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I went a-visiting yesterday.
I went to Manchester. It was great - had a lovely time while I was there, met up with a friend from my second summer school way back when, dragged him round some shoe shops trying to find human versions of Iantobear's shoes for Dragon*Con costuming, saw Wall-E at the cinema, had a lovely meal and got a surprise 2-for-1 on the main course from the cinema tickets, and made it back in time to miss the rain up here as well.
But the journey down was hell on earth. So much so that it's going under a cut.
You see, I always thought that having a character get physically ill (reeling away feeling dizzy/faint/sick etc.) just from what someone said was a bit melodramatic and over the top, and that didn't really happen.
But on my journey down, there were these three young men (early twenties; one was definitely 21, he said so) in my carriage. Two of them had just met the third, who lived in Manchester.
And they were all in agreement throughout the conversation. None of them found it the slightest bit odd, unusual or unacceptable to talk loudly in an open carriage about, for example, how women were "only good for shagging" - and possibly cooking your dinner, and that only because it's easier if someone else supplies you with food. They had no qualms about discussing how one of them (the 21-year-old) had just got out of prison recently and was meant to be in court that day to see if he was going to be formally charged for something else, but he had stuff to do in Manchester (I found out what a little later).
At this point I'll add: I'm a writer. I can't help myself when it comes to other people's conversations. I'll listen through sheer force of habit - it's all useful, and I never name names or, usually, repeat things. But this one... For starters, I couldn't stop hearing it when I tried to. And I'm still stunned and rather reeling in disbelief that they went on:
They started trading stories about the many varied women they'd... well... had, for want of a more prudish word, which carried on for an hour or so, and then they got on to the clubs and suchlike of Manchester. The two who were on their way down for a couple of days were very keen to find out the best places to go to pull. They wanted to know where all the "dirty birds" hung out, and where the cheapest drinks were sold. The one who lived in Manchester mentioned that some of the gay bars were best for cheap drinks, though sadly (funnily enough), "They're all full of gays, though."
At which point the three of them agreed there was nothing more sick and disgusting than gays, and didn't the sight of them just make you want to smash their heads together? Or better yet, smash a bottle and shove it in their faces.
Twenty minutes of this enthusiastic discussion had me trying to concentrate on breathing, swallowing, don't throw up in your seat, they'll shut up in a minute... Everyone else in the carriage seemed to be either asleep or had earphones in, so was studiously ignoring them. I couldn't. I had my notebook as my only entertainment and I couldn't hold the pencil to write. The only reason I didn't get up and ask them to please, stop, you're making me ill was because I didn't trust my legs to support me.
Then the 21-year-old started talking about his girlfriend. So he had a girlfriend, and yet wanted to go out and find all the "dirty birds" of Manchester. They must have been in an open relationship, then, clearly. Except he went on to complain, at length and with great anger, about how her ex-boyfriend had been pestering her with texts and pictures and it was really pissing him off. About how he'd had a go at her the previous day for letting the ex-boyfriend carry on like that, and they'd had a fight and he'd smashed her face in.
And now he was heading down to Manchester for a paternity test, and if he wasn't the father of the girlfriend's newborn baby, he was going to "fuckin' kill her". And his old friend and his new friend laughed and agreed.
At which point I got up - and nearly fell straight back over again - and staggered to the toilet and locked myself in. I couldn't see, I couldn't think straight, I was going to throw up, I was going to faint.
After fifteen minutes hiding in there, unable to hear another word they said, I was more or less able to see properly again, which was handy, since the train arrived about then.
And I'm still struggling to believe I really heard all that - I know there are people who think like that (and that sickens me enough anyway), but for them to just sit there and chat about all that like anyone else would discuss the weather is something else entirely. And for such like-minded people to meet at random, so the whole story from the 21-year-old was being told to a complete stranger, who didn't find anything unsavoury about any part of it...
And it really galls me that I couldn't say anything about it. Nobody pointed out to them that perhaps they shouldn't be discussing their criminal convictions and habits of domestic abuse so openly and proudly.
Sometimes people really make me sick.
But the journey down was hell on earth. So much so that it's going under a cut.
You see, I always thought that having a character get physically ill (reeling away feeling dizzy/faint/sick etc.) just from what someone said was a bit melodramatic and over the top, and that didn't really happen.
But on my journey down, there were these three young men (early twenties; one was definitely 21, he said so) in my carriage. Two of them had just met the third, who lived in Manchester.
And they were all in agreement throughout the conversation. None of them found it the slightest bit odd, unusual or unacceptable to talk loudly in an open carriage about, for example, how women were "only good for shagging" - and possibly cooking your dinner, and that only because it's easier if someone else supplies you with food. They had no qualms about discussing how one of them (the 21-year-old) had just got out of prison recently and was meant to be in court that day to see if he was going to be formally charged for something else, but he had stuff to do in Manchester (I found out what a little later).
At this point I'll add: I'm a writer. I can't help myself when it comes to other people's conversations. I'll listen through sheer force of habit - it's all useful, and I never name names or, usually, repeat things. But this one... For starters, I couldn't stop hearing it when I tried to. And I'm still stunned and rather reeling in disbelief that they went on:
They started trading stories about the many varied women they'd... well... had, for want of a more prudish word, which carried on for an hour or so, and then they got on to the clubs and suchlike of Manchester. The two who were on their way down for a couple of days were very keen to find out the best places to go to pull. They wanted to know where all the "dirty birds" hung out, and where the cheapest drinks were sold. The one who lived in Manchester mentioned that some of the gay bars were best for cheap drinks, though sadly (funnily enough), "They're all full of gays, though."
At which point the three of them agreed there was nothing more sick and disgusting than gays, and didn't the sight of them just make you want to smash their heads together? Or better yet, smash a bottle and shove it in their faces.
Twenty minutes of this enthusiastic discussion had me trying to concentrate on breathing, swallowing, don't throw up in your seat, they'll shut up in a minute... Everyone else in the carriage seemed to be either asleep or had earphones in, so was studiously ignoring them. I couldn't. I had my notebook as my only entertainment and I couldn't hold the pencil to write. The only reason I didn't get up and ask them to please, stop, you're making me ill was because I didn't trust my legs to support me.
Then the 21-year-old started talking about his girlfriend. So he had a girlfriend, and yet wanted to go out and find all the "dirty birds" of Manchester. They must have been in an open relationship, then, clearly. Except he went on to complain, at length and with great anger, about how her ex-boyfriend had been pestering her with texts and pictures and it was really pissing him off. About how he'd had a go at her the previous day for letting the ex-boyfriend carry on like that, and they'd had a fight and he'd smashed her face in.
And now he was heading down to Manchester for a paternity test, and if he wasn't the father of the girlfriend's newborn baby, he was going to "fuckin' kill her". And his old friend and his new friend laughed and agreed.
At which point I got up - and nearly fell straight back over again - and staggered to the toilet and locked myself in. I couldn't see, I couldn't think straight, I was going to throw up, I was going to faint.
After fifteen minutes hiding in there, unable to hear another word they said, I was more or less able to see properly again, which was handy, since the train arrived about then.
And I'm still struggling to believe I really heard all that - I know there are people who think like that (and that sickens me enough anyway), but for them to just sit there and chat about all that like anyone else would discuss the weather is something else entirely. And for such like-minded people to meet at random, so the whole story from the 21-year-old was being told to a complete stranger, who didn't find anything unsavoury about any part of it...
And it really galls me that I couldn't say anything about it. Nobody pointed out to them that perhaps they shouldn't be discussing their criminal convictions and habits of domestic abuse so openly and proudly.
Sometimes people really make me sick.
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I'm sorry that those fecking idiots had to ruin a perfectly good trip.
::huggles;:
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*sigh*
*hugs back*
Thanke, anyway. I'm glad you see my point! ^_^'
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People like that seriously need to be wiped from the face of the earth.
**reverts to happy squeeing**
Less than 2 weeks until I see you!
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(: But yeah, Dragon*Con! So looking forward to that. I need to get my "Laligin in disguise" t-shirt made...
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Big Hugs!
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Anywho, thanke, hugs much appreciated. ^_^
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Hopefully one day they'll have a go at smashing the wrong person's face in and slowly bleed to death in the gutter, or be one of those fools who drinks their liver past the point of no return before they're thirty.
Anyway - I'm glad you managed to put it behind you and enjoy the rest of the day, though sorry you had to end up in a carriage with them in the first place.
Have some ice cream. And Jack/Ianto.
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Yays, Jack/Ianto! I didn't mention on the phone, but I had a couple of fun ideas yesterday. You remember the Hotel Carnivale? That's so getting resurrected. Also, Ianto has hijacked two of my non-TW ideas from way back when and combined them both in a lovely, intricate, sense-making, time-consuming way.
Jack is also having much fun in the AUs, but he has no idea what I've got planned for Inmates. Poor thing...
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...
i can't think of anything to say to that
clearly, they did not have a big gay superhero to look up to and are therefore severely damamged by this loss
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Your icon speaks truth, my friend.
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(On the plus side, your icon is seventeen kinds of wonderful.)
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And trains are dangerous. Yesterday Marie and I came up to Wisconsin, and she went off to find the toilet. A guy came on the train and called someone (boyfriend, girlfriend, I don't know, but they were in a relationship together), yelling and complaining that "Not only did you leave me waiting by coming late, you didn't even come at all to pick me up!" and how, when he got home, he was going to "take care of some things" and that "they'd better be there because now he had to walk home." It only lasted a few moments, since he was only the train for only one short stop, but it was still nasty.
Like someone else said, they can always be used for bad characters. Like someone against Jack and Ianto's relationship. That works. xD
Missing you a lots -- I'll reply to the email tonight or tomorrow. We have internet at home now, so emails will be a lot less sporadic. <3
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Nee. And usually I love travelling on trains, because most of the conversations I overhear are funny/sweet/interesting/very very useful for characters and the like. I always figured people weren't keen to have arguments and rants on public transport, since everyone can hear... Here's me being proved wrong.
Yays for emailing! ^_^ Is good to hear from you, and I'm going to try sending you at least a letter again while I'm at Dragon*Con. (:
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And it's good to hear from you as well -- next year, for sure, I'm going to Dragon*Con and we're going to meet up for a long time. I promise. Marie's going to be there too, if it's possible. Scratch that, she's coming with. I'll make it possible.
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*happy clap* D*C meetup sounds fantastic. I'm so going to remember you said that... ;)