#Opera din Paris

[night-unfurls-its-splendour]

When the Longing Returns

(Full fic here)

Ch. 7 Preview

Chapter 7 is taking me such an unholy long time to write. I'm a little over halfway through now. I wanted to share a little preview to tide everyone over. Hope you all enjoy

~~~

She pressed his fingers to her angel's lips and again whispered, so softly, "Please tell me."

Her breath, warm and gentle, puffed through his fingers as she spoke, and her eyes, troubled, but gently pleading, peeked over their joined hands,

A different kind of numbness—not numbness... calm? Peace? Something foreign. Not an emotion he had experienced enough to correctly identify it—spread through Erik's chest as reality settled on him.

Christine would listen.

For years Erik had been the listening ear to whom Christine had bared her soul, while Erik himself had no similar confessor. And... if he could not confide in Christine, then who else would ever hear him? Did he have any choice but to go down on his knees and pray that she would have the strength to forgive all the things that he'd done?

It seemed so wrong to burden her with the afflictions of a loveless childhood and the crimes of a godforsaken youth in the middle of a dark, damp tunnel.... Yet she knelt with him, held his hand with such an attitude of attentive sympathy! So ready to listen, to hear him...

That nameless sensation spread through his limbs and up to his head, bringing with it clarity; and he looked down at her knees, where they rested on the floor of the tunnel. Now he could feel the chill of the damp stone seeping into his own legs, and he could only imagine how cold it was for Christine in her thin cotton nightdress and negligée.

Christine was startled when he suddenly righted himself and made a decisive motion to stand and bring her up with him. With wide eyes, she watched as he unclasped his cloak, swept it off and brought it around her shoulders. She hadn't realized how chilled she was, even with her shawl, until she felt the garment envelop her in its warm, heavy folds, the sudden shift in temperature eliciting a delayed shiver.

Erik's expression was inscrutable as he gathered up his gloves and the lantern with its two broken panes, setting it down next to the bottom of the staircase. He then took her, very gently, by her upper arms and guided her to sit on the steps, the thick woolen cloak protecting her from the chill of the stone.

Erik knelt on the floor to one side of her, his eyes fixed on her knees. 

"How much did your—" he paused here, with a sigh, before resuming, "How much did the Vicomte tell you of what he learned about my past from Madame Giry?" he asked. His voice was strangely even and detached.

It galled Erik that he even had to ask her. No doubt, he thought, the simpering jackanapes had taken great pleasure in painting Erik's history to further condemn him in Christine's eyes—a murderous imp locked in a cage; a mere child, but already more monster than man. Much good it had done him.

Erik knew that some conversation had passed between the two. The Vicomte had found Christine huddled on the front steps of the opera house with little Meg following his little têt-á-têt with the latter's mother.

Erik had seen it all, but from the rooftop; and even his superb hearing could not cut through the din of New Year's Eve in Paris to capture what was being said in hushed voices seventeen stories below. Erik strove not to remember the surge of jealous rage that had overtaken him as he had watched the Chagny boy put his dolman around Christine and hold her as she rested her head against his shoulder.

Christine was a little surprised at Erik's question. She had always thought of him as being absolutely omniscient. She had assumed that, somehow, he had heard all that Raoul had related to her. But then, she supposed even the Opera Ghost might not hear what was said outside of the Opera house's walls.

"Only that you were kept in a cage in a travelling circus, and Madame Giry helped you escape," she replied. "And that she hid you in the opera cellars, and you've never known anything outside since..."

"Is that truly all he told you?"

So the Vicomte hadn't spoken of the murder at all then?

"Yes. That's all," she confirmed, now certain, from Erik's response, that Raoul had withheld some details of importance. A twinge of irritation passed through her. "There's more he didn't tell me, isn't there?" she asked quietly, an edge to her voice.

Erik could not help the little sound of dark humour that escaped him. "Yes, Christine... yes, there was more..."

A moment of silence as Erik gathered his thoughts, steeling himself against the heavy sense of trepidation that threatened, like a disease, to take hold of his tongue.

Doing his level best to shake it away, he said, "I will tell you all," his even tone trembling a little. "I only ask that you be gentle in your judgement of me."

He chanced to look up at Christine, dared to meet her gaze, and felt a profound sense of nudity; as though her rich, dark eyes would draw the truth out of him and into their depths with an irresistible gravity. Hers was not a piercing gaze, but a haling one. 

Once caught by that gaze, he found that it held him, and he could not look away.

"I was born in a village near Rouen," he began simply...

[gellavonhamster]

Was tagged by the wonderful @lesamis to list five songs i currently listen to, then tag ten more people:

Griftwood by Ghost - I’m obsessed with how it sounds like 80s rock while being released what, last year? Also, apparently it’s about corrupt clergymen, which goes nicely with The Borgias, which I’m currently watching 

Paris by Patrick Wolf - I remembered this song when mentally outlining a fic (yeah, I’m trying to write again, fingers crossed it works out - last time I wrote something was two years ago). It’s unrelated to the story lyrically - as it often happens to me with songs in English, I misremembered/ misinterpreted the lyrics - but I think some of the general mood is seeping into the story

Polo A Tierra by Danna Paola, Skinny Happy, Yera - look, I could’ve made this list just reggaeton from start to finish, because that’s what I mostly listen to these days, but I feel like that would make me looked down on here on tumblr dot com :D Still, had to include at least one for fairness’ sake     

Dragostea Din Tei by Feuerschwanz - I still don’t know how it came to pass that one of my favourite bands of last year looks like a DnD party and makes folk metal covers of pop songs, but these guys rock, and I would love to see them live

Ария Берена (The Aria of Beren) from Lay of Leithian Rock Opera - there’s a new barbershop near my work that is called Beren Barbershop, so naturally I’ve been making jokes about how they need to open a Luthien Beauty Parlor next door, and then I remembered this musical exists (and with English subtitles, btw, if anyone’s interested). This is my favourite song from it - I love how desperate and defiant it sounds, and it’s fun to sing along.

Tagging (if you want to answer, of course): @katecaru, @piascleavage, @nabatute, @lilietsblog, @balkan-ballad, @virginian-wolfsnake, @afoxnamedmulder, @jennathearcher, @calamity-bean, and @artemideaddams

[rygacripto]

Personalitate marcantă a neamului românesc, Nicolae Bălcescu reprezintă un model de vieţuire şi comportament prin puterea sa de a se dărui şi de a sluji cu abnegaţie poporul căruia îi aparţinea. A străbătut întreaga Europă, din pusta maghiară până pe Tamisa, din biroul lui Lamartines de la Paris, pe malurile Bosforului în condiţiile vitrege ale secolului al XIX-lea, sacrificându-şi averea, sănătatea şi în cele din urmă hristica sa viaţă, la doar 33 de ani.

Nicolae Bălcescu s-a născut la Bucureşti, în mahalaua Boteanu pe 29 iunie 1819, fiind al patrulea din cei 5 copii ai Zincăi Bălcescu. Prima educaţie a primit-o în cadrul familiei, de la un arhimandrit grec, astfel încât, în 1832, atunci când se înscrie la Colegiul de la Sf. Sava s-a remarcat prin cunoştiinţele sale vaste în mai multe domenii: matematică, trigonometrie, istorie, limbi străine.

În 1838 se înrolează în armată primind gradul de iuncăr, fiind repartizat în escadronul de cavalerie. În 1840 se implică în mişcarea revoluţionară condusă de Dimitrie (Mitică) Filipescu. Este prins, arestat şi condamnat pentru “tulburarea liniştii obştii”. În închisoarea de la Mărgineni, din cauza condiţiilor mizere se înbolnăveşte de tuberculoză, boală ce avea să îi fie fatală 10 ani mai târziu.

Ieşit din închisoare, împreună cu Ion Ghica, Christian Tell şi Cezar Boliac pun bazele societăţii secrete de tip francmasonic “Frăţia”, societate care a jucat principalul rol în organizarea revoluţiei paşoptiste. “Istoria este cea dintâi carte a unei naţii. Într-însa ea îşi vede trecutul, prezentul, viitorul. O naţie fără istorie este un popor încă barbar şi vai de acel popor care şi-a pierdut religia suvenirurilor”, avea să spună Nicolae Bălcescu, coredactor al Magazinului istoric pentru Dacia.

Nicolae Bălcescu a avut un rol fruntaş în declanşarea revoluţiei muntene, a desfăşurării şi a constituirii programului său. A insistat pentru introducerea şi punerea în practică a punctului 13 (împroprietărirea ţăranilor) al Proclamaţiei de la Islaz. În timpul revoluţiei a deţinut în primă fază postul de ministru de externe, apoi a fost numit unul din cei patru secretari ai guvernului provizoriu. Pe parcursul scurtei perioade a guvernului revoluţionar a desfăşurat o intensă activitate publicistică, s-a ocupat de problema comisarilor de propagandă, a întreprins o vizită diplomatică la Constantinopol pentru recunoaşterea revoluţiei. A avut principalul rol în negocierile româno-maghiare dintre Avram Iancu şi Lajos Kossuth, reuşind să aducă cele două tabere la un compromis.

Intervenţia trupelor otomane a pus capăt revoluţiei, Nicolae Bălcescu fiind nevoit să ia calea exilului pentru totdeauna. S-a stabilit lângă Paris, unde a lucrat intens la opera sa “Românii supt Mihai Voevod-Viteazul”. Atât la Paris cât şi la Londra a încercat să obţină sprijinul marilor puteri în favoarea Principatelor Române. A participat la acţiunile secrete pentru crearea unui front comun revoluţionar al popoarelor asuprite.

Grav bolnav în 1852 a încercat să revină în ţară. A sosit cu vaporul la Nicopole, unde nu I s-a permis accesul pe teritoriul ţării. Şi-a revăzut familia după care s-a îndreptat spre sudul Italiei pentru căutarea unei clime mai blânde. La 29 noiembrie 1852, o lună după sosirea la Palermo, Nicolae Bălcescu se stingea din viaţă într-o cameră a hotelului Alla Trinacria, trupul fiindu-I înhumat în cimitirul Mănăstirii Capucinilor.

Nicolae Bălcescu se înscrie în galeria marilor personalităţi ale naţiunii române, fiind un vizionar printre fruntaşii generaţiei care a condus la constituirea României moderne la 1859 şi mai târziu la proclamarea Statului Naţional Unitar Român în 1918.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 3.9

141 BC – Liu Che, posthumously known as Emperor Wu of Han, assumes the throne over the Han dynasty of China. 1009 – First known mention of Lithuania, in the annals of the monastery of Quedlinburg. 1226 – Khwarazmian sultan Jalal ad-Din conquers the Georgian capital of Tbilisi. 1230 – Bulgarian Tsar Ivan Asen II defeats Theodore of Epirus in the Battle of Klokotnitsa. 1500 – The fleet of Pedro Álvares Cabral leaves Lisbon for the Indies. The fleet will discover Brazil which lies within boundaries granted to Portugal in the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494. 1701 – Safavid troops retreat from Basra, ending a three-year occupation. 1765 – After a campaign by the writer Voltaire, judges in Paris posthumously exonerate Jean Calas of murdering his son. Calas had been tortured and executed in 1762 on the charge, though his son may have actually died by suicide. 1776 – The Wealth of Nations by Scottish economist and philosopher Adam Smith is published. 1796 – Napoléon Bonaparte marries his first wife, Joséphine de Beauharnais. 1811 – Paraguayan forces defeat Manuel Belgrano at the Battle of Tacuarí. 1815 – Francis Ronalds describes the first battery-operated clock in the Philosophical Magazine. 1841 – The U.S. Supreme Court rules in the United States v. The Amistad case that captive Africans who had seized control of the ship carrying them had been taken into slavery illegally. 1842 – Giuseppe Verdi's third opera, Nabucco, receives its première performance in Milan; its success establishes Verdi as one of Italy's foremost opera composers. 1842 – The first documented discovery of gold in California occurs at Rancho San Francisco, six years before the California Gold Rush. 1847 – Mexican–American War: The first large-scale amphibious assault in U.S. history is launched in the Siege of Veracruz. 1862 – American Civil War: USS Monitor and CSS Virginia (rebuilt from the engines and lower hull of the USS Merrimack) fight to a draw in the Battle of Hampton Roads, the first battle between two ironclad warships. 1908 – Inter Milan was founded on Football Club Internazionale, following a schism from A.C. Milan. 1916 – Mexican Revolution: Pancho Villa leads nearly 500 Mexican raiders in an attack against the border town of Columbus, New Mexico. 1933 – Great Depression: President Franklin D. Roosevelt submits the Emergency Banking Act to Congress, the first of his New Deal policies. 1942 – World War II: Dutch East Indies unconditionally surrendered to the Japanese forces in Kalijati, Subang, West Java, and the Japanese completed their Dutch East Indies campaign. 1944 – World War II: Soviet Army planes attack Tallinn, Estonia. 1945 – World War II: A coup d'état by Japanese forces in French Indochina removes the French from power. 1945 – World War II: Allied forces carry out firebombing over Tokyo, destroying most of the capital and killing over 100,000 civilians. 1946 – Bolton Wanderers stadium disaster at Burnden Park, Bolton, England, kills 33 and injures hundreds more. 1954 – McCarthyism: CBS television broadcasts the See It Now episode, "A Report on Senator Joseph McCarthy", produced by Fred Friendly. 1956 – Soviet forces suppress mass demonstrations in the Georgian SSR, reacting to Nikita Khrushchev's de-Stalinization policy. 1957 – The 8.6 Mw  Andreanof Islands earthquake shakes the Aleutian Islands, causing over $5 million in damage from ground movement and a destructive tsunami. 1959 – The Barbie doll makes its debut at the American International Toy Fair in New York. 1960 – Dr. Belding Hibbard Scribner implants for the first time a shunt he invented into a patient, which allows the patient to receive hemodialysis on a regular basis. 1961 – Sputnik 9 successfully launches, carrying a dog and a human dummy, and demonstrating that the Soviet Union was ready to begin human spaceflight. 1967 – Trans World Airlines Flight 553 crashes in a field in Concord Township, Ohio following a mid-air collision with a Beechcraft Baron, killing 26 people. 1974 – The Mars 7 Flyby bus releases the descent module too early, missing Mars. 1976 – Forty-two people die in the Cavalese cable car disaster, the worst cable-car accident to date. 1977 – The Hanafi Siege: In a 39-hour standoff, armed Hanafi Muslims seize three Washington, D.C., buildings. 1978 – President Soeharto inaugurated Jagorawi Toll Road, the first toll highway in Indonesia, connecting Jakarta, Bogor and Ciawi, West Java. 1987 – Chrysler announces its acquisition of American Motors Corporation 1997 – Comet Hale–Bopp: Observers in China, Mongolia and eastern Siberia are treated to a rare double feature as an eclipse permits Hale-Bopp to be seen during the day. As the comet made its closest approach to Earth on March 26, all 39 active members of the Heaven's Gate cult committed ritual mass suicide over a period of three days, in the belief that their spirits would be teleported into an alien spacecraft flying inside the comet's tail. 1997 – The Notorious B.I.G. is murdered in Los Angeles after attending the Soul Train Music Awards. He is gunned down leaving an after party at the Petersen Automotive Museum. His murder remains unsolved. 2011 – Space Shuttle Discovery makes its final landing after 39 flights. 2012 – A truce between the Salvadoran government and gangs in the country goes into effect when 30 gang leaders are transferred to lower security prisons.

[calatoreste]

Top 10 Destinatii pentru City Break-uri in Europa: Descoperiti Farmecul Oraselor Europene

Un city break este o vacanta scurta, de obicei de 2-4 zile, petrecuta intr-un oras sau destinatie urbana. Aceste escapade rapide sunt o modalitate minunata de a evada din rutina zilnica, de a experimenta cultura, istoria si bucataria unui oras nou si de a va bucura de o pauza rapida si revigoranta. Europa este plina de orase captivante potrivite pentru city break-uri, iar in acest articol, va vom prezenta un top 10 al acestor destinatii, precum si motivele pentru care ar trebui sa alegeti un city break in Europa.

1. Paris, Franta

Parisul, "Orasul Luminilor", este o destinatie iconica pentru city break-uri. Cu turnul Eiffel, Catedrala Notre-Dame, Muzeul Luvru si numeroase cafenele romantice, Parisul este o experienta de neuitat pentru iubitorii de arta, cultura si gastronomie.

2. Barcelona, Spania

Barcelona este un oras vibrant, plin de viata si creativitate. Vizitati Sagrada Familia, Parc Güell si plajele Mediteranei. Bucurati-va de mancare delicioasa in restaurantele locale si de atmosfera relaxata a orasului.

3. Roma, Italia

Roma este un oras care imbina istoria antica cu viata moderna. Colosseumul, Forumul Roman si Fontana di Trevi sunt doar cateva dintre atractiile sale impresionante. Bucurati-va de pizza, paste si gelato autentic in timpul vizitei.

4. Amsterdam, Olanda

Amsterdamul este renumit pentru canalele sale pitoresti, muzeele sale de arta, cum ar fi Muzeul Van Gogh si Casa Anne Frank, si atmosfera sa prietenoasa. Plimbarile cu bicicleta si croazierele pe canale sunt activitati populare.

5. Praga, Cehia

Praga este un oras medieval fermecator, cu castele, catedrale si piete istorice. Castelul Praga si Podul Carol sunt destinatii obligatorii, iar bucataria ceha va va incanta cu specialitati precum trdelnik si gulas.

6. Atena, Grecia

Atena este leaganul civilizatiei occidentale si ofera oportunitati de a explora Acropolele, Muzeul Acropolis si plajele de la Atena. Bucurati-va de mancaruri grecesti delicioase, cum ar fi souvlaki si moussaka.

7. Lisabona, Portugalia

Lisabona este un oras plin de culoare si caracter, cu strazi in panta, tramvaie iconice si vederi spectaculoase de pe podul 25 de Abril. Vizitati cartierul Alfama si gustati pasteis de nata intr-unul dintre multele cafenele.

8. Viena, Austria

Viena este un oras cu un patrimoniu cultural bogat, cu numeroase muzee, cladiri istorice si concerte de muzica clasica. Palatul Schönbrunn si Opera de Stat din Viena sunt doar cateva dintre atractiile sale deosebite.

9. Dubrovnik, Croatia

Dubrovnik, "Perla Adriaticii", este un oras medieval inconjurat de ziduri impresionante. Plimbarile pe zidurile orasului va ofera vederi spectaculoase, iar explorarea strazilor vechi si plajele din apropiere sunt activitati populare.

10. Budapest, Ungaria

Budapesta este cunoscuta pentru baile sale termale, Podul cu Lanturi si Piata Eroilor. Orasul este impartit de raul Dunarea si ofera o atmosfera relaxanta si romantica, perfecta pentru o escapada de cuplu.

De ce sa alegeti un city break?

Exista numeroase motive pentru care city break-urile sunt o alegere excelenta pentru vacanta:

    Economie de timp si bani: City break-urile sunt mai scurte si mai accesibile decat vacantele mai lungi, astfel incat va puteti bucura de o pauza fara a petrece mult timp si bani in calatorii.

    Varietate culturala: Orasele europene ofera o varietate de culturi, limbi si traditii, permitandu-va sa experimentati diferite aspecte ale Europei intr-o singura calatorie.

    Bucurati-va de atractii si activitati diverse: Orasele europene au ceva pentru toata lumea, de la muzee si galerii de arta la restaurante si piete pline de viata. Puteti alege activitatile care va plac cel mai mult.

    Flexibilitate: City break-urile pot fi planificate in functie de preferintele dvs. personale. Puteti alege sa va petreceti timpul explorand obiectivele turistice, savurand mancare delicioasa sau pur si simplu relaxandu-va intr-un parc sau pe o plaja.

    Rapiditatea raspunsului la dorinta: Daca aveti o dorinta brusca de a scapa de rutina zilnica, un city break poate fi planificat si realizat intr-un timp foarte scurt.

In concluzie, un city break in Europa va ofera oportunitatea de a explora orase magnifice, de a va bucura de culturi diverse si de a va relaxa intr-o atmosfera urbana captivanta. Cu o varietate de destinatii atractive de ales, nu trebuie decat sa faceti bagajul si sa va bucurati de o escapada rapida intr-un oras fascinant.

[rudyroth79]

Succes de amploare pentru Opera Națională din București la Sala Mare UNESCO, cu „Povestea iei”, după 57 de ani de la ultimul turneu la Paris

Succes de amploare pentru Opera Națională din București la Sala Mare UNESCO, cu „Povestea iei”, după 57 de ani de la ultimul turneu la Paris

Opera Naţională Bucureşti, în parteneriat cu Delegaţia permanentă a României pe lângă UNESCO, a prezentat pe 23 noiembrie 2022, la Sala Mare a UNESCO  din Paris, Povestea iei, un spectacol multimedia complex și original ce a fost dedicat aniversării a 160 de ani de Diplomație românească precum și sărbătoririi Zilei Naționale a României, un succes extraordinar pentru compania de balet și orchestra…

[qqueenofhades]

Are you still taking prompts? We are thirsty and were hoping for “bite me” in a fivan vampire au. Pretty please? What’s that you say? That’s not on the list you shared? Um, oops? I said we are thirsty! 🤤

Ahaha, okay, I think this is going to do it for the prompts for now. I want to get back to working on PEL, and I have (mostly) given the people what they want. But before you hasten to my inbox to request more of this (which I know the Very Hungry Lot of you will do, and I love you so much for it): do know that this is indeed related to a larger project and this is just the first bit of it.

What is that project? Shh. I am not telling you just yet. It's a secret.

Belgrade, Kingdom of Serbia

June 1896

The summer evening is warm and purple, lit atmospherically by both the older gaslamps and the newfangled electric lights (there is a Serb in New York, a man by the name of Tesla, whose great scientific inventions and experiments with alternating current may soon illuminate the entire world), and the well-dressed crowd flows toward the café in a tide of rustling satin, silk, and velvet, ladies in evening dress and men in top hats and monocles. The establishment is the Golden Cross, in Terazije, a bustling neighborhood just south of Stari Grad, and the attraction is an exhibition of the marvelous moving pictures of the Lumière brothers – the first such show in the Balkans, and indeed outside of Paris, after they were first premiered in great triumph six months ago. Or at least, so it is for most of the attendees tonight. Fedyor Mikhailovich Kaminsky has a different task.

He stands apart from the milling throngs, well dressed in a high-collared coat and silken cravat, dark hair parted ruler-straight and face freshly shaven, a old golden watch tucked in his breast pocket and his shoes polished to a perfect sheen. While the people hurry past almost close enough to jostle him, they have a peculiar difficulty in registering that he is there. They sense something, yes – a cold breath on the back of the neck, a prey animal’s inborn reflex to warily search the shadows – but it never quite clicks. They continue on their way without being troubled in their own sense of reality, or ever realizing who – what – is standing there with them. It is just one of the odd, disjointed experiences that Fedyor has had to come to terms with, in the twenty-two years since he became a vampire.

By habit, he checks the horizon. These summer days are late and long, and Fedyor is still young enough that he can’t tolerate more than a few minutes of sunlight. It has taken years to be able to go out by day at all, half-thinking he had dreamed the waking world, become wholly one with the shadows and the night. When he emerged in the last gasps of afternoon, when he felt the golden warmth on his face for the first time in almost two decades, he wept. It still causes him vestigial pain, but not as much. Not so much that it cannot be borne.

He pulls the slip of paper out of his pocket and checks the name again. Then he puts it back and slips smoothly into the crowd. At the threshold, he feels that faint, telltale twinge, the knowledge of entering another creature’s territory without being explicitly bidden to do so. The Golden Cross belongs to the vampire king of Belgrade, who is rumored to be five hundred years old and a veteran of the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 (which, so far as Fedyor can tell, the Serbs have never gotten over losing to the Turks) and Fedyor is not interested in pissing him off. But therefore it is, by Conclave law, a place where all vampires in the city can freely congregate, so long as they haven’t committed some terrible crime. It also means that Fedyor may find the man he is looking for in here, and not have to cross into enemy turf.

A rich reek of wine and brandy, of hand-cranked ice cream in cut-glass bowls, of ladies’ perfume and men’s cologne, of sweat and starch and thrumming hot blood, rises into Fedyor’s nose as he inhales, as his senses have been honed a hundred times more acutely than what he was previously used to. He searches the crowded room, on high alert for another supernatural. Nothing, at least not thus far. But it is a delicate and fiddly bit of bloodsucker diplomacy for which he is here tonight, having to do with the rumor that a local group of creatures have formed a shadowy secret society called Црна рука, the Black Hand, with the aim of expressly interfering in human politics. This, of course, is strictly against the rules, and they need to be reminded of that fact. Fedyor would very much prefer not to fight an anarchist rebel vampire in the middle of a café crowded with oblivious humans, but the thought crosses his mind that this is an excellent soft target. The eyes of the entire city, the Balkans, the international art community, are fixed on this place tonight. If something went wrong – if the Golden Cross and all the souls within it were blown to smithereens –

Fedyor orders a drink at the bar – he has been promised that one day he will again also be able to eat human food if he craves the taste, but it will not nourish him – and sits down near the back, keeping a sharp eye out. Andre Carr, the Frenchman who has traveled from Lyon as the Lumière brothers’ representative, is setting up the unwieldy projector and barking at his assistants to be careful with the fragile, bulky spools of film, his mustache bristling in agitation. Fedyor gauges the mood of the crowd, the din of their heartbeats, their eager interest, their whispered gossip. Still no other supernaturals that he can sense, but that doesn’t mean that they’re not here. The vampire king and his underlings will have plenty of ways to conceal themselves from a relative child like Fedyor. As will the Black Hand.

He leans back in his chair and samples the whisky. Not bad, he thinks, though it’s been a long time since he drank human libations. It’s nice to be out among regular people, but he always has to keep strict watch on the part of himself that yearns to feed, that wants them to run, to fear, to fall. Fedyor has been a vampire long enough to control the hunger, to drink mostly from animals and space out his feeds on humans, to ask them for their consent or pay them for their trouble, but it’s still a struggle. He understands the urge that drives vampires to sequester themselves, to only live among their own kind, to keep drones and other willing human servants to feed from, so that you are not put to the trouble of chasing down a stranger and politely asking to bite them in the neck every fortnight or so, don’t get mixed up as to whether the mortals are your dinner company or just your dinner. It is a deuced bloody bother of a business. Fedyor always feels like an idiot whenever he tries.

Carr and his minions sort out their difficulties, and eventually the lights go down, provoking another eager murmur. Fedyor is not immune to the lure of whatever they are about to see, and he could have done much worse for a new home. He arrived here six years ago from his hometown in Russia, once his lack of aging became too difficult to conceal from his friends and family. Belle epoque Belgrade is a cosmopolitan, cultured world of stately opera houses and marble palaces, grand balls and gaslights, synagogues and streetcars, mosques and museums, bohemians and bordellos and broad balconies, telegraph wires and trolley cars and twisting lanes, churches and coffee shops in the Viennese style, with white-aproned waiters and colored mosaics and demitasse cups of Italian espresso. It is an ancient city, placed in a lethally strategic location at the confluence of two rivers, fought over in almost a hundred wars and razed almost forty times (and doubtless there are still more unmakings yet to come). Fedyor has found a place among the vampire community here, enough that he is trusted to deal with the Black Hand, despite his immortal youth. As to how that will go, well…

He watches the film with half an eye, impressed by the moving pictures just like his human counterparts, and then he feels it. The coldness on the back of his neck, the chirp of a sixth sense, the unshakeable awareness that he is being observed by a fellow bloodsucker. Though that term is considered somewhat dated and passé these days, mildly offensive. Vampires are eager as humans to participate in the scientific and industrial revolution, to concoct more enlightened regulations for themselves, to create an academic literature for their origins. There is talk among the sophisticated supernatural set of organizing an Academy for Preternatural Science, to hire vampire scholars, to establish a university. It’s a nice thought, if somewhat too ambitious (or so Fedyor thinks) for a race of beings that has only just decided that solving every problem with blood feuds to the death might not be the best idea. He wonders if one of those unreconstructed barbarians is behind him now.

Slowly, smoothly, so as to demonstrate that he is perfectly aware of being hunted, Fedyor turns around, and catches sight of the newcomer across the way. He is handsome – but then again, most vampires are, as it’s one of the benefits of the transformation. This one, however, is possessed of a roguish, rough-hewn attractiveness that seems genuine, still close to the face he wore as a mortal man, and not the eerie, glossy, imperturbable beauty that Fedyor sometimes finds so off-putting about his compatriots. This vampire is also wearing good clothes, and his overcoat is dark red, embroidered with curling black patterns. He looks at Fedyor, their eyes meet, and he nods once, half an inch. Game on.

Fedyor does his best to sit still until the lights come up, and the crowd claps rapturously and disperses to fetch more drinks and gush about the performance. Then he gets up and drifts toward a velvet curtain, slipping unobtrusively behind it. Back here, it is dark, dusty, and smells of candlewax and grease paint, the remnants of another performance, a conjurer’s closet. He steadies himself, turns around, and –

“Good evening,” the voice says, cold and curt. “I believe you were waiting to speak to me.”

“Yes.” Fedyor does his best to smile and appear charming and in command of the situation. “My name is Fedyor Kaminsky, and I am a representative of the Conclave. They have sent me here tonight in hopes of locating Ivan Sakharov, of the Black Hand. Is that you?”

The other vampire regards him flatly. His eyes are brown, as is his hair, which is cropped military-short and kept as sharp as his face. When he folds his arms, his muscles bulge, even through the sleeves of the well-tailored coat. “And if I was?”

“Then,” Fedyor says, “I am authorized by that same Conclave to deliver a warning to you and your associates that your current activities fall outside the bounds of the common supernatural law, and if you persist in pursuing them, there will be consequences.”

The other – well, he hasn’t denied it, so this must indeed be Ivan Sakharov – looks back at him with an utterly unimpressed expression. “Oh, so the Conclave found a new stooge to do their bidding? You’re a bit younger and fresher than the usual corpses those desiccated old tightwads usually send out after us, I’ll give you that. How long have you been in Belgrade?”

“How long have you?” Fedyor is almost sure he recognizes Ivan’s accent; they’re speaking Serbo-Croatian, but in both cases with a familiar cadence. “You’re Russian, aren’t you?”

That catches the other vampire by surprise. He hisses, baring a pair of white and very sharp fangs, and his eyes go briefly black. “You think so?”

“Yes,” Fedyor says. “But older than me, I think. Possibly quite a bit, though by how much, I can’t be sure. If we were to – ” he switches languages smoothly, in midsentence – “continue this conversation in Russian, would that be more to your liking?”

Ivan Sakharov eyes him icily. He must know that if he speaks their native tongue, he risks giving away his age by the style of his grammar, or perhaps his place of birth, and that is dangerous information for an unknown quantity to hold over you. There is a whiff of the emperor’s court around him, or perhaps the empress – does he hail from Catherine the Great’s day, Fedyor wonders, or earlier? There’s a long, crackling pause. Then Ivan says in brittle, too-correct English, “Or perhaps we should converse like this?”

Fedyor inclines his head, accepting that he has – for now – been outmaneuvered. They still haven’t taken their eyes off each other, standing close together in the dim velvet-draped shadows, near enough that if they were human, they would feel the other’s heat. There’s nothing but the faint wintry chill of unliving flesh, though a certain hunger rises unbidden in Fedyor’s stomach nonetheless. Then he says, “This does not have to be difficult. Cease your lawlessness and tell your friends to do the same.”

Ivan takes another step, close enough that their noses almost brush. “The Conclave has no power over me, Fedyor Kaminsky.”

“Do you want to test that?” Fedyor breathes, struggling to keep his focus at the other vampire’s threatening-but-thrilling nearness, the way his blood is singing under his skin in an entirely different way than he expected or frankly, that he wants. Just because Ivan Sakharov is annoyingly attractive (and also Russian) does not mean that he is not a dangerous, war-mongering, secret-cabal-plotting megalomaniac, and Fedyor does not need that sort of nonsense in his life. “If you did, I would, of course, be authorized to place you under arrest.”

Ivan looks at him goadingly. “I would like to see you try.”

Oh, so he is indeed one of those immortals (read: the kind who really need to experience mortality just to be kicked very hard in the balls). Fedyor struggles to contain his irritation. If he shows that this handsome bastard has gotten to him, this will only get worse. “If you promise to desist,” he says, “the Conclave will drop this matter and consider it closed. You and the rest of the Black Hand will not be subject to further investigation. That, or – ”

“How do I know that you are even from the Conclave? That you are who you say?”

“Why would I lie about it?”

Ivan shrugs. “I want proof.”

Fedyor grits his fangs. “What do you expect? A badge?”

“No. But I will accept your blood.”

That catches Fedyor off guard. Not that it should, necessarily. Since vampires can sense the thoughts and feelings of the creature that they’re feeding on, it’s a quick and time-tested way to prove that there is no funny business going on (or at least, no business that is funny beyond the usual). The obvious difficulty, however, is that it requires a possibly unfriendly rival to bite your neck or at the very least, your wrist, and one can understand why there would be a natural hesitation to yield one’s neck (Fedyor happens to be rather fond of his) to the clutches of the likes of Ivan Sakharov. But if he says no, he looks like he is weak or that he has something to hide, that he doesn’t trust Ivan or regard him as an equal, and the already-febrile situation with the Black Hand will only get worse. As bluffs go, Fedyor could call this one. But it would be very risky, and if it blows up in his face…

“Very well,” Fedyor says, chillingly correct. He pulls aside the collar of his evening coat and tilts his head, exposing the side of his throat. “Test me all you like.”

Ivan looks at him with something that makes that thing in Fedyor’s stomach rise up again, hot as an ember left burning in a brazier even when all the other lights go out. He hasn’t been warmed like this, not even by the sun, ever since he was turned in 1874 by a vampire named Dmitri Karamazov. He does his utmost to force it down. If Ivan bites him and senses that –

There’s a final pause, soft as tissue paper, fine as crystal. Then Ivan steps forward, looking almost impressed, as if he expected Fedyor to find some reason to back out. He flexes his jaw, bringing out those two impressively white and sharp fangs again, and reaches out, gripping Fedyor’s waist with his big hands and drawing him somewhat closer than is strictly necessary. Then he whispers, “As you wish, Conclave whore,” and bites.

He’s not entirely gentle about it, not that vampires usually are and not that Fedyor wasn’t expecting it. But all at once, as Ivan sucks at him, his mouth pressed hungrily to Fedyor’s neck, wet and raw and savage, Fedyor goes weak in the knees. He’s been fed on before, tested before, and this is different from any of those. He utters a mewling noise of need that he is shocked and deeply outraged to hear from himself, pressing still closer, knocking Ivan a few steps backward into the wall. His hands come up, seeking purchase on the other’s broad shoulders, a smoky curl of desire rising through him like rich incense. “Mmm,” he mutters. “Mmmgh. Yes. Like that. Yes.”

Ivan doesn’t answer for obvious reasons, since his mouth is otherwise occupied, but Fedyor can feel the little frisson of pleasure that travels through him at those words. That takes him aback. Not that he should rush to generalize, since most vampires are fairly flexible in their intimate preferences (you don’t live that long without wanting to sample everything that is on offer, carnally speaking) but for some reason, he just assumed that this tough, frightening, hard-as-nails secret anarchist supernatural idiot wouldn’t be inclined to gentlemen. Not that Fedyor is necessarily objecting. This feels far better than it has any right to do, considering that it started out as a naked challenge to his veracity. Agh, fuck, he should not think about naked. That makes the arousal burn even more hungrily, as he arches his back and presses himself wantonly against Ivan and knows that he’s hard as a rock and that this utter menace can definitely feel it. Ivan is in no hurry to pull away. He drinks for a few more seconds, past when there can be any reasonable doubt that Fedyor is telling the truth, and then slowly, deliberately breaks contact, fangs still half in Fedyor’s throat, as he withdraws with luxurious leisure. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and growls, “Ah.”

“Yes, ah,” Fedyor says, trying not to stammer, as pulses of hot and cold rush through him from head to toe. “Are you satisfied?”

Ivan gives him a wicked smile, drops of Fedyor’s blood still glistening heart-scarlet on his lips. “Maybe.”

God almighty, kill me now. Difficult, of course, when one is – strictly speaking – already deceased. (And now deceased in a different way, which makes it two kinds of dead at once, which makes Fedyor a prodigy.) He wants to ask if Ivan will perform the customary service of licking the bite wounds closed, but he’s also afraid that he may physically incinerate if Ivan does so, and since fire is rather famously one of the only things that can harm vampires, it is better not to take the risk. Instead, Fedyor pulls out his handkerchief and dabs at his throat, with as much casualness as he can muster. “Well,” he says. “You’ve had my word, Ivan Sakharov. Will you give me yours that you will bring your illegal organization to an end and return to the rule of Conclave law?”

Ivan looks him up and down, eyes lingering on the too-tight fit of Fedyor’s pinstriped trousers. Then he leans in, so close that Fedyor truly does think they’re about to kiss and momentarily blacks out, and whispers against the shell of his ear, “Absolutely not.”

And with that, and no more than a rush of air, he is gone.

[archduchessofnowhere]

The other day I had an ask about Sophie's marriage to Ferdinand d'Orléans. In the answer I quoted a fragment of an account of the wedding by Prince Hohenlohe-Schilling, which in turn was quoted in Erika Bestenreiner's book about Elisabeth and her siblings. Well I should have digged a bit deeper because it turns out that the Prince's memoirs from which said quote comes from had been translated to English, so we actually have his full account of the celebrations. You can read the whole thing here, which includes tons of biased descriptions of several of the royal guests, but also really bad smell in your guest room, someone looking at you like if you were a scorpion and a mediocre perfomance of one of Verdi's operas during Mass.

STARNBERG, September 28, 1868.

In obedience to the Royal command I came to this place to attend, as Minister of the Household, the marriage of the Duchess Sophie with the Duc d'Alençon, son of the Duc de Nemours. Prince Adalbert and Minister Pfretzschner were appointed to act as witnesses. As the latter preferred to spend the night at Starnberg, I decided to leave yesterday afternoon at half-past two. We arrived at four o'clock, took possession of our rooms at the Hotel am See, and then took a walk, dined at five o'clock and then went down again to the shore of the lake in hopes of seeing something of the illuminations which were to take place nominally in honour of the Czarina of Russia then staying at Berg. But it was nine o'clock, and as nothing happened we preferred not to wait about any longer, and soon got to bed. The fireworks and illuminations would seem to have been very fine, but very little could be seen here. It was Sunday, and consequently a numerous and beery contingent of the general public had taken post under our windows, and kept up a horrible din and shouting. At intervals they sang ''popular airs," but these almost immediately degenerated into mere brutish yells. However, I soon fell asleep, especially as a wholesome storm of rain dispersed the gang. This morning I went to the railway station to see the Empress of Russia depart. Tauffkirchen* was there too, to pay his respects to the Empress. The King accompanied the Empress and travelled some distance with her on the railway in the direction of Munich, but I do not know how far.

At ten we drove over to Possenhofen in my carriage, which I had had brought here yesterday. It was not eleven o'clock yet, so we were taken first to our rooms. In mine there was a villainous bad smell. Soon the time for the wedding ceremony arrived, which took place in a hall of the Castle transformed into a chapel. The guests assembled in the adjoining salon, where a grand piano further blocked the scanty space available. Pfretzschner and I hastened to get ourselves presented to all personages of rank. Besides the family of the Duke Max, Prince Adalbert and Prince Karl were there. The latter bowed to me across the room with a look such as one generally bestows upon a scorpion. Then Count and Countess Trani. The Hereditary Princess Taxis wore a mauve or violet dress trimmed with white. Others present were the Comte de Paris and his brother, the Duc de Chartres, two young and well-built princes, but who give the impression rather of Prussian than of French princes. The Duc de Nemours looked like a French dandy from the Cercle de l'Union. He wore the Order of St. Hubert, as did his son, the bridegroom. The Duc de Nemours recalls the portraits of Henri IV., yet he has a certain look of his own that makes you set him down as a pedant. The young Duc d'Alençon is a handsome young man of a fresh countenance. The Prince de Joinville and his son, the Duc de Penthièvre, have nothing very striking about them. The former is old-looking and bent, too old-looking for his age, dignified and courtly. The Duc de Penthièvre has a yellow, rather Jewish face, and speaks with a drawl, but was very kind and friendly to me. Duke August of Coburg is as tedious as ever. I was interested to become acquainted with his wife, the Princess Clementine, a clever, lively woman. The Princess Joinville, a Brazilian Princess, is rather mummified, with big rolling eyes in a long, pale, wrinkled face. Then there were two daughters of Nemours there too, one grown up, the other a little girl. The ladies were all in "high dresses." The bride in white silk, trimmed with orange blossom, with head-dress of orange blossom and a tulle veil. On the sleeves braids of satin, after the pattern of the Lifeguardsmen's stripes. A lady-in-waiting attached to the Nemours party wore a flame-coloured silk with straw-coloured trimmings. When all were assembled, we proceeded to the chapel. The bridal couple knelt before the altar. Behind them, on the left, Prince Adalbert, behind him we two Ministers, and then behind us the gentlemen of the House of Orleans. On the other side the Duc de Nemours and the Duchess, likewise all the Princesses. Hancberg began the ceremony with a suitable address. Nobody cried, but Duke Max looked rather like it once or twice. The bride appeared extremely self-possessed. Before the "affirmation" the bridegroom first made a bow to his father, and the bride did the same to her parents. The Duchess's "Yes" sounded very much as if she meant "Yes, for my own part," or "For aught I care." I don't wish to be spiteful, but it sounded like that to me. After the wedding, I kissed the Duchess's hand, and congratulated her. She seemed highly gratified and pleased. The pause between the wedding ceremony and the State dinner we spent in our room. I forgot, by-the-by, to say that during the Mass a military band played an accompaniment to the religious ceremony. It began with the overture to one of Verdi's operas, I don't know whether it was Traviata or Trovatore. It was but a mediocre performance, the sort of stuff you hear played at dinners.

The State dinner was held downstairs in two halls. In one sat all Royal personages and myself along with Pfretzchner, in the other the courtiers. The health of the bridal pair was drunk without speechmaking. I sat between the young Princess of Coburg and Duke Ludwig. The dinner was not particularly long, nor was it particularly good either. On rising from table there was some more standing about, and then all the company separated. The Orleans Princes took their departure at once, about half-past four, as did the other Princes. Only the Duc de Nemours stays on till the day after tomorrow with his children.

We drove back to Starnberg in one of the Ducal carriages, from whence we return to-day to Munich by the eight o'clock train.

At dinner the "Wedding Chorus" from Lohengrin was played. It must have been singularly agreeable to the King's ex-fiancée. Another odd coincidence was that the very evening before, the lake and mountains were illuminated (for the Czarina), and the King had to celebrate in this way his erstwhile fiancée's bridal eve.

The Comte de Paris spoke to me about war and peace, and maintains that popular feeling in France is opposed to war. But he said it was difficult to gauge public opinion in France, the Press is so wanting in independence.

He is a sensible, well-meaning man, who would make an excellent Constitutional King of France.

*Count Tauffkirchen was at that time Bavarian Minister at St Petersburg.

[elrhiarhodan]

@rubynye asked me for #9 (Dance AU) and #96 (Scars) for the Trope Mashup Meme, and Din/Luke.  Of course I had to go Ballet AU, and introduce a little bit of Obi-Wan as Ballet Master in it.

  "I can’t believe old Obi-Wan actually thinks some ancient dancers from some two-bit Eurotrash troupe that no one’s ever heard of can teach us anything."  A teenage danseur’s snotty voice carries out of the practice studio and into the hallway.

Luke looks at his husband and rolls his eyes.  Din shrugs, as if to say "We were once that young and stupid, too".  Luke shrugs back, silently telling Din, "No, we were stupider".

"I wouldn’t call Les Mandalorians some two-bit troupe, Henry.  They were - and still are - the favorite company of the House of Organa."  Obi-Wan saunters into the room from the other door.  "Luke was my protégé at the Royal Ballet, and his husband, Din, was the principal danseur at the Paris Opera Ballet for almost a decade before they formed their own company.   Not one of you has a fraction of the promise that either of these men had at your age.  Especially you, Henry."

Luke sighs.  Obi-Wan is in rare form today, and he feels just a trifle sorry for young Henry.  But only a trifle.  The kid is an obnoxious snot and probably deserves everything that Obi-Wan dishes out to him, and then some.

Din just raises an eyebrow.  His husband is, as per his custom, inclined to few words before a performance, even if it’s just in front of a class of teenage wannabes.

Obi-Wan sticks his head out the door.  "Gentlemen, would you like to join us?"

Luke plasters on a professional smile. "Of course.  If you really think that two has-beens like us have anything to teach your crew of promising young dancers."  He’s pitched his voice so it will carry into the classroom.  

Obi-Wan rolls his eyes.  "Let’s find out."

Din and Luke step into the classroom, and despite the earlier unkind words, the students fall into a reverent hush when they recognize just who Obi-Wan has brought before them - Luke Skywalker and Din Djarin, trailblazers both.

Luke unzips his jacket and reveals a body that’s seen too many surgeries - ACL, elbow, cervical spine.  The trail of scars disappears under his scoop-necked leotard.  He’s proud of those marks, each one denotes a triumph of medical science and his own determination to come back from a potentially career-ending injury. There’s a low murmur from the class as they see the scars.

Din bears similar wounds, but he hides his under more concealing dance wear.

Obi-Wan announces what Din and Luke will perform, The Death of Mercutio and Tybalt, from Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet.  Luke, ever the overachiever, will dance both the roles of Mercutio and Romeo."  That gets an interesting reaction from the class, and a bit of a scoff from young Henry.  

Instead of rapier and stiletto, the preferred prop weapons for a classical staging, Din pulls out a pair of wooden staves and tosses one to Luke, who nods at Obi-Wan, who starts the music. Luke and Din have performed this pas de deux a hundred times with various choreographies, but this one, developed by Obi-Wan for Les Mandalorians and usually performed in 1920’s flapper-era costume, is one of their favorites.

The fight between Tybalt and Mercutio starts off lighthearted.  Mercutio pokes and prods at grim and serious Tybalt, his stave used as an object of irritation, not serious aggression. This is supposed to be an affair of honor, not a duel to the death.

Luke, as Mercutio, keeps poking at Tybalt/Din, as if he’s a caged lion and eventually, Tybalt swings at him with barely restrained fury.  The fight, as choreographed, is woefully uneven.  Tybalt is a skilled duelist and soon murders Mercutio with a swift blow to the head.  Luke gracefully spins and collapses into a messy heap while Tybalt takes a victory strut around the stage.  

It’s a bit awkward rising from the dead, because Luke’s now playing Romeo, and he rushes at Tybalt, rage and vengeance personified.  This pas de deux is more like angry sex, the staves very deliberate phallic metaphors, and Luke has to wonder just how shocked (and aroused) the student audience is by the time Luke straddles Din and Romeo chokes the life out of Tybalt.

The music cuts out but Luke makes no effort to get off his husband’s body. 

His husband’s very aroused body. 

At least not until Obi-Wan leans over them and says, "Very nice, but you might want to get a room and continue this in private."

FIN

Link to music

[staminaoverlook]

Devlog 01/11/2020

Hosted Development Stream #11. The main menu is almost ready! I just need to add Erik under the spotlight. The camera is stuck in one place after the scenes change for some reason, I will look into it in the coming days.

Also, we talked a lot about Persia! Surfed the net, looked through Leroux's text only to find out that tHERE IS NO PALACE IN MAZANDARAN. I mean, of course there are palaces in Mazandaran, but they were either built in the 20th century, or weren't used as royal residences at all. And there are, surprisingly, not so many palaces in Mazandaran. So Leroux pulled that one out of his ass, obviously, but I found a place that could host a royal residence - Abbas Abad, requested to be built by Shah Abbas I in 17th century with the surrounding royal gardens, in Bahshahr. Apparently, the original palace was destroyed during a revolution, and it was rebuilt, but in a different way. So I can have artistic freedom with how it looked back in 19th century.

A little bit of history now. Erik came to Persia after the news of his grandmastery in singing and legerdemain arrived to Samarkand with a fur trader - that trader was promptly summoned to the "palace in Mazandaran" (in our case, to Bahshahr), to tell the story. Then the Daroga was ordered to go find Erik, what he did. After that, "Erik's word was law" in Persia for a few months. Of course, his word couldn't directly be law... nobody would allow that much political influence to a mysterious foreigner. So my thoughts on this that he has acquired himself a benefactor - that benefactor was Jayran, Forough ol-Saltaneh, Naser al-Din Qajar's favourite wife (that is Leroux's "little Sultana, the shah-in-shah's favourite" - at least I got that right).

Jayran was a strong, tall woman, with a humble background, who loved hunting and riding and imposed a great contrast to the usually plump and small girls of the harem. She also had a strong personality, and was an extremely talented politician - at some point, her power rivaled that of Maade Oliaa, the Shah's mother, the most powerful woman in the country.

With Erik as her political advisor, the two could form a symbiotic relationship which would benefit both of them. Erik could have anything he wanted with Jayran's benevolence. He would have the best teachers, access to one of the largest libraries (located in Tehran), would learn and grow and come to build torture chambers and assassinate the rival politicians that hindered him or Jayran, with her plan to install her eldest son as the heir apparent. Erik would also assist the Shah to devise plans against the Afghanistan during the war of 1856, which was about reconquering Herat, one of the oldest cities in the entire world.

Afterwards Erik would have discovered architecture and, having very original ideas about it, decided to invent a palace very much how a conjurer designs a trick-casket. This palace was built, and I don't imagine it would be very large - two or three stories high. It would then take approximately two years for the construction to be finished, and it was then when Erik would find himself in line for execution. At that point, he would be either 19 or 20, and it would be year 1858 - curiously, the same year when Jayran's sons die.

Afterwards, Erik would flee to the West, through Turkey, and then to Istanbul. There he would be employed by a Sultan, and would participate in the building of Yildiz-Kiosk - this place actually exists, but it is called Yildiz Palace, and it has a few "Kiosks" inside of it. The majority of the buildings wouldn't be built until the late 19th century, but for the sake of the story, let us assume they were built when Erik was in Istanbul - in years 1858-1859. In the beginning of year 1860 he would flee Istanbul, and settle in France. We are barely making room here, because December 1860 is when the competition for the Paris Opera House design is publicly announced. Erik would enter the competition with his own designs, and continue designing normal houses while the competition is ongoing, until May 1861.

After that, he would be invited to work on the build site, most likely as one of the foremen, or as one of the stonemasons, and would continue working through the revolution to build his house in the bowels of the opera house.

The rest is history.

Hope you've had a great Sunday, and I'll see you next week! ❤️

[flirting-with-psychology]

1. I own a ferret. 2. My best friend is my boyfriend 3. My best friend is a girl 4. I use the word super way too much 5. I am a boy 6. I like My Chemical Romance 7. I own more than 100 CDs 8. I like discussing politics 9. I collect state quarters 10. The Legend of Zelda is my favorite video game. 11. I have Cingular 12. I love MAC makeup 13. I smoke too much 14. I own more than 5 bandanas 15. My favorite movie is Kill Bill 16. I watched Lamb Chop when I was young 17. I have my ears gauged 18. I can do HTML without guidance 19. I watch Spongebob Squarepants regularly. 20. I go to the movies at least once a week 21. I play guitar or bass 22. I love Elvis 23. I’ve had a mo/bi/trihawk before 24. I have met my favorite band 25. I like to hardcore dance 26. Something’s outside my window 27. I believe in ghosts 28. I do drugs regularly 29. I am straightedge 30. My favorite feature about myself is my lips 31. I have never consumed alcohol 32. I want a tattoo. 33. My favorite actor is Will Ferrell. 34. I have seen Conan O'Brien live. 35. I hate MTV 36. I used to watch Cheaters every week 37. I have my own vaccuum 38. Frank Sinatra is awesome 39. I sleep with a stuffed animal 40. I am scared of werewolves 41. I watch hockey regularly 42. I am originally from New York 43. I own an iPod 44. Some people aren’t funny. 45. I hate school. 46. My favorite vegetable is lettuce. 47. Tickle fights are fun. 48. I am currently unemployed. 49. I have my license 50. I hate spelling mistakes 51. I love Spanish class 52. I live in a big city 53. I have been to the Grand Canyon 54. I listen to music to fall asleep 55. I watch TV to fall asleep 56. I only get a few hours of sleep each night 57. I’m relatively innocent. 58. I am a size 3 or smaller 59. I’m bored. 60. Purple is my favorite color. 61. I hate flossing 62. I have a car. 63. I believe in God 64. I’m in love. 65. I used to love Unwritten Law. 66. Reno 911 is my favorite show. 67. There is a mini stapler on my computer desk. 68. Cuddling’s my favorite. 69. For sure. 70. I have a flip phone 71. I love my handwriting 72. I own a Louis Vuitton handbag 73. I want to be an astronaut. 74. I love the song Dragostea Din Tei 75. 50 Cent is not talented 76. I like scanners better than digital cameras. 77. I own at least one Punk-O-Rama CD 78. My room is sound proof. 79. I’m 5'5 or less 80. Lying pisses me off 81. I backstab people. 82. I have been in a fist fight. 83. I have PaintShop Pro. 84. It’s almost midnight 85. My nightlight is cracked 86. I only listen to Dashboard Confessional when I’m sad 87. And I feel like a pansy when I do so 88. I hate metal 89. I’m in a band. 90. Napoleon Dynamite is annoying now. 91. I love hickeys 92. I want to lose weight 93. My favorite channel is the Food Network. 94. I don’t have a CD burner. 95. Pixar is stupid except for the Incredibles 96. I own an apartment/house 97. I am engaged. 98. My computer’s a Gateway. 99. I hate driving. 100. I like watching boys sleep. =========================== 01. I miss someone right now 02. I don’t watch much TV these days 03. I love olives 04. I love sleeping 05. I own lots of books 06. I wear glasses or contact lenses 07. I love to play video games 08. I’ve tried marijuana 09. I’ve watched porn movies 10. I have been in a threesome 11. I have been the psycho-ex in a past relationship 12. I believe honesty is usually the best policy 13. I have acne free skin usually 14. I like and respect Al Sharpton 15. I curse frequently 16. I have changed a lot mentally over the last year 17. I have a hobby 18. I’ve been told I can suck the chromes off a trailer hitch. 19. I carry my knife/razor everywhere with me 20. I’m smart 21. I’ve never broken someone’s bones 22. I have a secret that I am ashamed to reveal 23. I hate the rain 24. I’m paranoid at times 25. I would get plastic surgery if it were 100% safe, free of cost, and scars. 26. I need money right now! 27. I love Sushi 28. I talk really, really fast sometimes 29. I have fresh breath in the morning 30. I have semi-long hair 31. I have lost money in Las Vegas 32. I have at least one brother and/or one sister 33. I was born in a country outside of the U.S. 34. I shave my legs 35. I have a twin 36. I have worn fake hair/fingernails/eyelashes in the past 37. I couldn’t survive without Caller I.D. 38. I like the way that I look sometimes 39. I have lied to a good friend in the last 6 months 40. I know how to do cornrows 41. I am usually pessimistic 42. I have a lot of mood swings 43. I think prostitution should be legalized 44. I think Britney Spears is hot 45. I have cheated on a significant other in the past 46. I have a hidden talent 47. I’m always hyper no matter how much sugar I have. 48. I think that I’m popular 49. I am currently single 50. I have kissed someone of the same sex 51. I enjoy talking on the phone 52. I practically live in sweatpants or PJ pants 53. I love to shop. 54. I would rather shop than eat 55. I would classify myself as ghetto. 56. I’m bourgie and have worn a sweater tied around my shoulders 57. I’m obsessed with my Livejournal 58. I don’t hate anyone. 59. I’m a pretty good dancer 60. I don’t think Mike Tyson raped Desiree Washington 61. I’m completely embarrassed to be seen with my mother 62. I have a cell phone 63. I believe in God/ a higher being. 64. I watch MTV/Vh1 on a daily basis 65. I have passed out drunk in the past 6 months 66. I love drama. 67. I have never been in a real romantic relationship before 68. I’ve rejected someone before 69. I currently have a crush on someone 70. I have no idea what I want to do for the rest of my life 71. I want to have children in the future 72. I have changed a diaper before 73. I’ve called the cops on a friend before 74. I bite my nails 75. I am a member of the Tom Green fan club 76. I’m not allergic to anything 77. I have a lot to learn 78. I have dated someone at least 10 years older or younger 79. I plan on seeing Ice Cube’s newest “Friday” movie 80. I am sometimes shy around the opposite sex 81. I’m online 24/7, even as an away message 82. I have at least 5 away messages saved 83. I have tried alcohol or drugs before 84. I have made a move on a friend’s significant other in the past 85. I own the “South Park” movie 86. I have avoided assignments at work/school to be on Xanga or Livejournal 87. When I was a kid I played “the birds and the bees” with a neighbor or chum 88. I enjoy some country music 90. I think that Pizza Hut has the best pizza 91. I watch soap operas whenever I can 92. I’m obsessive, anal retentive, and often a perfectionist 93. I have used my sexuality to advance my career 94. I love Michael Jackson, scandals and all 95. I know all the words to Slick Rick’s “Children’s Story” 96. Halloween is awesome because you get free candy 97. I watch Spongebob Squarepants and I like it 98. I have dated a close friend’s ex 99. I’m happy as of this moment 100. I was born in the 80s but I am truly a child of the 90s  101. I have slapped john dasaro and chris burke in the face..on the same night 102. I haven’t showered in two days… and I like it. 103. i own every f***er here 104. I procrastinate all the time 105. I’m a nerd 106. I LOVE the movie The Wedding Singer. 107. i hate corn. 108. i’ve attended the rocky horror picture show 109. i’ve never seen Bambi the movie 110. Thinking about the future terrifies me 111. Without music there would be no point in living. 112. If I could change one thing about myself I would 113. If someone of the same sex liked me, I would date them. 114. I went to the mall today for 5 hours ================================ Would do Have Done

001. Bought everyone in the pub a drink 002. Swam with wild dolphins 003. Climbed a mountain *004. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive 005. Been inside the Great Pyramid 006. Held a tarantula. *007. Taken a candlelit bath with someone 008. Said ‘I love you’ and meant it. 009. Hugged a tree *010. Done a striptease 011. Bungee jumped *012. Visited Paris 013. Watched a lightning storm at sea *014. Stayed up all night long, and watch the sun rise several times *015. Seen the Northern Lights 016. Gone to a huge sports game 017. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa *018. Grown and eaten your own vegetables *019. Touched an iceberg *020. Slept under the stars 021. Changed a baby’s diaper 022. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon *023. Watched a meteor shower *024. Gotten drunk on champagne *025. Given more than you can afford to charity 026. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope 027. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment 028. Had a food fight 029. Bet on a winning horse 030. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill 031. Asked out a stranger 032. Had a snowball fight 033. Photocopied your bottom on the office photocopier 034. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can 035. Held a lamb 036. Organized and planned a surprise party for a loved one *037. Taken a midnight skinny dip 038. Taken an ice cold bath 039. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar 040. Seen a total eclipse 041. Ridden a roller coaster 042. Hit a home run 043. Fit three weeks miraculously into three days 044. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking *045. Adopted an accent for an entire day 046. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors 047. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment *048. Had two hard drives for your computer *049. Visited all 50 states 050. Loved your job for all accounts *051. Taken care of someone who was really sick *052. Had enough money to be truly satisfied 053. Had amazing friends 054. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country *055. Watched wild whales 056. Stolen a sign 057. Backpacked in Europe *058. Taken a road-trip 059. Rock climbing 060. Lied to foreign government’s official in that country to avoid notice *061. Midnight walk on the beach 062. Sky diving *063. Visited Ireland 064. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love 065. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them *066. Visited Japan 067. Bench pressed your own weight 068. Milked a cow 069. Alphabetized your records 070. Pretended to be a superhero 071. Sung karaoke 072. Lounged around in bed all day 073. Protested something you feel strongly against 074. Scuba diving *075. Got it on to “Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye 076. Kissed in the rain 077. Played in the mud 078. Played in the rain *079. Gone to a drive-in theater 080. Done something you should regret, but don’t regret *081. Visited the Great Wall of China 082. Discovered that someone who’s not supposed to have known about your blog has discovered your blog 083. Dropped Windows in favor of something better 084. Started a business 085. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken 086. Toured ancient sites 087. Taken a martial arts class 088. Swordfought for the honor of a woman 089. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight *090. Gotten married 091. Been in a movie 092. Crashed a party 093. Loved someone you shouldn’t have *094. Kissed someone so passionately it made them dizzy 095. Gotten divorced 096. Started an office war 097. Gone without food for 5 days 098. Made cookies from scratch 099. Won first prize in a costume contest 100. Ridden a gondola in Venice 101. Gotten a tattoo 102. Found that the texture of some materials can turn you on 103. Rafted the Snake River 104. Been on television news programs as an “expert" 105. Got flowers for no reason 106. Made out in a public place 107. Got so drunk you don’t remember anything 108. Been addicted to some form of illegal drug 109. Performed on stage 110. Been to Las Vegas 111. Recorded music 112. Eaten shark *113. Drank an entire 6 pack by yourself *114. Gone to Thailand 115. Seen Siouxsie *116. Bought a house 117. Been in a combat zone 118. Buried one/both of your parents 119. Shaved all of your hair off *120. Been on a cruise ship 121. Spoken more than one language fluently 122. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone 123. Bounced a check 124. Performed in theatre 125. Read - and understood - your credit report *126. Raised children 127. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy *128. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour *129. Created and named your own constellation of stars 130. Taken a bicycle tour in a foreign country 131. Found out something significant that your ancestors did 132. Called or written your Congress person 133. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over 135. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge 136. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking 137. Had an abortion 138. Had plastic surgery 139. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived 140. Wrote articles for a large publication 141. Lost over 100 pounds 142. Held someone while they were having a flashback 143. Piloted an airplane 144. Petted a stingray 145. Broken someone’s heart 146. Helped an animal give birth 147. Been fired or laid off from a job 148. Won money on a TV game show 149. Broken a bone 150. Killed a human being *151. Gone on an African photo safari 152. Ridden a motorcycle 153. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100mph 154. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced 155. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol 156. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild 157. Ridden a horse 158. Had major surgery 159. Ridden on a passenger train 160. Had a snake as a pet 161. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon 162. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing 163. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours 164. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states *165. Visited all 7 continents 166. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days 167. Eaten kangaroo meat 168. Fallen in love at an ancient Mayan burial ground 169. Been a sperm or egg donor 170. Eaten sushi 171. Had your picture in the newspaper 172. Had 2 (or more) healthy romantic relationships for over a year in your lifetime *173. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about 174. Gotten someone fired for their actions 175. Gone back to school 176. Parasailed 177. Changed your name 178. Petted a cockroach 179. Eaten fried green tomatoes 180. Read The Iliad 181. Selected one "important” author who you missed in school, and read 182. Dined in a restaurant and stolen silverware, plates, cups because your apartment needed them 183. …and gotten 86'ed from the restaurant because you did it so many times, they figured out it was you 184. Taught yourself an art from scratch 185. Killed and prepared an animal for eating 186. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt *187. Skipped all your school reunions 188. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language 189. Been elected to public office 190. Written your own computer language 191. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream 192. Had to put someone you love into hospice care 193. Built your own PC from parts 194. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you 195. Had a booth at a street fair 196: Dyed your hair blue 197: Been a DJ 198: Found out someone was going to dump you via LiveJournal 199: Written your own role playing game 200: Been arrested ====================== 1. I have self-mutilated before. 2. I still love the song Dragostea Din Tei 3. I used to like New Kids on the Block 4. The 80s was funny. 5. I have realtones enabled on my cellular phone. 6. Public bathrooms scare me 7. I have keys on my belt 8. I’m not wearing a belt 9. I hate writing 10. I hate reading 1. I love compilation CDs 12. My favorite teachers have all been guys 13. I think Bad Religion’s only been around for ten or so years 14. I don’t know who Bad Religion is. 15. I don’t wear my hood unless it’s raining 16. I enjoy smaller clubs rather than big ones 17. I’ve put a song on repeat for more than 8 hours 18. I have sound on my computer  19. Someone wants my hiney. 20. My mom loves Elvis 21. I have my own computer 22. I live on the east coast 23. My favorite animal is a kangaroo 24. I’m on vacation 25. I don’t own a pair of ripped jeans 26. I am very insecure somewhat 27. I love to dance 28. I curse way too much. 29. I choose the pansy way and star out my curse words (f*ck) 30. I feel dumb because I was just called a pansy 31. I have a flatscreen computer 32. I collect something. 33. I’m married 34. I won’t date someone who’s smaller than me smaller, as in also shorter? 35. Brass knuckles are the shit. 36. I own a hand puppet 37. I write with blue pens 38. I wear eye makeup almost every day 39. I wish I lived somewhere other than here 40. I don’t own a band shirt. Not yet anyway.. 41. I love techno. 42. I have my nipples pierced 43. I’m shitty at wrapping presents 44. I know someone in the KKK 45. I’m racist/anti-semitist. 46. I don’t know what those mean. 47. I love life most of the time 48. I have posters all over my room 49. I’ve never been a camera whore with someone.. And I want to. 50. I’m halfway done 51. I wish I lived in the 80s 52. I know what the term borgie means 53. I’m interested in social hierarchy. 54. I love music videos. 55. I have a DVD player 56. I’m drunk right now 57. I’m listening to music 58. I have a big screen TV 59. I have an STD 60. I know the singer of the Clash’s name 61. The only IM program I have is AIM 62. I skateboard regularly 63. I live on the north side of town 64. I have been to Alaska 65. I’ve worn a cowboy hat 66. I watch late night infomercials for retarded, unnecessary things 67. I LOVE DOING THE DEATH GROWL TO MY FAVORITE METAL SONGS. 68. That last question was dumb. 69. I know what the word “peligroso” means in English 70. I speak another language fluently 71. I’ve been in a limo 72. I own a bong 73. My lungs hurt 74. I know someone who’s committed suicide 75. I’ve got a six pack and I don’t need you! 76. I know what band sung the above line 77. I like strong boys. 78. I’m sick right now 79. I know someone who’s currently enlisted in the army 80. I do not own a color phone 81. My birthday is in September 82. I hate mall cops 83. I hate most cops in general 84. I’m wearing blush 85. I live in an apartment 86. I’m still in high school. 87. I own something from Victoria’s Secret 88. I don’t know a boy that wears girls pants 89. I’ve had the same best friend since I was 8. 90. Brownies are my favorite 91. So is cake 92. I’ve heard the song “Looks Good in Leather” 93. I own some sort of propaganda, fake or real 94. I deny the Holocaust happened 95. Kisses are my favorite sign of affection 96. I need to charge my phone 97. My purse could pass for a suitcase 98. I take birth control 99. I only buy what’s fashionable

1. I love bolding 2. I know someone named Mimi 3. I hate my old best friend 4. My favorite alcoholic drink is Jack n Coke 5. I have a digital camera 6. I’m talking to at least one person online 7. I like watching college basketball 8. I have never moved. 9. I have at least one cat 10. I have at least one dog 11. I’m going to see a movie tonight maybe 12. I make my own AIM icons 13. I’m in pain 14. I watch more than five shows a day 15. I love the Cure 16. My parents like some of the same music I do 17. I have never been to the dentist 18. I listen to the radio 19. I do my own laundry 20. I’ve made at least one article of clothing 21. I have/want something on my face pierced 22. I go to at least one concert a week 23. I’ve written a story 24. I’ve dyed my hair every color of the rainbow 25. I own a Grand Theft Auto game 26. My favorite pattern is camoflauge 27. I know someone who does/did cocaine 28. I have too many game systems 29. I love scary movies 30. I hate scary movies 31. I’ve had sex more than 5 times 32. My favorite chips are Lays Original 33. I think butter is unhealthy 34. I hate the Osbournes 35. I used to have dreadlocks 36. I need to take medicine for something 37. I suffer from insomnia 38. I speak ebonics 39. I’ve gambled 40. And won 41. I have at least one gay friend 42. I like going to pet stores 43. I own a dog toy 44. And I don’t have a dog 45. I own more than ten candles 46. I’ve smoked a cigarette in the shower before 47. I’ve flunked a class 48. I listen to music every day 49. I have more than one nickname 50. I wear pajamas when I feel like it 51. I’m wearing more than one jewelry item 52. I haven’t washed my hair in a week 53. I watch the Grammy’s every year 54. Along with the Macy’s Parade 55. My favorite season is winter 56. I have seen the All American Rejects live 57. And I’ve enjoyed it. 58. Boobs are nothing special 59. I go swimming at least once a week in summer. 60. I have a pool. 61. I’ve gone skinnydipping 62. I’ve played strip poker 63. And lost 64. I want a nautical star tattoo 65. My cell phone turns off when it’s charging 66. And it pisses me off 67. I used to buy my entire wardrobe from Hot Topic 68. I’ve been to albinoblacksheep.com 69. My favorite subject is History 70. And/or math 71. I am a republican 72. I am a democrat 73. I listen to the Used occasionally 74. I have been to the Warped Tour 75. I am part Mexican 76. I am part German 77. All of my grandparents are still alive. 79. I love bowling 80. I know that there is a South Park, Colorado 81. I love Dairy Queen 82. Sometimes I think I’m crazy 83. I own a Moffatts CD 84. I own a Backstreet Boys CD 85. I want plastic surgery 86. Operation, operation, snip and tie, snip and tie 87. I know what song that line is from 88. I have killed something [bugs!] 89. I’ve never had a Nokia cell phone 90. I’m never sarcastic 91. Light eyes turn me on 92. I have never been to a foreign country 93. I don’t eat enough 94. I own illegal weaponry 95. I know someone who has overdosed on something 96. And lived to tell about it 97. I don’t own a pair of mittens 98. I love the heat 99. I’ve never had a steady boyfriend/gf 100. I want to makeout.

[karmaholmes221]

Vicomte de phantom

Outside Phantasma

Paris, 1895- A mysterious fire consumed the Opera Populaire. A mob rampaged through the theatre's twisted catacombs baying for the masked man they held responsible. Only his mask was ever found...

I made my way through the grounds of the ornate amusement park, politely trying to slip through the throngs of delight holidaymakers. I couldn’t help but catch bits of conversation as I passed.  ”Hurry up!” A child called to his father.

”You won’t believe it!” A young woman told the toddler on her hip.

”Take a look what’s over here!” A boy around the age of twelve called to his friend.

”Who imagined just how big the place would be?” A man asked  the woman on his arm.`

“The man called Mr Y put it up in just a year.” Another voice sounded.

“It’s a little slice of Heaven by the sea!” A young girl exclaimed.

I continued to slip past people as the crowds grew larger.  ”Look, there’s restaurants!” A voice yelled.

”A midway!” Another voice replied.

”A gigantic concert hall!” A man shouted.

”The biggest funhouse ever seen!” A woman called.

”A volcano that erupts each day at three!” one of the workers shouted.

”Wonders brought from ‘round the world!” A mother told her daughter.

“The season’s just begun, but Mr Y has got it all!” A boy told a young girl who was clinging to his hand.

”Crystal fountains!”

”Grand pavilions!”

“Hell, it musta cost him millions!”  As I reached the grand pavilion the crowd grew even more tightly packed as it grew larger and more festive.

”Over here!” A girl yelled.

”The sights! The sounds! The lights! The smells! The wonder wheels! The carousels! The gardens and arcades, and the marble colonnades!” one of the vendors shouted.

”The rides!”

”The shows!”

”The games of chance!”

”The rush!”

”The whirl!”

”The sheer romance!”

I finally made it to the final throng of people and paused as I overheard their conversation. ”And the rumours…” A woman said to one of her friends.

”What about ‘em?” Her friend asked.

”Things so odd you daren’t doubt ‘em…” A man beside them said.

”Freaks and monsters…” The woman said.

”Aberrations…” The man said.

“Weird mechanical creations…” And older woman added.

”And the Genius who designed it wears a mask!” The woman exclaimed. The small group erupted in a burst of excitement, chattering and pointing.

I shook my head at there enthusiasm, smiling as it brought back memories of my time with the traveling fair in Paris. I opened a door that was all but hidden by the vast posters. It led to the small dressing and preparations area backstage. I stepped in, shutting the door,  and Meg stumbled away from a small hole in the wall where she had been watching the throngs of people move past. She looked absolutely terrified. “Jesus, what a crowd.” She squeaked.

I couldn’t help but smile. “Nervous?”

Meg shifted back and forth. “Just a bit.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. I moved and put my hands on her shoulders.  ”Kid, look who you are! The headline act! A major star! You’re already a hit.” one of the showgirls sided up to me.

“Got a match?”  she asked and I handed her one.

“Wonder what he’ll think…” Meg said quietly to herself and I gave her a confused look.

“The boss?” I questioned.

“If he’s even here.” she said, almost pitifully.

I smiled comfortingly at her. ”Honey please… He’s here. And in just two days, he’ll be there tossing you bouquets. At our gala premiere. Picture it! The cream of Manhattan! Celebrities! Millionaires! Watching you!”

“I’ll be waiting in the wing, wound up tighter than a spring, as the house begins to dim. And I’ll practice ev’ry line, hoping desperately to shine. Shining only for him.” Meg said, slipping off into a private reverie.

“Just imagine how they’ll cheer, at the moment you appear.” I continued to encourage her.

A smile now broke across Meg’s face. “Stepping out before the scrim..!Let ‘em whoop and let ‘em call, I won’t hear the crowd at all…”

“No, it’s only for him.” I finished.

”Tell me how I look.” Meg said, suddenly self-conscious..

”Fine.” I assured.

Meg’s face became worried and I knew I had misspoken.  “Just fine? What about my hair?”

I chose my words quickly but carefully this time, trying to keep her upbeat.”Beautiful.”

“Your swear?” she asked and I let out a laugh.

”Trust me, once the boss sees how you put that song across. Hell, he ain’t got a prayer”

“You mean it?” She asked me, hope shining in her eyes.

I turned her around to face the mirror along the wall, both of us gazing at our reflections as I began to speak.” You’ll step out into the light. Looking lovely, burning bright, all vitality and vim!”

I watched as Meg re-lost herself in the vision.”And I’ll rapturously float through the melody he wrote, singing only for him.”

“And before the music dies, up the audience will rise, nearly bursting at the brim! And you’ll stand there in the glow…” I said, continuing to paint the picture.

“And perhaps, at last he’ll know…” Meg said wishfully as another showgirl rushed over from where she had been standing by the curtain.

”Girls! Hurry up! We’re on!” I quickly pushed Meg towards the stage as the girls rushed to make an entrance in the company of the specialty acts;  Ms. Fleck as our aerialist extraordinaire, Gangle, the barker, and our strongman Squelch.

From where I stood  just behind the stage curtain a to watch, I could hear several people in the audience. “Where is she?” A girl asked.

”Look! There!” A woman said.

”In the center!” A man added.

”Just like in the posters” the woman said appreciatively.

”It’s the Ooh La La Girl!” the girl squealed.

”Meg Giry!” The man said happily.

I glanced over to find that Madame Giry had joined me, I offered her a small smile before turning back to look at the stage. Meg smiled at the crowd before beginning to sing. “Welcome each and everyone to our firmament of fun!

”A buffet of Ballyhoo!” the showgirls sang.

Meg joined them.“It’s where coney comes to play and it’s opening today!

“And it’s only for you!” Meg sang with a winning smile.

”And you!” one showgirl said.

”And you!” another repeated.

”And you!” and a third repeated.

“Entertainment day and night, sure to dazzle and delight!” Meg and the showgirls sang

“And of course we’ll be there too!” Meg sang.

The showgirls began waving and flirty with the crowd. “Yoo hoo!”

Meg joined their voices. “We’re so happy that you’re here, for the season’s big premiere! And it’s only for you!”

With that, Meg gave a little curtsey to the audience before running off, throwing her arms around me with a triumphant smile as Gangle began to shout over the din. “Ladies and Gentlemen, Miss Meg Giry, the Ooh La La Girl! Five shows daily, only here at Phantasma. And now the aerial exoticism of the fabulous Miss Fleck – half bird, half woman, all for only 10 cents a ticket…”

“How was I? Tell me?” Meg said pulling away from my embrace to face her mother.

Madame Giry smiled proudly.  “Delightful, Meg. Just perfect. And I say that not only as your mother… But as your producer.”

“Was he watching?” Meg asked earnestly and Madame Giry opened her mouth to reply but I quickly cut her off, plastering a smile on my face.

“I’m sure he was and I’m sure he’ll have much to say about how much you’ve progressed.” I took Meg gently by the arm and began to lead her away from the stage, Madame Giry following close behind.

“By the way, it seems you have an admirer. A certain Mr. Thompson.” Madame Giry informed offhandedly.

Meg and I shared a glance as we followed her. “Is he important?” she asked hesitantly.

[krumbine]

The Zen of LEGO in the Din of Adulting

Life sucks.

It’s disappointing. Sad. Devastating.

Worst of all, it’s loud.

The political noise of the past year alone has been enough to drive the sanest of social warriors mad from the sheer insanity of discourse.

Fortunately, we have LEGO.

I don’t think anyone has to look far to witness the stress of a career not going in the direction they want it to or watch helplessly as a relationship or marriage falls apart. There’s an agony to seeing a family crisis unfold from hundreds of miles away and being helpless to do a single thing about it.

Fortunately, we have LEGO.

And let’s not forget terrorism. Or mental health crises. Or a plague of mass shootings that show no sign of abating and leaders who seem uninterested in taking any action against.

Fortunately, we have LEGO.

And I don’t say ‘LEGO’ to make light of any of these painfully heavy realities — I say it, literally, because it’s a sad, tragic, devastating and loud world out there right now.

And I don’t know about you, but I need a break from it every now and then.

I’ve never been to Paris, but I’ve built the Eiffel Tower. It’s part of the Architecture series which includes models like the Flatiron Building, a New York City Skyline (which features a micro-version of the Flatiron Building!), the Louvre, US Capitol, Sydney Opera House, and more.

But back to the Eiffel Tower.

It’s a 321 piece model. The base that the model sits on has a few green and black tiles, but otherwise, the tower is a mess of a grey bricks.

I can’t tell you how long it takes to piece together because that really isn’t the point (although I can say that a WALL-E and a Doctor Who TARDIS models have been the most time-consuming by way of intricacies).

I can tell you,  for the rock-living uninitiated, that there’s nothing difficult about a LEGO set, no matter how many hundreds or thousands of pieces there may be. (Nothing difficult, that is, until your monster cat scatters a collection of tiny, easily lost bricks.) Every set comes off the shelf with simple, wordless  instructions that belie a deeper truth:

Great, complex things happen one tiny (seemingly insignificant) step at a time.

The Eiffel Tower comes in a handsome black box and the instruction manual, unlike typical LEGO sets, is also a small book with facts about the life-size structure in France. Those gray bricks typically come in smaller, numbered bags — you’re instructed to open one bag, put those pieces together, then move onto the next.

Regardless of the set, I like to open all the bags at once. This is the first step in my Zen of LEGO approach. This is where I begin to tune out all the noise of the world around me and slip into flow.

You’ve probably experienced flow in one form or another. It’s when you’re concentrated on a task — you’re in the zone — and time disappears.

In light of the world today, I call it a state of bliss. My neurotic, over-stressed, anxiety-prone brain is finally settled.

The din of the world fades and I begin sorting bricks.

It’s a simple process: all duplicate bricks are sorted and clicked together by way of a single stud until what was once a disorganized mess of plastic is now a neat, tidy collection of all the pieces of a grand puzzle.

I know there are people who will scoff at the time it takes to patiently sort 321 (or more) bricks and for those people, the best equivalent I can describe is mowing the lawn. Or vacuuming. Or that side-to-side sweeping satisfaction of powerwashing the driveway.

After all bricks have been sorted, it’s now time to build. And it always starts so innocuously: random pieces coming together and forming no recognizable shape.

But the flow envelops and we trust the instructions. Brick by brick, small pieces form larger pieces, elements become structures, and an Eiffel Tower begins to emerge.

An indeterminate amount of time later (the longer the better), the model is done and the real world beckons.

I’m not saying taking an hour or two (or three or six) to build a LEGO set will fix any of the problems with the world around us, but it will help turn the noise off for a little while.

That might not sound like much, but it’s really noisy out there.

And sometimes all we need is just a little break.

Fortunately, we have LEGO.

Or sex. That works, too.

​###

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jordan Krumbine is a professional video editor, digital artist, and creative wizard currently quarantined in Kissimmee, Florida. When not producing content for the likes of Visit Orlando, Orlando Sentinel, or AAA National, Jordan is probably yelling at a stubbornly defective Macbook keyboard, tracking creative projects in Trello, and animating quirky videos with LEGO and other various toys.

Leave a dollar in the Tip Jar: https://ko-fi.com/krumbine

Short stories: https://bit.ly/2XY5D7I Books on Amazon Kindle: https://amzn.to/3bsqK5Y YouTube: https://bit.ly/2W41nSG Twitter: https://bit.ly/2VH0Vbu Facebook: https://bit.ly/2VpnylZ LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/2xnmk1e

http://www.krumbco.com

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 3.9 (before 1940)

141 BC – Liu Che, posthumously known as Emperor Wu of Han, assumes the throne over the Han dynasty of China. 1009 – First known mention of Lithuania, in the annals of the monastery of Quedlinburg. 1226 – Khwarazmian sultan Jalal ad-Din conquers the Georgian capital of Tbilisi. 1230 – Bulgarian Tsar Ivan Asen II defeats Theodore of Epirus in the Battle of Klokotnitsa. 1500 – The fleet of Pedro Álvares Cabral leaves Lisbon for the Indies. The fleet will discover Brazil which lies within boundaries granted to Portugal in the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494. 1701 – Safavid troops retreat from Basra, ending a three-year occupation. 1765 – After a campaign by the writer Voltaire, judges in Paris posthumously exonerate Jean Calas of murdering his son. Calas had been tortured and executed in 1762 on the charge, though his son may have actually died by suicide. 1776 – The Wealth of Nations by Scottish economist and philosopher Adam Smith is published. 1796 – Napoléon Bonaparte marries his first wife, Joséphine de Beauharnais. 1811 – Paraguayan forces defeat Manuel Belgrano at the Battle of Tacuarí. 1815 – Francis Ronalds describes the first battery-operated clock in the Philosophical Magazine. 1841 – The U.S. Supreme Court rules in the United States v. The Amistad case that captive Africans who had seized control of the ship carrying them had been taken into slavery illegally. 1842 – Giuseppe Verdi's third opera, Nabucco, receives its première performance in Milan; its success establishes Verdi as one of Italy's foremost opera composers. 1842 – The first documented discovery of gold in California occurs at Rancho San Francisco, six years before the California Gold Rush. 1847 – Mexican–American War: The first large-scale amphibious assault in U.S. history is launched in the Siege of Veracruz. 1862 – American Civil War: USS Monitor and CSS Virginia (rebuilt from the engines and lower hull of the USS Merrimack) fight to a draw in the Battle of Hampton Roads, the first battle between two ironclad warships. 1908 – Inter Milan was founded on Football Club Internazionale, following a schism from A.C. Milan. 1916 – Mexican Revolution: Pancho Villa leads nearly 500 Mexican raiders in an attack against the border town of Columbus, New Mexico. 1933 – Great Depression: President Franklin D. Roosevelt submits the Emergency Banking Act to Congress, the first of his New Deal policies.

[nikolacvna-archive]

❈ ✼ ❈    @fantomese   //     ♡   for a starter

           FROM THE grand opera hall, her sisters’ voices ring out   ---   like the chime of bells, or the sweet notes of a grand piano.   a night at the opera is always an adventure for the grand duchesses, so rarely given the chance to show their faces to society   ;;   excitement has kept them buzzing the entire carriage ride to the palais garnier, through the sparkling streets of paris.    she really shouldn’t stray, but a glimmer of light caught her attention...   and she wandered, away from her family and guards, into an empty room.    her fingers trail over the gold-gilted walls,  s i l e n c e  blanketing her despite the din from the crowds so close by.   a sensation of being watched trails her every movement.     tatiana cannot express what drives her to freeze up,  to shut her eyes tight and lay her hand flat against the wall.        ‘ is...  someone there? ’

[hurl-a-can]

THIS or THAT? (or BOTH or NEITHER? ;-p)

tagged by: the absolutely precious @enchantment1385 

Coffee or Tea (I love both - but I do have a slight preference for coffee) Early bird or Night owl Chocolate or vanilla Spring or fall   Silver or Gold  (I used to be all about silver - but these days I appreciate both) Pop or alternative (doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy Dragostea din tei, tho) Freckles AND Dimples (both. both is good) Snakes or sharks Mountains or fields Thunderstorms WITH lightning Egyptian or Greek mythology (neither. Chinese, Baltic, Norse and Slavic, bitch.) Ivory or scarlet Flute or lyre (BAGPIPE) Opal or diamond Butterflies and honeybees (also bumblebees, hornets, dragonflies and crickets. and wasps! yes, I like wasps, actually.) Macarons or eclairs Typewritten or handwritten Secret garden WITH a secret library (and a secret stack of booze) Rooftop or balcony Spicy or mild Opera or ballet London or Paris (Hong Kong) Vincent van Gogh or Claude Monet (keep both and give me Caravaggio) Denim or leather Potions or spells Ocean and desert Mermaids or sirens (rusalky, obviously)  Masquerade ball or cocktail party

tagging: YOU! ;-)