#denmark guy is now immortalized | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

thetreeturnedoff · 4 years ago

Text

alright! hyperfocus was on my side tonight so i compiled a list of all the caretakers from @hetalia-caretakers for them since people were asking for a list and one hadn’t been made yet (also side note y’all should totally go check out that blog, it’s amazing). i’m planning on updating this list as more people are added, too, and if anyone spots any mistakes here please let me know so i can fix them!

first, here’s the list of the caretakers with names and pronouns:

america - jerry (he/him), madeline/maddie (she/her)

china - zhang huijiong (they/them)

cuba - maria elena (that’s just a first name) (she/her)

england - bruce (he/him), alicia (she/her)

finland - adelaide (she/her)

france - michel (they/them)

germany & prussia - edith (she/her)

iceland - gabriel (he/him)

japan - naomi (she/her), hotaru (she/her)

latvia - agnese (she/her), twins aivars (he/him) and anita (she/her)

liechtenstein - ana (she/her)

n. italy - dante (he/him)

norway - eleanor (she/her)

romania - alina (she/her)

russia - maeve/maeves (she/her), irene (she/her)

sealand - harold (he/him)

s. italy - juno (she/her)

s. korea - jin ae (she/her)

spain - santiago (he/him)

switzerland - leila (she/her)

next, countries with unnamed caretakers:

all the micronations - (he/him)

belarus

denmark

greece - (she/her)

greece & turkey - (they/them)

sweden - (he/him)

ukraine

and for fun, some honorable mentions:

alina’s dog - anghel (she/her)

bruce’s mom who sends bruce off with cookies to give to england

jin’s cat - gilmack (he/him)

jerry’s cat - sugar (she/her)

below this i’m also putting the appearance and personality descriptions that we have because i’ve seen people talk about that before. i’m really just taking quotes and sometimes rephrasing them to make more sense here, but i’m also providing a link to the post it’s coming from so you can see the original context. because this is coming from multiple anon messages, it’s entirely possible that i’ve gotten things wrong, so if anyone (especially the creators) find anything i did get wrong i’d appreciate being corrected.

first, appearances:

adelaide (finland)

taller than finland, standing at around 5′8; hair is shoulder length and curly, and brown with blonde highlights; eyes are hazel [x]

eleanor (norway)

much shorter than norway [x]

5′9; dirty blonde hair and brown eyes [x]

gabriel (iceland)

around the same height as iceland, give or take an inch or two [x]

roughly 5′4; brunette hair and hazel eyes [x]

gilmack (jin)

fattest boy [x]

harold (sealand)

a “middle aged dude” [x]

redheaded with a relatively short style; average height, around 5′9; brown eyes; wears glasses even with decent vision to prevent his vision from deteriorating; a bit thin and lanky, but with a little muscle; visible signs of not sleeping [x]

jerry (america)

5′7.5, or roughly 172cm [x]

argentinian, but born and raised in new york; has brown eyes, black hair, and tan skin; wears glasses and has a “typical cute, tired nerd look”; very skinny and pretty underweight, but he’s just naturally like that, it has nothing to do with him not eating [x] [x]

jin ae (south korea)

short and brunette [x]

maddie (america)

young and 5′ [x]

filipino [x]

maeve (russia)

“has a death glare that makes flowers wilt” [x]

somewhere around 4′11 [x]

sugar (jerry)

grey with green eyes [x]

drawings of caretakers:

jerry

maeve, michel, jeremy, naomi, irene, and maddie

jerry and maddie (and alfred)

michel

maeve and irene

maeve and maddie

and now personalities (and some other facts):

adelaide (finland)

probably scared of finland because he sleepwalks with a gun or something [x]

"helps Finny with his Santa job every year and loves it" [x]

agnese (latvia)

started out sweet and outgoing, and now she and latvia are drinking buddies; keeps trying to keep up with drinking with latvia, despite him being immortal [x]

alina (romania)

"absolutely the snarkiest person you will ever meet"; "will absolutely bully romania into behaving, too varying degrees of effectiveness" [x]

ana (liechtenstein)

"[liechtenstein's] easy to lose due to both of them being easily distracted, so Ana's life is a constant game of hide and seek" [x]

anghel (alina)

"[alina's] main method of tracking romania" [x]

belarus’ unnamed caretaker

"flips between "oh you're angry don't worry I'll leave you alone for a bit" & "drop the knife belarus, don't play that shit with me"" [x]

denmark’s unnamed caretaker

“just as chaotic as Denmark himself” [x]

edith (germany and prussia)

super lax, and lets germany and prussia do whatever; gets into frequent trouble for not doing her job [x]

while supposedly watching prussia, she plays on her phone the whole time, loses track of him, or “helps him with whatever crime he’s trying to commit”; is definitely addicted to candy crush [x]

eleanor (norway)

"carry a spray bottle of water for when [norway] gets sassy with her"; "essentially “screw the rules you’re gonna do it no matter what I say”" [x]

gabriel (iceland)

he and eleanor are enemies because she feels like he’s too strict with iceland; he refuses to relax the rules he has for iceland [x]

"has threatened to quit because of how whiny Ice gets" [x]

has a long list of rules from both iceland’s government and norway that he enforces with iceland [x]

gilmack (jin)

laziest boy; “lives up to his name [name means roadblock]”; “will always be in front of your feet, or in the way, or be a bed hog” [x]

hotaru (japan)

actually enjoys her job, for the most part; “internally screams” around other nations because she only knows how to handle japan [x]

irene (russia)

“just rather confused” [x]

jerry (america)

probably has ptsd [x] [x]

has hit a point where he just kinda goes along with everything [x]

is aroace; is good at playing classical piano; "anxiety is through the roof, as are his caffeine levels"; "most unlucky guy in the world" [x]

gets random instances of super strength on occasion [x]

jin ae (south korea)

headstrong; “will thwap South Korea with a newspaper if he acts out“ [x]

leila (switzerland)

"sort of a pushover, but can be an amazing older sister figure when [switzerland] needs one" [x]

“not the interrupting type” [x]

maddie (america)

"made [america] back down with a single glance" [x]

is probably a black belt [x]

maeve (russia)

russia is the one scared of her; she doesn’t take russia’s shit [x]

“terrifying” [x]

“would just generally do questionable things, such as eating red red meat at 3 am with all the lights off”; actually volunteered for the job [x]

“small feral woman [who] can and will climb onto everything to get what she needs” [x]

maria elena (cuba)

"super chill, but super strong"; "Whenever Cuba and America get into a fight, she's usually the one to hold back America"; "She's a combo of the mom friend and the wine aunt" [x]

naomi (japan)

seems lazy or like she doesn’t care but actually just constantly gets lost; is always losing track of japan or getting turned around or distracted; probably pretty anxious too [x]

santiago (spain)

“stressed 24/7″; can’t really be upset with spain though [x]

really relaxed with spain as long as he’s alone, but things can get out of hand when he’s with portugal [x]

sugar (jerry)

mean to everyone but jerry; anything but sweet; also basically jerry’s emotional support animal [x]

sweden’s unnamed caretaker

can find sweden in ikea when sweden’s in there [x]

ukraine’s unnamed caretaker

just as emotional as ukraine is [x]

32 notes · View notes

momentofmemory · 4 years ago

Text

FICTOBER 2020 - day twenty-five

Prompt #25: “Sometimes you can even see.”

Fandom: The Old Guard

Characters: Nile Freeman, Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani

Words: 1937

Author’s Note: In the aftermath of a rough mission and all the philosophical questions it entails, Joe takes Nile to the Aarhus Art Museum in Denmark. All pieces mentioned were displayed in the Objects of Wonder: From Pedestal to Interaction exhibit, which ran from Oct. 2019- March 2020. Nile POV.

>> the sweetness remains

Nile scrolls mindlessly through Pinterest, wishing for not the first time that she’d been allowed to recreate her socials.

Copley had barred her from practically all of the actually useful ones, but she’d bullied him down to just having an account on Pinterest, with the argument being that no one cared about the site. Granted, she doesn’t really want to be on Pinterest either, but sometimes the comfort of an app with infinite scroll is all she’s looking for in a distraction.

And right now, she really, really needs to be distracted.

Overly photoshopped cat pics.

Memes ripped straight from tumblr or twitter.

The most white girl aesthetic imaginable.

Three slugs ripping through her abdomen and spitting her liver out the other side—

Nile breathes in sharply. Exhales.

Her thumb resumes scrolling.

Photos of downtown that feel like home.

Recipes for harvest butternut squash soup.

Tips for keeping braids fresh longer.

Nile scrolls, and scrolls, and breathes.

Her abdomen still aches every time her lungs expand, even though she knows it really doesn’t. It’s perfectly healed; not even a scar for her troubles. But it’s hard to forget how her instincts had screamed that a gut shot like that shouldn’t be survivable, even as she pushed herself towards the next target.

(She didn’t survive it.)

(She didn’t survive the next half dozen times it happened, either.)

“Did that phone of yours do something to offend you?”

“Whoa!” Joe’s sudden appearance next to her only makes her clench her phone tighter. She forces out a laugh and eases the tension out of her fingers. “Feel like you should know better than to sneak up on someone that’s part of a bunch of immortal warriors.”

“Most of them would have caught me coming long before you did.”

Nile snorts. She scrolls a few more seconds, then closes the app and opens Temple Run. The game’s ridiculously old, but she’s a millennial. Sue her for being nostalgic.

She can feel Joe watching her as she starts the round.

“Am I correct in thinking you enjoy the arts, Nile?”

It’s not the question she was expecting, and she winds up tilting the screen to the left a half second late, and her character falls off the bridge.

It’s okay though, because she can just use a gem and respawn in the same place, so it’s basically like not dying at all.

Right?

“Uh, yeah,” she says. She winds up restarting the round entirely. “The military was supposed to pay for my degree, but I don’t think I can cash that if I’m technically KIA.”

“That would present a certain set of problems,” Joe agrees. “Andy talk to you about that?”

“Yeah.” Nile’s stomach twists. “Guess it depends on how easy it is to schedule classes between firefights.”

She’s practically laying the opening for a talk out herself, but Joe seems uninterested in taking it.

Instead, he shifts beside her, propping an elbow on his knee. “What kinds of art did you want to specialize in?”

She dies again. This time, she begrudgingly uses the in-game save. "I prefer classic sculpture, but I’m not against modern.”

“You like what was modern art for me, then.”

Nile rolls her eyes. “I dread the day I become as weird as you guys.”

He laughs, patting her on the shoulder as he stands. “I suspect by that time you’ll be too busy tormenting our next recruit. But unfortunately, the exhibit we’re going to will be more in the contemporary style.”

It takes Nile a half second to register his words. “Wait, what?”

“The description said it would be 1960s to the present only. If it suits you, we could hold off on our discussion of it for another thousand years or so. I’m sure we can claim it as classic at that point.”

“What?” Nile locks her phone and zeros her attention on him, registering the mischievous glint in his eyes this time. “Museum?”

“The Aarhus Art Museum has a special exhibit on loan from the Tate Modern at the moment.” He glances down at her phone, the corner of his mouth forming a grin. “I’m told its purpose is to help move its audience’s attention from their devices.”

Nile scowls and looks back down at her phone. “I died a dozen times yesterday. I’m allowed my coping mechanisms of choice.”

And.

Whoops.

“Of course you are,” Joe says, offering his hand to her, and she’s once again surprised he doesn’t force the conversation. “But phones are portable. You can take it with you to the museum.”

Nile worries at the edge of her lip with her teeth. She doesn’t really want to go anywhere right now, but…

But Joe’s brown eyes are warm and welcoming, and his callouses help steady her when she takes his hand.

“You said contemporary sculpture?”

The grin he gives her is blinding. “For now.”

_________________

It’s a twenty-five minute drive from their safe house to the museum, and the route takes them next to the Bay of Aarhus for most of it.

Nile stares out at the water, determined to not give Joe any more ammunition for making fun of her regarding her phone.

It’s hard. She’d never considered herself a technology addict—never had enough time to be one—but she really, really wants to stop thinking about the fact that she knows what the inside of her liver looks like.

Or did look like, she guesses.

Nope, nuh-uh, not going there—

“D'you know about the Ship of Theseus?” She spits it out before she can decide against it. She figures if she’s thinking about it, she might as well talk about it. “And don’t say you were there for it. You’re not Andy and I at least know enough about you to know when you’re lying.”

The grin on his face tells her that he was very much intending to before she called him out on it. “It’s a thought experiment. The character Theseus owns a ship that, over a long span of time, has all of its parts replaced, until nothing of the original still remains.”

“Yeah, and so then the question is, is it even the same ship,” Nile finishes.

Joe weaves in and out of traffic, a pensive look on his face. “I assume you aren’t asking simply to test my knowledge of early western philosophy.”

“No.”

Nile looks down at her hands. She can still remember how horrifically mangled they were from her impromptu dive off a skyscraper, but at least—at least she’s pretty sure they’re the same ones she had before.

Though that might not last long.

“In your opinion,” she says, cautiously, “if—if there’s nothing left of the original—if you have to rebuild something that many times—”

“Nile.” The sound of the car’s turn signal distracts her spiraling thoughts. Joe nods towards the windshield. “We’re here.”

It’s a large, red brick square building, fairly nondescript but for the circular and multi-colored glass walking track at its top.

“Come on, he says, parking the car. “I find physical objects superior to mental ones for solving such issues.”

Nile doesn’t understand why the one time she wants to talk about something like this is the one time Joe decides to go full mysterious.

She climbs out of the car and follows him inside.

Despite her misgivings, she quickly discovers Joe was right. The exhibit is genuinely incredible, and there are pieces from multiple names she recognizes—Anish Kapoor, Donald Judd, Rasheed Araeen—and pieces she finds herself strangely moved by, such as Damian Hirst’s Away from the Flock, Richard Long’s Red Slate Circle, Rachel Whiteread’s Airbed II. Nile stares at that last one in particular for a long time: a concrete casting of an airbed, the artist’s presence made known in the negative space where her body had pressed the material down.

Joe, however, seems to be moving with a specific purpose in mind, and it’s not until they round one of the walls of the orange-pink room that Nile has a guess as to what it is.

In the far corner, bathed in the additional light of a single fill light, is a massive pile of multicolored cellophane wrapped hard candies.

Joe walks her over to it, an almost reverence to his steps.

“Untitled: Portrait of Ross in LA,” he says. “Are you familiar with the piece?”

She shakes her head, bending down to inspect it. It doesn’t look like much more than what she’d seen from a distance—candy, multicolored, on the floor. She looks to Joe for an explanation.

“Felix Gonzalez-Torres’s partner died from AIDS,” Joe says. The grief on his face is hard to look at. “To honor him, he made this as a portrait—one hundred and seventy-five pounds of candy, representing Ross’s weight from when he was still healthy.”

Nile looks at the pile—it’s a lot, but it’s not a hundred and seventy-five pounds worth of a lot.

Joe notices her confusion and smiles. “Take one.”

“What?”

“Take one,” he repeats. “The purpose of the work is to invite you to partake in both enjoying his presence and lamenting the lack of it. A sort of communion—choosing to take part of his body into your own. It was a powerful statement when so many were afraid to even be in our presence at the time.”

Nile looks at the pile again, and just like with Airbed II, her heart aches at what isn’t there, rather than what is. She selects a red piece and brings it out of the pile, cupping it in her hand and considering its weight.

“What happens when it runs out?”

Joe selects his own piece—a green one—and it rolls around in the palm of his hand. “It has. Many times. But that’s the beauty of it—it’s the curator’s responsibility to replenish the pile, metaphorically granting immortality and new life to the loss.”

The cellophane crinkles in Nile’s hand as she unwraps the piece. “How do they decide where to get the candy from?”

“The only firm rule is the original weight. Outside of that, there are no set instructions for the candies themselves.” He chuckles, threading his fingers behind his neck and leaning back against the wall. “Sometimes you can even see these strange combinations of greens, oranges, and purples.”

Nile considers the candy. “Not your favorite?”

“It has an almost Halloween quality to it. I tend to prefer the rainbow.”

The candy in her hand feels heavier than it did before—weighed down with the knowledge of what it represents, what it’s taking away.

She slips the candy into her mouth and her eyebrows raise in surprise. “It’s sweet?”

“It’s candy,” Joe says, unwrapping his own piece. “Did you expect something else?”

“I thought it’d be…” She pauses, trying to parse out her feelings. “Bitter. Or sad, somehow. Considering.”

“It could have been,” Joe agrees. “But the portrait isn’t meant to represent just grief and loss. Candy is a happy thing—a reward for yourself, or a lover’s gift on Valentine’s. And even when it’s gone, the sweetness remains. Still lingering on the tongue, or dwelling in the mind. It is the love of friends and partners that keeps the memory alive—and what keeps this the same portrait, even though its pieces have been cycled through many times.”

The candy melts away on her tongue, and she closes her eyes in grief for its loss, appreciation for what it was, and hope for the pieces that would come after it.

She swallows the last piece of it down.

Her stomach settles.

#fictober20 #fanfiction #the old guard #nile freeman #yusuf al-kaysani #joe | yusuf al-kaysani #philosophy and art #memsfic

30 notes · View notes

ebaeschnbliah · 6 years ago

Text

SCANDINAVIAN REFERENCES

________________________________________________________________

In Sherlock BBC - and also a little bit outside of it

While writing on DISTRACTION & CONSEQUENCES and CABIN ON THE MEADOW, involving Phil with his ‘explosive’ car and the Hiker with the bashed-in head, I couldn’t fail to notice that Phil’s unmoving car is a SAAB … which is a Swedish brand.

According to the informations given during the promotion campaingn for the Escapre Room, TheGameIsNow, Sherlock lives currently in Sweden. Since these aren’t the only occasions where Scandinavian regions are mentioned in Sherlock BBC, the suspicion inevitably arose that those references could be of some importance. Reason enough to make another little list. :)

TBC below the cut ….

Short definition of Scandinavia

The term Scandinavia in local usage covers the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

In English usage, Scandinavia also sometimes refers to the Scandinavian Peninsula, or to the broader region including Finland and Iceland. x

A Scandal in Belgravia

As mentioned above, Phil’s immobile car, which ‘explodes’ and thus distracts the Hiker who, as a consequence, is killed by his own boomerang, is of the Swedish brand SAAB.

The Empty Hearse

Mr. Howard Shilcott, the ‘train guy (and mirror for Sherlock), possesses important informations about the Underground station at Sumatra Road, which once was built but then closed before it ever opened. He wears a ‘funny hat with earflaps’ made of Islandic sheep wool. That hat becomes an object of significance when Sherlock invites his brother to play deductions with him, just like in the old days.

MYCROFT: The earlier patches are extensively sun-bleached, so he’s worn it abroad – in Peru. SHERLOCK: Peru? MYCROFT: This is a chullo – the classic headgear of the Andes. It’s made of alpaca. SHERLOCK: No. MYCROFT: No? SHERLOCK: Icelandic sheep wool. Similar, but very distinctive if you know what you’re looking for. I’ve written a blog on the varying tensile strengths of different natural fibres.

His Last Vow

The main villain of this episode is designed after Doyle’s British character Charles Augustus Milverton. For some reason, in this adaptation, name and origin of the man have been changed into Charles Augustus Magnussen, who is now from Denmark. The fact that he is ‘foreign’ is driven home explicitly right at the beginning of the episode by the dialogue as well as the accent of the man, who is played by Danish actor Lars Mikkelsen.

GARVIE: Do you think it right that a newspaper proprietor, a private individual and, in fact, a foreign national should have such regular access to our Prime Minister? MAGNUSSEN: I don’t think it’s wrong that a private individual should accept an invitation. However, you have my sincere apologies for being foreign.

The Six Thatchers

Mr. Kingsley, a client, thinks that Sherlock’s deductions, once explained, are actually dead simple. Highly annoyed, Sherlock spontaneously invents a ludicrous story and tells the shocked man that his wife is actually Greta Bengtsdotter, Swedish by birth and the most dangerous spy in the world. She secretly works for none other than James Moriarty and uses her unsuspecting husband as cover to hide her true intentions which will finally precipitate in World War III.

The first location Mary visits on her hiatus is Norddal in Norway. That’s a small place (ca. 1660 inhabitants) deep inside the Storfjord. Here she picks up a fake passport hidden inside the stonewall of a coastal watchtower. Her new name, Gabrielle Ashdown, is taken from TPLOSH, where Holmes chooses the pseudonym ‘Mr. and Mrs. Ashdown’ for himself and Gabrielle Valladon, the woman who consulted him in the case of her missing husband but is actually Ilse von Hofmannsthal, a German spy who pretends to be Mrs. Valladon.

The Final Problem

One of the very last scenes of this episode shows a man dressed as Viking, including the (cliched) horned helmet. He lies motionless on the floor in the livingroom of 221b Baker Street (played by Paul Weller). John bends over him and examines his left eye.

Vikings were highly skilled Norse seafarers who raided and pillaged (like pirates) with their infamous longboats (also well known as dragonboats). They acted as mercenaries but also as merchants, who traded goods across wide areas of Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, European Russia and the North Atlantic islands. Some of them even reached the North-Eastern coast of North America. (X)

That Viking is not the only character in this story who ‘wears horns’. Furthermore, cow horns are also connected to the eye-goddess Hathor, whose other, dangerous side is represented by lioness goddess Sekhmet.

The way this Viking lays there … one leg sharply angled at the knee, the foot shoved beneath the other, outstretched leg and both arms straight beside his torso … it’s a bit odd and strangely reminds me of the ‘dancing men’ drawn on the blackboard in the shot displayed immediately before this one. It almost looks like the way this man lies there could have some meaning.

And something else comes to mind: the way John bends over the Viking stunningly resembles the scene from Magnussen’s office in HLV, when Sherlock got shot by Mary. One could even say, there are three potential ‘pirates’ gathered in Magnusson’s bedroom in that scene ... Sherlock, John and ‘Viking descendent’ Magnussen. Interesting ...

The Game is Now - Escape Room Promotion

With the cliffhanger of The Final Problem in mind and still no official announcement regarding a fifth series on the horizon, one could come to the assumption that the ‘TheGameIsNow- EscapeRoom’ event serves as a sort of interlude and somehow resembles a ‘SherlockBBC-Hiatus’ (hopefully). Isn’t it interesting that here too, Scandinavia seems to play a role?

During the conversation with Mycroft, in the intercepted message Nr 1, Sherlock mentions that he currently is in Sweden.

During the intercepted message Nr 2 a map of Scandinavia is shown in the background with informations regarding its natural recources: iron ore, copper, zinc, gold, IKEA and uranium.

Additionally Mycroft confirms a second time where his brother might be found at the moment: ‘Missing, rumoured to be in Sweden’ is written below a picture of Sherlock, kept in black and white, but temporarily overlaid with pink and green (Study in Pink and Green)

Scandinavian canon reference regarding the ‘hiatus’

In Doyle’s original story The Empty House, Sherlock Holmes tells Dr. Watson after their reunion that, for some time during his hiatus, he had stayed in Norway under a fake identity.

“You may have read of the remarkable explorations of a Norwegian named Sigerson, but I am sure that it never occurred to you that you were receiving news of your friend.” (ACD, The Empty House)

Using Sherlock’s own words from The Great Game, one could say that, by now, the story told in Sherlock BBC as well as the EscapeRoom event have a … ‘distinctly Scandinavian feeling about it’. :)

Some Scandinavian side notes outside Sherlock BBC

Not Sherlock related. Should be taken with caution and humor:

Radio Times, November 2018: Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss reveale that Danish actor Claes Bang will be playing Dracula in their new series. ‘Hell has a new boss’ says the headline. Strictly speaking, the boss in Hell is generally considered to be the Devil (maybe also his grandma :) but surely not Dracula, who is after all just a human who desired immortal strength to protect and revenge the ones whom he loved. At least, that’s the story told in ….

Dracula Untold (2014) - some quotes:

"One day I will call on you to serve me in an immortal game of revenge … to unleash my wrath against the one who betrayed me."

“This is not a game!”

"Oh, what better way to endure eternity. For this, is the ultimate game. Light versus dark, hope versus despair. And all the world's fate hangs into the balance."

Vlad Dracula meets his creator Let the games begin

“You want me to shake hands with you in Hell? I shall not disappoint you.“ (Sherlock at Jim Moriarty, TRF)

How Dracula BBC came into being

“It came about several years ago,” Gatiss said. “We were filming — we’d just started the third series of Sherlock, where he comes back from the dead, and we had to break off after two days to go to the RTS Awards (March, 2013) and I had a picture on my phone of Benedict silhouetted against the door of Mrs Hudson’s room. I showed it to Ben Stephenson, who was then the Head of Drama [at the BBC], and I said, ‘Looks like Dracula’. And he said, ‘Do you want to do it?'” (RadioTimes, April 2019)

“We’re gonna go all Dane“

The same article from RadioTimes, contains an interview with Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss. When asked about their upcomming mini-series ‘Dracula’, if there will be more ‘homegrown talents’ among the cast, the producers answered the question in their most familiar way - with lots of laughter and giggling - obviously taking much pleasure in the announcement of their new ‘informations’.

“No, no ..., it’s strictly Dane from now on. We're only casting over Denmark. I don’t think Denmark’s being sufficiently represented and so we’re gonna go all Dane.”

Strictly Danes …. well, well …. I’m more curious than ever ... and extremely exited! :))))

On Scandinavian name-giving tradition

It is a well known custom in Scandinavian regions to create personal names based on the given name of one’s father, grandfather or male ancestor by adding the ending -son/-sen/-søn or -dotter/-dottir/-dattir. This is called a patronymic (while the same method based on the mother’s name is called matronymic). A good example for this in Sherlock BBC is the character Charles Augustus Magnussen …. Magnus-sen = son of Magnus.

This kind of Scandinavian name-giving tradition is based entirely on first names. Just assuming though, this method would also be applied to last names, then ... a female descendent of someone with the family name ‘Bang’ could be named ... ‘Bangsdotter’. :)))

A last funny detail: the subtitles for Sherlock BBC, Series 4 (British Edition), display the name of the famous Swedish spy, Sherlock invents in TST, as Greta Bengsdotter. The correct spelling of the first name of Greta’s father (used here as patronymic) isn’t Beng though …. but Bengt.

Bengt (female, Bengta) is the Swedish equivalent of … Benedict. :)))

As I said above ... to be taken with caution and humor. :)))))

Thanks @callie-ariane for the scripts. Related post by @tendergingergirl

Mai 2019

#scandinavian references #sherlock bbc #the game is now #escape room #scandinavia #sweden #norway #denmark #iceland #dracula untold #hell has a new boss #let the games begin #this is not a game #vlad dracula

38 notes · View notes

jonesaf · 6 years ago

Text

more soccer AU positions

(lowkey cont. from this)

America: Forward. For much the same reason as Denmark is a forward tbh. He’s a rookie playing his first season in a top-tier league, a total goober off the field, but don’t be fooled by his boyish grin --- this boy is ambitious as hell. When he’s out on the pitch, he’s surprisingly tactful and utterly merciless; he doesn’t care if they’re up 5-0, he’s gonna keep going for goal. He’s kind of a jerk on the field honestly; he’s young and his emotions get the better of him at times, and just like Den, he wants every single goal, but his style isn’t as aggressive as Denmark’s overall: his fouls are usually tactical and he’s mostly just making himself a nuisance for the opposing team --- particularly by nutmegging other players, one of his absolute favorite things to do. (It gets him in trouble. A lot.) His platforms of choice are Snapchat and Instagram, 80% of which are selfies, but also gets surprisingly political over on Twitter. He likes to hang out with kids at the park or the academy, and young fans at the stadium too, because he was one of them not too long ago and he really wants soccer to get bigger in the U.S. Much like Denmark, you either love him or hate him, there’s no in-between with this kid.

Canada: Defender (winger) Alfred’s twin brother. It’s something commentators love to talk about, because he plays in Canada, which also competes in MLS --- and I’m gonna namedrop Toronto FC here because I feel like the atmosphere suits him better than Montreal or Vancouver --- which means that the two of them are always pitted against each other, at least outside of the national team. It’s the trend we’re all familiar with: Matthew is the quieter one, keeps to himself, doesn’t do as many interviews, and isn’t a striker, so 8 times out of 10 when people are talking about him, it’s in comparison with his brother. He’s used to it, though it’s not entirely fair; Matthew is just as intense on the field as he is mild off of it, he’s just as fast as Alfred (and they are fast, holy jesus), just as skilled with the ball, and it doesn’t take long before he’s a regular in the starting lineup. This boy will shut you down. He’s the player you don’t really know anything about, but you always want him on the field, ‘cause nobody can get past this kid.

England: Coach. Previously an attacking midfielder in his playing days; all the good parts of maintaining a solid midfield, with the added bonus of scoring goals. Still young enough that Alfred and Matthew remember watching him play whenever English football was on TV, but retired due to problems with injuries; he had a rather hot-headed style of play back then that led to a lot of collisions and fouls. Tends to be hard on his players. Sometimes a little too hard --- nitpicky, one could even say, communication isn’t always his best skill --- but it’s all in the name of good football, you see. He’s not disappointed in you because you suck, he’s disappointed because what you’re doing sucks, and he knows you can be better, so what on earth was that performance? Known for getting, uh. Passionate, shall we say, on the sidelines. Probably coaching Alfred’s team. Also probably grooming Alfred to be captain one day. Maybe also putting a little too much pressure on him as a result...they’ll probably be fine...

France: Retired forward. To quote F. Scott Fitzgerald, “One of those men who reach such an acute limited excellence at twenty-one that everything afterward savors of anti-climax.” Was a star for a hot minute in his day, and probably played for a club that likes to collect star players like Paris Saint-Germain. His career came to a head somewhat early with France’s 1998 World Cup win --- that, combined with the seasons right before and after, was his best run, and something he’s still incredibly proud of. Retired early, perhaps due to injury or because he wasn’t enjoying it enough anymore, and is now in some completely unrelated industry like teaching culinary arts for kids. Still an avid football fan, however, and probably the owner of a club somewhere. A bit of a strange man, very French, but you can’t help but like him. He’s so charming... Small aside: Could perhaps be Alfred and Matthew’s weird uncle. Definitely something going on between him and Arthur. Friends? Rivals? Secret lovers? All of the above? Rumors and theories abound, but nothing has been proven.

Germany: Defender (center-back, vice-captain). This man takes “defending champions of the world” very seriously. Ludwig Beilschmidt is a one-man wall. He’s still young, close to Alfred’s age, but he’s been playing football since he was old enough to kick a ball, and he’s on his way to being one of the best defenders to come out of Germany. Would make a great goalkeeper too, and actually started out as one in his youth, but he wants to be in on the action and influencing the game. Very good at reading the situation. Also very precise, great for corner kicks, intercepting the ball, and long passes. His ambition and hard work mostly serve him well, although he does have a tendency to stress about his performance and dwell way too much on mistakes, which can trip him up and cause a cycle of frustration. It’s just really important to him. Dude is intense. Which is funny, because he’s actually pretty sweet IRL; stern-faced and awkward, but well-meaning. Isn’t on social media much, but his instagram is almost exclusively pictures and videos of his cat and dogs. He’s either a blessing or a curse, depending on which team you’re rooting for.

BONUS

Prussia: Retired defender (left-back, captain). Battled with some chronic health problems before a career-ending injury finally forced him to quit early, but still embedded in the industry somehow; coaching or working with an academy would probably suit him. He’s just as intense as his baby brother (whose praises he will sing at every opportunity as long as Ludwig’s not within earshot; despite his teasing, he’s very proud), but he’s an awesome good mentor and has a deep respect for the sport. Keeping his eye on the growing American soccer market... Small aside: a big fan of the German club Eintracht Frankfurt. There’s just something about that white&black + eagle combination that really...speaks to him...plus, how much more awesome can you get than having an actual, real live eagle as a mascot? Named Attila?! Only if Gilbert himself were playing for them could they ever be more awesome than that.

Japan: Dude is one of the best FIFA19 players you’ve ever seen. Ever. Has a degree in web design or programming, but he’s made his career out of being really damn good at FIFA. Practically an eSports legend. You think eSports is dumb? You think it’s just a video game? Just watch this guy.

China: He’s been here so long he’s played pretty much every position, and he’s not going anywhere any time soon. He’s that player who seems to have been around since the dawn of time, and yet somehow hasn’t aged a day since he turned 30. Probably immortal. May, in fact, never retire, but if he did, he’d still be breaking records for longest coaching career in the history of football.

Mexico: One of the voices urging her country to put more into women’s soccer. Although soccer is incredibly popular in South America, it’s also incredibly male-dominated; women’s soccer teams are largely amateur, and the women’s national team relies heavily on Mexican diaspora in other countries like the USA. It’s so important to her to be nothing less than absolutely outstanding, and boy oh boy, she is. I’m not sure what position she’d play, but I get the feeling she’d be very versatile on the field no matter what. This girl is out there working her ass off every single day.

4 notes · View notes

kickdownthewalls · 6 years ago

Text

TOP 20 ROCK/METAL ALBUMS OF 2018

This has been a year of surprises and disappointments in pretty equal measure. Judas Priest blew me away with their latest record (and tour) and Immortal made one of the most triumphant comebacks in metal history. On the other hand, Voivod’s new one felt strangely by-the-numbers, as did the latest from Riot V and Monster Magnet. Still, the sheer amount of releases out there, just in the traditional metal and thrash scenes, is somewhat mind-boggling, and there were plenty of excellent albums to be found.

(Countries represented this year: Italy, UK, Sweden, Norway, Germany, USA, Canada, Switzerland, Portugal, and Denmark).

20. BURNING WITCHES - Hexenhammer

Switzerland is a tiny nation, but they have given the world some of the most creative and diverse bands over the years, from Krokus to Celtic Frost to Samael and beyond. Burning Witches combine elements of melodic thrash and classic heavy metal for a sound that works quite well and is perfectly suited to Seraina Telli’s powerful vocal delivery. The album has its ups and downs but the title track and “Open Your Mind” are both flat-out brilliant.

19. PERPETRATÖR - Altered Beast

This is how I like my thrash metal: fast, evil, dirty, but still well-played and composed. Perpetratör hail from Portugal and this is only their second full album, but it is a scorcher. Songs like “Extreme Barbarity” and “Terminal Possession” are brutally fast in the vein of the early Germans, but the band explore some more mid-tempo riffs here and there as well. Like all my favorite thrash bands, these guys sound like they are playing just on the edge of what they can get away with and the effect is electric.

18. ARTILLERY - The Face of Fear

These Danish thrashers are one of those bands that has always had consistently quality releases but, for whatever reason, never really made the impact others in the genre have over the years. While the line-up has changed over time, the current incarnation has done three albums together now and sounds quite comfortable here. The drum sound is a bit ‘bonky’ for my tastes, but the quality of the tunes rises above it. Bonus points for the variety of songs on offer, too, from speedy, complex thrash, to power ballads to straight-ahead heavy metal.

17. LUCIFER - II

Lucifer’s brand of retro doom rock is both obvious in its influences and original in its assembly of said influences. The jazzier side of early Sabbath is the most prevalent element at work here, with riffs that range from heavy and evil to mournful and atmospheric. Despite some line-up changes, the sound is pretty consistent with the excellent debut from 2015, with perhaps a bit more clarity in the production (though nowhere near polished-sounding, fear not).

16. WITCHING HOUR - ...And Silent Grief Shadows the Passing Moon

The number of excellent bands with ‘witch’ in their name is strangely high this year and Germany’s Witching Hour are another to add to that list. This is their third full-length and displays a great deal of maturity and talent for writing complex yet compelling songs. Elements of black and thrash metal abound, but there is a lot of other stuff going on here, too, and lots of melody. The bass playing is particularly impressive and really adds a whole extra dimension to the music, while the vocals are a potent mix of plaintive and grim and complement the dark, intricate songs beautifully. This was a late-year release and, given some more spins, it will likely rise on this list.

15. SATAN - Cruel Magic

It is rare that a band can pull together their classic line-up the way that Satan did in 2013, let alone one that can then proceed to release three albums back-to-back that fall right in line with their old material. Cruel Magic is the latest of these and has all the hallmarks that made Satan great: finely-crafted heavy metal that is speedy and complex, organic production, and an overall sound that is truly their own. They may have only caught the tail-end of the NWOBHM but damn if they weren’t one of the scene’s best and it is heart-warming to see and hear them continuing the legacy 35 years later.

14. ABYSMAL GRIEF - Blasphema Secta

Abysmal Grief are Italian doom masters that create a sound that is heavy, gothic, creepy, and relentless all at once. Most songs are in the 8-9 minute range and are usually centered around a few core riffs, but the way the band build them up and vary them throughout really pulls the listener in. Keyboards are used quite a bit and to great effect, while the vocals range from mournful to menacing. The band has kept a very consistent style since day one, with only the production getting a little better with each release, and Blasphema Secta sounds both heavier and cleaner than anything prior.

13. STRIKER - Play to Win

Been following these stalwart Canucks since their debut EP a decade ago and I’m glad to see that they have continued to evolve and refine their sound with each new album. Play to Win is probably the most ‘commercial’ release to date, with tons of melody and big choruses, but there is still plenty of heaviness on tracks like “Heart of Lies” and “Summoner” to keep a nice balance. Striker has gotten really good at writing distinctive songs that aren’t just a collection of riffs but actual, well-constructed tunes.

12. BULLET - Dust to Gold

This Swedish quintet has been bashing it out for 15+ years and still manages to release an invigorating collection of hard rockin’ metal tunes. Stylistically, Dust to Gold covers a fair amount of ground, from heavy metal in the vein of Accept and Grave Digger to more upbeat rockers ala Krokus and AC/DC. The common denominator throughout is a sense of fun that is missing from entirely too many albums these days.

11. LEATHER - II

Leather’s powerful voice was always the thing that raised Chastain from a good band to a great one and I’m pleased to report that she sounds just as good in 2018 as she did in 1988. The opening track “Juggernaut” is one of the best speed metal songs I have heard in a while and the rest of the album is consistently good, too. Shades of Dio and Priest color the wide range of tunes here and the band turn in some excellent, spirited performances. Glad to see Leather back on the scene and, as much as I enjoyed the Chastain reunion records, I think this one is even better.

10. HAUNT - Burst Into Flame

Although I enjoyed the first Haunt EP, the full-length debut really takes it up a notch. This is classic, old-school heavy metal that reminds me a bit of the first couple of Cauldron albums, with some wonderful dual-guitar work thrown in for good measure. The vocals are clean but remarkably restrained compared to some of the screamers out there, making for a nice change of pace. Songs “Reflectors” and “Burst Into Flame” have a haunting (ahem) timelessness to them and the album flows really well from start to finish.

9. THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA - Sometimes the World Ain't Enough

Despite featuring members of Soilwork and Arch Enemy, this is a long, long way from death metal, melodic or otherwise. Although the band’s first effort had a distinctly late-70s hard rock vibe to it, each record since has taken the listener deeper into the world of 80s AOR. Unlike a lot of the sterile, radio-friendly acts from that actual era, NFO bring a warmth and heartfelt approach that really brings the music alive. This is the band’s fourth album and probably their weakest, but it still stands well above the average album of 2018. Songs like “Turn To Miami” and “Pretty Thing Closing In” are immediate, timeless classics.

8. THE CROWN - Cobra Speed Venom

Although Deathrace King is still one of my top 5 death metal records of all time, The Crown never really were able to duplicate its genius. Cobra Speed Venom, however, comes damn close. It has all the brutality that the band is known for but brings back a lot of the punky/thrash energy and memorable riffs that have been missing for a while. The first three songs might be the best start to any album this year; just relentless, mayhemic brilliance. Top it off with one of the coolest and most original album covers I’ve seen in a while, along with three bonus tracks that are actually worth adding, and you have one hell of a return to form.

7. SAXON - Thunderbolt

Saxon certainly made some missteps in the late 80s, but I can’t think of another band that has remained as true to form over the years, while also consistently putting out quality albums and touring relentlessly. Thunderbolt is no Wheels of Steel or even Call To Arms, but it is still a solid record that is as good or better than the last couple. From the melodic timelessness of “The Secret of Flight” to the moody “Nosferatu (The Vampire’s Waltz)” to the raging “They Played Rock and Roll,” there is also a diversity rivaled only by Priest on this list.

6. BLACK OATH - Behold the Abyss

When it comes to true, epic, soul-crushing doom metal, Black Oath have become true masters. I have been following this band since the Portrait of the Dead single back in 2010 and am pleased to say they just keep going from strength to strength. Behold the Abyss balances a lush production, clean vocals, and plenty of melody, with dreadnought riffage and blissfully dark, esoteric lyrics. A rich, dynamic work of black art.

5. SIGN OF THE JACKAL - Breaking the Spell

This amazing Italian band has created a style that is equal parts early 80s Warlock and late 80s Judas Priest. Great, driving metal tunes that sometimes border on speed metal with plenty of screaming solos and hooky choruses. The recording, the mix, the energy, everything about this record is incredibly old-school and authentic, right down to the 32-minute running time.

4. AUDREY HORNE - Blackout

Ever since these Norwegian rockers abandoned all pretense and went full-on retro with their Youngblood album, I have been hooked. They compose hard-hitting rock tunes with tons of hooks and Lizzy-esque harmonies that give a nod to metal and punk without really being either. The first three songs - “This is War,” “Audrevolution,” and “Blackout” - are all perfectly built and give a great cross-section of the band’s diverse sound. Toschie’s vocals are as unique as his fashion sense and, as much as I loved the last two records, I think this one may be their best yet.

3. BRAINSTORM - Midnight Ghost

Brainstorm has long since perfected their style (as far back as Soul Temptation, some fifteen years ago), and each new release is really just varying levels of execution. As good as Scary Creatures was a couple years back, Midnight Ghost is truly brilliant and may possibly take the title as my favorite Brainstorm outing. All of the usual plusses are in place - great production, top-notch musicianship, catchy tunes - but the songs themselves are just a tad bit more finely honed and memorable. “Ravenous Minds” and “When Pain Becomes Real” in particular are killer and there is nary a dull moment here.

2. IMMORTAL - Northern Chaos Gods

My first Immortal record was At the Heart of Winter and it is still my favorite black metal album, hands down. The combination of raw, icy riffs with the mind-blowing drumming and just enough melody to keep it all together was/is intoxicating. Immortal has never done a bad album, but some are definitely better than others and Northern Chaos Gods is one of the best ones. The ferocity is up there with Pure Holocaust and Demonaz’s vocals, while not quite as distinctive as Abbath’s, fit the music perfectly. The band wisely took their time to put this record together and the results speak for themselves.

1. JUDAS PRIEST - Firepower

Priest has been one of my favorite metal bands since I first got into them back in ’82 and they are still right up there with Sabbath, Accept, and Mercyful Fate, with a catalog that is as diverse as it is brilliant. After the disappointing Nostradamus and good-but-not-great Redeemer of Souls, it was a real pleasure to hear Firepower, a true, all-guns-blazing Priest record. The production is 1000% better than anything they have released in the last two decades and the material is both diverse and top-notch. Songs like “Firepower,” “Never the Heroes,” “Children of the Sun,” and “No Surrender” have such a classic sound to them and Rob has not sounded this good since Painkiller. Even the weakest tracks (“Lone Wolf” and “Sea of Red”) have grown on me a bit, so I am confident that Firepower will go down in history as one of the band’s crowning achievements.

I must also mention some very impressive EPs, demos, and singles that were released this year, namely those from CIRITH UNGOL, ROUGH SPELLS, ÜLTRA RAPTÖR, PULVER, SIGNIFICANT POINT, TENTATION, ANCIENT SÉANCE, SABÏRE, and OCCULT BURIAL. If you aren’t familiar with any of these bands or haven’t heard their latest, I highly recommend getting acquainted immediately.

As usual, my list could have gone on much longer, but here are the bands that just missed the top 20: AMORPHIS, AURA NOIR, BEHEMOTH, BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB, BLACK VIPER, BLADE KILLER, CAULDRON, DIMMU BORGIR, DREAM CHILD, GOAT WORSHIP, GRAHAM BONNETT BAND, IRON ANGEL, KHEMMIS, KRISIUN, NIGHT VIPER, PRIMAL FEAR, PROFESSOR BLACK, RIOT V, SABOTER, SKULL FIST, SUBSTRATUM, TAD MOROSE, VISIONS OF ATLANTIS, VULCAIN, WHITE WIZZARD, WITCHFYRE, and WYTCH HAZEL.

What is on the horizon for 2019? Well, I am already psyched about the new ones from CANDLEMASS, DELAIN, ROCK GODDESS, FLOTSAM & JETSAM, CHAINBREAKER, SOILWORK, WITHIN TEMPTATION, MORTAL SCEPTER, HAMMERFALL, and TYTUS, plus possible releases from SACRED REICH, DEATH ANGEL, and EXCITER all have me really looking forward to the coming twelve months. The world is crumbling around us, but at least the metal scene is stronger than ever!

8 notes · View notes

starborn-souls · 2 years ago

Text

Immortals with jobs, part two!

HAH Guess thought that was it, huh?!

So, back to the jobs thing. As if I stopped thinking about it.

Ravil’s a professional swimmer, only competes within Narova so his existence as an immortal doesn’t get revealed, although he would like to compete on the international stage at some point.

Kurt bartends, been working at the same bar in Rønne, Denmark for a couple of years now. He hasn’t cared enough to tell his boss what he is, and isn’t exactly sociable so it’s not like it’s come up. Agnar actually convinced him to take the job to be less of an ‘antisocial shut in’ and he isn’t actually sure why he hasn’t quit yet or how he hasn’t gotten fired

Bernhard is, quite simply, a workaholic. He’s had different jobs over the years, but currently works as an accountant for a private company in Copenhagen.

Agnar’s got seasonal job as a sailor/fisherman in Bornholm. It was originally Bernhard’s idea as a way for Agnar to get rid of some excess energy and have something to do other than fuck around at bars and clubs. He quickly grew to love it. Whether he knows it or not, he did inherit a good bit of his mothers and grandmothers inability to stay put, and the fishing/sailing thing does scratch that itch for him in a way he can’t quite describe.

And hey, new guy! More of a background character but fuck it.

Emrys is a psychiatrist based out of Cardiff. He’s been practicing for a few years now, ultimately decided to go through the necessary courses and what not to get the required credentials to legally practice. While he does see primary mortals, he is known among the immortal community to a degree as someone they can go to without having to resort to half truths to conceal their true nature.

#truths brought to light // headcanons and lore #Ravil Svobodan Sovak // life of the water #Kurt Andersen // dragon of the north #Bernhard Andersen // brother bear #Agnar Andersen // dragonfire soul #Emrys Glynn // Welsh dragon #ngl I might change Emrys' tag #but it'll do for now

1 note · View note

bbcbreakingnews · 3 years ago

Text

England v Italy Euro 2020 final: No egos allowed makes this England camp different – Rio Ferdinand

I’ve never had so much confidence in England at a tournament as I’ve had during Euro 2020, and the same applies for Sunday’s final. I fancy us strongly against Italy.

I was hopeful about our chances before we even started this journey but, by watching each step we’ve taken, that turned into genuine belief we could go all the way – I was quite relaxed before we played Ukraine, and Denmark too.

The two biggest reasons for that are our squad depth and the culture that Gareth Southgate has created in the camp, where there are no egos allowed.

Put all that together, and it makes the difference – it’s why we are in our first men’s final for 55 years.

There’s no point looking back and wondering why we didn’t get it right in the past, including in my time with England, because I want to shine the spotlight on these players and why they are here now.

You speak to Gary Lineker or Alan Shearer and it’s the same. It’s not about what we did or didn’t do or what we didn’t have then – we didn’t win, it’s as simple as that.

We can all make excuses but it boils down to the fact we weren’t good enough.

These guys are eclipsing anything that my generation and before has done, other than in 1966. Now they have a chance to become immortal.

Beat Italy, and their names are up in lights for years to come, so what an opportunity it is for them.

An environment that allows players to flourish

Gareth Southgate admits he got carried away celebrating after reaching the Euro 2020 final

Squads always win you these tournaments, on the pitch and off it, and it is the same this time too.

England have not only got the quality they need with this group, they have got the right attitude and ambiance as well.

We’ve got more strength in depth than I can remember us having at any previous tournament I’ve played in or watched.

It means that, during matches, Gareth can bring people on to make an attacking impact or get through difficult moments without our level dropping the way I’ve seen happen with other teams in the past few weeks.

In our semi-final, for example, it was evident once Denmark started making substitutions that they were not as effective. We can go the other way, though – to up the ante with changes and find a way of winning a game, or see things out.

The composure we showed to do that in the final few minutes of extra-time on Wednesday, when there was so much stake, was just incredible.

That comes from the manager and it’s just part of the way Gareth has created a brilliant environment that has allowed these players to flourish.

I am fortunate in that I get to speak to a lot of the England players and I know why it’s working.

There are plenty of elements to it but I’d say the main one is that there are no egos allowed in this squad – instead everyone is very humble.

Everyone wants to be a part of this

We’ve got some exceptional players but Southgate has instilled a togetherness in the camp that feels different to what I’ve seen before.

The game has changed since I was with England, when it felt like the rivalries between players from different clubs were a bit more intense.

That kind of feeling probably still exists now, between say Manchester City and Liverpool players, but the way Southgate has managed this group since the 2018 World Cup, has not allowed it to have a detrimental effect on the squad dynamic.

When there have been incidents, like the clash between Liverpool’s Joe Gomez and City’s Raheem Sterling in 2019, Gareth has dealt with it swiftly, efficiently and effectively.

‘All families have disagreements’ Gareth Southgate on Raheem Sterling Joe & Gomez

With the right communication, he has made sure the players know what is expected of them and they know he won’t accept anything else.

They have bought into it because, since Russia, Gareth has given them this idea there is a pathway to a really successful period with England – they can see where he is trying to get them to.

It seems to me that they all really want to be a part of it and every single one of them is right behind him, whether they are starting matches or not. No-one is sulking if they are left out – they all want to be a part of this, I would too.

A positive relationship with the media too

It’s clear there’s a strong bond between everyone in the squad and the staff, and I love the way they are so relaxed in front of the media too because that has helped build a better connection with the fans.

Again that comes from Southgate.

I said before Euro 2020 that I don’t think I’ve seen an England manager handle that side of things as well he has, and it is such an important part of the job.

In my time with England, we almost saw the press as enemies, who were there to trip us up. Southgate would have been in squads himself where it was very prickly between us and the media and understood how it affects players, so he has tried to change things.

Having the media in and around the group, especially in Russia and since then, has built a stronger relationship. That has helped make some people’s coverage a little bit more responsible and also meant the players are less guarded in interviews.

I don’t see them sitting there with their shields up anymore, like I might have done in the past.

There still has to be some distance, of course, but because players are not trying to protect themselves they can speak very openly and eloquently. They sound informed, and are informative whether you are watching or reading at home. It’s impressive all round.

All of this is easier to do when you are winning games, of course, but having a positive atmosphere around the camp is one of the things that helps that happen in the first place.

The hard work has paid off. Now they are in a brilliant situation where there is one game to go, at Wembley, with the whole nation behind them.

After what everyone has gone through in the past 18 months, I think the public came into this tournament waiting and hoping for something to give them a lift.

Whatever happens on Sunday, England have already done that.

Rio Ferdinand was speaking to BBC Sport’s Chris Bevan.

source http://bbcbreakingnews.com/2021/07/09/england-v-italy-euro-2020-final-no-egos-allowed-makes-this-england-camp-different-rio-ferdinand/

0 notes

neneyandere · 8 years ago

Note

Hello! I just discovered your blog and your writing is really good, I love it! I was wondering if you could do some headcanons about the yandere Nordics? If you can't it's okay! Have a nice day ^^

Um, I’m sorry I don’t write as many as I usually do. I just tend to write a little less for each character requested, but I promise I’ll try!

P.S. I’m going to cosplay as Norway, and my friend is gonna be Denmark. We’re eventually going to post cosplay videos on YouTube. Eventually.

—-

Denmark:

-Viking? King of Scandinavia? You are fucked.

-As happy and cheerful as he usually is, he can actually be really vicious. Like, bloodthirsty. Bathing in the blood of his enemies.

-Oh, but that isn’t easy to get away with anymore…unless the person he’s jealous of just happens to get lost.

-You probably have no idea it’s him.

-But random people going missing has been showing up on the news a lot lately…it’s kind of freaky.

-On another note, Matthias needs you to pick him up again from the bar, considering he’s drunk off his ass.

-It’s kind of mean how his friends keep happening to leave him there. And how his friend Lukas would murder him for doing this every time. He really needs your help.

-Thanks. You’re a lifesaver. But is he really as drunk as he says?

Norway:

-Wait, Norway can experience EMOTIONS!?

-You’re probably the only person who’s seen him smile in the last century. Not joking.

-Probably uses a love spell or potion on you. He’s rather impatient.

-No need to worry about dying. His presence will extend your lifespan until he gathers the ingredients to make you immortal. Until then, here’s a charm to keep you from going insane.

-I’m not joking. He’s been prepared to keep you for months now.

-Oh, yes. Almost forgot. That boy you’re friends with? His house was set on fire. Wonder what happened?

Iceland:

-”Stay away from my family, they’ll turn you against me.”

-He thinks the other Nordics, particularly Norway and Denmark, will embarrass him to the point that he’ll never see you again, whether you’re with him willingly or not.

-Kind of skeptical about Mr. Puffin. On one hand, the bird can be used to follow you when he has to leave.

-On the other, he talks a lot. He’s going to end up telling you about the stuff he’s done eventually…

-Actually isn’t that bad. More of a low-key Yandere.

-Like, if you flirt with somebody, or somebody flirts with you and won’t take a hint then he’ll take care of it. But otherwise? Just don’t leave him, and you’ll be fine.

Sweden:

-The gentle giant becomes a lot less gentle.

-He doesn’t actually have to hurt a lot of people. His aura usually does most of the scaring away for him.

-He doesn’t kill anybody directly. Too easy to be caught. He wouldn’t be arrested, of course, but what if you found out?

-However, a few people have been crushed by faulty furniture lately. Good thing Berwald checked yours. You’re in no danger.

-Why is everybody so scared of him? You haven’t seen anything worth being scared of…

-Huh? It felt like the room just dropped ten degrees as soon as your friend sat down next to you. Does the couch feel funny?

Finland:

-Maker, save us. Why are the sweet, loving countries always so terrifying as Yanderes?

-Unlike Italy and Canada, he doesn’t wait to snap in order to become fucking scary. No. He’s sniped half the potential rivals on his list. The others? He was nice enough to decide that the guy who handed you your coffee can live.

-Of course, you have no idea. That’s the worst part. You’re alone, and scared.

-Easy prey for somebody to slip in and comfort you. Humans are social creatures. They desire some form of communication, or they go mental.

-Of course, you’ll be going mental anyway.

-Oh? Somebody broke into your house and left a creepy not covered in blood? Well, you’re more than welcome to stay with him! Oh! You could meet his family! He needed to talk to Norway anyway. Something about a ‘snail…’ or was it a spell?

#aph nordics #aph norway #aph denmark #aph sweden #aph iceland #aph finland

136 notes · View notes

fan-writers-support-blog · 7 years ago

Text

Fic Recs Part 1

This is all the Fic Recommendations by Followers, Mods or even the writers themselves. They’re from Tumblr, Wattpad, Fanfiction.net, AO3 or anywhere where the fics come from. Not all of them are Fanfictions but lovely stories made by writers from all over. (All stories are linked)

Gladiator (APH Ancient Rome)

Author: Enchanting Grace

Rating: Kids and up

Summary: A young Roman boy who dreams of being a gladiator gets his wish, but finds out it’s not all he thought it would be.

Break Down: A Historical Berlin Wall Story (APH Prussia, Germany & Russia)

Author: Hetalia-Girl-5000

Rating: Mature

Summary: Prussia sacrifices himself for his little brother, but that means he now has to live with Russia and everything and everyone else that comes with it. Historical Dark!Hetalia. Because: History! Non-Pairing! Not-completely-evil-Russia. Rated T for Violence, physical/psychological torture, respectful mentions of the Holocaust, mentions of self-harm and suicide, drugs…etc.

Higher Education (APH Nordics; Iceland-centric)

Author: Vyra Finn

Rating: Teen and up

Summary: After a brief argument with his boss, Iceland finds himself enrolled in the University of Copenhagen. Not only he is a nation but now he somehow needs to survive the student life and keep it all secret from his family. Good thing Denmark never notices anything, right?

To Die For Them (APH Nordics)

Author: Vyra Finn

Rating: Mature

Summary: They are immortals but sometimes, they get hurt and they have to die. That’s why they have their family to keep them safe and help them come back again.

How To Survive the Vikings (APH Nordics; Iceland and Finland-centric)

Author: Vyra Finn

Rating: Teen and up

Summary: Something goes wrong during their holiday and Finland and Iceland end back up in viking times. Armed with only a silly history book and DIY bow without any arrows, they go on to find the viking version of Norway and return to their own time. But the rather big cultural shocks are not the only problem–because the Scandinavians might not have been the nicest guys, exactly.

Familia Vineam (APH Ancient Rome/China)

Author: sinamor

Rating: Teen and up

Summary: As a silk merchant, Wang Yao made comfortable living along the trading routes of Sīchóu Zhī Lù. As a Roman slave, he finds himself in an unusual position tending to four unique (and very high maintenance) Roman boys and their equally unique, high maintenance equestrian father, Romulus. human AU, silk road pair.

The Swan and the Nightingale (APH DenNor)

Author: doubleox515

Rating: Mature

Summary: Underage and afraid, Lukas heads into the horror that is the frontlines of France. From 1915 onwards, there are many surprises, and Lukas’ new friend Matthias is also full of surprises. Nothing is as it seems: on the fronts or at home in London. Going through the terrors of war and when Matthias’ secrets are revealed, the pair learn that only their love will keep them together.

Number the Stars (APH PruAus)

Author: gummyboots

Rating: Teen and up

Summary: His eyes are Aryan, his hair Jewish and he speaks German as if the language walks unbalanced on his tongue; on stilts, in fear.In 1943 occupied Poland and in the shadow of murderers, Gilbert Beilschmidt, a former German soldier of the Great War, risks everything to help Jewish pianist Roderich Edelstein survive the war. WW2 PruAus, told in 60 themed sentences, 60 words each.

Jam Jars (Wattpad, AO3 or Tumblr)

Author: Yonnette Anderson

Summary: The city of Bochardess has never been kind to Vera, but by some stroke of luck she has finally managed to get herself a friend in high places, and a job.Vera has been assigned as Emma's bodyguard. Vera has never been a bodyguard before. She doesn't know what she's protecting Emma from, she doesn't know who Emma is and she doesn't know why she's so eager to help her. All she knows is the job pays well, and she doesn't have another option.Then Emma is attacked. Vera, fellow bodyguard Tsuru and Emma embark on a search to figure out what is going on, and it soon becomes clear that they are facing forces far greater than they could have imagined.Toeing the line between giving up and letting her rage loose, Vera finds her situation ever more perilous as the days go by.Can Vera, Tsuru and Emma figure out the mysteries of Bochardess before everything is lost?

#Fan Fics #Fan Recommendations #Fan Fiction Recommendation #Mod Niklas makes stuff #Recommedations part 1 #Fiction #Stories #General Fiction

8 notes · View notes

autumn-showers-bring-snowflowers · 8 years ago

Text

FFT of the Week #2: The Case of Missing Morway (Warning: RANT AHEAD)

Food for thought: I think I’m going to raise some hackles with this rant, so I just want to throw out a disclaimer. Even though I try to be as historically accurate and incorporate Nordic culture and history into my characterization of these guys, I am, by no means, an expert on Nordic history, nor do I claim to be. I do, however, enjoy researching Nordic history and culture in my spare time, especially since finding out that I have Norwegian ancestry on my mother’s side last summer. I also want to make it clear that it’s not my intention to offend anybody at all; I merely just want to express my opinion based on my personal interpretation and characterization of APH Norway, as well as one particular pet peeve I have regarding how the fandom portrays him.

It’s been over two years now since I’ve gotten sucked into this fandom, and during the course of those two years, I couldn’t help but to notice how Norway’s role as a parent figure in Iceland’s life is brushed aside and overlooked in comparison to Denmark’s. Now, please don’t get me wrong: I love me some Dadmark and Sonland bonding… but not when Morway’s cut entirely from the family picture. True, Dadmark was a single father for nearly a century, but in comparison to the near millennia that Norway also raised Iceland, it’s rather minuscule in comparison. It was Norwegian settlers that first discovered Iceland in the late 9th century. Therefore, we can assume that Norway has raised Iceland since at least 900 AD, which means that he was Iceland’s parent first. The Treaty of Kiel took place in 1814. Norway gained independence in 1905. Norway’s union with Sweden lasted only 91 years. That’s it. Not even a whole century. It only seems long to us, because 91 years spans a whole human lifetime. For nations, however, it’s only a tiny chunk of their immortal lives. So to say something along the lines that Norway missed out on Iceland’s entire childhood (or even a chunk of it) is just simply not accurate. :/

I’m sorry to sound like a fuddy-duddy, since I know it can make for some great angst between the two brothers, and by all means, I’m not here to rain on anybody’s parade here with this rant. It’s just my opinion that this is inaccurate. I can’t even imagine that Iceland aged much during those 91 years, and Hima even drew official art of Denmark and Norway holding hands and raising little Icey together. He appeared to be at least five years old in the drawing, and after their reunion in 1905, I would assume that Norway resumed raising him alongside Denmark. I can certainly imagine and agree that Iceland would have been hurt at first, since back in those times, he would have really been too young to understand the politics behind it.

That being said, let’s also not forget that the union between the nations, as stated by Hima and other sources I’ve looked into, was forced. At the very least, Norway absolutely did not willingly leave his family or abandon Iceland. And it makes me sad to see some fans use that as a grounds to portray Norway as a worse parent than Denmark. Norway would NEVER willingly abandon his loved ones for whatever reason. He never abandoned Iceland. He has just as much parenting experience as Denmark does, and he’s just as good of a parent to Iceland as Denmark is. Denmark was only Iceland’s sole parent for 91 years, not his whole childhood. Of course, neither Norway nor Denmark are perfect parents. In fact, I could come up with a list of several reasons why they aren’t, but in my opinion, they’re still pretty damn great parents. Both have their unique flaws, and due to some of the difference in their personality, their parenting styles are probably very different. Which is what make them great parents in the first place; they balance each other out.

Okay, I’m done with my hissin’ and bitchin.’ I promise not all of these FFTs will be as opinionated or long. xD

tl;dr: Norway didn’t abandon Iceland. He raised him for over a millennia and has just as much parenting experience and expertise as Denmark. He missed 91 years of Iceland’s life, but 91 years =/= Iceland’s entire childhood. Both he and Denmark are fan-fuckin-tastic parents (or big brothers, if you will).

#;; defrosting the ice queen { norway's headcanons }#;; echoes { the past }#aph norway #aph denmark #hws denmark #aph iceland #hws iceland #dennor #anko family #whale brothers #fft of the week #ori

34 notes · View notes

wordfighter · 7 years ago

Text

Ge mig en kaka till kaffet

Summary: Pastor A (for this story named Agatha) is enjoying a nice Danish summer day together with a friend. Type: Short story/fanfiction Words: 1134 Category: Stand Still Stay Silent Genre: Friendship Rating: K+ Characters: Pastor A, OC Warnings: Food, soccer, discussions about God and immortal souls, a light curse word

Read it here or at ff.net

Agatha looked at a blackbird that was looking for food beneath one of the bushes outside of her church and smiled. It was a nice summer day, the sun was bright, the few clouds white and fluffy and the flowers were blooming beautifully. She picked up a small round table and carried it outside, placed a couple of chairs next to it and put a white table cloth over it. It was almost three in the afternoon and her friend would arrive soon. She went back inside, started the coffee machine and took the freshly baked cake out of the oven.

She heard the sound of an old car that had seen better days arriving outside and said a short thank to her God for keeping the driver from crashing into the wall. She put the coffee and the cake in a basket together with two cups and some biscuits and went outside again. A man her age waved at her, almost dropped the laptop he was carrying and she put the basket down, hurried to his side.

”I've told you to be careful, Gunnar.”

”No roses were harmed this time either, don't need to worry about me. Look what my niece lent me.”

”How nice of her.”

”We can watch the game and still enjoy the sun now. We're facing Sweden today, wouldn't want to miss it for the world! But you still don't care much, do you?”

”You know I enjoy a good game now and then”, she took the laptop from him and he hooked her arm with his. ”I have a mission that's bigger than a few games of soccer though.”

”Know all about it, dear”, he sat down on one of the chairs. ”But Sweden – Denmark! I bet even your God is watching!”

”He could be your God too, you know.”

She made room for the laptop on the table and poured coffee for the two of them while Gunnar tried to figure out how to get the game to play. Agatha watched the flowers and the bees while he worked, hushed him whenever he cursed. He just laughed, told her to lighten up and continued.

”There, it's working!”

”Good job!” she took a biscuit and leaned back, looked at the clouds. ”How has the week been?”

”Same old, store's pretty dead. Everyone's on the beach or getting drunk in Germany so there's not much for me to do. Wife's talking about taking a week off and going to Spain, but...” Gunnar gestured to the sky. ”Your God has blessed us with this weather, would be wrong not to enjoy it while it lasts.”

”Truer words have rarely left your mouth”, Agatha smiled. ”When does the game start?”

”In half an hour”, he closed the lid and drank some coffee. ”How's stuff in church?”

”We had a wedding.”

”Someone I know?”

”Alex and Jytte. They're from the capital, but they met each other here a few years back.”

”Ah, yes, I remember them.”

”Gunnar, don't lie.”

Gunnar laughed and accepted the cake Agatha offered him, gestured to a pile of dirt.

”Moles again?”

”Yes, sadly. Luckily no one has gotten hurt this year.”

”Want me to get rid of them?”

”No thank you, they also need a place to live.”

”If you say so.”

Silence fell and they listened to the sounds of the garden, of the town. A couple stopped for a few minutes to talk with them before continuing to the hospital. At half past three Gunnar opened the laptop again, nudged Agatha.

”Wanna bet on the outcome?”

”Betting is a sign of greed and is just another sin.” She smiled. ”2-1 to Denmark.”

”Alright, loser has to make dinner. 2-1 to Sweden, they have Zlatan.”

”I was under the impression that you didn't like him.”

”Well, he's a Swede, but he's still one hell of a soccer player.”

”Gunnar, please do not curse on God's doorstep.”

”Sorry, sorry. Will he smite me now?”

”Only if you do not ask for forgiveness.”

”I bet God curses all the time.”

”I'm not taking that discussion again.”

She poured them another cup of coffee and they watched the beginning of the game in silence. Sweden made the first goal and Gunnar did a small dance around the table. Agatha laughed, told him to sit down before he broke something and he did so.

”Will you be coming to church tomorrow?”

Gunnar looked at the sky, then back at the laptop before shaking his head.

”Nah, you know I don't believe in the big guy up there.”

”You might not believe in him, but he believes in you.”

”Yeah, have you asked him to stop that? He's got more important stuff to worry about.”

”I thought you didn't believe.”

”I don't. I'm not dismissing him though.”

Gunnar waved at the sky and laughed.

”God and me, we're pals like that.”

”It wouldn't hurt you to come to church every now and then.”

”I'm here now, aren't I?”

”True”, Agatha smiled. ”No need to worry about your immortal soul then.”

Denmark scored and Gunnar lifted his hand for a high-five, but Agatha didn't comply so Gunnar high-fived himself and continued watching the game. A small bird landed on the table and served itself some crumbs and Agatha watched it until it flew away.

”One of this year's kids”, she said.

”Very cute. Watch the game, Zlatan's gonna do a penalty kick!”

They watched as Zlatan placed the ball, backed away and then...

”GOAL!” Gunnar shouted. ”Sweden 2-1, I told you!”

”It's not over yet. And stop with the gloating, it doesn't suit you.”

Gunnar laughed, leaned back in the chair again. The game continued, came to an end, but Denmark didn't score a second goal.

”Dinner's on me tonight then”, Agatha said and got up, started putting everything back into the basket. ”Will you bring your wife?”

”She'd love to, she complained yesterday that it had been too long since she saw you.”

”She is always welcome here, tell her that.”

”You know how it is. Lots to do at work, family who won't let her breathe.”

”How is she doing?”

”She has gotten worse again. It takes a lot of her.”

”If there's anything I can do...”

”Keep praying to the big man up there, put in a good word for her. She doesn't deserve this.”

Gunnar closed the laptop, bowed before Agatha.

”Thanks for coffee and company. I'll bring her around in... two hours? Sounds good?”

”It sounds perfect, I will see you then.”

She watched after Gunnar as he walked back to the car, waved when he drove away and went back inside. She noticed the blackbird from earlier and smiled as she put the basket down. In that moment, life was everything she could ask for.

#english #fanfic #sssscomic #genre: friendship #rating: K+#character: pastor A #challenge: song challenge

1 note · View note

c9sneaksen-blog · 8 years ago

Text

when it rains

Word Count: 2136

Wow, hello! Um… I wrote this very late into the night, from 2 AM - 4 AM and it kind of just… it’s one big blurb… so I’m afraid it isn’t very good, ahah. I’m sorry! School has been kicking my butt and I haven’t had much time to get into the Sneaksen spirit and I was just really excited to sit down and write something. So I hope you can enjoy this anyways!

—

“You can hear the thunder and the pitter-patter, soon-to-be downpour of the rain in the distance. The brontide is a weird sort of music to you– like an anthem that you cannot seem to replace somewhere deep, deep in your heart. What can you say? You are a Dane at heart and, although you don’t seem to talk much about it, you can’t replace the land of rain and just kind-of nippy cold in your heart.

But you can certainly make room for something else.”

—

A lot of things are different now.

Like location. Let’s talk location. California sure is a change from the ever-rainy, tad-cold Denmark. Or, well, maybe it’s just you that’s cold. You and your long-sleeved shirts. But, who can blame you? You used to get rain often. And it was easier to wear shirts beneath shirts than carry umbrellas around all the time. California doesn’t get much rain, but when it does, well, god. Ever hear that phrase, when it rains, it pours?

You’ve got a job– for the first time in your life. A job– about playing games– you get to play games– and get money for it? Wow. That’s different. And a good one at that. Cloud 9 is, of course, a dream come true– to any gamer– to any esports fan– because who doesn’t want to play games for a living? It’s on the same level as athleticism, sure, but it’s your true love– and you would not trade it for any better marks in school or any more rainy days in California.

You fiddle with the little black box, twirling it around over and over, fidgeting over it with your long fingers. The fabric feels soft and fuzzy.

What else is different? Your feelings. But, do any feelings ever stay the same? Does anything ever stay the same in this day, this age?

“Hey,” he says, softly, finally, after forcibly barging into your room after banging on the thin wall that divides the two of you, shutting the door behind him, fiddling with your glasses from behind you. With lightning-speed, you shove the box into your hoodie pocket– you don’t think he noticed.

“Hey,” is all you say back, because you’re not too sure what to say. That’s one thing that’s not changed. You still aren’t really sure what to say, even after all this time– even after 22 revolutions around the sun.

You can hear the thunder and the pitter-patter, soon-to-be downpour of the rain in the distance. The brontide is a weird sort of music to you– like an anthem that you cannot seem to replace somewhere deep, deep in your heart. What can you say? You are a Dane at heart and, although you don’t seem to talk much about it, you can’t replace the land of rain and just kind-of nippy cold in your heart.

But you can certainly make room for something else.

“Why the hell’s it raining so hard today?” He comments, now fiddling around with the shutters on your window. You shrug.

“It didn’t rain a lot in Florida?”

It’s his turn to shrug now. “It did a lot during the summer.”

You get out of your chair, roll it back beneath your desk, and flop backwards onto your bed.

You can feel the box sitting in your pocket– gently making its presence known.

“I was thinking,” you begin– and, somehow, end– within the same breath.

He takes the hint and climbs onto your bed. Your heart does something funny when you feel it dip beneath the weight of the two of you. “About… ?”

“We’re from two really different places.”

“Duh?”

“And isn’t it– you know, weird…” He looks at you, confused. “That we’re here now?”

He does the thing where he manages to squint at you– with basically one eye– and raise one of his eyebrows– situating his body to tilt at such an angle to emphasize this– “Like… together?”

“I guess?”

He leans back, his soft, bronzy golden hair getting a little mussed up and brushing against his long eyelashes against your pillows. He reaches to fix it. “I guess.”

You lean back.

“If we never played League,” you enunciate, carefully, “we never would have met.”

“I don’t know,” is all he says.

“Don’t know what?”

He turns towards you. “That we never would have met.”

“What, you think you were going to go on some fucking trek to Denmark and bump into me at Starbucks or something?”

He giggles– quite strangely.

“Maybe,” he begins, then continues as he reaches out to push your glasses back into your hair, away from your face, “but we would have found a way.”

Maybe it’s just you, but the two of you seem to be much, much closer now– physically. Not like you can tell all too well without your glasses.

“I don’t know why,” you say, simply, “but I find that easy to believe.”

“That’s because it is,” Sneaky says, “– easy to believe.”

The two of you pause, just like that– for a second– his hand in your hair, pushing your glasses back a millimeter every other nanosecond, his other hand on your face, his eyes on your lips– the only thing speaking in that single frame of the great film of time being the rain on the asphalt, shaking and quaking the rooftop that holds something far more precious inside and beneath.

It never gets old. Every time– every time the two of you kiss– it’s like– something entirely new– entirely stronger and more intense every single time your lips come into contact and you can feel him on you, and just– become somebody else, somebody bigger, better, kinder, a person that is entirely the product of you and him and everything between the two of you– that could never ever become old.

And you find that patience also becomes easier at this time. There is little more to want– to have– than bronzy hair and blue eyes, staring back at you, only some inches away from your face– as your heart plays two halves of one song– as the rain hits the pavement and his lips, yours.

Is it possible that, in this time, this day and age, that you– could find solace– stability– in maybe not a situation, but a person?

“You’re so fucking good,” is what pops out of your mouth, “every time. I don’t get how you could think you’re not a good fucking kisser.”

His eyes trail down to the crook of your neck. “It’s probably because I have a good partner.”

You laugh through your nose. “Right.”

Things change– time goes on– opportunities come and go, jobs, homes, friends, families, life. People. Things will always be different. And you’re young. You’re 22. Everything is changing– everything is going to change.

As you stare into canary blue eyes– the box in your hoodie pocket, as though making itself known to you– seems to become much heavier.

“… Zach,” you say, feeling something lump up in your throat, feeling maybe even something sprout at the edges of your heart.

“Uh, yeah?” He scoots towards the back of the bed, and sits up. You position yourself to get up from the bed.

“Things are gonna change,” you say, and you’re met by a pair of confused eyes, “and– they’re always– going to. Change.”

“… Right,” he says, unsure of where you’re going with this.

“And,” you continue, pushing that lump in your throat down, “I think– things change, but– the way you kissed me– the way you kiss me all the time– and– the way you look at me, and shove my glasses off of my face, and when I feel your lashes against mine and your hand on– brushing against my face– I don’t think I ever want that to change.”

“So,” you say, the rain drifting in and out of your ears, “can you hear me out… on what I’ve decided?”

“I– okay.”

You glide past him– off of the bed, onto the space by him, by your bed. You stand there.

“I’ve decided that,” you state, “that I want to listen to the rain with you, and kiss you, and have my face held and my glasses fiddled with by you– forever. In a changing world.”

You slide down on your knee, your jeans resisting the rug burn from your floor– your foot just nearly misses the wall.

You pull out the box, flipping open the top with one smooth motion– the silver band that would immortalize the two of you and all that lies between you forever glimmering in the dull light that hits it from the rainy outside.

“I’ve decided that you’re my forever,” you declare, “that you’re the one I want to wake up with in the morning and that you’re the one who I can always count on to tilt me.”

He looks at you– wide-eyed, crazy-eyed, crazy with an emotion in great similarity to love but not far from fear, and looks at you– with an intensity– and you look right back, refusing to back down.

“I’m choosing you,” you say, “so… will you choose me?”

He slides off of the bed, slowly, bending down to meet you– his answer hanging off of his lips like a droplet of rain just mere seconds away from dripping onto the ground.

“Jensen,” he says, his voice coming out strained with something wonderful and something so utterly intensely emotional, that it is a surreal experience to see him in this way, “fuck yes. Fuck yes, I will choose you. Fuck. From the beginning, I– I chose you.”

You laugh, teary-eyed– your eyes beginning to play the same anthem. “Was it always going to be me?”

“It was always going to be you.”

You laugh, and fall into his arms.

The rain sings.

—

A lot of things are different now.

You’re out to the world now– out-out. As in, you are really, really gay and everybody knows it. And Sneaky is bisexual, and– well, that wasn’t very surprising to anybody– then again, the two of you weren’t very surprising to anybody.

“Oh, you guys are getting married,” Jack said, “I wish you guys would have told me before I booked you two that photoshoot. I could have arranged for a wedding edition!”

“Oh my god, congratulations!” Lemon had said, “Not too much fun on wedding night, okay?”

“You should have told me earlier,” Hai said, “Meteos and I were at the mall and we found this huge-ass aisle of tuxedos in one of the stores. He could have gotten it for when you pick him as best man.” And then, “Sneaky’s picking him as best man, right?”

“Yeah,” Balls said. (And not in relation to Hai’s, Lemon’s, or Jack’s comment. Just “yeah”. A very Balls response.)

And Meteos had smiled. Wide.

“Tying the knot so soon, my son,” he had said, nudging you on your shoulder as you beamed, showing off the silver band, “looks like you guys are gonna be the cutest lesbian couple in the LCS after all.”

This, amongst many congratulations from lots of your teammates, acquaintances, family, friends, even Rioters– it was crazy. That may have been the biggest wedding reception California had ever seen, all of the people there.

“Hey,” Sneaky says, flinging open your door, “come on. We got scrims in 10. So get your ass into the car.”

“Fuck off,” you say, as you press your lips against his, “I’m coming, okay?”

“No shit, we don’t have a mass-produced, Danish midlaner just waiting to scrim with us,” he goes to close the door, “also, I’m borrowing your hoodie.”

Before he can close the door, you hold it open, rushing to keep it up with your freakishly long legs– “What, why?”

“It’s gonna rain super hard as fuck today,” quickly, to gain your approval, he continues, “it’s just the blue and black one. It’ll be fine.” Then he rushes to remove your legs and close the door. You can hear his footsteps pad quickly down the hall.

“The one with the stripes?” You yell, to no avail, of course, you are literally yelling behind a closed door– when you’re met with no answer, you mutter to yourself, “How do you even have that one? I lost it a week ago.”

Maybe he’s the reason you “lost” it.

As you fiddle with the straps of your backpack, preparing to push open your bedroom door, you stop to make certain you have something far, far more valuable on your finger than any of the belongings on your back.

You’ve only worn it– proudly– for a relatively short time. But, already, you’ve done this millions of times. You take the ring off, and flip it to check its underside, reading the engraving on the inside of the band.

When it rains, it pours.

Fewer things are so constant than the rain in this quickly and ever-changing world, it seems.

“Is there a reason you took so long?” Sneaky asks you, when you slide the car door shut, slipping into your designated seat beside him.

You lean forward and kiss him.

“Nope,” you tug on the neck of his shirt, as you pull him in for another– and listen to the claps of thunder in the distance, and the shattering of raindrops on the roof of the car.

#submission #fan work #Sneaksen fic #tianhuo #my heart has missed these masterpieces

11 notes · View notes

coin-news-blog · 5 years ago

Text

The Jim Bell System

New Post has been published on https://coinmakers.tech/news/the-jim-bell-system

The Jim Bell System

As I write this article on July 3, 2002, I am already hearing out my window the occasional pops of micro-explosives enthusiasts getting a head start on their annual excuse to play with things that go bang and supposedly celebrate their freedom. Tomorrow, libertarians across the country will use the holiday as an opportunity to grouse to disinterested relatives around the barbecue grill about how little freedom we actually have left, or really ever had. LP lifers often say there is no magic bullet to get the kind of society we want, and it will take decades of hard work in the political trenches, and of course, many many donations to the party, before we ever see progress. Conversely, I propose that a nutty guy named Jim Bell has already designed the magic bullet; it just needs to be forged and we will start seeing dramatic positive change immediately.

Since this is a fairly controversial topic, I will start with a psychological self-analysis as a disclaimer.

My primary long-term goal is to live forever. I’m convinced that the exponential improvements in medical technology will curve upwards to infinity within the next century. This means surviving the relatively primitive period between then and now is the major stumbling block. As an atheist, I am faced with the conclusion that this is the only life I have. Therefore I have an enormous incentive to minimize risks to my health and well being, just as a Christian has incentive not to sin; we both would be gambling our presumed eternal life, an unacceptable wager. One such risk I will choose to decline is taking up arms against the United States government. Thus the powers that be who may read this article can rest assured that I will be exhibiting more or less cowardly behavior for the next 75 years or so, and present no security threat whatsoever.

I am simply predicting what will happen and am no more responsible for the outcome than an astronomer who reveals that an asteroid is on course to wipe out DC. Hopefully, the destruction of this particular doomsday rock will be localized around the tyrants.

With that said, I present the following dangerous idea.

My secondary long-term goal is to live free. By that I mean living in a stable, secure, anarcho-capitalist society. The obvious obstacle to this goal is the existence of the State. The problems I face generally in eradicating this persistent pest are that:

The State is actively retarding the progress of science, thus making my immortality timetable more and more dicey.

There aren’t a whole lot of capital resources or individuals enlightened enough to be on my side.

If I die in the process, either from fighting a revolution or from allowing the state to last too long, stalling out science, it will all be for naught (from my perspective anyway)

The challenge then is to devise a plan to remove this obstacle, balancing the considerations of speed, cost, and safety.

In a recent article John T. Kennedy made the excellent point, using the example of a porcupine, that in order to avoid being eaten, one need not necessarily be anywhere near as powerful as the predator, only become an overpriced meal. The historical example of Switzerland in WWII comes to mind. Clearly, with a concentrated effort, the Nazi war machine could have decimated the small neutral country. In fact, Hitler boasted early on in the war that he would “be the butcher of the Swiss.” However, the Swiss militia system was able to mobilize a half million trained riflemen within 48 hours of that pronouncement. Once entrenched in foreboding Alpine terrain, they were ordered to defend the border “to the last cartridge.” The Fuhrer decided to pass on that challenge and instead waltzed through Denmark and France, countries with little to no civilian gun culture.

For our purposes, the State is the predator, and we are the prey. Kennedy mentioned (with appropriate caveats) that Assassination Politics would be one possible method to grow some quills, and raise our price beyond the power monger’s ability to pay. Briefly, the AP system, as I envision its probable implementation, would operate something like this. You come across, say, “www.jimbellsystem.com” and see a long list of names next to dollar amounts. You are then invited to select a name and then submit a guess as to the exact date this person will expire, in exchange for some standard betting fee, like $1, via some as yet undeveloped digital cash scheme. Your dollar is then added to the total on the master list. You can repeat this process as many times, on as many names as you like, or even submit a new name. Strong cryptography protects your anonymity in all cases.

Then when someone on the list inevitably is reaped, the site operator examines all the winning bets (if any) and divides the prize evenly among them, after taking a small percentage as commission. The prize money is then forwarded to anonymous digital cash accounts that the winning bettors indicated when they submitted their entries. In other words, it’s just a standard betting pool system except with paranoid security, and a rather macabre theme. However, the catch is that once a particular name gets some serious cash associated with it, say $1M+, there will be a strong motivation for an unscrupulous bettor to tip the odds dramatically in his favor via direct intervention in the subject’s death. The further catch is that many of the average, non-homicidal bettors will be aware that such unscrupulous opportunists exist and will play the game without any real ambition to randomly pick a correct date, but instead place bets to drive up the prize on persons they despise. The theory goes that politicians will be high on everyone’s shit list, and be the first to rack up attention-getting prize pools. To be wildly optimistic, it is proposed that there will be so many people with a pet peeve against a specific politician, whether they are consciously anarchist or not, that the system will foster a niche industry in assassination, and the collective actions of the market will thereafter make it incredibly dangerous for anyone to seek positions of power. Thus, the people who currently constitute the entity known as government will either die or fearfully resign en masse, and the State will disintegrate.

The fully idealistic conclusion is that this will result in permanent, defensible anarchism, since AP can be just as easily applied to any neo-statists who show up afterward, or any foreign aggressors, assuming there are any states left lacking sufficient internet connectivity to have previously ousted their own rulers.

That’s the summary, I will now debunk the many criticisms of the system, which fall into three broad categories:

Practical failures

Moral failures

Strategic failures

In the first category are objections along practical lines for its basic operation. First of all, is it technically feasible? I am not a programmer, nor even done much homework in the area of encryption/digital cash, however, there are people out there who are certainly experts who seem to think that both of those concepts have a very strong future. For further information on relevant technical matters, I direct you to J. Orlin Grabbe, who does not to my knowledge endorse any form of AP, but does treat the reader to some creative selections of soft porn.

Since I am under-educated in this field, I, unfortunately, will have to pass on any specific technical objections. Logically, though, it seems reasonable to compare the operation of this system to something like a drug cartel. South American drug lords are well known for having top-notch computer systems to keep track of their own affairs, as well as keep tabs on what competitors and Federales are up to. Such cartels are historically very good at surviving against ever increasing law enforcement budgets and political pressure. Since AP’s main business is in computers, and it will most likely be very profitable, it leads me to think that electronically evading cops by similar means may not be a hopeless task.

The second practical objection I will cover is a worst-case scenario, where, in its desperation, the state retaliates against AP by banning non-governmental digital cash entirely. Feds shuts down Paypal and anything like it, and only allow e-cash that’s connected to the magnetic stripe on your National ID, and every transaction monitored.

This unfortunate news bulletin can be handled several ways by AP’s patrons. To go back to our drug cartel analogy, keep in mind that many millions of people around the world flout the law daily to buy, sell and consume illegal pharmaceuticals. Distributors of drugs are everywhere if you know where to look. It is not so hard to imagine an identical network of underground suppliers could meet the demand for anonymous currency, for any number of purposes, not just AP. This could take the form of cash servers completely off the fed grid, or front companies that accept government e-cash and launder it for discreet uses. Depending on the exact nature of whatever new authoritarian legislation gets handed down, any number of solutions could present themselves, and those same millions of current lawbreakers will no doubt solicit them just as eagerly. And the added bonus is there is no physical evidence to be unconstitutionally searched and seized, as is the threat in the drug trade. A few kilobytes of data are probably easier to hide than a trunk full of plant extracts.

In the same vein, the State might get extremely paranoid, and attempt to ban all encryption lacking FBI backdoors. Assuming that civil libertarians are not sufficiently “concerned” to prevent this, more important is the basic impracticality of enforcement. Analogy: It is 2050 and in an understandable appeal to public safety, the Feds outlaw recently invented personal invisibility cloaks. Stormtroopers arrive at my apartment building and question my neighbors. “We have a warrant for the arrest of Robert Vroman for the alleged possession of an illegal invisibility cloak. Have you seen him? No? Hmm.”

Again my technical ignorance may get in the way, but if I can hide the content of my message, how hard is it to hide the source and destination? Internet-savvy outlaws will undoubtedly provide encryption services under the Gestapo’s nose, just like their outlaw digicash cousins, and their outlaw drug peddler ancestors.

But then what if the State, facing imminent destruction, lashes out blindly and tries to shut down the whole friggin internet? Or what if they establish martial law in the scariest uber-polizei-stadt since Adolf was dancing jigs? These and other Orwellian nightmares are possibilities. However, one must consider that any path to anarchism will eventually take us to a point to where the State is cornered and crazed, and thus this is not the fault of AP. On the bright side though, if it is AP that takes us to that juncture, any measures the State take will be short-lived and futile. While they may be able to hold off an armed rebellion or mass non-compliance and make our lives miserable for an indefinite period, AP will march along inexorably chowing down on their human resources and scaring them off, until there’s simply no one left to give orders or receive them.

The third practical objection wonders if anyone will actually put money into AP, above or below ground. Clearly, there will have to be a significant and constant cash flow to keep the wheels turning and the heads rolling. Finding customers is probably the least of our worries. First, on the list are the usual suspects of political extremists.

Hardcore lefties in all their myriad flavors: commies, left-anarchists, eco nuts, feminazis, etc.

Then your hardcore righties: militia psychos, pro-life zealots, Klansmen, dirty cops, uber-moralists, etc

Following with miscellaneous baddies: well heeled foreign terrorists, cultists, sleaze corporations, garden variety sociopaths, drug lords, etc

And that’s just the fringe. I propose that humans as a whole are not very good people. If they were, surely we would not be in the prevailing unacceptable state of affairs. Fortunately one of the main selling points of libertarianism is that it’s the superior system given any level of general morality. In the short term though, AP is well served by the relatively low level evidenced by reality. I predict that given a consequence free chance to hurt someone they despise at low monetary cost, a large percentage will sign up. American citizens donate many millions to political parties every year; clearly they take this stuff seriously. How bad do they want their guy to win? Remember, no one will ever know if you place that bet. You can protest the senselessness of it all in public, wring your hands over the latest poor public servant killed in the line of duty, and then go home and secretly sign the death warrant of that Congress asshole who wants to cut your kid’s daycare. Seriously, look at the kind of people around you, who wouldn’t jump at the chance at that kind of power?

Practically anyone with any political opinions at all can name some office holder they’d rather see gone. It should be no challenge to get enough people with the same name in mind to bet a few bucks and reach a tempting pot.

These people may not be betting against the worst statists in the order an Ancap might prioritize them, but the point is, it doesn’t matter who they bet on, as long as they hit any power holders, because most likely the success of AP will not come from systematically executing every politician, but instead drive them into hiding from fear of their name rising on the list. No matter what direction the fire is coming from, it will keep everyone in Washington’s head down.

But just to drive the point home, forget about Americans who might unexpectedly turn uniformly patriotic and override their petty partisan proclivities. For an easier challenge, let’s toss AP into the mix of some stormy banana republic below the equator. Giving AP to practically any 3rd world country would be like letting the rival faction leaders duel with grenades in a shower stall. Every wannabe El Presidente will openly encourage their followers to bet against the competition and undoubtedly receive the same in return. If you find Somalia encouraging, imagine the entire developing world forced to go the same route.

So I think I’ve established that there will be sufficient demand, the other side of the coin is of course supply. Again, we are well stocked. Last I read, the home of the brave here has some 2 million people imprisoned, 40% of which are deemed ‘violent’. Furthermore, approximately 1% of all violent crimes result in a prisoner. This says to me that there is an abundance of dumb mean folks in this country. One characteristic of the violence prone is they tend to be poor. I imagine that few such criminals actually enjoy risking their life and freedom day after day in robbing random people for watches and wallets. How many would gamble on that One Big Score, if payday were a sure thing?

To name a few, we’ve got the obvious examples, Mafiosos, Hell’s Angels, Islamo-fascists, McVeigh acolytes, etc, plus a virtually bottomless supply of standard small time thugs and starving junkies.

In other words lots and lots of people who wouldn’t think twice about killing anyone for the right price or cause, all being simultaneously offered heaping mounds of cash with no names being mentioned, no questions asked, and no one to have to trust. All guaranteed and anonymous. And the best part is, there’s no need for the ideologically pure to go fling ourselves against leviathan in some ill conceived revolution. I’m sometimes disturbed by the martyrdom complex some Ancaps seem to exhibit; holing up with their favorite rifle and apparently just waiting for the JBTs to show up someday and take down as many with them as possible. Much safer to just pay otherwise worthless people to do the dirty work instead.

To wax poetic, the great melting pot of human society has got scum floating on the top, and scum settled on the bottom. It sure would be great if we could let them thin each other’s ranks, with minimal bystanders getting plugged.

Then again, why count on the competence and boldness of American crooks? Watch the experiment unfold south of the border and see who takes the gamble. In parts of the world where life is cheap, AP might be a chief industry, and provide an excellent test pad for its 1st world conquest.

If there are other practical failures I have missed, I will have to address them in a follow up article. On to the alleged moral failures.

I do not think my audience will contest the notion that tax is theft, enforced regulation is aggression, and basically everything the government does, from bombing foreign kids, to propagandizing local kids, is wrong. Libertarian logic goes on to say that you have a basic right to defend your person and property from aggression, and that if a given level of force is insufficient to deter that aggression, you may justifiable escalate without bound until the aggression is so deterred. Furthermore, you are fully within your rights to contract out your defensive needs to other parties. If the aggressor you are facing is so overwhelming that you can neither personally defend yourself nor openly seek protection services, then it becomes necessary to devise clever systems like AP.

Still, some are concerned that indirectly paying someone to preemptively kill a politician is dangerously close to initiation of force, even if the institution he represents is admittedly oppressive.

First of all maybe you hate the state and have a T-shirt to prove it, but bear no ill will to the lowly 9-to-5er in the local bureaucracy with no real decision making power. Surely that misguided paper shuffler does not deserve to get axed along with the household name tyrants. Fear not, because AP only recognizes the power of the dollar, and unless someone, somewhere is willing to part with a small fortune in order to doom the government peon, he is probably just as safe as every other person listed in the phone book.

The stronger complaint is that no politicians deserve to die, and we should instead get the backing of legions of converts and politely present our leaders with one way tickets to somewhere far away and leave them be. If that were plausible, I’m all for it. Since its not, there’s no reason to protest the forceful alternative.

I am not obsessed with justice or vengeance. I would be perfectly happy to let every reigning politician resign without further punishment, even those that knowingly ordered or caused innocent deaths. For example, I have no desire to expend energy exhuming FDR’s corpse and dragging it around the town square, as my grandfather often insists should be done. In other words, out of sight, out of mind. The only thing that matters is that the rulers leave power, their offices dismantled. Going back to my earlier criteria, I will back whatever method of eviction is the quickest, cheapest, and safest (for me), regardless of the consequences said method brings down on the evictees. If AP is the Q, C, and S, then I shed no tears over however many leaders get snuffed before the rest discover their positions cannot protect them. If any of you have a soft spot for some politician who is “really an ok guy deep down, he just doesn’t get it yet” then hopefully he will be among the first to ‘get it’ and work his damnedest to disappear from public consciousness as fast as possible.

Imagine this scenario: You just went to considerable cost to move into a nice new neighborhood. The day after you move in, you receive the following note in the mail:

Your options are A) pissing away your down payment and leaving, only to find Vroman’s relatives run similar scams in every other neighborhood B) coughing up the 2 grand every year, and futilely trying to convince your sheeple neighbors to petition Boss Vroman to leave you all alone C) killing a few thugs and eventually going down in a hail of lead, D) spend your 2 grand hiring someone to snipe Boss Vroman when he least expects it.

So which will it be, Ex-pat, LP, Waco, or…AP?

Whether you buy that as sufficient excuse or if instead, you buy into Bob Murphy’s pacifism plan, is actually quite irrelevant. Here is the clutch argument. Why Ancaps should not oppose AP is that the fate of anarchism and AP are inextricably entwined. It is obvious that if the system works at all, it will be very profitable to the operators. In Ancapland there will be no law enforcement per se to crack down on a proposed AP operation. Thus it is inevitable that some profit-seeking anarchists, with no fear of state reprisal, will eventually start one or more AP servers.

No matter what route is taken to anarchism, peaceful evangelism or other, the end result will be a society devoid of central authority, and with an AP system in existence, due to simple profit motive.

Furthermore, even if the consequences of AP are a hell on earth comparable with the worst examples of grotesque statism, that is also irrelevant, because AP is unstoppable. Even if we all converted to minarchism so that we could have the benefits of pseudo-libertarianism, while still having a violence monopolist to counteract AP, that changes nothing. AP can destroy any state, minimal or monstrous. No matter what the ultimate outcome wrought by AP, there are no steps we can take that will avoid it. Even embracing the current police state, if that were a serious option, would not provide significant long term resistance to the looming threat of AP. There is nothing short of 100% popular refusal to participate that will prevent AP from tearing down every political office in the world, and given human psychology, that 100% won’t materialize.

Thus the only question is whether AP is useful enough for transition purposes that someone develops it now, or uses other methods to destroy statism first, and wait for AP to show up on its own.

It’s like this. Person A is holding person B hostage at gunpoint. You, being a pacifist, would like to save person B, without killing bad guy A. Unfortunately for your humanitarian plans, person B is a part time ninja, and as soon as the immediate threat of the gun is gone, he is going to snap A’s neck instantly. You also have a gun. So whether you shoot A yourself, or somehow non-lethally disarm him and unleash B’s hands of death, A will die. Thus given the certainty of A’s death (and deserved at that) the primary concern should be the other two people in the equation. If you attempt to disarm A, you could get shot, leaving B still trapped and you dead. Or you could just easily shoot A, saving both yourself and B, but troubling your conscience.

That’s all I have to say about moral issues.

Lastly, there are the criticisms that claim that AP will successfully kill politicians, moral or not, but the real problem is that the system will result in something no better than the current regime. There are common cries that AP will get ‘out of control’. I see two ways this could happen. Foremost is that the operators of AP will somehow appoint themselves de facto rulers in the resulting power vacuum and twist the tool to assassinate their personal enemies at will. This is clearly impossible because if they were able to operate their servers despite the pressure of a state, clearly someone else can operate a competing server despite the pressure of the rogue AP-ists, and if said rogues build themselves a personality cult in a bid for world domination, they make themselves ridiculously easy targets for AP v2.0.

The better reason this is impossible is because ideally the AP system would be so well designed that it would run autonomously, so as to avoid there being any actual operators for the state to arrest. Thus there are no operators to go bad in the post-state world either.

The other possible unintended consequence, opposite that of crypto-dictatorship, is the Randian fear about war of all against all, i.e. ‘bad’ anarchism ala Mad Max. I see little reason to worry about this possibility. If society degenerates to the point that putting a $100 bet on someone dying tomorrow results in a very real possibility that you will be right, then this would imply that AP players are so widespread and killing so unremarkable, that you might as well just whack the person yourself and save the C-note. At this point, AP will fall into disuse for being an unnecessary middleman in the homicide business, except for those rare hard to find targets, as was its original purpose.

Therefore, AP has a feedback loop that prevents it from being practical as a means of facilitating petty murders.

In conclusion, AP is pragmatically sound, ethically justified, and strategically prudent. The only question is when. Watch out State, you’re on a collision course with an extinction level event. I have foreseen it.

Source: news.bitcoin

0 notes