#Greater London House

[dogsaver-blog]

smokin' by d0gwalker Via Flickr: Boiler chimney at the rear of Greater London House, Mornington Crescent. Appropriately enough this building (which is now offices) began its life in 1928 as a factory for the Carreras Tobacco Company.

[fuckitandmovetobritain]

Denham, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

[the-world-of-love-charlie]

Classic Ben

One of the oldest known photographs of the Houses Of Parliament in London, photographed around 1865, I have tried to enhance the photo, making it sharper without distorting it.

[broke-on-books]

Me months ago: omg easy science gened! I like maps I can def make maps this will be great

Me now: *trawling through a 2180 page pdf listing every mailbox in the UK* how the fuck do I turn this into a data layer

[cannedbluesblog]

Viddy well my Sisters & Brothers! Thamesmead in the 1970s. Kubrick filmed some of Clockwork Orange here because of it's architecture

[insidecroydon]

Councillor accuses Perry of broken pledge on affordable homes

Tight site: the local community group had been encouraged to work up a proposal for flats on the green at The Lawns by City Hall and Croydon Council Mayor Jason Perry’s council has been accused of yet another broken promise, and of wasting hundreds of thousands of pounds of tax-payers’ money, this time after rejecting a planning application for seven affordable homes in Upper Norwood, in a scheme…

[grahamfilesstyleguide]

Nainby House, Vauxhall, Lambeth, Greater London

[fitzrovianews]

'No fault' evictions increased by 52 percent in London in the year to March 2024

The number of “no fault” evictions in London increased 52 percent in the last year — more than five times the rate seen in the rest of England and Wales, a City Hall analysis reveals. Sadiq Khan said the data showed how the Government’s failure to ban the evictions — also known as section 21 notices — had been a “huge betrayal”. Section 21 notices are used by landlords to evict tenants with two…

[reasoningdaily]

My former U.S. Track and Field teammate Tori Bowie, who was found dead in her home in Florida on May 2, of complications related to childbirth at 8 months pregnant, was a beautiful runner. She was effortless. At the Rio Olympics, I ran the second leg of the 4 x 100 relay. Tori was the anchor. When she got the baton, I remember thinking, “it’s over.” She just accelerated. When she crossed the finish line, I couldn’t wait to run over to her to celebrate. It was her first, and only, Olympic gold medal.

She also picked up a silver (in the 100-m) and bronze (200-m) in Brazil. The next year, at the 2017 World Championships in London, Tori won the 100-m title, earning the title of “world’s fastest woman.” Tori started out as a long jumper. So seeing her thrive as a sprinter was a huge deal. She was just such a bright light, and people were getting to see that.

Tori grew up in Mississippi and had this huge Southern accent. She didn’t take herself too seriously. You felt this sense of ease when you were around her. I last saw her in early 2021, in San Diego, where she was training. She gave me the biggest hug; something about her spirit was just very, very sweet. I felt her sweetness come over me that day.

Tori was 32 when she died. According to the autopsy, possible complications contributing to Bowie’s death included respiratory distress and eclampsia—seizures brought on by preeclampsia, a high blood pressure disorder that can occur during pregnancy. I developed preeclampsia during my pregnancy with my daughter Camryn, who was born in November 2018. The doctors sent me to the hospital, where I would deliver Camryn during an emergency C-section, at 32 weeks. I was unsure if I was going to make it. If I was ever going to hold my precious daughter.

Like so many Black women, I was unaware of the risks I faced while pregnant. According to the CDC, in 2021 the maternal mortality rate for Black women was 2.6 times the rate for white women. About five days before I gave birth to Camryn, I was having Thanksgiving dinner with my family. I mentioned that my feet were swollen. As we went around the table, the women shared their experiences during pregnancy. My cousin said she also had swollen feet. My mom didn’t. Not once did someone say, ‘oh, well, that’s one of the indicators of preeclampsia.’ None of us knew. When I became pregnant, my doctor didn’t sit me down and tell me, ‘these are things that you should look for in your pregnancy, because you are at a greater risk to experience these complications.’

That needs to change, now, especially in light of Tori’s tragic passing. Awareness is huge. Serena Williams had near-death complications during her pregnancy. Beyoncé developed preeclampsia. I hate that it takes Tori’s situation to put this back on the map and to get people to pay attention to it. But oftentimes, we need that wake-up call.

The medical community must do its part. There are so many stories of women dying who haven’t been heard. Doctors really need to hear the pain of Black women.

Luckily, there’s hope on several fronts. Congress has introduced the Momnibus Act, a package of 13 bills crafted to eliminate racial disparities in maternal health and improve outcomes across the board. California passed Momnibus legislation back in 2021. These laws make critical investments in areas like housing, nutrition, and transportation for underserved communities. Further, several pharmaceutical companies are making advances on early detection and treatment of preeclampsia.

Three gold medalists from that 4 x 100 relay team in Rio set out to become mothers. All three of us—all Black women—had serious complications. Tianna Madison has shared that she went into labor at 26 weeks and entered the hospital “with my medical advance directive AND my will.” Tori passed away. We’re dealing with a Black Maternal Health crisis. Here you have three Olympic champions, and we’re still at risk.

I would love to have another child. That’s something that I know for sure. But will I be here to raise that child? That’s a very real concern. And that’s a terrifying thing. This is America, in 2023, and Black women are dying while giving birth. It’s absurd.

I’m hopeful that things can get better. I’m hopeful that Tori, who stood on the podium at Rio, gold around her neck and sweetness in her soul, won’t die in vain.

—as told to Sean Gregory

[londonedge]

Ashington House, Bethnal Green

Another example of London brutalism. The quirky and somewhat crazy Ashington House was designed by Noel Moffett for the then Greater London Council in the early 1970s

[k-s-morgan]

"many people insist he was in the Blitz ( I don't mean fics, I don't mind that, I mean in canon discussions) so my post was specifically for the Blitz. For the 40's bomb, that you brought up, not my post, Tom left soon after, 7 days after. And as for the '44 bombings- Tom has already killed 4 people by that time- FOUR. I think it's safe to say death and suffering of the people around him wasn't one of his concerns.

Tom's fear of death doesn't have to come from bombing. Plenty of people fear death that had never been bombed. It is stated that his fear of death is because he thinks himself above all humans, it's in relation to his power, he says this to Dumbledore at 11 BEFORE ww2 started. He already said 'mom can't have been a witch because she died'. But yes, this post was about Dumbledore not sending Tom into the Blitz, like many people say, as if Dumbledore personally delivered Tom to the Nazis."

What do you think about this argument? I've written fics of Tom witnessing the Blitz. I thought that it was canon but I have had people argue that it is not. What do you think?

Hi! That's a really interesting topic, but one I came to dislike because it feels like most people have very black-and-white takes on it. I actually got involved in one of such conversations just recently. Maybe even the one you quoted from? I don't recall at this point.

Since I prepared a lot of materials for ATLWETD before writing it, I can give you a full answer supported by the research and some news clippings. It's going to get long, though!

So, first - the Blitz. Indeed, Tom never had to face it. It lasted from September 7, 1940 to May 11, 1941, and Tom spent this period at Hogwarts. However, the Blitz was neither the start nor the end of London bombings - and bombings of the surrounding areas and UK in general.

Citing from Mark Clapson, "Air Raids in Britain, 1940–45":

"A common misconception of the Blitz in the United Kingdom is that London was the only city under attack from September 1940 until the Nazis also turned their fire on other cities and towns in mid-November. Yet even before the Blitz on London began, other urban areas in the UK had been attacked from the air.

As the Battle of Britain drew towards a defeat for Germany, the first significant raid on a major British city took place in Cardiff and Newport on 10 July when over seventy German planes attacked the South Wales docks. In July and August, Birmingham, Coventry, Hastings, Liverpool, Newcastle and Southampton were all subject to air raids, signifying that when the main Blitz on the provinces began, industrial and coastal towns and cities were going to be key targets for the Luftwaffe … As Tony Mason shows, the first raid on Coventry had been on 18 August 1940, when both industry and housing were bombed."

Most of these locations are within the 200-300 km of London. Hastings is less than a 2-hour drive away. People don't live in a bubble, so hearing and reading about the bombings getting closer had to be terrifying for a child-Tom.

Now, getting even closer to London. The timeline taken from this website:

"16 AUGUST 1940

A series of raids were leveled against Norfolk, Kent and the Greater London area with airfields as the main targets, including Manston.

London suburbs were bombed, including Wimbledon and Esher, where shops and houses were hit. Bombs on Maiden, Surrey, railway station killed staff and passengers and put both lines out of operation. To the north, Gravesend and Tilbury were attacked, and bombs fell on Harwell and Farnborough aerodromes."

Tom would have definitely experienced the impacts of these bombings at least in some ways because the sound of explosions travels miles ahead. People would be in an increased state of panic, not knowing if London was going to be the next target any other second now.

A photo of the news clipping from August 17, 1940, titled: Germans Bomb London Suburbs:

From this website:

"A still earlier, and better recorded, raid took place the night before, on 15 August. 30 bombers targeted RAF Croydon aerodrome, which was then considered part of Surrey rather than London. Several people were killed, with damage to the aerodrome and nearby housing."

The distance between Croydon aerodrome and London is just 10 miles. Again, this is something the impact of which Tom would have very likely heard personally - add to this the feeling of fear and uncertainty over when and where the next attack is coming, and you get a recipe for a serious psychological trauma. Tom was only 13 at this time.

From the same website:

"Many sources state that the first bombs to drop on London landed in the early hours of 22 August 1940, affecting Harrow and Wealdstone (technically not then in London, but within the London Civil Defence Area). These caused damage to two cinemas, a dance hall, bank and houses, but nobody was killed. A further strike on 24 August [in London] killed nine people, and prompted retaliatory attacks on Berlin."

So, by these accounts, Tom experienced the bombing of his city directly at least once and likely heard the impact of bombings from the suburbs at least twice. Could be more - there were several bombings close, and we have no idea where Tom was in those specific moments. He could be taking a walk to the West End, going to the suburbs with his orphanage, and so on.

He was lucky to miss the bombings that followed (until 1944), including the Blitz, but I really hate when people dismiss the psychological impact of seeing your city in ruins, witnessing the massive destruction, and not knowing whether the bombs are going to drop again today. It's not like the Germans announced, "Hey, the Blitz is over, you're safe now!" Of course Tom thought he might experience another bombing, and of course this thought scared him.

The summer of 1944 was terrible for London because that's when the V1 were dropped. Quoting from The Blitz Companion by Mark Clapson again:

"Yet during the summer of 1944 worse was to come, and it would manifest itself in a frightening new weapon. For some months rumours had been circulating in Britain about a flying bomb that had no pilot and which could be guided almost mysteriously through the air at great speed to attack the capital city. This was the V1, the ‘V�� standing for vengeance … The V1s killed over 5,000 people and injured 15,000."

The timeline for these attacks is here.

This one is trickier, though, because based on Harry's era, by 1944, Tom already came of age by wizarding standards. So there is an argument that he could finally use his magic and leave London. On the other hand, he was still a minor by Muggle standards, and we have no idea what Hogwarts rules and laws of his era stated - meaning that it can all be up to interpretation.

For those who prefer to imagine that Tom was there: maybe back in 1944, a wizard had to be 18 to be considered an adult, and the limit was dropped closer to Harry's era. Or there was a rule stating that Hogwarts students must continue to live in their assigned places up until they graduate, especially in a Muggle world - because if a minor disappears from Muggle care when they are still enrolled in a magical school, it could trigger the involvement of authorities, which might be something Hogwarts would want to avoid.

We can't make strong arguments here because the canon says nothing about these details. So, if someone wants to imagine that Tom missed the bombings in 1944, there are very logical reasons to support such a view, but if someone wants him to have experienced it, it's also easy to imagine.

Either way, whether Tom lived only through the bombings of 1940 or both 1940 and 1944, to deny that he was affected by the war is to reject the most basic human psychology, in my opinion. Anyone would be terrified when they are surrounded by destruction and death, when they are confronted with the idea of their own mortality and when they feel helplessly trapped. And Tom saw the war horrors every summer even when there were no bombings.

I'm a war victim myself, and I don't feel safe on the days my city is not attacked. Because I know that the situation can change every other second. The psychological effect of bombings is devastating even when you aren't physically affected.

Does Tom's trauma justify his canon actions in any way, though? Of course not. Did his war trauma cause his fear of death? I think it was definitely at least some part of it. How couldn't it be? It's exactly because he considered himself above others is that his fear could be this amplified. He probably hated sitting stuck in a dangerous zone with the people he despised, threatened by the beings he didn't consider proper humans.

Maybe the war didn't give birth to Tom's fear of death, but I think it obviously contributed to it heavily since, again, he was living in one of the very targeted places, and he lived through at least one London bombing.

Also, yes, I do think Dumbledore and Dippet were absolutely abhorrent for sending an orphan child to a war zone when it was so easy to give him shelter. They were responsible for Tom's well-fare, and this responsibility shouldn't disappear in the summer. Tom could have easily been killed - again, it's not like the Germans announced when they were going to bomb or not bomb London and other areas. Letting him stay at Hogwarts or finding some family to take him in - or an inn! - would have been beyond simple.

Dumbledore also definitely knew Tom is related to a Slytherin bloodline, so there had to be families willing to take him in for this alone. Sure, it could be dangerous in other ways for a child as self-focused as Tom, but he was still a child, and his safety had to come first.

Finally, there is an argument that Tom was moved along with other children from London since it was supposed to be mandatory. This is also something that can be looked at from different angles. The reality of people following a law always differs from the theory of it. There were many issues with evacuations at that time. About 7,736 children died in London from the Blitz alone - not everyone could evacuate, especially the poor. Maybe the Wool's lucked out, maybe not. There are claims that only children within the ages of 5 to 14 were evacuated. But also, if Tom was moved, then there is no telling if he was more or less safe there since the location is unknown. It once again depends on what a specific person wants to imagine as a part of his life.

Now, anon, as for your fics in particular: if you wrote about Tom witnessing the Blitz, it's all right - I mean, the entire universe of Harry Potter is made up. Maybe, in a world where these characters might exist, the Blitz could have happened differently - why not? We have no idea about the dates of HP canon-Blitz. The events there don't have to take place in our specific world.

So, strictly speaking - yes, it's not canon, but more in relation to our world than to the world of HP.

[sexiestpodcastcharacter]

Podcast Elections: ACAB Edition

The introduction to this poll has been moved to the Voter's Guide (under the cut) due to length. Please ensure you are registered to vote in your local elections, should you be eligible.

*There is no lesser evil when the institution itself exists to exploit, oppress, and enact violence. I refuse to vote in this race, but I will vote in other races on the ballot.

Elections are coming up in the USA. I'm used to voting about twice a year, and understand how few measures and candidates are truly exciting to vote for. There's a lot of maintenance (renewing bonds and levies, voting against limitations to abortions, etc). Most candidates have significant flaws and even the ones who seem promising will probably fail to meet their campaign promises. It's boring but important. To me it seems that the dramatic races and measures are usually more threatening (so we vote against it) then promising (so we vote for it). City Council, County Chair, School Board, Water District, Library Board, and so on are all highly important, but candidates' platforms can be opaque, or there can genuinely be no good options. But if we want clean water, good education, freedom to read, an attempt at affordable housing, etc., then we need to care about these positions.

But then there's the elections that never feel good. The elections for who gets to lead the people we allow to murder with little consequence. The people in charge of institutions that I would rather be destroyed. Obviously there's the big one, but frankly due to the electoral college, the state I live in, and partisan races usually coming down to Party over Policy, voting in that election feels incredibly ineffective (but I do it anyways).

Another institution I don't like voting for is the County Sheriff, but at least my vote feels more influential here. As this is a nonpartisan position, this will be a runoff election. That means if no candidate gets greater than 50% of the vote we will hold another race between the top two candidates the following week.

[animeyanderelover]

Alucard's part is a lot shorter in here as I had to be a lot more detailed for Sebastian, Claude and Ash all falling in love with the same darling.

Tw: Yandere themes, toxic relationship, possessive behavior, obsession, clinginess, paranoia, stalking, manipulation, gaslighting, isolation, abduction, death

Tags: @lovley-valentine7 @leveyani @chxxz

Angel s/o

Sebastian Michaelis, Claude Faustus & Ash Landers

🐈‍⬛🕷️▫️Undoubtedly is it your presence that is going to be the first thing that will draw all of those men to you. You see, it is quite rare that asupernatural creature crosses the path of another one as only Shinigami have an active social life together, although one mainly build on their work. Demons are lonesome creatures who rarely spend time with their one kind or any existing creature out there as they are a species known to follow merely their one greed and desire and exploring everyone that could give them an ounce of pleasure, even if only for a brief moment. Angels are very withdrawn from the world in general, finicky with whom they spend their time with as they especially avoid demons for their lifestyle. They are pretentious but they at least have some boundaries. It is already a miracle that two demons and an angel exist within the same town, all bound temporarily by something in there. Yet perhaps it has been fate that has led all of them here as their mate also finds their way to London.

🐈‍⬛🕷️▫️Perhaps it is Ash who spots you first as he is the one least bound to the person he is serving as the Queen is a mere tool to serve his greater purpose. Ash upon finding another one of his own kind would be already ecstatic as it is for he has been shunned by them and the isolation shows itself as he is euphoric to find you. His joy is only heightened upon realising that both of you are bound by fate together, his rapture bringing him down to his knees as he gazes at you with reverent eyes, clasping your hands in his as he hastily utters that he'll arrange you only the finest accomodation. It seems like fate is smiling down on him as not only his plan is proceeding well but now he has also found his one true soulmate. The cleansing of London shall be his present to you as a sign of his unwavering adoration and dedication. Yet not only his greatest joy can overshadow his paranoia. Not only because of the common scum but because he's aware of two evil forces lurking within London.

🐈‍⬛🕷️▫️Sebastian is perhaps the second of the trio who discovers you as Ciel is heavily involved with the Queen as his house has sworn loyalty to her. Ash, even whilst begging for you to stay and wait for his return as he has to accompany the Queen, is unable to stop you as you are also an angel and for that possess powers of your own. You head out despite his warnings and pleas and so his biggest fear comes true as you are sensed by Sebastian and he senses you just as much. You are quite baffled as you sense the connection that humans could never share. Not only because a mating bond between a demon and an angel has been unheard of so far but also because you thought your mate was Ash. It is as disturbing as it is intriguing as you never knew that it was possible to be bound to more than one person. A short look of astonishment seems also to cross the butler's face as he senses that you are no human either before a devilish and handsome grin settles on his face as he makes his way to you.

🐈‍⬛🕷️▫️he bows courtly as he introduces himself as Sebastian of the Phantomhive mansion and asks for your own name, his red eyes intently and curiously studying you. You feel slightly uncomfortable in his presence as you can sense his greedy aura and even he seems to silently acknowledge your aura as the one of an angel, although he isn't 100 % certain just yet. Yet the mating bond has you gravitating towards this man and so you spend a lot more time than you anticipated with him, even though you still have your guard up. Especially since his hands like to brush against you during the conversation as he gets closer and closer to you only for you to quickly take a step back. Both of you are snapped out of it when Ash suddenly appears. His white hair wild and messy as if he has pulled at it and his purple eyes wide and paranoid as he pulls you behind him, doing his best to keep his composure in public. Red eyes observe you two before they widen in shock before squinting in displeasure. Sebastian knows.

🐈‍⬛🕷️▫️Ash has already been hysteric when he couldn't find you in your room and searched for you in sheer panic only to find you in company of the very creature he wanted to keep you away from. Yet when you confess to him that you felt the mating bond when meeting the demon as well, he shatters completely. He paces back and forth in your room, chewing his lips until he tastes blood as his eyes dart anxiously up and down as if he will find the answer if he keeps on looking enough, his hands trembling. This can't be right. It must be the work of the sinful demon who has manipulated something to mess with your senses. An angel as pure as you can't be bound to a being of greed and darkness. You hear him muttering under his breath as he walks in circles in your room, the sight reminding you of a man possessed, before his gaze lands on you and within a few long strides he stands in front of you, holding your hands and promising you that he'll protect you from the hands of the stained demon.

🐈‍⬛🕷️▫️As Ash and Sebastian already gear up for a fight over you, Claude remains still unaware of you. Alois is a demanding and clingy brat after all so he hasn't made any acquaintance with you yet. Still, there is something that has caused him to feel longing for someone, has drawn him to the city of London. It is a pinching sensation, one that seems to twist with his black heartstrings and it has caused him to feel quite moody. He attempts to dismiss the feeling yet the other demon servants around him notice whilst Alois seems to ignore Claude's recently soured mood. Eventually he receives message that a ball will be held for the Queen, one Alois is also requested for. The young boy takes the chance excitedly as he knows that he can torment Ciel again and Claude, despite feeling quite annoyed when thinking about the demon butler of the Phantomhive boy, somehow also feels an underlying sense of urgency for the ball to come sooner. Almost as if someone really important awaits him there...

🐈‍⬛🕷️▫️In between tears Ash asks of you to stray away from Sebastian and to hide yourself. Somewhere you understand his sentiment and for the people there you have little interest yet it is the demon you still wish to see even if you know that demons are natural enemies of your kind. Yet his tears tug at your heartstrings and so you promise him to stay away as good as you can. Sebastian's eyes naturally search for you as soon as the young lord and him arrive, his looks impeccable as he has made sure to look as good as he can when he meets you again. Instantly the scathing glare of Ash is on him and both of them look at each other with disdain, although the angel is more obvious with his feelings. Eventually Sebastian gives him a taunting grin though, one that nearly causes Ash to lose composure as he knows instantly what the demon is planning to do once he finds you, defiling your beauty and purity with his sinful hands. That is when another presence suddenly enters the hall.

🐈‍⬛🕷️▫️Claude is fairly surprised to notice how little Sebastian is minding him in comparison to what he is used to as he instead notices how there is a new bad blood going on between him and Ash. Claude has little experience with Ash, although he is aware of his nature as an angel so that alone makes him already dislike the white-haired man. But he can't help but wonder what must have occured between Ash and Sebastian to be on such bad terms as he can sense killing intent from both of them, especially from the angel who seems to keep his eyes always on Sebastian as if to keep him within his sight. As the ball goes on, Claude slowly notices a weird pull in his chest that urges him to follow something. Initially he decides to ignore it but it grows worse as time passes on until he eventually decides that he can't forget about it. Without informing Alois, he quietly leaves the scene and follows where his instincts guide him to until he spots a lonesome figure in the hallway. When he meets eyes with you, he instantly realises why he has been feeling so weird for a while now.

🐈‍⬛🕷️▫️The amazement and wariness in your eyes is almost reflected in his own as he senses that you are no ordinary human yet he can't pinpoint exactly what you are. You observe him cautiously as he steps closer, straighting his posture as he asks you for your name and why such a beauty as you is not joining the ball like all of the guests. Truth be told though, he is glad for the privacy he has with his mate as golden eyes examine you with growing desire. Soon he is standing right in front of you, gloved hands reaching up to touch your face when suddenly Sebastian and Ash appear. Ash has already drawn his sword, fully prepared to cut of the hand that just tried to touch you whilst Sebastian's eyes have turned magenta as he lets out a growl more reminiscent of the true creature he is than what he portrays to be under the ordinary crowd. Claude instantly senses the warning within the growl, the unspoken claim that the other demon has already laid on you which causes his eyes to turn magenta too as he also lets out a growl. The air is tense and heavy and you know that the only reason all three of them aren't on each others throat now is because you are still standing there.

🐈‍⬛🕷️▫️The burden of being mated to three men at once is unheard of and it becomes a heavy burden for you as you realise that all of them will eventually kill each other to claim you for only themselves and your heart is silently wailing over the thought of losing two of three mates, even though you know that they could never work together. Ash isolates you completely from that day on, terrified that the demons will lurk outside and hunt you down as soon as you leave the building where he resides in with the Queen. You as an angel should know after all how cunning and wicked the demon kind is. Meanwhile Claude and Sebastian are also silently doing their preparations to get rid of the competition to have you only for themselves. Whilst Claude has the other demon servants and Ash has Pluto at his service, Sebastian has no such allies and he knows that as he calculates his own plan. The inevitable confrontation will soon come and then the entire city might be left in shambles...

Alucard

🩸​Alucard has quite an interesting view on the topic on God which shaped his past significantly as he used to believe that having faith alone wasn't enough to get God's attention and that only by accomplishing great deeds would God be on his side. This belief of his was crushed when he ultimately sacrificed everyone and lost the war, leading him to believe that God had abandoned him and in return chose to do the same. Through years of immortality he has eventually come to the realisation that it was his own fault that led to his downfall as a human. Nevertheless, it is an interesting relationship he has to you as angels are commonly known as servants and messengers of God. He has abandoned God, has abandoned his own humanity as well and you may very well view him for his past sins as a monster that has long left the righteous path. It is natural to be wary around Alucard and the vampire understands yout caution and distrust as he himself has learned to regret his immortal life.

🩸​Normal human eyes are unable to perceive the higher being that you are yet to his eyes and by extention even to Seras eyes your true identity is noticable. A dull glow of a hallow constantly embracing your body, your aura a contrast to the darkness of his own. It is repelling as much as it is appealing yet Alucard is tactful when he is around you. You are no ordinary vampire nor a common human, you are something much more and it is almost laughable that the very man who lost faith in God in the past now meets you with the slightest hint of reverence as someone who has learned to not use God's name as an excuse for the actions he took out of madness and lust. At the same time he recognises that redemption for him is impossible for he has chosen to forsake the human life he was gifted for immortality. This silent acknowledgement silently seems to fuel his greed though as there is no punishment from any holy beings he has to fear for he is already outside the mortal realm.

🩸​He hides your presence from the Vatican and Alexander Anderson as they are a very religious group and he is sure that they would try to interfere if they were to find out that the No-Life King has been having his eyes on you for a while now. Surely they would see it as a blasphemous act for a creature of darkness and night to yearn for a creature of purity and light, although surely it is in character for a being closer to the devil to yearn for forbiddenlust. Anderson, by no accounts a normal human being, would surely also be able to sense the otherwordly creature that you are and would defend you against Alucard. Surely you don't need any protection as you are able to defend yourself against those who don't know any better yet even you seem to want to avoid a conflict with the man who is trapped in a darkness where even you can't bring him salvation anymore. In a way you suppose Alucard is ultimately just a pitiful and lost soul who is now forever a prisoner of an eternal life, doomed to remain detached from all life for all eternity as an outsider.

[vague-humanoid]

In the past few days, the United Kingdom has witnessed a wave of violent disorder. Many of those involved are undoubtedly motivated, not so much by politics, as by the kind of excitement that football hooligans the world over have long derived from attacking the authorities. But there is no doubt that the attacks have been instigated and orchestrated by right-wing extremists tapping into what are, sadly, often widespread prejudices – particularly when it comes to people of colour, Muslims and asylum seekers.

Racist attacks in the UK nothing new

Of course, riots ostensibly driven by religious and racial hatred and opposition to immigration are nothing new in the UK. Indeed, one can go back as far as 1780 to see London suffering a week of violent anti-Roman Catholic disorder while, in the late 1950s, various towns and cities were afflicted by “race riots” on the part of white men objecting to the arrival of Black and south Asian immigrants from the British Commonwealth.

More recently, 2001 saw riots in cities and towns in northern England, most notably in Oldham, Greater Manchester, which saw conflicts between far-right activists and people from the town’s south Asian (predominantly Pakistani-origin) community.

Nor are violent protests outside hotels being used to house asylum seekers or attacks on mosques anything new. Last February, for example, a police vehicle was set ablaze and missiles were thrown at officers outside a hotel in Knowsley, Merseyside. True, the country’s mosques have rarely seen anything on that scale. But there are plenty of examples of isolated attacks on their property and on their worshipers – most horrifically in 2017, when a far-right extremist drove a van into a crowd outside the Muslim Welfare House and near a mosque in Finsbury Park, London.

[insidecroydon]

Planning battle over The Lawns after council official's threats

Tight site: the local community group had been encouraged to work up a proposal for flats on the green at The Lawns by City Hall and Croydon Council Five years’ work have been wasted after Croydon Council planners rejected a planning application from a community group in Upper Norwood to build seven not-for-profit flats in a scheme instigated by… Croydon Council. BARRATT HOLMES, housing…

[grahamfilesstyleguide]

Mytton House, St Stephens Terrace, Vauxhall, Lambeth, Greater London