#anyway i just thought since there's not a lot of things that are in catalan but subtitled into english people might find it useful | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

penguintransporter · 4 years ago

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Winning The Game Called Love (Hector Bellerin) PART V

Part V of this little piece that I enjoy writing so much. It is a bit longer, but if you ask me, totally worth your time. The entire story was inspired by the outfit in the picture, so I wanted to post it. Also, I kinda want to dedicate this chapter to one and only @varanest because of all the support I got, and of course all you anons that decided to write me - you have no idea how much it means to get encouragement for one’s work. Anyway, this was supposed to be the last part, but I think there will be one more after this because I don’t want to leave you hanging (epilogue maybe?) Let me know what you think...

Part I

Part II

Part III

Part IV

________

Aida wrapped her long coat tighter around her body, trying to stop herself from shivering even if she was well aware that she wasn’t doing so because she was cold.

Her battered Dr. Martens boots echoed as she walked along the edge of the vast parking lot, and except for few expensive-looking cars parked randomly and a very bored security guard, sitting in his small cubicle, watching Fawlty Towers – it was completely empty.

Aida pulled her phone out, nervously checking the time, but deep down she was just doing it in order to see if there was maybe a text message from Héctor, telling her where to look for him.

What if this is all just a prank?

Was he watching her now, laughing his arse off?

Just as she was about to jump on the train of doubtful thoughts and untrue conclusions, she spotted him – her heartbeat speeding up ever so slightly.

Héctor was leaning on the wall, illuminated by the spotlights surrounding the exit doors – eyes trained on his phone as he lazily moved his thumb across the screen. Aida’s stomach did a quick flip as she stopped for a second, observing him from from afar - letting the familiar rush of excitement run through her, followed by yet another shiver.

This time she didn’t even try to make herself believe that it was because of the low temperatures.

Deciding that she had been creeping on Héctor for too long – not that she could be blamed in the first place, Aida started walking towards him – her heart beating loudly in her ears, masking the noise that her boots made. Nervously, she smoothed down her clothes, exhaling softly.

Héctor looked up at her as she approached – a slow grin appearing across his face as he slid his phone in the pocket of his trousers. Aida smiled back feeling her bile rising as she quickened her pace, and before she could say or do anything, Héctor had already pulled her into one of those hugs that made any other hug she received less important.

Surprised by the sudden and unexpected contact, Aida wrapped her hands around him awkwardly.

It was a mistake, she knew it, but she couldn’t help herself – inhaling deeply, she let her guard down for just a few seconds, enjoying their closeness. Aida could tell that he recently had his post-match shower, both by his scent and the wet tips of his hair that tickled her face as they hugged.

“Nice to see you,” Héctor spoke, breaking the hug, and Aida, for the lack of better reaction, smiled softly as she took a reluctant step backwards. There was nothing more she wanted than to stay in his embrace for much longer, but she had to maintain healthy distance – after all, they weren’t even – heck, Aida didn’t even know what they were.

Still, that pretend distance that was supposed to keep her feelings in check meant nothing once Héctor gave her a cheeky once-over, grinning like an idiot. Not knowing what to do or say, Aida nervously pulled at the strings of the hoodie she was wearing – suddenly feeling warm throughout her entire body.

She was blushing.

You’re acting like an idiot, Aida.

Héctor smirked at her – index finger moving closer to her chin only to tug the string out of her grip gently, muttering something in Spanish.

Or was it English? Catalan?

“I hope you don’t mind me wearing it in public,” Aida muttered, smoothing down the hoodie while avoiding looking at him. When he didn’t say anything, she continued, trying to sound like her normal self that seemed to be lost somewhere between her feelings for the handsome right-back and the intense brown of his eyes, “I really enjoyed the match, thanks for inviting me.”

“All of it? Or just the last fifteen minutes that I was out on the pitch?” Héctor teased, giving her a small wink. Aida felt that familiar warmth wash over her yet again as he pointed at the exit doors behind him. “It’s a good thing that we won, then. That goal was a proper beauty.”

Aida, deciding that her sarcasm might be her best bet, gave him her best fake surprised face as he stepped forward, opening the doors for her and holding them in place. “Wait, what?” she asked, suppressing a smile, “are you trying to tell me that you weren’t the lads in blue?”

Héctor laughed lightly, adjusting the red beanie on his head, and it made Aida stop for a second when she realised how well put together he actually looked – despite playing a major game just an hour before. From the choice of his clothes to the tiny details like his cross earring and few statement rings on his long, tattooed fingers.

Stop staring.

“You humour me,” Héctor retorted as Aida she squeezed herself next to him and took a few steps towards the glint of light that was coming from the world outside.

“Look, I will stand here and all you have to do is try to kick the ball past me,” Héctor instructed, still crouching in front of her where he was adjusting ‘the ball’.

She enjoyed the silly competitions - never failing to make a fool out of herself willingly or not, and she had nothing against some football, despite being very, very bad at it, but as Héctor tried to explain the challenge, Aida noted two problems.

First – the ground beneath her boots was slightly muddy, sticking to the soles of her boots, and second – the ball that Héctor was fixing wasn’t actually a ball, but a pine cone that he kept hitting as they walked through the park since they arrived.

For some reason or another, they ended up in Highbury Fields – taking the empty pathway along the rows of naked trees and wintery bushes, and despite the silence between them, Aida enjoyed their stroll as she stole glances at him every now and then like a lovesick schoolgirl. The park seemed to be very quiet just for them, with only occasional passerby that didn’t even spare a second look at the professional footballer and a petite brunette with rosy cheeks next to him.

“It’s ridiculous,” she commented, adjusting her hat nervously. “I know it doesn’t look like it, but I have two lefts attached to my body.”

Héctor chuckled at her, glancing quickly at her. “You just have to believe in yourself.”

“Easy for you to say,” Aida huffed, “it’s like competing against, I don’t know—have you seen yourself on the pitch?”

“Few times, but I am glad to find out that you did as well,” Héctor teased as Aida felt her stomach being evaded by thousands of butterflies. “Would it help if I motivated you somehow?”

Aida looked down at him, finding herself both annoyed and turned on with his cheeky smirk. She could sense that he had an idea on his mind, and frankly, she was slightly scared. “Go on, vice-captain…” Aida urged, placing both of her hands on her waist.

“That ball—,”

“—Pine cone, you mean?”

Héctor made a silly face at her, and once again, her stomach made a flip.

“That pine cone,” he corrected himself, “if you manage to get it past me, I am buying you dinner after this. There’s a great vegan place down the road, and I’ve been peckish for a while now.”

Aida blushed, imagining them sitting at the table together, candle burning in middle, and his hand slowly touching hers— she stopped herself, shaking her head lightly.

You need to stop watching Hallmark movies.

“And if I don’t?” Aida asked, composing herself.

“I haven’t thought about it,” he spoke as he got up, dusting his hands against his trousers before giving her a look under his eyebrows. “Come on, unicorn. Have faith in yourself because I do.”

Not only did she lost the challenge, but she has also managed to fall on her arse and stain her relatively new coat with the wet mud. Despite giving her best, Aida knew that with her two left legs and balance or rather lack of it, she wasn’t going to win this one, no matter how much he tried to make it easy for her.

“Well, that was embarrassing,” she grinned at him like a Cheshire cat, brushing her coat with her hands as he took off his hat for a second, running his fingers through his locks before putting it back in the place.

Héctor stifled a laugh before hitting the unlucky pine cone with a real force, making it fly and land along the bushes, few meters away. “It wasn’t that bad,” he grinned, and Aida rolled her eyes at him. “I’ve seen worse.”

“Who? My granny?” she joked as Héctor took a step closer, only to pull her hat over her eyes, making her gasp and swat his hand away. “I was actually looking forward to that dinner,” Aida added with a sigh.

“It can still happen, y’know?”

“That’s because you’re peckish, innit?” Aida teased back, blushing lightly as Héctor smirked at her.

Slowly, they made their way down the long stretch of park, towards the exit as Aida tried to come up with something to say. She knew that she had no need to keep talking, but she enjoyed the silly banter with him; it was relaxing her.

Aida looked around the park.

The dusk had already set – the layer of fog forming slowly, and despite the gloominess of the winter, it looked beautiful. She stuck her hands in her pockets as she observed the nature surrounding them.

“I was wondering…” Aida started softly after a while – a thought that has been bouncing around her mind, tickled her curiosity.

“Hmm?” Héctor hummed as Aida glanced up at him – her heart making a dip into her stomach.

Hot. Ridiculously hot.

“Why did you want to meet up after the match?” she asked, making a detour around a small pool of mud in front of her. “And most importantly, how did you get my number?”

Héctor laughed lightly, glancing at her and Aida quickly looked away. “Blimey, are you always this curious?”

“Sometimes,” she teased, but on the inside she was becoming a nervous wreck. Héctor stopped for a second; Aida did the same, feeling of anticipation growing inside of her as she waited for his answer. “Come on, Hec,” she added softly, using his nickname for the first time.

He took a step closer – his face shadowed by something else other than his boyish demeanour; something that Aida couldn’t put her finger on what it was.

“Let’s say that I suddenly got curious about magical creatures,” he finally answered – the corner of his lips moving upwards as he took a step back away, starting to walk again. “Also, you still owe me a sign language tutorial. Don’t think I forgot about that.”

It was Aida’s turn to giggle as she caught up with him. “Hate to say this, but not many birds would appreciate that kind of flirting, Héctor.”

“What about you? Would you appreciate it?” he asked nonchalantly and Aida’s breath hitched in her throat.

How can he say something like that and keep his cool?

For what seemed like ages, Aida tried to make herself breathe again. The only thing she was able to do as she tried to gain back her composure was to open and close her mouth like a fish. It certainly didn’t help that Héctor kept his eyes trained on her, smirking mischievously.

He was more than pleased with himself.

“I… I’m, ugh – idiot,” she groaned, burying her face in her hands.

Héctor chuckled, tugging at her coat sleeve, making her look up at him. “My God, you are unbelievable, but in a good way.”

Aida blushed a further shade of red as she looked at him, wishing she wasn’t because a certain type of tension was growing between them and it made her heartbeat accelerate.

“It’s all your fault,” she blurted out, quickly realising that she actually voiced her thoughts instead of keeping them inside her head. Burned with the realisation that she humiliated herself once again, she took a step back.

“Guilty as charged,” he grinned at her playfully, and all Aida wanted to do was to find a rock and hide underneath it for a while. “Y’know, I wasn’t joking with what I said about the dinner,” Héctor started, switching the subject casually as Aida managed to gain some of her confidence back – her cheeks cooling down ever so slightly, “but you still need to keep the end of your bargain.”

“And here I thought you forgot about it, silly me,” she joked back, trying to sound cool, but on the inside she was feeling the nervousness growing yet again. “What do I have to do?” Aida asked, pretending that she was ready for whatever he had in his mind.

“Kiss me,” Héctor responded nonchalantly as if he was asking her about the time or as if he was wondering if it was raining outside.

Aida swallowed – her eyes going wide for a second as her mind shut itself. She was desperately trying to find the goddamn switch, but it was in vain.

She was not ready for this.

“Fine,” she whispered, nervously sticking her hands in the pockets of her coat. “A kiss,” she repeated and Héctor nodded, looking at her with a small smile dancing on his lips as he waited. She nodded as well, more as an encouragement to herself before taking a step towards him.

Without wasting a moment, she tiptoed ever so slightly, giving him a peck on the cheek - softness of his skin surprising her for a second. Not pleased with the execution, but glad that she didn’t humiliate herself once again, she smiled, taking a step back and in the direction of the exit gates that were in front of them.

Before she knew what was happening, Héctor’s hand pulled at her arm, and Aida only blinked fast couple of times when she found herself facing him once again. He was gently pulling her closer towards him - one of his eyebrows rising slightly as he locked his eyes with hers. Aida waited for that cocky grin of his to appear on his face, but it didn’t; not this time.

She only saw moments like this in the movies and TV shows, and more than often she wondered if they existed in real life or if they were just a product of creative freedom. Whatever the case was, Aida wasn’t sure what was she supposed to feel because instead of the romantic anticipation she imagined when watching those, all she felt was a turmoil of butterflies in her stomach and a slight wave of panic rising inside of her.

Aida blushed a deep shade of red as Héctor’s arm sneaked around her waist, underneath her open coat, and for a second, she thought that her heart had stopped beating.

“For someone who knows the sign language, you really are very bad at reading them.”

“You didn’t specify�� it’s not the same,” she breathed out shakily as Héctor’s other hand went up to her cheek where it settled perfectly against her jawline as he drew her in closer. The rings he wore felt cool against her burning skin as he watched her – eyes searching for a silent encouragement in hers. “Héctor,” Aida mumbled, heat rising inside of her, “whatever you’re about to do, can you just do it?”

She didn’t expect him to laugh, yet he did – throwing his head back for a second before looking back at her, and just when she was thinking that he was only teasing her, he leaned down, capturing her lips in proper kiss. The moment it happened, her eyelids fluttered close and she felt a tingle ran down her spine – her legs suddenly becoming weak. Quickly, she pulled her hands out of her pockets, sneaking them around his neck for support.

Maybe that was exactly what he was waiting for because Aida could feel him deepen the kiss, pulling her even closer.

There were moments, many of them, if she was going to be honest, when she wondered how it would feel to have his lips against hers, and now that she finally had the chance, Aida didn’t want to stop, and it scared her. Getting on her tiptoes, she brought herself closer, wanting him to know that she wanted the kiss; that she needed him to kiss her, and just as she started to relax into him, the kiss became just a gentle brush of his full lips against hers.

Much to her dismay, Héctor pulled away, and she suddenly became childishly shy, looking bashfully down at their shoes.

Do I say something now?

Is it wrong that I want to snog him again?

You just kissed Héctor, Aida.

“Much better,” Héctor smirked, giving his bottom lip a small bite as Aida glanced up at him, wondering what was going through his mind. Did he feel the same tingles as she did? Does he want to kiss her again as much as she wants to kiss him?

“Uhm—,” Aida trailed off, nervously looking away – her arms nervously swaying as Héctor took a step back while running his hand along his jaw. Aida felt a shiver of cold run through her, suddenly missing the the warmth of his hand against her face; his arm around her waist.

“Hungry?” he suddenly asked, sticking his hands in the pockets of his jacket.

Aida didn’t say anything, but nodded confusedly, closing her eyes for a second as they started walking towards the exit gate – a small but timid smile appearing on her lips.

#footballers #footballer fanfiction #Football Fanfiction #footballer imagine #football imagine #soccer fanfiction #soccer imagine #soccer oneshot #soccer imagines #hector bellerin fan fiction #hector bellerin fanfiction #hector bellerin fic #hector bellerin imagine #hector bellerin oneshot #arsenal fc fanfiction

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mnthpprt · 5 years ago

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Chapter 8: Of Treason And Friendship

After changing back into my own clothes, I easily find my way to the training room, backpack and skates strapped to my shoulders. It is the middle of the night, so I am thankful to find an electric light switch has been installed in the deserted room. I don’t even bother to close the large door before sitting down in a corner and rummaging in the bag for my tools and spare set of indoor wheels. I am thankful for having decided to visit a local rink before my adventure in the Louvre, or my skates would be rendered useless in the uneven streets of the 19th century. Not that I would be able to skate outdoors, anyway, since it would be too odd a sight in this time.

I effortlessly swap the wheels, and proceed to fish out my wireless earbuds from a pocket. Soon, I am gliding across the polished wood, spinning and jumping to the tempo of an old playlist from my competitive days. I have not done a routine like this in years, but I find it to be the kind of thing you never forget how to do once you learn it. It is easy for me to let muscle memory take over. I successfully try a few camel spins to regain practice, and subsequently get too confident and fall while attempting to land an Axel.

Once again, my body takes the hit and reminds me how much faster than my mind it recovers. I get back on my feet and keep working on it, momentarily forgetting the past few hours. I become so completely absorbed by my routine that I am oblivious to the pale sunlight that begins shining through the large windows. Hours have passed without me knowing, and I suddenly catch something out of the corner of my eye during a spin.

I almost fall, startled, when I spot two men by the door, watching, completely mesmerized. I have no idea how long they have been there. I quickly regain my balance and skate over to them as I pull out my ear buds.

“Napoleon,” I greet the one I remember. My eyes trail down to his left hand, no longer bandaged. It appears to have completely healed overnight. “I, uh...” I stammer, consumed by the awkwardness of our last encounter. “I’m sorry I bit you yesterday. Took someone else trying to bite me to understand what you were doing. Thank you for... trying to help me, I guess. Even though it became a big misunderstanding. Now I get it.”

I apologetically extend my own hand to him in an attempt to clear the air, and to my surprise, he shakes it with an amused smile. His grasp is delicate, all too used to this time’s etiquette. It is somewhat nice that he still thinks of me as ladylike, after the way I acted.

“It’s all forgotten, Anaïs.” I return the smile, pleased with this new start. “What was it that you were doing? I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s like you were floating, carried by the wind!” The wonder in his voice makes me chuckle. I keep forgetting how different my time is, compared to now.

“Oh, just roller skating,” I explain, and lift up one foot so he can see better. “It’s a sport from my time that I used to compete in when I was younger.” His eyes widen, earning another chuckle. Of course, women participating in sports is not widely accepted yet, let alone competing in them.

“I was sorry to hear about what happened with Isaac. Have you been here all night?” The tinge of worry in his question makes me turn to the window. My eyes squint when I glance at the sky, the early morning sun directly in my line of sight.

“Oh, no, I lost track of time!” It is then that I see the swords in each of their belts. They must have waiting to use the training room. I turn to the other man, much taller than Napoleon. He wears an eyepatch over his right eye, with long strands of hair half covering it. “Sorry to keep you two waiting. You must be Jean, I believe you are the only resident of this mansion I have not spoken to yet.”

Jean’s face has scandal written all over it as he stares at me, his visible eye wide and a pink blush dusted over his cheeks. It takes me a second to figure out what his problem is. A quick glance at myself explains it: I am even more exposed than last night. Without the sweater, skin tight jeans and a tank top short enough to leave most of my midriff visible are all that’s on me. The visible ink all over my body certainly doesn’t help. I shoot off in the direction of my backpack, snatching up the sweater right next to it as I spin and come to a sudden stop in the exact same spot I started in, a couple feet from the two men.

As far as I remember, Jean d’Arc was an extremely devout Christian accused of heresy in her - I mean, his - time. I hastily pull the sweater over my head, and as soon as most of my skin is covered, I hear Jean cough.

“A-Anaïs”, he finally stutters. “I have been told about you.”

“Well, Jean d’Arc,” I say with a friendly smile, “it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

I retire to the side to let the two soldiers use the space, and take a seat on the floor by my belongings, where I change back into my shoes. For the next hour, I watch the men spar as I eat a cereal bar I found in a pocket and drink what’s left of my lukewarm smoothie from the previous day at the musée.

After a while, they decide to take a break from their intense combat training, and Jean practically runs out into the hallway as Napoleon walks over and sits beside me on the floor.

“Did I do something to offend him?” I wonder out loud.

“Oh, don’t worry,” Napoleon reassures me. “Jean is not very sociable, and well... your appearance is something new for all of us. But I understand it is normal in the future, to dress so scandalously.”

“Well, in that case...” I take off my sweater. It is much too warm to be wearing it here, and I only kept in on for Jean’s sake. I sigh in relief as the cool air touches my skin, and lean back against the wall, only to notice Napoleon observing me with curiosity. I let him, and after a short silence he finally asks what’s on his mind.

“Do people in your time paint their bodies like this every day? It must have taken you ages!” The innocence in his question makes me laugh. Immediately, he looks away, ashamed to have stared at me that way.

“It’s fine. It’s not paint. See?” I rub the skin on my forearm to show him the ink won’t budge, and then shift closer to let him do the same. “These are tattoos. They are permanent.” Napoleon’s fingers trail shyly over my skin, and soon he is holding my hand, moving my arm to better see it from different angles as I continue to explain. “It is ink, but it was injected there with a needle. It’s under my skin forever.” Napoleon gasps, prompting me to smile.

“Did... did it hurt? Why did you get them?” He has not let go of my arm yet, but his gentle touch does not bother me.

“They do hurt, but it mostly depends on the placement,” I explain. “These just felt like a surface scratch when I got them done.” His puzzled expression reminds me of the second question he asked. “As for why I got them, well... some of them have meaning or remind me of things, like this one,” I point to the stylized flower on my upper arm, encased in a perfect square. “It’s the symbol of my hometown. If I remember correctly, this tile will be designed in about ten years. In my time you can see it all over Barcelona. Which reminds me...”

I pull my arm away and turn to face him, a playful grin making its way onto my face. I can’t believe this man is the same Napoleon I studied in history class.

“You might have been perfectly nice to me, but don’t think I’ve forgotten about the Treaty of Fontainebleau and your little treasonous stunt.” He raises his eyebrows and looks away, but does not say anything. “Yeah, I learned about it in school. I guess you’ll have to make it up to me for invading my country, huh?” I joke, letting out another chuckle.

“I guess so.” Napoleon scratches the back of his head and joins me with a laugh of his own. “I learned the hard way not to mess with Catalans. You have a lot of fight in you, Anaïs.” As he says that, he massages the part of his hand between his index finger and thumb. The spot where I bit him.

“I am so sorry about that.” I blush, embarrassed, and smile awkwardly. “In my defence, I thought you were trying to kidnap me.”

“Don’t worry about it.” He smiles and lifts his hand in front of me. “It’s all healed up. One of the perks of vampirism, apparently.”

“Oh!” I perk up, suddenly remembering something. “I’ve been meaning to ask... If you’re a vampire too, why did you try to help me escape?”

He becomes serious and lets out a deep sigh.

“I am just a demi-vampire.” I look at him, puzzled, and he continues. “That means I am more human than the others.”

Before I have time to ask more, Jean returns with two bottles of blanc and hands one to Napoleon. They both drink it and immediately begin sparring again. I can tell this conversation is over. Resigned, I gather my things and walk to the door, announcing my goodbye as I leave.

#ikemen vampire #ikevam #ikevamp #ikemen fanfiction #ikemen #ikevam fanfic #ikevamp fanfiction #ikemen vampire fanfiction #ikemen vampire napoleon #ikevamp napoleon #ikemen vampire jean #ikevamp jean

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fangirling-throughlife · 6 years ago

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Sant Jordi (World's Book Day)

Summary: Shawn falls for a Valencian girl who's an enormous bookworm.

A/N: as today (well, it's past 12, so technically it was yesterday) is Sant Jordi (a festivity in Spain, specially in Aragón and Catalonia), a day commemorating the World Book Day (because of the anniversary of the death of Shakespeare, Miguel de Cervantes and Garcilaso de la Vega), I thought of this little idea. I'm from Valencia (where the girl is from), so it's just almost 2k of publicity for my city and my language (Catalan). So, if anybody is going to visit or would like to visit the city, I'll be happy to answer any questions. Also, I'm a big bookworm, which is why it's about books and St. Jordi. Anyway, hope you enjoy it!

Word count: 1795 words

One of the first things Shawn learned about Anna was her unending love for books. She didn’t mind when it happened, where she was or in whose company, she always had a book between her hands. She couldn’t leave the house without something to read, and Shawn had learned that the hard way. During Christmas he had flown out to Valencia, her hometown, to spend some time with her, as he would be starting tour soon, so he wouldn’t have the time to see his girl, who was busy with her classes. One night, between Christmas and New Year, he took her out to have dinner and watch a movie. They arrived late to the restaurant, because she realised she didn't have her book with her when they were on their way for 10 minutes.

It isn't surprising, though, considering where he met her. She spent the summer in Toronto, studying English, and she went to a little book shop next to Shawn's building two or three times a week. Shawn saw her one day, roaming the aisles full of shelves and talking to Leonard, the owner, as if she were an old friend, and was intrigued immediately. He noticed she usually was there between 18 and 20, so he went outside around those hours, hoping to see her.

He looked at her black hair, her dark-brown eyes hidden behind considerably thick glasses and her tanned skin. He knew her features so well that he saw her when he closed his eyes. At one point, he started feeling like a stalker, but he couldn't stop thinking about her. He noticed that she wasn't Canadian three weeks after he saw her for the first time, when she left the shop one day talking on her phone. He didn't recognize the language, though he was sure it wasn't French (he surely would've recognized some words). All he knew was that it was beautiful and melodic, so it had to be something between French, Italian and Spanish. He realised that she would be leaving soon (he asked Brian when college started generally, as she was giving off some big nerdy college girl vibes), so he decided he had to talk to her before she did. One day, after he checked she was inside, he entered and talked to her, pretending to be looking for a gift for Aaliyah. He asked for her advice, which she gave very excitedly, and, after 30 minutes, he found the courage to ask her out to have a drink.

If Shawn loved the idea of her, after “stalking” her for three weeks, he fell for her the moment she talked to him. He was surprised when she admitted she knew his music, because she was completely cool with the fact that Shawn Mendes himself asked her out. She talked about her dream to become a writer, or, at least, an editor, and he talked about how much he loved writing music. They kept on seeing each other every night after her classes for the last 10 days she spent in the city.

By the time she had to go back to Valencia, the both of them were deeply in love with each other. The only thing stopping him from buying a ticket to go see her were the multiple commitments he had for the next months. The first time he could go see her was end-October, for her birthday. When he got to Valencia and she showed the city to him, he understood her personality. She mirrored the beauty of her city perfectly. He quickly noticed the duality of it: it's got the characteristics of a big city as well as of a small provincial town. It combines century-old history in the centre with a modern and vibrant side more outside. Just like he expected (just by knowing her) the people were nice and welcoming. For the first time in ages, he could enjoy some time without being “the Rockstar” all the time, as people seemed to be very chill about him being there.

As tour started in Amsterdam in March (she didn't have so much work around that time), he made sure she was there for the two first shows. She didn't have any classes for a whole week afterwards, but as she quickly explained to him, “It's Fallas, I can't miss that. Plus, I've already said yes to a billion plans, I won't even be free.” So, from the 15th till the 20th of March, he would find after every single show pictures of his bookworm girlfriend at parties, in front of statues that, according to her, were “a form of art, and satire” (he would have to see them with his own eyes, and maybe actually understand her language to conceive that very deep meaning she was trying to explain). She sent him awfully long videos of fireworks displays, every night longer than the previous one. Through her camera and his screen he was dragged into the festivities of Fallas, something he definitely needed to experience by himself.

His favourite moment of March, though, was the show in Barcelona. She didn't answer the phone for hours, making him anxious, but she appeared out of thin air backstage, sharing a mischievous smile with Brian. Later, he found out that they had been plotting against his sanity for the past hours. That day he saw her really get into the show and the atmosphere. She was fluent in both French and English, but in Barcelona she could speak her native languages, Spanish and Catalan. She surely didn't notice, but he did: she opened up, she chatted with fans and won them over with her charming personality. After all, she was talking to her people. She freaked out when Aitana came backstage and asked for a picture with her “please, please, please” . That day, he knew that the love for her culture would always be enormous.

She couldn't make it to the final show in London, because she had an exam on Thursday and the combination of trains, flights and busses was simply impossible, so she just watched it from a video call with Brian. She saw her boy be sick and told him to stay hydrated, she told him how proud she was, but she couldn't help but feel awful because she wasn't there, with all his family and loved ones. When he announced, after the show, that he was going back to Toronto in the morning, she couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed. One part of her understood him completely. He had been away for such a long time that he needed to be in his own bed to recharge. He had studio sessions and SNL coming up, so she shouldn't be surprised that he wasn't coming. He still called her every single day and night, he asked about her classes (didn't she tell him they had 2 weeks of Easter Holiday?) and about the city (the weather was awful, so she didn't leave the house).

The one subject he seemed to avoid was the most pressing one considering the time of the year. To Anna, the most important festivity (even though it wasn't a national holiday, it should be, in her opinion) was St. Jordi. She remembered with a smile the story she heard every year at school. And, even though there were two official days to celebrate love in Valencia (the historical one, Sant Dionís, on October 9th, and the globalised one, Saint Valentine, on February 14th), she considered Sant Jordi, on April 23rd, the one true lover's day. The traditional gifting of a rose and a book was, in her opinion, the most romantic gesture in a relationship. Well, she didn't really care about the rose (although she couldn't deny the fact that she was a hopeless romantic and she loved to get a rose), she was always eager to know what the book would be. It was also the first Sant Jordi since she started dating Shawn, so she was terrified. Hadn't she made it clear how important the day was to her? He didn't have to fly over, he could just ship a book, or even send her a gift card so she could buy the books herself.

When midday passed on the 23rd, she decided she wouldn't be waiting for him to call alone sitting on her couch. Even though it was raining (surprise, “En abril, aigües mil” (in April, it rains a lot)), she took her umbrella and raincoat and walked to the book fair. All the stress she had been building for the past weeks vanished when she saw the thousands of books in front of her. She quickly started to look (not buy, that's her strategy: first looking and then deciding on the purchase), and she almost forgot about her boyfriend who'd forgotten about this special day.

But, the same way she kept quiet for the entire day when she went to see him in Barcelona, he didn't talk to her while he was getting to Valencia. Even though he didn't think she'd be at home, he tried, and his suspicions were confirmed by her sister. So, he immediately left for the book fair. With the help of her sister, he found her without attracting too much attention to himself. She was reading the first chapter of a book she seemed to be considering, a second one in her hand to check up on later. He slightly chuckled, because she's the only person who would stop to read the first chapter of a book before deciding on buying or not. He immediately froze, but relaxed rapidly, as his chuckle didn't give away his presence. When she finally was done, she returned one of the books to its place and turned to take her wallet. That moment, she was met with the view of Shawn Mendes with a red rose, her favourite, and a copy of her favourite author's new book. At first, she couldn't believe it, until he walked up to her and whispered in her ear, “it's not that funny to be kept in the dark for so long, isn't it?” She laughed, knowing he was talking about her's and Brian's stunt in Barcelona, promising herself she would never do it again. “It's not. I thought you didn't remember.” She confessed. “That was my whole idea.” She couldn't help but glare at him, but he quickly pressed his lips onto hers, smiling in the kiss. “Feliç dia del Llibre, amor”. (Happy Book Day, love) Shawn said, proud of himself for remembering the phrase completely. She chuckled (he didn't understand why, though, his pronunciation had been excellent), and answered. “Feliç dia de Sant Jordi, amor.” (Happy St. George day, love).

#shawn mendes #shawn mendes fluff #shawn mendes imagine #sant jordi #book world day #bookworm #valencia #spain

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janiedean · 6 years ago

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Mood lightener ask, I am intrigued by book recs from you since you mentioned something about a dinosaur series a bit ago? Color me intrigued so top five books you'd recommend for people who enjoy ASoIaF?

OH GOD THANK YOU XDDD

okay so, I’m taking the dinosaurs out first because... well. hahah.

the dinosaur lords is ABSOLUTELY a thing you might wanna try out if you like asoiaf for reasons, BUT I’m warning you, the author died before finishing it (unless he wrote the last three but didn’t have publishing contract for the second part of the six-books plan but no one quite knows and no idea) so most likely you’ll never get a conclusion, warning you beforehand so that’s why I’m putting it outside the top five. BUT IF YOU LIKE ASOIAF YOU SHOULD STILL TRY IT because:

the author was a friend of grrm’s and it shows;

it’s literally asoiaf except people go around on dinosaurs;

NO, REALLY;

there’s at least a couple characters who are totally asoiaf homages (there’s a dude named jaume who’s basically jaime and loras’s lovechild I SWEAR HE IS HE’S EVEN THE HEAD OF THE LOCAL KINGSGUARD) but not in a way that makes it look like plagiarism;

admittedly it takes a bit to find its rhythm, but when it does it’s really good because the worldbuilding is amazing and like... it’s basically fictional medieval europe with dinosaurs but to a really good degree and the representation is a+++, in the sense that idk one of the main four is obv. irish romani (or what irish romani are in that universe), a few are def. catalan, the french guy is really so french you wanna die, the italian dude actually comes from the oldest university in the realm, there’s people from russia/greece and the protagonist is basically some three eastern europeans countries thrown in one character but not stereotypically, like the guy is obv. a mix of russian/polish/mongol and he’s really a good character in that sense, there’s germans too, spanish ofc, like it’s really good in that sense

DINOSAURS FIGHTING DINOSAURS WHILE THEIR KNIGHTS RIDE THEM

there’s an entire supernatural angle with ARCHANGELS WHO MIGHT BE ROBOTS which is honestly intriguing and a+ and I just wish the books hadn’t finished just before going deep into it

if you also want lgbt+ rep............. well, two out of the three supposedly straight characters are irish romani dude and the protagonist and I can 100% assure you that everyone I dragged into reading those books agreed with me that in each single scene they have together (ie: most of them) they’re gayer than Actual Gay People in these books, but other than them half of the cast is bi, the gay sex is better written than the straight sex (forreal there’s one of the few actually.... sexy m/m oral sex scenes I read in published fiction???), their sexuality is not the whole of their personality but it’s fairly stated that most of them are Really Not Straight and it’s really done well;

actually THE ENTIRE KINGSGUARD IS GUYS WHO FIGHT VERY WELL BUT LOVE ARTS AS WELL AND THEY ALL SLEEP WITH EACH OTHER EXCEPT THE TOKEN STRAIGHT FRENCH CHARACTER THAT THE JAIME AND LORAS LOVECHILD HAS A CRUSH ON and ngl I thought they would end up fucking at some point if the books went on so... XDDD anyway a+++ kingsguard >>> the one in asoiaf;

ngl at some points there’s some badly written sex scenes (the straight ones lmao I’m 99,9% sure milàn was not that straight himself) and it’s not half as complex as asoiaf and doesn’t have as many characters but it has the same scheme except with dinosaurs, archangels being robots and three people are straight and two of them are in love anyway;

so tldr I greatly recommend the dinosaur lords if you want something similar to asoiaf, don’t expect an ending, enjoy dinosaurs and a lot of nice rep for everyone. also Y’ALL HAVE TO SHIP ROB AND KARYL WITH ME BECAUSE THEY’RE RIDICULOUS.

.... wow, and you asked me the top five. lmaaaaao. anyway, given that the dinosaur lords will not be in the top five, I’ll go and advise you to read:

IAN TREGILLIS’S ALCHEMY WARS, which is not like **fantasy** but it’s alternate history where the netherlands win the colonial wars in the 16th century because they figure out how to make brass androids and they use it to basically destroy the british and drive the french to canada while they conquer the US instead of the british. it’s a trilogy, it’s completed, it’s flawless and features: FRENCH CATHOLICS VS DUTCH CALVINISTS WITH THE FRENCH WANTING TO TAKE BACK PARIS, PREDESTINATION VS FREE WILL IN THE ANDROIDS DISCOURSE, REHASH OF 16TH/17TH CENTURY PHILOSOPHY DONE GREATLY, the greatest female character of genre literature since grrm (berenice GUYS BERENICE IS THE BEST GOD I LOVE HER SFM), the evil antagonist who’s a gal cersei wishes she was (like she’s terrible but she’s competent), the davos-like french general who knits in his spare time and the protagonist is the cinnamon roll-est android ever I love him sfm OH and the one time I cried because of a catholic fictional priest. guys tregillis is an a+++ top notch writer who has no time to waste with fillers and knows how to write a story even if HE HATES ME AND HE WANTS ME TO SUFFER and like... alchemy wars is really really good give it a go k?1,5. tregillis also wrote another alternate history trilogy, the milkweed tryptich, which is basically ‘the nazis create the x-men to win the war and so the british counteract by evoking ctuhulu and it goes exactly as it promises’. now: I have a love-hate rship with that one because the last book is narratively working but I hate everything it chose to be for reasons also i wanna punch the protagonist in the face, but thesuperevilgirl is totes the cersei of the situation and her brother has.... some srs jaime moments lmao he’s also my favorite ofc god klaus ily so much, and it has... some... well... ENGAGING choices lol I mean i loved book one and two and the third I did reluctantly but it could be an option? anyway ian tregillis is amazing and y’all should read him bye

the curse of chalion by lois mcmaster bujold has, as the amazing soul who recommended it to me pointed out, a protagonist that manages to be jaime and theon and partially sandor put into one. IT AMAZINGLY WORKS. the plot is kiiiinda more straightforward if you know spanish history bc the moment you figure out it’s the fantasy version of how castille and aragona united you know where it heads, but it has a lot of nice twists, also some a+ lgbt+ rep tho not as much as the dinosaur lords and the protagonist is.... really great I love him XD also ngl the fact that it ends fairly nicely is a balm so I’d try it, there’s other books in the same verse but I haven’t gotten around to read them yet

... guys stephen king’s dark tower is my fantasy favorite series EVER like ever, I love asoiaf and brienne is in my heart and she’s my true rep but nothing will top TDT for me ever for reasons and while it’s a completely different thing I still recommend it. caveat: I hate the last book with a vengeance and I think king fucked up the last two thirds real bad, but..... hey, it’s finished and the rest is 100% worth it. also jaime is totally the lovechild of the male protagonist and the other male-coprotagonist who are also my #1 ship ever in history so I’d give it a go ;) ;) ;) also while eddie’s my fave roland deschain is honestly the kind of character that you can only bow in front of like if I ever made an oc one hundredth as good as roland is in conception and execution and everything I’d feel like I accomplished everything I need in life. IT’S WORTH IT. TRY IT.

terry pratchett’s discworld: yes, it’s 41 books. yes it’s a lot. but you can read them by cycle which makes it a lot easier, they’re fun (the first three are a bit meh but the rest is all top notch I swear), they’re sarcastic and witty and delightful and it’s a++++ fantasy and I’ve been wanting to do the asoiaf au for ages sigh but anyway if you don’t want dark and grim but also want a+++ narrative, good satire about how our world sucks and a lot of fun at the expense of our pop culture (guys the book about their version of australia is a hoot and there’s a leonardo da vinci!!) GO FOR IT. IT’S AMAZING. also your life isn’t complete until you read about sam vimes and the local version of death speaking in capslock and being a cat person. also charles dance plays one of the mains in one of the tv adaptations and he was delightful xD

this is going to gain me rotten tomatoes, but....... grrm’s shared series wild cards. that he has going on with fifteen other writers including the aforementioned tregillis and milàn.yes, it’s like 28 books by now. no, it’s not perfect by all means and certain arcs are a total wtf and you don’t even have to read all of it, but especially grrm’s characters in it are obvious templates for asoiaf people (the powerful and amazing turtle is dark sam tarly and jay ackroyd is basically jaime without the incest and the extra good looks while lohengrin is brienne’s spiritual twin except for the looks), the shared worldbuilding is great, the alternate history story where buddy holly didn’t die and some of the protagonists organized a concert for him bc he was poor as hell was genius, and while a lot of the older stuff is dated and most likely was progressive for the eighties and would read a bit wonky now they always were super-inclusive, it has a bunch of nonwhite/nonstraight characters (esp. in the last books but there were also in the old ones, and the longest-standing gay dude since the eighties got a husband in the last trilogy!!! it was so ;_;), the alternate history is really good imvho and if you enjoy asoiaf you probably would like most of wild cards. if you want a reading order I made one here. xD

here you go sorry it took me one hour to answer it but IT GOT LONG XDD

#the dinosaur lords #alchemy wars #wild cards #discworld for ts #the dark tower for ts #book recs #john-childerass #ask post

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fandomverseofanthony · 6 years ago

Text

Everyone’s Talking About Venom...

But where is the love for his younger brother, Ruin?

(Ruin art by @barkthedog)

(S.H.I.E.L.D. Template by Awkward-Nerdd, art and info by me)

I mean, Ruin is just as big of a goofball as he is badass!

(Paying an old “friend” a visit)

(Left - Jack by @barkthedog, Right - Clemency)

(Jack by @barkthedog)

(Art and Jack by @barkthedog)

But what hero would be complete without “The Look”?

Aside from having a “Rage” form, similar to how his older brother usually looks in size, Ruin’s touch is caustic to inorganic materials. The stronger the material, the longer he has to hold onto it to break it down.

Want to know more about Aiden/Ruin? Plenty of origin story goodness and stats below the cut!

Aiden Darrow

Info Real Name: Aiden Darrow Alias: Ruin Relatives: James Darrow (father, deceased); Alicia Darrow (mother); Ruin (symbiote) Affiliation: Temporary ally of Spider-man Base of Operations: Manhattan, NY Status Alignment: Good Identity: Secret Identity Citizenship: American Martial Status: Single Occupation: Vigilante Characteristics Gender: Male Height: 6' 2” Weight: 210lbs Eyes: Brown Hair: Short, Brown Unusual Feature: N/A Origin Origin: Fully bonded with symbiote Universe: Earth-616 Place of Birth: Mulberry Street, Manhattan, NY Power Grid (Scale 1-7) Intelligence: 4 Strength: 5 Speed: 3 Durability: 6 Energy Projection: 2 Fighting Skills: 4

History

Early Life

Aiden Darrow grew up as part of a busy blue-collar family. His father, James Darrow, was a hard-working mechanic, while his mother, Alicia Darrow, was a detective for the NYPD, known and respected throughout the neighborhood for her efforts to help take down the various crime syndicates infesting New York.

Most of Aiden’s youth was spent with his father at the shop, learning the value of hard work and dedication to one’s craft. His mother spent a lot of her time working cases, but was always there for him when he needed her most. She taught him the importance of justice and determination, in an imperfect world, and that although the system typically works, sometimes matters had to be taken into your own hands. This resonated with him, sometimes leading to trouble, as he would get into fights with bullies, defending other kids.

This led to many defeats at first, coming home with busted lips, black eyes, and other assorted bumps and bruises. Although Aiden’s parents did not agree with one another on his extracurricular activities, they at least came to terms with each other, to teach him how to defend himself. His father taught him aspects of street fighting and that anything goes in a fight, along with precise strikes and take-downs from his mother. Although he promised his father to cut down on the fighting, he rarely lost ever since.

All things considered, Aiden’s life was turning out well. He excelled in his classes and even managed to win the heart of the girl next door, Gabriela Catalan.

Birth of Ruin After many years had passed, with Aiden now in his mid 20s, he was in college and living in his own apartment. He would frequently stop by his old home to visit his mother and father, when either of them were around. He worried about his mother, considering her work helped put Wilson Fisk behind bars. Such concern, however, ended up with good reason.

Wilson Fisk had returned to New York to “settle old business”. To send a message to anyone who would dare cross him again, Fisk ordered a hit on everyone that was once and currently was in a position of power within his own organization, along with those responsible for his incarceration and exile. Unfortunately, this included Alicia Darrow, whom Fisk believed was responsible for discovering and turning over financial documentation, and other key evidence, that assisted Matt Murdock the numerous times that the two have crossed paths in court. Aiden returned home to the sight of police cars and emergency vehicles parked outside of the apartment complex his parents were living in. Gabriela was crying hysterically in front of the building, and insisted that he not go inside. He rushed in anyways, only to be stopped by a police officer, who explained the situation. The apartment was broken into and his father and mother were gunned down in cold blood, leaving the police to suspect Fisk, but with no real evidence to back up the claims. His father died during the assault, but his mother was left in critical condition. He shoved past the officer to be at his mother’s side, as she was being rushed into an ambulance. Overwhelmed with grief, anger, and confusion, Aiden left as the paramedics drove away, to sort out his thoughts. Gabriela tried to console him but he apologized and refused, insisting that he needed to be left alone. Walking down the streets of New York, Aiden was still trying to take in everything that had transpired. Not paying attention, Aiden was thrown back by the force of the nearby F.E.A.S.T. shelter being destroyed. Brushing off the debris and regaining his footing, he was shocked to see two monstrous creatures in a frenzied battle. Venom and Anti-Venom were trading blows, as Spider-man was caught in the middle. With Spider-man's assistance, Anti-Venom managed to use his power to burn away the Venom Symbiote from Mac Gargan, but a part of the symbiote split and slid away. After the mayhem was resolved by Spider-man, Aiden's focus returned to Fisk, as his anger only began to fester and grow inside of him. Aiden rightfully blamed Fisk for his father's death and mother’s current state, and he planned on getting revenge, one way or another.

Still weak and drawn by such strong emotions, the symbiote that had split from Gargan followed Aiden as he made a detour down the alleyway. Waiting until both were out of view, the symbiote attached itself to Aiden, engulfing him, and causing him to momentarily blackout Upon regaining consciousness, Aiden held more power than he could possibly comprehend. He heard a voice creeping in the back of his mind. The symbiote knew Aiden's history upon bonding, and shared knowledge of Venom’s previous hosts as well. It offered to assist him in his plot for revenge. Aiden questioned the entity’s motives, having seen what it is capable of and what Venom has done to its previous hosts, to which it responded that it simply fed off of the raw emotions and adrenaline that Aiden was giving off, and that the actions of each host was of their own free will. Aiden was unsure of this new “partnership” at first, knowing there would likely be no turning back, but the symbiote amplified his hatred for Fisk and clouded his judgment, without him realizing it. He agreed to remain bonded to the symbiote, at least until his parents were avenged. Using his newly gained web-slinging ability and increased agility, Aiden searched the streets for any criminal activity, in hopes of finding leads on Fisk's location. After brutally beating the information out of various criminals, Aiden gained the information he was looking for and headed straight for his target.

Exacting Revenge on Kingpin Feeling the rush from incapacitating numerous guards, Aiden crashed through the doors of the top floor of the high-rise, still in symbiote form. Fisk was caught by surprise, but was more confused than anything. Fisk mistook Aiden for Eddie Brock, commenting on the lack of bulk while callously joking about Brock's cancer apparently getting the best of him. Aiden forcefully explained that he had no idea who Brock was and that he was there on behalf of his parents, only to assault Fisk before there was a chance for him to retort. Much to Aiden's surprise, Fisk fought back with incredible force. Knowing that such strikes would have likely snapped bones otherwise, Aiden was thankful that the symbiote's power decreased any damage done considerably. Aiden eventually gained the upper hand, grabbing Fisk by the throat and lifting him up off of the ground. The symbiote peeled away from Aiden's face to reveal himself to Fisk. While slowly squeezing ever tighter around Fisk's throat, he explained that he had come for Fisk, to make him pay for all that he had done, with his life. Even though Fisk was in a lot of pain, barely able to breathe, he was able to muster up enough air to taunt Aiden further. At this point the symbiote snapped back into place, but this time its form was different. Growing slightly in bulk and size, a fiendish maw filled with razor sharp teeth had appeared, extending its jaw until it was almost large enough to engulf Fisk's head.

Without warning, Aiden was bombarded with several pulses of high-frequency sonic waves, ripping the symbiote from him before it could bite down. The symbiote slithered away, leaving him exposed. Fisk took advantage of the situation and continued his assault, beating Aiden to a pulp, while explaining that he was not an idiot. The room had contingencies in place to deal with most heroes, and villains, including symbiotes.

Fisk dragged Aiden’s broken body across the floor, lifting him up to stare him in the eyes one last time. He wanted Aiden to know that not only was he going to die but, for his actions, Fisk would ensure that his henchmen would finish off his mother, and kill anyone else close to him. As Aiden was tossed through the window, the symbiote quickly latched onto him as he fell, protecting him the from the impact of the fall, that otherwise would have killed him. While Fisk presumed Aiden’s death, the symbiote went into overdrive, healing his wounds.

Aiden awoke moments later, to realize he had bonded with the symbiote once again. The same voice could be heard, but was much more faint than before. The symbiote explained that it had repaired most of the damage to Aiden’s body, but it was unable to fix the internal bleeding, in its current state. The process of Aiden’s regeneration left the symbiote very weak, and on the verge of death itself. The only way for both of them to survive would be to fully bond with one another.

Again, Aiden was hesitant, unsure of what consequences fully bonding with the symbiote would have. The symbiote explained that the two would become one, with Aiden being in full control of his body and mind, along with all of the powers and abilities it had to offer, while the symbiote shared his lifeforce and experiences, as it is unable to live without a host anyways.

With the choice being fully bonding or death, Aiden accepted the symbiotes offer. The symbiote immediately grew in strength as they merged, all the way down to a cellular level, mending what damage was left, and saving Aiden and the symbiote’s life in turn. Despite still recovering from the fight and the process of permanently bonding, there was no time to rest, as Aiden remembered Fisk’s promise. Unsure of where Gabriela might be, he focused on saving his mother first.

Arriving near the hospital, the symbiote shifted itself into casual clothing, allowing Aiden to enter the hospital without drawing any attention to himself. After finding out the location of his mother’s room, he also asked if anyone else had come to visit her, to which the attendant informed him that three men also requested to see her, a few minutes before he entered.

In a race against time, he quickly ran back outside and out of sight. Shifting back into his symbiote form, Aiden scaled the side of the building, until he reached the floor his mother was on. Peering in through the window, he saw the three hired guns taking position outside the door, their heads peeking out from both sides of it. As the first man entered, Aiden crashed through the window, hitting them with a blast of webbing, pinning them to the hallway wall. The other two came charging in, guns blazing, only for the bullets to be blocked by a barrier created by Aiden, while tendrils knocked the weapons from their hands and wrapped around them.

As the tendrils tightened their vice-like grip on the thugs, Aiden’s form began to change again, his rage making him become something more sinister and twisted. Just as he was about to squeeze the life out of the gunners, he heard his mother scream out in horror. It wasn’t the gunmen that frightened her though, it was Aiden. Looking into a nearby mirror, he saw the creature he had become, causing him to recoil. The two men passed out, but were still left alive. He looked back to his mother for a moment, and the terror on her face, before leaving back out of the window.

Aiden heard police sirens as he swung further and further away from the hospital, his form slowly returning back to normal. When he questioned the symbiote about what happened, it replied that it reacted to his strong negative emotions, and was not the one to be blamed. All it did was amplify the feelings, which was not something it truly had no control of, resulting in the change. Unhappy with the answer he received, he dropped the discussion for the moment, his thoughts returning Gabriela.

Checking Gabriela’s apartment first, Aiden got there just in time, as he watched two men, similar to the ones from the hospital attack, stop her from going inside. Right as they reached for their guns, he leaped into action, only to be surprised that Gabriela was able to hold her own, disarming and knocking out her assailants. Unfortunately for Aiden, she also thought that he was with the attackers, and attempted to attack him as he landed right in front of her.

Each strike connected, but had little effect. Aiden caught one of her fists and pulled her into a deep embrace. Confusion turned into relief, as the symbiote pulled away from Aiden, revealing him to her. He apologized for what happened, blaming himself for it all, and promised to explain everything at a later time. He stated that he had to take care of a loose end first.

Swinging in through the same window he was thrown out of, Aiden swiftly dropkicked Fisk from his chair, sending him crashing into a nearby wall. Stunned to see that Aiden and the symbiote still lived, he quickly activated the pulse waves again, only for Aiden to laugh it off and explain that it had no effect on him anymore. Aiden warned Fisk that if he or anyone that works for him ever came after those close to him again, Aiden would tear Fisk limb from limb. Fisk charged Aiden, and the two fought once more, but the result was very much different than the last time.

Fisk was barely able to get back on his feet. Aiden’s form began to alter itself again, as he tackled and pinned Fisk to the ground. With one sickening thwack after another, Aiden relentlessly alternated strikes, almost losing himself in the flurry. It wasn’t until he was about to deal the finishing blow, that he stopped himself.

The symbiote questioned why Aiden didn’t kill Fisk, that this was exactly what he wanted. Talking to himself aloud, he agreed that he did wish for Fisk’s death, but it wouldn’t bring back his father, and would only make him just as bad as Fisk was. Remembering his father’s death, his hospitalized mother, and the attempt on his girlfriend’s life, however, caused the rage and hatred to well up again, only to be intensified by the symbiote. He felt his control over himself slipping, almost as if he was becoming someone else, something else.

Fighting with himself, Aiden was in disbelief as to what he had almost done. Fisk tried to capitalize on the moment, only to be shoved out of the window by Aiden, as he thrashed about. Luckily for Fisk, Spider-man had been tracking Aiden's path of destruction back to the tower, and managed to catch Fisk. After cracking wise about Fisk's weight, Spider-man was also surprised by the sight of yet another symbiote. Still not in complete control, along with the sight of Fisk still alive, set him off. He furiously charged Spider-man. Although Aiden was quick in his new form, Spider-man still had greater agility and a lot more experience over him. As they fought Spider-man questioned why Aiden wanted Fisk dead. Aiden yelled in protest, insisting that Spider-man would never understand losing someone close to him by the hands of a criminal. This caught Spider-man off guard just long enough for Aiden to slam him to the ground. Before Spider-man had a chance to respond, Aiden knocked him out cold. With Spider-man defeated, Aiden turned back to Fisk, only to be welcomed to the sight of various firearms, grenade launchers, and even rocket launchers. With only a few seconds to spare, Aiden jumped over to Spider-man, refusing to let anyone else die for his cause. Fisk and his henchman open fired, as the symbiote created a barrier to deflect the barrage. There was only so much heat and force it could endure from the rockets and grenades bombarding it. Aiden was forced out the window, Spider-man still in his grasp, as he fell once again from the top of the high-rise, everything faded to black.

Taking Control Lost in a sea of darkness, Aiden felt as if he was floating, only to slowly realize that he was within his own mind. The symbiote appeared before him, taking on the form of the costume that Aiden wore. It expressed its frustration with him, stating how the world would be better off without such scum like Wilson Fisk roaming the Earth. So many future lives would be saved had he finished him off, and how that is the right thing to do.

Disagreeing with the symbiote’s assessment, Aiden explained that the situation was more complex than that, and merely killing Fisk wouldn’t change things as drastically as it believed it would. Another villain would simply take his place. It was much better to leave him alive, but dismantle his operations, until Fisk’s power was diminished beyond the point of being able to do anyone harm, also rendering him incapable of using it to manipulate the justice system.

Although there was still anger and sorrow in his heart, having the conversation with the symbiote was providing Aiden with a moment of clarity, giving him a sense of relative peace, and freeing his mind from the shackles of his hatred and need for vengeance. He assured the symbiote that Fisk would pay for his crimes, but it would be done the right way. The way his mother would do it.

Aiden awoke in a test tube, to the concerned looks of the Fantastic Four and Spider-man. Seeing that Aiden had come to, Spider-man explained that he regained consciousness before the two hit the ground and brought them there. Spider-man also pointed out that Aiden could have easily left him there to die, but instead Aiden chose to help Spider-man, thus proving that he was capable of being heroic. Spider-man continued to explain the situation that led up to the present, to the Fantastic Four, stating that Aiden had left Fisk's building in “ruins”. The symbiote voiced its fondness of the name, and even Aiden agreed it had a nice ring to it. That's when Aiden had pointed out that his alias would be “Ruin” from now on. Reed Richards turned away from the test results to address everyone in the room with the bad news. He informed them of what Aiden had already known, that the symbiote and Aiden had fully bonded on a cellular level, and are now as one. Although there is currently no known way of even attempting to separate the two, any such process would likely result in the death of both Aiden and the symbiote. Richards added that the symbiote was different in the way it was formed. It's genetic makeup was almost identical to that of Venom, instead of it simply being a symbiote offspring. When Aiden explained how he first came into contact with it, Spider-man added that Anti-Venom had “cured” Gargan of the Venom symbiote. Richards came to the conclusion that the healing process must have caused a schism that created this new symbiote, rather than natural reproduction. The symbiote was in a sense a copy of Venom to some degree, and yet something new as well. This intrigued Richard's greatly, who insisted that Aiden stay for further testing, only for Aiden to refuse. Richards allowed Aiden to leave, but stated that they would be keeping an eye on him in case he ever lost control of himself completely. Upon leaving, Spider-man stopped Aiden to speak with him. He stated that he was well aware what losing someone close to him to a criminal was like, and explained to Aiden that he was put in a very similar situation that he actually could have prevented. Upon facing the criminal Spider-man also wanted to take his revenge, but something that was said by the person he had lost stopped him from doing so. Aiden thanked Spider-man and headed back home. Dark Reign

Norman Osborn is tying up loose ends. Targets Ruin, as he would likely interfere with his plans, and expose Mac Gargan, who is pretending to be Spider-man

Mac Gargan is ordered to pose as Ruin and commit crimes, to make him an enemy of the public

Ruin catches onto Osborn’s plan, as the people of New York start to turn against him

Confronts Gargan, who shifts back into his Spider-man form, which only makes Ruin look even worse

Ruin kicks Gargan’s ass, but is forced into hiding

Spider-Island [TO BE ADDED]

Powers Black Symbiotic Costume: Ruin can stick to walls, can change his appearance to any form of clothing, armor, or appearance; and also has unlimited webbing, which takes on a more black tendril form in his case. Unlike most symbiotes, Ruin can't form weapons from his limbs, but he does possess the ability to create numerous tendrils, of varying sizes, that can stretch out to several feet away. Ruin also seems to have some sort of quick-healing ability like his predecessors. Given the fact that the symbiote had fully bonded to Aiden, and the sheer force of will that he commands, the symbiote's durability seems to surpass that of most of it's siblings and predecessors. In addition, Ruin is completely immune to sonic attacks, but is still affected by extreme heat to some degree. This too is likely due to the full bonding process. Superhuman Strength: He possesses vast superhuman strength, able to lift between 60 to 90 tons at a time. Superhuman Speed: He can move or run at speeds greater than any normal human being, capable of even catching up to most automobiles on foot. Superhuman Stamina: He can fully exert himself for at least 36 hours until fatigue impairs him. Superhuman Agility: His agility is superior to any normal human being Superhuman Reflexes: His reflexes are superior to any normal human being, capable of dodging many forms of attack (including firearms) if he is aware of the attack and is far enough away. Superhuman Durability: He is much more resistant to injury than many other symbiotes, but still is weak to extreme heat to a minor degree. The tissue the symbiote is composed of renders Aiden's body much harder and much more resistant to physical injury than the body of an ordinary human. Aiden can withstand high caliber bullets, great impact forces, powerful energy blasts, and falls from great heights without sustaining physical injury. He is durable enough that he can withstand multiple barrages of high caliber weapons such as machine guns from close range, completely unscathed. He can withstand blows from some superhuman beings and be relatively unharmed. He also possesses an extreme resistance to pain, and seems to feel it only to a certain extent. Genetic Memory: The symbiote possesses some limited psychic ability, making it capable of obtaining information from its host and memories from Venom's previous hosts. Symbiote Detection: The symbiote is also capable of psychically detecting others of its kind, however with effort this ability can be blocked. ESP (Spider-Sense): Aiden is also granted an extrasensory ability similar to Spider-Man’s spider-sense. This response is not as complicated as Spider-Man’s inherent sense since the alien costume can detect danger from every direction and conduct Aiden in plenty of time. It's a lot more efficient than Spider-Man’s spider-sense because it is more simplified to where the danger is. Immunity to Spider-man's Spider Sense: Due to Spider-man being a host to the main symbiote, Aiden is able to bypass Spider-man's spider-sense. Caustic Touch: Ruin's touch, at will, can disrupt and breakdown inorganic matter. The speed and effectiveness of this ability depends on the material being destroyed, and requires Ruin to make physical contact with it throughout the process. Constituent-Matter Generation: Ruin can also use the same substance comprising the symbiote in the form of tendril-like matter. This can be used offensively as a form of attack, or defensively to create a barrier between Ruin or the attacker, or even be used to restrain them. Constituent-Matter Manipulation: Although Ruin can't manipulate his mass on command or form weapons from appendages, he can change the amount and/or size of the tendrils that he can create. Ruin can instead forgo this process to create a single tendril that can instead travel a great distance. Accelerated Healing Factor: The symbiote is capable of healing injuries in the host at a faster rate than normal human healing allows. The symbiote is even capable of healing injuries and illness that current human medical care cannot, such as cancer. Camouflage Capabilities: The symbiote is capable of mimicking the appearance of any form of clothing, armor, or appearance. It can blend into its surroundings but, unlike other symbiotes, it can't take on the physical appearance of anyone else. Wall Crawling: Much like Spider-man, Ruin has the ability to cling to virtually any surface. He can rapidly crawl, walk, or run across even slick/wet surfaces. Webbing Generation: Ruin can project his matter into a powerful, organic web-like substance similar to the webbing Spider-man has. He typically uses this webbing to swing from one point to the next, or as a means of immobilizing someone. The webbing is incredibly strong.

Abilities Indomitable Will: Aiden has a strong Force of Will, completely free of evil and temptation. Although conflicted at first, and nearly taken over by the symbiote, Aiden was able to regain control and keep it. Remembering his fallen father’s words, and the advice that Spider-man had given, there is almost nothing that could overcome him mentally when he is determined. Weaknesses Heat: Although Ruin is completely immune to sonic attacks, he is still affected by extreme heat, but to a much lesser degree than other symbiotes. Total Symbiote Bonding: Aiden and Ruin are as one. Although this isn't exactly a weakness, if anyone was able to find a way to separate the symbiote from Aiden, the process would gravely injure or even kill both of them.

#Aiden Darrow #Ruin #Venom #Symbiote #Klyntar #Symbiote OC #Marvel OC #Marvel Comics #Marvel #Superhero OC #Kingpin #Wilson Fisk #Spider-Man #Spiderverse #Venomverse #Character Reference

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goingfalmouth · 7 years ago

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7 Things About Spain

It’s been almost 2 weeks since I arrived in Spain and I have to say, they were some two weeks. Here’s 7 observation about Spain and the Spaniards I know that poked me into the back while I was here.

Note: I’m an au pair in a family of four, mother, father, two girls, plus we often visit the grandparents’ house.

1. The Spanish are actors.

My Spanish is not the best, to be honest, it’s not even good. But despite that, I understand a great deal just from the theatrical performance that accompanies every sentence.

2. They’re not afraid to be loud.

At first, I thought it was just a kids thing, taking into consideration that most kids are in some ways loud. But then the Dad yelled over the whole supermarket to find the girls and the Mom got extremely passionate about a story she was telling while we were walking down the street. So no – not just a kids thing.

(San Juan celebrates the summer solstice. Basically four days of (proper) fireworks.)

3. Bread is life.

No, seriously. Bread goes with every meal, no matter what the meal actually is. Spaghetti? Eggs and rice? Could you pass me a slice?

4. Green food

I’m vegetarian and I was afraid I’d have trouble eating here, but guess what – vegetarian food is everywhere, plus the family doesn’t seem to eat a lot of meat anyway. Some sort of a salad is actually a part of every meal (thank you to Granddad for his home-grown tomatoes). Love it.

5. The suuuuuuuun

It’s everywhere. And it’s hot. Temperature-wise, we’ve been stumbling around 33°C this whole time, which is not supposed to be too bad – we’ve had worse in the Czech Republic – but something about the air and the ground is just different and the heat feels like you’re dying. Most of the time.

(Trip to Montserrat.)

6. Daily regime

I’m laughing in the face off all who told me I’d have to get up early because I’m taking care of children. Both of the girls wake up later than me, and I wake up around 10. The family – and I guess the Spanish overall – goes to bed late (around midnight). Parents then rise early for work but the girls and I just sleep our fill.

7. The intricacies of the Spanish language

What they teach you in school is Castilian, the standard Spanish spoken around Madrid. Barcelona, however, is in Catalonia, meaning quite a few of the words they use are Catalan, which to me sounds and looks like a peculiar mix of Spanish and French. It makes communication pretty fun sometimes.

All in all, there’s nothing to complain about. The family is extremely nice and welcoming and I can’t believe I’ve been here for two weeks already. Well, you know what they say – time flies when you’re having fun.

#spain #barcelona #au pair #au pair in spain #travel #montserrat #spanish

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kiir-bee · 7 years ago

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What the fuck is happening in Catalonia, by a Spaniard

You’ve probably already heard about what happened in Catalonia, Spain (for now), on October 1st. If not, here’s a brief summary:

Catalonia has had a big independance movement for a very long time (I’ll expose the reasons later). In the last few years, it’s grown much stronger, and after many attempts at talking with the Government to pact a referendum about that matter and being ignored time after time, the Govern (autonomic government of Catalonia) decided to make one nonetheless. They don’t have the power to do so, according to our Constitution, so it’s illegal; and the Government reacted by sending practically all the police force to Catalonia to stop people from voting. (All while the country is in a Level 4 of alert for terrorism — meaning there hasn’t been a terror attack in Madrid because terrorists didn’t want to.) And on October 1st, tragedy came. Despite being illegal, many Catalans went to vote, and the response of the policemen was hitting, harming, kicking, pulling, pushing. The international press referred to it as “Spain’s day of shame”, among others. Over 800 injured (the terror attack last month barely left 30!), a deep social crisis... and the President, Mariano Rajoy, said we’ve been “an example to the world”.

How did we come to this?

Originally, what we nowadays know as Spain was a bunch of different kingdoms, the biggest of which were Castile and Aragon. Many wrongly believe that these kingdoms were united when Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon (commonly known as the Catholic Monarchs) got married, but the truth is, they didn’t. They remained as two separate kingdoms that just happened to be ruled by the same king.

This system remained the same while the monarchs were from the house of Habsburg. However, in 1700 the king Charles II died without an heir, and Europe went into war for the Spanish throne. Castile and France supported the French candidate, and Aragon, Austria and England supported the Austrian, to name a few. The war lasted for 14 years, and eventually the French candidate, Felipe d’Anjou, became the new king. He was ruthless to the rebels from Aragon and there was an important repression: he burnt flags and hanged generals, even though he had promised he wouldn’t, and fully united the kingdoms. It’s only now when there’s a country actually called Kingdom of Spain.

1714, the year in which the French and Castilian troops took Barcelona, has become a symbol in the independance movement; and September 11th, the day it happened, is in fact Catalonia’s day.

Since then, though Catalonia has always remained under Spanish rule, the thought of independance has never left them. For instance, when Spain first became a Republic (1873), the Govern (one-sidedly —is that a word?—) declared that Catalonia would be a Republic inside a Spanish Federal Republic. The Government didn’t let them, and the First Republic was such a mess it wouldn’t have worked anyway.

The Second Republic came in 1931, and it ended with the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), caused by a militar coup. In the war, Catalonia was in favour of the Republic; it was the last land to fall and suffered a lot in both the war and afterwards. The Civil War was followed by a fascist dictatorship led by general Francisco Franco, and ended with his death in 1975. Among other things, Franco prohibited any other languages besides Spanish to be spoken, and so Catalan (and Galician and Esukera) were banned.

After Franco’s death, there was a process called the Transition, in which politicians tried to have a pacific transition from the dictatorship to a democracy. The success of this process is still argued nowadays. In 1978, our current Constitution was written, and because the Catalan people wanted autonomy (and because Spaniards are like this, so wanted many others), in the end it was decided to have the system of autonomic regions we have nowadays.

That didn’t seem to be enough to some, and the independance movement in Catalonia has been growing since then. In the last few years it has increased drastically, accentuated by the economic crisis and the lack of response from the Government.

Now you know the reasons behind Catalonia’s referendum. You may still be wondering how a Government can react with such violence.

The party that currently governs in Spain, Partido Popular (People’s Party) was founded by a few of Franco’s ministers. Remember our peaceful Transition? This is one of its ill effects: fascism isn’t banned, Franco’s flag isn’t banned, the Nazi salute isn’t banned. What would you expect from a party heir of a fascist dictatorship? The only way they know to solve things is violence. You may have wonder why Spain hasn’t suffered the rise of extreme-rightist (read: neo-Nazi) parties like many other countries. The answer is simple: they never left.

But please remember: that’s not Spain, That’s not us. Most of the population was sickened, disgusted and ashamed of the violence used in Catalonia against people who just wanted to be heard. On that same day there were demonstrations in many Spanish cities.

I took this picture in the demonstration in Madrid. We chanted “Catalonia, you’re not alone”, “Madrid stands with the Catalan people”, and “No pasarán” (”They shall not pass”, a famous line from the Civil War that’s become an anti-fascist motto in Spain).

I’d hate for Catalonia to leave, but I’ll fight for their right to speak and be heard.

I don’t want my country to be regarded as the shameful pseudo-dictatorship of Europe.

I am repulsed and ashamed by what happened yesterday.

There are many who think like me.

Citizens of the world and Catalonia, please, don’t commit the mistake of thinking that the current Spanish Government is Spain.

Spain is so much more than that.

And Spaniards have been through enough.

#catalonia #spain #cataluña #catalonia referendum #referendum #history #i cried yesterday

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k-amui · 7 years ago

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5, 9, 11, 15, 17, 18, 21, 23, 28, 34, 45, 56, 64, 87, 92, 99, 100 :D

5: are you self-conscious of your smile?

i guess

9: do you like singing/humming to yourself?

no, i feel embarrassed if i do

11: what’s an inner joke you have with your friends?

uhh i don’t think we have a joke shared by all of them, more like i have different jokes with different people, but rn i don’t remember any sorry ;;

15: go google a weird space fact and tell us what it is!

okay i’ve been googling for a while and it’s especulated there may exist a planet made of diamond??

17: what color do you really want to dye your hair?

hmm none, i have no patience for things like makeup and such so i don’t even think about them

18: tell us about something dumb/funny you did that has since gone down in history between you and your friends and is always brought up.

more than funny would be embarrassing. remember ore monogatari? whenever we talk about my past heroics i’m takeo and my friends are sunakawa, so i’ll pass

21: talk about your favorite bag, the one that’s been to hell and back with you and that you love to pieces.THANK YOU. so i do have one bag that i absolutely adore (The One Bag all my friends know me for) and i’ve had it for a reasonable amount of years now. i think i bought it while i still was in high school? it was love at first sight.

it’s small and made of leather (this design, but mine is a lighter brown) and it’s been with me almost everywhere i’ve been to and in all kind of weather and situations. it looks kinda fragile but it’s super resilient?? i’ve put all kind of stuff inside, from objects to food and drinks, many many books and notebooks, so heavy i thought even my back was gonna break yet the bag has always endured everything

oh but my heart almost stopped in two occasions: when once it started Pouring So Very Heavily and i had no umbrella so i basically ran to find shelter for my bag and when my cat barfed on it, i seriously thought i’d seen the last of it by then. still somehow i managed to save it??

unsurprisingly, by now it’s quite worn down, both from the inside and the outside, and i’m decided to mend it as many times as necessary, but the day i can’t use it anymore i’ll still keep it. tbh when i die just bury it with me

23: what’s your favorite thing to do on lazy days where you have 0 obligations?

i always think i’ve forgotten one responsability or other so i never feel totally relaxed but when i’m free i spend my time online. i love going out to have breakfast with my friends whenever possible. breakfast time with them is my favorite :’)

28: sunrise or sunset?SUNRISE!!! it’s the most hopeful thing in the world

34: tell us about the stuffed animal you kept as a kid. what is it called? what does it look like? do you still keep it?

it’s a seal plushie!!! it was the first plushie i ever had, my mother saw it and thought of me and ever since then it’s been on my bed.

it’s a small white seal with brown eyes and it lost its whiskers many years ago in the washing machine. i refuse to say its name because it’s embarrassing and it’s in catalan anyway.

it’s always comforted me and when i’m at my very lowest i sometimes sleep with it for 1-3 nights, never more. it’s become my mood measurer, in a way. if i feel shitty i allow myself to act miserable for 1-3 days, with this plushie as comforting prize. after that i force myself to put effort in trying to get better again.

45: do you trust your instincts a lot?

i do, but i don’t base my decisions on them. i’m not sure if it’s contradictory, but that’s how i feel it. i love listening to my gut feeling but at the end it’s just one more opinion alongside reason and heart. i make decisions basing on these three, i’d say.

56: what are some things you find endearing in people?

so many!!!! although i don’t really have that many things i find endearing per se, because i may find the same habit lovable in someone but spur no feelings in me by someone else (it’s a matter of how they feel about them, i guess?) but there are some things i find adorable in general.

when someone is passionate about something i have -10 knowledge about but their enthusiasm pulls you in and i realize there are many interesting things in this world

when someone is like doing nothing and has a serious/emotionless expression but if you approach them they suddenly become animated and all light up

oh and when someone is talking yet they get interrupted or someone else starts explaining other stuff and everybody just goes along with it and the 1st person is utterly ignored BUT an angel shows up and keeps listening to the end i just love seeing details like those ;;; (i don’t think this fits the sort of endearing the question was asking but)

64: what color is the sky where you are right now?

light blue!!! it makes me so happy, today’s sky is a mood

87: what are some movies you think everyone should watch at least once in their lives?

i’m not a fan of movies in general so i’m very simple regarding to that. spirited away. that’s all

92: are you a person who drowns their pasta in cheese or a person who barely sprinkles a pinch?

cheese, i put in just so much

99: list some songs that resonate to your soul whenever you hear them.

i started doing it and all but in the end asking me about music is useless and i deleted everything. i have no idea, i’m sorry

100: if you were presented with two buttons, one that allows you to go 5 years into the past, the other 5 years into the future, which one would you press? why?

either none or the 5 years into the future. i’d never choose to go back.

if i went 5 years into the future (i’ve actually thought how would it be many times so this question is not very difficult to answer now) i’d feel very self-conscious about my choices when i came back to the present, i’d either always wonder which choices would bring me to that present, or try to think how to avoid ending up like that. i’d have no rest so it’d actually not be a very smart choice.

well, this in case that button is just for going 5 years into the future temporarily, if i was teleported 5 years into the future permanently then no, i definitely wouldn’t press it. trying to live in the future with a “past” self in comparison would be dumb, everything has a pace.

#thank u!!#ask

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positivelyamazonian · 8 years ago

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Microreview Round Seven: BOOKSHELVES

This round is open to interpretation, so don’t let the word bookshelves stop you. Whether your collection is big or small, physical or digital, your parents’ or from the library, it counts as a bookshelf here. To play: answer the prompts and tag your friends to do the same. Optional: use #microreview and check out @microreviews for “rules,” reviews, and more!

I was tagged by my dearest @luluvonv and... how could I not do this? I’m a bookworm through and through. I’ve always dreamed of having a big, wide library for all my books, plenty of bookshelves, and with appropiate conditions - that means, in glass cases because I’m allergic to dust - and I finally achieved it! Right now many shelves are still empty because I expect to fill them throughout my life... but the space is prepared! Let’s do this!

What genres or types of books dominate your shelf?

Mostly related with two - rather three - themes: History, Art, and religion. The two first because I’m a bitch for History and Art being myself a History teacher, so I love having a History-Art related books - that means, no historic novels, but actual History and Art books.

The religion ones - not just my own religion, the Catholic Roman Christianism, but also many others - are related with a main field of self-research I’ve been conducting for years. I’m a Christian believer but also a feminist - I can’t start explaining how hard is to live like this among this community - so my personal research dwells among the strongest and most inspirational women of my religion: the female martyrs. That’s why I buy, collect and search with passion everything related with this heroines, from holycards to postcards, to books, to photos and travelling to the places where their remains rest, if they still exist.

Hell, I even rule a blog where together with other friends I used to write and share articles by myself about these women. In fact I still own some copies of a compendium which was kindly edited by a friend of mine, an Orthodox Romanian priest who had the gentleness to include my articles in his personal publication - I’m noted inside the book, btw. I can say it’s kind of, my second publication after Irene, my first novel.

One of my latest purchases in this matter is a double-volume in Greek and Spanish from the Life and Miracles of Saint Thecla, an early female preacher known as the Protomartyr of Women because she was the first known Christian woman to be killed for her faith, but also the first one known for being a public preacher, disciple and equal to the apostles. I was happy I got this ancient text (II century) also in the original Greek, since it’s been a while since I practiced my Ancient Greek skills.

I also got a big, complete book about St Lucy of Syracuse in my last trip to Venice. It’s my hope that people who reads this know that these are not just pious and devotional but also historical, artistic and archaeological books: I try to find the woman behind the myth. These women existed, they were real, and it’s my hope to write, some day, a book about them, so that believers and non-believers can realize they are far more than just beautiful statues in churches.

Anyway, apart of these related issues, I own a lot of historical novels from my young times before going to the university, when I thought History was something else. Now I mostly dislike them, they are just entertainment and if I read them it’s just for fun, like the amazing Pope Joan I’m reading from Donna W. Cross, a fantastic, well-researched novel... but a novel, after all. Just like any other historical novel. They are not real History. One must seek harder if they want to learn actual History... and study, of course.

Ah, yes. I not only own oddities and weird books. I also own a lot of epic fantasy novels, which are my personal fun and enjoyment, and also a lot of Spanish and Catalan literature.

What do you wish you had more of?

I wish I had more ancient texts and good editions of the basic enciclopaedias and compendia I need for my researches. But they are either too expensive or written in languages I don’t know, like German or Arab. I learned Italian to have access to good stuff and I’m satisfied with my progress as I’m a self-learner, but I don’t think I’ll ever be able to read in German or Arab. And this is my great frustration.

I wish I could afford also many facsimiles of Middle-Ages books with all their illuminations, but they are terribly expensive too, despite being copies - the originals are kept in monasteries/museums, as it must be -. Fortunately my deceased father-in-law enjoyed to collect some of them and could afford them, so I’ve inherited many from him.

I wish, also, I could have my favest books in their original languages and not just Spanish, like The Lord of The Rings by Tolkien. This is more affordable and possible, so I don’t discard I’ll be doing myself and original-written-language-books shelf one of these days :D

And of course, more books about Art. You’ve never enough books of Art, believe me. You can claim you know a lot about Art and own lots of books and visit lots of museums but I can tell, you still don’t know shit about Art.

Smallest book?

I have a little selection of the main books of several religions, namely the Bible for Christianism, Torah for Judaism, Al-Quhran for Islam, Tao Teh Ching for Taoism, Bhagavad Gita for Hinduism, and others. The sacred books are not whole, complete editions but most of the text is included. I purchased them because I’m a sentimental and also, they are cute as a button. They even have their own mini-shelf :D

And yes, they are just inches and can rest in the top of my fingertip - no way I could do this while taking a photo with my cell -. That’s why I’ve never actually read them - I’d destroy them!!! The only ones I haven’t read, I must confess, and I will never read... but I have larger versions of these too, so no problem :)

Largest book?

A perfect facsimil of the Martyrologium Romanum of Don Pedro de Aragón, a Middle-Ages big illuminated manuscript which depicts the feasts of each Saint of the day and scenes of their lives/martyrdoms. This one is so big and heavy I need another person to help me to carry it.

Of course, it’s not literally mine because I could never afford such jewel, I inherited it from my father-in-law after he died. Now I keep it this way, open as to enjoy the illuminations as if it was in its original context, a monastery’s scriptorium.

There are other facsimiles I virtually own but I am still to decide how to display them on my bookshelves, including a big, original Bible engraved by the always amazing engraver Gustave Doré, unfortunately very damaged by moisture. Some of them are too big, some of them are smaller, I just need to study them and figure how to place them correctly in the glass cases so they can shine open. There’s no point in owning an illuminated facsimil if you can’t enjoy the illuminations on a daily basis :)

And of course, I can read them too. Though I must confess my Latin is quite rusty right now...

Oldest book? Newest book?

Oldest:

A Rome travel guide from 1870, written by D. Severo Catalina. And I’m serious!! It smells of moisture and dust. It was given to me as a gift by an old aunt and you can read a lot of things about how Rome was in XIX century. In fact it describes many places and artworks and monuments that, after two World Wars, don’t exist anymore...

Also I used to own a Flos Sanctorum by P. Rybadeneira from 1619, but I had to return it to the person that give it to me because she regretted her decision (no comment). Fortunately, there’s plenty of access to this old text in Google Books. Anyway it’s not a really valuable text from a historiographic point of view, it’s just pious literature like the Legenda Aurea by Jacopo della Voragine.

Newest:

Santa Lucia a Venezia, by Giovanni Musolino.

As I said before, I just came back from Venice with a fantastic book about Saint Lucy of Syracuse, a IV century Sicilian martyr whose body is kept at her church of this city. I’m very pleased with this book because it contains the kind of information I need for my research: archaeology, history, paleography, historical proof, because God knows I had enough myths and legends and cute stories. No offense intended.

And yes, thank God I learnt to read in Italian. I won’t have a single chance of understand all this without it.

Does anything live there besides books?

In the bookshelves I’ve destined to epic fantasy and “nerd-related” novels and enciclopaedias I have my very recent TR collections of figurines... also in other I’ve some curious book-supporters related with Tolkien universe (Gollum, a replica of the Argonath, a replica of Minas Tirith) and other nice stuff, like the half-angel-half-demon from Angels & Demons movie.

Anyway, I’ve lots of books right now but I’ve only reviewed the most I have. I love the classics of Spanish and Catalan literature and I own copies of them, from Rimas y Leyendas by Bécquer to Cien Años de Soledad by García Márquez; from Tirant Lo Blanc by Joanot Martorell to La Plaça del Diamant by Mercè Rodoreda. And God, some Arab classics by Naguib Mahfuz, Amin Maalouf; and novelists I absolutely love like Isabel Allende or Amy Tan.

I must stop here. If anyone wants to know more about my book heaven they’re free to ask. Also I decide freely not to tag anyone, whoever sees this is encouraged to share its book heaven too. As for me, it’s not just the place of my pleasure but also the place where I work and where I’m just now sit typing. In fact, you don’t see my library in my TRAOD live streams because a big chroma is displayed behind my back when I stream, but if I lifted the canvas you could see perfectly it :D

Anyway, enough! Thanks for this little personal moment and let’s continue the fun!

#microreview

#bookshelves

#bookshelf

#personal

#book he

#my little piece of heaven #personal #meldelen #positively amazonian #not tr related #tags #tagged #microreview #bookshelves #bookshelf #book heaven

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jungkooks-sweet-potatoes · 7 years ago

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BTS ASKS

How and when did you get into BTS? Youtube recommended me their debut mv in 2013

Did you make new friends thanks to BTS? HELL YEAH! But only lately I've met some really nice ARMYs, the 2013-2014 I only found Exo-Ls (no offense they were really nice and I learned a lot form them)

Has Bangtan influenced your life in any other way? Well actually yes... A LOT, when they released N.O (which talks about following your dreams and just do whatever you want without minding others I bet y’all know) I was about to choose my degree (College) and I was about to study Law do to my parents pressure, but I wasn’t what I really wanted :( Anyway trough that song they gave me the strength to confront my parent and tell them that Law wasn’t what I wanted and they acceped it pretty well, RN I am studying Graphic Design and I absolutely love it and I owe it to them and their music :)

Top 10 Songs? This is turture (not in order): Ma City, N.O, Silver Spoon, Spine Breaker, Not Today, Lost, Cypher pt.3 (killer), Born Singer, Autumn Leaves and Bulletproof pt.1 (these are the first ones that came to my mind this question is too difficult 4 mah mind)

Favorite album? Wings YNWA, this may sound basic ‘cuz its the last one but, I think that in this album they have experimented with their voices and worked really hard to do something that wasn’t their thing (like Vs high pitched song) and all ‘cuz they love ARMYs and they wanted to show us a whole new and better BTS!!

Favorite lyrics? N.O

School trilogy, HYYH era or WINGS? Wings

Which Cypher part do you like best? Pt 3

Your favorite AGUST D and RM track? I really love RM but Agust D was LIT

Your favorite cover of BTS? (Doesn’t matter if it’s one of Jungkook, Taehyung, Jin, etc.) Jungkooks If You (by BigBang) almost brought me to tears OMG so angelic and precious

Is there any BTS song that has a special meaning for you? N.O

Your favorite live performance? Can’t choose, but MAMAs ones were absolutely amazing

Your bias? Jungkook is the most similar to me in age and personality but I have 7 bias that kill me daily :’)

Your favorite ships/interactions? Vmin is an example of friendship goals and I really admire them for this :)

Favorite fansite(s)? Omg too many, and this time I really cannot choose 😩

What is your favorite hair color for each member? Jin - Blonde/Pink Suga - Black J-Hope - White RapMon - Purple/Pastel pink Jimin - Black V - White (reminds me of Kaneki) or Red Jungkook - Light Brown (I would like to see a Silver Haired Kookie 👀)

Whose fashion style do you like the most? Suga, all black discreet clothes

Which member matches with your personality the most? Kookie, except for the spot think... I am lazy af or V

Who do you think would be your best friend in BTS? V

Which member caught your attention first? Kookie

Name the feature you like the most about each member! Jin - Face shape Suga - Lips J-Hope - cheekbone RapMon - Dimples Jimin - Jawline V - Face in general Jungkook - Eyes and face in general

Your favorite photo of each member? I 👏🏼 JUST 👏🏼 CAN’T 👏🏼

What immediately comes to your mind when you think of Jin? Worldwide handsome 😂

What immediately comes to your mind when you think of Yoongi? Savage

What immediately comes to your mind when you think of Namjoon? That video where he's trying to put on his new sunglasses but breaks them

What immediately comes to your mind when you think of Hoseok? His smile when I see him smiling I start smiling too, Sunshine powers

What immediately comes to your mind when you think of Jimin? Mochi and cute

What immediately comes to your mind when you think of Taehyung? Wired and random faces

What immediately comes to your mind when you think of Jungkook? MEME

Rank the dance line in terms of favorite dancing style! J-hope, he can dance to anything to more rough to more sensual love it Kookie, Like a rough and sexy way of dance like, “I’m coming to you” Jimin, sensual like “Come to me”

Rank the vocal line in terms of favorite singing style! No, this is a big no for me :) Like I really cannot do it I love all their voices I would just put them all in 1st place

Rank the rap line in terms of favorite rap style! Same as before :)

Who’d win in a dance battle? Jin or Namjoon? Jin has improved A LOT in these years and I love RM but he is a wood stick 😂

Jungkook’s thighs, abs, arms or veins? FUCK! EVERY 👏🏼 SINGLE 👏🏼 THING 👏🏼

Holly, Soonshim, Micky or Rapmon? Soonshim, I rather big dogs

American Hustle Life, Rookie King, Bangtan Gayo or RUN BTS? Bangtan Gayo and Run BTS

What variety show do you want BTS to be featured in? Knowing Bros

What accessory would you bring for a fansign and for which member? Food, Catalan food, Here is where I live and I would like them to taste our traditional food :)

Have you ever been to a fansign or concert of BTS? NO 😭😭

Have you ever sent a fan letter? Yeah... I used to twit them at the very beginning... they answered me one time and I was happy for a fucking moth :)

Did you ever join a fansite’s birthday project? Yeah! If I am not too busy I try to

Are you a member of the fancafe? Nope, ain’t got no money

Do you talk openly about BTS in front of friends and family? HELL YEAH!! they are sick of me

If you were given the chance to say one sentence to all of them, what would you tell them? Just Thank you, because they changed my life and gave me the strength to be who I really am and to follow my dreams, tell them that I am extremely grateful to them and that just as their music has helped it has helped so many other ppl, so yeah that Thanks and keep going because they are aswome and one of the best things that has ever happened to me

If money, distance and the like weren’t a problem, what kind of gift would you give them to their birthday? Dunno, whatever they would need at that moment

What subunit would you look the most forward to? V, Jin and J-hope

Do you prefer Hip-Hop BTS or the more Pop-ish BTS? Hip-Hop BTS

Do you watch their appearances on shows live or do you wait for subs? I watch it live and then the one with subs, I just keep smiling at the screen like an idiot 😭😂

What kind of concept would you like to see in the future? Idc or more like idk I think they will do every concept okay because they work really hard

Your thoughts on BigHit? It’s not bad... like yeah the typical more lines to Jin or more merit to J-hope, but its a good company, I'd just ask BigHit to leave BTS alone for a while they haven't had a long break since 2015 and I think they deserve it and need it so.. thats it

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amberess · 8 years ago

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Hey guys!

Today I’m sharing my summer school experience with you. I applied to two summer schools this year. The first one is a summer school on Global Politics, Development and Security, while the second one is a summer law school on Forced Migrants before the European Court of Human Rights. Surprisingly I got approved for both summer schools and I couldn’t choose so I’m taking both. They’re both located in Barcelona. I already did the first summer school. I’m telling you all about it in this blogpost!

June 25th 2017 Sunday

This morning I had my flight to Barcelona. The thing I worry about the most are the people from the summer school. I have no clue who is going to take this summer course and it makes me nervous. Classes will start tomorrow. Especially because this course was promoted for master students, doctorats and people with work experience in this field. So here I am, a law student in her first year of her master’s, taking a summer course on international politics! Was this a good idea? I don’t know. I’m staying in a convent with student rooms. The nuns are very friendly and concerned about me. The weather is great but very hot. I had a nice shower and decided to discover the city by myself as I don’t know anyone yet. It’s so hot here, I’m not in the mood to have diner by myself. I’m not even hungry. So I bought some nice churros on my way to the convent.I’ve seen some really nice places of Barcelona today and I’m glad I decided to discover the city on my own. Travelling alone is quite lonely. I hope I’ll meet some people tomorrow because I don’t want to spend the whole week just by myself!

June 26th 2017 Monday

My first class starts at 11.30 am so I decided to take a nice walk before class. I can’t just be sitting there in my room and do nothing. I’m in Barcelona now, so I need to enjoy every single minute of it! On my way to my summer school, I discovered some beautiful places here in Barcelona. I’m so grateful to be here. So I had my first class today. It was about Brexit and it was very interesting. The teacher is very nice. Afterwards I decided to discover the city with someone I met at the school. She’s a young girl from the Netherlands so we speak the same language, which is convenient. I thought it was an amazing day, allthough the girl is constantly keeping me at a distance and I’m not sure about her intentions. It seems like she doesn’t want to become friends after all.

June 27th 2017 Tuesday

I don’t know what happened today but the girl from the Netherlands was really unfriendly. She told me a thousand times that she’d rather travel alone. We still have a reception later on today from our summer school. I really hope I get to know more people to have fun with after class. Earlier this morning I decided to visit the Sagrada Familia before class. It was a hell of a walk, it was a bit further then I expected it to be. But no complains, all gains. ;) I had breakfast on a bench near the Sagrada Familia and enjoyed the view while hundreds of people with a tour guide walked by. They were quite stressed out because they needed to keep an eye on the guide while trying to watch the Sagrada Familia. It was quite funny but messed up as well. It’s a shame to feel lonely in a city full of people. That’s why I decided to change my expectations of this summer school. To be honest I had big expectations for this summer school and it’s due to the fact that this is not my first summer school. Last year I had a wonderful summer school experience. I met lots of people and some of them are still a part of every single day of my life. At this moment I am so grateful to have these people in my life, they became real friends. The reality is that the people of this summer school have different intentions and most of them just leave right after class and don’t want to get involved with other people. And the small part that want to meet people is misled by one particular girl. That’s too bad. I have to accept it and enjoy my last couple of days in Barcelona! It’s still really hot out here. I’m not hungry and skipped a lot of meals since I’m here. I think the weather and the stress hit me. The plan was to go to the beach with the girl from the Netherlands between class and the reception, but along the way she didn’t want to go anymore. We walked for hours straight, it wasn’t fun anymore and we had a little fight. I feel like she doesn’t like me but doesn’t have the guts to tell me. So I was still trying to hope for the best and I was constantly trying to please her, but that didn’t work out. And as I’m telling you this, I can’t believe why I put so much effort in that girl. I guess I just couldn’t believe she didn’t like me, because normally people tend to like me. Oh well, let’s move on. I can tell you the classes are just GREAThere. That’s one thing I didn’t expected. The school is much better than I thought it would be. I learned a lot already!

June 28th 2017 Wednesday

Seeing the Arco de Triunfo everyday makes me very happy. I love architecture and every time I travel, I fall in love with some building. I always have a favourite building whenever I visit a city. And then I can’t get it out of my head. The memory will never fade because I took like 20 pictures of it from every angle possible. Today I have 2 classes. 2,5 hours per class each without break. We only have lunch break between the two classes but each class is 2,5 hours without any toilet stop or coffee break. I’ll have my first Syria class today. I chose Brexit and Syria because they’re world news and aside from the daily news, I don’t know much about it. Certainly not on an academic level. I decided I couldn’t be ignorant anymore and I want to know everything about it. After class the girls decided to get some drinks and go out, but as I told you earlier they didn’t really like me so I decided to go for some shopping after class. I didn’t want to spend the night begging for their approval and attention, I’m not that type of girl. If you like me, that’s great and if you don’t, then I’m not going to convince you of my worth. I hope it doesn’t sound sassy, because I really have the right intentions. ;)

June 29th 2017 Thursday

Today is the last day. I’m pretty stressed out because today I will have to check out, then go to class with all my belongings and then run to the bus stop at Plaza Catalunya to go to the airport. The only spare time will be my 30 minute lunch at school. I loved the teachers of IBEI, I loved the courses and I loved such professionalism in general. Overall this summer school was a great experience. I’ve learned a lot about Brexit and Syria in just 14 hours of class.

Conclusion

I am so grateful that I could participate in this amazing summer course. I’ve learned a lot in such a short time. So I would definitely recommend the courses of IBEI (in Barcelona) because the classes were great! In general, I think summer schools are a great way to practice your language skills, broaden your knowledge on certain topics, get to know great people from all over the world and to build up self-esteem by travelling on your own. Anyway, it is a perfect addition to your CV as well. Apart from the classes, I’ve seen the beauty of Barcelona and I fell in love with this city. It was faaaar beyond my expectations. I thought it was just another big, well-known city without any charm. Hell no! I’ve felt the Catalan spirit, I loved the people and the city itself is beautiful. In exactly one week I’m going back to Barcelona for my next summer school. The next summer school will be about ‘Forced Migrants before the Court of Human Rights’. This one is a summer law school. I think I’ll definitely feel more motivated and more comfortable. Participating a summer school in global politics definitely got me out of my comfort zone. No regrets though. ;)

Maybe you get inspired to apply for a summer school next year!

XOXO,

Amberess

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yosuisnathan · 8 years ago

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My Language Journey

Hello all! I was tagged by languagemadness over on my Spanish langblr ( @estoy-la-hostia) and I wanted to do it over there in Spanish and I figured I would do it here in English. Annoying? Maybe. But do I care? Nope. 😉

1. What languages are/have you studied?

I have studied Spanish and Arabic formally, but on my own I have studied Hungarian, Norwegian, French, Romanian, Hebrew, Portuguese, German, and then I’ve flirted around with Russian and Catalan lol.

2. How long have you been studying?

I started studying Spanish about six years ago in 2011, I’ve been studying Arabic for one year, and then Hungarian just for about two months or so. The rest have been pretty sporadic since I started Spanish.

3. Did you learn through class or self-study (or both)?

I studied Spanish and Arabic in class and self-study, and the rest only self-study.

4. Why did you decide to learn these languages?

Spanish: I needed to pick a language for high school and all my middle school teachers and my sister recommended Spanish so I picked it.

Arabic: There was a scholarship I really wanted to do and I was really interested in learning Arabic anyways, so I took a year but didn’t get the scholarship. But its such a different language than anything I’ve ever studied, which has mainly been Romance languages.

Hungarian: My grandfathers family was Hungarian, but he was adopted so that was never an important factor in our lives. None of my family speaks it but I’ve always been interested in my heritage and its such a cool language that I wanted to learn it to connect with my past some.

5. What was a major highlight/milestone in studying this language?

Umm for Spanish, I think when I tested into the second year level of Spanish for my first year of university was pretty cool and my second semester professor was really impressed with me. For Arabic, everyday in class was pretty awesome for me because I was in a class of all native Arabic speakers who were learning the standard language so they had an advantage and my professor complimented me a lot for keeping up with everyone and actually learning which isn’t a big deal but it was pretty awesome :)

6. What was the hardest thing about studying this language?

Spanish was pretty easy for me except for object pronouns, but the rest came pretty naturally I just need to practice some more. For Arabic, I’d say the grammar is the most difficult part because even in my class, I never got a solid foundation on grammar and I still don’t really understand verbs or tenses besides present, which is still pretty basic. I find my biggest problem with language is that I can understand a lot, but I have a lot of trouble coming up with the language myself. For example, I can understand French really well, but I cannot for the life of me produce it.

7. What resources did you find most useful for studying this language?

I really prefer textbook and class room setting but idk really XD.

8. Any tips for studying this language?

Uhhh I guess just don’t ever think of it as being complicated or you will freak yourself out. I know with Arabic I kept telling myself “this is easier than I had thought” even when it was kind of difficult. Definitely relate it as much as you can to your native languages or other languages you have studied and it will make it less intimidating in the long run.

9. What’s your next major language goal?

I’d really like to further my studies in Arabic because I was doing really well and I loved it so much, so I for sure want to try and learn the grammar so I can feel like I know something so I can start practicing creating Arabic. I also really want to improve my Hungarian and start to make basic sentences and all that because it feels special to me and I want to actually do well in it.

10. Anything we can do in the Tumblr community to get you there?

I don’t really know. Just I guess to always remember that we are all here to learn and grow in ourselves so just be kind and helpful to each other. There’s no reason to be rude or mean to someone else in the community because we are all here to just do something we love. So be respectful to everyone and don’t be unnecessarily rude. Thanks :)

#langblr #tag #about #not languages

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silver-soliloquy · 8 years ago

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So I actually do have very late notes from last week’s reading! Uh, oops, I’m really slow at translating notes into semi-coherent form apparently

XXXVI

o Carnival time!

o Dumas seems to be going for a ~demonic debauchery~ angle here, but tbh costumes and confetti and flowers and parades seem like a pretty good time? okay

o Why won’t Edmond get down from his fancy window? I want someone to throw an egg at him

o Albert finally gets some flirting in! Well done Albert! Franz’s fond teasing is both hilarious and adorable

o Franz apparently really wants us to know that Albert’s peasant costume is really hot? OKAY THEN FRANZ

o I’m kind of curious about how much regional variation in dress there was that you can specifically do costumes of peasants from specific areas and expect them to be recognized?

o “I AM IN LOVE” Albert declares after like 3 days of chucking flowers back and forth with a girl, what a nerd

o Franz is also “a true Byronic hero” apparently? I am a little skeptical of this, he’s not extra enough

o Admittedly it’s been a while since I read any Byron, I should maybe brush up since they keep referencing him ALL THE TIME

o If anyone knows of any articles and suchlike on the relationship between the French and English Romantics I would really love to read that

o I love that Robin Buss keeps calling out Dumas’s timeline inconsistencies in the footnotes, it’s both hilarious and informative!

o “he himself would prefer not to be in Paris when the count was there” thus proving that Franz is the smartest person in this novel

o The whole scene with the moccoletti is absolutely gorgeous, and I love that the carnival ends with as sudden a mood shift as it began—from horror at the execution into revelry and then into darkness and melancholy just like that

XXXVII (the roman numerals are getting kind of ridiculous)

o FRANZ WHY DID YOU LET HIM GO BY HIMSELF, YOU KNOW HE’S THE MOST TROUBLE-PRONE PERSON IN EXISTENCE OF COURSE HE WALKED RIGHT INTO A TRAP

o Okay so I’m assuming Edmond arranged for the kidnapping, but was his plan actually just to loan Franz the money or was he actually counting on Franz knowing that he knew the bandits so he could go play the savior without having to suggest it himself? Your chessmastering gives me a headache, Edmond

o The thing where he pretends to be surprised that Peppino remembers him saving his life a whole WEEK ago seems…significant

o I’m glad Teresa is still having fun at parties, although I have a lot of questions about how her life is going as the mistress of the bandit king

o I feel like Edmond definitely meant for Albert to have to sit and ponder his fate all night, given his penchant for absolute-last-minute saves

o IS VAMPA IN ON THIS WHOLE BIT OF THEATRE??? EXPLAIN YOURSELF EDMOND

o Albert is entirely too chill about this whole affair and I can’t stop laughing

o Franz asking the head bandit for book recs before he goes: EVEN MORE HILARIOUS

o Okay so by Edmond’s messed-up theories about a person’s reaction to imminent death revealing their True Character, I think Albert did pretty darn well there? Obviously he didn’t have to wait till the exact moment of death before being saved like poor Morrel (what the hell Edmond), but if this was intended as a test of Albert’s character as well as a way to get him in the count’s debt he should’ve passed with flying colors! And yet Edmond still can barely deal with shaking his hand :(

o PLEASE DON’T HURT THIS NICE KID, EDMOND

XXXVIII

o “I wanted to demonstrate something to those bandits, namely that while people fight one another in every country in the world, only the Frenchman jests as he fights” okay this was hilarious until I thought about “the besieged were running out of cartridges but not out of witticisms; in this whirlwind of the sepulcher in which they found themselves, they laughed” and now I might be crying a little bit

o Franz is finally realizing that leaving Albert alone with the count is a bad idea! Well done, Franz! One near-death experience per vacation is plenty

o NOW PLEASE GO BACK TO PARIS WITH ALBERT AND KEEP AN EYE ON HIM, THE COUNT’S ~PLANS~ ARE CLEARLY NOTHING GOOD

o “Worried about the rendez-vous! I never! Are you mad, my dear Franz?” ALBERT THE LAST RENDEZVOUS HE LET YOU GO ON ENDED IN YOU GETTING KIDNAPPED AND ALMOST MURDERED. THAT WAS LITERALLY LAST NIGHT. DUDE.

o Nooooo Franz don’t leave :((((

XXXIX

o Yay Paris!!

o YAY MORE FRIENDS!!

o I…still do not really understand what Debray’s job is, but he’s sure entertaining

o *lowkey ships Debray/Beauchamp*

o WHY DID CHATEU-RENAUD AND FRANZ FIGHT A DUEL THOUGH, I NEED MORE OF THIS BACKSTORY

o How does Franz still think of himself as The Reasonable One when he apparently gets into duels with his close friends for flimsy enough reasons that no one can remember what that was even about later oh my god

o I love how Albert solemnly swore not to tell anyone about Franz’s hash adventures at Monte Cristo and then turns around and tells literally everyone he knows at the first available opportunity

o I don’t actually have that much to say about this chapter except that I love all the banter and teasing SO MUCH, these kids are all so delightful and I hope we see much more of them

o Okay so Edmond is still clearly very fond of Maximilien in his weird creepy way, and he seems surprised to see him but he doesn’t really react to fact that his friend’s kid is friends with his enemy’s kid? I’m interested that that didn’t get more of a spotlight, since that seems like it’s going to be an Issue with Maximilien later in the book?

o Edmond does surprisingly well with being thrown into the Baby Dandy Bffs crowd first thing in the morning, that seems like kind of a weird way to introduce someone to ~society~ but our Count is unruffleable as ever!

o “how do you go without food and sleep for that long????” “oh, drugs” EDMOND THAT IS NOT HEALTHY WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS

o Wait so that was Haydee whose freedom Edmond bought with the giant ridiculous emerald, right?

o Edmond quit trolling poor Maximilien

o “They did not know whether Monte Cristo was play-acting, but everything that this man said, despite his eccentricity, was delivered in such a simple tone that it was impossible to suspect him of anything” OH BOY

o Edmond sure is Weird about Haydee

XLI

o Albert has Notre Dame de Paris fanart on his walls oh my gosh what a cutie

o Hi Delacroix!! This is about the time he was bopping around Morocco fueling everyone’s interest in Orientalism, right? (thanks a lot, Delacroix)

o Dauzat’s Orientalism travel art isn’t actually that bad, he seems more interested in intricate architecture and really big rocks than creepily exoticizecd people. And he did Sinbad fanart! (although not till the 1860s I think)

o On the other hand, probably I’m just relieved that he’s not Jean-Leon Gerome levels of terrible, I really hate that guy

o ANYWAYS ART HISTORY NERD TANGENT OVER

o Wait no it’s not, the class-as-costume thing from carnival getting lampshaded in the portrait of Mercedes is super interesting—also that Albert apparently either doesn’t recognize the style or doesn’t know his parents’ history? Either way there’s so much disguise in this book I just want to take note of Mercedes’ original identity represented through her poor Catalan clothes being taken for another disguise

o Also it’s just really cute that Albert keeps a portrait of his mom in his room

o …Antoine-Jean Gros is the same one as Grantaire’s ex-teacher, yes? Is there room for crossovers here because I would like Grantaire and Albert to be friends please

o Okay so the thing with Albert’s family’s coat of arms and his nobility on his father’s side—did I miss something about Ferdinand or did he just totally make all this up after he got rich and titled??

o Mercedes is still the best!!!

o THIS GUY IS SKETCHY, literally everyone screams at Albert as he cheerfully ignores them

o Nothing to add to the last chapters except that Edmond apparently thinks it’s really entertaining to torment his servants, nice

#comc17 #book blogging

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letsreadcmc · 8 years ago

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Chapter 3 notes

There is so much I love about this chapter where do I even begin.

OK so we’re still meeting the main crowd. This time it’s the Catalans, Mercedes and Fernand. There’s ALSO some awesome interactions and dialogue in this chapter but I’ll cover that in a minute.

I covered the Catalans as I understood them a bit previously but this chapter gives us a bit more background on them. This specific Catalan community is founded by a group of immigrants who landed in France, asked the nearby city for some land no one else wanted, and just sorta stayed there. Dumas clarifies that they’re of both Spanish and Moorish ethnicity, so they’re probably darker skinned (this is suggested in the writing but not explicitly stated).

(I want to point out that some people have suggested Edmond Dantes himself might be darker skinned. So far nothing in the writing, at least of this translation, suggests this, though it certainly isn’t unreasonable for this to be true. I’m all for that reading actually, so I’m looking for evidence to back it up. Meanwhile, the Catalans characters almost definitely are.)

The Catalan village is actually separate of Marseille, not a neighborhood within as I’d previously thought. It’s apparently very close though, not separated by distance or walls but just culture.

Mercedes is incredible. I love her enormously. Dumas spends a lengthy paragraph describing her beauty, making absolutely sure the reader understands that she’s desirable beyond measure. But further than that, she is sharp. Her responses to Fernand are witty and confident, and there’s no way I can do justice to the way she absolutely destroys Fernand when he refuses to shake Dantes’ hand. The imagery of that scene alone is wonderful; Dumas describes her as having read the ‘sinister depths’ of Fernand’s mind, pinpointing exactly what he’s thinking and wishing, and destroying every fighting instinct within him. Danglars later complains that Fernand is just a simpleton who does nothing but weep at the loss of his mistress, but he doesn’t understand that Mercedes literally murdered the fight right out of him (temporarily).

Both Mercedes’ parents have died (though her mother seems to have died recently) leaving her alone; Fernand gives her fish to sell, and she buys hemp to spin (which she then presumably also sells?) which is the only way she gets by. Fernand comments that her mother approved of the idea of their marriage. Because her father is brother to Fernand’s father, her family name is probably Mondego as well - I’ve always wondered that.

Fernand’s family name isn’t actually given in this chapter, so we’ll probably officially learn that later. He’s described as tall, and muscular, which makes sense if he’s been pulling fish out of the ocean for a living. He’s definitely not an idiot like Danglars describes; he pulls out some impressive images to try to convince Mercedes to change her mind. He’s definitely more of an action perdion though. As soon as the conversation turns to his rival Dantes, he starts talking about killing the guy. He spends almost the entire chapter enraged, and is so angry at the very sight of Dantes that he can barely move.

There isn’t actually any evidence that he even knows who Caderousse and Danglars are. They both call him friend, and Caderousse calls him by name, but he seems confused by their initial attention, and Caderousse seems to know everyone. As soon as he realizes these guys are trying to comfort him over Dantes (however insincerely), though, he accepts their drink and vents his frustrations with them.

(Another side note: it interests me that a number of adaptations have cast Edmond Dantes and Fernand Mondego as old friends, when they’ve literally just met eachother. By ‘a number of adaptations’ I of course just mean the 2002 movie and the scifi anime - there are so many adaptions, and I’ve only seen a small handful - but I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot more of them did as well. It’s an easy way to shorten the background exposition, but their entire relationship in Paris reads differently when you remember they literally never knew eachother that well).

A good chunk of this chapter is dedicated just to Danglars and Caderousse befriending Fernand, pretending to comfort him and commiserating in their hate together. Danglars and Caderousse’s dialogue is honestly such a delight to read. They play off eachother so well, pretending to ask and answer questions, bantering about silly things in order to make Fernand feel even more miserable. It backfires a bit and the two of them feel pretty miserable as well, but they pretty much deserved it.

Dantes and Mercedes are only part of the conversation for about a page, but they get some pretty nice lines in too. There’s some wonderful foreshadowing where Caderousse calls her ‘Madame Dantes’ and she explains that in her culture that’s bad luck. About half a page later Danglars calls him ‘Captain Dantes’ (which was definitely intentional) and he replies the same.

There’s also the oft-quoted line, when Danglars points out that Dantes seems to be in quite a hurry to get married, where Dantes says “One always hurries towards happiness, Monsier Danglars, because when one has suffered much, one is at pains to believe in it.” It’s a well delivered line, but I’ve got to imagine it also pissed Danglars off quite a bit, since he probably feels he’s suffered way more that Dantes has.

Once again the chapter ends on an ominous note, where Danglars suddenly has an idea. Dumas devotes a lot of time to this deeper plot even at the beginning of the story, not letting us be tricked into thinking everything might be OK. I really appreciate that, to be honest. The reader wants to get to the story, not waste time developing a scene thats just going to get ruined anyways.

#chapter notes #chapter 3 #count of monte cristo #mercedes #fernand mondego #edmond dantes #danglars #caderousse

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