#the last tourist was a really good documentary!

[chadsuke]

Live Action Watched in 2022:

Nope dir. by Jordan Peele (2022)

Prehistoric Planet prod. by Jon Favreau & Mike Gunton (2021)

But I’m a Cheerleader dir. by Jamie Babbit (1999)

Parasite dir. by Bong Joon-ho (2019)

Smile dir. by Parker Finn (2022)

Ticket to Paradise dir. by Ol Parker (2022)

Goosebumps dir. by Rob Letterman (2015)

The Last Tourist dir. by Tyson Sadler (2021)

The Water Man dir. by David Oyelowo (2020)

[ID: Movie Posters of the aforementioned movies. End ID.]

#2022media #nope ofc was good as hell #prehistoric planet fantastic! loved it! #first time watching but im a cheerleader and so good and a rewatch of parasite was mwah #smile was. it was. i didn't like the ending. #ticket to paradise was a movie #goosebumps my kids loved #the last tourist was a really good documentary! #watched water man with my kids and they liked it! #gigi.txt

[wynterhxney]

“First damn time I agree to work with you, Fairchild. This is what I’m dealing with.” People are constantly in the fucking way when they need to work. He isn’t talking crew or cast. He’s talking media. Nobody is really supposed to know their location especially when going out of his way to come back to Costa Rica of all places. One might think after getting sick here during his doc era he’d never return. That’s not Lan. Backing down, giving up? Never on the cards but being here filming an adventure genre using lush locales is important. This joint production with Cosmic Vault Productions and Majestic Studios is supposed to be low key. Not to mention the fact he managed to pull strings to get Claudia in this movie. Filming with his friend is surreal. A nice experience because they haven’t done something like this since his early days. “How the hell did these people find out?”

“A bit of talk I imagine.” Tobias sat in the man’s little cabana without much care. Watching the director work is sensational. Just as passionate as the producer suspected and finally he has him right where he wants him, co production. “Relax old boy. You’re Landon bloody Wynter. The man of the hour. How do you suppose a place like this reacts to a big time movie star?”

Landon rolled eyes. Jesus Chris. Why does he even bother to discuss shit with him? As much as he hated the idea of this long ago, there’s a lot of box office to be had here. “Maybe you should tell me then why we’re having such bad luck.” Changing the subject from local media, tourists mainly causing a problem, Landon never had trouble with the local people. They’re courteous to them and he wanted to be courteous to them as well. “We no longer have our animal expert. My editor’s sick… what else?”

The editor in question being one Quincey P. Pruitt who Tobias himself feels is not a good fit. People should tell Landon being friends with that is not wholly good for one’s career. But who is he to argue? Could hardly get him on board with anything until recently so let’s keep it cordial. “Landon, you realize there’s plenty of qualified people to do that for you. I could do it for you. How do you think I started? You think it all just fell into my lap? Fat chance old man.”

God he really hates it when he calls him old man. Definitely a character and he wouldn’t even put it on him being a Brit either. Tobias is just Tobias. With a shake of his head, Landon picked up his bag. On a day like this with a lull in filming he’s going to enjoy the sights of Tamarindo. At least he’ll be able to figure shit out for the coming weeks. The fact Fairchild had to fly out here is any guess but he’s taking it as serious as him. That’s what counts. “I’m going to get drunk.” The director added, leaving the little hotel, expecting Tobias to see himself out. No explanation either. Everyone else seemed to be having a great time. Sightseeing while they’re postponing due to the fact they’ve lost some key people.

Some might say Quincey isn’t key to this but he was hard up for a job. Haven’t worked with him in a while aka since their last sojourn to Costa Rica. This time Lan isn’t the one sick. Best to keep it that way, what better time than to step into a little café?

Okay maybe getting drunk isn’t on his list just yet. Local food sounded like it was up his alley. What he didn’t expect was a group of men huddled up in a corner speaking about an expedition. The type of thing that would catch any self respecting would be adventurer’s attention. While he was very much an A list celebrity these days, Landon knew where his routes lay. Working on location while he had that treasure hunter fever produced some of his most diverse documentaries. They were unlike his cult classics, exploitation and horrors. They were another side to him. This current film is much like that but on a grander scale. He should be focused on that but overhearing some of this discussion despite them speaking Spanish forced him to look.

“I don’t care who is here.” One of the men let slip. “These primates are ours. We take them quietly. Just as we’ve been paid.”

Landon’s eyebrows knit together, turning his head aside to a waitress. She offered a smile immediately, looking him over briefly. “Welcome to Café Tico. What can I get for you?”

Landon peered up at her, unable to keep a smile off his face. Well, it’s better than looking at Tobias all day.  @violentwxnter | Jane & Landon Flashbacks

#words like violence break the silence. // landon film interaction #you'll be in my heart. // landon x jane #landon x jane. // the days we met #. // tobias interaction #violentwxnter

[rainbowchaox]

Monster of the week rancher au part 4: small things that make me happy.

1. The first time Tango makes Jimmy a bouquet was made of Poison Ivy. He is trying his best. Yes Jimmy grabbed it and now has to deal with his hands being itchy for the day or so

2. Impulses shitty van is the Nokia of cars. It can handle being throw like every weekend by the monster of the week but has the worst engine. Type of car that is on its last legs engine wise.

3. Jimmy and Grian Great Grandma used to be a moonshiner back in the day. And whenever they visit her she always said back in my day but like wack stuff. Ex: “Back in my day we would sunk you in the lake”

4. Jimmy is a western/cowboy nerd. So much that his dnd character he plays in his friend’s campaign is a cowboy. Has a whole ass collection of Clint Eastwood Movies.

5. Tango loves those wack conspiracy and alien/monster documentary. Solely to laugh at it because it’s always so off. Yes he watches documentaries about himself as well.

6. Tango has actual beef with the Mothman. Yes mothman exists in this au and tango is no brain just punch whenever he sees the mothman.

7. Jimmy has to keep a ladder in Impulses van because Tango gets stuck on the roofs of buildings so often.

8. Jimmy is a Eagle Scout and is lowkey bullied by the younger Boy Scouts. But at the same time the small kids will beat up others for their weird teen.

9. Jimmy is definitely a flannel bisexual. He always is wearing some sort of flannel overtop.

10. Jimmy mom always wins the community baking competition with her special Apple pies. No one knows her secret why they taste so good.

11. Tango has gotten his hand stuck in a Pringle can. Jimmy had to olive oil it out for him.

12. Scar has wore a overcoat and was like “Whata ya buyin” but instead it’s like potions and crystals. The teachers thinks he is selling drugs tho.

13. When Tango is really happy his purrs are so loud it shakes the room he is in like a earthquake.

14. Tango loves to be fully human but when only Grian is looking at him (especially when he’s over at their place for dinner) loves to show off slight monstrous traits. Like blinking with a second eye lid or smiling with way too much teeth.

15. Jimmy does know how to hunt but boy it took him forever for him to get a squirrel to present to Tango as a token of his affection. He is trying his best to monster flirt.

16. Tango because he doesn’t know how to human flirt does present dead animals usually deer to Jimmy as a way to flirt.

17. Tango is surprisingly rich af. It’s just he had no concept of money before meeting Jimmy and his human friends. He stole so much from campers and hikers.

18. Tango got manipulated into joining journalism once he went to the school as a student. And everyone in said journalism class is wanting to do a piece on him as the red stalker. But no one believes he is the red stalker even when he plainly admits that fact.

19. The fact is the one high vampire that can infect others in town is literally decades worth in debt and lives in the attic of his shitty tourist plus secret pawn shop trap. (Vampire Scott my beloved)

20. Tango doesn’t pass the mirror test. He sees his reflection he thinks it’s someone else. On his bad days he may try attacking the stranger. Tango is a feral good boy. But I never said he was smart.

#team rancher #rancher duo #monster of the week rancher au

[bisexualshitwholovesshakespeare]

Ask game

I was tagged by @drakenhert and I am very grateful although I have no idea how this works. Thank you, sweet friend <3

Questions:

Favourite colour: Probably yellow, but not neon. I like canary yellow and colours similar to it. Truly, I just love colours. You should see my wardrobe, it's filled with it.

Last song: Abandon the hospital by Everybody's Worried About Owen. Something about that song makes me go wild. Other recommendations: One October by Dom Fera, Evil Men by The Taxpayers, Ængus, The Prize-Winning Hog by The Toxhards.

Last movie: "Dzień Świra" (Day of the Wacko) dir. Marek Koterski. It can tell you all about Polish people in a satirical and ironic way. I think we all can relate to Adaś, the main character, a middle-aged teacher who is also an amateur writer. He faces the everyday life with difficulty, but who doesn't?

Currently watching: I don't have time to watch anything right now, but I watched Shadow and Bone like two weeks ago. Does that count?

Other stuff watched this year: The World Without End (great medieval drama, highly recommend), Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities (horror, not that scary but fascinating), The Nevers (science-fiction, my favourite show of all time, women <3), Dark Tourist (documentary, a guy visits quirky places)

Show i dropped this year: The Good Doctor. I was just too sad watching it.

Currently reading: Ulysses Moore #6 (idk the title in English). A really nice comeback to my childhood. Nostalgia and all that stuff. What I was surprised by is that even though I am not a child anymore, the language of the book is not boring at all.

Currently listening to: At this moment right now, Dirty Imbecile by The Happy Fits. But in general it varies, from Midwest emo to Pitbull, so that's not a good question.

Currently working on: My first ff. I am obsessed with it and since June, I have written more than 60k words. Although, I don't think anyone would be interested in reading it because, as my cousin and one of my friends said "The fandom has 7 people, you are one of them, three are your friends, two are actors who played in the show, and one is some mysterious person who is there for some unknown reason." If anybody's interested, I can send a link, but i don't know if you'll get it without watching the show (or more like truly get it).

Current obsession: The Nevers. This is my Roman Empire. I think of that show 24/7 and I will think of it until the day that I die. Just please go watch it, it's really good. Even better the second time because you get some new references.

Thank you all for reading this. It was really fun to do. I will tag few people but feel free to do it if you want to.

@1-lamentis

@ichesserosinen

@choklitfroggie

@kickedbucket

@justanerd

@vincentvixen

You guys don't have to do this, but I just know you see my blog from time to time, so if you want to do this, I would be honoured to find out something about you

#my post #personal

[itstimetodrew]

Do you have Willem Dafoe movies to recommend? I've only seen Finding Nemo and Spiderman. 😢

OF COURSE!!!!!

Those are both excellent films though. Hot Fish and Goblin Mode...classics.

In the same circle of 'fairly mainstream movies that aren't gory or sexy' I'd recommendddd

Togo - Dog movie!! Hearing it was a Disney+ launch title made me skeptical but it's really good. Beautiful scenery, cool story (about the real 1925 sled team that was largely forgotten since Balto is the dog that crossed the finish line to deliver a lifesaving medicine) and REAL dogs! No petting motion capture actors. I watched this last winter and will be doing so every winter going forward. :)

Mountain - 2017 documentary he narrates. If you want to spend a little over an hour enjoying our world's Amazing Beauty set to classical music, this is for you. Really stunning shots to just sit and absorb. If you want even more then you can also watch River from 2021. Same deal, different aspect of nature!

Fantastic Mr. Fox - Quirky and fun stop motion animated movie! Very funny, but also very heartfelt and charming. Wes Anderson (the director) has a very particular visual style and deadpan humor. If that's up your alley I'd also highly recommend The Grand Budapest Hotel (which is my fave film of his but I feel like suggesting these two will make fans of his roll their eyes like 'wow, how original...🙄' but they're crowd favorites for a reason)!

Purely as a personal favorite, I'd also recommend The Florida Project. It's not a happy movie, it focuses on kids growing up in and the community around a rundown motel not far from the tourist-filled utopia of Orlando and Disney. Lots about poverty, homelessness, the overall class divide in the US, but also how kids still find joy when their families don't have many resources. There's scenes dealing with abuse/neglect but it's usually offscreen or implied, not an in-your-face distasteful way. also Willem is Just Some Guy in this one but he's so attractive, like I have never wanted someone more for just sitting at a computer with reading glasses on. how does he do it.

I could keep goingggg like you want a halloween movie? I got that. Shitty movie to watch with pizza and drinks? So many. BUT then you can just come back for more recs hehe :)

#anon ask #i watch movies all the time.. if you wanna watch a movie together PLEASE I got my little private streaming room and links to everything 🥺 #especially...for HIM....

[cdyssey]

Since I know the conference episode is about to make us all feral, I thought it would be fun to talk about the conference I just went to in case anyone needs some inspo. for fics!!

The conference I just went to was a writing center conference, and I road-tripped with two of my friends to the hotel. We had lots of fun, listening to the specific playlist someone made ghffvgh and daring to check out how cringe our Spotify blend was! We also stopped at a tourist trap before we got to the hotel and happily dicked around.

That first night at the hotel, I had to stay in their room because rooms booked up quick! Afterwards, I stayed in my own place because I sleep better alone and need to have some solitary time to recharge. But still, we had a lot of fun!! We brought our own booze (bc the hotel bar was stupidly expensive) and snacks, though we ate dinner at the hotel’s grill. We explored the hotel and checked out the meeting rooms where conference panels, presentations, etc. would be. (The hotel was REALLY BIG, so the conference was held in it!) We caught a movie in the hotel’s theater and laughed at how unintentionally campy it was. And that night, we stayed up watching a David Attenborough nature documentary series. We all accidentally fell asleep before turning it off QKWNSNS, so I woke up at 1AM to a jump scare of hearing David’s voice still going.

The next morning, the conference officially began, and we went to get our name tags and packets from the registration desk. (The packets basically just have the conference program, lists of places to eat around the city, and other useful information.) In one of the ballrooms, they were serving free coffee and pastries before presentations began in earnest.

With conferences, you look at the program and read descriptions for presentations, round tables, or panels that are going on at different time slots, and you go to the ones that sound most interesting to you. Sometimes, my friends and I would split up and go to different sessions, so we were all learning different material, and we could compare notes later! Sometimes, we went to the same ones. Regardless, it was all so fascinating, and I was enthralled by the hundred of new ideas I was getting from presenters! I’m an assistant director (as is one of my friends, while the other is a program administrator), and after sessions, we were constantly talking about how to implement suggestions we’d heard into our own writing center.

Presentations and the like usually last ‘til around 4, and then they have some sort of closing social event. That night, it was some sort of meet-and-greet, which I skipped out on to go check into my own hotel room and rest up because I was all socialed out. The friends and I ordered a pizza that night and mostly just hung out in one of our hotel rooms.

The next day was more of the same, attending presentations and other events. For instance, there was a great lunch in a big ballroom where Italian food was catered, and they had a live band. The entire group from my university’s writing center sat together and hung out! The lunch ended with a keynote speaker assuming the podium and giving a thirty-minute lecture emphasizing how standardized grammar excludes vernaculars!! It was excellent! (Most, if not all conferences, have keynote speakers, who are like the headliners of the conference, and they lecture on something exceptionally relevant to the theme of the conference.)

That evening, there was a state-specific meeting that my writing center director chaired remotely from Zoom! It was a good chance to network with folks from other writing centers in the area. Because really, alongside learning from fellow scholars, that’s definitely what a conference is all about, networking with people outside of your university! Lol, there was also a grad school mixer that night that I actually went to for the free drink and because I’d hit it off with a couple of folks from a different university. We just talked about different things we did at our writing centers and exchanged ideas.

The next day, the last day of the conference, it was my groups’ turns to present! I helped to moderate a roundtable on tutor bonding at 8AM, which is a bad slot, lmao, because no one is awake yet, but the people who were there were very engaged! I was super nervous at first because this was my first time presenting at an academic conference, but once I got going, I chilled into myself more! I was talking about how I’d set up a Discord for our writing center, and one person was super into it!!! They made one for their writing center because of it!

At 12, I was also a part of a panel about inclusivity in the writing center! This one, I was way more nervous for because it was better attended AND more formal than the roundtable, but same idea here. Once I got going, I was fine! I did the intro and the practical applications at the end, while my friends covered the middle sections. It went really well too, and there was a lot of interesting discussion afterwards.

Before we drove home, everyone from my writing center stopped and grabbed lunch from a very cool pub, and then we were on the road again. I was silent for at least an hour, just completely socially exhausted, lol, and my friends were clearly tired too. It was a great experience, but you really have to be at your most personable for so long!! I’m glad that I got to experience it, though. It was a genuinely wonderful time.

Can’t wait to write one room, possibly one bed Work Wives conference fic. 🥰

#maggie blogs

[musicismymoirail]

Oh! So, @glitterdustcyclops tagged me in this tag game. Let’s go!

Last song: My Chemical Romance's Danger Days was the album, definitely, and I think I stopped around Summertime. I've been on a Green Day and The Pillows kick lately, but today just felt like a good Danger Days day.

Currently watching: No shows, I don't have cable downstairs so I've mostly given up watching shows. ^^;; I've been putting on BobbyBroccoli's  documentaries on for background noise lately. If you like well-made docs especially about science scandals and controversies, I'd highly rec them! They’re super entertaining~~ If not, FLCL? Was the last show-show I think I watched? o: 

Currently reading: Mhm. I was rereading Breakfast of Champions a few weeks back, but I've been more into games and art lately. u__u;; I'll happily take any recs tho! I do miss reading, but I do hate looking for new ones too.

Current obsession: Our Life! It's a fun (and free with some extra paid DLCs) visual novel/game about growing up in a sleepy tourist beach town in California. It's very sweet and feel good, and I really enjoy the characters. I have been playing it for like ...aaaah, off and on for a year? Now?? I think??? But Baxter's DLC dropped last month and has just overtaken my head. I've been having fun exploring his and Coey's little weird relationship in my spare time with lots of doodles and little fics. c:

Tagging. Mhm? Anyone who would like to do ramble about some currents? o: I don’t know anyone who would like to do a tag game, but please consider yourself tagged if you’d like and no one else. :D

#gabe stfu

[azvolrien]

Jordan - Day 5

           Today we visited PETRA.

           If that doesn’t pique your interest for this entry, nothing will.

           The day didn’t start very auspiciously. We made another early start – even earlier than the last two – in order to leave the hotel at 6.30 and reach the Petra visitor centre for its opening time at 7. However, we then had to wait at the gate – with hundreds of other increasingly-impatient tourists – for more than an hour while a convoy of armoured cars and police vans drove back up the access road out of the site, some of them toting gun-turrets. I never got all the details of what was amiss, but according to Reem some people wanted by the police had been found on the site, apparently necessitating a great deal of armed backup to bring them in.

           The gates opened eventually, not too long after was scheduled, and the herd set off down the road with a cheer. Some people stopped to take a horse-ride into the city, but all of our group went on foot. We stopped to get our first taste of Petra at the Obelisk Tomb a little way outside the site proper, across the access road from the mysterious God Blocks – as the group of odd free-standing cuboids hewn from the rock are called; also known as the Djinn Blocks – before we set off for the Siq.

           The canyon into Petra would be a wonder all on its own without any help from the Nabataeans. The mini-siq at Little Petra utterly pales in comparison. The access road winds its way through the narrow, meandering cleft in the rock, cooled by a pleasant breeze and shaded from the sun by the wind- and water-eroded near-vertical cliffs to either side. The cliffs tower unimaginably high above the road – the only place I’ve been that made me feel any smaller was the Grand Canyon, and that was in 2003 so I actually was a bit smaller – and are striped in layer upon layer upon layer of every conceivable colour that sandstone comes in, from subtle greys and warm yellow-duns up to the dusky pinks and reds that we really associate with Petra, with the occasional streak of hard volcanic black. Even within each layer, the flowing lines of fossilised ripple-marks make sure no one surface is totally homogenous.

           You can tell I studied geology.

           More Nabataean carvings appear as the Siq snakes on, mostly water-troughs and little shrines but also one big relief that once showed a man leading a string of camels but is now reduced to a few disembodied legs. After about twenty minutes to half an hour (depending on walking speed) you round the corner out of the Siq and are faced with probably the most iconic sight of Petra, the huge rock-cut portico of the Treasury, or Al Khazneh to use the Arabic name.

           Al Khazneh is a familiar sight these days, appearing in countless films and documentaries, but pictures – even moving ones – cannot possibly capture its full effect. The tomb – for it is a tomb, not a treasury or a palace – is staggeringly huge, looming so high above the tourists thronging around its base that it’s pretty easy to get pictures of it without anyone blocking the view. I was glad for our early start (not a phrase I thought I’d use), because the site was still relatively quiet by the time we reached Al Khazneh; it was much busier on our way back later in the day.

           Further along the track, as paving gives way to soft pinkish sand, Petra’s Roman-style theatre sits at the edge of the city’s great central basin. It’s not in such good nick as those in Amman or Jerash as its seating area has suffered more weathering, but the rock-cut bowl of it is still impressive to see. A spot called the High Place of Sacrifice sits on a flat-topped pinnacle above the theatre and we considered detouring to see it on the way back, but ultimately decided against it as ‘High Place’ is if anything an understatement and we couldn’t stomach the climb.

           The group stopped for a brief look at Qasr Al Bint, one of Petra’s central temples and one of its only (mostly) surviving free-standing structures, i.e. having been built rather than carved. We then scattered for a few hours of free time, under instruction to meet back at the visitor centre at 4, and Mum and I made for the trail up to the Monastery (also actually a tomb).

           This was why we were too tired to climb to the High Place on the way back. The Monastery was quite high enough for one expedition. The trail doesn’t look all that long on the map, but the map does not account for the distance vertically. It probably covers about the same length horizontally as from Al Khazneh to the central basin, but just keeps. Going. UP. Some people had hired donkeys to ride up, but it didn’t look very safe so we kept going on foot. A simple rising slope might have been less strenuous, but the trail to the Monastery is mostly stairs, and not particularly low or even ones either. An Inca message-runner would have been out of breath by the top.

           It is, however, worth the climb. The Monastery is not dissimilar in design to Al Khazneh with its columned Hellenistic façade, but is carved to an even bigger scale rearing 45m above the courtyard in front, with deep-cut statue niches in place of Al Khazneh’s bas-reliefs. The niches are empty now, if they were ever filled at all, but the statues they could have held would have been colossal.

           We found a quiet corner for a snack before heading back down to the basin, making a short detour off the trail to have a look at the Lion Temple (also actually a tomb) before stopping for lunch at the picnic tables beside the Nabataean Tent Restaurant. We then had a look around the Great Temple neighbouring Qasr Al Bint (actually is a temple, likely devoted to the chief Nabataean god Dushara) and, pretty tired by this point, walked slowly back to the visitor centre to see the Petra Museum. It’s not a huge museum, but houses a good range of artefacts rescued from the elements on the site and does a better job of explaining Petra’s history than the interpretation panels in the city itself do.

           It doesn’t take long to go around the museum, so we met with the group at 4 as instructed and returned to the hotel for a break before heading back out for tea at a local restaurant. I had a camel burger which was pretty good, but couldn’t finish the accompanying chips. They were pretty good too, but they serve really big portions here.

           A few of us then took a taxi back to the visitor centre to visit Petra by Night ™. This was essentially a candlelit walk back through the Siq to a bit of a light show at Al Khazneh and I wasn’t sure it totally merited the 17JD admission fee, but it was still pretty atmospheric watching the upper levels of the tomb slowly light up in silver as the moon rose over the mountains.

           The Siq in daylight is a welcome refuge from the sun. The Siq at night is a great place to twist an ankle despite the paper lanterns marking out the trail, but we made it back to the hotel relatively unscathed, mercifully not with such an early start tomorrow.

           ‘Petra’, by the way, is what the Greeks named it. To the Nabataeans, it was ‘Raqmu’.

#holiday diary #jordan #this is the petra one

[rhonddaandallaneuro]

Arriving at Johannesburg airport early Saturday morning no surprise there was nothing around. The airport is old and obviously built for when larger events occur. One seems to walk for ever to get to immigration which is really here just an honour system. Catching a taxi to our motel involved a long walk to our car which was located in the biggest car park anywhere we have been. Trying to get a taxi with a metre impossible even though you are promised by the tourist desk that you will get one.

The drive to our motel took no more then three minutes but without a metre costs R$250 plus tip. Everyone expects a tip here. Guess they will have to get used to us Aussies. Haha

The motel, Premier Inn, we are in is a beautiful fortress with an ambience to die for. It is beautiful but one clearly understands you do not go outside our walls, which are three metres high with an electric barbed wire fence above. More security guards then office staff. Our room is huge and we are on the seventh floor over looking the old Johannesburg.

We had to wait for our room but have been known to wait in worse places as we sat beside the pool. A security guard checks in every fifteen minutes. Once in our room a nanny nap was in order before showering and heading to the bar. The beer is icy cold, wine great and food good. All meals are buffet here and well worth the cost.

Not wanting to waste any time on Sunday morning, Allan went for a walk in our prison/oasis car park. It is 150 metres long so one feels like he is a prisoner. From here a great breakfast where a boiled egg is a delicacy and you can put “yum yum” on your toast. Still not sure what it is and no immediate plans to try.

The tour guide turned up at 8:30am grouping us with a party of nine from a multitude of countries. It was great and one that anyone coming over must place on the bucket list.

First stop was Apartheid House which is part of the Nelson Mandela museum. This place you could spend an entire day in reading and watching the screens with raw footage on display.

Apartheid existed in South Africa for 40 years and the atrocities were horrible. The Africaners/Dutch treated the black population with complete contempt. We heard stories where 600 students and children were killed and over 1500 shot at one protest with many dead bodies being loaded on to trucks and taken away so no proof of the event could be found. To this day these bodies have still not been identified.

A quick drive through the old Johhanesburg with old gold mines in abundance and deserted business everywhere. The bulk of all major business now operates from the new Johannesburg. The dirt mounds from the mines so high in places that you can not see the 90,000 seat stadium built for the World Cup.

From here to Soweta which has changed over the last 30 years. There are still families living in tin structures next to a modern R$6,000,000 house. The area in parts exactly as we witnessed in television documentaries but given the location so close to the new Johannesburg the land is now expensive.

The original dwellings which cover kilometre after kilometre with no electricity water nor sewerage still exist with goats and cows running around. I did notice no dogs and cats. It seems living in in a tin shed with a family and other relatives is better then no place at all.

Our driver explained how corruption was rife over here with houses having been built still empty due to the internal disputes about who gets what. Very sad

The more opulent areas as you drive have at least one beggar on every corner. Children holding cups, not a pleasant thing to see. The roads are fair to great depending on where you live so I am guessing another 30 years will be needed to fix most issues.

Moving on we were taken to a lot of houses that Mandela and his family own or lived in, some mansions, others modest. The people walk the streets non-stop but seem happy in their lot. Finally we stopped for lunch at a restaurant in the Soweta district that was close on five star quality.

Rhondda and I both decided to eat local food so ordered a lamb dish with dumplings. The tastes within the dish were amazing however what we call a dumpling far from what we received. As I said the main course was amazing but after talking it over later realised we had been eating lamb intestines. The textures of the chewy bits giving it away. Hahaa

Finally back in the bus off to Constitution Hill, which is the home of all things good about the future rebuilt from the bad past. Seems the bricks used to build the new government structure were the bricks from the infamous Kruger Castle prison.

The tour through here displayed the cruelty of the Dutch bordering on what we have witnessed when visiting concentration camps in Europe. Disgusting that any man can do what they did do another man. As the Germans blamed the Jews the Dutch blamed the indigenous persons of this beautiful country. The Germans used gas the Dutch used starvation and abuse. No difference in my opinion.

[daycirrus0]

Travel Guide - Suggestions To Having A Excellent Trip!

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#travel

[elius-learns-to-write]

Beach Day

Hey Besties <3, I plan on getting 3 more posts like this out today as I know I haven't been the most active this week, then tomorrow there will be 2 more out so it means I have posted 7 written works this week. So keep your onions peeled. (the amazing writer @sapphireplums gave me so much inspiration to write with their kind words so you should give her a follow).

Summary: The avengers get their toes in the sand and their swimsuits on.

You had all been working for what felt like 200 years 

With missions and paperwork none of you had seen each other properly 

So an hour of brainstorming you came up with the genius idea of a beach day 

You decided to put the idea to Fury so he could clear everyone's schedule 

However it took a lot more convincing than you had expected

You shivered under the mans watchful gaze, you never really understood documentary presenters when they talked about the look of fear in some poor mouse's eyes as it was scooped up into the talons of some large bird, that was until you met Fury, you were sure you had the same look in your eyes right now. You shifted in your seat as he began to talk again, “So you want me to let the world's protectors go off duty for a whole day just so you can go running across some sand and take a swim in salty water? Even though if you wanted to get sand in your hair I would happily get you a bag of it?” he asked a hint of amusement in his voice, pausing his pacing to quirk his eyebrow at you. When he worded it like that it sounded stupid but you knew you all needed a break and you weren’t about to give up “I wouldn’t phrase it like that but yes sir that is in a way what I am asking, look we haven’t been together as a group since the last big team mission a month ago and I can’t remember the last time we spent a day together. Please?” If you can’t get someone to agree by simply asking them then tug at their heartstrings and beg. Those had been the wise words of your grandma Jo and it seems that they had been true “Fine you get 1 day then it’s all back to normal”

After convincing the terrifying director you had taken the idea to Tony as he was going to be the one paying for it 

It’s not like he doesn’t have enough money to give some to his friends (and even more to charity but that was an idea for another day)

Of course the man more than happy to splash some cash to see everyone have fun together (and in a swimsuit)

The morning of the trip had been stressful and chaotic to say the least

“DOES EVERYONE HAVE SUN CREAM?” the captain's voice boomed over the noise of zippers shutting, the music from the beach day playlist Tony had made and the excited chattering of the team. “Yes Captain safety first I have enough bottles in the car to last at least 20 years because unlike Y/n I actually know how to take care of myself” the genius quipped laughing at the offended noise that fell from your mouth, “at least I’m not going grey old man” you muttered wandering around trying to find the bucket and spade you had brought down stairs. “Hey as anyone who has seen my Bucket and Spade I can’t seem to find it” you called out rummaging through the colossal pile of bags “No, are you sure you brought it down doll?” Bucky spoke, looking round in confusion not remembering seeing you bring it down. If you weren’t so caught up in looking for your sandcastle building tools you would have laughed at the ‘lost tourist’ look on his face. “Yes I’m sure,” shoving bags with more aggression eager to find it “is everyone sure they haven’t taken it” you stopped to look at the group, cheeks tinted pink from the force at which you were moving bags. “Yes , we’re sure now get downstairs and in the car I’ll get you one when we get there” rushed Natasha, her red hair a nice contrast to the dark denim shorts she had on, “if we get there” whispered Sam making Thor laugh as he attempted to pick up 3 bags at once.

Anyone would have thought you were going on a 5 day holiday with the amount you had all tried to shove in the back of the mini-van you all chipped in for one year at Christmas for this exact reason

The seniors of the group ( Iced Americano and The metal armed man with no plan) were confused on why you needed to take this much but you and Wanda were insistent that you had packed the essentials 

(Okay maybe the hats, 5 bottles of sun cream and armbands and floats for the poor swimmers of the pack had been slightly unconventional for a day at the beach but it’s better safe than sorry right?)

The drive was also very chaotic

You hadn’t realised how uncomfortable the seats had been until you were forced to spend 2 hours stuck next to Loki in them. “I know this is the 10th time I have asked this but are we there yet?” the God was starting to seem more like a 5 year old than a stabbing machine and he wasn’t the only one ,“Can you please move your leg over a bit it’s on my side” Sam whined as he shoved Bucky’s shoulder “No for the last time I can’t so deal with it bird brain” the pair hadn’t stopped bickering since they stepped foot inside the vehicle. “Tony can you turn up the music and drown the noise of these kids out please” you sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose trying to soothe the oncoming headache (not that making the music even louder was going to help) “I thought you’d never ask kid” he replied lunging for the twisty thing no one actually knew the name of, that turned up the music (Bruce probably knew but no one had the energy to ask).

When you got there however the 2 hour drive felt like the needed sacrifice as your toes hit the sand. 

As much as you loved being able to fight alongside your family there was nothing better than watching them relax, faces slowly morphing into ones of pure bliss. 

“You alright there y/n? You looked like you were away with the fairies then” Steve chuckled, unfolding the deck chair he had brought and placing it next to yours. “Yeah I’m good I was just thinking about how lucky we are to have each other” the man smiled at you as your eyes glinted in the sunshine. “LAST ONE TO THE WATER SMELLS OF FISH” Peter screamed bolting towards the water, that bastard you thought jumping up and running after him “PETER YOU DICK I’M GONNA GET YOU!!!” you laughed. Once you got in the water you squeaked at how cold it was doing the ‘ohh ohh oh sihufbbe’ noise that came with the shock of cold water spinning around to splash water in bug boys face. Oh shit. That wasn’t Peter, you had forgotten that Bruce had gotten into the water straight after Tony and had been swimming beside you. The whole group froze half expecting the man to turn green however what you were met with wasn’t a green mean smashing machine and was in fact a laughing doctor and a splash of water to the face. After that a water fight started, screams of surprise and joy a comforting change to the screams of fear you usually heard in your line of work. You snuck off back to shore and looked at your found family from the warmth of your towel realising how lucky you were to be in a place of love and support, free of judgement. Because at the end of the day yes Loki would complain about the sand in his hair, Thor would be asking for a stop at the shops to add to his Pop tart stock pile, Nat would be silently filming Sam and Bucky bicker like an old married couple, Tony would make flirty remarks to Pepper about letting him rub sun cream on her back again some time, Peter and you would be talking shit to each other as he beat you at yet another game of Mario kart as Wanda and vision made sure to make an extra bowl of whatever they had made to take Bruce who had already made his way down to the lab but you were a family and there was no place you’d rather be.

You would say this was the best idea you ever had but the video of you painting Cap’s shield bright pink would beg to differ

It was a successful trip and you would 100% be posting the picture of Bucky and Peter looking depressed at the fact their ice-creams had fallen on the floor after a light game of ‘I’m gonna push you over’

Ahhhh the bliss of a beach day with the gang

#the avengers #avengers x platonic reader #avengers x teen!reader #avengers x reader #avengers imagine #tony x reader #tony x teen!reader #tony x platonic!reader #tony stark imagine #tony x y/n #steve x teen!reader #steve imagine #steve rodgers imagine #bucky imagine #bucky x teen!reader #bucky x you #sam wilson x teen!reader #sam wilson x reader #sam wilson imagine #nat x teen!reader #natasha x reader #natasha romanoff #natasha romanoff x teen!reader #bruce banner x teen!reader #peter x teen!reader #peter parker x reader #peter parker imagine #wanda x teen!reader #vision x y/n #wanda x y/n

[ggreactionsandscenarios]

Hiii I hope ur doing well ! 🥰 can I ask for prompt 21 with Heejin? Thank you!! Have an amazing day <3

Heejin x Reader

Prompt n°21 : Artist

“Let me paint you in all those places you want to visit ?”

France, Lyon

Ah Paris ! That's what most people would say while visiting France for the first time but not you.

When offered the opportunity to go to France for a week you didn't wanted to be one of the typical tourist, so you decided to go to the newly considered second best city in the world, Lyon.

To be honest you didn't ever heard about Lyon before this magazine talked about it. Everybody just rather talk about Paris, the city of love. You learned that Lyon was for a long time a more important city then Paris, the fact that people only knew about Paris nowadays was unfair.

You were decided to change that, 

You had just arrived in the city and even though you were tired, you wanted to make the most of your time here. You settled to go to the hotel you were staying in before going for a walk around town.

Fast enough you got to the starting point of your visit, The Bellecour square with its famous statue representing King Louis XIV on his horse. He actually only came to Lyon once and he decided to own this square just because he felt like it, ‘what a King’ you thought when you learned the story behind this place.

No wonder he got beheaded.

However it was only the start of your visit, you went up on the Republic’s street, a well known street, appreciated for her numerous clothing’s stores. Contrary to those people looking for new clothes to spend money on, you were looking for something else.

Yet you had a hard time finding it, the street you were looking for, seemed not to be anywhere. Your foreigner self didn’t wanted to ask someone so you settled on looking where it was once you’ll get back at the hotel and go there only the day after. Not finding this street made you stop your tour, prefering to go rest for the next day to come, you had a lot to see and no time to waist.

As soon as you woke up the next day, you got breakfast and went straight for the hidden street. This time you had a map and were ready to see the famous "Passage de l'Argue". The street wasn't actually that famous, most people didn't really knew about its history but you had the chance to have had a online visit on the plane.

The documentary wasn't that good pretty boring actually but when they talked about this street, they explained how it had been first mentioned on a map of the 18th century and had never completly disappeared even when people destroyed it. The people at the time seemed to be attached to this street, they rebuild it over and over again until it became what it was today, a street full of luxurious shops and art galleries.

That's what brought you here in the first place, not shops but art. Of course there were museums in Lyon but as much as you loved them, they were often full of people and regulated with a limited time.

Here you had all the time in the world and not a single soul around because of the bad weather. Well that's what you thought until someone grabbed forcefully one of the painting you were looking at, off the wall where it was exhibited.

You brows furrowed, the girl in question didn't seemed to work in the gallery and you were wondering if she had the right to do that.

"Excuse me ? I don't think you're allowed to put it down."

When you pat the stranger's shoulder, she looked back at you angrily.

"I'm not stealing it if that's what you think I'm doing."

You took sometimes to observe her before answering, seeing how she had gloves over her hands and paint on her white shirt. For sure she was an artist but why would an artist and maybe the one who did the painting in the first would want to get it back ?

"And what exactly are you doing then ?"

She proceeded to put the painting in a tote bag before facing you completely and answering.

"Getting back what was stolen from me."

So she did made the painting, you thought.

"Isn't it good that you're painting is in an art gallery though ?"

The way she rolled her eyes and sighed showed you how she was annoyed to have to explain anything to a stranger but she chose to do it anyway. She probably didn't wanted you to call the police or tell anybody else.

She took a glance over her shoulder before looking at you again.

"Can we like get out of here before I'll tell you ?"

You probably shouldn't have agreed but for some reasons, that girl looked like an honest person and you couldn't help but trust her. 

“Lead the way, stranger.”

“Heejin.”

“Then lead the way, Heejin.”

As said, she led you towards a small bench in a small park nearby. There you two sat and she was finally able to explain you her terrible story. She told you about how she was due to give the gallery two paintings a week for a year and how lately she couldn’t beecause she was facing a uninspired time right now. She wasn’t able to paint so they took paintings that she didn’t anted to expose anyway.

Listening to Heejin, you knew you had to do something, you had to help her. 

“Did you get back all the paintings they stole ?”

Heejin thought for a moment before noding.

“But they’ll take them back, won’t they ?”

“Then help me find inspiration again before they do.”

You were stunned, someone you barely knew wanted you to help her in the most abstract way ever existing.”

“How do I do that ?”

“Let me paint you in all those places you want to visit ?”

You were hesitating but what were you risking anyway, it was a win-win situation, she’ll get her paintings and you’ll have a private guide of the city. 

That’s how Heejin and you started to spend all your days together and soon enough it wasn’t just a win-win situation anymore that brought you to see her but rather a need. 

She brought you to the nicest places of Lyon, you had visited more historical places than ever before and enjoyed every seconds of it.

Today was your last day together, since your flight was planned for tomorrow. Heejin gave you rendez-vous at a parc near what french people call ‘Croix-Rousse’ which was the name of the montaigne. Heejin was waiting for you on the bench, facing the horizon.

“Hey, did you wait for me long ?”

She turned her head to you, smiling.

“Toute ma vie...”

You frown, Heejin rarely talked french, mostly because she knew you couldn’t understand it.

“What does it mean ?”

“It means that don’t want to let you go.”

“Heejin, we already talked about this....”

You did talked about it a few days before but Heejin didn’t tell you how much it was breaking her heart to have to let you go. She grew attached to you, you spent all your time together of course she did. But most importantly you gave her back inspiration when nothing could.

It was hard for her to let you go and hard for you to leave.

That night after the memorable afternoon Heejin gave you, she brought you back to your hotel and runaway before you could say goodbye.

You almost didn’t took your plane the day after feeling too sad, you wished you had had proper goodbyes before parting away but she decided to let you go on your own.

Back home, your life had became pointless, no one was there to tell you about that painter who ate paint or about that curious drawing of a girl spiting flowers. You were feeling worst than ever, Heejin wasn’t responding at any of your texts and you believed it was because she found someone else after two months it was probable.

A knock on the door force you to leave the couch that became your bed since you returned. Opening the door, you got blinded by the light that had left your room since a long time and it took you some time before recognizing who was at the door.

“I must be dreaming..”

Heejin chuckled before putting in a tight hug.

“I knew you dream of me.”

Realization hit you like a truck.

“Ho..HOW ?! Why are you here ?”

“My contract with the gallery expired two weeks ago, I had to quarantine for a week but here I am now. Thought you could get rid of me ? I don’t think so.”

Hey here is the request, hope you’ll like it. Thanks for taking this prompt by the way, did you think it would be like that ? Did you thought about something else ? Tell me while giving me feedback. -Ael

#girl group #kpop girls #girlfriend #loonaverse #loona heejin #loona icons #loona scenarios #heejin

[auroraluciferi]

if anyone in this time of deep concern of his health is interested about what a worthless piece of shit Prince Philip is, here is a very brief list of 90 racist, sexist, and incredibly ignorant things the man has said in the last century:

1. "Ghastly." Prince Philip's opinion of Beijing, during a 1986 tour of China.

2. "Ghastly." Prince Philip's opinion of Stoke-on-Trent, as offered to the city's Labour MP Joan Walley at Buckingham Palace in 1997.

3. "Deaf? If you're near there, no wonder you are deaf." Said to a group of deaf children standing near a Caribbean steel drum band in 2000.

4. "If you stay here much longer, you will go home with slitty eyes." To 21-year-old British student Simon Kerby during a visit to China in 1986.

5. "You managed not to get eaten then?" To a British student who had trekked in Papua New Guinea, during an official visit in 1998.

6. "You can't have been here that long – you haven't got a pot belly." To a British tourist during a tour of Budapest in Hungary. 1993.

7. "How do you keep the natives off the booze long enough to pass the test?" Asked of a Scottish driving instructor in 1995.

8. "Damn fool question!" To BBC journalist Caroline Wyatt at a banquet at the Elysée Palace after she asked Queen Elizabeth if she was enjoying her stay in Paris in 2006.

9. "It looks as though it was put in by an Indian." The Prince's verdict of a fuse box during a tour of a Scottish factory in August 1999. He later clarified his comment: "I meant to say cowboys. "I just got my cowboys and Indians mixed up."

10. "People usually say that after a fire it is water damage that is the worst. We are still drying out Windsor Castle." To survivors of the Lockerbie bombings in 1993.

11. "We don't come here for our health. We can think of other ways of enjoying ourselves." During a trip to Canada in 1976.

12. "A few years ago, everybody was saying we must have more leisure, everyone's working too much. Now that everybody's got more leisure time they are complaining they are unemployed. People don't seem to make up their minds what they want." A man of the people shares insight into the recession that gripped Britain in 1981.

13. "British women can't cook." Winning the hearts of the Scottish Women's Institute in 1961.

14. "It was part of the fortunes of war. We didn't have counsellors rushing around every time somebody let off a gun, asking 'Are you all right - are you sure you don't have a ghastly problem?' You just got on with it!" On the issue of stress counselling for servicemen in a TV documentary marking the 50th Anniversary of V-J Day in 1995.

15. "What do you gargle with – pebbles?" To Tom Jones, after the Royal Variety Performance, 1969. He added the following day: "It is very difficult at all to see how it is possible to become immensely valuable by singing what I think are the most hideous songs."

16. "It's a vast waste of space." Philip entertained guests in 2000 at the reception of a new £18m British Embassy in Berlin, which the Queen had just opened.

17. "There's a lot of your family in tonight." After glancing at business chief Atul Patel's name badge during a 2009 Buckingham Palace reception for 400 influential British Indians to meet the Royal couple.

18. "If it has four legs and it is not a chair, if it has got two wings and it flies but is not an aeroplane and if it swims and it is not a submarine, the Cantonese will eat it." Said to a World Wildlife Fund meeting in 1986.

19. "You ARE a woman, aren't you?" To a woman in Kenya in 1984, after accepting a gift.

20. "Do you know they have eating dogs for the anorexic now?" To a wheelchair-bound Susan Edwards, and her guide dog Natalie in 2002.

21. "Get me a beer. I don't care what kind it is, just get me a beer!" On being offered the finest Italian wines by PM Giuliano Amato at a dinner in Rome in 2000.

22. "I would like to go to Russia very much – although the bastards murdered half my family." In 1967, asked if he would like to visit the Soviet Union.

23. "If a cricketer, for instance, suddenly decided to go into a school and batter a lot of people to death with a cricket bat, which he could do very easily, I mean, are you going to ban cricket bats?" In a Radio 4 interview shortly after the Dunblane shootings in 1996. He said to the interviewer off-air afterwards: "That will really set the cat among the pigeons, won't it?"

24. "Oh, it's you that owns that ghastly car is it? We often see it when driving to Windsor Castle." To neighbour Elton John after hearing he had sold his Watford FC-themed Aston Martin in 2001.

25. "The problem with London is the tourists. They cause the congestion. If we could just stop the tourism, we could stop the congestion." At the opening of City Hall in 2002.

26. "A pissometer?" The Prince sees the renames the piezometer water gauge demonstrated by Australian farmer Steve Filelti in 2000.

27. "Don't feed your rabbits pawpaw fruit – it acts as a contraceptive. Then again, it might not work on rabbits." Giving advice to a Caribbean rabbit breeder in Anguilla in 1994.

28. "You must be out of your minds." To Solomon Islanders, on being told that their population growth was 5 per cent a year, in 1982.

29. "Young people are the same as they always were. They are just as ignorant." At the 50th anniversary of the Duke of Edinburgh Awards scheme.

30. "Your country is one of the most notorious centres of trading in endangered species." Accepting a conservation award in Thailand in 1991.

31. "Aren't most of you descended from pirates?" In the Cayman Islands, 1994.

32. "You bloody silly fool!" To an elderly car park attendant who made the mistake of not recognising him at Cambridge University in 1997.

33. "Oh! You are the people ruining the rivers and the environment." To three young employees of a Scottish fish farm at Holyrood Palace in 1999.

34. "If you travel as much as we do you appreciate the improvements in aircraft design of less noise and more comfort – provided you don't travel in something called economy class, which sounds ghastly." To the Aircraft Research Association in 2002.

35. "The French don't know how to cook breakfast." After a breakfast of bacon, eggs, smoked salmon, kedgeree, croissants and pain au chocolat – from Gallic chef Regis Crépy – in 2002.

36. "And what exotic part of the world do you come from?" Asked in 1999 of Tory politician Lord Taylor of Warwick, whose parents are Jamaican. He replied: "Birmingham."

37. "Oh no, I might catch some ghastly disease." On a visit to Australia in 1992, when asked if he wanted to stroke a koala bear.

38. "It doesn't look like much work goes on at this University." Overheard at Bristol University's engineering facility. It had been closed so that he and the Queen could officially open it in 2005.

39. "I wish he'd turn the microphone off!" The Prince expresses his opinion of Elton John's performance at the 73rd Royal Variety Show, 2001.

40. "Do you still throw spears at each other?" Prince Philip shocks Aboriginal leader William Brin at the Aboriginal Cultural Park in Queensland, 2002.

41. "Where's the Southern Comfort?" On being presented with a hamper of southern goods by the American ambassador in London in 1999.

42. "Were you here in the bad old days? ... That's why you can't read and write then!" To parents during a visit to Fir Vale Comprehensive School in Sheffield, which had suffered poor academic reputation.

43. "Ah you're the one who wrote the letter. So you can write then? Ha, ha! Well done." Meeting 14-year old George Barlow, whose invited to the Queen to visit Romford, Essex, in 2003.

44. "So who's on drugs here?... HE looks as if he's on drugs." To a 14-year-old member of a Bangladeshi youth club in 2002.

45. "You could do with losing a little bit of weight." To hopeful astronaut, 13-year-old Andrew Adams.

46. "You have mosquitoes. I have the Press." To the matron of a hospital in the Caribbean in 1966.

47. "The man who invented the red carpet needed his head examined." While hosts made effort to greet a state visit to Brazil, 1968.

48. "During the Blitz a lot of shops had their windows blown in and sometimes they put up notices saying, 'More open than usual.' I now declare this place more open than usual." Unveiling a plaque at the University of Hertfordshire's new Hatfield campus in November 2003.

49 . Philip: "Who are you?"

Simon Kelner: "I'm the editor-in-chief of The Independent, Sir."

Philip: "What are you doing here?"

Kelner: "You invited me."

Philip: "Well, you didn't have to come!"

An exchange at a press reception to mark the Golden Jubilee in 2002.

50. "No, I would probably end up spitting it out over everybody." Prince Philip declines the offer of some fish from Rick Stein's seafood deli in 2000.

51. "Any bloody fool can lay a wreath at the thingamy." Discussing his role in an interview with Jeremy Paxman.

52. "Holidays are curious things, aren't they? You send children to school to get them out of your hair. Then they come back and make life difficult for parents. That is why holidays are set so they are just about the limit of your endurance." At the opening of a school in 2000.

53. "People think there's a rigid class system here, but dukes have even been known to marry chorus girls. Some have even married Americans." In 2000.

54. "Can you tell the difference between them?" On being told by President Obama that he'd had breakfast with the leaders of the UK, China and Russia.

55. "I don't know how they are going to integrate in places like Glasgow and Sheffield." After meeting students from Brunei coming to Britain to study in 1998.

56. "Do people trip over you?" Meeting a wheelchair-bound nursing-home resident in 2002.

57. "That's a nice tie... Do you have any knickers in that material?" Discussing the tartan designed for the Papal visit with then-Scottish Tory leader Annabel Goldie last year.

58. "I have never been noticeably reticent about talking on subjects about which I know nothing." Addressing a group of industrialists in 1961.

59. "It's not a very big one, but at least it's dead and it took an awful lot of killing!" Speaking about a crocodile he shot in Gambia in 1957.

60. "Well, you didn't design your beard too well, did you? You really must try better with your beard." To a young fashion designer at a Buckingham Palace in 2009.

61. "So you're responsible for the kind of crap Channel Four produces!" Speaking to then chairman of the channel, Michael Bishop, in 1962.

62. "Dontopedalogy is the science of opening your mouth and putting your foot in it, a science which I have practiced for a good many years." Address to the General Dental Council, quoted in Time in 1960.

63. "Tolerance is the one essential ingredient ... You can take it from me that the Queen has the quality of tolerance in abundance." Advice for a successful marriage in 1997.

64. "I never see any home cooking – all I get is fancy stuff." Commiserating about the standard of Buckingham Palace cuisine in 1962.

65. "I suppose I would get in a lot of trouble if I were to melt them down." On being shown Nottingham Forest FC's trophy collection in 1999.

66. "It makes you all look like Dracula's daughters!" To pupils at Queen Anne's School in Reading, who wear blood-red uniforms, in 1998.

67. "I don't think a prostitute is more moral than a wife, but they are doing the same thing." Dismissing claims that those who sell slaughtered meat have greater moral authority than those who participate in blood sports, in 1988.

68. "Ah, so this is feminist corner then." Joining a group of female Labour MPs, who were wearing name badges reading "Ms", at a Buckingham Palace drinks party in 2000.

69. "Cats kill far more birds than men. Why don't you have a slogan: 'Kill a cat and save a bird?'" On being told of a project to protect turtle doves in Anguilla in 1965.

70. "All money nowadays seems to be produced with a natural homing instinct for the Treasury." Bemoaning the rate of British tax in 1963.

71. "It is my invariable custom to say something flattering to begin with so that I shall be excused if by any chance I put my foot in it later on." Full marks for honesty, from a speech in 1956.

72. "Why don't you go and live in a hostel to save cash?" Asked of a penniless student.

73. "In education, if in nothing else, the Scotsman knows what is best for him. Indeed, only a Scotsman can really survive a Scottish education." Said when he was made Chancellor of Edinburgh University in November 1953.

74. "If it doesn't fart or eat hay, she isn't interested." Of his daughter, Princess Anne.

75. "They're not mating are they?" Spotting two robots bumping in to one another at the Science Museum in 2000.

76. "I must be in the only person in Britain glad to see the back of that plane." Philip did not approve of the noise Concorde made while flying over the Buckingham Palace.

77. "The only active sport, which I follow, is polo – and most of the work's done by the pony!" 1965

78. "It looks like a tart's bedroom." On seeing plans for the Duke and then Duchess of York's house at Sunninghill Park.

79. "Reichskanzler." Prince Philip used Hitler's title to address German chancellor Helmut Kohl during a speech in Hanover in 1997.

80. "We go into the red next year... I shall probably have to give up polo." Comment on US television in 1969 about the Royal Family's finances.

81. "Bugger the table plan, give me my dinner!" Showing his impatience to be fed at a dinner party in 2004.

82. "I thought it was against the law these days for a woman to solicit." Said to a woman solicitor.

83. "You're just a silly little Whitehall twit: you don't trust me and I don't trust you." Said to Sir Rennie Maudslay, Keeper of the Privy Purse, in the 1970s.

84. "What about Tom Jones? He's made a million and he's a bloody awful singer." Response to a comment at a small-business lunch about how difficult it is in Britain to get rich.

85. "This could only happen in a technical college." On getting stuck in a lift between two floors at the Heriot Watt University, 1958.

86. "I'd much rather have stayed in the Navy, frankly." When asked what he felt about his life in 1992.

87. "It looks like the kind of thing my daughter would bring back from her school art lessons" On being shown "primitive" Ethiopian art in 1965.

88. "You're not wearing mink knickers, are you?" Philip charms fashion writer Serena French at a World Wildlife Fund gathering in 1993.

89. "My son...er...owns them." On being asked on a Canadian tour whether he knew the Scilly Isles.

90. "Well, that's more than you know about anything else then." Speaking, a touch condescendingly, to Michael Buerk, after being told by the BBC newsreader that he did know about the Duke of Edinburgh's Gold Awards in 2004.

#uk #united kingdom #royal #royals #prince philip #queen elizabeth #meghan markle #prince harry #corruption #racism #sexism #monarchy #seriously #what planet do you live on

[elliewan]

I'm curious about some of your WIP names, what can you tell us about RM_Aquarium and GlK_Trava_y_doma? ALSO, do I spy a merman AU for Ace/Thermite (AT_Merman_Exploring)? 😄

Haha thank you for your interest :DDD

Sooo RM_Aquarium is in fact a several months old Rook/Montagne wip. It’s an Aquarium/Aquariologist AU based on a true story. I’m a huge fan of aquariums (tho I’m still not sure if it’s really ethical…) and I’ve seen a very interesting documentary about an aquarium, and decided to use this story as a fanfic background plot :)

The fic is 30% written, the other 70% being bullet points or rough unpunctuated paragraphs, but I needed to go back to the Trocadéro Aquarium in Paris for some parts and… long story short, Covid is still there haha. Also, I’ve a bit ended my Rook/Montagne cycle lately, so it’s not easy to find the spark again, but I’m still confident it’ll see the light some day because the base is quite sturdy and entertaining to write, perhaps it’ll be a bit different or with another ship, though it’s a very “French” story xD

What I can say for now, is that Rook is an aquariologist from Saint-Malo’s Aquarium who moves to Paris, to work at the Trocadéro Aquarium (both are real aquariums) where Montagne, and a good amount of other European operators work, such as Lion, Doc, Twitch, Jackal (he’s a jellyfish specialist haha) etc. The fic’s main themes are aquariums (lol), the city of Paris, age difference, sea life beauty and Water. It’s quite romantic/rosy haha

There’s no extract I can share because it’s either too linked to the context, or too spoilery haha

GlK_Trava_y_doma is my Glazkan Space AU that doesn’t let me write it! XD The plot is there, the research is done, structure is good. It’s inspired a lot from the Salyut-7 rescue mission and the STS-103, in a modern setting. It’s also more “serious” regarding homophobia, toxic masculinity, Russian and Soviet human spaceflight history etc. but it’s more for the background than to create angsty events. There’ll be enough stressful situations xD It’s also one of the rare fics where I think I’m happy with Fuze’s way of talking and acting. He’s not part of the cosmonaut crew, but he’s a spaceflight specialist and engineer who’ll be their capcom, and he has a unique friendship with Kapkan.

+ Trava y doma will probably remain as a title, because the song fits in many parts.

Here’s an extract from the beginning (roughly translated):

Shuhrat nodded, and remained silent for a few moments, just smoking and puffing the smoke skywards. Watching the buildings of the complex from their forbidden stairs and the people moving below. Moving equipment, crates, tourists visiting the Star City. He took one last drag and finally said:

"I have a bad feeling. I think something happened up there."

"On the ISS?” Maxim asked with a frown. "I didn't hear anything about it, and they can’t hide stuff like that even here.”

"I'm not talking about the ISS," Shuhrat replied as he crushed his cigarette and put its butt in his portable ashtray, before lighting a second one, "I'm talking about higher up."

“There’s no human spaceflight higher up.”

“That’s the thing.”

 And aaaaah this AT_Merman_Exploring XD It’s 70% written but I’m still unhappy somehow. Though it’s meant to be light-hearted Fluff and Humor, I think the tone is too light-hearted and it’s a bit weird and lacking some beats at the moment. I think I need to put a tiny bit of angst here and there to add more rhythm and spices. I also need to do more research on some disabilities that are depicted in the story, and that I’m not familiar enough with. I have found very good resources from disabled queer influencers though, so it should be ok 😊

The plot basically is: Ace is a YouTuber/streamer who lives peacefully alone in his home until ofc he finds an injured unconscious stranger on his doorstep. And now he has to live with a grumpy merman Thermite as a roommate x)

So yeah, I think that pretty much sums it up haha I hope it was enticing :’D Thank you for asking ❤️

#my wips #glazkan #rook/montagne #ace/thermite #r6s fanfiction

[bluecrusadearcade]

Harrison Osterfield is not your regular irregular

By Baker Street, Gentleman’s Journal quizzes the star of Netflix’s new drama on world records, Sherlock Holmes and his golf swing…

Draped in a silk shirt and paisley scarf, Harrison Osterfield is shivering his way across a brisk Regent’s Park. But he’s not complaining. Why would he? After all, the 24-year-old has dealt with worse. In his latest television series alone — Netflix’s The Irregulars — he’s tussled with demonic crows, paranormal serial killers and even the occult. So a little nip in the air? Nothing to worry about.

“I do have my eye on that jumper, though,” beams Osterfield from behind a bold pair of sunglasses. I don’t blame him. It’s a chunky-knit, funnel-neck number from Connolly, and the next piece of clothing lined up for this al fresco photoshoot. But, for now, the young actor must grit his chattering teeth — and continue striking willowy poses in that billowy shirt.

And those poses are turning heads. Dog-walkers, taxi drivers and tourists are all picking up on Osterfield’s energy; a coolly British blend of big grins and bouncy enthusiasm. He swings from a lamppost! He dances through daffodils! He feeds the pigeons! NW1 hasn’t seen this much action in months…

And we’ve come to Regent’s Park for obvious reasons; Baker Street snakes down from its south-west corner. And, on that famous thoroughfare, sits the fictional digs of Sherlock Holmes. But The Irregulars, a supernatural-tinged drama named for Holmes’ gang of trusty street informants, wasn’t shot in London. Rather, it was filmed on the authentically old streets of Sheffield and Liverpool — the same cobbles walked by the Peaky Blinder boys. So this, Osterfield grins, is a fun opportunity to see the real thing.

“All of the rest of the cast,” he admits, “are really big Sherlock fans. I’ve never really read any of the Sherlock books. I’ve seen maybe one Robert Downey Jr. film? So I was very new going into it.”

Today, then, will be a crash course. Because, after we get Osterfield out of the park (and into that jumper), we’re heading to the Holmes Hotel for a coffee and a catch-up. It’s a relatively new hotel just off Baker Street, decked out with knowing nods to the world’s greatest detective. There’s a bronze bulldog guarding the door, pipe-patterned wallpaper and signature cocktails at the sadly-closed bar (anyone for a ‘Case Closed’?).

But, though there are only suggestions of Sherlock in the Holmes Hotel, Osterfield explains that they’re even subtler in the show. Because The Irregulars, in a nutshell (wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma), sidelines the sleuth, and shifts the focus onto Osterfield and his fellow gang members. The actor plays one of the show’s leads; frail runaway nobleman Prince Leopold. All sullen glances and broken bones, his story is the heart of this first season.

“And it’s been a long project in the making,” says Osterfield, noting that filming on The Irregulars began almost two years ago. “That’s quite daunting. When you’ve spent that much time on something and you’ve got no idea how it’s going to turn out?

“It means that, now, it’s crunch time,” he continues, face creasing with mock-worry, “and I have no idea how people are going to react. But I’m really proud of the work, and that’s what I’m taking away from it.”

The Irregulars may be Osterfield’s first lead role — but he’s been acting for years, popping up in several short films and the George Clooney-directed adaptation of Catch-22 before Netflix took notice. His first role came at 11-years-old, when he was cast as Tiny Tim in his school’s stage production of A Christmas Carol. “It’s funny, actually,” says Osterfield, “because it’s quite a similar physicality to my role in The Irregulars”.

“But that’s where it started,” he continues. “And the real reason I got into acting was because there was this girl in the drama class who I really liked. I thought, if I joined up and impressed her, I could take her out on a date. That didn’t happen. But, although she wasn’t interested at all — the acting seems to be going okay!”

It certainly does. But, like actors all over the world, it’s been a very slow year for Osterfield. He returned to set in September to finish filming the Netflix show — but the rest of his lockdown was eerily, cannily familiar to everyone else’s.

“I went back to my home in Kingston,” he nods, “where I was living with three of my best mates who are also actors. Quite a few of my friends are in theatre, and they had a really tough time of it — not knowing what was going to happen next. I was very lucky, knowing that I was going back to finish something”.

The actor says it was strange being locked-down with fellow performers. With sets closed around the country and curtains falling on theatres, it was one of the first times they had all been at home together. But, even with the additional pressure, he says there were no problems. And there never have been, according to Osterfield — as it’s rare that he and his friends ever compete for the same role.

“We’re all very different castings!” he laughs. “Which is good. It’s a mixed bag, really. But it’s very useful when you’ve got to self-tape an audition and there’s another actor literally upstairs. Also, we’ve all known each other for ten years, so we’ve grown up together and, luckily, know when not to push each other’s buttons.”

With no work, Osterfield spent most of his 2020 getting stuck into lockdown. And he shamelessly tried every self-isolated stereotype. He binge-watched every sports documentary from Drive to Survive to Last Chance U. He upped the frequency and intensity of his workouts. He even tried his hand at cooking. He tried everything.

“I did try everything!” the actor laughs, fizzing once more with that lamppost-swinging, daffodil-dancing energy. “Really! I think I went though every lockdown activity there is. I gave baking a go for two weeks — that didn’t work out. I made a banana bread and that was it. I’m not going to be delving into that any more…

“We were quite lucky, though,” he adds, “because we had an outdoor space. We built a homemade golf net in our garden, by putting up two wooden poles and hanging a blue screen we had left over from filming. That kept us entertained most days”.

But, despite the failed banana breads, closed-off golf courses and Irregulars anxiety, Osterfield says that the worst thing about lockdown was missing his family.

“Because we’re a very close family”, he explains. “Massively so. And, usually, we’d have family gatherings every other weekend – my whole family are in East Grinstead and closer to Brighton, so real countryside. I’m honestly just looking forward to the day, with summer on the horizon, that we can do some good barbecues outside.

“We even tried family Zoom quizzes over lockdown,” he adds, “and they all figured out that I’m not that clever. The rest of my family all seem really, really intelligent. I don’t know if they were just revising beforehand, but I was definitely last a couple of times…”

And Osterfield’s most inspiring family member — not to mention the most irregular — is his 89-year-old grandfather. Despite the young actor upping his own fitness levels during lockdown (“I started doing handstand push-ups. That’s my new skill!”) Osterfield’s grandfather put those athletic achievements to shame.

“He’s fitter than me!” laughs Osterfield. “He’s been kept at home for most of the time and, as a family, we’ve been quite worried about him. But I struggle to keep up with him. I’ll ring him up and ask how his day’s going and he’ll say ‘Oh, hi Harry. Can I call you back later on? I’m just doing some exercise’. So he’s doing better than okay!”

But the exercising, Osterfield says seriously, has been a real lifeline. It’s kept both him and his mind busy during lockdown — and has motivated the actor to pursue more physical, active roles in the future. If he can look back at a body of versatile work, measured out in marked body transformations, he says he’ll be happy.

“I’ve been doing a lot of bodyweight exercise over the last year,” he nods. “I thought it would be quite cool, while in lockdown, to break a world record for something — so I’ve been trying lots of fitness challenges. I’m very close to getting the most burpee chin-ups in under a minute. I’ve got to knuckle down on that.

“I also tried to eat an apple in under 38 seconds,” he laughs. “Which sounds like a long time, but it’s actually quite difficult. And, with apples, I eat everything. Even the middle bit. Even the stem. I just chuck it down. I’m a big fruit bat, so I eat everything apart from the seeds.”

There’s that bouncy energy again; that fun-but-utterly-sincere enthusiasm. It’s an odd thing for an actor, to be so happily unabashed by everything — but the 24-year-old is as animated when talking about his acting as he is about his apples. And that’s nice to see. He’s clearly relishing every opportunity to better himself, and just getting started with what promises to be a very exciting career. Harrison Osterfield, it seems, takes every bite of the apple — literally. Talk about irregular.

#Harrison osterfield #the gentlemans journal #the irregulars #interview

[fuel-your-wanderlust]

Tourists or Environmental Terrorists?

"How dare you?!" Those words by Greta Thunberg quickly made news all over the world as she pleaded with the leaders at the United Nations conference in 2019. One brave girl trying to make a big difference. Are we listening, though? Are you making any changes to do your part? The world around us is struggling, and we all need to wake up. Tourism is experiences that leave impressions on people's lives. Connecting with others spreads knowledge and gives an exchange of ideas. The tourism industry has helped improve the lives of millions of people around the world. It creates jobs and brings in money to communities, but it also brings irreversible damages. It could make places throughout the world unsustainable. Without balance, tourism can create adverse environmental, economic, and cultural effects on the planet and humankind.

The environmental impact of tourism has had lasting effects on places around the world. Do tourists belong in the Amazon rainforest? Are they benefiting it or negatively impacting it? Too many people can disrupt the entire ecological state of the environment. People spread disease and leave trash. Should they be trampling in such a majestic place? As it shows in the movie Gringo Trails, the majestic beach of Haad Rin in Thailand went from rarely touched by outsiders to being littered with the trash of thousands of tourists. Is a good time worth it? Is making a few bucks worth losing such beauty?

The image above is of the beautiful beach of Haad Rin and the aftermath of one of their New Year’s parties.

As a Michigander, I began to think of my home, and the effects tourism is having. People come from all over the world to visit Michigan every year. According to Travel Michigan, tourists spend around 25 billion per year in Michigan. The top reason people come to Michigan is to see the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes are precious, and when looking at the impact that pollution can have on an industry, we need to do our part to make sure we help follow the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). If our lakes are not clean and safe, people aren't going to visit them. For instance, the Flint water crisis. People all over the United States know about the contaminated water in Flint, and they are not going to be booking a trip to visit anytime soon. The hospitality industry is still suffering from this incident that began in 2014. If we don't take care of our Great Lakes, we aren't going to have a selling point anymore. Travelers will avoid us like the plague.

The image of the SDGs was found in a blog by Chris Hoy called, Can the SDGS be achieved by 2030? Chris Hoy shares his thoughts and makes some valid points. His blog can be found here: Can the SDGs be achieved by 2030?

Money makes the world go round. The economic impact that tourism brings to communities is life changing. The movie Gringo Trails shows how one man's terrifying experience created a whole tourism industry for that area. It helped their community and improved the lives of the people. The death toll lowered as the people gained wealth and were able to better themselves. Although tourism brings in money for the short term, what about the long-term effects? Some places aren't sustainable enough to handle so much pressure from people and all that comes with them. How profitable is it for a city that has to deal with the aftermath of the lasting damage that comes with tourists?

Besides the environmental and economic impact of tourism, there's also a cultural impact. "Tourism is really about selling nature and cultural heritage," says National Geographic Traveler editor Costas Christ. Cultural integration brings a swap of knowledge. It has helped the people of this planet grow. As shown in the documentary film Vendemmia, Bhutan, China, follows a philosophy called Gross National Happiness. Ideas like these help spread a culture of peace and unity. The GNP philosophy guides the government in Bhutan. Similar philosophies have been shared for centuries and it has made us better people. With the good influences of culture can also come the bad. People rub off on each other, and sometimes their worst traits influence others. As was also shown in the movie Vendemmia the people of Italy are desperately trying to preserve their culture. Once we immerse with others, we begin to lose a bit of ourselves. We must not lose who we are.

The above image is the Gross National Happiness 9 Domains of Measurement which was found at this site here.

Tourism is not going anywhere, and it all boils down to balance. People need to be educated on the importance of following the customs of other countries. To respect the people and the environment in which they visit. Once tourism is under control, it can be a wonderful experience for everyone. The hospitality industry needs to do its part to follow the SDGs to make sure they are helping make the world a better place. They can take part in better waste programs, recycle, replace old light bulbs, and fix leaking sinks to limit water waste. If the hospitality industry got on board with the world and did their part to follow the SDGs, it would profoundly reduce our carbon footprint. If everyone takes action, we can continue to visit new places or favorite getaways, as long as we remember to be informed tourists and not environmental terrorists.

Metta McLeod ~ May 24, 2021

Trending Now: SDG Update - May 24, 2021. http://sdg.iisd.org/sdg-update/

Also Trending Now: Six Young Activists Making Waves. https://www.rte.ie/lifestyle/living/2021/0521/1223023-6-young-climate-activists-making-waves/

Sources:

https://devpolicy.org/can-the-sdgs-be-achieved-by-2030-20150924/

https://gnhusa.org/gross-national-happiness/

https://greenglobaltravel.com/gn/

https://ophi.org.uk/policy/gross-national-happiness-index/

https://www.michiganbusiness.org/press-releases/2019/05/2019-national-travel-and-tourism

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/full-moon-party-thailand-ends-7083649

https://www.npr.org/2019/09/23/763452863/transcript-greta

#htmindustry #internationaltourism #gvsu #gringo trails #tourism #environment #greta thunberg #savetheworld