#ch Belgium

[frostdrawz]

*throws this at you.*

[k1ng0k]

2024 Pride Month

[if-music-be-the-food-of-love]

New chapter is posted! @skambigbang

Chapter summary: Robbe and Sander navigate dating

🦙🦙🦙

Why is the cover a picture of a bush instead of an alpaca?

Read to find out

[appalachy]

Me and my ukrainian friend are going to belgium tomorrow 🤩 to still be miserable BUT in a foreign country 😎

[candela888]

Same-sex marriage in 2003 vs. 2013 vs. 2023

(20 years of change)

More info below:

----

2003:

Marriage : Netherlands, Belgium, British Columbia (CA), Ontario (CA)

Civil unions : France (including overseas territories), Germany, Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Greenland, Rio Negro (AR), Ciudad de Buenos Aires (AR), California (US), New York (US), Hawaii (US), Vermont (US), Canary Islands (ES), Aragon (ES), Catalonia (ES), Andalusia (ES), Extremadura (ES), Castilla-La Mancha (ES), Castilla-Leon (ES), Madrid (ES), Valencia (ES), Asturias (ES), Basque Country (ES), Navarre (ES), Balearics (ES), Quebec (CA), Alberta (CA), Manitoba (CA), Nova Scotia (CA), Geneva (CH), Zurich (CH), Portugal.

----

2013:

Marriage : Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, South Africa, Spain, Portugal, France (including overseas territories), Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, New Zealand, Washington (US), California (US), New Mexico (US), Minnesota (US), Iowa (US), Maryland (US), DC (US), New Jersey (US), Delaware (US), New York (US), Connecticut (US), Rhode Island (US), Vermont (US), Massachusetts (US), New Hampshire (US), Maine (US), Hawaii (US), Mexico City (MX), Quintana Roo (MX).

Civil unions : Greenland, Colombia, Ecuador, Merida (VZ), United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Finland, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Australia

Recognizes marriages performed abroad : All 32 Mexican states and Israel

----

2023:

Marriage : Netherlands (including overseas territories), Belgium, United States, Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Colombia, US Virgin Islands, Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Malvinas/Falklands, France (including overseas territories), Spain, Portugal, Andorra, Germany, Slovenia, Switzerland, Austria, Malta, Guernsey, Jersey, United Kingdom, Isle of Man, Ireland, Gibraltar, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Greenland, Luxembourg, Faroe Islands, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, St. Helena, Pitcairn Islands, Gibraltar.

Civil unions : Bolivia, Italy, Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Aruba, Curaçao, Czech Republic, Hungary, Croatia, Montenegro, Greece, Cyprus, Estonia, Liechtenstein 

Recognizes marriages performed abroad : Namibia, Israel, Nepal, American Samoa

----

Future :

Same-sex marriage is under consideration by the legislature or the courts in Aruba, Curaçao, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, India, Japan, Liechtenstein, Namibia, the Navajo Nation, Nepal, Thailand, and Venezuela, and all countries bound by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR), which includes Barbados, Bolivia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Suriname.

Civil unions are being considered in a number of countries, including Lithuania, Peru, the Philippines, South Korea, Ukraine, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Latvia, Panama, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Thailand, and Venezuela.

----

[charlotteking23]

The Lion's Lamb - Chapter 3 - MV1/33

Max Verstappen x reader

The Lion's Lamb Series: Aesthetics, Ch.1, Ch.2, Ch.4, Ch.5, Ch.6, Ch.7, Ch.8

Max was a beautiful man. He was even more beautiful when he smiled.

His smile wasn't full-on but slight, with his lips turning upwards in the corner only. But to you, making the man in front of you smile was your goal.

"Tell me about yourself," he said gently.

"About me?" You needed clarification. Normally, when you talk to men, especially the ones that live in Monaco permanently, they don't care to know about you.

"You are (name), aren't you?" His thick eyebrows arched questionably.

Blushing, you lowered your head, looking at your cup in between your hands. You see a hand reach across the table and land on your chin, slowly lifting it so your eyes meet blue, "No. I don't like you looking away. I want to see your eyes on me."

You blushed again at the man's words, biting your lip anxiously. His eyes immediately get drawn to your pink lip between your teeth.

Noticing his shift of attention to her lip, she decides to speak, "My (name) (last name) and I'm 23."

Max was surprised that was all you said. Most women he met would never give him a chance to speak, continuously talking about their lives to try to impress him.

"Are you from Monaco?" He asks, trying to get you to continue

"No," You shake your head lightly "I'm originally from the U.S. and came here about a year and a half ago."

"What brought you here?"

"The people," you shrug, "not to be weird about it but everyone here is wealthy. My clientele is mainly wealthier people."

"What do you do for a living then?"

"I'm an artist. Specifically a painter," You visibly become happy when talking about your job. It was obvious to see you love what you do.

You start to ramble on about your job until you realize what you were doing and start to blush, "Sorry. I ramble a lot."

Max chuckles, sending shivers down your spine "I don't mind. I love hearing the sound of your voice."

Blushing even deeper and smiling, you change the topic to save yourself from any more embarrassment, "what about you? Where are you from?"

"I'm originally from Belgium but grew up in the Netherlands most of my life."

"And for work?"

"I work with cars," he vaguely answers. You raised your eyebrow knowing there's more to the answer but decided not to push.

"And that brought you to Monaco?"

"For a time," he shrugs. "I travel a lot for work and only really have about a total of 4 months here in Monaco."

"Where do you travel for work?" Your eyes light up again at the thought of traveling.

You always wanted to travel but haven't been able to do it financially nor do you have any idea where you'd want to go.

Max smiles at you and goes into depth about some of his favorite places to go. He realizes his job is amazing but can't help but wish he had more time to spend with his family.

Though, his lifestyle hasn't affected him much because he's a loner. But sitting there with you, he can't help but hope to come home more often to see the beautiful woman more often.

The pair continued to talk for about another hour or so before they were interrupted by your phone ringing.

You give the blue-eyed man an apologetic smile before answering the phone, "hello?"

"Where the hell are you?" You hear your roommate yell at you through the phone. Your roommate wasn't someone you would willingly have in your life. If you could you'd live by yourself.

"I'm getting coffee," Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"I need you home because I have people coming over and the house is a mess! You have to come home now and clean it all up!"

Max didn't know who was on the other end of the phone but just by her tone, he didn't like her. No one should yell at you like that.

"What do you mean? When I left, the house was perfectly clean."

"Well, it was until I spilled soda everywhere so I need you to help clean up!"

Deciding not to fight with your roommate, you just sighed, and told the girl you would come home now and hung up the phone.

"Everything alright?" Max asked.

"Yeah just got to help my roommate clean up the mess she made because she wants to have people over," You sighed again.

"You shouldn't have to clean up her messes."

"I know but it's easier not to argue with her," you started to gather your things and stood up.

You reached into your purse, pulled out a pen wrote something on the napkin, and handed it to the man. "Here. It's my number. Text me and we'll do this again"

You smile softly at the man before leaning in and kissing him on the cheek before turning away and leaving. You hadn't registered what you had done until you were almost home.

You stopped mid-walk, a smile plastering your face. You didn't mean to do that, but you were happy you did. You smiled the entire way back to your apartment.

Max was stunned by your boldness. You were so innocent and naive yet here you were giving your phone number to him and kissing his cheek.

Something about you made you stand out from everyone else. He didn't know what it was yet but he couldn't wait to see you again.

Taglist: @shelbyteller, @smithieandy, @fangirlforever2000, @herexpertcollector

[gryficowa]

Boycott!

My posts look like this because my brain is otherwise blank and I can never write anything about fundraising (Unfortunately, I had to find a way to share fundraisers without the risk of having an empty brain when creating a post… Unfortunately, the stress associated with it that my brain tells me that I may write something wrong or insufficiently, is something I can't fight…)

Now that I have your attention:

--------------------------------------------------------------

So yes, my biggest enemy (Apart from Zionists, right-wingers, Nazis, fascists, etc…) is my brain

[mira-rachel]

[Rise Of The Empires CH AU] #rote au

Since his own fall, Prussia is more prone to other people's opinions, easily swayed. Prob bcs of trauma, lolololol.

Oh yeah, Belgium is just, out of it. Losing his mind. Even after this all ends, he's the most damaged, his mental state wouldnt be intact, no no no. In fact, he will be the third to die after Indo and Brun- due to uhm, him just going at his own neck and it goes C R A C K-

Heyyy, Belgium gets to meet his father again in the afterlife!!! :D

@wrenaliases

[ithinkyouhealedmyheart]

Ghostwriter CH 25

Unbetad Unedited Unhinged || AO3 Wattpad

Character(s): Kendall Knight, James Diamond, Carlos Garcia, Logan Mitchell, Gustavo Rocque, Kelly Wainwright, Mrs. Knight, Katie Knight, Mr. Clark oc, Veronica Clark oc

Pairing(s): Kendall Knight/Original Female Characters, Kendall Knight & James Diamond & Carlos Garcia & Logan Mitchell,

Word Count: 5544

“Look, the album is called All Over Again, so I want this tour to be called All Over The World!” Gustavo slammed his hand on the map and dragged it across. 

So far, Big Time Rush logos were plastered across North America, which was only part of the world. Gustavo and Kelly were in the producer's office with cardboard cutouts of the band. Kelly sat at his desk on the phone, the receiver pressing between her face and shoulder. 

“Well, Germany won’t return our calls, and Australia won't answer any of our emails!”  Kelly exasperatedly slammed the phone down. 

For Big Time Rush’s next biggest tour, the planning situation was starting to look like it wasn’t going as the producer thought. The round man ensured that he apologized to Belgium after accidentally saying, “I hate Brussels” instead of “Brussels sprouts.” Unfortunately, team BTR was having more problems than they thought. Then again, this entire thing was extremely short notice since Griffin spontaneously called at midnight to let Gustavo know he wanted the band to tour the globe. The boys stressed their producer out enough as it is, but Griffin was beginning to take their spot of being a top-tier annoyance. 

“Gustavo, we have a problem!” Kendall panicked into the office but stopped when he saw the maps all over the room paired with cardboard cutouts with captions in different languages.

“I know.” Gustavo sighed, but that didn’t stop him from riling himself up. “We’re trying to book venues for your All Over the World tour, but the world won’t call us back!”  

“Actually, no.” Kendall chuckled awkwardly. “The guys and I got into a huge fight, and they moved out.” 

“They moved out?!” Gustavo and Kelly shouted. 

“Yeah, funny story.” The blonde clapped his hands together. “Also, Ronnie hasn’t come out of her apartment in a couple of days, so…” 

“You need to fix this!” Gustavo shouted, pointing his half-eaten banana at Kendall. “Whatever is going on with you and your friends, and whatever has Ronnie so upset!” 

“That’s easier said than done, and I can’t exactly fix a problem if I don’t know what the problem is–” 

“Now!” Gustavo was red in the face. 

Kendall didn’t stick around to determine how upset the producer could be. The teenager booked it out of Rocque Records in an instant. Whenever Gustavo was upset, no one wanted to stick around for the aftermath. Except for Kelly, he pays her, so it’s probably a lot different. Halfway out the front door, he turned around, took the elevator upstairs, and walked back into the office.

“No. Can you please yell at the guys so that we can live together again?” 

“Yes, because I love yelling, and I don’t need this band to break up before our soon-to-be world tour.” Gustavo practically inhaled the last piece of his banana and then promptly spiked the peel on the floor as a weird way to assert dominance.

“Can you please not spike a banana peel?” Kelly massaged her temples. “And pick that up before you slip and throw your back out.” 

“Ha! That only happens in cartoons. This is real life.” Gustavo laughed but complied and bent over to pick up the banana peel since this was his office, and he liked to keep it clean most of the time. 

But instead of slipping and throwing his back out, there was a loud and grotesque crack when he bent over. The producer was stuck. Kendall and Kelly gasped, their eyes wide and fearful. 

“My back!” Gustavo wheezed. 

It wasn’t like Kelly wanted this to happen. She was only making an observation and attempting to steer her boss at least away from an unfortunate accident. Of course, throwing his back out because he bent over to pick something up was just something Gustavo would get himself into. The talent scout moved around him and stood next to Kendall. Under any other circumstance, this would have been fine because he could go to the doctor and cancel a rehearsal, but because they were trying to wring enough venues for the upcoming tour, it was less than ideal.

“Oh, this looks bad.” Kelly winced. Kendall grimaced and nodded. 

“I can’t move… or yell.” Gustavo sounded breathy, and he was in excruciating pain. 

“Maybe it’s not so bad,” Kelly shrugged. 

“Yes, it is!” Kendall shouted. “He needs to get to the Palm Woods so he can fix us!” The blonde pointed at the producer. Gustavo held his hand up. 

“Kendall, you have to do it yourself. You have to keep this band together.” The man was whispering, and it was honestly terrifying. With all their time together, the blonde swore he never wanted to reencounter a quiet Gustavo. “And Kelly, call Doc Hollywood.” 

“You know, I’ve never heard him whisper before.” 

“I will destroy all of you.” It wasn’t as threatening when he was whispering, but the sentiment was there. Either way, Kendall ran out of the office to get to the Palm Woods as Kelly scrambled to get to the phone to call the doctor. 

After a quick, would-be thirty-minute call to the doctor’s office of Doc Hollywood, Kelly somehow managed to get Gustavo up on a table. It was an impressive feat, but she didn’t have time to pat herself on the back. 

“Why am I on this table?” Gustavo groaned. He was utterly terrified. The talent scout filed that away as untapped childhood trauma to be rediscovered later. 

“Doc Hollywood said you have to lie flat on a hard surface,” she moved the phone away from her mouth. 

“Where is Doc Hollywood?” 

“Shooting his reality series.” Kelly deadpanned as she put the phone down. “But he said he’s sending over the best in the business.” 

“And that would be me.” 

Seemingly, out of nowhere, a balding man with long grey hair in a blue tunic covered in beaded jewelry appeared in the doorway. Gustavo turned his head slightly and tensed up. Oh no. No, no, no. There was no way another guru was going to get in the way of his career again. 

“Chantal, alternative healer and spiritual advisor to the stars.” The man pressed his hands together and bowed. 

“Absolutely not!” Kelly knew what her boss was thinking. She put the phone down and held her hands up. “No robe-y quacks!” 

“That’s what Johnny Depp said until I cursed his halitosis.” Chantal deadpanned. “With my palms.” He added in a weird, mysterious voice. 

“Cure me!” Gustavo was desperate. He knew his talent scout was floundering as she tried to find venues for Big Time Rush that weren’t in North America. “I have to get up and get our almost world tour going.” Gustavo tried to move, but he whined in pain. 

Chantal dropped his bag and stepped forward. His eyes were wide. It was like he was staring into Gustavo’s soul. It was weird, but the producer couldn’t complain. He needed his back fixed pronto and would do anything or try anything to fix it. 

“70% of all ailments are in the mind,” Chantal pointed to his temples. “So, we must trick this mind into getting him off this table.” The man waved his hand over Gustavo’s face and gently moved the table on wheels. Thankfully, the table was on wheels. 

Kelly was skeptical, of course. The last time a guru was involved was when Buddha Bob used a monkey pinch on Gustavo, and suddenly, the record producer was no longer angry. Gustavo also lost all of his talent when that happened. It was safe to say that she did not want anything like that happening again, as they were incredibly close to starting their tour. She also had a feeling that this Chantal character would attempt to take over Rocque Records. He seemed like the type of washed-up celebrity to do that. 

She wasn’t expecting Chantal to push the table with all his strength and send Gustavo flying out of the room. The only problem was that Gustavo couldn’t get up. The producer screamed, and glass shattered in the hallway. Kelly gasped and held her hand over her mouth. She shot a glare at the older man in the robe. 

“Okay, now we know it’s not only in his mind.” 

It was as if Chantal purposefully feigned innocence. The talent scout knew that Gustavo would sue him for everything he had once this was over. 

Unfortunately, Kelly had to get Gustavo back into the office and back on the table because Chantal had shoved him out of the room. Chantal was no help, not that she expected him to be of any help to her. It was an hour of struggling until she finally got him back on the cold metal table, and it was more of a struggle to push the table back into the room. Just as she thought she could take a break, the phone rang, and she raced over. 

“Kelly Wainwright, BTR tour manager.” She picked up the phone with lightning-fast reflexes. Gustavo was groaning in pain as Chantal was waving his hands over the producer again. 

“Yes!” Kelly gasped and put the phone down. 

“What?” Gustavo tried to crane his neck to see what was going on, but a sickening crack came from him again, and he screamed in agony. 

“We are playing Vancouver, Canada, which means BTR’s All Over The World Tour is... On!” She took one of the little pushpins and put one in the Canada providence. 

“Yes!” Gustavo moved his arms to celebrate this victory, but his bones made an awful crunching sound again. 

“Technically, that’s a North American tour. You need to play another continent for a world tour.” Chantal chimed in. Neither Gustavo nor Kelly were impressed with his input. 

“Not helping.” Gustavo wheezed. 

“And you need to fix him so he can move again!” Kelly jabbed a finger in Chantal’s direction. 

“My record is perfect!” Chantal snapped. “But my positive vibes have never faced such negative blocks before.” He kept moving his hands, trying to fix the man on the table. 

“Look,” Kelly pulled the album CD out of a drawer. “Our album is called All Over Again, so do what you’re doing all over again until he’s fixed.” 

“Then I will resort to more Western chiropractic methods.” 

And the weirdo was back to waving his hands over Gustavo as if that would fix anything by moving “energy” around him. Kelly was beginning to doubt this man's credentials. 

“I’ll crack the vertebra, thereby creating a space to let the good vibes in.” 

Kelly winced as he rolled Gustavo off the table onto the hardwood floor. 

“Okay,” Chantal’s shoulders slumped. “This guy is unhealable.” 

“I’m going to be on my back forever.” Gustavo looked like he was… Crying? “With no world tour!” 

“Wait, perhaps if Chantal uses an unorthodox method to heal him.” 

Gustavo moaned in pain. Kelly watched as the strange man picked up one of the flagged needles off the desk and pressed the pad of his index finger against the metal point. 

“No, no, no. No acupuncture!” Kelly shook her head and crossed her arms. 

“Actually, I’m the spiritual advisor to Sir Huge Concert Promoter in England,” 

Gustavo turned his head. He was intrigued. 

“I am simply going to advise him to book a Big Time Rush concert in London.” Chantal took the pin and stuck it where the star on the map was. 

“Yes!” Gustavo jumped to his feet. “Holy shit! My back! It’s healed!” He gasped. 

Chantal pressed his hands together and bowed. 

“And as long as Kendall’s healed the guys’ friendship,” Kelly grinned. 

“Big Time Rush is going on a world tour!” Gustavo pumped his fist in the air. 

With the help of his younger sister, Kendall somehow managed to bring his friends together one last time to give one of his famous speeches. Of course, he had to manipulate his friends to get them into apartment 2J, but the details didn’t matter because he got them together and made them realize how much they meant to each other. Also, it took them an entire day to realize Battleblast 5, Biohazard, was causing them to fight so much. Logan was obsessed with checking statistics for the game and rubbed it in his friends' faces; Carlos wasn’t a team player and was sharing the items with his friends in the game, which upset James and caused them to fight. The only one who was level-headed about it was Kendall. 

Ultimately, Kendall gave the game to his mother because he didn’t want to fight with his friends anymore. The last thing to figure out was how to help Ronnie. It was strange he hadn’t seen her all day. Usually, she tried to stay out of the chaos that the four of them caused, but sometimes, she got sucked into whatever scheme of theirs needed to be cleaned up. Not that he thought she should always be around to clean up their messes, but it was disappointing that she wasn’t around at all. 

“So now, maybe you will finally go outside and play?” Mrs. Knight gestured to the open door behind her. 

“Mom, we’re not eight.” Kendall scoffed. 

“Dust off your passports, cause Big Time Rush’s All Over The World tour is a go!” Gustavo opened his jacket to reveal a black t-shirt with a red and white graphic design of a globe and the word Big Time Rush’s All Over the World Tour on it. Kelly was wearing one, too. 

It was more than likely they would be selling these as merch for the tour. 

The four boys cheered. 

“With tour dates in the United States, Canada, and London!” Kelly added. 

“We’re going to England?” The boys gasped. 

“And we need to start rehearsal now.” Gustavo waved his hands around. 

Mrs. Knight smirked. The guys were playing outside, after all. 

“Wait, wait, wait.” Carlos, James, and Logan were halfway out the door when Kendall stopped them. “Where’s Ronnie? Where’s our songwriter? Shouldn’t she know about this too?” 

“Right, I haven’t seen her all day.” Carlos scratched his chin. 

“Oh! Maybe she’s out with her boyfriend!” Logan suggested. 

“Can’t be,” Kendall shook his head. “He hasn’t texted her since last week,” 

“And how do you know this?” James narrowed his eyes. “Have you been spying on them? Spying on her?” 

“She told me.” Kendall nudged James’ shoulder. 

“Okay then? Let’s go see what she’s up to.” Carlos’ eyes lit up. “The last one to the elevator has to ring the doorbell!” The dark-haired boy started running. 

“No fair, her dad’s terrifying!” Kendall shouted, running after his friend. 

Gustavo, Kelly, and Mrs. Knight moved out of the way of the four of them. It was good to know that they worried about her. Mrs. Knight was a little worried they wouldn’t want anything to do with her on their journey to become famous, but it was sweet that she wasn’t left behind. 

Carlos got to the elevator first, and Logan got there last. Kendall was thankful it wasn’t him. He was a little scared of Mr. Clark. It was impossible to tell if the guy could be easily impressed. The blonde also felt like Mr. Clark hated him. It was weird, considering they barely interacted. Of course, delivering the tour news was exciting, but no one stopped to ask Gustavo if she would even be allowed on tour with them. The details could be figured out later. They could all celebrate their hard work and revel in their accomplishments. A world tour was the first step to stardom. From then on, they would all be rich and famous. 

It was already late in the day. The guys didn’t anticipate her being in her apartment, but they were hoping someone was home in 3G. Logan rang the doorbell and ushered them all to step back. He didn’t want it to seem weird if they were crowding around the front door. The four waited five minutes, and Logan rang the doorbell again. 

Unexpectedly, Mr. Clark opened the door and stared down at the boys. His glasses slid down the bridge of his nose. 

“What do you want?” 

“Hey, Mister C, is Ronnie home?” Carlos asked with a big, innocent grin. 

Mr. Clark furrowed his brows. 

“You just missed her. She went out on a date with her boyfriend Curt.” The man shot a glare at Kendall, who tensed up. The boy smiled sheepishly and looked away. 

“Oh.” Carlos frowned. “Can you take a message?” 

“Can’t you text her?” Mr. Clark asked tiredly. They were interrupting his precious midday nap. 

“Well, yes.” James chuckled. “But we thought sharing this information in person would be much better than a simple text.” 

“Okay, what is it?” Mr. Clark sighed. 

“Big Time Rush is going on their world tour!” The four boys exclaimed excitedly. 

Mr. Clark leaned back and blinked twice. That was different from the message he was expecting. Adjusting his glasses, he coughed into his hand. 

“If I’m home, I’ll make sure to let her know about this world tour.” 

“Thanks,” Logan snapped finger guns awkwardly. 

“See you boys.” Mr. Clark closed the door in their faces. 

“Okay! Let’s get to rehearsal!” Kendall clapped his hands together, trying to shake off the awkwardness settling in the air. 

Ronnie assumed inviting Curt to her apartment would have made him feel better. Tension hung heavy in the air. Her lungs struggled to expand as she unlocked the front door. Her father wasn’t home because he was working late. She wasn’t anxious. She knew something was wrong. There was something that had been off the entire night. Ronnie swallowed audibly and wrung her hands together. She looked at the floor like a guilty little kid. 

“What? What’s wrong, now?” There was an edge to Curt’s voice she hadn’t heard before. Her fight or flight kicked in, but she froze. Her head snapped up, and she looked at him with wide eyes. 

“Nothing wrong. You’re the one who has been off all evening.” 

“Me? I’m the one who’s off?” 

“Yes!” Ronnie took a hesitant step back. “You’ve been short with me, and your answers have been cold!” 

“I’ve been short with you? Oh, finally, you noticed!” Curt threw his hands up. “This past week, it’s like I’ve been nonexistent to you!” 

“I’ve been trying to spend time with you all week,” 

“But then, when work calls, you make your getaway.” 

“Because my dream is balancing on this second album!” Ronnie snapped. She didn’t like the belligerent tone he’d taken with her. He was talking to her like an annoying child. 

“Not everything is about your dream!” 

She stared at him with wide, scared eyes—the reality set in almost instantaneously. Curt didn’t know what her dream was. Curt didn’t know why she was in L.A. He didn’t know that her career was balancing precariously on whether Griffin liked the second album. Was she another girl in L.A. to him? Suddenly, the rose-colored glasses came off. 

“You change like the wind,” Curt laughed and ran a hand through his hair. “One moment, you’re talking about marriage like some psycho, and the next, you can’t spare me a few moments of your day!” He threw his head back and started laughing hysterically. 

“What has gotten into you?” Ronnie’s voice was barely above a whisper. 

“Me? What has gotten in me?” The hockey player looked offended. For some reason, he looked a bit like Kendall, with his hair messed up and his suit jacket ruffled. “What matters more to you? Me or your job?” 

“You can’t make me choose–” 

“No, no. It’s just a simple question.” Curt shook his head. 

“If you loved me, you wouldn’t make me choose–” 

“Do you love me? Because you spend a lot of fucking time with Kendall,” 

“I work with him…” Ronnie took another step back. “What are you implying? Do you think I’m cheating?” 

“I don’t have to because you said it!” Curt jabbed a finger at her. “You’re cheating on me with Kendall. I knew it!” 

“I’m not cheating on you with him,” 

“But you might as well be. I thought I knew you. I thought you weren’t like other girls.” 

“I am like other girls.” Ronnie tensed up. “I– I’m normal. I’m like everyone else,” 

“That’s what you’re offended by?” Curt deadpanned. 

“I think I like Kendall, but I’m not cheating on you!” Ronnie said quickly. She ripped the truth off like a bandage. She covered her mouth, and her eyes widened. 

“You think you like Kendall?” Curt’s words were like venom. His eyes darkened. “Oh, for fucks sake grow up! You love him, and you never loved me at all.” 

“No–” Ronnie felt like she was breathing through a straw. “I do love you.” 

“You can’t love me if you like someone else,” Curt sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“No, but I figured I would stop liking him if I admitted it. That’s how it works, isn’t it?” 

“What?” Curt stared blankly at her face. “It’s like I never even knew you at all. That’s your conclusion? Are you a fucking idiot?” 

Tears pricked her eyes, and Ronnie balled her hands into fists at her sides. The shame and the anxiety welled the surface, setting her skin ablaze. 

“Get out.” Her voice was terrifyingly level and calm. 

“You can’t be crying about that.” 

“Get out of my apartment, Curt.” Ronnie nudged him to the door. She looked down at her feet, straining to keep her tears in. She shouldn’t fall apart in front of him. 

“Seriously?” Curt shuffled towards the door. He was caught off guard by her reaction. He at least expected her to blow up. Instead, it was like she was holding it. “What? You can’t admit you’re a cheater, so your last ditch effort is to kick me out?” 

“I didn’t cheat on you, Curt,” Ronnie’s shoulders shook, and her voice cracked. “This wasn’t what I expected, and I guess we didn’t know each other as well as we thought.” 

“Veronica–” 

“I wanted someone who wanted me, but the only time you’ve shown me you needed me was when I was sick a couple of weeks ago.” Ronnie took a deep breath. “What about when I called and you never answered? What about how ashamed you look in interviews when anyone mentions me?” 

“Ronnie, I’m the only guy that could love you.” Curt chuckled and grabbed her shoulders gently. “I’m sorry for shouting at you, baby.” 

“I thought I could have hit so many milestones with you and achieved things that other people glorify, but– I don’t– I don’t know why I got my hopes up.” 

“Hey, hey, hey.” Curt put his foot in the doorframe. “Wait. You can’t break up with me because I’m breaking up with you!” 

“Either way,” Ronnie tried to close the door. “Goodbye…” 

“You’ll crawl back to me. I know it!” 

The songwriter nudged his foot out of the way and finally closed the door in his face. She pressed her back firmly against the door and sighed heavily. Curt would have been her everything. She counted the days until they were old enough to get married and wondered what their future would look like. The tears gathered in the outer corners of her eyes rolled down her face, leaving cold tear stains in their wake. Her knees buckled, and she crumpled to the ground. Her world was falling apart around her. There was this pain in her chest as though her heart were ripping in half. Wrapping her arms around herself, she wished so badly that her mother could hug her. Was this her fault for getting too attached? Ronnie hadn’t expected him to pull away when she showed she loved him. 

The green-haired girl took her shoes off and stood hesitantly from the floor. The lights in the apartment were dim, and her eyesight was blurry from the tears. Her phone was on the kitchen counter. She could only make it to the couch with her heels in her hand when the damn broke for a second time. Ronnie wiped at her face. There was mascara and makeup on her hands. Her eyes burned. Turning all the lights off and crying in the dark would be extremely dramatic, but she didn’t feel like getting up. Like ivy creeping up the side of a brick building, she hoped to sit there on the couch until no one could tell the difference between her and the couch. She didn’t hear the knock on the door over the pounding in her ears. That or she assumed it was a figment of her imagination. No one would come to save her. No one would pick the pieces of porcelain off the floor to help her rebuild. Ronnie didn’t know if she wanted someone to pick up the pieces. All her life, she had picked the pieces up alone. She was used to doing things by herself. Why would this be any different? 

The knock at the door came again, followed by a muffled voice. The floodgate had already been opened; try as she might, the songwriter couldn’t force it closed. Ronnie furiously wiped at her face and brushed her hair back. There was no doubt in her mind that her makeup was smeared and running down her face alongside the cold, sticky tear stains. The door opened, and she jumped. It was unlocked. She only closed the door after Curt left. She thought it was Curt for a split second, but instead of clouded blue eyes, she saw worrying swirling within forest green eyes. At a distance, Kendall didn’t notice she was crying and assumed she had woken up from a nap because she was rubbing at her face. 

“I know you weren’t there when Griffin stopped by, but Gustavo announced the tour.” He smiled slightly and mimicked James’ jazz hands. “I came by since you weren’t answering my texts,” 

“That’s… Great!” Ronnie’s voice broke, and Kendall's smile was wiped off. She sniffled and turned her head away. She couldn’t let him see her like this. 

The blonde’s heart dropped. It sank to the bottom of Kendall’s stomach like a stone in a pond. Her tears were like a slow and simple melody that broke his heart. Had it been building up to this all week? Had he done something wrong? Kendall swallowed thickly and closed the door. He crossed the space between the front door and the couch with ease. 

“Ronnie…” 

He knelt in front of her. Her hair curled her face, and she was hiding in her hands. The rapid beating in her ears got louder as she held her breath. It wasn’t fair for him to see her like this. They worked together. He didn’t want to be friends with her in the first place. Hesitantly, he touched her hand. He wasn’t sure if she would lash out at him. Ronnie was frozen like a statue. What would he say if he saw her? What would he do? She could already hear his harsh words laced with venom in her mind. She was a mess. He moved her hand gently. Her fingertips were smudged with mascara and eyeshadow that she had tried to wipe away hastily. She stared at him with wide, unblinking eyes. What was he going to do? 

“I’ll get something to wipe your face,” 

That soft tone in his voice was strange but welcomed. Ronnie tucked her hair behind her ears and looked down at her hands. How much makeup did she put on? It was like she was the main character in one of those sad romance movies with the running mascara. The thought made her laugh. Unsteadily, she exited the couch and followed him into the bathroom. The singer crouched in the small bathroom, looking through the cabinets under the sink. She spotted the makeup wipes he was looking for on the shelf behind him. Carefully, she leaned over him and grabbed them. Kendall accidentally whacked his head on the cabinet, trying to pull his head out. 

“Oh.” At first, Ronnie thought he was commenting about her appearance, but he looked at the makeup wipes in her hand. 

“I can wipe my face myself…” She frowned at him. 

“That wasn’t what I was going to suggest,” Kendall held his hands up. “But, if you don’t want to–” 

Ronnie sighed and handed Kendall the package of makeup wipes. Part of her was giving in because she wanted him to, but mainly, she gave in. After all, if she stared at herself in the mirror, she would start crying again. The songwriter squeezed past Kendall and sat on the closed toilet lid. The package crinkled as the blonde struggled to open it, but the smell of aloe vera bloomed from the container once he finally got it open. Gently, Kendall wiped at her face. He wasn’t sure how gentle her skin was. This little action reminded him of the times he cleaned theatre makeup off James’ face, except James hadn’t been crying for who knows how long. 

The makeup wipe was cold against her burning skin. Kendall could feel it. As much as he wanted to ask what happened, he chose not to. She blinked when he carefully dabbed at her eyes. For the most part, she no longer had a lot of makeup on her face.

“Do you– Do you want to watch a movie?” Kendall cleared his throat and looked away. “That uhh– That usually helps… When I’m upset.” 

She didn’t respond, afraid her voice would betray her. 

“Okay, then.” Kendall took a step backward out of the bathroom and then took another step. He didn’t want to be too close.  

“I’ll uhh… Go look at what you have…” He jutted his thumb over his shoulder and headed toward the living room. 

Ronnie sighed and stood up from the toilet. She turned the hot water on and looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were red, and her hair was unkempt, primarily because she’d been running her hands through it all evening. She cupped her hands under the hot water and rubbed the soap against her palms. Hand soap wasn’t advised, but she didn’t feel like getting out of all the skin care products James had gifted her. The songwriter scrubbed at her face until it was red, and she could no longer see the remnants of her ruined makeup. Which, she wore because Curt said something in an interview about how he wished she wore makeup more often. 

The light turned off in the bathroom, and she shuffled across the floor to her bedroom. The hardwood was cold on her feet, and her bones were heavy. If the Earth opened to swallow her whole, she wouldn’t think twice about letting it. She didn’t close her bedroom door all the way accidentally. Sitting on the edge of her bed, she let her back hit the mattress and stared at the ceiling. This was her fault. It had to be her fault. Curt wouldn’t have broken up with her if she had been a better girlfriend. Her hair splayed in a halo around her head. She wanted nothing more than to get out of this dress and bundle herself with one of those crocheted blankets her mother made. Instead of sitting up, she rolled onto her side and stared blankly at her dresser. Oh, how she wished clothes would telepathically be moved from the drawers. But maybe that was a little too dramatic. She got up begrudgingly and pulled out non-matching pajamas. The pants were white, fuzzy, and patterned with various fruits. At random, she grabbed an oversized NCIS t-shirt, which belonged to her mother, only because she knew her mother loved NCIS. Before shuffling out of her room, she grabbed a pair of striped fuzzy socks and pulled her hair into a messy ponytail. It didn’t matter what style her hair was in. She needed to be comfortable.

Kendall was still trying to pick a movie when she exited her bedroom.  She sat on the end of the couch and grabbed a throw pillow, which she hugged to her chest. Why was he here? Why was he helping her? The television remote was on the end table next to her. She turned the television on, which scared the crap out of Kendall. 

“What are you–” 

“You’re taking too long to decide,” Ronnie mumbled into the throw pillow. “We’re watching 50 First Dates.” 

Kendall rummaged through the DVD box momentarily and pulled out the DVD. Romantic comedies weren’t his favorite, but it wasn’t his call to make. He suggested the movie to help at least ease her pain. The DVD opened with a satisfying pop, and he gingerly placed the disc in the DVD player. 

“Do you want ice cream? Popcorn– Wait, how about both? Sweet and salty?” Kendall grinned from ear to ear. “The perfect combination.” 

“Do you even know where we keep the popcorn?” Ronnie raised a brow. 

“No, but I think I’ll be able to find it. And before you say it, you are not allowed to help me.” He looked down at her and crossed his arms. “Just relax, and let me get you whatever you want.”

[blue-lock-rocky]

SPOILER: A Tentative Timeline for Blue Lock (2.2)

Many thanks to the wonderful @echarie, who has supplied the dates of the NEL matches, the E-4 meet-up before BM vs. Ubers, and ✨Barou Hair Day✨

2.2 Patch Note: Now includes recent events like the E-4 meet-up and ✨Barou Hair Day✨

This timeline is NOT spoiler-free.

Please proceed with caution.

GREEN: confirmed; RED: real world events; BLUE: deduced; PURPLE: unknown

July 2, 2018: 2018 FIFA World Cup Belgium v. Japan. The opening line makes a direct reference to the match (Ch 1).

Japan's loss led to Anri proposing the Blue Lock Project (Ch 1).

Nov 18, 2018: Saitama Prefectural Finals, in the evening Isagi receives an invitation to join a special training program (Ch 1).

Nov 20, 2018: Move-in Day, a Tuesday. Ego says it’s six months from the U-20 World Cup. The date is confirmed on Twitter. (Ch 2)

Nov 23, 2018: Team X VS. Team Z; Team V Vs. Team Y. Isagi says that it has been three days since the last chapter (Ch 3). Ego proceeds to tell Team Z that their next match is in two hours (Ch 5). After the first match, he tells Team V that they will go against Team Y in "just a few moments" (Episode Nagi Ch 5).

Team V VS. Team Z marked the end of The First Selection. Our Team Z boys undergo brutal training.

The Second Selection begins on the "tenth day" of training. Early morning, Ego makes his grande announcement. Isagi gets past the Blue Lock man, and teams up with Bachira and Nagi. They go against the Top 3 Team. (Ch 39)

Jan 28, 2019: Blue Lock v. U-20 (Ch 112-149)

Jan 29, 2019: The day after the U-20 match, start of their two-week break. (Ch 150)

Feb 12, 2019: Isagi meets Bastard Munchen. It's the first day back from break, Ego says they have 100 days til the U-20 World Cup. (Ch 153-157)

Feb 22, 2019: Bastard Munchen VS. FC Barcha; Paris X Gen VS. Ubers. Chapter 158 notes that the match takes place ten days after they met the team. (Ch 158-169)

March 4, 2019: Bastard Munchen VS. Manshine City; FC Barcha VS. Ubers. Ego says that the match would take place ten days after the previous. (Ch 170-203)

March 9, 2019: The Egoist-4 Reunion; Bachira and Chigiri came over to train with Kunigami and Isagi (Ch 213)

March 13, 2019: ✨Barou Hair Day✨; Aiku said that they put in the highlights on the day before the match. (Ch 210)

March 14, 2019: Bastard Munchen VS. Ubers (Ch 209-

May 23 - Jun 15, 2019: The 2019 U-20 World Cup

Note: Ch 3 of Episode Nagi makes a reference to Squid Game, but other scanlations (Chinese, French) don't mention Squid Game.

Appendix

The order of First Selection Matches:

Team X VS. Team Z

Team V VS. Team Y

Team W Vs. Team X

Team Y Vs. Team Z

Team V Vs. Team W

Team X Vs. Team Y

Team W Vs. Team Z

Team V Vs. Team X

Team W Vs. Team Y

Team V Vs. Team Z

We know matches 1 & 2 happened on the same day and matches 7 & 8 happened on the same day. We can safely assume that most of these matches probably came in pairs with the exception of matches 9 & 10. Apparently our boys got an entire day between these two matches (Ch 23-24) .

[allthedesiredusernamesaretaken]

... open me ...

This incredible piece of craftsmanship belongs to the house at Rue Forestiere 51 in Brussels, Belgium

Built in 1909 by the architect Ch. Sée in an eclectic style enhanced with elements of geometric art nouveau the house sits on a large corner plot .

The sculptor of this incredible handle and the decorative panels either side of it, is noted as Alphonse Lambert.

(Credit : artnouveauman ) V.I.

[theoldgodsaredisappointed]

Fundraiser List 4 (Part 2)

Donate if you can, boost and reblog if you can't

Here's the rest of the current fundraisers reaching out for help. You can help. There's always something you can do. No action is too small, you can have an impact. If you can't donate please boost and reblog.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

Tagging for reach, copied from similar posts:

@appsa @tibil @kirkothy @redtail-lol @bisexualshakespeare @allgremlinart @the-stray-liger @celadonwanderer @dragon-type-nuggetz @reagan-was-a-horrible-president @celesnya @autisticmudkip @cantsayidont @bandtrees @fixing-bad-posts @sharpened-kris @stuckinapril @pining-mlm @decayr @ornate-kris @thelocalmemeplug @vibrantvoid

[k1ng0k]

they kiss

[dailyanarchistposts]

Footnotes, 201 - 250

[201] W. Gramich, Verfassungs- und Verwaltungsgeschichte der Stadt Würzburg im 13. bis zum 15. Jahrhundert, Würzburg, 1882, p. 34.

[202] When a boat brought a cargo of coal to Würzburg, coal could only be sold in retail during the first eight days, each family being entitled to no more than fifty basketfuls. The remaining cargo could be sold wholesale, but the retailer was allowed to raise a zittlicher profit only, the unzittlicher, or dishonest profit, being strictly forbidden (Gramich, l.c.). Same in London (Liber albus, quoted by Ochenkowski, p. 161), and, in fact, everywhere.

[203] See Fagniez, Études sur l’industrie et la classe industrielle à Paris au XIIIme et XIVme siècle, Paris, 1877, pp. 155 seq. It hardly need be added that the tax on bread, and on beer as well, was settled after careful experiments as to the quantity of bread and beer which could be obtained from a given amount of corn. The Amiens archives contain the minutes of such experiences (A. de Calonne, l.c. pp. 77, 93). Also those of London (Ochenkowski, England’s wirthschaftliche Entwickelung, etc., Jena, 1879, p. 165).

[204] Ch. Gross, The Guild Merchant, Oxford, 1890, i. 135. His documents prove that this practice existed in Liverpool (ii. 148–150), Waterford in Ireland, Neath in Wales, and Linlithgow and Thurso in Scotland. Mr. Gross’s texts also show that the purchases were made for distribution, not only among the merchant burgesses, but “upon all citsains and commynalte” (p. 136, note), or, as the Thurso ordinance of the seventeenth century runs, to “make offer to the merchants, craftsmen, and inhabitants of the said burgh, that they may have their proportion of the same, according to their necessitys and ability.”

[205] The Early History of the Guild of Merchant Taylors, by Charles M. Clode, London, 1888, i. 361, appendix 10; also the following appendix which shows that the same purchases were made in 1546.

[206] Cibrario, Les conditions économiques de l’Italie au temps de Dante, Paris, 1865, p. 44.

[207] A. de Calonne, La vie municipale au XVme siècle dans le Nord de la France, Paris, 1880, pp. 12–16. In 1485 the city permitted the export to Antwerp of a certain quantity of corn, “the inhabitants of Antwerp being always ready to be agreeable to the merchants and burgesses of Amiens” (ibid., pp. 75–77 and texts).

[208] A. Babeau, La ville sous l’ancien régime, Paris, 1880.

[209] Ennen, Geschichte der Stadt Köln, i. 491, 492, also texts.

[210] The literature of the subject is immense; but there is no work yet which treats of the mediæval city as of a whole. For the French Communes, Augustin Thierry’s Lettres and Considérations sur l’histoire de France still remain classical, and Luchaire’s Communes françaises is an excellent addition on the same lines. For the cities of Italy, the great work of Sismondi (Histoire des républiques italiennes du moyen âge, Paris, 1826, 16 vols.), Leo and Botta’s History of Italy, Ferrari’s Révolutions d’Italie, and Hegel’s Geschichte der Städteverfassung in Italien, are the chief sources of general information. For Germany we have Maurer’s Städteverfassung, Barthold’s Geschichte der deutschen Städte, and, of recent works, Hegel’s Städte und Gilden der germanischen Völker (2 vols. Leipzig, 1891), and Dr. Otto Kallsen’s Die deutschen Städte im Mittelalter (2 vols. Halle, 1891), as also Janssen’s Geschichte des deutschen Volkes (5 vols. 1886), which, let us hope, will soon be translated into English (French translation in 1892). For Belgium, A. Wauters, Les Libertés communales (Bruxelles, 1869–78, 3 vols.). For Russia, Byelaeff’s, Kostomaroff’s and Sergievich’s works. And finally, for England, we posses one of the best works on cities of a wider region in Mrs. J.R. Green’s Town Life in the Fifteenth Century (2 vols. London, 1894). We have, moreover, a wealth of well-known local histories, and several excellent works of general or economical history which I have so often mentioned in this and the preceding chapter. The richness of literature consists, however, chiefly in separate, sometimes admirable, researches into the history of separate cities, especially Italian and German; the guilds; the land question; the economical principles of the time; the economical importance of guilds and crafts; the leagues between, cities (the Hansa); and communal art. An incredible wealth of information is contained in works of this second category, of which only some of the more important are named in these pages.

[211] Kulischer, in an excellent essay on primitive trade (Zeitschrift für Völkerpsychologie, Bd. x. 380), also points out that, according to Herodotus, the Argippaeans were considered inviolable, because the trade between the Scythians and the northern tribes took place on their territory. A fugitive was sacred on their territory, and they were often asked to act as arbiters for their neighbors. See Appendix XI.

[212] Some discussion has lately taken place upon the Weichbild and the Weichbild-law, which still remain obscure (see Zöpfl, Alterthümer des deutschen Reichs und Rechts, iii. 29; Kallsen, i. 316). The above explanation seems to be the more probable, but, of course, it must be tested by further research. It is also evident that, to use a Scotch expression, the “mercet cross” could be considered as an emblem of Church jurisdiction, but we find it both in bishop cities and in those in which the folkmote was sovereign.

[213] For all concerning the merchant guild see Mr. Gross’s exhaustive work, The Guild Merchant (Oxford, 1890, 2 vols.); also Mrs. Green’s remarks in Town Life in the Fifteenth Century, vol. ii. chaps. v. viii. x; and A. Doren’s review of the subject in Schmoller’s Forschungen, vol. xii. If the considerations indicated in the previous chapter (according to which trade was communal at its beginnings) prove to be correct, it will be permissible to suggest as a probable hypothesis that the guild merchant was a body entrusted with commerce in the interest of the whole city, and only gradually became a guild of merchants trading for themselves; while the merchant adventurers of this country, the Novgorod povolniki (free colonizers and merchants) and the mercati personati, would be those to whom it was left to open new markets and new branches of commerce for themselves. Altogether, it must be remarked that the origin of the medieval city can be ascribed to no separate agency. It was a result of many agencies in different degrees.

[214] Janssen’s Geschichte des deutschen Volkes, i. 315; Gramich’s Würzburg; and, in fact, any collection of ordinances.

[215] Falke, Geschichtliche Statistik, i. 373–393, and ii. 66; quoted in Janssen’s Geschichte, i. 339; J.D. Blavignac, in Comptes et dépenses de la construction du clocher de Saint-Nicolas à Friborg en Suisse, comes to a similar conclusion. For Amiens, De Calonne’s Vie Municipale, p. 99 and Appendix. For a thorough appreciation and graphical representation of the mediæval wages in England and their value in bread and meat, see G. Steffen’s excellent article and curves in The Nineteenth Century for 1891, and Studier öfver lönsystemets historia i England, Stockholm, 1895.

[216] To quote but one example out of many which may be found in Schönberg’s and Falke’s works, the sixteen shoemaker workers (Schusterknechte) of the town Xanten, on the Rhine, gave, for erecting a screen and an altar in the church, 75 guldens of subscriptions, and 12 guldens out of their box, which money was worth, according to the best valuations, ten times its present value.

[217] Quoted by Janssen, l.c. i. 343.

[218] The Economical Interpretation of History, London, 1891, p. 303.

[219] Janssen, l.c. See also Dr. Alwin Schultz, Deutsches Leben im XIV und XV Jahrhundert, grosse Ausgabe, Wien, 1892, pp. 67 seq. At Paris, the day of labor varied from seven to eight hours in the winter to fourteen hours in summer in certain trades, while in others it was from eight to nine hours in winter, to from ten to twelve in Summer. All work was stopped on Saturdays and on about twenty-five other days (jors de commun de vile foire) at four o’clock, while on Sundays and thirty other holidays there was no work at all. The general conclusion is, that the mediæval worker worked less hours, all taken, than the present-day worker (Dr. E. Martin Saint-Léon, Histoire des corporations, p. 121).

[220] W. Stieda, “Hansische Vereinbarungen über städtisches Gewerbe im XIV und XV Jahrhundert,” in Hansische Geschichtsblätter, Jahrgang 1886, p. 121. Schönberg’s Wirthschaftliche Bedeutung der Zünfte; also, partly, Roscher.

[221] See Toulmin Smith’s deeply-felt remarks about the royal spoliation of the guilds, in Miss Smith’s Introduction to English Guilds. In France the same royal spoliation and abolition of the guilds’ jurisdiction was begun from 1306, and the final blow was struck in 1382 (Fagniez, l.c. pp. 52–54).

[222] Adam Smith and his contemporaries knew well what they were condemning when they wrote against the State interference in trade and the trade monopolies of State creation. Unhappily, their followers, with their hopeless superficiality, flung mediæval guilds and State interference into the same sack, making no distinction between a Versailles edict and a guild ordinance. It hardly need be said that the economists who have seriously studied the subject, like Schönberg (the editor of the well-known course of Political Economy), never fell into such an error. But, till lately, diffuse discussions of the above type went on for economical “science.”

[223] In Florence the seven minor arts made their revolution in 1270–82, and its results are fully described by Perrens (Histoire de Florence, Paris, 1877, 3 vols.), and especially by Gino Capponi (Storia della repubblica di Firenze, 2da edizione, 1876, i. 58–80; translated into German). In Lyons, on the contrary, where the movement of the minor crafts took place in 1402, the latter were defeated and lost the right of themselves nominating their own judges. The two parties came apparently to a compromise. In Rostock the same movement took place in 1313; in Zürich in 1336; in Bern in 1363; in Braunschweig in 1374, and next year in Hamburg; in Lübeck in 1376–84; and so on. See Schmoller’s Strassburg zur Zeit der Zunftkämpfe and Strassburg’s Blüthe; Brentano’s Arbeitergilden der Gegenwart, 2 vols., Leipzig, 1871–72; Eb. Bain’s Merchant and Craft Guilds, Aberdeen, 1887, pp. 26–47, 75, etc. As to Mr. Gross’s opinion relative to the same struggles in England, see Mrs. Green’s remarks in her Town Life in the Fifteenth Century, ii. 190–217; also the chapter on the Labor Question, and, in fact, the whole of this extremely interesting volume. Brentano’s views on the crafts’ struggles, expressed especially in iii. and iv. of his essay “On the History and Development of Guilds,” in Toulmin Smith’s English Guilds remain classical for the subject, and may be said to have been again and again confirmed by subsequent research.

[224] To give but one example — Cambrai made its first revolution in 907, and, after three or four more revolts, it obtained its charter in 1076. This charter was repealed twice (1107 and 1138), and twice obtained again (in 1127 and 1180). Total, 223 years of struggles before conquering the right to independence. Lyons — from 1195 to 1320.

[225] See Tuetey, “Étude sur Le droit municipal... en Franche-Comté,” in Mémoires de la Société d’émulation de Montbéliard, 2e série, ii. 129 seq.

[226] This seems to have been often the case in Italy. In Switzerland, Bern bought even the towns of Thun and Burgdorf.

[227] Such was, at least, the case in the cities of Tuscany (Florence, Lucca, Sienna, Bologna, etc.), for which the relations between city and peasants are best known. (Luchitzkiy, “Slavery and Russian Slaves in Florence,” in Kieff University Izvestia for 1885, who has perused Rumohr’s Ursprung der Besitzlosigkeit der Colonien in Toscana, 1830.) The whole matter concerning the relations between the cities and the peasants requires much more study than has hitherto been done.

[228] Ferrari’s generalizations are often too theoretical to bealways correct; but his views upon the part played by the nobles in the city wars are based upon a wide range of authenticated facts.

[229] Only such cities as stubbornly kept to the cause of the barons, like Pisa or Verona, lost through the wars. For many towns which fought on the barons’ side, the defeat was also the beginning of liberation and progress.

[230] Ferrari, ii. 18, 104 seq.; Leo and Botta, i. 432.

[231] Joh. Falke, Die Hansa als Deutsche See- und Handelsmacht, Berlin, 1863, pp. 31, 55.

[232] For Aachen and Cologne we have direct testimony that the bishops of these two cities — one of them bought by the enemy opened to him the gates.

[233] See the facts, though not always the conclusions, of Nitzsch, iii. 133 seq.; also Kallsen, i. 458, etc.

[234] On the Commune of the Laonnais, which, until Melleville’s researches (Histoire de la Commune du Laonnais, Paris, 1853), was confounded with the Commune of Laon, see Luchaire, pp. 75 seq. For the early peasants’ guilds and subsequent unions see R. Wilman’s “Die ländlichen Schutzgilden Westphaliens,” in Zeitschrift für Kulturgeschichte, neue Folge, Bd. iii., quoted in Henne-am-Rhyn’s Kulturgeschichte, iii. 249.

[235] Luchaire, p. 149.

[236] Two important cities, like Mainz and Worms, would settle a political contest by means of arbitration. After a civil war broken out in Abbeville, Amiens would act, in 1231, as arbiter (Luchaire, 149); and so on.

[237] See, for instance, W. Stieda, Hansische Vereinbarungen, l.c., p.114.

[238] Cosmo Innes’s Early Scottish History and Scotland in Middle Ages, quoted by Rev. Denton, l.c., pp. 68, 69; Lamprecht’s Deutsches wirthschaftliche Leben im Mittelalter, review by Schmoller in his Jahrbuch, Bd. xii.; Sismondi’s Tableau de l’agriculture toscane, pp. 226 seq. The dominions of Florence could be recognized at a glance through their prosperity.

[239] Mr. John J. Ennett (Six Essays, London, 1891) has excellent pages on this aspect of mediæval architecture. Mr. Willis, in his appendix to Whewell’s History of Inductive Sciences (i. 261–262), has pointed out the beauty of the mechanical relations in mediæval buildings. “A new decorative construction was matured,” he writes, “not thwarting and controlling, but assisting and harmonizing with the mechanical construction. Every member, every molding, becomes a sustainer of weight; and by the multiplicity of props assisting each other, and the consequent subdivision of weight, the eye was satisfied of the stability of the structure, notwithstanding curiously slender aspects of the separate parts.” An art which sprang out of the social life of the city could not be better characterized.

[240] Dr. L. Ennen, Der Dom zu Köln, seine Construction und Anstaltung, Köln, 1871.

[241] The three statues are among the outer decorations of Nôtre Dame de Paris.

[242] Mediæval art, like Greek art, did not know those curiosity shops which we call a National Gallery or a Museum. A picture was painted, a statue was carved, a bronze decoration was cast to stand in its proper place in a monument of communal art. It lived there, it was part of a whole, and it contributed to give unity to the impression produced by the whole.

[243] Cf. J. T. Ennett’s “Second Essay,” p. 36.

[244] Sismondi, iv. 172; xvi. 356. The great canal, Naviglio Grande, which brings the water from the Tessino, was begun in 1179, i.e. after the conquest of independence, and it was ended in the thirteenth century. On the subsequent decay, see xvi. 355.

[245] In 1336 it had 8,000 to 10,000 boys and girls in its primary schools, 1,000 to 1,200 boys in its seven middle schools, and from 550 to 600 students in its four universities. The thirty communal hospitals contained over 1,000 beds for a population of 90,000 inhabitants (Capponi, ii. 249 seq.). It has more than once been suggested by authoritative writers that education stood, as a rule, at a much higher level than is generally supposed. Certainly so in democratic Nuremberg.

[246] Cf. L. Ranke’s excellent considerations upon the essence of Roman Law in his Weltgeschichte, Bd. iv. Abth. 2, pp. 20–31. Also Sismondi’s remarks upon the part played by the légistes in the constitution of royal authority, Histoire des Français, Paris, 1826, viii. 85–99. The popular hatred against these “weize Doktoren und Beutelschneider des Volks” broke out with full force in the first years of the sixteenth century in the sermons of the early Reform movement.

[247] Brentano fully understood the fatal effects of the struggle between the “old burghers” and the new-comers. Miaskowski, in his work on the village communities of Switzerland, has indicated the same for village communities.

[248] The trade in slaves kidnapped in the East was never discontinued in the Italian republics till the fifteenth century. Feeble traces of it are found also in Germany and elsewhere. See Cibrario. Della schiavitù e del servaggio, 2 vols. Milan, 1868; Professor Luchitzkiy, “Slavery and Russian Slaves in Florence in the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries,” in Izvestia of the Kieff University, 1885.

[249] J.R. Green’s History of the English People, London, 1878, i. 455.

[250] See the theories expressed by the Bologna lawyers, already at the Congress of Roncaglia in 1158.

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06.08.24 | things done today:

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