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illfoandillfie · 4 years ago

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Anyone who has been following me for a while has probably seen me talk about a project I’ve been hoping to get started - creating a Queen themed tarot deck. Well, good news, I’ve finished basic planning stuff and I’m ready to start actually making the cards!

BUT I am definitely not up to creating 78 individual artworks, so that’s where this post comes in.

I’m looking for artists who would like to create a piece or two which will be used in this tarot deck. I’ve organised general ideas of what each card will feature so that we get a good range of images and theres a connection to the meanings of each card.

For the moment I’m going to focus on the Major Arcana of which there are 22. So, if you are an artist in the Queen fandom and would be interested in participating please follow the link below to a short survey I’ve created where you’ll be asked to rank the cards in order of which you’d be most interested in creating art for.

LINK

Below the cut I have included the list of cards and the prompts for each one, as well as some other info about the project. If you have any questions that weren’t covered below please send me a message (via ask box or dm)!

If you see this and aren’t artistically inclined please give it a reblog. I’d love this post to reach as many artists as possible and I can’t rely on tumblr to show it in the tags or anything so I would love some extra help spreading the world.

Why A Tarot Deck?

I’m honestly not even sure where exactly this idea came from. All I remember is that one day I thought it would be a fun idea and then I started thinking about it more and realised just how much work it would be. In an effort to learn about the meanings of the tarot cards I started learning to read tarot (something I’ve been curious about for many years now anyway) and it all sort of snowballed from there.

Why Multiple Artists?

Because I’m not confident or capable enough of pulling this off on my own lmao. I enjoy making art but I struggle big time with drawing people and faces and I know I would give up after a handful of cards if I was doing this on my own. But multi-artist decks are very much a thing in the tarot community and theres some really cool ones out there.

What Sort of Art?

Anything. Whatever medium you enjoy using - digital, watercolour, acrylics, charcoal, etc - and whatever your style is! As long as you can send me a clean copy that can fit into the card template, then you can do what you like. The prompts I’ve chosen for each card are also fairly loose because I didn’t want to limit anyone’s creativity. Part of the joy of a collaborative deck is everyone’s individual interpretations of the cards and the imagery on them.

The only times I may say you can’t depict a particular outfit or moment is if I’ve already planned it to be on one of the minor arcana cards but otherwise you’ll have free reign.

I Don’t Know Anything About Tarot, Does That Matter?

NOPE! After the survey responses have been collected I will deal out the cards to everyone (hopefully in a way where everyone gets to work on something they really want to 🤞) and part of that will include a PDF with some information about the card - keywords associated with it, examples of other decks, why that prompt was chosen for it, etc - to help you get started if you need it. I am also always available to ask questions or bounce ideas off of.

Distribution?

This is the part I’m still looking into. I am wary of putting these up for sale anywhere because obviously there are copyright things and using people’s likenesses and all of that and the last thing I want is for my favourite band to take me to court lmao. Currently I am investigating a site called Make Playing Cards which basically lets you design your own card decks (one of the specific options being tarot cards) and print them off without having to bulk order anything. I’m just not entirely sure if they let you upload and share a design for free or if you have to put them up for sale. I’ll also create a PDF version that people can print themselves at home if they like. If anyone has any other suggestions for this I am all ears!

Of course something like Kickstarter is also an option I guess but, again, I’m still looking into all of this.

Time frame?

I definitely do not want to rush this. The loose timeline I’ve been working off of gives you three or four months to create your card after which time I can start finding people for the minor arcana cards. But, this can be adjusted depending on how many people sign up and y’know if everyone submits their pieces earlier than that then we can bump the next stage up. But I want to give everyone ample time to create something they are proud of. And I am very aware that the current global situation is affecting people’s creative energies and on top of that some of you may be participating in Inktober or similar things around this time of year, so I am also happy to extend the timeline.

What Happens If Not Enough People Sign Up?

Look, I guess it depends on how few artists are interested. Ideally I’d get enough people to do the major arcana but I’m not getting my hopes up. There is a question in the survey asking if you’d be willing to create multiple pieces so if there are left over cards I can hand them out to anyone who says they want them. I can also do a couple myself I just can’t do all 78 cards on my own.

What Happens If Too Many People Sign Up?

I am surprisingly prepared for this scenario. Firstly there were a few ideas I was throwing around that didn’t end up being used in the final list so potentially we can create some alternate cards.

Secondly, there is still the minor arcana to do as well. The minors will work a bit differently though. The minor arcana is similar to a deck of playing cards with four suits (wands, cups, pentacles, swords) and the numbers ace through ten plus four court cards (king, queen, knight, page). I was thinking the same artist could pick a number or court position and create the four cards for it so that they all match, if that makes sense. That way all of the Fours will look the similar and all of the kings will look similar etc. SO if anyone doesn’t get to do a major arcana I’ll check if they’d be interested in tacking a minor instead.

You Said There Would Be A List Where’s The List?

The Fool/s - Smile

The Magician/s - Queen

The High Priestess - Freddie in The Great Pretender

The Empress - Roger in The Great Pretender

The Emperor - Miami

The Hierophant - The Prophets Song

The Lovers - Freddie and Jim

The Chariot - Tour Bus

Justice - Present Day Bri

The Hermit - Older John

Wheel of Fortune - A Night At The Opera/Bohemian Rhapsody record

Strength - Ben Hardy

The Hanged Man - Highlander (or any of the queen songs featured in it)

Death - Bri in the Hard Life video

Temperance - Naked bicycle race

The Devil - Death on Two Legs

The Tower - Frank from News of the World

The Star - Rami Malek

The Moon - Gwilym Lee

The Sun - Joe Mazzello

Judgement - Adam Lambert/Q+AL?

The World - Made In Heaven/Tribute Concert

As you can see there’s a mix of Queen themselves, other people associated with them, objects associated with the band, and songs. I know some of these are sightly out there or unusual but please have a think about them and see if any spark your interest or get the creative juices flowing. I am also open to discussing potential other images to use instead if you’ve got an idea. As long as they can be tied to the meaning of the cards.

#queen #queen band #queen art #freddie mercury #freddie mercury art #brian may #brian may art #roger taylor #roger taylor art #john deacon #john deacon art #please god don't let this flop #also please ignore the rushed graphic #i just thought more people would stop and look if there was an image lmao

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takkforaltijd · 4 years ago

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"I really had no idea what to expect from this evening" 2/2

Okay here's part two. A few things beforehand, did you know that Lucas is actually attending a Waldorf school in skamnl! Namely the St-Gregorius College in Utrecht! So I put this into the story. I also have no idea what the translation of "borrelnootje" is. It is a peanut with a kind of crispy layer around it. Here a picture haha. So I just called it crispy nuts.

Jens is home alone the weekend and has asked Lucas if he would like to come. Friday has arrived and the two have not talked about it. Jens sends a message if Lucas still wants to come over.

Also an evening with cards, drinks, good conversations and a first kiss. ———————————————————————

Jens zipped up his jacket and went to the front door. He felt in the pocket of his jacket for his bicycle key, but he was not in it.

"Fuck where's my key," Jens thought. He ran to his bedroom and looked at his desk. The key was not there. He looked quickly through his room, but he was nowhere to be seen.

He hurried to the kitchen, almost falling down the stairs on the way. Had he thrown it there when he got home? The key was not on the kitchen table, nor on the counter.

"You've got to be kidding me" the boy thought. He even checked the pantry to see if he had left it there, but the key was nowhere to be seen.

Jens's last hope was that he hadn't locked his bike at all. Then it was praying that he was still there.

"My god I'm such a idiot" Jens thought when he saw his bike with the key in the lock. How long had this taken? Almost five minutes?! Jens jumped on the bike towards the harbor. Why was he so extremely chaotic? He just couldn’t come on time.

...

When he arrived at the harbor, Lucas was already there.

"Sorry I lost my key. I really went all over the house to find it, but apparently my bike was not locked at all…” Jens said a bit breathless from cycling.

Lucas could only laugh. "I think this can really only happen to you"

Lucas might be right about that, Jens thought. "I am the absolute master of chaotic people," Jens said back with raised eyebrows and a cheeky smile.

The boys got on their bikes and headed for his house.

...

“We'll put the bike in the back, that's easier” the boys cycled through a narrow alley and not much later they were behind Jens's house.

"Well, here I live." The boys parked their bikes and walked in. Jens took off his shoes and hung his coat on the overfull coat rack. He saw Lucas look with a look that said, "there is no possibility that my jacket will go with this too without it collapsing." "Uh just hang it over something."

The boys went to the kitchen. "Do you want something to drink?" Jens asked with his head already in the fridge. "Yes please" he answered. "Uh we have juice, coke ... I don't know what you like?"

Jens didn't get an answer, so he looked around and what he feared earlier today was reality. Lucas was looking extensively at the old pictures on the wall.

“Uh yes old pictures are hanging everywhere in the house. Nice and embarrassing.” Jens said with a flushed cheeks.

"No this is amazing!" Lucas said enthusiastically. "Isn't this you?" he pointed to an old school photo, about nine years old Jens was there. Jens nodded. "And this? Is that your sister?”

"Yes, that's Lotte, she's only eight, by the way, which also explains the drawings on the fridge," Jens said while he closed the fridge. "Is Coke good?" and Lucas nodded.

"You said eight years, this really isn’t bad," said Lucas with admiration. "I couldn't do this when I was eight!"

"Do you draw then?" Jens aked. “Yes, I have always attended a Waldorf school in the Netherlands. So, there was always a lot of room for creativity. My mother thought that was important for my development. That's why started painting and drawing I think.” Lucas said almost shyly.

"So not just the skater boy I've seen so far," Jens joked.

"No not just a skater boy"

The boys sat down at the kitchen table with their drinks. "And you? Are you also doing something creative or are you really just the skater boy I've seen so far?” Lucas asked with genuine interest and a slight grin on his face.

"I play the guitar, but I don't think I can get much further than that," Jens replied.

"I should hear that one time," said Lucas with a smile on his face. "Only if I get to see your drawings" Jens said back teasingly "at least if that's not too personal" he quickly added realizing how personal art could be. But Lucas agreed. "Next time, then," the blond boy said.

Next time, Jens thought. That sounds good.

The boys' small talk went on for a while until Jens asked if Lucas would like to have another drink.

"a beer?" Jens asked. And Lucas replied as if he had never heard anything better. Jens took two bottles of beer from the fridge and put them on the table. He also took a deck of cards.

"Can you play cards?" he asked. To which Lucas replied with a provocative tone "and if I can play cards" and the boys both laughed at it.

...

A few games of cards and two beers later Jens gave up “how is this possible, people never want to play cards with me because I always win, and you just finished me like it was nothing”

"Oh… has Lucas destroyed jens his little ego," said Lucas in a teasing voice and half a pout. Both boys couldn't stop laughing.

Lucas took some more crispy nuts and put them in his mouth. "Do you know what my party trick is?" he asked. Jens shook his head. "I can float crispy nuts in the air," he said through his laughter. Jens had no idea what to imagine. "I must see that!" Lucas tried to back out of it, but Jens was steadfast. He had to see this.

"Okay, but then I have to lie flat." And not much later, the boys had moved into the living room with the bag of crispy nuts.

Jens looked wide-eyed at Lucas. "Dude how?!" he said in surprise. "I have to be able to do this, it is brilliant." So not much later Jens himself was on the couch.

"Okay, you need a round nut that isn't too big." So Jens picked up a round crispy nut. "Then you put it on your lips" Jens followed the instructions of a slightly tipsy Lucas. "And then you have to blow gently." Jens tried but failed very hard. He tried a few more times but failed really hard.

"How do you do this, it is impossible," said Jens, almost irritated. "You should blow softer," said Lucas. Jens had to be able to do it "even softer, that really is impossible!". Both boys burst out laughing at Jens's frustration. “You know what, I give up. You already destroyed my ego while playing cards” and Jens sat up straight on the couch. Lucas dropped down next to him and said with a grin “sorry…” “ah stop it” Jens said back.

"should I put some music on?" Jens asked, already getting up. Lucas nodded. “What should I put on. I really have no idea what the Dutch are listening to.” Jens said teasingly. "you can decide I listen to almost everything thanks to my friends in the Netherlands." Lucas replied. "Everything?" Jens asked in a provocative tone. Lucas put his hands over his head "oh god what have I started."

Little boy You are in this world so you will have to fight just like me I can know Life is not easy There is adversity at any time (translated from dutch)

Jens looked at a Lucas who sang this song with one hand on his hard. "The Dutch really like their Hazes or not," said Jens, laughing. "Who doesn't love Hazes." Lucas supposedly said back offended. "You are a real Dutchman," Jens said, shaking his head. "But Hazes is okay…. I think," Jens admitted. "okay?" Lucas said, his hands on his hard. "It's always time for Hazes!" and Jens didn’t dare go against it.

"But what do you really listen to, as in everyday life." Jens asked. "Uh that differs a lot, but I think artists like The 1975 or Bon Iver are chill", said Lucas. "I don't know Bon Iver," Jens admitted.

Lucas got up and took the phone from Jens's hand. "I'm sure you know this number."

Come on skinny love just last the year Pour a little salt we were never here My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my Staring at the sink of blood and crushed veneer

"Isn't that Birdy her song?" Jens asked. Lucas looked at Jens and sarcastically said “ouch”. "No Birdy covered this. I think the original is better though.” And Jens joined Lucas's opinion.

Lucas returned the phone to Jens and plopped down on the sofa. Jens scrolled through the list Lucas had put on. "I'll keep this on," said Jens and sat down next to Lucas. Closer than he actually intended. The boys' shoulders touched.

If Lucas does not think this is chill then he will move to the side, Jens thought, but Lucas did not move.

A few songs passed and the conversation got back on track. "But why did you actually come to Antwerp?" Jens asked. Lucas took a deep breath which made boys touch each other even more. "Uh, it's quite complicated," said Lucas. Jens immediately felt guilty about the question. "You don't have to tell if you don't want to"

Lucas nodded, but opened his mouth searching for words. “No it's okay, I lived in Utrecht with my mother, but she is uh… bipolar. I don't know if you know what that is” Jens looked at Lucas and nodded “Yes I do. Sander, Robbe's boyfriend is bipolar ”Lucas nodded and looked for words to go on. “The three of us have decided that it is better for me not to live with her for a while, so now I am here with my father in Antwerp”

"Do you think you're going back to the Netherlands?" Jens secretly hoped not.

"Not any time soon. At least I want to finish my school here.” Lucas took a deep breath “it's just difficult, because my whole life is in the Netherlands. My friends, basically just everything.”

Jens understood Lucas exactly. The boy he has only known since this school year has just opened up here. Maybe it was good for him too.

"I think I understand you," Jens said cautiously. “When my father lost his job, we had to choose between living smaller here in Antwerp or leaving the city… I don't know how I would have managed leaving the city. Without Robbe. ”

"I really miss Kes and Isa very much" said Lucas "never thought I would even miss Jayden as much as I do" and the Boy laughed. "But I immediately felt accepted here." A smile appeared on Jens's face. "You, the boys and the girls were there for me from day one."

Silence fell between the boys. Not an awkward silence, it was a silence that said more than all the words spoken that night.

Jens knew that the feelings for Lucas were more than friendly. He had never felt this fot a boy before. He had never ruled it out, but it was still scary.

Jens felt Lucas's gaze on him, and his whole body heated. Kissing the boy, that's what he wanted all night. But Jens was afraid it would ruin their friendship.

Jens turned his head to Lucas's. Lucas's eyes fixed on his lips.

Without thinking, Jens closed the space between him and Lucas. His lips found Lucas's and Lucas kissed him back.

It was a small cautious kiss, and Jens pulled back gently.

"Uh ... sorry"

"You don't have to apologize," said Lucas with a smile. "If I hadn't wanted it, I wouldn't have kissed you back."

Jens's body simply stopped functioning, so all he could do was nod yes. He opened his mouth searching for words "it's just uh ... I’ve never done that before." He didn't even dare to look at Lucas.

"You are not my first boy." Lucas replied. That made Jens look up "as in ..." Jens started

Lucas finished "Gay".

A short pause followed, until Jens asked, "How did you know you're gay?"

"I am simply not attracted to girls, it just doesn’t work for me" Lucas replied.

"I never knew I could be attracted to boys," Jens said.

“That's okay, right? And that you kissed me doesn't make you gay” Lucas said “you don't have to put a label on yourself just because you kissed a boy.”

"No, I know, but at least I'm not straight." Jens Huffed. And both boys laughed.

"There is much more than gay and straight you know, you just have to discover it." Lucas said. And he was right.

...

"My god it's already half past two," said Lucas. "If I want to keep my father on my side, I really have to go home soon."

"I will cycle with you, because I don't think you really paid attention to how to get back to the harbor." Jens laughed. And Lucas admitted he had no idea how to go back home.

The boys put on their coats and shoes and walked over to the bikes.

"Do you have your key this time?" Lucas joked. And Jens nudged him.

...

Fifteen minutes later they stood in front of a modern apartment complex.

“Thanks for riding along!” Lucas said “next time at my place?”

That sounds good, Jens thought and agreed with the plan.

The boys hugged each other, and Lucas walked towards the door of the complex. Before he went in, he said "I really liked it tonight, would you send a message when you get home?"

Jens would do that. He took his earphones out of his pocket and put on Lucas's playlist.

Evergreens in a dream of an island town Draw a line in the sand and we'll smooth it down Will your side win, get to the middle Count them off one at a time And we'll try, to guess right

#van der stoffels #vds #jens stoffels #lucas van der heijden #lucas vdh #skam #skamnl #wtfock #wtfam

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akindoftarot · 4 years ago

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ATTENTION QUEEN FANDOM ARTISTS

I’m organising a fandom wide collaborative art project - creating a Queen themed tarot deck! I’ve organised general ideas of what each card will feature so that we get a good range of images and theres a connection to the meanings of each card but I can’t create all 78 art pieces on my own.

LINK

If you see this and aren’t artistically inclined please give it a reblog or share it with any artists you know. I’d love this post to reach as many artists as possible and I can’t rely on tumblr to show it in the tags or anything so I would love some extra help spreading the world.

Why A Tarot Deck?

Why Multiple Artists?

What Sort of Art?

The only times I may say you can’t depict a particular outfit or moment is if I’ve already planned it to be on one of the minor arcana cards but otherwise you’ll have free reign.

I Don’t Know Anything About Tarot, Does That Matter?

Distribution?

Of course something like Kickstarter is also an option I guess but, again, I’m still looking into all of this.

Time frame?

What Happens If Not Enough People Sign Up?

What Happens If Too Many People Sign Up?

I am surprisingly prepared for this scenario. Firstly there were a few ideas I was throwing around that didn’t end up being used in the final list so potentially we can create some alternate cards.

You Said There Would Be A List Where’s The List?

The Fool/s - Smile

The Magician/s - Queen

The High Priestess - Freddie in The Great Pretender

The Empress - Roger in The Great Pretender

The Emperor - Miami

The Hierophant - The Prophets Song

The Lovers - Freddie and Jim

The Chariot - Tour Bus

Justice - Present Day Bri

The Hermit - Older John

Wheel of Fortune - A Night At The Opera/Bohemian Rhapsody record

Strength - Ben Hardy

The Hanged Man - Highlander (or any of the queen songs featured in it)

Death - Bri in the Hard Life video

Temperance - Naked bicycle race

The Devil - Death on Two Legs

The Tower - Frank from News of the World

The Star - Rami Malek

The Moon - Gwilym Lee

The Sun - Joe Mazzello

Judgement - Adam Lambert/Q+AL?

The World - Made In Heaven/Tribute Concert

#queen #queen band #queen band art #queen fanart #freddie mercury #freddie mercury art #roger taylor #roger taylor art #brian may #brian may art #john deacon #john deacon art #adam lambert art #bohemian rhapsody #borhap #borhap cast #borhap art

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cookinguptales · 5 years ago

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Ah what a wonderful reading to wake up to, surprisingly accurate! (of course tho you always insert your own experiences to fit best into a readin') And a beautiful deck, I'm SUPER curious to see the Lisa Frank one when you get it!

I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Tarot nights are always a lot of fun.

Yeah, like I said, what I love about tarot is the meanings that we affix to the objects we live with. Tarot cards were around long before they had any magical associations (and the cartomancy-esque meanings that came later often boiled down to “saw it in a dream, wow I’m smart” “um excuse me in MY dream it said THIS and my dreams are Smartest Dreams” and then they fight even though neither of them know beans about what ancient egyptians really thought because the goddamn rosetta stone hasn’t been translated yet!!) -- ANYWAY, tarot cards were basically just fancy playing cards for rich people for quite a while and then people started giving them meaning. And now look where we are! Tarot cards are wholly removed from their original use!

That said, this ukiyo-e deck is interesting because it does actually call back to normal playing cards. I took a picture of some of the cards because you said you were interested in seeing more of them.

The part I love about the Minor Arcana in this deck (the top row) is that if you look closely, you can see the normal card suits that are associated with the traditional tarot suits. Most tarot decks have Cups, Swords, Rods/Staves/Wands, and Pentacles/Coins. Even tarot decks that replace these objects with other objects (like the Halloween Tarot’s ghosts and bats) come with a manual that will tell you which “traditional” suits they correspond to.

This deck used Japanese objects that were reminiscent of those suits, but they also included the normal card suits that these are associated with. There’s a spade floating above the swords. A heart hidden in the pond below the cups. A club next to the wands. A diamond beside the coins. I kind of love how they’re simultaneously mystifying and demystifying the deck. People have done all kinds of cartomancy throughout the years with all kinds of different cards -- including your normal, boring Bicycle decks. Tarot has just become the predominant form.

I love how this deck in particular has adapted the usual Rider-Waite-Smith imagery to the theme. (You can especially see it in The Tower and The Fool.) Tarot has developed a kind of shared language, but I love seeing what artists do with that language. I like seeing how it’s reaffirmed and subverted. There’s so much historic tradition there, but also such a sense of modern creativity. There’s a reason why I end up supporting so many tarot kickstarters lmao.

Anyway, that was all a long way of saying that, yes, tarot readings are really exactly what you make of them. The concepts present in tarot cards tend to be very applicable to a lot of different people, and that vagueness can make it feel incredibly specific. That said, just because people project their own needs onto tarot readings, that doesn’t make them bad. That just means that tarot readings give you a way to reconceptualize and puzzle out the life you’re living. It’s kind of like guided meditation, in a way. You know what they say -- the real way to choose between two things is to flip a coin and see which side you find yourself rooting for. It’s kind of like that. You may not even realize what you need to be thinking about until there’s a loose framework to hang your thoughts onto.

I don’t know whether I believe in things like psychic phenomena, but I do believe that we often hear what we need to hear when we get tarot readings. Not because there’s necessarily anything mystical about them, but because they give us an excuse to examine our lives, priorities, desires, and potential shortcomings in a way that we might not otherwise do. And if that helps you, who cares who’s psychic?

Just my two cents, anyway. I may not wholeheartedly believe in a lot of things, but I believe in humans and what they create together. I believe that our traditions and stories and beliefs are a kind of magic all on their own, and I believe that’s beautiful. Traditions can be good or they can be bad, but the fact that they last hundreds of years in the minds of millions of people is pretty incredible, isn’t it?

tl;dr I’m a fuckin nerd and material culture is my jaaaam

(YOU GOT THIS GIANT WALL OF TEXT BECAUSE YOU WERE ONE OF THE PEOPLE WHO WANTED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT TAROT FROM AN ACADEMIC STANDPOINT, THIS IS YOUR FAULT.)

#justice for pamela colman smith tbh #and if you are the person who just hit my kofi thank you so much ;;#replies #tarot shenanigans #shaymeson

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judeonthemove · 6 years ago

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One Hundred And Nine Beds

We loved Ecuador so much we stayed an extra day. Although that's not strictly true, it sounds much better than: despite having a bulletproof plan for getting to the airport, arriving there four hours ahead of our flight, and sitting for two hours at what was initially promoted as the correct gate, we somehow conspired to miss our flight. We still have no idea when they changed the gate, why we didn't notice, or what on earth happened to their customer service announcements. Tiredness, relaxation and misplaced trust lulled us into false sense of security and we were rewarded with a monumental fuck up and no hint of an apology. There are few things you want to experience less at a foreign airport than the icicle stab in your guts of realising you are stuck in a territorial no-man's land, on the wrong side of a continent, facing a temporal and financial haemorrhage that you have to resolve in another language. There are the immediate practical problems to deal with of course, but also the wave of humiliation and self-recrimination. How on earth did we manage to make their mess into our problem? Staff members trooped us off around the airport getting our exit stamps annulled, and down to the basement where our rucksacks lay unceremoniously dumped by a door next to the tarmac. Just to underline our misdemeanours the narcotics police then proceeded to dismantle our bags. It was surreal and strangely violating to see your sorry pile of belongings through a stranger's eyes; that the backbone of your life for ten months is nothing but crap. Given that we weren't drug smugglers, we were allowed to proceed with our walk of shame back through security and baggage reclaim before facing the inevitable at the airline ticket desk. Mercifully the woman on duty had fluent English and quickly reassured us that for the bargain price of a lost day and $198 we could still get to Rio de Janeiro. Painful, but nothing like as wounding as I'd feared. There was nothing but a web address to consult about our complaints, and we were sent off into the night.

Reluctant to bankrupt ourselves further and urgently feeling in need of some control we found a nearby town on the map, jumped on a local bus, and hustled down a dark, desolate road in search of accommodation. Our hunch that anywhere that close to an airport would feature hostals was correct and we holed up for the night, spending our last few dollars on pizza and beer, and hurriedly trying to make contact with our hotel in Rio. It was a prime case of sod's law that having decided to blow the accommodation budget on our final lodgings (a whole £30 a night, woooooooh!), we wantonly discarded a night of our booking. So here we are, back at Quito airport, paranoidly sat below the departures board at our supposed gate. Three hours should do it today.

...

Shortly after dawn we were hurtling through the streets of Rio on a transfer bus, astonished at seeing a huge high rise city again. Rio was covered in simple black graffiti tags at street level and at impossible heights all over tower blocks, bridges, and industrial buildings. The city had the appearance of having been infected with a rash of kanji. Delivered just a block from our hotel, we weaved around encampments of rough sleepers. At six in the morning it was already hot, and the bracing smell of human waste and desperation competed with the tropical plants of the park. While we might have been late, at least we had a bed to sleep in and a home to go back to. The kindly night receptionist was waiting for us and pointed out that the breakfast buffet had just opened. A quality breakfast was one of our pre-requisites when deciding where to stay so there was quite a weight of expectation upon it. Still wired from the events of the previous thirty-six hours, and suffering from no sleep and another two hour forward time jump, we were a bit over-excitable. There was a lift, carpeted hallways, key-cards, and a great room with a massive bed and powerful, hot shower. It could have been the Ritz and not felt like a better treat. We fell on the breakfast buffet like vultures then passed out until the late afternoon.

Other than for references to the quality night life, ‘sketchy' was the main adjective we’d seen used in relation our new neighbourhood of Lapa. We divested ourselves of valuables and ventured out on a quest for orientation, dinner and some good old Brazilian beer. Finding ourselves in a sports bar we utilised our best pointing and smiling technique in the acquisition of some tea. Portuguese might look like Spanish, but it sounds like Hungarian and we were utterly clueless once more. After fuelling up, some more beer was in order and it just so happens that Rio is full of actual bars, not cafes that might serve beer, but beer emporia that might serve snacks. Yes the area was a bit moody in places, but not to the extent that you'd hide in your hotel, and there was more than a hint of promise for the weekend. We soaked it up for a while then headed back, detouring by the hotel roof to survey the scene. We were surprised to find the view dominated by a terrifying Mayan temple-style ziggurat in brutalist concrete. Behind the local aqueduct-cum-tourist tramline it lurked, gigantic and awful. A swift search revealed it was a cathedral, possibly the most dystopian fantasy cathedral ever.

Rio being a big city, we had to be modest with our expectations of what was achievable in a few days. We stayed local on the first morning, visiting the bohemian hillside neighbourhood of Santa Theresa via the tram. At the top was a theatre in a ruined colonial villa and an art gallery with marmosets in the garden. The views towards Sugar Loaf Mountain and Christ the Redeemer helped shape our itinerary for the remainder of the week. We picked around the twisty cobbled streets and managed not to punch the army of selfie-takers on the Selarón Stairs. The artist burned himself to death at the foot of his meticulously tiled staircase but this grisly fact seemed to be lost on the crowd as they posed and obstructed on the same spot. Once in possession of the right kind of ticket, we zipped off on the metro to check out Ipanema beach. James is very much a mogwai when it comes to beaches and should never be made wet or sandy, but once installed on a rented chair even he admitted it was an excellent place and suggested we should do some more beachiness. In my imagination, the beaches of Rio are full of impossibly beautiful people so it was encouraging to find all sorts present and enjoying themselves. Beach life is serious business, involving lots of team sports, sexy casual style, and alcohol. Enterprising stalls set up each day supplying chairs, parasols and drinks, and disappear again at sunset spirited away in VW campervans. Despite the breaking waves I managed a bit of a swim in the Atlantic and we chilled out as the sun went down. It was time to get formally acquainted with the caipirinha, Brazil's national drink. I suspect that caipirinha is viewed as some sort of human right in Brazil. It is ubiquitous, and invariably both the cheapest drink available and blindingly strong. It's also delicious of course, which set the tone for the remainder of the week.

Thursday saw us on the cable car up to Sugarloaf Mountain, for a spectacular view of the city and the incoming weather. On the way there we'd walked past the very swanky yacht club and therefore had a second chance to be envious, admiring the miniature yachts from above as they flew across the bay. The irony is there is no ‘January River' as Rio de Janeiro translates, the first Europeans to discover the place were mistaken. Guanabara Bay certainly looked like a mighty fine sailing ground though. We followed the short nature walk at the top and soon became enveloped in increasingly thick cloud. With the wind picking up and Rio now largely invisible, we descended once more. We pursued our plan to visit Copacabana but remained beach adjacent, supping caipirinhas and attempting to understand the rules of the foot/volley-ball hybrid game everyone plays. The sea did not look too safe for swimming, and as the sun went down it started to rain with a vengeance. Lightning pounded the sky above the mountains and ocean. Eventually we had to acknowledge it wasn't going to stop and had to make a run for it. Drenched, but still warm and cheerful we grabbed some food and called it a night. Across the road from our hotel, a mysterious festival was being set up.

We have breakfasted incrementally later as the week has progressed, which may or may not relate to the exponential increase in our alcohol consumption. Getting mobilised eventually on Friday morning, we went to investigate the intimidating cathedral. Like a reverse tardis it somehow seemed smaller on the inside. Smaller but still a vast open space with stained glass streaming down the walls from a glass cross in the roof. It was calm, cool and bold. Arriving at the modern art gallery by a rather leisurely midday was not a problem, as it emerged they only opened at midday, thus giving our tardiness the appearance of planning. Fully arted up we went for a wander round the waterfront and ran into what might have been some sort of naval graduation ceremony. Military bands in full uniform greeted dignitaries while bodyguards watched over the proceedings. We admired the architecture of one of Rio's newest museums but chose Coke and churros outside over going in. Our diabetes-baiting was rewarded with more rain so we trotted back to base for a disco nap as Rio geared up for Friday night.

When we re-emerged, Lapa had transformed itself into party central with innumerable samba bars featuring live bands. Off-licences doubled as bars, with crowds ranged across the pavements or sitting on the city's shared bicycles. Bar stalls crowded in the central reservation, and people with modified bikes and hand carts sold booze on the move. This was not the place for sobriety. While our ruined clothes made us look a bit down at heel inside the hotel, we fitted right in on the street. Urine, drains and cigarette smoke competed with frying snack food and the ever present zing of lime wedges. Groups of friends sang and danced in and around the bars, dodging traffic as the crowds swelled into the road. The mystery festival turned out to be a Christian music weekender. One couldn't help but feel they were fighting a losing battle. We lined our stomachs and got into the spirit of things at a restaurant before going on to a bar. The early hours found us under the aqueduct arches, clutching mind-bendingly strong, half-litre, 90p caipirinhas, and swaying to Christian rock in the rain.

Saturday was a slow start, followed by a restorative breakfast and post-breakfast sleep. We eventually hauled ourselves back up to Santa Theresa for a longer look around and a nice walk in the sunshine. After my ordering error in Baños I finally got stroganoff for my tea, and hoped this wouldn't be an ill-advised choice ahead of another night on the beers. We'd noticed protesters gathering earlier in the day, and many of them were partying in Lapa. Clearly it was something to do with next week's general election. The reported front-runner, representing the hard right, is currently recovering from being stabbed. These cheerful revellers were altogether more peaceful in their opposition to him, choosing stickers, glitter and dancing in the street as their weapons of choice. We steered clear of the cocktails but still made a poor attempt at getting a slightly earlier night. We looked up the hashtag of the campaign stickers and chanting, and discovered that #elenão meant #nothim, a cry of protest against misogyny, homophobia and racism.

Sunday, appropriately enough, involved a visit to Giant Jesus, or Christ the Redeemer as the statue is known to all but me. The figure watches over the city from high above and, while prominent, had seemed smaller than expected from the vantage points we'd had up to then. A Swiss-style train took us from the base of the mountain, up the steep, forested slopes to the undeniably enormous statue. All around the main platform, people lay prostrate at the feet of Christ. They weren't praying, or indeed even looking at the statue, but rather were all busily taking photos of each other; lying on the ground to get the same crucial shot from below. Arms outstretched, their backs to the statue, superimposing themselves over one of the modern wonders of the world. While the sights on the viewing decks were plain annoying, the views from them were superb, taking in the bay, mountains, city and beaches in 360°. We could have happily stayed up there for hours, but we'd promised ourselves a second crack at Copacabana and daylight hours were running short. Arriving on the bus, it was immediately apparent that some huge party was in full swing. The dual carriageway next to the beach was closed to traffic and full of floats and thousands of people. It was a powerful cross between a Pride parade and political rally. The tide was up and the sea so rough that lifeguards were patrolling on jet-skis and preventing people from swimming. My swim kit stayed in my bag and rather than sit on the beach as planned, we grabbed a drink and joined in. While it might not have been our election, it was a great opportunity to show solidarity. We picked a sound system we liked and danced alongside the slow moving lorry down the full length of Copacabana. We arrived several hours later hammered, starving and covered in glitter. Ending as we began in Santiago, our final dinner in this continent involved meat on chips, a South American staple. Clearly we couldn't just leave it there, as Sunday night samba was in full swing back in Lapa. Street-stall caipirinhas in hand we stood on the pavement admiring other people's dance moves and looking back on our trip. Our livers are quietly glad we are not staying longer.

We believe we have slept in one hundred and nine beds over the past ten months. This includes a bamboo stretcher in the forests of Laos, a tent in Thailand, wild campsites in an Australian van, and a boat down the Amazon. It does not account for all the overnight planes, trains and buses that we have variously enjoyed and endured. Thinking of it like this it seems incredible, yet here we are; it's the first of October and we're about to go home. Many of my clothes are about to go in the bin, together with the owl-patterned bag that has been slung across my body almost every day and is a veteran of our Japan our India trips before that. It's like discarding faithful friends. I have no idea what's coming next and am merrily avoiding thinking about it until we're home and the dust settles. As I lie here in Rio thinking of what a wonder, challenge and privilege it has been to do this, our tiny, huge earth rotates beneath me. We will soon be racing back across the Atlantic to the lovely Peels who will await us at Heathrow. For those of you who have managed to read this far, you’ve got through eighteen of these missives and who knows how many tens of thousands of words. Thank you for your interest, it's been lovely to have someone else to talk to.

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brain-stormer-blog1 · 7 years ago

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Modern, Muggle Marauders

[wolfstar and jily/jegulily, 15,523 words]

Remus

oversized sweaters and button downs all day everyday

ink stained hands

collects old books - Most have torn pages and faded ink from constant rereading.

has too many half written stories all featuring the same characters he’s overly attached to (an: oh shit its actually me)

somehow always carries chocolate or knows the nearest place he can get some. works in a book store (an: I just love this au too much ik its cliché as hell)

WELSH ACCENT

can and will fall asleep anywhere

all his clothes have rips in them or are extremely worn - not on purpose like Padfoot however (’MOONY ITS PUNK ROCK SHUT UP AND GIMME THE SCISSORS’)

enjoys the rain a lot - lucky they stay in Scotland then

Amber eyes and golden hair that lightly curls with his love of the rain (James gets jealous bc hes the ‘curly haired friend’)

always carries a notebook, of which he has wayyyyy too many

knows too many constellations which he doodles in all of his notebooks and always keeps track of the moon phases, hence the nickname

his sleep schedule is beyond screwed - probably caused by “ nope I cant sleep without reading Pads,” and then getting completely transfixed by a fictional world

always sketching people around him, he could happily sit in a café all day and draw everyone there, maybe he has an entire notebook of Padfoot sketches, maybe he does not, who knows

can’t function without coffee

very trustworthy of his friends almost too trusting, but can barely talk to a person outside of their group

almost too pale, couldn’t tan if he tried all that the sun does is give him a light dusting of freckles and chases away his beloved rain

loves living in the attic of their huge shared home (curtesy of James’ insanely large inheritance and Sirius’ uncle Alphaard) it has wooden walls and an obscene amount of plants, his favourite part is a large window on the ceiling that he enjoys climbing out especially when its drizzling when the others join him

usually the subject of Padfoot’s (favourite) polaroids

probably the only guy there that thinks of the consequences of a situation before they become a reality

the responsible one

can read & write music

pianist

Lily & Peter read all of his stories - annoyed they aren’t finished loves animals, still pretends to be annoyed when James brings home stray dogs

gets sick constantly and secretly finds it hilarious when Sirius freaks out and acts like his nurse

Sirius

constantly painting, drawing and creating awesome art pieces

photography nerd - has a huge collection of polaroids & pinholes in his ‘dark room’ (a cupboard under the stairs that has a red light)

owns a motorbike that he is constantly repairing and is attempting to convince

James to get one too “prongs we’ll look awesome c’mon do it or the aesthetic” James can’t ride a damn bicycle

always stealing Remus’ sweaters, even thought they are all about 10 sizes too big

has at least 15 leather jackets.(Wears one bc Moony got him patches for it years ago)

Long black hair that is always falling into tired grey eyes - Walburga has threatened to chop it off too many times

works in an art gallery, occasionally slips in his own work (the manager knows but she loves his work)

angsty as hell

always listening to music - preferably on vinyls “I don’t care how expensive it is Wormtail, it sounds far better (also it’s not my credit card its my cousin Bellatrix’s so???)

Smoker (probably for the aesthetic tbh) “yeah right Moons it makes me punk rock as shit,”

wears his biker boots all day everyday

plays guitar (secretly acoustic is his favourite)

all his clothes are ripped as heck

very very protective of his friends, has given out and received his fair share of black eyes for this “its for a noble cause also it makes me look pun-” “ Padfoot for god sake we get it you’re punk rock!”

terrible at showing negative emotions but has learned to when it comes to Prongs and Moony - he’s getting there with some of the others

obsessive in his love for dogs and is genuinely offended when Lily gets a cat, the day he found out James bought it the word ‘betrayal’ is genuinely used, even more offended when Regulus began playing with the cats “ Sirius I’m named after a star in the LEO constellation???”

such a drama queen (speaking of Queen imagine him & Bohemian Rhapsody?)

tries to hide his aristocratic background, though his mannerisms show it off quite often

fluent in French he has a slight French accent

Lives on Tumblr (surprisingly this was never meant on this site) & Netflix

also memorises the moon phases ( just to impress Remus honestly)

makes awful puns constantly “I’m serious” “nah I’m Sirius you’re James” “ugh are you fucking serious” “nah I’m fucking Moony” *atrocious wink*

ripped skinny jeans - Wormtail still calls him emo for it

James

super athletic

Loves photography claims to use the best equipment but still constantly invades Sirius’ excuse for a dark room

plays drums

somehow the only one who can cheer up Regulus instantly

only has 1 pair of glasses even though he is horrendously clumsy, Lily is assuming he is just seeing how much tape he can build up before they are entirely useless

obsessed over football - he manages a small team that he is way too enthusiastic about

still surprised Lily even talks to him “James we’ve been dating for 5 years stop being a prat”

plans out the biggest pranks and somehow manages to get everyone involved, if he doesn’t they turn to shit but that’s a ‘secret’ everybody knows only shoes he actually ones are trainers & football boots “James you are not wearing Nikes to Alice and Franks bloody wedding!”

really competitive

obsessively plays Xbox and has weekly gaming nights with everyone (Sirius always rage quits) Wormtail is the only one who is still playing with him after 30 minutes

goes on tones of unplanned road trips with Lily

tries a weird new diet practically every week, sort of a health freak

way too much house pride - his whole room is decorated red and gold

has an old pickup truck he prides too much even though he is almost needing to fix it as much as Sirius and his ancient motorbike

the ‘mom friend’ always looking after everyone

Peter

actually the only reason they don’t all eat fast food & take aways 24/7 - he’s a great cook

proof reads all of Remus’ stories for him before they get posted

works as a barista in a grunge as hell café across the road - the others always hang out there when he’s working

secretly enjoys the challenge of James’ strange dieting (gluten free+ vegan month was definitely a challenge though)

owns 2 pet rats - is scared shitless that Regulus’ pet snake is going to eat them at one point

really good at giving gifts because he’s great at listening to people has a massive collection of hoodies for no apparent reason

always third wheeling because of Wolfstar and Jily, it’s better now that Regulus has move in though

really good at video games - occasionally lets James win because he gets too moody otherwise

bassist

only listens to indie & grunge music - secretly loves Sirius’ obsession with vinyls

Lily

not super feminine but always has the latest fashion trends - usually fairly alternative (known to sport the jeans + fishnets thing that looks bomb as hell)

reads almost as much as Remus and is always hanging out in the book shop he works at

really enjoys playing football with James - finds it hilarious when he gets competitive

super long ginger hair + green eyes

loves tattoos, has handpoked a few of her own (mainly gets them done professionally, her friend Marlene is a tattoo artist) & Sirius let her do a moon on his wrist

doesn’t know that James reads all the books she talks about until she finds 3 of them hidden on his side of them wardrobe and interrogates him

super spontaneous really enjoys the constant unplanned road trips

does a lot of digital art, usually draws characters from books most often the characters Remus will never let go of in his stories

can ride a motorbike and occasionally takes Sirius’ for a spin

just a badass tbh

everyone takes their problems to her because she somehow has a solution for everything

wants to get into interior design and when they move in she helps everyone decorate their rooms, constantly adding to their home paints a different wall every week

literally friends with everyone - nobody dislikes her and probably couldn’t if they tried

has a weird skill for knitting, likely the source of 90% of Remus’ holy sweaters

obsessed with ‘retro’ things, favourite things tend to be from the 80s/90s

always helping Wormtail when he is baking, as long as she gets the first taste

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carruth00 · 4 years ago

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FROST (Gimmicks and Online Instructions) By Mikey V and Abstract Effects - A Review

Here's the AD Copy:

From one of our favorite new artists, Mikey V, comes the absolute last word on the blank deck: Frost!

Frost is a completely gaffed deck that does all the work for you making it one of the easiest and most fooling, self-working card effects you will do! Printed with high quality stock at the United States Playing Card Company, Frost comes ready to go right out of the box!

Start by showing a full deck of 52 cards front and back, and with the snap of a finger reveal that every single card has become blank on the front and back except for the spectator's chosen card. You not only get the visual of showing all of the faces blank, but also get an extra kicker when you reveal that all of the backs have also turned blank except for their signed card! Your spectators can see the deck visually change around their card!

The Other Brothers and Mikey V teach their favorite routine using Frost along with some bonus visuals that are perfect for social media!

And for those of you in a hurry, here's the TL; DR version: Visual Easy to do Self working Ready to go out of the box Printed by USPCC Instant reset No rough & smooth No flaps Full routine taught plus bonus visuals that are perfect for social media!

My Thoughts:

I tend to like everything The Other Brothers are involved in.. I like their style and their casual ways. Mikey V I'm not that familiar with, but he is a good instructor.. when not dressed as a killer clown. ;-)

FROST is a very visual deck change, where a regular card is picked or signed, placed into a deck shown as normal on both sides, and the deck changes to a totally blank deck, both sides, leaving the chosen card as the only printed card in the deck. There are additional effects. Another involves placing two blank cards on each end of a 'regular' deck.. and the entire deck changes to blank cards.

The results are always visual.. and fairly easy to accomplish. Although the effect is listed as beginner level, I would place it more in the advanced beginner level. A couple of sleights are needed, primarily an Erdnase Color Change and a simple top change that's more of a top placement. Both are demonstrated in detail if you aren't familiar with the method.

Also, Mikey V teaches an interesting variation of the color change, using the back of the hand, palm up, as cover instead of the conventional method.

Traditional fans are used to display the face changes. One other sleight is taught.. a deck change. Although not needed for the primary handling, it's an alternative method for a second effect.

FROST is a heavily gimmicked deck. It is actually gimmicked in four different ways.. and is not examinable. I wish it were. The deck is designed specifically for this effect. FROST is ideal for strolling and opening a set. It's fast and visual, and gets your spectator's attention for sure. When I say the deck is gimmicked, it is gimmicked via the printing.. and not with physical gimmicks like flaps, wires and rough and smooth. The ad copy indicates FROST is self-working. I would say it is.. to the extent you perform the right moves. Orientation is everything...

I'm sure you can find other uses for the FROST deck. It's printed on traditional Bicycle stock, mine was red backed, and handles like regular Bikes. I recommend using stock from another deck if you're going to do a signed card effect.

For a good idea of how FROST looks to the spectator I suggest going to Murphy's site and watching the promo video. Nothing helps the understanding like a good video.

Instructions are via a 35 minute instructional online video by the Other Brothers and Mikey V. This is a single camera video. Sound and quality are typical Murphy's Magic standard.

FROST is a great effect as an attention-getter. It works if you can find an ideal spot for its performance. Not being able to show the deck requires a bit of work-around, but I trust those of you who appreciate the visual quality will find the right moment.

My only negative is.. I would like to see it priced a little lower. I know custom printed decks aren't cheap, and I hope you can learn the multiple handling options and make it more than a one trick pony. The options are there for you...

$40.00 From Murphy's Magic and their associates.. https://www.murphysmagic.com/Product.aspx?id=65779

Review by Rick Carruth for the Magic Roadshow

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dipulb3 · 4 years ago

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More than a second lady: How Gisele Fetterman came to serve Pennsylvania's neediest

New Post has been published on https://appradab.com/more-than-a-second-lady-how-gisele-fetterman-came-to-serve-pennsylvanias-neediest/

More than a second lady: How Gisele Fetterman came to serve Pennsylvania's neediest

A former undocumented immigrant who became a citizen and used her platform to help all manner of Pennsylvanians, she is far more than a figurehead or a lieutenant governor’s spouse.

That anyone would be called the n-word during a quick trip to the grocery store for golden kiwis is unsettling — all the more so once you learn what Fetterman overcame simply to give back to others.

The mother of three was at a grocery store in Braddock, a PIttsburgh suburb, Sunday evening when a woman recognized her and began haranguing her, saying she didn’t belong, calling her a thief and referring to her as the n-word that Lt. Gov. John Fetterman married, she told Appradab.

Gisele Fetterman’s family fled the violence of Rio de Janeiro in 1990 and grew up poor in New York City. Her mother told her and her brother to, “Be invisible,” and she has regularly shared childhood anecdotes of looking over her shoulder and fearing every knock at the door.

“So even though I’m 38 and I’m second lady and I have a family and career, I was immediately again a scared 9-year-old undocumented little girl at that grocery line,” she said of Sunday’s encounter.

“It was a hard reminder for me that it doesn’t matter what I’ve overcome, what I’ve achieved, that to some I will always be viewed as inferior simply because I was not born in this country,” she said.

Fetterman’s record runs deep. She has spent most of her adult life in the United States helping others, whether they’re impoverished, immigrants, LGBT, minorities, imprisoned or hungry. She’s also spoken out on the importance of wearing masks and participating in the Census.

She’s lighthearted, preferring the titular acronym, SLOP, over Second Lady of Pennsylvania, which she feels is “stuffy” — and is one of the foremost purveyors of positivity on social media, once quoting Rumi: “Even if from the sky, poison befalls all, I’m still sweetness wrapped in sweetness wrapped in sweetness.”

She told a writer this month she would never seek public office because “politics is mean and I am not.”

Here are some snapshots of what she’s achieved and overcome:

Her marriage was born of caring

In 2007, she read about the Rust Belt town of Braddock and learned that steel from Braddock and other communities was used in the Brooklyn Bridge, one of her favorite landmarks.

Fetterman had had her green card for a few years, and though only in her mid-20s, she was already an activist, focusing on nutrition and food equity. She wrote then-Mayor John Fetterman to find out more about the town, whose declining population numbered around 2,000 at the time, and his efforts to improve his community. After he wrote back, she began visiting Braddock.

“Of course he fell in love with me,” she told a women’s luncheon earlier this year, the Times Leader in Wilkes-Barre reported.

They were married in 2009, the same year she earned US citizenship. Since then she’s used her platforms as a naturalized American and second lady to help others.

She opened a free store for low-income families

On their fourth wedding anniversary, John Fetterman asked his wife what she wanted as a gift and she told him, “I want a shipping container.” He didn’t ask why, she told the Under the Radar entertainment blog earlier this month.

Gisele Fetterman had local artists paint the container, spruced up an abandoned lot and began doling out household goods, baby items and bicycles to those in need.

The store’s motto is “Because the best things in life are free.” It has spread to several locations and served hundreds of clients.

“We dream of a community built on relationships based on mutual aid and cooperation,” Free Store 15104’s website says. “We use the distribution of free items as a catalyst for change. We encourage recycling and reuse as a means to counteract excessive waste and consumption. We aim to eradicate food and clothing insecurity.”

She helped develop a clever way to fight hunger

412 Food Rescue, which she co-founded, sends volunteers to retailers who have surplus food that risks going bad and delivers it to nonprofits that serve the hungry.

“With the help of 2 trucks, 1 van, and thousands of volunteers, we are able to rescue perfectly good but unsellable food that would otherwise be wasted and redirect it to people who need it,” the nonprofit’s website says.

Based on the premise that it would take only one-third of the nation’s discarded food to feed its hungry population, it also strives to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from food waste, which the organization says is almost double that of aviation and the iron-and-steel industry combined.

The Pittsburgh City Paper cited both the Free Store and 412 Food Rescue in naming Fetterman 2017’s best activist.

The Fettermans opened the ‘The People’s Pool’

When John Fetterman took office, the couple opted not to move to the 2,400-square-foot state residence in Fort Indiantown Gap, instead opting to live in a remodeled car dealership in Braddock. Fetterman told Pittsburgh magazine this year that it was “not appropriate” to live in a taxpayer-funded mansion with staff. Plus, he said, Braddock is home.

As a result, the property’s 30-by-40-foot swimming pool was going unused, so Gisele Fetterman opened it up to nonprofits and summer camps and instituted a program to teach water safety because federal statistics show African American kids have a 3 times greater risk of drowning than do White chlidren.

“We can have a direct role in changing those statistics,” she said. “Swimming comes with a painful legacy of racial segregation. If my children can swim in that pool, so should every child in Pennsylvania.”

She came to Antwon Rose’s defense

After an East Pittsburgh police officer fatally shot Antwon Rose during a 2018 traffic stop, Fettermen revealed that the “very goofy” 17-year-old volunteered at Free Store 15104 and appeared in one of her husband’s campaign commercials. She also spoke at the teen’s funeral.

“He looked you in the eyes and gave anyone speaking to him total attention and respect,” she said in her tribute. “He would look at you with his big sweet smile, and you would feel, deep in your heart, that this was someone who would make the world better.”

“Antwon’s death shakes my heart, it rattles my faith that things will ever get better or that injustices will ever end. Slowly, too slowly, things will get brighter, even though they’re now so dark,” she said.

A jury cleared the officer who shot Antwon of all counts the following year.

She does little things, too

In addition to tackling major issues like hunger and inequality, she knows smaller improvements can make big differences in a community, as demonstrated by her Braddock Bench Building project, which created places to sit at public bus stops — using repurposed materials from homes slated for demolition, of course.

She also sought to brighten Braddock’s primary thoroughfare with uplifting signs, such as “Eat More Vegetables,” “Believe in Yourself,” “More Hugs Needed,” “Follow Your Dreams,” “Be Kind Always” and “Hug a Tree.”

“The signs you see along the streets are always so negative — ‘Don’t park here,’ ‘Don’t loiter there,'” she told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “We wanted to counter those with signs spreading cheer and kindness, signs with uplifting messages.”

The Fettermans spent $1,000 of their own money on the signs, the paper reported.

Inclusion is a major thrust of her work

For Good PGH, which Fetterman co-founded, drives numerous initiatives in the Braddock community.

Under the group’s umbrella, the Helping Out Our People coalition, made up of families in the Woodland Hills School District who lost a child to gun violence, mentors young people in hopes of “disrupting the disease of violence.”

The Foster Good program provides foster kids with unique suitcases rehabilitated by artists, Green Initiatives works to counter Braddock’s blight, Girl Code Woodland Hills introduces high school juniors to businesswomen in greater Pittsburgh, the Hollander Project serves as an incubator for “women-powered businesses” and Hello Hijab makes tiny Muslim headscarves for Barbies and other dolls to promote inclusion and fight stigmas.

Last year, Rodef Shalom, a Jewish congregation, made Fetterman the first woman to receive its 2020 Pursuer of Peace award, citing For Good PGH’s work.

She’s an unapologetic advocate for immigrants

The Fettermans submitted a joint op-ed to several newspapers in August, recounting how Gisele “and her family lived in constant fear that they would be discovered and lose their shot at the American Dream.”

“No child should have to live with that kind of stress,” they wrote. “They deserve to feel secure in the knowledge that they can do normal things like go to school and play sports without living in constant fear that they will lose their family.”

In a 2019 editorial for the Tribune-Review, Gisele Fetterman, a Dreamer herself, wrote that she’ll always be grateful for her mother’s courage and how she took jobs cleaning houses and checking coats to support her family.

“She was routinely paid less than she was supposed to be, if she got paid at all, and she was even assaulted while at work,” Fetterman wrote. “She never complained — she just did what she had to do for her children.

The Brazilian immigrant also recalled how, at 8 years old, she broke her nose playing kickball and her family couldn’t afford medical care, but stories from her native Rio convinced her just how lucky she was to escape the violence.

“When I look in the mirror and I see my broken nose,” she wrote, “I am reminded of how much worse it could have been, and how grateful I am to have had the opportunity to grow up in the U.S.”

Today, she tears up when she hears the National Anthem and gets “super excited to vote,” and she geeked out upon being called for jury duty, she said.

“I wasn’t chosen for a jury, probably because I was so visibly excited to be there that the lawyers thought I was crazy, but for me, that was the sign that I truly belonged, and that I could come out of the shadows,” she wrote.

Appradab’s John Berman contributed to this report.

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ratherhavetheblues · 5 years ago

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INGMAR BERGMAN’S ‘SUMMER INTERLUDE’ “Get the lead out, little lady!”

Way back, when Ingmar Bergman was a hack by necessity, he found himself (being an acute student of Hollywood flutter) ready at last (around 1950) to speak his piece. The vehicle he chose for this debut, namely, Summer Interlude (1951), involves all the treachery and emotional violence mowing us down for the next forty years. Although his portfolio would include marvelous instances transcending destruction, those marvels would be hedged in a way that protracted evil would seem to triumph on planet Earth. But what is planet Earth but a sick puppy in face of the infinite potential of the cosmos? In the days of Summer Interlude, however, we should not neglect the singularity of heartiness putting in a dynamic (perhaps) never to be seen from him again. This singularity is the special gift and the special task of our film today.

Whereas, at the outset of a saga like Bergman’s Cries and Whispers (1972), there is a piercingly beautiful rendition of the grounds of a large estate in early morning light, only to become promptly swallowed up by vicious interaction and horrific physical decline and death, the tyro matter goes to sheep-dog persistence to show us that an agency of uncanny love is very much in the mix. Not being able to deploy (as with the film of 1972) remarkable chromatic effects, our preamble reveals an estate of some opulence, rich foliage including daisies in bright sunlight and gentle breezes, benign white clouds and, particularly, a body of dancing water with a rocky shore to be displaced with the sea looking back toward the now distant structure, touched by a carefree flute motif. (The last detail to note here, is three chevron-form windows at the mansion’s upper floor. That they resemble jaws as well as a formation of dialectics indicates how early Bergman’s instincts for synthesis were in play.)

Plunging right through that whimsy, only to engage more whimsy, there is the harbor of Stockholm and its flotilla of tour boats and ferries to be supplanted by a bicycle parked at a curb while leaves dance along the sidewalk. Promptly we enter a ballet theatre and its hubbub, which could have shattered the intuitive dance. That it doesn’t, has to do with the two ancient, long-term office functionaries, first seen receiving a package for the prima ballerina, Marie, and shooing off a reporter claiming, “She’s [Marie’s] expecting me.” With this mundane buzz, there emerges, by way of the courier/ messenger, a surprise: “What’s that smell?” Though the more assertive sentry claims that there is no smell, there is the delivery boy pressing the case, “You’ve lost your sense of smell, friend.” (With that, the discoverer pushes his hat into a rakish angle. This action tends to confirm that the reporter—his tabloid called, “The Year Round,” being about the usual—is dressed to resemble a whimsical and eccentric Hollywood detective with his trench coat and rakish fedora.) The smaller of the two sentries comes to life with, “Something does smell funny!”—something in the air we should take seriously. The rotund top-cop loses his temper about that volatility and yells out, “That may well be, but no outside brat’s gonna be telling me that! I’ve worked at this theatre for 40 years…” An in-crowd shaping up, disinclined for change. The delivery to “Miss Marie,” by the second-in-command, becomes another rakish motion, this time not so tacky as the poses of American tough guys. The boss-sentry rips open the curtain behind which he directs traffic and instantly there is the little old flunkey ripping open Marie’s dressing room and presenting her with the package. The shock of that gusto links to the mysterious “smell,” invading the ordinary with a type of acrobatics. (Here we have the comedic outset of what will become, in The Seventh Seal [1957], a blue-chip uprising against arrogant insiders.) In support of noticing that a dance is in force, somewhat supplanting the rigid activity of the ballet, we have a number of dancers in tutu costumes, seen from below on a rather precipitous catwalk down flights of narrow stairs. Almost simultaneously with that rush to a dress rehearsal, we hear a loud, grinding noise filling the hall. This also coincides with Marie’s opening her package to be jolted by the diary of a former lover who died while she watched him carelessly dive into a rocky seaside, along a trajectory of compromising distraction and superficiality which he—not she—could have averted. This unexpected arrival eclipses the work in progress. With everyone in place except her, many of the bemused run to the sense that Marie is losing her grip. We hear, “Something’s going on with Marie. Everyone says so!” (A cut to the stage curtain, and it strikes us as dark and fussy with frills.) Marie is induced to return to be a team artist, but her escort, one of the many support staff needed to satisfy a pedantic culture, worries, “There’s something strange in the air today! I told the missus so when I woke up. The weather and all, and I had a strange dream… Something’s going to happen, I feel it coming…” After a short passage with the premiere (the dancers performing the ballet, Swan Lake) and during an expectant musical thrust, the lights go out.

The on-again, off-again lighting is “some king of glitch,” necessitating an evening dress rehearsal. But the “glitches” we’ve just experienced speak to an agency—always there but seldom noticed. Surely the arrogant ballet master alerting Marie that there is to be a lull in the workplace that day and going on to be viciously rude toward an elderly woman helper of the dressing room, would be missing in action regarding that agency. (He tells the ballerina, “I’m cool.” But no one’s fooled about that, since cool is the medium of disinterestedness, also known as acrobatics.)

We’ll follow how Marie spends that rest, and whether she amounts to anything better than the laughable wannabe. She goes out, but before that she stops at the phone booth at the doorway, to connect with the man from “The Year Round” [the everyday, the common]. She can’t reach him. But can she reach the pattern of meteor-passes on the phone booth glass? On hearing from the decades-long bouncer that he had bounced her date, she spits out, “They should send you packing!” That being exactly the register of the “cool” one. The hapless doorman remarks, “There’s something hard about her.” Marie bumps into the person of interest while yawning, and meandering along a sidewalk. She complains to him, “I’m tired because you won’t let me sleep at night.” Thus, ensues a bitter row about preoccupation with career, culminating with him telling her, “I can’t stand old sourpusses!” She has carried along the diary, and when, at the docks, passing a tour boat ready for an excursion, she is rallied by a crewman calling, “Get the lead out, little lady! Are you coming or not?” She can’t resist a bid to shake things up, to recapture what she imagines to have been the heights of love. A sprightly harp motif joins her windfall along with the sunny sky and lovely seas, in addition to a white wake and white smoke from the chimney, conspiring with the white clouds. She enters a precinct of thrilling space, serenity and its brave instincts. Pensive, while the boat skirts a forest, she could be seen to be an artist of vast promise.

On reaching her destination, she finds the key to a small and decrepit cabin, where she sits on a dusty cot. She closes her eyes and recalls a summer day 13 years before, when she graduated into the corps de ballet, by way of a celebratory performance. “A day like no other day of the year!” But she had to include, within this treasure of skill, the complaint, to one of the trainers, “That was awful! The orchestra played too slow…” Her listener replies, “Don’t try that one…” [to cover errors by blaming others, resorting to place others at a disadvantage]. She then shifts the advantage game to the form of, “It didn’t go well…” [I’m a perfectionist without peers]. The more mature correspondent here covers the cut-throat’s vanity with, “No, but you were brilliant…” All he gets in reply is, “I’m going home to have a good cry.” Frustrated, his retort is, “You do that.”

Marie may have been in the spotlight here. But her account includes another male backstage, smitten by her sensuous presence and early authority. He’s quickly disposed of by the larger sentry, before being introduced. But we should know right now (before succumbing to overkill from the measure of wholesomeness this movie packs) that Marie, for all her impressive resolve, is locked, as is most of the population, into life-long superficiality, with occasional faint hope being to no avail. And yet, this Bergman standby will in fact be tempered—not simply, as with the usual drama over the years, a demolished gem—by a perpetual vector of efficacy (a glitch), notwithstanding having been virtually never taken out on the road. Whereas the young admirer, far more capable of real artistry and power than she, will die in the course of taking her too seriously, he will have deposited, in his diary, the wherewithal (and he is not alone in this challenge) to shut down a gigantic farce. We do need to notice and celebrate the many upbeat moments, because their sunniness is quite unique in the works of Bergman. And thereby we are enmeshed in a critique: on the order of loosening up (somewhat) the good stuff.

Out she goes (in her reverie), on the same boat she would use after the quarrel with the reporter, for her summer holiday, and who should be seated next to her but Henrik, the finder of celestial apparitions. She remarks (not exactly a calling card), “It’s cold.” His shy and awkward reply is, “Are your legs cold, miss? I mean, since you’re a dancer…” He goes on to declare, “You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life.” After sorting out each of their positions on the Stockholm Archipelago, the impressiveness of Marie’s home takes precedence. He jokes, “Yeah, the Manor. Gruffman [his large poodle] and I used to raid the orchard there.” This brings out more coldness in the ballerina: “Perhaps our paths will cross, if only if you come to raid the orchard,” she stakes out a far from equitable intercourse.

Now that we’ve floated the crisis (a much lower key than that of, say, The Passion of Anna (1969), we’re treated to Marie’s susceptibility to cogency when alone and heeding “glitches.” She wakes up on the cot to be welcomed by a foursome of intense squares of light upon the wall. (The makings of a twosome without attitude?) She hums a happy tune while putting on her bathing suit, and then she opens wide her arms to the sun. She carries a long fishing pole to her rowboat at the dock, and we regard her smoothly rowing from a seagull’s perspective, which is also the perspective of disinterestedness. Who knew? We’re treated here to a play of rallies, the likes of which are very rare in the Bergman catchment. She drops anchor, puts a worm on her hook and falls asleep in the molten sun. A cuckoo sings. (No matter that her endeavor here comes to naught. This film has opened up a very long-term payoff.) The splash of Henrik’s diving into the waters nearby wakens her to a divided result. She is amused by his whimsy; but also displeased to feel exposed that she can’t handle the rigors. “Hello, again,” she takes up a form of pecking order. “Swim, miss?” he invites, perhaps having taken umbrage with her seeing him as a thief. “Too cold,” she maintains. “Try,” he argues, all smiles. And therewith Marie finds a way to put him at a disadvantage. “Think we could drop the formalities?” the modernist tweaks the old-fashioned. She takes further control by asking, “Do you like wild strawberries?” And away they go, with a harp fanfare, to her place. “No one knows about it.” While they are enjoying the treats, a bird calls so furiously that she becomes confused. He shrugs it off with, “I usually call it the summer vacation bird.” (One other aspect of the wild things in this skirmish is Gruffman, the dog, in the process of losing his special fluency with the boy.)

As the summer goes very wrong, Marie makes a point of having nothing to do with Gruffman’s equilibrium. On hearing from the college boy of his having been shunted off by his divorced father to a rich and hateful aunt, Marie tries to bring to bear her vision of soaring virtue. “I love blind kittens, don’t you? And babies… And people that other people think are ugly. And mice, of course.” (How close to Anna, the martinet of “Security,” in the film, The Passion of Anna, is Marie?) As an afterthought formality, she adds, “and poodles.” How much did she care about Gruffman? After Henrik’s death, she demands having the deep creature put done, with the slimy concern, “The poor thing shouldn’t have to live” [in malaise].

Henrick’s not feeling that his concerns are getting across to her—“It’s just that people don’t take me seriously…”/ “Oh dear,” she chuckles, “is it really as tragic as that?”—prompts him to declare, “No one cares about me but Gruffman…”/ “Really,” she mocks./ “No,” he insists, “only Gruffman!” The conversation continues to fall short of serious connection. “What about me? Do you care about me? Would I have brought you here if I didn’t?” is her infantile rationale./ Even a freshman could smell that glitch. He politely replies, “I’ll have to give that some serious thought.” Serious thought, about a gulf, crashes into him immediately, by her happy face, “I’m never going to die.” Not content with pushing around the population, Marie has no qualms about pushing around the cosmos. And before leaping to the conclusion that she’s a dancer, period, we should be alert to the possibility that her moments of vision at the beginning of the morning might just touch upon an agency—far from about forever alive—which could move a headstrong dancer-laborer to recognize that powers do surpass and sustain mere human physiology right up to a right death. “I may get really, really old, but I’ll never die.” Henrik, after fielding this matter of incredible self-concern, shares his very different sense of “serious thought.” “While, I’m scared… Scared that I, Henrik, will suddenly fall over the edge into something dark and unknown.”/ “Why do you talk like that?” she complains. He explains, “The feeling just comes over me [a glitch], clear as can be…” He smiles, having in fact reached the same territory of Marie’s gratitude; but from another, more visceral angle. “But it’s interesting, don’t you think?” Henrik looks for a link. She smiles uncommittedly. But she does manage to maintain, “Hey, Henrik, I think we’re going to be friends.”/ “I think so too,” he hopes. (Here, we should delight in the helmsman’s great craft in theatrical dialogue, casting light where darkness has prevailed.)

This high ground proves to lack traction. Here she is, back to her default zone at the estate, receiving, from a rich uncle who hopes to bed her one day, an expensive bracelet. This Uncle Erland, an amateur classical pianist of some finesse, grows his hair patrician-long; and, in the midst of it, he installs two strands of white curls which set the table for the kind of synthesis Marie and Henrik struggle to master. Erland, teased by Marie that he lusted for her now-deceased mother, trains his rationale toward a supposed supernal gift which Marie’s actress-mother possessed. Marie, in her most sustained register, teases and triumphs, “And is the bracelet a token of my artistry?” Her uncle, frequently drunk, advises, “We’d run away, you and I… and live life to the fullest… seize the moment and hold it tight…” In reply, she maintains, “I already seize the moment and hold it tight.” Her patron dismisses that arrogance, telling her, and laughing, “You think so, poor dear? Lucky the man who will teach you. There’s so much to life…” The lunch dissolves with her coquetry, seen often, no doubt, at many affairs. But rushing to the traction involving Henrik, , she finds that he had been once again trespassing and overhearing the minor cynicism. (Erland’s wife, regarding with him her racing off, states, “She’s run off, dear Erland, and you can’t catch her.” Sometime after the death of Henrik, he will reel her in, for a while.) A frosty new friend greets her, and Gruffman doesn’t even look her flighty way. She uses the dog as a ventriloquist’s doll: “Gruffman, why’s he mad?” Clearing the air, she refers to the gift-giver as merely “an old codger,” and adds, once again, “Is it as tragic as all that?” She cuddles up, and then pushes him into the nearby waters. “I got you!” she adds. A cut reveals the three returning in his canoe. Her voice-over, covering the scene as Henrik wrote in his diary, emphasizes, “One night, after a scorching summer day of blazing sunlight, there was an immense silence that reached all the way up to the starless vault of heaven… The silence between us was immense as a well…” Hopping gracefully from one small purchase of the treacherous surface to another, she induces Henrik to follow suit, which he does. (Two forms of poetry.) The friends lie on their bellies upon the flat rocks. She adds, “The rocks are still warm. His contribution—“Everything seems unreal tonight, don’t you think?”—elicits from her, “It’s beautiful” [beautiful as a bracelet?]. A small “glitch” having come to concentration for her, brings to her: “We’re inside the same bubble… It’s so beautiful I could burst, break into pieces and disappear without a trace [“I’ll never die” a poor fit for this understanding]… You know, kissing must be fun…” His response, “Must be, since everybody’s doing it” [in sexy Sweden], once again doesn’t find them on the same page. He thinks out loud, “Everything’s so difficult, and all connected somehow… Marie, I like you. I’m in love with you, and all that… I mean… You must think I’m stupid. I’m just a damned fool. A damned coward!” And once again she drops the ball. “How does it feel?” she asks. (Not the big picture; but, “How am I doing to brighten your melancholy?”) “What?” he wonders, is she talking about. She clarifies, “You said you’re in love with me.” He, wanting to drop the subject going nowhere that could work for him in her context, puts out a slap-dash cliché, “You feel it in your chest and stomach.” This brings her to the failing of poetry, and she laughs at him. Having a miserable time expressing the subject by duress, he struggles with a quicksand of language. “You’re knees feel like they’re full of applesauce, and your toes curl up. But it’s mostly in the chest.” (Bergman’s ironic bite here involving a possibility to make amends, given long enough time to live. She, facile most of the time, amends, “In the heart.”) “I don’t know what,” he puts an end to the revealing farce. But he politely asks, “What about you?” She, having been accorded all her life the license to duck out of conundrums, rudely shoots back, “Who said I was in love with you?”/ “You’re right,” he acknowledges—and this would have been his cue to do something else during his vacation. But from her perspective there was nothing more interesting here than toying with reflection. She comes up and puts his arm around her shoulders. “I think it’s in my skin,” she gets around to replying to his asking about the subject. “I want you to touch me and stroke my skin with your hands…” As he moves to kiss her, she rushes away, whips out a cigarette, hands it to him and they proceed to toss flat stones into the inlet. Far from the creative acrobatics stalking this film, the rippling of the waters doesn’t catch fire. Then they canoe, and their return is bemusing. She marches straight on to the dock, leaving the more evolved two to bring the awkward craft to steadiness. Their land route passes cherry blossoms and a peacock, but they meet the beauty with less than incisiveness. (Traction missing.)

Now both of them needing a new outlook on life, they visit the salon of the estate of Erland. “He’s probably a bit drunk, but don’t worry about,” are the opening notes by her aunt. They sit on a polar bear rug, and listen to Erland tell of, “Your mother, Marie, used to dance for me on evenings like this… when it was quiet and still, and moonlight filled the room …” (Less than celestial? Or once celestial?) He moves on to, “Now all the clocks in the house have stopped… We were alive in those days…” Marie escorts Henrik to the garret room where she is supposed to work out every day, during the closure of the ballet. Here Marie, in voice-over, reads Henrik’s read of the moment. “It was the ship’s horn tooting in the distance, and other things echoing too. The silence and the anticipation… The blood whispering in our ears. A strange mood set in… almost like a melody [a musical progression]. A new room opened up in our minds…” Then she resumes the jist of her leaden factuality. “Two crows talk in the trees every day at 4 a.m. They’re quite sweet… Then your “summer vacation bird” appears…” Henrik is recalled as responding to this introduction, “You sound like a museum guide…” She responds with, “I think we should kiss each other…” The choreography of her gleaming eyes, his soldiering forth, and his ending on top of her on the carpet is indelible, not requiring any additions. Henrik gently touches her cheek. Then a deep kiss and a pan to Gruffman with his own saga of alienation. A cut to the morning, discloses only their arms and hands reaching upward and touching, as if a primer were found to be a better bet. Marie, as if to disarm any notion of her being not so bad, becomes a radio soap opera ingénue. “Now you have a lover… How does it feel? Exciting? I’m sure you’ll tell your friends. Will you boast about us?” Properly miffed by this violence, he says, “I can’t give any guarantees. But we will get married.” She commands, “But now! How do you feel right now? Haven’t you longed for this?” He once again admits having had fears. “And you’re not now,” she probes, being almost a selfie about making a splash. On hearing that he’s no longer afraid, she has to brag, “I’m never afraid of anything!”

That gross overestimation becomes the mantra of her dark solution to form a happy ending (for her) within their deadly reconnaissance. She covers his mouth as he adds, “I am” [afraid]. That cover will launch her woodland theatrical regime, going lickety-split to shed an unsupportable endeavor. (Gruffman’s being a steady source of love becomes almost totally lost in the shuffle.) And they race to the shore—Hollywood-intensity-style—early rebels without a (viable) cause. A piccolo motif applying a whip, we see them on the lake, she in her stolid rowboat, they in their lyrical canoe. Then to the vicinity of their cabin-castle, where he lifts her over his head as if on the ballet stage, the Romantic-era fantasy so wrong in this world of very hard acrobatics, and only then deploying juggling which might catch fire. A rain shower leads to them hunkering down on the cabin cot. Marie reads the unwelcome passage, “Days like pears, round and lustrous, threaded on a golden string [onscreen, a stormy sky… a church]. Days filled with fun and caresses, nights of waking dreams. When did we sleep? We had no time for sleep…”

Pan to Marie in real time. She finds Erland in his kitchen. He tells her, “Nothing’s ever surprised me in my life.” Boarding the boat back to the rehearsal, the sway of a lamp lights up more reverie, the reverie of her putting her foot down. It begins with her on pointe, working out in the garret. The arrival of Henrik and Gruffman is nothing but an annoyance. “So, it’s you two…” The two visitors sit on the floor feeling hated. After a while, Henrik says, “You don’t care about me. I’m always waiting for you.”/ “I’ve got a job to do… Fine… Just say the word…” She reasons, “We’ve been together night and day for two months… Good lord, you’re a pain today! Here I am groveling and apologizing… Just go. I’m fed up with your moods…” [moods being their real “job to do”]. She does engineer a truce upon this shaken basis, telling us, “I spent the whole day looking for him…” She finds him at his hostel/ mansion, where an influential aunt and a clergyman with a big hat, remind us of the trials of Alice in Wonderland. (This being another instance of lazy mood headed for LA.) Their being addicted to chess opens the door to Bergman’s The Seventh Seal. As if a marvel of paradox, the grandee claims, “I like living. That’s why I’ll outlive the bunch of you! Nevertheless, I still feel like a ghost.” Marie passes on the invitation to enjoy the “port.” Also, part of the awkward standoff, the divine states, “This may seem ridiculous, but I have the strange feeling I’m rubbing elbows with Death himself” [a reprise of the frissons at the outset].

As if now the Red Queen must rule, they encounter a fizzling fireworks display, move on to the cabin and play dubious razzmatazz vinyl discs, which bleed over to early Disney animation (by her) drawn on a paper sleeve. The show (while they drink their diminished milk) features them: Gruffman, made to sit down, while the lovers flirt; Gruffman becoming the fat sentry; and the old lady’s chest of money coming their way. The last vignette has the chest of money, the preacher and a wedding not happening. The chest changes to the big sentry, the ballerina becomes morose, and all that is left is Henrik’s sailor hat and a ballerina being the dying swan of the ballet, Swan Lake. From there, she declares, melodramatically, “Listen, it’s so quiet. Suddenly, everything went quiet.”/ “Maybe we’ve landed on another planet,” is how Henrik now unhappily reveals his capitulating to Disney. “An alien planet,” Marie piles on [about to claim a victim]. They crawl out of the little doorway, bathed in moonlight (doing its best). The one never afraid of anything becomes uneasy about a crying wind. His attempt to calm her, while having bought into her bathos, slides along to, “Such fine breasts you have, miss!” That jag of witlessness culminates with her, “As for me, I’ll be faithful as long as I feel like it. And since I always feel like it, I’ll be faithful till doomsday.” (The register here is just to the left of pre-Code-Hollywood.) There is a loud bird call. “What an ominous sound!” she shudders. (One person’s shudder being another person’s glitch. Both of them miles from their personal best, while personal becomes a disease.) He, dragged along by her cripplement, says, at this point of worn-down traction, “Don’t you recognize the eagle owl?” Oblivious to the puerility they have contracted, there she is, “I don’t know. I just feel like crying tonight. It’s like a toothache in my soul.” Hollywood forever, she emotes, “Hold me so I don’t break into pieces!” He, never realizing embracing a crash, replies, “My little darling. My love. My dearest darling and beloved friend. Hold me tight. Tighter. Let’s stay up all night until the sun rises, and the trolls burst…”

It’s the morning of the supposed Olympian love cake, and he’s ready to keep the so-called magic alive. He scampers to the top of a picturesque ridge overlooking the pretty waters, and takes flight. The rock face he rocks leaves him close to death. Gruffman comes to his struggle to right the ship that might have resolved to something she’d never become. By the time she arrives at the hard facts, he tells her—all poetry lost—“My back!” (His “back,” his second front of deadly and ravishing truth, if only he could have steadied it, becomes a fitting epitaph to a young adventurer.

The conclusion of Henrik’s life is not quite the conclusion of Henrik’s being a player in Marie’s life. The saga’s last moments comprise the lovers, in a Stockholm hospital room, where he regains consciousness for a few seconds before dying. Her strongest emotion is horror, not love. She had arrived wearing a chic, shiny black leather coat, giving her continuity with the American melodramas she had burrowed into at the end of the summer. (Similarly, she suggests here an oil slick.) Her retreat from the hospital, with no further concern toward any sequel, is as stagey as it is incipiently uncanny. Piling on the pushy “mystery,” she and Erland (he having secured the diary) create a film noire parade along a corridor while exiting the mishap. First there is Marie, enclosed by shadows resembling prison bars. Following her, like a gumshoe, there is the silhouette of Erland pulling on his European habit like a cape. From out of that delirium, she condemns Gruffman to death and allows Erland to confirm her sense of being cheated by life, resentful nihilism. “I’d spit in his [God’s] face!” The uncle/ paramour, holds forth with, “Protect yourself, build a wall around yourself, so the misery can’t get to you.” She tells us—the diary segueing to the career of a prima ballerina of questionable quality—“That’s how I forgot Henrik… In the end, I wasn’t just protected but locked inside…”

That trace of self-criticism needs thirteen years to yield a pitiful “recovery,” as problematic-heavy as noir is problematic-light. The evening rehearsal proceeds nicely; but Marie’s concentration remains divided. The sentry informs her that the “hack” with the trench coat had been at the door again, “but he left.” She assures those ancients that she saw him. This surprises them inasmuch as, “it didn’t make her happy either…” In her inner sanctum she’s visited with eerie features of décor; but “it didn’t make her happy, either.” A visit from one of the leaders of the company, trying out his disguise for the figure of Dr. Coppelius—wherein the latter attempts to bring to life a puppet—has the same haplessness, concerning lightening up, as the décor did. “You don’t dare leave, yet you don’t dare stay… You see your life clearly just once… when all your protective walls come tumbling down. You stand there naked and cold… seeing yourself as you really are… I can see it in your eyes” [that you have had such a brush]… Then the hack obtrudes; and a hack interplay, from both “lovers,” ensues. She asks, “What do you think of the two of us, really? We’re nothing to write home about.” She comes to a point of veering. She blurts out, “So now, Henrik…” The voice of the street pounces on this, “Is my name Henrik?” She replies by handing him the diary and telling him to read it overnight. (What would come of it, she has no idea; but she would be forming some possibilities trailing out to others.) In a voice-over, this time not manufactured by Henrik, she tells us, “I feel like crying all this week and next… Crying away all my shabbiness… and all this wasted time… [But] Do I want to cry at all? If I really look deep inside, I’m actually happy!” (She puts out her tongue to the mirror she has been subjecting herself to. The Hollywood soundtrack only approximates her mood.)

All we pretty much see of the next day is a bit of the performance of Swan Lake. One twist shows the noire lover backstage during the bittersweet saga. Did he read the diary carefully? Probably not. Marie, in a lull where she’s not onstage, brings him to a place of rendezvous and she touches his cheek. Then she’s back onstage where her steps bring her to a rather awkward pyramid of less than sublime acrobatics.

Does the oracle in the Dr. Coppelius disguise speak truth about, “You see your life clearly just once?” How about three or four times? Would that be a life? How far could Henrik (a very early version of the Dr. Borg, in Wild Strawberries [1957]) have gone, were he never foolishly became in awe of Marie? From here on in, we must ponder the vast subtleties of this neglected open door of a film by Bergman, having slammed perhaps a bit too forcefully his clowns. It is well and good to measure the horrors of “virtuousness.” But interludes of magic there bring to bear a second front, and its acrobatics and juggling.

#ingmar bergman

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hysydney · 7 years ago

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Now you see it, now you see it again Pt 16: beret chic

La casquette, c'est bon pour les ouvriers, le chapeau, c'est pas pratique, tandis que le béret, c'est simple, c'est chic, c'est coquet !

(Caps are fine for workmen, hats are impractical, but the beret is simple, chic and stylish.)

So said French cinematographer, Pierre Prévert (1906 - 1988) of the beret.

Imagine the beret and many might see a cliché, that of the national French accessory, beret-wearers on bicycles armed with baguettes or smocked artists. But the beret has a broader history, dating back centuries to Flemish artists, to the military around the world, and of some of their adversaries. Who cannot think of the iconic portrait of Argentinian revolutionary Che Guevara without visualising his beret?

Phryne’s beret is a classic French basque style, jet black woven silk with heavy ridging and stem which she wears throughout Series 1 and 2, day and night, sleuthing and socialising.

In an interview published in the SMH (December 2013), in response to a question about her favourite outfits from the show, Essie Davis revealed her coveting of Miss Fisher’s cat burglar ensemble:

“Black top, black pants, black shoes, a black beret and a black velvet jacket and my Smith and Wesson pearl-handled pistol...”

[I didn’t realise how many times Phryne wears this beret, so this is incredibly long... and only recommended for the persistent or those suffering from insomnia.]

Season 1 Episode 5

In Raisins and Almonds the beret accessorises Phryne’s day wear and evening escapades. In what (I believe) is its first appearance, Phryne decides to return to the scene of a murder, a bookshop/library, to ascertain whether evidence lurks in the lending card catalogue. Under the cover of darkness and in her black pants, jacket, beret and boots she finds a clue - a frequently borrowed volume of Hansard.

But before she can search further she’s interrupted by someone else after the same volume, who runs off with it, armed and firing. Undaunted, Phryne gives chase across the rooftops, and the term cat burglar reaches its full significance as she crouches feline-like, ready to spring onto her opponent.

The black beret not only completes the camouflage for this late night break-in but reflects the traits that define Phryne’s character - the stylish, fearless, revolutionary.

The beret returns by day - as accessory to a classic black and white panelled coat.

And she wears it in a significant moment in the Ep with Jack. During her justification for Miss Lee’s innocence, there is a telling exchange which foreshadows a later one, Jack revealing for the first time something of his personal life, his estrangement from his wife and the impact of the war on their relationship.

Phryne: She wouldn't have killed him, Jack. She loved him. They were having an affair.

Jack: He was married.

Phryne: It happens.

Moving on to S1 Ep6, Ruddy Gore, Phryne is introduced to Lin, and, in homage to a developing relationship with the Chinese importer of silk, her outfits reflect the chinoiserie which inspired some of the fashion in the 1920s.

In a scene which begins in Jack’s office ( P: Did you miss me?/J: I never get a chance to miss you. It feels as if you're in my office every second day) then follows with a return to the scene of the crime, the black beret complements a black and white silk chinoise jacket:

Jack is conflicted - he senses a growing attraction to Phryne as they collaborate more closely on the case, despite a restrained start. Lin acts as catalyst to some clarification of his feelings for Phryne.

Season 1 Episode 9

And in Queen of the Flowers, the beret completes a new outfit, another beautiful black and white floral silk chinoise bridge coat; there’s growing complement too in the relationship between Phryne and Jack in the investigation which sees exploitation of young girls by those closest to them. Both Phryne and Jack share a strong sense of social justice - both agitators in their own domains.

Season 1 Episode 10

Murder by Miss Adventure sees the beret providing the finishing touch to an outfit of black silk pants and sheer beaded chiffon top with an antique autumnal-toned embroidered jacket. She needs a stunning outfit given that in it she must not only investigate,

but confront past and present demons,

and ... flirt with Jack.

Season 2 Episode 1

Season 2 provides the catwalk for the beret to accompany Phryne on other assignations as it extends the cover of darkness.

As Phryne agilely scales the exterior walls of The Imperial Club (Murder Most Scandalous), being confronted by, then confronting Madame Lyon, the cat burglar outfit again provides concealment. The mission involves attempting to find a box, locked in a strong room at The Imperial, containing incriminating evidence of Melbourne’s elite who frequent the gentleman’s club.

In Dead Man’s Chest (S2, Ep3), Phryne and Jack meet by moonlight at high tide by the wharf to see if they can witness connections between fishermen, murder and sly grog.

Jack: What took you so long?

Phryne: (sighing) I was as quiet as a mouse.

Jack: A mouse who wears French perfume.

Phryne: I'll wear less next time.

Jack: Is that the boat?

Phryne: Yes, they're tying up now... Let's go and find a mouse hole.

The gallant Jack insists on escorting P home... after they both make a splash, literally.

Jack: It's only right that I escort you home.

Phryne: If you insist.

Being suspended while in black beret seems to be a recurring motif for Phryne. In Murder à la Mode (S2, Ep5), she suspects that there is a link between a moonlighting seamstress and a murdered fashion house patron, so instigates some moonlighting of her own, a solo nocturnal inspection of the workroom.

But she’s too late to prevent another murder, of the very seamstress herself, and our Miss Fisher must make a quick escape when she realises the murderer is still on the premises.

Jack: Is that who I think it is?

Collins: Afraid so, sir.

Phryne: Oh. Evening!

Back at the station and back on solid ground, the investigation continues with Phryne’s contribution of evidence by the ummm... yard:

a bolt of fabric, a blood-spattered iron and “this orient pearl”.

Night wear accessory becomes day wear accessory, as Jack’s concern about Phryne’s guilt “of breaking into the salon, and the theft of one bolt of peacock and floral print cotton worth one hundred pounds” fades to insignificance. They work as a team both at the salon and in the interview room.

Jack in fact is happy to let Phryne interrogate Renée Fleuri, while he has a bit of a lean.

Now you may think S2 Ep6 Marked for Murder is all about the scarf. But no, there’s the ubiquitous beret competing for accessory acclaim in an episode where some hats are lucky! And there’s something about roses too.

In many people’s favourite episode S2 Ep11 Dead Air, the beret re-emerges teemed with the black and white panelled coat again - when you’re onto a good thing, stick to it.

(unless you’re under attack)

And where would a conclusion be without our Jack, pistol (and hat) at the ready?

And finally... (yes yes, this is coming to an end)

Season 2 Episode12

Unnatural Habits provides one habit that isn’t unnatural - wearing the beret for some scaling and sleuthing, this time a ship’s bow. And what a stunning millinery moment it is:

And later, another nocturnal navigation of the Pandarus’ hold where young girls are being held captive prior to trafficking:

Fiendish Fletcher almost brings the beret undone:

Luckily the valiant, the intrepid, the fearless, yes DI Jack Lightning Robinson defies orders to save the day (the night actually).

At the station Phryne and the beret witness Jack’s consoling of his ex and Phryne can only contemplate what is, and what might be,

before leaving, framed in a shot not dissimilar to that of Jack’s profile (in Ruddy Gore) as Lin escorts Phryne to dinner:

Season 3 Episode 3

Murder and Mozzarella provides further opportunity for stylish sleuthing. The episode deals with restaurants and recipes, romance amidst rivalries, and Phryne and Jack must play their parts. Phryne investigates using the break-in with crochet hook method, in classic black including beret.

If only it was Jack rather than Guido who found her fascinating.

The black beret has lived in some interesting times. May there be many more.

#MFMM #Now you see it now you see it again #beret chic #black beret #Phryne's phabulous fashions

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shannrussell-blog1 · 5 years ago

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Travelling to Thailand is a cultural norm for many Australians. But the experience of Thailand doesn’t have to be limited to Phi Phi Island, Krabi and Phuket. If you want to take the path less travelled, divulge in traditional Buddhist culture, camp on the world’s most beautiful beaches and experience the remote areas of Thailand, then cycle touring is for you.

My partner and I are cycle tourists and have been travelling from Malaysia to Europe by bicycle. Thailand was our second country of “residence” and we still reminisce the beautiful smiles, beaches, food, temples and endless one-dollar coffees.

You might think cycle touring is difficult, but it is very easy in Thailand with its endless flat plains, food stalls every few kilometres and free camping everywhere. All you need to do is start pedalling!

Thailand is the perfect country to cycle tour in.

The basic south to north route

We took a route from the southern city of Satun, near the Malaysia border, to the northeast Laos border crossing in Chiang Khong. This is a simple south to north route where you will pass many key attractions and cities.

Our route took us through the east coast of southern Thailand towards Bangkok. We caught a ferry in Surat Thani to the Island of Koh Tao before re-entering the mainland at Chumphon. Through these areas, we were able to camp often on the beach and have leisurely swims during the day.

In the north, we cycled through some of the more remote farmland communities on small dirt roads, visiting many famous temples and national parks.

We took a simple south to north route.

Alternate routes

It is common for cyclists to fly into Bangkok or enter Thailand from one of the northern land borders. From there you can choose to head in any direction depending on what you would like to achieve. For example, the beaches in the south, animals in the north, or travel east towards Laos or Cambodia.

Many cyclists travel part of the east coast before crossing west towards Phuket and Krabi or they will head into Myanmar. Other routes might include hugging the southeastern coastline around Pattaya City to head towards Cambodia, or, there is an option to go northeast towards Vientiane in Laos.

Our advice for planning is not to think too much about it and just start riding! A great experience will follow.

Plan your route by what you want to experience.

Climate

The climate in Thailand is basically separated by the northern and southern regions. However, in both regions, the climate consists of a dry season and a wet season. The daytime temperatures are usually between mid-20 degrees to mid-30 degrees year around.

The best time to cycle-tour Thailand south to north is between February and early May. However, it’s very easy to travel to Thailand in the wet season too (May to October or September/December in the east coast of south Thailand), as we did.

The rain usually lasts one or two hours each day and the rest of the time it’s hot and humid. It is also hot in the dry season but a little less humid.

The weather is quite warm in Thailand.

Food

One of the best things about exploring Thailand by bicycle or backpacking is the food. Even better is that as a cycle tourist, you will have an endless appetite to eat as much of the amazing, spice-covered, carb-loaded and mind-blowing taste explosions the Thai’s serve up.

The food in Thailand is always spicy, particularly in the local areas. Be prepared to have spicy food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. As you are outside of the tourist areas, make sure you mention that you only want a small amount of spice because the food is hotter than in any other country we have cycled through.

You will be lucky enough to experience a range of local foods varying from boiled pork soup for breakfast, to spicy green papaya salad, the classic pad Thai or a range of noodles and curries. One of our favourite things in Thailand was their traditional stir-fried basil pork (Pat Krapao Moo Sap), which is usually very cheap (A$1 or $2) for a huge cyclist sized portion and incredibly tasty.

Additionally, if you are a vegan or vegetarian then Thai people can cook nearly all their meals to fit with your diet choices.

It’s easier and a whole lot tastier to eat locally instead of cooking.

Learning the language

There will always be a Thai person in proximity to you that speaks English, even if it’s just a little. However, we would recommend that you learn some basic words because every country appreciates travellers who do this. Otherwise, it’s down to using your best hand gestures which will always get a laugh.

Note: in tourist areas, you will likely have to barter for prices in the market but outside of these areas we wouldn’t worry too much about it.

Try to learn a bit of the local language to help you get by.

Attractions

Thailand is one of the most tourist-driven economies in the world and there is something for everyone. You can experience diving, rock climbing, white water rafting, animal encounters, massages, full moon parties, Buddhist culture or beers and cocktails after a hard day of cycling. As a cycle tourist, you can be lucky enough to experience most of the big attractions and a few lesser known ones only accessible to the adventurous.

The southern regions of Thailand are famous for the tropical Islands, beaches and full moon parties but most of all diving. The islands and towns of the west coast are the most well known such as Phuket and Krabi. However, as a cycle tourist, you may be inclined to experience the slightly less tourist populated east coast.

Scuba and free diving are just a couple of the fun things to learn.

These areas are some of the most famous dive spots in the world and close to the cheapest place to obtain your diving tickets. We spent 7-days on the island of Koh Tao learning to both scuba dive and free-dive. We loved free-diving a little more because of the personal challenge and after two days we were able to dive down to twenty meters on a single breath!

You’ve probably heard the phrase “you’ve seen one temple, you’ve seen them all” but honestly, we loved each one we visited. Each temple is designed by a different artist or a collaboration of artists, who bring their own flair to the place, or there are also ancient temples in the old capitals of Ayutthaya and Sukhothai.

Thailand has some of the most famous diving spots in the world.

Our recommended top five temples to see in Thailand are:

Wat Arun, (Temple of Dawn), Bangkok

Wat (Temple of the largest Reclining Buddha), Bangkok

Wat Chaiwatthanaram (Temple of long reign and glorious era), Ayutthaya

Wat Mahathat (Buddha temple head in a banyan tree), Ayutthaya, and

Wat Rong Khun (White Temple), Chiang Rai northern Thailand

The northern regions are famous for their artists, hill tribes, temples, mountains, hot springs, jungles, mountain trekking or jungle flying fox adventures and animals such as tigers, cobras and elephants. We didn’t visit the animal attractions for personal reasons and would urge you to do good research if you wish to visit any of the animal attractions to ensure they’re appropriately managed.

Finally, you must have regular Thai massages to relax those sore, tired muscles after long days of cycling. You can get a massage in most villages and they are usually very cheap outside of the tourist spots.

The temples of Thailand are a must visit when you’re there.

Required gear

We travelled with more gear than required because we were on a long-term cycle touring trip. If you are only travelling to Thailand or South-East Asia, then you can travel very light as it’s warm and the food and the accommodation is very affordable.

Our recommendations for a basic bicycle touring (not an extended tour) list would include:

Camping

A lightweight tent, swag or just a good quality Sleeping mat and a lightweight sleeping bag.

An air or compressible Head torch

Toiletries

Medical kit

A gas or multi-fuel stove (if you really want to cook, then you will need the below items too).

One chopping knife

Utensils

Small chopping board

buff

The length of your trip will determine how much gear you’ll need.

Electronics

Smart-phone for mapping

Small battery pack in-case you couldn’t find a powerpoint (unlikely though)

Camera or GoPro or both

Universal adaptor

Various cords and charging ports for electronics

Bicycle gear

A multitool

Spare spokes or a Kevlar universal spoke

A hand bicycle pump

Tyre repair kit

Small tyre levers

Spare inner tube

Chain lube

To carry your gear, you’ll need pannier racks and panniers.

Extras

A book or tablet with e-books

A travel diary

Playing cards

Water bottles x2

Chocolate

Obviously, you will need a bike with pannier racks and panniers to carry your gear. If you try and pack light you might be able to get away with two back panniers only.

Costs may differ depending on how touristy the area is.

Costs

Thailand’s currency is the Thai Baht which, at the time of our trip, was at A$1 to 20 Baht. Thailand is still one of the cheapest countries to travel to in the world, particularly when you are outside of the tourist hotspots.

Generally, we spent for two people between A$10 to $20 per day when we were able to camp and $13 to $30 per day when we paid for accommodation. It was about double that price in the tourist areas and on the Islands.

For food, you can get meals between 20 Baht to 60 Baht (A$1 to $3) with beer/wine/soft drinks/coffee costing between 10 Baht and 100 Baht (50 cents to $5) depending on where you are. We only cooked once or twice and then realised it was so cheap and time effective to eat out.

Accommodation varies significantly but we were able to find cheap, basic accommodation in most villages between 60 Baht ($3) and up to 300 Baht ($15). However, be aware that it can increase significantly in tourist areas so it’s worth researching and comparing prices beforehand.

Thailand is such an affordable place to visit.

Camping/accommodation

Depending on your trip and budget, you can camp or find very cheap accommodation. In Thailand, you have the opportunity to camp nearly anywhere you like. We put up our tent on beaches, in temples and our favourite was camping at the friendly police stations. All these spots offer a rich experience and it’s usually worth braving the hot overnight temperatures for that beachfront sunrise or sunset.

If you can’t handle the heat at night, then there take up shelter in an air-conditioned/fan room or bungalow for just a few dollars. Accommodation can be found in any village and usually, it is very affordable.

If you are lucky you might be invited in by a family to share a meal and stories.

If you are staying in a bigger city, the accommodation will cost more.

Visas

Australians obtain a 15-day visa free on arrival in Thailand at any of the land or sea ports or 30 days at any airport. If you need a longer stay you can apply for a visa at an embassy in another country or in Australia a month before you leave which can give you either 60-days single entry or 60-days multiple entries. It usually only takes about 2-5 business days to process this visa.

Safety

Some people worry about thievery but in our experience, the risk is usually low if you take some simple precautions such as locking your bike up at night. We were always very cautious about our valuables in tourist areas and in busy marketplaces.

The wonderful people we met was what made our trip so amazing.

Favourite experience in Thailand

The Thai people were our favourite experience. As in most countries, the people you meet can make or break your trip.

Towards the end of our trip, before the border crossing at Chiang Khong into Laos, we stayed at our last temple. The monks here spoke a little bit of English and we decided to give them some Australian small lightweight souvenirs that we gave to our friends we met along the way. This was to say thank you to all the kind monks that had let us stay in Thailand. However, in return, they gave us two books in English that detailed the story of Buddha and two buddha pendants that can be worn on a necklace or bracelet.

This last stay at a temple summed up the mentality of the Thai people we met while travelling. Always giving and always kind.

Have you ever been on an overseas cycling trip?

The post Cycle Touring Guide to Thailand appeared first on Snowys Blog.

#>bivvy</a>#/pageSize=40&orderBy=11&pageNumber=1 #>sleeping #/specFilters=5m!-!377&pageSize=40&orderBy=-1&pageNumber=1 #>pot</a>#/specFilters=5m!-!465&pageSize=40&orderBy=-1&pageNumber=1 #/specFilters=5m!-!1524&pageSize=40&orderBy=-1&pageNumber=1>large #/pageSize=40&orderBy=-1&pageNumber=1>pillow</a>#/specFilters=5m!-!462&pageSize=40&orderBy=-1&pageNumber=1>Cup</a></li>

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nox-writings-blog · 8 years ago

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modern, muggle headcanons

[wolfstar and jily/jegulily, 1,5523]

Remus

oversized sweaters and button downs all day everyday

ink stained hands

collects old books - Most have torn pages and faded ink from constant rereading.

has too many half written stories all featuring the same characters he’s overly attached to (an: oh shit its actually me)

somehow always carries chocolate or knows the nearest place he can get some.

works in a book store (an: I just love this au too much ik its cliché as hell)

WELSH ACCENT

can and will fall asleep anywhere

all his clothes have rips in them or are extremely worn - not on purpose like Padfoot however (’MOONY ITS PUNK ROCK SHUT UP AND GIMME THE SCISSORS’)

enjoys the rain a lot - lucky they stay in Scotland then

Amber eyes and golden hair that lightly curls with his love of the rain (James gets jealous bc hes the ‘curly haired friend’)

always carries a notebook, of which he has wayyyyy too many

knows too many constellations which he doodles in all of his notebooks and always keeps track of the moon phases, hence the nickname

his sleep schedule is beyond screwed - probably caused by “ nope I cant sleep without reading Pads,” and then getting completely transfixed by a fictional world

always sketching people around him, he could happily sit in a café all day and draw everyone there, maybe he has an entire notebook of Padfoot sketches, maybe he does not, who knows

can’t function without coffee

very trustworthy of his friends almost too trusting, but can barely talk to a person outside of their group

almost too pale, couldn’t tan if he tried all that the sun does is give him a light dusting of freckles and chases away his beloved rain

usually the subject of Padfoot’s (favourite) polaroids

probably the only guy there that thinks of the consequences of a situation before they become a reality

the responsible one

can read & write music

pianist

Lily & Peter read all of his stories - annoyed they aren’t finished

loves animals, still pretends to be annoyed when James brings home stray dogs

gets sick constantly and secretly finds it hilarious when Sirius freaks out and acts like his nurse

Sirius

constantly painting, drawing and creating awesome art pieces

photography nerd - has a huge collection of polaroids & pinholes in his ‘dark room’ (a cupboard under the stairs that has a red light)

owns a motorbike that he is constantly repairing and is attempting to convince James to get one too “prongs we’ll look awesome c’mon do it or the aesthetic” James can’t ride a damn bicycle

always stealing Remus’ sweaters, even thought they are all about 10 sizes too big

has at least 15 leather jackets.(Wears one bc Moony got him patches for it years ago)

Long black hair that is always falling into tired grey eyes - Walburga has threatened to chop it off too many times

works in an art gallery, occasionally slips in his own work (the manager knows but she loves his work)

angsty as hell

always listening to music - preferably on vinyls “I don’t care how expensive it is Wormtail, it sounds far better (also it’s not my credit card its my cousin Bellatrix’s so???)

Smoker (probably for the aesthetic tbh) “yeah right Moons it makes me punk rock as shit,”

wears his biker boots all day everyday

plays guitar (secretly acoustic is his favourite)

all his clothes are ripped as heck

terrible at showing negative emotions but has learned to when it comes to Prongs and Moony - he’s getting there with some of the others

obsessive in his love for dogs and is genuinely offended when Lily gets a cat, the day he found out James bought it the word ‘betrayal’ is genuinely used, even more offended when Regulus began playing with the cats “ Sirius I'm named after a star in the LEO constellation???”

such a drama queen (speaking of Queen imagine him & Bohemian Rhapsody?)

tries to hide his aristocratic background, though his mannerisms show it off quite often

fluent in French he has a slight French accent

Lives on Tumblr (surprisingly this was never meant on this site) & Netflix

also memorises the moon phases ( just to impress Remus honestly)

makes awful puns constantly “I'm serious” “nah I'm Sirius you’re James” “ugh are you fucking serious” “nah I'm fucking Moony” *atrocious wink*

ripped skinny jeans - Wormtail still calls him emo for it

James

super athletic

Loves photography claims to use the best equipment but still constantly invades Sirius’ excuse for a dark room

plays drums

somehow the only one who can cheer up Regulus instantly

only has 1 pair of glasses even though he is horrendously clumsy, Lily is assuming he is just seeing how much tape he can build up before they are entirely useless

obsessed over football - he manages a small team that he is way too enthusiastic about

still surprised Lily even talks to him “James we’ve been dating for 5 years stop being a prat”

plans out the biggest pranks and somehow manages to get everyone involved, if he doesn't they turn to shit but that's a ‘secret’ everybody knows

only shoes he actually ones are trainers & football boots “James you are not wearing Nikes to Alice and Franks bloody wedding!”

really copetitive

obsessively plays Xbox and has weekly gaming nights with everyone (Sirius always rage quits) Wormtail is the only one who is still playing with him after 30 minutes

goes on tones of unplanned road trips with Lily

tries a weird new diet practically every week, sort of a health freak

way too much house pride - his whole room is decorated red and gold

has an old pickup truck he prides too much even though he is almost needing to fix it as much as Sirius and his ancient motorbike

the ‘mom friend’ always looking after everyone

Peter

actually the only reason they don’t all eat fast food & take aways 24/7 - he’s a great cook

proof reads all of Remus’ stories for him before they get posted

works as a barista in a grunge as hell café across the road - the others always hang out there when he’s working

secretly enjoys the challenge of James’ strange dieting (gluten free+ vegan month was definitely a challenge though)

owns 2 pet rats - is scared shitless that Regulus’ pet snake is going to eat them at one point

really good at giving gifts because he’s great at listening to people

has a massive collection of hoodies for no apparent reason

always third wheeling because of Wolfstar and Jily, it’s better now that Regulus has move in though

really good at video games - occasionally lets James win because he gets too moody otherwise

bassist

only listens to indie & grunge music - secretly loves Sirius' obsession with vinyls

Lily

not super feminine but always has the latest fashion trends - usually fairly alternative (known to sport the jeans + fishnets thing that looks bomb as hell)

reads almost as much as Remus and is always hanging out in the book shop he works at

really enjoys playing football with James - finds it hilarious when he gets competitive

super long ginger hair + green eyes

loves tattoos, has handpoked a few of her own (mainly gets them done professionally, her friend Marlene is a tattoo artist) & Sirius let her do a moon on his wrist

doesn’t know that James reads all the books she talks about until she finds 3 of them hidden on his side of them wardrobe and interrogates him

super spontaneous really enjoys the constant unplanned road trips

does a lot of digital art, usually draws characters from books most often the characters Remus will never let go of in his stories

can ride a motorbike and occasionally takes Sirius’ for a spin

just a badass tbh

everyone takes their problems to her because she somehow has a solution for everything

wants to get into interior design and when they move in she helps everyone decorate their rooms, constantly adding to their home paints a different wall every week

literally friends with everyone - nobody dislikes her and probably couldn't if they tried

has a weird skill for knitting, likely the source of 90% of Remus’ holy sweaters

obsessed with ‘retro’ things, favourite things tend to be from the 80s/90s

always helping Wormtail when he is baking, as long as she gets the first taste

an: this was just a random thing I wrote in a notebook at school, the next time we get a cover teacher I’ll probably add some secondary characters (Regulus, Alice, Frank etc)

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trendtshirtnewposts · 5 years ago

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Interests can really help you out in life. Interests can overcome out boredom, provide you with a artistic electric outlet and make it simple to get fun. Carry on looking at for some valuable specifics of interests.

If you re transforming a pastime right into a money-generating undertaking, make sure you properly selling price your merchandise. Cost adequate to create enough of revenue and keep your self backed. Very first, tally up your entire expenses including time as well as work, then include a significant earnings border to make certain good results.

Turning your young ones to hobbies and interests in an young age may help them in numerous techniques, and scientific studies suggest it can also place them about the right and filter. Kids who participate in more-curricular sports activities, craft activities, and different organizations readily available often do better in school too. Present these people to many interests, and permit them to choose their favorite!

If you enjoy working on pcs, you really should consider the next phase and convert laptop or computer development right into a pastime. This is among one of those hobbies that will pay back (practically) over time. The greater you teach oneself, the better marketable skills you ll when looking for work. In addition programming may be loads of fun also.

An incredible activity for everyone will be health and fitness. You don t need to dread getting into condition. You could make it enjoyable by adjusting it from what you like carrying out, thus making it a pastime rather than some grueling job. It is possible to continue on bicycle trips or you can enjoy football with buddies.

Your laptop or computer could be your portal to your following interest. Blogging is now more popular then ever with folks of any age and sexes. Locate an issue that you are looking at and create a blog on the web. It will provide you with something to take care of daily and can even tell you about folks you in no way might have satisfied.

If you love to perform games within your down time, but are affected with the expense, think about enrolling in a youtube video video game membership support. These websites let you pay out a monthly fee after which you can check out a specified amount of game titles at any given time. This enables your activity playing time as a whole lot less expensive than in case you are purchasing them.

Seashell getting is a good interest that can present you with fond memories of seaside vacation trips. Seashells could be academic for children and also are excellent attractive features for your property.

Keeping yourself using a interest can often be quite challenging due to our busy daily activities. It doesn t must be the truth in case you have sound advice such as the one s within the over report. Incorporate these guidelines on hobbies to help you find that excellent the one that you are going to stick to for a very long time!

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bogdanhmel · 5 years ago

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Our next task was to plan out our work. We were given a questionnaire and had to fill it in.

Concept

My FMP will be focused on illustrating unusual bizarre goodnight wishes. I have been collecting those for quite a while and at some point I started thinking of visualizing them. This idea appeals to me because It contains something of truly personal nature so that it is a challenge to find ways of how it can be exposed to the world. I want to transmit the sense of privacy and coziness to the viewers and give them ability to share these goodnight wishes with their beloved ones. I am planning to create a deck of cards with the wishes and illustrations to them on each card. It will create a surprise effect for those who might use them. All you need to do is pick a card and get a goodnight wish.

Research

So far according to the research I’ve done there’s no such thing as a deck of cards with goodnight wishes, however I am planning to dig a bit more and find existing projects with at least similar ideas or formats. I want to analyze them and find out what worked well and what did not. I want to research the phenomenon of cards (their historical background).

I definitely will do the research on different types of cards and the technical side of their production since I know nothing about it. I am also hunting for a visual style I could apply to the creation of illustrations so I will look at different artists who have done a big amount of images in a specific style. I consider paying attention to Rider-Waite’s and other tarot decks and Bicycle playing cards.

Production

Well I guess the main part of production in my project is actually creating visuals for it. My plan is to draw the images digitally. In terms of the technical side of producing cards... I don’t know much about it yet. However I should definitely consider size, type of paper, fonts and the back side of the cards. It is important to find out if the laser cut can be used in the production or there are alternative more efficient ways of printing and cutting them out.

Assessment

I think I will be searching for a successful solution for the visual style of the cards. Should I make them in the similar style and technique or it will be better to create very different visuals? If so, how can I make them work as a series? I feel like when I find answers to these questions and start creation of images I will feel more confident and also able to work a lot effectively. I don’t usually use planners but I will buy a little sketchbook for working on different ideas and preparing drafts for the future final works. One thing to consider is forcing self to do something over again in a better way rather than being stuck on one image for hours. I think it is my bad habit I want to get rid of. If I establish my style for this project and work effectively I will be happy with myself.

Concerns

Production ! It is still my main concern I am planning to solve through research.

Schedule

Week 1

Research

Collecting visual and text information on the topic

Week 2

Researching production techniques, making preparations (with the chosen way)

Week 3, 4

Sketching, trying to come up with the visual style

Week 5

Putting stuff into blog and project log

Week 6

Army of me

Week 7, 8, 9, 10

Creating visuals

Week 11

Production

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velmaemyers88 · 5 years ago

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Knights and Bikes is a quirky take on 1980s coming-of-age stories

With Netflix’s Stranger Things back in the pop culture zeitgeist, 1980s nostalgia is surging again. At first, it seems like Knights and Bikes — where children stumble upon a supernatural phenomenon — is riding that trend as well. But indie developer Foam Sword has a different take on the usual pre-Internet coming-of-age story.

Heading to PlayStation 4 and PC later this summer under the Double Fine Presents publishing label, Knights and Bikes is an action-adventure game about two young girls named Demelza and Nessa. The year is 1987, and Nessa has just arrived in Demelza’s home of Penfurzy, a fictional English island. After becoming fast friends, the children decide to investigate an old Penfurzy legend about finding long lost treasure.

You can play as the girls either by yourself (swapping between them while an AI takes over for the other kid) or with a friend in local and online co-op. Each character has specific abilities that’ll help you fight enemies and solve puzzles, such as Nessa’s disc-throwing attacks and Demelza’s wellies (boots she can use to kick through puddles and stomp on bad guys).

And as implied in the title, both girls find bicycles that help them get around Penfurzy.

“We’re trying to have that sort of adventure you get as a kid, where you go on vacation and you meet a new friend and you instantly go on an adventure together and get up to all kinds of mischief,” said artist and designer Rex Crowle in an interview with GamesBeat.

From a kid’s POV

While you’ll find some references to ’80s pop culture in Knights and Bikes (such as retro gaming consoles, laser tag, and a knock-off version of He-Man), Foam Sword deliberately avoided using well-worn tropes like neon lights or brightly colored spandex. The island is a mostly rural and somewhat rundown place with scrapyards, a mini-golf course, and a sleepy harbor town.

Much of this comes from Crowle’s early childhood experiences in the county of Cornwall, which is on the southern tip of the U.K. Penfurzy is a stylized re-creation of his hometown.

“I felt that because this is a very natural, very rural, slightly cutoff location, it shouldn’t go super strong on the eighties influence,” said Crowle. “So it’s a little bit more nuanced. … If you live somewhere that’s not right in the center of pop culture, it takes like 10 years for things to filter through. I think a lot of my childhood in the ’80s was actually more like the ’70s.”

Above: Demelza (left) and Nessa riding on their bikes.

Image Credit: Foam Sword Games

The other half of Foam Sword, programmer Moo Yu, grew up on the other side of the world in Anaheim, California — under “the shadow of Disneyland,” as Crowle put it. That’s why Penfurzy is also the home of what was once a bustling theme park. It’s one of a few small attractions that suffered as tourism on the island declined over the years. The local economy is so dire that some residents (including Demelza and her dad) are being evicted from their homes.

Add to that the recent passing of Demelza’s mother, and it’s quite a dark time for the young orange-haired girl, who turns to games and comic books for comfort. But things start to change when she meets Nessa. The excitement of having a new friend finally pulls Demelza out of her room, giving her a reason to go on a real-life adventure.

Though Penfurzy isn’t as busy as it used to be, the kids find ways to make their own fun. You’ll hear Demelza make cute engine noises whenever she breaks into a run. If one of them is defeated in battle, they just have to high-five each other to get back up. From time to time, they’ll challenge each other to races. And since they’re too young to have cash or credit cards, Demelza and Nessa just collect whatever they find (like shells, stones, and bugs) as currency for upgrading their bikes.

Even the hand-painted art style is a reflection of that childhood curiosity.

“[Knights and Bikes] is drawn with the kind of materials that kids would have, like crayons and chalk. I mean, I don’t want it to just look like they just drew it. But it’s got that kind of atmosphere, that element,” said Crowle. “And that really helps to add things onto the landscape that they’re actually imagining. We can quite easily draw extra details.”

Above: The girls explore the other side of town.

Image Credit: Foam Sword Games

The children’s overactive imaginations play a big part in the story, especially as they dig deeper into the old legend. At one point in the demo, Demelza was bored of knocking over practice targets in the golf course, so naturally, the red targets sprouted hands and legs and started to run away from her. But the most surprising thing for Demelza was that Nessa can see all this happening, too.

Penfurzy only becomes more fanciful when the girls unwittingly trigger an ancient curse that spreads across the island. Suddenly, you’re not fighting ordinary objects anymore. One enemy type that appears later in the game is a possessed metal gauntlet; but when you defeat it, it just turns into a pile of tin cans. Part of the fun of Knights and Bikes is figuring which of these elements are real and come from the curse, and which are just manifestations of the girls’ imaginations.

“We play a lot with what’s actually here in the environment and what’s being augmented and added onto it by the kids’ own imaginations,” said Crowle.

Back to the drawing board

For Crowle, Knights and Bikes came out of a desire to get his hands “really dirty” again. Before co-founding Foam Sword with Yu, he was at the Sony-owned Media Molecule, where he worked on the LittleBigPlanet franchise, Tearaway (as the lead creator), and Dreams. While he enjoyed his time at the studio, he said it’d been too long since he could just sit down and doodle.

“I hadn’t been necessarily drawing that much for the previous five years, and I felt that it would be nice to have a hobby project,” said Crowle. “[Knights and Bikes] was very much about, ‘Can you just hand-paint a whole world? And what would that look like?’ That was the starting point, really.”

With ‘80s classic The Goonies on their minds, Crowle and Yu (also a former Media Molecule employee) initially wanted to create a role-playing game that’d follow a group of kids. But they scrapped that idea because the cast felt too stereotypical. The developers changed the style and genre of the game, choosing to focus on just two characters instead.

Above: The curse unleashes new types of enemies.

Image Credit: Foam Sword Games

They worked slowly on Knights and Bikes at first, with Crowle chipping away at it while still working a few days a week at Media Molecule. After a successful Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign in 2016, he realized that he needed to turn his hobby project into a full-time gig, so he left the studio later that year.

Yet it’s hard to deny the influence that his time at Media Molecule has had on his work. Both LittleBigPlanet and Tearaway used ordinary items like buttons, fabrics, and slivers of paper to tell extraordinary adventures — much like the everyday objects Demelza and Nessa collect on their journey. Knights and Bikes seems to represent another branch of that imaginative family tree.

But after years of making colorful games that exude positivity and friendship, Crowle is thinking of heading in a different direction with his next project.

“I’m really desperate to make a really gritty, violent game. I feel like I’ve done too much whimsy now,” he said jokingly.

Credit: Source link

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