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duchessofostergotlands · 3 years

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Do the monegasque family have to be so attractive during a pandemic? Also could you please explain some of the main members.I know Prince Albert and his little family and Grace Kelly only.

The Kelly and Casiraghi genes are great, the family members who got them are damn lucky haha. Sure.

So you know the main royal family. Prince Albert who is 62, he became Prince of Monaco in 2005. He married Charlene Wittstock, a South African swimmer who had competed in the Olympics, in 2011. They have twins, Jacques and Gabriella, who were born in December 2014. Gabriella is older but Jacques is heir as Monaco still has male preference primogeniture.

Jazmin Grimaldi: Albert’s illegitimate daughter. Jazmin was born in the US in 1992 after her mother - then a waitress - had a fling with Albert. The Prince knew about her but didn’t spend time with her until she went to Monaco for the first time aged 11. He acknowledged her publicly in 2006 after a DNA test. Since then they have become close. Jazmin regularly spends time in Monaco and speaks very fondly of him. She is close to the younger Grimaldi cousins (particularly Pauline Ducruet, she’ll be covered later) and has been to official events with both Albert and Charlene. She is a singer and is dating Ian Mellencamp, the nephew of John Cougar Mellencamp.

Alexandre Coste: Albert’s illegitimate son (on the right with Jazmin in the middle). His mother is from Togo and was an air hostess when she had a relationship with Albert that lasted several years. Alexandre was born in 2003. Again Albert knew he existed and spent time with him; he eventually publicly acknowledged him in 2005. Alexandre is a lot less public but he is still a child - he’s only 17 - and has been heavily protected because he was acknowledged at a younger age than Jazmin. His social media is private and unlike his sister he hasn’t given interviews. But Jazmin has said he also lives part time in Monaco and they get on well as a family, and he has been to family events like weddings

Princess Caroline: Albert’s older sister. She is 63. As Albert took so long to marry she took on a lot of the charitable roles her mother had established - she is Chair of AMADE which was founded by Grace and Chair of the Princess Grace Foundation. She’s best known for her fashion and her relationships. She is a style icon who was close friends with Karl Lagerfeld. She’s been married three times: first to Philippe Junot from 1978 to 1980; secondly to Italian business man Stefano Casiraghi from 1983 until he died in an accident in 1990, they had three kids; and she is currently married to Prince Ernst August of Hanover. They married in 1999 and have one child but are separated; Ernst August has been seen with a few other women but for some reason they don’t formally split. EA has struggled with alcohol addiction for a long time and has been put in a medically induced coma at least twice as a result of health issues.

Andrea Casiraghi, Tatiana Santo Domingo and their children Sasha, India and Maximilian (Max is not pictured above): Caroline’s oldest child, born to her and Stefano Casiraghi in 1984. He did a BA in visual arts and international politics and has worked at the Monegasque embassy to Qatar. He’s also been involved in lots of charities, including AMADE. I’m not really clear what his job is now; until the twins were born in 2014 people thought he might end up being Prince of Monaco some day so he didn’t seem to invest much in a career. He married Tatiana Santo Domingo in 2013. He and Tatiana met at school in France. She is from a wealthy Colombian family who made their money in brewing. She is a billionaire in her own right after inheriting over $1 billion from her grandfather Julio. She has her own fashion label, Muzungu Sisters, and has modelled for Dior and Emilia Wickstead with her kids. The couple have three children who are all in line to the throne: Sasha (Alexandre) born in 2012, India born in 2015 and Maximilian born in 2018. They live/lived in London

Charlotte Casiraghi, Dimitri Rassam and Charlotte’s children Raphael Elmaleh and Balthazar Rasam: Caroline and Stefano’s middle child, born in 1986. Charlotte’s professional life has been group around three areas: horse riding (she has been honorary president of the Global Champions Tour and has competed in show jumping); fashion (she’s been an ambassador for Gucci and YSL and launched her own magazine focusing on sustainability) and philosophy (she has a philosophy degree from the Sorbonne and has written books about it). She had her first son, Raphael, in 2013 with her boyfriend at the time, comedian Gad Elmaleh. They split in 2015 without marrying so Raphael is not in line to the throne. In 2018 she had another son, Balthazar, with Dimitri Rassam. Dimitri is a film producer whose mother Carole Bouquet is a very well known French actress and a friend of Caroline’s. They married in 2019.

Pierre Casiraghi, Beatrice Borromeo and their children Stefano and Francesco: Pierre is the youngest child of Stefano and Caroline, born in 1987. He has followed his father into business and is the majority shareholder of the construction firm founded by his father, Engeco. He’s also passionate about sailing. He recently sailed across the Atlantic with Greta Thunberg and her father so she could attend the UN Convention on Climate Change without flying. In 2015 he married Beatrice Borromeo. She is a member of the aristocratic Italian Borromeo family who have been very powerful in Italian society for at least 600 years. She is a journalist who has done extensive work on corruption and the mafia. Unlike many royals she’s an atheist, politically left wing, and has pissed off other royal houses - mainly the deposed Italian royal family - by exposing their corruption. They had son Stefano in 2017 and Francesco in 2018.

Princess Alexandra: She is the only child of Caroline and Prince Ernst August and is therefore a Princess of Hanover. She was born in 1999. She is a figure skater who represented Monaco in the European Youth Olympic Festival. She is dating Ben-Sylvester Strautmann who is a German basketball player. She lived a mostly private life but has started to become more public, appearing at fashion shows and recently doing her first magazine interview

Princess Stephanie: The youngest child of Rainier and Grace and Albert and Caroline’s little sister, born in 1965. She got a lot of headlines in the 1980s through her risque modelling, her music career, and her relationships (she dated Rob Lowe!) She married her bodyguard Daniel Ducruet in 1992 and they had two children before divorcing in 1996. In 1998 she had a third child with her Head of Security Jean Raymond Gottlieb. She is a patron of the annual circus festival in Monaco and earned more headline when she moved her kids to live with an elephant trainer she began dating in 2001. She married her second husband, acrobat Adans Lopez Peres, in 2003 and they divorced in 2004.

Louis and Marie Ducruet (and Pancake): Louis is the oldest child of Stephanie and Daniel Ducruet, born in 1992. He did a degree in Sports Management and worked as Assistant to the VP of AS Monaco football club. In 2020 he signed on as an advisor for Nottingham Forest football club. In 2019 he married Marie Chevallier who he met as a student. She manages events for Monte Carlo Casino. They have no children but do have an adorable dog, Pancake, who I love more than any other royal

Pauline Ducruet: Younger child of Stephanie and Daniel Ducruet, born in 1994. She studied at Parsons and did internships for Vogue and Louis Vuitton. She launched a gender neutral fashion line, Alter, in 2018. She was also a competitive diver who represented Monaco in the Summer Youth Olympics.

Camille Gottlieb: Only child of Stephanie and Jean Raymond, born in 1998. As her parents never married she is not in line to the throne. She works in PR for a club (which one I don’t know). She is also the founder of Be Safe Monaco which is an anti drink driving charity.

#ask #anon #monegasque princely family

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manychocolatefactories · 3 years

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CatCF Ruby Chocolate: Part 1, Kids and characters

This version is the last of the "four main versions". It is named after the new, fourth type of chocolate discovered in 2004 but only publically released in 2017. It is a modern version, supposed to take place in the 2010s. In this version, there are six Golden Tickets released in the world.

First Winner: Augustus Gloop

(Based on: Augustus Gloop)

This version of Augustus was inspired by the 2013 musical, more specifically by the idea of a cute little boy that eats "pigs limbs from limbs", and also swallows whole little dogs. So, something quite dark.

Augustus has a very cute face. A chubby, angelic face, like the puttis of the Renaissance paintings: blond curls, puppy eyes, a radiant smile. If he wants, he can make your heart melt like the video of a little kitten purring.

But Augustus is hungry. All of the time. He eats and snacks all day long. He dreams of food. He sleep-walks to eat. And while he adores candies and chocolate, there is one thing he loves more than anything else: meat. Meat and blood. He is a true carnivore, for him every meal rhymes with "meat". And if you leave him unattended, he will try to get meat by himself. For exemple, by attacking a living pig and devouring it on the spot. Or by biting off the fingers of a plump woman. But, of course, all of that with a cute smile and while saying sorry in the most adorable way.

Nowadays, if your cute you must be innocent, and thus forgien.

Augustus' body is not as cute as his face. It is said to be a "bloated mass of pink flesh", actually very similar to the body of a pig. His fatness is described as "ill-fitting", as if it was "forced" onto his body. His overweightness is not natural. It is puffy, flabby, bloated, but doesn't feel "natural".

Augustus also always wear ill-fitting clothes and suits.

Mrs. Gloop is a tiny woman, usually wearing a pale pink skirt suit, with her hair arranged in a crown of braids. She might be tiny, but she is bold, energetic, and speaks both clearly and loudly. She has so much presence, she often intimidates people. She keeps reminding others of how cute her son, and how eating makes him grow strong. She insists that she is a good mother who makes sure her son eats of everything (to have a balanced diet), eats well (by giving him only the finest and best-quality products (such as the Wonka bars and not their cheap rivals knock-offs), and of course, she only feeds her son because he "needs nourishment".

And don't dare criticize her, or she will scream so much, so hard and so high your ears will bleed. Just like the "original" Mrs. Gloop, this one keeps pointing out the "hooligans", saying it is better to stay at home eating food than being a violent thug on the street. My iteration sincerely believes that violence and criminality is due to poverty, hunger and lack of food, and if everyone was well-fed the world ould be at peace.

(For her, think of Mrs. Gloop the original, mixed with Bernadette from the Big Bang Theory )

Mr. Gloop (full name, Gordon Gloop, parody of Gordon Ramsey) is the son of a butcher, and the grandson of a slaughterhouse worker. He was always knee-deep in blood, and as a result grew accustomed to killing animals and cooking them (in fact the sight of blood makes him peckish). He is a tall and strong man, but suffers from a bad sleep due to his wife's horribly loud snoring.

He tried to teach his son the refinment of haute cuisine, for Mr. Gloop is a world-renowned cook, but to his disappointment Augustus only cares for raw meat and drinking blood-dipped candies. Mr. Gloop is so obsessed with having good dishes and best-quality ingredients, he keeps at the back of his house a little barnyard full of cattle (if he ever has to serve some steak or ribs to his guests). Trouble is, Augustus keeps sneaking into said barnyard to devour the poor animals.

Second Winner: Elvira Entwhistle

(Based on: Veruca Salt)

Veruca Salt being a pretty solid and complete archetype in herself (the girl who wants it all and has her parents buy her all), it is quite hard to reimagine her. So, I tried thinking about "why" she wants things - given the actions are settled and confirmed, it is the goals that are important, the motivation. And , in our time of modernity, what makes people want things? Trends, fashions, what is "in".

This reinterpretation of Veruca, named Elvira Entwhistle (after one of the old drafts names), is a mix between Chanel Oberlin from Scream Queens and Esmé Squalor from a Series of Unfortunate Events. She is a girl living for trends, for fashions, buying and acquiring all of the latest things "in", only to discard them as soon as they are "out" or not trendy anymore. Spending her time on social media, following models and influencers, she keeps going to luxury shops with her "personal assistant" (a nice name for what is a modern slave) to buy accessories, jewels, clothes, pets and whatever corresponds to the current trend.

Spoiled, impatient, self-centered and short-tempered, she needs to have the latest fashion NOW or she will get insanely angry. She also doesn't hesitate to change her personal appearance to fit all the new trends (for exemple her hair changes color and shape every week). Of course, she got her Golden Ticket because it was the current trend. Everyone was searching for it, so she had to get a Ticket to be the most "in" person around.

Third Winner: Mike Teavee

(Based on: Mike Teavee)

For this version of Mike Teavee, I wanted to get away from the usual hyperactive and hyper-violent kid. I wanted to take back this common idea that television makes you stupid and sluggish, by making Mike the perfect embodiment of a couch potato (even though he was designed to look at the same time like a mushroom and a zombie).

Mr. and Mrs. Teavee are hard-working people, who spend their entire week working and only come back at home for very brief periods of times (usually in the week-end) before going right back at work. As a result, Mike barely knows his parents. He doesn't even know what kind of work they do. To "babysit" their son, the Teavees bought an enormous, high-definition television with a 666 channels pack, and kept telling him to not go outside due to the outside world being "dangerous" and filled with crushing bikes, killing cars, kidnappers and the like. This is how Mike began his life as a shut-in.

Spending his days looking at the television, never going outside, he ended up closing all shutters because light bothered him. Living in the dark, barely lifting his body from the couch, he only survives on candies, snacks, television-plates and microwaved/defrosted food (and the Teavee family can afford to buy a lot of it, because they are really, really rich - Mike has accounts in three different banks).

The result? A chalk-white boy. A bloated ans shapeless body. A full-moon face covered in craters and scars due to a bad case of acne. Two dead, sunken, small eyes. Speakin slowly, and often pronouncing only half of the words, Mike refuses to answer or talk to anyone while television is on : he only speaks during "uninteresting advertisements". The only thing muscular in his body are his fingers, that got a lot of muscle mass due to twitching frenetically all day long on the remote to channel-hop.

Mike is actually a very intelligent boy, but all his cleverness and intellectual gifts are buried and wasted by the brain-washing of his shut-in life and his television obsession. He got his Golden Ticket because his parents often buy him Wonka bars as "television snacks". Even though, in his own words, he prefers food that "tastes like plastic".

Fourth Winner: Violet Beauregarde

(Based on: Volet Beauregarde)

What is Violet, originally? She is a girl that seeks fame and attention, that is snarky, that is nasty towards people, and that does stupid records. What reflects that perfectly in our day and age? Reality television shows!

Violet Beauregarde was strongly inspired by the most brainless and "sassy/nasty" stars of reality television and the Internet. She is a teenage girl wearing clothes of such bright, flashy and clashing colors it often hurts people's eyes. Her face is covered in makeup, her hair is covered in extensions and her hands are covered with fake fingernails.

She thinks she can be as rude and horrible as she wants, as long as she calls it "sassy". But on the other side, she considers "rude" anyone or anything that doesn't please her, or that is too "ugly" or "dirty" for her. She is the kind of girl that keeps screaming loudly "YAAAAAAASSS, bitches!" and "DAAAMMMNNNN", that calls herself "the queen", that chews ferociously on her gum all day long, and that says "Why are you touching me? See, you're touching me again!" while she is the one hitting people. She hates everything "old" and "boring". She keeps publishing musical albums that nobody actually buys, because she sings badly mere words (her singles being titled "Lalalala" and "Heyheyheyhey" - she never understood a song needed to have lyrics). Finally, her biggest dream is to be part of a TV-reality show.

Her father, Mr. Beauregarde, feeds his daughter's "bitchy diva" attitude and her delusions of grandeur by acting as his agent (just like in the 2013 musical). He is also the "ringleader" of Violet's circus (because Violet, with her clothes of ridiculous colors, and her enormous amount of makeup, has a clown subtext). As a result, Mr. Beauregarde is like a ringleader in acircus, a showrunner in a freak show, and also an agent. He "sells" his daughter, he organizes her interviews, he has people pay money for "extra time" with Violet, he shows her around, and finally he uses his whip (yes, he has a whip) to attack all those that try to "touch the product".

He is a short, flabby and balding man, that smokes very long and thick cigars, wears enormous rings and clothes that are garrish and clownish - his over-the-top and ridiculous fashion sense is clearly a compensation for what he lacks in height, hair and health.

Fifth Winner: Marvin Prune

(Based on: Marvin Prune)

In the original drafts of Roald Dahl, Marvin Prune was a Mr. Know-it-All, a too-perfect schoolboy obsessed with studies, an arrogant bookworm, a haughty teacher's pet, you named it. In this version, i decided to keep the idea of Marvin being a "know-it-all", but instead of using school, books and the like, he rather uses modern technology and the Internet.

Marvin is a tech-obsessed boy. He lives for, with and through technology, to the point of neglecting to live in the real world. He thinks his over-use of technology, and all the knowledge it can provide him, make him an "intelligent" and "superior" boy (when in fact it does not).

He thinks he can claim to have been everywhere in the world because he visited virtually all the most important landmarks of the world. He claims he can speak all the languages in the world, but in fact he uses translation websites. He keeps tracks of all his bodily functions thanks to health monitors (heartbeats, blood pressure, cholesterole...) but not because he is concerned for his health, merely for the sake of knowing more things. For him, Googling something is the best solution to all your troubles, and as a result he is a self-centered and pompous boy.

Due to his technology dependance, Marvin is actually quite a weak boy. Since he doesn't do any sport or physical activity, and since he rarely leaves his house (due to always ordering things online, having classes online and visiting places virtually), he is a quite thin and frail boy, if not emaciated - at least, a good chunk of his muscle mass has melted away.

The original parents of Marvin Prune were, in Dahl's works, teachers and school principals. I decided here to go with the opposite of a teacher : Mrs. Prune never does anything herself, and always blame it on others. There are problems in the world? For her people should fix it, but they are too lazy to do it - while she herself does nothing about it. Her son acts rude? "Someone should teach him good manners" she says. She loses all of her money? "That's because the people in charge of the economy are all incompetent!"

Mrs. Prune thinks of everything and everyone as stupid because it allows her to blame all of her problems and flaws on other people. But ultimately she never takes any kind of action herself. If someone should teach her son good manners, it is "those lazy teachers at school", certainly not her! She also dislikes things that are "foreign".

Marvin found the Golden Ticket when he ordered by mistake a chocolate bar in France : in truth, he wanted to buy a "tablet" (in French a tablet is tablette, and a chocolate bar is also a tablette de chocolat).

Marvin will also be incredibly frustrated inside Wonka's factory, because in there numeric devices mess up, stop weirdly or disfunction totally (the same way UFOs tend to mess up phones, radios, computers and the like). As a result, he becomes powerless and helpless.

Sixth Winner: Charlie Bucket

(Based on: Charkie Bucket)

Here, I decided to really twist things up. To have a Charlie Bucket that isn't thin or malnourished, but fat! Yes, here's Chubby Charlie! (No, not Fat Charlie, this one is copyrighted)

Charlie's story is deeply linked to the story of the Wonka factory. The town Charlie lives in was built around the Wonka Factory a bit before the 20th century - it was a "worker town", created to allow the workers of the factory to live with their family next to their place of work. For more than fifty years the Factory was the only occupation and work of the town. But somewhere in the 1950s or 1960s, all the workers had to take an early retirement. They were kicked out, and the Factory closed to the public. The Factory was still working, but not hiring anyone anymore. This was an enormous blow to both the town's economy and moral. There was an economic crisis and poverty (since people were trained only to work in a candy factory).

But there was one good thing: since it was the town Wonka's products were created in, they were sold at must cheaper prices than anywhere else in the world, and all the ex-workers of the Factory got in exchange for their work coupons and reductions for themselves and all of their families - reductions on the Wonka products, of course. This was seen as a chance, because the Wonka products were world-renowned candies, even luxury goods in foreign countries. It was like being able to buy haute-couture as daily clothes and eat gastronomic cuisine every week-end.

But this good wasn't so "good". Indeed, given the poverty and lack of job in town, the ex-workers and their family relied more and more on the coupons and reductions, their diets filled with candy and sugary products. As a result, from the 1970s to the 2010s, the number of people suffering from obesity, diabetes and teeth problems blew up.

[ This background is actually a mix of two different real-world fact. Real-world fact 1: the Menier Chocolate Factory in France, aka the real-life Wonka Factory, was revolutionary for creating a town for its workers, and taking care of their health, education and the like, but closed after World War II, to the deception of everyone. Real-world fact 2: Coca-Cola, Nestlé and other big food industries tend to pay their employees with extra-sugary and extra-addictive if their own products in poor areas, such as South America - resulting in sicknesses and diseases.]

As a result, in this version Charlie is fat. Because in modern days, and in developped countries, poverty and malnourishment actually leads to obesity and diabetes, due to the cheapest food being candies and junk-food.

This version of Charlie is a very nice kid, but a kid addicted to the Wonka products. He grew up on the coupons, due to his family all being ex-workers. Grandpa Joe and Grandpa George both worked at the factory, but were too old or sick after being fired to find a new job ; Mr. and Mrs. Bucket had been trained for the factory and could barely afford new studies after its closing. Mr. Bucket became a street cleaner, while Mrs. Bucket became a receptionist and secretary for a dental office (due to the rise of tooth diseases, dental offices boomed in town, but most are actually crooked or scams).

Charlie grew up in a very humble home, with two parents working really hard to have enough money to buy food for everyone. Of course, fresh or good food is too expensive. Charlie tries to help his family the best way he can with his part-time job (making people fill surveys) and by working really hard at school. But as the years go by, his weight and his health are beginning to cause problems. Due to not having any money he can't do sports, wich makes him gain weight, and the fattest he is the hardest it is to do sport, it's a vicious circle. Every year, the scale reveals he puts on more and more weight, and faster and faster - if he doesn't do something quick, he may end up obese.

And, as I mentionned before, Charlie is truly obsessed with the Wonka products, it is an addiction. He dreams of them at night. He sticks Wonka bars wrappers on the wall of his room like posters. He drools at the mere mention of a Wonka bar. He isn't spoiled, cruel or nasty, but he is too addicted for his own good. In fact, when he finds money in the stret and buy chocolate bars with it, it is a pure act of selfishness, because he doesn't have the willpower to turn away from the candy shop and go back home.

#catcf #charlie and the chocolate factory #charlie bucket #augustus gloop #veruca salt #mike teavee #violet beauregarde #marvin prune

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actordougjones · 4 years

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Helen Chavez 1959 ~ 2020

Sitting in silent conflict today, some numbness, many tears, grief, and the happiest memories that make my heart smile. To lose a close friend (whom I referred to as my big sister for the last 16 years) to complications from covid-19 and other health issues, is a blow I could not be prepared for. Yet to sit with my memories of her is a relished joy.

Many knew her as “Hellmistress” on the Sony Pictures Hellboy message boards in 2003. As I was an occasional visitor in those boards while filming Hellboy, I took special note of the witty, gentle, sarcastic, encouraging posts from this woman I found myself wanting to know more of.

She made her way into those message boards by way of her love for Ron Perlman, as she also was a contributing writer for a site called ThePerlmanPages dot com. But once in there, and once we got to interacting, Helen and I both found kindred spirits in each other, about the same age, about the same irreverent sense of humor.

She jokingly described herself as “windswept and interesting.” When we finally met in person the first time around the premiere events Guillermo del Toro had arranged for these fans of Hellboy in April 2004, I found this description of her to be true. All I had to hear was that Helen had sold a cow to finance her flight from Scotland, and I knew I was right about this one! Yes, she and her husband Mark raised cattle on their rural farm outside Aberdeenshire, Scotland. But she was also a highly knowledgeable archivist at the local museum there. With a thirst for learning, and a lover of history, artifacts, classic film, TV, music, literature, science fiction, and all things geekery, she did indeed earn her “windswept and interesting” title.

(Our first in-person meeting after “Hellebration” 2004 with Sony Pictures Hellboy message board regulars, Left to Right: Maurice Mpayamaguru, Dougie, Pat Paone, Helen Chavez - who was so excited to be having a burger with American ketchup!)

She flew away the next day in 2004, but that would not be the last of this Helen. Upon returning home to Scotland, her friend and ThePerlmanPages creator Pat Paone (who had also been on this trip) said something to Helen that lingered in the air... “After this entire ‘Hellebration’ weekend in Los Angeles, do you realize you haven’t stopped talking about Doug Jones?” which struck Helen odd since she was a devout Perlman fan who was gushing about someone other than Ron after a weekend to celebrate a movie in which Ron held the title character.

That’s when I received an email from Helen proposing an official website she wanted to create for me. So was born TheDougJonesExperience dot com, a site that was lovingly poured over and updated by Helen as her pet project that she never let me pay a dime for, no matter how I tried, from 2004 to 2014, when her own life required her to take pause. That pause from the site included finishing up her Masters Degree, still working full time at the museum, still tending the cattle, and now caregiving to her husband’s failing health ... followed by her own health issues.

She was ever the stoic type, though, who never ever, EVER wanted to be a burden on me, so I would rarely hear of her trials in life unless I told her, “I’m not hanging up until you start talking.” She would always brush off her own issues and turn things back around to doting on me like the protective big sister she loved being. She also took in Mrs. Laurie as her little sister with great pride.

To sum up the amount of life shared with this incredible woman would take volumes. Volumes that could be tied together with one thread.... “cheerleader.” She championed me personally and professionally with the kind of care and tireless energy that gave my own mother and Mrs. Laurie a run for their money!

Her cheerleading came in the form of not only that exhaustive website with endless fan correspondence as she wrote with a voice that was uncannily like my own, then later helping administrate “The Tank” forum on DelToroFilms dot com where “FanSapiens” would gather to chat about little ol’ me, but also trips to see me when I was in the United Kingdom for a fan convention in Birmingham, or a make-up trade show in London. She also ingratiated herself to Guillermo del Toro and was invited to visit our Hellboy II: The Golden Army filming set in Budapest with her old friend Pat Paone, spending a large part of that visit with me through my whole day, from make-up, to the Troll Market set, to lunchtime, to afternoon naps in my trailer for all of us, to touring the city on a rare day off.

(During Hellboy 2 set visit 2007 at Budapest, Hungary’s “Hero Square” pictured Left to Right: Pat Paone, Dougie, Helen Chavez)

And I could never tally up the countless hours of phone chats, messenger chats, book-length emails, where she was often celebrating successes with me, calming my nerves when I had failed, giving me some well-needed big sisterly advice on life, or playfully nagging me to sleep and eat more. Boy, was she ever stern about those last two. If I even hinted that I had been pushing myself too hard, not sleeping enough, not eating right, she would give me “the look.” You don’t want “the look.” It was that raised eyebrows, all-knowing eyes searing into me kind of look, with a probing stare over the top of her glasses into my soul kind of look. You could hide nothing from her when she gave “the look.”

I adored hearing all her tales from her museum, getting history lessons all the while about who used what in what century in what country for what purpose, everything from farm tools to ancient toilet paper. To keep me in her loop, one year for Christmas she sent me some ancient Roman coins, after I had mentioned how I love looking at coins, waving it off with, “those things are so easy to come by.” Her gifts were always accompanied by authentic Scottish shortbread cookies. But my favorite story of hers was the mummy head she had no better place for, so he lived under her desk ... for years. And of course, she named him “Marlon.”

I’ve always been a hugger, but Helen is the one who taught me about “Bosies.” The difference being that a Bosie is a huggle that doesn’t need to end anytime soon, where you envelop the other person in a cradle that makes them feel safe. She was masterful at those Bosies.

I could tell Helen stories for hours, as could so many of you puppies whose lives she touched with her listening skills, mentorship, and her tireless encouragement to keep all of us creatives reaching for our dreams.

(Pictued at “Hellebration” 2008 with “FanSapiens” Left to Right: Tim Rosenberger, Katie McGregor, Helen Chavez, Stephanie Metz, Dougie, Kate Daley, Seth Lombardi)

(Pictured at Hellboy 2 premiere after party 2008 with DelToroFilms regulars; Top row: Paul Kindschi, Gary Deocampo, Maurice Mpayamaguru. Bottom row: Helen Chavez, Dougie)

But I’ll leave you with one last story. It was 2008, and we flew Helen out to Los Angeles (I didn’t want her to sell another cow) to join all the festivities for the premiere week of Hellboy II: The Golden Army, and to see the finished product of the film set she visited with me the year before. Everything from having a salon day with Mrs. Laurie to get all done up for the red carpet premiere, and the next day she was sporting a fancy fish-print top to dutifully lead Team Blue (those beloved FanSapiens) at the Del Toro sponsored “Hellebration” party and screening night. Another experience I wanted to give her that week was her first press junket, so Mrs. Laurie gladly went to her own job that day, and Helen went with me down to the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, where many film press junkets take place on a floor full of press suites. These are high energy days, as one after another, TV, radio, print, and dot com journalists interview us back to back all day. Helen watched from behind the monitors with Publicist John, and every time I glanced over, she was just beaming as she gave me a thumbs-up. At the end of this marathon day, we were heading home in the back of the studio-hired limo, and my eyes were getting droopy in the dark. Helen glanced over the top of her glasses with “the look” and said with all the doting mother, favorite auntie, protective big sister she had in her, “Awe, little brother mine, come here.” I leaned my head onto her shoulder, while she pet my hair and told me how overjoyed she was with this phase of my life, and how watching me handle all the press that day made her “buttons burst with pride,” a phrase she used many a time. She always knew how to bring such peace, such calm, such encouragement, such a safe harbor. The next thing I knew the car stopped in front of the house, and I awoke with her still holding my weary head.

Oh how I wish for one more limo ride. One more chance to soak in her uplifting words, so I might know how to handle whatever comes next.

She went by many names -- Hellmistress, Webmaster Helen, or her preferred “Webmistress” Helen, Auntie Helen, Mentor Helen, Therapist Helen, Dear Friend Helen, Big Sister Helen, but there was only one Helen in this wacky world. She leaves a void that no one else can fill. It’s painful how much I miss her already.

I pray the angels gave her a thrilling ride to her rightful place in Heaven. I can almost feel her gaze again right now, as she sits at the edge of a crescent moon, tilts her gaze down over the top of her glasses and gives me “the look”.....

Alright, Big Sis, I’ll eat something and get to sleep now.

#rip #hellmistress #webmaster helen #sister #dear friend

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hjnsa · 3 years

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An Interview With David Herlihy, Author of "Bicycle - The History"

David Herlihy's book, Bicycle: The History, was the sole book on bikes which came to the most unmistakable presentation remain at my neighborhood Barnes and Noble. Distributed in 2004, it has been a staggering achievement, carrying the historical backdrop of bikes to a huge number of individuals in a few unique dialects. The book is rich and brilliant, both in its photographs and its words.

I met David while I was in school during the 1980s. He was making a bit of additional money by purchasing delightful, marginally utilized street bicycles in Italy (DeRosas, Cinellis, Tommasinis and so forth) and afterward offering them at surprisingly reasonable costs to cyclists in the USA. This permitted him to enjoy his adoration for movement, play with great bikes, and welcome delight to individuals on the two sides of the Atlantic. On second thought, his books on cycling do essentially exactly the same things...

Q: Bicycle: The History was an enormous achievement. How has this achievement transformed you?

A: Thanks, Forbes. "Tremendous" is a family member (and exceptionally complimenting) term. Yet, in the event that I might gloat a little, since it turned out in fall 2004, Bicycle has sold more than 20,000 duplicates, for the most part hard covers. That is a beautiful thrilled figure for a book of this nature, distributed by a scholastic press. I'm certain it's much more than even Yale had expected. From what I hear, it's currently one of their untouched blockbusters (there are even releases out in Russian and Korean).

This is exceptionally satisfying, just like all the consideration it got in the press, remembering surveys for lofty distributions like The Economist and The New York Times Review of Books (I need to credit my splendid marketing specialist, Brenda King, for designing quite a bit of that). Most were very great and simple to process (a couple were less fulfilling, however I figured out how to get over them before long).

What's more, indeed, I savored my brief encounter with popularity. It was incredible fun visiting and advancing my book, regardless of whether I needed to cover my own costs generally. I delighted in giving slide talks and marking books, and meeting cycling aficionados, all things considered. One of my most significant minutes was at a bicycle show in Edison, New Jersey, where I had a table. After one person affirmed that I was indeed the creator, he sort of lost it. He had his image taken with me utilizing his phone. I felt like a hero.

Returning to reality a bit, I can't say that the book has fundamentally transformed me or way of life, essentially not yet. Be that as it may, it has been an extremely sure encounter and I think it has opened up new imaginative potential outcomes.

First off, it was an extraordinary alleviation and fulfillment to at long last transform 10 years in addition to of examination into something substantial that could give me some acknowledgment and really produce a little income to keep body and soul together (also assisting with paying for all that exploration, which incorporated various outings to Europe. Not that I'm requesting compassion, mind you!) And I should say, with all due respect, that a lot of my best material surfaced around the finish of my request. Had I distributed the book even a couple of years sooner, it basically would not have been as vivid or as rich.

In addition to the fact that i was ready to share many intriguing disclosures, I likewise had the opportunity to air some profoundly held feelings. I think there are a great deal of misinterpretations out there about bike history, particularly as to the innovation and early turn of events. The kick-impelled Draisine of 1817, specifically, was not a bike as such and, as it ended up, it didn't lead straightforwardly to the first bikes of the 1860s (however it was seemingly the essential motivation). I've likewise inferred that the Scottish need claims emerging during the blast of the late nineteenth century are questionable, best case scenario. Also, obviously the extraordinary commitment of Pierre Lallement, the first bike patentee, has for quite some time been eclipsed by the Michaux name, which similarly covered the job of the Oliviers, the genuine mechanical pioneers.

سكوترات كهربائية

In some sense it very well might be a losing fight to demand this load of focuses legends are obstinate things. In any case, presently I've spoken my tranquility and I can continue on to other energizing ventures with somewhat more monetary soundness and somewhat more validity and clout.

Q: What are some different activities you are chipping away at?

A: Over the previous few years, I've kept on giving talks to a great extent for different cycling gatherings and instructive projects. One month from now, for instance, I'll take an interest in a board conversation at the uncovering of the Major Taylor dedication in Worcester. What's more, on May 24 I'll give a discussion at the Museum of the City of New York. We're beginning to discuss assembling a show on the historical backdrop of cycling in New York, related to properly enough-Bike New York, (patrons of the yearly 5 boro ride that draws 30,000 cyclists).

I've likewise completed a few ventures with Velopress of late. I interpreted an extraordinary book on the historical backdrop of Paris Roubaix by the editors of l'Equipe. It's an excellent foot stool book with astounding photographs. Furthermore, I need to say the content is likewise very captivating! I additionally interpreted a book on the Alpe d'Huez stage by my old buddy Jean-Paul Vespini. It's turning out in half a month and I'm truly anticipating pawing through it. I just saw a few evidences and the photographs are eye-popping. Besides the creator worked really hard covering the historical backdrop of this marvel not just as a definitive stage in the Tour yet additionally as a beautiful social rendez-vous.

What's more, I just marked an agreement with Houghton Mifflin to compose a book on Frank Lenz. Exploring his captivating however failed to remember story has been my concentration for as long as couple of years and will keep on being so for a significant length of time.

دراجات هوائية

To sum up: in May 1892, on the cusp of the bike blast, Lenz set off from his old neighborhood of Pittsburgh to circle the globe on the most recent "wellbeing" bike with inflatable tires. Two years into his excursion, in the wake of intersection North America, Japan, China, Burma, India, and Persia, he bafflingly disappeared. Examiners later followed him past the Persian boundary, into Turkey and the premonition place where there is the Kurds. Unexpectedly, Outing magazine, Lenz's support, sent another American "globe girdler," William Sachtleben, to discover Lenz in any condition. It ended up being an extremely awful an ideal opportunity to visit Turkey, with slaughters of Armenians unfurling before his own eyes. Sachtleben himself was fortunate to get back alive. He immovably accepted he had settled the secret, however his inability to discover Lenz's bones or bike, or to get palatable feelings for homicide, left the matter putrefying. Lenz's crushed mother at last got a repayment from the Turkish government, yet his inheritance immediately blurred in the twentieth century as the public lost interest in the bike. I'll talk about Lenz's experience and character, and what persuaded him to go off on this risky experience. I'll likewise follow the excursion exhaustively, putting a positive twist on it. At long last, I'll seriously investigate Sachtleben's discoveries and attempt to sort out what truly befell poor Lenz.

افضل موقع بيع دراجات هوائية

Q: Do you actually have the opportunity to ride your bicycle?

A: I admit that I have the opportunity in principle. What's more, the bicycles. In any case, I don't do as much sporting riding as I ought to (and it shows, though it pains me to say so!). Of late, I've for the most part done coordinated rides every now and then. Bicycle New York has become a practice each May, and it's an impact. I likewise did part of Cycle Oregon a couple of years back, and a couple of other gathering rides from that point forward. Yet, generally I cycle in the Boston region, just to get around. I just procured another Bike Friday, which I actually need to gather. I hope to ride significantly more get-togethers. I might want to get once again into street riding, as well. In principle I could utilize one of my old Italian racers, yet I couldn't want anything more than to get something more contemporary. Also, perhaps a trail blazing bicycle as well. Had the opportunity to complete this book first, however, so I have some optional assets.

Q: Your book clarified that you love bikes. Do you cherish any one kind of bike more than others? Is there a specific sort of bike that is closest and dearest to your heart?

A: I'd need to say the exemplary light weight street bicycle with thin tires is as yet my top choice. But at the same time I'm into bikes as essential transportation, particularly during circumstances such as the present. The Bike Friday offers an incredible mix off both riding delight and reasonableness. I can't actually address mountain trekking as I've never truly enjoyed that game. In any case, I have companions who are truly into it, and I know some time or another I ought to truly check it out.

Q: You used to bring brilliant utilized street bicycles back from Italy. Do you actually have associations around there?

A: In principle, indeed, however I haven't purchased any bicycles around there in a long while. I spent various years in Italy growing up, I actually go one time each year. So I'm as yet conversant in the language. In the past I went routinely to the Milan career expo. Also, I found the opportunity to meet and meeting some incredible names like Cino Cinelli and Valentino Campagnolo, when I composed for Bicycle Guide. However, I haven't kept up my contacts in the bicycle business, though it pains me to mention it. Recently when I've gone over it's been really investigating, eating, visiting, and mingling. In a specific order, obviously.

دراجة هوائية رياضية

Q: Have bikes improved through their set of experiences? Or on the other hand were the old bike plans more down to earth than the plans for new bikes?

A: Well you can surely present the defense that the bike advanced in the second 50% of the nineteenth century, turning out to be progressively roadworthy and thus pragmatic in that sense. The first "boneshaker" of the 1860s was an honorable thought yet one in urgent need of material improvement. You could contend that its substitution, the armada however shaky high wheeler, took the idea off course, that is, away from reasonableness. All things considered, the first bike created a global uproar decisively in light of the fact that it should fill in as a reasonable "individuals' bother." And the high-wheeler, obviously, turned into a costly toy for athletic guys.

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navyblushrose · 4 years

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An Appreciation Post

This time i wanna share about some public figures i admire to.

Honestly i’m a person who easily impressed, but it never stays long. When i watch a film or drama, and i’m impressed by the actor/actress, i would search their profile on google and stop by their social media. Usually that feeling of interest will diminish by the end of the film and as time goes by.

So far, i’m a fan of 2 person.

First, Taylor Swift.

I was a Swifty when i was in junior high school. I remembered that it was probably influenced by my 7th grade classmates (hi, Irta and Shafa haha). I turned to love her music, the lyrics are beautifully written, sometimes relatable. Maybe because TS wrote them based on experience in her life. Every awarding event that needs voting, i voted her through the website or twitter hashtags. Once there was an event held by Walls Cornett* ice cream, where we could redeem codes inside the ice cream packs with TS merchandises. With the limited money i had as a student, i managed to get 2 drawstring bags and i’m proud of it hahaha.

There was a time too when my friend (hi Irta) and i joined a competition for TS birthday project. We made a short stop motion video and won a t-shirt that said “13 SWIFT”. I duplicated the t-shirt in a convection just so we both could have it lol.

If you ask my favorite era among her albums... i think i can't decide one. I will choose Speak Now, RED, and 1989 as my favorites. Tbh i don’t really keeping a track on her since i entered my senior year in high school, but i love to see her giving us a surprise by releasing folklore album at this time of pandemic!

Now, let's go to the second person.

It seems like the pandemic changed our life in many different ways. For some of us, it means we go back to fangirl world or watch some drama again after a long hiatus. For me, i would never imagine that pandemic could make me adore an actor this much —Kim Dongwook.

The first time i saw him was in Along With The Gods : The Two Worlds (2017). The first thing i recognized special from him was his voice. Really, he has that deep voice i rarely heard from any actor. No wonder he got the news anchor role in Find Me in Your Memory. I was impressed by his voice and acting in AWTG as a haunting spirit lol. I searched his profile, but didn't follow his works afterwards.

And then suddenly in the early 2020, i got a news that he has a role in a melodrama, Find Me in Your Memory. I was curious to see his performance in a romance genre, and many people said that the chemistry is great, but i decided to watch it after the drama ended so i could do marathon.

Turned out.. His role as anchor-nim here really impressed me!!

I love this drama so much from the chemistry, side characters, cinematography, dialogues, soundtracks, until the behind the scenes. They gave the best fan service, from the real Yeo Hajin’s IG account that managed by Moon Gayoung herself, until the IG live they had during the drama on going. I lost count on how many times i recommend this drama (click here if you wanna read my review), promoting it like i get paid :(

Since then, i follow his news, watch the other projects of him (i really like The Guest too!), search his interviews including the old ones (eventhough i don't understand Korean haha), made a second twitter account just for spamming and finding friends who i can fangirl with (haha), save his pictures and drama clips to a specific folder in my gallery, joined his fancafe which is full of hangul (thanks to google translate!), and furthermost.... learn hangul, so i can a bit more understand the info they shared lol.

The things i look up from him—besides his charming smile and voice— are that he is a talented, down-to-earth, hardworking, and family-man actor. I'm judging from his answers in some interviews and award speech. He started from the bottom, his debut in 2004 with some minor roles and college student’s film. Then he grows and more people recognize him. He can act, sing, dance. And his personality... seems like he is someone who didn’t talk much when we just know him, but he is taking care of people around him. He sometimes throw jokes and that’s cute. He always mentions his family, his little sister, and how he never regret of his previous works (because some of them maybe shameful or bad).

I don't regret anything because that's my choice. It's okay if the result is not good enough as long as i have done my best. Of course, there's a shameful work too. But it means i've grown up enough so that i could tell that was a shameful work. Wouldn't i have to acknowledge my past so that i could acknowledge my future too?

— Kim Dongwook's Vogue Magazine March Edition interview (translated by @kimdwook on twitter)

And the only thing i don't like from him is... he doesn't have any social media :(

It's kinda sad that once i have an idol, he has no social media and rarely appear even on variety show. He is that kind of public figure who we can only see from his projects. But i'm a bit understand when i read his reason why he has no SNS this day is because he doesn't want to keep revealing himself and feel pressured by people's expectation toward him. Come to think of it, it's understandable, it's better to take care of ourself first. So, here i am digging and digging his old interviews and films :')

Unconsciously, i did many things that are unlike me since i decided to be his fan.

I won't regret it because one of the reason i can survive in this chaotic year is him. I'm not being cheesy, but if you ever admire someone or have an idol, you will understand. He gives a positive vibes and a motivation to learn something new, to have new friends, to work hard. And that just by getting his news is enough to lighten up my day.

#kim dong wook #taylor swift

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incoherentbabblings · 4 years

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I dont like angst for timsteph because I feel like, in pre flashpoint and rebirth they've both suffered and been hurt enough by other people and outside forces trying to tear them apart. So I prefer safe, cute, romantic, happily ever after stuff for them. They're teen sweethearts who end up married to each other, they dont need drama, pain, or angst in order to be interesting, just let them be happy and adore each other, thats my feelings on it

I am a giant sucker for happy endings too! And I do honestly think they get that happy ending cause whenever they’re left alone to their own devices they just kinda… spend time at home, or go for walks, or sit and watch the world go by. Oh! There’s my unpopular opinion for Steph: I think she’s as much introverted as Tim is, albeit in different ways: Tim’s better at making friends, Steph is better at things occurring spontaneously. We joke that Steph is a giant drama llama but what of the reason she loves Tim so much is because he just kind of quietly reminds her “remember what the real issue is.” And she does the same for him, especially in Rebirth stories.

I love that line where he says she’s worth a few ulcers when she’s having a bit of a frustration episode from being locked out again by the Batfam and BoP and just before she finds out her dad died and low and behold just a couple of issues later she’s sat with him on the front porch of her house listening to him spill his guts about how much of a mess Bruce is and how he’s now scared of himself and she just listens with no judgement and reminds him hey regardless of what you call yourself I still love you the Robin/Tim divide isn’t as bad as you think it it.

And then in RR where Tim is trying so hard to be this tough hero and Steph just goes wtf happened to you and bit by bit she cracks through his shell just by being honest in her emotions and what she’s thinking.

There was this interview with Chris Yost and Bryan Miller about the RR/Batgirl in 2010 (aw Jesus. A decade ago. My favourite period in batfam comics was a decade ago and so much has happened since and gosh) and there’s this line that Christ Yost says which tickles my pickle: “Batgirl is one of the most fun books DC is putting out right now, and Steph is like a bright light compared to what Tim’s been slogging through. [Slog…good word for much of Tim’s story arcs post 2004 in my flawed opinion] So to see the two together has been exactly what Red Robin needed at exactly the right time.” i.e Steph gives Tim a much needed reality check and helps him get back on track. It’s a really good interview, talking about how tricky these two’s relationship was at the time and has some other gems if people wanna read it.

I’m going off on a tangent again point is the writer’s keep showing that they make each other happy and more emotionally balanced individuals so I’m sure in time they’ll get their happy ending. Especially prime source of conflict aka Mr Bruce Batman Wayne is more trusting to let them get on with things nowadays.

I also just happen to like melodrama. But only if it has a happy ending. Because otherwise what’s the point???? No emotional catharsis? No thank you. Let them cuddle please.

#dc #tim drake #stephanie brown #timsteph #ask and i'll babble #Anonymous #timsteph meta

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veronicamarsconfessions · 4 years

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Veronica Mars is a show so inextricably linked to its fandom that, in some ways, to talk about the show is to talk about its fans. Veronica Mars fans are so passionate and so vocal that they’ve brought the show back from the dead twice now; when it was in its first run, from 2004 to 2007, their volume and enthusiasm kept the show alive while its dismal ratings argued for cancellation. Veronica Mars has long had the kind of fandom that contemporary shows aim to cultivate in the age of social media, and it built that fandom on message boards like Television Without Pity and pre-MySpace social media platforms like LiveJournal.

“If the ratings weren’t making us feel great, [the TV recap website] Television Without Pity was making us feel like we were doing something right.”

I was one of those fans. I didn’t post about the show online, but I read everything I could find: the debates on Television Without Pity about whether season two was better or worse than season one, the romantic fanfiction on LiveJournal, the recaps and reviews and articles that dotted the internet. When I was in college, I was in love with Veronica Mars, the high school noir about a teenage private detective, and I wanted to know everything that anyone was saying about it.

But as I quickly learned, Veronica Mars’ relationship with its fandom wasn’t purely positive. It was always a push and pull between a fanbase that adored the show but often found itself frustrated with the direction it was going — and with a creative team that was genuinely grateful to its fans yet appeared to be growing ever more frustrated with the task of satisfying them.

That fraught tug-of-war would turn out to be a forerunner of the relationships that today’s shows find themselves building with their fandoms. And nowhere was it expressed with quite as much energy as it was in the question of Veronica’s love life and whether she would ever find true happiness with her central love interest, troubled bad boy Logan Echolls.

A large and vocal segment of the Veronica Mars fandom, the Logan/Veronica shippers, badly wanted for the answer to be yes. The show’s creative team, meanwhile, maintained that the answer had to be no because they believed that otherwise, the tension of the story would die.

As a 20-year-old, I loved the love story between Logan and Veronica, but I didn’t necessarily need them to be together. I liked the angst and the longing gazes that came when they were apart. I didn’t mind an on-again-off-again storyline. I just wanted to be able to imagine that at some point in the future, sometimes far away, after the show was completely over and done with, maybe they would be together.

Now, 12 years after Veronica Mars was canceled in its third season and five years after a movie revival, Veronica Mars is back at last. And in its new fourth season — which came out in a surprise early drop — Veronica Mars gave the world an answer as to whether or not Veronica and Logan would ever be happy together. That answer is both definitive and pointedly, inevitably final.

READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE

#Veronica Mars #Rob Thomas #Kristen Bell #Jason Dohring #Logan Echolls #news #article #fans

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recyclingbin · 4 years

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The Ugly Truth About Korea: South Korea’s Battle Against Plant-Based Diets

Recently, the head of Seoul city’s department of education, Hee Yeon Joe, announced that plant-based meal options will be provided at public schools in Seoul. This is a magnificent leap forward considering that the country has been at war with plant-based diets up until now. South Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) has been publicly promoting meat consumption despite the IPCC explicitly emphasizing the importance of plant-based diet in mitigating climate impact, and despite the fact that South Korea had to bury all domesticated pigs alive and shoot down wild boars last winter due to the African swine fever epidemic. However, this is only half the story of South Korea’s battle against plant-based diets.

It’s a well known fact that national broadcasting companies are often influenced by political agendas. South Korea is no exception. When the impeached former president Geun-Hye Park promised to raise birth rates, KBS, one of Korea’s major national broadcasting services, started airing a television program showing how Korean stars raise their toddlers. Needless to say, it only showed the happy, adorable moments of raising children in an effort to make Koreans want to have children. A similar tactic was used to fight plant-based diets. This time, it was MBC, another major broadcasting company that came to the government’s aid. A “documentary” was aired showing the pitfalls of plant based diets. Here’s how poorly executed the so called “documentary” was.

Despite numerous scientific journal articles showing results that a well-planned vegan diet does not cause nutritional deficiency, the “documentary” interviews a selection of individuals that are on vegan/vegetarian diets or had forfeited vegan diet. One of them is Jordan Younger, who went vegan, decided not to go vegan by recommendation from doctors, then decided to go vegan again after the doctors’ recommendations didn’t improve her health. At the time the “documentary” was aired, MBC she was not on a vegan diet and MBC took this chance, interviewed her as a case where vegan diet can be harmful to health, and included it in their “documentary”. Jordan Younger later writes in 2018 that the doctors were untrustworthy and did not help her health, and she recovered after going vegan again. MBC does not follow up on this nor do they delete their misleading “documentary”. (A link to a portion of MBC’s misleading “documentary”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-DnciRYRE8&lc=UgypUocK2Ty3mKJtzod4AaABAg.8y-sShMGr989AgoGP8f80t).

Okay. So maybe you’re thinking that they just can’t be bothered to delete the video or provide updates. But here’s a bigger mistake that the producers made. It’s well known that vegan diets often lack vitamin B12. In fact, the first thing that pops up on search engines when you search for ‘vegan supplements’ is vitamin B12. Of course, MBC wouldn’t miss out on that would they? A supposedly vegan family is sent to a clinic for health inspections in the “documentary” and obviously, the doctor tells them that they have vitamin B12 deficiency. If the script writers had done just one more search to find out vegan vitamin B12 sources, they wouldn’t have made this rookie mistake. Koreans eat lots and lots of seaweeds and nori. Seaweeds are boiled in soups, salted and grilled as side dishes, added as garnishes, added in cold soups, dipped in red pepper pastes and eaten raw etc. It’s practically everywhere. Seaweeds would be the equivalent of lettuce in the Western world. Being vegan in Korean significantly increases the amount of seaweed intake as it is the only ingredient that adds fishy taste to otherwise bland Korean vegan dishes. Yet, the script writers decided that the family should have vitamin B12 deficiency. This is where I decided that this thing is not a documentary, but another political agenda.

Sadly, most Koreans believe whatever is shown on these major networks. In my early twenties, I was recruited by one of these “documentary” producers to walk down a certain street, confront an aggressively arguing couple, then decide not to take any action and walk away. Another “documentary” trying to demonstrate that most people don’t get involved in other couple’s arguments. But that was in 2004 and not much of a big deal. Plant-based diets in 2015 was a different story. Besides ethics towards animals, livestock industries are destroying the planet. Yet, South Korea’s priorities seem to lie on guaranteeing business for the livestock industry and the government will not hesitate to fool and control its people with poorly scripted “documentaries”.

#vegan #paternalism #propaganda #MBC #fake news #fake documentary #엠비씨 #채식의 함정 #다큐멘터리 #온정주의 #대한민국 #비건 #채식 #plant based #brainwashing #south korea #korea #어글리코리안

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aislamahmadiahoy-blog · 4 years

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Blessings of Khilafat True stories خُذۡ مِنۡ اَمۡوَالِہِمۡ صَدَقَۃً تُطَہِّرُہُمۡ وَ تُزَکِّیۡہِمۡ بِہَا وَ صَلِّ عَلَیۡہِمۡ ؕ اِنَّ صَلٰوتَکَ سَکَنٌ لَّہُمۡ ؕ وَ اللّٰہُ سَمِیۡعٌ عَلِیۡمٌ (103) (التوبۃ :103) Take alms out of their wealth, so that thou mayest cleanse them and purify them thereby. And pray for them; thy prayer is indeed a source of tranquillity for them. And Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. By the grace of Allah we are talking today of a great blessing of Him. A grace that is water of life for believers, a great bounty that is support for the weak and is an ointment for wounded and broken hearts. This blessing of God which can move torments and end calamities is called Khilafat or caliphate. The incidents that occur in different countries of the ahmadi world deepen this concept of Khilafat and give new life to the faith of believers. These miracles are not limited to any border nor belong to specific people, and through these miracles, the Merciful God of the believers brings them closer to him. Their hearts are filled with tranquility and the land of hearts brings more fruit after being more fertile. Let’s enhance our faith through some beautiful examples of this divine blessing. In 2004 our beloved Imam blessed the land of Benin. He arrived at the Mission House at the time of Asr prayer. His holiness asked Ameer Sahib where to pray. Amir Sahib replied that they were going to pray in the tent, set up on the patio. But since it was raining heavily, it was very difficult to pray there. Huzoor gazed up at the sky with all calm and said:- “We will pray after 10 minutes sharp.” Huzoor entered the house. And all ahmadis were surprised because that heavy rain stopped after 3 minutes. People began to say that as soon as Huzoor arrived they saw a great miracle of Allah Taala. Huzoor inaugurated the mosque in Munich, a city of Germany. After the inauguration, Huzoor had to travel to another city. But when he was about to leave he needed some medicine. He advised Doctor Zubair Athar Sahib, an Ahmadi doctor, to bring the medicine. Doctor Zubair arrived at the pharmacy but found it closed. He saw a notice on the door that the pharmacy was closed for lunch break. He got worried because Huzoor needed the medicine immediately. Let’s see what Allah Taala did for His Khalifa. A car stopped by and a woman got out of the car. She opened the pharmacy and told that she had forgotten the keys of his house at the pharmacy and had come to collect them. Doctor Sahib took the medicine and brought it to Huzoor. My dear brothers and sisters think a little bit as God helps and supports his Khalifa at every step of his life. Our beloved Imam loves children so much. When His Holiness visited Australia, the Ameen ceremony was to take place after the Zuhr and Asr prayers, but for some reason Huzoor said:- “Instead of Zuhr and Asr we will celebrate this ceremony after the Maghrib and Isha prayers.” But when his holiness left the mosque he found a man standing on the door who told him “Piare Huzur, I have come with my daughter from very far away and today I have to return back. My flight is at 6 or 7 p.m. So my daughter will lose this blessed opportunity of ameen ceremony by Huzur.” Huzoor very graciously said:- “Don't worry. Bring your daughter and we can do ameen right now. I'm going home, bring your daughter.” He was very happy, called his daughter while Huzur was waiting for them at the door of his residence for almost 6 or 8 minutes. He came with his daughter. Huzur took the Holy Quran in his hand and asked that lucky girl to recite some verses. Then Huzur led them in silent prayer. This is the love of our Imam for us. In 2008 Huzoor visited Ghana on the occasion of Jalsa Salana. After Maghrib and Isha prayer when Huzur used to return home, many African children would begin to sing some poems and Huzur would enjoy the poems. Once, when Huzoor entered the house after listening to the poems, he saw that on the other side of the wall of his residence some children were trying to see him. Instead of entering the house, Huzur came back to those children, touched their faces with his blessed hands, showed them his love, greeted them and gave them chocolates, and returned back. May Allah Taala bless us always with this love. But it requires complete and true obedience to Khilafat. One day in the afternoon there was a strong wind in Africa and some camps fell down, a rod fell on the daughter of one of the missionaries, the girl was injured and was hospitalized and Huzur prayed continuously for her. The next day that missionary had an appointment to see Huzoor with his family. The girl was brought from the hospital and when the family entered Huzur's office, Huzur instantly said to that girl: “Do you know that all night I was praying and praying for you.” When people travel and visit different countries and historic places, they enjoy the beauty and historic facts, which is hundred percent right. But let’s know what our beloved Imam thinks all the time. A sincere Ahmadi from Morocco relates that when he saw Huzur the second time in 2006 in London Huzur told him:- “when I visited Spain in 2005 I greeted my Moroccan brothers during the trip to Gibraltar.” This is our Imam chosen by Allah Taala. When he saw Marroco he remembered the ahmadis living in Marroco. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV, before leaving Pakistan spoke to the membership in the mosque. Let’s feel the depth of love that he had for you and for me. “I did not ask you to be here to give a speech. I asked you to sit here, to see you. My eyes feel peaceful to see you. My heart is delighted. I love and adore you. By God, no mother can love like me.” May Allah Taala bless us always with this love. But it requires complete and true obedience to Khilafat. Ahmadies love for your Imam My dear brothers and sisters! Having deep love for Imam is a great blessing of Khilafat that Allah Taala puts in hearts. Let me mention some marvellous examples. During the visit to Canada on July 4th, more than 5,000 Ahmadis were waiting in lines to see Huzur. It started raining. But nobody moved from his place. They stayed wet in the rain. Many were shivering with cold and their lips turned blue. They entered Huzur's office with completely wet clothes. But no one cared about himself but was concerned if Huzur could be affected by their cold hands. Let’s go to Uganda and see how deep is the perception of Khilafat among the Ugandan women. When Huzur, while visiting Uganda, came out of the airport, a woman started running with Huzur's car holding her small baby in her hands. He would move his face again and again to Huzur so that he could put an eye at Huzur. Finally the child looked at Huzoor and smiled. Then the mother got satisfied. Now I have another wonderful example of Burkinabés. We should ponder upon this and try our best to attend the Jalsa Salana USA. Huzur visited Burkinafaso in 2004. A group of 152 Ahmadis attended Jalsa salana, traveling three days from the Ivery Coast. They said that they had asked Allah Taala for one thing only throughout the journey to grant them an opportunity to touch the Jalifa of time. When Huzur shook hands with each of them individually they couldn't control their emotions. The arab world is growing more and more in the love of Imam of the time. An Egyptian Ahmadi sent a letter to Huzur and wrote the following: “Huzur! You are my Master, my brother, my father, peace of my eyes and my king. I have emotions of love for you in my heart that I have no words to explain. I can only say that I love you I love you I love you.” An Iraqi poet wrote:- “O Imam Mahdi your love is thirst for my spirit, your spiritual light has made palaces in my being. I have become one of your faithful and I feel your love in my person like big and high waves of ocean.” Hazrat Ameerul Momineen ATBA explains this love of ahmadis in the following words: - “When God promises paradise, it is not exclusively about another world but also makes these promises more powerful in this world, to the people showing sincerity, love and loyalty. Whose examples I see every day in the mail. The heart gets flooded with the praise of God. How can a man love the Caliph of time so much for God’s sake only, who is hundreds and thousands of miles away? And the same happens here. In other words, the Caliph also loves them. The same emotions enter the body as a current of electricity. Alhamdulillah alhamdulillah.” A Canadian professor was interviewed in Canada after he visited Pakistan, Rabwah and several local Jamaats of Pakistan during the Jilafat e Rabea. He gave testimony in the following words. “Let the apponents of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community say that Ahmadis are away from Islam and are apostates. But what I have seen forces me to believe that the life of Islam depends on this community exclusively. Islam can spread through this community only. It has the strength and passion that is needed for this task. I thought that after 100 years negligence, weakness and disinterest would have dominated this community. But surprisingly, upon my arrival in London, what I felt in each Ahmadi, was his love for his Imam. I believed that the Ahmadis loved their Imam but I understood after speaking with their Imam, that the Ahmadis love their Imam but in reality their Imam loves them more.” My dear brothers and sisters! who have given your lives in the hand of Khalifa, rejoice that Allah is with our Imam. He blesses every word of our Imam, he blesses every movement of our Imam. Even the followers of other religions feel spirituality in his word and work, and give testimony that he is man of God. On June 21, 2004 Hazrat Ameerul Momineen arrived in Canada. These moments were broadcasted live. The operator who controlled the signal in the transmission truck was a Christian. He was amazed to see the reception. Then he said:- “The concept of the second coming of Jesus that I always had, was the same that I have just seen. The pure and fortunate people, even if they are not ahmadis, do feel that nowadays, our Imam is the true fountain of peace . The Chair of the European Parliament’s ‘Frien’, Charles Tannock MEP UK, spent a great deal of time with Huzoor during the visit. He later commented: “Today we were able to promote peace in the European Parliament and non-violence. ... I found the speech of His Holiness to be truly inspiring.” Where are our opponents who called us cancer? Where are those who accuse us of being enemy of Hazrat Muhammad SAW? The hatred and enmity can not generate but hate. But it is the true Islam which is prepairing the clean hearts for the future of Islam. Bishop Howard Amen, a Nigerian Priest, travelled especially from Switzerland to attend a Jamaat event despite ill-health. Afterwards he commented: “His Holiness (Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad) has changed my entire perspective on Islam. I used to be afraid of Islam. If people listen to Mirza Masroor then the world will change. The doctrine of His Holiness was so mature, timely and appealing. My question is why can’t all the Muslim leaders all over emulate this kind of gentle religious doctrine that tends to unite people irrespective of race, beliefs and background? If there will exist another three men like His Holiness with his message of peace, love for all and hatred for none, I truly believe the world will transform into a better place.” This is the testimony of a man who does not follow Islam, but he is a Bishop. But after listening to the blessed words of the man of God he couldn’t hold his opinion. This is big blessing of the Khilafat that forces even non-muslims to speak in favor of Islam. Let me finish with a message given by our beloved Huzoor atba on the occasion of Khilafat Centenery Jalsa on may 27th 2008. Huzoor said:- So, O, servants of the Messiah of Muhammad(sa)! You the evergreen branches of the tree of the Promised Messiah(as)! I hope that this pledge would have created in you a new passion and zeal, that renewed feelings of gratitude will emerge…so with this passion and zeal and gratitude enter the new century of Khilafat Ahmadiyya. May this 27th of May breathe a new life in us and cause such a revolution that continues to cause revolution in our generations as well، till the Day of Judgement. Our entry in this new era by Allah the Almighty shows that we should strive to become the evergreen branches of the tree of the Promised Messaih (as). ……..So O, my beloved and the beloved of my beloved! Rise up for the defence of this bounty with determination and courage to fulfil the pledge, bowing before God Almighty seeking His help, march forth, because in this alone lies your survival. In it is the survival of your generations and the survival of humanity. May Allah Taala make us what Allah Taala likes, what his prophet, his Messiah and his Khalifa likes. Ameen summa ameen.

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johannesviii · 4 years

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Top 10 Personal Favorite Hit Songs from 2007

18 to 19 years old. Things were slowly starting to get better and better.

15 honorable mentions, but this is still only a top 10. What an incredible, amazing year for music. My favorite hit song for the entire decade is in there! I think everyone already knows what that is because I am, in fact, extremely predictable.

Disclaimers:

Keep in mind I’m using both the year-end top 100 lists from the US and from France while making these top 10 things. There’s songs in English that charted in my country way higher than they did in their home countries, or even earlier or later, so that might get surprising at times.

Of course there will be stuff in French. We suck. I know. It’s my list. Deal with it.

My musical tastes have always been terrible and I’m not a critic, just a listener and an idiot.

I have sound to color synesthesia which justifies nothing but might explain why I have trouble describing some songs in other terms than visual ones.

Second to third year of my History studies. Met a great guy. So great, in fact, that I married him in 2019 because we’re still living together 13 years later. Got my first summer job but spent my first pay on driving lessons, because, again, I needed to get out of my parents’ appartment and knowing how to drive would be good to find a job. I had a much better access to internet. I still had great grades. Things were getting much better.

I stopped making my personal lists of favorite songs that year, and I had an mp3 player, which really opened a world of possibilities even if you could only put something like 40 songs on it, at best.

I was still reading Rock Mag a lot. As you can see, the biggest controversy at the time was what was emo and what wasn’t.

We were alright.

As far as non-elligible songs go, well there’s I Still Remember by Bloc Party (and the fact I can’t put it on the list is a heartbreak and a half) and basically everything from Year Zero by Nine Inch Nails. Nightwish, Epica and Within Temptation all had pretty good albums too.

Here’s a metric ton of honorable mentions first!

Snow (Red Hot Chili Peppers) - Perfectly pleasant song.

D.A.N.C.E (Justice) - Never understood why this was so popular. Still good.

Love is Gone (David Guetta) - Heyyyy another repetitive dance track, perfect.

Miracle (Cascada), Smack That (Akon), Chasing Cars (Snow Patrol), SexyBack (Justin Timberlake) and Say It Right (Nelly Furtado & Timbaland) - Still elligible songs for that year. Still great songs. Still not making the list.

Butterfly (Superbus) - I didn’t like this band, but I liked that song.

Thanks for the Memories (Fall Out Boy) - Same here basically.

Who Knew (Pink) - Not her best, but not her worst by a mile either.

Walk It Out (Unk) - Stayed in my head for days, I swear. I have no idea what the general opinion about it is nowadays. Maybe that’s a humiliating pick and I genuinely have no idea.

Crank That (Soulja Boy) - I do, however, know that the fact this very nearly made the list IS hilarious.

Alive (Mondotek) - Laugh all you want about the tektonik phenomenon, this is still a banger and a half.

Sound of Freedom (Bob Sinclar & Cutee B) - Not as good as Rock This Party. That’s the only thing I can say against it.

Umbrella (Rihanna) - This is an edit because holy shit I forgot Umbrella. It very nearly made the list too. Sorry.

And now, possibly one of the best top tens yet.

10 - This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race (Fall Out Boy)

US: #32 / FR: #71

Almost everyone got the lyrics wrong. The title is way too long. I really don’t like this band of pretentious idiots; if you’re gonna be pretentious at least write about something more grand and epic than your own navel, and go all out (more on that later). Nobody ever really cared about their supposed feud with Panic! At The Disco. And, to make matters even worse, the singer looked exactly like the terrible ex I had punched in the face the previous year.

This is still a damn good song and it’s on the list instead of any of the honorable mentions.

RIP me.

9 - How To Save A Life (The Fray)

US: #24 / FR: Not on the list

You already know I loved The Fray. This song could have apparently also made the previous list but it’s on this one instead. It was overplayed. I still loved it.

8 - U + Ur Hand (Pink)

US: #29 / FR: Not on the list

In 2002, I bought Pink’s Missundaztood album and as you might remember this was the second album I ever bought in my life, right before the gigantic trainwreck that highschool was.

The fact that about five years (that felt like twelve) later, Pink was on the other side of that trainwreck, back in my earphones, just as energetic and fun as she was before, was nothing short of heartwarming.

7 - Je Suis Un Homme (Zazie)

US: Not on the list / FR: #43

I’m not gonna beat around the bush. This song is terrifying.

Here’s a translation. Yeah, it’s about humanity destroying the Earth and itself in various ways, and it’s preachy, but holy shit, how can something be so bleak, so scary and still so catchy. It’s a mystery.

6 - Double Je (Christophe Willem)

US: Not on the list / FR: #2

When I first heard this song, I genuinely thought that was also Zazie and I was like oh wow, she’s learned to have fun again after that bleak, bleak song.

But no. She only wrote it, and it’s sung by this guy. It’s relatable as hell (”When I grow up it’s gonna be easy, I’ll finally know what I am”, “Who’s fault is it? / I’m something and its opposite / Double me”). The fact that a guy had this kind of voice and that a ton of people loved it (enough for him to win a big talent show and make this the second biggest song of the year!) also did wonders for my dysphoria, by the way.

5 - Ta Meuf (Faf Larage)

US: Not on the list / FR: #19

This is a song applying the most obnoxious rap and hip hop clichés about gangsters (and guys in general) to a woman, and she ends up terrorising all the guys and they’re realising these clichés might, in fact, be really toxic.

It’s a great song about gender roles usually seen in this kind of music and instead of being preachy, it’s hilarious, and well-written (I mean, it’s Faf Larage, it’s a given, but still). Check it out.

4 - Relax Take It Easy (Mika)

US: Not on the list / FR: #12

All hail the new king of pop. He was here to stay and what a breath of fresh air he was. This was very much his year in Europe as soon as the album Life In Cartoon Motion dropped.

My significant other absolutely loved this album and we listened to it wayyyy, way too much, and even with all the radio overplay AND the overplay when we were together, I still can’t get enough of this album.

3 - Love Today (Mika)

US: Not on the list / FR: #39

Here he is again!

If this was any other year this would top the list very easily. What were the US even thinking back then to not let this guy chart. Why isn’t Mika a huge star over there too. What is your problem guys. Do you have something against fun or what.

Anyway, here’s possibly the best comment on the music video:

I mean. You’re not wrong.

2 - What I’ve Done (Linkin Park)

US: #38 / FR: Not on the list

Aaaaaaand they’re back. And they’re once again topping my list. Lord have mercy on me. I loved them so much.

This was the first step into their modern sound, less raw, more U2. A couple of years later, when Lacuna Coil released Shallow Life, I used to joke that Lacuna Coil was trying to sound more and more like Linkin Park, that Linkin Park was trying to sound more and more like U2, and that U2 was trying to sound more and more like boring garbage and. I mean. I wasn’t wrong there.

My absolute favorite part of the song is at 2:24, when the music calms down a bit and the lyrics go “I start again / And whatever pain may come / Today this ends / I’m forgiving what I’ve done” and then the guitar explodes again. So powerful. Love it.

And now you’re probably thinking “so... Linkin Park was back, and with such a top quality song and it’s NOT your #1? After you put a Linkin Park song or a Linkin Park remix at #1 for three years in a row in 2002, 2003 AND 2004? What’s going on, Jo? Are you okay?”

Oh I’m more than okay. Friends and enemies, here comes the absolute best hit song of the entire decade and possibly of my entire life so far.

You probably already know what it is.

1 - Welcome to the Black Parade (My Chemical Romance)

US: #59 / FR: Not on the list (shame on you French charts)

I know I keep complaining about stuff I love not charting, or charting but not high enough to make any year-end list, but... How was this even allowed to chart. Why and how did it end up on the US year-end list when so many more radio-friendly hits I loved couldn’t even scratch the hot 100.

I’m not complaining at all. I’m just baffled.

Play the first note on a piano and I’m already a wreck. Heck, I’m pretty sure everyone from my generation is. It was basically our very own Bohemian Rhapsody. It still is. Where do I even start.

Oh. I know. Look at this page from a 2006 Rock Mag, it’s gold.

Yep, they highlighted The Open Door by Evanescence and praised it, and were like “this is very risky and ambitious and we’re not sure you’re gonna like this” for The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance. Hilarious in hindsight.

A few months later, the same magazine was desesperately using double pages to interview them because everyone adored the album.

So in case you’ve never listened to it (I’m... not even sure why I’m doing this since I’m pretty sure even people who don’t like this type of music have tried to out of sheer curiosity), it’s a concept album about a guy (...possibly. I mean there’s a lot of trans and/or nonbinary hints in the lyrics and did you really NEED to make all of this more relatable? What the hell guys) dying of cancer, remembering all the good and the bad things that happened in his life, and since his fondest memory is seeing a marching band once as a child, death arrives in the form of a marching band. He then settles some scores with his friends and family, says his goodbyes, and... and doesn’t die in the end. He ends up surviving the whole ordeal, and the last song, Famous Last Words, is one the most incredible things I’ve ever heard. It’s so propulsive, uplifting and motivating. “I am not afraid to keep on living / I am not afraid to walk this world alone”. Holy. Shit. Sadly, it’s not elligible.

Welcome to the Black Parade is basically the centerpiece of the album, as you already know or might have guessed, but here’s the thing. It also works out of context because there’s already an entire narrative arc within this one song. It’s larger than life. It’s about death and the meaning of existence. It basically contains all the stages of grief, and the conclusion it reaches is that this guy will be remembered and therefore, he will transcend death. It’s full of rage and passion and triumph. There’s key changes. There’s tempo changes. There’s everything. It’s a rock opera in a single song. I put it on my mp3 player immediately after listening to the album, and it’s still on my mp3 player today. I never, ever removed it. I listened to it countless times and every single time, it feels like rewatching one of my favorite movies.

Best hit song of 2007 by a mile. Best hit song of the decade, hands down, and now that the 2010s are over, I’m pretty confident in saying nothing has topped it so far. I’d say “fight me” if I thought this was a controversial opinion, but it’s not even that controversial.

And that feels damn right.

Next up: Is... is this a list with actual filler? Are you telling us there was ONE mediocre year for music in the 2000s? Sounds fake but okay

#Johannes’ bad not good pretty terrible music lists #music #long post #flashing lights #eye contact tw

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steinxramm · 4 years

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What are your favorite Rammstein ships and why?

Richard and Till.

Well, first I didnt want to ship real people I have to say. Then I just fell into it.

Though even when I first started to follow Rammstein (as a kid in 2004), I felt the bond between them is something else. Now that there are a lot more material, videos, interviews etc. I just found out that yes, they are incredibly close.

I love all of the guys in Rammstein, but I have to say the friendship between Till and Richard is probably a core element of the band.... But that is just my opinion.

Several things just prove it to me how close they are and I just adore it.

Just the two of them tried to do a project seperately from Rammstein, but the others didnt like it. I think the song Schtiel is from that time. I listened to it god knows how many times, even if I didnt understand a word. Now they did it again with Let's go...

Not to mention Richard's daughter name is Lindemann and nobody seems to mind it, which I find hilarious, but also interesting 😊

And to be honest, I feel some songs are really about Richard, or the relationship between Till and Richard....

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ivarswickedqueen · 5 years

Text

Falling in love with your best friend

So first of all, I want to wish a happy birthday to my dear friend @lisinfleur, she is one of my best friends here and I love her dearly, so I wrote this for her. I hope you gonna like it, babe. It’s super long lol Sorry I got carried away a little bit ;)

Paring: Marco Ilso x reader

Word account: 6725 (I told you it’s long)

Warning: so much fluffiness, and of course some smut ;)))

Denmark 2004

“You can’t be serious, coach!” the little boy yelled at his coach, who calmly looked at him and repeated his previous sentence. “This is Y/N, and you will give her a chance in this tryout! This is my final decision!” he said firmly ignoring the eye roll from the little red haired boy. “Marco, can you believe this? Coach wants to let a girl play football with us!” he shouted at his friend and captain Marco Ilsø, who just arrived at the training. “And why is it a problem?” Marco asked confused and smiled softly at the little girl with two ponytails. “Because she is a girl!” the red haired boy shouted again. “She can be a girl and also a good footballer, give her a chance, Nicolas!” Marco said and gave you the ball. “Show us what you got, Jerry,” Marco winked at you and you blushed, looking down at your T-shirt with your favorite cartoon character, the mouse Jerry. “I'm Y/N,” you said quietly. “Cool, I'm Marco. I will call you Jerry, because it suits you better. Now stop talking and run over there and kick some ass,” he said and you giggled, looking around if anyone heard him using such a foul language. But nobody paid you any attention so you quickly started running towards the other candidates, not wanting to miss this opportunity. You absolutely killed it and joined the first team without any problems. You were actually better than most of the boys at the team. Only Marco was better than you. It seemed that all the boys were jealous of you and envied your skills and abilities, but Marco quickly became your friend and they have never dared to say anything against you. You and Marco quickly became inseparable. You found out, that you liked same music, same football team – you two could be found every Sunday or Saturday afternoon on the couch of his or your house, watching Brøndby IF playing. You enjoyed the same TV shows, movies, books. You truly found a best friend in that sweet, kind, cheerful, green eyed boy.

Denmark 2012

“Come on Marco, will you dance with your best friend?” you asked, batting your eyelashes at him and he chuckled. “You know that I suck at dancing, Y/N!” he tried to gently decline your offer, but you were stubborn. “Yeah, I know how you dance, I’ve seen you dancing at the club so many times. My sides still hurt, because I was laughing so hard, that I probably pulled some muscle in my abdomen," you teased him. "But please Marco, this is a special day and I want to dance with my bestie. I will lead you, don’t worry,” you chuckled and he rolled his eyes playfully. “OK, Jerry, but just one dance,” he surrendered and you shrieked in joy. “We will have so much fun,” you grabbed his hand and dragged him onto the dance floor, where you forced him to dance three dances with you, before he was saved by his older brother Ken, who couldn’t watch his little brother dancing any longer. Marco came back, panting but chuckling, to his group of friends. “Y/N looks stunning tonight,” Nigel said and Marco had to agree. You looked absolutely beautiful in your tight blue dress and matching high heels. He suddenly didn’t like the way how Nigel was looking at his little friend. He looked mesmerized by your beauty and Marco felt something he has never felt before – a sting of jealousy. He was jealous of the way how was Nigel looking at you. He wanted to start yelling at his friend to stop looking at you like that. On that night Marco realized for the first time, that he has feelings for you. He was confused and scared. He didn’t know what to do. Tell you the truth?? What if you don’t feel the same? He didn’t want to lose you. He had a lot of friends, few close friends, but he had only one best friend and it was you. He couldn’t imagine his life without you in it. But on the other hand he didn’t want to lose the opportunity to know if you feel the same. This was your prom night, so he had the best opportunity to tell you about his feelings. He started looking for you, but when he found you, his heart broke into pieces. You stood under the big oak tree, your hands were wrapped around Nigel’s shoulders, his hands around your waist and your lips locked in passionate kiss. Marco sighed sadly and left the park, with his head kept down low, fighting against the tears which were forming in his eyes. You clearly didn’t love him, you loved Nigel. He knew that you find Nigel highly attractive, so he shouldn’t be surprised that you were making out with him, but it still hurt like hell. He came back to the dancing room and started drinking one shot of whiskey after another. He was barely eighteen years old, so he got drunk pretty quickly, drowning his sorrows in the glass of the golden liquid.

Denmark 2016

You were sobbing loudly into Marco’s chest, cursing Nigel, because he broke up with you. Marco was rubbing your back softly, trying to calm you down. His words usually helped you, but this time you couldn't stop the hot tears as they ran down your cheeks and soaked the soft material of his shirt. You didn’t know why you were here, because Marco was actually the reason why Nigel broke up with you. You have been dating Nigel for three years and everything was beautiful, you were in love, he was your first boyfriend, he was the man who took your Virginity, he was also the man who let you explore the world with him, you two had a lot of fun and you loved each other deeply, but then Nigel started working for a car company and worked a lot in distant locations and you started taking school more seriously so you also didn’t have so much time anymore. Nigel was more and more distant and you started looking for comfort in your best friends arms. Marco was hanging out with you every time you called him; he usually completely changed his schedule because of you, to be with you, to let you cry on his shoulder. And you slowly found yourself falling out of love with your long-term boyfriend and slowly started falling in love with Marco. Nigel figured out what was happening, he was always a good observer, so he said that he can’t date a girl, who is in love with someone else. So you two broke up and you ended up here, in Marco’s arms, crying like a baby, because the destiny probably hated you two. At the same time when you realized your feelings for Marco he started dating his coworker Emma. You buried your feelings for Marco deep inside yourself and learned to be happy for him and his new girlfriend. You two have never become friends but you respected her, because she was making Marco happy and that was all you needed to know. Dublin 2018 – present time

“Omg, Y/N, I can’t wait to show you my new apartment. I felt so lonely when I lived here in Dublin alone, and so did Alex, so living together seemed like the best idea. I honestly don’t know why we didn’t get this idea sooner,” Marco was babbling, super excited to show you his new shared apartment. You flew to Dublin this morning, to pay him a visit and to celebrate your birthday with him. Since he started shooting Vikings you two haven't seen each other as often as you wanted to. Marco was a busy man lately; he was shooting his scenes, giving interviews, posing for photo shoots. Marco became a star over the last few months and you were so proud of him. But no matter how busy he was, he always found at least five minutes to call you and ask you how were your day. He was the sweetest man and your love for him didn’t fade away over the years. It was actually much worse. You watched all of his scenes in Vikings so many times, just to see him every day and to hear his voice. The fact that he broke up with Emma didn’t help you. She couldn’t stand the long distance relationship. She was ridiculously jealous, blaming Marco for sleeping around with his colleagues, especially with Ida after they shot their forest scene together. Marco tried to explain it to her several times, but she always found a new reason why to be jealous and pissed off at him. Marco had enough of this toxic relationship and broke up with her three months ago. You flew to Dublin when they broke up and you were there for him, just like he was there for you, when Nigel broke up with you two years ago. You weren’t dating anyone. You couldn’t start a new relationship, while your head was full of Marco. You knew that it wasn’t healthy, that you were wasting your best years, but you couldn’t change your heart, you couldn’t turn off your feelings for your best friend. Every time when you visited him, you felt yourself falling in love with him little bit more. You discovered things about him, you have never noticed before. How his mouth moved little bit to the right when he was talking about something that he truly liked, how soft his hair were when he got out of shower - you absolutely loved braiding his hair when he let you. You also notice that his ears are actually cute. You loved that little scar on his forehead, he always refused to tell you how he got it, so it had to be while doing something completely silly. You adored his warm tight hugs. You felt safe and secured, when he wrapped his long arms around you and hummed softly into your ear, when you felt insecure, sad or scared. When you were in his tight embrace you always noticed how nice he smelled. But your favorite thing about Marco were his eyes, they were so warm and friendly, they say that eyes are gates to our souls, and when you looked into his eyes, you could see his soul, soul of a pure, joyful, caring, loving and understanding person. But most importantly you loved the way how he treated people, with kindness, empathy, he was friendly, cheerful, funny, helpful and patient, you have never seen him being rude to anybody. You didn’t know anyone who hated Marco. You were completely and fully in love with your best friend and you didn’t know what to do about it. He has never shown any interest in you and you definitely didn’t want to ruin your relationship by telling him about your feelings. You wouldn’t survive his rejection. You would rather swallow your tongue than say something that would make him stop seeing you and befriending you. So here you were, standing next to a happy Marco, listening to his talk about his new apartment, trying your best to not stare at him with heart eyes; not knowing that he feels the same about you, that he is talking so much, to occupy his own mind, because all he wanted to do was to grab your head and kiss you like there was no tomorrow. “Look, the elevator is here,” he said cheerfully and you chuckled. Marco was in such a good mood today and you let yourself believe that it was because of your presence. You were happy that he decided to live with Alex; you met Alex couple times and you found him hilarious, you would probably fall in love with that guy, if you weren’t in love with Marco. Your love for Marco was also the reason why you have never noticed, that Alex actually liked you. He asked Marco about you so many times, trying to get as many information about you as possible to make a good impression on you. He even asked Marco if he can ask you out later tonight and it took a lot of self control for Marco to say that he doesn’t mind as long as you are OK with that. But you didn’t know anything about it, so you were surprised when Marco snapped at you after asking him about Alex. “Just wait a five minutes could you? He is upstairs,” he snapped at you and your eyes wided. “Sorry I asked?” you said clearly offended.

“No, I'm sorry, Y/N! I didn’t sleep well last night and Alex kept singing one song over and over again this morning, annoying the living shit out of me. I'm mad at him, not at you,” he quickly covered the real reason of his snappy reaction. You nodded hesitantly, not being really convinced. Suddenly the static died, leaving you and Marco alone in the dimly lit, unmoving elevator. “What is going on?” you asked him, slightly panicking. “It’s probably nothing, Y/N. Maybe the power went out,” Marco assured you. “Are you sure?” you asked him, your voice shaking; you weren’t the biggest fan of elevators. “Yes, I'm. Are you scared?” he asked you, worried. “A little,” you admitted, already shaking. “Wait a second, I’ll call Alex, he will find out what is going on here,” he spoke with Alex for few seconds, looking at you worriedly. “I am so sorry, Y/N. Alex says that it seems that the power in the whole building is out, they are trying to fix it, but it will probably take hour or two,” Marco said and smiled at you apologizingly, like if it was his fault. He rather didn’t tell you, that Alex said at least two hours, he didn’t want to scare you more than you already were. “Let’s see it from the brighter side, we can spend some time together and talk,” he said with a warm smile and you nodded, slowly going down on the floor, hugging your knees. Marco quickly started talking about Vikings, he told you many stories about the extras and how he pranked Alex many times and how did Travis Fimmel pranked him on his first day of shooting, soon you were laughing so hard that you were crying and you almost forgot that you are sitting inside the unmoving elevator. Suddenly the lights flicked and the elevator moved a little, but not up towards their apartment, but few inches down, for a moment you thought that you were falling down. You screamed and jumped into Marco’s arms, shaking terribly. “Shhh, it’s OK, Y/N, they are obviously working on it, this was a good sign, we will be out of here soon,” Marco tried to calm you down, but you were terrified and clutched your fingers onto his leather jacket and held onto it for dear life. “What if we will die here Marco, what if this is our last hour on this world?” you said in panic. “Stop saying things like that, this is a new building, it is safe. It’s uncomfortable situation, yes it is. But we are not going to die here, stop stressing yourself,” he tried to calm you, but you weren’t listening. It was like if the fear made you deaf. “This might be the last time we talk to each other Marco!” you said dramatically and Marco gulped uncomfortably. You were obviously exaggerating, but it made him think about a lot of things. What if you were right? He highly doubt that you were at any risk, but the idea of dying without telling you about his feelings was eating him alive. “I have to tell you something, Y/N,” he started but you interrupted him. “No, Marco. I have to tell you something, it’s really important!” you said quickly. “No, my thing is definitely more important than yours,” Marco tried to stop you, but you were stubborn. “Shut up and listen to me, before I will lose the courage to tell you!” you said and for the first time in his life Marco started hoping that maybe you want to tell him the same thing he desperately wanted to tell you for years. “Do you remember my break up with Nigel?” you started and Marco nodded, frowning at the memory of you sobbing loudly in his arms. “I told you, that it was the long distance what ruined our relationship, but it wasn’t completely true,” you continued and Marco stayed quiet. “The main reason why we broke up was that I fell in love with someone else. Nigel broke up with me, because he realized sooner than me, that I have feelings for someone I know almost my entire life, that I fell in love with the guy who was there for me from the very beginning, with the guy who always protected me and fought for me against everyone and everything; that I fell for the man who always made me laugh even when my life sucked badly, that I fell for the man who never betrayed me or lied to me. Nigel broke up with me, because he couldn’t live with someone who is desperately in love with her best friend! And I’m sorry that I messed up our friendship Marco, but I had to tell you. This secret is eating me alive for a long years and I can’t anymore,” you ended your confession with tears in your eyes, too scared to look into his green eyes. There was silence for a second and you almost let out a loud sob, when Marco lifted your chin gently and forced you to look into his eyes. You were afraid that you will see pity or disappointment, but what you saw made your heart skip a beat. Marco was looking at you with absolute love and adoration. “Please say something!” you whispered your eyes never leaving his face. Marco started laughing and you gulped loudly, you expected a lot of reactions from him, but laughter was the last thing you would have expected from your sweet Marco. You wanted to escape this small space, but you couldn’t. “Please, at least don’t laugh at me,” you said, fighting back the tears. “No, no, no, I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing because of this whole situation. I'm laughing at the at the destiny, we could have been together for years now, but we were both hiding our feelings and desires for each other, so we ended up hurt and in unhappy relationships. It sounds like a cheap opera and it’s ridiculous,” you were more confused than before so Marco took your hands in his and your eyes once again found his gentle green ones. “I love you Y/N, I love you for a very long time. I realized that on your prom night. You have been my best friend since I was 10 years old. You were always there for me, always ready to help me with anything I needed. You taught me how to swim even though you were terrified of water, you helped me pass the German class, you were the reason why I never failed any classes at school. You taught me a lot Y/N Y/L/N, but most importantly, you taught me how to be a better man, your softness and kindness formed me through the years and made me who I am today. I love you with all of my heart and there is no other woman on this world, who would make me happier than you, my beloved Y/N,” Marco ended his speech and this time you were really crying. You didn’t know if you were crying because of the lost time, or because you were touched by Marco’s words, but you were crying happy tears. Your Marco loved you back. You didn’t ruin your friendship with your confession of love. “Please stop crying,” Marco begged you and hugged you tightly. “What are you doing?” he asked you when he heard you muttering something against the side of his neck. “I am praying to all the gods, to not let us die here today!” you said and Marco hugged you tighter. “Gods won’t be that cruel to kill us now, when we found each other!” he assured you and kissed the top of your head. “They were mocking us for years, this would be an epic finale,” you joked and Marco chuckled along with you. “You know what? Let’s piss off the gods,” he smirked and took your head gently into his big hands. You almost stopped breathing when his lips touched yours. You could literally feel sparks flying around your heads. Marco moved his lips slowly against yours, waiting for a response. You began to reciprocate, bringing your arms to rest around Marco's neck. Marco’s lips were so soft and smooth, you melted against him, thanking him silently that he was holding you in his strong arms otherwise you would fall on your knees. You opened your mouth for him, and his tongue gently slipped into your waiting mouth. You moaned when your tongues touched for the first time, feeling like if you don't ever want to stop touching his tongue with yours. You were slowly kissing for few minutes and you started to protest when you felt Marco pulling away from you, but stifled when your best friend's lips connected with your neck. You let out a soft moan of approval, when his smooth lips and tongue traced the side of your neck. Marco's long fingers wrapped into your hair and pulled you closer to him to kiss you again. You felt warmth pulsed between your legs as he pressed his tongue into your mouth. You buckled your hips against his and he released a quiet grunt into your mouth. Your fingers scraped slowly down Marco's leather jacket. When Marco pulled away to nip at the crook of your neck, you stopped him. "I want this Marco, I really do, but not in the elevator," your voice hitched as you felt Marco's soft tongue travel up your neck, his lips latching onto your ear lobe. “I agree, this is not the best place, but it seems like I can’t stop touching you and kissing you,” Marco whispered into your ear while gently biting the top of your ear shell. His fingers caressed your sides as he kept slowly kissing and nibbling at your neck. “Just let me kiss you, until the power goes back on. I need to feel your skin under my fingers, your soft lips against mine, your beautiful body pressed against mine, this feels like heaven, my precious little Jerry,” he used your childhood nickname and you giggled. Your giggle quickly turned into a long moan, when Marco sucked at your sweet spot. “Marco,” you let out a sexy moan and Marco had a hard time to stay cool and don’t push you up against the wall and have you right there. But you were right, he wanted your first time to be special and not a quickie against the elevator wall. He kissed you again and pressed your body against his so tightly, that there was no space between you two. You loved the feeling of his leather jacket under your fingers. Your hands snaked behind his back, pulling him closer to you, deepening the kiss, making it even harder for Marco to don't ravish you. “Ehm, guys, sorry to interrupt you, but we are here to get you of the elevator,” the fireman said from above your heads and you blushed deeply while Marco scratched his neck while smirking proudly. They quickly got you out of the cabin and you met smirking Alex in the hall. “I see you two had fun down there,” he chuckled and you blushed again while Marco observed his friend. Alex didn’t seem angry that Marco kind of stole you from him. “Sorry bro, I think that you won’t ask her out tonight,” Marco blabbed and you quickly looked at Alex, who didn’t stop smirking after hearing Marco words. “That’s fine, Margo. I said it only to force you to make a move,” he winked at you and Marco looked so confused. “What are you talking about, Alex?” “I’m not blind, I saw the way how you two were looking at each other every time when she visited you here in Dublin. But it seemed like you would never tell each other how you feel, so I thought that making Marco jealous would force him to make a move,” he shrugged his shoulders. “But if I had known that all I need is one unmoving elevator, I would have turned off the power much sooner,” he stuck out his tongue and you gasped. “You did this?” you asked him in shock. “No, I didn’t. This power outage is real,” he said but you still watched him suspiciously. “You should go upstairs, I lit a candle for you,” he said and winked. “And where are you going?” Marco asked him. “Out with Georgia, Jordan and Sophie,” Alex explained. “And you two are not invited, because you have more important things to do,” he smirked and pushed you towards their apartment; he waved at you and ran down the stairs chuckling happily. “He is a dork,” you giggled and Marco nodded. “Yes, he is, but I really love him, he is the most awesome guy I know,” he said and wrapped his arm around your shoulders. “So Y/N Y/L/N, can I invite you into our lovely apartment? It’s probably messy, because Alex is a messy person,” he apologized and you chuckled. “Don’t forget that I know you for your whole life Marco. Your home was always a mess, I bet that Alex is the one who is doing all the chores here,” you nudged his side and he laughed loudly. “Damn it, you know me too well, my friend,” he opened the door and stopped laughing when he saw what Alex did with their place. There were lit candles everywhere, enlightening the whole place with dim light, creating a perfect romantic atmosphere. “He is such a sweetheart,” you said and felt a happy tears forming in your eyes again. You were crying too much today, but you didn’t care. This was the best day of your life. “Damn it, Alex,” Marco muttered under his breath and his green eyes shined in the light of the candles. “Do you know if he is single, because he is such a catch,” you joked and Marco pulled you to his chest again. “He is the best friend ever, but let’s forget about him now,” Marco said and kissed you softly again. He took his time with this kiss, your lips were slowly moving against each other, his tongue slowly danced with yours, while his hands gripped your waist and pulled you closer to him. He was kissing you like if you were made of glass and he was afraid that one wrong move could break you into pieces. You enjoyed it, but you wanted more, so you gently bit his bottom lip, taking it between your teeth, earning a low grunt from him. Your hands slipped under his jacket, taking it off slowly, you kissed, sucked and traced his jaw line humming softly, grinding on him, your tongue sliding across his skin, reaching his neck, were you bit his soft flesh, smirking proudly when you heard his moans. You started unbuttoning his shirt when he stopped you. “Shouldn’t we take things slowly, Y/N?” he asked you while breathing heavily, evidently fighting with his urges. “We know each other for 15 years Marco, I think that we took it slower than anyone before us!” you replied and looked deeply into his eyes. “I trust you with my life, Marco. I know you won’t hurt me, I know that this is not some rushed up one night stand. We both confessed our feelings tonight; we feel the same about each other. I don’t think that I can wait to be yours any longer. Please, Marco, be my birthday gift,” you batted your eyelashes at him, and you saw how his bright eyes darkened with desire. “As you wish, baby,” he kissed you again, this time more passionately. You two moved together, your bodies pressing against each other, lips and tongues seeking each other out. The feeling of Marco's hands roaming your body was amazing. He was kissing you with such passion that you were out of breath soon. "I have wanted you for so long," he breathed out and moved his delicious lips to your neck. You extended your neck to the side, giving Marco more room to trail kisses and love bites. A few moans escaped your lips when he bit down a bit harder, making sure to leave marks in his wake. “You drive me crazy,” Marco mumbled as he apologetically kissed a spot he bit. He reached your blouse and silently asked you with his eyes if it’s OK to take it off. You didn’t say anything, but you grabbed the hem of your blouse and pulled it over your head. Marco grunted when he saw you in your red bra. “You are so beautiful, Y/N,” he praised you and his fingers reached for your breasts for the first time. His touches were like feather, it seemed like he is afraid to touch you, scared that you will vanish into thin air as soon as he will place his hands on you. “Stop torturing me, please touch me, Marco,” you whined when he was admiring you for a long time. “Sorry, my love, this still feels so unreal to me,” he apologized and kissed your neck again, slowly reaching your bra, he slid one bra strap down out of the way of his lips. His hand lowered your other strap, caressing your shoulders while his mouth moved down to the soft mound of your breasts, he unclasped your bra and groaned when your breasts came into light. “So perfect,” he mumbled and cupped your breasts into his big hands. You sighed softly, enjoying the feeling. Marco’s thumbs flicked across your nipples and you bit your lip in pleasure. He started placing open mouth kisses on your neck, slowly going lower and lower, making you sigh happily, your sighs turned into moans when he licked over your hard nipple. Marco took your right nipple into his mouth, drawing deeply and flicking his tongue across the peak. "Marco," you moaned loudly and you cupped the back of his head and arched your back. "Fuck babe, I love it when you cry out my name like this," Marco purred and took your nipple into his warm mouth and sucked it gently, while he squeezed your other breast with his hand and wrapped his free arm around your back. Marco sucked on your nipple harder and flicked it with his tongue as he gripped the other nipple with his thumb and index finger, pinching it. You were panting out loud as you ran your fingers through his honey colored hair, tugging at it, showing him how much you are enjoying his actions. Marco kept kissing your breasts while he started to move his hand down from your breast until he reached your underwear. He slid his hand inside, moaning against your breast, when he felt how wet you are for him. You gasped loudly, tightening your grip in his hair, from the feeling of his hands making contact with your slick folds. "Marco, babe, please..." you begged him, needing to feel his fingers inside you. He pushed two fingers inside and flicked them around. He picked up the pace of thrusting his fingers in and out of you as he placed his thumb on your clit and began to rub it. "Already, my love?" He smirked when he felt your walls pulsing around his fingers after few right movements. "It's been a while since man touched me like this," you admitted and rolled your eyes when Marco hit the special spot inside you. "Have you been with someone since you broke up with Nigel?" he asked softly and you shook your head. "No, every time when someone asked me out, I started thinking about you and I couldn't," you admitted. "I am so sorry that I didn't get the guts to tell you sooner," Marco apologized sincerely. "Let's take care of you baby girl," he smiled devilishly and grabbed your hand and dragged you into his bed room, he pushed you onto his bed and kissed you slowly, leaving you breathless, moving down your body until he reached your soaked core. He was kissing the skin on your thighs, slowly reaching your wet womanhood. You stared at him as he leaned further down and his nose grazed your clit. His tongue ran slowly over it and your body shot up, but his strong hands held your hips in place. His tongue flicked over it couple times before he started to suck it into his mouth. You pulled yourself out off the bed and let out a throaty moan. "Dear God, Marco," you whimpered and you felt him smiling proudly against your clit. He continued to suck on it as you started to shake from the pleasure, the familiar feeling of an orgasm building up inside you. Marco stopped sucking your bundle of nerves and kitten licked it few times, moving it in circles with his tongue. You trashed against the bed, overwhelmed by the pleasure his tongue was giving to you. "Don't stop Marco, please don't stop," you begged him desperately but he had no intention to stop bringing you to your release. He took your clit into his mouth again and you couldn't take it anymore, you started shaking and screamed his name loudly, filling his mouth with your pleasure. He placed sweet kissed all over your body given you time to recover from your earth shattering orgasm. “That was my way of saying >>I am sorry that I made you wait too long<<” he smiled and you gave him a dopey smile. “Am I forgiven?” he asked cheekily and you nodded. “This was the best apology I have ever got from you, Ilsø!” you chuckled and pulled him down for a loving kiss. “Take it off,” you told him and helped him to get rid of his white shirt and black jeans. You ran your fingers down his athletic body, enjoying the feeling of his smooth skin under your fingers, your nails scraped down his torso until you reached his underwear and fisted your hand around his hard shaft. Your hand danced over his throbbing cock, your fingers curling around to cradle him. You ran your hand up the length, reaching his head so slowly, dragging your thumb over the tip, smearing the drop of the pre-cum over his head. Your hand started moving up and down on his shaft, Marco jerked a few times against your touch, desperate for relief. You continued to work his cock, your hand so tight and so fucking amazing around him. "This is MY way of saying >>I am sorry, please forgive me<<," you smirked when you felt how close he was. Suddenly Marco moved too quickly, and before you knew it you were lying on your back, with Marco on top of you. “Let’s forgive each other, babe! Deal?” he grinned and pinned both of your hands over your head with one of his strong arms. He kissed you again to silence your protests. “I hope that you are on the pill, baby girl, because I don’t have a condom and I honestly don’t want to go to Alex’s room butt naked and start looking for one,” Marco hummed against your ear and you giggled. “I am on the pill, don’t worry, Marco. Please stop talking, and start making love to me,” you urged him and he smirked against your cheek. “You are so eager, baby girl,” he bit your earlobe gently. “You are lucky that it’s your birthday, so I won’t tease you any longer,” he nipped your neck, biting it softly, to distract you from the moment when his hard cock slipped into your wet entrance. “Oh gods,” you moaned and dug your nails into Marco’s shoulders. “You feel so good, baby girl,” Marco whispered against your neck, waiting a second to let you adjust to his size. He started slowly thrusting into you, while looking into your eyes lovingly. “You feel like heaven, Y/N. It feels like if you were made for me,” growing impatient with himself he started to increase his pace, his eyes never leaving yours, watching you with such adoration that you felt your heart bursting with love. “I love you so much, Y/N. I love you, I love you, I love you. And I will tell it to you so many times, to make up for the lost time,” he said and you leaned up to kiss him passionately, while wrapping your legs around his waist, taking him deeper inside you. Your arms tightened around Marco's shoulders as he started to thrust, hard and fast. Exactly how you needed it. You were past the point of slow and easy. You needed him to pound you. To take you, to make you let go. Make you his. Every thrust made you gasp, your hips tilting to get him deeper. Every retreat made you want him to come back. Harder. Marco kissed you hard, hearing you moan low in your chest as your lips melded. His tongue slid into your mouth and played with yours, coaxing you into gliding against his with the same rhythm. His thrusts became erratic, you cried out, your arms winding around his neck to hold on as he pounded into you. Marco didn't hold anything back, he was pounding into you hard and fast, groaning loudly as your walls started squeezing his cock deliciously. His orgasm built until he couldn't hold it back and pumped his release into you. Marco's orgasm triggered yours and he felt the strong convulsions of your pussy sucking him deeper. He groaned loudly and carefully fell on top of you. “Happy birthday, Y/N!” he kissed your cheek, trying to catch his breath. “Oh Marco, this is the best gift you have ever gave to me,” you grinned and kissed his upper lip gently. “Well actually, I have something epic for you!” he said and started looking for something on his night stand. “I can't imagine anything more epic than this,” you giggled but watched him with curiosity. “Found it!” he said triumphally and gave you a present wrapped in beautiful bloody red paper. “What is that, Marco?” you asked curiously while unwrapping it. “You will see,” he said nervously, watching your reaction, when you finally got rid of the paper. You looked at your gift and you couldn’t say a word, you were overwhelmed with feelings. “What is this, Marco?” you asked him, your voice shaking when you looked at the book in your hands. It was your book, it was your story, a novel you wrote and sent it to him to read it and tell you his opinion about it. “I love the story you wrote babe, and I know that you think that it’s not worth publishing, but I strongly disagreed, so I sent it to one of my friends, who is a publisher and he loved it. He printed one hundred copies of it and he is ready to start selling it tomorrow, if you will agree, of course. If it will have success, he will print more copies,” he explained and you didn’t know what to say. This was definitely the best gift, you have ever received from someone. Marco was truly your best friend, he knew you too well, you didn’t say anything but hugged him tightly. “I love you so much Marco Ilsø, you have no idea, this is best birthday gift ever,” you whispered. Marco hugged you happily from behind and you two stayed like that for few minutes enjoying each other’s company, looking forward for the future days.

#marco ilsø #marco ilso #marco ilsoe #vikings imagine #marco ilsø fanfic #marco ilso imagine #writing

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