed, stretching his legs out until his feet are beside Ashton’s thighs, silly mismatched socks on full display. Ashton reads the whole first act, pausing only to drink from the water bottle Michael retrieves for him from his desk. Either Michael’s never read Hamlet or his memory is just really bad, because he seems to enjoy it as if for the first time, rolling his eyes at Claudius, laughing at Polonius, raising his eyebrows at the Ghost. He seems to enjoy it. Ashton wonders how much of that is the writing and how much is Ashton’s ridiculous repertoire of character voices. When they reach the end of act one, Ashton pauses, setting the book down in his lap.

Michael is smiling. “You should do my reading out loud more often,” he says lightly. “Far more productive.”

“Happy to help,” Ashton says good-naturedly, and he is. Anyway, he doesn’t mind reading aloud. It’s kind of fun to do the voices. “Are you following? Need me to explain anything? Ready for act two?”

“I’m good,” Michael says. “You know you don’t have to read it to me, though.”

“Seriously, Mike, it’s all good. I’m enjoying myself.”

Michael smiles indulgently. “Okay then.”

So Ashton carries on, reading through act two with the same gusto with which he’d read act one. When he gets to Polonius reading the letter from Hamlet he smiles to himself. Glancing up, he sees Michael smiling too, and feels himself blush. Never doubt I love, indeed. Ashton wouldn’t sit on the floor reading Hamlet at nine o’clock at night for just anyone.

“I like Hamlet,” Michael decides when Ashton’s finally finished act two. 

“The play or the guy?” 

“The guy,” Michael says, “although the play’s pretty good. He seems to be under a lot of pressure. And he’s only a college student, so. Relatable.”

Ashton laughs. “That’s great. You should put that in whatever paper you write about this. Hamlet may be plotting to murder his uncle, but in his defense, he’s in college, and if you’ve ever been in college you’d know that’s not actually that extreme.”

Michael snickers. Then his expression softens. “Hey, thanks for reading that to me.”

“Anytime,” Ashton says, and means it. “Now do your psych reading.”

Michael sighs long-sufferingly. “Or I could not.”

“Mike.”

“Okay, alright. Fine.”

Ashton pushes himself to his feet, then holds out a hand to Michael to help him up. “You got this,” he says. “And I have Doritos if you need sustenance while you do.”

“What would I do without you?” Michael jokes, but there’s something so sincere in his tone and in the grateful smile he gives Ashton. Ashton ruffles his hair, and Michael ducks his head.

“Throw yourself out the window, I imagine,” he says, and Michael grins.

[strekkingur]

MEET THE MUSE POWER HOUR!!

━━ take a seat and REPOST this detailed little bio with criteria to introduce the world to your muse.     no reblog karma or tagging ━  if you see this on your dash, feel free to partake in it!

☆ ━ B A S I C S .

NAME:: Eiríkur A. Sævarsson / Republic of Iceland

NICKNAME(S):: Eiki with family, Ice by others (call him Ice Ice Baby and you get hit)

AGE:: 1,147 yo, stuck at 18 in human age

GENDER:: male, he/him

NATIONALITY:: Icelandic

☆ ━ A P P E A R A N C E .

EYE COLOR:: a very pale blue actually, but being an albino and having so little pigment in his eyes, the blood vessels of his retinas show through the iris and make his eyes appear almost violet in colour... his actual eye colour can be hard to tell

HAIR COLOR:: white as snow due to albinism

HAIRSTYLE:: short/medium length, usually tousled beyond hope. He has thick, straight hair (tho a few unexpected waves often appear here and there) that has a mind of its own. On top of that, his home country is known for its unpredictable weather and high winds so any of Eiríkur’s attempts to style his hair nicely will be in vain within a few hours. The end result looks as if he hasn’t brushed his hair in a few weeks

HEIGHT:: 180 cm / 5′11′‘

WEIGHT:: 67 kg / 147 lbs

BUILD:: lanky, very narrow frame, gangly and awkward with legs for days... you know that teenager stage where it looks like someone attached a string to the top of their head and pulled up? that what I’m trying to say is he’s like a noodle

TATTOO(S):: N/A

SCAR(S):: covered in burn scars thanks to being volcanic (plus a few “oopsies”)

PIERCING(S):: N/A

PREFERRED FASHION:: his beloved lopapeysas paired with black skinny jeans and a nice pair of boots (either ankle or knee high). Often wears all black or dark colours (dark blue, dark grey, deep mossy green, brown) and combined with his white hair and pale skin, ends up looking like he’s escaped from an old b&w photograph. He doesn’t care for accessories other than a pair of earbuds either plucked in his ears or looped around his neck. Usually wears two layers (wool can be itchy directly against the skin) and when the weather gets colder, he adds a furry-hooded parka and gloves to his ensemble but often skips other warm items of clothing like scarfs and hats

TYPICALLY SMELLS LIKE:: his asthma doesn’t handle strong smells so Eiríkur doesn’t wear cologne or use any scented soaps or shampoos, usually he only smells clean, a little musky, a warm vanilla kind of smell like an old and beloved book. Residual smells from his daily life may include wool, animals, coffee, rosin, etc. Sometimes he may carry faint hint of sulphur, again, thanks to being a volcanic nation

☆ ━ P E R S O N A L I T Y .

POSITIVE TRAITS:: allocentric || appreciative || calm || caring || challenging || charming || creative || compassionate || dramatic || efficient || focused || imaginative || liberal || loyal || neat || non-authoritarian || observant || witty ||

NEUTRAL TRAITS:: stubborn || perfectionist || sarcastic || confident || prideful || competitive || rash || unsentimental || artful || casual || complex || emotional || honest || outspoken || sensual ||

NEGATIVE TRAITS:: abrasive || argumentative || blunt || crass || cynical || egocentric || fatalistic || hesitant || indulgent || irritable || lazy || libidinous || meddlesome || moody || neurotic || passive || possessive || vague ||

LIKES:: animals (especially horses), reading books and studying, learning new things, Nordic Noir, true crime podcasts, sci-fi, listening to music, playing music, nice shoes (esp tall boots), feeeeesh (fish is dead serious business), coffee, pancakes, ice cream, liquorice, sweet pies, pastries, all kinds of sweets tbh, birdwatching, windowshopping, hiking, wide open spaces, having the newest gadgets, NatGeo documentaries, knitting his own sweaters, cheerful and optimistic people, dark humour, bad puns, witty jokes

DISLIKES:: being treated like a naive child who doesn’t know how the world works, feeling insignificant and unheard (read: being ignored), his family (depending on the day with Denmark but Norway is quite solidly on the black list), pretentious people (England), pointless decorum, dishonesty, indirect communication, power distances, deadlines, other people’s insistence to punctuality, and all other useless “hassle”, people who are busy just for the sake of being busy, people who call Icelandic horses ponies, people who diss his traditional food, judgmental people, people and things that (dare to) tower over him, people who pick on others, people who dislike animals and/or animals dislike them, snakes and spiders and other creepy crawlies with too little or too many legs (he feels very conflicted about Sleipnir), neckties... (cut for length)

PHOBIAS / FEARS:: being abandoned, being powerless, lacking a voice and a purpose in the world, getting attached to people, having his trust betrayed, death and dying (both his own and other people he unfortunately finds himself caring about), asphyxiation, needles (or any medical stuff really)

HABITS:: wearing earphones 24/7, always either listening to music and/or singing or humming under his breath, wearing all black clothes, speaking his mind regardless of any and all consequences, siding with the underdogs, showing up at least 15 minutes late to any engagements, reading ferociously about the topics that interest him so that when the conversation lands on those topics he can obliterate his opponent, getting stuck on wikipedia rabbit roles, second-guessing and arguing with himself, taking an average of three days to reply to texts (just call him if you need something), showing up to visit unannounced, baking about once a week, always having homemade desserts to offer to guests but refusing to say they’re homemade

☆ ━ R E L A T I O N S H I P S .

SEXUAL ORIENTATION:: demisexual 

ROMANTIC ORIENTATION:: biromantic

RELATIONSHIP STATUS:: something may be afoot with Sarafina ( @orkidpayanke ) 

☆ ━ H E A L T H .

CHRONIC CONDITIONS:: moderate allergic asthma, PTSD of abandonment, a few specific phobias, hayfever, dry skin and eczema (melancholic by nature but does not fill the criteria for depression)

ADDICTIONS:: caffeine; he can definitely be a bit dangerous to deal with without it

ALLERGIES:: dust mites, pollen, mould (main triggers for his asthma but almost any irritants can set him off: tobacco smoke, air pollution, ash/volcanic fumes, perfumes - please don’t wear strong perfume around him - cold air, dusty rooms, chest infections), also gets a rash around his face and neck from strong sunlight

☆ ━ H O M E . 

PLACE OF RESIDENCE:: a house by the sea in the outskirts of Vogar

METHOD OF TRANSPORTATION:: by car if the destination is more than 5 mins away (or alternatively he’d like to commute by horseback but for some reason they tell him it isn’t “professional” and that he’s “making a scene” in the modern day)

PETS:: four Icelandic horses, two cats, and a dog

☆ ━ W O R K  &  E D U C A T I O N.

JOB:: government “intern” / eternal student, he reads over miscellaneous paperwork (sometimes he jokingly calls himself the PM’s spell-check) and travels for diplomatic missions. His govt is understanding of his physical youth and thanks to the peacefulness of his nation, are willing to allow him time to study and learn the ropes of nationhood (sometimes Eiríkur complains that they could give him more work). In his free time he also volunteers in the local Search and Rescue group

SCHOOLING:: he learnt the basics of survival, the ancient laws and etiquette from his medieval chieftains and later Norway. While living in Denmark he had various tutors and received the standard education of a noble boy for the era. In the modern day he’s enrolled in the local university and does online courses on various subjects that spark his interest. Has completed degrees in Icelandic Language and History at this point, and the rest of his credentials are coming along slowly

SPOKEN LANGUAGES:: Icelandic, Danish, English, German, French, Latin, Old Norse, and to a (much) lesser extent: Norwegian, Swedish (tho he might just be speaking Danish without the stød), Polish, Lithuanian, Latvian, Estonian, and Finnish

SKILLS:: playing the violin and piano, singing, chess, animal husbandry and horsemanship, reciting the sagas and medieval law forwards and backwards by heart, baking, story telling, braiding hair, knitting, quick memorisation of both useful and useless information, wilderness survival, can always point true north, and also has a truly spectacular talent for misplacing things and getting lost

☆ ━ R A N D O M .

QUIRKS:: miracle kid that honestly should have died more than a few times already (bc his own land is constantly trying to kill him), might just be indestructible at this point, now insists on having an opinion in everyone’s business (to not lead an empty existence), also insists on acting tougher than he is, covers up most of his emotions with an explosive temper, has a tendency to get into petty arguments (esp with England), never uses the word “please”, is a neat freak, had a Viking fanboy phase in the 1920s (rumours say it might still be brewing under the surface), cannot tie a necktie without almost hanging himself, actively rebels against all social rules both on personal and national level, and is always down to fight

RELIGION:: Protestant Christian (nominally part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland, but mostly agnostic in practice)

THEME SONG(S):: Síðasta kveðjan - Árstíðir

[laurajameskinney]

Okay so. You just caught all my fun arthur facts. So I own a lot of the mythos and such and the issue is that it was being written about by other nation's people. Thats why it progressed from being about a Welsh king fighting again fae and I believe it was vikings or something. I dont think viking is right but I can't get to my books rn. But a few of the most read iterations of the stories- like where lancelot and the holy grail and such came from although it wasn't holy when first introduced- was a French version of the myths! Thats why its associated with England instead of Wales because when adapting, people knew more of England than Wales

no yeah dude i know i know. also it was anglo-saxons, who were basically vikings (they even came from jutland, aka denmark lite), and also the guys the english are (mostly) descended from. i think the og popular writing about arthur that WASNT historium brittanium (highly fictionalized history of ‘england’ c. 800s) was written shortly post-norman invasion and was basically propaganda in favour of a unified state, with i think one of the themes being “hey look we both hate the anglo saxons how about you [the welsh/britons] join up with us or at least support us! we got the backing of Your Man King Arthur!” 

obviously as a propaganda piece it didn’t reallyyyyy work, but it did get some french guy interested and he made lancelot. and then a ton of english guys argued for about 200 years about camelot being real. and then they realized the only source even claiming to be historical that talks at length about king arthur, the historium britanum (which i’m misspelling but idgaf) was written by a guy who literally made half that shit up, and, oh yeah, wrote it THREE HUNDRED PLUS YEARS AFTER KING ARTHUR FUCKING DIED AND SO WOULD BE DUBIOUS AT BEST EVEN WITHOUT THE SHITTY TRACK RECORD. ahem.

source on the viking thing: Bede (author of HB) specifically says that Hengist and Horsa, the leaders of the Saxons, invaded in 449 AD, worked with Uther Pendragon or a contemporary, and then betrayed him. arthur is born within the next few years, or few months, idk, point is he probably became king around like....460, in the ballpark of, and is said to have died in....510ish? oh wow that’s a long reign. point is, anglo saxon invasion - started 449, king arthur, r 460-510 (KEEP IN MIND AT THIS POINT I AM RECITING WHAT I REMEMBER OF AN EVEN THEN PROBABLY MOSTLY FICTIONAL NARRATIVE. KING ARTHUR, AS A POST ROMAN WELSH WARLORD WHO FOUGHT THE SAXONS, PROBABLY DID EXIST, AND THAT DOES MATCH UP WITH THESE DATES)

the only part of that you needed to remember was that he died in 510, give or take a few years, because the viking age started in 793, well over 200 years later. you may be getting the viking thing from King Alfred or his grandson, Æthelsomething the unready, who both fought vikings and are famous for it. i have heard that arthur was based on them, which i think is bullshit, because they’re the most famous early rulers from the SAXON LINE of england, and were, you guessed it, saxons!

ok i’ll step off my soapbox now but just reminder that i’m american and am also just citing this from my brain, so i could be misremembering! i might dig up sources for this later. uhh if any welsh people wanna add in their two cents that’d be neat, or anyone that knows shit about king arthur. the english are rudely asked to refrain from commenting 💔 unless ur polly, bc ily, or anon, who’s nationality i don’t know. 

i’m not doing a tldr read my infodump cowards