#I'm actually following you to learn some german

[wolfossum]

Tag game by @genxrocker ! Pick a song for each letter of your URL, and then tag that many people!

Tagged by @official-lauchzwiebel

Nine letters >:D no problem

W - Wolfe der nacht by Erdling

O - Olivia by Die Zipfelbuben

L - Labyrinth by Oomph!

F - Frau Gorbatschowa tanzt bosanova by Ifa Wartburg

O - Okresní knihovna by vypsaná fiXa

S - Supernova - Erdling

S - Schreien by Paula Carolina

U - undead ahead by Motionless in white

M - Mord ist kunst by Stoneman

Tagging: @thornshadowwolf @1fatfuck @thenewsthaturdead @fixithefox @immoralauraa

Tag game by @genxrocker ! Pick a song for each letter of your URL, and then tag that many people!

Thanks for tagging me @get-the-cheese-to-sickbay ! :)

My url has quite a lot of letters, so buckle up buckaroos! I'm giving you a little tour >:)

O - Opernboogie by Georg Kreisler 😎

F - Funny How Love Is by Queen

F - Francesca by Hozier

I - If You'll Have Me by Paul Englishby (Part of the soundtrack of 'Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day' - highly recommend!)

C - Ciaccona (I&II) by L'Arpeggiata, Christina Pluhar

I - Iris's Song For Us by Vashti Bunyan

A - Ae Fond Kiss by The Corries

L - Let's Call The Whole Thing Off by Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong

L - Lippen Schweigen (Waltz Song - The Merry Widow) by Franz Lehár, sung by Richard Tauber

A - Ankomme Freitag, den 13. by Reinhard Mey

U - (Ummmm, Oh Yeah) Dearest by Buddy Holly

C - Cha Cha Cha by Käärijä

H - Humoresque Nr. 8 by Antonín Dvořák

Z - Zeugnistag by Reinhard Mey

W - While Gamekeepers Lie Sleeping by June Tabor

I - I'm Fine by Daisy the Great

E - Everybodee Who's Anybodee by Cole Porter

B - Back That Azz Up by JUVENILE, Lil Wayne, Mannie Fresh

E - Ein ehrenwertes Haus by Udo Jürgens

L - Leaving on a Jet Plane by John Denver

If you're seeing this, consider yourself tagged!!

Addtionally, I'm tagging @brandybradyrandyandyndy @caressthosecheekbones @liebelesbe @chaotic-carnifex @vosquitransitis @momdailykos @itsfantasticallyhomoerotic @luminatingsatan @basilikum7 @wolfossum @thefebruaryfriday @schlauhonk @joghurtbrot @gaytomatic

Of course, only do it if you want to :)

[birdofmay]

In that vein... (No, the following is not about autism or ADHD)

TL;DR: Using medical terms as insults or otherwise misusing medical terms (even as a joke) leads to uninformed people thinking they have to stop saying these words and creating new words. Either because they think the old term isn't precise enough anymore or because they incorrectly think that we're insulted by the old word.

The constant appearance of new words is confusing to people who struggle to learn new words. It excludes them from participating in discussions about their own condition.

We have to be more sensitive regarding possible repercussions and stop unnecessary discourse by uninformed people.

In Germany, the official word for my disability ID card category and the assessment is "Hirnschädigung", which literally translates to brain damage/damaged brain. And that's a neutral description, nothing outdated.

But many many people have been asking if someone has brain damage whenever they wanted to insult someone who is either slow on the uptake or who just made a very strange or silly suggestion, for example. They used it as an insult all the time, sometimes jokingly, sometimes not.

This is why now a lot of people ask "Uh, can we still say that in the 21st century? Shouldn't we change "brain damage" to something nicer? Isn't that word insulting?" when actually no, it isn't. (Of course you still shouldn't use that term if someone directly tells you they don't want to be called that)

It's the same with "disabled". People used and still use "disabled" and "dumb" synonymously in Germany. So now, well-meaning politicians and even advocates create all kinds of euphemisms because they think that disabled people will be offended by the word "disabled". Because some people use it as an insult.

When I say I'm disabled in German ("behindert"), people flinch. They think I just insulted myself. But no, "behindert" is a normal medical word, it's in the name of our disability ID card. Even more, the literal translation is "severely disabled person's pass", there's a "severe" accompanying the word "disabled". They flinch even more when I say I'm severely disabled.

"Disorder" has a negative connotation because it's been used as an insult. "Disabled" has a negative connotation because it's been used as an insult. People mixed up schizophrenia and DID and now many think that "feeling schizophrenic" is a sophisticated way to say that you feel conflicted.

The pattern is always the same: People use normal medical words either as insults or in an unrelated, non-medical way, and as a result well-meaning but uninformed advocates create "nicer" sounding words because they think the original word is either outdated or offensive. Or they think "Now that everyone misuses it, we need a new word for the medical term so that there are no misunderstandings."

In both cases, "our" words were successfully co-opted and we have to learn 10 new words to know that people talk about our conditions.

Unfortunately, not everyone sees 10 new words for their condition and intuitively picks up the meaning and knows what everyone's talking about. Sometimes words are hard. Sometimes it's hard to learn all these words and then be told by some uninformed activist that we shouldn't call ourselves what we've always called ourselves.

And what kind of people sometimes struggle with learning new words? People with cognitive impairments. People with brain damage. People who had a stroke. People who survived a ruptured aneurysm.

If you hear "Please stop saying you have a stroke or an aneurysm", etc., did it ever occur to you that maybe it's not because we're offended, but because we don't want these words to get negative connotations? Whenever something gets a negative connotation, there's a possibility for it to be seen as a slur and that would lead to 10 new words to learn because uninformed activists think the original term is offensive or not precise enough.

When I say "Hey, please stop saying you have a stroke when you don't understand something", I'm not offended and I'm not saying it's ableist. I've just noticed enough patterns to be quite sure that at some point there'll be an uninformed well-meaning advocate who suggests a new word for stroke survivors because they think the old word isn't precise enough anymore.

And I don't know if there are enough stroke survivors on social media who could stop this new word and mindset from reaching other uninformed advocate spaces...

[bunnys-kisses]

Hi bunny!! I love love love your bakery theme and your writing, so well put together!!

I was wondering that if you wrote for Logan if you could do banana and chocolate muffins with a side of on the house. I think logie needs some love ya know

bakery menu

want to suggest your own items? then look at the menu, and pick out something you'd like! this request caught my eye because i haven't actually written logan yet! he isn't one that comes up a lot, so i was happy to see it! for this one i thought about a mafia au for it! so i hope you like it, thank you for ordering!!

banana and chocolate muffins ("i'm only doing this because you need to learn how to behave, rules are rules, and you need to follow them.") + on the house (choice: mafia au) served by logan sargeant (formula one)!

cw: smut/pwp, mafia au, mafia boss!reader, bodyguard!logan, dom!reader, sub!logan, nicknames (puppy), cowgirl position

"sargeant, huh." you said as you tapped him on the forehead, you giggled a little, "more like puppy."

you watched logan swallow as he shifted on his feet. he had to keep his composure, his job was to protect the current mafia boss. he couldn't lose focus, even if the woman he was made to protect was the only calling him puppy.

he had never been called a puppy before, always thought of himself as a german shepherd or a rottweiler. but to be a puppy made something stir in his gut.

he held his head high as he said, "thank you, ma'am."

you didn't believe that you needed a full time bodyguard. you had been trained by your father since a young age on how to protect yourself. you knew howto handle weapons and how to create weapons out of day-to-day objects.

a lot of damage could be done with a pair of heels.

but your retired father still worried about his only child and promised to hire a 'shadow', someone who would protect but, not be overbearing and in the way. that put your mind to ease, you knew that 'shadows' were quite helpful.

you saw leclerc's guard, a strong dutchman with gleaming blue eyes. but, you got an american. who was all smiles and niceties. it made you worry that he was actually a double agent.

he liked to hug, his laugh was rather loud and he often forgot to take his shoes off at the door. but, he kept you safe. so you couldn't be mad for long (except for the shoes thing, that you had to train out of him).

"he sucks as a shadow, father." you said after the first month with him.

your old man chuckled as he sipped his hard liquor. he cleaned back in the expensive desk chair and said, "honey. does he do his job well?"

your father meant protecting you from anyone out to harm you. but, you found another purpose for mister sargeant.

he was naked in your large bed and you were laid beside him. your hands roamed his body as you kissed at his strong jaw. he'd let out soft noises as his cock twitched in his briefs.

"who's my pretty puppy?" you asked, "you did so good today." you giggled, "i know you're not a big fan of charlie or lewey, but you did so good while i talked to them." you pinched his cheeks.

you didn't know if logan disliked leclerc or hamilton because at any moment the house of cards of your alliances but collapse. or because leclerc and hamilton liked to mess with you. like when hamilton pulled you close to see if you liked the new cologne he wore. or when leclerc curled a strand of hair around his nimble fingers and asked when you got that new haircut.

when logan shot daggers at them, the other's bodyguards were glaring at him. regardless, you had a good night.

"thank you, ma'am." he said, flowering at your touch. you smiled down at him as you continued to pepper his face with kisses. you held his face while his rough fingers brushed across your side.

"always so good to me. did you know that, puppy? that you're just such a big strong man, my precious bodyguard." you smiled before you kissed him some more.

his precum was staining the front of the briefs he wore. he loved your touches on him, it was like being touched by the sun. you kissed him a few more times because before you got up on his waist.

you sat on his toned stomach before you pulled down his briefs as a weird angle. you felt a thrill run through you as logan helped you taking them off.

you moved down until you were rested on his thighs and slowly stroked his cock. you maintained eye contact, "who's my good puppy?"

he swallowed as pleasure burned in his brain, "i am, ma'am." he wanted to grip your hips but you were control.

because of course you were.

you patted his face before you placed both hands on either side of him and sank down on his cock with ease. it always felt like a perfect fit. his pretty and fat cock, always made your mouth water.

you leaned over him, getting you get access to the sight of your breasts. he kissed at the flesh as you rode him. you held your tongue when you felt his lips on your nipples. it left a shiver through your body.

"shit, logan."

"mmm, ma'am. please." he gasped before he went back to kissing at your chest. your body moved beautifully on top of him.

"such a pretty boy. i can't believe you were supposed to be my shadow. you turn heads wherever we go." you laughed as you picked up the pace.

"can't help it ma'am, but i'm only overshadowed by your beauty." he panted as he finally reached for your hips and clutched onto your hips. he felt the curl of pleasure in his gut as you moved.

you leaned in to kiss him once more. he really was a beautfiul sight to behold. those pretty pink lips parted, his chest heaving with heavy pants. so take your bodyguard together piece by piece.

but what laid underneath was beautiful. you continued to move your hip, you held onto him by the chest as you moved up and down. his cock never slipped out of you as you kept your movements steady.

"you're too pretty to be a bodyguard. i don't want that silly face of yours to get all messed up."

"thank you, ma'am." he said as he held onto you, but didn't change your pace. but he knew he wouldn't last long regardless, he felt the circulation of pleasure in his body.

his head felt unfocused as his cock pressed against the softest parts of you. he really want fucking one of the most powerful women in earth. the thrill made him shudder.

you could have him killed, but yet he was under you while you rode him. you were his puppy. you kissed him once more on the mouth and went as fast as you could.

he whined loudly at the intense feeling, but was silenced by another hot kiss. you loved a whiny puppy as much as the next person, but you wanted your man quiet.

"pretty boy." you cooed.

he came with a loud groan and almost covered his face. but, you suddenly pinned his wrists down. you leaned over him and smiled a little. you panted heavily before you pulled him into a searing kiss.

you get your hips a few more thrusts before you came around his cock. you panted and slowed down to a stop. you wiped the sweat off your brow before you leaned in and kissed him on the lips.

he laid there as a sweaty mess, he was very pretty under you. his blond hair stuck up in different angles and his cheeks were flushed. you rubbed his toned chest and chuckled.

you gave him another kiss, "how was that, my puppy?"

he nodded, "perfect, ma'am. thank you." he took you by the hips and rolled you onto your side. he snuggled behind you and gave you small kissed behind your ear.

you rubbed his arm that was around you as you both settled down from the high of sex. it felt nice, to be held. you could defend yourself if you so desired, but if having logan play bodyguard during the day and lover at night, then you'd keep him around. <3

[lee-laurent]

Scheiße - Luke Hughes

Summary: In which Luke falls for Nico's friend despite the language barrier. Or in which Sofia dates an American boy even though she barely understands him... at first.

Content: fluff, a tiny bit of angst (sort of), implied sex but no smut, making out

also this fic is formatted a bit different! it's kinda like a timeline of Luke and Sofia's relationship!

notes: everything in italics is in swiss german. easier than having to translate everything!! this one is for all my other multilingual queens/kings :) i tried my best to represent the struggle that i felt trying to learn english, but obviously everyone's experience is going to be different. the squirrel scene is very much taken from an actual experience i had haha

Meeting

"Stop picking at your nails, Sof. Everyone is going to love you," Nico attempted to calm his best friend.

"You don't know that. They could hate me," she argued, continuing to pick at her cuticles.

"Well... I'm their captain. So, if they do anything that makes you upset..."

"Don't threaten your team for me, Neeks."

"Just trying to reassure you, love."

The Devils were having a little pre-season get together with all the players and their significant others. Nico's best friend, Sofia, had recently made the move to America in hopes to improve her English; so, naturally he had decided to bring her along to help her make some friends in New Jersey.

Nervously, she followed behind Nico as they walked onto the roof of Nicole and Jesper's building. He placed a comforting hand on her back, leading her towards a group of WAGs.

"Nico! Hi!" Nicole smiled, "And you must be Sofia! Nico talks about you all the time."

"Hi," Sofia smiled sheepishly, playing with the hem of her skirt.

"Would you like a drink?" the blonde asked.

"Oh, sure. Thank you."

"I'll be with the boys. Let me know if you need anything," Nico smiled, walking off towards a group of hollering men.

Sofia fell into a steady flow of conversation with the Devils' significant others. Well, as steady as it could be with her limited knowledge of English.

"How long have you been seeing Nico?" one of the girls asked, taking a sip from her cocktail.

Sofia choked on her drink, giggling at the idea of being with Nico. "He is my best friend. We are not toether."

"Omg! I'm so sorry," the other girl blushed.

"It is fine! No stress," Sof smiled proudly at the use of the expression that Nico had recently taught her.

"So, anyone special back in Switzerland?" Nicole questioned.

"Oh, um, no. I... too focused on work. No time," she explained.

"Omg! We could set you up with one of the single guys on the team!"

"Oh... it's okay," Sofia giggled, taking a long sip of her drink.

"Let us know if you change your mind," Nicole winked, before starting a story about something that had happened at work earlier in the week.

"Sofia! Come here!" Nico beckoned her over to where he stood with a few players.

"Coming! It was nice meeting you all," she smiled politely at the girls.

"Wait! Give me your number! I'll add you to our group chat," Simon's girlfriend exclaimed. Sofia was giddy as she typed her number into her newly found friend's phone.

"Guys, meet Sofia," Nico smiled, placing his hand on her back once again. "Sof, meet Luke, Jack, Timo, and Dawson."

"Hi," Jack smiled widely.

"Nico always talks of you guys. Nice to meet you," the girl smiled, scooting closer into Nico's side. She was not a fan of all the eyes on her at the moment.

"Nice to see you again," Timo grinned. They'd met over the summer when Nico was training.

Luke could see her shoulders untense at the sound of her native language.

"You as well. It's crazy to meet everyone Nico talks about all the time. Like, sometimes I was convinced they were all in his head," she giggled, earning a glare from her best friend.

Luke, Jack, and Dawson chuckled awkwardly, completely unaware of what the conversation in front of them was about. They could be shit talking for all they knew.

"So... what do you do for work?" Dawson asked.

"Oh, fashion photography!"

"Ever tried sports photography?"

"I'm not as good at it," she nodded.

"She's being humble. She just prefers fashion," Nico laughed. While Nico talked to the boys, Sofia couldn't help but notice that the tallest boy in the group had yet to speak to her. Did he not like her? She was trying her best. She caught his eyes for a moment, but he quickly looked down at the beer in his hands. She was upset that one of Nico's close friends didn't like her, but she couldn't win them all.

Crushing

It was the third or fourth time that Sofia had hungout with the WAGs. This time she'd invited them to have their wine night at her and Nico's apartment. The girls were sat in the living room, chatting animatedly about the upcoming season.

"I know that Simon is so excited for his rookie season! He told me that Luke is feeling the same way," Simon's girlfriend smiled.

"I- I don't think Luke likes me," Sofia spoke up, swishing her wine around in the glass.

"What?!" Nicole exclaimed, "Why do you think that?"

"He never talks to me. And when I go to stand with Neeks, he walks away."

"That's funny because Curtis told me something completely different," Reanne smiled cheekily.

"What did he say?" Sofia asked, chugging the rest of her wine, before pouring herself some more.

"That Luke has a biiiiiig crush on a certain someone."

"Ooo! Sofia!" the girls cheered.

"But... he doesn't talk to me."

"Luke has no play, girl. He's probably just wayyy too nervous to talk you cause you're so stunning."

"He thinks I'm cute?" Sofia blushed.

"Duh! Who wouldn't? Do you think he's cute?" Nicole pressed.

Sofia pressed her lips together in an attempt to hide her growing smile, "He is like... how do I say it? My..."

"Type?"

"Yes! He's my type."

"Can I tell Curtis? Maybe he can talk some sense into Luke."

"We should let them come together naturally, Reanne," Nicole giggled.

"Okay, well... next game you're talking to him. Sound good?"

Sofia nodded happily. She couldn't believe that Luke had a crush on her! She felt like a high schooler writing in her diary about the cute boy in her class.

First Date

Sofia stood in the bathroom mirror, fixing her hair for the 15th time. She hadn't gone on a date in over a year and she was shitting herself. Luke had asked her out after their most recent win against the Rangers. She hadn't exactly told Nico who were date was with, but he knew she was going on one.

"You look beautiful, Sof," Nico smiled as she walked into the kitchen.

"It's not too much?" she asked, pulling at the bottom of her top.

"Are you going to wear a jacket?"

"Yeah, my jean one."

"I think that's perfect. Where are you guys going?"

"Some pizza place. Then we're going on a walk, I think."

"Cute. How'd you meet?"

"Oh, at the Rangers game. He came up to me when I was waiting for you."

"He wasn't a Rangers fan... was he?"

"No," she giggled, "He was wearing a Devils' jersery."

"Good. Have fun! You'll be back tonight?"

"Yes, Neeks. I'm not going to his on the first date," she giggled, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"Stay safe! I love you!"

"Love you too," she grabbed her purse, blowing him one last kiss before disappearing out the door.

"Hi," Luke smiled, "I like your outfit."

"Thank you, Luke. You look nice too," she admired the way his chest looked in the blue polo shirt he was wearing.

"Pizza?"

"Pizza."

The walk to the pizza place was full of laughter. Sofia wasn't sure she'd ever felt so confident in her English as when she was around Luke. He wasn't condescending at all, helping her when she asked and waiting when she didn't.

"Have you ever played hockey?" Luke asked, cutting himself a slice of pizza.

"No. That is not really... my thing?"

Luke nodded in understanding.

"But I love watching. You are very good."

"Thanks, Sofia. I have seen the outfits you've helped Nico make. Do you think you could help me?"

"You always wear same two suits," she giggled, covering her mouth.

"Don't bully me!"

"Sorry. I would love to help you, Luke."

"I, uh, wanted to apologize for ignoring you when we first met. I was under the impression that you were with Nico, so I was trying to push my attraction away."

"Nico is like a brother. I never think of him other ways. Promise."

"It's fine, Sof. No worries. I just being dumb."

"Maybe you are always dumb, Lukey."

Luke cackled, reaching out and holding her hand across the table.

"I'll just pretend that was your lack of English and not you bullying my again."

"I would never bully you," she smirked.

First Kiss

Sofia was cuddled up into Luke's side on the sofa, his hand holding tightly onto the dip of her waist.

"I can put the German captions on," Luke offered, as he watched Sofia's face scrunch up for umpteenth time.

"But maybe that would distract you."

"It won't, babe. I'll turn them on."

Sofia blushed at the pet name. Luke grabbed the remote, clicking on the German caption option on the film they were watching.

"What the hell is Eichhörnchen?" Luke asked, butchering the pronunciation.

"Eichhörnchen?" she giggled, correcting him, "It's squirrel."

"Say that again?"

"Squirrel."

"You say it so funny. I'm sorry."

"The 'skw' sound... that is not in German. Stop hating."

"Sorry, love," Luke giggled, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

Sofia looked up at him as he pulled away. She placed a gentle hand on the side of his face, leading him back down.

"What're you doing?" he whispered.

"Can we kiss?"

"Wha- what?"

"Can we kiss?" she asked just as confidently as before.

Luke nodded, running his tongue over his bottom lip. He leaned forward, capturing her top lip between his. He smiled into the kiss, ultimately breaking it. Sofia pouted, pulling him back in for more.

Wearing His Jersey/Becoming His Girlfriend

"Do a spin for me?" Luke smiled from his spot on his bed. Sofia was dressed in her panties and a jersey with 'Hughes 43' plastered on the back. She spun around giggling as he got off the bed, picking her up.

"You. Are. So. Fucking. Beautiful," he said between kisses, hands sneaking under the jersey to give her exposed ass a small squeeze. She gasped, smacking his chest.

"Jack will be home soon, I should go."

"Do you have to?" he whined, sitting down and pulling her onto his lap.

"Yes, Lukey. I'll be at the game, wearing my new jersey," she giggled, pulling him into a passionate kiss. He attempted to lay down and bring her with him, but she was quick to stand up. She walked over to the side of the bed, hopping into her jeans. The vintage bell bottoms looked amazing on her and Luke made sure to let her know, letting out a low whistle as she walked out the door.

"A Hughes' jersey?" Nico questioned after the game, pulling her into a hug.

"Thought I'd switch it up. Can't always be repping the Hischier one."

"Where'd you get it?"

"Luke let me borrow it."

"I'm glad you two have become friends. I was worrying you weren't going to befriend any of the guys."

"We're the same age. It just made sense," she shrugged.

"You never told me how that date you went on was."

"Oh, didn't really work out. He just wanted to use me to get free tickets," she lied.

"Sounds about right. You'll find someone, Sof. Don't worry."

"And if I don't?"

"You've got me," he winked, making her laugh. "Need a ride home?"

"Yes! Let me say thanks to Luke again."

"I'll meet you at the car," he smiled, kissing her cheek as he headed out.

"Look at you," Luke whispered as he pulled her into a 'friendly' hug. "Look so good in my jersey."

"Stop being so horny," she giggled, pulling away from him.

"Can't help it when my girlfriend looks sooooo fine."

"Girlfriend?"

"Sorry, I- uh, I just assumed because we spend all this time together. But if you don't want to be my girlfriend, I understand. I shouldn't have-"

"Luke."

"Yeah?"

"I'd love to be your girlfriend."

"Oh."

She pulled him into one more quick hug, before skipping off to meet Nico.

Nico Finding Out

Luke hummed as Sofia straddled his lap, running her hands through his hair. He pressed a kiss to her jaw, another on her neck, then one on her collarbone before connecting their lips again.

"I missed you," he mumbled.

"Missed you too."

The boys had been on a week long roadie, and now Sofia and Luke couldn't keep their hands off each other.

"Mmm, I love this perfume. Is it new?" he asked, kissing her neck again.

"Yeah," her voice was shaky, gasping when he nipped at her jaw.

"God, Sofia. You're perfect."

"Luke."

"Hm?"

"Kiss me."

His hands gripped her waist as their lips met in another passionate kiss. They laid down on the couch, Luke holding himself up as his girlfriend giggled below him.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing. I just missed this."

"Me too, babe."

Sofia's hands moved under his top, feeling the smooth skin of his chest. Just as Luke was going to ask if he could do the same, a new voice echoed through the apartment.

"Sofia? Who's here?"

"What?"

"Who's here? There's some white sneakers at the door. Not mine."

"Oh, Luke's here! We're watching TV."

The couple scrambled to sit up and fix their dishevled looks.

"Hey, Luke! How's it going, man?" Nico entered the living room, dapping up his teammate.

"Good, good. How're you?"

"Good. You didn't tell me he was coming over," Nico turned to his roommate.

"Yeah... spur of the moment."

"Is that a hickey?" Nico asked in German, as not to embarass Sofia.

"What? No."

"It totally is! Who gave you a hickey?"

"It's not a hickey, Nico."

"Was it him?!" Nico gasped.

"What?! No!"

"It was! You're such a shit liar! How long?"

"Beginning of the season," she sighed, finally giving in.

"This is so funny! Why didn't you tell me?!"

"I'm not a shit liar, for the record. You had no idea until now."

"Was that date with him?!"

"Nico!"

"I'm right here... if you're talking about me," Luke scratched the back of his neck.

"One second, Luke," Sofia smiled. "It was, yeah. I... I was nervous to tell you. Was worried you'd think I was using you to get with him."

"That's funny, Sof. I couldn't care less. As long as you're happy."

Sofia stood up, pulling her best friend into a tight hug.

"I'm watching you though, Rusty. Hurt her and I'll hurt you," Nico threatened, heading to his bedroom.

"He knows?!" Luke gasped.

Guess Sofia had some explaining to do.

[knightwithakay]

swordfighting observations

when I had only been doing HEMA for a little while, I turned to a friend and said: "this is going to ruin fictional swordfighting for me, isn't it?" and he said, immediately: "yep."

THAT SAID, a lot of live fencing still happens too quickly for me to really track and process what is and isn't happening. so the one fictional swordfighting thing I've always wondered about is the only one I'll speak to here, and that is

TWO SWORDS CLASH IN THE MIDDLE DISTANCE, BLADE TO BLADE. A WITTY QUIP IS EXCHANGED. ONE FIGHTER LEANS IN, TRYING TO EXERT POWER; THE OTHER DOES THE SAME; ONE BEGINS TO GAIN GROUND, FORCING THE OTHER BACKWARDS FROM SHEER FORCE ALONE

hey guys, I'm always thinking at this point. hot stuff, but couldn't you just like...move the sword as soon as it's clear brute force ain't gonna do it?

So I will be talking about the longsword concepts of binding and winding and also some anecdotal observation of my year and change learning both longsword and greatsword.

Obligatory caveat that I'm specifically speaking to concepts as I've learned em as German KDF longsword fencing, or as montante fencing, and I don't do shit with one-handed weapons.

First up: Binding. In longsword, your priorities are as follows: 1) keep the other person from hitting you 2) hit the other person, in that order. In the course of 1, it is pretty frequent that your swords will hit each other and hold. This is called the bind. I'm told that with sharp swords the bind is actually fairly literal; when two sharpened edges, potentially with burs and other rough spots, come into contact, they do lock into place rather than sliding around.

You can have a strong bind, when the lowest and more powerful part of your blade is in contact with the upper portion of your enemy's; a weak bind, when your upper sword is trying to exert pressure on their lower sword; or a neutral bind, where you both meet in the middle, as our lovebirds are doing.

Keeping the bind is actually pretty desirable sometimes, for a very straightforward reason: you know immediately where your enemy's sword is if you're in contact with it, and you have some leverage over it. Being in physical contact with the sword as it moves is much more immediate feedback that trying to visually track and defend against it. So the idea of these two homoerotic duelers maintaining contact long enough to quip is not actually that crazy.

Just sticking there and leaning at each other, however, is. Enter winding! In a nutshell, winding is the act of keeping your sword in the bind but positioning it such that you have an advantage. This can look like moving from a neutral bind to a strong bind, moving the tip of their sword from a threatening position to one where they can't reach you, or getting into a place where you can stab them in the face from the bind or even hit them with the pommel (classic). Physically, you're shifting the placement and direction of the sword, moving from guard to guard (from low on your hip to above your head, or switching side of the body) to try and find the advantage while maintaining pressure on their sword.

With two people who know what they're doing, winding can be very fluid and almost dance-like, as both fencers react to the other person, maintain contact, and fight for control through a series of different positions.

So! In summary, I want to see fewer fictional duelists wrenching their arms and shoulders by struggling to physically shove someone via sword, and more elaborate and flashy maneuvers as they negotiate via swordplay who's on top.

MONTANTE ANECDOTE TIME:

Because the weapon I prefer and click with more is a giant fuckin sword, I am not very good with binding. This was actually the first instance I noted of my greatsword stuff influencing my longsword stuff; when meeting another sword, I have a tendency to try and swing straight through it instead of arresting momentum to meet in the bind. With a montante, this is very easily done, because of the greater weight and momentum, and in fact a big component of the style; you're meant to be constantly in motion to maintain momentum, and you knock weapons away and then swing back around for the second hit. Trying to suddenly stop a montante is how you hurt yourself.

With a longsword, this has mixed results. Benefits: most longsword fencers aren't expecting me to do that, because it's the type of shit a beefy fella very confident in his strength would do, and I am only slightly more intimidating than a pasta noodle. So it sometimes tricks them into trying to react to a bind that doesn't come, and sometimes places my sword out of reach before they know what's happening, and if I am correctly maintaining my own momentum and being smart I can get the hit. Cons: it moves my sword out of position, and when I'm not presenting a threat I get hit. Additionally, if I meet one of those aforementioned beefy fellas and try this I may just get stopped cold, and then I have to wind. Figuring out how to implement this more purposefully than instinctively is on my to-do list as soon as it's cool enough to put on all of my padded sparring gear again.

[jewish-sideblog]

hey, so im Palestinian and a strong activist for my people's liberation. i wanted to ask for some info/advice on avoiding antisemitism in my activism for Palestine. im on anon bc i don't want to be called a racefaker for caring about Jewish ppl. i know antisemitism is on the rise right now (and generally over the past few years) and i want to make sure i'm not unintentionally contributing to it.

Hey there! I wanted to start by genuinely thanking you for asking this question. Partially because I don't actually get any well-intentioned or helpful questions in my inbox anymore, but also because I understand the amount of bravery it takes to reach out with a question like that at a time like this.

Next, I want to apologize to all my followers who hate long posts. Judaism is a very complicated ethnoreligious group, antisemitism is a very complicated form of bigotry, and the Israeli/Palestinian conflict is arguably the most complicated international issue that has ever existed. I'm going to try to go through everything as succinctly as possible below the cut-- I am also going to ask other Jews to contribute to and make edits to this list as needed.

And finally-- I'm writing this as though I were speaking to someone with very little knowledge of the subject. I understand that as a Palestinian, you probably know a lot about what's going on here. But I want to make sure that I'm covering bases for anybody else who might need to use this post. So if you're like, Yeah, Obviously I Knew That. Please remember that a fuckton of people on tumblr are engaging in Israeli criticism without obviously knowing that.

There are two primary forms of antisemitism in anti-Zionist spaces-- antisemitic conspiracy theory, and criticism of Israel that no other country receives. The first kind is the easiest kind to pick out, and it makes a nice bulleted list, so we'll start there.

Dual Loyalty. A global stereotype that has skyrocketed since the establishment of Israel, but it's been around for a lot longer than that. Simply put, it's the idea that Jews are more loyal to Israel (or some global secret kabal) than we are to the countries we currently reside in. With I/P, it manifests as the idea that All Jews are directly responsible for Israel or the idea that All Jews secretly support Israel. If you see a Jew who isn't directly engaging in I/P topics, don't ask them what their stance is. Plenty of us have never even been to Israel, and it's fucked up to assume that we're all experts in geopolitics.

The Holocaust was a Fabrication or a Lesson. The idea that Jews made up the Shoah has been around since the Shoah was still happening, and it's always been ridiculous. Today, you'll see three primary lines about this. Either it's that Jews made up the Shoah as an excuse to establish Israel, that the Jews deserved the Shoah because of what's happening in Israel today, or that the Jews "should have learned their lesson from the Holocaust" because now Jews are "the new Nazis". Frankly, I wish goyim would stop treating the deaths of millions of Jews like a TV show. Palestinian deaths are genuinely horrible, but this isn't some kind of "narrative parallel" to the Shoah.

The Kazars Theory, or All Jews are White. This is the DNA test nonsense. The idea is that Israel (or Jews at large) are only pretending to be indigenous to the Levant and that secretly Jews as a whole are actually indigenous to Eastern Europe. It's a lie, started by a German professor of Russian history in the early 1800s. Meanwhile, the vast majority of genetic, historical, and archaeological evidence points to Jewish origins in the Israeli/Palestinian region. There have been literal hundreds of genetic studies on this. Most of them suggest that Jews, even "white" Ashkenazim, are nearly genetically identical to Palestinians.

World Domination. The idea that Jews control the world began with the Protocols of the Elders of Zion in 1903. If you're encountering criticism of Israel that suggests that world governments, particularly European or American ones, are being controlled by Jews, you've got yourself antisemitism. White supremacists like to use the term "Zionist Occupied Government" or "ZOG" as shorthand for this conspiracy. The next two points are born out of this same ideology.

Controlling the Media. The idea that Jews are in charge of Hollywood and/or major news organizations around the world. Regarding I/P, I've seen a bunch of people say something like "Western media outlets won't cover this! (Because you know who controls them!)" only to look online and see... Western media outlets covering it. See also: "My source is tiktok! I don't trust the news!" While it's obviously a fair criticism to say that some Western news outlets certainly have a pro-Israel and anti-Palestinian bias, it's certainly not every single one of them. Reuters and the AP are once again my go-to's here.

Controlling the Financial World. I haven't actually seen this come up regarding I/P, but considering how things have been going, it's only a matter of time. We don't control the banks. We don't control the stock market. We're not in charge of American aid being sent to Israel. HaShem knows that if we controlled all the money, I'd certainly be living larger than I am now...

Those Bloodthirsty Jews. This one arguably started with Blood Libel in the 1100s, when Christians started accusing us of stealing and eating their babies. Straight up, I have met Christians who still believe this in 2023. You see this a lot with I/P-- the Al Ahli Hospital is the biggest example. More than a month later, most reliable intelligence organizations agree that a misfired Hamas rocket landed in a parking lot, killing about 100 people. But a ton of people are still saying that Those Bloodthirsty Jews intentionally bombed the hospital dead on, killing 470 people. I want to be clear-- Israel is killing a lot of civilians. But if you see a bandwagon of people focusing on the one group of deaths that Israel probably actually didn't cause? Consider why.

Causing wars, revolutions, and calamities. Hamas has straight-up got this one in their founding charter. No, the Jews are not responsible for any major global conflicts, revolutions, or counter-revolutions that don't directly involve Israel. We didn't do WWII. We didn't do the October Revolution. See above-- we're not secretly plotting massacres on Shabbat. A lot of people are saying that Netanyahu and Likud let Hamas in to justify the invasion of Gaza... I'd be shocked if that was the case. All evidence points to a classic intelligence failure. We're not orchestrating bloodbaths.

Section 2: Criticisms only levelled at Israel

It's important to recognise that Israeli civilians are no more collectively responsible for the actions of the Likud coalition than Palestinians are collectively responsible for the actions of Hamas. No Palestinian deserves to be stripped of their rights to self-determination in their ancestral lands because of the October 7th attack. Likewise, no Chinese person deserves to be displaced from China because of the CCP's human rights violations in Tibet, Uyghur and Hong Kong. No Russian person deserves to be ethnically cleansed from Russia because of the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine. But plenty of people do believe that Jews should be stripped of their rights to self-determination in historically Jewish indigenous lands because of the actions of the Israeli government.

After October 7th, I've seen people argue that Israeli babies deserved to be kidnapped because of their national origin. I've seen people argue that Israeli women deserved to be sexually abused because of their nation of origin. I've seen people argue that the seven million Jews living in their ancestral homeland deserve death or displacement because of their nation of origin. Justifying or allowing brutal harm against people because of their national origin is hateful.

I want to make this part very clear-- I do not have an issue with calling out Israeli war crimes or crimes against humanity. But I do have an issue with treating Jewish civilians differently than civilians of other nations responsible for similar horrors. Amplifying bias against a particular group because of that group's nation of origin is called bigotry. Taking a stand against Israeli settlements in the West Bank is anti-Zionism. Collectivizing the label of "white colonialism", and forcing that label upon refugees forced to move to Israel, or Mizrahim with uninterrupted 8,000-year histories in Israel, is antisemitism.

Part 3: Moving Forward

So where do we go from here? If advocating for the destruction of Israel is advocating for the elimination of Jewish self-determination in our ancestral lands, but advocating in favour of the Israeli government is advocating for the elimination of Palestinian self-determination in your ancestral lands, then we must find some middle ground. A solution that allows seven million Jews and five-and-a-half-million Arabs to share the same holy land, without fear of persecution, displacement, or death. For me, this means a few things.

First of all, the recognition that most Israelis disagree with Netanyahu's approach to Palestine, and most Palestinians disagree with Hamas's approach to Israel. And that brings up a question-- why are Likud and Hamas in charge of Israel and Gaza respectively if most people disagree with them? Without getting into the complicated intricacies of the Knesset and the PNA on an already very long post (and without explaining your own government to you), the simple answer is international funds.

Israeli crimes against Palestinians are bankrolled by American Evangelical Christians, who believe that when Palestine is gone, all the Jews will go to Israel, and Jesus will come back to kill the world's infidels. They actually fucking believe that. Meanwhile, Hamas is bankrolled by Iran, which believes that the more often Jews and Sunni Muslims kill each other, the easier it will be for Iranian Shiite Jihad to take over the world. They actually fucking believe that.

So what steps can we take during our advocacy? Not for the destruction of Israel nor the destruction of Palestine, but for America and Iran to get their noses out of our damn business. I genuinely believe that a defunded Likud and a defunded Hamas will allow Israelis and Palestinians to work together for a peaceful two-state or joint-rule solution. Something that will keep my Palestinian friends from feeling like they can't safely travel from Jaffa to Tel Aviv. Something that will allow my Jewish family to visit and pray at the Cenotaphs of Isaac and Rebecca and the Temple Mount. Something that will let Israeli children from Kibbutz Nirim and Palestinian children from Khan Yunis play on the same playgrounds together, instead of sheltering from missile fire.

Frankly, we nearly had that when the Supreme Muslim Council and the Assembly of Representatives began collaborating against the British Mandate instead of against each other. Clearly, it's possible, we just need to stop being pitted against each other by foreign powers.

[eros-thanatos89]

I love your post about Lalo's appearance benefiting him being a chameleon (/759454466239021056) and was wondering if you had more thoughts on that or would be willing to expand more? I remember a NYT article with Tony where he says that American casting directors didn't know how to cast him because he didn't "look" or "sound" Mexican. But it feels like that works in Lalo's favour too, at least the way Tony portrayed him

Hello Anon! First of all, thank you! I'm glad that the post resonated with you! :D

Thank you for mentioning that NYT interview! I'll link it at the end of this reply!

I remember reading it or a similar interview where Tony discussed his difficulty being cast for roles in the USA, particularly in roles for the stage in NYC, following his schooling in NYC, because he was too light-skinned to "look Mexican", so casting directors weren't sure whether to cast him in Latino roles or White roles. And I was struck by him sharing that he moved to Mexico (and luckily found success being cast in telenovelas!), but he actually had to learn to be "more Mexican" after being raised in Texas. That dilemma of him being perceived as not looking or sounding "Mexican enough" to be cast in Latino roles in the USA, but also having to learn to be "Mexican enough" to be in Mexican telenovelas just really struck a chord with me, as a light-skinned half-Mexican person who grew up in the US (though sadly, I am NOT bilingual like Tony and Lalo).

In the interview, Tony also shares his own headcanons that Lalo's mom is a gringa, and Lalo likely spent some time in the USA during his time with the cartel. And I'd agree with you (and Tony himself!) that his bi-cultural identity, ethnically ambiguous appearance, and bilingualism DO work in his favor in terms of him being able to blend in and charm his way through many different social settings.

He has one foot in the US and one foot in Mexico, and his appearance and privilege allow him to fluidly move through both the criminal world and more legitimate spheres (like his ability to blend in at the German bar and play the part of an urbane American businessman).

I honestly don't know if I'm saying anything new or making any sense, but...I was just very touched by how much struggle such a talented actor had to go through at the start of his career! And his struggles as a bicultural person really struck a chord with me, personally!

So anyways, Anon, thanks for reminding me about that interview! I hope my response made sense or had some value for you :D

Here's the link to that NYT interview <3

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/20/arts/television/tony-dalton-better-call-saul-finale.html

[gentlebeardsbarngrill]

02/28/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Cast&CrewSightings; Rhys;Taika; HowToHelp; Guardian Survey; Ranker; AdoptOurCrewAnalysis; 50DaysInTheGravyBasket; New Watch Parties; Pirate Radio and Yes Man; Watch Party Reminders; California In Person Events; Fan Spotlight; Articles; Love Notes; Daily Darby/Today's Taika

Another VERY eventful day crew. There's actually more but I needed to get some permissions to share so hopefully I'll have them up tomorrow! Hope you are all having a lovely day/night! <3

= Cast & Crew Sightings =

== Rhys Darby ==

Rhys is out here being silly and thoughtful on his IG Stories again!

== Taika Waititi ==

Rita has been so kind to us fans by providing us footage on her IG Stories! We get to see our silly guy being happy and silly!

== How to Help ==

= Guardian Survey Link =

The Guardian would LOVE to hear your feedback! If you have a few moments to help, feel free to fill out the survey! Survey Link

= Ranker =

Great job all! Looks like we're already up to #1! Thanks @_irene_adler on IG for capturing this!

== Adopt Our Crew Analysis ==

Our friends over at @adoptourcrew have put together some awesome data regarding our Captain Rhys Darby!

== 50 Days in the Gravy Basket ==

@saveofmdcrewmates posted this video today marking "50 days since the cast, crew and fans of Our Flag Means Death were plunged into the Gravy Basket."

@giulianaazr has created this video to remind us that there is a way out! 🏴‍☠️🥹

Tumblr / Twitter / Instagram / Youtube

== New Watch Parties! ==

= Pirate Radio! =

More details coming tomorrow!

= Yes Man! =

Join us for a Yes Man Watch Party!

Graphic by@ICouldBeFamily

Where: #RhysDarbyFaction Discord When: March 10th 12 Noon PST / 3PM EST / 8PM GMT Who: Need Access? Reach out to @AspirantAbby42 on twitter, or @gentlebeardsbarngrill here on Tumblr!

Watch Party Hashtags:

#HellYesRhys

#RhysDarbyFaction

#AdoptOurCrew

#SaveOFMD

== WATCH PARTY REMINDERS! ==

= People of Earth S2 =

People of Earth S2 continues tomorrow Feb 29 at 9 pm GMT / 4pm EST / 3pm CST / 1pm PST. Need access? Reach out to @iamadequate1!

#PiratesOfEarth

= Uncle Season 2 Watch Party! =

Wed 28th + Thurs 29th GMT - 8pm / ET - 3pm / PST - 12 pm Streaming on I-player! Outside the UK? Follow this VPN tutorial to learn more. 

#ForTheNewUncle

== In Person Events ==

Nothing Moves Without The Crew!

Thank you to @WGA_fandomLove on twitter for letting us know about this meet up in Los Angelos California! Please visit their twitter and follow for more information!

Gay Pirate fandom friends in the LA area - let’s rally in solidarity with @IATSE on the eve of their negotiations with the AMPTP. They represent Hair & Makeup, Costumes, Grips, Set Decorators, Props, Camera Operators - basically all the magical people that made OFMD shine!

== Fan Spotlight ==

= February Love Collage Fest! =

Thank you again to @wndrngnomad for these collages!

Day 28: The friendships of the cast and crew!

= Cast Cards by @melvisik! =

Our wonderful crew-mate @melvisik has been kind enough to share their trading cards of the cast members with us over the last several weeks! These are super cool because you can see some other shows they've been in as well! They've said it's okay to print them out, use them as trading cards, or anyway you'd like :) Wanna see more? Check them out over on the Repository!

== Articles ==

"The Best Series In March" - German Article ty to @Addie__H for the translation of the title.

== Loves Notes ==

I apologize lovelies, I think the last few days are finally catching up to me so I'm going make this short tonight. HOWEVER, I WILL SAY -- I saw so much Safe Space Ship today and it warmed my heart so much. So many of you are reaching out to crew-mates and giving encouragement and I'm so very proud of you <3. Seriously, I don't know of a better fandom out there (and I've been in a quite a few in my day) where there has been so much acceptance and support. I know we're all struggling a bit with disagreements/concerns over renewal efforts, but you all are still just out there giving love left and right. You really are just the most amazing group of individuals and I'm so honoured to be here with you. I've probably said this a thousand times, sorry but it's what runs through my head whenever I see the love you're sending out. I am going to take advice from @thelatestkate and sign off and go get some rest. See you all in tomorrow-world, love you dearies <3

== Daily Darby / Tonight's Taika ==

Just some goof for tonight. Nothing too similar except I know quite a lot of us look at Taika like that all the time (respectfully).

Tonight's gifs are brought to you by:

Rhys: @fandomsmeantheworldtome

Taika: @ofmd-ann

[andreas-river]

Hi! I have an Oc who is Malaysian so her accent is very heavy. She doesn't have much knowledge about other languages, just English. Then I had an idea.

Could you do something about the reader being the nursing assistant at the base, who is a little shy and decided to learn German on her own just to have some conversation with König, since she always had a crush on him. She is always seen very distracted reading something but no one knows what she reads so much, since she takes care to cover all the German books she has so that no one suspects her sudden interest in the language.

Thank you in advance! 🥰

König X Nurse!Fem!Reader

A/N: Hi, here's your request. I'm sorry it took so long, hope you'll like it anyway!

Disclaimer: I do not own any MW characters. English is not my first language.

Warnings: mention of wound, fluff.

Since you became a nurse at the base, you came in contact with many soldiers, always helping them, following all the doctors’ orders, giving them support, and trying to be more than a nurse, at least something like a friend.

Communication is the key─and to do your job, you need to communicate in any way.

König was the hardest one: he was always silent, answering your questions with simple syllables, such as “yes” or “sure”, keeping his eyes low, or just roaming around the room without watching.

So, you started to learn his language.

Whenever you had the chance -lunch breaks, between patients, or in the evenings- all your attention would fall back on the stack of recovered German books, starting with the basics, but not with little effort. No one suspected anything- and you cared about keeping this a secret.

Something attracted you to him, but still weren’t able to explain, his mere presence made you feel so little, so protected, always feeling his eyes under the hood watching you, but when you tried to catch him, he was faster than you and his eyes were already on something else.

A knock from the door made you flinch, bringing you back to reality, quickly leaving the book under your jacket -hiding it- and sprinting to the door, facing exactly the one you were thinking about all the time.

“Hi, uh... the bandage came off, so...” his thick accent made you shiver, your eyes going right where he was pointing to: a straight line of stitches in his left arm was exposed, still holding the old bandages with the other.

“Oh- sure, come in.” he followed you, making him sit on a chair to be able to medicate his wound more easily. Even with that, his height is still tangible.

“You didn’t find the doctor?” you asked him with a smile, trying to make him comfortable. His breaths weren’t natural, like he was controlling them to make them appear normal, but you knew they weren’t.

“Well, no one is here anymore.” He scratches the back of his head, feeling a sort of smile on those words. “I didn’t even expect to find someone.”

“Wait... hold on-” you frown, don’t understanding the meaning of those words. No one is here?

You turned around, reading the clock on the wall. 01:20 AM.

“It’s pretty late, huh?” A nervous laugh escaped your lips, your face turning hot from the embarrassment.

With his head tilted to the side, he laughed too, your chest filled with a joy you didn’t recognize: you never heard him laugh, or even talk too much, and yet, König was right in front of you, laughing together like old friends, both your hands still holding his arm half-covered from the bandages.

“You were doing something important?”

You can swear he’s literally smirking under his hood. Somehow this situation made him feel comfortable more than any other time, coming out of his shell and revealing his true self to you.

“Actually... yeah, it was really important. I like reading, often I lose track of time.” You answered, ending the medication, and letting his arm go.

He gets up, pointing at something right behind you- right where you put the book. Turning around, the jacket was on the ground, the book completely exposed, feeling your face become even redder than before.

“It’s weird, I know-“ you turned back around, König already standing up behind you. The distance between your bodies was minimal and feeling the heat of his body radiating to you, a shallow breath escaped your lips.

The tips of his fingers were mid-air, meeting your red cheek.

“It’s okay...” his voice came out as a whisper, the pupil of his eyes wider than normal.

You two remained like that, staring into each other’s eyes for seconds that seemed like hours, noticing his broad chest moving faster, both of your breaths in sync. He then made a step back, both of you embarrassed, somehow happy to have made it that far.

“Es war schön dich zu sehen.” he whispered slowly, leaving you alone in the room.

A smile formed on your lips. You take the book in your hands, still feeling his own on your skin, burning like a fire and warming your heart.

It was good to see you too, König.

[dedalvs]

Hey there! I've been trying to work on a logography recently (if you ever came across the Pan-Germanic runes thread on the cbb, it's in that vein) and I've really been struggling with coming up with the actual glyphs themselves. While there are other systematic problems to solve, I find tackling them more familiar and easier to approach than the task of coming up with individual glyph designs themselves (especially for abstract concepts that aren't as easily to represent pictorally). I have some academic background in Chinese, but I worry that this only serves to hamper me by making it easier for me to copycat their glyph origins. Do you have any recommendations for how to come up with original glyph designs? Is this a problem you've encountered in designing your own logograms? Any big tips for how to find inspiration?

Honestly, if I'm lost, I often go to Chinese to see what they do for abstract elements. I was completely lost on length in High Valyrian, for example, without being able to compare one thing to another—and especially with the whole "banana for scale" problem. The idea is so basic, though, I figured it would be a basic term in Chinese that would have its own glyph, and I was right! Turns out in Chinese the origin derives from hair. And that, of course, is brilliant, because human hair is something you can depict and has an absolute reference (i.e. at a certain point, all humans will agree that a certain length of hair is long).

At that point, though, I did my own drawing for a person with long hair, and used that as the source of the glyph in Valyrian. There's nothing wrong with using the same etymological source as long as you do your own work from there. It's a good thing to do when stuck.

As for other things, though, you go through the same process. It's easier to make images of concrete elements than abstract. When it comes to abstract concepts, think about what concrete elements in your world are most closely associated with those abstract concepts, then do glyphs based on those concrete things. You should also feel free to take combinations of elements and combine them into a single glyph (for example, maybe your glyph for "warm" is a combination of hot + cool, or hot + small). Always start with the concrete elements of your conlang's world. Also, the associations don't have to make perfect sense, so long as they make sense to your speakers. After all, the same thing happens with word etymologies.

Anyway, hope that helps! I also recommend following others who create logographies like my friend @yuk-tepat. He's really good, and you'll learn a lot by reading his stuff.

[tinyozlion]

Gundam Wing: Minutia and Trivia

On my long and winding way down research rabbit holes, I often stumble on bits and pieces of trivia that I find quite interesting, but don't really fit anywhere in my usual commentary on Gundam canon and are far too niche and inconsequential to merit a post of their own. HOWEVER. Since I know in my heart that you, dear reader, are also the sort of person for whom background details of the absolute least consequential variety are a source of delight and inspiration, I am compiling some of my discoveries here, and perhaps if I find more, there will be follow up posts. This one happens to be, in a very loose sense, mostly about Romefeller, OZ, and its Special Eyebrow People, because that is where my brain worms are currently converging. Here is my collection of useless trivia. I lay them at your feet like weird pebbles. Look at them. They're neat.

1. The Daily Kingdom Newspaper

It's quite likely that this has already been done, but in the grand spirit of this blog, I have decided to take the path of highest effort for the stupidest reason, and transcribed this paper. This page of After Colony news, ostensibly from July 14th, A.C. 195, appears to be reporting on events that happened towards the end of World War II. It's apparently been a slow news day for the Sanc Kingdom press for several centuries. I found myself getting kind of wrapped up in the stories and was disappointed I couldn't turn the page and find out what happened next. (I mean, I know what happened next, broadly speaking.) Of particular interest were Henri and Camille Dreyfus, Swiss chemists who made a lot of innovations during both world wars. ...They were also apparently noted OZ supporters? Well, what can you expect from a big industrial supplier of*checks notes* acetyl intermediates.

2. The OZ doggy

Pictured below: Treize's well-heeled hunting pet

and a dog is there too *BA-DUM tsch!*

This spotty and behaved hound is a real breed of hunting dog, the German Short-haired Pointer, or GSP! Did you know this, dear reader? I did not know this. This is new Dog Lore to me.

from the wiki: "It is a pointer and retriever, an upland bird dog, and water dog. The GSP can be used for hunting larger and more dangerous game. It is an excellent swimmer but also works well in rough terrain. It is tenacious, tireless, hardy, and reliable. German Shorthaired Pointers are proficient with many different types of game and sport, including trailing, retrieving, and pointing pheasant, quail, grouse, waterfowl, raccoons, opossum, and even deer."

Seems like a perfect bird-hunting companion for Mr. Treize. She'll probably go retrieve the beautiful red phoenix he murdered. I've decided she's named Oscar (after the Rose of Versailles) and she is a very good girl. Braver Oscar! Braver Hund!

3. Luxembourg Castle

This is Treize's abandoned Disney castle in Luxembourg. I owe the background artists of this scene an apology, for in my heart I assumed this was a random assemblage of spare castle-parts they found at Ludwig II's rummage sale. Reader, I was wrong:

THIS is Schloss Viandin, a restored castle in Luxembourg. Look at this place, it's gorgeous! You can hardly tell there's a secret mobile suit bunker in the basement. Frankly, I'm jealous I'm not being confined there, Treize! Stop sulking in the catacombs and go relax in the pretty princess bed until you feel better. Gaze upon the signed picture of Patrick Swayze; let him inspire you.

4. Romefeller's Secret

This one comes to us from the Battlefield of Pacifists manga, which, I've learned, is pretty good actually. (I mean it's not GOOD good, but it contains some interesting stuff). Now, come: I am taking you with me on this journey:

I feel extremely vindicated knowing that there's semi-canonical support for my theory that the Romefeller aristobrats are Austrian. I knew it. I KNEW IT. According to this manga, Romefeller was officially founded in Vienna-- the wording is a little ambiguous in this translation, but if Romefeller had members joining it in 1862, then it had to have existed in some form since then-- which means that the "Glorious Year" of 1956 is something other than its founding date. So what exactly happened in 1956? As I am a hack and fraud, and have been one all my life, I have looked to wikipedia for guidance. Mostly what was happening was the Cold War, colonialism, uprisings, Elvis, research and debate over artificial intelligence, both the hard drive disk and the snooze-button alarm clock being invented, Japan joining the UN, and wait what's this--

COMPUTER, ENHANCE:

...My god...

It's all coming together.

Eurovision is a plot by Romefeller.

The evidence is all here. There is simply no other conclusion we can come to.

--For this, and many other reasons that are well beyond the scope of a fandom blog, you should probably boycott them.

I rest my case.

5. The Romefeller Coat of Arms

I'm no vexillologist, and my heraldic experience is limited to adoptable pixel dragons, but what I am is an insane person with too much time on their hands. And so, to the best of my ability, I have blazoned the Romefeller coat of arms:

Supporters: Two Unicorns Rampant 

Crown: Purpur Crown of Peerage or Lord of Parliament  

Escutcheon: Heater with Two Engrailed Wedge Top - party per pale (halved vertically)

Blazon: Sinister (Right): Argent, Bend Sinister Sanguine; Dexter (Left): Bleu Celeste, Charged with a Ringed (or Celtic) Cross Argent 

Motto Scroll: UPRTUN or UPRTVN

--I don't know what UPRTVN is meant to stand for, but there are truly SO many ways you could play Latin Mad Libs and get a reasonable-sounding answer. At a stab, knowing Romefeller's priorities and values, I would guess it probably contains a, you know, "Unity/Peace/Rule/Tradition/Victory/Necessity", "Unity Through The Rule of Tradition Is Our Victory", or some such deeply worrying thing. Take your pick really.

6. "Herbst" / "Autumn"

The Rilke poem Treize quotes in "Frozen Teardrop" is not terribly difficult to find online, but if you're not sure what you're looking for it can be difficult because he has multiple poems about Autumn, and Autumn Day is perhaps better known; also the internet is absolutely filthy riddled with despicable bots and farmed content that has lost its attributions, so you do have to dig to find where different translations have come from (bless this very Web 1.0 page for carrying on the lord's work in basic html). Here is the original in German, and two complimenting translations:

Herbst -Rainer Maria Rilke Die Blätter fallen, fallen wie von weit als welkten in den Himmeln ferne Gärten; sie fallen mit verneinender Gebärde. Und in den Nächten fällt die schwere Erde aus allen Sternen in die Einsamkeit. Wir alle fallen. Diese Hand da fällt. Und sieh dir andre an: es ist in allen. Und doch ist Einer, welcher dieses Fallen unendlich sanft in seinen Händen hält.

This translation by Horst A. Scholz (linked here so I don't get into trouble) is the most spare and one-to-one translation into English I've found-- I always appreciate having a comparison between the very literal meanings and a more creative reconstruction when I'm reading translated poetry.

Meanwhile on the other end of the spectrum, this translation by Robert Bly is very freeform and agnostic; for my own purposes, I think the use of "Space" instead of "Heaven" happens to fit nicely with the themes of Gundam:

Autumn -translation by Robert Bly The leaves are falling, falling as if from far up, as if orchards were dying high in space. Each leaf falls as if it were motioning "no." And tonight the heavy earth is falling away from all other stars in the loneliness. We're all falling. This hand here is falling. And look at the other one. It's in them all. And yet there is Someone, whose hands infinitely calm, holding up all this falling.

[hekates-corner]

Apothecary Diaries • WN Translation • Masterlist

Hello, if you've never seen this blog before - I write up posts as I go along translating the web novel for myself. For now, I'm working on arc 9/soon to be V10 of the LN.

I translate the entire chapters, so be warned, as I go through telling you all that happens.

If you'd like spoilers, but less - my dms and asks are open!

I'll add my proper introduction at the end, to keep this rather user friendly.

Arc 9

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3 • 🃏

Chapter 4 • 💭

Chapter 5 | Chapter 6

Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9

Chapter 10 • 🃏📍 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12

Chapter 13 | Chapter 14

Chapter 15 | Chapter 16

Chapter 17 • 💭 | Chapter 18 • 💭

Chapter 19 | Chapter 20

Masterlist Notes

The chapters divided by “|” are parts that link directly together. I'll usually provide the titles I get in the post, but since not all of them translate as well for me, I'll omit them from the masterlist for now.

I'm probably going to use three symbols:

💭 is for chapters that involve Maomao and Jinshi interacting

📍 is saved in case there should be any triggers - which I'll detail in the chapter posts

🃏 is for a change in narrator

For now I don't have a proper update schedule. I'll usually post once a day, if not then I'm probably working on a string of chapters that are tied together, or the chapter and I have some communication issues.

Just save the post, follow, or check the tags. If you'd like to get tagged in updates or be notified when I do, send a dm my way!

Introduction

I originally had this intro in chapter 1, but since I'm getting things done quite quickly, we're here.

I picked this up because, like many, I would likely never hear the end of this story, if I kept waiting for the LN translations to get up to date. Out of sight out of mind is a real issue.. but I love the story, plus I've translated some bits and pieces before - so, I chose to not stick my head in the sand while all the content is right there.

I'm pretty transparent if I don't know something, this is all just for fun and a learning curve while trying the best I can. My main perk is that I can translate to both english and german, which is pretty much what I'm doing to try and raise accuracy.

Please note that there are differences between the Web Novel vs the finished Light Novels. I chose to go with the WN, so that the actual finished LN's remain exciting - it's also why I don't share the art that's out there.

So if you're up to go down poison alley with me/my posts - Welcome!

[litnerd]

Today has been my first day of lectures and I'm motivated to finally start to study "right". I get good grades, so I haven't done horrible so far but I want to change the way I study fundamentally. I want to easily feel prepared for every final, every test, every presentation by studying and learning while lectures are still on, not only right before the test/presentation comes up. I want to feel smart and actually remember the things I'm studying instead of cramming the day before a test and forgetting everything right after I sat it.

For now, this is my plan:

Read textbook chapters BEFORE the lectures so it's easier to follow the lecturers.

Revise every lecture for at least 10 minutes, every seminar for at least 20 minutes on the same day.

When you get a task - do it immediately once you get home, no matter the due date. No procrastinating!

Use the 30/10 method - 30 minutes studying, 10 minutes break (either rest, or do something productive like cleaning... Nothing with content that distracts your brain).

Sleep 7h30 or 9h every night

No other social media allowed than tumblr, reddit and youtube (I've already deleted tiktok, instagram and twitter- no short form content!)

So far I think that's it. I'm currently working on a term paper that's due on the 31st of October (I'll have to upload it on the 29th latest though, because I'll be in London from the 31st till the 4th) which is officially my last bit of work I need to do for last semester... And then we can jump right into this fresh one! ... I got some seriously awesome courses this time (like scene writing for theatre, acting practice, German Sign Language...) which I'm sure I will update about loads. See ya!

[mercurygray]

#76 broken pieces for whatever two characters you would like, please.

I have a brainwave that these two needed to share a scene - so here they are.

This was the third date this month.

It felt funny, saying that, that Molly was going on a date, but Billie wasn't sure she had any other word for when a fellow dropped by in a nice suit, picked up a girl in a nice dress, and the two of them went out to dinner.

A date. Could you even imagine? It was Berlin and the war was over and they were going on dates again, real dates, where you spent time cleaning yourself up first and the fellow actually had a front door to show up at. Not like they'd done during the war, where a date could be meeting a guy for dinner in the next foxhole, or sharing a blanket, or watching a fire. Any spare five minutes alone.

But here he was, on the front mat, shoes shined and hair combed. She wondered what they were paying him - his suit looked too nice for Berlin. Everything here was shabby after six years of war, and he looked out of place in the hallway. "Mr. Rosenthal." She opened the door and let him inside before returning to her seat at the table.

"Sergeant Mitchell."

"She's almost ready - she found a run in her stocking and had to change."

He shrugged. "We're not in any hurry."

Billie nodded, and returned cagily to her magazine, glancing up to follow his eyes around the room, taking in the small bits of art on the walls, some of it stuck up with tape, the calendar in the kitchen, the dishes in the drainer by the sink.

George Stout wasn't ever one for running a really military outfit, and the fact that they were Army without the Army meant private billeting rather than barracks. It was just the two of them in the apartment, though there were several other officers in the building, which was run by an absolutely ancient little old lady who knew very little English. (Molly was trying to learn German, just to get by a little with her, but the Army phrasebook wasn't getting them very far.)

He looked a picture, standing there in the front room - you could say that much. He would have looked even more handsome in class As, with that dark dark brown bringing his eyes out in full force and the mustache that made him look like Tyrone Power. An easy charmer, one of the gang would have said. But she'd known easy charmers before. What do you know about him, Mol? Like, really know? Apart from the blue eyes and the curly hair and the manners and the smile and the fact that he can't sing? He's been coming here for a month and what is he? A hotshot pilot and a lawyer and what else? What's he hiding? Where's the catch?

Because there's always a catch, isn't there? With a boy like that. He's too good.

Billie rose from her chair and moved to put her now-cold cup of coffee in the sink. "I don't think she ever told me where you're from, Mr. Rosenthal."

"Brooklyn - Flatbush."

Billie had a sudden desire to call up Ruth and ask her what she knew about flyerboys from Flatbush. "And you still have family there? Parents, siblings? Girlfriend?"

He nodded. "My mother, and my sister." He smiled a little. "And no girlfriend."

Notice I didn't ask about a wife. "You still close with them?"

His smile never wavered for a moment. "My mother writes me nearly every week. Sister less often, but she'll put a word in Mom's."

"And your firm, are they - are they taking you back, when this is over?"

"I'm sure they will be." He moved closer to the kitchen and looked her in the eye. "You know, I could provide personal references, if that would take less time, Sergeant. Former commanding officers, friends - my rabbi." He smiled at her surprise. "I'm a lawyer. I know what an interrogation looks like."

Billie squared up, her eyes meeting his with no hint now of gentle prying. If you thought the rabbi was going to trip me up, I'll tell you now I don't care. "I like having all the facts." And the fact is that I don't know you, Robert Rosenthal, and I don't like that.

"And the fact that I like Molly an awful lot?"

See, you say that and I believe you, and I hate that I do. "Lots of guys can say they like a girl, Mr. Rosenthal. Maybe even use the word love. Doesn't mean a thing later. I'm trying to establish intention and motive." There's been a war on. People say things they don't mean all the time. Isn't that why you have a job?

He was watching her with a kind of respect in his eyes, smile tugging at his mouth. "Have you ever considered becoming a lawyer, Sergeant?"

Billie felt off balance at the compliment. "The bar wouldn't have me."

He laughed at her casual brutalism, and glanced down at his shoes, considering his next words very carefully. "When you fly a bomber, the only guys you trust are the other nine in the plane with you. Imagine it's the same in a foxhole."

"After they've given you a reason to, sure."

"Guess I'll just have to work on that, then."

It was then, of course, when they were nose to nose and eye to eye that Molly walked in, beautiful in her dress uniform. "Billie Mitchell, are you interrogating him?"

Rosie stepped back, supremely unconcerned by all of it. "It's all right, Mol. We were just talking. It never hurt to have friends who care."

He calls her Mol. And he calls me Sergeant, because he knows we're not friends yet. That's what Ron did, too.

Billie met Molly's eye with a clenched jaw, almost afraid of what she'd find there. It's what you did for me, isn't it, care? And I never listened. But you're smarter and better than me, and you deserve better, too, better than broken promises and broken pieces of a heart. And if he is what he says, you deserve him, Molly. You deserve the world. And if he's not then I'll bury him.

"No," Molly said, softening a little, realizing what they were saying. "No, it never did." She sniffed and checked the fastening on her purse, fiddled with a button. "Will you wait up?"

Billie shook her head. "You'd better take the key. I'm not going out."

Molly nodded, grabbing the key and its chain from where it hung near the door and closing the door behind her as she and Rosie left. He would ask her, at dinner, what that had all been about, and perhaps Molly would tell him - or not. She fell in love with a guy she thought she knew. It ended like you think it did.

[theic-manic]

Hello! I would like to ask if you or other Hellenic polytheists are okay with Gods x Reader stories. Sometimes this kind of story comes up for me and I'm like "🤨" I don't know

Hey there! I can't answer for all Polytheists, as we are all unique and have varying comfort levels with sexuality and erotica however I shall comment on my own perspective, as a non-reconstructionist: Personally, I love that you've asked me this when Hermes has come back from whatever errands he was running nice and strong because I have found that one of the UPG (Unverified Personal Gnosis) "signs" I get when he's wanting to work with me directly is that my FYP on various socials will have Hermes fan art (some of it especially "slutty") , and Hermes x Reader and I have found that as a deity I associate with the algorithm he'll show my certain deity x reader content in general on various platforms. Last night I saw some fan art that made me realise we was definitely back. Occasionally I will feel drawn to looking certain content up, especially when Apollo is inspiring me.

I once had Apollo ask what i thought of a certain Apollo x Reader fic, and upon giving my approval, he explained that he "likes to inspire the writers and artists because their works are viewed by certain followers precisely when they need to view them". That's not to say that seeing deity x reader content is a guaranteed sign, however I do take Kledons and other omens into account when identifying which deity is reaching out to me and why. Finally, it is never my place, or the place of anyone else, to censor what other artists and creators do, which includes modern adaptations such as Kaos, PJO etc. So long as the creators aren't being disrespectful to the cultures the deities come from, I personally see no issue and from what I gather the majority of Deity x Reader content is based on the pop culture adaptation characters rather than actual deities. As for the content that's based on Mythology-deities than pop culture characters, if people feel drawn to expressing their connection with the divine in such a manner, power to them. While I live in an area known as "Little Greece", and work with some Greeks, I am not of Greek heritage and I am not a reconstructionist so I'm not about to start virtue signalling, I'll allow the Greeks to take space & speak on how they feel about this content themselves. As for the culture that does apply to me, as an ex- Norse Pagan-Polytheist of Scandinavian-Eastern European-German heritage on my paternal side, I had to learn many moons ago to treat media portrayals of the Gods as separate fictional characters for my own sanity, especially with all the Loki simps (I was a Loki devotee). It does become particularly cringe worthy when baby-Polytheists "Godspouse with Loki" and the "Loki" they are "worshipping" is Marvel Loki rather than Mythology Loki, however as long as folks aren't being disrespectful to Heathenry, Asatru or the cultures who worshipped the Norse gods it's not my business. (As an aside, I have recently had some signs of Loki wanting to work with me again so I will need to look into this further). The important question I have for you to reflect upon however is how do you feel about this content? If you dislike it, then I suggest that you simply keep scrolling and train your algorithm to prioritise other content. Please don't let the opinions of others dictate your experiences with the divine! This is your spiritual journey, fellow traveller. I hope this answers your ask well enough.

[your-resident-boat-person]

Hi! I saw your post about your top ocean liners! If you're still answering questions, what do you know about the Adriatic? Feel free to include another ship as I'm trying to learn more about ocean liners!

So, the Adriatic occupies a strange position in the Ocean Liner community. If you were to ask someone which of the Olympic class was their favorite, you'd get various answers, including the Britannic. However, very few people would say they picked Britannic because "she's the best version of the Olympic class". Most people would discuss her building, or her World War 1 service. Meanwhile, most people who I have spoken to about the Big 4 prefer the Adriatic because "she's the best version of the big 4". And, I mean, they're right, but its strange. She's the largest, the fastest, and the most luxurious. She was the first ocean liner to feature a swimming pool and Turkish bath, and all of her accommodations were generally a significant upgrade from her predecessors. But it's strange to me how THAT is the reason everyone prefers her. I mean, it's why I prefer her. She's the ultimate ship of the Big 4. But like I said earlier, very few people who prefer Britannic over Olympic and Titanic hold that opinion because she was (planned to be) more luxurious.

Anyway, here are some cool facts for you.

1. The Big 4 was almost the Big 5.

After Titanic sank, White Star apparently put in an order with Harland and Wolff for "A new Adriatic class ship". This is VERY strange considering the Big 4 had since been superceded by the Olympic class. As far as I know, no company EVER ordered a new ship from a previous generation like this, other than this instance. The ship was to be named RMS Germanic, after the SS Germanic of 1874, from the Britannic class. She presumably would have followed and improved upon Adriatics design, just as the Adriatic improved on the design of her predecessors. RMS Germanic had her keel laid down right around when World War 1 started, but the war delayed her construction, and she was eventually canceled.

2. The name

Like the Germanic, The RMS Adriatic was named after another White Star ship, the SS Adriatic of 1871. The SS Adriatic was the 5th ship in the Oceanic class, White Star's first class of ships. Like the RMS Adriatic, the SS Adriatic was an enhanced version of her predecessors. However, the SS Adriatic was later improved upon by the SS Celtic. The RMS Celtic of the Big 4 was named after this ship.

3. The Specs

The third ship of the Big 4, the RMS Baltic (named after the SS Baltic from 1871, also from the Oceanic class) was significantly larger than the previous two ships. However, Harland and Wolff left her engines unmodified. This meant that she was slightly slower than her predecessors. The Adriatic was even larger than the Baltic, but Harland and Wolff made her engines significantly more powerful. This meant that the largest of the Big 4 was also the most powerful, and the fastest. Her fastest crossing time was 7 days and 6 minutes. Also, her top speed was around 17 knots.

4. Coal consumption.

The Lusitania and Mauretania were the fastest ships in the world. From 1907 to 1929, their speed was unrivaled. The Mauretania specifically held the record for 19 uninterrupted years, and even beat her own record once. This, however, came at a cost. The Lusitania and Mauretania consumed 1,000 tons of coal PER DAY. The Olympic, only a few knots slower, only consumed 650 tons per day, despite being nearly 10,000 GRT larger than both of them. I actually discussed this in more detail in a previous post. Anyway, the Adriatic, by comparison, only consumed 260 tons per day. Now, she was nearly 10 knots slower than the Mauretania, but you can see how much more economical it made her by comparison. Because this was before late stage capitalism, these savings were passed on to the consumers. Tickets for the Adriatic (and by extension, the rest of the Big 4) were SIGNIFICANTLY CHEAPER than other competing ships, even the Olympic, and the RMS Oceanic, the predecessor to the Big 4. Also, after the first World War, most Ocean Liners like Olympic and Mauretania were converted to burn Oil instead of coal. This had several advantages.

1) Oil made the refueling process several magnitudes easier and shorter.

2) Burning Oil instead of Coal made the ship marginally faster (the Olympic was 1/10th of a knot faster after the conversion).

3) Burning Oil made the ship produce much less smoke, increasing the air quality in EVERY PORT THESE SHIPS WENT TO.

4) Because fluid takes the shape of its container, you were able to store MUCH more of it, greatly extending the ships range.

However, an unintended consequence of this was the Stokers. Generally, a ship like the Olympic had 350 men stoking the boilers with coal. After being converted to Oil, this number dropped to 50 or 60. Also, because Coal and Oil boilers were so different, coal stokers would need to be completely reeducated to work on these new ships (contrary to popular belief, stokers were considered skilled labor at the time, and required very specific and specialized knowledge and training. It wasn't just a matter of finding a strong guy and handing him a shovel.) As a show of good faith to their employees, White Star didn't convert any of the ships of the Big 4 to burn oil, to help ensure that the coal stokers could maintain employment. This was especially appreciated once the Great Depression hit in 1929.

🌟~B-B-B-BONUS FACT~🌈

The RMS Adriatic was launched on the same day as Cunard's RMS Mauretania. Because of this, as well as the fact that the RMS Lusitania was launched earlier, the Adriatic was the only member of the Big 4 to not hold the title of "largest ship in the world".

⚓️🛟🚢 - BONUS B O N U S FACT - 🚢🛟⚓️

The longest trip the RMS Adriatic did was her voyage to be scrapped in Osaka Japan.

Now that I've infodumped all over your dash, here's a disclaimer:

90% of this was from memory. I occasionally checked some sources for specific numbers like speed and coal consumption, but otherwise this was all stuff I just knew off hand. Before you use ANY of this information ANYWHERE, I'd reccomend fact checking it to make sure I didn't get anything wrong.

If you have any other questions, feel free to reach out and ask! This is my favorite thing in the world.