#Polish Christmas in England

[frukmerunning]

if the hetalia characters had a hanukkah party

Austria - he’s hosting so naturally he’s made Germany prepare everything for him. From polishing the menorah to frying latkes, he’s watched Germany do it all. He has, however, prepared some beautiful arrangements of hanukkah tunes to play everyone after they light the candles.

Germany - He’s done all the work so after the candles are lit he’s going to indulge in a lot of (kosher) wine and get belligerently drunk on a Thursday night.

France - he brought the wine of course! Austria will tell him that wine isn’t a part of hanukkah festivities but he also gets drunk anyway. France also gets into a tussle with England and they knock the menorah over and almost set Austria’s house on fire (this happens every year)

Italy - he pushes people out of the way so he can be the one to light the candles but Austria never lets him. He also brings enough hamantaschen to feed an army and arrives just before sundown. He hates sufganiyot and makes it everyone’s problem, and he also cries when he loses the dreidel game.

Japan - He’s so scarily good at the dreidel game and it pisses everyone off. Overall Japan doesn’t really know what’s going on and he’s just happy that he was invited. He ends up giving all of his gelt to Italy at the end of the night.

America - He definitely brings something that isn’t kosher (on purpose or accidentally) but he also brought gifts for everyone! And he has the ugliest hanukkah sweater known to man. America also really leans into the whole ‘cooking with oil’ thing and also brings a deep fried turkey, it’s actually really good and everyone has a good time.

Russia - gets way more into dreidel than you’d expect, he and Japan are going to start WW3 over chocolate gelt. He was the one who told America to bring something that isn’t kosher. He himself brings a nice vodka infused potato kugel.

Romano - He makes everyone get into a heated debate on what the best pairing is for latkes (sour cream, obviously). He cries when America eats his with ketchup.

Prussia - He spends the entire night telling Austria how much better Christmas is but in reality he has planned 8 nights of very sweet gifts to give to his favorite aristocrat :) He was also the reason France and England got in a fight.

Canada - he brought weed brownies but spends the entire night stressing over whether weed is kosher.

China - China keeps trying to get everyone to bet real money in the dreidel game, unsuccessfully. He also has no real clue what’s going on and spends the entire night eating on the couch while he heckles the dreidel players.

England - He supplied the gelt because no one would trust him with anyone else. He swears that France cheated in their last game but in reality Prussia swiped some of his gelt while no one was looking. The menorah fire ruins his hand-made hanukkah sweater but France buys him a new one the next day and everyone is happy.

[hpowellsmith]

Books of January

I've really enjoyed reading more this month! I always read a lot over the holidays and then fall out of the habit but ended up doing more this time around.

Wild: from Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail - Cheryl Strayed (reread)

I liked this when I first read it, and liked it even more this time. The sense of the outdoors and the personal journeys within feel incredibly real to me. It inspired me to get out and about more: I always feel better when I take some time outdoors. I didn't really get on with her other books, but this one remains a favourite.

Dancing on Eggshells: Kitchen, Ballroom, & The Messy Inbetween - John Whaite

Every so often I read a celebrity memoir and usually it falls a little flat - often too obviously ghostwritten/over-edited or glib or twee. This one is less over-polished which is to its benefit, includes a bunch of lovely recipes, and explores growing up gay in England during Section 28 (at the same time I was growing up). Whaite comes across as very sincere in this, and since publication has said he's quitting TV which is probably a good thing. It was interesting reading the Strictly parts having read Craig Revel Horwood's memoir last year - Revel Horwood is very blithe about how lovely it all is whereas Whaite gives a more complicated perspective.

Maw - Jude Ellison S. Doyle

This horror graphic novel is gripping in places but it didn't pull me in as much as I'd hoped having read Doyle's discussions about the writing process and inspirations. It was over a little fast, characters appeared and were killed off a little too speedily for it to have much impact, and the ending felt a little abrupt. I liked the characters and the general idea but would have liked more breathing room to get to know them. I've got The Neighbors on pre-order and hope to get into that one more.

The Easternmost Sky - Juliet Blaxland

I could write an essay about what was frustrating about this book - the lack of class-consciousness from someone who casually mentions going to visit cousins for Christmas at the local manor, the (wilfully?) ignorant comments about rewilding, the unexamined pro-hunting commentary - but parts of it are quite good and evocative. Having grown up in rural England where neither I nor my peers were involved with the hunting-and-shooting manor-house culture, it's irritating to read a book which cheerfully conflates "country life" with being someone who loves running to hounds and thinks hunting is great, but some of the descriptions were lovely. Still, I'd recommend other nature writers like Robert MacFarlane or Helen Macdonald (who engages with falconry, but in a much more thoughtful way) over this one.

The Lives of Christopher Chant - Diana Wynne Jones (reread)

This was a beloved book from my teenage years and I shared it with my child after there was a lot of enjoyment of Howl's Moving Castle and Charmed Life last year. This one was a harder sell, it turned out: it's slower-paced than I remember, and bleaker, and there's very DWJ-esque penultimate chapter where a lot of stuff suddenly happens and is revealed and resolved very fast. I do love Christopher and his friends, though, and as with many of DWJ's books, it does betrayal and sudden self-awareness heartbreakingly well.

Mexican Gothic - Silvia Moreno-Garcia

I. Loved. This. I loved it! I'd read a couple of Moreno-Garcia's books before and enjoyed them reasonably but this was the first one where it really grabbed me and wouldn't let go. A post-colonial Mexican gothic horror in which the heroine probes into an English family's business when her cousin, who's married into this family, sends a disturbed message begging for help... it's so good. I don't want to say anything more about it but I enjoyed it immensely and it solidified Moreno-Garcia as a favourite author.

Toto the Ninja Cat and the Legend of the Wildcat - Dermot O'Leary

This was really cute. My child and I ended up losing track of some of the plot, which became slightly complex, but it was generally adorable. There's not a ton else to say other than it's a nice story with a few jokes for adults that are good sensible-chuckle material.

Untamed Shore - Silvia Moreno-Garcia

This was so good. It's a noir thriller without the supernatural elements I'd encountered in the author's other work, but it gripped me excellently. I really enjoyed the unfolding dangerousness of all the characters, including the protagonist, and I was genuinely uncertain about what would happen towards the end - it had me really tense! I enjoyed it greatly.

[cinema-tv-etc]

The Holdovers (2023)

Nobody likes teacher Paul Hunham -not his students, not his fellow faculty, not the headmaster, who all find his pomposity and rigidity exasperating. With no family and nowhere to go over Christmas holiday in 1970, Paul remains at school to supervise students unable to journey home. After a few days, only one student holdover remains -a trouble-making 15-year-old named Angus, a good student whose bad behavior always threatens to get him expelled. Joining Paul and Angus is head cook Mary -an African American woman who caters to sons of privilege and whose own son was recently lost in Vietnam. These three very different shipwrecked people form an unlikely Christmas family sharing comic misadventures during two very snowy weeks in New England.

Official Trailer [HD] - In Select Theaters October 27, Everywhere November 10

A new film by Alexander Payne, director of SIDEWAYS and THE DESCENDANTS. Paul Giamatti stars in THE HOLDOVERS, in select theaters October 27, everywhere November 10. From acclaimed director Alexander Payne, THE HOLDOVERS follows a curmudgeonly instructor (Paul Giamatti) at a New England prep school who is forced to remain on campus during Christmas break to babysit the handful of students with nowhere to go. Eventually he forms an unlikely bond with one of them -- a damaged, brainy troublemaker (newcomer Dominic Sessa) -- and with the school’s head cook, who has just lost a son in Vietnam (Da’Vine Joy Randolph).

How Truths Are Told at a Liquor Store in ‘The Holdovers’ | Anatomy of a Scene

It’s time to come clean in this sequence from “The Holdovers,” a comedy set in 1970 during the holiday break at an all-boys boarding school. One student, Angus Tully (played by the newcomer Dominic Sessa) must stay on campus during the break, and a teacher, Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti) is tasked with watching him during this time. At one point, the two leave campus for a trip to Boston where Paul runs into, and lies to, an old college acquaintance. Angus confronts his teacher about the lie in this scene in a liquor store that plays out primarily in one take. “In general, if I have the right actors, I like the idea of doing pages of dialogue in single takes,” the film’s director, Alexander Payne, said in an interview. “I think it’s elegant. It’s a lovely way to work. And even going back to film school, I had a Polish directing teacher who was always trying to instill in us the beauty of the of the fluid master, the long take in which you choreograph your actors to the camera.” Rows of liquor bottles separate the characters during one exchange, helping to punctuate the narrative as Paul confesses an incident with his roommate at Harvard that led to dire consequences. For the scene, which was shot at a liquor store in Cambridge, Mass., Payne did a bit of hyperlocal casting. One comic line is delivered by a cashier played by Joe Howell, who actually worked at the store.

[bepop-moon]

The bones twins headcannons bc the are underrated:

- They are polish

- Both Slytherin

- They joined Hogwarts in the third year after moving to england

- They stay at Hogwarts all year round

- When they first joined, they spoke to no one but each other but as soon as evan and pandora located the “new kids” and found out they were also twins, they adopted them hehe

- Amelia is an ice skater and drags Edgar out to skate with her on the lake every winter like they used to to do in Poland

- Edgar couldn’t read english as it’s not his first language, so he would read comic books because he liked to look at the pictures

- Remus picked up on this and spoke to him at the library and they became library friends

- Remus, Reg and Edgar met up in the library every thursday and would teach Edgar how to read English.

- In the Christmas that Remus and Sirius stayed back at Hogwarts, they met the two at the lake and they all skated together, and that’s how they became close.

- Edgar and Evan and best friends. Evan doesn’t really like how some people in his friend group act and they just get each other. They are the sit in comfortable silence and just happily exist in each others presence kind of duo. He is a nice break from the chaotic energy of skittles for Evan.

- Edgar plays piano, so does Reg. That’s what they bond over.

- Amelia is protective over Edgar like his a little brother.

- Amelia’s first friend was Emmeline, who introduced her to Marlene and dorcas (part of Eddie’s friend group) . They all hung out when skittles got too much.

- They are both chronic introverts. For this reason Edgar hates that he’s popular.

- Amelia never really let herself get close to people, however. Her only real friend is Eddie.

- James likes Amelia because she is sporty.

[kristabella]

Important French Silver & Guilloche Enamel Inkwell by Edouard Henry Dreyfous

This inkwell is one of the finest examples we have had in our collection to date. Crafted by the firm 'Dreyfous' the inkwell is made from .800 purity silver, etched crystal and cranberry guilloche enamel. The square form crystal base which sits upon four scroll feet is etched with floral motifs and bordered by gilded .800 purity silver that features panels of rich cranberry guilloche enamel. The central bulbous inkwell features further guilloche enamel that is overlaid with silver garlands and a hinged lid with floral knop. To the inside of the inkwell sits what appears to be its original glass ink liner which is in lovely condition. To the inside rim of the well is engraved 'Dreyfous Paris Londres New York' which helps date the piece to between 1890 and 1920.

Queen Alexandra and Queen Mary of England were both frequent customers of Edouard Henry Dreyfous, purchasing a range of works from his London locations. Aside from his main shop in London, Dreyfous also held premises in Paris and New York. There are three wonderful noted examples of works by Dreyfous in the Royal Collection, two of which are exceptionally good pieces with a similar quality of work to Faberge. One of these pieces is a enamelled and jewelled egg which was a gift to Queen Mary from her children at Christmas in 1927. Dreyfous was the holder of an English Royal Warrant during the early 19th century.

Interestingly this piece is able to be completely dismantled to clean and polish it, with the central inkwell and the feet screwed on with small bolts. We have however left the piece in its original condition and only lightly polished it to allow it to retain its rich antique patina.

Measures - 10cm H x 15cm Square

Total weight - 770 grams

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

“Lend Me Your Ears By R. D. BOUCHETTE,” Vancouver Sun. March 2, 1931. Page 6. --- There's Still Hope - Artistry Re-born -  Sir Charles Chaplin - Trouble in Zion --- Those who fall to discern the tiniest gleam of hope for humanity, might pay a visit to the formidable grey fortress, which is the British Columbia penitentiary, on New Westminster's outskirts.

There, under the kindly but watchful eyes of Col. C. E. Edgett, the warden, is going on a process of human rehabilitation, of which we know very little. We, for the most part, are ignorant of it because we cease to interest ourselves in a man once he becomes a number. We forget that if the penitentiary fails to cure that man of his anti-social aliment we shall pay for it.

Warden Edgett's mission is not so much to punish the criminal, as to make him a law-abiding citizen. He does not, however, speak of it as his mission. He says it is the purpose of the Canadian penitentiary system.

***

Facts speak for them selves, and how well Warden Edgett is succeeding in his work is revealed in the figures. 

During his two years as "premier" of this limbo state, Col. Edgett has discharged 200 men from New Westminster. Two of them are again behind the highly-polished steel bars. Another two are in Oakalla. Four more are doing time in the United States. 

This means that more than 90 per cent have reformed their lives. We know that they have reformed, for if they still followed lives of violence, sooner or later they would be in the hands of the police.

***

Out at New Westminster penitentiary, last week, I saw George Paradise, serving a three-year term for selling narcotic drugs. 

I remember speaking to Paradise two years ago at police headquarters, just after he had "beaten the rap" on a drug-possession charge. 

"Why don't you quit taking dope?" someone asked him.

"Quit dope?" Paradise laughed bitterly. "You may take a child from its mother. but never will you take the love of that stuff from me."

Paradise was almost boasting. Less than a year later, in Assize Court, he asked the court to send him to the penitentiary so that he might be cured of his lust for drugs.

Paradise was a sign painter and artist. When I saw him at the prison last week he was in the church, paint brush in hand. He had completed a mural design, a background to the altar. He looked quite happy. He has gained about 20 pounds in weight. His eyes are clear.

He glanced proudly at his work. "I haven't done anything like that for 20 years," he said.

Then he showed me toys he had fashioned with his hands. There was a mechanical turtle, an elephant which raised and lowered its trunk when it was moved, several reproductions of Spanish galleons. Last Christmas Paradise made scores of children happy with the toys he constructed.

***

Paradise, now, does not feel that he wishes to retain the love of narcotics. He has never been more content in his life.

"How are things outside?" he asked me.

I said they were "not so good," there was a lot of unemployment.

"I guess I ain't missing much," said he.

In England they are talking about knighting Charlie Chaplin, the prince of pantomime. It strikes me as being a pretty good idea. Surely, if a man deserves a knighthood for brewing beer or distilling whisky or manufacturing soap, it is not unfitting to reward him for creating Iaughter. Compared to some knights I know, Chaplin could handle an earldom very nicely.

***

Mark Hellinger has story for those who "like their irony served piping hot." It is about a Jewish real estate man who, in boom years, built three very white apartment houses in New York.

Along came the depression and our real estate man found himself with three very large and very white elephants camped upon his bank account.

The sad part of it is that he cannot live in any of the apartments himself. They are restricted against Jews.

[phanfictioncatalogue]

Modern Royalty Masterlist

A Coat of Polish (ao3) - BourbonWhisky_TwoSicilies

Summary: The impoverished Howell family rejoices as Dan accepts a scholarship to Royal Holloway, a prestigious public school, where he falls into a friendship with three of the richest boys in England under the guise of being absurdly wealthy himself. But as a scandalous plot concerning the aristocratic Lester family brews, will these blue-blooded billionaires even have time to uncover—or care—about the mud caking Dan’s common hands?

A Prince's Choice (ao3) - Emejig16

Summary: Prince Phillip reconnects with an old friend at the royal family's annual Christmas party.

Golden Warmth (ao3) - leleletizinha

Summary: Dan and Phil have been friends, and peasants, for as longs as they can remember, only having each other to get through life and living in a country strictly governed by a cruel King. On one unfaithful night, Phil's life turns upside down, as everything he'd ever known changed suddenly, and he was forced to run away, but, luckily, he had Dan by his side. Now, with little to no money and having to make it as far away from the village they lived as possible, Phil is trying to understand his feelings and finally be happy, while being aware of the threat that "they" could come after him anytime.

Heart of Gold (ao3) - pasteldanhowells, rainbowchristy

Summary: Following the events of our previous fic, Your Crowning Glory, this is a timestamp a year later. Read as we catch up with Dan and Phil and how Dan’s life has been as king. But, nothing is perfect. When Phil starts acting strange and his name starts popping up in the headlines, Dan fears the worst: Phil’s keeping secrets from him, and trying to steal his crown again.

holy ghost (ao3) - sadlybunny

Summary: A reunion between the prince and his fiancé after Phil has been in Germany.

My Happily Ever After (ao3) - tol_but_smol

Summary: Phil is a prince and Dan's his servant

pastry chef attempts to steal phil’s heart (ao3) - sierraadeux

Summary: If anyone asks, Prince Philip’s sneaky morning journeys down to the royal pastry kitchen are for nothing more than the perfect cup of coffee.

remember this feeling (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: "And now Dan found himself in the limelight. Of course he knew his moment would be over in a few months, but he had always been told to milk it for as much as it could be worth."When Daniel Howell receives an invitation to discuss his bestselling novel with the actual Prince of England, he's understandably nervous. But with pressure from his publicist, he attends the event, and soon enough, he and Prince Philip spark an unlikely friendship. The Prince's adorable corgi probably didn't hurt either.

Six Ravens (ao3) - iihappydaysii

Summary: Dan meets Prince Philip at a cyberbullying campaign, but what starts as a working relationship grows complicated when Dan realizes he’s falling for the prince and maybe, just maybe, he’s not alone in his feelings.

Something With Maid Costumes And Birthdays - mairieuxes

Summary: Dan rides Phil with a maid costume on during his birthday. (ps this a modern day royalty au)

That’s The Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be (ao3) - Iceprincessvictuuri (orphan_account)

Summary: The English king and queen are beloved by all throughout the country and they have a son, the prince, who would rather sit in his chambers then find a suitor.Dan already likes the man he ran into at the coffee shop a few blocks away anyways.

The Prince and the Youtuber (ao3) - koleen

Summary: Dan Howell is the Prince of England and the first grandson of a late King, and Phil Lester is a famous Youtuber who turns out to be the first grandson of a late King’s Hand, the best friend of the late King. On one night of celebration of their daughters’ pregnancies 18 years ago, the best friends made a drunken pact to marry their first grandchildren to each other the year they both turn 18, completely forgetting to consider that their first grandchildren could both be male.

The Prince's Protector (ao3) - aby55al (abyssa1)

Summary: Dan is a prince and Phil is his personal bodyguard. Then they have sex.

They'll Tear Us Apart If You Give Them the Chance (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: Dan and Phil are both princes and they've been taught to hate each other their whole lives. They meet in a forest.

three cheers for tyranny (ao3) - kishere

Summary: Lord Dan Howell could have anything he wanted except the one thing his rebellious heart desired: a tattoo. After escaping his bodyguard for the first time since he had turned 18, he ends up at Lester's Tattoo and Piercings.

We'll Never Be Royals (Extended) (ao3) - phanimist

Summary: royalty au where phil's the kind handsome prince and dan's a poor commoner who dreams of becoming world class musician. phil's parents hold a ball so he can meet his suitors, but he ends up falling for the pianist instead.

Your Crowning Glory (ao3) - pasteldanhowells, rainbowchristy

Summary: Dan is 18 years old when the news is suddenly sprung upon him that he is next line to be the next king of Genovia, but things don’t go as smoothly as he thought, between having a suddenly busy schedule, a new lifestyle, an arranged marriage that Dan has no control over, and worst of all, Philip Lester trying to steal his crown.

[countessofravenclaw]

The 2022 writing Advent calendar: Day 16

16. Mistletoe

The academic student association always went above and beyond for the holidays at Oxford. It had been a bit of a culture shock for Nina as a freshman since it was so different from Blake. Blake had celebrated any holidays, it was a good thing it even gave vacation off for the since it was not educational. But now as she had been living in England for one and a half years. It did not face her anymore.

But it was not like she still was not going to appreciate the beauty of the London Christmas lights as Gastón drove then through the streets of London from their apartment to the Campus. Thei both had the lectures start at 8:15 am, so it was still absolutely dark, and the lights were still on. 

“I have that employment and business seminar today,” Gastón said as he parked in the parking lot reserved for students. “When was your last lecture ending?”

“At 15.” Nina answered, “But why do you ask? You probably know my schedule better than I do.”

“The seminar will probably run late so you need to wait for me.”

“That's fine. I can work on the draft at the library.”

“I wish you’d let me read it,” Gastón complained as they started towards the door into the building.

“I told you, it is not really polished,” Nina countered, “I don’t really know what I am doing with it.”

“And you know that I doubt that,” Gastón shot back a took her hand in his. “You are an amazing writer. If someone can write that book, it is you.”

“We’ll see about that,” Nina shook her head and opened her phone. She suddenly saw a text from Luna she had apparently missed the previous night... to be fair, not surprising given what they had gotten up to… “Look at this.” She showed the text to Gastón.

“Luna does not know what a snowman is?”

“Apparently she, Matteo, Simon, and Ambar had full-on debate about the topic. She wants our opinions and so-called experts.” Nina said, looking at the text. Unfortunately, all the snow that had rained in London the previous week had already fully melted. 

“I shudder to think who won that debate.” Gastón laughed, “My money is on Ambar. She and law school will be a deathly match made in heaven.”

“That is a good point but you know Luna won’t stop until she gets her point across…” she could not finish her sentence as she suddenly felt herself being pulled backward by her arm. Gastón has stopped in his tracks. 

“What?” Nina asked as she found her balance.

“Don’t look up,” Gastón said in a low voice. Nina turned her head towards the ceiling. The hallways they had been walking had been lined with a string of garland. Her eyes followed the vine until she saw the reason why they had stopped. There clearly was a mistletoe hanging right above them. 

Right as she realized it, she felt arms sliding around her waist, and Gastón brought her closer.

“I don’t think I saw any of these last year.”

“Well, I did.” Gastón responded, “Do you know hard it was last year when the only thing I wanted to do was to kiss you? Matteo suggested I just trap you under the mistletoe.”

“You should have done it,” Nina slid her hand around his neck and he started pounding faster, like every time they were close. She was sure it was never going to stop being like that. “Would have saved us some time.”

“Well, I can fix that now,” Gastón smiled and smoothly captured her lips with his own.

“Oh, great, we really should not leave those two alone,” They separate once they heard an annoyed English voice. They turned to see Jacob and James standing in the hallway

“Anyways…” Jacob continued as Gastón appeared to throw quite seriously murderous glare at his former roommate, “I am off to class, see you at lunch.”

“I finally found you,” James started talking after Jacob had gone, “I need to talk to you about that last problem in yesterday’s exercise packet. You didn’t respond anything when I texted you about it.”

“Oh, I don’t think I saw that message, because...” Gastón responded.

“You don’t what, I do not need to know why.” James came to grab him by the shoulders. “We need to go to the class. Nina, you won’t mind if I steal him?”

“Not a bit,” Nina laughed, “I need to go myself. Te Amo.” She placed on kiss on Gastón’s cheek and turned to wars the staircase that led to her lecture hall.

“Yo tambien”

“With you two, I am not sure If I am annoyed or glad that I don’t understand Spanish.” Nina heard James say as she started climbing the stairs.

Did you notice the call back all the way to Day 1? I had to add that in here.

[teabooksandsweets]

A City of Bells

Chapter IX — Part II

There was no need to ring at the front door, for it stood hospitably wide open, and Peppercue and Barleycorn, who always assisted the Bishop’s decrepit old butler Baggersley on festive occasions, were hovering about to help them off with their coats. The huge stone-floored, vaulted hall was very cold and they parted with their wraps reluctantly. “There are two fires lit in the gallery,” whispered Baggersley, with intent to cheer, and totteringly led the way up the lovely carved staircase.

Baggersley was very old, looked like a tortoise and was not of the slightest use. His dress clothes, green with age, hung loosely upon his withered old body and he could not now remember anyone’s name, but suggestions that he should be pensioned off were not favourably received by him, so the Bishop kept him on … “A disgrace to the place,” the Dean said. “A—er—disgrace.”

“Archdeacon Jones and family,” quavered Baggersley at the gallery door and the Fordyces, Mrs. Jameson, Felicity and Jocelyn trooped smilingly in. The Bishop, whose sight was poor, had a moment of confusion until Grandfather whispered hoarsely, “’Smee, Bishop,” when he identified them with relief. The shortness of Baggersley’s memory, together with the shortness of his own sight, made the arrival of guests something of a strain.

Few lovelier rooms were to be met with at this time in England than the gallery of the Bishop’s Palace at Torminster. It stretched the whole length of one wing of the Palace and was perfectly proportioned for its length. The polished floor shone like dark water and the linen-fold panelling on the walls roused the students of these things to ecstasy. At each end of the gallery a log-fire was blazing, its glow reflected on floor and walls, and in the centre was a Christmas-tree, its top reaching to the ceiling and its branches laden with twinkling candles and presents done up in coloured paper. The choirboys stood in an excited group near the tree, looking terribly clean in their Etons, their faces shining with soaps and their eyes with expectation, while near them stood the dignitaries of the Close with their dependents, smiling with the urbanity of those who feel themselves to be in the position of benefactors but yet have had no bother with the preparations. It was certainly a great occasion, and from the walls of the gallery the former bishops of Torminster looked down upon it from their portraits, the flickering firelight playing queer tricks with their painted faces so that some of them seemed to smile at the happiness, and some to frown at the frivolity, while one gentleman at the far end of the room was distinctly seen by Henrietta to raise a hand in blessing.

The choirboys’ presents were given first. Peppercue and Barleycorn mounted two rickety step-ladders and cut them off the tree, calling out the boys’ names in stentorian voices, while Baggersley trotted round in circles calling out instructions to Peppercue and Barleycorn, after the manner of those who while doing no work themselves see all the more clearly how it should be done. Paper and string strewed the floor and happy squeals greeted the appearance of knives, watches, whistles, blood-curdling books about Red Indians and boxes of those explosives which, when placed beneath the chairs of corpulent relations, go off with loud and satisfying reports … The Bishop always insisted upon this type of present, disregarding the complaints of the Dean and Lady Lavinia who maintained that they were in no way calculated to improve the morals of the dear boys. “No one,” said the Bishop, “wants to be bothered with morals at Christmas”; which the Dean and Lady Lavinia considered such an outrageous remark that they were careful not to repeat it … Delight mounted higher and higher, reaching the peak of ecstasy when the tree caught fire and Barleycorn fell off his step-ladder, Baggersley remarking with acid pleasure that he had said so all along.

Grandfather took advantage of the confusion and howls of joy that ensued to press little packets into the hands of his young grandchildren. He remembered from his own childhood how difficult it is to watch other children receiving presents when you do not get any yourself. You may have a toy-cupboard at home stocked with good things, you may be going to a party every day for a fortnight, but it does not make any difference, for in childhood there is no past and no future, but only the joy or desolation of the moment. The tight, polite smiles that Henrietta and Hugh Anthony were maintaining with difficulty changed in the twinkling of an eye into happy grins as knobbly parcels were slipped into their hot palms from behind … Surreptitiously they opened them … A tiny china teapot and a box of pink pistol-caps numerous enough to turn every day of the next fortnight into a fifth of November.

Looking over their shoulders they saw Grandfather standing with his back to them, gazing with an appearance of great innocence at a portrait of an eighteenth-century bishop with a white wig and sleeves like balloons … They chuckled.

The fire put out and Barleycorn smoothed down, they all went downstairs to the banqueting hall for tea.

The original banqueting hall, where kings and queens had feasted, was now a ruin standing out in the Palace grounds in the moonlight, but its name had been transferred to the sombre great room below the gallery, where damp stains disfigured the walls and where the wind always howled in the chimney.

Not that this worried the choirboys, for the Bishop’s cook had surpassed herself. They sat themselves down round the groaning table and they did not speak again.

But at the buffet at the far end of the room, where the grown-ups balanced delicate sandwiches and little iced cakes in their saucers, there was a polite hum of conversation. Extraordinary, thought Hugh Anthony and Henrietta, who had to-day to be perforce counted among them, how grown-ups talk when they eat. Don’t they want to taste their food? Don’t they want to follow it in imagination as it travels down that fascinating pink-lined lane to the larder below? Sometimes Henrietta tried to picture that larder. It had shelves, she thought, and a lot of gnomes called “digestive juices” ran about putting things to rights … Or sometimes, unfortunately, forgetting to.

“Please,” said Henrietta plaintively to Felicity, “could you hold my cup while I eat my cake? It’s so dreadfully difficult not sitting down.”

Felicity, who had finished her own tea, was most helpful. She held Henrietta’s cup in one hand and with the other she held the saucer below the cake so that Henrietta should not drop crumbs on the carpet.

“Shall I hold yours, Hugh Anthony?” asked Jocelyn, for Hugh Anthony’s cup of milk was slopping over into the saucer in the most perilous way.

“No, thank you,” said Hugh Anthony, and his eyes were very bright because he had just had a brilliant idea.

Putting it into immediate practice he placed himself and his cup behind the Archdeacon, who was holding forth to Mrs. Elphinstone about total abstinence. Now when the Archdeacon held forth he had a curious habit of stepping suddenly backwards when he reached his peroration. He did it in the pulpit, frightening everyone into fits lest he should fall over the edge and kill himself, and he did it on his own hearthrug so that in winter his visitors had to keep a sharp look-out and make a dash for it when his coat-tails caught the flames, and he did it now. “Temperance, my dear lady,” he said to Mrs. Elphinstone, “is the foundation stone of national welfare,” and stepped backwards on top of Hugh Anthony.

Everyone rushed to pick the poor child up. He was patted, soothed, kissed, and the milk that had spilled all over him was mopped up, though it was distressingly evident that his velvet suit was ruined.

The courage with which Hugh Anthony bore the pain of his trampled feet was much admired by everyone but Henrietta, for Henrietta, standing grave-eyed and aloof, knew quite well that he had done it on purpose.

[beyondxmeasure]

2022: A Year In Review

Thanks for tagging me @larrysballetslippers @thinlinez @brightgolden @kingsofeverything and @larrieblr

I know this has been going around a lot and most people have done it already so I’m not going to tag anyone but if you see this and want to have a go at it please consider yourself tagged! Id love to see what goals you have for the year.

✨ Let Your Heart Be Light 59K WIP | Teen+ | Harry/Louis Louis Tomlinson, a self-proclaimed holiday-hater, loses his job two weeks before Christmas. Broke and desperate to see his family back home in England, he takes the only job left at the mall as one of Santa’s helpers. Harry is an unconventional mall Santa, the youngest one they’ve had in years, but with as much holiday spirit as any other seasoned Saint Nick. He’s determined to un-Grinch the new guy in Santa’s Village if it takes until Christmas, then he finds out the devastating reason Louis has lost his Christmas cheer. Will Harry be just the thing Louis needs to help him get his sparkle back?

Featuring Liam as the manager at Santa's Village, Niall as an easy-going Irish elf and Harry's best friend, grumpy Grinch Louis, his best friend Zayn and one matchmaking Mrs. Claus.

A 2022 Advent Fic

✨ Lazy Days and Pancakes For Two 4K | Teen+ | Harry/Louis They haven't seen each other in eighteen days. What better way to spend a much-needed tour break than having a lazy day watching shit TV and having breakfast in bed with your husband.

✨ I Gave Up Hope and Found You Instead 14K | Teen+ | Harry/Louis The entire village warned him not to go. It was an odd-numbered day, after all. Still, the peculiar boy from Eroda set sail and, without knowing it, headed straight into the OFMD universe. While being held captive aboard the pirate ship Revenge, the boy meets a fisherman named Louis.

Tasked by the captain to teach the reluctant boy to fish, Louis struggles to hide his frustration and hold his tongue. As difficult as it is to deal with this clumsy stranger, the skilled fisherman had worse assignments and more unpleasant partners, but none of them with a smile as bright as this peculiar boy had. A moment of unexpected distress catches them off guard, and both soon find out it’s much easier to catch feelings than fish.

OR: Where the Adore You music video ends and the Our Flag Means Death story begins.

✨ I Was Born Like This, Don't Even Gotta Try 2K | E | Harry/Louis Louis and Harry return home after a long day of promo events and cocktail parties. They’re both exhausted, but that doesn’t stop Louis from keeping a promise he made to Harry in the limo earlier that night.

A certain geometric Gucci suit might have played a part in helping Louis’ keep that promise.

Thank you to everyone who's read my writing, shared my fic posts, left kudos or comments. All of your interaction has meant so much! -xx 💙 Cy

2022: A Year In Review (My Annual Writing Self-Evaluation) ...below the cut...

Number of stories posted this year: 4

Word count posted this year: 78,815

Stories with the most… Kudos: I Was Born Like This, Don’t Even Gotta Try

Comment Threads: Let Your Heart Be Light

Bookmarks: Let Your Heart Be Light

Work you are most proud of (and why): Let Your Heart Be Light Because other than the time spent outlining, this fic was started and finished in two months (except for the last 3 chapters, still to come). That’s the fastest I’ve written/edited/posted anything. I’m proud of my ability to let go of my perfectionist tendencies, that usually keep me editing and polishing a fic long after it is written. Due to the nature of the posting schedule (advent fic- 1 chapter a day for December) I didn’t have that luxury. I am still just as proud, if not more so, of this writing in general without having the time to dote over it as much. I also dealt with some heavier topics and am so happy with how it came out. It’s sentimental and sad at times, while still being light and fun. I did exactly what I set out to do and am very proud of the result.

Work you are least proud of (and why): I Gave Up Hope Because I had so many ideas for how I wanted this to go, and in the end, I ran out of time to make it what I wanted it to be. While I love this fic and am still very proud of it for so many reasons… the crossover element, writing something out of my comfort zone (fantasy/pirate fic), to name a couple, I feel like I missed the mark of what I set out to do. But there’s always room to add to it.

A favorite excerpt of your writing: Taken from chapter four of Let Your Heart Be Light

Harry eases back into his chair and waits patiently for Ginny to start again. She goes to fetch a vintage-looking suitcase with a large red bow on it that sits beneath the tree they just decorated that afternoon. Harry had urged her to give it time, allowing her space to grieve, not wanting her to push herself too much. She insisted, saying that’s what he would’ve wanted, determined not to turn Paul’s favorite time of the year into a time for pity and sorrow. The twinkling lights and the smell of fresh pine throughout the parlor made it feel like he wasn’t that far away.

Ginny pushes the cards off to the side and places the weathered case in front of Harry.

“What’s this?” He wonders, running his hands over the distressed leather bindings and tarnished brass buckles.

“It’s for you, darling. Open it.” Ginny cups Harry’s cheek, caressing gently with her thumb, eyes shining with unshed tears as she nods, encouraging him with a tender smile. “Go ahead, dear.”

Ginny sits down cautiously, waiting with bated breath for Harry to flip the buckles open to reveal what’s inside. Harry takes a deep breath, hands shaky with anticipation. He has a pretty good idea of what's inside, and he’s not sure he can keep his composure if he’s right. Slowly, he unlatches first the left then the right side, flick… flick… The hinges creak as he opens it with care. Layers of deep red velvet trimmed with snow white fur lay neatly folded inside, all wrapped with a black leather belt and matching boots adorned with shiny gold buckles.

Harry feels his eyes flood with tears as he lets out a shaky breath. “Ginny, no. I can’t—You can’t give this away. Paul wouldn’t—”

It’s Ginny’s reassuring hand over Harry’s now. “I’m not giving it away, sweetheart. I’m passing it down. Paul asked me to. He wanted you to have it.”

“What?” Harry utters in disbelief. “Why me?”

“It’s your turn, now.”

“What? No! I couldn’t. I don’t even know how—”

“You have the heart for it, dear, and Christmas spirit in abundance. That’s all that really matters.”

“But it’s too soon. For you, I mean, like, we couldn’t—oh my god. Ginny? Do you mean? You want me to—”

She nods enthusiastically, tears falling from her eyes just as much as Harry. “I said yes to him, of course, right away, but buried the thought of it. Because, well, you know—I just couldn’t imagine even thinking of going through with it this year. But the more I think about it, I think the only way I could go through with it again, is if I do it with you. I can’t even think about playing Mrs. Claus to some complete stranger. It just wouldn’t feel right. But you. You, my dear, would be perfect.”

“Are you serious?”

“Absolutely!” Ginny holds out her arms, inviting Harry into her warm embrace. “I couldn’t imagine anyone else filling my Paul’s boots better than you.”

Harry turns the boots over to find the number ten embossed on the bottom of the arch. “They’re my size,” he declares with a smile and a dry laugh, wiping his eyes, still in shock as he looks over the contents of the suitcase in awe. “I guess maybe I could fill Paul’s boots, couldn’t I?”

“You sure can, my dear. Go, try it on!” A glint of delight flashes in her eyes and, with her approval, Harry is up in a flash, eager to get into the legendary red suit. “Oh, here, look at this.” Ginny lifts the jacket, pulling back the inside lapel to reveal a monogram with the letters PA hand sewn inside a red heart border. “See, now he’ll always be with you. Never forgotten.”

Share or describe a favorite review you received: @berzerkshires left the following comment on Let Your Heart Be Light

I have finally got a chance to catch up. And my heavens! The emotions of this story! So wonderfully capturing the ups and downs of the holiday season through all your characters. So heartbreaking and hopeful all at once. So intriguing and festive all together. You’ve got me hanging on the edge of my seat for the true Christmas spirit.

Such kind words… but I’ve also gotten so many other wonderful comments from people who’ve had similar experiences with grief and loss and how my fic helped get them through a difficult time. That, to me, is the ultimate compliment. To be the light in someone’s otherwise dark day is a lovely thing and exactly why I wrote this story.

A time when writing was really, really hard: Completing my Eroda Fic Fest fic was pretty tough. I had a lot of writer’s block and got stuck so many times I really thought I would not complete it on time. Also, the end of this year was tough. I let the year get away from me and while I had it completely outlined for months; I didn’t start writing my Advent fic until November. It became a scramble to complete it on time to be ready for December 1st, which didn’t happen. I could only get about half of the chapters written ahead, and the rest had to be written on the fly the day before or day-of posting. Adding to that, the emotional toll of my grandmother losing her battle with Alzheimer’s. All that being said, I am incredibly proud of myself for pushing through. While I still have the last three chapters to post, I wrote and posted 60K words in less than two months, and it’s some of my favorite work I’ve written thus far.

How did you grow as a writer this year?: While I didn’t post as much on Ao3 as in previous years or that I might have set out to do, I wrote quite a lot. I completed 4 fics but also made a lot of genuine progress with a few WIPs that were holdouts from last year. I also listened to myself a lot more—only writing when I really wanted to, not over-committing to too many fic fests or holding myself to unreachable expectations. I enjoyed writing a lot more without all the pressure I usually put on myself. I don't know if I'd call this growth, but I hit a pretty cool milestone... Twisted Fate reached 500 kudos! ❤️ That's a first for me. I'm still shocked at how popular that one is.

How do you hope to grow next year?: I'd like to step out of my comfort zone and try podficcing. I’ve been tossing around the idea to turn a fic or two of mine into one. So we shall see. Otherwise I have small goals… complete the WIPs I've been dragging my feet on, stay consistent with my writing and get better at interacting with my mutuals/responding to tags, etc...

Anything from your real life show up in your writing this year?: Yes! A lot of my real life made its way into Let Your Heart Be Light. A reimagining of a friend’s home break-in became a major plot point in the story. I also used my Nana as an inspiration for the characters of Ginny and Louis Nan. A few of my own memories from Christmases past made their way into the fic as well.

Any new wisdom you can share with other writers?: I don’t have much wisdom to impart but from my experience this past year of slowing down and just writing at my own pace more I would say forget about the pressure from outside sources, or even your own self-imposed pressures and just write… for the fun of it, for the escape, for the release… whatever. Just write. Don’t let anything hold you back. Whether you think you’re not good enough, experienced enough, fast enough, insert ___ enough. You improve the more you do it. Step out of your comfort zone, challenge yourself… but always write for yourself first, not for other readers, deadlines or anything else. If you’re writing something you enjoy, others will enjoy it too and if they don’t, then fuck ‘em.

Any projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year?: I’m dying to finish (fxckn finally!) the second part to my Arcades & Lemonade fic… follow up to I Know You Rider. It’s been in the works for far too long, was supposed to be my Big Bang fic last year, but it keeps getting pushed to the back burner for various reasons. Also, my bootcamp/fitness instructor Harry fic--- Also been a drawn out WIP for some time. A Twisted Fate epilogue and few others. I’ve also got my outline started for my 2023 advent fic, but first things first, I need to finish the last three chapters for this year’s advent fic. That should keep me busy enough, but I’m sure I will come up with some other new ideas that will derail me along the way, per usual! LOL. The rest of my goals for 2023 are here...

[bobmccullochny]

History

December 13, 1545 - The Council of Trent, summoned by Pope Paul III, met to discuss doctrinal matters including the rise of Protestantism.

December 13, 1577 - Francis Drake departed Plymouth, England, in the Golden Hind on his voyage around the world.

December 13, 1642 - New Zealand was discovered by Dutch navigator Abel Tasman of the Dutch East India Company.

December 13, 1862 - During the American Civil War, the Battle of Fredericksburg occurred in Virginia as the Union Army of the Potomac under General Burnside suffered a costly defeat, losing 12,653 men after 14 frontal assaults on well entrenched Rebels on Marye's Heights. "We might as well have tried to take hell," a Union soldier remarked. Confederate losses were 5,309. "It is well that war is so terrible - we should grow too fond of it," stated Confederate General Robert E. Lee during the fighting.

December 13, 1937 - The beginning of one of the worst atrocities of World War II as the Chinese city of Nanking (Nanjing) was captured by the Japanese. Over the next six weeks, the Rape of Nanking occurred in which Japanese soldiers randomly attacked, raped and indiscriminately killed an estimated 200,000 Chinese persons.

December 13, 1981 - In its struggle to maintain Communism, the Polish government imposed martial law and took steps to stifle the growing power of the pro-democratic trade union Solidarity.

December 13, 1991 - North and South Korea signed a treaty of reconciliation and nonaggression which also formally ended the Korean War, although actual fighting had ceased in 1953.

Birthday - German writer Heinrich Heine (1797-1856) was born in Dusseldorf. Best known for his statement made a hundred years before the advent of book-burning Nazis in Germany - "Where books are burned, human beings are destined to be burned too."

Birthday - Mary Todd (1818-1882) was born in Lexington, Kentucky. She became the wife of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th U.S. President.

Birthday - American clergyman and composer Phillips Brooks (1835-1893) was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He wrote the lyrics for the popular Christmas Carol, O Little Town of Bethlehem.

[productofnfld]

S2.E5: Mummers and Music featuring Carolina East

Season 2, Episode 5

Title: Mummers and Music

Time: 47 minutes

Locations: Bay Roberts; Harbour Grace; Codroy Valley

Story: Mummers & Murder; ‘Twas the Night After Christmas

Guest: Carolina East

Listen:

About The Episode:

Part One: Mummers & Murder

Newfoundland has a lot of interesting traditions but few are as celebrated as mummering.

Mummering is a Christmas tradition that dates back hundreds of years. It came to Newfoundland from England and Ireland with the first settlers. In it’s best known form, it involves costumed people visiting house-to-house during the 12 days of Christmas.  Once invited inside, the host tries to guess the mummer's identity. Refreshments are served and fun is had by all.

This sort of mummering is entertainment, but it wasn’t always fun for everyone. For some people, especially children, mummers were scary. They looked odd and behaved strangely. Mostly, the fear was unwaranted

In the 1800s mummering was altogether different. Mummers used to celebrate outdoors and could be found roaming the streets. There are many instances of mummers taking advantage of their anonymity to settle scores.

In one instance, there was a murder.

Part Two: Twas The Night After Christmas

In this segment we take a look at the lighter side of mummering with the Newfoundland Mummer Story Twas The Night After Christmas.

It tells the story of a grandmother who is *usually* very good at guessing the identity of mummers until one fateful Boxing Day night when she meets her match.

Part Three: A Chat With Carolina East

Carolina East has made a name for herself across the country, not only as as an impressive singer but as talented songwriter. She’s making music inspired by an eclectic tapestry of influences; from soul, to country, to pop.

She competed in the Sirius XM Top of the Country competition as one of eight semi-finalists. In July 2021, Carolina released a full-length album Soaked in Whisky. It’s a polished collection of songs about love, happiness, and loss.

Her songs are honest, vulnerable, and. always relatable.

Carolina joined me to talk about making music, her Christmas album Home for the Holidays, and how covering Journey’s ‘Don’t Stop Believin’’ changed her life.

Hear Carolina East at the following links:

Carolina East (website)

Carolina East on Apple Music

Carolina East on Spotify

Carolina East on Instagram

Message Carolina to get your copy of her Christmas album Home For The Holidays.

You can watch the video for Soaked in Whisky, featuring Justin Nurse below.

You can watch Carolina’s Home for the Holidays Christmas special here and be sure to listen to her latest, Russell Broom-produced single ‘Airport’.

Part Four: Monstrous Things

The season, I’ve been capping off each episode with a segment I call Monstrous Things. It features tales of a Newfoundland sea monster sightings reported in the mainstream media.

This episode offers the story of a ‘monster’ seen in the Codroy Valley area around Christmas, 1951. The sighting was described in the January 5th, 1952 edition of the Evening Telegram under the headline “Report Monster Destroying Nets.”

What do you think it was?

Listening Options

You can listen to the episode here or on your favourite platform.

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Amazon

Google Podcasts

Sources & Further Reading

Mummers, Murder and Mayhem, Product of Newfoundland

Twas The Night After Christmas, Product of Newfoundland

Mummers on Trial, Joy Fraser, Shima Journal

Some Comments on The Social Circumstances of Mummering, Cyril Byrne, NQ

Fought a Mummer, The Evening Telegram, 1907

Mercer Murder, Daily News, Jan 03, 1861

Mercer trial coverage, The Courier, Nov 23, 1861

Mercer trial coverage, Daily News, Nov 21, 1861

Christmas Mumming in Newfoundland, H. Halpert and G.M. Story, 1969

Newfoundland Mummers’ Christmas House-Visit, Margaret Robertson, 1984

Carolina East, website

Report Monster Destroying Net, Evening Telegram, January 05, 1952

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 10.19 (after 1940)

1943 – The cargo vessel Sinfra is attacked by Allied aircraft at Crete and sunk. Two thousand and ninety-eight Italian prisoners of war drown with it. 1943 – Streptomycin, the first antibiotic remedy for tuberculosis, is isolated by researchers at Rutgers University. 1944 – United States forces land in the Philippines. 1944 – A coup is launched against Juan Federico Ponce Vaides, beginning the ten-year Guatemalan Revolution. 1950 – China defeats the Tibetan Army at Chambo. 1950 – Korean War: The Battle of Pyongyang ends in a United Nations victory. Hours later, the Chinese Army begins crossing the border into Korea. 1950 – Iran becomes the first country to accept technical assistance from the United States under the Point Four Program. 1955 – The General Assembly of the European Broadcasting Union approves the staging of the first Eurovision Song Contest. 1956 – The Soviet Union and Japan sign a Joint Declaration, officially ending the state of war between the two countries that had existed since August 1945. 1960 – The United States imposes a near-total trade embargo against Cuba. 1973 – President Nixon rejects an Appeals Court decision that he turn over the Watergate tapes. 1974 – Niue becomes a self-governing colony of New Zealand. 1984 – A Roman Catholic priest, Jerzy Popiełuszko, associated with the Solidarity Union, is killed by three agents of the Polish Communist internal intelligence agency. 1986 – The president of Mozambique and a prominent leader of FRELIMO, along with 33 others, die when their aircraft crashes into the Lebombo Mountains. 1987 – The United States Navy conducts Operation Nimble Archer, an attack on two Iranian oil platforms in the Persian Gulf. 1987 – Black Monday: The Dow Jones Industrial Average falls by 22%, 508 points. 1988 – The British government imposes a broadcasting ban on television and radio interviews with members of Sinn Féin and eleven Irish republican and Ulster loyalist paramilitary groups. 1989 – The convictions of the Guildford Four are quashed by the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, after they had spent 15 years in prison. 2001 – SIEV X, an Indonesian fishing boat en route to Christmas Island, carrying over 400 migrants, sinks in international waters with the loss of 353 people. 2003 – Mother Teresa is beatified by Pope John Paul II. 2004 – Thirteen people are killed when Corporate Airlines Flight 5966 crashes in Adair County, Missouri, whilst on approach to Kirksville Regional Airport. 2005 – Saddam Hussein goes on trial in Baghdad for crimes against humanity. 2005 – Hurricane Wilma becomes the most intense Atlantic hurricane on record with a minimum pressure of 882 mb. 2012 – A bomb explosion kills eight people and injures 110 more in Lebanon. 2013 – One hundred and five people are injured in a train crash in Buenos Aires. 2019 – Members of Parliament met at the House of Lords to discuss the United Kingdom's Brexit deal, this was the first Saturday sitting in Parliament since 3 April 1982 during the Falklands War.

[newsofthetimesnott]

Fatal Attractions: Love and Murder

Fatal Attractions - Wicked Wednesdays Today we look at stories that reveal a darker side of the Victorian age, where love has turned deadly. The fine upstanding quaker, John Tawell, with the inconvenient mistress on the side. The baronet’s son with a murderous mistress, Flora Davies, he may becoming tired of. Was it an accident or was it purposeful? And the famous cricketer, Edmund Kesteven, retired, who snaps on Christmas day with fatal consequences. Beneath the polished veneer of the Victorian England, we explore 3 stories of fatal attractions ending in tragedy and death in today’s episode of Wicked Wednesdays. Hosted by Robin Coles. 

Hosted by Robin Coles. 

[skelegun]

When I was a lad before Redlettermedia and such, we had individual websites that would review bad movies, and the first one I discovered was called Stomp Tokyo. They used to have to type words because videos weren’t really a thing the internet could do well, you used to have to read those words with your eyeballs. Stomp Tokyo was part of a group they called The B-Masters Cabal which was a gathering of similar websites that would sometimes collaborate together and promote each other, and each of the B-Masters had their own gimmicks and niches that made them all kinda unique. Sadly most of the websites, while still up, haven’t updated in years, and are riddled with broken links. They are relics of a forgotten era of the internet when people had their own webbed sites, and not just a fucking discord server.

My favorite of the B-Masters was called Teleport City. Teleport City had a bit of different atmosphere compared to the other B-Masters. I got the sense, even as a kid, that Teleport City fucked. What sort of made them different from their compatriots was that Teleport City also covered music, like cool music I had never heard of, and they also covered alcohol. They would describe alcohol in intriguing and evocative ways, and while I couldn’t relate to these due to lack of personal experience, the way they were written always stuck with me.

I had always thought alcohol was just gross medicine tasting stuff people drank exclusively to get drunk, but here they were, a website I trusted to tell me which Godzilla movies to watch, was saying that there was a whole tapestry of flavors to explore when I was older.

I am older now, and truthfully I don’t drink that much. I haven’t had anything to drink actually in well over a year until today. However I am very bored, and I went to the liquor store today to try something new, so I thought I’d take a crack at writing a snobby alcohol review.

I went to the local discount liquor store and bought a mediumish sized bottle of Gordon’s London Dry Gin, I had wanted to buy the fancy blue bottle stuff but I’m kinda poor. After that I stopped at Taco Bell. They were out of chalupas so I got a Doritos Locos Supreme Tacos Value Meal with a Mountain Dew Baja Blast.

I don’t believe I had never tried Gin before, if I had I forgotten by now. I was intrigued by the promise of Juniper and Citrus. What the fuck is Juniper? Turns out it is like a pine tree. Why would British people in the 1700s riot over liquid trees? Surely trees must taste good, England is well known for having good taste in food and beverage. I had to know more. The anticipation was building.

I opened the bottle, and was greeted by an intriguing aroma. Christmas Tree, and nail polish remover. I poured some into a metal cup I had because I couldn’t find a fancy glass, added some ice cubes, and I took a swig… Then I realized I can’t beat around the bush anymore. I don’t know how people go on the tv and or the internet and tell lies about base spirits being anything other than toxic waste. Shits nasty on it’s own. Stuff tastes like floor cleaner. The vile taste of rubbing alcohol soon gave way to hints of licorish, orange rind, and car air freshener. The flavors call to mind a chilling holiday scene, Victorian London, Tiny Tim at the hospital, his leg freshly amputated. Watering that shit down with soda water and fresh squeezed lime juice made it more palatable, but still not ideal. I mean it’s like okay at that point I guess. What made it truly edible was mixing it with my half drank cup of Baha Blast, and like heaping helping of angostura bitters and a little orange blossom water.

I will say however, of all the base spirits I’ve tried, gin was not the worst, but at the same time it’s also kinda cheating in a way since gin is like a vodka tea from what I understand. My point being it’s already got shit added to it to begin with so it starts out with an advantage. Anyways, alcohol is gross on its own, don’t drink it, unless you want to I guess, whatever.

I’m gunna go watch a shitty Italian movie and maybe paint some Orks.

[spongythedollyteapartyfan-blog]

Published in December 1843, Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol was an instant bestseller, followed by countless print, stage and screen, it  was inspired by his days of wealth and poverty, swomeone had cpied the story, Oliver, about  a boy working in a “poor “work house”, but to some the author identified with the  work house owner, i wonder  did  anyone go  bakc in the  history books to find the  real work house owner, of the traffiked children in  england, in  1810, 1820/ 1830, as charles dickens was sent to the poor house over his  dads depts of  3 pounds,, lol anyone could be  carted off to the poor house, called “Warren’s Warehouse:

 in order to fund the misery of england, Charles’ dad was  John Dickens - a clerk in a payroll office of the navy.  He was born in 1785 and died in 1851. just liek my  dad dies at  65

Charles Dickend ,  A  christmas Carol, was  100 years old when my  dad was born and he  sailed off to Australia, alot liek  chales  dickens  story lien of  Ilvier  Twist, that Fagin,  was actually a  real person and both Fagin and  the  artful Dodger  both came to  australia, the  Warren Warehouse family also went ot  Australia,

so in 2043, i  will look back on the  200 year  history

to think that, in  1824 charles  dickens was working in a poor “work house” putting the  labels on boot polish, 

but like a level up ot  his  story  of  being  a “gentlemen” the idea of ,”being a  gentlemen, was somethinig learnt, and ingrained in the poverty cycle, of 1824 london,. to go  from boot polish, to  law clerk , to  report  writer,, to book story  writer, it is  quite  astounding to see the  same things  happen in  1820 as in  2020, ,  people being put into  work to  pay for the rich elites neglect and abuse, 

if Charles Dickens had not  of gone ot college and university instead of workign in the work house, 

just to think the boggers of  tumblr in  2023, will later be the  story tellers of  2043,  tee hee