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weasleydream · 4 years ago

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The freaking worst working day of my life

AYAAAA I’m finally back! I’m just so freaking happy!

Despite my long absence I still don’t know what to write here so I’ll just warn you: mention of sexual tension but nothing big really. Oh, and writing this gave me the idea to try something only based on this game between George and Y/N with the tension, would you guys like it?

Anyway, enjoy!

Masterlist

(gif not mine)

George was a very serious guy when it came to his work. He was as passionate as his twin, Fred, and could stay entire nights developing new products. No, his seriousness wasn’t in doubt. But, it’s true that when I was in the shop with him, he could be a bit...distracted. The fact that I worked in there didn’t really help. Result? Some days, we spent more time in the back shop snogging than helping Fred. These days, the poor guy couldn’t do anything and had to resign himself, but the guilt always pushed us to offer Fred a day off the the next day. Yeah, we weren’t monsters.

However, this time, we would have to offer him a week off, because I was unable to take my hands off my boyfriend. In my own defense, he didn’t ask me to. We were currently in our shared room, in the flat, because Fred had had enough of our “disturbing noises”. Let’s say things were… Well, there was an undeniable sexual tension between us, since we had had the wonderful idea to bet we would be able not to do anything in bed for a week. Stupid. But the worse wasn’t that, no. The worse was the teasing. And Merlin knew George was excellent when it came to the teasing. I had to be at least as good as him, and I was pretty sure I had succeeded because earlier this morning, he had pushed me against the wall in the back shop and had kissed me passionately, groaning he couldn’t wait anymore. We had joined our room and let’s just say the bet was far from us.

“Maybe we should go and help Fred.”

I was feeling guilty because he was once more alone. George didn’t seem to share my compassion for his twin because he groaned.

“He’s fine…”

He tightened his grip around my waist while sticking his nose in my hair. I installed myself more comfortably against his chest and closed my eyes, ready for a nap.

My plans fell through as soon as Fred called for us. I was ready to yell him to shut up when he called a second time, with a serious tone that alarmed us. George and I rushed downstairs, joining Fred and a man who couldn’t be anyone else than the Minister for Magic.

I had seen his face in the Daily Prophet. He was Fudge’s successor, Rufus Scrimgeour. He was looking down on the shop, raising his eyebrows when he saw the muggle products. He continued his inspection a few seconds after our arrival and eventually consented to look at us.

“Let me introduce myself: Rufus Scrimgeour, Minister for Magic.”

“I’m Fred, this is my brother, George, and Y/N, his girlfriend.”

He shook Fred’s hand, then George’s but didn’t even look at me.

“I am here because you might know the situation we are facing. Our employees need protections. They are afraid, but we need them at the Ministry.”

George and I exchanged a look. What the hell did it have to do with us? Fred seemed to think exactly the same because he interrupted the Minister.

“We are perfectly aware of the situation. Why are you here, sir?”

“I’m here to ask you to provide us 500 Shield Hats as soon as possible. I expect a first delivery the next week in person. We will discuss the details at that time. Goodbye.”

He shook briefly the boys’ hand, ignored me once more and left. I realized the door was closed, and, deep in thought, went to open it. Some customers entered, asking loudly what just happened. No one answered them, though, because Fred and George were as thoughtful as me.

“Are we gonna accept?” asked Fred.

“I don’t think you have the choice.” I responded. “He made it pretty clear.”

“I really don’t like his manners.” grumbled George. “But Y/N’s right. We can’t ignore this. Plus, we’re gonna gain a great amount of money.”

The following week was devoted to the fabrication of the Hats. It was a long process, because the Protecting Charm had to be straightened several times. However, the Shield Hats weren’t the only products we had to produce: the shop was still open and had an incredible success. It was full of children all days long and before the opening and after the closure, we had to clean everything, fill the shelves and make some Shield Hats. What a hell of a schedule.

However, we soon found out it was all worth it. Four days after Scrimgeour’s visit, Molly sent us an owl. In her letter, she was congratulating us for the article in the Daily Prophet… Article that none of us had had the occasion to read. We had received it but it had been immediately put on the counter. George grabbed it, opened it, and a big smile appeared on his lips.

“Look at this!”

He shoved the newspaper under our noses. Half of the page was occupied with a picture of the boys grinning in front of the shop. It was after its opening, I was still at Hogwarts at this moment. Underneath the picture, an article traced Fred and George’s childhood, telling some pranks they had pulled at school - I didn’t really know how they could know that - and it boasted the quality of the Weasley products. The end of the article described how concerned by the wizarding world’s security they were, and how, in their great kindness, they had offered to supplied the Ministry in defense products.

“That’s great but -” I started.

“We offered them? Are they kidding? Don’t tell me I’ve ruined my sleep schedule only because I’m kind!” exploded Fred.

George, who obviously hadn’t read the article yet, frowned.

“Offered? I guess we’ll have some explanations to ask…” he muttered.

The week was finally over and we had managed to produce a hundred Hats. All three of us were exhausted but, as we had understood, we didn’t have any choice. The day before the delivery, I was making diner in the kitchen while Fred was organizing everything for the next day and George was cleaning the living-room.

“Guess you’ll owe me another day off.” said Fred after a particularly long yawn.

“Why? We’ve helped you all week long.” replied George.

“Because I’m the one who’ll go to the Ministry tomorrow.”

“I thought you two would go.” I frowned while making sure the vegetables weren’t burning.

“I thought all three of us would go.” replied George.

We burst in laughters, and I couldn’t help but notice it seemed a bit hysterical. I guess we were really tired, that’s probably why calming down was so difficult. We eventually managed to do it and a heavy silence took place.

“Seriously, you both should go.” I said. “It’s pretty clear Scrimgeour wants to see you two, and he doesn’t give a damn about me. Plus we can’t let Verity alone here and it would be stupid to close the shop on a friday.”

“You’re not wrong,” sighed Fred. “George, what do you think?”

“I don’t like the idea of letting you here alone.” replied George. “Not because I don’t trust you, you know I do!” He added quickly when he saw my frown. “Just because… I don’t know, with everything happening out there…”

“You’re not wrong too.”

“By Merlin’s pants Fred, you’re so useful!” I groaned. “Don’t worry love, you’ll be gone for a day and Verity will help me. Nothing will happen.”

We finally decided that Fred and George would both go to the Ministry. The next morning, the noise made by the boys in the kitchen woke me up. Knowing I could sleep a bit more than them, I snuggled closer to George with a sigh of satisfaction. Wait a minute...

“What are you doing here?”

George groaned and pulled me closer to him. I shook him but he didn’t move, only muttering something that sounded like I’m too comfortable, you won’t make me move.

“George, love, you’ve got to wake up. You go to the Ministry today!”

He turned a deaf ear. Understanding I had to do this the hard way, I took the only rational decision when George refused to get out of bed: I pushed him. He fell on the floor with a groan.

“Y/N, what the hell?”

“You’ve got to go…”

I was on the verge of falling asleep again when he lifted me and threw me on his shoulder. My scream came higher than usual, and George chuckled softly.

“If I can’t sleep, you can’t either, love.”

He arrived in the kitchen, and Fred, who was drinking a large cup of coffee, didn’t even lift an eyebrow when he saw us. I realized this wasn’t uncommon and he had to be used to such situations with us. George threw me on the couch, almost sending me crash on the floor, and literally jumped on me. He approached his face in order to kiss me.

“George,” I whispered. “You stink.”

“You too. Shut up and kiss me.”

I gladly obliged, and I swore we would have made out right here if Fred hadn’t cough very loudly.

“You’re really adorable, but I want to stay innocent, thank you very much.”

“Innocent?” George stifled a laugh. “Mate, you’re no longer innocent. Remember when you brought Angelina in our dorm and then I came in with Lee and you were -”

“It was your fault. You should have knocked.”

With that, he looked at us with a false horrified expression, and left, mumbling we had a lot to learn in terms of decency. George rolled his eyes and put his head on my chest, making himself comfortable while being careful I was too. My hands found their way to his soft hair. We stayed like this a few minutes, enjoying each other’s warmth, listening to each other’s breath, until Fred came out of the bathroom.

“You know, I really feel like I’m always interrupting.” He said with a cheerful tone.

“Because you are.” grumbled George.

He got up, keeping my hand in his the longer he could before heading in the bathroom. I glanced at Fred: he was wearing a green suit and ruffled a bit his hair.

“You’re sure you’re gonna be okay?” He asked.

I looked up to see his worry eyes.

“You know, George is right, with everything happening -”

“Don’t worry Fred, it’s your big moment!” I said.

He grinned but I knew better than this: these two idiots would stop worrying about me when they would be back, not a second before. George came out of the bathroom and we went in the shop. It was still closed, so I didn’t mind wearing my pajamas. Fred went in the back shop probably to take the boxes that contained the hats.

I felt George’s hands on my hips and his lips sweetly kissing each part of my skin they could reach. His mouth moved in my neck and he lightly nibbled the soft spot under my jaw before attacking my lips. Our tongues found each other for a sensual dance, and our hands started travelling across the other’s body. We had to pull apart way too soon for our liking, but I couldn’t resist the urge to press my forehead against his. His eyes were closed and his lips were curled up in a peaceful smile. I heard the door of the shop and assumed Fred was waiting outside for his brother. He knew his brother was worried and didn’t want to interrupt, that was really sweet of him. As much as I hated it, they had to leave.

“Love, you have to go.” I whispered.

“I don’t want to… I want to stay with you.”

His breath tickled me.

“You don’t want to make your fanclub waiting in front of the Ministry, do you?”

He opened his eyes and threw me a playful look.

“I had almost forgotten them!” he exclaimed. “I have to join them right away then!”

But he pressed me against his chest once more, obviously unable to let me go and, to be honest, I didn’t want him to do so.

“The later you leave, the later you’ll come back.” I pecked his lips. “Besides, Fred is going to barge in soon and he’ll drag you outside whether you like it or not.”

“I understand, you want me to go.” He faked a hurt expression. “Keep the galleon with you, love, okay? If anything happens -”

“I will warn you, I promise.” One last kiss. “Move your ass, love.”

George smiled at me and left the shop. I watched him as he joined Fred, probably receiving a sarcastic comment because he hit lightly his shoulder, and they disappeared with a pop I would have heard if I had been outside. Without realizing it, I had shoved my hand in the pocket of the jacket I had put on. My fingers were holding firmly the galleon Hermione had given me back at our last year at Hogwarts. It was originally used for the Dumbledore’s Army communication, but we had slightly transformed the charm so that Fred, George and I could send short messages if needed. It was quicker and more discreet than owls. I promised myself to keep it with me all day long before joining the flat above the shop. I got dressed with the traditional magenta robe and came in the kitchen to find a little black owl perched on the table. I recognized it; it was Verity’s. I quickly unfolded the piece of parchment it had brought me and read the message.

I’m sorry, I’m terribly sick, I won’t be able to work today. Verity

I quickly scribbled some words to wish her a good healing and sent back the owl. I sighed when I realized I would be alone all day long and summoned up courage. If I was alone, I should head downstairs and start my day the sooner possible.

Despite me being alone, the day went at the speed of light. It was a very busy friday, and the little shop was always crowded with customers, both delighted children and amazed parents. It was also really loud in there, but I was now used to it. I had been there everyday since the beginning of the holidays, but I still could see why this place was so magical. Of course, the shelves covered in potions of all types and the fluffy Pygmy Puffs helped, but it wasn’t what I prefered here. It was like another world where everyone would be a child again, and even the stricter parents would melt in front of their children eyes when they were full of stars.

The stream of customers slowly decreased and I eventually found myself alone in the shop without knowing when the boys would come back. I had kept the galleon with me without needing to use it, and I was kinda relieved the day was almost over. They owe me a free day, it’s too difficult to be alone here, and I haven’t even eaten. Indeed, the last thing I had swallowed was a piece of bread before heading downstairs with George and my stomach was seriously rumbling. However, I still had some things to do before being free. I checked the hour and saw the shop would officially close twenty minutes later. Even if I didn’t think any customer would come that late, I let the door open. With a wave of my wand, the less fragile products came from the back shop and landed on the shelves. However, I preferred storing the potions myself, it would prevent the accidents. I was filling the pink tray of love potions when I heard the door opening. I quickly looked up, hoping the boys were back, but it was a man who entered the shop. He nodded to say hello, and I smiled politely at him.

“I’m going to put the Pygmy Puffs in their cage, will you buy one?”

The man shook quickly his head and glared at the furballs. I summoned the cage and carefully placed them all in it. I brought back the cage in the back shop and put it on its shelf. I fed them and gave them water.

When I had left him, the man seemed absorbed by the Edible Dark Marks, but when I turned the heels to go back in the shop, he was blocking the way. His large silhouette stood in the door frame. Unconsciously, I slipped a hand in my pocket and reached the galleon. This gesture seemed to worry him and I didn’t realize he had cast a spell until the red flash of light hit me. I flew backward, abruptly landing on the shelves behind me. I vaguely heard a concert of high-pitched screams. I froze in fear when the man stood in front of me, dominating me with his full height. He grabbed the collar of my robe and lift me as if I weighed nothing.

“I won’t hurt you if you give me the money.”

His voice was hoarse and his eyes sent me a burning glare. I wanted to answer but the fabric was strangling me and I vainly tried to get rid of his hand. Seeing I couldn’t make him release me, I tried to kick him as hard as I could, but I was getting weaker and weaker because of the lack of air.

“You’re asking for it.”

He violently dropped me on the floor and my head hit a wooden box left here.

“Give me the money, now!”

I was sure he was pointing his wand on me but the dizziness took over me and my sight was blurry. I tried to get up. The only coherent thought my poor brain could produce was that I needed to get rid of him. Until now, I had forgotten about the galleon, but my wand was nowhere to be seen and I would have been unable to cast the appropriate spell. I limped to get out of the back shop and the man pushed me toward the counter. I barely stayed up, the only thing preventing me from falling down being a shelf covered with candies. I looked at the counter, unable to process how to give him the galleons. I was roughly aware of the radiating pain in my head and I couldn’t focus on anything else. I didn’t hear the man’s repeated shouts, nor did I hear the door of the shop opening. All of sudden, the atmosphere went black and, if I hadn’t fainted at this very moment, and if my brain wasn’t so slow, I would have understood the man had used Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder to disappear.

I didn’t open my eyes right away. I heard whispering next to me, but it took me a few seconds to recognize who was talking and what they were saying. According to what I understood - which maybe wasn’t really reliable - Fred and George were debating whether they should bring me to St-Mungo’s or not.

“It won’t be necessary…” I whispered.

I wasn’t sure it had come out as I wanted, but they probably had understood because all of sudden, I felt them dangerously close to me. I finally opened my eyes to see George’s face a few inches away from mine. When my eyes met his, he sighed in relief and laid in to kiss me.

“You scared me, love…” he murmured.

Even if he didn’t say it, I knew perfectly he was feeling guilty. I knew at some point he would tell me it was his fault, he shouldn’t have left me alone, it would never happen again. I was pretty sure it was Fred’s case too. George helped me sitting and I realized I was on the couch of the small living-room. A few vials of potions were on the floor, some empty and some still unopened. I also felt something tightening my head, and by touching it, I recognized bandages.

“How do you feel?” Fred had been careful to keep his voice low in case my head was hurting.

“Okay, I guess.” I replied. I didn’t wait for them to ask me what had happened, because I knew they would soon, and I summarized the situation. “This man entered about twenty minutes before the closure. He wanted me to give him all the money we had and he threw me against the wall. I couldn’t react, I didn’t know where my wand was and I couldn’t cast a spell to warn you.”

“It’s okay, Y/N, don’t worry. He’s gone, but I swear we’ll warn everyone in the Diagon Alley and Dad will know too. We’ll find him.” said George while stroking my hair.

A sigh of contentment escaped my mouth and I snuggled closer to my boyfriend. With a relieved smile, Fred lightly ruffled my hair and announced he would make diner. A delicious smell hit my nostrils, but all curled up in George’s arms and tired of my long day, I had fallen asleep too deeply. The diner would have to wait.

#Harry Potter #harry potter imagines #harry potter imagine #george weasley #george x reader #george weasley x reader #george weasley x y/n #george weasley x you

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bisexualsforprompto · 5 years ago

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Of Roommates and Red Heroes Chapter 1

AO3

One (You are here) Next

One- Of pilots and new beginnings

Jason Todd ran, ran away from the legacy he could never fill. The one he was still expected to fill. Didn’t they know? Didn’t they know he had changed?

God, was had he even changed? It’s not like he could ever make up for what he did. But he couldn’t wear the colors of the Robin ever again either. He crossed a line, he was past the point of no return.

And Bruce couldn’t let him forget it.

As far as Jason was concerned, he didn’t deserve a redemption.

He didn’t deserve a happily ever after.

Dick (in more ways than one): [is online]

Lil bro Jason: [is online]

Dick (in more ways than one): Come back.

Lil bro Jason: No.

Dick (in more ways than one): Please, Bruce didn’t mean it.

Lil bro Jason: Honestly I give zero f*cks if he meant it.

Dick (in more ways than one): So that's it. You’re just solo now and we’ll never see you again?

Lil bro Jason: You are welcome to visit when you’d like, along with Steph, Tim, Barbara, etc etc. I don’t want to see him again.

Dick (in more ways than one): He’s your dad!

Lil bro Jason: Godammit Dick! He’s not! Open your goddamn eyes! He’s not our dad, he’s a man who just uses us for his dirty work!

Dick (in more ways than one): I can’t stop you from doing this, but just talk to Bruce at least, if you don’t you’ll regret it, trust me I know.

Lil bro Jason: [is offline]

•~•Sunday Nov.17, 8am EST•~•

Knock, knock, knock.

“Mr. Todd.”

Knock, knock, knock.

“I’m coming, I’m coming.” Jason said as he peeled a case file off his face, he’d fallen asleep the night prior reading it. Jason walked over to the nook where he kept all his ‘borrowed’ GCPD case filed which just happened to go missing from their archives every so often. For some reason, Jason liked to review case files. A lot. Maybe it was living with a detective for so long, but he felt at home in his own little world of files.

Jason brought a hand to his head, trying to shield his pounding headache. He remembered going out to the bar, but not much else. He brushed his hand down his face to feel stubble, another thing he’d have to deal with later. He fixed his hair a little bit before getting off his brown leather couch. He checked out what he was wearing, only pants. He sighed and picked up a plain black t shirt off the ground. Sliding it on, Jason walked over to the door and opened it.

Of all the things he was expecting today, he wasn’t expecting his landlord in full suit and tie showing up at his door. Unfortunately, it was his reality. A tall slim and bony man in a tacky olive green suit and oversized brown plastic glasses was holding a clipboard and pen in his hands.

“Mr. Jason Todd?”

Jason sighed, “That’s me.” The man looked him up and down. Jason was about to yell at him for judging but decided against it.

“You’ve been behind on your last payment for this flat. You have one week or you will be evicted.” The man said properly, leaving directly after despite Jason’s protests. Sighing, Jason shut the door.

He hadn’t found work in a long time. He’d been fired from his last job for drinking, and he couldn’t change his ways after being Red Hood and working with Batman. He went by the same mantle but working with Bruce did a number on him as always, only this time it was a positive change. He couldn’t work and make dirty money off drug cartels anymore, Red Hood was a lone vigilante but Jason Todd could only find himself doing honest work. Honest work that was very difficult to find in this day and age.

The only thing Jason could think that would save him would be getting a roommate. Jason sighed once more, all Gothamites were bat-shit crazy (pun not intended) and there was no way in hell he was taking Bruce’s blood money. Jason started drafting an ad and put it on Craigslist. The best he’d be able to do, hopefully before the date he’d be able to meet all of the candidates to make sure they weren’t insane.

‘Searching for a roommate in a flat in Gotham Sun Apartments. $500 per month expected. Contact xxx-xxx-xxx for more information. (Images attached below)’

Jason rubbed his pounding temple, all he could do was wait.

•~Friday Nov. 22, 10am EST~•~•

“Voyage.” Marinette called before stepping into a black portal. She whimpered as she landed in a dark alley. “Tikki, Kaaliki, divide.” She whispered. “Spots off.” She was released from her heroine persona. Marinette was bloody, bruised and confused. She didn’t know where Kaaliki had taken her but she hoped it was far away from Paris. Marinette walked warily out of the alley to see a beautiful city full of life around her. Many people walked past and she could hear snippets of conversation, only something was off about them…they were in English! Marinette realized, could Kaaliki’s Portal have taken her to America or England? Thank god for Madame Bustier’s lessons or Marinette wouldn’t be able to speak a lick of English, she was practically fluent after all of her lessons. Marinette took out her pigtails and slid the bands onto her arm, she checked her purse, Tikki and Kaaliki were in there as well as $2000. Master Fu had given it to her before her...departure.

Marinette continued down the street hoping to find some sign of where she was. Pedestrians gave her strange looks, most likely because of all her evident injuries. Marinette passed by street signs, all to generic to tell her anything. She accidentally bumped into a small girl wearing a sweatshirt that read “Gotham University”.

Marinette knew it was a stretch, it could just be a random sweatshirt but still she was determined to try.

‘Gotham University’ she typed into Google. Bingo. ‘Gotham University is a college in Gotham, New Jersey, America.’ So could she be in America? Marinette surveyed her surroundings, the most prominent building read Wayne Enterprises. ‘Worth a shot’ she mused. ‘Wayne Enterprises, Gotham’. Millions of hits, now she knew she must be in Gotham. Marinette continued to walk the streets to solve her next problem, where could she stay the night?

Marinette sighed turning corners, looking for any signs around. She felt a rumbling in her stomach, she couldn’t remember the last time she ate. Marinette couldn't see any food places around. She wandered around looking wildly for a café, bakery, restaurant, anything. She didn’t even realize she was on a collision course until she bumped into a muscular boy, about 4 years older than herself with black hair with a white streak in it and blue eyes.

•~Friday, 9:40am EST~•~•

Jason groaned as he got up. He wasn’t drunk like most nights before. He immediately went to check his computer, still no hits on Craigslist. Jason sighed, he didn’t know what he’d do if he couldn’t get anyone to rent with him by Sunday. He refused to move back into Bruce’s mansion again. Jason picked up his apartment keys and went to look for some food, he couldn’t find a solution to a problem without food or caffeine (Tim had rubbed off on him more than he wanted).

Jason opened his door and walked down the hall, he opted for the stairs as he didn’t feel like interacting with anyone at the moment. Jason brushed past the Gothamites on the street feeling extremely aggravated. He got lost in his own world of annoyance and didn’t even realize when he ran into a small blue-haired girl.

“Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry!” Marinette said turning pink. She backed away feeling extremely embarrassed, “I just wasn’t looking where I was going and-“ Jason recognized that she wasn’t from Gotham. She just didn’t have that shrewd personality that came with the territory of being a Gothamite. For some reason it made him feel warmer, and his anger felt more soothed.

“It’s ok little lady, really. What brings you to Gotham?” Marinette stared up into the caring blue eyes of the boy she ran into. “I uh, well, um nothing in particular. But would you mind showing me somewhere to eat?” She asked, not wanting to revisit why she had to leave Paris. He seemed caring enough, hopefully he’d take her somewhere to eat. The man nodded, “Of course. I was headed to a café myself little lady. Hey, what’s your name?” Jason could respect that the girl didn’t want to talk about why she was here, after all, Jason didn’t like talking about his own past.

“Marinette.” Marinette blushed. “Alrighty then Marinette, I’m Jason. I’ll take you somewhere.” Jason wanted to scold her for putting so much trust in a stranger blindly as she followed him, after all this was Gotham but he just silently thanked that it was him who got to her instead of some creep. Jason led her to the Garden Café right next to where his flat was.

It might’ve been one of the only places in Gotham that wasn’t completely littered with garbage. It had beautiful flowers and an outdoor patio where patrons could eat. Jason lead Marinette to an empty black table and pulled out a metal chair for her. “Merci!” Marinette smiled, “Thank you, I mean.” Jason made the connection, “So are you from France?” Marinette nodded, “Yes, Paris actually.” Jason nodded, “What's it like there?” Marinette sighed, “Well aside from the terrorist, it’s beautiful and a great place to live.” Jason didn’t even had a drink yet but if he did, he would’ve spit it out right on the spot. “Did you just say terrorist?”

“Um yes, I assumed it was common knowledge. I mean I know Ladybug reached out to the Justice League many times…” Jason gritted his teeth, the damn Justice League. His father’s call no doubt.

“So whos Ladybug?” Marinette pondered what to tell the man across from her, on the one hand, he was the only kind one to her, but she didn’t want to accidentally give away her identity. “She along with Chat Noir, are magical heroes who wield jewels that give them power. Hawkmoth, the terrorist, wants them, because with them he can make a wish and have absolute power.” Jason's eyes widened, sure her story seemed like a poorly written children’s TV show but from the little time he’d known Marinette he’d figured a lot out about her, and he trusted that she wasn’t a liar. And wasn’t a very good one at that. Living with the world’s greatest detective, as much as Jason hated to admit it, did have some perks, Jason could read people without knowing them for long.

“I guess it’s not ideal to escape a terrorist and end up in the crime capital of the world though,” Jason said, he couldn’t imagine why anyone would rather be in Gotham than anywhere else. Marinette hadn’t known it was the crime capital of the world, she wondered why Kaaliki’s voyage sent her there. Maybe she was meant to resume being a hero in Gotham?

“Y-yeah.” Was all Marinette could stammer out. Talking to Jason made her realize so many things she had to do, she hadn’t had much time to think about what it could be like living in another country. She didn’t even have a place to stay yet!

“I know this might be a touchy subject, but...how’d you get those bruises Buttercup?” Marinette touched her hand to her face and ran her fingers down one of the scars. “H-Hawkmoth.” At least it wasn’t a complete lie. She saw Jason clench his fists.

Jason was seething, he couldn’t believe the league would ignore this! One look at this girl would prove that they should’ve listened. If Jason was still aligned with Bruce he would’ve had some choice words with him, instead he decided that he’d notify Dick and possibly the Outlaws the next time he saw them. Jason couldn’t help but feel awful for the girl, he knew what it was like to feel like you couldn’t escape the clutches of a madman. He’d lost a bit of soul to Joker. He wanted to run his fingers down all of her scars and just make everything better, she didn’t deserve that kind of torment. If anything, he did.

“Say Buttercup, where are you staying?” Jason asked before the waiter came to take their orders. Marinette answered the waiter with a simple sandwich and Jason ordered the same. “Um well...I don’t really know yet,” she responded to his previous question.

Unacceptable, she was staying with him now. “How about you come back with me Buttercup. I know we just met, but I don’t want you sleeping on the streets. Gotham is dangerous.” Marinette blushed, just now noticing the nickname he gave her. “I couldn’t do that to you!” She protested.

“It’s not a problem, Buttercup, really.” Marinette sighed, she felt grateful for Jason. Maybe she was being too trusting, but she had no other options. “As long as you let me pay you something.” Jason thought about it, he didn’t want to put this poor girl out but then he realized,

“I think there's a way we can help each other.”

#Of Roommates and Red Heroes #Jasonette #Maribat #miraculous fanfic #LadyArrow

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weracetogether · 5 years ago

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RAGBRAI 2019- The Stories of Iowa https://ift.tt/39j7gz4 I will tell the story of RAGBRAI 2019 as all stories are told, from the conclusion. Over the week we rode for 553 miles and climbed for over 21,000 feet. We had five bike mechanical issues requiring shop stops on the way. We had 14 and 13 beer stops, one pork chop, a wood fired pizza, countless pies, cinnamon rolls, pancakes and sausage, cheesecake, cookies, cobbler, homemade icecream, bbq, tacos, BLT, noodles, fresh sweet corn, gyros, pickles, french toast, and I am sure a few other things I am forgetting. We listened to two lines of about 200 songs (and sang the rest of the songs...well I did). We saw cows, horses, kittens, rams, goats, donkeys, rabbits, and one golden retriever (a half mile from the Mississippi). We threw over 20 milkweed balls. We encountered hundreds of people with stories and laughter. We thanked officers and paramedics and nice old church ladies. Well, that's the overview; now for the stories!!!

USAF cycling team- out to help!

Please note the stories may not be told by day- because this is RAGBRAI!!!! (If you don't understand let's go to Iowa the last week of July and bring your bike.) BIKE SHOPS ON THE ROAD RAGBRAI is a traveling city of support, including traveling bike shops. These shops manage everything from flat tires (because yes, people on a 500 miles ride forgot to learn how to change a tube or to even bring a spare tube) to broken bikes (no seriously, "here are the three parts of the bike and this piece that is hanging off. Can you fix it?"). No matter what was brought to them the bike shop staff were always smiling. We know this because for the first four days we became friends with the guys at Bike World and then the next three days we rode by getting "hellos" and waves, while they asked about our bikes. It all started on day 1!! This was our gravel day and the first day we met Brad. Oh Brad!! We were about five miles out from the overnight town when we stopped at a small pass through town on a big hill. After a quick stop I picked up my bike and suddenly it won't roll down the hill. This is not even me being on the bike pedaling, it won't roll down the hill. In this moment Patrick says the best line of the day (maybe the trip)-- "It is operator error or is something wrong?" The look I gave him at this moment I am sure said a bunch of curse words that I won't type out here, but "are you kidding me right now" would have also been communicated in the moment. So I did what any person who has been riding a bike for ten hours would do; I handed Patrick my bike and said here you roll it down the hill. When it stopped and refused to move for him too, he confirmed it was in fact not operator error. Oh good, because I was worried this was going to be a long week of me not knowing how to use a bike (please read that line in the most sarcastic tone with eye roll.). This led to us going back up the hill with what ended up being a broken spoke. Turns out the gravel may have jostled more than my internal organs. This was when we first met Brad. Brad who was putting back together other bikes with "brake problems", "derailer problems", and "I don't know what happened problems", smiled as we stood there waiting our turn. Brad then looked at my bike and confirmed, again, it was not operator error. Then he proceeded to fix the problem. Now you might be thinking "great job Brad, way to fix that issue." But this would not be our last encounter with Brad or Bike World and one other bike shop I don't recall the name of, sorry. Nope Brad would go on to fix Patrick's chain and adjust his cables for better shifting up hills; Bike World would go on to sell me a tire (not a tube, a tire-- this will be important later), an the other bike shop would also sell me a tire and fix my bottom bracket making my bike no longer sound like a paint can rattling up hills. Every time we needed help they were there (or close enough) and they were light hearted with positive words and smiles. We laughed through being close to tears each time we stood at their tents. And Brad-- you ROCK!!! And I am glad you got to see your mom during the trip and got a good home-cooked meal!!! GRAVEL Holy crap super fun day!!!! I was in love with riding the gravel loop the moment my tires hit that slightly muddy, somehow dusty, all bumpy road. However, my riding buddy was not feeling the same way. This was day one of riding and seriously trying not to die or end up with serious injury on day one was a HUGE concern on this 18 mile loop. At about 3/4 of a mile into the gravel course and Patrick announced he was done (there may have been curse words; correction there were curse words). I was now between a gravel road and a tough place, like the end of our adventure on day one. I stood at the top of this little hill, looking at the bigger hill, while Patrick wrestled his demons. But lets be fair I stood there like a three year old with a five dollar bill outside an icecream shop. I am pretty sure I was trying not to smile and bounce and yell, "This is F-ing awesome" (ok so to be honest I may have yelled that)!!! This moment was not about me; I was ride or die and there was honestly a chance at death since this was a new riding type for us. Patrick agreed to go up the next hill which would put us about a mile into the 18 mile ride and maybe 200 feet of the 1500 feet climbing on this loop done. At the top of the next hill we stopped (me still in three year old "Can we PLEASE do this" mode). To my excitement Patrick now announced that while this was clearly a bad idea, maybe not our worse idea but a bad one, he was game to go!!! Pretty sure I was fist pumping the air and yelling "they can't take our freedom" as I headed down the hill full speed. We would stop a few more times at the top of hills with Patrick shaking his head and me bouncing on my dirt packed cycling cleats. We would also make it about five miles from the end of the loop when the rain came back. This added a new component of mud to the course. I was told on several occasions to be careful, even by the ladies at the patch stop (Pottawattamie County, the highest county in Iowa, yeah that wasn't on the description). It seems people know that look in my eye of "I live for danger" and they all try to help Patrick to control this behavior in order that I may not find out where the nearest hospital is in Pottawattamie County (I can tell you it was not going to be on the gavel road we were riding). We made it safely to asphalt again and Patrick's death grip on his handlebars loosened, high fives were given, and oh yeah, tires were changed (tires that I would carry on my bike for the rest of the day-- I honestly didn't mind the attention, because "hell yeah we did the gravel"). For the rest of the trip any gravel on the road was met with Patrick yelling "gravel" in his best Clint Eastwood raspy voice. Because when you overcome the gravel loop you announce that this is old news to you and you are invincible (well, except for that broken spoke mentioned earlier). MILKWEED BALLS

Patrick is attracted to oddities (I mean he married me, you have to know this statement is true). So when he saw a tent with butterflies and heard the words "do you want balls" he couldn't deny the intrigue. Turns out Milkweed Matters is an Iowa group who puts together milkweed balls for cyclist the throw along the roads of Iowa in an effort to grow more milkweed to help the monarch butterflies to thrive in Iowa. Here's what you do-- you pick up milkweed balls, which are designed with "clay" as a no till natural tilling seeding method, you put them in your pocket, you ride your bike along the roadway, you find an area where other wildflowers are growing, where there is no mowing and no crops, then you toss them out there. That's it! Each day the tents are located on the route and you pick up more balls to throw. (You do get told not to eat them and not to take them out of the area, as this milkweed is specific to growing in this area.) A few notes- throwing things from your bike is awkward (for me) and you get dirty looks from those who don't know. I explained on more than one occasion that I was not throwing trash on the roadway, I was throwing milkweed. To which the most common response was a roll of the eyes. (Look people I am saving butterflies here. Does someone saving butterflies litter? No, no they don't. They save the fucking butterflies!!!) JERSEYS THAT BIND US

In cycling events what you wear matters. Things like shorts, padding, gloves, helmet, all very important; but your jersey cements who you are in the minds of those passing or being passed. This is your calling card, it is the story you will tell for the day-- for one day, maybe one mile, but it will forever define you for that person. This is why the jersey is a very important choice. Jerseys bring out the conversations in people. They are easy talking points- "oh you have a jellyfish on your jersey, I was once stung by one"; "Oh your jersey has an anatomically correct heart on it, does it mean something (the answer is no, it just looked tough)". The conversations go on like this. But there are these jersey conversations that also stick out. Patrick was wearing his Escape from Alcatraz jersey. We had done the race a number of years ago. This jersey was noticed and remarked on often during the day. We were standing around in a pass-through town when I guy came up and mentioned that he had done the race back in the late 90's. He told of how much we liked the race and visiting California. he then said, "Yeah, I did the race because when I was a kid we were visiting Alcatraz when the escape happened. I remember the sirens and the commotion." At this point all Patrick and I could do was stare at the guy who didn't lead with this part of the story; no it was a casual second thought. I am pretty sure I questioned the guy, "You mean you were in San Francisco when the escape occurred?" He looked at me like he shouldn't have to repeat himself, but very nicely he said, "Yeah we were there on a family vacation looking at the island when it all happened." Then he said the following, "Well, you guys have a nice ride." Wait!!! What just happened???? Patrick and I just stood there for a minute as this guy walked on to talk to other people. Then I am pretty sure we just started laughing. This is what happens on RAGBRAI, you meet people, they tell you something cool or unique or unexplainable, and then they are gone. WE STOP FOR BEER-- WELL, IOWA CRAFT BEER TENTS RAGBRAI is a drinking game. We found out from a friend (Thanks, Kevin) that on the route would be these white beer tents- IOWA CRAFT BEER TENT (a mix of Iowa breweries)- and you could get an armband. This armband was the gateway to a free tshirt at the end of the week. Here are the rules-- Get a band; Buy a $5 craft beer or root beer at the tents; You must buy at least ten beers and you have 14 stops to achieve the goal; Only one beer per stop will count towards your total. The second set of rules that you have to follow is how to get your beer-- Have your money out; pick which beer and learn its number; get in line; walk to your beer's number; grab beer off the table; walk through, handing your money to the staff at the end of the line; scan your armband; find a shady place to sit and drink. It is a super easy process, except for on the first day when you didn't read the sign about having out money, this gets you a few dirty looks that say "bless her little heart". Patrick will tell you the process was slightly different, because for him he walked through the line and told the money taker "she's paying for me." To which I always answered, "I don't know him." And then the money taker took my $10 without any gesture to give me change. Now, those are the rules, but the game is really-- "What can Teresa drink and still ride and then what can Teresa drink and not feel that weird pain in her left ankle?" GAME ON. Each day there were two stops, three on one day and only one on the last day. We made a plan to stop at each stop starting on day one. This was a good plan because the beer stop on day one was after the gravel, a celebration beer for sure. For the most part the last beer tent was about 10 miles outside of town which gave me a great opportunity to have a dark beer and still be able to get to the night town safely. We never had a bad beer. A few "not my favorites" but never a bad one. In fact the day I had to drink before 9am (because it was short course day) I had a blueberry pancake beer which was the perfect breakfast!!! Mostly at the first stop I had a root beer or a cider (because fruit mid morning does not bring about judgement). The IOWA Craft Beer Tent would also play a vital role in the State Trooper Story found later in this post. BUGS OF IOWA

On the first night in Iowa I got bit by a bug on my ankle. I'm from Florida so I get bit by bugs all the freaking time. But this REALLY hurt. The following day my ankle was hurting on the ride, like really hurting. By the following day my ankle was swelling and bruising-- and hurting every time my shoe touched it (which is a lot over 70 miles a day). Moral of the story Iowa has bugs that belong in Australia!!!! PIE

I know it is a photo of icecream.

One does not talk about RAGBRAI without talking about pie. Honestly, it is one of the reasons to love RAGBRAI and if you don;t understand this this you missed the point of RAGBRAI. The best pies you will find will be the pie stands with 7 year olds or 70 year olds handing out the pies. There is only one rule in RAGBRAI- eat pie, eat pie often! A TIRE, A GIRL, AND A COP WALK INTO A BEER TENT The final story I will tell about RAGBRAI 2019 is a story about the greatness that is the Iowa State Patrol. It was day four (of seven) Patrick and I were set to do the Karras loop which puts the ride miles over a century ride. We had finished the loop and all the hills required to get there. We were ready to get another fruit smoothy and a beer before we checked this day off the list. During the loop my bottom bracket started to sound like a paint can rattling with every push. I knew I was going to be stopping again at a bike shop tent to figure out this sound, because one thing was for sure it was not a "happy" biking sound. Not to be out done Patrick decided to get a flat tire. Not just any flat but a full tire blow out. This would be his second in the week (we are on day FOUR)- the "other" tire. I am pretty sure at this moment my actual words were, "You are fucking kidding me?" Patrick shook his head, "nope". Then many more curse words got said in that moment. Given that my bike actually could be ridden I decided to ride ahead to scout out a bike shop tent. Well, there was not one at the first town down the road. I can back to let Patrick know that I was going to rid on till I found the bike tent and I would bring back a tire for him. He was to sit under the tent at Tom the Turkey and get a fruit smoothy. Funny enough he had "ride friends" there who had been on the course and at this stop with us previously. I rode up about 10 miles and found the bike repair tent. I told the guys about my bike and the paint can noise. "Sure we can look and fix it, but it is going to take a minute." Great, well you see the other problem is my husband needs a tire and is ten miles that way (pointing back down the road). The bike shops guys could not leave and pack up yet and only had the shop truck. I looked around and saw a state trooper vehicle. I asked the bike guy if he knew where the state trooper was located. He pointed up the hill near the beer tent as he handed me the tire I needed to get to Patrick. I told him thanks and that I was going to be back for my bike after I got the tire to my husband. The guy yelled "good luck" as I marched up the hill.

Actual photo sent to State Trooper. Patrick with a bag of unmarked medication.

The State Troopers were walking away when I stopped them. They turned around and the only way I can explain this is they looked like "Super Troopers"- mustaches and aviator sunglasses in place. I smiled, I did not laugh. I told them I had a situation. I then explained that they could either take me and the tire to my husband or they could take the tire to my husband. Yep, you heard that right- there was no option to tell me no. They noticed that too and looked at each other like I was a unicorn asking for directions. After a few moments of repeating the request, officer one tried to tell me they could not do it but officer two said they had to call their supervisor. I told them I would wait. Officer two walked away, I swear he looked like he was pretending to dial. Officer one just started at me. I looked over my shoulder to see the bike shop guys watching and smiling. Officer two walked back up shaking his head- not at me but as his partner. I was grinning so big when he told Officer one that the supervisor had given the go ahead to take the tire to my husband.

Loop patches.

As Officer one stood there astonished at the response. I began to tell the Officer two what my husband looked like and where he was located. This took much longer than I intended, as it seems the officers were not familiar with the area. We played a game of"who's on first" when I was telling them I had no idea what the two name was but that I knew he was as the Tom Turkey tent and that said tent was ten miles "that way". The officer rolled his eyes at me. I never lost it wanting to yell at him, Dude I am from Florida. DO you know where Florida is? A hell of a lot further away than your house." But I didn't, nope I took a deep breath and explained one more time where I left my husband. Oh wait it gets better. The officer asked for my husband's cell number. The issue here is that my husband's phone died earlier in the day and is in my pack on my bike. In full disclosure I told the officer this information. Officer two looked at me dumbfounded and officer one I am pretty sure threw up his arms in a "are you fucking kidding me" gesture. Officer two, after a few deep breaths, looks at me and says, "You know you are making this very difficult for us?" What I didn't say was "if you had left fifteen minutes ago when I gave you the details you would be there by now and not standing here dealing with me." Instead I told him "I know. And I promise I am not trying to but let's be honest cell phones aren't working out here anyway." Then I told him that what I did have was a photo of my husband form earlier today. I actually had a photo of him sitting in the exact spot that he would later be found in!! I also gave the officer a friend's phone number. A friend who I knew was still out of the road, and who I also knew was more than likely not near Patrick, but it was my best chance (the cops never called Kevin).

Kevin and Kelly- TEAM AWESOME

What would follow was 45 minutes worth of me texting with the officer, who turns out gave the tire to his supervisor to take up the road. I am pretty sure the man was irritated in giving me his number but he answered each text with updates. Until the final notice that Patrick had the tire in hand. I thanked the officer for his help and that the people of Iowa, him included, were amazing. In the meantime, I had gone back to the bike repair tent. I was greeted by laughter form the guys who all talked over each other in disbelief that the officer took the tire from me to go in search of my husband. The guys were nearly done with my bike, so what was there to do but o grab a beer (before the tent closed for the night). There I sat, with my fixed bike, on the side of the road, drinking a root beer (yeah, I know my limits) as first Kevin can riding up. When I said "Hi" and then "did a cop call you" the rest of the story got told with laughter following. As I glanced over the left at the road left behind, there he was, riding up the hill with a huge smile on his face. We both started laughing as he rode up. "I guess the State Trooper found you?" I asked him. "Yeah, he did. How?" It was a story told again from the bike seat as we traveled the rest of the way to town, laughing at how a girl got an officer to take a tire up the road by the power of demand. Let me say this in closing of this story- Thank you to the State Troopers who helped us out and kept us safe for not only this one moment but for the whole ride. The officers were amazing being there with support, blaring music, and a helping hand. There are many more stories to tell of RAGBRAI. Stories of lighting bugs, sunrise and sunsets, award winning cinnamon rolls, water slides, rock bands, and holding hands. But for now this is RAGBRAI! RAGBRAI 2019 has come a gone, but the stories will live forever!!!

#IMCHOO #IMTraining #Triathlete #Triathlon

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putschki1969 · 6 years ago

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VOICE Tour Live Report Part 2

Hi everyone!

It’s been 84 years...Okay, here is part two of my report. The ACTUAL report so to speak. Just in time for the tour final. I am expecting some news articles to be posted soon. I hope we will get some nice pictures of the Tokyo live. Anyways, sorry to have kept you waiting. Things have been crazy in Japan. There was a lot of stuff that didn’t go according to plan and I never got the chance to write the rest of my report while I was in Japan. And now that I have been back, I have been pretty busy with work >_< Unfortunately, writing reports like this takes A LOT of time because I try to do it as detailed as possible, I wanna do Wakana’s live justice after all. Oh well, I should stop rambling and start with the actual report. Before I focus on the songs I would like to share a few general thoughts.

Seating/audience: As most of you probably know, I attended both the Tokyo as well as the Fukuoka concert of Wakana’s tour. I had amazing seats for both lives. In Tokyo I was seated in the second row and in Fukuoka I had a first-row seat. Both were located right at the center so Wakana was literally in front of me. BANZAI!! The Fukuoka stage wasn’t very high and there was only about 1 ½ metres between the stage and the first row so basically I could have reached out and touched Wakana (not that I would ever do that but you get what I mean XD). It’s the closest I have ever been to her during a concert. I was able to see every micro expression on her face, I looked into her eyes, I waved at her, it felt so good to be noticed. On a more or less related note I wanna add that I felt kinda bad for Wakana because for the Fukuoka live the hall was pretty empty, I think the audience only filled about half of it (if not less - for reference, the main hall has a capacity for about 1,000 people, I think we weren’t even 500 people in the audience). I hear it was the same for her other venues (except the Tokyo live which was quite well visited but even there the upper floor was empty). Lining up for the goods was also completely different. Merchandise sale started very late, about 1 ½ hours before the live and there were hardly any people lining up. It’s really sad to see Wakana getting so little support for her solo activities. I guess lots of YK and Kalafina fans aren’t really interested to follow her. Right now Wakana’s management is making the mistake of still thinking in Kalafina dimensions. Wakana as a solo artist simply can’t fill out halls like Kalafina. Maybe at some point in her career she will be able to but I feel she will have to do a lot of tie-ins to achieve that sort of popularity. Right now it would be smarter to go for slightly smaller (and more classical) venues I think...This way the halls would fill up quickly and it would probably reduce the ticket prices (which in turn would make more people willing to purchase them). I hope for the next tour they will consider making some changes. Wakana deserves to perform at sold out lives.

Band style: Speaking of “more classical” venues, I feel like Wakana would also benefit from a more “classical style/acoustic arrangement”. The band style is a bit overwhelming at times, there were a few songs that would have sounded SO MUCH better with a less band-heavy arrangement, at least in my opinion. In particular the drums and bass guitar felt a little overbearing during some parts of the performance (“Yakusoku no Yoake” and “Toki wo Koeru Yoru ni” immediately come to mind - the bass was bordering on obnoxious during “Toki wo Koeru Yoru ni” and the drums kinda almost ruined the mystical/translucent atmosphere of “Yakusoku no Yoake”). Don’t get me wrong, I am not blaming the musicians, I think they all did well. The guitarist was particularly dedicated, he switched between e-guitar and acoustic guitar throughout the entire concert, even during songs. There was a staff member that constantly had to run back and forth, I felt kinda bad for him. At any rate, all the musicians were really into it and they were obviously having lots of fun. Unfortunately, most of Wakana’s songs simply aren’t suited to be played by a “standard” band.

Vocals: Wakana’s vocals were great during both concerts. As far as I can tell she hit all of her notes, to me she sounded particularly beautiful in Jidai, Boku no Kokoro no Tokei, Hikari Furu and Ai no Hana. At no point did she seem exhausted, I didn’t notice her getting out of breath and she barely even sweated. Due to the nature of most songs, she didn’t move a lot so she was able to focus fully on her singing. I did notice however that her voice got occasionally drowned by the band. Once in a while she would sing her lines really quietly, not sure why though. Maybe she lacked confidence or she forgot the lyrics. Perhaps she purposefully used a quiet voice and didn’t take into account that the background music and band would be so loud. That’s just a minor complaint though and didn’t really take away from the overall experience.

Production: The stage set up was very simple which I didn’t mind. The decoration consisted of these metal thingies hanging from the ceiling (as seen on the report pictures). The atmosphere was mostly created via the lighting. There was a screen in the back but it was barely used. To be honest, I only really noticed it during “Kaze ni Naritai”. I am sure it was used during other songs but for the life of me, I can’t remember. There was no choreography or anything. Wakana just did what she felt like doing. Some swaying here, some arm gesture there. A bit of walking across the stage during the more up-beat songs. The outfits were obviously chosen by Wakana herself. You could tell she felt very comfortable in them. She also opted for flat sandals. It’s details like that which made the lives feel very real and intimate.

MCs: Wakana was quite nervous during her MCs (especially at her Tokyo live which was filmed). At times she was a bit awkward and didn’t really know what to say. She even admitted to feel a little uncomfortable since this is the first time in her solo career to have so many cameras around. She definitely talked a lot more at the Tokyo live but I am not sure if all of that is gonna make it onto the DVD/BD (I hope so though!). During her Fukuoka live she was far more relaxed and towards the end you could tell that she didn’t mind the MCs at all. She was able to talk freely at that point. Either way, at both lives she managed to work her way through the MCs. The audience was very supportive and found her little awkwardness quite precious. I mean, how could you not find her cute?

Tokyo or Fukuoka? Overall, I thought the Fukuoka live was much better than the concert in Tokyo. Wakana was more relaxed and I guess she didn’t feel as pressured since there were no cameras. She cried at the end when she said her final goodbye. It was so sweet. Also, the acoustics were a lot better at the Fukuoka Convention Center, at least it sounded that way for me. The band wasn’t so loud and Wakana’s microphone was quite well-balanced which really cannot be said for the Tokyo live (but as I mentioned in my previous post, I think it will be easy to fix with a bit of studio magic, the video release should sound fine).

Okay, now let’s finally get to the songs...

01.約束の夜明け | Yakusoku no Yoake Wakana came on stage wearing the orange/salmon-coloured dress and flat white Roman-style sandals. The lights weren’t doing her arms any favours to be honest but aside from that she looked gorgeous. The colour of the dress really accentuated her skin tone. Her hair was made up in an elaborate ponytail with lots of braids. For this song there was some sort of see-through screen similar to the one used for Koibito no Mukashigatari no Yūgure no during Kalafina’s FOTW tour. The song started with a short intro/overture that sounded very epic. I think they should have added that part to the studio version (since that one starts rather abruptly). As mentioned in my quick overall review, everything was quite loud during this song (more so during the Tokyo live than the one in Fukuoka). I didn’t really like how the band sounded, to me it felt rather overwhelming. I think something different is needed for an almost ethereal song like that. Maybe some strings or a flute...Sometimes a little less is more. On top of that, Wakana’s singing was quite loud to compensate the sound of the instruments so that didn’t exactly make it better. Wakana did a little “oohhhh-ing” for the rather long instrumental section that starts around 2:40 minutes. It’s also noticeable in the studio version if you listen closely but it’s barely there. For the live version Wakana is doing some proper “ooohh-ing”, it sounded really nice. I expected to REALLY love this song since it’s among my album faves but unfortunately the loudness and arrangement made it very hard for me to fully appreciate the performance. It wasn’t bad or anything but I also wasn’t blown away. I guess you could say it was a little underwhelming...

02.流れ星 | Nagareboshi A straightforward performance. Sounded pretty much exactly like the studio version. For me this song is ranked pretty low as far as the album tracks are concerned. I had hoped Wakana’s live performance would make me appreciate the song more but I still feel the same way about it. I mean, I don’t dislike it or anything, I just don’t enjoy it as much as most of the other album tracks. It just doesn’t click with me if that makes sense. At the end of the performance we get a small highlight. Wakana went up to her little table and picked up a couple of instruments. First she used the tingsha to create some sort of “bling” sound. Then she took the big rainstick and slowly moved it upside down to create the sound of rain. Honestly, I can’t wait for you to see her face on the video release, I hope they caught her expressions on camera, she looked so happy playing those instruments. Like a little child that got to play with her favourite toy.

MC: I don’t have much memory of the MCs tbh (or rather, I don’t remember what was being said in which MC because there were SO MANY) but I think she talked about her album release here and how she wants people to listen to her as an individual, she wants people to focus on her as a human being, this tour is only about her and her voice (which is also why the tour title is “VOICE”). This is also where she talked about the weather I think. How she tends to be really unlucky and wherever she goes she brings rain with her. During her first few tour lives the weather was always really nice but unfortunately it rained a lot on the day of her Tokyo live. It did however stop raining towards the late afternoon. The weather wasn’t exactly nice but at least we managed to stay dry. It was super hot and sunny for Wakana’s Fukuoka live. Maybe she mentioned the cameras here too or it might have been in a later MC...? Anyways, she confirmed that we would get a home video release for this concert.

03.瑠璃色の空 | Ruriiro no Sora This is probably my least favourite song of the album, it’s just not my cup of tea. As a result, the performance didn’t really stand out to me and I don’t have much to say about it.. However, for those who like the song I think you will like the live performance because Wakana sounded really good. No complaints.

04.Hard Rain This is where the concert really picked up for me. It was the first up-beat song of the live and I generally enjoyed the performance. In the beginning when I first listened to the album I wasn’t sure whether or not I liked “Hard Rain”, both “Ruriiro no Sora” and “Hard Rain” have a similar vibe, they almost sound “jazz-y” to me and honestly, jazz is a genre I don’t enjoy at all. But unlike “Ruriiro no Sora” “Hard Rain” managed to win me over. The studio version is really nice but the live version is so much better. Wakana delivered a lovely performance, her stage presence was great. During the chorus she kept walking from one end of the stage to the other, flapping her multi-layered skirt. She came right to the edge of the stage so I felt really close to her.The “paya-paya” part at the end of the song was lip-synched to some extent. Or at least they had a very loud track playing in the background. The last few “paya-payas” she sang herself.

MC: I think in this MC Wakana talks about the privilege of working together with so many different and talented composers/songwriters. She feels honoured that all these beautiful songs were made for her. She learned a lot, she got to meet lots of amazing people, she got a lot more involved in the creative process. The next song was composed and written by Yūko Andō, Wakana is particularly smitten by this piece because it’s so powerful, it’s a showcase of female strength.

05.記憶の人 | Kioku no Hito In my opinion Wakana’s live performance far exceeded the studio version. Those who already love the studio version will fall in love even more with the song once they watch the live. At least that’s what happened to me. There was so much emotion in her voice. She sounded beautiful. THIS is the kind of singing style I enjoy most from Wakana, it’s this kind of song where she gets to shine. The previous songs lacked this particular charm (at least it felt that way to me). Don’t get me wrong, they were all solid performances but there are distinctive aspects of Wakana’s voice that I originally fell in love with and that aren’t really all that present in the above mentioned songs (because they are a different style to what Wakana usually sings). Does this make sense? The band thankfully held back here, the arrangement was very simple, no excessive use of drums, e-guitar or bass.

06.時の音 | Toki no Ne Just like with “Kioku no Hito” this song was much more impressive being performed live (as impressive as a slow ballad like that can get :P). While listening to the album I usually neglected this track because I didn’t really care for it all that much. However, Wakana’s nuanced performance really moved me. There was something in her voice that struck my heart, it’s hard to explain. Once again the band held back for which I was very grateful. An understated piece like this sounds best with a simple arrangement.

MC: I think this might have been the MC where she talked about the sky and taking lots of pictures. She loves watching the sky, the sun and the trees. How the position of the sun changes the entire scenery, how the strength of the wind puts everything in motion. She wants everyone to get a feel for the summer wind so for her cover corner she chose the song “Kaze ni Naritai” as intro. She thinks it’s a perfect song for the season.

07.風になりたい | Kaze ni Naritai ❇Cover (original by THE BOOM) Probably the most quirky and laid back performance of the night. A feel-good song if there ever was one. Everyone had a blast. Wakana was so hyper and she was dancing around like a little girl. She got the audience to clap along, it was a ton of fun. I didn’t expect to like this song so much because I wasn’t really impressed with the original when I listened to it on youtube but boy, Wakana truly worked her magic, I was mesmerised, it felt like we were all at the beach. Throughout the song she used a small rattle and let me tell you, she took the shaking seriously. Can’t wait for everyone to watch this performance on DVD/BD.Vocally this song wasn’t outstanding or anything, it was just about having fun.

MC: Next up she talks about how there are so many artists she admires and she decided early on that she wanted to sing some of their songs during her lives. Last year during her autumn tour she already sang a song by Spitz (they are among her favourite bands) so for this tour she KNEW that she wanted to sing another Spitz song. This time she chose Hotaru which is one of her all-time favourite songs.

08.ホタル | Hotaru ❇Cover (original by Spitz) Ever since Wakana had mentioned in an interview that she would love to sing this song together with the lead singer of Spitz one day, I have been in love with it. I watched the original on Youtube and was immediately smitten by Masamune Kusano’s voice. Wakana uses a very similar style to sing the song, it’s very intense and soulful. The arrangement is also pretty much the same. Just imagine the original being sung by Wakana and you will know what to expect.

MC: This MC was pretty long and quite different at the Tokyo and Fukuoka live, I fear I might mix up things a little. Here she talks a lot about loving Miyuki Nakajima. Last time she sang “Ito” and this time she is gonna sing “Jidai”, a song that has left a huge impression on her. She used to sing it as a young girl but back then she didn’t understand the meaning of the lyrics (find the English lyrics HERE). She just sang it because she liked the melody. As she became older, the lyrics gradually started to make sense and now it’s so much more powerful. Wakana says that as time goes by so many things happen, everything changes, steadily we learn to love new things, we say goodbye to old things. At the Tokyo live she tried to recite a part of the lyrics but for some reason she couldn’t remember the lines in the heat of the moment. She was standing there, flustered, trying to remember the lines. Not a single word came out of her mouth though. She looked at the ceiling looking for a hint but obviously there was none, the pianist even started playing a few tones so Wakana would remember but nope, it didn’t happen. Eventually Wakana gave up and just decided to sing the song. I hope they keep that part in the DVD/BD.

09.時代 | Jidai ❇Cover (orignal by Miyuki Nakajima) Absolutely breathtaking, I LOVE this song so much, I understand why Wakana is such a big fan of it. And really, Wakana sings it perfectly. This is the kind of song that was MADE for her. It was a very emotional performance for everyone because we all had to think of Kalafina parting ways and Wakana taking a new path.

10.水の証 | Mizu no Akashi I was so happy to hear her perform this live since it’s literally one of her oldest songs. I have never attended a YK live so last year during Wakana’s symphony concert, I got to listen to it for the first time. I was mesmerised back then and I was just as charmed this time around. I feel like Wakana is getting better and better at performing this song. She literally sounded like old-school Wakana. After the song had ended, Wakana took a small bow and walked off. Since the music was still playing there was no applause.

～ Mizu no Akashi inst ～ (dress change): The instrumental started out quite slow and quiet. Steadily it became more up-beat and epic, basically like one of YK’s typical instrumental pieces. I liked it quite a bit but I wasn’t blown away. Not sure if Satoshi Takebe arranged this or if the musicians improvised, either way, it was a nice little transition. They then played a little intro for Tsubasa that reminded me a lot of the beginning of “the battle is to the strong”. That was pretty epic. Wakana came on stage wearing her heavily patterned dress. I personally liked it a lot because the cut of this dress was much more flattering than the previous one. Plus, we got some Waka-collarbones and in my book that’s always a bonus.

11.翼 | Tsubasa I am really sad that Wakana doesn’t perform the song like she did on the music program Bokura no Ongaku (CLICK ME). That rendition had so much edge, she was literally growling some of her lines. Something we have never really seen from her before and certainly a welcome change. Ahhh, that was such a powerful performance. Alas, for this tour Wakana has decided to sing the song in a manner that’s quite similar to the studio version (comparable to the version we got from the Odaiba Venus Fort release event). Wakana does well, she sounds good, there’s no doubt that it is a great performance BUT there is a lack of “oomph” if you know what I mean. Her expressions and gestures also aren’t as passionate as they were in that music show. But hey, it’s fine. Perfectly enjoyable performance.

MC: There was a short MC where she talked about wanting to enjoy the following song together with the audience. Once again she invited us to clap along. a few people got up from their seats.

12.君だけのステージ | Kimi Dake no Stage WOW!! Wakana was glowing in this one, the song radiates so much happiness. She had a smile on her face the entire time. I can’t remember the melody of the song but the chorus is super uplifting and cheerful. I hope we will get a single release in the future. I can understand why it’s not on the album though, it’s too up-beat I think, it wouldn’t have fit the overall vibe XD

MC: This is when the band introduction happened...I wonder if this was also where she asked the audience members about where they came from. At one point she asked everyone from Tokyo to raise their hand, then everyone who came to the live from another part of the country. And finally she asked everyone from overseas to raise their hand. OF COURSE I was raising my hand as fast as I could. I am kinda sad that she didn’t ask the same question at the Fukuoka live T_T

13.むすんでひらく | Musunde Hiraku Solid performance, perfect continuation of “Kimi Dake no Stage”. If I am not mistaken I think she struggled a bit with some of her notes...probably because of the faster tempo...Almost everyone stood up for this song and did the typical Kalafina hand/arm gesture. Not sure what to think of that actually. It’s like no one was invested in the live until she started singing a Kalafina song. Wakana had tried really hard to engage the audience during Kaze ni Naritai and Kimi Dake no Stage but you could tell people were holding back (for whatever reason). With the first note of “Musunde Hiraku” everyone literally jumped out of their seat. Kinda disrespectful if you ask me...maybe that’s just me reading too much into it but it didn’t sit well with me...

MC (Satoshi Takebe joins Wakana on stage): This part and the following two songs were Tokyo-exclusive. Wakana asked everyone to take a seat again and introduced Satoshi Takebe. She talked a bit about him being the producer of her previous and current tour, about him being awfully busy (they didn’t even have time to rehearse together!). He then says a few nice things about Wakana and apologises for talking too much. Wakana tells him it’s totally fine, she has been talking all evening and is happy someone else is taking over. She was like, “please keep talking so I don’t have to talk!” XD Satoshi Takebe explains that they decided to perform two songs together, the first one being a song that Wakana has always wanted to sing at a concert, she has been singing it so often at karaoke. The second one being a song Satoshi Takebe has always wanted to try and play.

14. ハナミズキ | Hanamizuki ❇Cover (original by Yō Hitoto) Sorry, can’t say anything about this. I hadn’t known that song prior to this performance and tbh, it didn’t really stand out. I thought it was quite boring tbh…But maybe that’s just me being overly-critical and me not having read the lyrics. I am always having a hard time judging songs that I have only listened to once. I am not able to take in everything the first time. Plus, at that point I was fighting a battle with exhaustion. I had arrived in Japan that morning and didn’t get any sleep on the plane. I kinda wish she would have sung this in Fukuoka too because there I would have been able to appreciate it more. I have basically no memory of it so it’s hard for me to write a proper review. Wakana definitely sounded good but I don’t think it was a very challenging song...or maybe it was? Ughhh, sorry, I fail...

15. oblivious I have never been a big fan of “oblivious” to begin with and this new arrangement doesn’t really do anything to improve my opinion of it. Wakana performed a similar version during her symphony concert, it’s just a bit more up-beat now. They pretty much removed all the “oooohh-ing” parts so Wakana is only singing the verses and chorus. Just at the very end Wakana is doing a bit of “oooh-ing” but she chose to do it with a very thin and breathy voice. Not sure why because she could have definitely sung it with a fuller and more “operatic” voice. Personally I feel like without the operatic style “ooooh-ing” the song isn’t all that special. I guess you will all have to judge for yourself. Those who love “oblivious” might find something to like here too.

MC: Here she talks about time and clocks, pretty much the same thing she has been talking about in many of her interview. Time is the theme of quite a lot of her album tracks, she is generally very fascinated by time.

16.僕の心の時計 | Boku no Kokoro no Tokei A touching performance. One of my favourites actually, didn’t expect to like it so much. Her vocals were lovely here, especially towards the end. Can’t really say anything else about it.

17.時を越える夜に | Toki wo Koeru Yoru ni Unlike most people, I have loved this song from the get-go. I think it’s a beautiful ballad and I could listen to it all day. BUT the band really ruined this performance for me. Okay, maybe “ruined” isn’t the right word, there was still some enjoyment to be found, Wakana’s vocals were on point after all but it just wasn’t what I had hoped for. As I mentioned at the beginning of this report, the bass was super obnoxious during the chorus. It was totally out of place. I hope they can work some studio magic to make it sound better on DVD/BD. Or maybe it was just my personal perception and other people liked it...???

MC: Wakana says that this is the final song of her concert *fake news XD* and thanks everyone for coming.

18.金木犀 | Kinmokusei Ahhhh! A beautiful and solid performance, nothing more to say about it. I was already smitten with the studio version so Wakana didn’t really have to do anything to convince me to fall in love with the live version.

~EN ~ Wakana left the stage and people started doing the usual clapping for an encore. They didn’t do the typical “encore” chanting. The band returned and the pianist started to play with a sort of organ setting. It sounded very epic. Wakana comes on stage wearing her album cover dress. The sleeves were altered slightly, instead of long sleeves she now has the fabric flow freely around her arms. It’s a very good look on her, she literally looks like an angel. She has some accessories in her hair that look a lot like the ones she used for the 10th Anniversary Live.

19.ひかりふる | Hikari Furu I think this performance will be quite polarising. Some will love it, others will hate it. Personally, I really loved it because Wakana sounded great. Yes, Keiko and Hikaru are missed dearly and a couple of their essential lines (e.g. “hikari no naka”) were left out but nonetheless, Wakana did an amazing job (especially during the climax). As I mentioned before, the song starts with some sort of organ-style playing by the piano and Wakana’s angelic singing. As the song progresses the other instruments join in, the arrangement sounds quite dramatic. For some reason I was reminded of Queen’s music (probably because I had just watched the movie Bohemian Rhapsody on the plane). Wakana sings as many of Keiko’s and Hikaru’s lines as possible and she really does them justice. She doesn’t necessarily try to imitate their singing style, her “mabushii asa” for example sounds totally different than Keiko’s. Overall I am very happy that she decided to sing this song, it was definitely one of the highlights of this live. I guess everyone has to decide for themselves whether or not they like this new arrangement.

MC: Here Wakana talks about the final song of her album. During the Tokyo live she explains that this song is very special because it showcases the power of lyrics. The melody is cute and playful but that’s actually quite misleading because the topic of the song is profound and sad. She also mentions that the song was composed by Shusui and another Swedish composer who she had first met more than a decade ago when she was still in her teens.I think she might have only sad that at the Fukuoka live, not sure o.O

20.愛の花 | Ai no Hana Hands down my favourite song of the album and probably my favourite performance of those two nights. I don’t know what it is about this song but I am just so freaking in love with it. I guess it’s just like Wakana said in the MC, the juxtaposition of the sweet melody and the tragic lyrics makes “Ai no Hana” so precious. There are so many emotions combined in this song. Tragedy, sadness, joy and hope, they all come together to create a beautiful song. Wakana sounds like an angel, especially after the second chorus when she does her “ooohhh-ing”. The live version is SO MUCH better than the studio version. Her high notes are gorgeous. The end of the song is also improved quite a bit because it doesn’t end so abruptly after the final chorus. The chorus is repeated a second time (starting from “kōri mo tokasu ai no hana) which adds a lovely climax.

MC: Wakana thanks everyone and once again introduces the band members. One by one they start leaving the stage until only the pianist is left. Wakana says that she wants to sing one final song accompanied by just the piano. The song is written by Satoshi Takebe and it means a lot to her. The past year has been filled with lots of emotions, there has been sadness, pain and joy, she has made so many new experiences, she has worked really hard on writing all these lyrics. Every time she stands on stage she knows it’s all worth it. She was born to sing, she wants to keep on singing, she wants to deliver her songs to an audience. She has put all these feelings into the lyrics of the next song.

21.あとひとつ | Ato Hitotsu So simple and yet so beautiful. I think for most of you who are not really fans of slow ballads the song will be too boring. For me personally, it was love at first listen. The melody of the chorus is still stuck in my head. I wonder if we'll ever get a release for this song. I really hope so! It would go perfectly with “Kimi Dake no Stage” - topic wise I mean. And it would make a lovely B-side. This is just about Wakana declaring her love for singing and performing, about being herself, about treasuring the moment, about following her dreams. I don’t remember everything but the lyrics are so sweet, I honestly couldn’t help but cry.

Final greeting: Wakana walked from side to side saying a few parting words. In Fukuoka she started crying, it was so precious. First she only teared up a little but then she kept talking and the tears were just flowing down her face. She didn’t really say anything special, just the usual stuff (so happy to be back home, to be welcomed so warmy, etc). She can’t wait to be back, there will be many more tours (she made it sound like another tour was already in the making, there was no official announcement though).

#kalafina #wakana #report #live report #wakana live tour 2019 voice #tokyo #fukuoka #long text post

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stephenjaymorrisblog · 6 years ago

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Love In Hell

By Stephen Jay Morris

Monday, February 25, 2019

©Scientific Morality

It was the Summer of ‘69 and I was all of 15 years old. Life, at that point, had become a major exploration trip. I’ve laid out the details of that summer in my manuscript entitled, “Hidden in the Rotunda.” This article focuses on one Monday, that of July 28, 1969.

I went to my first Love In at Griffith Park, which took place at the popular “Merry-Go-Round” area, in 1969. During the Summer of Love, back in 1967, there had been a Love In at this exact location. By that time, the term “Love In” was laughably passé. About 500 people had shown up, clad in their head shop-slash-thrift shop, chic clothing, posing for the news media. The gathering was comprised mostly of art fart types who hadn’t had enough time to grow their hair long. But some of them had long sideburns and the females were sporting Carnaby Street fashions on their svelte, white bodies. Groovy, baby!

A couple of years later—1969—the unwashed masses amassed in this hilly, city park. Not only did the so-called Hippies show up, but there were also Bikers, Chicano gang bangers, homeless people, Krishna devotees, drum circle freaks, Anti War activists, Black Panthers, and New Left activists. It was an outdoor party and it was freaking me out, man! Oh, yes—the pigs (cops) showed up in full riot dress.

I don’t recall how I initially found out about this event. Maybe it was through an ad in the L.A. Free Press, or a friend had told me about it. In any case, I went. It was summer vacation and what better way to spend it than by going to my very first Love In!? I asked my friend, Philip, if he wanted to go, but his parents said “No!” My parents? I just told my mom I was going to visit my friend and I’d be back in time for dinner. What I didn’t tell her was that I’d be with a few thousand friends! My dad, well he couldn’t give a rat’s ass about what I did on vacation. Matter of fact, the longer I stayed out of the house, the happier he was; shit breath didn’t love me at all. Only my mom cared.

It was mild for a summer day; the temperature topped out at 71 degrees. One thing I hated about summer in L.A. was the humidity. It was typically cold in the morning, so you’d end up having to carry your jacket around almost all day. I remember wearing a work shirt that once belonged to my grandfather. In knew my dad resented me for wearing it, but he never said anything. Go figure.

I left my house on Martel Avenue. Looking north to the Hollywood Hills, there was the familiar, brown haze of smog. In the wintertime and early spring, and sometimes in autumn, the view of the hills was crystal clear. Once, a few years earlier, I saw snowcaps on those hills, just after a rainstorm.

I walked eastward down Beverly Boulevard toward La Brea. I was planning to take the public bus to the event, using my student discount card. I wore my Levi’s jeans, a black Tee shirt, and black deck shoes. I’d put on boxer shorts as well, although a lot of “hip kids” didn’t wear underwear. I had my grandfathers work shirt on over my Tee shirt.

Now on weekends, buses kept different schedules than they did on weekdays. They came just once every hour and stopped running at midnight. By then, the oil companies had ruined public transportation in Los Angeles. I waited and waited on the northeast corner of Beverly and La Brea. Four gas stations flanked the intersection: Texaco, Chevron, Exxon, and Gulf. L.A. was indeed a “car town.”

Hitch hiking was the standard “hip” mode of transportation. It was viewed as an expression of collective sharing among your brothers and sisters; just like sharing a jug of wine or a joint. Taken to the extreme, there was the sharing of your boyfriend or girlfriend in the name of “Free Love.” As a rule, I didn’t hitch hike much. Middle-aged perverts who wanted to suck my cock would often pick me up. On the other hand, I didn’t want to wait another hour for a bus, so I stuck out my thumb and hoped for somebody who was heading for the same destination as I was.

Ten minutes later, a 1949 VW Beetle ambled up the street toward me, a trail of smoke behind it. At the time, a lot of young people painted their VW bugs with colorful floral designs and symbols, such as the Peace sign. Well, this little car was a real wreck! It looked like it had been entered into and ejected from a demolition derby. One taillight was cracked, a door was taped up, and the paint was peeling with age. The body was covered in dents.

But, you know what they say: “Beggars can’t be choosers!”

The door opened and the driver asked, “Griffith Park Love In?”

I said, “Yep!”

He jubilantly replied, “Get in!”

A passenger closed the door behind me. The driver looked like a college professor from the 80’s. He was a white guy in his 40’s with shaggy, curly hair and an unshaven face; his specs sat halfway down his nose. The radio was on; a vintage A.M. model with one speaker. It was tuned in to some Top 40s station; a teenybopper song was playing. I think it was “Baby I Love You.” When it ended, the DJ announced loudly, “That was Andy Kim! Going up the charts like a shooting star! Now the news! Headlines: Nixon says 25,000 troops will be withdrawn out of Vietnam in a couple of days!”

What I hated about VW Beetles was that noisy, sputtering engine and the smell of gasoline. I prayed we’d get to our destination soon, before I got asphyxiated! Thank Buddha, somebody lit up a doobie, which effectively covered up the gas odor. Hey, I would have been happy if somebody had simply burned some incense!

Someone from the back seat addressed the driver, “Hey, Dean! Are you going to that Woodstock Arts and Crafts festival?”

He blissfully replied, “Hell, yeah. I’m going!”

I asked, “What’s Woodstock?”

He laughed and answered, “Only the biggest concert in the history of humanity! It is going to be bigger than the Monterey Pop Festival two years ago. I heard the Beatles are showing up!”

Somebody said from the back seat, “I heard the Stones and Dylan are coming, too!”

I asked, “Where is this going to take place?”

“Upstate New York!”

I replied, “Oh.” I thought to myself, ‘They’ll be lucky to get Joni Mitchell to play at an arts and craft festival. Whenever I think of an arts and craft festival, I think of the Renaissance Fair. My dad took the family to that fair once and it reminded me of an outdoor mental institution. No thanks!’

Driving south on Los Feliz Boulevard reminded one of how poor they are. There were these giant mansions built in the 1930’s, worth millions upon millions of dollars! Even the Art Deco apartment buildings looked luxurious.

Finally, upon arriving at the Mulholland Memorial Fountain, I knew we’d arrived at the entrance to Griffith Park. Just a right turn on Crystal Springs Drive and then north to the park.

Today, though, was different. For the first time since I’d driven there with my parents, there was a traffic jam. Lines upon lines of vehicles, of all different shapes and kinds, were backed up to Los Feliz. Those inside were mostly collage-aged kids, smoking grass and banging on tambourines. Crystal Spring Drive was a two-lane road next to the side of a hill, a distance of about a mile and a half to our destination, the Merry-Go-Round. At a grueling 10 miles an hour, it took us about 25 minutes to get there! It was 11:35 a.m.

Only three bands were scheduled to play the Love In. They were “Ace of Cups” (stupid name), “Sons of Chaplin,” and the “Jefferson Airplane.” In December that year, I would see The Airplane perform at Altamont Speedway’s tragically-iconic, free concert in Northern California.

Behind the Merry-Go-Round, there was a small meadow in which hundreds, if not thousands of people, had gathered. An area had been set aside where the band would play; not an elevated stage or platform, just open, flat ground. This area was on an incline, so mostly people who located themselves far from it could see the bands. All of this was set up behind the public bathroom building.

I walked alone among the throngs of smelly Baby Boomers. There were peddlers selling everything—and I mean everything! I came across one member of the Black Panther Party selling his party’s tabloid, “The Black Panther.” I’m glad for that; all of the misinformation I’d been told was dispelled later that night.

Cops were strolling among the crowd. There were some kids walking around butt naked. This was supposed to be for making a political statement. If you’d asked me, I’d have said it was just good old fashioned expositionism! If you’d seen their bodies, you’d have hoped they were arrested! A cop would yell to one nude dude, “Hey! Cover up or you will get busted for indecent exposure!” The lawbreaker quickly tied a shirt around his waist. As soon as the fuzz left the area, he got naked again. It was the same thing with pot, which was still illegal in those days. Some cops would tell a pot smoker, “Put that stuff away or I will have to run you in!” Overall, the cops wanted to avoid any rioting.

The Chicano gangs were drunk on wine and barbiturates, or “Reds.” The Bikers stood by their Harley Davidsons while they got drunk on beer. The more they drank, the more pugnacious they got. Fights broke out everywhere. Ultimately, the event was more like a “hate in” than a Love In. What I could never understand was why Bikers attended every Love In or Antiwar protest if they hated Hippies so much! I suppose it was for the dope and the chicks.

The Hippies were just toking on weed and passing around gallon bottles of Red Mountain wine. Sharing like this was a sure way of getting Hepatitis C. I avoided the ritual as much as possible. The Hippie chicks had this proclivity of dancing by themselves. They looked like blow up dolls in the wind. Alas, everybody was compelled to express themselves in those days. It was a great argument for Fascism.

Oh, there was music…sort of…kind of. Two bands were playing your generic twelve-bar blues. Then came the Airplane. But, every song they attempted to play was stopped in the middle. Why? Because the sound system sucked shit!

I got bored and left. As I looked at the crowd for the last time, I thought, ‘This is not going to last. Most of these kids will get married and have kids financed by their careers. By the 1980’s, they will become Republicans.’ I wish I’d written that down. Who is going to believe I ever had those thoughts? No one.

I took a bus home, had dinner, and went into my room. I read “The Black Panther.”

I’ll say this, it was the most interesting Monday I’d ever had.

#60's music #60s #baby boomer generation #poets on tumblr #@anarchism #Poetry Slam #hippie #stephenjaymorris #jefferson airplane

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norsesuggestions · 7 years ago

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From the Norse iron age point of view, would studying in Finland mean studying wizardry and witchcraft? [I just recall there was "Finnish = magical" trope in sagas]

hmmmm no i do not think so. and the impliciation of me saying such a thing, as a swede from sweden, are…. erm a bit… icky. and not something i would feel conformtable doing!

my knowledge of iron age finland is not great, but after the iron age finland and sweden were the same kingdom. this is because the medival age kingdom of sweden conquered finland. here is a link which takes you too my follower tawfast much informative post about the topic of the history between sweden and finland: link: https://norsesuggestions.tumblr.com/post/167094928924/a-question-of-terminology-to-finnish-followers

but! if i think it is the iron age, previous to existance of any kingdom of sweden i think something like this would be helga perspective.

Being that Helga, my character, lives on the east coast of modern day sweden, and my brother studied on the north west coast of finland (österbotten) which also nowadays (currently 2017 that is) has a large group of native swedish speakers, i think the norse iron age pov would be:

“he is away studying in a village on the other side of the sea! ofocurse, that is not very far, but he also up in the north! oh yes it takes a long time to travel to his lands, but at least it looks just like home. just very. flat. also over there they speak many languages, oh yes. sami languages, finnish and some old norse speakers too! the people over their also have some exciting new fashion trends, which my brother brought with him home last yule.”

(the part of österbotten i visited were very. flat. although västerbotten on the swedish side is also very flat. but going to the archeological museums of österbotten i clearly remember some fashion choices that were very similiar too sweden aka these people clearly had communcation, trading etc with eachother during the norse iron age. basically these were people that people in modern day sweden would be VERY familiar with, perhaps one of the people they would be the most familiar with. therefore i think it is unlikely they would consider going to finland very mysterious or magical. just your average day travlleing across the baltic sea!).

i think i will show a map to really put in context how close finland is too sweden!

my brother studied in kokkola up there in finland. but as you can see, it is not that far between stockholm and like the city Turku in finland! finland is our next doors neighbours!

also, Åland there in the middle is a part of finland, but i digress.

ps. swedes would later sometimes connect finnish speakers to witchcraft, which they would use to acuse finnish speakers in swedish speaking majority communities of witchcraft. at least this appeared to have happened in forexample ångermannaland (which is a bit above sundsvall there on the swedish east coast). but this happened in the 17th century, i do not think this were an belief of swedish iron age people of the years 500 AD- 1050 CE.

ps. this answer got a bit long, but being descended from some of the finnish speaking communities that lived within the the kingdom of sweden, but ended up on the swedish side of the borders when the two countries were seperated, well this interest me!

ps. i know like nothing about finnish archeology, except vague memories. also i have no idea which langagues were spoken in österbotten during the norse iron age, just as a disclaimer haha. sweden always for some reason (swedish dickery is the reason) neglects speaking about finland when we speak about the history of the swedish kingdom. so i have much learn on this topic!

ps. a quick google tell that the swedish kingdom conquered finland in 1157 CE and that we were seperated in 1809 CE. the very same narrative of swedish history previously mentioned, made it so, that i needed to google this haha.

#norseask #garland-on-thy-brow #this goes into a topic that is still related to modern day finland and sweden relations!#so i am not conformtable joking about it #which ofcourse can be difficult to know if you are no from the nordic countries #totally understanble that people outside the nordic countries do not know about ths

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vareloglou · 7 years ago

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Foreword

The last time someone asked Costas and myself to tell the story of Mindworks was in 2009. it was an invitation to an Open Coffee talk when Open Coffee was making its baby steps in Greece. 8 years later we had so much more to share, so here's a long read with everything that preceded the writing of this article and brought us here. Why now? It’s a chapter closing for myself and Costas, and as we move to the next one, there might be a few things we learned down the road that might help someone starting his own venture.

These thoughts are the long summary of a keynote we gave with Costas inDisrupt Cyprus in 08.11.2017

Mindworks was born in 2003 in Thessaloniki, our hometown in Northern Greece, against all odds. (Below you may see mindworks first "headquarters")

It started as an all-things-advertising agency, founded by two 20 year old kids (Costas & Vivi), with absolutely no idea about advertising, with zero clients, no business network, and no start up ecosystem at the time (funds, VCs, community etc). Putting your money on such a venture had significantly less potential in success than betting on the Greek National Football team to win the EURO a year later.

In 2005 I had a meeting with Costas Mantziaris, the founder of Mindworks, as an intern that wanted to work for free in any ad agency out there. Fortunately, after sending my CV to almost every ad agency in Northern Greece, the only answer I got was from Mindworks. I agreed to work for free for 2 months. Has he liked me, he would have to pay me something after the 2 month trial period. That was the deal.

Since then, it's been almost 13 years that we are together, as equal partners. “Equal partners”: This is something to notice. A shared leadership model that has no flaws for more than a straight decade. Literally, not a single fight.

Now you may think it's luck. In a way, it might be. But keep in mind that, I sent my CV to EVERY agency out there saying "I want to work for free". Costas the owner of a tiny ad agency, drown in cash flow problems, not making a decent salary even for himself, agreed to hire an intern he wouldn't actually need in terms of workload, just because he saw something there. Also, keep in mind that the only understanding I had of the internet back then was Dating in mIRC and Porn. Believe me, you wouldn’t hire me.

So, you might think we were lucky but we weren’t. We simply went the extra mile and made the most out of randomness.

Our partnership was the beginning of a great story I'm happy to share.

Costas had this idea: Making yet another ad agency would not get us anywhere. He had given two years restless effort to build one and saw that there was no chance in competing the established players, with no cash, no network and no Unique selling point. He thought we should pivot.

Pivot to what? Pivot to build a Search Marketing Agency.

Now let’s take a minute to give you some 2005 context.

In a post-Olympics Greece, Advertising was a flourishing business, Google was making its baby steps (there was

actually a pretty established rival in Greece, the search engine of in.gr called Trinity), no Google adwords yet, and the internet penetration in Greece was below 30%. Oh and most SMBs didn't even have a website.

Yet Costas had this idea. To help businesses find more customers through increasing their visibility in Search engines.

This was an idea against all odds. Trying to enter a nonexistent market, with no critical mass on the web, from our hometown, far away from where the things were happening at the time (Athens).

Passionately believing in Costas' idea, we started cold-calling businesses from the yellow pages, offering to build their websites (the hype at that moment) for free and get paid per click for organic traffic. Despite the thrill and the hours we put in our vision, almost a year later we had no more than 3 or 4 small clients that could barely cover the office expenses.

This is when we decided that Thessaloniki was far from a mature market for search marketing services at the time. We decided to go big and pitch the big guys. Companies like Aegean Airlines, Vodafone, Germanos, and others.

But again, we didn't know someone that knew someone that had any access to any of these organizations. Naive as we were, we were looking on Google for their board members, cold calling their secretaries to get a meeting with them. Again, we blatantly failed. Almost a year passed trying with no luck to set-up a single meeting.

At the same time, we started corporate blogging about search marketing, entering a growing network (no more than 20 business blogs at the time in Greece) of business bloggers.

This is when we met a few people from Athens, some of which became our friends and our biggest competitors a few years down the road. This gave us the reason to start same-day-road-tripping to Athens to meet potential clients.

Take another pause with me here. Back then, No GPS, No Google Maps and two kids that haven't been to Athens more than a handful of times in their life. Imagine that.

For two years we were road-tripping to Athens, for one day most of the times, for a single meeting, with no tangible results. There was one trip Costas made to Peloponnese, 13 hours driving during a storm for a Client in southern Greece for an annual contract of 3.000€.

Despite the fatigue, we got used to these trips. We spent hours on the road, dreaming of our future. That was probably the best and most creative time of our lives.

For 4 years we didn't stop trying.

4 Years is quite a long time in Startup time. For 4 years we could barely make a living, making a salary for less than 500€/month, and the failures we came across were one after another.

It took us 3 years to sign our first "big client" contract. It was Vodafone. It was a friend, who later on became a respected competitor that gave us the job. Ogilvyone and Giorgos Saliaris Fasseas gave us the chance to work with what later became our most trusted client, until today.

That was the point that we decided that one of us should move to Athens.

It was May 2008 and our efforts were starting to gain some traction, as in "two crazy guys from Thessaloniki doing stuff on Google that actually works", when we built our home in Athens. It was a home literally since there was no money for offices other than the living expenses of one of us in Athens.

A year later and after 3 other acquisition offers, we met with Atcom's founder Kostas Theotokas. We chose to partner with Atcom not for the money they offered but for their culture and the freedom we had working with them. It was the same company that bought Skroutz, the leading Greek price comparison website when Skroutz had less than 100 visits per day, and Linkwise the first affiliate network in Greece.

We wouldn't stand before you sharing our story if it wasn't for Atcom. Atcom not only supported our efforts in Search, but it stood next to us when a year later we decided to pivot (again) to a full-service digital agency, competing with the rest of the market in the digital ad agency business.

By taking that decision, Atcom risked it' s business, losing all its agency clients which at the moment, accounted for more than a third of its revenue.

Remember what to look for, when discussing with investors and VCs. It's the people onboard, not the funds that make great companies thrive.

Again we were in front of a new pivot, which was once again, against all odds. During the worst economic recession Greece faced in its history, we decided to pivot our business to a declining market, competing with our existing clients at the moment, the rest of the ad agencies.

Mindworks counted back then 8 people. In the following 4 years, we entered a work frenzy that I wish we won't have to go through again in our lives.

Pitching one client after the other, we worked 14hrs a day for 4 years straight. Presentation by presentation, we didn't lose a single pitch (OK, I think we lost one or two). Mindworks boomed from a 7 people small shop to a leading player of 40 people in 2014.

In this period we took a number of bold risks. From 2010 onwards, we started bringing in talent from the traditional advertising industry, hiring copywriters, traditional PR people and film directors. We built capability that brought us eye to eye with our competitors and gave us the chance to launch one new service after the other.

We were the first company to run a campaign on Facebook, one of the first to offer digital reputation management services, and later on something that others suggested as crazy:

We built an in-house team of video production in 2013 to tackle the challenge of the lower available investments for video content in Digital platforms. It was a team of film directors, motion designers and 3D artists. That move helped us better understand and integrate interactive experiences and technology with Video content.

But it wasn't all for profit.

In June 2013 we decided to incubate one of the first innovation labs in Europe, focusing solely on RnD, separate from client business. We hired 3 people (two software, one hardware), working passionately on new ideas, and technologies that were completely new. It was a €100.000 investment that gave us a firsthand perspective to everything new happening with IoT, but also a series of fun projects that put mindworks on BBC news, in a 3' feature.

By the way, it was a completely useless interactive aquarium where you could feed the fishes from your web browser, yet it made news on BBC.

And then a huge problem came in front of us: Aggressive growth.When you grow unexpectedly fast, there are two major obstacles in front of you.

The first is structure. We were never ready for such exponential growth. When a flat system with no structure, complete lack of process and no financial control, grows at unexpected rates it's like an Icarus flying closer to the sun every day passing.

We entered an era of structure.

We started using tools, we restructured the company into departments, we started training people to fit in the new reality and we finally started seriously monitoring finance.

The second is cash flow. The thing with services is that you may not need any stock to stay alive, but you always need to stock intellectual capital (and pay for it) before you sell it. Put that in the context of Greek recession, where the banking system collapsed, and with absolutely no credit line available.

The liquidity wall was ahead of us, and we were lucky enough just 3 months before capital controls imposed in Greece, to finalize a 3 years negotiation and sell Mindworks to a leading multinational media conglomerate.

Dentsu Aegis Network, looked into the Greek market and acquired the leading independent digital agency to future-proof itself in the Greek market for the years to come.

The Mindworks acquisition was one of the biggest acquisitions in the history of advertising in Greece.

Mindworks diluted as a name, but as you may see it's still alive through its people. We launched isobar (creative & Technology) and iProspect (analytics & performance marketing), but name-changing was only a milestone to a never-ending journey to deliver value to our clients through people, ideas, technology and data.

After looking at the bigger picture, in 2014 we decided to move the business forward in two directions, slightly pivoting once again.

We decided to position isobar as a creative agency, rather than a digital agency, as we foresaw a declining digital creative business, pivoting to a 360 communication agency before any other competitor.

At the same time we positioned iProspect, the leading performance marketing agency at the time, to a digital business strategy consultant, going after more meaningful business partnerships, rather than the market's favorite Google Ads agency.

During these two years, we grew even more. We started new services entering more in-depth to digtial analytics services, grew a standalone technology department that deepened our client relationship into more meaningful tech projects and we entered the ad-tech business.

But that's what everyone expects from a leading multinational agency. Emphasis on multinational here as when you turn from an independent startup, to a multinational company there is not much freedom in the things you can do and the decisions you make.

But we kept doing our thing. Our idea of getting closer to our clients' business, was to understand it first. Having that in mind, we decided to start launching our own businesses from scratch, completely on our own, to put ourselves in our clients' shoes.

We started a sunglasses brand partnering with a client of ours, building the entire thing from scratch, it's called weareeyes, it's been less than a year since its launch and we've already sold 3000 sunnies across the globe.

We also launched our own coffee shop, building it again from scratch to offer high-quality coffee at lower prices inside isobar. "The side project" got us once again international exposure featuring isobar Greece to the most prestigious industry magazine AdAge.

Since their debut, the two brands together, became an unbeatable player in the marketing industry, having a strange mixture of creatives, analysts and devs all of them in-house.

Today isobar & iProspect Greece are leading players in the agency business, with more than 80 people, tremendous industry recognition, and a high profile client portfolio of more than 50 active clients, among which Vodafone, L'Oreal, Mondelez, Nestle, Eurobank, Onassis Foundation and many more, that put their trust in our people and our services.

This is our story so far, but it misses one important thing. It's people. For every achievement we had in this 12 year -hell of a- ride, we owe it to the people that were next to us. Some crazy talented group of visionaries that made it all possible.

If we are proud of one thing, and one thing only, is the fact that we met all these amazing people throughout our career, making them believe in what we believed, putting them all together to work in one place.

People were THE one thing that made Mindworks different from anyone that stood in our way. And these people all together created an ecosystem where others were craving to work in. An unbeatable culture, of transparency, mutual respect, justice and of course unlimited passion & creativity, that made Mindworks a unique place to work, during the worst economic recession Europe has seen in the last decades.

But the story is not finished yet.

After 12 years, Costas and myself decided to leave our company at the end of this year, to keep chasing the new, the different.

The moment we are leaving, Isobar and iProspect Greece are going through their most successful era in their history, retaining their rapid growth rates and are left to the right hands; to people that have been by our side since the beginning of mindworks, Giannis Amaxopoulos, Sofia Gkouzioti, and the rest of the team.

So why we left?

Working in a multinational has also its downsides.

It deprives you of the sense of freedom in risk-taking and decision making, and this was not our way of doing business. Having worked nowhere except our own company, it was a challenging fit.

It's not the people that deprive you of that freedom, it's the system itself. A system that cannot work otherwise unless it's finance-driven, rather than value driven. Can you imagine P&G running 80 markets based on every country manager's intuition? There you go. You can't.

This is why we left to move forward, by going back again, back where it all started. Home.

By the time I write this article, I'm again in my home office next to Costas (he can't have a home office he has two kids) looking at an empty whiteboard, waiting for us to write once again our version of the future. We have no idea what happens next, but we‘re gonna take over the world. Or maybe not, but it's definitely going to be fun. 😂

So this story has no end. It's actually the first pages of the next chapter.

At this point, we'd like to thank all the people that stood next to us all these years, either by working with us or putting their money or trust in our ideas. Nothing would be possible without them.

We'll be in touch.

(this article was originally posted here)

#mindworks

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bloodelves88 · 5 years ago

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Trip to Taipei/Hualien/Taichung/Puli, Taiwan (Part 2)

Part 1 here (Hualien). Part 3 here (Taipei). Part 4 here (Taichung/Puli). Part 5 here (Puli). Part 6 here (Puli/Taichung/Taipei).

Day 3

Morning, we had a train to catch to Taipei at 10:26am. We woke up at 8am and had breakfast at the lodging again. This time, they had a burger for us.

Also fruits and pudding. The pudding is really nice, I think it’s a piece of dragon fruit inside.

The view from outside Hualien station.

We bought and paid for most of our train tickets and lodgings before the trip, so we had to go to the counter to get our tickets. The person at the counter said we didn’t pay for our tickets yet, which was very distressing. But apparently it’s just because the passport number entered into their system didn’t match the actual one because of website limitations or something.

We reached Taipei around 12:50pm. Our lodging this time is a hotel, right in the heart of Ximending. Ximending is known as the Akihabara of Taiwan, with video games, anime, maid cafes, butler cafes, arcades, and night life all packed into one district. It honestly felt better than the time I went to Akihabara, which I did say was rather underwhelming and overrated. Maybe it’s because the “otakuness” of Akihabara isn’t that obvious and in your face? I have no idea.

Anyway, we spent about three hours exploring the Taipei City Mall first. It’s an underground walkway right beside Taipei Main Station, and a sizeably large portion of it contains nothing but video games, figurine shops, and gachapon machine shops.

Red, blue, and green are prevalent colors in this mall. Well, not so much green.

I have to say the gachapon machines in Taiwan are pretty badly overpriced. They didn’t even take off the Japanese Yen prices on the machines, so you could see the difference in prices. Something that was originally ¥300 (SGD$3.92) could be NT$200 (SGD$9.09). That’s just ridiculous. Some gachapon machines could go as high as NT$300 (SGD$13.29). I’m sorry but what the heck?

I bought four items here. I recently got a PlayStation 4 from a lucky draw, so I’m on a lookout for some games. Most of the games on sale here aren’t cheaper than on the PlayStation store, and I did manage to find Horizon Zero Dawn for NT$450 (SGD$19.90).

I also bought two items from the gachapon machines for NT$60 each. Here they are:

I wanted Alisaie because she’s bae, but I guess Aymeric is good too. He would be my second choice. The other possible ones are Nanamo, Kan-E Senna, Merlwyb, and the Manderville guy. I’m quite disappointed with the quality of the keychain actually. It’s not something you’d expect out of Square Enix. It looks like a cheap knockoff since the printing is so faded and blur.

The last item I bought was a Rem figurine.

I got pretty unlucky for this one. It was those boxes where you wouldn’t know which design you would get. I think this is the worst design available. Standing on my table now, she’s looking down and her body is tilted downwards, so you can’t see her very clearly.

I also paid too much for her. I paid NT$280, and I saw some other shops selling her for less than NT$200. Ah well.

Anyway, we spent too much time exploring and it’s now past 3pm and we haven’t had our lunch. I’ve always wanted to try a maid cafe, and since there’s maid cafes in Taiwan... why not?

I didn’t actually know where the maid cafes were, but we saw a maid walking about (to the toilet, I guess), so we followed her when she was on her way back.

We went to this maid cafe. There’s not many photos of it since they had a no photo rule, but I think it mostly applies to the maids.

The cafe has a concept of being in a train, which explains the hand grips hanging from the roof. There’s quite a few figurines standing around too.

It seems that each meal comes with soup.

I ordered omelette rice, which is obviously what you should order at a maid cafe 😆. The maid asked what I drawing I wanted on my omelette, and I asked her to decide 😅. We decided on a cat. The maid seems to make it a point to have some conversation with each customer, which isn’t really that good for me because my Mandarin isn’t that good. So, it was a little bit of an awkward and difficult situation. Not really the best environment to really enjoy a maid cafe, but I guess it would be better than in Japan. There wasn’t really anything outstanding though. You might have heard about weird chants or actions you would need to do when you got your food in maid cafes, but there was none of that here.

Anyway, there was shelf containing manga and books for people to write and draw on. Here’s some of them.

We added some stuff to the book. I drew the crab.

Some of the people writing on the books are repeat customers, constantly coming back to write on the books.

Anyway, done with lunch, and off to Ximending to find our hotel.

On the way there, we saw a rainbow. It was the brightest and boldest rainbow I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s awesome.

It’s not the faint crap you always see in Singapore. This is the real deal.

We also stopped to buy some matcha drinks. I had a matcha drink with ice cream. It’s not bad, but there was no way to eat the ice cream. I had to go back to the hotel to find a spoon.

Anyway, welcome to Ximending!

Our hotel is called ECFA Hotel Wan Nian, which is in the Wan Nian building.

Donate some blood for your waifu!

What I love about these places is they don’t shy away from such otaku and cutesy advertisements. These things would never be seen in Singapore. Singapore has to be bland and proper and boring.

One of my friends wanted to visit the bookstore nearby, so off we went. I wasn’t very interested since it was mostly Chinese books, so I didn’t do much other than play with my phone. There was a jigsaw section and I found it interesting that they had jigsaw that wasn’t flat.

After the bookstore, we wandered around Ximending.

Then, we headed off to Animate! I’ve never been to an Animate.

There was a Mystic Messenger shelf OMG OMG.

I made away with two of the cushions. Ray and 707. Each one cost NT$500.

They even came with some bookmarks. Oh yes oh yes! I think they’re given for every NT$300 you spend.

Animate is really otaku heaven. There’s no end of the manga and merchandise you can get. Badges, figurines, files, posters, wall scrolls, keychains... almost anything you could ever want.

The King’s Avatar. Highly recommended.

The BL section. They really don’t hide it. Some of the cover images are pretty NSFW.

We spent a little longer than we wanted here because I decided to buy some merchandise back for some of my family. I bought two Boku no Hero Academia badges and one Haikyuu badge. It was a terrible NT$600 in total. One of the badges cost NT$400 (SGD$17.72). What the heck is the pin made of gold?

It’s about 10pm now, and we haven’t had dinner yet. Our meal times are so skewed 😅

We decided to eat at Saizeriya. We entered around 10:15pm, and they closed at 11pm. Good enough. We ordered three pizzas to share.

Phew, what a long day. Back to the hotel to sleep.

Here are the places we visited.

The bookstore isn’t marked, and is just beside the hotel.

End of day 3.

Part 1 here (Hualien). Part 3 here (Taipei). Part 4 here (Taichung/Puli). Part 5 here (Puli). Part 6 here (Puli/Taichung/Taipei).

#holiday #taiwan

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shut-it-tinman · 8 years ago

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Before You Go (bucky barnes x reader)

no i did sO not name it after chris’s directed movie.

warnings: a bit angsty & elements of unrequited love. also an male oc

word count: 1,038

this in the now masterlist

“I think I got asked out,” Y/N mumbled, as Natasha stormed into her room. Y/N wasn’t so sure what to do, so she had texted her.

“By who?” Nat said, launching herself onto Y/N’s bed. “Sam.” They both sighed collectively. “Wilson?” “Hell no, and I’d reject him,” Y/N scoffed. “It’s Hernandez.” “Agent Hernandez?” Nat questioned, leaning her head on her hand. “Yeah, but his first name is Adrian,“ she replied, “it kinda felt like it came out of nowhere.” She collapsed on the floor, facing the bed. “So what did you say?” Nat said, tugging on her curls as she lounged on Y/N’s bed. “I don’t know, what should I say?” Y/N said, folding the pile of unkempt clothes on the floor. “What did he ask?” Nat said, sitting up and crossing her legs. Y/N shrugged, setting down a purple shirt in a pile next to her. “Sam and I were talking after his mission, and he mentioned a restaurant that I would like. Then, later he suggested that we go together.” “Like a date?” Nat said, her eyes raised. “I don’t know,” Y/N groaned, knocking over a pile of cardigans in front of her. “Oh, dammit.” Nat snickered at her grievance. “Well, there’s an answer.” “Nat, I’m serious,” she whined, clutching her tan cardigan. “Okay, well what did you say after he suggested that you two go together?” “Well…” Y/N said, busying herself with the task of reorganizing her cardigans. “What is it?” She sighed, setting the folded sweaters to the side. “He said he’ll pick me up at 8.” Nat looked at her with wide eyes, saying nothing. Y/N breathed out heavily, then picked up the stack of cardigans to put in the drawer. “I didn’t have the chance to say anything back, not even have an attempt of an excuse before he walked away.” Nat chuckled at her despair. “To me, it seems as if you have a date tonight,” Nat said with a smirk. Y/N groaned, shutting the drawer closed. “Okay,” she sighed deeply, Can you help me choose an outfit?”

“Hello?” Y/N said, raising her phone to her ear. “Hey Y/N,” he said smoothly, with an audible grin. Y/N raised her eyebrows to Nat, glancing in the mirror to Nat’s reflection. Natasha shrugged her shoulders, before continuing to fix Y/N’s hair. “Sorry, who is this?” He chuckled, making a clicking noise with his mouth. “It’s Adrian,” he said, and she grinned slightly as if it was peeking through her face. “Hey,” she said softly, “are you almost here? Is traffic in the city a mess? Can I have seven more minutes?” Nat chuckled in the background, tapping Y/N’s shoulder, signaling her that she was done with her hair. “Thanks,” she whispered back, as she moved her phone away for a second before tucking it under her ear. “Woah girl, one question at a time. And I’m almost here, about ten more minutes, and traffic was a mess, but it’s clearing up,” he replied candidly. Y/N got up from where she was sitting in front of the mirror, turning to check her hair in the mirror. “Okay, see you soon. In about ten minutes?” she replied, adjusting her cardigan over her outfit. “Yes ma’am, about ten minutes,” Adrian replied, then hung up. She set down her phone on the vanity, playing with a button, thinking. Y/N paused, before taking the cardigan off at setting it on her bed. She deeply sighed, staring at herself in the mirror. “You can do this.”

Bucky squinted at the flat screen glowing in front of him, as he was slowly falling asleep. He shot up, hearing the sound of footsteps into the lounge. He looked up to see Y/N, dressed beautifully, in which he stared at her for a few seconds in awe. “You going somewhere?” he said, after a few seconds. She looked up from her phone, with a grin. “Yeah, on a casual thing.” she said with a shrug. “Like a date?” he said, slightly nervous inside. Bucky leaned back on the couch, raising his arm over the ledge of the couch. “To be honest, I’m not really sure. I think he called it a casual date of sorts, though.” Bucky nodded slowly, as his interest peaked but his heart dropped. “Well, I hope you have fun,” he said, his voice faltering, although he hoped that she hadn’t heard. “Thanks Buck,” she said sweetly. Y/N turned, clicking on her phone to check the time. “I think I should get going. He should be here any time now.” “Oh, uh okay,” he said, nodding his head. She smiled dimly, awkwardly shuffling her feet. “Uh hey,” Bucky said, suddenly getting up. “Take my jacket, it’s cold outside,” Bucky said, reaching out his arm to hand her his jacket. “T-thanks James,” she said, “I’m truly grateful to have you in my life.” She tucked the jacket under her arm, before heading out to her date.

The way she stated her last words before she left made Bucky think as if she was internally telling him to stop her. To stop her from going on this date, to proclaim that he was in love with her, that she shouldn’t go on this date because he loves her. Or maybe, Bucky’s just grasping straws and he’s been watching too many rom-coms with Steve and Wanda.

He glanced at the clock, adding the hours in his head, figuring out when she would be back home.

If she’ll come home right away.

His mind drifted, thinking about any missions coming up, before the searing white-hot pain of the past started creeping into his mind.

For Bucky, it was always hard when they went on a mission. Bucky’s pain of the war always resurfaced, as those memories could never truly be suppressed.

He missed those nights, looking into the faded light of the city along with the smoke of the factories tinting the sky. Steve would eventually wake up, mumbling that Bucky should go to bed, as he had work the next day.

It hit him, the very thought of her. Bucky shook his head squeezing his eyes shut. He wouldn’t let that pile of rocks avalanche on him, not yet. Maybe, not ever.

Tell me what you think! :)

A/N and update: [poor buck, lamenting his loss :(( ] [also, i hope i didn’t culturally appropriate agent adrian hernandez; i tried to write him to the best of my ability]

hELLO I’M BACK FROM THE DEAD. well, not really. but essentially.

I continually meant to write, but life didn’t really like that.

Over spring break, I broke my arm (left one, thank god) ironically on the monday of that week, which was then filled with an emergency room visit, a shortened vacation, and a rush to see an orthopedic surgeon once i’d come home.

That next week, it was my first SAT. yep. i was an anxious mess. Following that was surgery, then another week of a sleep-deprived painful recovery filled with unproductivity and watching films.

Next, it was the dreaded AP exam season aka the-mad-dash-to-cram-everything-into-my-head-oh-god-how-many-presidents-named-john-were-there?????? aka me stressed to max extreme. also I totally didn’t binge watch the first seasons of brooklyn nine nine and sense8 in those two weeks nope, totally not me also never try to memorize 500 or so years of US History in a week, you’ll regret not starting at least two weeks prior to the test. also writing three essays in two hours straight is both mentally and physically exhausting. my hand ached for a while afterwards..

Finals are in two weeks, so it may be a few weeks until I post again. :/

Much to say, my life was very chaotic and intense, but I’m glad that the death year™ of high school is nearly over. so how was your april/may? I hope it was much better than mine!

#this in the now #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes one shot #bucky barnes #bucky barnes angst #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes drabble #bucky barnes/reader #bucky x reader #bucky imagine #bucky oneshot #bucky drabble

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kaynamiteineurope · 7 years ago

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Day 10: When in Rome, Go on Walking Tours and Kill the Cockroaches We checked into our hotels and had a couple hours of much needed down time before heading off down the streets so Alexandra could show us how to use the metro passes we were all given. It was a bit of a hike to the metro station, but not overwhelmingly so. The best part of the entire situation was when our train got there, only a handful of people managed to get on before the doors immediately closed again and Alexandra, freaking out, started yelling "Spagna!!" at them so they would know the stop to get off at. Thankfully, the doors opened back up again, but the entire group had a laugh about the entire thing for most of the ride down to the city center of Rome. From here, we met up with our tour guide for the optional Beauty of Rome walking tour! Rome is made up of 3 million people and it's the 3rd most visited city in Europe and the 10th most visited in the world. The first stop on our tour was the Spanish Steps. It's the most expensive real estate in Rome and most of the apartments are used as rentals for tourists. The Spanish Steps themselves were paid for by the French and built by the Italians, but they get their name was the Spanish Square below it, named from the embassy at the side of the square. Rome is the biggest city in Italy and has about 7 million tourists every year. Where as the Vatican is the smallest country in the world (though not really because there's a one-block area of Rome that's actually an independent country for the Knighthood of Malta, which has their own government and elected leader who rules for life--gates pictured above). The Fountain beneath the Spanish Steps was built in the 1600's and looks like a sinking boat because it's filled by an ancient Roman aqueduct. The fountain was paid for by a Pope (Fun fact: Popes used to wear crowns like royalty and the last Pope's crown is actually housed in Washington, D.C.!) and it's filled with safe drinking water, so you can fill up a water bottle here--I didn't, but a couple girls on the trip did--but if you go in the fountain, intentionally or unintentionally, there's a 500 euro fine. OUCH. Another fun fact we learned about the city was that the Tiber River used to flood all the time, but in 1870 the city built walls to protect the city from the floods. Also, did you know that Basilicas are just churches that house relics? I didn't know that until this tour--which was interesting that none of our guides before had mentioned it. Next, we walked over to the Trevi Fountain: basically the walk-in-the-footsteps tour of the Lizzie McGuire Movie. The fountain itself took 40 years to build. And with how beautiful and magnificent it is, I can totally understand (pictured above). The Pope who originally requisitioned it died before its completion. The same thing happened to the next Pope who took over the project. It wasn't until the third Pope that it was actually finished--so it's attributed to all three. Behind the fountain, it's connected to a pretty large and extravagant building. Originally, this was a private residence (DIBS), but now it's a museum. The four women at the top of the fountain are meant to represent the four seasons, each holding a different object: horn of plenty, grain, wine, and flowers. The horses at the bottom show one placid and one wild, which were meant to represent the two sides of water--one tame and one always trying to break free. Each year the Trevi Fountain takes in about 500,000 euros (LIKE WHAAAAA). It used to go to charity, but there's no longer a sign saying where the money goes. Before we moved on, Alexandra treated us all to gelato! I tried cherry and an orange chocolate, both of which were super yummy. Oh, and the bathroom here was the first toilets we've encountered so far on our trip that didn't have toilet seats. Which is a whole other experience (I need to work on my squats more!). Next stop on our tour was the Pantheon. This was a building that was literally named for it's use: "For All Gods." It was a pagan temple built 1,800 years ago and was dedicated to all Roman/Greek gods, until 609 AD when it changed from a pagan temple to a Catholic Church. The building is a round temple was a dome that used to be covered in bronze so it shone and it's the widest dome in Rome AND it had a huge window in the center of the dome that's never covered. Which means that it rains directly into the building and the water is collected into the drains in the floor (I wish we had seen this! But it's been so sunny on our trip). The first King of Italy is buried here and so is Raphael. Just in front of the temple is an obelisk. There are 13 of these obelisks around Rome and they're mostly all from Egypt (with one fake one at Piazza Navona). The one in front of the Pantheon was originally in Egypt guarding the temple of Iris. Next, we walked over to Piazza Navona for our last stop, a large piazza that's shaped like an oval with one flat side. Here there are three fountains, one smaller temple to Poseidon, another that I didn't catch, and the biggest one in the center which houses the physical representations of the major rivers of the continents: The Four Rivers Fountain. These rivers are the Nile, the River of Plight, the Danube, and the Ganges River. Our tour ended here and they (our tour director and tour guide) gave us quick instructions to get back to the metro (the last of which left at 11:30). It was just after 9, so the three of us decided to walk toward the direction they told us until we found a pasta place we wanted to eat at. Not far away from the square, we found a cute place with checkered table clothes that had cheaper prices than in the square. We sat down here and Carolina ordered a tuna sandwich, while Natasha and I got the most amazing Spinach and Ricotta Cannelonis (I got mine as a special with a glass of Bellini--much more citrusy than the bottle we had in Verona--and bruschetta). It was delicious! And when I said thank you to the waiter in Italian, he looked really impressed and asked if I knew Italian and flirted with me a bit which was amusing as all hell considering that I looked ROUGH that evening. After dinner, we got lost a bit and than hoofed it to the metro station (which was a bit unnecessary given the time, but we made it on time and didn't have to worry about another Verona after-hours situation). We got off at Cornelia, the stop for our hotel, and walked the couple of blocks to the Clubhouse Hotel where we were staying. I DO NOT. I repeat, I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS HOTEL. Within two minutes of being back in our room, I saw a mother effin' cockroach. That little shit ran from underneath my bed to over near the curtains and hide there. So, naturally, I calmly said, "Uh, guys. I just saw a cockroach." There may have been also a curse word in there somewhere, but you get the deal. So, of course, we all freak out and Natasha and I go down to the front desk to talk to reception (because our flipping phone didn't work) and we left Carolina to guard the roach and make sure it didn't move. The guy at the desk doesn't really believe us at first, and just keeps apologizing, and then he didn't know what a cockroach was, so I had to turn on my data (because the Wifi in this place is also THE PITS) and pull up a picture of the disgusting creature. He apologizes again and says he can't move us to a different room because there aren't any more available. He says he can move us in the morning, but not that night. So, naturally, we insist that he makes someone go up to our room and deal with the piece of shit bug before we go to sleep. He says there isn't anyone there (because it's midnight by then and we couldn't get in contact with Alexandra to tell her about everything because of the shitty wifi), but he said he would come look at the situation. I'm pretty sure he didn't believe us, because when he got up there and the thing ran out at him, he actually jumped back before stomping on it. He apologized and said he'd go re-check on the room situation (*internally* "Yeah you freaking better check on that!"). It took about another 20 minutes or so, then he finally called our room and told us that he didn't have any other triples, but that he could give us a single and a double. We said okay and packed up all our stuff in double time because another one of the roach beasts ran out from the dresser and under our bed while we were talking to him. Carolina took one room and Natasha and I took the other. Naturally, even though we were exhausted and I still had to shower, we did a thorough cockroach check under everything with the lights on our phones. Thankfully, no roaches. Annoyingly, there were (and still are a day later) ants in our bathroom and the bottom of the tub is super gross, so we're been showering with flip-flops on (ALWAYS PACK FLIP-FLOPS FOR THIS REASON). But it was better than staying in the roach war zone for even a single night. I showered--carefully as to not step on any of the weird black flecks on the bottom of the tub if I stepped weird on my flip-flops--mopped up all the water with hand towels (the shower has this rotating wall thing that only goes halfway along the tub--PS: this was the first hotel we've been in that actually had a tub! The rest were all small standing showers), and then got ready for bed. By the time I laid down, I fell asleep so fast that I didn't even bother braiding my hair like I normally do. It was about 1:30am by the time I got to sleep. Once again, so much for an early night!

#gif #Italy #Rome #Roma #efcollegebreak #ultimatebreak #italyandthegreekislands2017 #Travel

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montieltjlindseyba37insuran-blog · 5 years ago

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insurance wisconsin

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weracetogether · 5 years ago

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RAGBRAI 2019- The Stories of Iowa

I will tell the story of RAGBRAI 2019 as all stories are told, from the conclusion. Over the week we rode for 553 miles and climbed for over 21,000 feet. We had five bike mechanical issues requiring shop stops on the way. We had 14 and 13 beer stops, one pork chop, a wood fired pizza, countless pies, cinnamon rolls, pancakes and sausage, cheesecake, cookies, cobbler, homemade icecream, bbq, tacos, BLT, noodles, fresh sweet corn, gyros, pickles, french toast, and I am sure a few other things I am forgetting. We listened to two lines of about 200 songs (and sang the rest of the songs...well I did). We saw cows, horses, kittens, rams, goats, donkeys, rabbits, and one golden retriever (a half mile from the Mississippi). We threw over 20 milkweed balls. We encountered hundreds of people with stories and laughter. We thanked officers and paramedics and nice old church ladies. Well, that's the overview; now for the stories!!!

USAF cycling team- out to help!

I know it is a photo of icecream.

Actual photo sent to State Trooper. Patrick with a bag of unmarked medication.

Loop patches.

Kevin and Kelly- TEAM AWESOME

#IFTTT #Blogger #Triathlete #Triathlon #WeRaceTogether

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fitnessbags · 6 years ago

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Askfitmark LIVE 11/17/16

http://ifttt.com/images/no_image_card.png

yes we're doing another show just like we did last week we said that we're going to go super strong this month as well as next month why because we got a ton of holidays coming up not just black friday at the end of this month yeah thanksgiving but we also go into december which we know is holiday time lots of shopping happening our site gets blown up uh like it does now but almost on triple time for november december yesterday shoutout to everybody who was on the site yesterday had an unbelievable day lots and lots of bags were being sold to our fans and customers we love you for that possibly because we were hooking everybody up and still are today we're throwing in one of our dispensers with all of the orders today so let's get started with the show so you get a little idea what's happening ask any question in the comments below hashtag ask fit mark if your question gets answered you win a free bag we'll get a hold of you after this show like we always do will tell you which bag you're going to get hooked up with we got a lot going on in here uh let's also make sure you go ahead and share this video last week we had I don't know 400 500 shares alone why because it's an easy way for you to possibly get chosen to be able to pick a bag of your choice yes if you share the video while we're going live you are going to get automatically entered you don't even have to ask a question you just get automatically entered to possibly win a free bag and that one of your choice so go ahead and share this live video now we're going to get into few questions from the past show which again was last week we're going to answer those and then we're going to go directly into the questions that are being asked right now now don't forget that if you ask questions right now and your question doesn't get picked don't worry why it's simple because next week we're going to go ahead and do another show and we're going to choose three of those questions three of the questions from today's show so you may just be a winner so go ahead keep asking those questions don't worry if it doesn't get picked today we might have some love for you on the next show Marjorie Lucas oh my god those bento boxes are sick are they going to be stackable and easy to fit in other meal prep bags like the box and the shield phenomenal question she is referencing the bento boxes that we are coming out with and they'll be available for pre-order in a couple weeks and start shipping by the middle of next month yes we're first to do a lot of things in the meal prep bag category one of which is our accessories which were known for the high quality and durability of our accessories specifically our meal containers which many of you know we offer our 16-ounce all for lock system bpa-free dishwasher safe microwave safe but they're the toughest meal prep containers on the market all bags and our meal prep bad category of course come with the 32 ounce these are the bad boys but we definitely added our 16 ounce which are on the site and then coming to you with the phenomenal bento boxes two different designs here's one has three sections one of which is a removable bull type for salad dressings you can put some soups in here and then of course we have a second bento a design that is a little bit different it's got five sections within it same quality nothing like it on the market and of course we are first to offer this in the meal prep bag category going into whether or not they are stackable the answer is absolutely so I'm going to take the shield as a for instance and i'm going to move our center divider out of the way and i'm going to show you that this now goes in like so i've got the second one close this bad boy up like so so great question glad you asked they'll be available in a couple weeks and we will get into the second question Jennifer Cap'n what's the best time of day to work out any time any time I'm a believer that you should get your workout in morning afternoon night whatever suits you we all have things that we're going to be doing during the day could be work could be family you got to organize the schedule to make sure you fit in the most important piece of the day which is your work out what kind of work out any work out see the theme there any time any work out I don't care if you do CrossFit you pump iron you do Zumba you go to Barry's bootcamp whatever you like is what you should be doing because a fit body is a fit mind so good question Stacey Bauer is there free shipping if you order over a hundred dollars worth of bags at the same time no why because it's free shipping for $75 or more so we hope that you're excited that we won up that point and that is that us uh- what is in Hawaii and Alaska yeah okay free shipping $75 or more many of you take advantage of that and even if you did again for us the flat rate is only six dollars so let's do some housekeeping before we get your questions right now again keep asking questions in the comments below they can be about anything hashtag ask fit mark i'm gonna choose a few of them shortly also don't forget to share the video right now if you share the video one lucky winner is going to get chosen just for sharing so go ahead and share the video don't forget that we're doing our November giveaway at our site at fit more bags dot-com backslash perfect giveaway can you see that yep we hooked up with our friends at perfect shaker to not only give away four of our bags but the whole roster of shakers that they have uh with the weather they got Batman and Hulk and Superman the whole plethora of shakers from perfect shaker linked up with our four bags is going to go to a lucky winner maybe even a lucky winner to go to fit more bags dot-com backslash perfect fit giveaway let's get into some questions from today's show let's get this thing going here sure Hector do we have some stuff coming in this thing riled up here we gotta marry Hargrove with veterans day this week are you going to do something for our military that's a good question uh veterans day is Friday I will make sure that something is done we already have a discount of life a lot we do get questions about military armed forces fire police EMTs we have a specific code for anyone who is up who is active or was active in any of those so please email us at info at fit mark bags calm we will make sure to give you that exclusive code Brian Dillingham how would you stack up these bags against the competitors I have been through three six pack and the liner's always rip and I think these look superior well that's simple you're right we are known for the quality and durability of our bags our complete line behind that of course is the fact that we stand behind our bag so our guarantee it is is above and beyond any other guarantee that's in the meal prep pad category you can check out our site you can check out our Facebook page please go ahead and take a look at the comments and and and points made from customers and and fans of hours that have our bags and the experiences that they have with our customer experience team so it's a good question there's nothing like ours on the on the planet and we don't believe that there's anybody even close to us so great question hey Audrey hey Kim hey Karen a curse da Jennifer a Justin keep them all coming um Luke pounder bless you gut says it might be a cold going on in here okay we got a lot of water we're gonna have to get get going in here Luke powder what are you most thankful for it's a good question Luke I'm thankful that I'm standing right here delivering the ask fitmark live show to you because I'm here I'm right here Mike should not be thankful for that so I hope you understand my sentiment and I hope you ride with that as well thank you for the question congratulations these are way better than yes they are thank you what are your favorite of the James Marjorie we love these questions keep them coming and don't forget I'm just going to ask answer another one right now but please go ahead not only and share this video while we're going right now but keep asking the questions when I'm done with the show because I'm going to choose another three on next week's show um lots of good stuff in here Michelle Ronnie what's up Ronnie mewborn maybe maybe maybe thanks for liking and sharing you make any camo bags we do actually the shield comes in camo is LG or is it just regular later regular that the shield which as you know comes with three 32 ounce meal meal containers comes with the two ice packs and it comes with your dispenser which has three sections for dispenser lgo smexy v2 no no algae algae comes a both they both cambria thought who's this guy in here who is this guy hey buddy LG the shield has the LGI in camo as well so well good question we appreciate it very much go ahead and check that out on our website again we really appreciate nice you're what you're welcome running stay out buddy go ahead and keep asking questions go ahead and keep sharing the video I'm going to see you next week hopefully you love what we're doing here again we're trying to really push these as many times as possible as we go into the holidays because we know there's nothing like giving uh during these couple months and that's what we love to do so I hope you have a foot in a week I hope you are at the gym or at your place of fitness I hope you're eating healthy I hope you are loving life until then see you soon.

For more information about the best cheap meal prep bags in Canada visit: https://fitnessbags.ca/innovative-fitmark-bags/meal-management-bags/

Askfitmark LIVE 11/17/16 Read more on: Fitmark Bags Canada Service Blog

from Fitness Bags Canada - Feed https://fitnessbags.ca/askfitmark-live-11-17-16/

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lazytacomoon-blog · 6 years ago

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Shouldn’t my auto insurance be dealt by now?

"Shouldn't my auto insurance be dealt by now?

I have insurance. Im not sure what you mean by collision insurance, but i did buy the half coverage, if i hit someone, my ins will pay for that person and not me. Anyway in this case the other guy hit me so shouldn't his insurance pay for my car's damage? I hired my lawyer to help me deal with the insurance companies from both side, deal with my medical bill, sue the other guy...

BEST ANSWER: Try this site where you can compare quotes: : http://freecarinsurance.xyz/index.html?src=tumblr

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Do I need to include a speeding ticket that got reduced to a moving violation on a new insurance policy?

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How much would my car insurance payments be?

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Do I need to change my Car Insurance? What do i need to do?

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Average insurance rate for a taxi?

in bakersfield ca

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Shouldn't my auto insurance be dealt by now?

Car insurance question?

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How much do you pay for car insurance?

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https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/quincy-massachusetts-cheap-car-insurance-quotes-zip-2269-thompson/"

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evodex · 7 years ago

Text

14 days of Everest Base Camp: Pages From My Travel Journal II

14 days of Everest Base Camp

Sometimes in life, all you have to do is turn up! And for me, this trek was just faith..

I am in no way the fittest, strongest or the bravest of the people who head for this trek but one thing I have is the willpower and an attitude that says never give up and I have seen that it gets you through the toughest of times.

Continuing my story of the trek to Everest Base Camp from the previous post…

Day 4- Namche to Tengboche (3850 mtrs)(6-8 hours)

On Day 4, the first half of the trek you will go along Dudh Kosi river again and reach the rhododendron forests. It is mostly downhill and you cross a few more suspension bridges. The second half is an uphill climb of two hours and we were in Tengboche in Khumbu valley by 4.30. Here you can visit the world’s highest monastery, the Tengboche monastery. We reached here at 4 pm which was not so bad. It had just started to drizzle. The mountains looked misty and the rains added a mystery to them.

While we had a common toilet in the tea house that we were staying today, the bakery there was awesome. They had cafe latte, freshly baked apple pies, carrot cake, mudpie, black forest cake. It was like we had seen water in a desert. Here we all couped up in a heated room and bonded over playing cards, learning new games like ‘Dhumaal’ and ‘Gulam chor’. It turned out to be a very interesting evening, as everytime anyone lost they had to perform. Someone did pushups, someone sang and we even got Justin to dance to the tunes of ‘Lungi dance’ with Meera choreographing. They were all such wonderful sports.

From here we got the first viewd of the Everest and a panoramic view of the well-known peaks of Tawache, Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, and Thamserku.

ps. Please remember the Tengboche Monastery closes at 4.30 pm.

First view of the Everest

Day 5 &6 — Tengboche to Dingboche (4350) (5-6 hours)

Day 5 was supposed to be an easy walk, as per Sanjeev. However, it was a lot of downhill and uphill as well and not as easy as I had expected. I was really slow today and walked from 8.30 am to 3.15 am. Meera found her trekking partner in Justin. I walked slowly with Rahul and Anita today taking a lot of pictures.

Our tea house was called ‘The Summit’ and was a nice wooden lodge. It had attached baths and a shower area but it was cold and no one was looking to bathe. Here we lost our phone signals and even the local Nepali number stopped working. You can buy wifi but it is not very effective and is expensive.

We had a rest day here. The next day we ascended another 250 meters for acclimatisation. Sanjeev, our guide, was very happy with the group’s progress. On the way, we met Shannon and Rebecca again(remember the two nurses from Las Vegas?) and we told them how sorry we were to hear of the Las Vegas shooting(a crazy guy in had opened fire in the Hotel Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas injuring over 500 people). They were caught unaware as they had no access to news and we were the first ones informing them. It felt quite horrible to be the bearer of bad news. Later they came to our tea house just to inform us that everyone they knew was safe and they were thankful to us for letting them know.

I developed a mild fever and was weighed down again by worries on how the trek forward will be. Garlic soup and ginger lemon honey tea helped me sail through. What we realised was that Justin, Madhur and me were all reading books on the 1996 Everest expedition by Scott Fischer and his team(on which the movie Everest is based) but we were all reading different authors. Sunil suggested we should finish our books and exchange. In the meanwhile, it was fun to exchange notes on how Lena Gammelgård(Climbing High) and ‎Anatoli Boukreev(The Climb) had shared the same expedition in such different lights.

Our typical days during the trek playing Dhumaal and Oh hell! I can’t get over the silly cap I wore throughout the trek.

p.s. Our guide had advised us not to bathe after Namche to avoid catching a cold. However, if you are keen you can pay for a bucket of hot water and have a bath here.

p.s. Eat light throughout the trek as there is a highly likely chance to feel queasy and have an upset stomach with the change in weather, water and food that you will be consuming on the trek. Almost all of us fell prey to this during our trek.

Days 7&8 — Dingboche to Labouche(4910 mtrs)

The air starts thinning from here and you feel your lungs taking the load. During my trip to Ladakh in August, I had developed a slight cough which aggravated and became worse now. Most people term it as Khumbu cough and is quite common here. Slowly the trail disappears and soon you are climbing over rocks. We reached Thukla where we took a break for lunch at a tea house near the river. Here we saw a dead horse in the river, a gruesome sight which I will witness again on my way back. No one removed the dead horse, which was quite sad.

Throughout the trek, you keep meeting fellow trekkers who are either in the same state as you or are on their way back with a sense of achievement but almost everyone looks tired, paled and strained. I met this beautiful Moroccan lady here who was absolutely glowing. She was basically doing EBC, Gokyo Ri and Chola pass in twenty-five days and it does make a difference. We were trying to do EBC in 14 days and that takes a toll on your health and skin. If you have time and are planning to do the trek, do think about increasing the number of days. The better you acclimatise, the easier the trek will be.

Right after lunch, you start a sharp ascent and on the top, you see memorial stupas strewn all over the place dedicated to the climbers and trekkers who lost their lives on the Everest. I got excited to see Scott Fischer’s memorial, the guy that I had been reading about from the 1996 expedition. I paid homage to all of them and shot a small video. It was an honour to be standing amongst these departed souls.

From here the walk is mostly flat or downhill but you tend to become a bit sluggish due to altitude.

The terrain completely transforms to give a peek view of Mt. Lobuche, Mt. Pumori and the Nuptse. You also get a view of the Chola lake when you are slightly higher up. Towards the end, it started raining and we experienced light hailstorm. This place is remote and you don’t see any kids around and there is hardly any population. Finally, the trek started reminding me of Iceland trail dwelling beautifully in it’s virginity.

When we reached Labouche we were staying at the tea house called ‘Oxygen’, almost as if mocking us. It was a nice, cosy place and I was rapidly trying to finish my book but playing cards kept me distracted. The excitement was building up now as I knew from here the next stop is EBC.

Of the eleven of us, only Raghav and Rahul were the only ones to have survived without Diamox till now and yet, Raghav always managed to stay ahead of the pack during the treks. In fact, I used to tease the three Karnal brothers saying that they should be grateful to their mothers for feeding them the pure air and food that they have been consuming over the years.

P.S. While these three survived well, I would not recommend this trek to first-time trekkers. You should have experienced 4500m altitude treks before this one to see how your body acclimatises to the lack of oxygen.

Next day was a rest day so as usual, we went for a small trek and went berserk clicking slo-mo videos and some crazy pictures.

p.s. Do pay homage to the summiteers who have lost their lives during their expeditions on your way to Labouche.

p.s You get NCell (which is the local network) signals here.

Day 9 – From Lobuche(4910 m) to Gorak Shep (5180m) and Everest Base Camp (5364m)- 15km (6-8 hours)

The next day, the weather was beautiful and bright. We headed out sharp at 7.30 am. The entire trail was rocky with the trail converging into the horizon at the edge. As the oxygen levels deplete mother nature takes over. Did you know why the national park is called Sagarmatha? The Himalayan ranges were thrust upward by tectonic action about 40 and 50 million years ago. The Himalayas themselves started rising about 25 to 30 million years ago. You will see heaps of white sand towards Gorak Shep reminding us that millions of years back the land was actually covered by the sea.

On our way, we saw landslides occurring commonly. In fact, we had to climb one such path. I waited for the landslide to stop before starting to climb the same hill where it had occurred a few seconds ago. The entire hill was porous and this was the first time I froze in the trek but there was no choice, no alternate route so we kept going on, walking with faith. My cough was getting worse. Sherpas here say that everyone gets it and if we don’t then wouldn’t we all be sherpas?

We arrived at the village of Gorak Shep, nestled under the soaring summits at around 10.20 am. Here we dumped our bags, had brunch and headed out again at 11.30 am to the much sought after EBC.

pic credit: Justin Brown

The landscape starts with white sand and then becomes rocky and finally we walk along the Khumbu glacier. Towards the end is a really long, endless ridge of moraine which is actually accumulated glacial debris. This goes down a bit into the Khumbu Valley and onto the glacier. We reached EBC marker at around 2.30 pm. Elated we posed for many pictures around the EBC landmark and I tied a prayer flag there praying to Sagarmatha for letting me achieve this huge feat and for making it so special. Interestingly, while EBC marks the base for Everest summiteers, you cannot see Mt. Everest from here. This is why most trekkers hike to Kala Patthar from where you get spectacular views of the Everest and it’s sisters.

This is how the last leg to EBC looks like;

I am wearing at least 4-5 layers of clothing. Me, Meera, Justin and Arun(left to right)

Walk back is easy and we just took around 1.30 hours to get back to our tea house.

The accommodation at Gorak Shep was pretty basic. We stayed in a place called Snowland and had common toilets again. We had to wear head torches to go to the toilet and our door didn’t even lock. We retired early as the next day was a tough one.

p.s. This is also the place where you find the highest Shivaji statue in the world, while I don’t understand why is there a statue of Shivaji in Nepal, it was an interesting fact not to be missed.

Day 10 Kala Pathar(5550 mtrs) & Descent to Thukla- Walking distance: km (5-6 hours)

A lot of trekkers skip this because they are either tired or it is not on their list. However, we had only Ashok skipping this one and once again my group surprised me. We started the trek at 6 am and it was freezing cold. The moon shone beautifully in the sky and the valley bathed in moonlight made for a beautiful painting. The climb up is very steep and today you want to layer up in all your warm layers, maybe put one or two extra ones.

It was a never-ending walk with breathtaking views of the Himalayan sisters along the side. You hear a glacier breaking every fifteen minutes and wonder how summiteers survive up there. We even saw an avalanche and thanked our lucky stars for being on the other side of death. You realise like never before global warming is very real and is rapidly advancing. It was cold and two more people decided to turn back and return to the tea house. I walked like a zombie for the next few hours till Sanjeev told me that we had arrived. This was the first viewpoint of Kala Patthar and I posed for pictures here. Sun God was finally smiling on us.

First viewpoint on the way to Kala Patthar

We could see people going further ahead but Sanjeev told us to turn back from here. That’s when my absolute heroes that day, Anita and Sunil, who were slowly crawling up behind me said something that I couldn’t resist.

” You cannot go back from here. If you go back you will regret not seeing the top for the rest of your life”.

That was it! We were going to further climb painfully slow as the limbs were dead but the mind took over. I remember almost dragging my body up the last climb which is just randomly placed rocks to climb to the top of Kala Patthar and trust me when I did reach the top, I felt more elated than reaching EBC. From Kala Patthar, you get dramatic close-up views of the Everest and its sisters. I tied prayer flags here as well and thanked Sagarmatha for being kind to us. The descent back was really quick for me and I did it in 1.30 hours.

pic credit: Sunil Nehru

View from the Kala Patthar

pic credit: Sunil Nehru

We had breakfast at Gorakshep before starting our descent. The initial plan was to break at Lobuche for lunch but once we reached there, one of our guides told us to go ahead to Thukla as we would not be breaking there. By now I was dead, cold, hungry and pissed. My body was breaking but I had no choice and had to carry on. We crossed the Stupa of Scott Fischer again and by the time I reached Thukla it was 5.30 pm and it was misty and the light was dimming. This was an unusually long day for us and today my body took the toll. Our tea house today, the Rest Point was the worst of the lot. We had an attatched toilet but the floor was wet, there was no light in the night, no flush, no seat cover, and there was no carpet in the rooms as well. The cold just came in through the window.

Day 11- Thukla to Tengboche

It was a beautiful sunny day and we walked through the valley of Pheriche towards Tengboche skipping Dengboche. I realised Anita was suffering from the runner’s knee issue and still she had managed to walk with us throughout. In fact, Anita had already trekked to EBC in 2015 and she had come back with us in this condition as she wanted Angad, her son, to experience it. I was super impressed with her dedication. The downward climb made it worse for her. We decided to take it slow and enjoy the view and click pictures.

There was no rush, we had met our goals and now we just had to walk back. It was the time to enjoy our last few days in the mountains because I knew they were going to keep popping in my memory for months later on. We broke for lunch at Pengboche. And here again, in high spirits, Ambeer and Madan performed a song and dance routine for us. Everyone was relaxed and happy. As usual, after Pheriche, we had an hour plus of climbing but today we were looking forward to the bakery at Tengboche and didn’t feel as bad. The fresh smell of brewed coffee and mudpie cake and brownies were all that we needed to add the sparkle to our day. I was rapidly concerned about finishing my book before the trek ended to live in the moment. I was also being quizzed on it every day by Sunil, Justin, and Meera and with my memory, I was now reading facts 2-3 times to be able to answer them :).

pic credit: Sunil Nehru

Day 12-Tengboche to Monjo

We retraced our steps with a hike down a steep trail to the Dudh Kosi and climb to Namche Bazaar. Here we stopped for lunch and bought some souvenirs. It was also Meera’s birthday today so I wanted to get her the Sherpa t-shirt that she had liked on our way up. From here we walked all the way to Monjo, finally walked out of the Sagarmatha National Park crossing all the beautiful Mane stones and I thanked each of them for a safe return. We reached really late today at 6 pm. It was a lovely evening as we celebrated Meera’s Birthday. Everyone sang, danced, we opened a bottle of wine.

The White Magic team arranged for a lovely cake for her and we even made a group of Germans sing ‘Happy Birthday’ for her. The rooms here had an attatched bath with a hot shower running, carpeted floors and we realised that we had become unused to luxury.

Day 13- Monjo to Lukla (9-10 miles, 6-7 hours)

Today was our last leg, and it started raining in the morning but luckily by the time, we stepped out weather had cleared.

We passed through the Sherpa villages and stopped at Phakding for lunch. It was here I got a call from my dad that my grandmom was counting her last breath and I should reroute my trip to Delhi and come and see her. The next part of the trek for me was a blur. I slowed down initially trying to change my flights and then when I couldn’t get signals, I walked uphill with a pace I didn’t know I had. I reached Yak Donald’s where we were staying that night at Lukla in record time and managed to change my tickets. That’s when I calmed down. This was our last evening on the trek together with the porters and the guides and they had arranged for a small party. It was fun and towards the end of it, Sunil made a speech on our behalf. We thanked each one of them for bearing our luggage and our tantrums. They had been wonderful. Emotions were flying everywhere as we had reached the end of our trek. We knew in the world outside we were different people with different lives. It’s an inexplicable feeling where you feel connected like a family and then you depart to go on leading lives that may not interconnect ever.

Day 14 — Lukla/Kathmandu

You fly back to Kathmandu from Lukla in a small plane and by the flights that I saw passing before us, it was the most thrilling part of the trek. The airport has a very small runway after which the plane dips into the valley to rise up. It was our final adieu to the mountains.

Meera and me with the female porters.

p.s. The flights from Lukla are very dicey. They get cancelled every now and then due to bad weather. Our flight too was delayed for about two hours. A friend of mine who went on a trek after I had to do a helicopter evacuation as she did not want to miss her connection from Kathmandu. Keep an extra day in your itinerary just for this.

Kathmandu to back home

The next two days we explored Kathmandu like tourists. Visited the temples and palaces of Durbar Square. It’s disheartening to see the damage the Nepal earthquake has made to these structures. I also managed to visit Pashupati Temple on my way to the airport. Sanjeev came to bid me goodbye with my certificate and a Nepali stole which is a tradition. While I bid my goodbyes my heart stayed back with the mountains and somewhere in my heart I knew I am coming back. Once the mountain bug bites you it stays with you.

p.s. The Nepal government gives you a certificate which states that you have completed the trek after it is certified by your guide.

At the Kumari residence in Durbar Square. Pic credit: Justin Brown

The cremations happening at Pashupati nath

Pic credit: Justin Brown

Enjoyed reading this? Inspired to head to the Himalayas? Stay tuned for more posts on how to prepare for EBC and things you should know before heading to EBC.

Until the next adventure, ciao!!

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