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mercuryonparklane · 4 years ago

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Okay, so I’m listening to a podcast Charity did in January 2019 and she confirmed that Liz got her the job on the Fearless Tour. She said that one of the dancers pulled out of the tour at basically the last minute and Liz suggested her to Taylor.

She talks a bit about her experience on the Fearless and Speak Now tours. She also says that she got to travel the world with her best friend (Liz) and says “that was just a dream. I mean, there’s so much drama and so much just... so many stories, but so much fun”.

She said that the Fearless tour was hard for her and that when she got the job she didn’t even know who Taylor was, which is kind of funny, especially since Liz was basically a Swiftie since day one.

She talks about her friendships with both Selena and Taylor and at one point says that “it was like Taylor passed the torch, which was me, to Selena”. And it was a lot of fun when the 3 of them all hung out together.

She tells a story about when she was on tour with Selena in Europe and they were staying at a hotel in Portugal that looked like the Great Gatsby house (they were obsessed with the movie at the time). They were drinking champagne and Selena was like “hey, let’s cut your hair” and she let her (which honestly gives me strong Tayliz vibes).

She talks more about tour life.

Then she says something I found very interesting regarding an IG post about deciding to make some changes in her career that the podcast host brings up, in which she wrote “there’s nothing more important than genuine connection, fierce love, authenticity, and to bring hope to one another”.

The hosts asks “when you were doing this part of your life, this crazy, exciting part of your life, were you experiencing that? As far as the fierce love, genuine authenticity, connection?”

Charity’s response:

“I think there were absolutely moments of that and I think what made it hard were the moments that weren’t like that, but seeing that even the most famous people in the world, all they really want is that connection, like, that real love, that authenticity. They just want to be them and now, because of social media and all these other things, which can also be great, it’s like everyone has this right to know everything about, or make up things about, these people that are just human, that are genuinely just like ‘I have this gift and I want to share it with you and I want to connect with you in this way’.

I think the hardest part for me, once I kept doing the tours and all of that, was realizing how much the fame wasn’t worth it. Just seeing a lot of the realities of that and seeing the pressure these people are under every single day that no one can even fathom. They barely get two seconds to themselves. There’s a tap on the door every other second, something that someone needs from them and just, like, the hopelessness that can kind of come from that.

People get to form their own opinions of these people and then they run with it and now there has to be all these PR people to keep other things from spreading, you know. Instead of just being like, ‘hey, yes it’s the price of fame now’.

But I think the thing that was really hard for me was having to be around things that kind of took the authenticity away or the connection away because of certain things that were expected and required of me or of these people.”

“At the end of the day we all want at least one person that we can sit and cry and be so authentically ourselves and vulnerable and not be worried that ‘are they gonna go and tell someone this?’

And just seeing the way... it’s hard to trust in that industry cause you don’t know who loves you for what you are and who loves you for who you are.

And that was really hard to watch and be a part of and be like ‘I care one billion percent more about being your friend than being your dancer or being your employee or anything else. Like, if you want to fire me from all of that and just let me be someone that can like hold you at the end of the day, let’s do that’.

And then I think what started wearing on me was because... was when I started being that for people and not having it for myself. So, yeah, that is when it started getting a little overwhelming because I wasn’t really even aware of that because I wanted to love so fiercely and have that authenticity.”

The host asked her if the decision to leave that life and career was a gradual thing or if there was a day where she was just like ‘I’m done”.

C: “Oh man, I went kicking and screaming. It was the hardest thing I could have ever chosen, but when I chose it, it was the first time I had felt real peace in a long time. I know that my story is so rare. Yes, I worked hard, yes I trained, but I also... I met the people I was supposed to meet and I kept relationship with people because I genuinely cared to and once I got all of the opportunities, and I auditioned for a lot of them too... yeah, it was hard to leave because I loved it...”

“I knew that I needed to take care of myself and I knew that I needed to be taken care of. That’s what brought me back home...”

“If I can say anything to anyone that’s choosing the entertainment industry, just don’t ever... oof, I can’t say that cause it happened to me, but if you ever get to a place that the industry of what you’re doing is taking the passion away from the craft that you’re doing, please take a break because you are giving out of empty and there’s nothing more life sucking than that. So, I had to take a step away because I needed to love myself and love dance again and be around people that I could just fall into their arms.

Living in LA is no joke. It’s hard. Anywhere that you live that you’re pursuing something in that kind of capacity is challenging and you always have to have your guard on, you know? You always have to be ready and I needed to not have to be ready all the time.”

She talks about moving back to Nashville and teaching dance. And basically just what she is doing now.

“I get to kind of figure out what’s next and pull from what I experienced, and go ‘ooh this is worth it’ or ‘ooh, that is not worth it’.

And just have a lot of grace for people that are still living that and artists that will never get to be like, ‘okay, you know what, I’m done. I’m gonna like be a normal person now’. They don’t ever get to escape and I got the sweet spot.

I got to experience all the cool stuff, then I got to be like, ‘I’m gonna go take a nap. I’m gonna wear sweatpants and no makeup for the next five days and no one is gonna photograph me or make up rumors about me’, you know?”

Anyway, she seems to be in a really good place now and that’s great. It does make me sad because it’s true that someone like Taylor or Selena is unfortunately kind of trapped in the industry in a way that someone who had a more background role isn’t. Ofc, there are people who do escape it, but it’s not easy. And as controlled and grueling as that life can be for a dancer, it’s gotta be a thousand times more so for the main talent.

This interview made me happy for Charity, but sad for Taylor and Selena at the same time...

Also, I’m transcribing this at like 4 in the morning on no sleep, so sorry if it’s a bit all over the place, but you can listen to the podcast here.

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bearsinpotatosacks · 5 years ago

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A Wolfstar Roadtrip Adventure

Hi! I listened to Knocking at your Back Door by Deep Purple and was inspired so here you go...

Let's set this shit up!

Voldemort never heard the prophecy because Snape was never in the Hog's Head at the time, so the Potters nor the Longbottoms were heavily affected

This means they survived but the first wizarding war never had a definitive ending

Anyway, in 1984, just after Harry's 4th birthday, Sirius and Remus go travelling on the flying motorbike

It starts out simple, they go to Ireland, then Portugal, then Spain, then France all within a few weeks

But when they get to Germany they start recognising people they've seen a suspicious number of times for a random roadtrip

They have a few run-ins with some darker inclined wizards in Berlin as they apparently upset them (Remus said they shouldn't have gone in that bar)

Next they go to Austria and Switzerland, nothing much happens apart from Remus getting them kicked out of a tour of a chocolate factory for almost dying of excitement

Italy is eventful

They eat far too much pasta for one

And in Rome, Sirius has the amazing idea to impersonate a couple going to an opera for a night

The thing is, they don't actually use poly juice potion

Sirius just goes in drag and somehow speaks fluent Italian

They also kicked out of there for laughing too hard

In Sicily, there's an Italian wizard mafia they manage to piss off by making jokes about the mafia (Remus can be a bit too sarcastic)

They travel to Greece, then a few countries in Asia, such as India, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam (for the history Remus begs), Thailand and a lot more

But it's when they get a message from Dumbledore himself that they've been followed by some Death Eaters

He tells them that to be safe they should return home

Sirius says no

They go to Australia, some small islands, some parts of Africa and bits of America

This takes most of the rest of the year

(Also don't ask me how they get the funding for this, it's the 80s everything was cheap then)

But then when they go to see a few concerts back in Europe (Queen, Iron Maiden) that's when they're hit

Some death eaters want revenge for Regulus' betrayal so have been hunting Sirius down

This results in Remus getting hurt in the crossfire

Sirius barely makes it back to the Potter's in time

Dumbledore talks to them and scolds them about not listening to him

Remus sleeps through most of the arguement, and Harry sits with him while everyone else argues

This just heightens the tension of this version of the war (think of it like the Cold War instead of the World Wars)

After this, Sirius & Remus don't go travelling for while

They take Harry to some places on the motorbike though!

That's it! Hope you enjoyed this, it was a bit random but whatever, I wanted wolfstar riding around the world in the mid 80s so I wrote it!

#hp #wolfstar #remus lupin #sirius black #harry potter #james potter #lily evans #lily potter #albus dumbledore #bear writes #au #james & lily survive #alternate universe #harry potter headcanon

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daisychains4 · 5 years ago

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Can’t Handle You | Chapter 10: Lisbon

Can’t Handle You | Masterlist

Warnings: None

AN: Let me know if you want to be added to the taglist!

No one was more excited when the tour bus pulled into Lisbon than Shawn. Not only did he love Portugal for the family history there - it’s where his dad grew up - but Shawn’s parents were coming to visit. He hadn’t seen them in almost a month, and he missed them more than he was ever prepared for.

It would be a hectic day, and Manny and Karen wouldn’t arrive until later, so Shawn and the boys hit the gym immediately after deboarding the bus. Shawn looked forward to working out every day, but today he had a lot of nervous energy to burn off.

Maybe that’s why you were surprised to find Shawn’s reply to your note. You had expected him to be too busy and distracted to write back until a few more cities had passed by your bus window.

Shawn’s note wasn’t as long as yours, which was not surprising considering your question (What would you name your boat if you had one?), but you couldn’t help but be excited to read it. You allowed yourself to be momentarily distracted from your usual unpacking-Shawn’s-room duties and sat on the edge of the hotel bed to read.

Who says I don’t have a boat already? Shawn wrote. Well ok, I don’t. But now I kind of want one. I think watching the sun go down over Lake Ontario from the bow (yes, I looked that up) of my own sailboat would be kind of amazing. A sport boat, like the kind you could surf behind, would be cool, too. But there’s something about a sailboat that seems really - is romantic the right word? Not like love-romance, but the kind of romantic where everything just seems perfect and beautiful and a little bit magical. Although, come to think of it, watching the sunset on a sailboat could be pretty love-romantic, too.

Your breath caught in your throat as you read. Growing up so close to Lake Travis, you were practically raised on the water. Your mom’s best friend owned a small boat rental business, and you spent every free moment of the warm seasons wakeboarding behind one of his boats, learning to expertly drive the various sports boats he offered, or laying across the deck of Dave’s own Nautique to work on your tan. You’d turned your favorite pastime into a pretty lucrative high school job, working the counter at Dave’s shop and offering boating and wakeboarding lessons on the side.

You’d always had a pretty romantic, to use Shawn’s word, view of sailboats, though. You often fantasized about sailing out to open sea, standing at the tip of the bow of a catamaran or a schooner, one hand on the jib as you leaned out over the water. That particular image may have come from an old Audrey Hepburn photo your mom had shown you (your mom had an obsession with old Hollywood starlets).

Either way, you felt your heart race a little at Shawn’s words - especially the implication of a romantic sunset cruise. Was he flirting?

Maybe one day we’ll meet, and we can sail off into the sunset together - at this, you stopped breathing altogether; that definitely felt like flirting to you - on The Firebolt. Mischief Managed? Maybe I’d call it The Patronus. I’ve got some time to come up with the perfect name, but it’ll definitely be Harry Potter themed.

We won’t be sailing anywhere before you answer my next question: What exactly is your job? I don’t think I’ve ever had a “handler” before.

You could have been reading and rereading Shawn’s notes for one minute or ten - you lost track of time until you heard the jiggle of a doorknob, and you practically jumped out of your skin. Someone was opening the door to Shawn’s room. For a fleeting second, you wondered whether you should hide. But you knew that idea was ridiculous the moment it crossed your mind - imagine if Shawn opened his closet to find you tucked down beneath his clothes? You would look like a crazy stalker. No, you had every right to be in his room - it was your job to be there - and it was bound to happen anyway. Eventually. You just weren’t ready for it to be today, right now, that you’d meet him.

The door opened before you had time to move, and in walked a tall blonde woman with a large tote bag slung over her shoulder. She was beautiful, and you knew instantly who she was. When her eyes connected with yours, a surprised expression crossed her features. You could see her calculating the situation - you, a woman not much older than her world-famous rockstar son, were sitting on the bed in that rockstar’s hotel room as though waiting for him - and you hastily wanted to correct the conclusion that seemed to settle itself awkwardly across her face.

“Mrs. Mendes!” you exclaimed, jumping up from the bed and stuffing Shawn’s note in your back pocket. You crossed the room quickly, reaching out a hand toward her - to shake her hand or take her bag, you weren’t sure.

“Hello,” she replied cautiously, still confused by your presence in her son’s hotel room. She wasn’t naive by any means, but she was still a mom being confronted by a strange woman in her son’s bedroom. She reached for your hand.

“I’m (Y/N),” you said, shaking her hand. “We spoke on the phone last week.” Realization began to dawn on Mrs. Mendes’ features. “About Shawn? And his laundry?”

“(Y/N), of course!” she beamed, understanding that you weren’t Shawn’s latest hookup but rather an employee. “You’re the one who’s been taking such good care of my son!” At this, she pulled you in for a warm hug, which you happily returned.

“I do what I can,” you said bashfully. “Let me take that for you,” you said, motioning toward the bag on her shoulder.

“Thank you,” she replied kindly. You took the bag and set it gently on the desk for her. She went to the bag and opened it, pulling from it a few objects you assumed were meant to make Shawn feel at home. “I couldn’t resist,” she said, indicating the device she had pulled from the bag. “I miss taking care of my boy,” she said in her charming Canadian/British accent.

“I understand, Mrs. Mendes.”

“Please, (Y/N), call me Karen. We’re on the same team, after all.”

You beamed. “What is that?” you asked as Karen plugged in the device.

“It’s a diffuser for essential oils,” she responded. “I live by my oils.” You thought you understood, now, where Shawn got his penchant for all things natural.

“I can see why,” you smiled. “I’m never doing laundry without lavender oil again.”

“You like it?” Karen asked, pleased.

“I love it! I couldn’t believe how good the laundry smelled when it came out of the dryer. I did Shawn’s and mine with lavender and I’ll never go back to regular dryer sheets.”

“So you really do Shawn’s laundry?” Karen seemed surprised. “He’s really getting the rockstar treatment now.”

You weren’t sure how to respond. Karen seemed disappointed by this information, and for some reason, the last thing you wanted to do was disappoint her. “Part of the job,” you muttered uncomfortably.

Karen sensed something was wrong. “Don’t get me wrong!” she said apologetically. “I often do Shawn’s laundry back home. I just worry about him,” she confessed. “This has been his life for so long,” she indicated the ritzy hotel room, “I worry about how we’re going to keep him grounded. You hear so much about the other child stars, I sometimes think that if they did their own laundry, they wouldn’t turn out so...” She trailed off, but you knew what she meant.

“I don’t think you have to worry about Shawn,” you replied in the most reassuring voice you could muster. “He seems really humble.”

Karen didn’t answer right away, distracted by the tiny bottles of oils she was pulling from her bag. You wondered what they were each supposed to do, and thought learning about essential oils might be the next task to keep you busy on a long bus ride.

“Seems humble?” she finally asked. “What do you mean?” She looked up at the mirror above the desk to your reflection, and it felt, somehow, as though she were looking right through you.

“Well, I just mean,” you stammered, “that it always looks like he puts everyone else first. It doesn’t ever look like he thinks he’s the center of the universe. Which is pretty impressive, considering this tour is all about him, really.”

“Does he put you before himself?”

Your stomach did a flip. How could you explain your friendship-that-wasn’t-a-real-friendship to Shawn’s mom?

“I think he would,” you replied uncomfortably, “if we ever talked to each other.” There. It wasn’t quite a lie - you’d never had a conversation with Shawn. Only notes written on scraps of hotel paper, passed back and forth between you via the pockets of jeans and the lining of bags. “I work sort of in the background,” you finished lamely. “I’ve never actually met Shawn.”

At this admission, Karen turned to face you. “I know,” she replied. “I just don’t know why.”

This would be harder to explain, but you found yourself trying anyway. “To be honest, I’m not sure there’s a really good reason anymore,” you started. “When we left for Amsterdam, I asked Andrew - he’s my boss - to hold off on introducing me to Shawn. I wanted to spend some time observing him to get to know him first. Shawn seemed like the type of guy who would go out of his way to take care of other people, and, well, it’s my job to take care of him. I think that would make him uncomfortable, and ultimately make my job harder.”

Karen nodded her head in understanding. “You’re right about that,” she admitted. “But what about now?”

You had to think about this one. You had observed Shawn enough by now to be able to anticipate his needs and wants pretty well. He knew you existed, and he knew you were the one who followed him around, packing and unpacking his luggage, washing his clothes, shopping for him, prepping the green rooms at stadiums across Europe. He’d hinted in today’s note that he wanted to meet you. “I guess it just seems easier this way,” you said lamely, knowing this wasn’t a real answer.

“He talks about you, you know,” Karen said, catching you completely off-guard. Your head snapped up to meet her eyes, the eyes you’d been avoiding as you answered her question. “He tells us about the things you’ve done for him.” You could feel your cheeks heat up. “You’ll have to give me that tea recipe, he went on and on about it. Said it was a miracle.”

“I can write it down for you,” you said, happy for the change in subject.

“Just text it to me,” she said. “You have my number, right?” You nodded. “I do hope you’ll use it.”

You knew why Shawn loved his mom so much. It was true that he probably couldn’t get away with anything around her; she was too smart, too observant. But despite the fact that she could apparently see right through you, she didn’t push. She told you just enough to let you know she knew there was more to your story, but didn’t pry or make you feel bad about holding back. You knew she would listen if - when - you wanted to talk.

---------------------------------------------------

Shawn was on a high unlike any other when he finally crashed in his hotel room that night. The show had been as perfect as a show could get, and his parents had been there to see it for the first time. They’d had an incredible dinner together, and he’d hugged on both of his parents enough to satisfy him for the next month on tour. He fell into his bed, grinning from ear to ear. What a night.

He was almost too distracted to notice that he didn’t get a reply from you. He went to sleep wondering where he would find your next note.

Taglist | @librarianct, @5secondsofjade4499, @theetherealbloom, @lukesmyaesthetic

#shawn mendes #Shawn Mendes Imagine #shawn mendes fanfic #shawn mendes fanfiction #shawn mendes fic #shawn mendes blurb #shawn mendes army #shawn peter raul mendes #sm3 #shawn mendes: the tour #sm3 tour #shawn mendes the tour #shawm mendes portugal #shawm mendes lisbon #shawn mendes relationship #mendes army #shawn mendes series

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lukeskywaker4ever · 5 years ago

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King Pedro V 2nd Voyage (May 20th to August 14th, 1855): France

The 1854 trip was not, in fact, the last that King D. Pedro V made through the old European continent. In the following year he made a new tour and, in the excitement of what would follow, Pedro described, in his new diary, the wonders of traveling for those who want to educate themselves: “On a trip you receive an instruction that is very different from that of books, an introduction that books do not give, that instruction that you receive just because you throw your head out of the window. A trip, and a trip mainly in civilized Europe, that of the revolutions that have changed the face of our society, that shows us the remains of great nations, the effects of political errors, is a great relief to the thirst for instruction, a momentary relief and for that reason it is painful for those who see it before them only a bad time.” This time, and to fill the gap from the previous trip, France was the starting point for a new tour. It would be, again, the ship Mindelo

carrying King D. Pedro, who was accompanied, as in the previous year, by his brother Luís.

On May 25th, at noon, the ship reached the river Gironde, which bathes the city of Bordeaux. However, at that hour, the river was no longer navigable, so Mindelo had to land in Pauillac, a few kilometers from Bordeaux. Predicting that this could happen, Emperor Napoleon III

had already made available a steam, the size of which allowed him to sail to the French city. In Bordeaux, the floor of Place de Quinconces, next to the river, “was exquisitely carpeted, and had a rich pavilion decorated with the arms of Casa de Bragança and those of the Emperor, superimposed in the colors and flags of Portugal and France. The garrison troops formed in the Quinconces square

made wings in the passage of the royal procession.” When the French steam, which brought D. Pedro and D. Luís, docked: “A royal salvo announced the landing of the Augustos Viajantes; the drums played the generala; the songs played the Portuguese anthem, and the cheers of the Emperor and the King live from all sides. The population of Bordeaux was crowded on the quay, the prospect was magnificent and pompous, and the weather that had become excellent contributed to the brilliance of the ceremony.”

A sumptuous carriage had been placed at the disposal of the King of Portugal, taking him to the Hotel de Ville,

where he was accommodated. In that same space, a “banquet of 35 place settings” was waiting for him, that is, for 35 diners. In the short stay of just one day, Pedro had the possibility, right after the banquet, of watching a play in the theater where “the rich of Bordeaux are seen strutting, eager for pleasure and possessing the means to satisfy them.” However, he did not stay to meet them. The destination was Paris and he headed there. The next day he left Bordeaux to take the train in Orléans that would take him to the main Gallic city. On the way, after being delighted with the architecture of the station, he had time to admire the bridge over the Garonne,

“one of Napoleon's great public works.” As he crossed France, he meditated on the advantages and disadvantages of large and small farms: “While I did not read the story impartially, I believed in the goodness of the property division, today I am more reserved and more illustrated in my opinion .” In Paris, he had the opportunity to talk about the matter, once again concluding that the big property was the best: “Everyone lamented, like me, the extreme division of property and some [individuals] I have heard triumphantly refute the argument of the advantage of interested the small people in the territorial property and consequently in the order. I said it above that the extreme division of property is a socialism and a communism that has the only advantage, and this is very considerable because of its results, but intrinsically insignificant, of not being nailed to the side of a platform that is less than the saddle of a cavalryman. It is a communism with all its evils, except that of Mr. Proudhon's communism, who unfortunately is not incarcerated in Charenton with Fourier and all this school of men of doctrines who, during 20 years of practice, have shown their complete nullity and uselessness.” D. Pedro wished to see in Portugal large farms managed by responsible owners.

As for the railway, which he used between Orléans and Paris, he criticized the way the engineers had planned it: “It is what I have against men of doctrine, it is that imaginary life that prevents them from looking at reality . So, this railroad that crosses a very rich country out of respect for the geometric principle that the straight line is the briefest space from one point to another, passes away from important cities, it seems that to follow its route to the letter. railway title from Paris to Bordeaux.” Then he commented: “The bureaucratic administration of countries that enjoy the so-called benefits of centralization, centralizes the country's geography; geography is centralized, he thinks it has centralized the country's interests.”

Arrived in Paris, only the Portuguese were allowed to enter the station, in order to kiss the hand of their sovereign. Escorted by a cavalry honor guard, the chariot carrying D. Pedro and D. Luís, went to the Tuileries palace.

There they were expected by Napoleon III and his court and, after due cordiality and introductions, Napoleon personally led his guests to the rooms prepared for them in the Marsan pavilion,

in that same palace. The room for D. Pedro was carefully prepared, ending, in fact, a surprise that touched young Portuguese. Napoleon III “ordered the portrait of His Augusta Mother Mrs. Dona Maria II

from his nostalgic memory to be placed in El-Rei's room, and the August Guests were manifestly touched by such exquisite delicacy, shaking hands with the Emperor in a sense and silent recognition .” After dinner, where Pedro and Luís were able to exhibit the Legion of Honor

that had been conceived for them the previous year, the fatigue of the trip made them retire to their rooms by ten o'clock at night.

In the Tuileries, on the following day, May 27th, he attended a Mass, in the company of the French Emperor, who celebrated that Pentecost Sunday, having appreciated the fact that he attended Mass in uniform, which, in his opinion, contrasted with the procedure by Luís Filipe de Orléans,

who “did not hear mass, so as not to have natural science teachers, doctors and economists against him.” Then Pedro was finally able to see Paris and, as such, monuments and parks received his presence. He looked discreetly at Chantilly's horse racing

and, in horror, at a vaudeville theater. He then visited the Grenelle well,

the slaughterhouse and an establishment for the education of the blind. In general, comments about the visit are more banal than those made during your first trip. At one point, he compared London and Paris, saying that the former was a serious city, while the latter would be frivolous. He commented, in the following way, on the way the two peoples looked at their respective governments: “While the revolution of 1640 lives in the memory of all English and while the spirit of self government animates each member of that monarchical republic, where the sovereign is everything and nothing, the French people leave the care to think of the events to a few, that of governing those who carry out their interests.” The fact that Dom Pedro admired England did not prevent him from feeling any resentment against the country. The Universal Exhibition of Paris,

which he visited, made a good impression on the spirit of the monarch, who found the European continent's industry well represented. Even if promoted by the government, the Exhibition was, in his opinion, a worthy response to the British challenge: “It is the Continent to show that the germs it presented in London have developed and that it has learned to take advantage of the great lesson.” After the official visit, he returned there, repeatedly, with his brother, but incognito, certainly with the desire to escape the hustle and bustle that his presence created, serenely seeking to admire the exhibition without interruption or agitation. The Museum of Natural History

had a dubious effect, it did not criticize it directly, on the contrary, but it reflected the modesty of the collections: “In general, the collections suffer from a certain modesty, very fatal, which is also prevalent in our land , which is their lack of resources and their bad administration because, as everyone knows, the wise are not made to settle accounts. ” The big problem, according to him, was the centralizing tendency that drowned out all the forces that existed in societies: “and politician that we voted for after the people blindly left the centralizing power to think for them…”

The avalanche of visits took him to bed, this time with an attack of headaches, which the doctor treated with mustard synapisms in the bellies of his legs. The disease had a compensation, received the visit of Napoleon III and the Count of Morny,

then President of Parliament. Two days later he was recovered. During the visit to the Cluny Museum,

he reflected on the nature of constitutional government, exhibiting the mixture of idealism and pessimism that would characterize it: “If there was not so much suspicion against the real power, if the ministers did not love the portfolios so much, there were more who wanted to tell the truth to kings and their ministers, and the people understood their interests better, in short, if man were as he should be and not as he is, the best form of government was found; but that form will not see it for our generation or the next, if it is possible that man can never see it. ” D. Pedro would never understand the reasons that led men to walk “bad ways”. For him, mistakes were anachronisms. Pedro and Luís also visited the Louvre Museum,

the Palace of Versailles,

the Navy and the Artillery.

Of everything he saw in Paris, and it was not little, he especially liked the parades, which shows the fascination that everything that was military has always exercised over D. Pedro. The night of the 4th of June was spent in Campo de Marte,

in a “highly poetic” environment, with 30,000 bayonets glowing, alongside 48 cannons, in a march that had as its backdrop “the cheerful and bellicose chirping of 6000 horses ”. He was excited: "Only those who have no soul, do not feel anything, do not feel a pleasant shiver, seeing what is most admirable in the world, how man managed to subject hundreds of thousands of men to one will." The next day, he had to go for a walk in the streets, something he looked at in a pedagogical way, that is, as something planned with the objective of “studying the physiognomy of the daily life of this great city, so full of grandeur and defects and which focuses on itself in human science and serves as a starting point for spreading over the earth.” In addition to shopping, he visited the Sèvres porcelain establishment, which motivated him to reflect: “I confess that sometimes, when I feel the lack of means that the king of Portugal has to satisfy the most innocent passions, it is precisely when I feel possessed by the desire to own what I see, but I must console myself with the idea that what is beautiful in art belongs to everyone, is, for many, the source of indefinable enjoyments that the owner often does not feel.”

Then he took off from the Vincennes polygon,

the Casa da Moeda,

the cavalry school in Saumur,

the National Archives,

the School of Bridges and Sidewalks, an Exhibition of Agricultural Machines and the Imperial Library,

where he discovered some Portuguese works , such as, for example, the Chronicle of Guinea. On the 13th of June, after a dinner with the general staff of the armed forces, he spoke, for once, of D. Luís. He did it in a negative way: “I slept all the way and was already in bed when the brother returned from the Grand Opera House,

where he had gone to see the first performance of Verdi's Sicilian Vespers. I did not envy him the pleasure of listening to such good music; I had seen Saumur's school while he was having fun.”

On the 21st of June, preparing to leave Paris, the guests were again surprised. At seven o'clock in the morning they received the presence of the Emperor and the Empress,

who made a point of saying goodbye to the travelers once again. The gesture touched the Portuguese and the farewell was made of hugs and commotion. Napoleon did everything to ensure that nothing failed and made available, again, a French steam that waited for D. Pedro and the rest of the party in Marseille. Until then, they passed through Lyon, where they watched a search of the troops and a simulacrum of war, visited establishments and bought a souvenir, but from England. It was a silk portrait of Queen Victoria and her husband. On the 23rd of June the imperial train left for Marseille, but with a previous stop by Avignon, where the former palace of the popes

was visited and admired. At the next exit, the retinue boarded the steam provided by Napoleon. They were going to Italy.

#king pedro v of portugal #xix century #grand tour #portugal #france #king luis i of portugal #emperor napoleon iii

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goldstarnation · 5 years ago

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SEPTEMBER 2019 GOLD STAR MEDIA SCHEDULES & REVIEW

Members may earn 3 points each (up to 6 points) for writing, by the end of October 7 KST:

A solo para of 400+ words based on their monthly schedule (does not count toward your monthly total).

A thread of six posts (three per participant, including the starter) based on their monthly schedule.

Threads do not have to take place directly during an important date listed on the schedule, but must be related to what the muse is mentioned to be doing in the paragraph explaining their schedule/the company’s schedule for the month and/or their thoughts on the mentioned activities or lack thereof.

These schedules may be updated throughout the month if new information needs to be added.

Reminder: August schedule posts are due by the end of September 7 KST.

Overall Company

In the aftermath of their company concert, Gold Star executives are pleased with the turn out and there’s talk they’re considering taking the family concert overseas in the future to take full advantage of the pull their company name has in places like Southeast Asia and the US. In the meantime, everything is back to normal around the main building, and all Gold Star idols get a three day break for Chuseok unless they’re beholden to other voluntary individual schedules.

Important dates:

September 12-14: Chuseok break (no activities save for specific voluntary individual schedules).

Gold Star Soloist 1

This month marks her eleventh anniversary since her debut, an achievement few in the industry can rival, especially with her kind of success. To celebrate, Gold Star has arranged a schedule VLive on her anniversary which will be advertised as an online fan meeting of sorts. She’ll have mostly free rein over what she does during the live stream as long as management is informed in advance. The following week, she’ll be doing a free public “busking” event performing some of her songs and select covers. It won’t be completely authentic busking, as the time and location will be announced following her anniversary VLive and she’ll be performing on a small raised stage with adequate security.

Important dates:

September 18: Scheduled 11th anniversary VLive.

September 25: 11th anniversary public busking event.

Gold Star Soloist 2

On top of recording for her upcoming album the whole month, her Seoul concerts have finally arrived for the weekend right after Chuseok. Gold Star anticipates a more general public audience than a fandom one, so most of the promotion for it is out of her hands and she’s encouraged to focus on being in her best vocal condition for the concert instead.

Important dates:

September 15: I AM concert at Olympic Hall in Seoul, South Korea.

September 16: I AM concert at Olympic Hall in Seoul, South Korea.

September 21: Performance at K-Crush 2019 Concert at Impact Challenger Hall 1 in Bangkok, Thailand (also performing: 7ROPHY)

Gold Star Soloist 3

The first three weeks of the month are spent finishing off his promotions for “Runaway”, so the short Chuseok break is only a brief reprieve from music shows and the expectation is for him to keep himself in top shape for his tour to continue once promotions wrap. He’ll get only a one day break on the 22nd before he flies out to the first stops of his Europe tour.

Important dates:

September 21: End of music show promotions.

September 24: Self-titled tour concert at Time Out Studio in Lisbon, Portugal.

September 25: Self-titled tour concert at Cool Stage in Madrid, Spain.

September 28: Self-titled tour concert at Santeria Social Club in Milan, Italy.

September 30: Self-titled tour concert at Lucerna Music Bar in Prague, Czech Republic.

Silhouette

The members finish recording their upcoming mini-album this month and begin learning the choreography after they return from their three-day Chuseok break. They’ve also been chosen as the new faces of sportswear brand Mizuno, so they’re scheduled to film their first CF for the brand and will be hosting a fan sign at the end of the month after the CF begins airing nationwide. With Origin’s comeback mysteriously delayed, what had previously been a low-pressure comeback ups the ante and expectations from management to perform well have increased in a way that is unlikely to go unnoticed by the members.

Important dates:

September 8: Mizuno Sports CF filming.

September 29: Mizuno fan sign in Seoul.

Aria

As rehearsals continue for their concerts next month, the members are given the opportunity for solo (or duo) stages as listed below. Members will be given the chance to suggest what stages they would like to do, but the final decisions are made by management, whether that aligns with the member’s choice or not. They’ll be rehearsing those all month on top of several of their latest title tracks and b-sides, and have also booked another mobile game CF to film after their return from their short Chuseok break.

Leader/vocal/rapper & main dancer/lead vocal - I Didn’t Go To School

Main vocal - Domino

Maknae/vocal/rapper - Gashina

Main rapper and lead vocal - All Hands On Deck

Lead dancer and vocal - New Face

Important dates:

September 16: The Rulers mobile game CF filming.

September 28-29: Performance at Super K-Pop Festival Indonesia 2019 at the Indonesia Convention Exhibition BSD in Tangerang, Indonesia (also performing: Aria and Decipher).

Origin

A meeting is called on September 9 when the members come in to record in the studio and they’re told that a decision has been made to go back to the drawing board with parts of their album. This means scrapping songs, including ones members may have had a hand in and had been told were confirmed for release, and working on “a better quality album”. It’s a shock considering they’d begun comeback preparation with everything in place at the end of last month and this has never happened before, but management doesn’t take time for questions. There’s bound to be rumors about all of the reasons behind why, but it does in part mean a slightly less heavy workload this month, though they’re still as packed as always. They’re sent right back to the studio to record something that was already planned and has now been moved up, which is a series of unit track collaborations with Western artists for the soundtrack of Origin World. They won’t meet or directly record with any of their collaboration partners.

Vocal 1, lead vocal/lead dancer, maknae/main vocal/lead dancer - Dream Glow ft. Charli XCX

Main dancer/lead rapper, vocal 2 - A Brand New Day ft. Zara Larsson

Main rapper, lead rapper - All Night ft. Juice WRLD

Important dates:

September 11: Photo shoot for Anan Magazine October issue.

September 15: Origin 2020 Season’s Greetings photo shoot.

September 17: Lights/Boy With Luv (Japanese Ver) hand shake event in Tokyo, Japan.

September 18: Lights/Boy With Luv (Japanese Ver.) hand shake event in Osaka, Japan.

September 24: Lotte Duty Free CF filming.

September 26: UNICEF Love Myself Global Campaign video filming.

Impulse

They kick off their world tour at the beginning of the month with their Seoul concerts and follow up with a KCon Thailand performance as headliners later in the month. That all means a lot of rehearsals and long night practices together as group save for the brief three-day Chuseok break. From he beginning of the month, members are also in the studio recording for another new Japanese album release before the end of the year, which means members are expected to be brushing up on their Japanese too.

Important dates:

September 5: End of music show promotions.

September 7: Keep Spinning 2019 World Tour concert at KSPO Dome in Seoul, South Korea.

September 8: Keep Spinnign 2019 World Tour concert at KSPO Dome in Seoul, South Korea.

September 28: Performance at KCon Thailand at Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.

Fuse

The end of one comeback promotion period doesn’t mean a break for Fuse. As soon as the month starts, they hit the ground running on concept meetings and recording for songs off of their next mini-album, which will drop before the end of the year. The concept seems to be much more summery than Zimzalabim despite its slated late fall release date, which is sure to raise questions as to what Gold Star is thinking and whether they may have prioritized Femme Fatale having a successful comeback at the detriment of Fuse, but management claims it’d all part of Fuse’s “experimental” concept design.

Important dates:

September 11: Release of Sappy Japanese album.

September 28-29: Performance at Super K-Pop Festival Indonesia 2019 at the Indonesia Convention Exhibition BSD in Tangerang, Indonesia (also performing: Aria and Decipher).

Element

Element are saved another month from Gold Star’s love of VLives to connect with fans, although this is a double-edged sword as won’t go unnoticed by the fan base, who wanted more activities for the group in addition to the fan outreach versus instead of. In addition to concerts in India, making them the first group from Gold Star to perform in the country, and a festival in Germany, Element have been picked for their first group brand ambassador deal since they came onto the scene. It’s a deal with a Japanese footwear brand, but they’ve been chosen as Southeast Asia regional ambassadors instead of serving as ambassadors within their own country, a reminder of their struggle for popularity domestically.

Important dates:

September 15: ASICS CF filming.

September 20: 4lement tour concert at Talkatora Indoor Stadium in New Delhi, India.

September 22: 4lement tour concert at Shilpgram North East Zone Cultural Centre in Guwahati, India.

September 28: Performance at Finger Heart Festival in Mannheim, Germany (also performing: Alien).

Femme Fatale

The members are performing in their first major concerts since their debut this month as their Japan arena tour kicks off in Osaka (please see August’s schedule for their assigned solo stages). The attention their latest comeback has gotten internationally is particularly noticeable for them this month, as they’ve been booked for photo shoots in both a Chinese and Japanese magazine and have signed a deal as the new (and first) regional brand ambassadors for Shopee in Southeast Asia and Taiwan.

Important dates:

September 8: Photo shoot for Grazia China October issue.

September 16: Photo shoot for Glitter Magazine Japan October issue + individual interviews.

September 17: Femme Fatale Arena Tour at Osaka-Jo Hall in Osaka, Japan.

September 18: Femme Fatale Arena Tour at Osaka-Jo Hall in Osaka, Japan.

September 22: Shopee CF filming.

#fmdschedule #queued post

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tayspurrito · 6 years ago

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Taylor Come Back To Europe Project: Portugal’s week.

Hi there!

So, as a little explanation before we start: last January I created on Twitter an account called @Europe _ Loves _ TS in order to try to get Taylor back to Europe. It works this way: each week is dedicated to one different country, this one’s being Portugal, and each day I post different stuff about the country, Taylor’s charts there, where she could play and that kind of stuff. I started posting this week because it took me quite a long to finish with all of the preparations but now it has already started, and Day 6 (a.k.a. Tumblr and sign the petition) is about posting everything done on Twitter but on Tumblr, that’s why the texts will be really little. Also, here you have the summary, in case you want to see something first:

Day 1: Where would Taylor play?

Day 2: About the city.

Day 3: Swifties day!

Day 4: Taylor and the city.

Day 5: Conclusion.

Day 6: Tumblr and signing the petition.

Day 7 (does not appear in here): New country announcement.

Here you have the petition’s link https://www.change.org/p/ticketmaster-taylor-swift-european-tour?recruiter=931350637&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=share_petition , just in case you want to help us.

And the second country of the week will be... 𝗣𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗴𝗮𝗹!

Lisbon, Portugal: Altice Arena.

𝖂𝖍𝖞 𝕬𝖑𝖙𝖎𝖈𝖊 𝕬𝖗𝖊𝖓𝖆?

Altice Arena is a versatile venue that can host events. It comprises three integrated areas and is an ideal solution for show promoters looking to rent versatile, high-quality venues to host their events.

𝖂𝖍𝖞 𝕬𝖑𝖙𝖎𝖈𝖊 𝕬𝖗𝖊𝖓𝖆?

You can choose to rent the venue with full autonomy in the production of your event or you can count on them for all the logistics you need to guarantee the success you expect, with a capacity for 20.000 people.

𝕺𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗 𝖆𝖗𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖘 𝖜𝖍𝖔 𝖍𝖆𝖛𝖊 𝖕𝖑𝖆𝖞𝖊𝖉 𝖎𝖓 𝕬𝖑𝖙𝖎𝖈𝖊 𝕬𝖗𝖊𝖓𝖆:

-Madonna. -Beyoncé. -Adele. -Ariana Grande. -Enrique Iglesias. -Lady Gaga. -Jennifer Lopez. -Elton John. -Bruno Mars. -Bryan Adams. -Rihanna. -Robbie Williams.

𝕬𝖇𝖔𝖚𝖙 𝕷𝖎𝖘𝖇𝖔𝖓:

Lisbon is the capital and the largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 505,526 inhabitants. It is one of the major economic centers on the continent, and it is one of the oldest cities in the world.

𝕻𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖊𝖘 𝖙𝖔 𝖛𝖎𝖘𝖎𝖙 𝖎𝖓 𝕷𝖎𝖘𝖇𝖔𝖓:

-The Belém Tower, one of the most famous landmarks in Lisbon and Portugal.

-D. Maria II National Theatre, one of Portugal's most prestigious venues.

-The monument to Christ the King (Cristo-Rei).

𝕻𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖊𝖘 𝖙𝖔 𝖛𝖎𝖘𝖎𝖙 𝖎𝖓 𝕷𝖎𝖘𝖇𝖔𝖓:

-Eduardo VII Park, the second largest park in the city.

-The National Coach Museum has the largest collection of royal carriages in the world and is one of its most visited institutions.

“As for me, I encountered Taylor when I saw her guest starring in a movie in 2009 and later that year I remember watching the YBWM music video over and over again! Then I went on the journey of discovering every single song from Taylor (officially released or not) and loving all of them -specially the lyrics. I missed out on the opportunity of attending the Speak Now World Tour that happened really close on Spain. The Red Tour didn’t come as close and neither did the 1989 World Tour and the “reputation Stadium Tour” but these last two I had the possibility of traveling to other countries in Europe just to be on the happiest place on earth.”

-Ana, Portugal (@swifttchick on Twitter).

“Hello! My english is not very good, but I'll do my best. Well, one day in 2015 I was in YouTube and the 'You Belong With Me' music video appeared in my timeline and I clicked to see it. I remember that I loved the song and that it was always on repeat, I was very addicted. Some time later was the time of 'Out Of The Woods', I was very addicted too and I started to like Taylor a loooot and started to search about her life, story, career and became a fan of this incredible woman that I loveeeeee so much!! She has never come to Portugal but I have hopes that one day she will come. I would loveeeeeeee to meet her 'cause she's amazing, she only deserves good things.”

-Rubén, Portugal (@IDSB_but_DBM on Twitter).

“When I was eight years old (in 2012) I received my first little second hand phone. It was from my cousin so it had a lot of songs in it, wich was mainly the reason I used it. I used to spend days and days hearing its songs and I loved every single one of them, but there was one which kept my attention, not only because of the song itself, but because of the too small photo of a blonde girl standing while I heard "I Knew You Were Trouble". I was too young to know how to search about her, so I just kept hearing the song over and over trough the years till I finally discovered her name. I admit, at that time, I just wanted someone to stan, but looking back now that was the best thing I've ever done in fifteen years and now, I love her for so many different reasons.”

-MDA, Portugal (@MDA_TSwift on Twitter).

𝕿𝖆𝖞𝖑𝖔𝖗 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖈𝖎𝖙𝖞:

She has never played in Lisbon, nor in Portugal, although most of her albums have debuted on its charts and made really well. "reputation" debuted at #1 of Portugal Albums Top 30, and "1989" debuted at #3.

𝕿𝖆𝖞𝖑𝖔𝖗 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖈𝖎𝖙𝖞:

Actually, Taylor's discography has had a great impact on the country all through the years; it went from not appearing on the lists to "RED" debuting at #8 and now to "reputation" breaking records!

𝕿𝖆𝖞𝖑𝖔𝖗 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖈𝖎𝖙𝖞:

And, most importantly, its fan base, which has never stopped growing! In a matter of a few years its main fansite account, @taylorswiftpt on Twitter, has reached over 2,800 followers!

𝕮𝖔𝖓𝖈𝖑𝖚𝖘𝖎𝖔𝖓:

Portugal is a beautiful country, with beautiful people and an amazing international fandom. It's not the biggest country on Earth, but Taylor's power has arrived there and it makes nothing but growing every day.

𝕮𝖔𝖓𝖈𝖑𝖚𝖘𝖎𝖔𝖓:

Also, Lisbon is the perfect city to host the show. It has a big arena and a fandom who deserves nothing but love and recognition because they are true heroes and some of the most supportive people I have ever met.

𝕮𝖔𝖓𝖈𝖑𝖚𝖘𝖎𝖔𝖓:

To every single person who has helped with this week's challenge, thank you so so much. Even just retweeting or liking the posts, you make this so much easier and great. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Os amo.

Duh.

https://www.change.org/p/ticketmaster-taylor-swift-european-tour?recruiter=931350637&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=share_petition&utm_term=share_petition&recruited_by_id=a8694c60-1e79-11e9-8dcf-1bb98ece69a1 (This one is the link for the petition to get Taylor to come back to Europe).

So thank you so much for reading this! If you want to take a look to the Twitter account, that’s the link https://twitter.com/Europe_Loves_TS and the account is called @Europe_Loves_TS . I would recommedn you to check it, since the stuff will be posted there before and the new country announcement is tomorrow.

Thank you so much again!!

@taylorswift @taylornation

#Taylor #Swift #Taylurking #Taylorlurking #TS7 #ME!#stream me!#one week of me!#Europe #Taylor Come Back To Europe #Taylor Swift

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the-canary · 6 years ago

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Mausoleum - B.B (2/7)

Summary: Well, this was certainly one way to go about a museum date with your historical crush. (Reader/Bucky Barnes).

Masterlist

A/N: This is for @jaamesbbarnes. not the best chapter but damn that royal museum.

Part 1

To: Sam Wilson

From: Email Undisclosed

By the time, you read this I might already be somewhere else, but my dear old uncle is having me join a friend of his on his backpacking trip through Europe. He seems to be moving into a certain country, probably wishing to get lost in the wonders of Central Europe.

You know how he can be at times. I’ll try to be in touch soon.

From the moment you see the plane ticket, you knew this wasn’t going to end well in some way for you. Ross knew you too well to realize what you might think of the whole Captain America incident and about the Winter Soldier by extension. The two of you had seen the horrors of war together and had come out different people -- Ross had wanted changed done through laws and policies, even if it was through force. You wanted to make sure people never forgot the horrors mankind could accomplish, like the burns on your back. The Winter Soldier, no Bucky Barnes , had possibly seen the worst and you thought that he deserved some type of peace, which put you in direct conflict on this mission with Ross and the US government.

“You have a weak heart.”

A young Tech Sergeant had yelled that to a Airman rookie when she had decided to join the Air Force and kept yelling it at her until a certain mission where she was honorably discharged, but you and Ross certainly weren’t those people anymore. You were sure he was watching you in some type of way, but when he sent you all the information they had on a certain person traveling through Europe -- you did what you thought was for the best.

You indirectly sent the information to Captain America.

Two days later you were in London, certainly not a place where an fugitive would be, but it was a good starting point for you. You choose to stay in a cheap motel thanks to the limited cash fund you had been given, taking up the story of being a wanderlust American who was backpacking through Europe with very minimal clothing and supplies, though you still carried a Glock and knives on your body as safety precautions.

With everything he had given you, Ross had no immediate way of contacting you unless he tried really hard, though he usually kept his distance until you called in with the job done. On the dirty and marked-up wall, you had a large map of Europe with pen markings and pictures of what could be James Barnes. From Morocco up to Portugal and into Spain, then they had lost time for some time until he popped up on Scotland recently. The notes left for you noted that he was avoiding Germany and Austria, deep down you didn’t blame him.

That’s when you notice it.

“Ah,” you gasp softly circling in bright red the country he seems to be moving around.

France.

You scratch the upper part of your back in annoyance, sometimes the scars bothered you when you were having bad days or like those old wives’ tales of superstition that something bad was going to come your way. Moving from London to Dover to catch a boat had been annoying and loud, it had given you a fitful sleep, but an alert that he was moving dragged your out of bed in the middle of the night. He was going to France, but more likely using a long way before hitting his destination. You groan in pain and potential seasickness at the rocking of the boat. The sea had never been your friend, especially since you were more of a bird at heart, and that’s what you look at it to calm you down.

You lean onto the wall that connects the stairs of the bottom part of the ship to the deck and just stare at the dark sky for a good long moment. The night sky is breaking for the pinks and reds of the early morning light and taking a deep breath of the sea air, the void in your chest aches deeply --just like your scars-- at the thought of being up in the air again. You close your eyes for a moment.

You miss it. You miss a lot of things.

“Are you all right?” a deep, raspy voice --like it hadn’t been used in a very long time-- asks from beside you. You shake your head at this stranger’s compassion.

“Just a little seasick, but thank you,” you explain, a plea at the end that you want to be alone and the man, you sum up from his voice, lets out a simple hum of acknowledgement before going downstairs in the lightest of footsteps.

Footsteps that only a well-trained ear could pick up. Your heart speeds up for a moment, but you don’t look back because you know it will just give you away.

You think you’ve just had your first encounter with Bucky Barnes.

It’s a boat then a train then a couple of buses into Belgium, but you’re right about one thing -- he was circling around France and it made you wonder why. It had been of great concern back in World War II yes, but the former Sgt. Barnes had never been stationed in France, he passed his time during the war in Italy and Africa. You knew that much.

While, you had lost him here and there throughout the trip, you sort of figured out where he was heading -- Antwerp, for another unknown reason though it was safe to assume for precaution against people like you and there would be slightly less detection than in Brussels, but more than enough people to avoid a public attack from HYDRA.

The scars on your right shoulder burn at the thought, but instead of dwelling on it you move forward finding a moderately priced hotel near the waterfront, close to the edge of the more modern side of Antwerp. You almost want to take in all the sites since the last time you were here it had been all for business and between not exactly knowing where Bucky Barnes is within the city and wanting to go to a museum, a place that is always like home to you, in your foolishness you decide to do so.

Your day is spent waking up closer to noon than you would like because your back hurts due to the stiff bed you are currently sleeping on and some dreams you would rather not think of. After making your way to the Royal Museum of Fine Arts, you spend lunch time in a Thai place not too far away. Your bones are weary and tired as you walk around the large building, getting lost in all it has to offer and looking at art that has been on this Earth a lot longer than you.

You spend the time away looking at some painting more than others, but you know there is one that just echoes your --at least the person you are tracking-- current situation. You turn the corner in the unusually empty hall, parts of the museum were going through partial renovation, and that’s when your phone pings. You stop in confusion, ready to see what was sent from those cameras but it isn’t needed when you realize who the one person standing in front of the Frances Floris’ The Fall of the Rebel Angels .

Dirty baseball cap. Dark jean jacket with a backpack. The man was built like a brick house and it was a little daunting, though you weren’t here to fight. Hell, you weren’t even here for him right now. You keep walking without looking at your phone and with nothing else in mind -- you stand behind him looking at the Belgium painting.

The Fall of the Rebel Angels was a painting that still undaunted you when you thought of it. It was clearly a fight of good and evil, as Michael and his guild of angels threw the seven-headed dragon, along with its league, into the ground. However, sometimes good people did bad things, even when they were never aware of the underlying consequences. Sometimes, bad people had acts of kindness underneath their lists of actions, and people were always changing depending on the circumstance. Morality was a very annoying subject, if you thought about it too much.

Your phone pings again, as a not-so familiar face turns around to look at you.

“You’ve been following me,” he states in completely certainly, though his voice gives out somewhat in the end, probably due to the lack of use. You stand there before putting your hands up in utter defeat, there was no way you were going to fight him, not in a million years.

“Did you know since the boat?” you question as his whole body turns and for a moment, your teenage self wants to scream at the sight of Bucky Barnes in front of one of your favorite paintings. It is truly a sight to behold, if it wasn’t due to circumstance.

“No,” is all he states, “Any weapons?”

You motion slowly towards your back and to your boot, blue eyes watch you like a hawk as he makes his way towards your back. However, before he can to anything, a tour group comes in. He quickly places his arms around your waist and drags you towards the nearest exit, as only silence is exchanged between the two of you. He removes your gun with his gloved hand before dragging you into a more populated area of the square.

You don’t know what’s going to happen to you, but maybe going down after seeing Bucky Barnes with such a sorrowful expression --like those fallen angels-- wouldn’t be so bad for the ending of your miserable existence.

Part 3

#james buchanan barnes x reader #james bucky barnes x reader #bucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky banes fan fic #series: graves and dates #fabiola trying to write

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kelhirt · 6 years ago

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The next leg of my journey: Deutschland und Portugal

Two days later I was on the absolute worst flight of my life to Germany. That is a whole other story in and of itself, so let’s keep it short and hit the high points: 4 delays, 3 airport changes, landing 7 hours later than planned at Ulster Airport, making me take a two hour taxi ride south with strangers at 3 am to get to Cologne, my original destination. Shout out to the Claussens, my German family, for being patient and still waiting for me to arrive via taxi at 5 am…9 hours later than planned.

The next five days were filled with both fun adventure and relaxing with the Claussens at their home in Bad Honnef, a city right on the Rhine. Jette left the day after I got there to work at a hostel in Portugal, but we were able to visit Burg Eltz and have a family picnic on the island park in Bad Honnef before she left.

Each day was something new; except for brekky, I always ate the fresh laugen (pretzel bread) with jam because I can’t ever get enough. My mouth is watering just thinking about it! I fell off my bike on a journey with Elise to get cheap Birkenstocks because it was too big, which made for a good laugh for both us, and the people passing by. We hiked one of the seven mountains in the Rhine area, explored Köln, drank lots of Kölsch during a last minute stop at the city’s Kölsch Fest, drove the Rhine River path, and had a cookout. All this time, I was able to practice my German and look like a fool while I was doing it. The last night I had there, I helped Peter coach soccer, which was a grand time! I was playing with and against young soccer stars who wanted to practice their English with an older American woman. When the scrimmage came around, I had a young boy who was my ally and assisted in a goal I made. I tried not to get into my competitive mode and I’ll absolutely give those girls credit for whooping my butt most of the time.

Elise and I overlooking the Rhine Valley

Because the Claussens are family to me, leaving was really tough. Peter dropped me off at the bus stop at night and I woke up in Berlin the next morning. I used the public bathroom at the bus/metro station to brush my teeth, change, and quickly oriented myself with the metro. I dumped my stuff at the hostel and headed out for a full day of sightseeing. I started my day at 8am and ended back at the hostel at 8 pm, where I paid 5 euro for a freaking towel because I was disgusting from walking the city in high heat. I’m sure I looked like an absolute wreck, because the guy in line behind me offered to pay for my towel when I was debating spending the money or not...my desperation was evident and very real.

The day was fantastic though! At first I was overwhelmed with my map of points of interest, so I started with a boat tour through the city which helped to familiarize myself with directions in the city. Don’t worry, if you know me and my love for maps, I still had it out about 85% of the day. I was a full-blown tourist that day as I made a big loop of Berlin, hopping on and off the metro to make sure I saw all the things. I sat down in places that radiated good energy or cried for more attention. I played in a sprinkling fountain at the Berlin Cathedral with two other tourists because it was hot as hell, and we thought there was power in numbers: they wouldn’t think oddly of 3 people vs 1 cooling off in there. When I got back that night, I was exhausted but eager to journal about everything I saw that day so I didn’t forget anything. As I was journaling, a guy from Syria started talking to me.

Side note: The intro line for guys who are smoking: “do you have a lighter/want a cigarette” is NOT a great way to start a conversation. But I had that happen three times abroad.

Memorial to the Murdered Jews

Berlin Cathedral

Back to Berlin and the Syrian guy that disrupted my journaling to ask for a lighter (though he ended up having one, go figure!) He and his family were refugees and he opened up to me about living in Syria during the war. It was one of the most eye opening conversations I’ve ever had the privilege of having. I ended up being speechless because I had a human being telling me what their “normal” was, which involved bombings a village away and death being a constant. I could never imagine what that was like, a topic I later reflected heavily on. I mean, how blessed are Americans that our (whole) country has not been destroyed physically and socially. (I might argue it’s on its way to social destruction but eyyy, I’m not about to get political. Please just be a genuinely kind person, honestly). Because he was so open, I felt comfortable asking questions, which led to some pretty intense conversations. He surprised me when he casually showed me where he was shot one morning while enjoying breakfast outside. Holy man. Three weeks earlier I was sitting outside enjoying tea and biscuits, listening to the birds and the ocean on an Irish island, worried about absolutely nothing. Again, I felt overcome with deep sadness for him and the countries that are war ladden and overwhelming gratitude for what I had at home. He moved to Berlin to get a college education in IT, and disclosed that if he hadn’t been shot in the shoulder and taken to a Turkish hospital, he and his family would have died in a bombing that annihilated their village just days later. I can’t make this stuff up you guys. Talk about humbling and opening your eyes to different perspectives.

On a lighter note (no pun intended), I did the same thing the next day. Started with some laugen (OBVI!) Jumped on the metro and got off near the Berlin Wall, East Side Gallery. I walked it twice and found something new each way. I sort of got scammed, which was absolute crap because I’ve spotted every trap on my travels. Needless to say, all I wanted to do was sit down and cry for being an idiot, but what good would that have done me? None. So I took a hard lesson, got back on the metro and headed to a beautiful little city just outside of Berlin called Potsdam. I saw most of the palaces, relaxed in the gardens, and chatted with other visitors. I still had lots of negative self-talk that I fought with all day for the morning’s unfortunate happening, but I persevered in site seeing anyway. This is one of my favorite things about travel. Making a really stupid mistake and being able to acknowledge it and move on.

Berlin Wall, East Side Gallery: a mile of amazing art!

Potsdam Palaces

Berlin was so unique; it was equally as exciting and huge as it was cozy and welcoming. Definitely a place I would love to spend an extended period of time in! But I had places to be; namely Portugal with my German bestie, so the next day I hopped on the plane and headed to Faro, Portugal on the Algarve Coastline. My hostel room had 8 beds and was filled with Spaniards my age to a 40 year old Italian men. Quaint and homey, the hostel was not ready for what it would experience during the upcoming week. Brekky everyday was fantastic in the sense it was a time for connection and community. Everyone was eager to learn something new about everyone. I usually ended up eating with two Belgians, one of whom was a pilot, so my fears of flying were squashed when he gave me some very helpful information on planes. It was when I could talk to the people I shared a room with and through that, the Italian man, Luigio, took a liking to me. He was genuinely concerned that I had a great time in Faro, always asking if I slept alright, making sure I knew about the best places to go and reminding me that it is super easy to burn, so make sure I applied sunscreen regularly. When I burned like a tomato, he said: “Kelli, I warned you. What happened?” then told me about his prescription sunburn relief that was in the fridge. He was my acting dad for a few days. He always made me smile.I stayed a week, so people came and went, and later ended up meeting a Brazilian that lives in Dublin. Fast forward three weeks and I’d be staying at her apartment with a friend. Cool how that stuff happens.

Breakfast was also where I met two guys from Austria and Azerbaijan who seemed discombobulated and grumpy the first time I interacted with them. After I got to know them, I realized they were both just to the point and was hangry. Both can attest to that, and they soon became good friends. Wherever Jette and I would go, they would decide to come along. I can only describe them as lost puppies or the background noise you needed on your adventures; I say this in the most endearing way and they know I called them that, just to make sure we are on the right page. I refer to the friends I made in Faro as “a dysfunctional family” because that’s exactly what we were. We went to different beaches every day, out at night, hung out at brekky and on the roof of the hostel playing cards and made up Eastern Europe geography quizzes.

I was supposed to leave on a Wednesday, but Jette and the guys not only talked me into staying, but also found me cheap flights, because obviously money was the only thing holding me back. Nothing but a few solo days in Belfast were waiting for me in Ireland. So, in a last minute move, I extended my trip to spend four more days baking on the beach with a group of really great people. In that time I was able to: perform at a bar with a musician, learn a new Brazilian dance, see another city, eat what some people might consider a sickening amount of falafel kebabs, attended a boujee rooftop pool party, and spend time with one of my favorite people. Faro was the epitome of the things I love about travel. Connecting with new people and hearing their stories and making friendships that continue beyond the trip. Also a bonus I got to lay on the beach an extra couple days. Thankfully it is easy to stay connected this day in age, and I talk to the friends I made somewhat often.

Germany and Portugal were two spectacular weeks. I know I’m not alone in the feeling of being a goddess following a day at the beach where your skin smells like the sun and sea salt. I experienced so much and built strong connections with others in this time. I still thank God for the people and experiences he brought into my life in these two weeks and for the adventurous soul I was born with.

Luckily, I wasn’t headed back to America yet; I still had four weeks to dog sit in NW Ireland and a visit from my best friend.

#portugal #sunandsea #germany #berlinwall #travel #girlswhotravel

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annathesimple · 6 years ago

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MELOVIN: "You should stay yourself". (An interview)

Credits for the interview go to Alina Mironova (Алина Миронова), its author, and "РОКправДА" project. Translation is mine.

Here is the original.

MÉLOVIN - the winner of "X-factor" and Ukraine's representative in the competition with the biggest scale, "Eurovision 2018". Now he is on tour around the country, as part of it he performed in Dnipro. MÉLOVIN receives great support from his fan-club, "Big House Melovin" team and his family. He achieves everything on his own thanks to his hard work and talent and has already reached considerable heights.

Before the concert we talked to the musician about the concert itself, his creative life and big plans for the future.

What was the main lesson you learned while participating in Eurovision?

The result.. Probably that in all that time I have never done something in vain. I haven't had a single minute when I regretted something or said, "Guys, why have we come here? Why have we faced all this?" I think that Eurovision is a contest for young performers. It helps you a lot to understand how the world of music and show business works. There you can face all the things that you wouldn't face in Ukraine. To some extent everything is more serious and harder, but for me it was easier there than here. Because here you often run into some disrespect from other teams, performers etc. But I haven't seen anything like that there. Or it was there, but I just haven't noticed. (laughs). The Eurovision itself is what I call a "musical Easter". Everybody is happy, everybody is glad, everybody is listening to the music and everybody talks to each other. Here we have more of a competition going on, I call it unhealthy. Unhealthy, cause the first thing they use is rumors, evil mouth and everything else, just to sidetrack you. But nobody will succeed, I am a tough guy.

If you have to describe Eurovision in three words, what would they be?

Experience. Harmony. Self-conquest. (smiles).

Look, you haven't got in X-factor in the first try, same with Eurovision. Can you call your creative career a hard one or is it easy?

It's not easy. I am always afraid to use the word "hard". Because what we talk about and say out loud - we attract all this to ourselves. That's why when I wake up in the morning I say, "I am haply, I am rich, I am successful, I am pretty." Even if some of these points are not quite true, you will start to attract them anyway. (smiles) The universe hears us well. Everything you speak about comes true. So people that dream big... You know, you should be careful with your dreams. Be careful when saying some things from yourself, be careful when saying some insulting things, be careful regarding other people. You never know who will become who in 5 years, and what a person will do in response after some time. Even if he was weak, insecure, inexperienced 5 years before that.

Do you often have to face this roughness towards you from other people, performers?

(sighs) I do. (laughs) It seems to me it's very cool in a way You can call it whatever you want, with any words: jealousy, resentment, anger, lack of my acceptance, whatever. If these factors have affected me in any way I would stop, slow down and wouldn't work on music anymore - that's one way. But if I wake up, then go to the studio, work, then go on some tour, then do something else, then vice versa, it means it doesn't stop you, doesn't slow you down, and you do even more later. So I am glad that some people are not competent when treating my team, because it "charges" us to do even more. As my grandma used to say, "Not out of spite, but in spite of it." (smiles)

Then here is a question, is the topic of Eurovision closed for you, or maybe not?

I think at the moment - yes. I quit saying "never". (laughs) Cause everything that I have said "never" to comes back to me. Again, here we have the "saying your things out loud". And then your phrases work against you. My fans did a video out of clips where I was saying "I will never go to Eurovision (Tr.note: national selection) again" - and I went, "I will never sing this song" - and I sang, "I will never sit at the instrument again" - and I sаt. So for now the topic of Eurovision is closed for me. It's a huge experience, a huge experience for the team, a huge experience in communication, a huge experience even with English language. Cause in the end when we were talking with other contestants from abroad we could connect. And you understand that it's not in vain after all. All of this is not in vain and my attitude towards myself has changed as well. (smiles) There I understood how we should work, how one should be dedicated to his job, not only in my case, but in case of all staff members that work there. They have strict deadlines there, get up at the same time, go there, do this thing, treat every participant with respect. You really shouldn't forget about this, about the attitude.

After all Eurovision is a song contest. Are there songs from other participants that ended up in your playlist?

I don't have a playlist at all. I only have a record player and vinyl records at home. I love to listen to them a lot. And I listen to everything starting with jazz, with Fitzgerald, Armstrong, with some less known jazz singers. I even bought a few records in Portugal, of their local jazz performers. I bought a couple of Gaga's albums cause I wanted to do it for a long time. Then my manager Nastya bought me Adele's record. And I am (Tr.note: -listening to them so much that I am-) wearing them out, because this way you get a completely different impression of the music. You feel it not just through hearing it in your ears, you can take the record in your hands, open it, read about the song's history, see pictures, you immerse into it. So I don't have any playlist. I really liked France this year and Ukraine gave them the highest score. We met, they are insanely cool guys. We talked with Rybak, we talked with Alekseev when we just were going upstairs for the dinner in Amsterdam, in pre-party, a very pleasant guy. We have talked to Netta. We actually have talked with a lot of people. But I was cheering for France till the end. It was like the most unusual song. And the audience's reaction confirmed it, when everybody raised their hands and did that move along with them. I was sitting in the greenroom doing the same thing. It was such a huge family. (smiles)

Here you have mentioned some singers, but do you listen to Marilyn Manson?

No, no. (smiles)

Because I think you have heard that you are being called his Ukrainian version.

It's very funny when you come to Europe and never even hear such a thing. And it's even funnier when you come to Ukraine and hear that you are a parody, a copy, reusing the image and so on. It wasn't Manson who was the first to put the lens on. As I remember it was in fact David Bowie who was the first to put on the lens. Marilyn Manson was later... You can find reusage everywhere in fact. But music itself can never be a reusage. I will never get on stage in tights, on heels... I am saying "never" again, yup... (laughs) But I would never come out with the smeared lipstick - it's Manson's style. Mine is different, completely. That's why I never heard anything like this in Europe. (laughs)

You have said that you wake up in the morning and say certain things, that you are happy etc.

You should always do that.

Do you consider yourself a happy person?

Yes, I consider myself a happy person. Because I have my favorite wonderful family - my parents. I have my wonderful fans - it's a big family of melovinators. I have an awesome team that consists of people that do achieve everything on their own. Starting with how we got together 7 years ago in the garage and began to think what do we want to do in this world, why should we be heard. So it's my big pride and I am happy.

Many performers in their everyday lives are completely different from how we see them on stage. Is it true for you as well?

True only when we are talking about how I treat my fans. (Tr.note: In everyday life-) I can be angry, can be rude.. But it seems to me all of that can be outwaighed when you are honest in your life. That's why I will never say any bad word behind somebody's back, if I don't like something I will say it to their face. Again, it's about how you have been raised. Am I different in life from how I am on stage? For somebody maybe yes. But I don't think I am a lot different. It's just on stage I love to the maximum everything that is going on. But in life you have been getting ready for that performance for a long time, you are like a squeezed lemon already. And I call the work of any artist, any that does a good job, a "mature wine". Cause I can't stand all these rehearsals. It's like a sequence you learned, and you have to hone it. But on stage all that sounds different. I always call my music transparent, so anyone can color it. It's very important, you let people be in that art, to create all that together with you. So I wouldn't say I am different in something. I don't have a complicated character, behaviour, as for example some other artists have. It's absolutely normal, it's an image and stuff like that. But fortunately we don't think it through. Here I am like that, and I can be absolutely different. Sometimes I am in some state of depression, reserved, without any contact with people - there are periods like that. And (Tr.note: I go-) to some expressiveness, to an explosive state that mostly happens on stage. It seems to me you just should collect this emotion while living, so you can get on the stage and explode.

What emotions and feelings do you get while on stage?

I get a lot of adrenaline while on stage, some euphoria and happiness because I see people that think I affect them somehow. I get a lot of hand-written letters. And the longest letter was more than 200 pages from one person. And when I was rereading it I was in tears. Why am I treating my fans so seriously? Some even think (Tr.note: I treat-) myself and fans too seriously. Because they haven't read it. Because people let themselves to open their entire lives to you. There were moments when me and team are sitting, crying and I say: "Guys, look, you see, we aren't doing all this in vain." People believe and want to open up, and you open in response.

Yeah, you receive great support from your fans and they give you a lit if presents on concerts.

Yes. (laughs) I already commented this to them, "Guys, don't give gifts, don't spend money."

And what present was the most valuable one, not regarding the price, but in terms of emotions?

In terms of emotions - every gift is precious. A letter, even some drawing by a little girl that barely can draw at all. Cause people spend their time on this. Sometimes, when the posters they draw get piled up-, I don't know how to throw all this away, I am against it, I always say, "Mom, take this with you to Odesa." (smiles) And there is just a huge closet where all this is storaged,more than a thousand letters.

You will have to open a museum soon.

It seems to me, later, when I will be around 70 years old, I will sit in a rocking chair next to the fireplace in my big country mansion and just reread letters and and remember how it all got started. (smiles) The ones I remember the most vividly: I was gifted a flight on a hot air balloon, that I haven't used, I am afraid of such heights, I am not ready yet. I was gifted a telescope that I dreamed about and I even got a tattoo of it. My God, how much stuff I have been gifted. This silver thing was also given to me as a gift, with a phrase from the song «Under the Ladder» — «Now or Never» engraved in it. And there are many presents like this. From time to time I wear some of them, that I feel something about. (smiles)

What emotions do you experience the most often in your life?

I don't even know, it's always such a strange question for me, "What (feelings) do you experience in your life?" I don't know, because 85-90 percents of my life are some constant trips from the studio to home, to have a lunch break, for a fitting, to meet with the team, to discuss something. In general, 99% of my life isn't work. (smiles) It's a process of creating history, a big history of «Big house Melovin» team. That's why emotions in my life are happy. If there would be less anger in this world as well, then I would be even more happy. When there is anger around in this world the main thing is what you give to it at that moment. Because, what's people's problem? - the fact that when there is a lot of aggression and negativity around we start to immerse into that state of aggression so much we begin to radiate it ourselves. That's why our people are always unsatisfied, people's mentality is "everything is always isn't right". We should clean it off, on the contrary, to radiate positivity. It's hard because the mob starts to win.

You live your music, but even so, every person has a moment when he has to take a break

Yes, of course there are some (Tr.note: moments) like this. I have simply gone to the village, I got far away from the city, 400-500 kilometers from it. To the village where my parents were born, where I have actually spent all my childhood. And I draw something from there. Though sometimes I visited my relatives' graves, communicated in a way, you are recovering in these moments. I wrote a post that when people say that "music, music, music..." - it's all cool and it's true. But nonetheless everybody has a moment when he has to take a break, even from music, even from your most favorite occupation. It happens to me sometimes. I go biking to the park with my friends, I go to the village, walk, walk in the forest, get inspired, breath the air. Yeah, there are moments like this.

What was the most unexpected thing to inspire you or has a capacity to inspire?

The most unexpected? In fact the most unexpected thing that inspires is evil. This is the most unexpected thing for you. When everybody says that good inspires a lot-, but sometimes evil inspires even more. Cause you fight it, and there is nothing to fight in good. But you do fight evil and it inspires you as well.

Do you have some traits you have to fight?

Impatience. (laughs) All our team fights it. I like it faster, now, right now. Without any delays, everything has to be done right now. I don't know, I don't really have any negative traits that I would want to get rid of. Because all of them are helpful at work, when moving forward in life and getting inspiration. I am very stubborn, obstinate - it helped a lot.

What other people's traits irritate you?

The trait that irritates me the is hypocrisy. People walk around and smile, then turn around and whisper, text each other about you. It's the most horrifying.

Do you have 5 things that you want to do, like a «wish list»?

There is a lot I want to do in my life. Even my team is always laughing at me, "You are writing such a huge list, it's cool, but you should start to do it." (smiles) There are a lot of things like that. I dream to open my café so, so hard. I am a coffee fan and I can't always find a good one, so I really want a café. I really want a movie theater. There are a lot of places I want to open. I mean, I want to leave places that you can come to get inspired after myself. I don't want my name to be forgotten in 100 years. I want to leave something on Earth. So there can be thousands, millions of such things. The main thing is for people to be able to come and find inspiration, it means that all this time my work was done brilliantly. (smiles)

What if you are to make up a list of your latest achievements?

I have one main achievement. I just don't consider the rest, cause they are not really achievements, they're you trying to reach that very high point, that thing you want to do in your life. The biggest achievement is in fact absence of fear of something new. And I achieved it thanks to my parents, my team and fans, everybody involved. I don't fear new things, I don't fear people that supposedly can do something to you. In general, the biggest problem people have - everybody is afraid of something, of somebody. So, let them be afraid of us. You shouldn't be afraid of anybody. Actually we are feared more.

Do you have a dream?

The dream is to not lose myself. It's the strongest and biggest dream. And it isn't a dream, it's a point that is above all your thoughts, ideas, above everything. You should stay yourself and know what are you doing all this for. So my final goal is simply to make more things that can give emotions. Actually it's always important for me to give exactly positive emotions. Because a bad emotion controls the good one. Because the evil is good, and good is evil.

As an artist you probably often have to do things that...

That i wouldn't like to do. Yes, I have to.

Are you ready to do anything for music, or are there things you are not ready to do?

No, not anything. I will never betray for music, I will never turn away from a dear person for music, whatever I would be offered in return. I was offered some things that are not okay. For example to get the person out of the team. And you understand that without him I won't be able to continue working, you draw something from him. Even if he doesn't understand something in his age. My favorite phrase, "Even Steven Spielberg hasn't been a Steven Spielberg from the beginning." So you need to learn, on the contrary, to help each other on the team. To analyze everything together, to help, to learn together and the most important thing, to point out each other's mistakes. Then there is growth. That's why there are many things I wouldn't agree to for music. I am a person with strong principles. You know, I prefer to look for compromises. It means that if I like something we will find a compromise that will satisfy both you and me. But if there won't be any compromise - then it will be as I say.

Then, if there is some offer to perform for big money but you don't agree with something, would you refuse?

Of course I would. It happens quite often. When all that commotion started there were requests to come to Donetsk, and they were inviting me to some other places for a good fee, and I had an opportunity to go. And we had no money at all. (smiles) And you start looking for an answer in your own head, "What to do?" And then you understand that it's not worth it. You will earn even more in the future. It's just for me it's a moment of treason and misunderstanding. Here many say phrases like, "Music is outside of politics. Only fans, only music." For example it's a pity that there are a lot of my fans in Russia but right now I don't have the opportunity to go there. Because of my stance, because of how I was raised I can't go there for now. And there are people that write, "Yes, we completely understand you, we understand your stance and will wait until everything will be all right." I wait till everything will be all right too. But I won't go for whatever money, for me it's like to betray my followers, my country. It seems to me after "Eurovision" I completely changed my attitude towards my country. Now I want to do a lot so Ukraine shows its other side. And it does. Ukraine is an insanely awesome country, it's just not all resources are put to work. (smiles)

And at last, what does your follower look like in your eyes? His portrait?

They are wonderful people. (smiles) Sometimes I don't understand why they react that way, why they admire something, and then there are those who doesn't like it. But you know, I am always cheered up with one thing, and it's an achievement. (smiles) An artist's achievement is either when he is praised or when people can't stand him. (smiles) When people are indifferent it means you are not an artist anymore. You can just turn away, leave the team and get away from here. You should make people love, and you should make them hate and experience anger. MELOVIN doesn't have a middle ground. He is either accepted or people can't stand him. That's cool! (smiles)

#melovin #melovin translated #tell-ovin #melovin in english #melovin interview #kostya bocharov #kostyantyn bocharov

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pkmnjesus · 7 years ago

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P J’s PokéAni Trivia Tuesday #13 (Global Tour edition)

This is part 3 of 5 PTTs digging into some really cool PokéAni facts from all over the world! This week’s global research was MASSIVE! I really wanted to cover as much EU as I can, since I know a lot of people in this fandom coming from Europe, but tried to make my post as minimal as I can! Due to a lot of info I’ve read, I will only mention 1 or 2 facts for each country (except U.K.). Good thing I had 2 weeks to prepare for this, otherwise this thing would have been more stressful to put together. Shoutout to all my European PokéAni peeps reading this! Let’s see if you may or may not know the trivia behind these countries 👀

Pokémon anime in EUROPE

In the UNITED KINGDOM DID YOU KNOW? The Pokémon anime famously aired on ITV, a public service network station that broadcasts in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

SM:TV Live was a live Saturday morning entertainment show that replace the Who's That Pokémon? segment with small sketches that featured the famous English comedic duo, Ant & Dec as hosts, having their own "PokéFight" and even performed their own Pokérap.

ITV has skipped episodes or canceled airings mid-series. These are planned as the TV guides published over a week before date of transmission reflect this. It commonly happens other animated shows in the line-up such as ReBoot, Cardcaptors, Digimon and Yu-Gi-Oh!.

Pokémon has been cancelled prematurely TWICE on different TV channels! Once during the Orange Islands arc, and another just after Pokémon: Advanced started. Neither series has been seen on ITV since.

CN (Cartoon Network) TOO was the channel location for the world premiere of Pokémon Chronicles. The U.K. got their English dubbed The Legend of Thunder! specials first than the U.S. by a year early.

In other EU COUNTRIES DID YOU KNOW?

In the Netherlands (Ik wil ze allemaal!), Fox Kids announced that it would stop broadcasting Pokémon on March 2001. Around 32,000 complaining children called to Fox Kids in outrage because of this, but it turned out to be an early April Fool’s joke. On April 1st, the channel announced that the 3rd season of the anime would begin airing the same day. GOT’EEM!!!

In Iceland (Þarf að fanga þá!), only the first 54 episodes of the 1st season aired. The first five movies were also dubbed. They pulled the plug on the Icelandic dub due to the lack of popularity it received in the country.

In Finland (Omakseni saan!), it was the first Nordic country to air the Pokémon anime, with Denmark, Norway and Sweden followed shortly in the spring of 2000. While it may have been the first, many episodes of the first couple of seasons in the Finnish dub were not shown (or skipped?) for unknown reasons. In fact, Advanced Challenge was the first ever season to be shown completely in the country, and moving forward after that, every season have been broadcasted entirety as well.

In Sweden (Måste fånga fler!), the Battle Frontier season broadcasted exclusively online via TV4+ and TV4′s site, as it got skipped and did not air after Advanced Battle, going directly to the Diamond & Pearl series.

In the Czech Republic (Všechny chytit máš!), Ash Ketchum’s voice actor was Radek Škvor, who was 10 years old at the time when the series first reached the country. He was same age as his assigned character! Eventually he got replaced by his older brother, Jan Škvor some time during the XY series. Ash may be 10 forever, but not the VAs.

In Belgium, the Pokémon anime is distributed in two dubbed languages: Flanders (Belgian Dutch) and Wallonia (Belgian French).

In France (Attrapez-les tous!), they had an unprecedented 2-hour special for the first four episodes of the XY series on May 1st 2015 along with a bonus special airing Mega Evolution Special I afterwards. They did ANOTHER 2-hour special on April 13th 2016 with the premier of the first four episodes of the XY&Z season. The French sure do love the Kalos region...I mean isn’t Kalos based on the country of France?

In Greece (Τα θέλω τώρα εδώ! Ta thélo̱ tóra edó̱!), the anime first aired on Star Channel until it moved to Disney XD when they acquired the rights during Diamond & Pearl. Despite this, irregular broadcasts of specials and movies still show on Star Channel, especially during holiday seasons, but the regular series airs exclusively on Disney XD.

In Italy (Acchiappali tutti!), Brock's first Italian VA was Nicola Bartolini Carrassi. Who is Nicola you ask? He is a journalist, anchor, scriptwriter, anime expert, and the man who brought the Pokémon franchise to Italy in the first place. He has been chosen by Warner Bros, 4Kids, Pokémon INC., Nintendo Games Freak and Buena Vista to become the Italian dubbed voice of Brock and he has been praised for his work, even if it was only for 2 seasons. He left the show after the Orange Islands arc.

In Poland (Czy już wszystkie masz?), when the tenth season was dubbed by a new studio, Sun Studio Polska, they decided to ignore the previous cast of the series and choose all new actors for every character. There were a lot of mixed reactions among fans to the sudden recast, but in February 2009 when DP: Battle Dimension started, most of the original cast of the Polish dub were restored.

In Portugal (Vou apanhá-los todos!), the show aired in an irregular pattern, shifting from 6am to 10am, but it always in the same programing block, named LOL@SIC. On a side note, Ash Ketchum had no less than ten different Portuguese VAs over the years. Y I K E S

In Spain (¡Hazte con todos!), Adolfo Moreno has provided the voice of Ash Ketchum in the entire anime. This is quite rare as a lot of foreign dubs, constantly change VAs for their cast, and even the English dub had to recast Ash’s voice after Battle Frontier. One exception is the 3rd Pokémon movie and the Mewtwo Returns special since it had a different VA cast. On another interesting note, there were 2 different dubs for the Pokémon anime in Spain: an Iberian Spanish dub, and a Catalan dub.

In Norway (Fanger alle nå!), the setting of the Pokémon movie Giratina and the Sky Warrior is based on Norway's nature. Three places were used as inspiration; Sognefjorden, Jostedalsbreen, and Bergen. The scene with the Glacier threatening to destroy the town was based on a little town of Geiranger, which is threatened by a collapsing mountainside in real life! Speaking of other movie trivia, the single Don't Say You Love Me, promoting the official soundtrack worldwide for Pokémon the First Movie, was performed by the Norwegian group M2M.

In Denmark (Jeg ska' fange dem!), the anime took a 3-season break from Danish TV after the episode Charizard Chiils. The series would not return until Address Unown! (with a new cast of voice actors) leaving no explanation as to why the episodes in between were never aired.

In Ireland, there is no Irish dub in the country since over 90% of people there speaks English as their primary language, and what they got was the English dub from the United States. For some reason though, two episodes from the Hoenn saga didn’t air. Specifically speaking the episodes: The Bicker the Better and Who, What, When, Where, Wynaut?.

In Slovakia, only the first four seasons of the anime have been dubbed into Slovak, nothing else after. All the English theme songs were left in their original form, untranslated, however the Pokémon movies had both their opening and ending themes Slovak dubbed.

In Albania (Duhet ti kap!), Pokémon movies were dubbed in Albanian by "Jess" Discographic. This company is recognized for providing "illegal" dubbings of other shows they have done.

In Lithuania, the Pokémon anime debuted the Lithuanian dub at Christmas Eve of 2005 on BTV. The first seven Pokémon movies, on the other hand, aired at different channels, though the dates of their original airings cannot be traced and have gone lost.

In Germany (Komm und schnapp sie dir!), one of Ash’s German VAs is named Veronika Neugebauer. She shares the same name (sort of) with Verinoca Taylor who is famous for being the original English dub voice actress for Ash. Unfortunately, Neugebauer died during the production of dubbing Diamond & Pearl, and they had to bring back the original German VA for Ash, Caroline Combrinck, who previously quit the show to study in New York City. Ash is currently voiced by, Felix Mayer, Sun & Moon. *Also I want to briefly mention one of the largest German Pokéfan sites: Filb.de. because I have been to that site a lot looking at screen-caps, and even using some of them for my posts (specifically PokéAni Highlights/Rewind). Basically the German Serebii.net!

In Croatia (Fes-te'ls tots teus!), they have dubbed a few Pokémon movies in their language, however the theme music remained in English.

In Romania (Să îi prind pe toți!), the Romanian dub has aired the first 5 seasons in the country, but everything else after that was skipped EXCEPT Diamond & Pearl (Sinnoh League Victors was SKIPPED though), and Sun & Moon which just recently debuted last month (as of this post).

In Serbia (Треба да скупиш све Treba da skupiš sve!), the only seasons to be fully dubbed in Serbian dubbed is the original series and Black & White. Advanced Challenge, and some of Pokémon Chronicles were dubbed as well. In the very few Pokémon movies they have dubbed, the opening and ending themes remained in English.

In Bulgaria (Да ги уловим! Da gi ulovim!), the anime was originally broadcasted on Nova Television, but eventually made the jump to Disney Channel Bulgaria. Some other countries air the series on Disney as well, so I guess America wasn’t the first country to make the jump, huh?

In Russia (Всех их соберём! Vsekh ikh soberyom!), after the first 104 episodes of the original series were shown, the Pokémon anime was not broadcasted in Russia for SEVEN years. Many Russian fans wrote to TV channels asking them to bring back the anime. Countless rumors of why the ORT channel pulled the anime off air included: newspapers and the yellow press pressuring the station to cancel the show for showing “offensive” content, while some say that Pokémon was “brainwashing children with subliminal stimuli”. ORT was worried about its reputation, so they stopped airing Pokémon, and that they couldn’t make an agreement on the price of licensing the anime with the Japanese creators. On September 20th 2008, the Pokémon anime made its miraculous return to Russian television via the TNT channel, where they premiered the first episode of the Diamond & Pearl series.

Source: Bulbapedia

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#PokeAni #Pokemon anime #PokéAni Trivia Tuesday #AniPoke #Pokemon the series #international #global #Europe #The United Kingdom #EU countries #Pokemon #Pokemon movie #Pokemon dub #trivia #probably the GREATEST and LONGEST PTT EVER!#it was a very fun research!

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doomedandstoned · 7 years ago

Photo

The Great, Big

MONOLORD

Interview

~Words & Photos by Angelique Le Marchand~

This afternoon, I am catching up with Gothenburg’s finest doom import MONOLORD at the iconic Royal Albert Hall for an interview, just before they take on the stage. They will be opening for Black Label Society, concluding a European tour of twenty-one dates with the Californian metal legends. I arrive at 5pm, taking time to admire the stunning dome-shaped Victorian concert hall, exquisitely decorated by an opulent mosaic frieze. Inaugurated by Her Majesty Queen Victoria in 1871, the 5000-capacity concert hall is a true iconic London venue and a special treat for any concertgoer. The fact that tonight Royal Albert Hall is indulging in a doom and heavy metal program is very unusual, as it is normally known for its opera and classical music concerts.

I walk past a respectable number of hirsute gentlemen dressed in bikers’ leathers and denim sleeveless jackets covered in BLS patches, who are already lining up hours before the show to get in front of the stage -- a surreal slighting outside this opulent Victorian building. I make my way to the stage door where I am greeted attentively by an older gentleman in a Dickensian 3-piece suit who fits comme-il-faut in the plush Victorian reception area and I am quickly granted access. Drummer Esben Willems arrives to our interview suite first, followed by bassist Mika Häkki and vocalist and guitarist Thomas V. Jäger. Monolord immediately come across as a very warm bunch with gentle manners, too, as each courteously knocks on the door before entering the room.

We promptly break the ice by discussing our love of coffee. As coffee connoisseur myself, I am curious to find out how they cater to what, for me, are essential needs while temporarily living on a tour bus. I express relief as Thomas tells me that they have a proper coffee machine on their current sleeper. The band recall with good humour having to power-up solely on a disappointing light-brown substance served in gas stations on their recent tour in the States. "I don’t know what it is," says Mika. "It looks brewed, but it tastes like something completely different." "It’s not coffee," adds Esben. "It’s hot and it’s light brown, that’s it. It tastes horrible!" Following along with the topic of bare essentials on tour, I am curious to hear what Monolord have on their rider, if they have a rider at all, and keen to find out if they have any strange items that could somehow get us to know them a little better. My curiosity is instantly met with a witty comeback.

Thomas: "We don’t have such strange things; we have a framed photo of Bill Ward."

Mika, protesting: "But that’s not strange!"

Thomas: "No, but that is to others."

Mika: "Ah! To others. Ok then, I got ya."

Doomed & Stoned: "Some people have fresh socks!"

Esben: "We should have fresh socks. People have told us this. We should learn to have that."

Thomas: "But we might not get the framed photo of Bill Ward. And the expresso."

Esben: "That’s right! So we have to choose."

Mika, laughing: "We have to prioritise!"

Esben: "Bill Ward over socks."

Road Stories

Monolord are a band that spends a lot of time on the road, touring extensively since the release of their first album Empress Rising in 2014, with the past twelve months being particularly frenetic. While all three members of the band agree on missing their home life, Mika explains he is also missing his two dogs left in the caring hands of his wife, while Esben expresses being apart from his 3 year-old little boy is the roughest part. Living on a tour bus for such extended periods of time can take its toll on your body as it’s near impossible to get uninterrupted sleep between two dates due to bumpy rides constantly waking you up as soon as you manage to drift off. Thomas recalls driving through Northern France to get to London being a particularly rough one, while Esben compares crossing through parts of Poland to "driving through cornfields." "It’s like all the roads around Berlin. You know when you’re arriving in Berlin, because it’s jumping all the over the place," Mika recalls. Thomas adds that you might just finally manage to fall asleep when the bus stops, in which case you may have arrived at the next destination. "But then it’s time to go up and eat breakfast, so you can’t sleep anyway. So, you have to choose between eating or more sleep." In light of the fact that Monolord have been on the road for nearly a month now, it is understandable that sleeping would come up so high amongst home comforts the band are missing the most. "So that’s why we need Bill Ward," laughs Esben.

Monolord recall their tour Down Under with Ufomammut in 2016, which is amongst their favourite. Monolord and Ufomammut met in New Zealand, immediately hit it off and very quickly decided to go organize a short co-headlining tour. "They were super sweet, really nice guys to tour with," remembers Esben. "We met them on a few other tours when we crossed their paths in Europe after that. It was really good!" Mika finds it hard to pick his favourite tour or show, as on every one of them, something he will never forget happens. Amongst his personal highlights are their first tour in the States, playing at London’s Koko in May 2016, and their show at the iconic Gramercy Theater in New York, which was a particularly unbelievable experience, in his opinion. Esben recalls viewing the footage on YouTube since. "I just remember the feeling whilst getting to the US for the first time, the first show -- and the first show was there. It’s a great feeling watching that," he says. "I haven’t actually seen that!" Mika pipes up, surprised, "I’ll have to look it up!" "You haven’t?" Esben replies. "It’s great! It’s all grainy and it looks like it’s 1991!"

Aside from being an important milestone in Monolord’s touring career, the show at the Gramercy Theater also sounds like a rather hectic experience. "We were dead when we got there," remembers Mika. "We had the whole long process of applying for the visas and got them early morning on Tuesday. Early morning on Wednesday, we flew to New York. We landed at 2pm and at 4pm we had to be at the venue." "For sound check," adds Thomas, "and then we were the first of three bands, so I think we played at seven. I don’t think we had any time to even eat. Then we played the set and met a lot of people, as we were selling merch ourselves. I think at the end of the night, everyone bought us drinks and so we were just standing there like bluuuuhhhhh," concludes Thomas, miming being completely zombified. Monolord only recall finding themselves in a nightmare situation once on stage, with Mika’s bass amp breaking down halfway through their first song at a festival in Portugal. While Esben and Thomas continued jamming, it felt like an incredibly long ten minutes for Mika, with nothing at all coming out of his amp, despite trying to switch bass to no avail, and while the sound engineers couldn’t figure out what was broken.

So what do Monolord listen to on this tour bus that has temporarily become their second home? What kind of music is going to lift them up when they battle the effects of sleep-deprivation and get them onto those stages, sparky and refreshed night after night? Monolord do not do tour bus playlists, as they don’t tend to listen to music in that way, although Thomas says that they will occasionally play some slow, mellow acoustic songs. They are, however, very serious about their equipment load-out routine. "We’ve got a load-out playlist," declares Thomas, dead serious in a soft-spoken voice. "That’s George Michael and Gerry Rafferty. Just two songs, going over and over again to make load-out easier." Mika interjects, "Because everybody loves saxophones," giving the statement about "Careless Whisper" and "Baker Street" a little more substance.

The band had no hesitations when Black Label Society contacted them regarding opening for them on the European leg of their tour. "We thought about it for about one minute and said yes," Thomas remembers, "or maybe two minutes, but we didn’t wait that long!" he laughs. "I only heard half of the question!" adds Mika, "and I already made up my mind!" I speak about the BLS fans I spotted already queuing up outside the venue upon my early arrival. "When they open the doors, there’s like fifty people running to the front of the stage, and that’s where they will stand the entire evening," says Mika. "Every day!" supplements Esben. As a Monolord fan, I find it inconceivable that some of the people attending the dates on this tour would merely stand at the front to wait for BLS to come on stage and let Monolord’s set wash over them, and I’m surprised to hear that this can be the case. I’m curious about the reception from BLS fans that might possibly be hearing Monolord for the first time, and whether or not they are a tough crowd to win over. "For some, I think it’s way too far away from BLS. They’re just, I love BLS, this is my stuff, I really don’t like this at all," observes Esben candidly. "But also, every night there’s somebody emailing us and saying, Oh, I’d never heard about you, you guys are awesome! which is great," Mika adds.

Monolord have a very tight thirty-five minute slot on this tour. We laugh at the thought that all the band need is to play a couple of their longer songs, such as "Empress Rising" and "Forgotten Lands," and that could be their set pretty much over. "We have a well-oiled machinery to be on time every night, so we can’t change it up much, we go with the same songs," says Thomas. "All it takes is a malfunction of something like a cable, or whatever, and we have to shorten some parts of some songs." Both "Empress Rising" and "Rust" seem to provoke a particularly strong reaction in the audience during the shows. "The first time we played in France on our last tour -- our headlining tour, people were singing a lot on 'Rust'," explains Mika. We realised, What’s going on?!" "Rust" has a very catchy melody, coupled with horror-fueled lyrics -- an interesting contrast that might be the reason why it seems to grab the band’s followers so strongly, despite being a relatively new piece within their discography.

In The Beginning

The band chose their name after meeting Christer Ström of Mammoth Storm. He damaged his hearing in one ear, which sparked discussions about him being only able to hear in mono. As he plays in a prominent band in the scene, this earned him the nickname of "Monolord." The name stuck, and the Gothenburg trio adopted it for what was initially a side project. Very quickly, the venture progressed to becoming Monolord as we know it. "The side project was when we had kind of a break from the band it was a side project from," Esben says, explaining that both he and Thomas more or less only worked on the new venture once they felt they needed to play their new material. "So Mika came on board and we just felt right, almost immediately," continues Esben. "When we started to work on it, that was it!" Mika agrees. As Monolord covered "Fairies Wear Boots" by Black Sabbath, I ask them if they feel that being compared to the legendary band started with this release. "I think that all bands in this genre are compared to Black Sabbath," Esben remarks. "Sooner or later!" adds Thomas. Esben suggests that any interview with the band would usually come with a customary, "What’s your favourite Black Sabbath album?" We do agree that being compared to Black Sabbath is hugely complimentary, nonetheless.

The release of Monolord’s new album Rust was met with considerable critical acclaim and viewed to be their best offering yet, both amongst fans and the press. I’m interested in finding out what the most complimentary milestones have been for the band since the album came out. "There’s been a lot of reviews and kind words, and it’s always good to hear. Someone that gives your record a really good listen and can make note of small things, that maybe I’m the only one hearing, this small piece here," says Thomas. "When people notice those small things, I think it’s great! It’s like the record is well-produced and well-arranged. It’s really great to hear." Esben evokes a particular review of Rust by a writer who had followed the band from the beginning and had given complimentary reviews of all their previous works. "He really didn’t think that anything could top the previous ones, but he thinks that Rust did. That made me really happy. It was beautiful reading it."

The fact that Monolord released Rust only seventeen months after their previous full-length album Vænir and thirteen after the release of single "Lord of Suffering" and "Die in Haze" is hugely impressive, considering they have spent a colossal amount of time on the road, and I enquire on how they have found the time to work on their new material. "We rehearse quite a lot between tours," Mika tells me, "so we always bring out some new stuff and we always have some stuff that we didn’t finish, so we continue working after the next tour. The work never stops." "I think we had some ideas and riffs that we didn’t feel we had time to arrange for the record before this one," adds Thomas, "so, some parts of that we can bring in again and some of it is just new stuff. We try to, even when we’re rehearsing for a tour, throw in a new song to feel it. And maybe in six months' time on some of the tour, we might place some new material live to see how that feels before we record next time."

RUST by Monolord

A good picture is worthy of a thousand words, goes the common adage. This certainly proves to be the case when it comes to the photograph selected for the art-sleeve of Rust. As a photographer, I found it not only stunning, but I became fascinated by the story behind it. It depicts two cars planted vertically into the ground to prevent helicopters landing, in an undisclosed and troubled region somewhere the Middle East. While I was conducting my research, I was unable to track down the artist or any other photographs of helicopter traps in that region, despite being thorough and trying my luck with different and lesser-known internet search engines. Interestingly, this subject proved to be neither very accessible nor well documented -- possibly too sensitive or too disturbing a symbolic representation of our times.

The photograph fits ridiculously well with the themes running through the album: horror, destruction, war, misanthropy, and the ingenuity of humanity when it comes to obliterating its own kind. Esben tells me that the photographer is Arash Naghizadeh. He follows him on Instagram, and so do Monolord as a band. Esben kindly promises to send me a link to the photographer’s social feed. Both Thomas and I agree that it almost looks like it’s staged, although remarkably, it is not. "Our label guy suggested this to us. He had found the picture and we learnt about the history and the setting of it. It’s a beautiful photo of something really horrible," says Esben, encouraging me to look at Arash Naghizadeh’s portrait work, which he finds breathtaking, in addition to his documentary work. Mika chimes in that the band did find other photographs of this particular helicopter trap, but this one stood out as the most striking amongst them.

Monolord’s writing process has been largely documented over the years in interviews with the band, so I simply ask them how they feel they have progressed since writing Empress Rising. "Have we?" jokes Esben. He notes that it takes some time to find a band’s identity and become a unit. The process doesn’t happen overnight. "And we have toured a lot since then, spent a lot of time together on stages and in the studio," he comments further. "A lot happens in that process." "Empress Rising was more or less just when we started the recordings," says Thomas. "It was just me and Esben, and we recorded the album without goals. We just recorded the songs because we thought they were good songs and recorded some guitars and some drums. Then Mika came in and put on the bass, and then we felt like, Wow! This is something we need to focus on! But we became more of a band afterwards." Mika feels Empress Rising is quite raw. Thomas agrees, reflecting on how the raw feel of the piece may owe to the guitars and drums being recorded at the same time. "I think we got better at songwriting and also recording. We recorded ourselves, mixing and mastering it, so I think we’ve been getting better at everything as a whole process."

Monolord are planning to continue recording and mastering future works themselves, although they do not rule out potential collaborations with producers outside of the Monolord family. "I guess we just started that way and continued that way," says Esben. "It’s not been that we have to do things always this way and that this is the formulae, so let’s see what happens." Mika feels that being able to control all levels of what’s on the table by keeping production in house is a big advantage for the band, but he also sees the positive side of getting an external viewpoint thrown into the recording process. Regarding future works, the band is happy to allow a natural and organic progression, rather than considering aiming at specific directions. "It’s usually organic," affirms Esben. "We don’t make the decision that now we’re going to do this in a specific way, we just work with the material we have and that guides us. Cheesy as it sounds, it’s hard to force something into a frame. I think it doesn’t make sense." Mika concludes that there has to be passion involved and a clear sense of direction for all three of them, in order for their pieces to work.

Slaying In The Algorithm Dystopia

We are part of a modern ecosystem hostile to alternative culture. Streaming services and online file sharing have caused album sales to plummet. As a result, labels, promoters, bands, and pretty much anyone involved in the music industry is having to rethink how to distribute their meagre resources. As social media advertising reaches out to more music fans, it is favoured to the detriment of our music press, which is already under threat due to depressing circulation figures. In other words, the music industry has become codependent on the algorithm, but the algorithm is popular culture’s best friend -- and hostile to alternative culture. Throw into this head-spinner of a mix the slaying of our music venues, usually in favour of real-estate development (35% of music venues have disappeared in the UK in the past ten years), and you have to come to the conclusion that perduring as an underground band has become no short of a miracle. As Monolord are a relatively fresh band, and are achieving just that, I’m eager to find out not only how on earth they survive, but thrive.

youtube

Film by Billy Goate of Doomed & Stoned

The relationship between Monolord and social media is very positive, which is refreshing considering the current concerns regarding social media working against cultural undercurrents. Over the years, social media has enabled the band to reach out to a consistently growing audience. "I think social media is the biggest reason we’ve had this success at all, through Instagram and Facebook. I mean, it’s our biggest platform of all," Esben observes. Monolord have a very deep connection with their fans and are very enthusiastic about social media giving them the opportunity to interact with them. "We try to respond to everything," says Thomas. "Some nights, people send us pictures from during gigs, such as Instagram stories. They tag us and send us videos. Some nights there is pretty much a lot to go through, but if you take your time to just say thank you, I think it means a lot to them." "And it means a lot to us!" Esben adds. "It’s great. It’s a way to get a Thank you, it was a great show. Thank you! Glad to hear it, always! That’s why we do this, that’s why we get on stage." The band also welcome fans using their phones at gigs and we discuss how important it is for music fans to take personal memories of shows away with them. Mika recalls an amusing anecdote of someone standing in front of him at a Black Angels concert in Berlin with a laptop at arm’s length, recording the entire gig until he was asked to move, only to trouble somebody else who was too shy to complain. We do, however, agree that things are changing and most people have a better awareness of using their electronics in a more tasteful manner these days.

With their growing success, Monolord increasingly find themselves in a position where they are solicited to support new bands starting out. They are usually contacted via social media or by email for advice and asked for their impressions on those fresh bands’ new material. "It’s so easy to send material to everyone on the internet," Thomas observes. "We sometimes receive iPhone recordings of a young band that want us to listen to their music," adding that demos recorded that way are sometimes of poor quality, which impacts opinions on whether or not the songs actually could work. The conversation takes an unexpected turn, and I feel for those guys upon hearing that some of the bands contacting them can be a little pushy in their communications, as Esben explains. "They contact us and they expect us to do a lot of things, like sending us an email and expecting us to land a contract with our label and getting really angry if we don’t." It must a little tricky to find the right balance between being willing to show support and being able to take a step back in those cases where you do not feel passionate about the material received in that way. "That’s the base of the music business: contacts," Esben feels. "Always." As much as he listens to a lot of music and will gladly give new bands a play, humility and honesty are important to him.

Regarding my concerns about music venues closing down at an alarming rate, Mika confirms that this is not an issue confined to London and the UK. It is also affecting the music scene in Sweden indeed. He tells me the fascinating story of Truckstop Alaska, a great venue in Gothenburg currently under threat by plans to build the tallest skyscraper in the Nordic Countries within its vicinity. Truckstop Alaska is perceived by developers as an eyesore, and already rehearsal spaces for local bands situated nearby have been shut down. "It is a problem, especially for underground music for smaller venues," Mika relates. "They keep disappearing, because the city doesn’t think of them or that audience as anything they can gain from."

The story of Truckstop Alaska’s battle against an invisible enemy who simply want them out of this part of town is nothing short of the myth of David and Goliath. Truckstop Alaska is a cultural association with a very respectable fifteen years of putting on shows under their belt. Their venue has been established at its current location for ten years. Things were running smoothly until the 20th of April this year. The association had only gone ahead and booked North Carolina Stoner legends Weedeater to perform that night, when the venue was raided by the Police flanked by local authorities. With no prior warnings, they declared their bar illegal and confiscated all their beer. The situation is pretty dire for Truckstop Alaska, with uncertainties resting above their heads regarding the future of the association, together with concerns that may no longer be able to rent their premises from the landlord.

Despite coming full frontal with extreme obstacles to continuing the showcasing of bands from our scene, the Gothenburg iconic venue is soldiering on with their initial plans of putting on another show in June, even though they are no longer allowed to serve alcohol. A show that, no doubt, will now turn into a "two-fingers up" at the establishment since the events that took place at the Weedeater show. "If you come to these shows," write the members of Truckstop Alaska on their Facebook page, "Take the situation for what it is. Take care of yourselves and each other. And don’t forget to have a little bit of extremely fucking fun while you’re at it! We (as in us and you lot) are Truckstop Alaska and we are going to make these shows a part of Gothenburg’s music history worth remembering!" All hails to those guys and good luck fighting the good fight!

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#D&S Interviews #Monolord #Gothenburg #Sweden #Doom #Metal #Doom Metal #Photography #Angelique Le Marchand #Truckstop Alaska #Doomed & Stoned

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orbemnews · 4 years ago

Link

Want to Go to Europe This Summer? Here Are Your Options With the number of people in the United States vaccinated against the coronavirus climbing, Americans are starting to explore their prospects for international travel this summer, a season when Europe is traditionally a big draw. Most of Europe has been off-limits to most U.S. citizens for over a year, and the continent is currently grappling with a third wave of coronavirus infections and a surge in new, more contagious variants, making it unclear when its borders will reopen. But some European countries have started to welcome vaccinated travelers, including American tourists, and others are making preparations to ease restrictions in time for the summer season. Vaccine and health certificates that would help speed travel are under development, which could make it easier for tourism to restart. The 27 member countries of the European Union have endorsed the idea of a vaccine certificate. While individual European countries will still set their own rules, the initiative is expected to establish a coordinated approach across the continent. “Finally, we have a tangible solution to coordinating and harmonizing travel measures,” said Eduardo Santander, chief executive of the European Travel Commission, an association of national tourism organizations based in Brussels. “I think other countries like the U.S. will also come up with their own technological solutions that will be compatible and after a period of trials this summer, a global standard will be established.” In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is still recommending against travel — even for those vaccinated — citing the risks of catching and spreading the virus while away from home. And ultimately, the course of the virus will determine what travel looks like across the world. But here’s what we know about how European countries are preparing to restart tourism. I want to go to Europe this summer. Who will let me in? Last summer, when the United States reported more coronavirus infections and deaths than any other country, Americans were barred from entering the European bloc for vacation. There have been a few exceptions: Turkey has been letting U.S. citizens enter if they produce evidence of a negative Covid-19 PCR test before departure, as has Croatia, and several countries that are not members of the European Union, including Albania and Armenia. As the number of cases has risen in Europe, and vaccination has been sluggish, several European Union countries have gone back into lockdown. France, Belgium and Portugal have reintroduced stringent measures that restrict nonessential travel, even from within the bloc and within what is known as the Schengen Zone, which includes nonmember countries that allow free movement across their borders. “Right now, in some European countries, it might feel like you are in the middle of a storm, which is how we felt in the U.K a couple of months ago,” said Gloria Guevara Manzo, chief executive and president of the World Travel & Tourism Council, a forum that works with governments to raise awareness about the travel industry. “But I think once we accelerate the vaccination rollout while applying strong safety protocols and testing, then by the summer we will be in a situation where European countries will be able to open up around the same time,” she added. But that’s likely to be for travel within Europe, rather than between Europe and the United States. “The current focus is on opening up internal markets within the E.U and U.K. and then depending on reciprocity agreements, more third countries will be included,” said Eric Dresin, Secretary General of the European Travel Agents’ and Tour Operators’ Association. “But right now, we are not talking about Americans visiting Europe.” American travelers do have some options, though: Having brought the virus under control, Iceland is allowing all vaccinated travelers — including those from the United States — to enter without being subject to Covid-19 testing or quarantine measures. Greece, one of the most popular European summer destinations for Americans, announced this month that it would reopen for all tourists in mid-May, as long as they show proof of vaccination, antibodies or a negative Covid-19 test result before traveling. All visitors will be subject to random testing upon arrival. Updated March 26, 2021, 12:43 a.m. ET Turkey said it would not require international travelers to be vaccinated this summer and will re-evaluate testing policies after April 15. Other European countries like Slovenia and Estonia are letting in vaccinated tourists, but not those from the United States. Spain, which relies heavily on tourism for its economy, said it would reopen to international visitors in the spring, once between 30 and 40 percent of its adult population is vaccinated. Portugal is also hoping to reopen its borders by May, but it is not yet clear whether Americans will be allowed in. What about Britain? Americans were never barred from entering the United Kingdom, which left the European Union last year, during the pandemic and can visit today, but face strict testing and quarantine requirements. In England, where a 10-day quarantine is required, the time can be reduced if a person presents a negative Covid-19 PCR test on day five. Violations can result in penalties of up to $13,860 and 10 years in prison. Most of Britain is under strict lockdown and while a stay-at-home-order is to be lifted on March 29, most shops, restaurants and pubs will stay closed until at least mid-April. Scotland has started to ease restrictions and will continue to do so in phases. Domestic tourism and indoor dining is not expected to resume until May 17 at the earliest. In anticipation of restrictions being lifted, several cruise lines have announced “staycation sailings” around the British Isles starting in June. Many Britons traveled last summer when the virus seemed to have ebbed, and a recent study found that they brought a significant number of infections back into the United Kingdom. A ban on British travel abroad for leisure was enacted on Jan. 4 and was expected to expire in May, but the government introduced legislation this week that lays down the legal framework to extend the restrictions until the end of June. It is not clear when exactly the United Kingdom lift its quarantine requirements for more tourism, but Visit Britain forecasts a slow recovery that will start toward late summer. Will I need proof that I’m vaccinated to enter Europe? Earlier this month, the European Commission proposed a digital travel certificate that would prove that a person has been vaccinated, received a negative Covid-19 test result or recovered after contracting the virus. To travel to the European Union, you will have to tick one of the three boxes. The document, known as a Digital Green Certificate, would allow European Union residents and their family members to travel freely within the bloc’s member states. The commission is also working to coordinate with the World Health Organization to make sure that the certificates are compatible with systems in countries outside Europe. The documents would be free and available in digital or paper format and if approved by the European Parliament, the bloc plans to roll them out within three months. Non-European Union nationals will be able to request a Digital Green Certificate from the member country they plan to visit. The rules for proof of vaccinations will be the same as for European Union nationals: Vaccines that the bloc has authorized will be accepted and individual member states will be able to decide whether to accept others. “The Digital Green Certificate will not be a precondition to free movement, and it will not discriminate in any way,” said Didier Reynders, the bloc’s top official for justice. “A common E.U.-approach will not only help us to gradually restore free movement within the E.U. and avoid fragmentation. It is also a chance to influence global standards and lead by example based on our European values like data protection.” If I do go, what happens when I return to the United States? Currently, all airline passengers age 2 and older traveling to the United States must provide a negative Covid-19 viral test (NAAT or antigen test) taken within three calendar days of travel. States have different quarantine requirements, so travelers should check what their state requires before booking a vacation abroad. What types of health and safety measures should I expect in Europe? Each country sets its own rules, but most safety protocols are unlikely to change this summer, even for those who have been vaccinated. Visitors will be expected to wear masks and keep a safe distance in public spaces. Hotels, restaurants and event spaces will have enhanced cleaning protocols in place, and some may impose capacity restrictions. “I think it’s very important that governments strike a balance of easing restrictions this summer, while maintaining safety protocols to control the disease,” Mr. Santander of the European Travel Commission said. “We really don’t want to find ourselves in a situation in 2022 where we have to close borders again and go into lockdown for another year.” Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. And sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to receive expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places list for 2021. Source link Orbem News #Europe #Options #summer

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schengenitinerary · 5 years ago

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IS TRAVEL INSURANCE NECESSARY IN EUROPE? WHAT DOCUMENTS DO I NEED TO TRAVEL TO EUROPE?

If you need a visa for traveling to the Schengen Area (you can check it out on iVisa), you will need Schengen Visa insurance to apply for it. Take into account that not all countries are required to have a Schengen visa to visit the Schengen area. We will talk about which countries are required and which are not in the following section.

But before jump in, let’s check why even if you don’t need a Schengen Visa, it can still be very helpful to buy Europe travel insurance. Here are a few of our own experiences that show how useful it can be to have travel insurance for Europe:

• I was studying English in Ireland with my cousin when he had to have emergency surgery for appendicitis. His insurance covered all the costs upfront.

• My brother was on a study tour in Italy when he came down with gastroenteritis and spent three days in the hospital. His travel insurance for Europe covered the costs of his hospitalization.

• On a trip to Germany, my suitcase never came. Luckily, my Europe travel insurance covered all my clothes and basics that I needed for the trip.

• Some years ago, I had a trip to Ukraine planned. For family reasons, I had to cancel it, and since I didn’t have Schengentravel insurance, I lost the money for the flights.

• My mom’s bag was stolen in a bar in London. She didn’t have travel insurance for Europe and lost her cell phone, wallet (with ID and credit cards inside), and camera.

As you can see from the examples above, all kinds of unexpected things could happen to you while you’re traveling. It’s always better to have the security of travel insurance for Europe rather than to risk learning your lesson the hard way.

WHAT DOCUMENTS DO I NEED TO TRAVEL TO EUROPE?

The answer to this question will largely depend on if you’re traveling to a country that is included in the Schengen Area or not. Keep in mind: not all European countries are part of the Schengen Area. Some European countries are partof the Schengen Area, some are part of the European Union, and some are part of both.

Here’s the difference between Europe, the European Union, and the Schengen Area: Europe is a continent that comprises 50 different countries. Within that continent, different countries have various agreements and accords with each other. The European Union is made up of 28 European countries that have formed a political and economic union. On the other hand, the Schengen Area, which consists of 26 European countries, is a zone where all of the member countries have gotten rid of internal borders. This means that once you’ve entered the Schengen Area, you can move freely from one country to another.

WHAT COUNTRIES ARE IN THE SCHENGEN AREA?

Here are the 26 countries in the Schengen Area: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

From those countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland don’t bellow to the European Union

WHAT COUNTRIES REQUIRED A SCHENGEN VISA TO VISIT THE SCHENGEN AREA?

If you are not one from one of the next 62 countries, you will need a Schengen visa: Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, El Salvador, Georgia, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Kiribati, Macau, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Montenegro, Nauru, New Zealand, Nicaragua, North Macedonia, Palau, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Korea, Taiwan, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Uruguay, Vanuatu and Venezuela.

However, in 2021, the European visa situation will change. Travelers from certain countries will need an ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System), while others will need a Schengen Visa. The whole situation can be rather complex and confusing, so to help you, below is an explanation of the Schengen Visa vs. the ETIAS.

#Schengen Itinerary Hotel booking Travel insurance

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ddcassiere · 5 years ago

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That’s exactly what happened

Jesus surrounded by tits - cheap chinese acrylic on cheap chinese A4 paper - Porto, April 2018

During my 2017-2019 busking, hitchiking, gigging, world tour, I couldnt help but painting most of my mornings away.

(As I write, right now, I am hangover from few glasses of wine I had yesterday with my friends, I hope you accept the randomness of this post. I am 33 and it gets harder in the mornings..)

I had prepared other topics to talk through but I just realized that I would rather write this blogs on feelings of the moment rather than on a detailed plan. And that to me, this principle could be applied to anything.

It’s not by chance that in one of the songs from Multipolar Vol. 1 I sing:

“..con l’aspettativa di non averti piu’, cara Aspettativa..” - Un Di-Di.

(with the expectation of having you no more, dear expectation)

song here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjYCJLvxe1I

full album here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xksf6hpuLlA&t=5s

At the moment I write this post, I am listening to Johnny Cash. Even though I cant say I have listened to him for more than just 5 years or so, I can tell you that this guy has had as much influence to me as any other huge icons of mine.

On a gloomy day of November 2016, I was resting in bed, having a free day from my then “normal’ job. I was so heavily depressed about not having time for playing that I could no more smile.

I felt a fucking heavy weight on my chest and I started to consider seriously the idea of killing myself and goodbye everybody, goodbye stupid job, boring days and conversations, my time was dead anyway.

From times to times I would bring the guitar at work and after finishing the shift I would go to the main square of Wroclaw, Poland, open the case, throw in some of my own coins, expose my first album and start to play.

Me as a very happy employee - pic by friendly pic machine in Rome Tiburtina, right before leaving to Wroclaw, August 2015

I cant describe how happy you can be, to do something like that and just earn enough to keep you sheltered and fed. It sends you to space, seriously. You start levitate as you walk back homeward. Butterflies in the stomach.

I would earn more in a hour than I would earn in the same time doing a shitty job. And the shitty job provided me with a rented apartment that, even though it was cozy, I never had time to actually enjoy, and with money that barely fed me and got me drunk on weekends to forget my shitty fucking boring life. That was it.

I was earning money enough to keep me alive to go to work. Just like a slave. Just like pretty much everybody.

So I did start thinking it would have been a cool idea to try my life on the street. But I was never serious about that.

Will I survive? Will I end up cold and hungry on a dark corner of a far away city? Will I this and will I that?..

It takes several kilos of balls to drop everything.. every comfort, every goddamn warm bed and new clothes, every new pair of shoes to follow your forever dreams.

And I didnt think I had those balls back then.

In the previous weeks, before that day laying in bed, I met and hosted few couchsurfers who encouraged me to do it. But that still wasnt enough.

Some calls it law of attraction, some call it fate, I think in my case it’s about planting seeds and wait for them to grow as spring comes through. So when that day I heard “I walk The line’ by Johnny Cash and precisely the first sentence, I felt like I had heard that song for the first time in my life.

It was an epiphany of my whole being: “I find it very very easy to be true”.

A bit tired after the flight to Tehran - Jan 2017 - Pic by I forgot the name

In my belly I felt something was planted, some kind of flower of hope that would have grown and I just had to be careful enough to protect it from storms.

Then few days after I had a dream. It was a very long dream and I will try to make it short. I had killed Tom Waits and I was in Jail with Michael Stipe from the R.e.m.

All my friends and colleagues were in jail with me. Nobody seemed to mind about being in jail. They all acted as if it was allright to be in jail.

I woke up earlier than usual and kept writing the dream on my little notebook as I was going to work with the tram. I felt very strange.

The day after I catched a fever. Violent fever that forced me in bed for a week.

I listened to Johnny Cash again. Then something happened that I wouldnt know how to describe. Because I wasnt fully conscious of what it was by then.

Tow days earlier Leonard Cohen died. Two days after Trump was elected.

This is the amount of tobacco I smoke when I hear new like those - Tbilisi, Georgia, March 2017.

I can just say that in a half an hour I found myself, as ragged and dirty and feverish I was from a week spent at home, right in front the door of the HR department of my job. Waiting in line to be received.

Then signing my resignation papers. Then going back home like a sleepwalker.

Then booking a flight to Tehran. Then booking a bus to Italy. Then throwing 3/4 of my clothes out the trash bins right outside the block. For the joy of the now very sharply dressed homeless guys.

Then packing. Then drinking an ice cold beer. All in all it took 3 hours to change my life.

All I hadnt given away from the apartment in Wroclaw. And that was now coming to Italy with me. - Wroclaw old bus station, 2017 - Pic by Katarzyna Peukart

A month later I was a free man (as free as you can be in Iran) playing in Tehran and in Shiraz street Afif Habad. I will come back home in a moment I would say.

Sleepwalking in Rome, going to take my flight to Tehran - Rome 2017, pic by Nicole Simoncelli.

Ready to leave? Pic by Nicole Simoncelli

But it went on and on. I hitchiked my way back to Europe and it took me two years. I slept out in on benches a couple of time here and there. In Greece, In Chech Republic, in Portugal. I travelled more than 20 countries mostly by autostop, I gigged wherever needed. I washed my clothes everyday in the hostel showers, by hand and by feet, I ate what I could eat and I tried to stay warm. Even though that wasnt always possible.

Playing setar in Esfahan. Creation by Sofya Zeinilava

Now I am tired of writing. I need to come back to my music. I promised a dear artist friend to send her some ambient music for her exhibition in Prague. And tomorrow is Fat Jesus day so I need to work also on that. And there are so many other projects going on.

Posing with the clear blue sky of the smiley city of Tehran on the fucking I forgot the name of the bridge. Tabiat I think, yes I googled it and its Tabiat- Pic by Fatemeh A. - Tehran 2017

Johnny Cash still plays here in my flat in Italy. And I feel he is planting more seeds in me, and that I strongly feel the hitch to come back on the road.

And I feel things are changing inside of me. But I dont plan.

Well I do, but in the end, if there is something I learned from these two years on the road, is that it’s not me that decides, but the music. As it has always been and as it will always be. Amen and see you next friday with “Naked Songs”

.Love, Courage and Joy to each and every one.

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