#Find tour guide in Ireland

[iwritesickfic]

Surprise

part 1! - partially in response to a few prompts, partially its own thing. enjoy!

Seamus is almost vibrating with excitement. He hasn’t seen Theo in a month, and tonight is finally going to be the night. He’s been touring, and though Seamus would love to travel with him, he has all his own shit to do in Ireland. Lots of shit. Unfortunately.

But he finally had the time to fly the 7 and a half hours to New York to see Theo perform this week. And Theo has no idea. He's taken every precaution to make sure of that.

The show is just about over, and Seamus is standing in one of the cinderblock and concrete access hallways below the stadium, fidgeting like he’s waiting for his prom date.

Then Theo’s there, swarmed by crew members and production people, gorgeous as ever. He’s still a ways away down the hall, and it doesn’t seem like he’s seen Seamus yet. He gives it a few moments before calling out.

“Theo!” A few heads turn, and Theo looks around, totally confused, so Seamus calls again. “Theo!” His voice echoes in the cavernous space, and finally Theo’s eyes find his. Then he’s sprinting down the hallway toward him, nearly knocking Seamus over as they embrace.

The first thing Seamus notices above all else is how hard he’s trembling. It’s more like shaking. Seamus holds him tight, pulling him flush against him, and feels Theo start to cry, his face buried in Seamus’s neck. He's sobbing, gasping for breath. He’s slick with sweat, his hair stuck to his temples and forehead.

“Hey, it’s alright,” Seamus says gently, and kisses his cheek. “Are you happy to see me?” He asks teasingly, and Theo pulls back, looking half overjoyed and half exhausted. He presses a kiss to Seamus’s lips, then rests his forehead on his, eyes closed. He's out of breath - from the crying or the sprint or the kiss Seamus isn't sure.

“You have no fucking idea,” Theo whispers. His voice sounds totally shot, and he’s still shaking. He’s flushed and warm too, but that can probably be chalked up to the fact he just did a two hour set under stage lights. “Please tell me you’re staying the night. Please, fuck.”

His arms are looped around Seamus's neck.

“As long as you want,” Seamus says, and presses another kiss to his cheek. God, he’s warm. He runs his hand through Theo’s sweat damp hair, pushing some off his face and forehead. “You wanna sit down?” Theo nods, and Seamus guides him to a folding chair. He stumbles, and Seamus catches him by the elbow.

He’s getting more and more concerned with each passing moment. He’s seen Theo after shows before, and it’s never this bad. He almost seems drunk.

Theo practically collapses into the chair, then folds forward, elbows on knees, head in his hands. His greasy strands of auburn hair hang down around his face. Seamus lays a hand on his back and squats down.

"Are you ok?" he asks, hushed, and Theo nods, but doesn't say anything. "Are you sure?" He swallows thickly and looks up.

"I'm so happy you're here Shay, I'm just having a terrible fucking day and I-" he stops abruptly as he sees something over Seamus's shoulder and forces a smile.

"Amazing show tonight!" a female voice says, and Seamus looks back to see Emma, the tour manager. Immediately Seamus feels his shoulders tense. He and Emma always seem to be getting into screaming matches. He never intends it to be that way, but that's how it always ends up.

"Thanks," Theo says, voice still hoarse. She keeps walking, and as soon as she's gone, his smile drops again. He lowers his voice and looks back to Seamus. "Can we just go? Please, can we go home?" He sounds on the verge of tears, like he's unsure of what the response will be. Seamus tucks some of his hair behind his ear.

"Teddy, of course." He's beyond worried now. Theo stands, and Seamus is about to make a joke when Theo's eyes roll back. Then he's falling. Seamus is frozen for a second before he makes a desperate grab for his arm. It doesn't help. He's limp, and though Seamus manages to break his fall somewhat, he's on the ground. "Theo!"

A crowd starts to gather almost immediately, and Seamus's heart feels like it's going to burst out of his throat.

Theo's eyes are already fluttering open again, but in contrast to how flushed he was a minute ago, he's gray-pale now. A soft noise escapes his chapped lips.

There's a medic kneeling beside them now, and Seamus lays his hand on Theo's chest. Theo's hand clumsily finds his, fingers still trembling. Seamus's hand is shaking too.

"You with us, Theodore?" the medic asks, and Theo nods, starting to push himself up. Both Seamus and the medic simultaneously ease him back down. "Whoa, take it slow. Just relax for a minute. I'm gonna take your blood pressure, alright?"

Theo nods again, his eyes falling closed.

The crowd is murmuring, and another medic arrives. They exchange a few words before he goes to work too. Taking his temperature, his blood oxygen, his pulse. The whole time, Seamus is sick to his stomach. He just tries to focus on the feeling of Theo's chest rising and falling beneath his palm.

Finally, they sit him up and he opens his eyes and the first thing he does is lean his forehead down onto Seamus's shoulder. He's still holding his hand, and Seamus squeezes it tight. He's also still extremely warm, and Seamus really wants to ask the medic what his temperature was.

"Dehydrated?" he asks instead, and the medic tilts his head as if to say "sort of." He stands and starts to talk to Emma, who looks more stressed out than concerned. Seamus tries to make out what they're saying, but he can't quite. He knows it's more than dehydration. Something is wrong, and Emma knows. The medic knows. Everyone knows but him. And it's making his blood boil.

"Shay, please, I wanna go home," Theo whispers, his lips hot and dry against Seamus's throat. His face is tucked in the crook of Seamus’s neck. His pleading, soft voice brings Seamus back down, and he's able to shift his focus.

"I know," he whispers back. He rubs his back, and Theo hums. "When did you start feeling sick?"

"I'm fine. Please just get me the fuck out of here." He's obviously not fine, but now isn't the time to argue the obvious. The second medic returns with a bottle of Pedialyte and a straw, which Seamus hands to Theo.

"What's - Do you know…?" he asks, and he doesn't miss the way the medic's eyes dart over to Emma before he answers. It relights the fire in his stomach.

"Low blood pressure from dehydration. Once he drinks that he should be good to go," he says, and leaves before Seamus can ask anything else.

"Maybe we could get you an IV?" Seamus asks, and Theo shakes his head.

"Seamus, please just get me home. Please."

"Ok."

He texts the driver to pull around and a flags down a PA to grab them a golf cart. He has to practically hold Theo up as they get into the cart, and as soon as they sit down, he presses his too warm body against Seamus's.

It's the same story for the car, and as soon as the door shuts and they're on their way, Theo lets out a heavy sigh.

"What's going on?" Seamus finally asks, and Theo tucks his head back against his shoulder.

“Tough show,” he mumbles, and when Seamus's silence indicates he isn't satisfied with that explanation, he sighs "I feel like shit.”

"I can tell." He presses his lips to Theo's temple, and is sure beyond a shadow of a doubt he has a fever. "How long?"

"Long time," Theo says. Seamus has so many questions he can't even get one out.

"You've been sick?" He finally asks. Theo nods. "How… What is it?"

"My throat,” he murmurs, and Seamus brings his hand to Theo’s throat, feeling under his jaw. Sure enough, his glands are swollen, and when he brushes his fingertips over them Theo stiffens.

“Baby,” Seamus breathes out, and Theo shakes his head weakly.

“It's not that bad.” Again, Seamus doesn't need to say anything for Theo to get the message. “Ok, well it's better. It's getting better.”

Finally, Seamus asks the question that's been bothering him the most.

“Why didn't you say anything?”

Theo takes a breath like he's about to speak, but the sound of his phone ringing cuts him off. Seamus is about to tell him to leave it, but Theo is already pulling it up to his ear.

“Hey,” his weak voice says, and though Seamus can hear someone speaking on the other end, he can't make out who. Eventually, he just hands the phone over to Seamus.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Seamus. You guys are headed back to Brooklyn?” It's Zeke, Theo's manager.

“Yeah, we’re on the bridge.” He pauses, staring out the window.

“Ok, that's fine, we were all just wondering where you guys went. Especially since he passed out, we wouldn't - well… It's just good you're getting him home.”

“Tell me what's been going on,” Seamus says, and Theo makes a small sound of protest beside him.

“Seamus,” he whispers, as if pleading with him to drop it.

“Realistically, we can’t cancel every time-” Zeke starts.

“Zeke!” Seamus snaps, incredulous.

“I care about him just as much as you, but what has to be done has to be done.” Even he doesn’t sound fully convinced.

“Spare me,” Seamus spits back.

“Shay, please,” Theo murmurs, and Seamus takes a deep breath.

“Just tell me everything.”

–

He didn’t have to carry Theo in from the car, but he certainly had to carry him upstairs. He’s exhausted, not even to mention the fever he's running. Someone in perfect health would be exhausted after the tour schedule Theo has.

He’s had some kind of throat infection for at least the last month, and he's been doped up on painkillers and antibiotics nonstop for the last two weeks. In the interest of keeping him on stage they've had a doctor shooting him up with Prednisone before each show. If it wasn't for the steroid shots he likely wouldn't be able to talk, let alone sing.

Seamus always knew deep down the label would do anything to keep their tour rolling. But he never imagined it would come to this. Performing with a throat injury is playing with fire, it’ll be a miracle if his voice doesn’t need serious rehab. For now though, Seamus is just focused on trying to make the best of the situation at hand.

Theo is sitting on the edge of their bed, flushed and shivering, while Seamus slowly helps him out of his sweat damp clothes. As he goes, he presses kisses to Theo’s overheated skin, slowly and reverently. Theo melts under him, pushing himself as close as he can get.

The way he’s pressing closer, the sounds he’s making - it all says he wants things to go further, but Seamus knows that would be ill advised at best, disastrous at worst, so when Theo’s fully undressed he pulls away.

Still, he leaves one hand on Theo’s head, the other on his shoulder.

“I’m gonna go make some tea, alright?” Seamus says, and Theo gives him such a miserable look Seamus almost wants to forget it and just lie down with him right now. He runs his thumb over Theo’s temple. “I’ll be quick, I promise.”

He kisses his forehead before heading back downstairs to the kitchen. He can’t decide whether he’s more livid or worried out of his mind.

A month. He’s been sick for a month, and he didn’t tell Seamus. Seamus imagines him in fancy hotel rooms trying to sleep with a soaring fever. All by himself. Shivering, aching after a two and a half hour show. It’s enough to make Seamus want to punch a hole in the wall.

While he’s making the tea, he schedules an appointment with Theo’s doctor and his ENT for tomorrow morning. He’ll need to dig through Theo’s bag to find his antibiotics, not that they seem to be doing any good.

The last call he makes is to Emma. While the line rings, his jaw is clenched so hard it hurts.

“Hey there, Seamus,” she says when she picks up.

“Hey there, Emma,” he says, barely holding himself back. “I was just calling to let you know we’ll need to be rescheduling the next week of shows. So that’s…” He squints at his notebook. “The next two nights in Edison, then Boston, Philly, and Pittsburgh.”

There’s a long silence. So long he almost thinks she hung up.

“Ok, Seamus. I understand you’re concerned for him. We’re all concerned for him. We all want what’s best for his health.”

“Emma,” he starts, just barely contained.

“We’ve discussed this in the past, and I’ve explained to you time and time again that he is an adult. He does not need you coming to his rescue, especially when you don’t have the full story. He’s perfectly capable of telling us himself if he’s too unwell to perform. Frankly, I think your behavior -”

“That is such fucking bullshit, and you know it.”

“Please,” she sounds bored more than anything, and that’s only making him angrier. “Can I explain?”

“How he lost 15 pounds in a month? Why he can’t stand up without blacking out? Why I wasn’t told about any of this?”

“You’re his boyfriend. Not his mother, not his husband - his boyfriend. And maybe the question you should be asking is why he didn’t tell you.”

Seamus’s fists are clenched so hard he feels his fingernails digging into his palms. He forces himself to relax. He takes a deep breath before continuing, fighting to keep his voice even.

“The bottom line is he’s not showing up for the next week. So do whatever you need to do, this isn’t a discussion.”

“Maybe you should discuss this with Theo before you break his contracts for him,” she says, her tone more grave. Of course now that her money is on the line it’s suddenly very serious.

“Goodbye, Emma.”

He wants to throw his phone. But the tea is done and Theo is upstairs waiting for him, so he takes another deep breath and heads back up.

When he walks in the doorway to their bedroom his heart nearly breaks in half. Theo's curled under the comforter shivering, breathing like he's trying not to cry.

Seamus doesn't hesitate in getting closer - they've been apart too long. He pulls Theo into his lap and strokes his hair, trying to not let how overheated he feels overwhelm him.

He's on fire with a fever, and it doesn't help that what little Pedialyte he drank has probably burned off already.

“Seamus,” he murmurs, like it's the only word he knows.

“I made you some tea,” Seamus says softly, and Theo makes a soft sound. “I'm gonna grab the thermometer and some ibuprofen and I'll be right back, ok?” He feels Theo nod, so he maneuvers his way out from under him and into their ensuite.

In addition to the thermometer and medication, he soaks a washcloth in some lukewarm water. When he gets back, Theo's half sitting up, taking hesitant sips of the tea, eyebrows furrowed.

Seamus climbs onto the bed next to him and presses the damp cloth to Theo’s forehead.

“I love you so much,” Theo whispers, and his voice sounds even worse than it did an hour ago. Seamus just kisses his cheek. He brings the thermometer up, and doesn't need to say a word for Theo to open his mouth obediently.

They sit there in silence as they wait for the reading, Seamus combing his sweaty hair out with his fingers. He’s terrified to see what his temperature actually is, and tries not to panic when he reads “102.8”

“Why didn't you tell me?” He finally asks.

Theo presses his chapped lips into a line and sighs. Seamus draws the damp washcloth down the side of his throat, then down his sternum.

“You know I would've dropped everything. I would've been on the first flight,” Seamus says, and Theo’s trembling fingers wrap around his wrist. They're so unnaturally warm.

“That's exactly why I didn't tell you, Shay.”

[just-ray]

What do you think about Northern Ireland or Manitoba's politics? I went to the Manitoba Legislative Assembly the other month and I quite enjoyed the tour. The tour guide was raised Francophone, which is interesting. They had a provincial election last year and the NDP won, meaning the premier now has the somewhat confusing title of first First Nations premier (mainly a confusing title because you say "first" twice in a row), which is not to say first Indigenous premier—Manitoba's first premier was a Métis man—because there are three main Indigenous groups in Canada. Also, I think Nunavut has only had Indigenous premiers, but I think they're Inuit, so Kinew is the first First Nations premier.

As for Sinn Féin, I don't mind them and I would probably vote for them if I was Irish, but some of their politics in the Republic seems like they aren't accounting for practicalities.

I think the Northern Irish political system is very interesting and kind of Alaskan.

This stream of consiousness is dated 20 September 2024 19:23 UTC-5

Ah lad that's a lot of words

But a lot of interesting words.

I find the difference between MPs and MLAs really interesting. In ireland, we have councillors (very local level. No national imput. Tends to be the start of someone's political career), Teachta Dala's (hs a constituency and can also work on a national level. Has a seat in the lower, widely considered MAIN house if the irish parliament) and Senators (usually the later years of someone's political career, but not necessarily. Does not have constituents, and will be corrected if they try to work on a level of constituency rather than a national level. Also arguably less power than TD's)

It's interesting because I researched Canadian and northern Irish MLAs for a bit after reading this and I know it's bad to compare, but I find that MLAs seem to be a mix of TD's and Councillors, while MPs seem to be a mix of TD's and Senators, although I could be wrong. I also find it interesting that MLAs and MPs mostly only have soft/agenda setting power. Irish TD's are allowed to be quite active in their constituencies.

May I also ask what you think of the NDP? As when I hear anything with the word democratic my brain goes "ding ding ding!" And I tend to like that party, however in Ireland, the theoretical most democratically and socially positive parties don't always take the most practical action, so it's about finding a balance, and it would be interesting to hear about how they are and how they're doing.

Also excuse my lack of knowledge on Northern Irish and Canadian politics, but can I ask, do Legislative Assembly parties mirror to Parliamentary (?) Parties. Eg, if you have party A, let's call them Tusa, in a Legislative Assembly, do you also have Tusa MP's?

Thanknyouuuuuuuuuiyu

[lena-in-a-red-dress]

Finding You AU Pt 2

Lena the violinist is struggling to find her voice as a violinist, and Kara the actor is feeling constrained by her beefcake warrior franchise role. Kara asks Lena to help her run lines, and Lena agrees because it's not like practicing her violin has been helping at all.

When Lena falls to giggles over some of the dialogue Kara has to memorize, Kara surprises her by delivering them with such conviction, such nuance, that Lena's breath catches in her chest. From then on, Lena becomes Kara's go to scene partner for running lines.

On Lena's side, she finds her brother's old journal in one of the drawers, from his own days spent in Ireland. With Lex now gone and buried, this glimpse of her brother is precious. Among its pages, Lena finds sketch he drew of a half crumbled celtic cross headstone, with her own name at the bottom of the page. Convinced its something Lex meant her to see, Lena spends every spare moment she has looking in graveyards to try and find it.

Kara invites Lena to set one day to run lines, and she ends up meeting Siobhan Smythe, the beautiful sorceress to Kara's barabarian warrior. Siobhan is clearly suspicious of Lena, and hangs possessively on Kara's arm, which later makes sense when Lena sees a tabloid headline declaring Kara and Siobhan to be an item.

But Kara never mentions it herself, instead focusing on making herself Lena's tour guide of Ireland, taking her to all the landmarks. She even takes Lena to a pub, where the town drunkard reveals himself to be a master fiddler. When Kara reveals to him that Lena plays the violin, the man invites Lena to play on stage with him.

She initially refuses, citing that she plays violin, not fiddle, but the man (and the crowd) insists. Lena ultimately relents, and easily memorizes amd mimics the tune the fiddler plays for her. Then, he tells her the key to fiddling-- play like you enjoy it.

And Lena does.

For the first time in years, Lena smiles as she plays, the crowd coming alive around her as the music skips and rambles throughout the bar. She can't remember the last time she's ever had so much fun with an instrument in her hands.

[kandisheek]

FIC REC WEEK 25 - KIDFIC

Breakfast is Served by Orange_Coyote

Pairing: Steve/Tony Rating: G Words: 1,073 Tags: Domestic Fluff, Birthday, Breakfast in Bed

Summary: Steve works with Peter and Morgan to give their resident genius a nice birthday surprise.

Reasons why I love it: This fic is the cutest thing I've read in a long while, oh my god, I love it so much! Morgan and Peter put the biggest smile on my face, not to mention Tony's reaction to his little surprise. I adored this, and I bet you will too, so I hope you go and check it out for yourself!

Until We Grow Old by Coffee_and_notebooks

Pairing: Steve/Tony Rating: G Words: 1,020 Tags: Superfamily, Birthday Fluff, No Powers AU

Summary: "Papa! Happy birthday!" Peter yells, jumping up and down on the bed. "Okay, okay, I'm up!" Steve chuckles. Or: Steve celebrates his birthday with the ones he loves the most.

Reasons why I love it: This fic is just a pure tooth-rotting cotton candy serotonin bomb, and I couldn't love it more. Peter is so goddamn adorable, and the way Steve plays along with him just warms my heart. If you need a little pick-me-up today, definitely read this one, it's fantastic!

Shifts in Time by betheflame

Pairing: Steve/Tony Rating: T Words: 1,923 Tags: Enemies to Lovers, Meet-Cute, Single Parent Tony

Summary: Steve's studio would be the perfect place to work, if only the stupid mechanic downstairs would stop blasting AC/DC.

Reasons why I love it: Single dad Tony is one of my favorite things, so of course I love this one. Steve is such an old man at heart, it just makes everything even better. And as always, Peter is absolutely precious and must be protected at all costs. This fic is great, and I bet you'll enjoy it just as much as I did!

finding steve rogers by jacobby

Pairing: Steve/Tony Rating: G Words: 6,108 Tags: Vacation, Angst with a Happy Ending, Panic Attacks

Summary: Steve sighs. “Sorry. I wasn’t a very good tour guide. Ma always told me about the town, but she never got into specifics.” Tony takes Steve’s hand in his and places it close to his lips. “It’s your first time here too. We understand.” AKA: After a botched mission with SHIELD, Steve takes a vacation with his family to a town in Ireland.

Reasons why I love it: I couldn't agree more with that sentiment at the end there. This fic is chock-full of feels, and I enjoyed the ride the entire time. I love that Steve makes a breakthrough in his road to recovery, and that Tony and Peter are there to support him the entire time. You should definitely read this one, it's fantastic!

Take a Break by avengersandco

Pairing: Steve/Tony Rating: G Words: 2,840 Tags: Superhusbands, Studying, Arguing

Summary: Steve and Tony come back from a short weekend away and come back to teenagers who have been cramming for their AP tests. The parents decide it's time for the kids to take a break.

Reasons why I love it: The title of this fic got Hamilton stuck in my brain, and I'm not mad in the slightest. It's so heart-warming to see how good Steve and Tony are with their kids. I feel like it's rare to see kidfic with teenagers instead of younger kids, so I doubly enjoyed this one. Especially because it's super well-written and in character. I love this fic, and I bet you will too, so I hope you check it out!

[inthedayswhenlandswerefew]

Hello dearest Maggie! Thank you for blessing us both chapter 1 of In The Gloomy Depths, I am so here for the vibes of a Titanic AU and already know I'm gonna be down for Aegon so bad! 💜

I actually have a few questions if you don't mind me asking! First of all, I was wondering how you plot out your stories, in the sense that, are you stories set in stone when you begin writing or do they ever change along the way? Just because I was thinking of your Martyrs polls and how you kept threatening everyone with snakes, so I didn't know if those who selected that option brought about the ending? (No spoilers 🐍🤣)

Secondly, I know you don't fancast your Readers, but do you have any inspiration for the main gal in your new story? Kinda like all the 60s moodboards you used for Io or how you envisioned Chips as a redhead?

And thirdly (and you of course don't have to answer any of the above ahahaha), could I pretty please be added to the tag list? So much loveeeee ❤️

Awww Phoebe my beloved, thank you for reading 🥹🥹 I'm so excited about this fic and I can't wait to show you what happens next!!! It's only 7 chapters, so we'll be moving quickly... 😏😉

My stories are always set in stone in terms of the major plot points, which definitely includes any deaths! So no need to feel guilty, Martyrs was always going to go in that direction, none of the poll participants are responsible 🥰 With that said, there are sometimes minor details of a story that pop up as surprises to me. Some examples would be Fosco baking Io ossi dei morti in Chapter 4 of 1968, or Team Tahoe camping in an RV alongside Lake McConaughy in Chapter 8 of Martyrs. Neither of these details change the overall trajectory of the story, they just flesh out details of characters and settings.

As far as the protagonist for In The Gloomy Depths (she'll have a name soon! 🥰), Galway girls are known for having black hair and blue eyes. I actually spent a week in Ireland while studying abroad in 2014, and I remember the tour guide mentioning it! Below are a few pictures that I associate with our misfortunate heroine:

You can find my Pinterest board for In The Gloomy Depths here!

And finally, of course I'd be delighted to add you to the taglist! Welcome aboard, bestie 🥳🚢💎

[stevetonyweekly]

SteveTony Weekly - March 26th

Hello and welcome to this week’s reads. I was on a bit of a superfamily kick this week, so there’s a fair bit of kids in the mix. Enjoy and be sure to give your fic authors a kudos/comment! 

~*~ 

A Partial Dictionary Of The 21st Century By Captain Steve Rogers, US Army by copperbadge

Steve is adapting well to the new millennium, and he has the dictionary to prove it.

***we survived the great war by meidui

When the dust settles and the blood dries, they reach for each other.

***Unbearably Adorable by iam93percentstardust

Steve's boyfriend gets stuck in his animal form by one of Loki's spells. Somehow, this is not the hardest part of Steve's day (that would be the Avengers' Instagram account).

***I Watch Your Fingers Working Overtime by royal_chandler

“Who knew that a heatwave could make Steve Rogers so petulant?” There’s a brightness to Tony’s eyes, like his brain is whirring behind them and hurriedly filing away this brand new piece of information.

Stuck in Chicago during a heatwave, Steve and Tony find a way to cool off.

winged by meidui

Steve temporarily grows a pair of wings on the sides of his head. Tony uses this to his advantage.

I don't care (go on and tear me apart) by AvengersNewB for Kiyaar

Tony finds himself tied up in an unknown place. Steve is there but not to help Tony; he has a whole other agenda.

————————

“No Tony, that’s not how it works. I don’t wanna ask you. I wanna make you. I wanna hurt you, fuck you, and then hurt you some more, and I don’t need your permission for it.”

Tony holds Steve’s gaze breathing hard, terrified that he can’t find the earnest, sweet stars that always shine in Steve’s eyes.

“That is what I want. The fact that you’re so fucking into it is a bonus.” He reaches down to palms his own cock from over the fabric. “You’re so good for me, Tony, even when you don’t want to be.”

Christmas, My Child, Is Love In Action by royal_chandler

It doesn't take too long for Peter to make a decision. After his dad leaves to go finish his last minute gift-wrapping, Peter heads to the living room. It's dim, shadowed by the twinkling holiday lights. His pop is staring into the Christmas tree, startles when Peter says by way of greeting, "According to Google, you’re nesting."

More Than the Average Good by royal_chandler for

Tony hadn't taken flight in nearly five months before Steve Rogers—plunged into the Potomac—finally gave him a reason to.

I'm Here, Sweetheart by DaftPunk_DeLorean

When Tony gets grievously injured at a press conference, Steve just about loses his mind with worry. And not only because they are best friends, or teammates, or colleagues. No one could blame Steve for his reaction, knowing that he and Tony were married. The problem was, no one knew.

Caffeine, Otherwise Known as the Key to Tony Stark's Heart by sol-nox (parasoling)

A new coffee shop opens across the street from Stark Tower. Steve is the hot, sweet and predictably clueless owner. Tony tries to do what he does best.

Steve Rogers' Life Is Not A Romance Movie (He Wouldn't Get The References, Anyway) by someonelsesheart

Steve hasn't always had this ridiculous crush on Tony Stark.

(Or, the one where Steve is his polite old self and doesn't really hate Tony Stark (unfortunately), Tony is a child progidy and apparently a cab driver now, too, and high school is still high school, even when you are the son of a billionaire.)

Looking After America by copperbadge

Steve tries to shake off a bullet, but Tony takes charge.

finding steve rogers by jacobby

Steve sighs. “Sorry. I wasn’t a very good tour guide. Ma always told me about the town, but she never got into specifics.”

Tony takes Steve’s hand in his and places it close to his lips. “It’s your first time here too. We understand.”

AKA

After a botched mission with SHIELD, Steve takes a vacation with his family to a town in Ireland.

Sit on the floor wearing your clothes by Raw_Ramen_Noodles

If Tony was being honest, he just wanted to go home. Actually, if Tony was honest, he would probably still be at home. Unfortunately he’s trapped in another universe with its own set of problems, and he’s going to need help to get back. Double unfortunately, he’s not quite sure who to trust.

Parent/Teacher Night by CapnShellhead (orphan_account)

When Steve's best friend James Barnes died overseas, his son James was given to Steve to raise. Steve did the best he could, throwing himself into being a parent with the same focus he did everything else. So, when he showed up to Parent/Teacher night, he was determined to make a good impression on James' favorite teacher.

Of course, like everything else in Steve's life, things didn't go according to plan.

From The Past by sara_holmes

"When Steve turns up at the tower late one night in December, looking gaunt and exhausted and like he could fall down right there in the lobby, Tony doesn’t say a word about how long it’s taken."

every dong has its day by orphan_account 

it’s not the size of the boat, it’s the motion of the ocean.

-ancient chinese proverb

(aka that time z wrote 8k worth of dick jokes.)

I'll Picture You by royal_chandler

Even with having no idea where he'll land, Steve jumps.

Parentheses by royal_chandler

The only thing that could maybe redeem this entirely unfair situation is the Tom Ford that Steve’s immaculately dressed in.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

This day in history

Tonight (May 31) at 6:30PM, I’m at the MANCHESTER Waterstones with my novel Red Team Blues, hosted by Ian Forrester.

Tomorrow (Jun 1), I’m giving the Peter Kirstein Lecture for UCL Computer Science in LONDON.

Then it’s Edinburgh, London, and Berlin!

#20yrsago Theme park of the chariots of the Gods https://web.archive.org/web/20060207043240/http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/swissinfo.html?siteSect=105&sid=1918331

#20yrsago How is an IRC channel like a Caribbean street-corner? https://web.archive.org/web/20030605122526/http://www.healthhacker.com/biella/rope.txt

#10yrsago Northern Ireland builds a Potemkin Village for the G8 https://www.irishtimes.com/news/recession-out-of-the-picture-as-fermanagh-puts-on-a-brave-face-for-g8-leaders-1.1409112

#10yrsago Usury in the UK https://www.theguardian.com/money/2013/may/31/oft-criticised-ineffectual-payday-loans-policing

#10yrsago Linda Stone on attention, computers, and education https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/05/linda-stone-on-maintaining-focus-in-a-maddeningly-distractive-world/276201/

#5yrsago Congresswoman Diane Black [R-TN] blames school shootings on “pornography” https://www.huffpost.com/entry/diane-black-porn-school-gun-violence_n_5b0d6634e4b0568a880ede65

#5yrsago My science fiction story about EFF’s proposed jailbreaking exemption https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/05/eff-presents-cory-doctorows-science-fiction-story-about-our-jailbreaking-petition

#5yrsago Tell your parents: Trump is lying to them about Medicare https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/making-sense/senior-advocates-say-new-draft-guide-to-medicare-distorts-facts-heres-what-you-need-to-know

#5yrsago Leaked memos reveal the deep divisions within Google over Pentagon contract https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/30/technology/google-project-maven-pentagon.html

#5yrsago Governments all over the world buy spy products that let them track and eavesdrop on global cellphones, especially US phones https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/how-spies-can-use-your-cellphone-to-find-you--and-eavesdrop-on-your-calls-and-texts-too/2018/05/30/246bb794-5ec2-11e8-a4a4-c070ef53f315_story.html

#5yrsago Amazon bars Australians from shopping on its non-Aussie sites to put pressure on the government to rescind tax rule https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/amazon-to-block-its-us-website-for-aussie-shoppers-over-new-gst-rules-20180531-p4zikr.html

#5yrsago Telegram: ever since Russia’s blocking demand, Apple has prevented us from updating our app https://www.theverge.com/2018/5/31/17412396/telegram-apple-app-store-app-updates-russia

#5yrsago Elon’s Basilisk: why exploitative, egomaniacal rich dudes think AI will destroy humanity https://www.documentjournal.com/2018/04/the-existential-paranoia-fueling-elon-musks-fear-of-ai/

#5yrsago Uganda enacts unenforceable, ridiculous anti-“gossip” internet tax https://www.theverge.com/2018/5/31/17412960/uganda-law-tax-gossip-social-media

#5yrsago Count your bees with a Raspberry Pi and machine learning https://matpalm.com/blog/counting_bees/

#5yrsago No, seriously, THIS is the mission patch for Google’s drone warfare AI contract with the Pentagon https://www.jwz.org/blog/2018/05/happy-fun-algorithmic-warfare-cross-functional-team/

#5yrsago Sweden’s notorious copyright troll said they’d sue, but if you ignore them, they just go away https://torrentfreak.com/legal-blackmail-zero-cases-brought-against-alleged-pirates-in-sweden-180525/

#1yrago How John Deere leverages repair-blocking into gag orders https://pluralistic.net/2022/05/31/dealers-choice/#be-a-shame-if-something-were-to-happen-to-it

Catch me on tour with Red Team Blues in Manchester, Edinburgh, London, and Berlin!

[belfasttransfersandtours]

Journey to the Giant's Causeway: A Belfast Day Trip

There are a ton of things to do in Belfast, the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland. The RMS Titanic was built in Belfast, and the city is probably best remembered for the bloodshed and suffering that occurred there during The Troubles in the latter half of the 20th century. The Titanic saga has captivated Belfast for more than a century. 

The enormous hulk of the ship formerly towered over the docks in east Belfast during the years it was being built, and it is believed that on the day of launch, the entire city partied and celebrated. A business called Belfast Walking Tour provides a selection of escorted walking tours in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Local experts who are passionate about the city and its history lead their trips. There are several excursions available from Belfast Walking excursions, including the following:

The Titanic Quarter, City Hall, and St. George's Market are just a few of the major sights included on the Best of Belfast Highlights Tour.

The Troubles and the Titanic disaster are just two examples of the city's difficult past that are covered in the tour "A History of Terror."

Visit some of the filming locations for the well-known television program Game of Thrones on this tour.

During this trip, passengers ride in a vintage black taxi cab as the driver tells them about the history and culture of the city.

It is highly recommended that you choose Belfast Transfers and Tours if you are considering visiting Belfast. It's a fantastic way to discover the city's past, present, and attractions.

The Typical Crucial Elements of Belfast Walking Tours

Typically, these tours are led by knowledgeable guides who give anecdotes, information, and viewpoints regarding Belfast's past and present. They give guests a fun and instructive experience and can deepen their awareness of the history and culture of the city. You may find numerous tour companies in the city that provide various tour kinds to fit your tastes if you're interested in taking a Belfast Walking Tour. 

Cultural Tours

The history of Belfast, particularly its industrial past, the Troubles (a time of unrest in Northern Ireland), and the city's contribution to shipbuilding, most famously the Titanic, are topics that are covered on many walking tours in Belfast.

Historical Tours

Some excursions place a strong emphasis on Belfast's cultural highlights, including its thriving music, artistic, and literary scenes.

Campaign Tours

Some tours in Belfast examine the political aspects of the city, including murals and locations connected to the Troubles, in light of the city's history of political struggle and peace-building initiatives.

Theme-Based Tours

Belfast Walking Tours might be thematic, concentrating on certain subjects like cuisine, architecture, or the city's nautical heritage.

Personalized Tours 

Several tour operators provide bespoke excursions to allow customers to customize their trip to their interests.

Tour of Belfast and Giants Causeway: The Best of Northern Ireland

A geological feature called the Giant's Causeway is made up of more than 40,000 interconnecting basalt columns. Over 60 million years ago, a volcanic eruption is thought to have produced it. The various sizes and styles of the columns combine to form a truly extraordinary and breathtaking scene. 

The Belfast to Giants Causeway Tour is a full-day excursion that transports tourists from Belfast to the Giant's Causeway, a site that is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Along the way, the trip frequently makes stops at additional sites such as the Dark Hedges, Dunluce Castle, and Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge. This tour is a fantastic way to explore some of Northern Ireland's most stunning and well-known sights. 

This tour is appropriate for visitors of all ages and interests. These excursions offer a wonderful chance to take in Northern Ireland's natural beauty, learn about its geological history, and immerse in the local mythology and culture. They are a well-liked option for travelers wanting to experience the area's breathtaking coastline and distinctive geological treasures.

[annyankers]

I would love to hear more about your Angel !!

oKAY SO ANGEL

his tag on here is angel (train’s version) for reference. also my old rp blog for him is @aithrioch which has some things like headcanons and aesthetics.

Okay gonna make an effort to not repeat myself though I also can’t completely remember what I’ve already said so B)

More emphasis on his time homeless. Like it’s brought up in more when it makes sense and it becomes especially important in ATS and becomes a point of bonding and discussion between him and Gunn.

Dating Buffy is probably his biggest lapse in judgement since wandering into an alley to get laid in the 1700s and it shows. Like he walked in knowing this was a bad idea, saw every red flag and did it anyway. It’s not a reemergence of Angelus behavior it’s Peak Liam Nonsense and it’s left his relationship and feelings towards Buffy very complex and fucked. I think from like BTVS S4/ATS S1 on his primary feeling towards her isn’t really love but guilt. Guilt over how much he fucked up her life and not just as Angelus but you know, as an adult engaging romantically with a teen.

Angelus has more of a Hannibal Lector vibe.

Heavy substance abuse in BTVS as part of coping. When we see him in btvs he’s literally JUST stopped living on the streets in the Depths of Despair. So in btvs S1-2 he’s smoking and drinking heavily to try and make it through another moment on this bitch of an earth. The drinking isn’t as obvious an issue until Buffy’s with him more. Ironically angelus drinks and smokes a normal ass amount because he’s not Lamenting and angel stops doing both in s3 since you know.... fresh outta hell and all that. don’t worry he’s back to chain smoking when he gets into ATS lol. It becomes a Running Issue with him and his Very Human and Lung Dependent Staff.

He listens to the smiths, the cure and similar music. He’s that kinda person. yes. also still listens to barry mannilow. he’s a man of many facets.

He’s Very Normal about Darla. So Normal.

Angel(us) has a Complex around his visual age and how it tends mean that he isn’t given much respect. Part of what fueled his actions back in the day was clout building so he’d get some fucking respect and stop being treated like a baby faced loser.

Circling back to the Buffy thing he realizes in ATS S2 that he perpetuated the cycle of abuse/grooming with her that Darla perpetuated on him. Because Darla 10000% groomed and manipulated him.

Darla and Angel have a Louis and Lestat vibe (but like..... more the new series version of them you know????)

Falls back into Catholicism after his time in hell for the comfort of it. he was born in 1700s Ireland where church was the center of life and Catholicism is like, the most ritualistic version of Christianity. It’s the familiarity and ritual/schedule of it that are comforting/helpful for him, less so the religious stuff. Even so ats needed more catholic stuff in it. Catholic ideology is a staple of angel’s thinking, the bedrock of it really. Literally all this shit about sin and redemption and shit is so aggressively catholic. He’s literally out here looking for a priest who can tell him how many Hail Marys he needs to say to atone for the Atrocities.

Is actually very jealous of Spike later into BTVS/ATS. When Spike’s hanging out with the Scoobies n shit just fine because Spike’s capable of that kind of interaction without a soul while Angel has one and still struggles with it. It’s one of the few things in which he gets jealous of Spike over, how easy it is for him to straddle the soul/morality/dark impulse control chasm. Like it’s very unlikely he’d ever say it out loud or tell the Scoobies but Angel knows just how difficult chip or no chip some vampires would find it to be even remotely civil let alone actually work with them. it frustrates him endlessly that Spike has it so easy.

Yes even as Angel he DOES have an EGO.

Angel(us) is just a metric ton of complexes in a trenchcoat. ATS is just a guided tour through them.

In my brain he’s a mix of Marcus from Deadly Class, Stefan from The Vampire Diaries and Hannibal Lector from the Movies and Shows. Along with some Columbo and Stock Lovecraft Protagonist for flavor.

He’s so pretentious, so lifeless and pallid. He’s like a drive thru attendant with an MFA in fine arts during a graveyard shift.

okay this is all I’m doing on this for now as opposed to the fucking NOVEL for Xander because I don’t have the energy/brain power for it now and if I waited for that to happen to write another novel it could be another 80 years lol

[whorrorgrl]

What I Watched in July

What didn't I watch this month?

I was going to do my usual thing of just listing off every, single movie I watched within the month. They're usually short of ten, which is good since I'm only able to upload ten pictures at a time on here. But I had a very, very long leave. 31 days exactly. I was bored out of my mind, broke so there's not much I can do, and a natural homebody anyway. I watched a total of 20 movies, and that's only counting new ones. I watched all eleven seasons of Modern Family and then circled back halfway. I watched The Bear, which was pretty good! I'm a sucker for corny sitcoms so I polished off American Housewife. Rewatched some episodes of iZombie. Rewatched a few comfort movies, and decided to go down the horrors of the 80's.

I had a rule and that rule was to watch as many new movies as I could. I'm so prone to sticking to my comfort zones in many sectors of my life. It's why I'm a home-body, it's why I have three good friends, and it's also why hitting failure in the gym's a challenge - my 10-12 reps of moderate weights that only begin to challenge me on the last three is enough.

Anyway!

My favorite era of horror is the 2000's for two good reasons. It gave us gems like Wrong Turn, Texas Chainsaw (2006), Triangle, The Ring, Shutter, Dead Silence, etc. There's a style in storylines, tropes, camera angles, and just general ambiance that bookmarks it as the 2000's. Final girls running through the woods in a classic white tank and blue daisy shorts; A roofless Jeep barreling down a detoured road with teenagers/YA; an entity terrifying a protagonist and the library scene of them researching connections to their harrowing situations. The second reason is, of course, nostalgia. Kind of hard to beat. I grew up on these movies. They're so comforting. I've managed to stick to mostly 2000's and 2010's movies, but I know there are gems I'm missing out on. Few I'm already acquainted with are Misery, Death Becomes Her, The Craft, the Scream franchise, the Sixth Sense, etc. However, these movies are only a few years to a decade shy of the 2000's, which obviously took its influence from its predecessors. But two generations away? The 80's seemed far fetched. I convinced myself that I wouldn't like it or maybe I was too used to other horrors to find the syrupy, gooey looking blood and corny jumpscares scary enough, much less enjoyable. Granted, I did watch Nightmare on Elm Street, Child's Play, and Halloween, but I was only afraid of Child's Play because I watched it as a literal child. Nightmare and Halloween I'd watched a lot older and I don't like them at all. They're actually overrated to me.

So that was the goal this month. Watch some old shit. And that I did.

1. Shrooms (2007, Paddy Breathnach)

A group of American teenagers head to Ireland to get high in the woods. With the help of a local tour guide, the group sets up camp for a trip of a lifetime. However, things take a turn when a deadly mushroom gives Tara the ability to see which of her friends will be killed off, as a mysterious murderer lurks close by.

I had to start with a new 2000's just to grease my way in.

This movie is not one to take seriously. It's a horror movie involving shrooms where there's a scene of a talking cow, so calm the think pieces on this one. It gives you a decent storyline and there are psychological aspects as one would guess, but nothing much different from any other YA slasher. It honestly requires nostalgia for me to love above a normal degree. Since I don't have that, it's a nice one and done watch. For some reason, though, I still bought the DVD. Maybe I'll watch it on my own trip.

One surprise is the hillbillies the teens run into that remind me of Tucker and Dale. They have absolutely nothing to do with the mess going on outside but are the easier targets to blame. Random, but it's so funny seeing hill billies outside of America. Growing up in another country where you watch all these American movies, you get these stereotypes in your head of what it all is. School lockers, Disney World, and Hillbillies in some state like West Virginia or Kentucky. Seeing an Aussie in the sticks is so funny to me.

The movie encompasses all that I like: dumb teens being killed off but in another country. Indigenous (2014), Hostel (2005), The Green Inferno (2013), As Above So Below (2014), and Turistas (2006) aren't shaking in their boots though. I for some reason don't want to talk about the ending. It's good. I just feel like this review is getting too long for how I really feel about this movie. A decent 5/10

2. Frankenhooker (1990, Frank Henenlotter)

After a horrific accident butchers his wife Elizabeth, a pseudo-scientist Jeffrey gauges up a plan to rebuild his wife and bring her back to life piece by piece.

I found this one on Amazon Prime....which I thought I unsubscribed from. Not that this connects, but they are currently being sued for a few class action lawsuits, one being making it difficult to unsubscribe from their membership. But anyway, I had Prime. While simultaneously going through my bank statements, I was checking out their horror options. The ones that were free were obscure. Frankenhooker was among them.

The accident that murdered his wife Elizabeth was a lawnmower that Jeffrey himself created. It ran her over and tore her to bits. Aside from her head, a hand, and some miscellaneous limbs, he didn't get much from his dearly departed before her other parts were cleaned up. He concocts a plan to revive her with the upcoming lightning storm that should help reanimate her back into one piece. Only, he needs parts. So he shops for hookers downtown.

I outright laughed with this movie because it's so ridiculous. The scene of the hookers blowing up was so campy. When you can see the split second they replaced the actress with a dummy, oh my god. So goofy, but I actually respected. When you can see the amount of time that went into something so silly, it's actually fun. Practical effects show effort. I was imagining them making head molds out of the actresses and spending hours getting them right just to blow them up. Or painting those limbs; a dislocated foot, an arm, an entire thigh. It was all so much. The burbling purple liquid...so odd.

I would watch this one drunk with a group of friends. It's just camp, that's all I can say. That scene of the reanimated left over body parts? The ending?! The ridiculousness of it all. 9/10. I don't care. I just skimmed the director's other works and I'm adding them all to my lift if they're even close to Frankenhooker. A fun watch.

3. Christine (1983, dir. John Carpenter)

17-year old, Arnie, buys and restores a rusty 1958 Nlumouyh Fury automobile. Unbeknownst to him, the car is possessed by a murderous entity.

I ain't even gon' hold you. I thought this movie would be stupid. In my head, it's only so thin the line can be to tread with a villain like this. A car....

But!

I was wrong. I am completely surprised by this and I understand why it is a classic. I even bought the DVD. We're officially in 80's territory, bordering on the 70's so the characters and their mannerisms were very uncanny valley for me but not too bad. This is my second John Carpenter movie alongside Halloween (1978). I've only watched The Fog (2005), but I've added 1980's to my list. I actually tried to start it but fell asleep and gave up. Not sure why, but anything other than Freaky Friday that has Jamie Lee Curtis as the final girl makes me sleepy.

I liked how there's no backstory as to why there's an entity in this car. From the day it was made, my girl Christine was killing. Didn't crawl out of hell and run into a conveyer belt, no Charles Lee Ray business; just made bad. She's regenerative, vengeful, and even jealous when Arnie, her new owner, gets a girlfriend. Arnie isn't the most popular guy in school and is constantly bullied, even with the help of his friend. Christine makes it her mission to rid Arnie of those who harm him. Later, she'll rid him of those who try to get between them. It was just such a good plot that was executed perfectly. I thought this was going to be some mess, but 10/10

4. Psycho II (1983, dir. Richard Franklin)

After the murders in his hotel, Norman Bates is back in town on a clean slate. He goes back to Bates Motel where mother awaits.

In Scream 4, Kirby Reed made a comment about Psycho II being underrated. It stuck in my head for a while until I finally decided to watch it. I can 100% agree. Listen I'll find any reason to hate on Alfred Hitchcock like I would any abusive, misogynistic director in Hollywood, but Psycho II is better than its predecessor. Anthony Perkins reprises his role two decades later as the movie follows the same time frame. Norman has been hospitalized, diagnosed with BPD, and is released 20 years later following the incidents. Not all are on board, especially a persistent Lila Crane, but Emma Spool vouches for him so that he can get a job at a diner. He meets Mary Loomis (with apparent relations to Billy Loomis) and a new set of killing starts.

Before I even start, there are two Tillys? I was casually stalking the actors and realized that the actress for Mary is Jennifer Tilly's sister, Meg Tilly. I couldn't believe how small a'world we live in. Now I have to watch Body Snatchers (1993) and anything else Meg is in.

I loved the plot twist of this movie and how it all ended. Norman is really an unwell character so you find yourself sympathizing with the man. He's awful, but you watch as this man fails to discern reality from his own madness and how mother is incorporated into it. She is a mysterious woman. We don't see much of her, sort of like The Woman in Black. She is this big entity in the movie even though you know she isn't real. This movie is the peak of mommy issues. The ending where a real, flesh and blood option is open to Norman to have a mother but he's only interested in the twisted, evil version that haunts his head is fantastic. 10/10

5. Psycho III (1986)

Bates Motel is still in business, and Norman is still free. He's fallen in love once more, this time to a fallen nun. But will his past be behind him, or will it all unravel in this third addition to the world of Norman Bates.

It only made sense to watch the third installment. You see more of the look of the 80's that it's so known for, especially slashers. This is where the infamous scene from Scream (1996) comes in when Billy Loomis says, "We all go a little mad sometimes."

The parts I liked were of course mother. She continues to be this looming, bigger than life figure tormenting those around Norman. I liked the slasher-like scene of the young partygoers dying at the hands of "mother." Maureen replaces Mary as a potential love interest as Norman provides her shelter in his motel. They fall in love, despite her knowing his past. The ice machine scene, the bathroom scene, even the showdown in room 12. Again, you really begin to feel sorry for Norman and the cards he was dealt. Not that a serial killing, mentally unwell white man needs it, but mother is really a prison of his own making. The scene of the cop sucking on that bloody ice cube turned by stomach more than my laxative pills ever could. 8/10

6. Psycho IV (1990)

Released again, Norman Bates calls in on a radio show to retell his life as a young boy. Much to everyone's horror, when the show ends he has one last murder to commit to end it all.

I'm conflicted with this movie.

It's not bad...but 90% unnecessary. Aside from the ending where he finally burns down the house where it all started, I kind of didn't like that we got to meet mother. I've watched and loved Bates Motel (2013), so I'm aware that Norman and Norma always have incest - more so on Norman's part than Norma. In Bates Motel, Norma was creeped out but ignored it or tried to gently transition from Norman's weird attachment. In Psych IV, Norma punishes him harshly. She's severely abusive, negligent, and just awful. She blames Norman for everything, including his existence.

While it's interesting to watch his origin story and how he came to be, I kind of liked not really meeting Norma. I liked her being a decayed, fried out corpse in a chair. I liked meeting her only through Norman's unreliable retelling and untreated borderline personality. She was an entity..smoke and mirrors. Now that I've met her...I wanna kiss her.

She's hot.

Why would they make her hot? Plus she was a hypocrite. She would shame and abuse these women for being whores and sluts while she paraded around in no panties with a man she wasn't betroth to. I always pictured her as this uber-anal, only-have-sex-to-reproduce, stiff, old hag. When you build up a character that's existence is reliant on a character's retelling or the audience to fill in the blanks, it's so easy to ruin them by making them flesh and blood.

I want to pretend this movie doesn't exist.

Aside from the disappointment in meeting my hero, I liked the movie. The ending was solid. It's hopeful...and opens the door for more movies for Norman's spawn. 6/10. I really liked the movie. It can't be 100% a stand alone but it'd be a 8/10 if it was. I'd watch it as one and pretend it didn't ruin three other movies for me.

7. Black Christmas (2006)

A murdering sociopath escapes prison and returns to his childhood home. However, he finds out that his house has been converted into a sorority house and begins killing the students living there.

The casting is amazing, for one. They pulled Lacey Chabert fresh off the set of Mean Girls. May Elizabeth Winstead had just wrapped up making history with Final Destination 3 (2006), lugging Crystal Lowe on set with her. Katie Cassidy had just finished getting slaughtered on When A Stranger Calls (2006). We practically grew up with Michelle Trachtenberg. It's like Do Revenge: drag the pop girls and boys from popular shows/movies and you'll have a cast people will be excited to see before even considering the plot.

Because this story sucked.

Maybe it's me. Maybe I'm the problem. This has everything I ever asked for in a 2000's movie. What else could I need? Am I ungrateful?

I have tried countless times to get into this movie. I'll cut the shit, like three times. And every time I have zoned out. I'm burnt out with this movie. It takes too much effort to be fully engaged and I don't know why. I love Sorority Row (2009), which has a similar premise, and Scream 2 with that sorority scene was amazing. I eat it up every time I watch it. Slashers with predominantly women casted is one of my bread and butters. But Black Xmas is just....I don't know. I don't know! I can't get into her. 3/10

8. The Thing (2011)

Kate Lloyed, a paleontologist, is recruited to Antartica by a team of scientists when they discover an alien buried in the ice. However, when the alien escapes, the team fights to figure out who they can trust as the alien could be any one of them, mimicking their dead crew.

This is such a good movie to watch when it's grey, raining, or ice cold. I love Mary Elizabeth Winstead and she is one of my favorite horror girls. Plus I get to see Kristofer Hivju, who I drooled over in Game of Thrones. This creature feature has a good creature reveal that doesn't completely ruin it. If anything, it enhances it. That one scene of the alien merging too people together and then crawling around on all fours was amazing. They don't make it an easy alien movie where you can pinpoint the creature. It can turn itself into one of the crew members, mimicking everything except inorganic materials like teeth. You get this claustrophobic feeling since there's limited places to run. They're stuck in the cold, unforgiving land of Antartica with a town miles away. The ending was a nice addition. I immediately bought the DVD and it is now added to my collection. It would've been better to watch the original John Carpenter movie, but this one popped up on my Netflix header and I immediately clicked on it. 9/10

9. The Slumber Party Massacre (1982)

When her parents go out of town, high school senior Trish decides to throw a slumber party. But things go downhill when an escaped killer wielding a power drill is loose in the neighborhood.

This movie seems derivative of Black Christmas (1974) and also came out the same year as the original The House on Sorority Row. Escaped convicts hacking up young girls were just on trend.

This one is kind of like Black Christmas (2006) for me. No matter how many times I watched it, it's like I never did. This is a rewatch, but not really because I didn't pay much attention the first time. It really brings nothing new for me. A movie doesn't necessarily need to be groundbreaking and fresh plot wise for me to like it, but it sure does need allure...some type of glue that keeps me watching. The Slumber Party Massacre didn't really have that for me. I watched it and immediately forget all that I just finished watching. As I watch these 80's movies, you really realize how nude obsessed this generation was. Pluto in Scorpio, sure, but these movies are just filled with boobs and bush, bush, bush. 5/10

PART TWO COMING SOON!

[celtfather]

17 Things to Do on the Isle of Man #290

So you want to go to the Isle of Man? Can you spend a full week there and find enough to do? I’ll share with you 17 things you will enjoy on the Isle of Man. Plus, you’ll get some music from Ruth Keggin & Rachel Hair.

This is Pub Songs & Stories #290

0:14 - Marc Gunn “By Amazing Grace” from Come Adventure With Me

4:22 - WELCOME TO PUB SONGS & STORIES

I am Marc Gunn. I’m a Celtic folk musician and podcaster living in Atlanta, Georgia. This podcast is primarily for fans of my music in particular and Celtic music, in general. That’s because I highlight some of the artists I feature on my other podcast the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast.

But today, we’re doing a little bit of traveling to the Isle of Man. I traveled to the Isle of Man this summer as part of my Celtic Invasion Vacations. I learned a LOT about the island, its Celtic and Norse history, and I came up with a list of 17 things you can do on your own trip to this delightful Celtic nation.

If you’re new to the show, please subscribe. You can do that PubSong.com , over on my Patreon, or just send me an email to follow@celtfather.

If you know someone interested in visiting the Isle of Man, please share this episode.

5:15 - UPCOMING SHOWS

NOV 9: IrishFest Atlanta, Roswell, GA with Inara

NOV 15-17: CONjuration, Duluth, GA

NOV 23: Georgia Renaissance Festival Fall Fling, Fairborn, GA from 2-9 PM

NOV 30: Georgia Renaissance Festival Fall Fling, Fairborn, GA from 2-9 PM

6:12 - SOME STUFF TO KNOW

News strategy to share photos on Social and Patreon

Advertising on the podcast

Poll: What's Your Favorite Track on Dancing With Hobbits?

Merch: Buy Dancing With Hobbits

Kickstarter for Another Faire to Remember

Brobdingnagian Bards Podcast

Hope at last #HARRIS2024

13:08 - Ruth Keggin & Rachel Hair "Arraneyn Cadlee" from LOSSAN

17:49 - THINGS TO DO ON THE ISLE OF MAN

A long recap of Celtic Invasion of Isle of Man coming to Travel Ireland & Scotland podcast. See the Itinerary for CIV Isle of Man

Electric rail

Snaefell

Laxey Wheel

Boat trip around

Music at Black Dog Oven

Guided Tour with Jill Quirk

Culture Vannin

Fynoderee Distillery

Peel Castle

Castle Rushen

Niarbyl

Balladoole Viking Boat

Cregneash Folk Village

Maeyll Circle

Douglas Manx Museum

Weekly folk sessions

Manx cat cafe

Food

Black Dog Oven

The Boatyard

14 North

30:05 - FEEDBACK

Mary Deal emailed photos from Central Coast Ren Faire and wrote: “San Luis Obispo, CA

Been here all day. Loving every minute. Wish you and some of your folks were playing. We need more good music.”

30:19 -  SUPPORT THE CLUB

The show is brought to you by my supporters on Patreon. If you enjoy this podcast or my music, please join the Club. You get something new every week. It could be bonus podcasts, downloadable songs, printed sheet music, blogs, or stories from the road. Plus, you’ll get access to videos like my Coffee with The Celtfather video concerts. Email follow@celtfather !

If you can’t support me financially, just sign up on Patreon for free. Special thanks to our newest and returning patrons:

30:50 - CELTIC INVASION VACATIONS

Every year, I lead a small group of people on an exciting adventure, usually to one of the Celtic nations, but not always.

31:31 - Dancing With Hobbits “Big Feet, Big Heart” from Dancing With Hobbits

32:58 - CREDITS

Thanks for listening to Pub Songs & Stories. This episode was edited by Mitchell Petersen.

You can follow and listen to the show on my Patreon or wherever you find podcasts. Sign up to my mailing list to learn more about songs featured in this podcast and discover where I’m performing.

Remember. Reduce, reuse, recycle, and think about how you can make a positive impact on your environment.

Have fun and sing along at www.pubsong.com!

#pubstories #isleofman #thingstodo

  Check out this episode!

[thecostoflivingintheuk]

Living in Belfast: A Friendly Guide to the City’s Cost of Living

Located in Northern Ireland - Belfast, known for its rich history, scenic landscapes, and warm hospitality, offers an affordable lifestyle that rivals many other UK cities. From housing and food to entertainment and transport, here’s what you need to know about living costs in Belfast.

1. Housing: Great Value and Variety

Belfast’s housing market is quite budget-friendly compared to other major cities, making it accessible whether you’re looking for a central apartment or a suburban family home.

City Centre Living: For those wanting to live in the heart of Belfast, you’ll find one-bedroom apartments costing between £700 and £900 per month. The Cathedral Quarter and Titanic Quarter are popular areas, known for their cultural spots and historic vibes.

Suburban and Residential Areas: For a more budget-friendly option, areas like East Belfast, Stranmillis, and Ormeau offer rentals ranging from £500 to £700 per month for one-bedroom flats. These neighborhoods offer green spaces, local shops, and a quieter pace while being well-connected to the city center.

The flexibility and affordability of Belfast’s housing market make it attractive to a wide range of residents, from young professionals to families.

2. Groceries and Dining: Affordable and Delicious Options

Belfast is a haven for food lovers, with an array of markets, cafes, and pubs offering budget-friendly options.

Groceries: Grocery shopping in Belfast generally costs between £150 and £200 per month for a single person, depending on dietary habits. Supermarkets like Tesco, ASDA, and Lidl are common, providing a good selection at affordable prices. St. George’s Market is a favorite for locals, offering fresh produce, artisan goods, and local specialties.

Dining Out: Eating out in Belfast doesn’t have to be expensive. A meal at a casual restaurant averages £10-£15, while dining at mid-range spots might cost around £20-£30 per person. With the city’s diverse food scene, you can enjoy everything from hearty Irish stews to international cuisine without stretching your budget.

With a variety of dining options, Belfast’s food scene offers something for every budget and taste.

3. Transportation: Easy and Budget-Friendly

Getting around Belfast is affordable, with options for public transport, cycling, and walking.

Public Transport: Translink operates Belfast’s buses and trains. A monthly travel card for unlimited travel costs about £55, making it an economical option for daily commuters. Single fares range from £1.60 to £2.50 depending on the route.

Cycling and Walking: Belfast’s compact size makes it easy to get around on foot or by bike, with plenty of dedicated bike lanes and pedestrian-friendly areas. For a flexible and affordable transport option, Belfast Bikes offers bike rentals starting at £1 per half hour.

Belfast is a car-friendly city, but many locals prefer public transport due to the city’s compact layout and parking costs in the central areas.

4. Utilities and Internet: Managing Essentials

Utilities in Belfast are generally affordable, although costs vary based on the type of accommodation and season.

Electricity, Gas, and Water: Monthly utility bills range from £80 to £150 for gas, electricity, and water combined. As with much of the UK, winter heating can drive up costs slightly.

Internet: Broadband in Belfast typically costs around £25-£35 per month for a reliable package. With several providers like Virgin Media and BT, there are plenty of options to choose from.

Keeping warm and connected in Belfast is easy, with utilities that won’t break the bank.

5. Entertainment and Social Life: Culture and Fun Without Big Spending

Belfast has a lively social scene with something for everyone, from cultural festivals and historic sites to pubs and music venues.

Free Attractions: Belfast offers many free things to do, including exploring the Botanic Gardens, Ulster Museum, and walking tours along the historic Maritime Mile. These spots offer a glimpse into the city’s rich history and culture without costing a penny.

Music, Theatre, and Nightlife: Known for its music scene, Belfast has numerous live music venues and pubs. Entry fees range from free for smaller gigs to around £10-£20 for bigger events. A pint at a local pub costs about £4-£5, making it affordable to enjoy a night out.

Cinema and Theatre: Movie tickets in Belfast range from £8-£12, with discounts for students and off-peak times. Theatres like the Lyric Theatre offer a mix of local and international performances, with ticket prices to fit a range of budgets.

From free events to affordable nights out, Belfast’s social life offers plenty of options without overspending.

6. Healthcare and Education: Free and Accessible Services

Healthcare in Belfast is covered by the NHS, so GP visits and emergency care are free. Prescription fees align with UK standards at around £9 per item. For students, Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster University offer quality education with relatively low tuition fees compared to other parts of the UK, making Belfast a popular choice for students.

7. Living in Belfast: Affordable, Friendly, and Fun

So, what’s it like living in Belfast? With its affordable housing, low-cost public transport, and vibrant social life, Belfast is a fantastic place to live or study. You’ll find a great quality of life at a reasonable price, with plenty of cultural activities, green spaces, and welcoming communities.

Whether you’re drawn by Belfast’s historic charm, affordable living, or the friendly Northern Irish vibe, the city offers an accessible, enjoyable lifestyle that’s hard to beat.

[scots-gallivanter]

SIX

Then the sea approaches with great speed, gaining as it goes; the wave is white with tumbling foam; a great curve of broken surf follows in its wake; and the white horses of the Solway ride in to the end of their long gallop from the Irish Sea with a deep and angry roar.

GEORGE NEILSON, Annals of the Solway (1899)

AS WE STAND at the side of the B724 waiting for a number 79 bus to swing round the corner to take us to Dumfries, a few dozen grazing whooper swans paddle into the air –then they’re off north in a blizzard of wings, as in some dream scene out of an Attenborough documentary. It’s the end of March, time for them to obey an impulse beyond our understanding: to make their direct, non-stop flight back to Iceland until next autumn. Many species of bird fly up and down, north and south, back and forth around here, as if by radar. I live below a migration highway for thousands of geese steering south, their beaks cold as bone, chevrons of them working as a team, announcing their arrival in September in a honking crescendo to their winter digs along the firth.

Rooks – packed parliaments of them – haggle on their stick nests in the canopies of old trees above the T junction in the hamlet of Bankend as we chug in on the number 6A bus. As a boy I used to see dead crows strung along fences, pour encourager les autres, and I considered it barbaric. I’ve a soft spot for corvids, even carrion crows, and I love how rooks ride sideways on the thermals with wings that seem to have been clicked by a ticket inspector.

We disembark and find the sign for the path to Ward Law hill. I’m having to hit the ground running to help me up the path to the summit after a lazy winter. It is the site of an Iron Age hill fort now adorned by mature Scots Pines and beeches, with rugs of bluebells and wild garlic. The Clan Maxwell rallied here in times of strife. Beacons once blazed at the end of the ridge that flanks the eastern bank of the Nith estuary.

Wrens teleport perky-tailed to and fro now as the upper limbs of lofty trees creak in the wind. Candles of gorse are bursting with bees. Gull gangs screk for worms in a field ploughed into giant corduroy. Badgers have slightly undermined Wardlaw, but not as much as ploughing did to an adjacent temporary Roman camp, probably used during Hadrian’s invasion; it is now no more than a crop mark. Below, the sea glints and ripples all the way to England; Caerlaverock Castle, the only triangular castle in Britain, stands in the foreground, a magical medieval stronghold that was used as a film location for The Decoy Bride (2011) and various television dramas. Edward 1st famously besieged it, as did the Covenanters three centuries later. The castle was closed for repairs. Therefore, I was unable to look for evidence that Burns had left his mark inside. During his motor tour of Britain in 1908, American author Thomas Murphy declared: ‘On one of the stones of the inner wall were the initials, R.B. and the date, 1776, which our guide assured us were cut by Robert Burns; and there are certain peculiarities about the monogram which leave little doubt that it was the work of the poet.’

However, the initials have a different look about them than those on record for Burns. Furthermore, Burns would have been only 19 when the initials were inscribed, and he still lived in Ayrshire, which leaves me wondering whether Murphy’s guide was winding him up or he genuinely thought Burns had popped by to leave his mark.

He wasn’t the only one fooled. The last-but-one edition of Historic Environment Scotland’s guide to the castle (1995) attributed the initials to Burns, but the latest edition (2005) attributes them to one Richard Blennerhassett, whose family were landowners in Cumbria and Ireland. How they found out I will never know as a call to the press office proved fruitless.

In the 1990s archaeologists discovered three small fragments of Islamic glass on the hall floor of the castle. Nowhere else in Scotland has such glass been found.

Skeins of barnacle geese fly 2,000 miles down this big sky from Svalbard and arrive here every Autumn: a mile of sighs in migration, tugged by arctic clockwork for their furlough on the mudflats. We patrol the duckboards in March through swathes of swishing reeds. Buntings warble. The geese have returned home, those which survived the destructive avian flu. Skylarks sing today, soaring above rare, aromatic holy grass, one of the first grasses to flower in spring. Holy grass used to be strewn on church floors. It was used in France to flavour candy, tobacco, soft drinks, and perfumes; in Russia to flavour tea, and in Poland for vodka. For the Plains Amerindians it was a sacred herb. It is only found at five locations in Dumfries and Galloway (a region that represents at least a third of the known locations in Britain).

The north Solway coastline has inspired many myths, legends, half-truths and lies. Tales of mystery and imagination. When you take in the dimpling, swelling, and foaming tides it’s easy to think of the supernatural, and Allan Cunningham’s ghost ships supposedly lurked around the Caerlaverock shore looking for victims. In The Haunted Ships Cunningham’s character, Mark McMoran, the mariner, who knows every creek and cavern of the Solway, tells the tale of a man driven to his death in the swamps by monsters on boats.

I’ve heard it told, myself, that at Hallowmass covens of witches met at Caerlaverock Castle. Witches who flew on broomsticks shod from the bones of murdered men. Witches who sacrificed unchristened babies and used bridles made from their skin to ride ragwort chariots.

Rains dance across the sky like ghosts of smoke, and what sun there is casts changeable cotton clouds. Two doves sit wired together like quavers, cooing. The bus takes us around the estuary to the former ship-building village of Glencaple, which has a restaurant overseen by Lady Clare Kerr, whose grandmother, the Duchess of Norfolk, held the canopy above Queen Elizabeth at the coronation of George VI. Along the roadside we come across a cairn that commemorates Angus MacKay, who knew royalty just as intimately. He was Queen Victoria’s piper for 14 years, but he succumbed to syphilis and was committed to the Crichton Royal lunatic asylum, whose magnificent sandstone campus still stands on the verge of Dumfries. McKay, who according to case notes used to ‘hoot, howl and shriek like an owl’, believed that Victoria was his wife and Prince Albert had robbed him of his conjugal rights. He absconded from the Crichton and drowned in the river. A poem about him by Tom Pow was judged to be among the best Scottish poems of 2008 (‘the tenderest of epitaphs’, offered the judges).

There’s another memorial worth noting: Robert Paterson, the stonemason on whom Sir Walter Scott based his novel Old Mortality, is buried in Caerlaverock churchyard.

[sunmarketing]

Belfast, Northern Ireland

In this episode, the FAQ is: Using QR Codes. Are they safe?

  Today’s Destination is: Belfast, Northern Ireland

Today’s Misstep: My leaky water bottle was in the overhead bin on the airplane.

  Travel Advice: Secondhand stores in Belfast are good deals.

  FAQ: Using QR Codes. Are they safe?

  Answer: When you open a QR code, pay attention to the context and the brand because it could contain a virus or even worse. Be careful when accessing websites on your desktop, laptop, tablet, watch, or phone. Preview the destination before you go there.

   A QR code from a reputable source is more likely to be safe. It is best to proceed cautiously if you find a QR code in an unsolicited email or on a random website. Criminals have placed stickers over legitimate QR codes in public places like bus stops.

  Today’s destination: Belfast, Northern Ireland

  https://visitbelfast.com/

  The best part of Belfast, in Northern Ireland, is outside the city and exploring the countryside if possible. See the Giants Causeway, a national treasure of 40,000 hexagonal basalt stone columns that are 40 feet tall along the coast. These were formed 50-60 million years ago.

  For perspective, there are 70 million people in the UK and 2 million people in No Ireland. The UK left the Left EU, but there is still a Land border with Ireland. The overall goal is one nation across the island. It’s been mostly peaceful since the 198 Belfast Peace Agreement on Good Friday.

  The forecast usually calls for rain, so bring your gear.

I booked a tour that included many of the Game of Thrones locations, and I have never seen the films, so I was not very impressed. However, I'm told that scenic, narrow roads and unusual serpentine beech trees made this series memorable. It’s an atmospheric tree tunnel and a little bit spooky; on my tour, with Patrick as a guide, we made many stops for castles, caves from 400 million years ago, Bushmills’s Whiskey factory, churches, and pubs.

Castle at Carrick Fergis 

https://discovernorthernireland.com/things-to-do/carrickfergus-castle-p674971

  I have relatives from Northern Ireland’s Counties Leitrim and Louth, and my grandparents used to vacation along the Antrim coast and Glens National Landscape, a legacy of the Ice Age. I felt a tug of my ancestors here as I walked around a few graveyards in the countryside.

I enjoyed Queen’s University, the Botanic Gardens, the Ulster Museum, and Saturday Food and Craft Markets in the city. The Troubles Museum at Queen’s University was really good. Its full name is the Museum of the Troubles and Peace. It’s worth your visit, and it’s free.

  http://museumofthetroubles.org/

You can read about the conflicts between the English and the Irish. I heard about them growing up, as my grandfather was born in Ireland. I can have dual citizenship, which is very common among the locals here.

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulster_Museum

On my next trip to Belfast, I will visit the following:

Titanic museum 

Black Taxi Cab Political Murals Tour

The Crown Pub

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/northern-ireland/the-crown-bar/visiting-the-crown-bar

  Sandy Row: What is it? It’s part of the turbulent history of Belfast.

  https://belfastmedia.com/the-turbulent-19th-century-history-of-belfast-s-sandy-ro

  Maybe by then, I will have watched Game of Thrones.

  https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/northern-ireland/giants-causeway

  If you need special accessibility help, you can find wheelchair-accessible tours in the show notes.

https://www.getyourguide.com/belfast-l442/wheelchair-accessible-tc239/

  What else is there in Belfast? Fairies

https://www.wildernessireland.com/blog/irish-folklore-fairies/

Today’s Misstep: I had a leaky water bottle in the plane's overhead compartment.

  Tighten the seal on the water container. Mine leaked. I was on a plane and put the container in the overhead compartment. It leaked through my water container into another passenger's luggage on the flight. I was embarrassed to say anything but hoped nothing was ruined. Sorry about that.

  Today’s Travel Advice- Secondhand shops in Belfast have good deals.

    Connect with Dr. Travelbest

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In the news

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[talk-today]

Budget-friendly adventures for students in Dublin

Dublin is a city brimming with history, culture, and excitement, but for students on a tight budget, enjoying all the city has to offer might seem daunting. Fortunately, Dublin offers plenty of affordable activities and student discounts, allowing you to experience its charm without breaking the bank. Whether you’re into history, culture, or just want to grab a good meal for less, there’s something for everyone.

Let’s dive into some of the best budget-friendly adventures for students in Dublin, with a special focus on The Irish Dance Party, a low-cost cultural gem that offers fun, entertainment, and tradition.

The Irish Dance Party

When it comes to finding an affordable yet unforgettable cultural experience in Dublin, The Irish Dance Party tops the list. For just a small fee, students can immerse themselves in traditional Irish culture through lively music and interactive Irish dance lessons. The event features professional dancers who not only perform but also teach the basics of Irish dance, ensuring everyone can join in the fun.

Not only is this event a fantastic way to learn about Irish heritage, but it also provides an opportunity to bond with fellow students, making it an ideal group activity for language schools and student clubs. It’s designed to be engaging and welcoming, even for those with no prior dance experience.

Check out more about The Irish Dance Party here.

Why it’s perfect for students:

Affordable entry with group discounts available

A chance to experience authentic Irish music and dance in a fun, interactive way

Ideal for students looking for a unique cultural experience

Free Museums and Galleries

Dublin is home to a wealth of museums and art galleries that offer free entry, making them perfect for students looking to explore the city’s rich history and culture without spending a dime. Some must-visit locations include:

National Museum of Ireland: Covering everything from archaeology to decorative arts, the National Museum offers fascinating exhibits on Irish history, Viking invasions, and more.

National Gallery of Ireland: This gallery boasts an impressive collection of European and Irish art, including works by Caravaggio and Jack B. Yeats.

Chester Beatty Library: Located within Dublin Castle, this hidden gem showcases an incredible collection of manuscripts, rare books, and art from around the world.

Why it’s perfect for students:

Completely free, with special exhibitions often offering student discounts

A peaceful place to study, reflect, or simply enjoy the art and history

Regular events, talks, and exhibitions aimed at student audiences

Take a Free Walking Tour

One of the best ways to explore Dublin on a budget is by joining a free walking tour. These tours, led by knowledgeable guides, offer insights into Dublin’s history, architecture, and hidden stories. Popular free walking tour companies like Sandemans operate across the city and cover major landmarks such as Dublin Castle, Temple Bar, and Trinity College.

The tours work on a tip-based model, so while the tour itself is free, it's encouraged to leave a small tip if you enjoyed the experience.

Why it’s perfect for students:

A free and engaging way to learn about Dublin’s history

An excellent way to meet fellow students and travellers

Guides often share tips on other budget-friendly activities and dining spots in the city

Explore Phoenix Park

If you’re looking for a peaceful escape from the bustle of the city without spending a penny, Phoenix Park is your answer. One of Europe’s largest city parks, Phoenix Park offers endless green spaces, scenic walking routes, and plenty of wildlife, including a herd of wild deer. It’s the perfect spot for a group picnic, a cycling adventure, or just a leisurely stroll with friends.

Why it’s perfect for students:

Completely free entry and ideal for outdoor adventures

Space for group sports, cycling, or a quiet study session in nature

Regular free events and concerts during the summer

Student Discounts at Cultural Sites

Dublin offers a variety of student discounts at some of its most famous attractions. While not free, these reduced prices make it possible to explore landmarks like the Guinness Storehouse or Kilmainham Gaol without blowing your budget.

For example, students can visit the Guinness Storehouse for a discounted rate, learning about the brewing process and Irish beer culture while enjoying panoramic views of the city from the Gravity Bar. Similarly, Kilmainham Gaol offers a discounted rate for students, providing an in-depth look at Ireland’s struggle for independence.

Why it’s perfect for students:

Significant discounts at major attractions make it easier to experience Dublin’s top sights

Many locations offer additional student events and programs throughout the year

Educational and culturally enriching experiences without the hefty price tag

Affordable Dining in Dublin

Dining out in Dublin doesn’t have to be expensive if you know where to go. Plenty of student-friendly cafes, restaurants, and food markets offer delicious meals at reasonable prices. Here are a few popular options:

Blas Café: Located in The Chocolate Factory, this cozy spot offers affordable and healthy breakfast and lunch options.

Pitt Bros: For BBQ lovers, this casual restaurant serves up hearty meals like pulled pork and brisket at student-friendly prices.

Food Markets: Dublin’s various food markets, such as the Temple Bar Food Market or the Howth Market, offer delicious street food options, often at lower prices than traditional restaurants.

Why it’s perfect for students:

Affordable, filling meals that suit student budgets

Many locations offer discounts with a student ID

Food markets are ideal for grabbing a quick, cheap bite while exploring the city

Attend Free or Low-Cost Events and Festivals

Dublin is a city that knows how to celebrate, and there are numerous free or low-cost events and festivals throughout the year that students can take advantage of. Whether it’s live music in Temple Bar, cultural festivals, or outdoor cinema screenings, there’s always something happening.

Some popular events for students include:

Culture Night: Once a year, Dublin’s museums, galleries, and cultural institutions open their doors for free, offering exhibitions, performances, and workshops.

St. Patrick’s Festival: While the main parade is the highlight, many of the accompanying events, like concerts and street performances, are free to attend.

Summer in the City: This festival features free open-air concerts, pop-up markets, and family-friendly activities in various parks and public spaces.

Why it’s perfect for students:

Most events are either free or offer affordable entry

A fun way to immerse yourself in Dublin’s lively social and cultural scene

Many festivals and events are geared toward student interests and lifestyles

Go on a Coastal Adventure to Howth

If you’re looking to escape the city without spending much, a day trip to Howth is a perfect option. Just a short and inexpensive train ride from the city center, Howth is a coastal village known for its scenic cliff walks, fresh seafood, and friendly atmosphere.

The Howth Cliff Walk is free and offers breathtaking views of the Irish Sea, making it a perfect spot for an afternoon hike with friends. You can also visit the Howth Market to enjoy some affordable street food before heading back to Dublin.

Why it’s perfect for students:

A low-cost day trip that feels like an adventure

Plenty of free outdoor activities, including hiking and beach exploration

Easy and affordable access via public transport

Dublin is a city that offers students countless opportunities for adventure, learning, and cultural exploration without the need for a large budget. From free museums and scenic parks to affordable dining and cultural events like The Irish Dance Party, there’s always something fun and engaging to do. So, grab your student ID, gather your friends, and make the most of your time in this incredible city while keeping your wallet happy!

[bookatrips]

What are the Scenic Stops from Dublin to Shannon?

Are you planning a trip from Dublin to Shannon? What transportation mode do you prefer? Why not think about hiring private transfers from Dublin to Shannon? It ensures you get personal driver services in Ireland to enjoy smooth city-to-city transportation.

The trip from Dublin to Shannon is enthralling, passing through breathtaking scenery and important historical locations. Choosing a private transfer ensures freedom to discover undiscovered treasures along the route and guarantees comfort. 

Let us explore the top attractions you can enjoy during Dublin to Shannon.

Kilkenny: Medieval Marvels

Top Attractions:

Kilkenny Castle: As a magnificent castle from the twelfth century, Kilkenny captivates you with its lovely gardens.

St. Canice's Cathedral and Round Tower: Explore the striking cathedral and ascend the historic round tower for expansive city views.

Medieval Mile Museum: Discover Kilkenny’s medieval heritage through fascinating exhibits and artefacts.

Why Stop Here: 

Kilkenny is a picturesque city that offers a step back in time with its well-preserved medieval buildings. You may easily visit these locations with a private transfer, saving you the trouble of finding parking or public transportation. 

Cashel: The Rock of Cashel

Top Attractions:

Rock of Cashel: An iconic site with ancient ruins, including a cathedral, chapel, and round tower, perched on a limestone hill.

Hore Abbey: A less-visited but equally captivating ruin, it provides a peaceful spot for exploration and photography.

Why Stop Here: 

One of Ireland's most important historical sites is the Rock of Cashel. Its dramatic setting and ancient structures offer a glimpse into Ireland’s past. You can explore and absorb the history without worrying about bus schedules.

Limerick: City of Culture

Top Attractions:

King John’s Castle: Located on King’s Island, this 13th-century castle offers interactive exhibits and stunning views of the River Shannon.

The Hunt Museum: Find a sizable collection of artwork and antiques- pieces by Renoir and Picasso.

St. Mary’s Cathedral: One of the oldest buildings in Limerick, this cathedral boasts beautiful architecture and serene gardens.

Why Stop Here:

The energetic city of Limerick has a rich cultural history. Exploring its museums, castles, and cathedrals provides a well-rounded experience. Private transfers allow you to easily include Limerick in your itinerary, ensuring a comfortable journey.

Bunratty: Folk Park and Castle

Top Attractions:

Bunratty Castle: The castle is a restored 15th-century architecture offering guided tours and medieval banquets.

Bunratty Folk Park: As an open-air museum, the place recreates 19th-century Irish village life with traditional cottages, shops, and streets.

Why Stop Here: 

Bunratty Castle and Folk Park offer an immersive experience of Ireland’s past. The folk park is a must-see because of its attractive re-enactments and rich history. You can spend ample time exploring the castle and the park.

Conclusion

Private transfers from Dublin to Shannon ensure the best solution to get more than just a ride. It allows exploring Ireland’s rich history and breathtaking landscapes at your own pace. 

There is so much to see and do along the way with a reliable city to city transport in Ireland. 

Do you want to enjoy your journey with city to city private transfers in Ireland? Rely on Book A Trip to ensure a memorable and comfortable travel experience in Ireland.

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