#and albanian is quite fun

[holoki-mistletoe]

i've looked up on google translate how "mistletoe" is said in a bunch of european languages

so far we have:

albanian: veshtull

czech: jmelí 

dutch: maretak

estonian: puuvõõrik

finnish: misteli

french: gui

german: mistel

greek: nki

icelanic: mistilteinn

irish: drualus

italian: vischio

latin: visci

lithuanian: amalas

magyar: fagyöngy

polish: jemioła

romanian: vâsc 

scottish gaelic: druthag

spanish: muérdago

welsh: uchelwydd

i'm trying to pick a favourite and i'm so torn between welsh, dutch and scottish

[bruhstation]

steam team's seniors during their baby years

A friend group so weird and toxic to people they dislike it could rival It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia’s. They're not immune to the "I came to Sodor to avoid my problems and wanted a fresh start" trope many Sudrians also follow

Edward Pettigrew

Age: 31 as of 1984

A kind, friendly NWR railwayman who didn’t mind a lot of things and was popular amongst younger folks for his looks and demeanor. He likes showing newbies the ropes of the NWR and Sodor as a whole because he just loves infodumping. Despite being made fun of by some railwaymen for his “weirdness”, Edward worked hard and was known as the jack-of-all-trades by his peers, usually treating younger and newer railwaymen to drinks after work to get them accustomed to Sodor (he did this to Henry, then Gordon, then James). Originally from the village of Pezë in Tirana, Albania, 1940s. Due to his beginnings in a small rural village and the Albanian government’s censorship of outside influences and heavy restriction of traveling outside the country, Edward’s hunger for knowledge about the world grew more and more. His family had connections to the Lëvizja Nacional-Çlirimtare and Edward’s particularly bright and good at talking, so he became a diplomat to travel outside Albania – a step into his plans of learning more about the world. After landing himself in the United Kingdom and studying everything he wanted, he believes it’s still not enough. He found out about an island infamous for its supernatural occurrences and cases of people missing just off the coast of the UK – Sodor. Being the curious man he is, he discarded everything that’s needed for the LNÇ to locate him and landed on Sodor, gorging himself with every mystery the island has to offer. Impulsive? Yes. But for the first time, Edward felt true freedom. However, Edward got too curious and nosy and became a casualty in an accident fueled by supernatural hysteria related to Lady of the Legend and was transported around 40 years into the future, landing in 1983 with his memories all over the place. Despite losing his sense of self and having no idea what he is, his thirst for knowledge still lives on inside his head. His cheerfulness, amicability, and kindness are extensions he formed to make up for the hole inside his heart. Edward does love his friends, but he believes that if he can withhold information from them and make them all live in blissful ignorance, they can be truly happy – this all stems from his fear of exceeding his limits and being discarded (which he later copes by being a typical wise friendly old man in 1999). He often sees visages of Lady in his dreams.

Gordon J. Gresley

Age: 26 as of 1984

Joined after Henry. Looked like he was fresh out of a funeral. A young hotshot who was more polite, quiet, and reserved compared to his 1999 counterpart. Gordon started out as an apprentice fireman for the Wild Nor’Wester’s previous driver. He treated his arrival on Sodor as a desperate last resort to escape his issues and grief and pitifully believed he was “lumped with the social pariahs in the boonies”, but he’s gotten better and believed that this is where he can truly outshine everyone, much to the annoyance and chagrin of his seniors. Gordon acts like he knows what he’s doing in order to build up his image as someone who’s dependable and strong and revels in small basks of limelight. However, he was constantly uncomfortable with how Edward treated accidents as normal due to their survivors being in tip-top shape the next day and how Henry is so distrustful of and odd about everything and everyone and sweats 24/7, but he’s been masking and convincing himself that he’s not like the rest of them. He’s normal. He’s normal! Let’s all hold hands. Don’t be fooled by his sad face. Young Gordon can be arrogant and think he knows everything for being a youngin.

Henry Stanier

Age: 27 as of 1984

Joined after Edward, so he’s quite close to him. Gordon’s “senior” by 6 months. He’s always, ALWAYS scared endlessly about anything “out of the ordinary” and beats himself up over it, much to his own disgust. Henry had a deep rooted hatred and jealousy towards his peers for pitying him after a coworker revealed to other railwaymen that he’s narcoleptic without his permission. He’s been masking his disabilities despite it being detrimental for his well-being, but as long as people treated him “normally”, Henry would endure (dreadfully). He did this especially with Gordon, the newest addition to the Northwestern Railway at the time, because he didn’t want anyone else to treat him differently when they find out about his health issues. As an extention, Henry developed a vitriol towards Gordon too – he’s particularly jealous about how he’s so “ungrateful” of everything’s given to him like his fair looks, clothes, and position as the to-be face of the Wild Nor’Wester. They did become friends though despite the process not being easy. It’s okay. They became besties that were mean to old nosy folks. Initially wanted to pursue arts, but due to circumstances from his past related to his health and paranoia fueled by his past failures and “jinxes”, he came to Sodor as a half-hearted last resort to get a job. He wasn’t hopeful of having anyone respect him for who he is, but things do get better, much to his surprise.

James A. Hughes

Age: 25 as of 1989

Joined the NWR 5 years after Edward did. At that point, Gordon already discarded his GNR Green look and went for the blue attire (minus the big coat). Flaunts his beauty almost at any given time, especially when someone mildly complimented him. He’s more of a nerd (word used loosely because he acts like a know-it-all when he actually has no idea what he’s doing) compared to his canon, 1999 counterpart. James came to Sodor for a fresh start and believed he deserves more than what he’s given. He thinks he’s so tough and hard as nails – in fact it became his source of hubris because he gets into accidents and was scolded by his seniors for being so vain and stubborn. He doesn’t want to get dirty, he doesn’t want to shovel coal, he doesn’t want to get wet from the washdown suds – he only wants the good out of the work and doesn’t want to accept the “bad” sides as well, so James was branded as the “problem kid” of the NWR by older folks. James, who can’t handle harsh criticism and labels well, grow even more distant with them. He primarily hangs out with the RWS trio because they seem to understand his situation and the feeling of being “outcasted” (despite Gordon’s annoyance at his boastfulness). 

[borisbubbles]

Eurovision 2024: #35

35. ALBANIA Besa - "Titan" 34th place

Decade ranking: 138/153 [Above Vasil, below Mia & Dion]

Besa, darling, this is some GARBAGE.

There you go. My instinctive pavlovian response every time I think about "TiTAN" (*sigh*) since its revamp. End of write-up, the rest is just filling in the dead space. Each time Albania announces a revamp that goes English, the NQ energy comes out.

Sometimes, it's a bit unfair to immediately dismiss a English FiK revamp. Not all of them were without merit, and most still offerend something of value because they were based off good songs.

"Zemrën n'dorë" for ex; was perfectly fine even if the fandom held it in contempt for being "generically Albanian". It was still fun? Besides, "generically Albanian" is like what - Karma or Duje? There are worse places to be, surely. Both still made the final, and were enjoyable in their own right.

If anything, I got a small chuckle out of both of Besa's FiK performances because they underlined Besa's penchant for extra outfits - In the first performance Besa strutted around in badly designed fantasy armour <3

"Every tear's gonna ricochet indeed."

which she then followed up with this Statue of Liberty waifu cosplay

Working her two best assets <3

Sadly, I don't think "Titan" can be ranked amongst the okay revamps of 2011, 2014, 2017 and 2022. It was a fall from the shajte. She took an average song with interesting elements and got rid of the interesting elements, which she then replaced with one of the WORST drop breaks I've ever heard in any song, ESC or not.

The second any of us heard "Titan" in full we knew it was dedge with near certainty, and that was precisely what happened. There were no miraculous turnarounds as with Bambie or surprise outsells as with Aiko and Megara. "Titan" remained uninspired and dull. Even when she was performing it in the semi all I could think about was how hopeless it was. None of the outfits Besa wore in Malmö were particularly inspired and the act was hopelessly stuck in 2017. It's been seven years since Artsvik. Time to move on from the "Hand Choreo into Wideshots" acts, mayhaps.

So, Besa was unremarkable fodder, what's the worry? Why this low a placement? Shouldn't she be ranked amongst the Vladanas and the Ukus?

Well, semi 2 happened to be quite good and even though "Titan" was without question the biggest dud within its line-up, but thanks to its drop and awful act it still managed to stand out as SHIT to me. Which might be worse than not standing out at all. It's one of the two for each one of us, so decide for yourself which one is worse. The fact that "Titan" can easily be forgotten about is its only saving grace, which is the true halllmark of its badness. Once you do pay it even a smidge of scrutiny (which requires considerably more concentration than I'm willing to throw at it), out come the exclamations of "THIS IS NOT IT, BESA."

So in the end, the results spoke for themselves. Besa should have been last place in Semi 2 and that would have been the verdict if she hadn't been the biggest name Albania had sent in years. Even with HER RECOGNITION AMONGST ALBANIANS, she still came second last, with 14 points, the same amount as Victor Vernikos last year, with only a smatting of points from the expat countries, a single point ahead of last place. it was as close a result to nilpoints that Albania could have realistically mustered under the current system, and I can't say it wasn't deserved.

BESA KOKËDHIMA, IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO RETIRE!!!

CAN YOU IMAGINE IF THE OLD FiK SYSTEM HAD STILL BEEN IN PLACE AND THE FIK WINNER HAD GONE INSTEAD?!

This Donkey Kong/Gaston hybrid <3 All he had was arms, a song and a dream. 😭 and I do mean that literally because the one thing Mal didn't have was performance talent. Throwing partitures around ♥ flexing ALL the time ♥ the adlibs, the shrieking, the "fucking hell" ♥ All while sounding like someone throttling a turkey ♥ How did this win a JURY VOTE ♥ Mal would have NQ'd too but it would have been FUNNY and ICONIQUE and MEMORABLE, all traits "Titan" did not have. 😭

HOORAY, we've already made it out of the ~Dislikes~. Yep, only *three* reds/oranges this year. Told you this year's entries were good. Time to rank some bores, mediocrities and mixed bags for the next few days, I guess.

THE RANKING

[aijamisespava]

2023 vs. 2024 Part 3: Semi-Final 2

Closing out our look at the 2024 songs, we have the songs performing in this year's second semi-final. And just like in the previous post with Luxembourg's entry, I will be discussing Romania's 2023 entry to balance things out and make sure all entries from countries I am willing to cover are covered.

Romania: D.G.T. (Off And On). We all know that I actually liked this song. The music is good, the vocals were great, and Theodor Andrei has great potential to be a star. TVR screwed him over and ruined his experience, so I can only hope that he returns and does really well as revenge for 2023.

Austria: Who The Hell Is Edgar? vs. We Will Rave. Winner: Who The Hell Is Edgar?. We Will Rave will absolutely be a summer hit this year. It is made for that, and Eurovision will give Kaleen the jumping board for the summer hit that her song will become. But, I have a soft spot for Who The Hell Is Edgar?. My sister and I still joke (over a year later) that we are Teya and Salena. Plus, I do love Edgar Allen Poe's work...and he's from Boston where I'm studying...so...yeah.

Malta: Dance (Our Own Party) vs. Loop. Winner: Dance (Our Own Party). Loop is a party song. I could see myself going out with my friends and dancing and singing to this song (we're not professionals, and drinks are involved. Do with that what you will). But Dance (Our Own Party) is an introvert anthem. Much so that as an introvert myself, I added this song to my playlist!

Switzerland: Watergun vs. The Code. Winner: The Code. Switzerland gets off the male ballad train that they've been on and sends a banger, send post. In all seriousness, The Code is an EXPERIENCE when listening. Nemo's mix of so many genres, in my opinion, is an appeal to everyone. I will say that Watergun is beautiful, and a great way to end Switzerland's male ballad era.

Greece: What They Say vs. Zari. Winner: Zari. What They Say and Victor Vernicos deserve a lot more love than the fandom (including myself) give it. It's a wonderful song about anxiety that anyone can relate to. Yet, there's a theme to some of the songs this year where more ethnic pieces. We have a lot of languages returning after not appearing in the contest ever or years before. And Zari adds to the list. While we last saw Greek in 2022, the song (and video) is an ode to Greece.

Czechia: My Sister's Crown vs. Pedestal. Winner: My Sister's Crown. Pedestal has been a steady grower on me for a while. It's got quite the punch, that the revamp didn't kill when it came out earlier this week. But keeping a theme of songs with personal meaning, My Sister's Crown has that between the two.

Albania: Duje vs. Titan. Winner: Duje. Now if we were talking about the Albanian version of Titan, then we may be having a different conversation. Titan is good, but I feel the charm of the original version got a little lost in the song. Maybe that version needs to grow on me a little more. Then with Duje, keeping the song in Albanian worked. The revamp was more of a cleanup to make it sound a little better, which certainly helped.

Denmark: Breaking My Heart vs. Sand. Winner: Sand. Breaking My Heart wasn't as horrible as some may recall. It had a fun hook and was a great song to dance to. But Sand is amazing. The music has a groove, the lyrics hit, it's a complete package! It's a song that I really hope qualifies as some may see it as a glow up for Denmark.

Armenia: Future Lover vs. Jako. Winner: Future Lover. Both Future Lover and Jako prove great arguments either way. Jako is a fun song that feels like I'm at an Armenian party and Ladavina pulled me in to dance with them. Future Lover is a powerful ballad with a gentle mix of genres that I still joke about my future lover listening to.

Estonia: Bridges vs. (N)NETM(K)M *I'm not typing that*. Winner: Bridges. Yeah, no. I'm not typing that title. It's been steadily growing since I first heard it with the Eesti Laul songs. It's catchy, has a dance, and still should close the 2nd semi-final. Plus, the translation of the title alone is enough to send me. But my heart goes out to Bridges. I do love my ballads, and between the two I like Bridges more. But 5MIINUST and PUULUUP definitely have a point.

Georgia: Echo vs. Firefighter. Winner: Firefighter. Yet another tough decision as I liked both Echo and Firefighter. The songs are both iconic and sung really well, which only adds to the difficulty that it is picking. But Firefighter is another one of those songs that have been stuck in my head for a while now, which is great considering it was one of the last songs to be released.

Netherlands: Burning Daylight vs. Europapa. Winner: Europapa. Europapa is the Eurovision song this year. Every year, there is one Eurovision song that SCREAMS Eurovision, and Joost made it his mission for that to be his song. And his mission was succeeded, and the reward is this win. Burning Daylight was a great song that saw a lot of fans disappointed when it failed to qualify. But when choosing between that and Europapa, Europapa is it.

Norway: Queen Of Kings vs. Ulveham. Winner: Ulveham. This was yet another tough choice as I love both of these songs. Queen Of Kings is a powerful anthem that deserved its spot in the top 5. But as I mentioned when the National Final happened, Ulveham sounds so much like stuff I listen to outside of Eurovision. And I'm still in awe every time I hear it that it is real and it is happening!

Latvia: Aijā vs. Hollow. Winner: Aijā. We all knew this was going to happen. Sudden Lights put me under a trance which ended in my becoming a fan of their other music as well. It topped my Spotify Wrapped, it was my everything in 2023. They're a tough act to follow. Dons does this with Hollow. While it was a good choice for Latvia, I worry still that it may be too safe an entry. But it is a good, slower song in a year of high-energy bops.

San Marino: Like An Animal vs. 11:11. Winner: 11:11. Like An Animal was one of the entries that I didn't like at first, but by the end of 2023, I would be content if someone played it. But 11:11 is quite literally up my alley in the music world. I love rock (especially women-led rock), and I really hope that they get enough votes to bring San Marino to the Grand Final.

Belgium: Because Of You vs. Before The Party's Over. Winner: Before The Party's Over: We end this journey with one of the most obvious choices in the list. Don't get me wrong, Gustaph brought a great song that showed all of Europe (and the world) that Belgium is back to the way it was back in 2015-2017. But HOLY CRAP. I knew I was in for a treat when getting Mustii's first impression, and I was so blown away by Before The Party's Over. I still haven't been able to stop listening to it quite yet!

[popblank]

Eurovision Semifinal 2 viewing notes: 

Haha, the pre-show screen is displaying “GOOD TO GO!” I am both amused and annoyed that the new guy’s catchphrase might be growing on me.

Denmark, Reiley, “Breaking My Heart” – For a song where so much of it is in his upper register, his voice is not particularly strong there.  

Oh look it’s Daði Freyr in the green room.

Armenia, Brunette, “Future Lover” – Very cool staging, really good use of lights and projections. Sounded good as well.

Romania, Theodor Andrei, “D.G.T (Off and On)” – Theodor Andrei looks like quite the theater kid. Glad they went in a different direction than the national final performance though I am not sure if it presents the song to its best advantage.

Estonia, Alika, “Bridges” – Very good singing. Another uncomplicated staging that relies heavily on the performer and she is carrying it well.

Belgium, Gustaph, “Because of You” – I like that the backing singers are prominently featured onstage and in the performance. Very solid though I can’t remember the song when it’s done.

Scooch! I have much warmer feelings toward them than I do for Dustin the Turkey.

Cyprus, Andrew Lambrou, “Broken Heart” – I see we’re steadily moving along on the spectrum of masculine presentation in this semifinal. Seems like vocals are much stronger overall tonight so far, though I do hear a noticeable backing singer in parts.

Iceland, Diljá, “Power” – Hmm, started well, but she started at 99% and kept turning things up. It’s a very physical performance which feels just a little bit out of control.

Greece, Victor Vernicos, “What They Say” – Greece feels rather similar to Iceland in terms of performance, except with a little more anxiety.  The outfit makes him look his age.

Poland, Blanka, “Solo” – It was better than expected, I guess.

Slovenia, Joker Out, “Carpe Diem” – I had a lingering headache before this show and the wobbly side-to-side camera work here is not helping. Singing was good, but it was hard to watch.

Georgia, Iru, “Echo” – Her costuming and styling looks good. It was very dramatic (as expected) but the song has a odd lack of momentum. The chorus gets old quickly.

San Marino, Piqued Jacks, “Like An Animal” – The performance seems to be leaning a bit into the sleaziness which is probably not a bad approach, especially since the lead singer sings well and manages to pull off "sleazy” without straying into “creepy.”

Austria, Teya & Salena, “Who the Hell is Edgar?” – I like the color scheme.  They sound very good singing together and I usually like it when the LED displays are used to create the effect of having lots of backing dancers.

Albania, Albina & Familja Kelmendi, “Duje” – As songs performed by vocal groups at Eurovision go, this is pretty decent, is refreshingly straightforward in its concept, and seems extremely Albanian.

Lithuania, Monika Linkyté, “Stay” – The chorus has a nice swing, and I just like the sound of a group of women singing (see also: Portugal 2022). Improves upon the official video performance.

Australia, Voyager, “Promise” – The songs may or may not be better tonight, but the average vocal performance in this semi with only a few exceptions seems to be far and away better than in the first semifinal (and Australia is one of the better ones).  Not sure about the car but it does seem to fit with the cheesy neon ‘80s vibe.

Interval act: I think this may be the first time in years of watching Eurovision when I would have liked a commentator to provide background details.  It was enjoyable but I would like to put some names to the historical faces.

Hannah Waddingham seems to be having a great time as a host.

That was a fun performance, yet I can’t help but be reminded that fearful and narrow-minded people in many US states would like to make that illegal.

I can hardly believe they even thought about doing the finalist announcements on stage, and am very glad they reconsidered. I do not want to see the cameras wringing pathos from images of disappointed non-qualifiers, and I absolutely do want to see the joy of a contestant being engulfed in hugs and flags by their delegation.

[deep-hearts-core]

2008 - semifinal 1

originally posted 7/13/20

Iceland  Love the vocals here - especially the male singer's voice. This is typical eurosynth, but I think the performance was done really well - the dance routine wasn't bad and it wasn't over the top, the singers stayed strong throughout the entire thing, and everything was just the right amount of energetic. Sweden In terms of song, I really love this entry. The lighting at the beginning sucked though - maybe it was intentional, but I didn't like it - and the dance routine felt kind of off for most of the song. Everything really locks in by the key change though - it's a really well done key change and the choreography worked there too. Charlotte also is a strong vocalist which helps.

Turkey This is good. Not usually my style but I think the song is done well - and I do also think it benefits from being in Turkish, if I knew what they were singing about I might not like it as much. Lead singer sounds really good. Ukraine Unpopular opinion time: I hate Ani Lorak's voice. I've hated it even since before we found out she's a shitty person. It just doesn't do it for me. Ani aside, the rest of this performance is STELLAR. The choreography is so good and Shady Lady's a fun song. This staging... like, this was the prototype for Sergey Lazarev right here. Lithuania Camerawork here is good and I like the simple staging, but Jeronimas' voice is... idk I hate it. Like he's hitting all his notes and whatever but I just don't like how it sounds. This song also puts me right tf to sleep. Albania I don't think Olta's voice is the best fit for the song, but otherwise it's beautiful! The song is great, I think it's probably one of my favorite Albanian entries. Switzerland In many ways this performance is very modern, especially at the beginning - it sounds like a ballad that could be from 2013 or even later. I wonder how well this could have done on a modern stage. The vocals here aren't stellar but I do think they add an honest quality to the song. Czechia Weak vocals, clumsy staging, and the vocal line doesn't match up to the instrumental at all. This is bad. Not the worst but... bad.

Belarus Mediocre song with mediocre vocals, but this was absolutely elevated by that staging. I liked the set pieces, they were visually interesting and used well, and appreciated the fireworks at the end. Latvia The chorus is catchy, but idk. Yall know how I feel about joke entries, and, well... this is one. Croatia This is a song on the better side of okay for the most part, but every time the angry old man comes onscreen yelling or scratching the gramophone it just kills the vibe. Like what is this even supposed to be? Bulgaria Well, this is something. Vocals are good but beyond that I really have no idea how to feel about this. It's far too repetitive for me to like it. Denmark I feel like I should like this more than I do. Yeah, Simon's a good singer, but the song is just... idk, I don't like it, I don't like the staging, I don't like the vibes that this is giving off. Georgia Not a favorite, but the costume change was cool, and I think Diana's voice works well with the song. Hungary While I'm not wild about this entry, I don't think it deserved to place dead last. The background and set were cool and the song was nice.

Malta I love this??? Like yes it's a dumb song about vodka and spies but also it's performed really well, the song is SUPER catchy and Morena has a good voice for it that's serving her well here. The performance was fun to watch too! The hook with the "na zdorovie!" bits is just... like, I'm jamming out here at my desk. Cyprus I like this insofar as I like the whole Disney villain thing she's got going on, but Kadi didn't seem very comfortable in the choreography, so as cool as it was it never quite locked in. She did have good vocals, though. Also, the song kept moving around in terms of tempo and form which was weird. North Macedonia This is alright... it seems on the verge of falling apart for much of the song in terms of staging and structure but it manages to hold itself together. Tamara's vocals here aren't nearly as good as they were in Proud, so... I do like the "let's go let's go let's go" section." Portugal I don't get why everyone likes this so much. I mean, it's okay. Vania has great vocals here and the staging is good but it's not anything that makes me excited. I kept sitting here expecting to like the song and then I just... never did.

My personal qualifiers Sweden Iceland Ukraine Albania Switzerland Malta Turkey Belarus Georgia North Macedonia Miscellaneous thoughts I love how Lys Assia came back to so many Eurovisions. I miss knowing that she's, like, out there in the world existing... I also wonder what she thought of the way Eurovision had evolved. She must have liked it, if she kept coming back to visit...

[abuddyforeveryseason]

This is the Buddy for September 9th. There's nothing special in particular about him, other than the transparent background. It's not like it's hard to make a transparent PNG file on FireAlpaca - in fact, if anything it's harder to make sure it's not transparent, since it usually converts to full black when I save it on paint, which means the hair becomes invisible.

But I wanted to make it this way so I could show this off:

heh heh heh

If you have a transparent .png, you can make your own at:

In the Ed Helms 2015 Vacation movie, his character ends up renting a goofy-looking Albanian car that's incredibly complicated to use, has all sorts of weird functions and poorly-translated instructions. My cellphone is the chinese real-world equivalent to that car. the OS is all locked down so it's a pain to install new apps, and get them to work. there's a bar to change screen configurations and a shortcut physical button that maps automatically to one of them (good luck not pressing it by accident). There are no compatible cases or covers. I have to change the settings before acessing any data on an SD card with an app (and it's quite a misadventure translating the chinese ideograms to find out how to proceed). And what weirds most people off is that the screen never goes black. Even when the phone's shut down, it shows a different lock screen. They act like the thing's posessed.

But at the same time, I wanted to buy it. I like trying out new technology. And I know if I didn't, whenever I went online I'd end out looking for it again and wondering what it'd be like to have it. Of course, now I've got this weird device in my hands, and the thing's going to last for years. I'm not buying a new one until it breaks. And it'll be a long time before that.

This rant has nothing to do with today's Buddy, other than the vague idea of trying out new stuff - try that site out, I promise it's a lot of fun. Not at all like the weird phone thing.

[makingqueerhistory]

Hey do you think you could compile more information on queer Albanian history?

Hello, this is a great question! First let me say, that what we do here isn’t quite compiling the queer history of countries, though if anyone knows of a project that does do that please leave a link. I write individual articles about people, places, and things from queer history, and right now one of the project’s biggest goals is to have at least one article for each country on our shared planet. Slightly ambitious maybe, but we are playing the long game.

As for Albania, we have written an article that is about Bajazid Doda, an Albanian queer man. Fun fact, this is one of the articles I am most proud of writing, and I have a soft spot in my heart for Bajazid Doda. That being said, just because we plan on writing at least one article for each country, doesn’t mean we are unwilling to double, or triple, or quadruple up on countries. 

There are only a couple of countries that have hit the roof for how many times we are willing to write about them and those are America and Britain. France and Germany have hit a softer limit, which means I am willing to write about someone from them, but will generally pick another person if I have the option. 

Albania is on a whole other list, a longer one that includes all the countries I have only barely mentioned once or twice. This means if I see a name from there during my research I will go looking into it right away and add it to my list ASAP. Countries on this list are not quite as high in priority as the ones that haven’t been mentioned at all, but they are still high up there. 

So this is a long way of saying, yes, Albania is hopefully going to get more coverage from us, but if you want that to happen faster, feel free to share some names or events that we could cover. If you don’t know any, don’t fret, just by messaging us about it, you have pushed it to the forefront of my mind and I am going to be keeping my eye out for any mentions of it for the foreseeable future.

[its-afucking-mess]

Unorthodox (Chapter 11)

im finally back :D

Masterlist :))

Taglist: @icouldbeyourpuppet , @mywritingonlyfans , @oro-e-diamanti , @bidet-and-legolas , @cheese-toastie-11 ,  @lasciatemi-stare , @sofckinelectric , @juststalking , @petit-poussin , @glittermalia , @unitersmoonshine , @ethanesimp , @katyldamusic , @superchrystaldrug , @crescenttears , @maneskinrollercoaster , @ethaneskin

__________

The train ride was only an hour and a half. It wasn't supposed to be anything special. But it was.

Entering a train felt something like trying to find your class in a crowded hallway of school. Everyone held something in their hands, varying from simple backpacks, to full on pet carriers and big, plastic suitcases, covered in stickers from all kinds of airports.

There was a silent vow to hurry, with Damiano dragging you around, practically running to your seats.

They weren't the best seats, but for 20 euros you couldn't ask for much.

Damiano instantly melted into his seat, his bag between his legs as he stretched his hands above his head.

You dug through the backpack, looking for a random book you tossed in the bag, for some sort of entertainment.

Damiano had already closed his eyes, head supported by his arm. It was obvious he wasn't going to manage to stay awake during this, and it didn't really bother you that much.

As long as you had something to do, Damiano's doing was to himself.

The book seemed to be just Italian classics when you took it out of Damiano's parents' bookcase. It had the typical white hardcover, silver and gold foil lacing the spine.

It turned out to not be just classics, instead being a bunch of poems and poets' works from the ionian islands and adriatic coast.

It was quite interesting, the book highlighted the grammatical and syntax differences of Italian, Greek and Albanian texts.

Most of them were themed around the wars from the past centuries. Some told the stories of courageous fighters and defendants of the Roman and Byzantine empire, embracing the flaws in their systems that brought many of those soldiers down.

Some others were songs of the people, telling stories and fairytales with the convoy of traditional music, an upbeat, feminine voice, a good laugh, some fine wine, a fun dance.

There were countless generational differences between the poems themselves, let alone your current generation and the poems. 

It was uncommon for people's parents to like multiple kinds of literature at once, allowing them to have a more unbiased approach to art. It really made you think you and Damiano's parents would get along.

You stopped your thoughts there, flipping the book upside down on your lap to keep your page.

Why would you need to get along with his parents?

Ever since the "friends" incident, your brain isn't letting you catch a break. 

Every time there's a thought about being with Damiano, romantically, you shut it down before you can even process those feelings.

Behaviour normally helped people figure this stuff out. Memories of your school friends googling '10 signs he loves you', being excited over watching the two minute long YouTube video that just described the behaviour of teens when they tried to impress a crush

You remember rolling your eyes, thinking their behaviour was childish and weird. You remember swearing you would never fall that low.

Yet, here you are, on a train for the first time with a person you barely know, on your way to a city you've desperately wanted to go to since you were a kid.

It felt different though. Your friends crushed over the boys of the basketball or swim team, acting fragile and small around them to capture their attention. It was more like they seeked their validation, rather than actually liking them. 

And of course the athletes of the school wanted to have trophy wives next to them, doing the clichè of kissing after winning a game in front of everyone.

For you, it was more like you wanted to be close with him. Constantly. Validation from him was always a given in your head, even when he grimaced, scrunching up that adorable face of his. You wanted to be his person, the one that supported him and be the person he supported.

It was like a fever, the scenario where you and Damiano had already confessed your mutual love for each other and lived your life as you had dreamed it. Away from toxic parents, enforced religions and people guiding your every move. You wanted to be free with him, you wanted him to help embrace your spontaneous side, you wanted to help him embrace a better relationship with planning ahead.

You wanted to go on those late night dates by the beach, those picnics under the Mediterranean sun and those forest walks when it's overcast. You wanted to play in the snow with him, kiss in the rain with him.

You were hopeless, and you knew nothing. Those two traits were ruling you, and they characterised you better than any other words.

Damiano shifted in his rest, head now over the book in your lap as his back arched over the hand rest, and his feet bent at the knees, shoes trying to fit in the seat.

His hair was all over, soft curls tangled in his lashes and stuck to his lips.

His hand was on his chest, rising and falling with his breaths as they deepened again and he fell asleep again.

If only you had his rest. It took you hours to sleep.

There was a soft rumble as the train rode over some gravel, his face now impossibly close to you. 

You sucked your stomach in with all you had, not wanting to ever disturb the sleeping man.

It hadn't been over half an hour, and already there were loud announcements echoing in the train.

"Please mr. Rossi Luca make way to the reception, thank you"

"May mrs. Parrè Rosa make way to the back of the third carriage to collect her belongings"

"If Mr. and mrs. Rià make way to their seats to control their pet"

They were annoying, and incredibly loud. The announcement 'beep' every time had the whole carriage groaning and shifting. Your seat had been kicked a good 5 times in 10 minutes, as the man behind you couldn't seem to get comfortable.

Damiano shifted in your lap at the 9th announcement and he rubbed his eyes as he tried to wake up.

"Rise and shine" you commented, trying to fish your book from under his head.

He just flipped around, his belly folding inwards as the arm rest dug in his stomach. His head continued to reside on your thighs, and you wouldn't mind if his hand wasn't stuck on them.

As he tried to lull himself back to blissful sleep, his hands roamed around your thighs and back to get more comfortable.

The pressure of his right hand squeezing in your inner thigh, thumb brushing circles and tapping as he got more annoyed at the lack of sleep, combined with the rumbling and shaking of the train had you squirming. 

It wasn't something you were proud of, and you weren't even aware he would cause such a reaction out of you that easily.

Your heart went out to the girls that got raised to the heavens by their crushes holding their waist, or the ones that got to ride the shoulders of the strongest swimmer.

He seemed to finally rest, ceasing all movement besides his warm breath hitting your jeans.

It took you a second to get yourself together, and you focused on your book again, letting the ride pass.

And it passed quite quick, only getting about ⅔ done with the book as the announcement rang.

"May all passengers with final destination Santa Maria Novella station, Florence, collect their belongings and approach the doors of their respectful exits, as we pull in the station in 5 minutes"

You stretched your upper body, shaking Damiano awake from your lap.

His eyes opened as he startled, groaning when he realized he was woken up.

"Wake up you ass. We're almost there" 

Damiano just buried his face back in your thighs, trying to delay the inevitable.

In response, you get up, almost making him fall to the floor, had it not been for the armrests on your left and right.

He tried to glare at you, ultimately losing his grip and the train suddenly braked, his legs falling on the floor with a soft thud.

"Oops" you say, trying to hold back laughter as you picked up your bag. He just pouted, grabbing his own stuff and getting up.

"Lead the way" you smile at him, and he just gives a final, weak glare, handing you the backpack as he held on your free hand, ushering you both out the train.

The sky was grey, clouds quickly passing through the sky as the wind went particularly hard.

The clock in the train station read 7:37am.

Florence was sure busy, even before 8am. 

Damiano pulled you around, relying on his intuition as you made your way to the outside of the big building.

"First, we go to the hotel. Unpack, shower, rest for a bit. Grab something to eat. It isn't far, I checked, we can walk"

The taxi rank outside the station was full of white vehicles of varying styles and manufacturing companies. There was a long line of people, mostly big families, waiting for their drive to the sea resort they booked to escape their schedules. The drivers seemed equally excited, ready to drive the tourists far and increase their earnings.

Damiano came to halt, and you followed suit.

"Maybe wear it like this, it's less on your hands," he suggested, taking the travel bag, flipping it vertically and threading the handles as if wearing an oversized backpack.

"You down for some takeaway coffee? I don't think there's that many shops open right now," he pointed out when you started walking again, your hands intertwined with a strong grip, not wanting to lose each other in your sleepy state.

"I'm fine with whatever. Your choice" 

Damiano dramatically sighed, rolling his eyes with a smile.

"Better for us to enjoy coffee without heavy bags on our backs," 

You nodded, picking up your pace as you crossed quite the wide street.

"Have you been here before? You seem to know where we are going" 

Damiano scoffed.

"Are you doubting my navigational abilities?" he asked, squeezing between two parked cars.

"No, if anything I was praising them"

He smiled simply, glancing at the street sign.

"Good" he just said, pulling you harder as you both ran across the avenue.

It indeed wasn't far, the hotel standing out slightly from the buildings. It seemed well-taken care of, and any doubts of being scammed left your head as you neared the lobby.

Inside, the reception was lavishly decorated weirdly enough, occupants moving to the breakfast room to enjoy some warm, fresh food the hotel had to offer.

Your own stomach growled in protest, and Damiano's chuckle made it obvious he heard.

"Good morning" the man behind the counter greeted, his undivided attention on Damiano.

"We booked a room under the name David a few days ago?"

"One second sir," he replied, typing on his computer with a smile.

"Right, Mr David. How many key cards will you need me to provide you with?"

Damiano raised three fingers as he took out his ID and driver's licence, waiting for the worker's approval.

The man's eyes skimmed over both cards, approving with a nod and handing Damiano a small, cardboard card holder, the number 628 written on it with a pen.

"The room is located on the 6th floor, the elevators are over there," he said, pointing to two, disguised with tapestry boxes, which loaded off a family, "and it should be on your right hand side as you exit the elevator. The cards should be returned to the reception by 11am the morning of your exit, or from 6pm until around 9pm, the night of your discharge"

Both you and Damiano thanked the employee, making way to the empty elevator, hand in hand.

It took you a hot second to make your way up, and a few meters down was your room, the door painted a soft beige and the numbers engraved on the wood, gold paint in the groves to make them stand out.

Damiano inserted the card, the door opening with a click as he pushed it in.

It stuck to a magnet placed behind the door, allowing you to walk in without it hitting on your backs.

He kicked it shut softly, and threw down his bag on the floor, preemptively crashing on the bed.

"Shower first you plebeian" you commented, hitting him with his phone, tossing it to him.

He giggled into the sheets, turning only his head to face you as you set your bag on the right side of the bed, by the window.

"You shower first" he whined, getting up from the bed and sinking to the floor.

You rolled your eyes.

"Fine. If there's no warm water don't blame me"

You heard him gasp dramatically, and you saw a glimpse of brown hair on the floor as you closed the bathroom door.

It wasn't nearly as cramped as expected, a decent distance separating the shower from the toilet and the sink.

In an instance, your clothes were shucked to the floor and you were closing the glass door behind you, letting the warm water fall on your body instantly.

It soothed every aching muscle from the uncomfortable train seat and it helped you wake up, ironically enough.

There were obviously complimentary products, 4 body wash bottles and 2 shampoo ones. 

Tragedy that there wasn't any conditioner, but you'd manage somehow.

You let your shower run short, abandoning the warm water and drying yourself with a towel.

Back in the room, Damiano lay on the floor still, hair splayed out and eyes glued to the ceiling.

"Imagine having sex here" he said, pointing at the obvious mirrors sitting over the bed.

"Probably will be hot" you commented, kneeling down to open your bag, not trusting the length of the towel to keep you covered and not flash Damiano.

"I'm sure it will be hot" he said, still star struck from the placement of the mirrors.

"Dami, go shower" you said, shaking his leg encouragingly.

He begrudgingly agreed, getting off the floor with a groan. 

He smiled at you, grabbing the towel from the bed and walking slowly in the bathroom, not daring break eye contact and letting a gaze slip.

You just laughed at his antics, quickly shutting the curtains as you changed.

You made sure to take your time, knowing full well Damiano would first rot then come out of a warm shower.

With nothing rushing you, you normally did skincare, wore some comfy clothes you took from Damiano's house and let your back hit the mattress, scrolling on your phone.

The lock clicked and Damiano was out of the bathroom, wet hair in a bun, body glistening with water droplets.

"Forgot underwear" he just said, grabbing a pair from his bag, way too careless about what the towel did and did not cover. Your eyes were stuck on your screen.

The mattress shifted and he was next to you, hair still in a bun and face all red from the shower.

You took some of your moisturiser and applied it to his cheeks, kneading his cheeks in your palms.

He scrunched up his face, and you pulled your hands away with a boop to his nose.

He just smiled.

"How did you manage to catch your wet hair in a bun you bastard?" you ask, trying to cover a giggle unsuccessfully.

"I have my ways," he said, dragging the 's'.

You just shoved him, and he let out an offended 'ouch'.

"Take your time to rest. The whole day is ours and ours only," he said, kissing your forehead.

You felt the butterflies erupt in your belly, and you couldn't do much but nod as he shifted on the bed, getting comfortable for a nap.

You just mirrored his movements, feeling a hand snake up to hold your back as your vision faded, sleep taking your and Damianio's hands as the clock finally hit 8:01am.

________

(part 10)/(part 12)

[clayanddust]

Deicide Market Bubble (Clay Solo)

Location: Scorch Street

Summary: Clay has a talk with one his informants, Lefter, about a sudden influx of blood from a local Fury on the market. 

Trigger Warnings: Med Blood, Chronic Illness (Liogat Curse) 

“Fury blood,” Clay muttered as he leafed through a book of Hematology whose pages were a disjointed scrapbook of both modern science and the discounted ravings about ‘blood suckers’ and ‘resurrections’ from previous eras. The pictures and diagrams were not for weak stomachs or for imaginations that wondered too long on how such morbid sketches were taken. “You sure it’s the legit? This isn’t like that bullshit  in Gjirokastër is it?”

Lefter Shkreli looked up from where he was tearing into blood bags in a corner of the charred room. Clay supposed his informant’s strong jaw and soft yet defined features would have been Hallmark channel heartthrob material once. Those soft soulful grey eyes had certainly lured quite a few ladies into his incense filled penthouse in Saranda. But in the midst of feeding Lefter was more like a red-eyed barracuda, hands trembling with both the fervor of thirst and the disquiet of his own tortured mind. “No this ….this is”

Lefter’s glowing eyes drifting towards the golden sliver of setting sun through the window. Scorch Street stretched below the burnt out building that the two convened in. Heat mirages rippled across the street even in the dead of winter. Snowballs thrown by local children burned in little bonfires along its edge. “There’s a big deal being made about an influx of Fury blood on the black market,” Clay reminded gently. 

 Lefter was a Liogat, a word in his native Albanian that referred to a particular strain of Higher Vampire. Uniquely, a Liogat’s bloodlust wasn’t violent. Lefter was an vampire who could hang around mortals without having to hold back the murderous compulsions his kindred had to constantly restrain. Seemed the best of both worlds right? Lefter was a real life good guy Twilight vampire.

Excerpt, that’s never how the paranormal works. Magic can't give without taking. The bite of Liogat was gentle but cursed. Each bite ravaged the victim’s mind with a psychic taint. Lefters’ sire had fed from him extensively before making him immortal, condemning him to an eternity of mental torment. Lefter couldn’t feed from anyone, even the willing, without cursing them with madness and psychological suffering. So now it was a waiting game of seeing how long Lefter could last on blood bags before that desperate yearning for the living became too much. 

Always fun times in Albanian Twilight

“It’s real,” Lefter insisted after a swallow. “…and fuck you,” he protested belatedly with a bloody grin, perhaps not even aware that he’d been lost in lost racing thoughts for a good few minutes of awkward silence. “Gjirokastër was an accident, how long are you going to stay butthurt  about that.”

“My asscheeks clench everytime I hear a Cifetlia,” Clay insisted dryly. “So why is this such a big deal.”

“Ever seen one of the Furies Hale?”

Clay shook his head. “They’re extremely rare, some texts from Greek Hunters claim they’re made not born, but still alive so it’s not my business.” He shrugged, turning to a page with Romanesque sketches of the vengeful Dirae but little to say scientifically about what was in their veins. “Hellenistic writings call the blood of gods and immortals ‘ichor’. Supposedly that divine blood smells and tastes like the ambrosia the gods eat but it’s deadly to humans. But who knows if this Homeric bullshit applies to a real Fury.”

Lefter’s unsteady laughter rippled through the ruined rafters as he tossed a dry blood pack beside him on the blackened floor. 

“What Left?”

“Just curious Hale,” Lefter posited from where he sat on the floor, back against the scorched wall. His glowing eyes were wounds of luminous scarlet against the last amber sparks of sunset. “When you read all those old poems about heroes, gods, beasts, love, and tragedy do you just see more things you’ll have to kill,” the Liogat asked before whipping his bloody lips on the back of an arm. “Are those verses, rhymes, and prose nothing more than clues for blood types and taxonomy?”

The iron stare Clay sent across the room affirmed all the vampire’s suspicions before he repeated: “So super rare blood is on the market, I’m guessing there'll be a bidding war ? The Clans will send representatives? Elders will want it for their experiments or collections? Or I dunno, buncha of trust fund fledgelings how’ll want to huff it for their next Pharm Party?”

Lefter scratched his chin with a rueful chuckle, knowing the last one was a jab at him. Clay always overdid it with the smack talk when performing kindness he couldn’t rationally justify.  That brusque boyish insecurity was one of those traits that’d  stayed after Clay drowned his heart in the mists. There was a bittersweetness to how annoying it was, like an old voice recording of a friend who’d passed away. 

“It’s the blood of an …living…immortal,” Lefter emphasized. “Not the putrefied vials of undeath you’ve put under you microscope Clay. This is the real deal, true everlasting life with a breathing body and a pulse. What wouldn’t a Vampire pay to possess that?”

Clay considered the matter for a period of silence as the room was snuffed into night, Lefter’s glowing eyes shining in darkness like red candles. “I’m gonna see if that blood can be destroyed before its hits the market and clans start rending their reps.” 

“But not before you study it yourself,” Lefter theorized coyly. “For the good of humanity of course.” 

Clay didn’t bother denying it as he tossed the last blood bag from a traveler cooler toward his informant, who snatched it from the air. Lefter’s knowing laughter soon faded to tearing and frantic swallowing in the darkness. 

[bsdthings]

HEADCANONS ~ BSD Characters and their interaction with ✨Balkan weddings ✨

(from a Balkan)

Armed Detective Agency

Dazai

The absolute SHOCK Dazai will have would probably be the funniest thing ever. Because yes, okay, he thought it'll be a normal wedding, it'll be fine, he'll be fine with a bit of music and drinking.

Oh, he's wrong. He's so wrong and he either absolutely ADORES it or entirely hates it, there's no in between.

In the case he loves it, you'll see him drinking his weight in alcohol and laughing, messing up steps but loving the vibes and being stubborn to learn but messing it up anyways because he has two left legs 😂

In the case he hates it, he'll love the alcohol anyways and would probably be gossiping with some of your relatives or has found someone to philosophy the meaning (or lack of) of life. But he'll be quite pissed and probably scared of how loud everything is (he's shaking in his seat from the bass and he's not convinced if it's just the speaker close to him or because of the steps and dances that already make him dizzy).

He seems like a picky eater to me. He'll probably scrunch his nose and refuse to eat. You'll shove some into his mouth and his eyes would suddenly sparkle.

Yosano

I feel like Yosano would absolutely adore it all. The loud music, the swirling in dances, the way the heel of her shoe can hit the floor with actual power because it's a dance. She'll adore drinking, would not be sure about the food but she'll try it and would be surprised by how good it tastes. Yosano would probably catch up fast and be absolutely enamored by the culture. Amazed by the grandness of everything too but she'll definetly end up enjoying the night.

Ranpo

Ranpo will complain constantly. Everything is too loud and too bright and there's too many people. He'll probably get overwhelmed too. He enjoys the cake tho.

Atsushi

Atsushi is OVERWHELMED. He thought ADA is chaos? This is another level. He's constantly getting his foot stepped on without meaning, everything is too loud and sparkling and he's simply overwhelmed and anxious. But he ends up enjoying most of it. He becomes a mess if your drunk relatives start offering drinks and become affectionate. He's so not used to it. Thinks he'll die. But he becomes fascinated. His eyes try to take everything in and it's so much to take in. He definetly enjoys the food. Doesn't seem like a picky eater to me. He'll be very respectful and people will keep telling him to chill 😂 he definetly panics at jokes like "c'mon, I won't bite you or something"

Fukuzawa

No. Just no. He's not having this. He already feels a migraine forming. I think he'll leave early. He'll probably try a bit of both food and alcohol. Can appreciate them but probably won't want a repeat. He definetly doesn't appreciate the flashiness 😂

Kunikida

A big NO. There's too much chaos, too many people, too loud to even hear his own thoughts. He does appreciate the food and the new set of culture as it gives him info, those he won't deny.

Naomi

Oh, she's definetly enjoying this! Maybe too much even! She's learning the dances and pulling at Tachihara with a huff to dance with her (he definetly is tired) and she's dancing all night! She probably doesn't touch the drinks or drank one and regretted afterwards. She enjoys the sparkles and flashiness and definetly wants a repeat! Has made a lot of friends, gossiped and had a really fun time!

Tachihara

Poor boy appreciates it but probably doesn't want a repeat. It's too much for him. Too many people, too many drinks, too much of quite everything for him. He'll probably think he caught the dance, then try get himself into with others and fail terribly 😭

Kenji

He's all wide eyed at the extraness of everything! He asks a lot of questions, talks with people, asks them to teach him the dances! He probably masters them too! He's also willing to help with the heavy stuff and shines under the praise! Probably eats a bit of everything. You have to stop the people offering him alcohol underage tho cause he doesn't know how to refuse someone, I feel like. He's integrating perfectly to be honest. He falls asleep like a Balkan child too! On the two chairs with music and dancing around him and everything!

Kyoka

She'll be interested but probably will end up not actually enjoying it. Too loud for her, too many people, but she appreciates how nice everyone is. Probably refuses to dance because she doesn't feel like she's good at it. Some food she enjoys, some she doesn't. She probably has trouble falling asleep. Won't repeat the experience.

Port Mafia

Chuuya

Now, Chuuya will absolutely adore a Balkan wedding! There's a lot to drink and he definetly isn't going to be left behind, even if it's definetly not his favorite drink. He likes the flashiness, actually, picks up on some styles for later to be remembered and for him to use too. He is a bit put off by the loud music at first, then his eyes widen at the hard dances and out of nowhere he's piqued the dance and is one with the people, whistling and everything!

Yup, Chuuya would definetly want a repeat of a Balkan wedding.

Kouyou

Wouldn't like it. Too much of everything for her. She might enjoy some drinks and food and talking to some people, but that's it.

Mori

Probably likes some of the extra and the shine. Probably enjoys some drinks and food even. But it's too loud and too many people and too much movement.

Hirotsu

Definetly overwhelmed! But he enjoys the food and drinks and talking to some people and looking at the dances and the happiness. Likes the vibes, just not for him.

Akutagawa

Nope. He won't like any of it. Might try dancing with a lot of coaxing, but can't for the life of him move like that. Balkan weddings aren't for him.

Gin

Overwhelmed. She might like it for a period, might get a bit into it, the dances and food and good vibes, but not all of it. The entirety of it is definetly too much for her.

Higuchi

Just like Gin, she's overwhelmed and will like it for a bit but then she'll get tired and would probably not repeat the experience.

[ceterisparibus116]

I sometimes struggle to sympathize with Ray Nadeem. All of the elements are there to show he was supposed to be a sympathetic character... the relative with cancer (which has financially impacted him heavily), the difficulties at work, his family being terrified of the latest developments, and the whole fact that Fisk is manipulating him. But the way they're presented, Nadeem comes off sort of shallow and bland, rendering these just a collection of cliches that have less impact than they would if he seemed a deeper or more thoughtful person; so when he makes arguments to get Fisk things he wants, or goes around hassling Karen and Foggy because Fisk fingered Matt, he comes off as more of a jerk and a pest than a principled FBI agent doing his best in trying circumstances.

Hi, thank you for the ask! This is a really interesting take! The thing is, I’m...not quite sure why you sent it to me. Are you simply sharing a meta because sharing Daredevil metas is super fun? Or...are you asking if I agree?

Because I really don’t. Which is fine - we are allowed to have our own interpretations! But, since you bravely entered my ask box, I’m gonna expound why I, personally, interpret Ray differently.

First, though, I’ll acknowledge what I agree with: namely, that Ray’s collection of sympathetic experiences are not enough, by themselves, to make him sympathetic (to me). A tragic backstory and a susceptibility to manipulation by Fisk aren’t enough to make someone sympathetic. At least, not to you, and not to me - although we should acknowledge that those elements might actually be enough to make him sympathetic to others, and let’s try not to disparage other people’s opinions!

However, to me, Ray is more than just his tragic circumstances, because we saw him turn around at the end and own his mistakes fully, even going so far as to tell Matt to stop advocating for him and let him go to jail - because he knows that’s what he deserves. That, to me, is probably the biggest reason why he’s sympathetic.

I’ll also point out that Ray questioning Foggy and Karen does not make him less sympathetic (to me). After all, we know that Foggy and Karen are good guys, but Ray doesn’t. The fact that the firm put Fisk away is not a good enough reason for the FBI to ignore a credible warning that Matt, at least, worked for Fisk. (And Fisk’s warnings, legally, are credible; legally, even a witness who is a criminal can be deemed credible if they have a history of giving accurate tips, which is exactly what Fisk has done by this point, as we saw with the Albanians and other criminals.)

Wouldn’t you agree, then, that Ray, as a character, would think that questioning Karen and Foggy was a necessary part of his job? Moreover, wouldn’t you agree that there is a lot suspicious about Matt’s life, once someone bothers to look closer? And so wouldn’t you agree that Ray’s suspicions of Matt (and, by extension, Matt’s friends) are doubly well-founded? Therefore, I, personally, don’t see it as “hassling,” as you characterized it, at all.

Your point about Ray’s questioning of Foggy and Karen is also fascinating to me because, when I watched Season 3 with my family, one of my brothers piped up at the end of an episode about how, if we didn’t know more about Ray, we’d hate him for how he’s treating Foggy and Karen. But my brother said that we do know enough about Ray to understand why he’s doing this, to understand that he can’t afford to give anyone the benefit of the doubt, to understand that he’s not actually being a jerk at all but is, in fact, being a “principled FBI agent doing his best in trying circumstances.” In other words, my brother came away with the literal opposite interpretation from yours!

Which is not to say that one of you is right and the other is wrong. Again, I just find the subjective nature of art truly fascinating.

And that, really, is what your message shows me: art is so subjective. When I watched Season 3 with my family, all five (5) of us absolutely loved Ray and found him deeply sympathetic. (My mom teared up at the end, in fact.) To be fair, Ray’s character has a lot in common with one of my brothers, and for my mom (and me, I think), that made him resonate with us even more.

Anyway, my family also connected with Ray because we saw a man who got in over his head, clearly felt conflicted (just watch his face; man, Jay Ali can act), and yet didn’t have enough space to breathe to figure out when or how to safely extricate himself (and his family) from the situation. (After SAC Hattley’s warnings about how she used to have another kid, it’s not like Ray could reasonably expect to try to escape Fisk without risking losing his wife and/or son.)

Another reason Ray resonates with me, personally, is because I think Season 3 was all about analyzing fear and relationships from different perspectives. We have Matt, whose fear of harm coming to the people he loves causes him to make terrible decisions. We have Karen, whose relative lack of close relationships arguably causes her to be reckless. We have Foggy, who so far has seemed so ignorant of the dangers that come with being friends with people who challenge evil, but now suddenly has to face the fact that his family was targeted - because of his choices. (And I desperately wish we’d seen Foggy acknowledge that to Matt, acknowledge that Matt’s fears really are valid.) And, of course, we see Fisk kill Julie to manipulate Dex, and we see Matt use Fisk’s connection to Vanessa to manipulate her. So to me, Ray being manipulated out of his desire to provide for and protect his family is just another way to explore that theme. Which goes a long way towards making him sympathetic to me.

(And another twist: yes, Ray arguably prioritizes the safety of his family over the safety of other people - like Father Lantom and everyone at the church. However, in addition to the fact that he owns this and apologizes for it without making excuses for himself, we should also acknowledge that Foggy does the same thing. All the time. Every time Foggy lectures Matt and Karen about not putting themselves at risk, every time Foggy hesitates to take a risk with the firm (anything from hesitating over defending Karen to hesitating over defending Frank), it’s Foggy choosing to prioritize the things he cares about over other people who need help. So if prioritizing one’s family over other people makes a character unsympathetic, then Foggy should, in my view, also be considered unsympathetic. However, my personal opinion is that this value that Foggy and Ray share doesn’t make them unsympathetic - I think it makes them human, and creates a wonderful contrast with Matt and Karen.)

Anyway. I’m not saying this to prove you wrong. In fact, I don’t think I can prove you wrong, if you’re talking about your subjective interpretation: if you’re saying that you, personally, don’t sympathize with Ray, then that’s your interpretation. (If, however, you’re saying that Ray was objectively poorly written...well, then I’d have to argue with you.) All I’m doing here, though, is discussing this character from another angle, another approach, and another interpretation. Which, imo, is one of the beauties of fandom.

Thank you again for the ask, and the excuse to analyze one of my favorite characters!

[eurosong]

Undo my ESC '21 (semi-final two)

Good afternoon folks, and welcome to the second part of Undo my ESC – my annual quest to make the year’s Eurovision better (at least, for me xD) by making a feasible change in each country – it could be something as small as altering a lyric or a staging detail, or as big as a different artist entirely winning the NF. Semi-final one was here so let's jump straight into SF2!

🇸🇲 San Marino: We're thrown into the deep end here with a fan fav that doesn't do at all for me. I'm one of maybe 5 people on the planet who prefers Freaky by far, I guess? I'm happy for Senhit to be getting so much love and for the diminutive serene republic to finally have a shot at a good result - but I'm not so keen on the way it's been done. There's a bit of cognitive dissonance for me because my favourite thing about Adrenalina is Flo Rida's rap, but I don't like the idea of bringing in famed American artists like "ringers" to elevate a song above one with "only" local talent. I would be so tempted to give the rap part to local artist IROL instead to spit some hot bars in Italian.

🇪🇪 Estonia: I had hope this year, I really did, for my era of absolutely adoring Estonia at ESC to be revived after 4 painful years. There were so many good songs at this year's Eesti Laul, like those of Ivo Linna, Egert, Gram of fun, Heleza - but ultimately, my huge favourite was, as expected, Jüri Pootsmann. Anyone who followed this blog back in 2016 knows how much I adore Jüri and was desperate to see him get a redemption arc at ESC itself. Magus melanhoolia was one of the best songs of the season for me and one of the best stagings. As much as I prefer '20 artists to get their shot in '21, problematic Uku with his toxic ex vibes song will have to step aside and let the Jüri renaissance happen here.

🇨🇿 Czechia: I really dig Benny Cristo - he has personality, presence and his own enjoyable style. At first I was kinda disappointed with Omaga because I was expecting something more in the vein of Kemama, with more pronounced Afrobeat influences. But it has grown on me a lot too. My change? Add more Czech than just one blink-and-you-miss-it line, mate! (Article continues below)

🇬🇷 Greece: I see this being talked up as potential televote top 3 and I just don't get it. Maybe it's the way the chorus rhymes dance with itself three times (and uses the term rockin' romance unironically); maybe it's the way that there are better 80s-inspired songs both in ESC and many fallen tributes in the NF season... it just leaves me cold. I actually preferred Supergirl and my change would be for Stefania to bring something with some actual Greek flair.

🇦🇹 Austria: I’ll echo what I said last year about Österreich – how did they go from Conchita to a guy who wished he wouldn’t have gay kids like this? I find both of this guy's songs insipid in different ways and I would invite Pænda back instead to avenge her getting robbed with the beautiful Limits. Or give a second shot at glory to the incredible Cesár!

🇵🇱 Poland: Unpopular opinion, but I absolutely love The Ride, and I feel bad for Alicja, but I much prefer it to Empires. What started as an ironic fondness for Rafał's cringy uncle vibes ended up being genuine appreciation - it's one of the few 80s-inspired songs that sound like they actually could have come out of that decade rather than like modern pastiches. And Raf actually does have an awkward charisma. My change - insert some Polish! Poland does so well with natural sounding bilingual efforts in JESC, they should bring it to the main contest too!

🇲🇩 Moldova: I was lowkey prepared to be disappointed by Moldova - I actually enjoyed Prison a lot and the news that they were going in a completely different direction didn't sit so well with me. And yet, I also love Sugar. Natalia's power! My changes: get rid of that weird scene with literally egg on her face - too on the nose for me. And incorporate a bit of the stellar Russian translation, Tuz bubi, because I'm always going to be advocating for more linguistic diversity xD

🇮🇸 Iceland: Daði Freyr can literally do no wrong with me. Whilst it doesn't have the same intense extra-fandom hype that Think about things did, I think I like Ten years even more. Nothing to change here.

🇷🇸 Serbia: It's no secret that Hurricane were far from my favourites at Beovizija 20, and that I find this a downgrade for Sanja compared to her powerful '16 song. And yet... Hasta la vista grew on me a lot, and so has Loco loco. It's something that is definitely scratching an itch at this year's ESC and the burst of anarchic energy it'll provide will be amazing. I am seriously tempted to change to the acoustic version, though, which has all the attitude of the original but is more beautiful for me and lets the girls' voices shine more.

🇬🇪 Georgia: Georgia keeps serving acquired tastes, and as a patron saint of marginal genres and I love them for that. This year, they've gone for something that even many fans of Tornike find hard to swallow - gone is the roaring rock of last year, replaced with a much more contemplative, soft effort that reminds me a little of Lou Reed. I enjoy both songs, but I can't deny preferring 2020. At the same time, I admire the chutzpah required to send something so different. I just wish there could be a moment to properly showcase T's powerhouse vocals.

🇦🇱 Albania: It was an odd Festival i këngës this year, outdoors in the freezing cold and without the orchestra that makes the songs soar so much more for me. Karma is a perfectly respectable winner, albeit one that lacks the immediacy and rawness of Shaj, Ktheju tokës and Mall. In my ideal alternate reälity, Arilena Ara would have been invited back. She'd bring a song as beautiful as Shaj - and not do a revamp into English that removes its edge this time.

🇵🇹 Portugal: 2015-2020 was a full on Portugal stan era for me. I want to believe that this year is an aberration and that in 2022, our lusitanian neighbours will produce the goods once again. Because ending a colossal streak of not sending songs that don't include Portuguese for this? I am baffled. I wanted the anthemic Joana do mar, produced beautifully by Luísa Sobral, or the timeless Contramão, which sounds like it escaped a Nouvelle Vague soundtrack. Saudade, Por um triz or a number of others would have been grand too.

🇧🇬 Bulgaria: I wasn't expecting much from Bulgaria - I really didn't and don't like TGS and the majority of songs in Victoria's NF-but-not-really aren't my cup of tea. I was happy she got her second chance, but resigned to not liking the song much that would get picked. And then, my fav, which was last in many community ratings, ended up being her pick. I adore GUIGO and believe it has the possibility to do very, very well at Rotterdam and be one of the 'moments' of the evening.

🇫🇮 Finland: CRIMINAL how YLE treated Aksel - it felt like he wasn't the defending champion, and that Erika Vikman had won the previous year. They also - I believe, deliberately - split his vote by making his just one of a number of ballads, so of course what stood out most were the two decidedly non-ballady songs. Finland only two years ago had a single-artist UMK. They could and should have brought it back for Aksel. I'd hope Hurt would win it, because that song is stunning.

🇱🇻 Latvia: I was, and am, delighted that Latvia stuck with Samanta Tina. The lady lives and breathes ESC, even wrote a university thesis about it, and if she tried so many times, finally won and then DIDN'T get to go to ESC, I would have gone to LTV headquarters personally to remonstrate. I really like both her songs. The moon is rising is poised, powerful and like nothing else this year. The only thing I'd change is adding some Latvian because it's a gorgeous language and we've been waiting for ages to hear it again.

🇨🇭 Switzerland: Gjon's song is once again not really my cup of tea, or tears - but I enjoy it better than last year's and I'm glad he's back. Highkey wish it did include Albanian or Romansch like confused commenters last year thought it did.

🇩🇰 Denmark: There is literally no excuse for Denmark's treatment of Ben & Tan. I'm not even a big fan of their music at all, out to not even allow them to compete in DMGP to defend their win with Iron heart? Even though there are songs that competed in DMGP that I prefer a lot, most notably Står lige her, I would probably have let them have a proper second chance.

And the automatic qualifiers voting in this semi -

🇫🇷 France: For me, France had an absolutely enthralling, sincere, perfectly Gallic entry that hit me so hard in the feels. And whilst I respect Voilà, no, that wasn't it. It was Pourvu qu'on m'aime, easily one of the best songs I heard all year inside NFs or out. I find Voilà a little too mannered and affected, whilst PQM is a shot straight from Juliette's heart into mine. In my dream, it'd have won CVQD and be receiving the same love that Voilà is right now.

🇪🇸 Spain: Whilst it is getting next to no love in the fandom and seems quite forgotten, I find Voy a quedarme one of the best songs sent from this country in several years - and I say that having preferred Memoria. I am proud of Blas and love that he had a hand in writing this song. My change? He said recently that the staging in Rotterdam won't be inspired by the poignant music video despite wanting it to be - I would incorporate elements from it in the live.

🇬🇧 United Kingdom: Frankly, I think almost all the Big 5+1 brought it this year, with the notable exception of Germany. Embers is the banger that I never thought was coming from James Newman, and it's been one of the biggest earworms of the season. I wouldn't change anything about it - I'd just ensure that the staging replicated the energy of the video as much as possible!

[kawaii-koneko-chan0912]

(This is lucid from the webtoon Lucid)

Body Type

(This beautiful art of Saria from Arknights belongs to kimmy_tsunami on Twitter https://mobile.twitter.com/kimmy_tsunami/status/1437198345618010116 so go check out their amazing art)

Name: Hayan Choi

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Pansexual

Pronouns: She/her

Date of Birth: 09/12

Age: 35

Height: 6,4

Ethnicity: Half Korean/Russian

Zodiac: Virgo

Her Backstory:

Hayan was born into a family of spies her mother Victoria Swarovski was a Russian immigrant who fled her country due to its dictatorship and later on met her father Hyun Yun-Yeong while in college cause they were both studying psychology to get a degree in it

After her parents graduation they when to a criminal profiling academy later on they joined the CIA and became one of the best agents there a couple years later they got engaged and got married and had Hayan.

One day after a mission where they took down major higher up in the Russian and Albanian Mafia they were attacked in the night wounding them and kidnapping Hayan as a action of revenge she was about 6 years old at the time.

Over the course of 10 years she underwent major training trying to mold her into a weapon the training in mind for example was a ton of fighting techniques like martial arts, self defense and hand to hand combat, to withstand torture, marksmanship in melee weapons and firearms, a bunch of foreign languages, psychology, profiling, and manipulation.

During that time she Met Tai-Hua and became friends despite the situation they were in and only felt comfort in animals be fore they met taking her mind off the things she's seen over the course of working for them.

At the age of 16 she was reunited with her parents as did Tai-Hua with his grandparents and aunt helping taken down the Albanian mafia going undercover with the aid of the CIA and FBI (This all took place in New York)

Hayan kept in contact with Tai-Hua and her parents and his present relative's became good friends over time getting to know each other and went to the same High school and College and later on became criminal profilers joining the CIA as a form of gratitude and thankfulness wanting to make sure no one ever had to go through what they had experienced.

They first joined the CIA at the age of 20 cause they only had two years of college and in the profiling academy cause they were that smart cause of their experience.

They worked for the CIA for 10 years becoming the best agents since the government organization was created and retiring in June 21st which was the start of summer.

Over the past 4 years precovid they traveled together across the world in places like Canada, England/the united kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Greece, Thailand, the Philippines, Taiwan, Singapore, China, Russia, Korea, Japan and Australia finally settling down to live in Japan in the same residence as roommates in February 21st which is before news of Covid spreading across the world.

During the time she worked as a spy she made quite a lot of money and now currently works as an accountant for a job.

Fun Facts: She visits her parents and family In Korea once a year cause that's where they retired.

One time when Hyun came home drunk and accidentally tried to hit her Victoria broke the door off it's hinges and tried to beat him with it she's 5,2 and he's 6,4.

(This image right here is of Erudian from the novel Seduce the Villains father)

Name: Tai-Hua Zhang

Gender: Male (ftm)

Pronouns: He/him

Sexuality: Bisexual

Date of birth: 10/20

Age: 35

Height: 5,4

Zodiac: Libra

Chinese Zodiac: Year of Tiger

Ethnicity: Chinese

(I will update this and include their back story, personality, likes, and dislikes in the future once I have the time so please be patient so I hope you enjoy learning more about them)

[massivelycreepypineapple]

Double Meaning

Request: Hi, if your requests are open, I’d like to request a tiny Dean x reader fic. In my country Supernatural is very popular, especially with the “shtriga” episode (shtriga is Albanian for witch😂) anyway I’d like to ask for a language barrier fic, where Dean loves his car so much and he keeps talking about it but in Albanian car has an entirely different, inappropriate meaning, so whenever he says something about his car the reader starts laughing? It really has no plot, if you do write it, thank u!

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Fem!Reader

A/N: I hope this is alright!

Word Count: 863

❅ ❅ ❅

Dean was in a sour mood the whole day. He had to drive a lowly car instead of his Baby because he was in the process of repairing her in Bobby’s garage. But nevertheless he agreed to go to a bar with Sam after a successful hunt.

Which is where the duo found themselves 30 minutes later and both of them found someone to keep them entertained. Dean was talking to this pretty foreigner, who he soon learned was called Y/N was from Albania. The two seemed to be getting along really well and Y/N was enamoured with his pretty green eyes and she found him quite funny and overall a very sweet man.

Dean on the other hand found her accent and the way she spoke quite adorable. He had never met anyone as fascinating and as pretty as her and he wanted to get to know her as well as possible. He didn’t even care about getting laid. Which brought him the idea of impressing her by talking about his Baby.

“I’ll introduce you to Baby!” He exclaimed suddenly.

“Baby?” Y/N frowned.

“Yes, my car!”

Y/N chokes on her drink. “Kar?”

“Yeah! She’s a beauty!”

“Your kar is Baby?” Reader asks giggling to herself.

“Well, yeah! She’s really sexy!” He said grinning like a child who was just given candy.

Y/N was trying really hard to keep it together.

“Your kar is female?” Y/N let a giggle slip.

“Well, yeah. She’s my constant companion and I’d rather it be a girl than a guy.” He shrugged grinning. “Besides, She’s beautiful and perfect! I like tinkering with her. Gives me great pleasure.” Y/N snorted that that. “I can’t wait for you to take a ride!”

She chokes and coughs, and looks at him wide eyed and extremely amused, “R-ride?”  

“Trust me, it’ll be the best ride of your life.” He said not noticing her expressions. “The only problem is I don’t have her with me now. Left it at Bobby’s.” He said frowning. “I need to repair it.”

Y/N realised that he was talking about his driving machine. But in Albania, “car” meant something completely different. She was enjoying this very much and let him continue with his awestruck explanation on how much fun she’d have riding his “car”. And she didn’t doubt that at all, in more ways than one.

“She’s pretty big too! Oh and the most beautiful shade of black! And you won’t believe how fast she can go!” He kept going. Y/N was laughing slightly at this point which made Dean frown at her.

“What you think my car isn’t good enough? I groom her very well, Y/N. She’s in awesome condition for her age.” He said giving her a bitch face.

Y/N shook her head trying to control her laughter. He looked so serious and offended. By then Sam approached them wanting to know if Dean was ready to go. He caught the tail end of their conversation.

“Okay, since you don’t believe me, I’m going to show you right now!” He said getting up and adjusting his pant, which only made her laugh harder.

Dean scoffed at her and pulled her up gently ready to take her to Bobby’s just so he can show her his car. But Y/N was laughing and stopped him, 

“Dean, in Albanian,” She began before she burst out laughing again. “Kar, means penis.” She said grinning at him. 

She watched with amusement how the colour drained from his face. Sam was laughing in the background, having got an idea of what was going on. It didn’t surprise him that Dean chose to impress her with his car, but for it to backfire so royally filled him with such glee.

Dean looked at her with wide eyes, “Y-you… What?! No!” He said, blushing really hard and denying the fact that he spent the last half hour trying to convince this beautiful girl to look at his dick and…ride it?

Y/N grinned wider, chuckling at him. Dean glared at Sam, silently asking him to shut his face before he broke it. He then looked back at Y/N.

“Is it really black though?” Y/N asked cheekily.

He rolled his eyes at her still blushing, making her laugh some more.

“T-then what do you say for the normal car?” He asked changing the topic.

“makinë.” She replied smiling widely.

“Well, Y/N, would you like to take a look at my makinë?” He said smiling sheepishly at her.

Y/N smirked at him and brought her face close to whisper into his ear, “I’d love to take a look at your kar, Dean.”

She winked at him and then walked out the door grinning widely.

Sam laughed at his brother’s shellshocked face which turned a deeper shade of red if that was even possible. He pat his back and walked out the door to follow Y/N and introduce himself.

Dean was left speechless and he slowly followed them out shaking his head at the ridiculousness, thanking all his lucky stars that he met this gorgeous woman that night.

❅ ❅ ❅

TAGS BELOW 

@hobby27  @akshi8278

[altomath42]

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Your adventure begins with a welcome meeting at 6 pm within the night, where you will meet your native leader and fellow travellers joining you for this adventure. Relax and revel in a restful evening, with your welcome dinner scheduled for tomorrow night to permit all travellers to attend. Your next destination will be the place, which is important for nature lovers – Nohur Lake. Around this fascinating nature, the lake reflects the Greater Caucasus Mountains in its green-blue waters. After having full day's impressions on the end of the day, you'll return to Baku. Popular pure attractions close by embrace the Nohur Lake and the Seven Beuaties waterfall. With doors to workshops open to the road and old stone homes, the over 1,000-year-old Lahic is sort of a residing open-air museum. My favorite thing in the space was visiting Kish, a little hamlet just north of Sheki and easily reachable by a 20-minute bus experience. It’s residence to the Kish Albanian Church , the oldest Christian church in Azerbaijan , and surrounded by many a mystery. Now the charming church is an interesting site to go to and has a small tri-lingual museum. Perhaps essentially the most unique tourist web site in the metropolis is the Bottle House – a home that’s construct out of forty eight,000 glass bottles. The heartbreakingly lovely backstory to this unique constructing is that it serves as a memorial to its creators brother wh went lacking in the course of the Second World War. Getting Enjoyable In Azerbaijan Famous Festivals, Celebrations And Cultural Events On June sixteen in the complicated My Beach Novkhani throughout the framework of the We Color Festival there will be a colourful leisure program, contests, an evening disco and a salute. You are waiting for 2 unforgettable summer season days on the island of KHAZAR ISLANDS. Tons of colorful powder, 1000's of joyful faces, leisure for each taste. Old friends and new acquaintances, brilliant feelings and pleasant memories, favourite music and sizzling dances is not going to let you down this summer season in Baku. Any other use of these supplies without prior written authorization isn't very good and violates the copyright. This article about national fests and celebrations of Azerbaijan is protected by the copyright law. You can re-use the content, but only beneath the situation of placement of an active link to By utilizing the mobile software of the Festival it will be possible to find out details about the events taking place within its framework. Information on events at Nasimi Festival in Azerbaijan available via mobile software. Shusha metropolis was occupied by Armenian Armed Forces in 1992 and liberated from Armenian occupation in the Second Karabakh warfare. International advocacy groups often rate Azerbaijan as essentially the most inhospitable place in Europe for queer people, and the scenario has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 lockdown. Generally there shall be massive dinners with conventional meals corresponding to Plov, however essentially the most notable tradition for Nowruz in Azerbaijan is the pastries. The Czech program of the competition was put together by Miroslava Janičatová, who is also included in the International Festival Jury. Meanwhile, greater than 20 live shows are scheduled to happen in multiple venues across the capital metropolis, with most of them held within the Rotunda Jazz Club. She has been taught by many well-known musicians and teachers corresponding to Faig Zohrabov. Aygun is now a beloved Azerbaijani singer in Toronto, the place she has had quite a few performances. Arta is a grade 10 high school scholar and the youngest member of TAMDE’s music group. He has been playing the piano since 2009 and the saxophone since 2013. Arta has also been a member of Aurora High School’s symphonic band as a saxophone player for 2 years. Azerbaijan Frustrated at not having the power to discover any items that truly reflected Azerbaijani tradition and traditions, we decided to make our own. We use solely the highest high quality supplies and our artists are commissioned by us to create their own distinctive interpretation of Azerbaijani motifs. We need both our customers and suppliers to be satisfied. Each set has it’s personal story to share; and each story will assist you to study Azerbaijani individuals, their habits, folklore and traditions. Our ardour is to produce stunning gadgets which you will proceed to enjoy for months and years. This article about buying in Azerbaijan is protected by the copyright regulation. An exclusive assortment of world-famous stores within the heart of downtown Charleston. From Godiva to Gucci, the ultimate purchasing experience & the finest selections within the city. A visit to this speciality shop is a must should you want to buy the very greatest quality edible stuff from Azerbaijan. AIRBORNE MIKEFORCE VIETNAM Military Veteran US ARMY Hat Pin P14723 EE. Barack Obama Autographed Repro PHOTO First Pitch Washington Nationals Signed Pic. Halloween Inflatable Blow in Pumpkin Up Outdoor Yard Halloween LED Lights Decor. ALIEN at the cafe coffee store artwork tile coaster gift presents. Classic Matte Black Bullet Pen with Clip Fisher Space Pen # 400BCL. Local Eating Places & Price Range Cafes In Downtown Baku But it turned out to be quite onerous to search out locations that have been open on weekend mornings. We did discover a few and managed to benefit from the conventional Azeri breakfast very much. Some of the most typical Azeri dishes like kebab or tea can be discovered elsewhere however in Azerbaijan they appeared to style better. Do not leave the nation without attempting some of the following dishes and then some extra fascinating and fascinating information about Azerbaijan for somewhat aspect of tradition with your meal. Expect to enjoy it with saffron and cinnamon plus a lot of dried fruits like apricot or even dates and chestnuts. Rice will usually be served with meat, mostly mutton or lamb that are the favorite combinations. However, the inside of this Azerbaijani restaurant is homey. Built out of heavy wood beams, the broad room is set with sturdy picnic tables designed for crowds. Try the smoked eggplant salad chock full of peppers.Servers are matter-of-fact, especially in the event that they assume you’ve ordered too much food. Azerbaijani pilaf ($13.50, below) was extremely beneficial to us by the server, and was quite totally different from another versions from Central Asia. Instead of a mixture, the non-rice components are plated next to the rice, and embrace a hearty helping of dried plums, cherries, and apricots with the tender lamb. Cis & Cee Capital Markets Conference 2018 Taking under consideration the worldwide expertise, a draft Law on Electricity has been ready. The government plans to permit Independent mills to enter the sector and purchase present power vegetation or construct new ones. The potential privatisation of strategic assets could not adversely have an result on power sustainability and safety. In the meantime, both countries have accused one another of shelling civilian targets. Azerbaijan claims that Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh have been shelling Ganja to disrupt the flow of oil and gasoline. From 2007 to 2020, the common annual progress price of worth to Russia amounted to -X%. Being a detailed partner of Bilesim International Research & Consultancy, ERA continually complied with the codes and guidelines of ESOMAR â The World Association of Research Professionals. In additiond to this, ERA Marketing Center obtained license for manufacturing and sales of TGI project in Azerbaijan. TGI is a fast-growing, global community of single-source market research surveys performed in 60 nations of the world across 6 continents since Sixties. News, consulting firms, tasks, analysis and developments within the consultancy industry of Azerbaijan. By late 2010, FIRST consultants prepared and introduced a complete capital market assessment report and Capital Market Development Strategic Plan. Sunday the twenty seventh of September 2020, fighting flared up again within the South Caucasus between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The most recent war has displaced tens of 1000's of citizens in primarily Nagorno-Karabakh and tons of of troopers have misplaced their lives. While the human prices are super, Europe’s energy safety is also in danger. Azerbaijan Family Travel Whether you’re in search of mountains or sea, cities or countryside, you’ll discover plenty to explore in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan was such an amazing, fantastic, stunning, and pleasant place. In tiny villages, older men with canes sat in town squares gazing at passersby. To get to Alinja Castle, I advocate you ask your lodging to rent a taxi driver for a half-day journey to Alinja Castle in addition to Ashab-I Kehf Cave, our subsequent destination. It ought to value no greater than 60 AZN for a roundtrip ride to Alinja Castle in addition to Ashab-I Kehf Cave. Sheki CityFound to the west of Baku, that is famed as one of the oldest human settlements in all the Caucasus and is said so far again 2500 years. Sheki City was a stop off on the Silk Road and was well-known for beautiful silks and different textiles. Azerbaijan, within the Caucuses area, is a rustic that straddles each Eastern Europe and Western Asia, so anticipate a conflict of east meets west and you can see a lot to enjoy right here. Located on the Caspian Sea, there are quaint subtropical seaside resorts, or you presumably can embrace Azerbaijan’s name because the Land of Fire with a visit to a flaming mountain or a mud volcano. Part of the Silk Road magical trail that took traders to its booming capital Baku on the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan keeps you in your toes. Despite seeing themselves as Muslims, Azeri males typically drink alcoholic drinks, and this is broadly accepted, most likely due to the Russian and Soviet legacy . Unrest in Iran, Iraq and Syria in the 21st century has made the government very strict about non secular clothing and symbols and prompted higher secularization and stricter management of the southern borders. Any spiritual signs, flags, slogans in public and proselytizing for any faith are prohibited by regulation. Any violation will lead to fines, imprisonment, and in case of foreigners, deportation from the country. Don't assume that anyone you have no idea believes in God or has a passion for Islam or in other faiths. Investigations into folks's religion is largely unwelcome, and outdoors places of worship, displays of your religion ought to be kept personal. Hotels might provide this service for their visitors, however travellers are strongly advised to ensure the registration has been accomplished indeed as resorts are more than typically skip doing it. A visa just isn't required for stays of ninety days or less for citizens of Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. — A beautiful metropolis within the forested Caucasus Mountains with heaps to see and do. It has one of many largest densities of cultural assets and monuments that span 2,seven-hundred years of Azerbaijani historical past. — Azerbaijan's second largest city has an extended history, some necessary sites and an attention-grabbing and manifold structure. Just just like the culture represents a singular mixture of traditions of neighboring international locations, national delicacies can additionally be an interesting mix of dishes. You will discover acquainted tastes in Azerbaijani cuisine with exotic names. 11 Things You Should Know About Azerbaijani Tradition But with a new and easy three-day visa service, reasonable costs and unbeatable hospitality, travelers that make it to the "Land of Fire" are often very pleasantly surprised. Straddling East and West, it blends dramatic landscapes with a folks and culture that replicate its fascinating location on the crossroads of Turkey, Russia and Iran. Most suppose it's possible to be a devout Muslim and still live in a contemporary society, and many additionally dismiss the concept that there may be an inherent antagonism between faith and science. While Huseynov was in limbo, Aliyev took his place as the chairman of the IRFS. He kept the operation going during its most difficult moments, shuttling between Azerbaijan and neighboring Georgia, where the outfit established new financial institution accounts. Finally, in June 2015, Huseynov escaped his residence nation, flying out with a Swiss authorities delegation that had attended the opening ceremony of the European Games. In divided Cyprus, a joint cultural-heritage fee of Greek and Turkish Cypriots was created in 2012 to take care of endangered monuments on either side of the island. Development Program, the fee has been embraced by each communities for restoring church buildings as well as mosques and hamams, and ancient aqueducts and fortifications. Following recent arson attacks on mosques in Greek Cypriot territory, the Greek Orthodox neighborhood was quick to sentence the assailants. But in all of these cases, the United Nations, the United States and its European allies have remained largely mute. UNESCO, which is dependent upon lots of the offending governments for funding and support, has shown little interest in intervening. Azerbaijan Nightlife Baku Railway Station is the terminus for nationwide and worldwide rail links to the town. The Kars–Tbilisi–Baku railway, which directly connects Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan, started to be constructed in 2007 and opened in 2017. Given that they are located in an iconic Baku landmark, it’s no surprise that Fairmont Baku takes our top spot for luxury motels in the metropolis. They have great on-site amenities, together with a restaurant, massive spa space and even a nightclub! If you really wish to splash the money, look on further than Fairmont Baku. Our Clubs and Bars in Azerbaijan for guests from Vietnam contains suggestions on where to search out the most effective bars and clubs within the Azerbaijanis capital. Known for its high-end themed events Enerji Club offers a tasty menu, and spontaneous and unique exhibits. The ambiance here is vibrant with unbelievable DJ music only including to the atmosphere. The outdoors terrace through the summer season season is the perfect place to have a sundowner after work or chill with friends at the weekend.