#everyone is always like “oh Ireland is so great!“ but really it’s not

[main-character-moment]

On one hand I’m like the government sucks so bad I could never be part of that but on the other I’m like okay but who’s gonna change shit? The old fucks who couldn’t care less about the people they’re meant to be looking after? 

[loversfms]

[ … ] ❀ you’re not from around here , are you? i figured because you totally just missed maeve finnegan walking by. don’t tell me you don’t know who she is ? they kind of look like maia mitchell and i could be wrong but i think that they might be twenty-eight years old right now. they’ve been living in palmview for the last twelve years. and i don’t know if anyone has ever told them this before but they kind of remind me of kat stratford from 10 things i hate about you. if you stick around the town long enough you might catch them in action working at lomax auto-repairs as a mechanic. you see this town isn’t really that big of a place, some folks like to call them the the broken bird of palmview! they took a liking to the name too after a while, go figure. oh crap, they must have heard me yapping. they’re coming this way. i got to warn you though, rumor has it they can pretty blunt at times. i wouldn’t take it too seriously though, from the times i’ve spoken to them they seemed pretty confident to me. we see each other all the time since they live in that two bedroom apartment beside me over in sunny shores. i better leave you to it. it was nice meeting you!

STATS:

full name : maeve finnegan nickname(s) : mae ( but only if she really likes you ) birthplace : portstewart, northern ireland date of birth : 05 / 07 / 1996 parentage : john finnegan & aofie finnegan ( estranged ) sibling(s) : kai finnegan relationship status : single gender identity : cis woman ( she/her ) sexual orientation : bisexual faceclaim : maia mitchell

BACKGROUND: ( teen pregnancy, cheating )

aofie and john are just sixteen when they find out aofie is pregnant. it's already terrifying, and it becomes even more so when the topic of twins hits the table. still, they believe that love conquers all. they cared so deeply for each other, how could that love and care not only multiply with more additions to the family?

once the twins are born, it's clear as day that maeve is a carbon copy as aofie.

"YOU'RE JUST LIKE YOUR MOM !" it's a good thing, when you're a toddler picking up your mother's mannerisms. it's cute, even, the way you both put your hands on your hips as you watch the television from afar.

when she's six, she takes a liking to the piano. however, in true sister fashion, she decides to drop her focus on it as soon as she realizes her brother also seems to like making music. he's much better at it, anyway. he can do the writing and composing, she'd only been very good at reading and playing.

"YOU'RE JUST LIKE YOUR MOM !" it's a good thing, when you're learning to cook alongside your mom. the two of you spend the evenings prepping meals, and you're thrilled to help present them to your family.

maeve had always liked building things. playing with legos growing up, putting puzzles together... she liked having something to do with her hands. making something out of nothing. she liked keeping busy, and felt a great sense of pride any time she completed / built something all on her own.

"YOU'RE JUST LIKE YOUR MOM !" it's a good thing, until it's not. aofie had been stepping out-- this family life hadn't been as fulfilling as sixteen year old her thought it'd be. now, it's just john and the twins, and all these endearing traits had lost their charm.

she sees it, the way her brother and father struggle to make eye contact with her. how they can hardly stand to be in the same room as her. it unlocks a certain rage within her-- one she didn't know she was capable of.

still, even though she was angry, she felt she had to take over. they were missing a maternal figure, and at fourteen years old, maeve stepped up. making meals for the three of them, keeping up with the family agenda, doing the grocery shopping, writing everything down for everyone... she could take the good parts of aofie and make them work.

a year after her family life implodes, the remaining finnegans are off to palmview. there's promise of a new life -- a blank slate, of sorts. however, could the slate truly be blank if the ghost you were trying to avoid was haunting your face and mannerisms?

a once loud and lively girl has now become a hollow shell of herself. the good thing about the move was it had brought her and her brother closer than they had been previously. they had no one but each other. their class schedules had been different, but they always made time to give each other a nod in the hallway or sit together for lunch.

one thing she really liked about her new school was their wood and metal shop programs. she took every trade class she could. it was nice to keep busy and to see the results of her hard work. with a lack of friends, each one of her creations ended up in her brother's room once they had been graded. what could he possibly need a birdhouse for? who knows, but it's his problem now.

it had been easy to keep to herself. she would simply shoot down any attempt at social interaction. she hated working with others, too embarrassed to try and water her accent down for those around her to understand. it was just easier to be nobody.

well, it was, until the rumors began circulating about her brother. one-sided, nasty rumors about him and his friend. a relationship she'd witnessed with her own eyes, whether the other party was aware of it or not. between their social and familial fallout, it was beginning to feel like carrying the name FINNEGAN was a curse.

suddenly, the two who had been so good at hiding themselves away found themselves in the social spotlight. her brother, for the rumors circulating, and maeve, for cussing out & attempting to fight anyone who dare whisper his name in her presence. it doesn't take long for her to get hit with a suspension.

john finnegan is frustrated, says he doesn't recognize the kids in front of him. maeve can barely stand to hear him speak, angry at him, at aofie, at everyone. still, the three had come to an agreement that the twins would lay low for the rest of school. it had been their original plan anyway. and it's one she plans on sticking to... only after she slashes a set of tires in defense of her brother.

she graduates, plans to get the hell out of palmview, but plans fall through. she's stuck and has no backup plan. luckily for her, there's an auto repair shop with a very kind employee, willing to teach her more than the basics of fixing a car. she'd learned the basics years ago, and she begins working as his apprentice. it doesn't take her long to go from apprentice to full-time employee. it fulfills her need to fix, but not completely

she makes furniture on the side, selling it at farmer's markets, craft fairs, different markets in general... there's just nothing better than the feeling of watching your work walk away with a happy customer

PERSONALITY:

she still struggles to make friends to this day, but she's got a few of them. she's fiercely loyal to those she cares about, and is always offering to slash a set of tires... ( it was just such a rush! )

doesn't know how to think before she speaks, and even if she did, everything is always written clear as day on her face

swears like a sailor sorry it's not her shes just irish :/

very caring and very much a mom friend but don't say that in front of her i fear she may kill you...... her way of showing love is acts of service okay!!!!!!!

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

What if Bella was Fae and didn't know it? The parameters for this are broad, so let's just say shortly after Bella was born, Renée took a trip to Ireland and left Bella in a stroller by the woods. Bella gets switched with a changeling and Renée never finds out.

Assuming Bella makes it to Forks, how does Twilight go down? (Feel free to give Bella whatever powers you think she should have/shouldn't have.)

I mean, first off, even if we get to Twilight, things are going to be very different.

Bella Loves Forks

Forks, a rural town with relatively little iron and steel compared to large American cities, feels great for Bella who's in constant pain in places like Phoenix with her mother.

Renee really hates on Forks, and Bella wants to hate it for a long time, but good god it's like getting medication.

However, we'll say that Renee got weird on Bella liking Forks too much so Bella awkwardly stopped going because it was clear shit would go down at home if she kept going. Bella and Charlie's relationship becomes strained then non-existent because of this.

So she only ends up in Forks in 2005 but uh... very clearly jumps on the excuse to go. Oh, you're married, Renee? Well gee shucks I've got to go live in Forks now, byeeeee.

This is made awkward as Bella can't lie (even more so than in canon, she physically cannot lie) so she has to dance around the topic whenever Renee asks her why she wants to move.

Bella's in Forks Now

Bella's determined to be a normal teenager. She fucked up at her last school by being weird all the time, but now is her time to shine. She will be a normal person, with normal friends, and nobody will think she's strange!

Bella fucks this up by speaking in verse at lunch about getting drunk on wine under the full moon's light.

"FUCK" - Bella Swan

Well, she's hot enough that this doesn't matter to the guys and Jessica... stares a bit but goes with it. So Bella's a huge nerd, she can date Eric and they can go to Comicon together dressed as hobbits or whatever.

Across the lunchroom, the Cullens stare and ask for dirt on the new girl. As before, Edward finds her overrated but finds he can't read her thoughts. He concludes she's uppity and has a desperate need for attention based on her constantly talking in verse.

They get to Biology where...

Edward doesn't smell the smell. Bella's one of the fair folk now, she's not human, she's going to smell weird but not delicious. Edward gives her a very funny look and concludes, eventually, she's not like Ephraim was (as Edward also thinks the shifter line died out).

He and Bella spend the lecture giving each other the side eye. Bella's spidey senses are tingling with this one and she tries to ignore it because nothing good comes from her spidey senses, it always leads to weird.

She decides it's just because he's hot and she must like him.

Yes.

That's what normal girls do.

Bella is a normal girl.

And Then?

See, the thing is, I doubt Bella can or will drive because too much fashioned metal. Bella tells Charlie, for reasons she will not explain, that she must walk to school. Charlie at this point doesn't question this, Bella's hated cars since birth.

As a result, she does not nearly get crushed by Tylor's van and is not carted off to the hospital where Carlisle would certainly no she's not human.

So, nothing happens.

Bella and Edward sit next to each other, but he just thinks she's weird and boring. Bella, for her own part, continues to tell herself she's hopelessly in love with Edward Cullen (because look how hot he is) and that these aren't the spidey sense tingles.

Weird stuff happens, I imagine, like Bella accidentally turning things into trees, being unable to cross lines of salt, being unable to cross running water, but everyone ignores this as the Cullens don't care and everyone else is too weirded out.

Twilight never happens.

[can-of-w0rmz]

No but rich people (especially rich Americans) are ACTUALLY fucking mental, and not even on big scale shit, but on really small everyday stuff too. Like it’s crazy, I fully saw a video that was one of those ones where it was like, “THIS is not a healthy amount of food”, and then it was a few varying portions, some of them were pretty small, some were really really normal and average, and then “THIS is healthy :)” and then it’s the most fucking MASSIVE bowl of food with the biggest portions you’ve ever seen in your life. Am I insane or is that crazy patronising???

Like ok yeah, I get people struggle with food, and if you’re purposefully eating teeny tiny portions even though you have more because of psychological reasons, of COURSE that’s unhealthy, but the amount of food these people eat in these kinds of videos is actually insane. It might just be because they’re American, bc American portions are massive, but there’s something absolutely mad to me in these posts that they go “oh so you know this perfectly average meal? This very affordable normal amount of food to eat for a meal? You should be eating this instead :)” and then show a medieval king ass feast. OR, “here’s what I eat in a day! (Realistic <3 bc social media isn’t real)” and then it’s a sandwich the size of her fucking arm.

It’s not even just food too, it’s overindulgence in everything, and it’s such a weird fucking thing, and imo it leads to this weird Americanised sense of entitlement sometimes??? Like there’ve been a few times as a kid where I’ve tried imitating these American ass trends, which are ALWAYS framed as “this is healthy” or “this is realistic”, and ofc every time I’d get my ma laughing in my face with some variation of “what do you think I am? Made of money?” or “are you some kind of princess now?”, and she was 100% right every time, and as I started getting older and having more of an actual concept of money, I ALWAYS thought “it’s crazy how Americans can afford this much shit.”

I REALLY fucking hate the Americanisation of everything tbh. You can’t escape it. Election season comes around, a thousand videos “we have to vote guys!” ???who the fuck is “we”. Also in shit like general culture too, ideas about culture and race which are only relevant for America. Not to say that racism only exists in America, but this “you can’t be racist towards white people/ahhhh oh no that’s cultural appropriation you can’t do that!!!!” stance on racism. I’ve lived in Ireland my entire life, not that it really matters bc being Irish is not really a “race”, it’s a nationality, but my ancestors were all celtic, I have a culture. And even tho personally I don’t think being Irish is a race (aka: I don’t think if you’re American and your great grandad was Irish, you’re Irish, and I also think a black guy or whoever else who’s lived here his whole life and fully understands Irish culture has just as much of a right to call himself Irish as someone like me with Celtic heritage), the English sure viewed us that way! “You can’t be racist towards white people”? In the 1800s they depicted us as rats and drunks and tried to starve us. But sure go whine about cultural appropriation and then go dye the rivers green this St. Patrick’s Day!

I just really hate the Americanisation of shit in general fr. And I don’t even hate some American stuff that much, southern gothic shit is cool, the old west is interesting asf, you’ve got some cool shit, but this weird rich elite corporate social media America shit is fucking everywhere, and it’s just infuriating at worst and kind of sad at best. Feels like everyone’s forgetting where they come from and why they act how they do to fall in line with some looming corporate capitalist American idea of “progress” that erases every shred of art and love and differing experience and history and culture and beauty. Americans will whine about colonisation, and that’s real, it’s true, it’s horrific, but they’re doing the exact same shit psychologically.

Anyway I hope trump wins the election not because I support any of his policies but because it think it’d be funny to watch. Also democracy is a lie constructed by the government to give the illusion of individual choice don’t bother voting it just encourages them. Communism is fucking stupid and idealist but so is the idea that individuals can have true choice under a democracy fuck the government and go love and make art thank you and goodnight

Also since we’re talking about our individual culture and how much I hate corpo Americans spreading their weird shit everywhere have some cool selkie art I found and a silly wee selkie ballad I like

[coolfire333]

My high school had a large population of international boarding students, mostly from China, and I always miss the cultural enchanges we used to have because oh my god it was so fun and interesting

We'd have delicious chinese candy on lunar new year in the cafeteria (the white rabbit candy was always the best...like vanilla tootsie rolls but better) and there was a multicultural assembly every year with traditional instruments being played by students as well as a "fashion show" where students would wear clothing of their heritage and walk up and down the stage in the performing arts center like it was a runway

I did kinda participate because in either elementary or middle school (my school was k-12 and I went there from grades 4-12) we had a heritage day type thing and I made a little presentation on Scotland (I think I did another one on Ireland too because my great-great grandparents immigrated from there) and made tablet (it's a grainy, sugary candy that dissolves in your mouth and tastes like brown sugar). I also got to try raw sugarcane thanks to one kid who had hawaiian heritage and brought sugarcane as their heritage treat and that always sticks with me

Also not grade-school related but in college one of my professors was from china (she taught mainly chinese history/environmentalism classes and I ended up in a lot of those as a history student who also was very interested in anything environmental) and she brought fried lotus root, bean-paste-filled mooncakes, and green lychee fruit to class (I think also for lunar new year) and it was so fun getting to try foreign foods I'd never eaten before. Anyway everyone say thank you Dr. F, you are a very kind and patient soul for sharing your culture with us american rubes even if you taught class confusingly lol

There are probably other events that I'm forgetting about but those are the ones that stuck out to me the most. It really was great, for as bad as school sucked sometimes I do miss it for the fun stuff that would happen

[yves-and-scessernee]

I've been thinking about some things, and I wanted to clarify for some folks outside of the US:

When people in the United States talk about heritage, it's always with the implication of American nationality. Two friends in the US might chat casually about themselves and their families by saying "I'm Irish" and "I'm Polish." What they mean is "I'm Irish-American" and "I'm Polish-American" but, because the context of being in America is present, the "-American" part goes assumed.

That's why the "Where are you from?" / "Where were you born?" / "Where are your parents from?" questions exist. Between friends, those are casual ways to tell if someone is talking about X as a familial heritage or X as a nationality without saying outright "Hey, so are you a member of this American subculture or are you from another country?" It is absolutely rude to ask these questions without the context of friendship, but within a friendship people often share information about their heritage and nationality quite freely. Those two friends I mentioned above might go on to talk about how "My grandparents were born in Dublin and immigrated to the US, and my parents grew up together in Boston." "Oh, that's cool that they grew up together! My great-grandmother moved from Kraków as an infant with her family, but my dad met my mom through an exchange student program and she just finalized her dual citizenship."

Stripped of the context of "being in America", such statements can come off as presumptuous and deceptive. I understand that. Someone who has gotten used to chatting about their family while in America will likely default to keeping the "-American" part assumed on their behalf, which they shouldn't do. But an American saying "Oh! I'm Irish" to you when you know already that they are American is telling you this in the context of being American: what is actually being conveyed is "I'm Irish-American." To them, they're sharing what American subculture they belong to, rather than claiming participation in a different country.

And Irish-American culture in the US is alive and well! Irish-American cultural centers, museums dedicated to generations of Irish-American immigration, and festivals sharing what Irish-American families have brought to America are found all over the US. So it is with many other cultural communities. People care about the cultures they and their families brought over with them, and American subcultures are living entities unto themselves shaped by decades of history.

And of course some American families keep in touch with their parent cultures. As I write this, a friend is making arrangements with his family to spent next month with his grandparents in Mexico. My own parents just got back from visiting my sister in Ireland, where she's been studying veterinary sciences. Sometimes that's why Americans drop the hyphen in casual conversation: for my friend, where does Mexican culture end and the Mexican-American subculture within the greater American culture begin? A conversation with him actually got me thinking about this entire thing, because, for him, the distinction between being Mexican, having Mexican heritage, and being Mexican-American can be really blurry, particularly given the United States' history with Mexico.

Americans should stop assuming everyone knows the context of "having American nationality" when they talk about heritage. I agree. It can be easy to come onto the internet with the same assumptions you have in your everyday community, particularly if you're young. If you're American and you're reading this and you're just realizing that someone probably interpreted you as saying "I'm a member of this country" when what you meant was "I'm a member of this American subculture," I understand the embarrassment. This often isn't laid out clearly inside or outside the US.

But that's why I'm explaining it now. If what you mean is "I'm [Heritage]-American" and you're talking about your participation in an American subculture, you probably should start saying the whole phrase aloud. It's more polite to assume that someone doesn't know your nationality than that they do. It'll forestall misunderstandings and frustrations with friends and strangers alike.

[apureniallsource]

It was a whirlwind 24 hours for Niall Horan as he touched down in Ireland for a very quick trip. So quick in fact, he didn’t even get a chance to swing home to see his family in Mullingar.

“If I had more time, I’d see everyone. It’s hard when you’re only an hour away from home but I’ll be back over the summer,” he tells us.

Life on the road is all he’s known for the last decade. Since launching into superstardom with One Direction in 2010, he’s been all over the world, playing the biggest stadiums and venues to millions of fans. Now out on his own, he’s soaring once again with his solo career and his third album, The Show has landed.

To celebrate, he performed an incredibly intimate gig at Fuel on Camden Street to roughly 50 people, before sitting down with us the next morning for a catchup.

Here, Niall opens up about music, mental health and famous mates – oh and, of course, those relentless 1D reunion rumours, too!

Niall, welcome home! How are you? How does it feel to be back?

Ah, I’m grand! I went for two pints last night in town. I had to have a Guinness because I do a lot of travelling and it’s not always great abroad! I kept it chill though! If I had more time, I’d see everyone and I’d probably go home. It’s hard when you’re only an hour away but I’ll be back over the summer.

Obviously we’re here to chat about the new album, The Show. Talk to us about the inspiration behind it.

When you’re not writing heartbreak-y type songs, you obviously need another angle and I’m in a good place now, so I decided I could write about the ups and downs of life. The way the world was turning when I was writing the album was a big part of it. When the pandemic happened and all of the control was taken away from us, we were like deers caught in the headlights. We didn’t know what to do! What I say in The Show is that if everything was always easy and nothing ever broke, how would we realise how good we have it? That line inspired me to write the rest of the record.

Your latest single Meltdown is a bit more upbeat in tempo and different to what we’re used to hearing from you. Can we expect more of that from the album?

No, don’t expect anything else actually [laughs]. It’s by far the fasted song by about 100 beats per minute. I write a lot of songs about feeling anxious but they’re usually ballads and that’s not the tempo of what’s going on in your head at the time, so I knew I needed to write something faster. But, there’s not a lot of that on the album.

When you experience those feelings of anxiousness and unease, does writing help you deal with it?

I wouldn’t say I’m an overly anxious person, but we all have those moments and it could be over anything. In Meltdown, it’s more about knowing that everything will be fine.

When it comes to your fanbase, is it important to try normalise those feelings and show they can happen to everyone, even you?

It’s all relative; feelings like that. It’s the world we live in. It’s becoming more prevalent that people talk about it. No matter what I’m writing about, I’ll always try to write introspectively whilst keeping it as relatable as possible. That’s what we get out of music, isn’t it? We attach to singers who write about how we feel and that can be said for me too. There are artists who I listen to and who I get the same feelings from, too.

Other than your singles, what were your other favourite songs on the album?

Probably On A Night Like Tonight, –I love it. Also, Start A Cult, too. I just love how it sounds really dark but it’s not. I’m sure there’ll be all sorts of theories flying around, but that’s what makes songwriting so interesting — you can have a title that dark and make it the complete opposite.

Speaking of theories, what’s the strangest one you’ve heard?

Oh, if you just sat on Twitter for ten minutes! I’m so used to it now though. I began my career at the start of social media; I’ve seen it all! I couldn’t even pick one out, there’s some mad stuff going on!

We’d well believe it! Tell us Niall, you’re heading back on the road but how do you feel about the new tour?!

Touring is my absolute favourite thing in the world to do, if I could just constantly tour, I would. I haven’t done any shows since 2018!

You’ve played the smallest gigs with 50 people in a room, but then also sold-out stadium tours around the world. Do you have a preference?

Bigger the better! I was nervous yesterday playing that show on Camden St! I perform much better in a bigger room. I love when people can just be themselves and lose the plot at gigs. People just forget about what’s going on in their lives, well not forget, but leave it at home for an hour. I love that.

Obviously, the One Direction reunion rumours never quit, is there any truth to them though?

There’s nothing going on that I know of. We’re still really close, we’re very supportive of each other and we keep in touch a lot. It’s as good as it can be for people who don’t get to see each other very often.

We can see that you and Lewis Capaldi are such good mates, but is it hard to make friends in the industry?

I generally don’t look for them in the music industry. I’ve no interest in just becoming friends with famous people to be honest with you. I think everyone has this assumption that famous people are all friends for no other reason than the fact they’re famous, personalities don’t even come into the conversation. I’d say I have two or three famous friends.

Are you still really close with your pals from home?

Oh yeah! That’s why I don’t really have many famous friends – I don’t need loads of new friends. But myself and Lewis are great!

Is there anyone in the industry you’d like to collab with? We know you’re a Taylor Swift fan, would you ever work together?

Oh yeah! I’d love to! She knows where I am, she’s got my number! I love this new girl, Lizzy McAlpine, she’s class! She has a song called Ceilings out at the moment and it’s unreal. All the women in music at the moment are unbelievable. Maggie Rogers, Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor, I’ve done stuff with Julia Michaels before, Anne-Marie… I think Olivia, Olivia would be great!

We’ve seen a lot of singers go down different paths in their career, would you every think about heading down a different route?

I never thought I’d do The Voice and I’m doing that now. It’s one of those things which just came up. I do struggle on music videos and stuff like that, it’s a lot of stopping and starting and waiting. I can’t imagine doing that for three months shooting a film. I don’t know how good I’d be at acting either or if I can act! If some big director came to me and said, I think you’d be good [at this role], I’d probably get some confidence from that and give it a go!

So you’re not going to appear on Fair City any time soon?

No, you won’t be seeing myself and Mondo! [bursts into laughter].

[mydaroga]

Marianne Faithfull remembered Paul's reaction to the idea:

John wanted them all to live together on an island. I remember him talking about it, saying, 'What has to happen is that all of us, the Beatles ...' and of course for Paul this was a nightmare, the last thing Paul wanted to do was live on some fucking island, whether it was in Ireland or Greece, wherever it was, with John, George and Ringo and their wives and their roadies, and Mal and Neil, all on an island. This was John's vision and they all had to do this. And of course Paul was, 'Yeechhhhhh.' There were going to be a few other people, like John Dunbar. But it was just awful for Paul and I remember him talking about this and saying, 'Well, I guess they'll never get it together.' Paul was really much more sophisticated than John ever was.

Marianne Faithfull, Many Years From Now

It's unclear to me how explicit Paul was with Marianne here. Because in his present-day telling, he's a bit more blasé:

There was some story of buying a Greek island or something. It was all so sort of abstract but the first thing we had to do is go to Greece and see if we even liked it out there. The idea was get an island where you can just do what you want, a sort of hippie commune where nobody'd interfere with your lifestyle. I suppose the main motivation for that would probably be no one could stop you smoking. Drugs was probably the main reason for getting some island, and then all the other community things that were around then - 'Oh, we'll paint together. We'll do this. I'll chop wood.'

I think that if you're going to write a great symphony or you're going to rehearse the greatest string quartet in the world, it's fair enough to cut yourself off. It's just a practical matter; give yourself lots of time and if you're going to do that, then why shouldn't it be in Greece? It was a drug-induced ambition, we'd just be sitting around: 'Wouldn't it be great? The lapping water, sunshine, we'd be playing. We'd get a studio there. Well, it's possible these days with mobiles and ...' We had lots of ideas like that. The whole Apple enterprise was the result of those ideas.

...

PAUL: We went on the boat and sat around and took acid. It was good fun being with everyone, with nippier moments. For me the pace was a bit wearing. I probably could have done with some straight windows occasionally, I'd have enjoyed it a bit more.

So did he think it was a good idea? Did he go along because he knew John wanted it and the best way to get around things John wanted that he didn't was to wait him out? Did Marianne hear him grumble,or did she just infer, and if she could, why couldn't the rest of them?

'It's a good job we didn't do it,' Paul said, 'because anyone who tried those ideas realised eventually there would always be arguments, there would always be who has to do the washing-up and whose turn it is to clean out the latrines. I don't think any of us were thinking of that.'

[absolutely-not-my-main-blog]

My internet provider was straight up playing me before because it took 3 hours to download the ep last week and with the new internet, 20 minutes this week, so anyway I took random notes while watching and just gonna post a couple of them in one hit before scrolling my dash:

1. “Anybody can get a guy to bang them once.” Oh, can they, Dennis? Can they?? Sounds like a man speaking from experience, huh.

2. Jack to Charlie regarding “play dates” together and him saying “You don’t remember,” oh that hurts my heart, Charlie having to repress memories of him. And then the extra creep factor with the fucking ice cream truck, good lord, I’m starting to think Jack murder is more and more possible this season.

3. “Don’t mind my friend, he’s schizophrenic.” “I am, yeah.” I know it’s like a joke here, but I like schizotypal Charlie headcanon so I choose to see this as a win. (Spider in my ear vibes though <3)

4. Dee and Mac asking “why” and “how come” Dennis has a system to get men and him shhing them, oh yeah it’s all coming together, he’s used this system fr, and the truth and something else is gonna come out, baby.

5. Love The Waitress is Getting Married vibes from Dennis helping Mac and Dee on their dates the way they tried to help Charlie.

6. Girl, how did Dennis get that bottle open over that guy, this man lives off of beer and air, he’s a weak, frail Victorian maiden who would absolutely get Mac to open jars in their apartment constantly.

7. MOMMY ISSUES DENNIS REAL. Okay so we’re all in agreement we’re gonna transport Den “back to a time when he was a snot nosed little bitch who depended on the most important person in his life for absolutely everything, the person who inflated his ego, who made him feel powerful but also powerless, the person whose validation he’s been seeking his entire life.” I’m SCREAMING. “The way to make a guy fall in love with you is to make him feel like you are his mommy.” GIRL, WHAT THE FUCK, Freud would like a word, I could write a whole essay on this scene alone, but I’m sure someone else already has, but oh my god they’re bringing up how Barbara’s influence really messed with him, inflating his ego, making him the golden child and holding him up to these perfect standards, but he’s trying to maintain that perfection even after she’s gone and realizing he can’t, making him powerless. He just wants the illusion of power! he doesn’t want to have to work for it this much. Head buzzing with incoherent thoughts but there are thoughts here I may come back to just aaahh.

8. On another note, I really liked their acting in this one, especially the S.I.N.N.E.D. scene, their deliveries were all great, they seemed to be having fun and it was sooo cute.

9. A boy in love with Johnny so he can’t be with anyone else, but Dennis is Johnny, Dennis catfish real, Dennis controlling anal beads real, what fever dream is this fucking episode, a boy in love with Johnny, Johnny dennis Dennis Johnny, I’m losing my mind.

10. “I’m Dennis, I’ve always been Dennis” and Ireland’s “You’re you, you’ve always been you” parallels and Mac’s need for solid and clear labels of identity, but Dennis’ continually vague notion of his own self, and Mac remaining completely clueless this whole season, not seeing what’s right in front of him, the blowing jokes, Dennis and his system for men, Dennis is Johnny, while Dennis is starting to realize maybe what he wants and continuously gets more aware, and it leads to mental health day, aaah idk!! So much!

11. I love how everyone was deep dive analyzing the Frank Dennis scene and it was just him telling him he got anal beads in his ass 😭

12. The chess opponent looks a lil like Donald to me.

13. Full ass blast 😭 I hate how this show makes me insane regardless of that.

[theoriginalladya]

For whichever Shepard you like!

3, 19, 31

I'm in a Caleb state of mind today, so let's see what he's got for ya!

from this list

3. What’s their relationship with Anderson?

Ahhh, good one!

Well, at first, Caleb isn't sure what to make of him. He's angry at having to leave Ireland and while he isn't sure if he's cut out for the military he's willing to try it but who is this guy and how does he know Athair and why hasn't Athair ever said he has a past in the Systems Alliance? It doesn't take long, however, for him to get a read on Anderson and realize that he's on Caleb's side of things. They become good friends, I'd say. Anderson certainly has a mentor type relationship with Caleb for most of their time together, but he's also a conduit at times to see a different side to Athair that Caleb's never seen. Not to say he doesn't have moments where he gets angry at him and wonders whether the man is on his side or not. When they meet up the first time after Caleb wakes up on Lazarus is one - he gets why Anderson is so closed mouthed, but in Caleb's state of mind at the time it's harder to accept. Another when Caleb leaves Earth during the reaper attack and Anderson stays behind. He gets it, but he doesn't like it. But, man oh man, he's devastated when Anderson dies on the Citadel. I think that might be the moment he really sees all the many, many ways Anderson was there for him - the obvious and the not so obvious - over the years.

19. Are there any companions your Shepard just absolutely cannot vibe with or relate to?

Oh boy. Well, come ME2, anyone Cerberus - mostly Miranda and Jacob - because Caleb wakes up on Lazarus only to discover he NOW HAS BIOTICS. That freaks him out on several levels, and the only person he'd trust to help him he now has no access to. He nearly comes to blows with Miranda when they talk about it, too. (later on, by ME3, he develops a friendship with Miranda (Jacob dies on the Collector Base mission), such as it is.)

He's not sure about Zaeed at first, but they eventually develop a mutual respect for one another after saving each other's asses on a couple of ME2 missions.

Everyone else he gets along with fairly well, I'd say.

31. Who can always make them laugh?

Oh boy....

Tali - her enthusiasm for living life always makes him smile and if he's smiling, all it takes is a little joke, pun, or some ridiculous anecdote of her life with the Flotilla to get him laughing with her.

Kasumi - they develop their own unique version of 'hide and go seek' in ME2 using their tactical cloaks. When she can see he's having a rough moment, she'll start a game on the SR2 by sneaking into the loft - while he's there - and start moving things around. Models change places. Datapads aren't where he left them. The fish have been fed twice. Boo suddenly floats through the cabin... That sort of thing.

Coats and Kaidan - after Akuze, Caleb introduces the two of them and whenever they have a chance, they'll meet up, at least for a quick drink at Murph's on Arcturus or something. A drink or two in a good pub with Coats poking fun at him and Kaidan laughing along always will get Caleb chuckling too.

Cortez and Vega banter in the shuttle bay - Caleb understands that level of friendship well and appreciates it. Hearing them talk will bring a smile on the worst of days and laughter on better ones.

Grunt - when they're together, watching Grunt (especially ME2) learning how to live outside of his tank is hilarious most times.

Oh, gosh, what great questions! Thank you so much!!! <3

[ts1989fanatic]

In Dear Diary, the National Post satirically re-imagines a week in the life of a newsmaker. This week, Tyler Dawson takes a journey inside the thoughts of singer Taylor Swift.

Monday

This is pretty exciting! The new tour is going well. Fans are enthusiastic. I get to go to sleep every night atop a mattress padded out with dollar bills.

Swifties are the best fans around, and I can’t wait to tell everyone where I’ll be performing next on the Eras Tour. It’s a good life, travelling around, performing before adoring crowds.

I know I sing in Anti-Hero that I’m the problem, but, really, all I do is make people happy.

Tuesday

I just announced where I’m headed. Twenty-six new cities.

Everyone’s going to love it, I’m sure. It occurs to me now that there would’ve been some nice poetry if it had been 22 cities, instead of 26. Although at age 33, sometimes I feel weird singing that particular song.

Now, to sit back and bask in the enthusiasm of my fans and everyone who wants to see me. It’ll be nice to see the world again and visit Germany and Ireland and Scotland.

Huh, weird, I just saw on Twitter the Australians seem to be getting cranky. Ah well, I’ll check on that in the morning.

Wednesday

Oh no. The people of Perth are angry because I’m not stopping by to play a show. I do have other dates in Australia, though. What’s their problem?

You’d think at this point I wouldn’t care if people were mad at me. But I’ve written innumerable songs about how people have jilted me in the past. I wrote a 10-minute version of a song that had my fans demanding Jake Gyllenhaal return my red scarf.

I may be famous, but that doesn’t mean I’ve got an iron shell around me. It still hurts.

But I guess I don’t really want to have bad blood with Australia. It may be full of horrifying poisonous animals, but the people are nice enough.

Thursday

I just got off the phone with my manager.

It turns out the Canadians are upset, too. So upset that some upstart member of Parliament has officially complained to the House of Commons that I’ve snubbed Canada.

Ungrateful ingrates! I’ve been all over the U.S. Don’t they know that’s a short plane ride away from pretty much any Canadian city?

It’s not like I’ve even spent much time there before, beyond Toronto and Vancouver and Edmonton.

What’s wrong with these people? Everyone always says Canadians are so chill. As if a national hissy fit is going to convince me to come visit.

Friday

As I was falling asleep last night, I came up with a great idea for a song — one about just how much Canada sucks and how much they’re ruining my life.

That’ll be my revenge!

Ugh. I just did a Google search to make sure I wouldn’t be infringing on copyright or something. Turns out South Park did this ages ago. Maybe I’ll just sing Blame Canada at one of my shows.

ts1989fanatic: I know this is satire but that sh*t is not funny at all, not everyone can afford to travel to the USA to go too a concert.

[alittlebitoftruthcan]

‘Osho, is all esotericism nonsense?’

Viramo, yes! It is an escape from reality into fantasy. People are thinking about heaven and hell, and they don’t know who they are. And there are people who are describing detailed maps about heaven and hell. In the temples there are maps available, and these maps are very ancient. Man came to know maps of the earth only recently; just three hundred years ago man discovered that the earth is a globe. Maps of the earth have been made only within the last three hundred years, and maps of heaven have been there for at least five thousand years. But it is easy because you are free to make your own map; nobody can refute it because it is only a question of fantasy and imagination. Jainas have their maps, Buddhists have their maps, Hindus have their maps, and they are all contradictory.

One man came to see me, a follower of Radhaswami and he said, ‘Osho, what do you say? Our guru has said that there are fourteen heavens, and our guru has reached the fourteenth. And he has also said…’ He had brought the whole list: Rama has reached only up to the fifth, Buddha and Mahavira have reached up to the seventh, Christ is only up to the fourth, Mohammed up to the third, Kabir, Nanak, they have reached up to the twelfth—and their own guru has reached up to the fourteenth. The fourteenth is called SACHKHAND—the true heaven. He asked me, ‘What do you say about it?’ I said, ‘Your guru is right—I know him!’ He said, ‘What do you mean?’ I said, ‘Because there are FIFTEEN heavens and I am in the fifteenth! And he is always asking me, ‘Osho, somehow carry me to the fifteenth!’ Your guru is in the fourteenth—I know him!’ He became very angry. He said, ‘What are you saying? You have reached beyond my guru?’ I said, ‘If he can reach beyond Buddha and Mahavira and Krishna and Christ, what is wrong in my reaching beyond him? And when there are fifteen, what can I do?’ I told him, ‘The name of the fifteenth is MAHASACHKHAND—the GREAT land of truth. Your guru has reached only to the true land, I have reached to the GREAT truth!’ These fools go on talking about all kinds of nonsense.

Esotericism is just an escape from reality; it is a kind of madness.

The psychiatrist was very pleased with Sean’s progress. ‘You’re doing fine, Sean,’ he said soothingly. ‘You’ve improved much more than Barry. He’s going around telling everyone he wants to buy the Bank of Ireland.’ Sean suddenly grew very excited. ‘Oh, the ruffian!’ he shouted. ‘I’ve told him a dozen times I won’t sell!’

It is a question of insanity and nothing else—people talking about hells, how many hells there are. Hindus think there are three, Jainas think there are seven, and there was a contemporary of Mahavira, Sanjay Vilethiputta was his name—he must have been a man just like me; I love that man—he said, ‘Seven? There are seven hundred! Your Mahavira knows nothing! He may have only penetrated up to the seventh so he is talking about seven, but I have traveled the whole way. There are seven hundred, and there are also seven hundred heavens to balance!’

A man went to visit a madhouse and started talking with a madman. ‘You seem sane enough to me, why are you here?’ he asked. ‘Well, to tell you the truth, I don’t know. Maybe it’s because I like children.’ ‘What’s wrong with that? I like children too.’ ‘Really? Fried or boiled?’

Once upon a time there was a guy called Urinjibhai Morarjibhai Desai who had become the Prime Minister of India. He was very esoteric. He was inaugurating direct telephone-links between heaven and hell. He called heaven first and talked to Saint Peter for about ten minutes. After that he called a few old friends who had gone to hell and talked to them for a few hours. When he had finished he called the operator to ask the charges of the calls. ‘The call to heaven cost 780 rupees,’ said the operator. ‘The call to hell was fifty paise.’ ‘My God!’ Urinjibhai Morarjibhai Desai said. ‘Why do prices differ so much?’ ‘Well, it’s simple, sir,’ stated the operator. ‘The call to heaven was long distance, while the one to hell was only a local call!’

Yes, Viramo, all esotericism is nonsense—except Almasto’s esoteric questions. She has again asked. She says, ‘Osho, can I ask a few more esoteric questions?’ I love her esoteric questions—they are REALLY esoteric!

First: How many Gandhians does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Almasto, five. First of all Urinjibhai Morarjibhai Desai to hold the lightbulb, and the other four to turn the table he is standing on. This is called non-violent Gandhian revolution! Second: How many communists does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Almasto, two. One to screw in the lightbulb and one to pass out pamphlets. Third: How many Jews does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Almasto, three. One to call the cleaning woman and two to feel guilty about calling the cleaning woman. Fourth: How many EST followers does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Almasto, a roomful. They take turns as the leader tells them what rotten and worthless bulb-screwers they are. Nobody is allowed to leave to go to the bathroom while the screwing is in progress. Fifth: How many Indian mahatmas does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Almasto, four. One to screw in the lightbulb and three to complain about how much better the old bulb was. Sixth: How many BRAHMACHARINS—celibate Hindu monks—does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Almasto, two. One to screw in the lightbulb and one to keep his knee from jerking. Seventh: How many journalists does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Almasto, two. One to screw in the lightbulb and one to give it a surprising twist at the end. Eighth: How many student radicals does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Almasto, three. One to screw in the lightbulb and two to insist it be turned further to the left. Ninth: How many union electricians does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Almasto, thirteen. One to get the lightbulb, one to get the lightbulb to the screwer-inner, one to screw in the lightbulb, one to hold him steady, one to flick the switch to test the lightbulb, one to make sure that the other bulbs in the room will need fixing, one to supervise, one to shout, two to take a coffee break, one to eat lunch, one to nap, one to plot the best way of breaking into the apartment at night. And the last: How many Californians does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Almasto, seven. One to screw in the lightbulb and six to share the experience.

— Osho (Philosophia Ultima)

[bethesdaglitch]

𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐝 - Where is somewhere you’ve always wanted to live?𝐀𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐫 - Can you tell us the most important lesson you’ve learned by yourself?𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐮𝐫 - When is your birthday?𝐒𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐧 - A song that you remember from your childhood 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦 - Eye color? 𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞 - In your opinion, what makes a great relationship? 𝐄𝐥𝐢𝐱𝐢𝐫 - Do you have any nicknames?

Wand - Where is somewhere you’ve always wanted to live?

Oh god there are so many places I wanna live in! I’d love to live in Denmark, if only because it’s supposed to be one of the “happiest countries in the world” or whatever, but I know it’s not that simple lol. I’m a bit of an Anglophile, so England would be awesome to live in, especially somewhere with lots of history. Germany, Ireland, Japan, Scotland—all of those places sound nice too. If I had to just choose one I think I’d pick England though!

Armor - Can you tell us the most important lesson you’ve learned by yourself?

Hmm, that’s a tough one. It took me a long time to learn that everyone isn’t judging me all the time about everything. I am by nature EXTREMELY self-conscious, and I used to feel judged in almost everything I did. I would apologize for everything and keep to myself a lot whenever I was in unfamiliar settings. I don’t know what exactly changed or when, but eventually I realized that no one was watching me all the time just waiting for me to mess up lol. I’m still pretty self-conscious, but I’d like to think I’m getting better!

Centaur - When is your birthday?

It’s coming up in a couple of months, actually! It’s June 12th!

Siren - a song that you remember from your childhood

I’ve told this story before but Weird Al’s “The Night Santa Went Crazy” scarred me for life lmao. I really liked it and thought it was funny but I was like 5 and still believed in Santa so I thought he’d get angry if he found out I was listening to such SLANDER! So I’d only listen to it through headphones on my Walkman bc obviously Santa won’t find out that way lol

Broom - Eye color?

Brown!

Magic stone - in your opinion, what makes a great relationship?

I think similar interests are really important. I honestly don’t think I could date someone who doesn’t like anything I like. I know it seems obvious, but I’ve dated folks in the past who I had very little in common with, and I learned that attraction alone isn’t enough to form a lasting relationship. Does that make sense? I’m typing this at 5 am so I may not be super coherent rn lol

Elixir - do you have any nicknames?

You know I don’t really, come to think of it! My name is pretty simple so… yeah. Wish I did though 🥺

[fxckadoodledoomunson]

Corroded Coffin: Live in Derry [1]

Summary: Corroded Coffin come to Derry for the first time to perform. Will the gang get tickets?

Warnings: swearing, Michelle bullying James

Author’s Note: Set after The Agreement.

Clare was in her room with the radio playing in the background, chatting on the phone with Erin and Orla about university. Well, Erin and Clare was discussing university, Orla was offering Clare coco pops. “I’m in Strabane, Orla,” Clare told them.

“And your point is?” Orla replied, before having a spoonful of the cereal.

Clare was listening to Erin talking about how she doesn’t want to be at the same university as her mother, when Clare heard an announcement on the radio, “In other news, American heavy metal group, Corroded Coffin will be coming to Londonderry for the first time next month.”

“Oh my God!” Clare exclaimed, as she continued to listen, ignoring Erin. The announcement continued, “Singer and lead guitarist of the group, Eddie Munson, announced at a press conference in London, that the band will be adding more dates to their UK and Ireland tour.”

The next second, Clare heard Eddie’s voice on the radio, “After positive responses from the fans, we had decided to add more dates for the tour around the UK and Ireland, including Londonderry.”

“What made you choose to perform there, Mr Munson?” One of the press people asked.

Eddie chuckled, “Well, we know someone from there, so we promised that we would come and visit.”

Clare was at awe as she heard the news, she had quickly put her phone on her desk, ignoring Erin and Orla, and grabbed the framed photo of her dad, as she said, “They’re really coming, Daddy! Your favourite band is coming to Derry!”

On the other line, Erin and Orla could hear Clare cheering. “What’s gotten into her?” Erin asked.

“Probably got herself some coco pops,” Orla replied, before she continued to eat her cereal.

Over the weekend, Clare came up to Derry to meet her friends at the local cafe. Most of the group, apart from Michelle were sitting at the cafe. Clare mentioned about Corroded Coffin coming to Derry. “We have to go, girls,” Clare told them.

“But, I thought you didn’t like heavy metal,” Erin pointed out.

“But this is different. My Da had always wanted to see them perform, but he never got the chance to.”

“So, you want to go on his behalf?” James asked.

“Aye,” Clare nodded, before telling everyone. “My Ma won’t let me go on my own, even though I’m eighteen. Laurie said that she’ll go with me.”

“So, your girlfriend’s going with you, why do you need us?” Erin asked.

Suddenly, Michelle waltzed in the cafe, as she shouted, “Motherfuckers!”

James rolled his eyes, as his cousin joined them. Michelle took some of James’ chips, as she asked, “So, what’ve I missed?”

Erin began to explain, while Orla was sniffing her own hair, before sniffing someone else’s hair from behind, “Clare wants to go and see her Da’s favourite band and she wants to us to come with her.”

“Oh come on, this could be our last concert together before we all go to university,” Clare begged.

“I’m not going to university,” Orla replied, before continuing to sniff a stranger’s hair.

“Whatever, I just really want to see Corroded Coffin, otherwise I’ll just regret it, and then I’ll spend the next thirty or forty years, wondering what it could have been and-“

“Breathe Clare,” James calmly told her. As Clare took some deep breaths, Michelle announced, “I’ll go.”

“Really?” Clare smiled.

“I mean, their music’s not that great,” Michelle began to reply. “But that Eddie Munson is a massive ride. Maybe he can let me go on tour as his groupie.”

“His groupie? Catch yourself on, Michelle,” Erin snorted.

“You can’t be his groupie, Michelle,” Clare told her. “He’s married, and that’s also like elder abuse.”

“He’s thirty-two, Clare,” Michelle retorted.

“Still, I don’t want to have a memory of the leader of Corroded Coffin being seduced by one of my friends,” Clare groaned.

“Fine, I won’t be his groupie,” Michelle muttered, as she took more of James’ chips.

Clare waited for everyone else’s response, when Orla said, “I’ll go. I’d like to smell what the band’s hairs smell like.”

“We’re not meeting them, Orla. We’re just going to see them perform,” Clare retorted, before looking at James and Erin. “I’ll go too. Hopefully I’ll be allowed to film some footage of the concert,” James answered.

Clare then turned to Erin, waiting for her response. “Well,” Erin began to speak. “I suppose I could go, you know, to just so I can write a piece about them.”

Clare cheered, before discussing the concert and how to get the money for it.

After a couple of weeks of doing odd jobs and tutoring the younger students in exchange for cash, as well as asking their parents for some money, the girls finally had enough to buy the tickets. After receiving an advance from Erin’s parents, her mum, Mary began to tell them, “Now wains, I know that you’re excited to see Corona Coffees...”

“Mammy, it’s Corroded Coffin,” Erin corrected her.

“Okay, Corroded Coffin. I know that you’re excited to see them, but I want to make it clear. No funny business with these rockstars, you hear? I don’t want anyone landing back here, pregnant. Is that understood?”

“We’re not going just to get off with them Mammy. We’re going, because we’re supporting Clare.”

“And besides, I know for a fact that Eddie is faithful to his wife,” Clare retorted.

“For fuck’s sake Clare, what are you? His Ma?” Michelle asked.

“Eddie Munson?” Orla’s mum, Sarah chimed in. “He’s married to that Chrissy Cunningham, the gold medalist, is he not?”

“Aye, that’s right,” Clare replied.

“Fuck off! The Chrissy Cunningham?” Michelle exclaimed, before commenting, “She’s a total ride, and she looks cracker with that eye shadow.”

“So, how are you planning on getting there?” Mary asked.

“I can drive,” James replied.

“You should be driving them, you useless shite,” Grandpa Joe told Erin’s dad, Gerry.

“Me?” Gerry asked.

“They shouldn’t be going on their own. What if a polar bear escapes?”

“Granda, don’t jinx it,” Erin said quietly.

“That’s enough, Da,” Mary said, as she was feeding Anna.

“It’s very unlikely that a polar bear would escape like last time,” Gerry told Joe.

“I wouldn’t rule it out,” Joe retorted, as he read his newspaper.

Later on, the gang headed to the record shop where Laurie worked. As they entered the shop, Clare spotted a Corroded Coffin poster, and smiled at it, before turning to see how long the queue was. She froze as she saw how many people were queuing. “What if we don’t get the tickets?” She frantically asked.

“Don’t worry, my Ma’s lighting a candle for us,” Erin replied.

As they waited in the queue, James was reading a rock magazine, as he said, “Listen to this. According to this Corroded Coffin’s interview, the band members were in a Dungeons and Dragons club in school called the Hellfire club.”

“Dungeons and Dragons, what the fuck’s that? Some creepy sex club?” Michelle asked.

“It’s a fantasy role playing game, Michelle,” James retorted.

“Okay, a creepy sex game.”

James sighed before explaining to her, “It’s not a creepy sex game. It’s just a role playing game where you can create characters and go on quests.”

“So, I could create a character who’s a monkey?” Orla asked, before she ate her pick ‘n’ mix.

“Yeah, but you can create characters who are half-elves, and you can be a mage, or ranger,” James enthusiastically began to explain. “And there’s also dice with twenty si-“

“Seriously, James! No one gives a shit about your creepy sex game,” Michelle interrupted.

“It’s not a creepy sex game, it’s-“

Suddenly, the bell rang from the counter, before Laurie announced, “Okay everyone! That’s the last of the Corroded Coffin tickets!”

Most of the customers groaned, while a shocked Clare stood in silence, before bursting into tears, as the rest of the group gave her a group hug.

Later on, the group sat in the cafe in silence. “We’re sorry, Clare,” James spoke, as he put his hand on top of Clare’s. “We know that you were really looking forward to seeing them. Maybe we can try Dublin or somewhere nearby.”

Clare shook her head, before tearfully replying, “They would’ve sold out by then.”

“Well done, dicko,” Michelle said sarcastically to James, as Clare cried, while Erin rubbed her back.

Suddenly, Laurie came in, and spotted the group. She went up to them, as she greeted them, before asking Clare, “Can we talk?”

Clare nodded, as Laurie took her hand and took her to another booth.

Before Laurie could speak, a worried Clare asked, “Is the moment that you’re going to break up with me? Because I feel like this day is going to go from bad to worse.”

Laurie shook her head, before telling her, “No, it’s not.”

She then took out an envelope out of her pocket and slid it over to Clare, before telling her, “Open it.”

Clare picked up the envelope and opened it, revealing six Corroded Coffin tickets. She gasped, as Laurie explained, “I asked my manager if I could reserve some tickets. I told him that your Da was a huge fan and you wanted to experience the concert for him.”

Clare smiled, as she got up from her seat and kissed her girlfriend, before telling her, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

Clare then turned to her friends and told them, as she waved the envelope, “Looks like we’re going after all, girls!”

They cheered, as Michelle shouted, “Happy fucking days!”

The big day had arrived. Clare didn’t sleep very much, as she was up all night, excited about the concert. She had decided to take the bus to Derry, even though Erin and Laurie suggested that she could stay with either of them, and Clare would’ve if her mother wasn’t so overprotective.

Back in Derry, the gang and Laurie waited at the bus stop for Clare to arrive. They had a Corroded Coffin banner ready for Clare, which Laurie got from work.

“Thanks for banner, Laurie,” Erin said. “At least we didn’t have to buy one from Dennis.”

“Hopefully no one will come to the concert with Coded Coffee merchandise,” James replied.

Suddenly, Jenny Joyce and her friend Aisling were walking down the street, when they spotted the gang. “Well, well, well, what are you guys up to?” Jenny asked.

“None of your business, Jenny,” Michelle retorted.

Jenny read the banner, as she asked, “Corroded Coffin? Wasn’t their lead singer accused of murder?”

“He was cleared, actually,” Erin snapped. “And the victims didn’t die, they just...went missing before they mysteriously reappeared.”

“Still, I wouldn’t want to listen to someone who’s into the occult,” Jenny turned to Aisling, and told her, “Right?”

“Oh aye,” Aisling replied. “Like that Dungeons and Dragons game. I read that it promotes Satanic worship.”

“It’s just a role playing game, with a twenty sided dice,” James said with frustration in his voice.

“Again, James. No one gives a shit about your creepy sex game,” Michelle retorted.

“Honestly,” James muttered.

A moment later, after Jenny and Aisling left, the bus had arrived. Everyone got up, and waited for Clare to get off. However, the only one who got up, was an old lady. Everyone scanned through the windows, to find Clare had fallen asleep.

They all called out Clare’s name, with no luck in waking her up, when the bus started driving off. Everyone ran and shouted for the driver to wait, but alas, he didn’t.

“Shit!” Michelle shouted.

“What are we going to do now?” Erin asked.

A few moments later when Clare finally woke up, she heard the driver shout, “Belfast!”

“S-sorry?” Clare answered.

“I said, Belfast!”

“But...but, I thought we were in Derry,” a worried Clare said.

“We left Londonderry a couple of hours ago.”

“What?!”

Clare looked at both sides of the windows, seeing where she was, before she had let out a high pitched scream.

[alexbkrieger13]

Just got back from your home country! Loved Ireland! The green fields and sheep/cows everywhere is really accurate lol I loved the car/train rides. Cork was really nice. I was surprised it wasn’t more crowded when I was there. But I had the beamish and went to the market and had great food. I will say I was disappointed by kinsale, I didn’t think it was as great as heard online. I loved cobh more.

Dublin I enjoyed the tourist things we did(guiness was a fun surprise) . And music and food but overall the city just felt like any other city. It was way more crowded than any other we visited and more than I expected. . But my fav was Galway. LOVED it! Aran islands was beautiful drive for a few hours there. But Galway was great. Nice people, loved the busy area on quay street and around it.

I heard Irish people are very friendly and I def felt that. I’ve seen so my tik toks and stuff saying oh Americans are to friendly and nice and I t’s fake but I felt like Irish are the same. Just a friendly culture where you say hello and how are you as greetings and it’s normal. Every cab driver we had was chatty, the people we met in shops or going out super friendly.

In cork this one cab driver kept telling us how he hated Dublin and be careful and then gave us his number to call if it felt we were getting scammed lol. Just a really nice guy looking out for tourists. I want to go back and go to places in the middle of the country. We basically hit the big cities this trip only.

But funny enough we took trains and buses between cities and everyone was on time lol I’ve followed you for a while and kept thinking ahh be ready for delays or cancelled rides and nope, everyone on time. Had that Irish luck on our side for travel :)

omg love that for ye. yea kinsale outside of peak tourist season can be a bit hit or miss cause a lot of places only open on the weekends i've found the last few times i've been down there on weekdays.

You got lucky with cork cause most American tourists come over around Easter and early May (why exactly them I'm not sure but it's always really busy during that period with cruise ships full of American tourists coming in from Cobh).

We're definitely a culture of talkers.There are a few things in Irish person loves more than a good chat and especially in Cork we love taking the piss out of Dublin.

[blogger360ncislarules]

Ask any of Jonathan Roumie’s costars in The Chosen what it’s like to work with the 49-year-old actor as he beautifully inhabits the complicated Jesus of Nazareth and there are no pauses or loss of words in their response.

For example, Elizabeth Tabish, who plays devoted follower Mary Magdalene—the first person He heals onscreen—praises Roumie’s honesty and credibility. “There are moments where you catch yourself and [go], ‘Oh, it’s really Jesus,’” she says.

Noah James (Apostle Andrew) notes, “Jonathan has set the standard for being a good castmate and partner.” Adds Amber Shana Williams (follower Tamar): “Not everyone is as kind as [their] character, but he really is.”

Roumie, who was baptized Greek Orthodox but later converted to Roman Catholicism (his mother, from Ireland, is also a practicing Catholic), doesn’t take representing the Son of God lightly. Here, he talks about lacing up the sandals and how doing the show changed his spirituality.

The Chosen isn’t the first time you’ve portrayed Jesus. (Roumie played a more classic Jesus in films Heart of Mercy and creator Dallas Jenkins’ The Two Thieves.) How did your interpretation of Him evolve?

Jonathan Roumie: The first thing I did was create an accent that, to me, was at least regional. I grew up with a father from Egypt and Arab family members, and my aunt is from Palestine, so it made sense to borrow it from that. It was a little rougher [originally] than it is now because I hadn’t had a whole lot of time to refine it. But that became my entry into the character. It hasn’t drastically changed. If you watch the first four or five seasons of The Simpsons, Homer’s voice [Dan Castellaneta] isn’t quite where it is now, and all of the voices settle in after awhile. I think I’ve settled in.

I love that you just brought The Simpsons into this interview.

I’m friends with Bishop Robert Barron [theologian and host of PBS’s Catholicism], and whenever we hang out we are literally making Simpsons references and doing Homer impressions. You appreciate greatness wherever you find it, you know?

What kind of conversations have you had with Dallas or others about your portrayal of Jesus?

I think when somebody is cast for a role, hopefully 95 percent of the work is already present in what they did in the audition—or in their personalities—especially with television. “Kindness in the eyes” is something I’ve heard a lot about my portrayal. There are moments when Dallas is just fine-tuning my performance, because he’s very clear about what he wants. Sometimes, I might have an approach and I’ll convince him to try it my way. He’ll be like, “Yeah, that was better” or “No, just do it the way I told you the first time.” [Laughs] You win some and you lose some.

Are you thinking ahead to the carrying of the cross and the Crucifixion scenes that you’ll inevitably have to do?

I think about what it could look like. I have a lot of questions and ideas about my approach to it. But I can’t really focus on it until we’re going to prepare for it because my mind has to be present with whatever the scenes are that we’re doing now.

How do you think The Chosen’s version of His final moments will differ from other portrayals?

We’ve had a lot more time for people to build a relationship with Jesus, so it probably won’t have to be as gruesome as, let’s say, The Passion of the Christ, as beautiful as that was. Mel [Gibson, who directed the 2004 film] took 72 hours, if you’re including the Resurrection, [and turned it] into two and a half hours [of movie time]. We’re taking eight hours every season to tell a few weeks.

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Do fans ever treat you like you’re actually the Savior?

When people meet me, they tend to have a similar emotional response to me as they do the character. They know I’m not Jesus, but they call me Jesus. I’m always looking for ways to make that distinction. I just don’t think it’s healthy for me to try to perpetuate the concept that I am the sinless Son of God, which I am clearly not. [Laughs] So, I try to gently receive the encounter with the spirit of Jesus. I try to do that without saying, “I’m not Jesus and I won’t sign this until you call me Jonathan.” The strangest example of that is when I met the Pope for the second time and he said, “Oh, it’s Jesus.”

Pope Francis recognized you?

The Pope. As a Catholic, I’m like, “Only on TV. Only on TV.” And he laughed. It can be surreal at times.

How has this job impacted your spirituality?

It’s completely deepened my faith and affected my relationship with God. It makes me want to be a better version of myself and the best human being possible. I’ve been put here to play this character for a reason, I believe. And if that’s to allow people to get closer to their faith and to develop a relationship with God, then what more could I ask for as an actor? How many times in an actor’s career do you get an opportunity to have a real tangible impact on someone’s life?