#irish bookstore

[herowneyes]

Lost in the stacks

These photos and all others are available for print, message me for pricing!

[jaimecelesteart]

Some bookmarks I made for The Winding Stair Bookshop in Dublin, pop in and have a look round and maybe pick up a few <3

Trilled to have done some work for them:)

[iishmael]

bought a new book even tho I’m still 3 books behind on my goodreads goals. Help

[afriendofmara]

Ohg the happy emotions I get when I can be a weird little adult at an adult function and its fine

This post made by the grew-up-in-small-town-with-family-being-everywhere-you-go-and-never-got-left-alone-to-do-your-thing-at-adult-functions-but-now-Im-the-adult crew

[thebibliosphere]

Playing GK, and I'm doing a "collectibles" run through Gotham tonight and went hunting for the street art in the West End.

(Sorry for the potato quality; I had to lighten the camera to make it visible in screenshots. Also, image IDs are in alt.)

I was surprised when the descriptor "Born This Way" popped up when I added it to my collection, along with a description of the piece being commissioned for Gotham Pride.

"Aw, that's nice." I thought. A nice little bit of world-building that ties in nicely with Tim coming out as bi and Dick offering to go to Pride with him.

So, anyway, art collected, I hopped back on my bike, took off down the street, and then reversed at full speed because I realized I'd just driven over a rainbow crosswalk.

"Aw, cool! That's a nice little touch. Wait a minute... is that an Irish gay bar?"

"It is! It's a gay Irish bar! Huh... I wonder what else is around here."

So I get off the bike, turn a corner, and start counting the rainbow Pride flags hanging over fire escapes and windows.

"Wait... does Gotham have a Gay Village?"

"Holy shit, they gave Gotham a Gay Village!"

"Wait, what does that sign say under the Pride flag... "The Quiet Escape Bookstore"... GAY BOOKSTORE GAY BOOKSTORE GAY BOOKSTORE GAY BOOKSTORE!!!"

So anyway, yeah. I have 154 hours in this game and only just now found Gotham's LGBT district.

[dyns33]

Family protection

I missed Alfie during Flufftober, I'm not going to lie, even if it was fun

Thomas Shelby was preoccupied.

No, if he was honest, Thomas was just as terrified and furious at that moment, hurt inside, ready to devastate everything in his path, like every time he was told that a member of his family had been targeted.

It had perhaps been a mistake on his part to believe that it was not necessary to monitor Y/N after her marriage. Solomons' men took care of that.

So, when John had called him in a panic, saying that there were rumors about the kidnapping, or even the murder of their sister, he had at first remained frozen at his desk.

Since Polly had brought her back, this little girl from another mother, also abandoned by their fucking so called father, he had loved her. Maybe even more than the others.

The child was adorable. Shy at first, then smiling, with a crystal-clear laugh, asking for cuddles from her brothers, playing with dolls with her sister, and always wanting to be with them.

Normally, boys didn't accept the presence of girls. Poor Ada knew something about that. But strangely, with Y/N, it was different. Neither he, nor John, nor Arthur, could refuse her anything.

She came with them in the streets, in the countryside, in the trees. There were some limits of course, but he had shown her how to climb, jump, run. How to defend herself, if one strange day they weren't there.

Thomas confided things to her and her only when they were alone. The times he slept in the fields, she came to join him. That was often what pushed him to come home, because he didn't want her to catch her death. She stayed there, glued to him without saying anything, respecting his silence like no other member of his family, and for that, he ended up talking to her.

It was a false secret, that Y/N was his favorite. A secret that didn't bother anyone, since she was everyone's favorite.

So Thomas Shelby was preoccupied, because it was said that something had happened to his little sister, without anyone being able to clearly say what.

"She was in a bookstore." Arthur mumbled. "She goes there several times a month, to get books and read to the kids. They like it, she has a beautiful voice. After the session, she often has tea upstairs with the old owner. Men came in, beat up the employees and customers, before going upstairs. Then there was a fire. We don't know anything else."

"And Mr. Solomons ?"

"Haven't managed to reach him. His little assistant says he's… busy."

You'd think the same guys had come to Camden Town to destroy the King's Bakery. Because everything was in a pathetic state, and it was the doing of one man, who shouted orders from his office when he wasn't breaking anything that came his way.

If Thomas was preoccupied, Alfie had lost his mind.

During an important meeting with the Irish, he had let Ollie handle the business, and since the men had to be watched, it was a new kid who answered the phone.

He learned only two hours after his return that a woman had called. Not just any woman, his wife. Who was worried, because there were men in front of the bookstore, whom she didn't know.

She was smart, his wife. His tender Y/N, well raised by the Shelbys. Even if she was normally safe, she remained wary, thinking of looking behind or through the window, knowing all of her husband's employees.

The incompetents who followed her that day had been found with their throats slit in an alley.

Even though his patient was at his limit, Thomas let Alfie finish his tantrum, noting that he had left only the phone and the record player intact, which was playing opera to try to calm him down.

Y/N had disappeared for four hours now. He wouldn't calm down.

"They would have called, huh ? To give their fucking instructions. Or maybe they're scared, they know that my men, the most competent this time, and yours, are all over town, and that as soon as we know who did this, they'll be dead. But… If they don't have her… Tommy, if they don't have her, if she's in that still smoking pile of ashes… I'll burn everything."

"Arthur and John are going to find her."

"Yeah, huh ? You can sense it with your gypsy powers ? Your witch aunt read the cards and saw that my Y/N was healthy ?"

"Not now, Alfie."

Solomons growled, turning his office chair in anger and slamming it against the floor until it was all crumbs. It was only because it was his wife's family that he was acceptinf Thomas' presence.

And for his part, even though he wanted to blow his head off for not protecting his sister properly, Tommy sat there smoking his cigarette, remembering how it had felt to hold Grace in his arms.

When the phone rang, he stared at it for a moment, before looking at Alfie, frozen in the middle of the room, staring at the wall. He wondered if he hadn't heard, before realizing that the wandering Jew was afraid to answer.

It might have been the famous ransom demand, which would teach them that a lot of harm had been done to Y/N, and much more would come if they didn't do what the kidnappers wanted.

It might also have been the coroner, who had finished putting names on the bodies following the fire.

Slowly, Thomas put down his cigarette, before answering.

"… Tommy ?"

"… Y/N ?"

"Give me that !" ordered Alfie who immediately came back to life, snatching the phone from him before finding a softer voice. "Treacle ? Love ? Are you okay ? Where are you ?"

It turned out that despite the lack of practice, taking young Y/N into the woods to teach her how to climb, jump, play tightrope walkers and hide, had been a good thing.

Realizing that something was happening and since her husband was not reachable, she had climbed through the upstairs window on the courtyard side, hoisting herself up onto the roof, until she found a secluded spot to climb down.

Then, not knowing who to trust, she had stayed hidden until nightfall, to go to the closest and safest place from her position, which was her sister's house.

"Faster, Ismael !"

Thomas could have muttered that it would be better to get to Ada's alive, but he only clung to the door handle while the driver obeyed Mr. Solomons without worrying about pedestrians or other cars.

It was also useless to stop Alfie from jumping onto the sidewalk, forgetting his cane in the car to go and bang on the door like a madman until someone opened it.

Calm only returned when he laid eyes on Y/N, settled in the living room and already surrounded by all the other Shelbys who had been called after them.

"Treacle. Forgive me." he sobbed as he threw himself at her knees, his arms around her and his head against her stomach. "I was so worried, love, I thought I was going to die."

"Oh, Alfie. I'm sorry, I wanted to call you before but I didn't have access to a phone."

"I'm the worst husband. I didn't protect you. If my men weren't dead, I'd slit their throats myself."

"Let's try to talk about something happier." Thomas coughed as he approached, placing a hand on his sister's shoulder who smiled at him. "Did you hurt yourself jumping off the roof ?"

"No, I'm fine. Just a little tired."

"Strange clothes."

"Yes, love. You weren't wearing that this morning."

"Oh, I…" Y/N said, visibly embarrassed. "I may have "borrowed" a disguise. And money. And a car."

"She's our lil sis !" Arthur declared proudly, oblivious to the dark looks from his aunt, sister, brothers, and brother-in-law.

Maybe they had also shown young Y/N how to steal, but only once or twice, for fun, telling her that it was wrong, and that she would never need to do that because they would take care of her.

Alfie mumbled in Hebrew, which made her laugh. Probably insults without malice. He only let go of her to allow the others to kiss her before he took her back to their home, returning worse than a leech at the first opportunity.

When he proposed to add some of his men to Solomons' for her next outings, the king of Candem was at first outraged. He didn't bark only because his wife had already experienced a lot of emotions, but he would not let Thomas humiliate him.

However, in the middle of the night, certainly when Y/N was sleeping, Solomons contacted him.

"How many men, and what price ?"

"I'm the one who feels insulted now, Alfie. She's my sister, that will be the necessary number and for nothing at all."

"Hmm… You know, they all have something to say about you, your siblings. All of them, while you take care of them. I know it, I see it, but they are never happy. But not Y/N. No, my treacle has nothing but compliments for her big brothers, and you the first. Tommy this, Tommy that. She adores you."

"I adore her too."

"Hmm. Not as much as me, and so there will be fewer men than mine, but… I accept the offer."

"Glad we almost agree on something, Mr. Solomons."

He did not sleep that night, because Thomas Shelby was a preoccupied man by nature. By business, by his family, by the future and the past.

But as for his favorite little sister, he could have slept peacefully, knowing that her husband was there to ensure her happiness and protection as he had sworn during their marriage.

And if something were to happen, they would join forces, then Thomas would probably kill Alfie to punish him, if the madman didn't kill himself first to join Y/N whom he loved at least as much as her brother loved her.

[loverofstufflof]

Ways to consume Journey to the West (without needling to buy and read a full translation)!

I’ve noticed that a lot of people can’t read the book for a lot of different reasons, so I’ve compiled a couple of my favourite ways of consume the story while bypassing these problems, categorized by the various issues I’ve come across.

Note that this is mainly for English speakers, as that’s the language I default to for translations.

The book is too inaccessible/expensive for me to obtain physically

Journey to the West Research has an entire blog post dedicated to compiling free PDF versions of the book. This includes many languages, not just English.

I struggle with reading text in that quantity

There are abridged versions of the story, my personal favourite is the one by Julie Lovell—it’s approximately a quarter of the original story’s length, and mainly focuses on the most iconic chapters. These versions are also typically more easily found in local bookstores.

I struggle with reading novels in general

The story has been converted into audio form! Here are the ones off the top of my head, each listed with their own pros and cons:

Journey to the West: An Audio Drama Series is an original translation told in a read-aloud format, in which the host, Lin, acts as a kindly librarian reading to a group of awaiting 1st graders. She gives every character a distinct voice and personality, and she’s obviously delighted to be able to share her culture with the listeners. The show used to have free translation notes, where Lin gets to act as a disgruntled translator going on about the intricacies of the Chinese language and historical/mythological contexts, but these now require a subscription to access. This show is the reason why I know how to pronounce these characters’ names.

Legends Summarized: The Journey to the West by Overly Sarcastic Productions is one that I’m sure I don’t need to include (because of how widespread it is) but feel I should because someone is gonna mention is anyways. It’s a very summarized, very sarcastic retelling of Red’s favourite chapters in the book, accompanied by fun visuals and the excitement of someone who clearly knows and loves what they’re talking about. As Red has said herself, this series should not be your only source of JTTW knowledge, as she simplifies it a ton to make it more digestible. Great for people who are just getting into the story and want a general overview, not great for people who want a more in-depth understanding of the themes and other complexities.

Journey of the Monkey King is a podcast akin to a longform, more in depth version of the OSP series. It consists of two Irish comedians discussing one chapter per episode; one of them (Caoimhe) has read the book, the other (MJ) hasn’t. The format is mainly Caoimhe giving a comedic abridged version of the chapter while MJ gawks in horror at whatever absurdity the Monster-of-the-Week presents. Because it’s hosted by Irish people, there isn’t much cultural context given, and some names are butchered, however I do find this one a lot easier to follow in comparison to the Audio Drama Series, and it’s far more detailed than Legends Summarized.

Journey to the West English Amateur Audiobook is one that is on my radar but have not started. To my current knowledge, it is an audiobook version of the WJF Jenner translation, which is notable to me because most of these types of podcasts are derived from the Anthony C Yu translation, so this one would be a nice listen to compare how the two went about handling the text.

Please know that this post isn’t intended to shame anyone into consuming the story; it’s not for everyone! But I’ve come across my fair share of aspiring fans who couldn’t access the book in a way that suited them (including myself) so I wanted to make this knowledge more generally know for anyone else who might need it :]

[rotzaprachim]

some smaller bookstores, presses, and museum shops to browse and know about! Most support smaller presses, diverse authors and authors in translation, or fund museums and arts research)

(disclaimer: the only three I’ve personally used are the Yiddish book center, native books, and izzun books! Reccomend all three. Also roughly *U.S. centric & anglophone if people have others from around the world please feel free to add on

birchbark books - Louise Erdrich’s book shop, many indigenous and First Nations books of a wide variety of genres including children’s books, literature, nonfiction, sustainability and foodways, language revitalization, Great Lakes area focus (https://birchbarkbooks.com/)

American Swedish institute museum store - range of Scandinavian and Scandinavian-American/midwestern literature, including modern literature in translation, historical documents, knitters guides, cookbooks, children’s books https://shop.asimn.org/collections/books-1

Native books - Hawai’i based bookstore with a focus on native Hawaiian literature, scholarly works about Hawai’i, the pacific, and decolonial theory, ‘ōlelo Hawai’i, and children’s books Collections | Native Books (nativebookshawaii.org)

the Yiddish book center - sales arm of the national Yiddish book center, books on Yiddish learning, books translated from Yiddish, as well as broader selection of books on Jewish history, literature, culture, and coooking https://shop.yiddishbookcenter.org/

ayin press - independent press with a small but growing selection of modern judaica https://shop.ayinpress.org/collections/all?_gl=1kkj2oo_gaMTk4NDI3Mzc1Mi4xNzE1Mzk5ODk3_ga_VSERRBBT6X*MTcxNTM5OTg5Ny4xLjEuMTcxNTM5OTk0NC4wLjAuMA..

Izzun books - printers of modern progressive AND masorti/trad-egal leaning siddurim including a gorgeous egalitarian Sephardic siddur with full Hebrew, English translation, and transliteration

tenement center museum -https://shop.tenement.org/product-category/books/page/11/ range of books on a dizzying range of subjects mostly united by New York City, including the history literature cookbooks and cultures of Black, Jewish, Italian, Puerto Rican, First Nations, and Irish communities

restless books - nonprofit, independent small press focused on books on translation, inter and multicultural exchange, and books by immigrant writers from around the world. Particularly excellent range of translated Latin American literature https://restlessbooks.org/

olniansky press - modern Yiddish language press based in Sweden, translators and publishers esp of modern Yiddish children’s literature https://www.etsy.com/shop/OlnianskyBooks

https://yiddishchildrensbooks.com/ - kinder lokshen, Yiddish children’s books (not so many at the moment but a very cute one about a puffin from faroese!)

inhabit books - Inuit-owned publishing company in Nunavut with an “aim to preserve and promote the stories, knowledge, and talent of Inuit and Northern Canada.” Particularly gorgeous range of children’s books, many available in Inuktitut, English, French, or bilingual editions https://inhabitbooks.com/collections/inhabit-media-books-1

rust belt books - for your Midwest and rust belt bookish needs! Leaning towards academic and progressive political tomes but there are some cookbooks devoted to the art of the Midwest cookie table as well https://beltpublishing.com/

[garbinge]

Not Much To Tell

Jess Mariano x F!Reader

30 Day Fic Challenge

Word Count: 1.6k A/N: I've been rewatching gilmore girls and I'll always be a team jess girlie <3

Warnings: All my fics are 18+ regardless of content. Mentions of pregnancy and toxic ex who suggests “taking care of it.” *Want to clarify we are pro choice in this house!!!* All Writing Taglist: @drabbles-mc @justreblogginfics @kmc1989kmc1

“So, Doose's Market is right downstairs across the block, the post office is on Peach Street, bookstore is on Plum, and the bakery is on Apricot Ave.” 

As you stood in what used to be Luke’s apartment which used to be a hardware store office surrounded by your luggage and all your personal belongings, you rested your hand on your stomach which was showing your obvious pregnancy. 

“One more fruit street name and you’d have a salad.” Your voice cracked at the awkward joke but you quickly smiled at Jess’ response. 

“Well I did forget to mention the gas station and Gypsy’s Auto repair which is on the corner of Cherry and Walnut.” 

“Walnuts in a salad, my God Mariano, the years have changed you.” You teased your old best friend.

It brought you back to being 16 in New York and teasing each other, spending all of your free time together. In all honesty, where you were at in life you wished you could just go back to that simpler time. Where your biggest issues were getting Jess to actually show up to school and not mark up all of your books, But seeing how that was impossible, you’d have to make due with what was in front of you. You supposed it wasn’t all that bad, Jess had swooped in and come to your rescue. But when you spoke the words “the years have changed you”, you couldn’t help but notice his eyes move down to your stomach for a millisecond before coming back up to your eyes. 

Yes, the years had changed you as well, although it was more like the months did. You were 6 months pregnant with no where to live, no where to go, no job, just $500 in your bank account with no expectation of anymore deposits to be made. But in this moment none of that mattered because Jess took one worry off your plate. A place to live. 

“You know I remember that one time I came to visit you here.” Your hand cupped your stomach instinctually before moving to look out the window. “You met me at the bus stop,” you pointed to the bus stop in view, “and then took me to the diner and made me a burger.” With that, you turned back to him. 

“Old habits die hard.” Jess shrugged since it was exactly what he just did. Picked you up at the bus stop and brought you to Luke’s. 

“Caesar made me my burger this time.” You corrected him. 

“And with no ketchup smiley face, I have to add.” Jess tilted his head and lifted his eyebrows. 

“Really changed the whole experience.” You nodded in agreement and then the booth of you laughed. 

“So, there really isn’t any food here, and I think the only soap Luke has here is an Irish Spring bar from 2002.” Jess was going to the linen closet to look for anything that resembled a toiletry. “But we have sheets.” He pulled out a blanket and a sheet from the closet on the side that used to be his. 

“Jess.” You interrupted him, you could have given him a funny sarcastic response but you saw how much he was scrambling. 

He was placing the linens on the bare mattress and turned to look at you, tucking his long hair behind his ear. 

“I can go to the store, it’s okay.” It was then when you were grabbing your bag from the kitchen table. 

“You want company?” He was asking, grabbing his keys. 

“Would love that.” You smiled and with that, you were off walking to Doose’s. 

The market was cute and had everything you could need in a off-brand label. Jess was holding the basket for you as you added in food and shampoo. As you two stood at the frozen food section, debating the art of the perfect hot pocket, Luke appeared. 

The whole interaction was short, less than 2 minutes but it felt like eternity. He was talking to Jess about his mom and TJ, something that honestly was too complex for someone who was new to the conversation to understand, but for someone like Jess who not only knew TJ and Liz but also was privy to information regarding their current distress the answer seemed pretty simple to him despite Luke’s clear frustration. His frustration soon turned to fluster because his eyes moved to your stomach. 

It was obvious, he did a full double take. Mid-sentence he looked at you, smiled, greeted you because he remembered you and then went back to talking in a distressed manner to Jess before his brain caught up to his eyes. His eyes moved directly to your stomach and then went wide as his stare went directly to Jess for an explanation. 

It was obvious what Luke was thinking despite his lack of ability to say it outloud. The stutters that left his mouth were incoherent but obvious. It was then clear that Jess was related to him because he matched his uncle’s fluster with his own. Trying to explain the situation in stutters, grunts, confused noises and head shakes while Luke similarly flailed around. 

When Jess told you Luke was willing to give his apartment up for super cheap every month, you had assumed he was aware of your situation but leave it to Jess to leave out any and all crucial details. 

“It’s not Jess’” You interrupted the two men with a neutral voice. “He’s just helping me out in a tough time.” 

Luke stood up straight, confusion still littered on his face but relief starting to wash over it. “Oh, uh, it wouldn’t have mattered, I just– kid doesn’t tell me much you know, never has and still doesn’t…” Luke pushed Jess awkwardly with a smile on his face. “I’ll uh,” He brought his hand up to scratch behind his neck and then brought his thumb out to point behind him and just turned to leave. 

A chuckle left your mouth as you turned to Jess who looked equally frustrated and embarrassed. 

“I’m sorry, he uh, is–” 

“So much like you.” You finished the sentence for him and smiled before turning to the freezer section and grabbing the pint of ice cream. 

Jess looked at you grabbing the mint ice cream and smiled. 

“Toothpaste ice cream really?” He grabbed it from your hand and placed it into the basket. 

“Always been my favorite, you know this.” You moved to the check out lanes. 

“I thought maybe pregnancy would have altered your taste buds to realize the true disgust of it.” He started to place all the items on the belt. 

It was honestly his first time really acknowledging the pregnancy. He obviously was aware of it, but even when he ran into you in New York a week ago he never really said anything about it. He just realized you were struggling and knew he was in a position to help. 

“You don’t really talk about it.” You passed him items from the basket as he placed them down. 

“I figured you’ll tell me when you want.” He wouldn’t make eye contact with you. 

“Not really much to tell.” You shrugged and moved to the cash register as he unloaded the rest of the items. 

“$72.56” The cashier spoke as they dropped the items into multiple bags. 

As you went to grab cash from your bag, Jess moved and handed the person a large bill before you could even get the zipper open. 

“Jess.” You said it calmly, but clearly feeling some way about it. 

“I wanted to do this for you before you got here but I got caught up in Philly.” His eyes were genuine, and you took a minute to decide if you were going to continue arguing or not. Ultimately you raised your hands and stepped back and let Jess pay. 

As you stepped outside with the bags in your hand, Jess immediately came from behind you and took them out of your arms. 

“I don’t want you thinking I’m a charity case.” 

“Do you not remember that you paid for everything when we were kids? Pizza, refilling my metro card, my CDs.” 

“I didn’t pay for your CDs, just lended you the ones I bought for myself.” You corrected him. “Plus, I had a good job making stupid good money for a 15 year old.” 

“Well I have a good job making stupid good money for a 30 year old.” He shrugged. 

“His name was Glen and he was in a band and decided touring was probably more important than this. Gave me $500 to take care of it.” You blurted out the sentence while both of you were crossing the street, although you stopped to let the words flow out of your mouth so when Jess turned around he was a few steps ahead of you. 

“Glen is a really lame name.” He said it so soft, and you knew what he was really saying with that sentence. 

“It was the name of his band, too, The Glen.” You felt the tears in the back of your eyes but you didn’t let them escape. 

“Even lamer.” He nodded. 

“Thank you.” You stared directly at him. 

“Don’t thank me yet, I’m ordering Thai food for us tonight and we’re watching Almost Famous.” Jess was turning around to keep walking towards your new place. 

You picked up your pace to keep up with him and called out, “I don’t know if you want to give the pregnant lady Thai food!” 

[sgiandubh]

Anon rebelde

Como bien señalas en la cena hay matrimonios entonces, que impide que Cait acuda a la misma con el que dice que es su esposo? O ese *esposo solo le sirve de vez en cuando para para calentar los ánimos en un fandom fácilmente caldeable? Ya sabemos que Sam está en Londres así que Cait no puede estar allí y en Glasgow tampoco, esas obras no acaban nunca 🤣

Dear (returning) Anon Rebelde,

Y muy reactiva, hoy. 😉 Como se dice en Chile: 'a ver, a ver/por qué llora esta mujer'?

'As you very well observed, there were couples invited to that dinner. So, why would Cait not be there with the one she says it's her husband? Or would that be that the *husband* is only useful once in a while, to fire up tempers in a fandom that's easily heated? We know that Sam is in London, so Cait cannot be there or in Glasgow, so it never ends. 🤣'

You know I agree with everything you wrote, spare one detail: S was apparently not in LHR in October, when the Belfast dinner took place. I had to go look at my archives and make some sense of the context. And although I am not Marple, I couldn't help but notice last October was a very active networking/promo/shit show month for both of them, as the SAG-AFTRA strike was still not over yet.

Just a short summing up:

October 4, 2023 - C's 44th birthday and another mysterious donation to Project CaiTreena/One Tree Planted. S in NYC for drinks and Departures interview with Sophie Mancini. Fandom gets ballistic speculating - an empty 💩, of course.

October 5, 2023 - S in NYC for the Keepers of the Quaich US Chapter gala, with Norouzi (as I predicted) and Mancini. C's whereabouts unknown - not the US, I suppose. Maybe in LHR, re-enacting that Prophet Song excerpt, on behalf of the Booker Prize?

October 8, 2023 - C spotted in LHR for Harrods Iconic Dining Hall Relaunch hosted by Stanley Tucci, with McIdiot (the only time, that month!). Hullaballo ensues for something very close to a nothing burger. S supposedly in GLA, as shown by FaceTime snippet convo with Amanda Tutschek, Venice Beach topless artist extraordinaire. Date of above FaceTime snippet - unknown.

October 10, 2023 - S confirmed in GLA, likely latergram (IG SS gin pics taken on own driveway). C confirmed in LHR, first by Gareth Bromell, then by Getty Image pics at Loewe Foundation's Studio Voltaire Award. Sans McIdiot.

October 17, 2023 - S signs APUK's Palestine letter, whereabouts unknown (my bet is on NYC/Nevis). C confirmed in LHR at the Portia Coughlan play Press Night/After Party, Almeida Theatre. Sans McIdiot, but with Tobias. LOL.

October 19, 2023 - S on Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show, in NYC. Ring ding ding proves to be a very effective lookie here, not there prop. C's whereabouts unknown, as S's in the October 10-17 interval (Nevis? both? That would be my best bet, and yeah, go ahead and screech. I DGAF).

October 25, 2023 - S confirmed in GLA, despite posting 'from Nevis' the same day and shirtless thirst trap the next day. C's whereabouts unknown? Not really, I should say.

Back to the Northern Irish dinner - bear with me, Anon Rebelde, I am trying to pinpoint a date, here. Begin Again, Jeffers' book that prompted it, was out in the US on October 2 and in UK/Canada and Ireland on October 10:

October was a dementedly busy month for the author, as shown by the excruciating dates of his North American and UK book launch tours (https://www.oliverjeffers.com/begin-again-book-tour):

One of the events surrounding this launch was held at Belfast's Crescent Arts Centre in partnership with No Alibis Bookstore, on October 24. Best thing? He is dressed exactly like in the NYT article pics.

My best bet is that dinner took place in Belfast on October 24, Anon Rebelde or at the latest on October 25 (next to 0 chance, given the identical attire, but let's allow some margin of error to our estimate).

As for Jeffers' position on the Israel-Hamas Gaza War (which, may I remind you, started on October 7), I think this is a very clear statement:

You draw your own conclusions, Anon Rebelde. I am here to try and bring some clarity in a shitstorm, not brainwash you.

Always waiting for your input, which is much appreciated! Hasta luego, hija de la rebeldía!

PS: The timeline game was fucking exhausting. I am not the Securitate, so you won't see me play at that any time soon :)

[herowneyes]

A Scholar's ink lasts longer than a martyrs blood

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[gardenerian]

joy list, ireland edition! coming to you live from auld ireland, which is my ultimate joy. here are some things that have brought my joy while here and also some things i am looking forward to! ty to @whatwouldmickeydo for the tag ilysmmm 🍓🥖🐮

using the atm as gaeilge after six years and actually knowing what buttons to push 💶

trains through the countryside 🚂 access to efficient (mostly) public transport in general is nice lol

brown bread with butter 🍞🧈

wandering through my favorite bookstores 📚

shoving my new books in my suitcase and making my husband carry it around 😇 (also! calling my husband my husband! wow!)

irish air ☘️ i do not miss the hot garbage/pee smell of nyc 🗽 or the huMIDITY

rambles in the hills and along rivers 🥾

connecting with my favorite writers over a pot of tea (or perhaps several ciders) 🫖🍻

randomly meeting people that i am honest to god related to 🤝

collaborating on new history projects ✍🏻

re: the above.... being ASKED for input and recognized for it 💪🏻

tappin my foot at a session with friends 🎻

the light! that strange irish sunlight burst into my brain and shooed out the writer's block ☀️

long dinners and good conversations at the pub by the river 🍽🍺

feeling comfy in my skin and indulging creativity ❤️

punching imposter syndrome in the FACE 🤜🏻💥

tagging some beauties! i would love to see your joy ✨ anyone and everyone is welcome to tag me!!

@gallawitchxx

@metalheadmickey

@heymrspatel

@whatthebodygraspsnot

@howlinchickhowl

@deedala

@darlingian

@heymacy

@mmmichyyy

@too-schoolforcool

@rereadanon

@thisdivorce

@crossmydna

@mickeym4ndy

@mickittotheman

@palepinkgoat

@blue-disco-lights

@mybrainismelted

[the---hermit]

23|12|2023

Today was a good day, I felt motivated and my energy is again quite good, but focusing was a struggle. In the morning I finished the recording of a lecture I missed this week where some people were presenting on different topic. The person presenting was talking about Kant and it was a nightmare for someone with bare minimum philosophical knowledge. In the afternoon I worked on reading a bit of the book I have to study for another class, and again it's very dense and not so easy to follow, but the chapter I am working on at the moment feels a bit better than what I had read so far. I definitely have more background knowledge helping me with this topic so even though I was a bit slow I gained a bit more confidence with the book. I decided to ignore my no studying on Sundays rule tomorrow and work a bit in the morning, since next week I will hopefully be able to schedule a few days of rest and not studying. As for personal life today I met with a friend to say hi before the holidays and as usual it was lovely, she is always a great presence to be around. After I went to a bookshop with her and with my mom and we had a great time. I finally found the last heartstopper book which is exactly what my brain needs right now, and I also found a non fiction book about bisexuality. One of my goals for next year is to read more non fiction that is not uni books, so I am very excited. I am also excited for tomorrow as I plan on visiting my bestie who is finally home for the holidays.

calm hobbit winter activities and productivity:

read first thing in the morning

daily Irish practice of duolingo

finished working on the recordings of the lectures I missed at the beginning of the week

met a friend for coffee after lunch, and we had a lovely time

went to the bookstore with my mom and found what I was looking for (plus a little treat that I decided to excuse as my own christmas gift to myself)

finally picked back up the book I have to study for my exam in January (I read and highlighted half a chapter and I plan on finishing it tomorrow morning)

prepped some food for christmas day (it needs a couple of days of resting to be good so that's why I made it today)

📖: Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Baldree, Nature Human Nature and Human Diversity by Justin Smith

[mixterglacia]

Dumb IHNMAIMS AU Ideas

As always, feel free to use. Tagging me is appreciated, but not necessary!

(this are intentionally silly)

Tumblr AU:

AM and Ted run Tumblr accounts and are CONSTANTLY fighting. AM is a morally repugnant person that always goes for the low blow while also acting like he's in the right. (Has thousands of comments on his kiwifarms thread) Ted appears to be in the right but had a huge callout post exposing him for being a fraud/terrible friend. (Has a small kiwifarms thread.) Ellen regularly steps in because ironically Ted is the one who doesn't know when to quit, and AM gets smug satisfaction out of being the bigger person.

Tiktok AU:

Ellen: Beloved pillar of the community, funny, deeply insightful takes on media, helps break down engineering problems to make them easier to understand. Ted: Booktok, regularly in fights with AM, tends to downplay his own contributions to his issues, gets people excited about reading, brand deal with some local bookstore. AM: Booktok (strong rivalry with Ted) , absolute menace, has very well nuanced takes that are ruined by his shit attitude, doesn't want to be idolized, has a dedicated group of haters that know how much he hates being babied/idolized and they keep a block speedrun record, gets banned constantly (often due to justifiable mass reporting. Once for smoking on live. Several for bullying others, but particularly Ted who he considers a hack.) Benny: doesn't make much content, simple photo slideshows, reposts his whole fyp. Gorrister: a shockingly successful page about whatever strikes his mind on trips, doesn't know much about Internet safety so he's been doxed a few times (Ted catches wind and helps him out), often makes small but sweet tributes to his wife. Nimdok: actively avoids Tiktok.

Furry Time! (Don't be shocked, I myself am a furry) 

AM: Something like an aeromorph or other anthropomorphic form of transportation (I'm not certain what train!sonas are generally called but i imagine he's a train). Ted: Irish Wolfhound. Ellen: Fossa. Benny: Belgian Malinois. Nimdok: Rook. Gorrister: American Alligator 

Theme Park AU:

AM is only depicted through silhouette and a voice on a loudspeaker. He owns the park and has for over 50 years. Ted is a recent hire, working as a janitor. Ellen works the ticket booth, but often helps Benny with repairs after hours. Benny is a handyman, keeping the rides in working order along with the other amenities. Gorrister runs one of the food stalls, often gossiping with Benny and Ellen during their breaks. Nimdok runs one of the carnival games, a ring toss.

Obligatory Coffee Shop AU:

AM is an unpleasant regular. Despite his attitude, Ted looks forward to his daily visits. Not because he likes AM, but because he finds their arguments entertaining. AM owns a dive bar down the street, visiting before opening his shop. Ted is a charming barista, regularly noted as a customer favorite. He can be a bit overbearing. Ellen owns the repair shop next door, Gorrister being one of her employees. Both of them prefer taking their coffee to go. Nimdok is a doctor at a local hospital. He visits at odd hours, often drifting off until his pager goes off and he has to hurry back.

[copperbadge]

Thanks for sharing! I prefer traveling solo for the same reasons you do! :) Do you happen to know any websites or tricks for doing it cheaply? All the budget traveling sites I see package their deals per person based on double occupancy rooms as the default, so being a single traveler typically doubles the price. :/ Hope you have yourself an awesome trip!

Well, I started traveling on my own before the bulk of the internet existed, so I've always just homebrewed it. I don't think I've ever done a package tour. I know people who have, and really enjoyed it as a struggle-free way to see the world, but I tend to have specific and unusual goals. I do know that there is a whole culture of couchsurfing -- I knew someone who belonged to a couchsurfing website and traveled Europe that way for very cheap -- but I've never investigated it.

Usually when I'm going somewhere I have an idea of something I want to see, so that's where I start -- where's the zoo/museum/restaurant I want to visit? Can I stay near there cheaply? If not, where can I stay within transit access? Once I have housing sorted I look at what else is around where I'm staying and the places I already want to go, and I build an agenda from there.

The only site I use for direct tourism research (as opposed to like, Google Maps or local transit sites) is Atlas Obscura, which has an index by region of cool stuff to do. I look at Atlas Obscura to see if there's anything I shouldn't miss, and I also often google stuff like "[region] local foods" or "[region] art museums" or whatnot. Because I don't like driving, I study public transit in the area using Maps, although lately I don't worry as much about that as long as the area I'm traveling to has cabs/rideshare.

The first time I visited Boston, when I was 19, I had heard about the Great Molasses Flood, and I'd read that the best place to see where it happened is from Copp's Hill Burial Ground on top of a hill in the North End. That also sounded cool, and I scheduled a day to start at Copp's Hill and follow the Freedom Trail south afterward (this also ultimately involved me nearly getting arrested for breaking into a cemetery, but I got away). Following the Freedom Trail led me to some unexpected sights too, like the Holocaust Memorial north of Fanieul Hall. I derailed a portion of my morning to explore that, which was fine, I didn't really need to see the entire Freedom Trail and I picked it back up again later.

So for me solo travel is equal parts "Well, I know what I want to see" and the serendipity of discovery. There are a couple of days on the Europe trip where I have at least some free time for resting or rambling as I see fit. Meanwhile, I'm going in search of weird old bakeries and crepes and frites and Carciofi alla Giudia and the random Irish pub in Rome and an occult bookstore Neil Gaiman recommended near the British Museum -- but who knows what I'm actually going to find?

(Hopefully treasure. I'm going mudlarking on the Thames one morning.)

[whentommymetalfie]

Hi! I love your works and reread them regularly for comfort 🥹. After reading your Luca/Alfie/Tommy fic I wondered what your take is on the relationship between Luca and Alfie. Are they a happy threesome or are Luca and Alfie just in it for Tommy?

Nothing greater to hear than this ❤️ I'm so happy they bring yo comfort. And thank you for your question and for giving me an excuse to ramble (this answer turned out incredibly long, bear with me). So, thoughts, which apparently I had many of:

Luca sees Tommy for the first time, and it's like being hit by a freight train. He's never wanted someone more in his life. And on his end, Tommy can't deny there's a spark. In this scenario, I'm imagining that Tommy and Alfie have had this sort of flirtatious, will-they-won't they-thing going on. Plenty of tension and times in Alfie's office when something's nearly happened, but not quite. But Alfie definitely feels that he's got the bigger claim on Tommy (who belongs to no-one, thank you very much. Which is a lie he can tell himself all he likes). So when Luca comes into the picture, it starts off more as sharing. Every other night with each of them. But perhaps one evening when they're all three in the same place, and there's been some alcohol involved, they somehow end up in bed together. (Whose idea was it? That is up for discussion) And, as it turns out, it's beyond satisfying for all parties involved. Tommy doesn't make it out of bed the next day but that's a price he gladly pays, which says a lot. And after that, it happens more often than not.

At first, Alfie and Luca just begrudgingly accept each other, both reasoning along the lines of fine, he can 'live with it, it's just sex, not like has to spend eons of time with this strange man/fucking wop.' It's a price they're willing to pay for Tommy's satisfaction.

Tommy rolls his eyes at their bickering.

The thing is, slowly, this 'arrangement' evolves to something more than just sex (because Luca is a hopeless romantic, deep down. Which happens to be true for Alfie as well, even if he'd deny it under threat of death). And Tommy is not only completely hooked on the sex, but on all the attention and care during and afterwards (but that's not something he'll admit out loud). So it becomes a regular thing, meetings ending up in various hotel rooms -fancy ones, because Luca and Alfie compete in many things, the fanciness of hotel rooms just being one of them.

Then, at some point, Alfie ups the ante by suggesting they meet at his house -nothing like the advantage of home-court- and is quite surprised when Luca accepts (joke's on him, Luca would accept anything if it involves Tommy). All three deny this is a big step towards... well, something.

They still only barely accept each other, Alfie and Luca. Fine, Alfie will admit that Luca is not entirely repulsive. He can accept sharing a bed with him. And fine, Luca is man enough to admit that Alfie's got a certain rugged attractiveness about him, entirely different from Tommy's, but it's... acceptable.

And then, the 'meetings' start spilling over into the next day. Alfie gets up in the morning to make breakfast, for Tommy obviously, but fine, since Luca is there as well, he can have a cup of tea. And some toast, because the bread's just there, isn't it?

And then Luca, when he buys Tommy flowers, or a work by some poet he knows he likes, picks up a book for Alfie, since he was at the bookstore anyway and doesn't Alfie like that absolutely dreadful Irish author? The book just ends up coming with him on its own accord.

And they do find common ground in the fact that they both care for Tommy, and admittedly don't just want to fuck him. Both want to keep him safe, want him to be happy. And both think he's entirely terrible at taking care of himself, so it's up to them to do it for him.

Perhaps one morning, Alfie wakes up after Luca, which is unusual. And before Tommy, even more unusual. After lounging around in bed for a bit, nose buried in Tommy's hair, listening to his steady breathing and watching those long, dark eyelashes flutter ever so slightly, he gets up, gets dressed and goes downstairs. Surprised to find Luca in his kitchen, cooking breakfast, with a pot of tea already on the table, along with the paper. And Alfie also finds that the sight is... not entirely unpleasant. Mutters something incoherent and goes to pour himself a cup of tea, slumping down on one of the chairs by the kitchen table. Hiding behind the paper. Luca sets down a portion of perfectly scrambled eggs and toast before him. Seats himself across from him by the table, long legs stretched in front of him. Without a second thought puts one of his bare feet up to rest on Alfie's knee. Alfie puts a hand around his ankle. Mutters something again. Perhaps about Tommy still being asleep. Looked so precious he didn't want to wake him up, and besides, he could use the rest. Luca hums in agreement.

And neither of them want to admit that this, whatever this is, definitely goes beyond 'begrudging acceptance'

(I also have this half-formed little idea of something happening to Tommy, landing him In hospital where they need to perform an emergency surgery. Alfie finds out about it and gets there first. Luca comes rushing an hour later, unusually disheveled and with a wild look in his eyes. The fact that Alfie is oddly quiet only scares him further, and as they sit there waiting for any news about Tommy, Luca moves a tiny bit closer until their arms brush. And Alfie might run a finger lightly across his knuckles... Many thoughts are had...)