#Gallic League

[arthurdrakoni]

Flag of the Gallic League

is the flag of the Gallic League. It comes from a world where Carthage won the Punic Wars and crushed Rome. Carthage and Greece did establish some colonies across the Mediterranean, and even sent expeditions up the major rivers of Europe. However, neither created a vast spanning empire the way Rome would have. Gaul remained divided between numerous tribes and city-states. The southern regions saw lots of influence from Carthage and Greece as a result of trading ports. Greco-Carthaginian influence begins to tapper off the further north one travels. Over time, the city-states of Gaul began to establish a series of trading alliances with one another, and this would eventually lead to a political alliance. Thus, the Gallic League was born.  

The thinking was that the city-states of Gaul could do more by pooling their resources than any of them could individually. The city-states are divided into a series of cantons, each of which has a high degree of autonomy. The cantons administer to their personal affairs, while the League government deals with diplomacy and international relations. The League capital constantly moves around. This way, no one canton can wield more influence than the others. The Gallic League has proven to be quite successful, and can easily stand as an equal to major powers such as Carthage, Greece, and Egypt.  

The Gauls have developed a written language using a modified form of the Greek alphabet. Several Greek philosophers have opened schools on the southern coast of Gaul. The Gauls also learned shipwright technics from Carthage, and the first expedition across the Atlantic was lead by Gauls. Gaul established a few colonies in the New World, but the indigenous people were largely able to resist colonization. That said, many indigenous peoples of the Americas did become valuable trading partners for Gaul. Gaul gained considerable wealth by acting as the middle man to the products of the New World. On the whole, the Gallic League is one of the biggest success stories of the world created by Carthage’s victory in the Punic Wars.  

The flag is a green pennon with a gold boar on it. The boar is consider the most important animal to the Gauls, and the green references to the lush forests and fields of Gaul. 

Link to the original flag on my blog: https://drakoniandgriffalco.blogspot.com/2022/05/flag-of-gallic-league.html?m=0

[random-racehorses]

Random Real Thoroughbred: BRIGITTA

BRIGITTA is a mare born in South Africa in 2005. By GALLIC LEAGUE out of QUONDAM. Link to their pedigreequery page: https://www.pedigreequery.com/brigitta11

[sizemo]

Varane retires from national team

Less than two months after the end of the World Cup in Qatar, the French team, which had reached the finals twice in a row, seems to have reached the "peak period" of renewal and farewell to veterans. Since the two old goalkeepers Lloris and Mandanda decided to bid farewell to international competitions in early January, central defender Varane, who has not yet turned 30, also announced his decision to retire from the national team this Thursday, ending 10 years of national football team career.

Before the official official announcement came, "cabportal" predicted that due to multiple injuries in recent years, Varane, who needs to "take care of both ends", felt physically and mentally exhausted. Although he has not yet officially entered his thirties, the French central defender, who has already made brilliant achievements in the national team, finally decided to "exit early". Next, he hopes to spend more energy on club football, that is, to focus on playing for Manchester United in the Premier League. At the same time, Varane will also have more time to spend with his family.

In the official farewell statement, the French central defender wrote: "It is one of the greatest honors in my life to represent our great motherland in the past 10 years. Whenever I wear this special blue jersey, I will I am extremely proud. I have the responsibility to go all out, play with my heart, and win every game. I have thought about it for several months, and now is the best time for me to decide to retire from the national team." Varane also said that he was due to the 1998 The world champion French team pursued their dreams since they were young, and finally had "one of the best experiences in their lives" in 2018. The final match day on July 15, 2018 was one of the greatest and most memorable moments in their lives. In addition, Varane also thanked the national team coach Didier Deschamps and related staff for their support over the years, and expressed his gratitude to the enthusiastic French fans.

In August 2012, Varane, who was still young at the time, was called up to the French national team for the first time, but then he failed to appear in the friendly match against Uruguay. The real debut took place in March 2013, when the French team defeated Georgia 3-1 in the World Cup qualifiers, and Varane started the game. After that, this well-rounded central defender played a total of 93 games for the Gallic Roosters and scored 5 goals, including the 2014, 2018, 2022 World Cup and the 2020 European Cup. He was the absolute main force and missed the 2016 European Cup only due to injuries .

In the World Cup in Brazil, Varane was once listed as one of the three candidates for the best young player in the World Cup, but lost to teammate Pogba in the end. In Russia, Varane helped France win the Hercules Cup as the core of the defender, and scored a goal to break the deadlock against Uruguay in the quarter-finals. In the Qatar World Cup that ended not long ago, although the Gallic Rooster hated the final, Varane, as the leader of the back line, still played a very important role in the promotion process.

[pinkcupboardwitch]

Iconic Marcus Didius Falco moments:

- Stops in the middle of impressing his date to rescue a moth from flying into a candle

- Tells Titus Caesar to his face that he’s a republican and hates emperors

- Adopts a goat that ran away from being sacrificed

- Accidentally starts a riot in the marketplace by mispronouncing the word licorice

- Shoos away an inquisitive dog, then feels bad and gives it half his lunch

- Once peed off a balcony to “prove his independence”

- Won a fish from the emperor’s son at a horse race

- While staking out a mark, impersonates a priest, starts a handball league among young priests-in-training, and spends the afternoons reading to them from Caesar’s Gallic Wars

- Commandeers a boat to investigate a different mark in true action hero style; the boat sinks and he has to be rescued by his fourteen-year-old nephew

- On a third occasion, has to be rescued from a fight by his goat

- Is so amazed when his crush kisses him that he stomps away and mortally offends her

- Gives away his position at a critical stakeout by sneezing

- Sets up an illegal scaffold for his family to watch a parade, then bribes the guards to go away with sliced melon

- Gives half his money to his mother and the other half to his dead brother’s girlfriend and child (how does he pay rent then, you may ask. Exactly)

- Commissions his date to buy him a bronze bucket for his mother while on holiday; compliments her afterwards with the iconic pickup line, “Very few people can buy a good bucket.”

- Is genuinely delighted to the point of waxing rhapsodic when she buys him spoons on the same trip

- An entire book later continues to mention that the spoons are his most prized possessions

- Stops in the middle of interrogating a target to ask if he can take cuttings from his periwinkle

- When faced with a choice between the emperor Vespasian and another contender for the throne, picked Vespasian solely because the other guy had shrugged off one of his drunk friends trying to assault a woman

- There is a chapter that consists entirely of him failing to learn to swim and morosely skimming stones at a hermit crab, but missing on purpose because he doesn’t want to hurt it. Water wings made from blown-up wineskins play a role.

[sagiow]

You're a script doctor down on her luck after her last attempt to save an absolutely execrable turd of a screenplay was ultimately unsuccessful (when they wouldn't let you have the leading lady out of stilettos heels in any scene, you knew it was doomed but you're plucky and wouldn't give up--) and now you're forced to take whatever writing gig you can find, which is how you ended up in East Bimfeck, British Columbia, expected to make a silk purse or even a sow's ear out of the pages the director, the very handsome and broad-shouldered and obscurely Gallic director handed you and what you are supposed to resuscitate or resurrect is an X-Files monster of the week knock-off crossed with A League of The Own, where a women's softball team has a ringer for a pitcher who is probably the long lost daughter of Big Foot and ET but with a nice rack and a sweeter knuckleball. It's dire and it's your last chance and that's how you end up drunk-writing in the corner of an actually not-sleazy bar at 10 am, nursing the most Irish of coffees, served up by the most Irish of bartenders, Danny Boy crossed with Aidan Turner, with a lilt and a burr and a dishtowel slung over his broad shoulder and suddenly the screenplay has some blarney and a leprechaun and a signature cocktail called a Four Leaf Clover and you find yourself thinking, maybe a girl could get lucky...

(There's a cameo from David Duchovny that is supposed to feel like Hitchcock or Stan Lee, but actually has more of a Where's Waldo vibe because he wears a Breton sweater and glasses)

(Hallmark was running out of ideas about how to make this Christmassy, so there's a whole elf storyline but it gets cut so much in post they have to rename the movie 'The Love Is Out There In Left Field' and play it in the shoulder season)

This is... too awesome for Hallmark. That's some Hulu Holiday movie because there's no way this has anything under an R-rating, if only for the level of profanity that will most definitely be uttered in almost every single line of dialogue, and that of alcohol that will be consumed so as to make 10am drunk-writing possible, and also to account for the hot afterhours bar sex scene (because no way this ends with a chaste kiss under a snowy mistletoe), and while we're at it, we can definitely throw in some violence because neither Baseball nor Monsters are known for their gentle grace. I love this modern masterpiece dearly already !

But seriously, an Irish Folklore / X-Files / A League of Their Own crossover?!? I know the audience for this is surely only me, but Universe, MAKE IT HAPPEN!

[morwensteelsheen]

One of my favorite tropes is comically innocent cultural misunderstandings like the one you included in afta a chapter or two ago. Do you have any more ideas for those between gondor and rohan?

Do I ever! I’ve written and collected so many dumb little ones that I’m never going to work into afta lmao. Here are a few, not especially romantic but kinda fun —

Hand-kissing is very common in Gondor as a sort of deferential greeting between men and woman, sort of if cheek kissing were gendered in Europe. In Rohan it is very much a Statement Of Intent so for the first week Éowyn was in Gondor she really thought all the men there were incredibly brazen lol. Boromir had to explain it to her and it made her hate the men she’d come across 10% less.

Leagues (as a unit of measurement) are different in Gondor and Rohan. In Rohan, a league is roughly 6200 metres/~4 miles, like the Portuguese légua antiga. In Gondor, a league is only 2,200metres/1.5 miles, like the Gallic league. Éowyn and Faramir only learned of the difference when Faramir told her that his men had covered around ten leagues in a single day and Éowyn called him a bullshitter lmao

The two fingered salute doesn’t really exist in the Mark, mostly because if they want to tell you to go fuck yourself, they’ll just tell you to go fuck yourself, but it absolutely exists in Gondor. For a surprisingly long time, that’s just how Éowyn was representing the number two to people, and nobody bothered to tell her. It’s a small part of how she got a reputation for being a bit of a bitch.

Not really an overt Thing, but Rohan is a significantly less touchy-feely place than Gondor (think the difference between modern Britain and Southern Europe), so people who come from Rohan to Gondor spend a lot of time feeling like they’re having their space invaded, and people who go from Gondor to Rohan think everyone’s super uptight and cold.

The Rohirric language has a lot of divisions based on age, so it’s fairly common to ask people their ages when you first meet them. Absolutely not so in Gondor, where, especially among a certain strata of people, the age question is a bit sensitive because of the whole decline of their civilisation thing. Éowyn, and later Éomer, really ruffled some feathers by asking people for their ages. (Éowyn did learn to not do that, but didn’t tell Éomer because she thought it was funny.)

‘Horseshit’ as a curse word just does not compute for the Rohirrim, because horse shit is incredibly useful for a huge number of things. In Gondor, they haven’t really ever had to be as enterprising in how they use their resources, so horse shit is useable as an oath.

I think in afta I've done the cloak thing and the side-saddle thing, and I'm toying with something LaCE-adjacent in one of the upcoming chapters.

If you want more of the culture clash stuff you should definitely check out Thanwen's Through Shadows. She managed to put together some cultural misunderstandings that I wouldn't have been able to come up with in a million years. It's very funny.

[mjvnivsbrvtvs]

baseball anon following up: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29916450/chapters/73631283

I love baseball, I love dead romans, I love this fic

perfect by ahala

Rome's major league baseball team, the Eagles, face off against the Gallic Bears in order to go to the World Series.

[victimhood]

The Beautiful Game - Chapters 9 & 10

“You know what the fans called me at Aston Villa?” LeLivre shrugs in such a nonchalant way that Nile finally understands what a Gallic shrug is supposed to be.

“Um, you’ll have to forgive me for not knowing this one.”

“The Overthinker,” LeLivre says, leaning in with a knowing wink.

The Old Guard international football (soccer) AU! Again, this is a Booker/Nile fic, with chapters of both Nile and Booker POVs. Joe/Nicky are the side ship in this fic.

Summary: In the summer of 2026, Booker is transferred from James Copley’s Liverpool FC to Andy’s Inter Milan. Nile is Team USA’s star striker but had to retire due to injury issues, and is hired as a UEFA Champions League pundit for a US TV network.

AO3 will be the main posting location, but I’ll update on Tumblr whenever I update there as well. I will still tag all chapter updates with tog: the beautiful game

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27664775/chapters/67775711

[palaugranetes]

Barça comeback against PSG inspires new entry to French dictionary

The Spanish word 'remontada', meaning comeback in English, has become so popular in France after Barça's 6-1 win against the French side in 2017 that it will be included in the 2021 edition of the Larousse dictionary.

On 8 March 2017 FC Barcelona achieved something never done before: Luis Enrique's team come back from 4-0 down against Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of their last 16 Champions League tie. An astounding 6-1 win at Camp Nou turned the tie around for the blaugranes and made huge waves across the globe; in particular in France.

In fact, so much so that the term 'remontada' in Spanish, which means comeback in English, has entered the French language to denote what happened to Gallic champions PSG on that fateful night in Barcelona over three years ago now. The usage has become so widespread that in the 2021 edition of the prestigious Larousse French dictionary, the word has its own entry:

“1. Sports. Unexpected comeback that allows a losing team in a game of football to win a match or tie when there was an important difference between the two rivals; by extension an unexpected victory by a team or player in competition in all types of sport." 2: Fam. Return to the front line, spectacular win by a party or politician after an electoral defeat, etc."  

[jake12334322]

[IEARN BOT] The core of the French midfield missed the World Cup

As the opening time of the Qatar World Cup gets closer and closer the injuries of the stars of the 32 participating teams are attracting more and more attention.The defending champion France which has been in turmoil received another nightmarish news.

According to reliable media reports Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante will not recover in time due to a hamstring injury and will miss the World Cup that kicks off next month.According to the news Kanter will need to recuperate for at least three months.

Chelsea coach Graham Potter said in an interview that Kante's recent injury is a setback and not good news. He will meet with a rehabilitation consultant over the weekend.

In fact Kante suffered a thigh strain in Chelsea's 2-2 draw with Tottenham at home in August and has been out of action until now.During the rehabilitation process Kante's injuries have been repeated his hamstring injuries have aggravated, and it is impossible to return to the field in the near future.

"The Athletic" reporter David Ornstein reported that Kante is expected to have a three-month truce which prevents him from participating in the World Cup that opens on November 20.

The French media said that the French coach Deschamps can no longer count on Kante and the French team's World Cup roster will be announced live at a press conference on TF1 TV.

Whether in the French team or the Chelsea team Kante who plays as a defensive midfielder is an important cornerstone player.

In 2018 the French team won the World Cup with an undefeated record. Kante is the absolute main force in the team. He started all 7 games and played a total of 595 minutes.

Among them Kante played all 6 games from the group stage to the semi-finals. In the final against Croatia Kante was infected with gastroenteritis before the game and still played with illness. He was replaced after 55 minutes of starting play helping the Gallic Rooster lift the Hercules Cup for the second time.

At the award ceremony the shy Kante was the last player in the team to take a photo with the Hercules Cup alone.The hard-working low-key and simple Kante has always had a high reputation in the minds of fans and is liked by many fans.

At the club Kante also has an obvious role. He was one of the founders of Leicester City's 2015-2016 championship miracle and won the Premier League championship when he moved to Chelsea.In the 2016-2017 season Kante was also selected as the best player of the season by the Premier League officials the players' Union and the Press Association and he deserves it.

Kante also helped Chelsea win the 2017-2018 FA Cup, the 2018-2019 UEFA Cup the 2020-2021 Champions League (awarded the finals MVP) and won the UEFA Super Cup and the World Club Cup last season.

“70% of the surface area of the earth is covered by water and the remaining 30% is covered by Kanter.”This is a tribute to the contribution of the peak Kante.

However in recent seasons Kante has suffered more and more injuries as he has grown older and his attendance time has dropped significantly.

OPTA statistics show that since the 2019-2020 season Kante has played only 5,831 minutes in the 10,980 minutes of Premier League games that he can theoretically play with an attendance rate of only 53.1%.

Kante's injury is a huge loss to the French team that wants to defend the World Cup and Chelsea who want to strive for good results in the Premier League.I'm afraid there are no players who can completely replace Kante's role.

In addition Paul Pogba who has not participated in official matches so far in the new season is still recovering from his injury at Juventus and there is also a possibility of missing the World Cup. If both Paul Pogba and Kante are absent the French midfield combination is bound to be completely reorganized.Can Real Madrid's 80 million Mr. Joan Armeni Camavenga Juventus midfielder Rabio and Gunners veteran Gondozi take on the heavy responsibility?

If you want to know more about the World Cup you can download the IEARN BOT to view it.

Watch the event guess the outcome and the 1,000,000 USDT prize pool is all in the IEARN BOT.

[cruger2984]

The Pretty Cures and its Saints PT.5 (HappinessCharge PreCure!)

Charging up with happiness. We will continue the series with the Happiness Charge Cures, with the exception of Shirayuki and Iona.

October 12 - Megumi Aino (Cure Lovely)

Our Lady of Aparecida: Marian title in traditional form associated with the Immaculate Conception associated with a clay statue bearing the same title. Widely venerated by Brazilian Catholics and is considered as the principal patroness of Brazil.

April 6 - Hime Shirayuki (Cure Princess)

Pope St. Celestine I: 43rd bishop of Rome whose tenure was largely spent combatting various ideologies deemed heretical. He supported the mission of the Gallic bishops that sent Germanus of Auxerre in 429, to Britain to address Pelagianism, and later commissioned Palladius as bishop to the Scots of Ireland and northern Britain. In 430, he held a synod in Rome which condemned the apparent views of Nestorius. One of his attributes was a dragon.

May 11 - Yuko Omori (Cure Honey)

St. Gangulphus of Burgundy: Venerated by the Catholic Church as a martyr. Patron of those against knee pains and invoked against marital difficulties and adultery.

October 7 - Iona Hikawa (Cure Fortune)

Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary: A Marian title that is formerly known as Feast of Our Lady of Victory and Feast of the Holy Rosary. According to Dominican tradition, in 1206, Dominic de Guzmán was at the Monastery of Our Lady of Prouille, in France, attempting to convert the Albigensians back to the Catholic faith. The young priest had little success until one day he received a vision of the Blessed Virgin, who gave him the rosary as a tool against heretics. This date is the anniversary of the decisive victory of the combined fleet of the Holy League of 1571 over the Ottoman navy at the Battle of Lepanto.

[rain-drop-sky]

As a prompt could Sid and Geno do a reality show

It’s a brand new reality/celebrity/travel/game show mashup where contestants are assigned into random pairs and are forced to learn and work together as a team over the course of 3 weeks while completing various tasks around the world, all while being filmed 24/7. All the contestants are celebrities of some sort and they’re each competing for a 3 million dollar prize to go to a charity of their choice.

Geno is the beloved captain of the two time Stanley Cup Champions Pittsburgh Penguins. He has smashed hockey records left and right and together with his close friend Alexander Ovechkin, led Russia to gold at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. Sid first started out as a self-taught cooking channel on Youtube and endeared himself to the public with his earnest instructions and series on cooking with a tight budget and limited equipment. His dream was to go to culinary school and when his fans found out, they donated money to help with his tuition costs. Combined with his ad revenue and sponsorship deals, he’s able to attend and graduates at the top of his class from the International Culinary Centre. He now owns and runs a Michelin Star farm-to-table restaurant located in NYC

As a teaser, the show releases snippets of each celebrity’s audition tape to join the show. Some are the standard polite “Hi, my name is ___ and I’m signing up to raise money for ____.” staged puff pieces with stylish clothing, bright natural light, and minimalist sets. Some, usually younger indie celebrities, film their audition tapes while doing something extreme. One teenaged singer filmed himself shrieking his audition lines while bungee jumping.

But there are two that go viral. The first is of Evgeni Malkin laughing as he squirms on a barstool wearing a bright Pens jersey. “Why I need do this, you already bought me dinner yesterday and I say yes Ilya,” Geno says to someone off-camera. A muffled voice tells Geno exasperatedly to just do the intro, they need it for the show. Geno sighs dramatically and looks to the camera. “Hi, my name is Geno Malkin. I play a little hockey. My friend run this show and is very sad–” “Hey!” an outraged voice cuts in while sounds of laughter can be heard off-camera. “–very sad, so he beg and promise me fancy dinner if I join the team. This isn’t an audition Ilya if I’m guaranteed a spot! Fake!” Geno shouts, sticking his tongue out cheekily. He’s still laughing as he’s pelted with wadded up paper and the camera cuts off as a short dark haired man walks into the frame, “screw you Zhenya, this is my show and you will stop being a pest–” The second looks like a real tv show trailer - there are elegant shots of of New York City and the interior of a rustic restaurant along sharp crisp shots of cooking and food prep. Interspersed are candid clips of a smiling man. “My name is Sidney Crosby.” “I’m the owner-chef of Alexandre here in New York City.” “Supporting youth outreach programs and homeless youth shelters is very important to me.” The official audition tape ends with a shot of Sidney’s hand sliding a beautiful entree into frame but a clip is attached to end where a much more rumpled looking Sidney Crosby is in the kitchen and frowning at the camera as he wipes his hands with a dish towel. “I’m sorry, but I don’t remember signing up for a reality tv show. Are you sure you have the right person?” A hand holds out an ipad and he watches the tape shown earlier. “Wait, I remember this shot. And this one. Wait, where’s Tanger?” He twists around. “Tanger? TANGER. DID YOU SIGN ME UP FOR REALITY TV YOU *BEEP*” He looks over his shoulder apologetically. “Sorry, kitchens don’t really have clean language. KRISTOPHER.” The camera cuts to a new scene where a pretty man in chef whites and long shiny hair gives a very Gallic shrug. “I have a talent for editing along with cooking I suppose.” He smiles slyly. “You’re dying to get him on though aren’t you?”

Geno and Sid are paired up and awkwardly introduce themselves to each other. Sid hasn’t really followed any sports aside from his sister’s gymnastic meets since he quit hockey as a kid after having his leg broken twice by other vengeful kids in the local leagues. Geno doesn’t care or have much opinion on food aside that Russian food is best and steak is mandatory before games. He’s confused and wonders how on earth Sid runs a farm with a fully functioning restaurant in the middle of Manhattan until Sid explains what farm-to-table means. “I’m no clotheshorse like you but even I know Eurotrash is never in style and Jesus, he was wearing a shirt made up of 3 different shirts poorly stitched together,” Sid hisses into the phone to Tanger. “Does it make him or me look more like an ass when he can’t keep up with me during physical activities?” Geno muses to Sasha. “He’s a chef, I highly doubt he walks more than a couple kilometres a day.”

All the show pairings are a bit lopsided to be fair. Some pairs start off being overly polite and not wanting to step on any toes while some are instantaneously comfortable and ooze charisma. Some fail at everything spectacularly, aiming for comedic relief, and even a few agree to be the (comparatively mild) villains that all reality shows need for ratings. Sid and Geno start off as one of the polite teams until Geno forgets himself and screams “DRIVE FASTER SID, WHAT ARE YOU, BLIND GRANDPA? DON’T LET *BEEP* TONY AND ELEANOR BEAT US *BEEP*” while Sid first drives a Zamboni in the relay race. “WHO’S A SLOW *BEEP* NOW, YOU’RE PAID TO BE FAST. SOME *BEEP BEEP* HOME ADVANTAGE YOU’RE PROVING TO BE” Sid yells back when Geno tries to gun it on his turn. “I’m so happy you competitive too,” Geno says as afterwards when they’re the first and only team to make it onto a flight to Alaska. “I’m a chef, we’re all hypercompetitive control freaks.” Sid replies. The ice is broken from then on. “I’m impress with how much swear,” Geno comments as they’re setting up a tent in Costa Rica. “Have you never seen a cooking show?” Sid snorts. “We’re not PG at all. There’s a reason why studios don’t do live shows in real kitchens.” He looks directly into the camera and grins sunnily. “*Beep beep beep* and *beep beeeep* you *beeeeeeeep*” Geno looks at him with admiration. “Need to use that on team,” he declares.

Sid and Geno quickly become fan favourites. The show has some pacing issues and a few pairs never end up with any appealing chemistry but Sid and Geno make the show rocket to the top of viewership ratings and become meme lords on their own. “No Geno, don’t pet!” “But it’s cute!” becomes one of the show’s taglines. The internet delights in making memes and gifs of Geno cradling any kind of animal declaring “It’s cute so I pet!” while Sid facepalms to the side. Viewers comment online how much chemistry the two have and how adorable they are together. Fans lose their mind when Geno cries on camera when they get to meet real emperor penguins. “I’m sorry Ilya for make fun of you,” he sniffles as he carefully pets a patient penguin. “You best friend. Best.”

They unfortunately don’t win and exit the show as the third to last team. They lost their original 4 hour lead due to a freak storm that grounded all flights from their terminal. Fans are devastated and the producers try to cushion the blow by including an extra clip of Geno and Sid parting ways before returning to their regular lives. “Keep in touch, okay Sid? Have to come watch and cheer on Pens when we come crush Rangers at Madison Square Gardens.” Geno says seriously as he holds onto Sid’s shoulders. “I’ll feed you steak before your games,” Sid promises. They hug tightly and the episode ends there before they step apart.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Ask various prominent news outlets. Accounts are set up to track where Sid and Geno are spotted and whether or not they’re still in touch. Nothing seems to go on between the two of them although Geno puts out a press release after pledging 3 million dollars to support research at Children’s Hospital of UPMC and assisting families of sick children. When asked, he shrugs and answers “joined show to raise money for hospital. Didn’t win but I’m still hockey player. Pittsburgh always support me so I’m want to give back.” Sid is featured in New York Times when he does a feature on a new week-long limited menu that will be featured at Alexandre’s come November. “All profits will be donated and split between Big Brothers Big Sisters and local homeless youth shelters,” Sid states. “Although I didn’t win, I still want to donate and support youth in our city.” Fans are disappointed when it appears the “It’s Cute!” ship has sunk until a picture appears on Geno’s instagram account. Best Friends )))) is the caption under a shadowed picture of Geno and Sid grinning in Moscow. An investigative frenzy launches but it turns out that Geno did a late post and Sid is long gone from Russia. There’s a buzz night of the first Rangers/Pens game in New York and dedicated fans capture Evgeni Malkin stepping into Alexandre’s and getting the pre-game steak he was promised. He leads the Pens to a 5-1 victory while Sid watches by the glass, netting himself a natural hat trick along the way.

Two years later, Sid announces he’ll be opening a new restaurant, Sophia, in Pittsburgh. When asked, he responds that his restaurants are named after his sous-chef and business partner Kris Letang’s children. When further pressed, he smiles and says he has friends in Pittsburgh who made a convincing case for opening his new restaurant here. No official comments are made though Geno and the rest of the Pens are seen often frequenting Sophia and Sid can always be spotted at home games and Pens events. Nine months later, an eagle-eyed fan spots and tweets a picture of a silver band topped with a sizeable diamond glittering on Sid’s left hand as he cheers at Geno’s game winning overtime goal.

Send me an anonymous (or not) summary of the fic you wish I would write starting off with ‘I wish you would write a fic where…’. (maybe I will write a tidbit)

[bongaboi]

Bayern Munich: 2020 FIFA Club World Cup Champions

Bayern Munich’s love affair with French players dates back to the mid-90s with the arrival of Jean-Pierre Papin. Nascent Franco-Bavarian ties were further strengthened during the 2000s, when Bixente Lizarazu, Willy Sagnol and Franck Ribery all followed in his footsteps.

Today, the relationship is at its zenith with no fewer than six Frenchmen plying their trade for the European champions.

On 11 February, the club’s Gallic flair was again in evidence in the final of the FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2020™. The UEFA Champions League winners saw off the challenge of Mexico’s Tigres UNAL with a goal from Benjamin Pavard, just one of five Franzosens on the Bavarians' team sheet. Bayern appear to be in seventh heaven with their Bleus, as these stats can attest.

Not content with picking winner’s medals at the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™, Frenchmen Corentin Tolisso, Lucas Hernandez and Benjamin Pavard can now add the title of club world champions to their resumes. That means the trio are current holders of seven titles, having also tasted success in the 2020 editions of the UEFA Champions League, Bundesliga, DFB Cup, UEFA Super Cup and DFL Supercup.

The record number of Frenchmen who have lined up for Bayern in this season’s Bundesliga. And while Michael Cuisance, who took part in their opening game against Schalke, subsequently moved to Marseille, that still leaves in order of arrival at the club: Kingsley Coman(2015),Corentin Tolisso (2017),Benjamin Pavard (2019), Lucas Hernandez (2019), Tanguy Kouassi (2020) and Bouna Sarr (2020).

In scoring the only goal of the Qatar 2020 final, Benjamin Pavard became the seventh French player to register a goal in this competition, after Nicolas Anelka, Jonathan Biabiany, Franck Ribery, Karim Benzema, Bafetimbi Gomis and Andre-Pierre Gignac.

7: Franck Ribery's shirt number at Bayern. He spent 12 years there and won nine league titles, setting a new record for a foreign player. A veritable club icon after racking up 119 goals and 185 assists in 425 games, the Boulogne native was even given a nickname steeped in Bayern history: Kaiser Franck – a reference to the legendary Bayern and West Germany defender Franz Beckenbauer.

7: The number of goals scored for the club by Bixente Lizarazu, another Bayern legend. The left-back enjoyed his best years in Bavaria, where he won absolutely everything. He stayed there for eight seasons in all, as did compatriot Willy Sagnol, another wingback and Bayern favourite. Such was the precision of Sagnol’s deliveries from out wide that he earned the nickname Flankengott, meaning ‘god of the crosses’.

7: The number of matches played in his maiden season by the first Frenchman to join the Bavarian club: Jean-Pierre Papin. A modest total unquestionably, but the striker had more than his share of injuries during this time. That said, JPP will always be the one who paved the way for his compatriots – 13 others to date – to don the famous red jersey.

7: The number of years that Valerien Ismael had to wait to become a naturalised German. Ignored by the France national team, he made the request in 2006 in the hope of participating in that year’s World Cup for Die Mannschaft. It was not to be, however. The former Bayern defender, who scored two goals in 46 appearances between 2005 and 2007, finally obtained German citizenship in 2013.

[thelastdiadoch]

GALLIC MERCENARIES UNDER DIONYSIUS I OF SYRACUSE (r. 405–367 BCE)

This is an excerpt from my post, ‘GAULS OF THE EAST: PART 1 –  BANDITS OF THE BALKANS’

While Dionysius I of Syracuse (ruled, 405-367 BCE), also known as Dionysius the Tyrant, was warring against the Greeks of Magna Graecia (“Great Greece”, southern Italy) an embassy of Gauls from northern Italy seeking friendship and allegiance spoke with him. These Gauls were probably from the Senones tribe since they are mentioned to have been the same Gauls that lived in northern Italy and sacked Rome not long ago. Some modern historians believe that said Gauls marched south against the Romans under the direction of Dionysius I of Syracuse.

The reason for this was so, with Rome preoccupied with the Gallic menace, Dionysius could freely attempt to subjugate the whole of Sicily without Roman intervention. Some of those Gauls who warred with Rome were now in southern Italy and dwelled within the “midst of his enemies”, they informed Dionysius that they could “be of great service to him, either by supporting him in the field, or by annoying his enemies in the rear when they were engaged with him” (Epitome of the Philippic History of Pompeius Trogus by Marcus Junianus Justinus, 20.5). 

In 367 BCE Dionysius I of Syracuse hired them then sent two thousand Celts and Iberians to Greece in order to aid the Spartans against the Boeotian League of Greek nations (ex. Athens, Thebes and Corinth).

“From Sicily, Celts and Iberians to the number of two thousand sailed to Corinth, for they had been sent by the tyrant Dionysius to fight in an alliance with the Lacedaemonians, and had received pay for five months. The Greeks, in order to make trial of them, led them forth; and they proved their worth in hand-to-hand fighting and in battles and many both of the Boeotians and of their allies were slain by them. Accordingly, having won repute for superior dexterity and courage and rendered many kinds of service, they were given awards by the Lacedaemonians and sent back home at the close of the summer to Sicily.” – The Library of History by Diodorus Siculus, 15.70.1.

According to Xenophon, when the Spartans were about to assault the Thebans, Corinthians, and Athenians near the city of Corinth... “the expedition sent by Dionysius to aid the Lacedaemonians sailed in, numbering more than twenty triremes” arrived to aid them. While the cavalrymen on the side of the Boeotian League were too afraid to attack the larger Spartan army, the 50 horsemen (Celts and/or Iberians) sent by Dionysius advanced on the enemy. These few brave cavalrymen scattered themselves and charged toward the enemy, hurling javelins at their front ranks, retreating from their advance and then returning to again assail them with javelins.

“[21] But the horsemen sent by Dionysius, few though they were, scattering themselves here and there, would ride along the enemy’s line, charge upon them and throw javelins at them, and when the enemy began to move forth against them, would retreat, and then turn round and throw their javelins again. And while pursuing these tactics they would dismount from their horses and rest. But if anyone charged upon them while they were dismounted, they would leap easily upon their horses and retreat. On the other hand, if any pursued them far from the Theban army, they would press upon these men when they were retiring, and by throwing javelins work havoc with them, and thus they compelled the entire army, according to their own will, either to advance or to fall back.

[22] After this, however, the Thebans remained but a few days and then returned home, and the others likewise to their several homes. Then the troops sent by Dionysius invaded the territory of Sicyon, and they not only defeated the Sicyonians in battle on the plain and killed about seventy of them, but captured by storm the stronghold of Deras. After these exploits the first supporting force sent out by Dionysius sailed back to Syracuse.” – Hellenica by Xenophon, 7.1.21-22.

Head over to my post, ‘GAULS OF THE EAST: PART 1 – BANDITS OF THE BALKANS’, to learn more about the rarely spoken of Gauls of southeastern Europe, their invasion of Greece, employment as mercenaries under Ptolemaic Egypt, their rebellious and warlike society as well as their little known kingdom of Tylis in Thrace.

You can also read the sequel to the above mentioned post, ‘GAULS OF THE EAST: PART 2 – HELLENISED GALATIANS OF ASIA MINOR’. In this post I cover the Celts who migrated into Asia Minor, established a Greco-Gallic state, became renowned as warriors and mercenaries, played an integral part in the Hellenistic ‘Game of Thrones’ of the Diadochi (Alexander the Great’s successor), ravaged and terrorized the region, as well as forcing “tribute on the whole of Asia west of the Taurus” (Livy, 38.16.12). I’ll also speak about their armors, weaponry and how they may have inspired some Greek and Roman arms as well as some military units.

[girl-in-the-suit]

Malcolm Merlyn in every episode → The Flash 2.08 “Legends of Today”

“The man you’re looking for is Vandal Savage.” 

“Vandal Savage? Never heard of him.” 

“Well, who is he?” 

“Some say he was the most trusted adviser to Genghis Khan. Others say he guided Julius Caesar through the Gallic Wars. But one thing the League knows for sure… He was there for all of it.”

[seaweedandtravel]

THE SKY UNDER YOUR FEET

LE CROTOY AND THE BAIE DE SOMME

'Le Crotoy ... Picardie ... hmmm, you're going to the deepest France!', a friend with Gallic roots had warned me before: 'Really? Deepest France this far north? That's even more interesting. And that's all I want to know for now. Autumn is approaching and it should be a small, spontaneous escape from the hectic pace of the city and the job. Within easy reach, but still far away from all that.

Wet feet, heavenly impressions: At low tide you can stroll from Le Crotoy through the Baie to the neighbouring Saint Valerie sur Somme. When I enter the bright little harbour promenade of Le Crotoy on this late summer Saturday afternoon, it is far more than well visited. Numerous traditional fish restaurants line the Place Jeanne d'Arc that is located close to the beach, at whose probably occupied tables, the satisfied looking weekenders munch the ubiquitous mussels from the Baie, have a pleasant chat and sip some white wines. While some sit and feast, others stroll leisurely past them - into the pretty, now light-flooded alleys of the small town, which looks more like a picturesque fishing village.

But for the time being we stay close to the shore and the beach. Surrounded by partly medieval looking walls, one enjoys here the still pleasant late summer warmth and an almost disturbingly beautiful view to the almost endlessly wide, opal blue bay of the Somme. However, at first there is hardly any trace of water, even in masses: Between Le Crotoy and its no less beautiful counterpart Saint-Valerie sur Somme, far over there, barely visible on the other side of the Baie, stretches a wet, glistening sandy area interspersed with only tiny watercourses.

Most people just shrug their shoulders at the word 'Picardie'. So do I. Come on, then.

And that's the perfect place to walk barefoot. which is appreciated by seagulls and tourists alike. Because here, in the Baie, the Somme quietly pours out in its original and untamed bed towards the sea. An idyll that is interrupted by the relaxed rhythm of the tides. Then the waters of the English Channel push into the bay for hours and fill the enormous estuary basin in an impressive spectacle. Le Crotoy's former summer residence owner and frequent guest Jules Verne is said to have been inspired by this in his classic '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea'.

As soon as I take my first steps into the village, I am captivated by a tiny Boulangerie with its irresistible scent of fresh baked goods. As soon as you enter, the traditional interior makes you feel as if you have been transported back to the 30s of the last century. Yes, but back in the seventies, according to the friendly owner, she found Le Crotoy and everything in it a little too dusty. In other places all around, a lot of things were being torn down and modern, new things were being built. Today she has learned to appreciate tradition. And of course the tourists do too, she adds mischievously. I'll look it up: Yes, tourists would still come after the high season. Especially when it's sunny like today. But only on weekends. In on Saturdays and out on Sundays, like the tide. Well, at least the world stays in balance. I say goodbye and bite into a crispy butter croissant.

Like high and low tide: on weekends the tourists flock to the picturesque port city.

Past simple, one-storey fishermen's cottages and pointed gabled, often slightly battered, bourgeois turn of the century houses, I stroll leisurely on towards the centre of the town. Before I am drawn back to the beach near the compact gothic Eglise Saint-Pierre: I come across Les Tourelles on Rue Pierre Guerlain. The brick-red hotel with its pointed turrets rises up into the sky like a romantic little castle. Here, a specially beguiling view to the bay opens up. There is an amazingly hip group of urban-looking visitors that enjoy the sunset in the bay with drinks and snacks in the adjacent bar.

To invest a few Euros here and now seems to me to be a very meaningful idea. But a little later, instead of a cool drink, I have my sneakers in my hand and the shirt over my shoulder - far out in the bay. Good decision. With sparkling wet sand between my toes, gentle wind in my hair and the evening sun on my skin I squeeze my eyes together and blink towards the sea. Oh yes, what more could one do in this corner of Picardy? Beach sailing, horse riding, surfing, endless cycling ... I don't care. I'm out for now. I'm here.

** **

Info: Le Crotoy is a municipality with just over two thousand inhabitants in the Somme department in the northern part of Picardy. From Paris, the Picardy coast can be reached relatively quickly via the motorway, which makes the region a popular holiday destination in the high season (French summer holidays: July and August). However, Le Crotoy is not one of the classic seaside resorts in the region, due to its location on the Baie de Somme, which is constantly emptying and filling up with the tides, and has thus been able to retain some of its original character. But bathing resorts as Fort-Mahon-Plage or Quend-le-Plage are also worth a visit and can be easily reached in a short time. Hotels, apartments and holiday homes in Le Crotoy and the surrounding area are easy to find via booking platforms such as Booking.com or Hotels.com, but the local tourist office website also offers a wide range of accommodation. Tip: If you want to have an accommodation with the coveted beach view at a manageable price, you should also have a look at AirnB. Of course, the friendly ladies of the Tourist Office in Rue Carnot will also be happy to help you.   The author visited the region beyond the main season (September). There was no support from regional tourist boards or similar.

_ _© Andreas Richter

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