#la rouge tour SPEAK TO ME

[cyberfunsupporter]

beautiful outfits, genius lighting, amazing choreography ohh covid is going DOWN for taking this away from the world

[likeadevils]

Any timeline news bestie?

actually yeah!! a good chunk of news that i need to officially type up and source, but if you want to just take me at my word that i’m not making up interviews:

@1989worldtour and @taylor-on-your-dash found an old interview where taylor says she wrote back to december in new york, meaning it was likely written in early/mid may 2010

in that same interview she also said she wrote mine while on tour, probably in texas (that’s her saying probably texas not me). which would put it march 10-12 2010. the thing that trips me up about that though is scott borchetta said she showed it to him in february, which isn’t a big time difference, but taylor left for the bahamas right after texas. i don’t know exactly what day she left, so it’s possible she flew from texas to nashville’s to the bahamas and recorded the first mine demo then, but unless she did that the next time she could be in nashville would be on the 21st, and the next time she’s in nashville for longer than a day would be march 29, both of which are pushing the february mix up. but no matter what taylor probably wrote it in early march, since all the dates in february were in australia and tokyo, which seem hard to mix up with texas.

in that same interview she said she started mean in her kitchen but then had to leave to go play a show. that could be whenever, but the only 2010 show she played without a show right before/after it was in baton rouge on may 29, where she had two days off before and after it, so speculation but better than the “idk sometime in spring?” that i had it under before

(side salad: you might be thinking claire, is that too many may 2010 songs? and if you’ve read the speak now timeline you might be thinking, but what about long live in the first week of june and the story of us in the second week of june? is that too many songs? and to that i’d say wow, thank you for paying so much attention. but, taylor does go into writing frenzies in the months right before she finishes an album, and she finished writing for speak now in june and recording for it in july, so like. it makes sense that there’d be a cluster right at the end)

nathan chapman, the guy who produced basically every song taylor recorded between 2006-2011, posted a couple photos from the speak now and red sessions! unfortunately we don’t know which song she was making in the speak now picture (my kingdom for speak now studio credits), but the one from red is likely girl at home— it is the only released song taylor made with him at his house after cutting her bangs and straightening her hair

and some super early tortured poets speculation— on october 17, post malone said he’d just hung out with taylor, and on october 20 deuxmoi said taylor had just been in LA working with a new producer. dm is normally absolute dogshit at getting information out of taylor’s camp, but idk about post malone/whatever producer’s side of things. so i’m putting a very shaky maybe on fortnight in october 2023

if anyone has an opportunity to enter electric lady studios please tell me if they have a tan couch in front of a dark wood background. i have crawled through their website and instagram and i can find no such couch but taylor and jack working in a non-electric lady/his house studio would be insane (EDIT JACK BUILT A NEW STUDIO IN LA AND THE PHOTOS I WAS TRYING TO TRACK DOWN WERE PROBABLY TAKEN THERE)

[matteblack71sg]

Nothing Else Matters — J.M.K

Baby, You’re Too Sweet for Rock’n’Roll- prologue/Chapter 1

Josh Kiszka x Fem!OC

This feels so overdone yet I never see it among the greta fanfic realm—the opposites attract trope!! I got this idea after seeing josh and Dorothy Martin standing next to each other at bottlerock and got a tad inspired :)

Also, this is so much longer then I wanted it to be but that’s just because there was so much of a backstory I wanted to establish!

Cheers, and Rock on! - rouge

— Warnings: nothing too wild here, things do get slutty but nothing NSFW. also josh is a dick

Greta Van Fleet is gearing up for their summer/fall tour that is the biggest they’d done yet. Touring internationally and across the nation with close to 10 acts in their bill for support. One band is recruited last minute, and it’s a band that everyone likes…on paper. With the turbulent lifestyle of tour, rock and roll, and the fact that Josh Kiszka is adamant about being single, when he meets his match in the form of a woman that couldn’t be more different than him….things become more than they ever could have bargained for. But what’s rock’n’roll without a little bit of give and take?

Josh Kiszka was not a man to get nervous. He didn’t get “nerves” and if he did, he satiated them with a shot of tequila and a drag of something sweet. He was not a nervous guy. So, when he was sitting with his bandmates at their management office, he despised the feeling of his hands getting clammy.

Why, you might ask?

Greta Van Fleet had just been propositioned by their team to add an up-and-coming rock band Absinthe to a leg of their summer tour. Now, the boys had no issues with Absinthe. In fact, they all were aware of the group if not casual fans of them. They were more on the rock and roll side of things, which attracted the likes of old and new artists raising props to them.

“Didn’t they just do a song with The Pretty Reckless?“ Sam asked, leaning back in the swiveling office chair. Danny hummed in agreement, whipping out his phone and pulling up Spotify. “It’s called ‘Bleeding Heart’. Taylor Momsen did vocals.”

“That one is kickass,” Jake smiled, nodding. He was the most outward fan of the band. Their manager surveyed the scene and smiled, before looking at Josh. “You’ve been very quiet. No thoughts on adding Absinthe to a few dates?”

Sam snickered, before rolling his eyes. “Josh doesn’t even listen to them. It’s not like he would have an opinion to weigh even if he did-“

Josh scoffed, folding his arms tightly a crossed his chest. “I just don’t know if they fit the bill. Are they talented? Yes. But do they fit our image? Not particularly.”

This quieted the room considerably. Josh was right—and he knew it. The lead singer of Absinthe, Alex, had just gotten arrested for public indecency while their guitarist—and the only girl in the band—Lennox, was rumored to be the new “bad girl of rock and roll”, whatever that meant. Cocaine, LA parties, international affairs and obscene photos, illicit substances… it was the rockstar lifestyle, but it wasn’t the image that Greta Van Fleet had curated for themselves.

“Dude, c’mon. They’re kids,” Jake argued, reminding his twin that the band consisted of all individuals no older than Sam’s mere 23. “They’re all around our age, Josh,” Daniel reasoned. Josh shrugged, stubborn. “I just don’t really think it would sell. We don’t really do that sort of thing-“

“So you’re saying we’re not rockstars? Speak for yourself,” Jake huffed. “I’m just saying we don’t do it like them, dickwad.”

Their manager sighed heavily. “Enough, boys. Josh, while your concerns are valid, there’s no denying the facts that they would bring in a whole new wave of fans and ticket sales would skyrocket, all in all they’re incredibly talented. We’re booking them, and if you’ve got such an issue, well…you can find a way to work around it. Now, Jake, Sam, come with me. We have that radio interview in a half hour and we need to get going now to avoid traffic.”

With that, the band split up, leaving only Josh and Danny in the room. Danny stood up, tossing a glance over to Josh. “Are you really that bothered about Absinthe?”

Josh cast him a sidelong glance. Danny held his hands up in defeat. “Maybe watch an interview or two. Get to know them as people. Y’know, they are just kids. Remember how much shit we got when we were just starting out,” Danny jested and nudged Josh’s shoulder.

Josh rolled his eyes and nodded, rubbing his temples. “Yeah yeah, you’re right. Ever the voice of reason, Daniel.”

“Always, brother,” Danny smiled before walking out of the room.

Josh, sitting alone at the table, let out a deep breath through his nose. He was fucking nervous now.

--•—•—

Weeks after the news had broke to Greta, they took the tour announcement public. As their manager had predicted, the fans went crazy for the news, saying they couldn’t wait to buy tickets to the added leg just to see Absinthe open for them. While getting their outfits fitted one final time, Jake was informing Josh on the news that was circuiting.

“So, apparently, they’re wanting us to cover Metallica with them,” Jake snorted, from his place on the bench. He was scrolling through an article that Jita had sent him from Rocksound, while Josh was standing, tense. He had gone with a slightly different design for his jumpsuits and this one was being particularly finicky. “Please don’t stab me,” Josh jested through grit teeth, as his tailor looked up at him apologetically. “I can’t sing like James. Are they daft?” Josh asked, annoyance in his voice. “Besides, why would that be a dual cover? Does anyone know anything?” Josh asked no one, as Jake snorted and shook his head. “All I know is that they all love Metallica. Doesn’t mean they wanna do that. You know how the journalists are—they find one little lead and blow it into a stupid clickable article.”

Josh rolled his eyes. His brother was right, but he didn’t want him to be. Josh was honored to play with the band, and had grown to feel a sense of mentorship from the four men, but it wasn’t his speed. If they were going to cover anything with Absinthe, it wouldn’t be that.

“Makes me wonder if we have anything in common with these kids at all,” Josh grumbled as he was helped off the stand and slowly stripped down to his boxers, not wanting to disrupt any of the pins that Sasha, had so carefully marked.

Jake raised an eyebrow at Josh. “You worried you’re not going to be able to hang with the kids, Grandpa?”

Josh sneered. “Like you’re any better. You drink twice your body weight in liquor every night. By the time they get here you’ll be dead weight.”

Jake let out a clipped laugh before standing and gathering his things. “We have to go meet Sam and Danny at the studio—are you coming?”

“Yeah, fucknut. Let me put my clothes on.”

With that, Josh was slowly helped out of the jumpsuit and handed his khakis and white short sleeve that were sitting beside him on a chair. “Glad you’re wearing boxers this time,” Sasha joked, making Josh chuckle. “The stage is the appropriate time for a show, my dear. Not when you’re armed with pins and other sharp things that could harm me.”

She shook her head before cleaning up her station, and Josh was soon lacing up his vans while Jake tapped his foot impatiently on the floor. When the twins were both ready to go, they bid a quick goodbye to the seamstress, and walked out to Josh’s car. Hopping into the passenger seat of the Wrangler, Jake let out a sigh. “Put the address in the maps, will ya?” Josh nagged, as he put the car in reverse.

A beat or two went by as the two rode in awkward quiet. “Y’know…” Jake began, causing a sidelong glance to be cast his way from his twin. “Jita and I have been talking.”

“I would hope so, you are dating her.” Josh huffed, making Jake scoff. “Yeah, anyway…she…well, I…think…God,…” Jake mumbled, stumbling over his words. The car lurched to a stop at a red light and Josh turned to face Jake, face pinched together, pensive.

“Spit it out, already. You gonna propose?”

This caused Jake’s eyes to widen in surprise. “No, no, no, not that, oh my God!”

Josh’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “What’s so hard for you to get out then, anyway?”

Jake took a deep breath. “She’s worried about you. Thinks you’re, I dunno, lonely.”

Josh cast an annoyed glance towards his brother as the lanes began to move again. “She’s worried. About me. Your girlfriend of a few years now, is worried, about me?” Josh asked, incredulous.

Jake glared in return. “Yeah, man. She cares ‘bout ya, and since she’s been around she hasn’t seen you with anyone. Jesus, you’re like a brother to her—is she not allowed to care about you?” Jake’s tone was biting, as he had taken offense to Josh’s defensiveness on behalf of his girlfriend.

“Well, tell her thanks, but I’m fine. I’m not looking to date right now. I enjoy-“ “I know, the troubadour life, but-“ “But nothing. I’m not looking. End of story.”

The air in the car was still tense. Josh let out a deep breath before looking at Jake. “Look, didn’t mean to be a dick. I just don’t need you guys asking me about this. I already have Mom and Dad…every single time we go home… ‘Joshua, when are you going to settle down?’ I can’t have that from you, too.” Josh sighed, and Jake nodded. He patted his brother on the shoulder.

“I just worry about ya, man. Plus, you’re getting old. Soon you’ll be too decrepit for anyone to even consider you,” Jake joked. Josh flipped him off, before getting out of the car.

“So…you not going to propose to Jita?” Josh asked, which brought on a glare from Jake. “Listen, if I’m not allowed to ask you about your love life, you can’t ask me about mine. Every time Mom calls her she makes it a point to bring it up.”

Josh nodded, before shaking his head. “Well, Mom’s not here. So, fuck that conversation. Let us go get shitfaced.”

—•—•—

“Jesus Christ, it’s hot out here,” Jake sighed as he wiped sweat from his forehead. They had just finished their set at the Bottlerock Festival in Napa Valley, and the sun was blazing, unflinching. “All I want to do is go back to our Airbnb that has an A/C and blackout curtains.”

“Shut up, diva,” Josh muttered as he too was also drenched in sweat. The Kiszka twins unfortunately ran hot much quicker then their younger comrades. “Jake, Josh, c’mere!” Sam called them over to where he was standing with his bass tech, his girlfriend Hannah, and their friend Marcus King. The twins embraced Marcus and said their hellos, before Josh looked at Sam. “What, Sam?”

“Han just told me that Absinthe is apparently playing one of these smaller stages in like twenty minutes. We were going to go catch their set, to check it out. Come with us,” Sam said, with an inviting tone but the look in his eye said that this was strictly business.

Josh shrugged. “I’m out. I need aloe and a blunt.”

Hannah frowned, motioning to the twins. “Come on, you guys! They’re small so it’ll only be for a sec, and plus, you guys get VIP,” she giggled, leaning into Sam.

“Share a beer over some rock and roll, brothers,” Marcus jested, and Jake nodded. “You’re buying,” he laughed, pointing at Marcus.

The group slowly got bigger, and by the time they approached the set, Greta had brought with them Hannah, her guitarist, Marcus, Jita, and Jake’s guitar tech. Luckily, they were able to get into the VIP seating because not many people were in this crowd. Beer was dispersed, and they got comfortable. As Josh sat down, he cast an eye towards the empty stage. Techs were doing last minute sound-offs and tests, making sure levels were good and nothing was out of order. Hannah was sitting next to Josh, Jita on her other side. “Oh, I’m so excited!” Hannah squealed, before nudging Josh. “Aren’t you?”

He shrugged, a half-smile appearing on his face. “I’m not too familiar with them.” Hannah’s shocked face made Josh grimace. “How the fuck are you not familiar with them? God, Josh, I’m convinced you live under a rock!”

“Who lives under a rock?” Jita asked, leaning over to join the conversation. “Josh!”

Jita laughed, tossed Josh a coy smile. “Oh, yeah, you get used to it.”

Hannah sighed, before looking pointedly to Josh. “You better take my word for it when I say they’re fucking amazing.” Josh raised his hands in defeat and let out a weak chuckle. “Judge and jury, alright, alright.”

With that, the band walked out from the right wings, all clad in black denim and black leather. The drummer was massive, bigger than Danny and covered in tattoos. The bassist was a skinny guy, not as tall as Sam but built similarly, with long black hair tied up in a messy bun. He was wearing a tiger print shirt that made Hannah motion to Josh. “That’s Dean. He has the best style. And the drummer is Blake.”

The vocalist, Alex, was wearing black leather pants and was shirtless, exposing a large tattoo that adorned his chest and a part of his torso. The guitarist, Lennox, was the only one that wasn’t in Josh’s view, but from where he sat he could see her black Gibson Explorer and her head of unruly black hair.

“Oh my god, I fuckin’ love them!” Hannah had gone full fangirl, Jita cheering along with her in solidarity. Josh had to admit, they were good. Really good. Alex had an incredible command on the crowd and had palpable chemistry with both Lennox and Dean, at one point walking up behind Dean during a guitar solo and put him in a faux headlock before kissing him playfully on the cheek.

As the set got close to the end, Alex approached the edge of the stage. “So, I don’t know if you guys know, but we’re big fans of this Italian rock band called Mäneskin-“ he paused to cheer along with the crowd. “And they’re playing here this weekend, so we wanted to pay tribute to them. Damiano, enjoy the show, baby,” Alex flirted, before he turned and conversed silently with the other three. Seconds later, he turned and they launched into an explosive cover of I Wanna Be Your Slave.

“Goddamn,” Jake muttered, making Josh jump. He hadn’t even realized his brother was sitting to his left. “These guys are fucking good—look at her!” Jake motioned, pointing towards Lennox. The girl was on her knees, playing the guitar solo that was after the first chorus. Josh nodded, swallowing hard.

The cover ended, and Alex said a quick goodbye, before they all went to exit stage-left. Before they did, Alex ran up behind Lennox and grabbed her ass, playfully swatting it as she laughed.

“They’re wild,” Jake smiled. “They seem like fun.”

“They seem like trouble,” Jita said, a small smile on her face. “God knows these guys could use some of that!” Hannah smiled. “Let’s go say hi!”

The group migrated to behind the stage, where the band was standing outside of their bus that was parked there. Two of the guys, Dean and Blake, if Josh’s memory serves, were sitting on folding chairs with beers in hand, a joint in Dean’s other. As they approached, Alex emerged in black boxers and a bottle of Tito’s Vodka. The three started talking to one another, what it sounded like was the guys giving Alex shit. The conversation stopped abruptly as they all noticed the people standing a few feet away, awkwardly.

“Holy shit, you’re Greta Van Fleet,” Blake said. Dean’s face furrowed in confusion as Alex smiled wide. “Shit! Hey, guys! Want a beer? Want a shot?”

The enthusiastic man extended a shot glass full of Tito’s to Sam, who was the closest to him. Sam laughed and shook his head, making Alex cock his head. “C’mon, Sam Kiszka. No shot? No balls.”

Danny and Jake chuckled, Danny nudging Sam playfully. “Ignore him,” Dean said. He walked up and shook each of the individuals hands—luckily the group had lessened considerably. Now it was down to 6–the four bandmates and Hannah and Jita. Introductions were made and pleasantries were exchanged before Blake sat down in his chair again. “So, what’s up, Fleet?”

Jake sipped on his beer that he had graciously accepted. “Wanted to come introduce ourselves. We’ve heard a bunch about ya but never got to meet face to face, and then-“ “I told them about your set! Sorry, I-“ Hannah interrupted excitedly, before blushing. “Nah, sweetheart, it’s okay. You’re a fan?” Dean asked, flirting slightly which caused her to blush.

“We all are, to a degree,” Sam said, as his grip around Hannah’s waist tightened and Dean nodded. “Fuck yeah, man. Well, we’re stoked for tour. Never been to Canada or anything like that before,” he smiled.

“Yeah, we’re all going to be there together,” Danny said, motioning to the group. “Hannah’s going to be supporting us too.”

“Yeah! That’s another reason why I love your band, girl guitarist solidarity,” she giggled as Dean and Blake both nodded in understanding. “Where is she, anyway?” Blake muttered, before standing up. As if on cue, the bus door swung open and who they all could only assume to be Lennox emerged.

“Yo, which of you fuckers took my fuckin’ herb?” She snapped, glaring at her bandmates before realizing that they had company. “Oh, fuck. Hey. I’m Lennox,” she said, stiffly, before it clicked in her head. “Oh, God, Greta Van Fleet! Fuck, Jesus fuckin’ Christ,” the door slammed shut as they all looked at the other men who shrugged. “She’ll be right out.”

“You all have quite the band dynamic, it seems,” quipped Josh from his place beside Jita. Alex snickered. “Lennox is the biggest pain in the ass. They all are. But, I mean, we make decent music and that’s the biggest thing, right?”

Dean punched him slightly. “Fuck off, mate. We’ve all been friends forever. Alex just pretends he’s better then us because he has a persona to uphold.” To that, Dean received Alex’s middle finger and a few light chuckles.

The door swung open again, and this time Lennox emerged with her hair in a half-up bun and a black v-neck and jean shorts on, which was an improvement from the sports bra and boxers she had been wearing prior.

“Hey, guys. Sorry for the shit first impression,” she laughed, as Hannah walked up to her. “Oh my god, hi! Can I just say that you’re so completely and totally badass?”

Lennox smiled slightly and bit her lip. “Thank you. Do I know you from somewhere, you seem familiar?”

“Hannah Wicklund, of Hannah Wicklund and the Steppin’ Stones,” she smiled, thrusting her hand out to shake. Lennox smiled, closed lipped and nodded. “Nice to meet you.”

Conversation broke out into smaller groups, and Josh found himself growing anxious to leave. Jita tapped his shoulder. “You okay?”

Josh shrugged. “Hungry, I think.”

Jita nodded sympathetically. “Well, maybe-“

“Hey, uh, you hungry? We have some shit on the bus,” Lennox asked, as she had been leaning up against the bus smoking a cigarette only a few feet from them. “C’mere.”

Josh followed her onto the bus, taking a sigh of relief at the shade and air conditioning. “We have buncha’ chips, gummy worms, PopTarts but those are Blake’s, leftover Taco Bell from last night-“ she looked up from where she was rummaging through the cabinets and fridge, expecting an answer. “Oh, just water is fine.”

She looked at him for a second before tossing him a bottled water from the fridge. The cigarette hung limply from her mouth, as she took it and quickly flicked it, ashing it on the floor.

“So, you caught our set?”

Josh nodded, taking a drink. “You’re all very talented,” he said, with a smile.

She returned it, before nodding towards him. “Wouldn’t take you to be a fan of ours.”

“Well, who out of us has toured with Metallica?” He quipped, making her smirk. “Touché.”

“You just don’t seem like you’d fuck with our shit,” she followed up, before grabbing a cold beer from the fridge and quickly banging the countertop to dislodge the cap. Wordlessly, she handed it to him.

“You just all seem like you’re very...” “Debaucherous?” She inquired, and he nodded swiftly. “Seems like you’re doing this…I don’t know, for the wrong reasons.” He said, without thinking. Watching the younger woman’s face contort, he instantly regretted it.

A dry chuckle left her mouth. “Heh,” a finger pulling at the small hoop in her nostril. “Listen, I didn’t mean to be presumptuous, but all I know of you all is-“

“All you know is nothing. And, what do you have to say? You prance around onstage in your flouncy little jumpsuits and bedazzled face and expect me to call that rock’n’roll? No fuckin’ way,” she rolled her eyes. Josh’s cheeks burned.

“At least I’m in it for the music,” he bit back, making her scoff. “Uh-huh. Whatever, Kiszka. I’m gonna tell you once; get the fuck off of my bus,” the woman all but snarled at him. He glared back, annoyed that she was getting this heated with him.

“Gladly. This place is a fucking mess anyway,” he spit back, before exiting swiftly. The door slammed behind him, causing the group still talking to all stop and look at him.

“Where’s Lennox?” Jake asked, as he had his own questions for the fellow guitarist.

Josh shrugged before trudging back over to where he had been hovering with Jita, who had now been joined by Dean and Danny, Dean showing them all his tattoos.

“Yeah, and these ones on my wrists are actually for my grandma and ma- Oh, hey Josh!” He smiled, as Josh nodded. Quickly, Jita noticed a shift in his demeaned and quietly pulled him aside. “You okay?”

He rubbed the side of his face in frustration. “Let’s just say…this is going to be one hell of a tour,” he sighed, before taking a long swig of his cold beer.

[stuckinapatriarchalbullshitland]

There is a light at the end of the tunnel

Hello, Stuck. Sorry, I don’t know your real name.

I wrote this long ass post to bring some light into the fandom and between the CSs, and I hope you can post it? I’m new in the Tumblr world, but not in the 5H fandom. I don’t quite know how it works yet and, for the moment, I only know your blog and those of @emisonme, @karlaswine, @sun-to-my-luna, @underthatimpression, and @mentesimploria because, in one way or another, you’re all connected to each other. I just wanted to tell you guys how much I appreciate every single one of you, the passion you have, and the hope you keep alive among those who, like me, love the girls. Also, the patience you guys have, especially against the haters, is admirable. I love the fact that you keep going. Because this is your sacred place, as it should be.

This is the very first time I’ve ever done anything like this. I’m what can be defined as a ‘silent fan’. I never commented on anything in the girls’ posts, not even on the fan accounts I follow. I don’t have Twitter. I have Facebook but it’s like I don’t have it because I don’t use it. I have Wattpad (obviously). I recently registered here on Tumblr, and I have Instagram. That’s what I use. It’s the only app along with YouTube that I use daily to keep up with the rest of the world. Especially the American part of the world. I’m Italian, but I speak American English well, and I apologize in advance if my lazy ass hasn’t noticed possible grammatical errors. I saw that a lot of you are into this stuff, so I thought I’d add it just because. I’m a Capricorn Sun, Cancer Moon, and Virgo rising.

I’m gonna turn 29 on December 22, and this is a BIG fuck off to all the people who have attacked you lately for your age. This is personal information that I give freely to make ignorant and small-minded people understand that, in this context especially, age is irrelevant. As you, little fucker who hides behind a computer to attack people just to feel stronger, have a life, we have it too. Like you, we have a life, a job, friends, etc. We also have passions. Passions that yes, my dear haters, also include shipping people. I don’t know why in your stupid brain we’re too old to ship people we love and to give opinions about it. I didn’t know it was something reserved only for those who still smell like mommy’s milk. But anyway…

I became aware of 5H existence just before summer 2015 thanks to ‘Worth It’. Being Italian, however, I had no idea who they were, and to be honest, I didn’t go searching for them. Randomly one day then, I ran into Camren on YouTube. I can’t remember which video I was watching, but I know for sure it was about ‘Heya/Brittana’ (Heather Morris and Naya Rivera/Brittany and Santana, my very first hard LGBT ship). And among the suggested videos, there they are. As ridiculous as it sounds, and although I liked them as soon as I saw them, I didn’t go searching for them. I did it when ‘Work from Home’ came out though. From there, I connected that they were the same ‘Worth It’ group and the same two girls I liked from those YouTube videos. I had officially become a fan. I was screwed. Screwed because, I’d officially entered one of the most messed up and yet most beautiful fandoms ever.

As I initially said, this is the very first time I’ve ever done anything like this. But after the recent events, seeing how many people gave up, it made me a little angry and gave me the strength to speak for the first time. I thought the first time would’ve been through the fanfiction I’ve been working on for over two years, but no. Lauren and her beautiful mouth had to terrorize, disappoint, panic, and make angry 80% of CS, thus fueling the hatred of all the other fandom towards us. So I decided to speak now. Maybe, just maybe, this very long ass post of mine is gonna help struggling CS. Maybe, just maybe, it’s gonna make them reason and bring them to their senses.

So. This, as I think you’ve understood, is about Lauren and what she said in the podcast. This is a reminder of the Laucy situation. These are things we already know and that I want to remind you of because apparently, my lovely fellows CS, either you have a short-term memory, or Lauren has the power to create amnesia in people’s minds and I knew nothing about it. Surely this power of hers didn’t work on me and a few others.

Oh and, before starting: 1) You may disagree with me. It’s normal to have different opinions. 2) You can search for information such as dates, easily on the internet. 3) I’m gonna use nicknames on PRs for fun. That doesn’t mean I hate them. I have my reasons for dislike each one of them as people, but I can assure you it has nothing to do with the fact that they were or are the Camren beards. An example to make you understand what I mean is Ty. I’m a huge Ari fan and I’ve been listening to ‘safety net’ non-stop for two days straight. I really dislike Ty as a person, but I separate the art from the artist.

Okay, that said, I can start.

Lauren said: “I knew I was queer because I fell in love with my best friend when I was like 15.” – “Her and I started to have a physical connection when I was 15.”

Lauren and Lucid Vivisectionist met when L moved to Carrollton in 7th grade. Lucille moved back to Puerto Rico in February 2012, returning to visit Miami occasionally (this explains the fetus pictures with Lucy and Camren at L’s house). In February 2012, Lauren was 15, Camila 14, and Lucy 16. And who did Lauren meet when she was 15? Oh yeah, Camila. C and L did the first phase of the audition, the ‘cattle call’, on May 1, 2012 in Greensboro, North Carolina. Audition where Camila took courage to speak at the (“Oh my God that girl is) literally so beautiful” girl from which she felt intimidated by starting that adorable brief conversation “Hi, I like your shirt”, “Thanks. I like your jacket” just before it was her turn to get in for her audition. In May 2012, Lauren and Camila were both 15 years old. Lauren and Camila saw each other again for the first time on July 25th, two months later, in Miami on the first day of boot camp, and it was Lauren herself who went to Camila: “You’re the Cuban girl!”. In July 2012, Lauren was 16 and Camila was 15.

Lauren said: “She came back into my life when I was 18. I was on tour and I was in my room in a hotel somewhere, and she called me.” Let me explain to you why I think this is true.

Lauren and Luxy reconnected with each other after Lucy’s car accident that took place on May 15, 2015. Lauren was really 18 in May 2015, and we can rule out The Reflection Tour dates because it started on February 27, 2015, and ended April 6, 2015. We can also rule out these other show dates that 5H did: April 11 in Jackson Township, New Jersey - April 13 at Live! with Kelly and Michael in New York - April 19 Lauren was at Coachella with Keana, Britt, and other friends - April 22 at the Worldwide Radio Summit in Hollywood - April 25 at Radio Disney Music Awards 2015 in Los Angeles - May 8 at Channel 93.3 Summer Kickoff 2015 in Chula Vista, San Diego - May 9 at Wango Tango 2015 in Carson, Los Angeles (May 9, rumors about Camila and Louis Tomlinson just because paparazzi believed they were together when Louis was actually together with Liam outside the Project Club L.A., and C who was at the club next door) - May 15 at KDWB Radio Show in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The rest of their program and possible date: May 16 at Kiss Concert 2015 in Mansfield, Massachusetts - May 19 at Dancing with the Stars in Los Angeles - May 30 at G-A-Y in London (rumors about Lauren and Louis Tomlinson this time, born because 5H went to Libertine nightclub with Louis and Niall) - May 31 at Britain’s Got More Talent in London - June 2 at Capital FM in Birmingham, England - June 5 at Good Morning Britain in London - June 6 at Capital FM Summertime Ball 2015 in London - June 12 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii - June 14 at LA Pride 2015 - June 18 at Jimmy Kimmel Live in Los Angeles - June 20 at B96 Pepsi Summer Bash 2015 in Bridgeview, Illinois - June 23 at San Diego County Fair 2015 - 28 June at Show Of The Summer 2015 in Hershey, Pennsylvania - July 10 at Rockefeller Plaza in New York. July 15, 2015, beginning of Reflection: The Summer Tour.

June 27, 2015 Lauren turned 19, and do you guys remember the events of those days? Because I do.

On June 24, 2015, Lauren celebrated her birthday in advance at the famous sushi restaurant ‘Katsuya’. Among the guests were the girls, her mom Clara, some friends, including Jill (the same Jill/Jillian Gutowitz who worked with Zack Sang and who 5H met on April 22, 2015, at the Worldwide Radio Summit, which lasted for three days but they were present for two: 22 and 23. The same Jill who wrote the article for AfterEllen on January 25, 2016, about her experiences with women who denied their sexuality. Remember the story of Lauren Jordan, right?), and Noah Benardout (may he rest in peace). Still no Lucia, not even on the days when Lauren returned to Miami to celebrate with her family before resuming the program from the 28. As I already said, The Reflection Summer Tour began on July 15, 2015, and Lucy’s first public reappearance took place on one of the tour dates, that is, July 27 at Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

From that moment on, we saw Lucille appear on multiple occasions in hops through time. After the July 27th date, we saw her during the trip to Hawaii with Lauren and Keana in September, followed by the concert that the girls had on October 10 in the Bahamas, where they stayed with their families and friends for a few days. After the Bahamas, the mess happened between 5H because they found out about Camila’s departure from the group which initially should’ve been immediate, but for which they fought and gained another year. That, was also the time when Laucy signed their PR contract. As we know from Lauren herself, that was the worst and darkest time for her. That was the beginning of her numbness.

On October 23, they were on their way to Italy and Lauren wrote on her dark diary, the one shown to us in Episode 8 of her Attunements. On October 24, they arrived in Milan for the MTV Europe Music Awards 2015 occurred on October 25, and on October 28, in Madrid instead, there was the interview with Alyson Eckmann, the journalist Camila flirted with while Lauren was sitting right next to her.

Going forward, in November we have:

- Rumors about Lauren and Julius Dein (his friend who is a YouTube magician).

-The release of IKWYDLS including the rumors about Camila and Shawn and Michael Clifford (who was already in the picture) who were ‘vying for her’.

- Beginning of Lauren’s coming out plan which included: 1) The release of The Vamps’ album on November 23rd, that is, a week after the release of IKWYDLS, and which included the track ‘I Found A Girl’. Joe O'Neill, the manager of The Vamps, liked that famous tweet. Despite the efforts to make us believe that Bleahren (sorry for the Italian pun I made here, but ‘bleah’ in Italian is equivalent to the ‘eww’ to indicate something gross, and therefore Bleah-Ren) Brauren was real and that the girl involved was Lucille and not Camila, they’ve miscalculated since Lauren and Brad ‘dated’ in 2014 when Lucy had not yet returned into Lauren’s life. But since the album and consequently the song came out on November 23, 2015, they tried to manipulate people’s minds as usual. 2) Jill’s article that served to connect and more or less ‘confirm’ the story between this Jordan and her childhood friend, Lauren-Lucy.

- December: completion of the 7/27 album + Dina LaPolt’s entry + renegotiation of the contracts (mostly DNA’s contracts) + FIFTH HARMONY MUSIC, INC. created by LAND on December 21 to prepare for the transfer of the 5H trademark, the FIFTH HARMONY PARTNERSHIP, of which they became owners from April 27, 2016 + change of management from Faculty Management: Jared Paul and Janelle Lopez, to Maverick Management: Larry Rudolph, Dan Dymtrow, and Tara Beikae. [All things that were possible ONLY THANKS to the exit of C from the group]

- January 2016, we have Lauren and Lucrezia who came back from Colombia to then taking a road trip for Lucy’s birthday week.

- Jill’s article came out and coincidentally, by pure chance, exactly two days later, on January 27, 2016, Camila and Dinah were hacked.

- On March 9, 2016, Lauren, Normani, Andrea, Dinah, and Keana went to pierce their ears, or rather, Laurmainah pierced their ears, mama Dre and Keana just accompanied them. During her turn, Lauren asked Keana to take her phone to make a video. In the meantime, Mani was filming Lauren, and again by pure chance, Keana, who was in the heart of the frame, took Lauren’s phone as she’d asked, and both the lock screen and the home screen portrayed a picture of Lucania during a photoshoot. Same picture Lucy herself posted on Instagram on April 10th to leave no doubt.

- April 24, 2016, Coachella together.

- Luciana went with 5H in London, in May, during the promotion of the 7/27 album. (+ Camren video of May 28, 2016)

- She was present during the start of the tour in South America on June 26th (in the evening during the concert, L danced Big Bad Wolf for her, but that’s not the famous video, that was on September 5) and 27th to celebrate L’s birthday together (picture of the 27th of them in Buenos Aires).

- June 27, 2016, on L’s birthday, Jill posted a picture with L from the birthday dinner of the year before, further confirming the story of ‘Jordan’.

- August 1, the national girlfriend day, L posted a picture of her and Lucy.

- From August 12 to 21, Lucy was with them. The night after the concert on the 13th in Rochester Hills, Michigan, videos in which Lucilla appeared during Lauren Fuller’s birthday celebration at the hotel for dinner. On the 14th in Noblesville, Indiana, during Gonna Get Better and Big Bad Wolf Lauren smiled in Lucy’s direction who was in the audience. On the 18th in Virginia Beach, Virginia, a fan met Laucy in a movie theater restroom, taking a selfie with Lauren (C posted a picture of her in the dark with the words of Bad Things “don’t think that I can explain it” the same night).

- On September 4 and 5 Lucippe returned. On the 5th in Houston, Texas, the famous ‘super HD’ video took place in which Lauren danced Big Bad Wolf for Lucy, even pointing to her during her verse. [On September 6, Midland, Texas, during the Q&A, Lauren wore the same dress that Lucy was wearing to the concert the night before, and at the same time, she sat next to C and got jealous when C complimented a fan by sending her flying kisses. Ahh… The irony]

Now. Let’s move on to the part of the podcast where Lauren explains about the kiss with Lucza at her uncle and aunt’s wedding, how her aunt “super innocently” posted the pictures on Facebook that her “unreal invasive fans” found and posted, how Perez Hilton outed her to the world by posting an article with those pictures, how she did nothing for a week, and that after thinking “Ok, it happened. People know. What am I gonna do?”, she wrote that letter against Trump as her own way of coming out.

On November 4, 2016, Lauren and Lucynda did the ‘famous’ photoshoot in New Orleans called ‘Bare With Me’. Lauren flew to NOLA right after Halloween, got back to Miami to vote, then returned to New Orleans on the 10th along with her family for the wedding. Lucianna was also with her on the 10th for the rehearsal/bowling with all of Lauren’s relatives. Meanwhile Orange Trumpeter was elected on the 8th, and many celebrities were preparing to write a letter through Billboard against him and his supporters. Labels and management saw it as a perfect opportunity to get her to come out also considering how much Lauren has always been vocal on the subject, and THEY contacted Billboard to get her to participate in exchange of the exclusive of her coming out. All that was missing was the evidence to make sure that there had been no connection with Camila, and that was the reason for the kiss at the wedding on the 11th.

On November 13, the wedding photographer posted those pictures on his website, including the one of the kiss. And I’m sorry, Lolo, I love you but, really? Who are you kidding? The pictures didn’t start spreading because her ‘unreal invasive fans’ found them on her aunt’s Facebook page where she’d posted them ‘super innocently’. The pictures started spreading after the photographer posted them! And you know what’s even more funny? That to see those pictures on the website, you needed an access password. So what are you saying here, Lo? That your ‘unreal invasive fans’ were so good, to even have hacked their way into the website for pictures they didn’t even know existed? It wasn’t your team, was it? Oh, okay. My bad.

Sarcasm aside. The pictures started to spread, Perez tweeted about it on the 14th, and in the meantime Lauren had time to write the letter that was approved by the labels and sent to Billboard (on the 14th), who approved it a couple of days after it was sent (on the 16th), and which they then published it in the article two days later (on the 18th). In all of this, on November 15, 2016, the girls all went to Epic’s party. Since we know very well that most of the cases of coming out as bisexual in the industry made by a female celebrity occur in succession with the connection with a guy, that night there was the PR proposal between Typo Dolour Signal and Lauren that he obviously accepted, and in fact, he was there that night at that party too (Picture of C with a tear mark on her cheek).

Now, the icing on the cake of the Laucy’s PR: Nicole Cartolano. Nicole is a friend of Lecy’s with whom she had already worked together and who also posted pictures of Lauren on November 17 and 22, 2016, one on December 31, 2016, together with Marian Hill taken backstage after Lauren’s performance with them on the 30th, the night before, for the Snow Globe Festival in South Lake Tahoe, California, and the one of Laucy (with the piñata) on January 10, taken the same night to celebrate Lucilia’s birthday at midnight and that Lauren also used to post it for wish her a happy birthday. That was the last public interaction between the two. *Slow entry of Tympans Dollhouse Signalized in the picture from January 4, 2017, thanks to that tweet*.

On January 21, 2017, Lauren and Lucy were at the same Women’s March, but separately (single), and we haven’t seen them together anymore. LuBYE. On March 22, 2017, both ‘Bare With Me’ and the interview article Nicole did with MTV News (she confirmed that Laucy had been together by having an on-again, off-again for years and also said a lot of other bullshit like the fact that the girls were nervous because they didn’t know how their parents would’ve responded) came out. On August 13, 2018, Nicole officially apologized to Lucy for being angry with her for posting the pictures and therefore for having outed her and for having taken part in the MTV interview without their permission. There was also the screenplay made by Nicole’s mom to make everything even more true.

Bullshit on bullshit on bullshit. Number 1, Lauren herself confirmed in this podcast that her parents knew about her, and said how much she loved Lucre’s ‘I’m out and proud’ part.

Number 2, Nicole posted a preview of the pictures on March 18, 2017, so if she really wanted to stop her before the publication on the 22nd, she would’ve had time to do so.

Number 3, Lucita came out publicly on her own with that Spanish post on Instagram on November 20, 2016, saying in summary that she was anything but straight because she didn’t want to label herself (she did it years later by saying she was a lesbian).

Number 4, as Lusia also confirmed in that post where Nicole’s mom left that comment, Nicole signed a non-disclosure agreement form. If she had actually violated it without having had a release and written consent form, she would’ve been sued.

Number 5, if Luciferase really wanted to have that conversation in private with Nicole’s mom, she might very well have done so. She could’ve contacted her and answered her IN PRIVATE for real, and not via IG where EVERYONE saw and took the side of poor, poor Luckless.

Number 6, the biggest proof that shows the hypocrisy of all this, Lucasta continued to work with Nicole. Their last work dates back to November 25, 2019.

Okaay, sure… sure, because it was normal for her to continue working with the person who outed her, wasn’t it? People’s lies never cease to amaze me. For that matter, Nicole also posted a picture of their ‘adventure’ as they made their way to the photoshoot location on November 1, 2017, and continued to wish them both a happy birthday with posts every year.

And lastly, on June 6, 2020, we have the Lucerne’s video leaked (+ old pictures and videos of 5H) where she burned pictures of Lauren and of the two of them together in 2017, accompanied by the tweets occurred two days later, in which she explained that she was hacked and that she burned the pictures for a closure. Then, exactly 20 days later, that is on June 26, 2020, the PAPER Magazine article of Lauren’s interview came out. What a coincidence! In that article, Lauren explained, along with other things, that she’d been in love with her best friend for 7 years.

Lauren, honey, the maths, the maths… If according to your words you fell in love with her at 15, got together with her at 18, and broken up at 20, how can these be 7 years? It’s 5 years… And as if it wasn’t enough, still according to your words, after 1 year and 8 months (from mid-May 2015 to mid-January 2017), 2 months of which public because of the wedding pictures, of the relationship you wanted at all costs, “all in” and “now we’re gonna be in this relationship”, you broke up with her because she was really toxic, and after less than a month, you started dating an even more toxic person without the proper time to heal?? How do you expect me to believe you? And I’m putting aside the fact that I know they’re both PR relationships. I’m speaking out of logic. How? How can I believe you? How does this make any sense?

Personally, yes, I believe Lauren and Lucy have a past. Lauren’s first kiss was when she was 13 (8th grade) with her boyfriend at the time, Dominic, but I think Lucy was her first kiss with a girl. And I think it happened when she was 15, but in 2011, so long before Lucy left. Lauren dated Paul Martinez from June 4, 2011, to the end of July (around 23/24). From after Paul, until her very first PR at X-Factor, Keaton Stromberg, she was single. I truly believe that before she met Camila, Lauren and Lucy did everything Lauren said. I really believe Lauren experimented with her in secret, but I don’t believe in anything else she said at all.

This is my opinion. And in my opinion, Lauren always knew she was queer, and Lucy was the first with whom she could experience the attraction and the feelings towards girls she had always felt and concealed deep inside herself. But they were friends. Just friends. Friends who messed around and experimented together in secret given the environment that surrounded them. Lucy then returned to live in Puerto Rico and they simply drifted apart because of the distance and Lauren’s busy schedule with 5H. When she came back into Lauren’s life, they rekindled their friendship. Just that. Also because, Camila, hello? Camila entered Lauren’s heart the same year Lucy left and never get out of it. Not to mention that Lucy had a girlfriend, Sarah Scott Narcise, before getting together with Nicole Marie Rendón in March 2017. I honestly think that Lucy was also giving advice to Lauren about her relationship with Camila, and I also think that now they really aren’t friends anymore for something we don’t know about, even though I have my theories… But anyway. Lauren needed a beard to be able to come out, Lucy needed visibility for her modeling career and, at the time, also for her music which, however, never saw the light of day. The labels approved because they would’ve done anything to keep their chosen one out of the gay light. Camila also approved. Boom, PR.

I don’t believe all the other bullshit she said during the podcast. Because if they’d been true, they would’ve made logical sense. A sense they’ve been trying, and failing, to give for years. If Lauren really didn’t want to come out, she wouldn’t have done a photoshoot with Lucy a week before the wedding with the intention of using that same photoshoot to come out. She would not have kissed Lucy in a public place during the wedding pictures in front of a professional photographer hired for the event, knowing full well that those pictures would eventually have been published by the bride and groom, her aunt and uncle, and the photographer himself. If she wanted so badly a picture of her kissing her girlfriend, drunk or not, she would’ve taken her fucking phone and take selfies. It wasn’t the fans’ or Perez’s fault. It was the management that was following the plan.

And I’m supposed to, what exactly? Forget all these things, things that have been proofed multiple times in the past, because Lauren, or Camila, or management, or labels, or their contracts, must continue with their stupid narrative? Because Camila must continue to look straight and continue to look in love with Shalt Menstruated because the señorito is about to release his documentary and his album? Because Camila’s movie is about to come out? Because Lauren’s own album is about to be released and because the subject matter of her female-pronounced songs must only and exclusively be related to Lucy? (Although I think her album will be out next year. I think a song with female pronunciation is coming out soon. And no, I’m sorry, I don’t think it’s Burning)

Guys, come on…

Think about it. She used Lucy as a shield to tell part of her story with Camila that happened in 2014. It all fits. Even the story told through songs from Camila’s cocky POV, including ‘Like Friends Do’, ‘Eyes on You’, ‘Cleopatra’, ‘Leave for Good’, and a couple from her last album like ‘Should’ve Said It’ and ‘Feel It Twice’.

I understand why many of you have been hurt by this podcast and by Lauren herself. I understand why a lot of you are angry about the things she said. I see you, I understand, I really do. And everyone is free to feel whatever they want, I’m not saying otherwise. But I really don’t understand why you’re hiding or why you’re abandoning the ship. Authors who don’t wanna write anymore. Accounts closed. Names changed. Hope lost. This, all this, makes me angry and hurt. Because you fell for it. And you know why you fell for it? Because Lauren changed her approach. Leaving aside the part just before when she said: “Even when I talk about it, and I don’t talk about it because I’ve learned to just ignore it because-” and there, I swear I had to pause because I burst out laughing, and I was like: “Bitch, you’re the one who pulled this out of your ass out of nowhere right this second, what are you saying?”. She went on by saying, and she knows us so well because of this: “I just chose to ignore it at a certain point because getting angry to them would it mean that it was real and validate it more for them”.

And it’s true. This non-angry approach of hers, worked like a charm. Lauren’s older, she’s more mature than before. Although she was very nervous, she managed to explain everything calmly. The fact that she was emotional and almost cried in many parts, it really gave an extra boost to what she tried to sell. And I’m not saying she faked almost crying. Hell, no. That was super true and hard for her. I’m saying though, that it’s really easy to manipulate people’s minds, and Lauren used her real pain, the real suffering she has gone through over the years to tell this charade. That’s why it seemed so real. And I’m supposed to fall for that shit just because that’s what they’ve wanted for years, right? Convenient much?

Guys, please. You’re smarter than that, use those beautiful brains. For example, the fact that Lauren said: “I was queer, but she was not”, wrong as you want it to be, and “Camila and I were just really good friends at that time”, yeah, sure, Jan. Doesn’t the very fact that she used the past tense make you realize that it was done to completely detach herself from her IN THE PRESENT? Everything she said was for something. Everything had a purpose. And the goal is always the same. Make us stop shipping ‘em. Putting a label on C only served the Shoestoremila purpose, nothing else. And those were words that came out of the mouth of the one who says she doesn’t like labeling people. The same one who was pissed that someone had outed her before she wanted to. Do you really think she’s that hypocritical?

The fact that she put all the CS in the same box, especially when she talked about the Daddy situation, WAS DONE ON PURPOSE. She couldn’t fail to generalize because their purpose is, and will be for a long time to come, to kill Camren. That means the whole fandom. Not just invasive elements. But really all the CS. The purpose was to make us feel guilty. The purpose is to make us accept that it was never real, and since we care about them, to make us continue to support them individually and not as a couple, even though she knows that the real CS do it regardless. This, is called manipulation, guys.

Think about everything else too. The inconsistency. The holes in her story. The lack of explanations. And the fact that during the story of how it all happened, she jumped from one theme to another and therefore managed to deflect and not completely finish one before moving on to the other, doesn’t it make you understand that she didn’t want to give too many details? And when does that usually happen? She knew we’d analyze her. She knew she couldn’t say too much. When she talked about Lucy, she knew that WE know she was talking about Camila, and with too many details, it would also have been obvious to the others because WE would’ve pointed it out to everyone. I mean, it’s obvious enough in itself, imagine if she’d fed us more information that we would’ve compared in the timeline.

Please, guys. I know that it feels like something’s changed, but it’s not. It’s really not. I’m appealing to all of you. Open your eyes. Reason. I know many of you still have conflicting emotions and feelings, and that’s okay. If you’re still upset, if you still wanna cry, then cry. Do whatever helps you feel better because, especially after the haters have come to bite your asses, you’re entitled to feel the way you do. But please, please, don’t give up. If you give up, you just play their game. You just do them a favor. You guys had invested so much of your time, so much of your passion, so much of yourselves to just, give up. Think of all we’ve been through, especially those who’ve been in the fandom for years. Think about how happy Camren makes you. They were there for you when you needed them. When you were going through hard times. I know they’ve helped a lotta people.

And think about this too. Lauren herself said at the beginning of the podcast: “The news and the media are constantly spinning narratives for your clicks so they can make money”. And what do you think this podcast was for? It’s always the same shit. Have you not noticed how the very same news and media have ALL talked about them? Didn’t you notice how My Oh My magically returned into the charts? How 50ft surpassed the 9 million streams on Spotify? And you still have doubts?

This is instead for the CS who get often angry about their actions. I personally think it’s pointless to blame Lauren and Camila for every single thing they do that has been PLANNED for them. Especially Camila as far as Shonas is concerned. There’s a pattern here too. Lauren had her light PR with Lucia. Lauren then had her heavy PR with Typic Dole Sight while Camila had a light one with Eatchu. And now Camila’s having a heavy one. C’s one is heavier simply because they’re much more famous than PRen (Tyren) were. So, guys, be patient. There’s really no point in getting angry and blaming them. It’s a waste of energy. It’s useless to blame them if they’re gonna continue to do so over the years to come. They’re just still trying to get past their original contracts and survive in the industry at the same time. Sooner or later, I HOPE, they will be free to tell the truth or the truth will come out on its own.

Well, I’m done. Jeez, that was long, wasn’t it? But I hope it was worth it. I hope I’ve cleared your heads a little bit and instilled some hope again. I also hope I made you smile with all those nicknames and my sarcasm. I especially hope that wherever you are, you’re having a good day, and if not, then I hope it has improved at least a little bit with this post. And thank you so much, Stuck. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to use my voice for the first time publicly/virtually. You, above all, keep on being one of the lights and NEVER let them turn you off. I love you guys. Stay safe. Stay strong. Stay patient. With love, F.

I leave you with these two pearls:

Number 1. Lauren said something else too. She said: “Don’t trust me. Go research. Go look this shit up yourself”. I know she said it for a completely different context, but I found it really funny given the situation.

Number 2. This is a small scene that automatically created itself in my head as soon as I finished listening to Wonder. I titled it: The sad and short story of the making of ‘Wonder’.

Enjoy:

*on the phone*

Shawl Mendicant: “Hey, buddy. I know you were a huge Fifth Harmony fan and I know you love my fake girlfriend, so I was thinking… could you help me? You know, I need her to stay relevant, but to do that, I also need to release music and completely take all the credit from other people because, you know, the most I do is change a sentence or two in my style to make people think that I wrote all my songs.”

Sam Smith: “………okay?”

Shawnita Menorrhagia: “So, I was wondering, can I copy your homework? You can totally refuse if you want to, but I’m hoping to appeal to the love you have for 5H and Camila, and maybe help a friend out?”

Sam Smith: “Yeah, sure, you can copy my homework. Anything for my girls. Just, change it up a bit so it doesn’t sound too obvious you just copied it.”

Shonas Mended: “Don’t worry. I’ve got this. Thanks, man.” - *ends the call*

Sam Smith looking at the phone with an incredulous expression and one hand over his heart: “I came out as a non-binary, you insensitive asshole!”

Shoes Mentionable from the other room: “Cameeela! He said yes!” *reaching then Camila and Lauren in the living room where Lauren is lying with her head resting on Camila’s legs who’s running her fingers through her hair with one hand and holding the book that she’s reading with the other one* “You were right, all I had to do was mention you girls.”

Lauren chuckling and continuing to pet Cleo who’s lying at the foot of the couch with one hand: “Told you”, to then adding: “And please, I know you’re excited because of the news but keep your voice down”, continuing to caress Sofi’s head who’s sleeping on top of her with the other one.

Shapeless Mentality: “Oh, sorry.”

Camila without looking away from her book: “Sam’s really nice. I’m sure they would’ve said yes even without the need of mentioning us.”

Lauren: “Hmm, I’m not so sure about that, babe. Yes, they’re very nice, but we’re powerful in their minds, so it was an added incentive for them to say yes.”

Shaved Mentholated: “Who are they? Weren’t we talking about Sam?”

Camila who was giggling at her girlfriend’s words:

Lauren:

Sinu from the kitchen:

Cleo who was nibbling her toy:

Even Thunder, Leo, and Eugene from outside into the yard:

*the end*

Chon Mendable: ‘Wonder’ - Sam Smith: ‘One Last Song’

____

OMG I am speechless. I’m really still digesting this whole story because it’s amazing but I wanted to start by saying hello to you and telling you my name, my name is Marite. It is a pleasure to meet you dear friend. I don’t want to write too much because your words are much more important than mine but I wanted to thank you for trusting me and my blog to tell me your story. That side of the story that, being new and not having been a harmonizer from the beginning, I never learned. I intended to ask for more information about Laucy’s Timeline but what you have told is a gem. A gem that shows that the bastards of the industry cannot fool the fans because we pay attention to everything and it is not easy for us to fall for their shit. I think the power we fans have is so great that if we all came together, we could bring down this whole fucking fake empire that they have created. That said, Laucy’s story is surprising. As planned and how each person involved had to do their part on the chessboard. Incredible. Now that you tell me that story, I think it fits the one I wrote in my once upon a time post. Sure, yours is true and has everything that mine doesn’t. I have tried to keep this blog open for all who wish to come and air their ideas, their thoughts, their tea. And you dear friend, you have been one of the best so far. You’ve given us that support that the fandom so badly needed and I really appreciate it. I also appreciate your humor, the nicknames have been so hilarious and I’m still laughing. Thank you for daring to tell this part of the story and reopen the can of worms of a PR that right now resurfaces with that Lauren interview. With a purpose, it’s true. And something tells me that we will see much more very soon. Thank you for your support, my friend. And you know, you have my blog at your disposal for whatever you need. And if you need to talk or anything else. I greatly appreciate that we can continue to keep this ship afloat among ourselves. Among a group of intelligent people who have been hurt by someone we have always loved very much even though we know the reason for all that. We can’t give up now because if we do it like you say they will win and I personally don’t plan to indulge them in that. Thank you very much for all dear friend and I hope you have a nice day. I send you a hug and I hope you stay safe.

[sailorspazz]

Remote 10 Dance Ball

I know this is coming way late (as in, 3 months after it occurred!), but I’d always been planning to write up a report about the Real 10 Dance event that took place shortly after vol. 6’s release in Japan. Before I get into the explanation of what exactly this is under the cut, enjoy this promo image that ticket holders were able to print out at Japanese convenience stores (mine had to be printed by friends who live there and then scanned to me)

The Real 10 Dance is a series of events that have taken place over the past few years featuring real life pros performing routines inspired by the manga, meaning that most of the dances feature male-male couples (though they all have female partners in their regular careers, for these performances they dance together, and the women are given a group number to perform). The most recent live event took place in September 2019 shortly after vol. 5’s release, and there was another planned for 2020 in Osaka, but it was delayed and eventually completely canceled due to Covid restrictions. Wanting to still put on the event in some form, they later announced that it would take place virtually, and would be branded as the Remote 10 Dance Ball. For the cost of 1,000 yen, viewers could watch a stream of the event as many times as they pleased from the time it went live on March 20 until the viewing deadline 72 hours later. Unlike the in person events, there were no merchandise buying opportunities, but there was the option of paying additional 1,000 yen tips to either the performers, the production committee, or Inouesatoh herself. Choosing any of these options would give that ticket holder access to a code to print the postcard shown above, as well as a link to view a 17 minute making-of video of the event.

Before I get into the rundown, The Real 10 Dance Twitter account posted a preview video a couple weeks before the event, which you can watch if you’d like to see some of the action instead of just still images (and the only ones I’ll share here are those that were posted publicly, since they were pretty adamant about no screenshotting/recording of the event…not gonna lie, I did attempt to screenshot a couple parts, but due to the shaky streaming quality, the official photos are much better than what I was able to capture anyway :P) Also, I only made bare minimum notes while I was watching this (and was drinking hard cider), so I’ll give as much detail as I can remember, but there are definitely things I’ll have forgotten by now.

The show started off with one of the female pros giving a demonstration of how to apply makeup for competitions. After this came an introductory show with all of the participants dancing to the opening theme from La La Land.

Next up was some of the pros talking about the characteristics of their costumes, such as the Latin outfits having features like illusion netting to make their limbs look longer, and fringe to create movement.

After this, some of the pros gave tours of the dance schools that they run, which also served as advertisements for those who may be interested in signing up for lessons.

Then came some step demonstrations, showing specific panels from the manga and then describing how to perform the moves. This included Al and Suzuki’s rumba walk from chapter 18, and the throwaway oversway from the chapter 4 scene where Sugiki turns Suzuki into a princess. For the oversway, they performed the move a few different times, using prompts such as “do it like the world’s about to end” to show how the same move can feel very different depending on the emotion behind it.

This was followed by an interview with former standard world champion Christopher Hawkins. The interview was conducted in Japanese, as he is fluent in the language (Inouesatoh tweeted about him being the inspiration to have Norman speak some Japanese in the story, though she acknowledged that Chris’ abilities are far above Norman’s very basic phrases). It included two interviewers asking questions that were submitted by Inouesatoh and her editor. It started off with some basic talk about the process of training and getting prepared for competitions, then moved on to topics like whether he had any competition related superstitions/habits, such as how some dancers will have a pair of lucky underwear they always wear when competing. He said he had a specific order to how he would button his shirt and attach his cufflinks (as in, not just going straight up or down, but skipping over some and coming back to them), and if he didn’t do this specific routine it made him feel like the competition would go poorly. After telling this story, he laughed and said that he’s never told anyone about this before, so it was definitely an interesting question. Then came probably the most important question for fans of 10 Dance: since the series centers around men dancing together, what sort of experience does Chris have dancing with other men? (Funnily enough, for some reason, the male interviewer first asked this question in Japanese, then rather enthusiastically asked the question in English as well lol). Chris said that of course he’s danced with male students a lot in the course of teaching them, but outside of that also had times where he would train in the female role so he knew how it felt to be the following partner, and therefore could become a better lead. He mentioned some performance he did with another high level male dancer that was pretty amazing (forgive me, I didn’t catch the name at all, or even whether he was a standard or Latin specialist), which caused the female interviewer to joke about writing a love story about the two of them.

Then came the main draw of the event, the dance show! I’ll include the song, dance style, and an image from each performance below.

One Way or Another by Blondie, jive

Lady Marmalade (I believe it was the Moulin Rouge movie version), ladies group cha-cha

Half of Me by Ken Hirai, rumba (I don’t know if it’s just because it made me think of the melancholy rumba shown on vol. 6’s cover, but this made me both want to cry and watch it multiple times over, definitely my favorite because apparently I like to punish myself with sadness :P)

All of Me by Michael Bublé, foxtrot (this was filmed both in the performance space and out on the streets in one of the locations used in chapter 33, as shown in this video from one chilly looking morning. Also, this dance featured a leader switch partway through!)

If I Can’t Have You by Shawn Mendes, cha-cha

Finale with all participants to It’s Time to Dance from “The Prom” musical

Last up was a virtual art exhibition featuring 17 sketches by Inouesatoh, including the most powerful sexual stimulant in the known universe, Bathrobe Sugiki.

Overall, I was very happy to get the chance to witness this event. Normally, the number of people would be limited to just those who were in Japan and able to purchase tickets before they sold out, but this remote version allowed a much larger number of people from all over the world to watch (I bought my ticket not even knowing if it would be region locked or not, but thankfully it wasn’t). I hope that the world situation improves and they can put on the event live and in-person again (even better if I could somehow find a way to attend when that happens!), but I think this was a great alternative, and probably a good way to make some revenue in a time when the ability to stage events is limited. The price of 1,000 yen was an incredibly good deal for all the content that was presented (and you better believe I slammed an extra 1,000 straight to Inouesatoh; the only merch I’ve been able to buy is secondhand, and while this satisfies my needs as a collector, it unfortunately doesn’t provide any support to the author). If real life performances are still a long way off and they decide to do a virtual one again, you bet your ass I’ll be right there in the (imaginary) front row!

[queerchoicesblog]

One Night At The Moulin Rouge

Hiya, folks! So, as previously announced, the wlw writing project continues after a break with a miniseries set back in the City of Lights - & Love - at the time of the Belle Epoque, at the turn of the century.

The story begins with an introductory chapter dedicated to our main character, Léa, our young seamstress finally makes it to “The First Palace of Women”, the Moulin Rouge. What does the night have in store for her?

Hope you enjoy it: if you do, please consider spreading the word!

Next chapter out on Friday: double update this week!

Tagging: @scottishqueer

Previous chapter: Paris, Paris 

_____________________________

He shouts at our friends behind us and we sprint off into the night. I lift my skirt and laugh as the streets and buildings around us change and we make our way through the crowd of the boulevards running as if our lives depended upon it. A passerby even asks us if we were in danger: we laugh again in full response and the old man shakes his head, muttering something about how foolish modern day youth is. When we finally spot the red windmill, we're out of breath. My lungs burn and my heart is hammering in my chest but...what a fun we have already had! Marcel pushes his way to the crowd gathered outside and shows the ticket to a steward, panting. "The show has already started" he announces, giving us an unreadable look, half annoyed half amused. We all exchange a look. It's Alain who speaks: "Then why don't you let us in so we won't miss the rest?"

I did my best to refrain a snort right in the face of the steward, who apparently notices it. Eventually, he steps aside and let us in, informing that the cloakroom is on the left. We ignore it completely, too concerned to miss the show and head straight to the dance hall. The place is packed and...stunning. I gasp at the sight of the gorgeous extravagant decors and the rows of table with gentleman and even some ladies all dressed up and sipping what looks like expensive champagne. It's like stepping into a....dream. Marcel snaps me out our my dreamlike state placing a glass into my hand. When I look at him, he nods to the table in front of us: whoever is sitting there is not here at the moment and my cheeky friend just stole their glasses, one for me, one for him. I'm about to playfully chastise him when he gestures to keep quiet and pulls my hand, moving forward into the crowd. I follow him careful not to spill my drink and we surf the crowd until we find a free standing spot by one of the columns, behind the rows of tables but with a good view of the stage. We cling our glasses giggling and take a big gulp. The champagne is cold yet burns down my throat after our mad run. I like it though: I've never had champagne before, too expensive. A woman is singing a catchy song on stage, strumming a little guitar while a couple of dancers make their long skirts twirl in the background. The lyrics are bright and a little facetious, eliciting rounds of laughters among the audience. With a sultry smirk, the singer starts the refrain and the orchestra joins. The song must be popular among the audience since everyone immediately starts singing along and whistling. I think I've heard it too, can't remember where though. The standing spectators like us attempt to dance and I find myself aching to move freely to the tune too but there's little space in our corner. Marcel and I sway on our feet and I catch the singer winking at us from the stage. Her performance ends too soon and is welcomed with rounds of enthusiastic applauses from the audience. The singer and the dancers flash smiles to everyone and make practised reveries. Before disappearing behind the velvet at the bottom of the stage, the singer examines the audience with a playful look and speaks loud enough to be heard even by us in the last rows. She invites us all to save our enthusiasm for the next act because, according to her, the best is yet to come. "Are you ready for la quadrille?" she asks. Everyone goes wild cheering and whistling. Marcel is one of them. We exchange an excited look: la quadrille is the main attraction of the Moulin Rouge! Only the most talented and gorgeous dancers perform it or so I've heard. Our eyes converge back to the stage when the notes of Offenbach resound through the auditorium. My breath catches when a multitude of girls in titilatting colourful costumes takes the stage and hold up their skirts to perform the most extravagant choreography I have ever seen. Well, I've seen the can-can already in ballrooms but those were amateurs compared to these ladies. They rise their knees high and make a quick rotatory movement before holding their ankle and rising their leg vertically while turning on the other leg. I cannot fathom how they can do it and with a charming smile on their faces...the dance may be scandalous to many but they perform with such grace it's a joy for the heart and eye. The rhythm is furious, joyful and we all soon clap our hands to the beat: it's contagious! A male dancer make his entrance too out of the crowd of women and I'm pretty sure he's an acrobat or a contortionist because I have never seen a single soul jump so high and walking backwards with his head between his legs...it's crazy! The dancers continue their routine with a cheerful grace out of this world. They line up in a long row and make us go wow with a stunning series of cartwheels and splits. They remind me of the breathtaking fireworks we saw at the opening night of the Exposition Universalle in March. With a bit of luck we managed to get a ticket and be there....what a night! Fireworks bathed in the new Tour Eiffel and for a moment it looked like it was day in the middle of the night. There was a magic show that evening, I remember: I ducked like a fool behind Marie when the blindfolded magician threw daggers in his poor assistant's direction. These dancers are like those fireworks. I don't even pay too much attention to the fact that their undergarment is showing as they dance...I laugh to myself thinking I must be too used to female undergarments working as a seamstress. But I let out a loud gasp when they kick the high hats the spectators of the first row are holding out with the tip of their boots. A playful yet skilled high kick that make the hat fly high before landing back on their owners head. When the act ends with a last round of splits, I'm in awe. Dizzy, so dizzy it takes me a moment to clap my hands and cheer loudly just like the spectators around me. The dancers leave the stage among thunderous applauses. "That was incredible!" I comment and Marcel agrees enthusiastically. I look around to see if I can spot Marie and Alain but I have no luck. The acts are over for the night and the spectators crowding the room takes their time drinking and smoking, Marcel gestures me to follow him. The lovebirds are nowhere in sight so I take his hand. He leads us to the other side of the room right into the backstage area. "I don't want you to be all alone among those drunks" he explains, guiding me forward down a corridor. "And I'd like to introduce you to my friend" He stretches his neck out and after a moment he waves to another young man smoking by a door open on the street. "Lucien, you old dog! Come, Léa, this way!" The musician waves at us too and loosens up his tie. He pulls Marcel into a manly hug and vigorously shakes my hand. I thank him on behalf of all of us for his kind gesture and he shrugs. "Marcel's friends are my friends. I hope you guys had some fun tonight" We chat a little then when the boys start bantering with each other and talking of common acquaintances I have never heard of I give them some privacy. I quietly wander down the corridor and take a look around. I rest my back against the wall to free the way and take a deep breath. Who would have known I would sneak into the Moulin Rouge tonight? Me, a humble seamstress from the North. Ah, if only my colleagues or -even better, my so very Catholic mother- could see me now! Marcel outdid himself tonight with such a wondrous surprise...one of the best cabaret theatre in whole Paris! Out of the blue, the door at my side slams open and someone gets pushed out, laughing loudly and sloshing wine over the rim of their glass right onto my dress. "Shit!" I turn towards the voice to find a redhead girl around my age covering her mouth and staring at me. I recognise her: she's one of the dancer who performed la quadrille, her costume is still on, only the corset is loosen up...the door must be the changing room. I gesture that it's nothing even if I'm quite displeased: it's cold out there, November is hardly the best time of the year to go around in wet clothes. When she uncovers her mouth, I notice she's still giggling. "I'm so sorry, I'm awfully clumsy tonight" she apologises. "But blame these ladies who cannot take a single joke!" she adds, raising her voice and banging on the door. All she gets is a round of laughter on the other side that makes her chuckle again, shaking her head. I smile politely, not really knowing what to say nor what is going on. After a moment she takes another look at me and throws me a playfully inquisitive glare. "By the way, what are you doing out of our changing rooms, if I may, mademoiselle? I do not recall seeing you here before...Waiting for someone?" she inquires, nodding at the door. "Oh no! I'm with...him" My eyes instinctively search for Marcel still chatting with his friend. The dancer follows my gaze and sighs. "Ah, I see, your boyfriend..." "What? No!" My words came out a bit blunter than I meant it. When she gives me a surprised look, I feel the sudden urgency to explain myself. "I mean, we're friends. I'm just waiting for him here, to give him space...you know. I didn't know this was the door of the changing room" I cannot quite read the shift in the way she looks at me but there is a certain playfulness in her voice when she raises an eyebrow at me and crosses her arms. "So...he's not your boyfriend" "No and I don't even know why I need to explain myself to you more than I have already did" She shrugs nonchalantly, flashing me a smile. This conversation started off on the wrong foot, I'm standing where I shouldn't be and Marcel is nowhere finished with his friend. If I know him well, by the way he gesticulates he's sharing his "intuitions" about the upcoming races: he has little money but has a granitic faith that one day a miracle will happen and the lucky bet will make him rich. Good old Marcel... Anyway, I better say something to avoid an awkward silence: this dancer somehow twists everything I say in a way that makes me nervous. "We came for the show" Pathetic but I couldn't find anything more original. And that justifies my presence in the backstage area...more or less. The dancer leans to the wall and lazily strokes the rim of her empty glass. "And did you enjoy it?" "Oh yes! I have never seen a dance so lively like this, so catchy, so full of life, so joyous-" "Splits and undergarments-" "It reminded me of fireworks" The dancer looks taken aback by my words for the first time. Surprised, I'd say, as if my reaction came out totally unexpected. "Fireworks?" she repeats. "Yes, like the ones I saw at the Exposition Universelle months ago. Wonderful colourful lights exploding up there in the night sky, a symphony of lights...truly breathtaking" I smile to myself reminiscing. "And tonight la quadrille...I don't know, the lively rhythm, the smiles on your faces as you performed, the colours of your skirts during the cartwheels...it brought me back to that night" The dancer's lips curl into a smile mirroring mine and her whole visage softens. "I've heard many people describing la quadrille but nobody has ever compared it to fireworks like you did" Cocking her head to the side, she takes another look at me. "You're a poet" she smiles. "Oh no, I'm just a seamstress" I laugh. "Nobody has ever taken me for a poet, I'm not good with words" "Well you sound like one to me so to me you are a seamstress-poet" I really don't know what to say again but I feel my cheeks turn rosy as she keeps smiling encouragely at me. We just look at each other for a moment. I'm about to make a joke of how can I be good with words if I'm so easily speechless when "Léa!" Marcel waves at me from the door at the end of the corridor. "I'm sorry I must go now" I say as the dancer spots my friend too. Then before I could do anything, she places one hand on my shoulder. "Hold on a minute, will you?" There is a sudden urgency in her voice as she storms into the changing room ignoring the playful protests of the other ladies inside. I gesture Marcel to wait and he goes lighting another cigarette in the street. The dancer returns after a moment, true to her word. She hands me a handkerchief. "There, for my clumsiness" she says, nodding at the wine stain on my dress I had almost forgotten. "That's kind but there's no need-" "I insist" she smiles, offering it again. "Well, thank you then, mademoiselle..." I reach for it but she retrieves her hand a little. "Huh-uh, I want it back. It's not a gift" she mocks a serious expression. "Of course but..." I soon realise an important detail. "...But I don't even know your name?" She takes my hand and gently places the handkerchief into it. "Élodie. And you know where to find me, Léa" With one last lingering smile she lets go of my hand and wishes me a good night. I walk into the street and the cold of the night makes me shiver. I secure the handkerchief in my pocket and breathe in the mix of icy mist and smoke of Marcel's cigarette. He shakes his head and wraps his scarf around my neck before half hugging me. "We better find the lovebirds and head towards a bar, I bet the streets will get all frosty in no time...fancy a beer?" I throw one last look to the Moulin Rouge over Marcel's shoulder as we walk away and to my surprise I meet the gaze of Élodie, still standing where I left her and looking my way.

[konigindernachtsblog]

The curse of love.

A cette heure de la nuit, la Haute Prêtresse n’attendait plus la moindre visite au temple. Alpha Nightmare allumait de nouvelles bougies devant l’idole représentant Lucifer, distraite par la lumière de la lune rouge se reflétant pas les vitraux et l’odeur d’encens flottant dans l’air. Elle appréciait le silence après les grandes messes quotidiennes. Ce silence fut cependant interrompu par les grandes portes qui s’ouvrirent. La Haute Prêtresse se retourna alors pour découvrir le visiteur impromptu, qui s’avéra être une femme et pas n’importe quelle femme.

« Your Highness, dit Alpha, relativement surprise. - High Priestess, I need your attention. - So my attention you shall have. »

La Reine et la Haute Prêtresse se faisaient face. La première portait une grande cape noire dont elle venait tout juste d’ôter la capuche lui ayant permis de venir jusqu’ici sans se faire remarquer et dissimulant ses vêtements. La seconde était, comme à l’accoutumée, toute de rouge vêtue, dans une longue robe en velours aux longues manches évasées. Finalement, Alpha ouvrit la marche en se dirigeant vers une alcôve en retrait et pris place dans un fauteuil. Arya suivit ses pas et s’installa dans l’autre fauteuil, dos à la prêtresse.

« I can feel confusion in your heart, your Grace. You can share its content. Within these walls, our Lord is the only witness. - If there are words I can use, High Priestess… I don’t know them, avoua la reine. Not after a life learning to keep my lips sealed. »

Alpha avait pu sentir Arya baisser légèrement la tête. La tension de la reine était palpable dans l’air. La Haute Prêtresse esquissa un léger sourire, bienveillant, que la plus jeune ne pouvait pas voir, mais au moins sentir. Les deux cousines ne se connaissaient pas dans l’intime, mais faisaient parties de la même famille au lourd passé, dont chaque membre restant gardaient des plaies importantes. Alpha leva les yeux vers les vitraux rouge qui lui faisaient face, représentant Lucifer.

« Heavy is the head who wears the crown. Isn’t it what we say, your Grace ? For sure, our Lord knows that better than anybody. Power is an heavy burden. But if he gave it to you, it’s because he knew you were the best for the role. On that, you shall trust him. Lucifer knows nothing but the Truth, remember ? He knows how important is this Kingdom for you. He knows how hard his motto resonates in you. Our Lord knows you are the Queen this Kingdom needs, not because you have been raised to be Empress, but because you are like him. - No one is as great as Lucifer, souffla la reine. - For how long do you hide your wings, your Highness ? »

Arya laissa transparaître sa surprise avec un silence évocateur. Ses ailes. Ses ailes personne ne les avait jamais vu, pas même sa propre mère. Pas même son mari, ne connaissait sa véritable forme. A l’Académie, jamais Arya n’avait révélé sa nature. On savait son potentiel autrement supérieur à ce qu’elle montrait, mais tous s’étaient imaginé que l’apparence d’Arya devait être similaire aux autres Nightmare. Des larmes noires, de grandes ailes démoniaques, des cornes… 

« How do you know ? Demanda-t-elle finalement. - I am an High Priestess, your Grace. I share my eyes with our Lord.  - But he never saw… ! - Lucifer knows the Truth. You share his wings, don’t you ? The black broken wings of Lucifer, the Fallen Angel. »

A nouveau, Arya se tût comme seule réponse. Alpha la sentit cependant hocher légèrement la tête. La cadette Nightmare avait été dotée d’une destinée autrement plus importante que celle que lui avait attribué sa mère, en lui donnant naissance. Elle n’avait pas été choisie pour devenir la femme d’un possible empereur, mais pour elle-même diriger un empire. L’Empire démoniaque, que l’on appelait encore Royaume dans l’usage, malgré les siècles où l'Enfer n’avait cessé de s’étendre davantage encore et encore avec sa population grandissante et sa pugnacité.

« Your life has been sacrificed for our Kingdom, since the very moment you opened your eyes. You know it and you accepted it as soon as you realised. You already made your sacrifice, your Grace. You had your loyalty to this Kingdom as soon as you could breath. But the crown, your fate, your duty… That’s not what scares you the most, isn’t it ? Your burden is not your crown. »

La reine se crispa et ferma les yeux, serrant ses mains l’une dans l’autre un instant. Finalement, elle leva les yeux vers le dôme du Haut Temple, représentant le ciel rouge de l’Enfer où l’on voyait l’étoile du Matin briller. Quelques larmes coulèrent finalement sur ses joues alors que les doigts de sa main droite jouaient nerveusement avec son alliance.

« From Lucifer, I hoped I could only have the wings and the sense of sacrifice, répondit Arya la gorge nouée. But Lucifer was an angel and his tragedy, when he became Satan… is that he never forgot how to love, even when his heart got broken by his Father. I hoped I would be demonic enough to never feel the weight of a heart in my chest.  - But… ? - Then, my husband appeared in my life… »

Cette fois, ce fut le tour d’Alpha de se trouver surprise. Elle avait elle-même mariée Arya avec Sebastian LeFay, sous ce dôme. Ils avaient partagé leur sang, échangé leurs voeux. Ce ne devait être qu’un mariage arrangé, un mariage politique et ce, malgré le sacrifice conséquent de Sebastian qui renonçait à sa mortalité pour joindre son épouse pour l’éternité. Certes, le couple royal semblait relativement proche durant ses rares apparitions publiques. Mais elle savait que la dernière apparition du couple commençait à dater et qu’au palais, la relation des deux époux n’était pas au beau fixe.

« I despised him when he got the proposition to marry me and that he hesitated because of his own faith. I told our Lord that I didn’t need to get married and especially not to a man who wasn’t able to follow the Crown’s principles. Sacrifice was and is still, for me, the most important. But Sebastian did sacrifice himself, expliqua la reine. By this only act, he demonstrated how greater than me he was. - And you feel guilty for that, conclut Alpha. - I didn’t do anything great for him, I feel like a punishment, avoua Arya en essuyant ses larmes d’un revers de la manche. I don’t even know how to act when he is around. He doesn’t know how I feel, what I feel…  - Your Grace, souffla Alpha sans pouvoir interrompre sa cousine. - I love him, avoua la reine. I love my husband… And it scares me more than the Void itself.  - How do you know you do ? »

Le ton d’Alpha avait été un peu plus appuyé, pour stopper Arya net alors qu’elle s’emballait et qu’elle se laissait submergée par ses émotions pour la première fois. Jamais elle ne s’était montrée aussi décontenancée devant qui que ce soit auparavant. Mais Arya s’était suffisamment sentie en sécurité au Temple pour se livrer. Seul Lucifer, jusqu’à présent, avait été son refuge.

« Because I dream I could be able to share with him everything I always do alone, souffla Arya après un instant à se reprendre. I would like him to take my hand and walk by my side under the red moon… I dream I could have the guts and bravery to just ask to be in his arms. When he is here, my legs shake and my heart beats so hard it is nearly unbearable. My body vibrates each times he speaks. I am craving for his eyes on me, all the time. But I don’t even dare sharing my bed with him anymore, only to enter in the bedroom when he already sleeps, just to look at him. I know each details of his face so much, I could draw it by memory. Just the thought he shares my blood bring me an indecent joy… Just knowing he belongs to me and that I belong to him. I blush each time I remember the time I was confident enough to kiss him and I dream I could do it again. I love him and I would like to scream it but I just can’t… I can’t even face him anymore. I didn’t do anything to deserve him and I feel ashamed for it every single day Lucifer allows me to live… - I am sure your husband could understand, if you could just give him a sign. »

La reine resta silencieuse. Finalement, elle joignit les mains. Arya s’était renfermée aussitôt qu’on lui avait demandé un acte qui lui paraissait encore plus insurmontable que de porter le royaume infernal sur ses épaules. Alpha le comprit et conclut la conversation par une prière silencieuse à Lucifer avant que la souveraine ne quitte le temple. En rentrant au château, une âme damnée avait débarrassée la reine de sa cape avant qu’elle ne s’engage dans les couloirs de ce qui ressemblait davantage à une cathédrale, guidée par le son du piano. Le roi aimait y jouer et ça avait été l’une de ses conditions pour venir vivre en Enfer avec elle. Cela faisait à présent bien deux ou trois semaines qu’ils ne s’étaient pas vus, parce que la reine l’évitait méticuleusement. Du moins, c’était ce que Sebastian pensait. En réalité, comme ce soir là, Arya se trouvait bien proche mais elle savait se montrer particulièrement discrète. Elle le regardait, se dévoilant à peine à travers le pan de la porte. A chaque fois, elle sentait son coeur battre plus fort, dans un mélange de crainte de se faire dévoilée et d’affronter la colère de son époux et d’émois de la jeune femme amoureuse.

Elle se trouvait ridicule. De leur passé, ils ne s’étaient rien cachés. Cela faisait partie des rites nuptiaux et ils s’y étaient tous les deux pliés sans protestations. Ce n’était pas la première fois que Sebastian faisait battre le coeur d’une femme de cette façon. Mais pour Arya, c’était une autre paire de manches. Elle n’avait jamais aimé, avant. Flirté, tenté, séduit, oui. Puisque sa destinée avant le trône de l’Enfer, avait été de tenter de séduire le prince Killian, elle avait tenté de l’aimer. Mais la flamme n’a jamais pris vie et d’elle-même la démone avait compris que ce manque d’intérêt était réciproque. Mais Sebastian avait quelque chose de plus, quelque chose que les autres hommes, pas même ceux si épris d’elle qu’ils s’en seraient damnés, n’avaient. Quand ils le voulaient, les deux époux pouvaient se comprendre sans même se parler, simplement en échangeant un regard. Sebastian était parvenu à faire sourire Arya, à la faire rire, à lui donner envie de partager des étreintes. Sans doute n’avait-il même pas réalisé l’effet que leur première étreinte avait pu avoir sur celle qui était à l’époque sa fiancée, dans ce bassin de sang. Arya s’était pourtant précipitée dans ses bras avec une spontanéité et une sincérité étonnantes.

Mais cela, elle n’y parvenait plus. Arya n’arrivait plus à se permettre tel geste. La honte l’animait. Depuis son arrivée en Enfer, Sebastian avait renoncé aux limbes pour elle et avait veillé sur elle jour et nuit, quand elle était tombée malade. Il avait été d’un soutient sans faille. La jeune souveraine s’en sentait indigne, coupable, honteuse. Elle était une punition, un châtiment. Son époux lui avait bien dit qu’il n’avait pas le temps de regretter sa décision de l’avoir épousé, cela n’avait pas suffit à balayer les craintes qui animaient sa compagne. 

Le roi venait de renfermer le piano. Quand Arya s’en rendit compte, elle sursauta et colla son dos contre le mur de pierre. Avec précaution, elle glissa à nouveau son regard sur lui. Il paraissait frustré, elle le voyait à son poing fermé contre le bois laqué de l’instrument. Sebastian avait jeté un regard rapide vers une grande harpe noire, qui trônait non loin du piano. La harpe de la reine. Il l’avait déjà entendu joué, de loin, mais ne l’avait jamais vu faire. D’ailleurs, il ne la voyait plus du tout. Elle se dissimulait à lui comme on se cache d’un monstre. Pourtant, elle laisse des signes de son passage au château, comme si elle cherchait à le narguer. Il ignorait. Il avait bien tenté de demander à Morrigan, la suivante de la reine, si elle savait ce qu’il lui prenait, mais elle en était tout aussi confuse. Les âmes damnées qui servent au château, elles, ont bien trop peur de la reine pour révéler quoi que ce soit. Sebastian pensait pourtant avoir fait ce qu’il fallait. Il voulait faire ce qu’il fallait. Il s’était montré patient, attentionné. Il  lui semblait pourtant avoir compris ce qu’Arya recherchait en lui. Mais elle se dérobait à lui consciencieusement. 

En voyant les traits frustrés de Sebastian, Arya avait baissé les yeux et ramené l’une de ses mains contre sa poitrine. Elle voulait le rejoindre, mais son corps tremblait. Impossible. La silhouette de la jeune démone s’évanouit dans l’ombre du couloir avant que son époux ne sorte de la pièce. Il pu sentir son parfum, révélant que sa femme était passée dans ce couloir peu de temps avant qu’il le rejoigne, cela ne fit que le frustrer davantage. Dans la salle du trône, la reine frappa du poing. Elle était furieuse, furieuse contre sa propre personne, pour ce qu’elle faisait subir à son mari.

Quelques temps plus tard, Sebastian avait finalement pu confronter Arya. Il était parvenu à lui faire promettre de ne plus fuir. Pour la première fois depuis des semaines, ils s’étaient à nouveau endormis ensemble dans le lit conjugal. Le lendemain matin, quand il ouvrit les yeux, le nécromancien sentait encore l’étreinte ferme de son épouse autours de lui. De tout le reste de la nuit, elle était restée contre le torse, ses doigts dans son dos. Elle aussi, était réveillée. Arya leva timidement les yeux vers lui et détailla son visage. Sebastian glissa ses doigts dans les cheveux de sa femme pour retirer quelques mèches dissimulant légèrement son regard. Il avait pu véritablement entrevoir pour la première fois, l’amour dans les yeux d’Arya, même s’ils reflétaient aussi ses regrets, son sentiment de culpabilité. Finalement, elle s’était approchée pour l’embrasser longuement, mais doucement, loin de la passion à laquelle ils s’étaient habitués lorsqu’ils s’exploraient. Sebastian s’était laissé faire et il avait pu sentir quelque chose de différent chez sa femme. Elle révélait une douceur, un besoin d’amour, qu’elle n’avait jamais voulu dévoiler jusque là. Il posa son front contre le siens quand leurs lèvres se séparèrent.

« Sebastian, avait soufflé Arya. - Yes ? - I am so sorry... » 

[xodaniellevictoria]

8 Days in Paris

I’ve been wanting to visit Paris for as long as I can remember. 2 weeks ago my life long dream, CAME TRUE! My fascination with the city began with my love for ballet. For those who don't know I was a ballet dancer for 16 years, and the type of ballet I was taught, originated in Paris. I have envisioned myself walking amongst the city streets for years and to finally cross this off my bucket list was an indescribable feeling. I want to share everything we did while we were there, and any quick tips to help you out if you’re wanting to visit this amazing place for yourself! 

Alright lets start with planning. I searched for EVER to find affordable flights. Typically out of California round trip tickets to Paris are around $1200 each. By some miracle I was able to find round trip tickets for $500 each. (Because it’s off season for tourism and once the weather gets colder, the ticket prices drop) I didn't use any specific sites or cheap airlines, I was just always looking for a deal. So I definitely recommend going on off season (Fall to early spring) to avoid high ticket prices. 

While you're planning, I would also really recommend staying at an Airbnb over a hotel. We really felt like we got the true Parisian experience and most Airbnbs are cheaper then hotels is what I noticed while planning.

HERE IS A LINK to the cute private apartment we stayed at while we were there. It was PERFECT for what we wanted. The iconic Parisian windows, a great view to a little courtyard, in the city center, and 3 minute walk to the subway. (Photo below for the ideal Parisian windows I was talking about.)

We decided to break up our trip by spending the majority of our time in Paris at the Airbnb, and then the last 2 nights we splurged and stayed at a hotel I’ve had my eye on for awhile now. Hotel Providence is the Parisian hotel of my dreams, and it did not disappoint. The stunning lush decor and rich color palette of the entire hotel checked off all my aesthetic points. We had champagne waiting for us in our room, and they were accommodating for early check in and leaving our bags at the front desk after we checked out, since we had some time to kill before our flight. I found the hotel on Instagram and I’m so glad I did. They have an amazing bar downstairs that was great for pre and post dinner drinks. They serve food as well but we unfortunately never got to try any. The front desk and service at the bar was amazing, super friendly, spoke great English and would absolutely recommend staying here if your budget allows. See below for pictures of our beautiful room and the outside seats of the bar / restaurant! CLICK HERE FOR A LINK TO THE HOTEL

Another thing I would highly recommend is getting the PARIS CITY PASS. This pass will get you into the Louvre, Musee d’Orsay, Versailles, you name a Parisian attraction, and this pass will most likely get you in, and the best part is you won't have to wait in ticket lines. At the Louvre, there was a 2 hour wait to get tickets, and we literally walked RIGHT in... Sorry everyone in line! Should have done your research! 

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE SITE TO GET YOUR PARIS CITY PASS

While planning, something else to think about is transportation. Basically the entire trip, we took Paris’s subway system ‘Le Metro.’ If you have an iPhone, using apple maps is going to be your best friend. Switch your directions to transit instead of walking or driving. The apple maps directions will tell you exactly where to go for the train stations, which lines to take, and which direction you need to be heading. There are signs in English in the subway so don't worry about not being able to understand French signs. There are trains right at the airport, and everywhere you will want to go in the city. Its truly amazing and so affordable compared to trying to Uber everywhere. We honestly preferred taking the subway way more than taking Ubers, because traffic in the city is.... Intense, and most of our Uber drivers didn't speak any English. The trains were always much faster and just easier in general.

Now I want to share the things we did that were noteworthy, and that we would recommend to anyone who is coming to Paris for the first time.

1. Eiffel Tower. Just as magical as you would think it would be. Head to the Tracadero across the river Seine to get an amazing view and its a GREAT picture spot. Another amazing picture spot is on the same side of the river as the Eiffel Tower and its a little dead end street with the perfect view of the tower with some French buildings in the line of view as well. 

Heres the address: 228 Rue de l’Universite (the picture below was taken HERE)

2. Versailles. The grandest palace in all of Europe. It is breath taking. Especially if you're a history nerd like me. I got an audio guide so we didn't have to take a tour, and it was perfect. Also highly recommend renting a golf cart to get around the gardens and to see the other buildings and Marie Antoinette’s little village she created. PICTURE SPOTS: Hall of mirrors, Petite Trianon, and the Grand Trianon. Advice for getting pictures here, PATIENCE. Just wait for people to move so you can get cool shots with no one in them.

3. Crazy Horse. Ok this one won't be for everyone, but when I think of Paris I think of burlesque. Crazy Horse was one of the coolest burlesque shows we’ve seen and its a must if you're wanting a sexy night out. ( We preferred this over Moulin Rouge. )

4. MontMarte. MontMarte is the cities highest point. resting on a hill, there's a gorgeous old church, the Sacre Couer. MontMarte is also the cities historic artist district. Artists such as Van Gogh, and Renoir, found inspiration in this quaint part of town. Behind the church is the cutest little area where local artists are still paining city scapes and personal portraits. Seeing this area was a highlight for me. It felt so like what I thought Paris would be like. Good rooftop bar with the view of the city and the Eiffel Tower: Terrass Hotel, the rooftop bar is open to the public, you don't have to be staying at the hotel.

5. Le Marais. This is where you need to go if you're wanting to shop. Clothes, local pastries, apothecaries, you name it this area has it. Our favorite stores were Blue Garage, System Vintage, Luka Luna, 

6. Notre Dame. A Paris staple. Currently closed for renovations but still worth seeing from afar. The streets around the Notre Dame are covered with vintage magazine / book stands. They make for great home decor. Make sure you have euros pulled out though because they don't accept credit cards!

7. Musee d’Orsay. Paris’s second biggest and most famous museum. Is in an old train station which makes for a cool setting for a museum. (See picture below) We liked this museum more than the Louvre...Way less crowded, and more modern artists that we actually knew. Holds famous paintings from Monet, Degas, Renoir, and Van Gogh. Highly recommend grabbing a drink on the 5th floor cafe behind one of the old clocks!

8. The Catacombs. Super interesting walk through some of Paris’s old Limestone quarries that they filled with bones from the cemeteries, when the cemeteries were getting too crowded in the 1700′s. I didn't get any spooky vibes. Just felt like a museum.

9. Palais Garnier. The Opera house in Paris. Reminiscent of Versailles, this grand Opera house is soooo extravagant and gorgeous. The first real Ballets were put on here. How cool is that?

That wraps up the things to see that we loved most. Now lets move on to my favorite part... THE FOOD!

Basically everywhere you look in Paris there are little cafes. Sometimes as many as 4 on a block. Eat at as many of them as you can. They're all pretty incredible. If you're from America and have never traveled to Europe, something to note is that in Europe, slow service is good service. You have to ask for your check. dining out in Europe is an experience and they want you to relax and enjoy your time dining. There is no rush with food there. Its pretty life changing coming from a country where you are accustomed to being in and out of a restaurant within an hour and getting angry if your food hasn't shown up in 15 minutes. 

Things you need to try at any Parisian restaurant: bread, butter, wine, and cheese. They're all usually locally sourced and man let me tell you... It just tastes DIFFERENT over there. The butter is the best butter I’ve ever had. When we got home I legitimately looked up where I can buy French butter here in San Diego... The wine? INSANE. One night I had 6 glasses (which is WAY way way too much for me) and the next morning I didn't wake up with any sort of hangover... I don't know what they're doing in France but wow it is amazing. The cheeses are also wonderful. All so different depending on the restaurant, and all taste soooo much fresher then any cheese I’ve had here in the US. It’s hard to describe. 

Some of our favorite restaurants we came across while we were there:

BREAKFAST / LUNCH-

Any cafe usually has a Croque Monisuer or a Croque Madame which is basically a grilled cheese sandwich with ham and egg, they're amazing and make a great breakfast sandwich. We also ordered Cafe Au Lait’s everywhere we went for breakfast (Coffee with steamed milk.) And croissants are always a good idea.

La Terrasse Des Archives for an amazing avocado toast eggs Benedict

Hollybelly 5 for some americanized / English style breakfasts and some amazing lattes

Hardware Societie for another amazing Americanized / English breakfast

Breakfast in America is a full on American diner in the heart of Paris.

DINNER-

My favorite meals we ate in Paris were our dinners. There is endless amazing food options but here are some of our favorites.

Sacree Fleur did not disappoint. Located in MontMarte, this cozy restaurant will blow you away. We started with the cheese course, wine, and bread. Had steak and mashed potatoes as our main course, which by the way, continues to cook at your table on a hot slab of rock. SO COOL! And we finished with the creme brûlée, which actually made me CRY, it was so good.... (Terrass Hotel is walking distance away, the rooftop bar is open to the public and you get an amazing view of all of Paris including the Effie tower while enjoying some after dinner drinks, and you don't have to be staying at the hotel to enjoy the rooftop bar.)

Le Petit Italien is an amazing option if you're wanting some Italian food in Paris.

Le Sancrerre in MontMarte was another stand out. I got the beef bourguignon and it was incredible.

Chez Janou was also outstanding. Perfect French dishes, great service. Our waiter was actually living in San Diego for awhile before he moved back home to Paris so it was a super random coincidence to eat there and have him as our waiter!

[albuquirky-swiftie]

HEY THERE! 
My name is Elise and I’m a 27 year old Swiftie from ABQ, NM. I fell in love with Taylor and her music when I was 
16 and I heard “I’d Lie” for the first time, and then obsessively listened to every song on Fearless for a year on repeat. I skipped 2 days of school my senior year to drive to Denver and see her for the Fearless 2010 tour, and then got to see her briefly at an NFL kickoff parade performance in Jackson Square of New Orleans RIGHT after she released Mine for Speak Now! She’s gotten me through everything in adolescence AND adulthood. 
I didn’t see her again until 1989, when I saw one the first shows in Baton Rouge, LA. It was the best present to myself as I wrapped up my first year of teaching middle school- and BOY WAS IT AMAZING. I got to meet Andrea that night which was SPECTACULAR- it was such a gift to be able to tell a mother who much her daughter meant to me and how grateful I was for all she does. Then I also got chastised by security for rocking out too hard to Shake it Off #oops #hatersgonnahate 
As much as I love TSWIFT, I am relatively lonely in my fandom! None of my friends are as obsessed with her as I am, and I NEED someone to talk about all these AMAZING moments about! Nothing makes me happier than seeing all your funny posts, pictures, edits etc. I’ve lurked for years here and couldn’t ever get up the courage to just start my own Tumblr because I felt like I didn’t understand the medium- but it’s worth it to be able to connect with you all! So thank you for following, and I can’t wait to discover what this next era has in store. YOU ALL ARE AMAZING, LET’S NERD OUT ABOUT OUR MUTUAL LOVE FOR THIS QUEEN!

[haydenandtrish]

Welcome to Paris, the grandest city in the world.

Remember everything that you have ever heard, now forget it all. Because the city we are about to tell you about is far greater than you will ever expect and more incredible than what anyone can ever describe. It has history. It has monument after monument. It has beauty and detail. It is the city of love. It is the city of lights. It is Paris.

Yes, it can be dirty, but it’s not from neglect. Yes, it’s a city proud to be French and yes, some may hate this, but a Parisians arrogance comes from a place of deep love and pride for their heritage. However, If you try, they will too.

All I can recommend for you to do is to allow yourself to get lost with an open mind and an appreciation for all things. We did. And what we discovered was incredible. Here, let us show you.

Montmartre

For accommodation, we stayed at the Le Mont Clair, a hostel in the 18th Arrondissement of Paris. This area is also known as the village of Montmartre, made famous by artists such and Vincent Van Gogh and Picasso, who both called it home at one point in time. Originally it was farmland for the peasants who were kicked out of the newly renovated Paris in the 1870’s - after a 17-year facelift. The redesign was commissioned by the then Emporer Napoleon III who declared Paris to be too small, too dirty, too overcrowded and too smelly. An already accomplished man of his time by the name of Barron Haussman was who the emperor tasked with the mammoth job. I will not get into the controversy that still surrounds the decision to completely change the city, but in my opinion, it was a necessary decision that helped stop the spread of diseases and added a new level of elegance that we now get to admire. An addition that set this renovation apart was the sewer system that was put in place then and is still used to this day. For a more in-depth description read here, it’s incredibly interesting how it all works.

The (not so) funny thing is, the people who were banished were the bodies who did the physical labour that transformed the city. Unfortunately, with over 20,000 buildings torn down, roads widened and a completely new sewage system put in place, there was no room left for them. So the rich stayed put and the poor were exiled to the lands just outside the main area. However, the city continued to grow and the space became a necessary area for more housing during an era where exponential growth was experienced. Now it is a beautiful addition on the outer skirts of Paris with much to see and do.

We explored Montmartre during our second day. what captivates us about this area - and all of Paris really - is that every single street is so innately beautiful with their detailed stone buildings and wrought iron balconies. Look up, you will not be disappointed.

I was also surprised at how up and down the cobblestone terrain was – so be prepared for that. From our hostel we walked directly up to a cafe called La Maison Rose - a walk filled with fantastic views along the way. We continued down some of the prettiest streets we had ever seen, all pink, green and white with vines covering the houses.

It seemed only fitting to stop into one of the many cafes and try the local cuisine in this eclectic part of town. We were seated and served and all we ordered was 6 garlic snails, a plate of fries, a beer and champagne. Like I’ve said before, we’re backpacking… so money mindfulness is necessary, but we still want to experience things. The verdict? To me they tasted like a garlicky oyster, Hayden agreed and says “I would only eat an oyster Kilpatrick and I would only eat a snail with garlic butter”. Fair enough.

We walked past many art galleries, and one artist we want to mention is Andre Martins De Barros. If we were not travelling for so long, I am positive we would have bought something. Being unable to take pictures of the artwork directly, we elected to take one of the artist’s website. So please feel free to check it out if you have the time, or better yet, if you are in the area visit the gallery. Here are two websites to check out his art: https://www.artmajeur.com/amartinsdebarros

http://amdbartiste.free.fr/  

Our walk led us to the Sacre – Coeur Basilica, a beautiful sanctuary sitting atop the hillock of Montmartre. We walked the 222 steps to the bottom and unfortunately, we didn’t escape unscathed. Hayden was haggled into spending 3 Euro on some cotton bracelet. Admittedly, it was pretty cool because the man used three pieces of string and made the bracelet right then and there. But the hagglers are a little full on and it was a waste of money – he’s still wearing it though.

The bottom of the steps led to a number of little side streets full of restaurants, shops and chocolate stores. We got a bargain on a Lindt chocolate bunny as it was just after Easter. We would highly recommend exploring this area, it’s simply a nice little touristy part of town.

Later that night we ventured out of the Montmartre area and visited the Eiffel Tower. The experience was so special to me, I want to leave that story for another time. All I will say here is every part of it was incredible and so worth my lifetime wait.

The Moulin Rouge is also located in this area. We will not give any spoilers away, instead, here’s the website, splurge on an activity and get prepared for the most tasteful, artistic, dreamy burlesque show you will ever see. I mean, you can’t really be surprised, it is the birthplace of burlesque after all. There are cheaper options around and although I haven’t seen them for myself, I cannot imagine them living up to the extravagance that is Moulin Rouge. We cannot recommend it enough.

There are so many things to see on this side of town so if you are up for it then most definitely make the hike to the 18th ARR, either on your own or with a tour guide. The tour company we went with during our last day also does one of the Montmartre area and if it’s anything like the one we experienced, I’m sure it will be worth the Euros. I will leave their details further down. For now, we’ll continue on to another area.

Champs Elysees

We were told by a lovely fellow traveller that on the 1stSunday of every month theChamps Elysees avenue is open only to pedestrians. Luckily enough, it happened to fall on the Sunday we were in town. Just like that, our plans were sorted. We headed off in the general direction of that avenue, with stops along the way of course.

The avenue its self is beautiful. Wide sidewalks path the way for a window shoppers dream. Glass lines the buildings, gold adorns the entrances and bellmen are ready to greet you at the front.

If you can ball then Avenue Montaigne may be the place for you. Every designer shop is somewhere down there. But just walking down it and appreciating the wealth was enough for us.

A few monuments we came across included: Palais Garnier (Le’Opera House) Just go see it, it is such an incredible building. And if you get to see a show there, I’m already jealous.

Arc de Triumph An arc that was commissioned at the beginning of the 1800’s and completed in 1836 is dedicated to the celebrations of Napoleon I great army. After each victory they would march into the city and straight under the arc, all the way to the kings palace (which is now the Louvre).

Luxor Obelisk An ancient Egyptian obelisk that is placed in the centre of Place de la Concorde - one of the most famous traffic circles in the world. The triangular shaped needle is said to date back 3,300 years and is one of the oldest monuments within Paris. 

We will note that on this day the main destination we had in the back of our minds was the Pantheon. Unfortunately, we never did make it there during our stay, we just kept getting sidetracked. The furthest we got was the Louvre, but I’ll address that further down because we visited it again during our tour. I cannot stress enough how huge Paris is and how much there is to see and learn about. There is so much much I know we still need to see, and I am positive Paris is a city we will always come and visit, so we have time to explore more in the future. For now, we will leave you with our last day. 

Sandeman’s New Europe: Free walking tour (tip based).

Here we are, our last day in Paris. We woke up, packed our bags and checked out. We left the big backpacks in storage at the hostel and set off for one last exploration. We were finally able to do our free walking tour and before we go any further please do this on the first day. You learn so much about the city - the best spots to see, the cheapest places to eat, you glimpse some of the best monuments to visit and if you are lucky, you’ll have a guide as incredible as ours.

His name was Dawie and I could sing his praises all day. He was the funniest, most informative tour guide I have ever come across and because of him, we have so much new knowledge about the history of Paris, from its small tribe beginnings to the grand city it is now, from the different monarchs to the different monuments. For three hours he kept us engaged and wanting more. He held little back while speaking about gruesome topics and painted an incredible picture in our minds of what Paris and it’s people have been through. A few things I cannot go without mentioning, please, do your research before proposing to your beloved at the Eiffel tower, if you know the history of its surrounding land then it isn’t the most romantic spot in the city. The lock bridge is no longer there, and it was only ever made famous from sex and the city. Just trust that you and your love will be together forever – a lock isn’t a necessity. It’s still the city of pickpockets so never let your guard down.

Now, where were we?

Ahhh the tour. We were able to see monuments such as the Notre Dame, the first pedestrian bridge ever built in the city, the original jail and courthouse plus so much more - all with a vivid description from our amazing guide. Finally, we finished at the Louvre.

Let me just say, it is not just a glass pyramid if that's what you are thinking. No, the Louvre is an art museum that has lived many different lives. It was first created to be a fortress for war in 1190. It was then reconstructed in the 16th century and became the Royal Palace. This explains its grand beauty. Each monarch believed that they were far greater than the last and could do everything better, so they would add their own touch. If you don’t know anything yourself, do a tour and have someone point out the distinguishing differences of each monarch, it’s awesome to see that every single detail has a back story. It was only made into an art museum in 1793 (18th century) with only 537 pieces of art. Now, centuries on, there are over 330, 000 pieces. If you want to see them all, all you have to do is visit the museum every single day for 100 days and view each piece for 30 seconds. Too easy.

Outside is just as beautiful. Of course, you are instantly drawn to the huge glass pyramid in the middle of the square. It’s one over the top front door that’s for sure. But like our tour guide told us, just get that damn tourist picture! Don’t snidely look at others who look ridiculous in person trying to get that famous tourist shot and not get amongst it yourself. You will look back in your Paris photo album and notice that photo of you pinching the top of the pyramid in the Louvre is missing. And you’ll be sorry for it. I am so glad we did ours, I laugh every time I look at it because it’s a classic, and it could be one of my personal favs in our collection.

So, my advice to you (in the Louvre and in life) is this, don’t stand on the outside feeling too cool to do it but secretly wishing you were. Maybe Nike’s on to something because…JUST DO IT. Get in there, get that photo, talk to that stranger, dance in that circle, smile at that person making eye contact with you. Stop shouldering life away because you’ll find yourself watching others living theirs instead of being immersed in your own. You hear it all the time but until you lower your ego and let yourself be free, are you truly experiencing everything that comes your way? I was once that person who stood on the sidelines and judged, now this is my mantra every day and I’m so happy because of it. I have that photo, I danced in that circle, I made friends with that stranger and I’m living my best damn life every single day.

Anyway, inspirational rant over.

Here’s our tip for taking the perfect illusion shot: Hold your arm straight and at an angle. Move the camera, not your arm! Life will be a whole lot easier. You’re welcome.

After you get your picture, wander through the incredible Tuileries Gardens (located in between the Louvre and Place de la Concorde). It seems like the perfect park to enjoy a bottle of seasonal wine, cheese and a baguette. Walk through the hedge mazes, admire the countless statues, see the artists painting their own vision. It is all so breathtaking.

So go visit and fall in love, with the city, with its monuments, with its history and with its art. If it’s a once in a lifetime trip then give yourself a week. Otherwise, be sure to revisit it. We will, maybe we’ll even see you there one day.

The rest of our day will be in our next blog, where we tell you about our first ever overnight journey… or should we say first two? So, for now, this is goodbye.

Always with love,  Trish.

[bee-kathony]

McTavish & Beauchamp | Unexpected News

Previous Chapters 

Ch. 13 | Unexpected News 

Paris, France - 10 months later

We’d been in Paris for nearly two months and since our arrival, things had moved along rather swiftly. Jamie’s cousin, Jared Fraser, welcomed us into his home with open arms, with one condition. That being, Jamie helping him with his wine business. Apparently Jared was aware of Jamie’s skills in the area of charming his way through conversations, something I myself was very aware of.

Faith had finally adjusted to her new surroundings. She was crawling everywhere and the spiral staircase that led to the second story of the house gave me nightmares. In just six short weeks, she would be celebrating her first birthday.

She was with Murtagh now, I’m sure getting up to nothing good in the small stable. He spoiled her, as any godfather would. That left me on my own, since Jamie was with Jared down at the docks, accepting a new shipment of casks.

I sat down at the desk in the corner of our room, preparing to write a letter to Jenny and Ian, informing them of the comings and goings of our life here.

At first when we arrived, I hated it. I felt I had no purpose, other than raising Faith and keeping a close eye on her. But one day while I was out with Faith and Murtagh, we walked past L'Hôpital des Anges, and the cries of pain drew me inside.

“Hold still, ma petite, this will hurt only for a little while.” A woman with a very strong French accent said to a patient on a bed, as I stepped into the hospital.

The familiar scent of blood, was eerily welcoming as I took in my surroundings.

I watched from afar as the woman, with the assistance of another physician lanced a wound on the patient. My hands were itching to yield a knife again, touch herbs and medicines.

“How may we help you?” The French woman turned to me after she was finished bandaging the patient.

“I was drawn in from the street and I have some medical skills I thought might be useful here.”

“I am Mother Hildegarde,” she smiled, “Sister Angelique will find you something to do.”

It was as simple as that. I knew in this century how opposed some people were to the idea of women in such positions as I found myself now in. But I was born to be a healer, and since our return to Lallybroch and my pregnancy with Faith, I had pushed aside that desire.

We didn’t know how long we would be staying in Paris, if it was a short visit or if we would be here for years to come. I knew Jamie enjoyed the change of scenery, but he couldn’t stay away from Lallybroch forever.

As I signed and dated the letter to Jenny, I heard a childlike squeal from the foyer; that could only mean that Jamie had returned home.

Moments later, he walked through the door, holding Faith on his hip. She was babbling away, gibberish of course, but he was giving her his full attention until he saw me.

“Sassenach!” He crossed the room, placing a kiss on my forehead. “How was l’hôpital?”

“I set three bones today, so I would call that a rather successful day,” I placed the pen down on the letter, reaching for Faith and taking her onto my lap. “How was your day?”

“Fair enough, ran into a skirmish with a man called Comte St. Germain,” he rolled his eyes, “He sells wine as well, Sassenach, and I’m afraid he’ll prove to be stiff competition.”

Faith bounced happily on my lap, and I looked up at Jamie as he took a seat at the end of the bed sighing. “We can’t keep avoiding it, Jamie.”

He ran his hand through his hair, “Aye, I ken that. Ye told me Prince Charles would be here now, in Paris.”

“I just don’t want you to get caught up in it, I know the outcome of the Jacobite rebellion, as hard as it may be to stand by and let things happen…” Faith made a gurgling noise, and reached for my breasts. I would be glad when she was weaned, eighteenth century clothing was not the most practical for breastfeeding.

“Ye ken I canna just stand by and watch my clan, my people, Sassenach, be slaughtered by the swords of the British.” He rose from the bed, his body trembling with anxiety. We’d gone over and over this subject. I had explained to him as much as I knew about the Jacobite Rebellion and its fateful outcome.

We had come to the conclusion that we were to avoid Prince Charles at all costs, and that Jamie was not to get involved in the rebellion, but I could tell from his posture and attitude how much that decision was weighing on him.

“Ye ken I dinna care about who sits on the throne,” he muttered, facing away from us at the fireplace.

“Yes of course I know that, Jamie.” Faith latched her mouth onto my nipple, and I settled her into my lap. “But you can’t exactly be idle and watch your people die either.”

Jamie slowly turned to me, one arm perched on the mantle, “Aye. It pains me to think of goin’ in to battle. Culloden…” He shivered, at what could only be words I had spoken to him about the battle of Culloden that would happen in less than two years time.

“If it comes down to me fightin’, Sassenach… will ye hate me so if I chose to go?” He closed the space between us, bending to his knees in front of me, his hands resting on me and Faith.

Tears threatened to spill from my eyes as I looked down at him, holding our child to my breast, “I would hate you.” I said softly, “but I will always love you, Jamie. If you feel you must fight, on that damn battlefield… so help me God.” Jamie brushed his thumb across my cheeks, collecting my tears as they fell, and his own eyes watered.

“I love ye, mo cridhe, I only want to protect ye and the bairn… and the many more bairns to come.” He kissed Faith softly on the crown of her forehead, and held us in his arms. I could not stop him from fighting for what he believed in, but I would be damned if I let him get caught up in the politics of it all.

++++++

We had surprisingly made connections during our short time in Paris and had been invited to the King’s Palace for a ball that evening.

I descended the stairs, maneuvering my red dress as I stood on the last step.

“I see were all ready to go.”

Jamie took a step forward, his face full of awe and some other expression I couldn’t quite place.

“Are ye… mad woman? I can see every inch of ye, right down to yer third rib.” His eyes went straight to my chest. It was rather low cut in the front, showing off my cleavage.

“No, you can’t.” I laughed.

He came closer, his eyes never leaving my chest, “Christ. I can see right down to yer navel. Surely ye don’t mean to go out in public like this?”

“I most certainly do.” I held my arms out to the side, “I’ll have you know, I helped design this dress.”

“Christ, Sassenach. First yer honeypot, now this.” He quirked his eyebrow up at me, making me blush. I had made friends with a woman name Louise de La Tour, a most eccentric woman who had suggested I wax my ‘honeypot’ as Jamie called it. When I had come home that evening, Jamie found it odd but not altogether unpleasant and spent the evening feeling and tasting from my honeypot.

“I suppose it’ll have to do.” He joined Murtagh near the front of the house and I took the last few steps. “Ye could cover up a bit.”

“Well I already thought of that,” I pulled out a matching red fan, opening it to cover my breasts.

“Yer goin’ to need a larger fan,” he smirked.

++++++

The ball was just as I had expected, plenty of people trying to impress one another. It came as a surprise to both Jamie and I to see that the Duke of Sandringham was in attendance.

“What are you both doing here in France?” The Duke kissed the back of my hand in welcome.

“Jamie has been employed by his cousin, Jared” I said.

“The wine merchant, what a serendipitous surprise. Tomorrow I go back to England, but when I return I would be very interested to sample some of that rare Belle Rouge port. I must have a case!”

Jamie raised his brow, “How much?”

“I’d be willing to pay twenty percent over the asking price.”

“Sold.” Jamie said.

“Jamie why don’t you take Murtagh to have a drink with our new friend, the minister of finance?”

The Duke of Sandringham always rubbed me the wrong way. As appreciative as I was for him granting Jamie his freedom back, I always sensed that he was playing both sides. I knew from Frank’s research about the Jacobite Rebellion, that the Duke was a known Jacobite supporter, but form my interactions with him, he claimed to know nothing of the sort.

That alone, made me wary of his true intentions when it came to Jamie and just why he granted his freedom.

Before I could speak with him on the matter further, a young man approached him, and immediately burst into a fit of coughing.

“Are you alright, sir?”

“Oh pardon me Madame, it’s chronic I’m afraid.” He sputtered.

“Oh where are my manners,” The Duke said and turned to the man who joined him at his side, “Claire Fraser, may I introduce my new secretary, Alexander Randall.”

“Pleased to make your acquaintance Madame,” the young man bowed.

“I think you might know of his brother,” The Duke raised his eyebrows and then my world came to a screeching halt. Randall.  

“Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ.” I muttered under my breath.

“Do you know Jonathan, Madame Fraser?” Alexander asked me.

My heart was racing, and my thoughts were swirling around all at once. It wasn’t possible was it? He was sentenced to hang over a year ago. Surely we would have heard news of this.

“Your brother is Jonathan Wolverton Randall?” I asked for clarification. Please say no.

“Yes! He’s my older brother,” he stammered.

“I thought he was dead. Hanged for treason, if I’m not wrong.” I stared at him and now I saw the family resemblance.

The Duke piped up, “Oh yes indeed, he was sentenced to be hanged, Mrs. Fraser,” he half frowned, “but he apparently had some friends at the prison who helped him get out of it.”

“I haven’t spoken with him in quite some time, not since his escape.” Jonathan burst into another fit of coughs.

“Didn’t you tell me that he was last seen fleeing to Paris?” The Duke’s voice echoed around the room as my head began to spin.

I bowed my head, “If you two will just excuse me for a moment, I need to find my husband.”

Leaving without a proper farewell, I practically ran into the other room in search for Jamie. Christ almighty… Black Jack was still alive?!

Where the hell was Jamie?

“Ye see minister, I ken yer biased towards the French port, but I think ye’ll be verra surprised wi’ the whisky from Scotland.” Jamie was speaking to a group of men, but I interrupted, grabbing his arm and pulling him off to the side, and out of sight of the crowd.  

“Sassenach, I was just about to —“ he stopped, noticing my fear stricken state, “What? What’s the matter, Claire?” His eyes scanned the room around us.

“He’s alive,” I choked out, clutching on to his arms for dear life, “Jamie… Black Jack Randall is still alive!”

His mouth hung open, in shock of the news. “That canna be possible. He was hanged, I ken it. More than a year ago.” Jamie gripped my arms just as tightly for support.

“His brother, Alex, is here with the Duke of Sandringham, he said he escaped with help of soldiers at the prison.” Jamie’s knees wobbled and he brought us both down to the ground, on our knees.

“No.” Was all Jamie repeated for some time before taking my hands in his and meeting my eyes. “He’ll ken we’re here. I’m sure he’ll come for ye… if he still believes ye to be a spy, that is. Christ —“

“He’ll come for you too, Jamie!” I cried, “It’s our statement that sent him to the rope in the first place. Oh my God,” tears spilled over my cheeks at the thought of Jonathan Randall being alive. I had thought we had been rid of that horrible man. He had caused pain to our family and instilled fear into our hearts. With his death, we had been able to find freedom and a peace that we had only just grown accustomed to.

“Wee Faith,” Jamie whispered and my heart almost ceased beating. “We need to get home, Sassenach. Now.” He rose to his feet, helping lift me and my voluminous skirts.

“You don’t think he would harm a child do you?” I asked as we hurried back through the crowd to find Murtagh.

“I ken he is capable of anythin’, Sassenach.” He gritted his teeth and spoke to Murtagh who immediately raced outside to call for our carriage.

“I dinna ken where he is, but if he’s in Paris as the Duke has said… we must prepare for the worst, Claire.” Jamie cupped my cheeks with both his hands.

“Are you going to kill him, Jamie?” I said under my breath.

“Aye, if it comes down to it. I will end that bastard’s life with my bare hands.” Jamie slid his arm around my waist, leading me to the carriage. “He willna take my family away from me, that I ken.”

When we arrived back to Jared’s home, Jamie burst into action, warning the servants of the potential threat. I found it hard to believe that Black Jack would find us at our house, since he hadn’t so far in the short two months we had been here. But Jamie was right, the man was capable of anything. Running up the stairs to our room, I let out a sob I didn’t know I’d been holding when I saw Faith asleep in her cot.

Our precious baby, our miracle. Jamie said he would kill Black Jack with his bare hands if it came down to it. If that man touched a hair on my child’s head… it would be my hands at his throat.

[secretradiobrooklyn]

SECRET RADIO / NYE & JAN.1.2022 / VOL.2 ISSUE 2

“Vegan tacos & champagne” Edition | listen here.

Kensington Secret Radio | artwork by Paige, liner notes by Evan

1. Panjabi MC - “Jogi”

It’s amazing how smoothly this track fits into ‘90s rock production. I know nothing about how this track came to be, but it has 22 million views and the guys in the band are super fun to look at. They did a couple of collabs with Jay-Z, which strikes me as a really rare overlap between the two megacultures.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wfzp4cdcuYc

2. Christie Laume - “Rouge Rouge”

Whoa — so this song was recorded in 1967, but I just saw Christie Laume’s current website. So fascinating: she just wrote a book called “The Last Love of Edith Piaf.” Her brother Theo married Edith Piaf, and Christie Laume stayed with them for a while. Eventually Piaf asked her to sing and started bringing her out on tour. Now her book about them is described as “the story that only Christie, who loved them so much, can reveal from living with Edith and Theo at their invitation… The heartfelt story of their great love is beyond the difference in their age and physical appearance.” Oh and she’s recently “turned totally to the Lord Jesus Christ.” So that’s all a pretty surprising catchup on the gal who sang about turning red.

3. Alèmayèhu Eshèté - “Tchero Adari Nègn”

We’ve been following Ethiopian music in jazz and rock and pop-reggae, but this is the most James Brown inflection I’ve yet heard from there. But I love how it also sounds so specifically Ethiopian funk in structure and melody.

I am saddened to report that Eshèté died this last year, on September 2, 2021, in Addis Ababa. Thousands of people gathered at Meskel Square to pay tribute.

4. Bruisey Peets - “Zabadee”

We miss you, Bruisey! We’ve been thinking about you. Friends, Ben is a tourmate of long standing, currently I believe in New Orleans, consistently making new and interesting stuff.

- N’draman Blintch - “Self Destruction”

This is taken from a pretty disturbing song about the end of the world. As bed music I must say it reflects how I feel these days, where there’s just a background narrative of destructive practices not getting restrained in any way. Life is good, I love my actual lived life, but the big stuff is just so alarming all the time and feels so destructive.

5. The Exploding Hearts - “Modern Kicks”

I had a heart attack on December 1. It took me by complete surprise, and now as far as I can tell I am… all better? More better? Julian sent this record when he heard, which is incredibly kind, especially because it rocks so hard and good.

6. Dur-Dur Band - “Dooyo”

One of Somalia’s greatest bands, active and prolific through the ‘80s. They have a few different periods and styles within that era, not all of which are my favorites, but this recording is absolutely perfect, right down to the final cassette format that shapes the entire sound. A vivid reminder that Somalia had a rich cultural life before everything crumbled. Worth remembering.

7. The Velvet Underground - “Sad Song” demo

The demos are as much a pleasure to listen to as the albums.

8. La Femme - “Où va le monde”

This is from 2016. They were making a push into the Anglo market while singing in French, which basically never succeeds, but I feel like most of the music lovers I know, pretty much all of whom speak English, would dig this song.

9. Desert Storm - “New Trition” - Hey Drag City

I got really excited about Desert Storm when I heard the ’94 “Hey Drag City” comp, started looking out for more and… there wasn’t any. Didn’t really get started as a band. I just want to hear more songs like this. There’s one 7” available, but I haven’t ever heard any of the songs off it, dammit.

Someone finally told me that this is one of Rian Murphy’s projects, who I know primarily as a collaborator with Will Oldham but who has been part of the Drag City world forever as both drummer and sales guy. Wish he woulda written a dozen more songs in the Desert Storm persona!

10. Shin Joong Hyun & Yup Juns - “Lady”

Korea’s hypercreative, dynamic composer across multiple decades and with tons of collaborators. Hyun was more than 15 years into his music career already when he put this trio together in 1974 and changed his whole approach to music.

A yupjun is like a penny, essentially cheap and worthless.

- N’draman Blintch - “Self Destruction”

11. Nicolas Repac - “Carambolage”

This song was released in 2021! Repac is from Paris, a jazz-based guitarist who eventually got seduced into the exact kinds of historical worldwide music we here at Secret Radio really enjoy, as well as the joys of pure production. He’d mostly set down his instrument for the mixing board, but apparently has been incorporating his guitars more and more into the pieces. There are definitely fascinating guitar flourishes throughout this piece. “Rhapsodic” is his third album, out on No Format! Records.

12. Juaneco Y Su Combo - “Me Robaron Mi Runa Mula”

Cumbia psicodélica from Pucallpa, Peru in 1972. They were part of a music style that was considered straight from the jungle.

13. The Fall - “US 80’s - 90’s”

From “Bend Sinister,” one of our favorite Fall albums of all time.

14. Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba - “Siran Fen” live at KEXP

Ngoni Ba is the band backing Bassekou Kouyate, who is not the singer but one of the lead instrumentalists. This video is a rewarding watch, cos you can see both how hard they go at their instruments and how little they move at all. Also, none of those are guitars. That wahhiest instrument is four-stringed and roughly mandolin-sized, for instance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWgqngywYt4

- Vengaboys - “We Like to Party”

15. Ezra Furman - “Restless Year”

16. Tshetsha Boys - “Uya Kwihi Ka Rose”

Recently I went diving into a whole subculture of South African music. Most of what I’ve heard come out of South Africa in the ‘70s and ‘80s doesn’t quite get to me… but there’s this whole other aesthetic that seems to be uniting glitchy digital production style with traditional singing and dancing. At least, that’s certainly what it looks like. Which isn’t to say this is traditional music… but it does seem to include real traditions that are both contemporary and long-running. Watching the way the fabric moves in two different directions at once, while the dancers barely seem to be moving beyond their hips, is mesmerizing.

17. France Gall - “L’Amerique”

18. Camille Bigeault - “Hi hat in 4 vs kick in 5 and snare/groove in 6”

Camille Bigeault is a savant of polyrhythms — it’s not just that she can work in multiple seemingly clashing cycles at one time, it’s that they somehow feel so musical and appealing. She’s throwing some crazy elements in there but she’s such a good drum writer that everything serves one giant, constantly rotating forward motion. She’s certainly one of my favorite drummers of the day. Weirdly, I haven’t seen her in a musical situation yet that has been enjoyable — when she drums to songs, I’m generally not feeling the composition, the dynamics, the style…. but when she drops a new polyrhythm, it’s pretty much always a jawdropper.

Definitely worth a watch:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aszx1u6AcQ

19. William Onyeabor - “Something You Will Never Forget”

Still somehow haven’t watched the movie about him.

20. Falco - “Der Kommissar”

OK, I’ll admit, something in this hits me right in the middle-school guys. I mean, the verse shapes are basically lifted straight from Tone Loc, with which I have squirmy associations. Why? I think literally Tone Loc = puberty soundtrack. School dances. But in his favor: Falco is also an incredibly silly guy to look at. I’m pretty sure he’s making his very best attempt to look cool in his video — but it’s also indistinguishable from a video someone would make if they wanted to parody this song. While the chorus is undeniably appealing, the further you get into the song, the more it has that oh-no-it’s-an-enthusiastic-impression-of-rap-and-rap-culture feel that I believe is now known simply as “cringe.” And appropriation. Even still, it’s a true international artifact.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-bgiiTxhzM

- West Side Story - “Overture”

21. Super Mama Djombo - “Sûr Di Nô Pubis”

From Guinea-Bissau, a fairly small country just below Senegal on the westernmost coast of Africa. They met as Boy Scouts in the mid-’60s— the youngest was 6 years old! They became associated with the new country’s independence when it happened in 1974 and became part of the political scene there. Both political and popular, they eventually recorded in Spain and released their first album “Na Cambança” in 1980 (which is what this track comes from) — right as the young country’s government got thrown out of power.

22. Paige Brubeck - “Boys Keep Swinging”

A swatch of “Lodger” Bowie recorded by Tim Gebauer at Electropolis in St. Louis.

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CX1gkLcB_bv/

23. Françoise Hardy - “L’età Dell’Amore”

24. Nahid Aktar - “Devi Gi Dang Maar” from the soundtrack to “Sher-E-Babbar” by Tafo

- West Side Story - “Overture”

25. Jimi Hendrix - “Auld Lang Syne”

Thank you Josh for introducing this essential New Year’s Eve experience to us last night. Recorded live at the Fillmore East as 1969 turned into 1970. Cheers to wringing out the old and ringing in the new!

[inflagranteinnuendo]

can we please please get rafael in paris speaking french? (i know from your about page that one of you speaks french and i'm just taking advantage of this) thanks a million!!!!!!

bonjour, c’est christine

êtes-vous ready pour les honhonhons et croissants fourrés au rafael 😏 , mes très chers et chères motherfuckers? 

(image credit x)

A tranquille stroll in the Versailles garden, languid kisses on cobblestoned avenues, shared Romanée-Conti 2011 over tender agneau au jus de truffle…

It felt like a honeymoon.

When you had first landed at Charles de Gaulle, with your rusty B+ average AP French and your Cubano-Americano boyfriend in tow, you had felt an apprehension like no other when you had set foot in the lobby of your very French, very elegant hotel. 

But to your utter surprise, your very sharp boyfriend had tout de suite started rolling his Rs the French way, starting with “bonjour mademoiselle”, followed closely by a self-assured, rapid-fire “oui, la suite présidentielle, s’il vous plaît, merci.”

As you ascended the opulent marble stairs to your aforementioned suite présidentielle, you shook yourself out of your stunned daze in time to catch a smirking Rafael Barba with a shell-shocked, “Where and when the hell did you learn to speak French?”

“Freshman year, Harvard,” he had winked at you. 

In response, your head had started to chant voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir? in true Moulin Rouge fashion, complete with the peek-a-boo frills and feathers behind which your apprehension furtively retreated.

The moment your suite’s door had slammed behind the bellhop, you had sidled up to your very hot, very sharp, very accomplished Cubano-American boyfriend, and, while scratching the hollow of his throat with a fingernail teasingly, had purred, “Well, mon cher procureur, I look forward to receiving your éducation.”

The first item on the curriculum at the Finishing School of Rafael Barba: touches.

Rafael’s touches came in gradation of intrusiveness upon your person. In Manhattan, where the prominent public persona of an attorney cut the masses in halves of political discontent and acclamation, touches were elusive. They were cloaked in the conspiratorial covertness of a quiet whisper, across the back of your hand as he unintentionally grazed it with the back of his, as the both of you ate up the pavement with business-casual strides in lieu of a romantic, candlelit dinner.

In Paris, where the anonymity of foreigners is only broken by the outstanding –a standard of dress and manner toward which nor Rafael, nor you strived– touches were free. They were as liberated as the French were from the iron fist of the church and monarchy in the age of the Enlightenment. 

The touches stroked across your bare clavicles, as Rafael curled an arm around your shoulders to pull you into his body, as if the weight of you against his chest were a necessary prerequisite to contemplating the fall of an angled chisel upon stone. Then, in the next breath, La Joconde: a timeless, transcendental witness to the urgent, forward press of Rafael’s hips into the small of your back.

The touches also brushed your bare shins under the dinner table, as Rafael instigated a juvenile game of footsie in rebellious contrast to the posh lavishness of your chosen restaurant of the night, pushing the boundaries of French sensibilities up and away, along with the hem of your skirt.

Vive la révolution française, as they say.

The second item on the curriculum at the Finishing School of Rafael Barba: kisses.

If touches were elusive in Manhattan, then kisses were hallucinatory, practically hypothetical, with how fleetingly scant and insubstantially flimsy they befell your person. They materialized in the null spaces prescribed by the office of law and framed by prosecutorial virtues. They were stolen, constrained behind the closed doors of an overpriced mortgaged property, after justice has been served and before the violation of constitutional rights threatened peace. 

In Paris, Rafael’s kisses were as unrestrained as the sprawl of lush vegetation at the Jardin du Luxembourg, and as French as the history-rich soil upon which you stood. Upon this land, Marie-Antoinette had lost her head to the anger of her people; upon it, you lost yours to the playful nibble Rafael gave the bottom of your pout. To her famished people, Marie-Antoinette had nonsensically cried “let them eat cake!” To your starvation for his lips upon yours, Rafael had indulged the both of you in endless kisses, each and every one a flambé of buttery sweetness that remained unparalleled, even by the intricate pastries favoured by the last of the French monarch. 

As the both of you perused the Parisian skyline atop the tour Eiffel in search for some promised beauty in the outlines of mismatched roofs breaking skies, Rafael boxed you in with steady arms and breathed a hot, wet breath against the shell of your ear in ominous forecast. Before long, he rained kisses along your hairline, carelessly letting them roll down the slope of your neck, letting them pool in the hollow of your throat, startling laughs and shivers and gasps out of you. 

The kisses Rafael shared with you in the privacy of your suite had the heaviness, the momentum, and the certainty of a continuance, granted to you by the rapid rise of unfulfilled longing for each other, untempered by the conventions that dictated civilized order beyond the doors of your suite, and unhindered by the layers of unspoken pronouncements that draped your bodies. These kisses were unabridged, unlike the case laws that oft tumbled pass Rafael’s lips. Those were kisses that knotted one’s soul to the tail end of another’s: finite and infinite, a sum of two within which contained a forever expanding universe.

And the third item on the curriculum at the Finishing School of Rafael Barba: seduction.

Throughout your life, men had unwittingly chased the idea of you, each idea as divergently reductionist as the next, hatched over the time it took for a glance, a word, a turn of head. Rafael Barba had been the same: he was merely a man, after all. But he had found purchase in the familiarity of your accoutrements, of your erudition and had not felt the need to strip you down with his hands to construe the shape of you. He was an attorney, the legacy of two centuries of his forefathers’ scholarship, and so he crafted you the way he crafted his arguments: complex, potent, with an edge of aphrodisia bordering on indelicacy if not for his irrefutable respect and your steadfast humour. 

And edge you, he did: first with words, then touches and kisses, then the unhurried slide of his cock –hurtling you further and further on, toward the threshold of a climax to which only he and he alone possess the key to twist, pull and push as he pleased. He was merely a man, but where any other man blindly chased the idea of your pleasure, Rafael stilled to listen, to see, to feel, taste, and smell. He did not chase– he founded your pleasure, and set out to build upon it centuries’ and civilizations’ worth of worship, the history of which he etched upon your hips with half-crescent indents of his nails, traced upon your neck with swirls of his tongue, and seared into you with each grind of his cock. Your body was a memoir of his acts of love and reverence. In return, you used his as a blank canvas, onto which you painted exclamations of tenderness and adoration à la Jackson Pollock: spontaneous, blatant, raucous, and primitive.

Paris invited the hours to loiter and the minutes to stretch out, not unlike a sated cat sunbathing atop a windowsill on a Sunday afternoon. Ever an opportunist, Rafael took these freely given moments in hand and weaved you into the linens previously tucked into the prim corners of your bed, turned down and spread out for your carnal pleasures. And you, tangled in the lust of his gaze, folded into scraps of soft lace and silk that spoke to offerings in expanses of yet unconquered flesh and to prophecies of delight– you beckoned him to you. With one crooked finger and a come hither in equal measures of open thighs and tilted neck, you beckoned; and who was he to resist such allure?

“Si belle, si envoûtante, mon amour,” Rafael murmured against the peak of your breast, watching you watch him bite down once again, watching you rut up to take more of him into you. “Veux-tu venir? Veux-tu que je vienne en toi?”

“Oui,” you gasped, turning your head to kiss the open palm that curved along your cheek lovingly, “s’il te plaît, Rafael, s’il te plaît!” You begged, breathless and mindless with the promise of his deliverance. 

There was no sight more exquisite than your lover’s capitulation to his basest instincts. Rafael made a living out of his cerebral intellect, employing his physicality solely to instigate and punctuate a verbal brawl. In his surrender to la petite mort, it was his body that he used to close the argument between his love for you and yours for him. 

“Oh, si, ça me plaît,” Rafael groaned, unable to take his eyes nor his hands off your body, as if by fear that you’d dissolve in the apex of your pleasure should he fail to bear witness to its unravelling. 

À l'œuvre, on connaît l'artisan.

And he would be damned to let you finish your éducation française without a déluge à la crème. 

Translations

Procureur –prosecutor

Vive la révolution française –long live the French revolution (a phrase commonly uttered)

Si belle, si envoûtante, mon amour –so beautiful, so bewitching, my love

Veux-tu venir? Veux-tu que je vienne en toi? –Do you want to come? Do you want me to come in you?

S’il te plaît –if it pleases you (direct translation; usually just means ‘please’)

La petite mort –the little death (i.e., orgasm)

Si, ça me plaît –yes, it pleases me (i.e., Raf is just being a cheeky lil shite as always)

À l'œuvre, on connaît l'artisan –a workman is known by his chips (i.e., you can recognize the artist by the quality of his work, which is me being a cheeky lil shite because of the next bullet point)

déluge à la crème –not a conventional saying but it’s exactly what you think it is. i mean you did beg him to come in you, so……..

Special thanks to @adacarisi, @mrsrafaelbarba, and @writefasttalkevenfaster for your patience as i word vomited all over the place. 

[greenbagjosh]

27 April 2001 - andouille for lunch, Chaplin statue spotted and percussion festival in Lausanne

Grüezi Mitenand!  Bonjour!  Buongiorno!  Hi everyone!

Thank you for joining me on the ninth day of the April 2001 journey.  Today is Friday the 27th April 2001.

Today we will stay in the French speaking part of Switzerland for the most part, and cross into France at Moillesullaz.  I never tried that on my previous visits to Geneva until today.  Also this time will be successful in seeing the Charlie Chaplin statue in Vevey.

I woke up about 8 AM and had breakfast at the hostel restaurant.  It was included in the overnight stay price.  It was not much different than what I would usually get at the hostel in Zürich.  I took a shower about 8:45 AM and was ready to leave the hostel about 9:20 after I made sure all my camera batteries were charged up.  I caught the bus at 9:35 AM to the Ouchy cog rail station to go up to the station so I could catch the 9:57 AM train to Genève / Geneva CFF nonstop.  The train passed Renens VD where the current M1 train terminates and ends up at Flon where I was last night and where I would also end up later that evening.  The train arrived in Geneva about 10:33 AM.  At 10:38 AM I boarded a tram for Moillesullaz in the east, long past Gare des Eaux Vives.  The last station in Switzerland with a proper traffic signal is Graveson in the city of Thônex GE, and the next one is Moillesullaz where the tram line 12 turns around to return to Geneva.  At Moillesullaz is also the border with France.  Only recently was the tram line 17 extended to the Annemasse SNCF rail station.  At 11:25 AM, I crossed the border and the guards just waved me through.  

I walked maybe a quarter mile down Rue de Genève until I found a grocery store.  I went into the SPAR grocery store, in particular looked for a baguette, cold cuts and goat cheese, and Orangina orange soda.  I found something very interesting in the deli section, namely andouille sausage.  I bought that, and walked back to Moillesullaz.  I crossed back into Switzerland at 11:55 AM to take the next tram 12.  Incidentally, years later, a tram stop was built at Gaillard-Libération.  Where I stayed in December 2016, the bus stop La Tour was demolished, so now I have the choice of the tram line 17 stations of Libération or Millet.

While the tram 12 was going to Palettes, someone with a sweet dog on a leash had boarded the tram about 12:20.  It looked like a cross between a basset and a beagle.  I took a photo about 12:23 PM.  It was behaving itself very well, and did not make a mess for its hooman owner to clean up.  Right after that, the tram crossed the River Arve into Carouge GE.  It eventually went to Lancy-Bachet before it reached Palettes.  At Palettes, the train terminated and turned back, there was no connection at the time, towards Lancy-Pont-Rouge, a northbound stretch to Stand near Bel-Air or the Sécheron rail station.  The only way back to Geneva by the tram was through Carouge and Bel Air.  In the meantime, I went to a park bench, made a sandwich with the andouille sausage, goat cheese and baguette.  Tasted very interesting.  The andouille looked like it was thinly rolled twenty times.

About 1:50 PM I arrived at Bel-Air Cité and walked towards the Jardin Anglais to see the Flower Clock.  The Flower Clock had its face completely changed from the two previous times I visited, March 2000 and September 2000.  For 2001, the numbers were not clear, so you would have to imagine the white spots as the hour markings.  At 2:09 PM I walked to the lake and was able to see the Jet d'Eau, the big fountain.  I thought to myself, how close could I get?  It would take half an hour to get to the spout, and even then, it would not be safe to get too close as a result of the water pressure.  At 2:26 I was able to walk to the Quai Gustave Ador at the intersection of Rue du 31 Décembre.  Staying on land was the safest option, since walking across the jetty towards the spout, you would run the risk of being sprayed undesirably in case the wind were to change direction all of a sudden.  

I went back to the rail station at 3:00 PM, bought a train ticket for Brig to Milan on the Cisalpino (not covered by Swiss Pass), and caught a 3:30 PM train to Vevey via Lausanne.  The train arrived in Vevey about 4:30 PM.  I had researched the route to get to the Charlie Chaplin statue, that was one block away from the Nestlé headquarters.  At 4:45 PM I was able to see The Little Tramp himself.  I was very glad to have taken the time to return to Vevey, as I had botched the last visit in September 2000, as it was late that Saturday evening.  This time was a success.

Before leaving for Lausanne, I went to a grocery store to buy some chocolates.  I bought a box of mixed chocolates, and some sugar-free chocolate as well.  I hoped my work colleagues would appreciate quality chocolates.  About 6 PM I took a train back to Lausanne.  It arrived in Lausanne about 6:20 PM.

I wanted to ride the LEB train.  I knew that the Swiss Pass was valid, and that it terminated in Flon, so getting to the terminus station was not a problem.  That day, there was a percussion music festival, so while I was waiting for the LEB train to go to Romanel, I heard a percussion band play a couple of songs.  I could not tell you the compositions but it sounded very good.  The band must have rehearsed for a long time.  I do not know where or what I had for supper that evening.

I wandered around Romanel from 7:50 PM until 8:20 PM, before I took the LEB train back to Flon.  There was a carneval setup in addition to the percussion festival.  At some stage, I guess 9:20 PM, there was a parade of the band, so I took a minute or two of footage of their playing.  I went for a final drink before heading back to the hostel at 10:30 PM.  

Tomorrow is the last travel day by train, and I reach my final destination of Milan, Italy.  I may not even get to stay at the hotel that I booked.  We will see how it goes.  Please join me then.

Auf wiederluege!  Au revoir!  Arrivederci!  Goodbye!

[wewillpunkyou]

Album : Casey - Where I Go When I Am Sleeping (Sortie 16/03/2018)

           Ce n’est peut être déjà plus un secret pour vous : chez We Will Punk You! on vénère Casey avec une intensité rare. Après les avoir suivis au Royaume-Uni en mai dernier, en première partie de la tournée anglaise de Boston Manor, nous n’avons pas pu résister à l’appel du Kerrang! tour où ces deux groupes figuraient également à l’affiche. Tom Weaver (chant), Max Nicolai (batterie), Adam Smith (basse), Liam Torrance (guitare) et Toby Evans (guitare et 2ème voix) nous ont fait découvrir leur nouveau single Fluorescents quelques jours avant le début de cette tournée, et le 16 mars prochain, les gallois sortent leur tant attendu deuxième album studio, Where I Go When I Am Sleeping, que nous avons pu écouter et dont nous vous parlons aujourd’hui sur le blog !

[Disclaimer : il n’y a pas vraiment d’objectivité lorsque nous parlons de Casey. Ils sont merveilleux et c’est indiscutable.]

           En décembre dernier, nous avons ainsi repris la route avec une seule hâte; revoir sur scène nos groupes adorés et découvrir en live le nouveau single de Casey. L'enchaînement des quatre sets s’est fait avec une simplicité rare. Les fans se sont retrouvés de façon aisée, admirant dans un premier temps la poésie légendaire de Casey. Incroyable, merveilleux, saisissant ; tant d’adjectifs pouvant expliquer notre bouleversement face à la douce mélodie que les gallois créent sur scène. À Glasgow, Tom Weaver nous a fait l’agréable surprise de venir chanter au milieu de la foule pendant l’entièreté du set. Posté seul contre son pied de micro, les musiciens se débattant, eux, sur scène, il nous délivre des chansons puissantes, des hurlements de détresse à faire trembler les murs (comprendre : nos entrailles) et une déclamation de texte à faire pleurer même les plus résistants (pas nous, nous pleurions déjà avant qu’ils entrent en scène). Sans surprise, l’écoute de Fluorescents en live nous a laissé sans voix et particulièrement impatientes d’entendre le reste de l’album.

Nous avons également profité de l’opportunité pour nous entretenir à Glasgow avec Tom Weaver, chanteur/crieur/poète de Casey, pour en savoir plus sur l’une des sorties de 2018 que nous attendions le plus. Après écoute intensive de ce dernier, nous pouvons affirmer qu’il gardera sa place dans notre top 5 final des albums de l’année. Where Do I Go When I Am Sleeping, c’est un mélange parfait entre espoir et abandon, c’est la beauté dans la douleur et la délivrance dans la culpabilité. Lorsque nous lui avons demandé à quoi nous devions nous attendre, sa réponse a été des plus simples : “C’est super cliché de dire ça, mais genre, ce qui est bruyant devient plus bruyant, ce qui est doux devient plus doux,… en réalité, tout est plus intense parce que l’aspect personnel devient plus personnel, et l’aspect identitaire devient plus pertinent…tout s’intensifie par rapport à là où on en était avec Love Is Not Enough [leur premier album].”

  L’inspiration pour cet album découle directement de la santé de Tom; physique et mentale, et c’est particulièrement ce qui le rend si vrai et si brutal. Tom souffre, entre autres, de colite ulcéreuse, d’ostéoporose (la maladie des os fragiles) et de maniaco-dépression. Survivant par ailleurs d’une crise cardiaque et d’un accident de voiture assez grave, il a dû faire plusieurs séjours à l'hôpital, notamment au début de l’année 2017; épisode qui lui a inspiré Fluorescents. Tom sait qu’il a échappé à la mort de nombreuses fois et ce sentiment de culpabilité face à son existence crée une très grande vulnérabilité chez lui, qui se ressent dans chaque chanson et jusqu’à sa présence sur scène; qui rend le groupe plus attachant et auquel il devient si évident de s’identifier. Nous parlons beaucoup de lui mais Casey c’est aussi quatre extraordinaires musiciens, qui comprennent et vivent aussi ces situations douloureuses relatives à la santé mentale. Si la particularité de Casey réside essentiellement dans les paroles et cette façon si particulière de déclamer les textes, il nous paraît tout de même important de souligner le talent de Max, Adam, Toby et Liam. Il pourrait sembler compliqué de jouer des chansons si personnelles chaque soir sur scène, devant un public rempli d’inconnus, mais Tom nous explique qu’au contraire, pour Fluorescents déjà, puis pour les autres chansons de l’album, ce sera plus facile qu’avec les chansons du premier. “En ce qui concerne l’aspect live, ces chansons sont vraiment différentes de celle de l’album précédent; dans le sens où Love Is Not Enough est essentiellement émotionnel. Dessus je ne chante qu’à propos de choses que j’ai ressenti sur le moment alors que le nouvel album est surtout à propos de ma santé. Ce sont des événements, des choses qui me sont arrivées et comment je me sens face à ça, ça n’a aucune incidence car ce sont juste des expériences que j’ai vécues... Donc comment je me sens quand je les chante sur scène devant un public, ça n’a pas beaucoup d’importance puisqu’au final je raconte simplement une histoire à propos de quelque chose qui m’est véritablement arrivé plutôt qu’une expérience émotionnelle. C’est une expérience physique. C’est comme si je chantais à propos de comment j’ai joué au football au parc hier VS. ce que j’ai ressenti en jouant au football au parc hier.” Mais dans les faits, ça n’a vraiment pas l’air si simple qu’il nous le décrit. Il y a des paroles sur certaines chansons qui sont tellement puissantes, et qui racontent des situations si douloureuses que même sans les avoir vécues vraiment, ça fait mal (mais nous y reviendrons un peu plus tard.) En attendant, on a vraiment hâte de pouvoir découvrir leur nouveau set à l’occasion de leur prochaine tournée anglaise/européenne avec Endless Heights et Rarity ainsi que lors de leur release party à Londres le 17 mai.

 “I know that it's love, but what if I'm not enough?”

 Sur cet album, le groupe nous présente douze chansons, dont trois singles sont déjà écoutables partout (Fluorescents, Phosphenes et Bruise). Dès sa sortie, Fluorescents a su nous conquérir et nous séduire par tous ses aspects: paroles, instrumental, puissance en live, refrain entraînant, alternance entre chant clair et cris déchirants, envie de hocher la tête de haut en bas, etc., etc. De ce trio, c’est cependant Bruise qui retiendra particulièrement notre attention, notamment de par sa haute connexion avec Love Is Not Enough et particulièrement avec la chanson Bloom. Bruise, c’est le délicieux passage d’une ère à une autre. C’est l’acceptation de la maladie et l’espoir que les choses s’améliorent encore. Tom nous raconte comment ses tremblements ont cessé et ce qui a changé ces six dernières années. Les lignes “I know my mother still worries from time to time, I guess after so long she's learning to realise more often than not when I'm silent it means that I'm already sorry, for not speaking up, for not using my voice to talk about what I've been going through” font automatiquement penser aux paroles de Bloom: “My mother knows that I am sick but I hate that she can't understand that whilst I am grateful for her love it won't stop the shaking of my hands”. Il y a un vrai contraste entre Bruise et les autres chansons de l’album, mais on y retrouve dans toutes les autres aussi des références et des fils connectant toutes les chansons de Casey entre elles. C’est, à mon avis, particulièrement ce qui en fait des génies. Nous suivons l’histoire et son évolution, tout en gardant une certaine distance qui permet de s’y plonger sans s’y noyer.

  C’est en écrivant cet article que nous nous rendons compte de l’envie urgente de citer tout l’album tant les paroles sont passionnées. Mais sur les douze chansons, il faut aussi noter que trois d’entre elles sont des pistes instrumentales de la plus grande beauté. Tout d’abord &, qui amorce parfaitement le passage de Fluorescents à Phosphenes; puis Morphine, qui, fidèle à son nom, est aussi soulageante qu’addictive et enfin Where I Go When I Am Sleeping, titre éponyme qui rappelle avec un vif déchirement au coeur la raison pour laquelle l’album se nomme ainsi. Tom l’explique; “C’est juste une phrase qui résume l’album sans que ce soit vraiment intentionnel. C’est commode que les chansons traitent de sujets qui se rapportent les uns aux autres, et il y a un fil conducteur qui relie toutes les chansons, comme sur Love Is Not Enough. ’Sleeping’ est une métaphore utilisée pour parler d’un espèce d’état déconnecté de dépression et aussi pour décrire l’état que provoque une lourde prise de médicaments qui m’a été prescrite et que je dois continuer à prendre aujourd’hui. Ces médicaments me provoquent une extrême fatigue et des pertes de conscience. C’est aussi de là que vient l’illustration de l’album; c’est une représentation artistique de la structure neuronale du cerveau. Le fil rouge représente les décisions conscientes des pensées et de l’esprit et le fil bleu représente le subconscient. ça représente comment les deux fils sont directement connectés entre eux et comment les craintes peuvent être emmêlées entre elles d’une certaine façon.”

 En ce qui concerne les chansons avec paroles, le processus d’écriture de Tom est étonnant. Nous lui avons demandé comment il parvenait à écrire des textes aussi sincères et bruts que Fluorescents et voilà ce qu’il nous a confié: “Je galère un peu à écrire des textes avec beaucoup d’avance, ou en tout cas des chansons entières ; je suis plutôt bon quand il s’agit d’écrire des morceaux de chansons mais après, c’est quand on doit vraiment les finir que je les approfondis. Fluorescents est une des chansons que j’ai écrite pendant qu’on était en studio pour quatorze jours. On a commencé à enregistrer la voix le onzième jour et le soir du dixième jour, notre réalisateur Brad Wood m’a dit « Oh, je t’ai demandé de m’envoyer toutes tes paroles par email…? » et j’étais là genre « Oui, je l’ai fait ! ». Il a répondu « Ok mais j’ai reçu que six chansons… » ; donc j’ai dit « Ben oui c’est parce que j’ai écrit que six chansons ! ». Et il était là genre « Est-ce que…est-ce que tu comptes écrire les autres ? », j’ai simplement répondu que oui, oui, j’allais les écrire le soir et il m’a dit « Ben tu pourrais pas genre… les écrire maintenant ? ». J’ai soupiré : « Bon, ok ! », puis je suis monté dans ma chambre, j’ai mis mes écouteurs et je me suis posé pendant deux heures pour tout écrire. Ensuite, je suis redescendu, je lui ai envoyé les paroles, il a regardé et il m’a dit « Tu viens de les écrire là, maintenant ? »”. C’est peut-être aussi ce qui rend l’évolution des thèmes abordés dans les chansons si connectés entre eux et qui rend l’album si particulier. L’album démarre avec Making Weight, la piste numéro 1. Elle est aussi douce (dans la mélodie) qu’elle est amère (dans le texte) et laisse dès sa première écoute une vague sensation de détresse et d’abandon. Tom revient ainsi, en rétrospective, sur l’impact qu’à sa maladie et de sa prise de médicaments, à la fois sur lui et sur les autres. Elle termine sur un assez triste sentiment d’insignifiance et d’incapacité qui restera très présent tout au long de l’album. “I was embarrassed to speak up because a "man" should be able to care for himself, I shouldn't need medication to make it through the day”.

 Wavering s’annonce déjà plus brutale. On y retrouve la batterie endiablée de Max Nicolai et la puissance des guitares. Ce qui semble au début être une acceptation du fait que Tom a besoin d’aide (“Oh, how it pains me to admit it, but I'm far from self-sufficient [...] I've always been ashamed to say that maybe I need help but it's either that, or face the fact I may end up killing myself”) s’annonce en réalité être une lettre à lui-même pour dans 10 ans (“So, this is an open letter to myself in ten years' time: I'm sorry if you're not around to read this, I swear that I tried”). Les trois suivantes, Phosphenes, &, et Fluorescents, s’inscrivent dans une progression logique des aspects négatifs et traumatisants des médicaments et de l’hôpital : “The irony I face is that whenever I try to medicate my aches, it kills the only part of me that makes me want to stay”. Dans la même veine, Flowers By The Bed relance aussi les références à l’importance de la parole et l’impossibilité d’exprimer ses ressentis, ainsi que le thème floral très présent sur Love Is Not Enough. En parlant de ce premier album, la 7ème piste de WIGWIAS, Needlework, est probablement celle qui s’en rapproche le plus, de par les métaphores utilisées et la douceur des instruments… En revanche, on note un détachement plus prononcé et, encore une fois, une acceptation marquée du passé.

 “My cynicism serves no purpose, and my love is not enough”

 Reste ainsi deux titres à découvrir: The Funeral et Wound. Émotionnellement, ce sont probablement les deux plus fortes de l’album. Pour la première, cela s’explique par un instrumental très présent; une batterie rythmée et entraînante qui nous rappelle les débuts du groupe (avec Hell et Fade). C’est l’une des favorites des membres de Casey et celle qu’ils ont, apparemment, le plus hâte de nous faire découvrir. Pour nous c’est Wound, la dernière piste présente sur Where I Go When I Am Sleeping. Elle provoque une grosse crise de larmes aux trois premières écoutes et brise encore un peu le cœur à chaque fois que les premières notes se lancent. Elle se termine par un monologue d’une puissance incroyable, décrivant une scène familiale entre Tom et son frère autiste d’une intensité remarquable. C’est si joli, si bien décrit. La scène se joue d’elle même à l’écoute et fait soupirer bêtement. C’est aussi une scène de craquage, qui dépeint la difficulté à tout garder pour soi quand on ne sait pas comment l’exprimer : “I'd been feeling low for a while, but I never truly felt comfortable speaking about it”. Dans ce sens, la chanson se termine sur un merveilleux message d’espoir qui se conclut ainsi: “In all the ways that I am weak, I am also strong; learning how to speak gave me the strength to carry on”. C’est à la fois une réponse à l’idée de faiblesse dans Fluorescents qui s’inverse alors (“In every way that I am strong, I am also weak”) et à l’incapacité d’élever la voix et de s’exprimer sur ce qu’il ressent. Il semble alors évident de croire que, pour Tom, cet album est libérateur et délivre un message fort: si tu vas mal, parles-en.

Voilà. Where I Go When I Am Sleeping, c’est ça. Une histoire très personnelle, mêlant toujours mains tremblantes, éclosion de fleurs et paroles cathartiques. Du Casey pur et puissant, une avalanche d’émotions, de quoi satisfaire les oreilles à tous les niveaux et encore plein de surprises à découvrir à l’écoute.

[thegrassisaalwaysgreener]

Peru- Part 1

              Turning 30 can be quite daunting to some. While I wasn’t totally terrified, I did want to hit one more continent before the big 3-0. My initial goal was all 7 continents by 30, but that darn Antarctica is quite pricey. I “settled” for six and had planned a magical trip to Peru with my fave travel buddy Jill. Since we had planned on trekking the Inca Trail, we had booked the tour part of our trip almost a year in advance. We had done tons of research (mostly Jill to be honest) and we had decided to go with Tucan Travel for their tour. They had great reviews and had tons of options for duration and location of tours. We decided on the 4 day Inca trail along with an amazon jungle trip at the end. We were planning to be away for just under 3 weeks and wanted to pack as much into this trip as possible.           Most people who hear Peru think Machu Picchu, but this country has so much to offer! I have decided to split the blog up into two since writing 3 jam packed weeks all out (and reading it!) is a bit exhausting in one go. This first blog will be all about our trip before Machu Picchu and the second one will be all about our amazing trek in the Valley of the Incas.

Sunday September 22, 2019         Thanks to Air Canada breaking a suitcase of mine, I was able to use a discount to purchase our tickets. We paid around 600$ round trip for the tickets- which was a steal. The price was a steal until I realized the day before our trip that we were flying AC Rouge. Surprisingly, our 8-hour flight was pretty decent. We were in a two seat row and received a hot dinner and snack before landing at about 0100 Peru Time (0200 Toronto time). Monday September 23, 2019         We had booked a flight north to the beach town of Mancora, but that wasn’t leaving until mid-morning. Jill found a great B&B that was only a few kms away from the airport and boasted 24 hour check in with free breakfast. After an extensive customs assessment with fingerprints and photos, we hopped into an Uber and paid about $7.00 to get the B&B Cusing Wasi .The B&B was easy to miss as there were no signs and seemed to be just another gated home in a not so desirable area. Once we confirmed the address and saw some lights turn on, the owner of the B&B greeted us around 0210. The kind faced, Spanish-speaking owner led us to our room that had three beds and a bathroom. While the B&B hallways were fairly busy with people coming and going, it was great to put our feet up and sleep for a few hours.        Breakfast was included and the owners’ wife made us fresh eggs with toast, lunch meat and fruit. After thanking our lovely guests and clearing up our $50 bill, we got back into an Uber to the airport. Our flights with Viva Air from Lima to Mancora had been fairly inexpensive at about $160 each return (more to come about Viva Air…) including “fast lane access” and our checked bags. We made it through security and our check-in in just over an hour. We thought we had plenty of time before boarding, but apparently they start boarding much earlier than at home. We hopped on the bus to the plane and enjoyed our emergency row seats to ourselves for the 2.5 hour flight.        We arrived in Talara mid-morning and grabbed our bags en route to picking the best taxi offer. As with most airports, there were tons of people offering to take us wherever we needed to go. The prices ranged from 100-150 soles (50-60$ can). We paid just over 50 to be driven the hour or so long trip from Talara Airport into Mancora. After the mildly stressful drive, we finally found our street at the very end of the beach strip. The owner of the AirBnb Gilberto, met us at the front gate and escorted us to our beach house. Gilberto lived on the property with his two dogs (Max and Willow) in the largest of the 3 homes. He had two similarly styled set up Airbnbs along with a cute lounge area outside with a swing, some beach chairs and couches. Each of the beach homes had a small sitting area, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom with a deck out front with beautiful ocean views.        We dropped off our stuff in the small sitting area before checking out the rest of the place. The Airbnb was pretty cute and similar to the description. The bedroom had two twin beds with a towel and sheet on it and the bathroom was just what you would need. We changed out of our travel clothes and headed down to the beach for a wander. The beach was quiet and beautiful. We walked along the water towards town, checking out the many hotels/hostels and restaurants on the way. We stopped at La Tranka for our first lunch. La Tranka is one of many restaurants on Mancoras busy main strip. The town of Mancora has a population of just over 10,000 and is a popular beach destination for Peruvians and other South Americans thanks to its beautiful beaches and great surfing. The majority of people that we saw were locals visiting the area for some R&R. We realized at lunch how important Google translate was going to be on this trip as the menu was only in Spanish. We ordered our first Peruvian drinks (that were pretty cheap ranging from 15-20 soles or 5-8$ Canadian) before settling on the “tortillas with shrimp” for Jill and the ceviche and “chicharron” mix for me. After all of the cooking shows I’d watched, I thought I was in for a pork treat with the chicharron. When our meals arrived, we were both very surprised. Jill had ordered a shrimp omelet (not a tortilla) and I had ordered an assortment of fried fish. While both of our meals were delicious, we learned a valuable lesson about translation. My ceviche was huge and filled with white fish, shrimp and squid. The portions were massive and we definitely didn’t finish all of our first true Peruvian meal.       After lunch, we wandered around the town and checked out the market. This market was rather interesting as it was multiple small stalls of individual vendors selling similar things such as fruit, eggs and vegetables along with packaged food. Since we didn’t really need much in terms of food to bring home (and most of it did not look all that appetizing unfortunately), we wandered in and out of the shops and started walking back towards the Airbnb during low tide, checking out all of the happy hour deals. During low tide, we could walk all the way from our Airbnb to the town without any issues on the beach. High tide (about 10 am and 11pm) would prove to be a different issue.       Since it was getting quite cold (way colder than we thought it would get), we grabbed sweaters and scarves to make our way to the Point Hostel who had 2 for 20 soles cocktails and grabbed our first Pisco sour of the trip. Pisco is an Peruvian drink (which we learned so much more about in our Pisco tour) mixed with some sort of citrus juice, sweetner and egg white while watching the beautiful sunset. After our drinks, we walked back home for a good nights rest!

Tuesday September 24, 2019       Gosh it was nice waking up to the sound of the ocean! Since it was high tide, we hopped in a TukTuk type cab to get into town (3-4 soles). We had a lovely breakfast of crepes with coffee and juice for $13 soles a piece at Bananas café before heading over to the Inka Warrior Surf School. We decided to get a surf lesson, as we both are poor surfers and wanted to try again. There are several surf schools in the area and all charge about the same (70 soles each) for a one-hour lesson, wet suit and full day access to the boards. Henry was Jill’s instructor and I had Barrone who were both excellent. We practiced on the sand first before heading into the water around 10 am with many other surfers (or learners). The guys were amazing at telling us when to stand up and made us feel like we could actually surf- spoiler alert, we can’t surf without help.       After our lesson, we were super exhausted, so we hung out for a bit before heading to a local spot for lunch that was suggested to us by our instructors. While it took us a while, we were not disappointed by the ceviche that we had at Logan Furia. This hole in the wall was owned and operated by someone’s Abuela and was clearly a local hang out. Our ceviche was a huge portion of various fish with plantain chips to dip. At 20 soles, we were more than full and headed back to the beach to relax before we gave surfing another shot. We didn’t realized (or at least I didn’t) how much work the instructors actually did for us. While we tried really hard, getting up on the boards was way more challenging than we thought and the waves were getting further and further apart with more choppy waters. Jill called it quits but I was determined to get up. I ended up sitting on my board for longer than I tried to get up and made a new friend in the process. Daniel is an artist from the UK and was travelling around, painting and drawing while exploring South America. We chatted while drifting basically all the way down the beach before realizing we should probably just head in. Jill and I met him for a drink at a hostel/bar on the beach before heading home.       We had planned to head to the lighthouse for sunset so rushed home to shower and dress in warmer clothes. We met Daniel back in town and picked up some wine for our stroll up to the top of the hill where the lighthouse is. The lighthouse has one of the best views (if not the best views) of the town. Jill and I have a pattern of chasing sunsets at lighthouses and did not stray from this pattern. We got a bit lost trying to find the trail and ended up in a lovely gentleman’s back yard. He had no idea what we were looking for (thanks to the language barrier and a poor game of charades) but somehow managed to help us find the proper trail. The sunset at the top of the lighthouse was amazing! We could see the whole town and the ocean looked magical. We enjoyed our wine before walking back down (very carefully as I had already taken one sweet wipe out) into town. Dinner was burgers on the beach at the same spot we had beers at. The server ended up getting our food from other vendors and overcharging us but we enjoyed our time nonetheless.       After dinner we headed to the Wild Rover Hostel, which was part of a chain of “party hostels” in several South American countries. We played some drinking games and enjoyed 2 for 20 soles cocktails for a very extended happy hour. The staff were probably the most intoxicated people there but we had a blast playing drinking games and making new friends. The hostel closed early (at 0100) so with the help of our surf instructors and other new friends, we managed to buy some beers to have on the beach before making our way back home.

Wednesday September 25, 2019         Already it was our last full day in Mancora! We started the day with a delicious, hung over breakfast overlooking the water at Green Eggs and Ham. The weather was just perfect! Since we had already done most of our shopping and town adventuring, we decided to enjoy the beach and lounge around for the day. I laid out on the beach cots with the pups and a random cat and caught up on my reading. That evening, we met some of our new friends for dinner at Tokuyo. This was the most popular sushi restaurant in the town and it did not disappoint. Since we had to be up early, we called it a night and headed home to pack and sleep the rest of our hangovers off. Thursday September 26, 2019           Sadly, we were saying goodbye to our mini beach vacay and our pup friends Willow and Max. After taking a photo in front of the cute Mancora sign, our taxi driver drove us back to the Talara Airport. When we arrived there, we were surprised to notice that it was very quiet. The security guard was confused on why we were there. I attempted to explain that we had a noon Viva Air flight and were there to check in. She explained that there was no such flight and I went into full on panic mode. A word to the wise, if you are ever booking flights in another language, make sure to translate it properly and re-read it multiple times. Viva Air had emailed me a few times asking to change the time of our flight. What I hadn’t realized was that they were also changing the date. I did not read the emails well enough and didn’t realize that they had changed our flight from the 26 to the 27th (the next day). They had given us the option to have our money back at the time of the change but if we agreed to the change, there was nothing they could do. My heart sank when I realized my mistake. We were told that the airport staff would be in at noon and we could speak to them then. This was 2 hours away! We couldn’t do much other than to sit and wait in the airport and read. Jill had used her roam like home (since the wifi at the Airbnb was subpar to say the least) so she was able to see that there were two Latam flights that day back into Lima. Normally, we would’ve just stayed in Talara for a day but we had booked a tour that was leaving early the next morning out of Lima and didn’t want to miss it. The airport staff didn’t arrive until well after 12 but we were able to get on the 1720 Latam flight for about $250 each. While this wasn’t the end of the world, I was super frustrated with myself for not realizing the change and being more organized with this flight (since being organized and anal attentive is one of my strengths in life).       Since we had plenty of time before our flight, we took a 4 soles tuk tuk into the town and went to a locally popular buffet call La Terraza. For $34 soles each, we enjoyed many different dishes including meats, rice noodles and a bizzare potatoe and tuna layered appetizer that we thought was a dessert. This place had great wifi so I was able to contact VivaAir who was not helpful in the slightest and wouldn’t do anything for us. Since there wasn’t much in the area, we went back to the airport and waited for our flight.        The Talara airport is really new, clean and well cooled. There is nowhere to buy anything to eat or drink other than a small cart and there is no wifi. This wasn’t a big deal for us but we had read reviews that there were places to eat and even a lounge (hard no). Our flight back to Lima was breezy, despite never being offered to buy food or water. Latam is a nicer airline than VivaAir with slightly more room in the seats and appeared cleaner.         By the time we got back to Lima, it was just before 7 and we grabbed an Uber from the airport to our hotel- Hotel Las Palmas. We grabbed our free pisco sours (which were horrific) and the only item on the menu at the time- burgers before going to bed early for our next adventure.

Friday September 27, 2019         Peru Hop is one of the smartest tour companies I have ever heard of. It was created by 3 guys who wanted to make travelling safe, cheap and fun throughout Peru/Bolivia. They have so many different packages and options- the possibilities are truly endless. They pick passengers up at a whole bunch of hotels in the big cities and take you to various towns throughout the country in nice coach buses. The tour guides speak a multitude of languages and are very knowledgeable. The tours often stop at not as well-known places and hidden gems. You can choose the length of the tour and when you get on and off if you’d like. We decided, since we didn’t have a ton of time, to do a 3 day planned trip south of Lima to a couple of neat towns. The cost of the trip was about $180 Canadian each, which covered the bus, some of the adventures we did and our shared accommodations.        We were picked up at Hotel Las Palmas bright and early @ 0700 after we had a nice continental breakfast at the hotel. We drove about 2 hours to Mirasur Resort. This was an interesting place that we could great breakfast at, as well as a delicious taste of a Peruvian drink called Emoliente. Emoliente is a sweet infused warm tea and was just the best after the bus ride. We explored the resort that had lots of guinea pigs (which we came to realize are not pets but food) along with some strange kids toys, open areas to do activities and various trees and plants including plantain trees. Jill and I had missed the explanation of the group activity but the basis of it was, whoever’s numbered mini house the guinea pig ran into, won a prize. Somehow, I had ended up with the winning number and won a shot of Pisco… at like 10 am. I felt peer pressured into taking it and almost vomited after but it was all in the name of fun right?! Once everyone had finished their breakfast and bathroom breaks (FYI, in Peru, you cannot put toilet paper down the toilet due to the inability of the plumbing to handle it) we got back on the bus and headed to Chincha. Chincha is a mix of Peruvian and African cultures as there were a large amount of slaves that had been brought over from Africa. We visited the Hacienda San Jose that housed many slaves over the years that slavery was occurring in Peru (a fact I had no idea about and was quite shocked to learn about). While the history of the plantations’ use was quite awful, the grounds were beautiful. We were shown the secret slave tunnels that had been used to hide undocumented slaves and for punishment. They were pretty eerie and made me feel sad about the thousands of slaves who suffered in the small, cramped, damp tunnels. Once out of the tunnels, we had a bit more time to explore the church and beautiful grounds.             We got back into the bus and enjoyed the interesting desert landscapes and beautiful homes with brightly coloured bricks on our way to Paracas. Paracas is a small beach town with a cute boardwalk filled with shops and restaurants. We were staying at Freyles in a 6 person dorm room. This dorm was great with a nice pool area, lots of lounge space and private washrooms in each room.  The only dorm mate that was there was Ryan from Canberra. We reminisced about our time in Australia before wandering around the town.  Jill and I had lunch at one of the spots on the boardwalk that was pretty delicious. Paracas was a bit pricier than Mancora, which is the only place we had really been that we could compare to. I had fish kebabs and fries with a delicious Cusquena beer for 49 soles (still way cheaper than anything at home). We fell upon a big parade that was happening on the main street and wandered around to the Paracas sign (of course). We met back up with Ryan after grabbing some warmer clothes at the hostel and enjoyed a nice sunset overlooking the water and happy hour. While the happy hour deal nor the sunset could compete with Mancora, we enjoyed our evening and wandered around to the party hostel in the town called Kokopelli. There wasn’t much going on at the hostel so we grabbed some beers from the convenience store and played cards on our hostel balcony before bed.

Saturday September 28 , 2019         The continental breakfast at the hostel was similar to most- bread, cereal, meat and cheese- which I was totally ok with. Part of our PeruHop tour included a morning boat ride to the ���poor man’s Galapagos” islands called the Ballestas islands. The open-air boat was pretty neat and we learned a lot about the area and the wildlife along with some of the history. We saw TONS of sea lions and penguins but sadly no dolphins. The boat cruise was just over an hour long and we had a little bit of time when we got back to Paracas to grab a smoothie from Fruzion before hopping on the bus.        En route to Huachachina, we stopped at the Paracas National Reserve to take some great photos and enjoy some of the beautiful wildlife, desert and ocean views. We also saw the Pre-Incan desert textiles and learned of their history. The drive from Paracas to Huachachina is about an hour and a half. On the way, Melanie our tour guide gave us some important history and culture about the area. I was most excited about this oasis town because we had heard great things about it and the photos looked amazing.         As we approached the town, we were all floored at how much it looked like the photos. This town was legitimately a desert oasis (hence the nickname-duh). The sand dunes all around the town are massive and the Huachachina Lagoon in the middle, with palm trees all on its borders is spectacular.  We drove into town and learned a bit more about how this desert oasis came to be. The bus dropped us off just outside of the town (2 min walk from the main strip). We were staying at the Wild Rover (same chain as in Mancora), which was the party hostel of the town. The Wild Rover is probably the most interesting hostel we had ever stayed in, and that is saying a lot since we have frequented our fair share of hostels in our travels. It was pretty big with rooms all round a pool/bar area. Our room was right off the main pool area, which I had mild concerns about, especially since the rooms were not to be locked. The room we were in was a 3 bunk bed room with small storage boxes below each bed and a washroom. The wood storage box was long, thin and did not fit our backpacks. We ended up leaving our backpacks in the corner and putting our important stuff in the boxes on the floor (which was super annoying to get to). We each had a wristband with our name and room number on it that acted as our “room keys” and allowed us in and out of the hostel and to charge meals/drinks to our room.        After unpacking, we were headed out and about in the town before the best part of the day- dune buggies and sand boarding! We were meeting the larger group up the road to check in to our tour. The tour groups and leaders were mildly disorganized but the fact that they have so many tours running at the same time and get everyone where they need to be is very impressive. The dune buggies were way cooler than I thought they were going to be! Jill and I had sweet front seats, which allowed us to see the scary twists and steep hills we were going down slightly earlier than everyone else. Our driver drove around the dunes with speed and clear knowledge of them. You could see hilly dunes and buggies in all directions. Our driver stopped 4-5 times so we could sand board down some of the steepest dunes I had ever seen. Jill was far more proficient in standing on the board than I was so I opted to lie down each time, which was almost as terrifying. On our last sand board run of the day- Jill and “Maria” collided due to Maria’s inability to steer. Thankfully, Jill ended up with only a sprained ankle (better than Maria’s broken arm) and a few scrapes. We finished the night off with a beautiful sunset and tons of photos with the dune buggies.        We headed back to the meeting spot, which was halfway up the dunes surrounding the town, and stopped for some more amazing photos. The town looked so neat, nestled in the sand. After hobbling back to the hostel and showers, we met up with some people on our tour and had some dinner and drinks. The hostel was throwing a “full moon party” so we partied all night with our roommates- who ended up being weirdly similar to us (only several years younger). The party was definitely reminiscent of our time in Thailand especially with our buckets filled with booze. I crashed much earlier than the rest of the group but still had a blast.

Sunday September 29,2019       Wild Rover definitely knew how to through a party! We were both feeling less than great in the morning and had to be up slightly early for our pisco tasting and tour. We had a small breakfast before packing up the majority of our things. The group was picked up at the hostel to go just outside of town to El Catador- one of the oldest pisco vineyards in the country. We were taken on a tour of the vineyard and given the history of pisco and how to make it. Pisco is made from grapes in a similar process to wine but after the grapes are fermented, it goes through a distilling process (similar to many other alcohols). Despite being moderately hung over, we sampled pretty well each of the pisco’s El Catador made from the super sweet ones, to the more bitter ones and everything in between. They had a great line of cream piscos that were similar to Bailey’s but with tons of different added flavours such as chocolate and coconut.       After the pisco tour, we hopped back on the bus to Huachachina for the afternoon. Fortunately, we were able to leave most of our stuff at the hostel, as that is where we were being picked up later in the day for our drive back to Lima. Since the town strip was rather small and Jill’s ankle was pretty sore, we found an amazing hostel (Bananas Hostel) to hang out at all afternoon. We had our phones and books and lounged in their hammocks and on their couches that were just off the main path but hidden in trees, flowers and gardens. It was a beautiful spot and a perfect way to end a busy weekend.       The PeruHop Tour was picking us up from the hostel in the early evening but I hadn’t had a chance to get my magnet yet (I collect magnets from each city I travel to) so I walked around the whole town and to the outskirts to find the perfect one and the best fanny pack I could find. I hadn’t brought a purse and was carrying around my backpack most places when a fanny pack would do, so I was stoked to have found the perfect one with a black base and fun colours throughout. The bus back to Lima was about 4 hours without traffic. The tour guide was super sweet and brought bags of popcorn for each of us and put on a classic- Mrs. Doubtfire. We snoozed on and off and were at our hotel in Lima around 2200 that night. We checked into the Hotel Santa Cruz and were thankful to have a quiet private room  (albeit a bit muggy) to get a good night’s rest.

Monday, September 30, 2019         The Hotel Santa Cruz is located in one of the more touristy and nice parts of Lima called Miraflores. It is a short walk to the road that runs along the ocean and is filled with bars, restaurants and shops. I had decided to check out a local Crossfit gym in the area so hopped in an Uber (3.5$) to Latido Crossfit for an 0800 class. I was one of only two people in our class, which was kind of fun. The workout didn’t involve a barbell which made me sad, but I was super excited to get a good workout in and do something I loved doing. Crossfit is such a neat sport and even though I didn’t understand most what the instructor said, I was still able to grasp what we were doing. Movement is universal and I even did some assisted handstand walking for the first time.                                                   After the class, I paid the $20 USD drop in fee and grabbed an Uber back to the hotel. Jill had made her way down for breakfast and we enjoyed the continental breakfast while I ran her through my workout. We got ready for the day and dropped off our laundry to the Laundromat across the street. This was the first time we had really done laundry in the week we were away and were super excited that it was only 6 soles a kg.       Today, we were going to explore downtown Lima. Lima is Peru’s capitol city and is home to over 9 million people. Fun fact- it is the largest city in the dessert after Cairo. I won’t bore you with details of the city’s history (as this blog is already long enough), but there have been many civil and political issues in this city over its centuries since being founded in 1535. Lima has also seen its share of natural disasters including several damaging earthquakes. Our Uber driver told us that many of the streets downtown were closed due to some sort of political issue. We were a bit worried about this since we had been hearing stuff on the news about the President trying to disassemble congress. This wasn’t going to deter us from going to explore Lima’s downtown.         Since Lima is a coastal city with warm air temperatures, the city always seems to have a fog over it, even though it only usually rains about once a month.  Today was no exception. The temperature was mild but the sky was grey and sad (which we would come to associate with Lima). Somehow, we hooked up with a “Lima by Walking” Tour and met our tour Leader Jose at the Plaza Des Armes downtown. He took us on a walking tour of the Plaza Des Armes that included seeing the Changing of the Guard, City Hall, Cathedral, historic fountain and explained what the other important buildings in the square were. We learned a lot about Peru’s political history, especially about many of the issues Lima has had over the years. Jose told us that Lima is considered to be the Food Capitol of South America (this might not be actual fact but Peruvians believe it) due to its vast array of cultural influences for food. Lately, there have been a lot more Asian influences and Chinese/Peruvian fusion restaurants called “Chifas” that are all the rage.      Jose took us around most of the downtown core and taught us about the various areas in Lima. Lima city has 43 districts, each having its own mayor which I thought was kind of interesting. We got to see the Rimac River, which runs through the city but is now empty as it is the dry season. He pointed out a few important places and a main street that we shouldn’t go to as it is more “working class” and have lots of crime including mugging. We enjoyed some chicha (which can be alcohol and non) and is made from grape juice with lime, sugar and a touch of cinnamon. It was pretty tasty but quite sugary for me. Jose said it was almost as sweet as Inca Kola, which is known as the flavor of Peru and is seen being drunk by almost everyone in the country. Allegedly, diabetes and obesity are high in the countries as well (as per Jose).        We finished our tour with some pisco (obviously) after having learned so much about Lima/Peru’s history and all of the politics that have been going on lately. I was really impressed with this tour and would recommend it to anyone. They had several other tours and we were planning to check one of them out when we returned to Lima. Since we had a bit more time in downtown, we took the classic photo in front of the Lima sign and grabbed the most amazing chocolate/caramel stuffed churros of life. We were going to check out the Catacombs and Cathedral but realized they were 10-15 soles per person each to get in. We were also history-ed out by this point. I had also seen the catacombs in Paris and I feel as though once you’ve seen one tunnel of old skulls, you’ve seen them all.      Our Uber back to Miraflores took a bit longer as it was rush hour in Lima- it seemed to always been rush hour though. We grabbed a late lunch at Barra Mar around the corner from our hotel. We share the stuffed avocado and causa (which is the potato and tuna or other fish layered dish) and I had a delicious ceviche bowl. The restaurant was small and everything was written in Spanish but the service and food was great. Our laundry was done by the time we got back, so we paid for it and got ready to start our packing, as we were leaving for Cusco in the am. We met a rep for Tucan Travel in the lobby at 6pm and he went over basic info about the flights and such with us. We were being picked up at the hotel in the am and being brought to the airport for our flight to Cusco and the start of our Inca trail adventure. It was an early to bed after we finalized our packing since 0500 starts to the day are no joke. 

*Below are some of my fave photos from our first week or so in Peru (in no specific order as usual because Tumblr is annoying)