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sunsetinmyvein · 4 years

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I Know That I’ll Lose - Chapter Six - Give it a Rest, I Could Persuade You

It had been about a month since she last saw Matty. He and the band had to fly out quite early the morning after the festival, so there wasn’t really a chance to catch up again once they parted ways at the bar. But that was okay, because he was considerably more talkative this time around than what he had been the last time. It wasn’t quite the same as getting to properly hang out, and she missed seeing the rest of the band as well, but it was still better than nothing and made the distance more tolerable. She found herself holding her phone in her hand, contemplating if she should call Matty or not. Their last proper phone call was a while ago now – roughly a week she thought – and she wanted to tell him about the dumb thing that happened today that she thought he’d appreciate. She knew that it wasn’t too late yet where he currently was, and the show that they had played earlier that evening should’ve finished by now. But she was always wary that he was a busy guy. As she deliberated on this, her phone started buzzing in her hand. For a second she thought maybe he really did have some form of crazy mindreading skills. But it wasn’t Matty, it was her brother.

“Hey! How’s things?” She asked as she answered the call.

“I…” He sighed through the phone. “I got an email about you.” Her brother started saying, his tone sounding unsure.

“What sort of email?” She asked with a frown, sitting up properly on the couch. This conversation was clearly important.

Before her brain had a chance to jump to the worst conclusion, he continued, “A job offer. For you. To tour internationally with a band doing merch.” He answered.

There were a few moments of silence on the line as she processed this information. “Shit, what?” She asked incredulously.

“Some guy called No Rome?” It was more of a question than a statement, he clearly didn’t know who that artist was. “Their label emailed me.” He continued, but she had sort of tuned out of what he was saying. She had heard that name before but couldn’t remember where… “They said that they had received high recommendations about you or something.”

“That’s so crazy, I don’t even-” The metaphorical lightbulb went off as she remembered that band name. “Wait...” That was the regular support act for The 1975. The gears started turning at this point. “Did they say who the recommendation came from?” She questioned.

“No. Why?”

“I’ll call you back.” She replied instantly, knowing more than likely who had caused this email to be sent.

She hung up the phone before promptly starting another call. “Matty,” She began as soon as he picked up, skipping the pleasantries.

“Yes?” He asked, an innocent tone to his voice.

“What is this job offer thing that you’ve done?” She accused.

“What job offer thing?” He asked back.

“I know it was you.” She stated, not wanting to beat around the bush with something like this. This was a big deal if it was true.

“Did you get offered something interesting?” He continued. The amusement was starting to seep into his voice at this point.

“Just fucking tell me.” She said with a deep sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose.

He hummed thoughtfully, waiting a moment before responding, “Maybe you should just accept the job and I can tell you next week in person.” Well, at least that confirmed that he knew about it.

“You really expect me to just drop everything I have here and come gallivant around on tour with you?” She questioned.

“Kind of.” He answered bluntly.

Okay. So, it was a real job offer then. A real job offer that had probably been suggested by Matty, which did lower the legitimacy of it a little bit. But it was still a job offer that wanted to pay for her to travel internationally. That was still a lot of information to handle. The first question that floated to the top was definitely the elephant in the room, “Why on earth did you get them to ask me to do No Rome’s merch? You’re fucking on tour together. It’ll be 1975 merch for the majority.” She pointed out.

“No, you only have to do No Rome.” He replied.

“But that…” That didn’t make any sense whatsoever. “Why isn’t that just included in whoever does your merch?” She asked in confusion.

“I thought he deserved his own merch person.” He answered.

“But they’re going to be sold from the same place? How am I meant to only serve people who want No Rome stuff?” This job offer was so far only raising more questions than solutions.

“Oh no, no, no. You don’t have to sell to anyone.” He laughed like it was entirely too obvious. “You just have to do the counts and setup.”

That made even less sense. Just the setup? That was like telling someone to drive to work, set their desk up, turn their computer on, log in and then just go home to let someone else do all the work on your account with all your settings and preferences. They wouldn’t know where anything was or what your methods were. There was no point in preparing everything if you weren’t the one dealing with it. “Matty… That’s not how working merch works.” She tried to explain.

“That’s how this job works.” He corrected. “You essentially do prep work.”

“And then what?” She asked.

“And then you can watch the shows and hang out.” He answered.

Right. That’s what this was about. The job offer was clearly just a front so that he could socialise with her without her work getting in the way. “Are you just shitty that we didn’t get to hangout all day during the festival?” She asked with a chuckle.

“No.” He shot back instantly.

“Liar!” She retaliated loudly with a laugh.

“Fuckin’ take the job, love.” He sighed tiredly.

“And if I don’t want to?” She challenged.

She was just met with his loud laugh in response. “You want to.” The level of certainty in his voice, that cocky tone. Fuck. She hated to admit that simple things he did like that were enough to pull a reaction out of her. He was attractive when he was confident. At that moment, she was thankful that he couldn’t see her because he would no doubt make it much worse in person. But he was right - it was a crazy good opportunity. It added a ridiculously good reference to her resume, and she was going to get paid good money to hang out with her friends. She would be insane to say no. But she was also well aware that being in close capacity to Matthew Healy for so long was probably going to be difficult. She weighed up the pros and cons briefly in her head as she tried to come to a decision.

“Fine.” She agreed eventually. “Send me the details.”

A contract was sent to her within a matter of minutes. It outlined that she was going to be on tour with them for a month and a half and would fly out late next week. A free holiday spent in good company? It was an offer too good to be true, really. And she was going to get paid to do it! Just over a week wasn’t much time to get everything sorted to be away from home for six weeks, but it would have to suffice. Before her flight departed, they had sent her the details of a taxi company that would take her to the lot that the tour buses were waiting in. They also sent through which bus number plate to meet them at with the code to get into it to dump her luggage. The only issue was, it was a huge lot. There were at least fifty odd tour buses in this place. It took a good deal of searching to work out which bus was the one that she was meant to go to, and lugging her suitcase through the lot was starting to get tiring. When she finally spotted the plate that she was after it was like the lagoon in the middle of a desert; she was worried that it might just be a mirage. But she started walking over to the No Rome tour bus, only to feel a hand land on her shoulder. She turned, half anticipating to see a security guard asking her why she’d been wandering around for the last half hour, only to see Matty standing behind her.

“Oh, hey.” She smiled up at him, not having expected to see him so soon after getting here.

“I have some unfortunate news,” He said with a crestfallen expression as he began steering her away from the bus. She raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue. “Rome’s tour bus is a fairly small bus, and was actually already fully booked by the time you were confirmed to come with us.” He admitted.

“Oh.” She said with a frown.

“So, you have to stay in the other bus.” He continued. She could see the stupid smile on his face that he was trying to hide.

“Oh.” She repeated with an eyeroll, suddenly realising where he was going with this. “And I suppose that everyone else on that bus has already picked out bunks?” She asked with a deep sigh.

“Yes.” He answered.

“And the only one that’s left free is conveniently right next to yours?” She questioned.

He let out an exaggerated gasp, “How could you possibly know such confidential information?”

“Call it a hunch.” She muttered under her breath.

The tour bus that he led her to was indeed considerably bigger than the one she had been told to go to originally. He punched some code into the keypad next to the door before holding it open and ushering her inside. The bus was empty save for all the suitcases and bags strewn across it. It reminded her of a fancy caravan; everything was sleek, black and designed to save space. It seemed to have a few fancy add ons, namely the impressive coffee making setup in the kitchen, which Matty assured her George couldn’t leave home without. As she was taking in the space around her, he stepped behind and walked through the kitchen to the bunks in the middle of the bus. He called her over, snapping her back to reality as she walked across to where he was standing. They were a lot more spacious than she expected them to be. All of the bunks except for two had bags already tucked away in them, a few had the curtains pulled shut. She recognised Matty’s backpack sitting in the one on the bottom right hand side. She looked down at the bunk next to his with disdain. This was only going to end badly.

“You don’t have to take that one.” He began. She looked back at him, urging him to continue with what the other option possibly was. “You’re welcome to be on top of me.” He offered. He tapped his fingers against the empty bunk above his as he said it, but the look in his eyes was definitely getting at a different angle.

“I’ll take this one.” She answered quickly, turning away from him and gesturing to the bottom bunk next to his.

“I assure you that I don’t mind.” He added with a suggestive smirk.

“I know you don’t. That’s the problem.” She huffed as she put her bag into the bunk.

“Or we could switch and I could be on top-”

“Stop.” She interrupted as she spun to glare at him. Had he always been standing that close behind her? It suddenly seemed far too close. “Stop talking.” He couldn’t help but grin at the flustered look on her face.

He left her to her own devices after that, figuring that he would wait in the front lounge while she got her bearings. At this point in his career, he’d spent a good portion of his life in tour buses. But he remembered having to find his way around them at the start; all of the tiny compartments took a while to figure out. Also, he’d probably overwhelmed her enough considering that she had just stepped off of a plane all of two hours ago. It wasn’t long before the rest of the band and the small amount of crew that were on their bus started filing in. Introductions were exchanged, luggage was stowed under the vehicle, a few snacks to get them through until the next stop were stored, and then their convoy were on the way to show number one. He hadn’t lied when he mentioned that Rome had a smaller bus. His bus only slept six, whereas The 1975 had two buses of twelve. It did make more sense for her to stay on one of the bigger ones, he just made sure to have a say in which of the two bigger ones she was placed on. The bus that they were currently on mostly housed the performing crew, and the extended crew behind the scenes stayed on the second bus. Typically, the latter had considerably earlier start and finish times for their working day than the former did, so it made sense to split the two to avoid people running on next to no sleep. These three buses in combination with the few trucks that were used to cart their stage, lighting rigs and merch across the country for the whole tour resulted in a fairly impressive operation. It was pretty astounding for Y/N/N to think that she was a part of it.

After the festival had ended, Matty had spent a good deal of time sending texts, writing emails and having meetings in an effort to try and coordinate what ended up being a considerably more extensive plan than what he had expected. Her comment about how she’d ‘never get anything done’ if he was her boss set the idea into motion that maybe if she had a role within Dirty Hit, he’d be able to see her more often. If he saw her more often, there was a pretty decent chance that he’d be able to get her to fess up to being into him. Because try as he might to just ‘let it go’ as George had suggested, he couldn’t drop it when he knew full well that she was. He hadn’t thought that arranging someone else to come on tour was really going to be that difficult, but apparently it was. It was less about money and more about the logistics of having another person to account into every single plan for a six-week schedule. However, now that she was actually here, all of his efforts felt worth it. Regardless of the bet with himself, regardless of the needier part of him wanting her around as an emotional crutch for when things got hard, it was just nice to have an extra friend around to bounce off of within the confines of the tour bus. It felt comforting to have another presence about to keep him grounded, George had probably done enough of that over the past few years to last him a lifetime. But being grounded and rational wasn’t the way to start off a tour. The way to start off a tour was with shots.

“Tequila? Really?” Adam groaned as the shot glass was forced into his hand by the eager singer.

“What’s wrong with tequila, Hann?” Matty asked with a frown as he continued pouring and handing them out.

“Nothing is wrong with the tequila itself, but you drinking tequila is a different story.” He elaborated. “And we’re only on night one of forty-six. You really wanna set the bar so soon?” Ross gave a nod of agreement as Adam spoke, and it was clear that George was hesitant as well.

“Look lads, we have someone on this tour who has never experienced the thrills of touring with us before.” As he spoke, he happened to be pouring the shot of the exact person he was referring to and he smiled fondly at her as he passed it across. She found herself suddenly feeling like the fifth wheel as he threw her under the bus like that. “We need to put in at least a little bit of effort, yeah?” He spun back to the group; his own tequila shot in hand. “To a brilliant tour.” He grinned, holding his shot glass up in toast. The boys all shouted a few words of agreement as the five of them downed their shots. But the burn of that tequila was only the beginning. As Adam had predicted, what started as one shot quickly turned to two, which turned to more, which turned to drinking games, which turned to everyone drunkenly stumbling into bed at two in the morning after a solid eight hours of drinking. To the bus driver’s dismay at his suddenly rowdy passengers, the rest of the crew had also rapidly gotten involved and suffered much the same fate. Y/N/N had quickly discovered when their celebrations finally wrapped up that getting into a tiny bunk on the floor while inebriated wasn’t as easy as it would’ve seemed. But she was very grateful that her bunk was at least level with the ground, as opposed to George who promptly rolled out of his and crashed against the hard surface when he tried to reposition himself in his bed.

A part of her understood why Matty had insisted on drinks on the first night. Once everyone was drunk, any awkwardness was quickly forgotten about. It was a lot easier to bond with people when you were too drunk to be self-conscious. Now that everyone on the bus had a friendship base to go off of, a funny story to reminisce over, there was no reason for anyone to be pushed to the wayside for the sake of cliques or not having anything to talk about. But as expected, Matty had to take it a step too far and was definitely the most hungover out of everyone the next morning. The tour bus had arrived at their first stop at about six that morning. Everyone else on the vehicle had been up at a fairly decent hour, the band a little bit later than the rest of the crew as they weren’t needed until later in the day. But not Matty. It was after ten by the time someone figured that they should do something about it.

“You should go check on him.” Ross urged, looking across the small kitchen table at Y/N/N.

“Why me?” She frowned.

“Because I’m sure he’d prefer to be woken up by you than us.” He explained, a small chuckle escaping despite his best attempts to hold in.

“The last time I had to wake him up for a show when he was hungover, I threw a glass of ice water on him.” George said. “But to be fair, the last time he woke me up, he did it with a fucking megaphone and I smacked my head into the bunk above mine…” He scowled at the memory, rubbing his forehead as he reminisced about the pain. “I’ll go get the ice cubes.” He offered as he motioned to stand up, suddenly motivated that only one glass of freezing cold water wasn’t enough payback for that event.

“No, it’s fine. I’ll get him.” She sighed, motioning for George to sit back down.

“You’re too nice to him.” Adam said, shaking his head with a small smile.

“Yeah, probably.” She agreed with a laugh as she stood up.

She made her way down the bus towards the bunks, slowly opening the sliding door that connected them to the kitchen to try and prevent any excess noise making its way through. As she did, the other boys decided that they’d make themselves sparse, just in case. The three of them were well aware of Matty’s intentions about bringing her on tour, and they had seen his track record with girls when he put his mind to it. As much as what they knew of Y/N/N would lead them to believe that she was pretty stubborn, they didn’t want to stick around to hear the results if Matty’s plan succeeded. Also, it was as good an excuse as any to start their day. “You alive in there, Matty?” She asked quietly, knocking softly on the side of his bunk above where his head would’ve been with her shoe. “You need to function at some point today.” The curtain slowly pulled open, revealing what appeared to be a very tired Matty. The five o’clock shadow he had going on highlighted the small amount of stubble that he had neglected to shave the day prior, and the bags under his eyes made him look like he’d just suffered an entirely sleepless night. He winced at the sudden amount of light flooding into his bunk, rolling over onto his back.

“I need a coffee.” He groaned, pressing the palms of his hands into his eyes to try and dull how bright the artificial lighting was on the bus.

“I told you that you’d regret playing that drinking game.” She sighed. “Do you need me to go make you one?” She added with a laugh, staring down at the hungover man in front of her with amusement as he rolled his way onto the floor between their bunks.

“No, not that instant shit that we have here.” He huffed, slowly pulling himself to his feet. He pulled a hand through his unruly hair, trying to sort out how messy it had become in his restless sleep. “I need a real coffee. And George hates it when I use his contraption without askin'.” He continued as he started grabbing a few things out of his bag, throwing a jacket on over the top of the clothes that he had passed out in last night and slipping some shoes on. “C’mon.” He mumbled as he started walking towards the door.

He let out a grunt of dissatisfaction as he stepped outside into the morning sunshine. Even through his sunglasses it was still far too harsh and made his head pound ten times worse. The jetlag probably wasn’t helping his state of mind, either. But he knew from their last tour here that there was a café nearby that would give him a decent coffee. Once he got that into his system, it would start to get him back on the road to recovery before he had to play tonight. He looked behind him briefly to verify that she was following before starting down the street in the vague direction that he recalled his source of caffeine being in. She trailed behind him, mostly taking in the scenery around her rather than really focusing on anything else. Being in new locations always gave her such a feeling of unending potential. There was so much to discover and explore, so many nooks and crannies that you’d never find if you didn’t go hunting for them. The two of them walked to the café mostly in silence, except for the few ‘ow’s that escaped from the singer at the odd exceptionally loud noise that they passed.

Matty chose to sit down outside at the table closest to the café entrance, eager to have a smoke, get some sustenance as quick as possible, and then get back in time for a shower. Maybe a nap too if he was lucky. A server quickly made their way over to them, menus in hand and a friendly customer service smile on their face. He declined the menu, waving his hand dismissively as the server offered it out to him. “Just a black coffee, thanks.” He said with a nod. “Oh, and some toast. Dry toast.” He added as an afterthought. Experience had taught him that the sooner he could stomach food, the quicker he’d be out of this hangover. They seemed a bit taken aback by his abruptness, but took note of his request and her order of a cup of tea and toast anyway. Given the simplicity of their meal, it took all of a few minutes before it was placed in front of them. Matty took an eager sip of the hot beverage, feeling a much more comforting burn in his throat than the ones he had been feeling last night.

As they ate their meal, he found himself watching her carefully as he absentmindedly chewed at the dry carbohydrates that he knew he needed. It had been a while since he’d had a hungover breakfast with anyone other than the band. Partially because they were who he was around for 90% of his time, but also in part because he wasn’t comfortable enough around anyone else in his life to still want to hang out with them the morning after drinking. In fact, it had been a while since he’d properly felt comfortable around anyone except the band. And yet here he was. Again. He hadn’t really expected a few offhand flirty comments to turn into a friendship that he enjoyed so much. “It’s nice havin’ you out here.” He said casually around a mouthful of toast. The genuine tone in his voice set off the butterflies in her stomach for a brief moment. She looked back at him, feeling the need to verify if this was a joke or leading to a sleazy remark, but he seemed entirely serious.

“It’s weird being out here. Feels like stepping into a different world.” She replied honestly.

He nodded in agreement, “You’ll get used to it pretty quick.” He said as he took a sip of his coffee. The drink was slowly starting to take effect. “At least I hope so. I’d hate to have dragged you along only for you to have a shitty time.” He added with a laugh.

“I couldn’t have a shitty time.” She said, shaking her head slightly. He raised an eyebrow in question. “I came out here to hang out with four guys who I consider friends, and I get to do that every day.” She shrugged. He couldn’t help but grin at that.

“Good to know.”

They finished up their meal, and once Matty had decided that the caffeine had finally put him in a good enough mindset, he lit up a cigarette and suggested they head off. “The day is before us. We have endless possibilities.” He said as he gestured broadly at the city around them.

“No, we don’t. You have a show to sort out, and you need to show me what I’m meant to be doing with this merch, given you were so insistent that I take this job.” She pointed out.

He let out a long sigh, nodding slightly in agreement. “I should probably introduce you to Rome first so that you know whose merch you’re setting up.” He conceded, starting to walk back in the direction of the tour buses. She started following him, mulling over what he had said. Eventually she realised why he’d want to introduce her to Rome before showing her the actual job she was out here to do.

“You just wanna stall so you don’t have to start work.” She accused.

“Me? Avoid working?” He gasped. “Never.” He added sarcastically as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her to his side. “Come on, now.”

He seemed to have entirely too much enthusiasm for someone who had been incredibly hungover not more than an hour ago, pointing out every building he recognised on their walk back to the tour bus. It was abundantly clear with how expressive he was that he was legitimately interested in teaching her about these things. She had to admit that it was nice seeing him passionate about things, even little things like the fact that he was able to kind of show her around a city he’d been in once or twice before. When they reached the bus, he held the door open and gestured for her to step in. On the inside, Rome’s bus did appear to be pretty much exactly the same as the other two buses that everyone else was in; it just simply had six less beds which made it considerably shorter than the others. As Matty stepped in behind her, he spotted Rome sitting in the open lounge at the back of the bus. He stepped around her, taking a few quick paces to close the distance and leaving her to follow.

“This right here is my good buddy Rome.” He said with a broad grin, his volume increasing with each word he spoke as he all but ran over and tackled the blue-haired boy into a hug. Matty hadn’t left very much time for Rome to react, pretty much only looking up from his phone in time to defend himself at the last second. It was reassuring to see that he was overly enthusiastic with his affection for all of his friends, not just her. The boy laughed loudly as Matty tormented him for a few moments before he was finally able to free himself, stand up to take a few steps towards her.

“Nice to finally meet you.” He smiled as he held his hand out to her. “I was a little surprised to hear that there was gonna be someone else doing my merch this tour.” He added as she shook it and returned his smile.

“That would make two of us.” She agreed with a light laugh, glancing at Matty standing behind him.

“I just figured that you finally deserved some of your own crew instead of stealin’ mine all the time.” Matty offered with a shrug, wrapping an arm around Rome’s shoulders. She noticed that Rome made Matty seem a lot taller than he actually was as they stood next to each other like this. It was a stark contrast to seeing him with his own band members who practically dwarfed him.

“So, should we sit down, maybe have a joint?” Matty offered in an attempt to play gracious host, gesturing back towards the lounge.

“Can’t. Meant to be working.” She reminded him. He rolled his eyes at her excuse.

“Fine, get to know each other a bit, then?” He rephrased.

“Adam was telling me you guys had soundcheck at twe-” Rome started saying, until Matty just spoke over him.

“Let’s sit down. How’ve you been, man?” He interrupted, trying to shut Rome up and pull him towards the couch.

“If that’s true then you only have fifteen minutes to get inside.” She reminded him. “And you still have to show me where my stuff is.” Matty groaned loudly at this, checking his phone to confirm that they were both telling the truth about the time. George had mentioned something last night about a midday soundcheck once the stage was set up so that the lighting guys could continue without being interrupted. He supposed it was sensible to be on time for that.

“Fine. Let’s go.” He huffed, starting to head towards the door. “Not much of an introduction, though.” He added under his breath. After shouting a quick goodbye to Rome over his shoulder, they headed back out of the bus and inside the venue. She assumed that Matty must’ve known where he was going because he beelined through the hallways like a man on a mission. This arena was a bit bigger than the one that she had seen them in the first time and she tried to retain the corners they were taking in her head so that she didn’t get turned around again. Eventually they stopped at a pallet towards the back of the building absolutely loaded with boxes.

“This-” He started as he scanned through the pallet of stock, eventually pulling a box down from the very top, “is yours.” He held out the box. “And you set it up in that van that we passed near the front entrance.” He added.

She looked at him, then at the box. Was he done..? Maybe they were waiting on extra boxes? Or there was more to grab somewhere else? Surely this couldn’t be it? “A box? One box?” She asked in confusion. As she looked back to him for clarification, he seemed unphased by this information. “For the whole tour?” She continued.

“Yeah.” He nodded.

“This is really it?” She asked incredulously as she took it.

“Yep.” He confirmed, still nodding.

“Oh my god, Matty. I’m going to die of boredom being out here with only this.” She groaned, opening the box to see if it was even full. Knowing him it was probably empty, anyway. Maybe she should take back her comment about not being able to have a terrible time while she was out here.

“Payback for the festival.” He chuckled as she was able to verify that it was, indeed, full of shirts. Thank god.

“Don’t you fucking start.” She said with a glare, turning to point at him. “You chose to do that.” She reminded him.

“And you chose to do this.” He quipped with a smirk. “Unless you had some ulterior motive?” He asked nonchalantly. She knew full well what he was trying to get at, but it wasn’t going to work in this instance.

“Seeing my friends was, in fact, the primary motive.” She answered with a smug look.

“Mmm… sure.” He replied in a disbelieving tone. “I have to go soundcheck, I’ll catch up with you in a bit.” He said, turning on his heel and walking back in the direction that they had come from.

She trusted Matty - well, mostly trusted Matty - but she still read the labels on every box on that pallet just in case there was secretly more stock hidden somewhere. Once she had finally resigned herself to her fate of having next to no work to do at every show, she carried her one, single box back to the empty merch stand. It took her all of twenty minutes to set up merch for Rome. There were only sixty shirts in total to count in, and folding them was nothing compared to the amount of stock she had been forced to fold at other events. Rome had ducked in to the van once she was done to chat and keep her company, explaining a bit of the meaning behind the shirt design he had chosen and telling her about how he had met Matty. He seemed to be a really nice kid; she could see why Matty got along with him so well. They carried on chatting in the merch van until Ross came to find them and show them to the backstage waiting area so that the rest of the merch crew could set up. Everyone else had already made their way over there so that they could kill the time until it was finally time to play. Matty seemed to intentionally take his time getting ready for the show, asking her opinion on just about every little change that he made. Despite the confident bravado, he did seem to have a good deal of nerves bubbling away under the surface. He knew that he was setting the bar for what the whole tour would have in store. Kids would spread photos online of what they’d seen, what he’d done, what the setlist was. First impressions mattered. But as expected, the show was an astounding start to the six weeks that lay ahead. The band came off the stage buzzing with excitement and adrenaline, ready to tackle everything else that was thrown their way.

The next week was pretty much spent establishing a rough routine for the rest of the tour. It only took playing the one show for the band to get a feel for it again, and once the rest of the crew had set up and pulled down a couple of shows, everyone was back in the groove of what to expect. The band were also starting to get readjusted to doing interviews and social media releases while on the road. It was a gruelling schedule at times trying to fit it all in to one day and still somehow manage to get enough sleep for the next, but not one they were strangers to. However, what Y/N/N was quickly finding out in her daily routine, was that there was absolutely no personal space on a tour bus. She had been under the impression that bands generally took a few days here and there to have breaks between shows, but not this band. Nope. The thing about The 1975 was that they just did. not. stop. If this band wasn’t about to play a show, they were on the road to the next one. So, if they weren’t in a venue organising the day ahead, or pit stopped somewhere for an interview or similar, they were in the tour bus. They had a good mentality of everyone just being able to chill out and do their own thing when on the bus, which mostly consisted of trying to talk to people back at home or watching a movie wherever you could find space. But that many people crammed into such a tiny area who all shared conflicting schedules meant that you rapidly learned things about your roommates that you didn’t think you’d ever know. It hadn’t crossed her mind that she would have to quickly learn the bathroom habits of everyone else on this vehicle if she ever had a hope in hell of using it herself. On the plus side, it did mean that you also had to be comfortable in each other’s space for the sake of your own sanity.

As a result of needing people to vent to about this lack of space, she had found herself dragged headfirst into the chaos and hilarity that was Matty’s close friend circle. Having their stable company and friendship made dealing with the little issues about living on a tour bus a lot easier. Someone eating the last of the cereal was a lot less annoying when she could turn and laugh with Ross about it. She was finding out the more she got to know them that George was definitely the sensible one of the group who kept everyone else - namely Matty - in line, Ross was proving himself to be the funniest of the four of them - when Matty wasn’t around to try and one-up him - and Adam was a lot more reserved in bigger groups – especially when Matty was in them and just spoke over everyone else (there seemed to be a common theme appearing about how it was easier to get to know Matty’s friends without Matty present) - but more than happy to chat one on one when you got him onto a topic of mutual interest. And where she had already been fairly comfortable around the egocentric frontman, she was now finding that he was almost essential to her daily survival. From their in-jokes about dumb things, to having someone to talk to who knew her a slight bit better than everyone else, to just being able to have him around to watch TV shows with; the longer she spent trapped in the tour bus with him, the harder it was getting for her to be able to deny being into him. But there was no point in telling him any of this, because admitting her feelings wasn’t going to get her anywhere. It would just give him the satisfaction that he’d won and she’d be putting herself on the line with no reciprocation. However, Matty was also finding their time together to be having an overwhelmingly positive effect. It was incredibly convenient for him to have someone around who kept him in such a good mood all the time and who provided such good company. He hadn’t felt this happy in quite a while.

One afternoon on the bus she was trying to find something to occupy her time, deciding that maybe watching a movie would fill the void until they arrived at the next venue and she could get out and explore a bit. She knocked on the closed door of the back lounge, slowly pulling it open after she didn’t receive a reply. Upon peeking her head around the door, she was met with the curly haired Matty sitting on his laptop, a single headphone sitting in one of his ears and an open notebook on the table next to him. He didn’t look up as she stepped in, and it took her a moment to realise what he was doing. “Oh my god, are you working?” She asked in surprise.

“I do that sometimes.” He mumbled, not tearing his eyes away from his laptop.

“I have to admit, I was starting to think that you didn’t.” She laughed as she shuffled around the couch to see what he was doing. He was clearly fiddling with audio tracks in an editing program, but her knowledge beyond that was pretty limited. The notebook next to him seemed to be full of half-formed ideas that didn’t offer much context. She watched him in silence for a few moments before he decided to explain what he was doing.

“I’m trying to edit the bridge of this song and get it to sound how we want in our heads. George had a go at it this morning but couldn’t quite get the right sound, he asked if I could take a look at it.” He clarified. She nodded in understanding.

“It’s nice seeing you do something productive instead of just hindering the work of everyone else around you.” She teased, nudging him slightly with her elbow.

He flashed her a sarcastic look. “You know that I’ve spent the better part of two decades working to get this band where it is, yeah?” He asked bitterly, the sour mood he was in from not being able to sort this song out seeping into his tone.

“So I’ve heard. But most of the time you act like the cliché rock star that you tell everyone you’re not.” She shot back with a challenging look.

He opened his mouth to argue with her point, before realising that from her perspective, that was pretty much all that he did. She hadn’t had the chance to see him in the studio, in the label offices planning things out with Jamie, doing a serious interview, or do anything that was work related really other than perform and show off. He imagined that must come across as pretty arrogant of him to claim he got the band to where it is when he acted like he’d been at this point for all of his life. “How do I explain this…” He hummed, running a hand through his hair as he leaned back into the couch to think of the right words to say. “I don’t often get the chance to fuck about anymore. I used to a lot when I was younger. I fucked around and partied enough when I was younger for all of us guys combined, really.” He gave a short laugh, “But as we got bigger, I had to get my act together. More people were watching us, social media was a very prevalent thing in regards to marketing a band and our image, I had to knock it off for the sake of the band as a whole. Even just how much time I was wasting on it started to affect how much effort I could put into where we were going, and I didn’t want that. But people don’t change until it’s too hard not to. I was sort of required to shift into a more serious place in my life, when… y’know, it all got drawn out into the spotlight. But I miss it. I miss the freedom that came with getting to fuck about all the time.” He explained, glancing across at her to verify if she was understanding him correctly.

“So… you fuck around now because you haven’t for ages?” She asked, not really following where he was going with this.

“No, I…” He let out a sigh, trying to make his thoughts more eloquent. “It’s nice not having to be on my best behaviour around you, is what I’m getting at. It’s just a breath of fresh air amongst constant press and being recorded.” He simplified. “And the band doesn’t let me get away with as much as you do. That’s why you don’t see me serious very often.” Ah. She got what he meant now. “But, for the next six weeks you’re stuck living with me.” He chuckled. “Which means you’ll get to see all sides of me, not just the ones that I want you to.” Matty seemed to have a good knack for making jokes out of comments that were probably more serious than he thought they were. He looked down at her once he was satisfied that she was following along with his reasoning, only now realising that she was wearing his hoodie that he had given her the day after they’d met. A grin slowly spread across his face at this. “Nice hoodie.” He said with a small nod of approval. She had to look down to remind herself of what he was referring to, before meeting his gaze again with a slight blush dusting her cheeks. “It looks good on you.” He added, keeping the ‘better than it did on me’ part of that sentence to himself.

“Thanks.” She mumbled, unsure of what else to say to the compliment.

He went back to working after that, still trying to shuffle around new samples into the audio file to get the sound perfect. She figured that it would be pretty rude of her to put a movie on while he was working, so she decided to just watch him instead. It became considerably easier to follow along with what he was doing when he unplugged the headphones and allowed the laptop speakers to play aloud what he was working on. The track sounded like a less bass-y version of Depth from the small snippets she was hearing. It was interesting seeing his creative process and watching the looks that crossed his face as he tried to get the thoughts out of his head and into the song. As they got closer and closer to the next venue, Matty was beginning to take note of just how long she had actually been watching him work. All he was doing was messing with files in a program, surely there was no way in hell a girl would watch him do that for over an hour if she wasn’t interested in him. The fact that she refused to tell him just ate away at his mind.

He slammed shut the laptop suddenly, forcing her attention to him and away from the screen. “You should just tell me.” He said.

“Tell you what?” She asked in confusion, but the look he threw back at her in response made it click.

“You’ve fuckin’ been watching me all afternoon.” He laughed loudly as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him, “Just admit it.” He added lowly.

“In your dreams.” She scoffed.

“Every night, love.” He shot back with a smirk.

As more time progressed on the tour, Matty could feel himself edging ever so slightly closer to getting her to crack. His plan to establish what the right buttons were to encourage a reaction was working well. He was already well aware that she enjoyed seeing him play guitar. During soundchecks he had seen the way that she watched his fingers move across the frets and how she got distracted by it, and she was always pretty enthralled whenever he was on stage. So, that was one item off the list that he could play to his advantage. The other week she had told him that she liked his hair when it was messy, that was another. He was pretty confident that she liked the physical attention because she had stopped pushing him away now and tended to sit next to him before she sat next to anyone else. She was only ever becoming more receptive to the comments and actions that he was trying to use to fish for what worked and what didn’t. But she was still so damn stubborn about it. The two of them were both getting more resistant the more the other pushed. He refused to let up until she admitted the truth, and she refused to say it to him purely on principle at this point. If she caved now, he’d lord it over her for the remaining four weeks of the tour. But this constant game that they were at was starting to grate on the rest of the band, mainly George. He was beginning to find that this girl’s company was actually very enjoyable and he didn’t want to see Matty go and fuck it all up when he finally won. He also didn’t want to find himself caught in the middle trying to console both parties of a messy situation while trapped on a tour bus with the both of them. But at this point, he knew that Matty of all people should know better. He figured that maybe he should take the time to remind his best friend that there was a time and a place for everything, and that maybe on a tour bus wasn’t the time for this.

On a fairly dismal afternoon, Matty had found himself sulking at the kitchen table for the last half an hour or so. He had opened one of his social media apps to check on how things were doing at home, only to find a picture of his ex kissing some other guy plastered across the front of it. It had been about six months since she’d left him, but seeing her move on didn’t sting any less. It still felt like a blow to his self-esteem that she’d move on before he had. He was knocked out of his daze of staring at his phone in discontent when the bus door suddenly flung open and a very determined George stormed inside.

“What’s your plan with all this?” George asked bluntly as he sat down across from him at the table.

Matty stared across at his best friend blankly, trying to catch up to whatever train of thought George had caught that he’d apparently missed the call for. “What do you mean?” He asked, slipping his phone back into his pocket.

“What happens if she turns around and says that she’s into you?” He questioned.

“When.” He specified with a pointed look.

“Whatever, man.” The drummer huffed in annoyance. “What happens after you’ve conned this girl into falling for you?” He rephrased.

Matty wasn’t overly fond with the choice of words that George had used. Conned? That wasn’t what he was doing. He was just having a bit of fun, wasn’t he? But what did happen when she finally told him..? He hadn’t really thought that far ahead, he was too focused on accomplishing step one to work out what step two was. “Matty.” George called, clicking his fingers in front of the singer’s face to drag his attention back to reality. “All I’m saying is, don’t fuck her over, yeah? She deserves better than that.”

“Oh, I…” He scratched at the back of his neck nervously, suddenly feeling like a kid being told off by his parents. “Well, I wasn’t intending on it.” He mumbled.

“Good intentions only go so far,” He clapped a hand down on Matty’s shoulder. “and I’ve seen your track record. Be careful.” He warned as he stood up from the table and started heading back towards the door of the bus. “Oh, and,” He spun back around, pointing across the bus at his friend with a serious expression. “keep it to a minimum when the rest of us are around, wouldn’t you?”

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#Matthew Healy x Reader #Matty Healy x Reader #Sunsetinmyvein

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hollenka99 · 5 years

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Five Cards

Summary: Chase Brody becomes a father and loses his children more than once.

Warnings: Relationship that becomes progressively less healthy, Implied child death, Referenced murder

The first time Chase Brody received a Father's Day card, he hadn't been expecting it.

For him, it had been a regular Sunday. He'd gone to work before meeting with Stacy for a Sunday roast at a restaurant. It was more crowded than usual due to all the fathers celebrating their day with their families. Luckily, he and Stacy had booked a table in advance.

He looked over at her. One day, that would be them. They'd have a little boy who would think his dad had the best aim ever. He'd try to copy his dad and probably start making attempts to throw them into cups or empty containers as soon as he stopped wanting to taste everything he got his hands on. Their daughter would be as beautiful as her mother. They'd share Stacy's wavy blonde hair and lime green eyes. The two of them would roll their eyes at Chase's hobby of doing trick shots.

He chewed slowly on his Yorkshire pudding as he pictured this. It had been two years since he had grinned like a fool in front of all their friends and family as the two of them were introduced as Mr and Mrs Brody. Maybe it was time to move their relationship forward. If they actively tried to become parents, a baby could arrive by the time their third or fourth anniversary came around.

His wife regained his attention from the daydream. When he explained his thought process, she simply handed him a card addressed to him. His confusion only caused her to smile wider. Something was up.

The Father's Day card containing an ultrasound picture within caught him off guard. The longer it took him to speak, the harder Stacy laughed at his reaction. Yes, she insisted, she was serious. All he could do was move to the chair next to hers and hug her. Dessert wasn't their usual ending to Sunday dinner but tonight was special. Tonight, they were celebrating along with the other parents.

When the waitress came to collect their dirty plates, noticed the card on display and enquired where their child was, he proudly told her it was coming soon.

The second time Chase Brody received a Father's Day card, he smiled when he noticed his seven month old daughter had seemingly mastered the art of writing. In fact, her handwriting appeared to have a remarkable similarity to her mother's.

Samantha had been due in the first week of January. Spending Christmas in a hospital with a month old baby was not how he'd pictured his first Christmas as a parent. However, he was ecstatic when, after weeks of waiting for her to grow stronger, he and Stacy were able to bring Samantha home for the first time. She had only progressed further since then.

When he announced the pregnancy to Jack, his old friend from college congratulated him with an arm around the shoulder. Along with Henrik, they'd been drinking beer in a pub. The doctor assured Chase he was more than happy to provide parenting tips if needed.

It was strange whenever any of them hung out together, especially as a group. People insisted they looked the same. Chase certainly wouldn't deny he and Jack resembled each other. Only slightly though. After all, that was part of the reason why they began talking in the first place. But Henrik? No. Perhaps some Clark Kent nonsense was happening with his glasses and neater hairstyle but Chase simply couldn't recognise the similarities other than they had the same colour of eyes and hair. Either way, he was thankful for the German doctor who had saved his life before being introduced to him on a personal level by Jack.

He'd experienced recurring moments of pride every time he announced the Brody family was expecting a new member. His parents were overjoyed at the prospect of becoming grandparents. The rest of Chase's friends were happy for him too. Unfortunately, Stacy's family had to be informed of the good news as well. He never understood why they hated him. Okay, sometimes he could act immature but that part of his personality was what had had gotten their daughter to fall for him. Every time he messed about with trick shots, it would get Stacy to smile or even laugh.

Tracy was the worst of them. His wife's twin sister seemed to have a personal vendetta against him. Stacy's parents were cold towards him but with Tracy, he seemed to be one wrong move away from being murdered by her in cold blood. The two avoided each other when they could get away with it.

It didn't matter. Stacy's family didn't live with them. At home, it was just the two of them and their baby girl. Chase had been correct. Samantha had her mother's hair and eyes. He could still a little of himself in his daughter. Her smile, one of his favourite things about her, certainly didn't resemble Stacy's smile. He could make the comparison right now, seeing as both of them were smiling as he played peek-a-boo in the living room.

A year ago, this had been a daydream in a restaurant as he lived a repetitive routine. This year, he had no schedule. His only objectives were earning enough money to give this baby the world and witness her happiness as often as he could.

The third time Chase Brody received a Father's Day card, he felt like he didn't deserve to be praised for his parenting skills.

His boss was forced to make cutbacks to ensure the business survived tough financial times. Of course Chase was let go. 'I'm sorry to have to do this to you, Chase'. Yeah, that was bullshit. If his manager was really cared about him, they wouldn't be firing Chase a month before his second child was due. He'd put all the effort required and more to his professional responsibilities. His willingness to work hard was the only reason his in-laws didn't riot when he married their daughter.

Telling Stacy had been the worst part. Yes, he knew it would be a while before she could return to her job. Of course he was aware having two children under the age of two was expensive. He was feeling like shit after being told he wasn't good enough to stay employed. Couldn't he get some reassurance that these things occasionally happened to those who didn't deserve it? Could he perhaps receive some emotional support from the woman he loved, despite letting her down? No, it turned out he wasn't getting anything.

Going to a restaurant to celebrate Father's Day seemed like a waste of money. It wasn't like Sam was going to eat beef and potatoes with her parents. Their little girl was still at the stage where she lived off of cheese cubes and slices of fruit between meals. Nevertheless, they still spent the money they should be saving up. He didn't enjoy the meal out at all.

The card and teddy had really been from Stacy, when he thought about it. He doubted Sam knew what was going on. She probably recognised something exciting was happening, that was all. Regardless of her understanding of the holiday, Sam still acknowledged her daddy was upset. She toddled over to him while her mother prepared everything for bedtime. Chase's new little teddy was offered to him. For a few minutes, things didn't seem so bad when he appreciated how easy it was to make a 19 month old child giggle if you made a bear boop her on the nose. It was a shame Stacy didn't have the same appreciation. All she cared about was how he wasn't helping her when she needed it most.

He said nothing. However, as he slept beside her that night, he knew things were changing for the worst.

The fourth time Chase Brody received a Father's Day card, it was signed with two stickers.

Flynn was the opposite to his sister. While she had been nearly two months early, he'd stayed until the day before intervention had been scheduled. Samantha had taken her time with her milestones but that was normal for a premature child. Flynn, on the other hand, was already walking on his own and on the brink of saying his first word. Chase had his fingers crossed for Dada.

The July morning Samantha met her baby brother was beautiful. Chase picked her up from Henrik's home to visit the hospital. Her reaction to Flynn was better than he'd expected. She'd been fascinated by the pink face surrounded by the blanket he was wrapped in. Within days, she wanted to hold him all the time. She even became incredibly frustrated that he couldn't play with her yet.

Whenever he had the time, Chase would film poor quality videos of his unsuccessful attempts to perform simple tricks. Apparently, people enjoyed Bro Average's failures. Being reminded failing multiple times before success wasn't that bad did seem appealing. He didn't have many subscribers however Jack assured him it was early days. A shout out from his internationally popular friend did boost the statistics. A video on Jack's channel had been suggested in passing conversation but it wasn't something they had considered doing for real as of yet.

Flynn was definitely Chase's son. Sure, Samantha looked more like her mother than him. Flynn, however, was his father's doppelganger. Jack, king of nicknames, had even dubbed the small boy 'Mini-Chase'. The infant clone was slowly learning how to imitate his father's mannerisms. Stacy was the clear second favourite. Then again, Chase was always home while she worked a full time job to make ends meet. Not that she let him forget that detail.

He struggled to know where he stood with her. Sometimes, they catapulted insults between each other like it was a game of hot potato. You want to remain sane for the sake of your children? Tough, how about you're reminded of your numerous flaws instead. Other times, they would get along perfectly. It was like the fights were simply blips. Nothing to worry about, all couples fought. Take Valentine's Day, a rare lovely dinner at home while their children remained quiet. The good times were gradually growing less and less frequent.

Recently, he noticed Stacy was employing an immoral and frankly childish method of never allowing the verbal wounds to heal. In the past few weeks, Samantha would act as messenger for her mother. Mummy says this, Mummy said that. Jesus, the child was only two years old. She didn't deserve to be used like this. His wife would brush it off as a toddler picking up more than she should. No, she was listening to her mummy openly criticize Daddy in front of her. If it had been a case of a small child saying things she shouldn't, Stacy would have helped him discourage the behaviour. He was never aware the woman he married had the ability to be manipulative.

Chase ended the day by putting Flynn to bed. His son stands up immediately, clearly not planning on sleeping yet. He reaches out as Chase reminds him it's time to get some rest. Flynn shouts his first word in protest. Chase doesn't know whether it's the actual word or the fact that he's had no rest himself since the early hours of this morning. Either way, he's wiping a tear or two as he steps towards the crib. He whispers thank you as they cuddle. At least someone at home wasn't working against him, intentionally or not.

To her disapproval, Stacy found her husband asleep with his back against the wall, cradling their dreaming second child. Once a photograph of the moment was taken, she took control of the situation. Chase mumbled the news as he climbed into their bed. Obviously that would be Flynn's first word. The kid was joined to his father's hip.

The fifth time Chase Brody received a Father's Day card, he found it in his post.

April had only been two months ago. He still remembered that phone call in perfect clarity. He had been filming the Bro Average video for Jack's channel when Stacy announced she was divorcing him. Taking their children to her twin sister was like twisting the knife. Stacy hadn't even allowed him to say a proper goodbye to the kids. One second he was making sure Samantha knew he loved her and her little brother, the next he was listening to a disconnected line.

Stacy had the nerve to explain the split to her parents as 'realising they were right about him all along'. She spouted rubbish about how he refused to provide for his family. Since when? Ever since he'd been made redundant two years ago, he'd done everything in his power to help make ends meet. He had a job again, albeit a part time one that paid far less than his old job. What mattered was that he was pulling his weight. He couldn't go full time because somebody had to be there for Sam and Flynn while Stacy worked. Not to mention, the merchandise he'd brought out for the Bro Average channel earned them a few extra pounds on the side. She once argued with him about the items he purchased for the videos. Clearly he'd been married to someone who didn't understand basic business principles.

Chase never intended to become dependent on alcohol either. Prior to the call, he'd liked to have a drink every now and then, the same as anyone else. Now, he used it to lose a few hours of the day. Without meaning to, he allowed his life to unravel. Countless shifts of pretending he wasn't intoxicated or hungover had been noticed. Last week, he experienced a huge serving of deja vu. He had been called into his boss' office and fired for his performance. Because of course he had. He was Chase Brody, the world's biggest failure. He couldn't keep a job, make his wife stay with him or be a good enough father to their two children. Everything had gone to shit after Stacy demanded a divorce.

And yet, he still loved her with the a similar strength as he did at the beginning. God, did their marriage only last seven years? If he didn't have a chance of fixing his relationship with Stacy, he'd have to fight for his right to see his children grow up. If his life was spiralling out of control, he refused to let that affect his involvement in their lives. He wasn't going to back down, not when he needed his family the most.

The first time Chase Brody didn't receive a Father's Day card, life was close to hell.

It had started okay. He still abused his liver but after a battle in court, Chase had been granted the right to spend time with his kids over the weekend. He wept the day it happened. If he had been able to get away with it, he would have asked for every day with them. He'd be a part of lives, even if it wasn't as big of a part as their mother. That was the motivation to try and ultimately fail to go cold turkey with the drink. Sam and Flynn didn't deserve an alcoholic father, on top of everything else Chase was. His friends supported him and cheered with him at this breakthrough.

Then Jack fell ill.

He didn't know how it had happened. It was either the end of July or the start of August when he'd last visited him for a gaming session. A few days later, Henrik rang with bad news. Jack was in a coma. If someone asked why Chase remembered the date being August 3rd, he wouldn't be able to tell them. He knew his kids' birthdays to the minute but he was supposed to know that.

For months, his life fell into a routine. On weekdays, he would spend most of the day at the job he'd miraculously managed to obtain, given his record. As the sky got dark, Chase frequently headed to the hospital to share a one-sided conversation with his friend. The weekends were dedicated to his two anchors.

On the last Monday of April, Jack listened to the story about a trip to the fairground. If he was awake he would've learned Flynn insisted on mint choc chip ice cream then handed it to Samantha after one disgusted lick. Oh, Sam was starting to get really scared of heights as well. That was a weird coincidence, wasn't it? Chase hoped Jack was enjoying these stories, even if he couldn't react. Like always, he begged him to wake up.

May marked nine months since Chase lost his best friend to a coma. It didn't help that Henrik had left indefinitely, only to suddenly return without a word. May also marked the beginning of the end.

After nine months and five days, Jack finally regained consciousness. Chase couldn't get over there fast enough after work. They had proper conversations until Friday night's visiting hours were over. It became Jack's turn to worry incessantly about Chase when he disappeared for a week. The once playful man who lived with the burden of his failings came back a shell of himself.

Jack didn't learn what had happened from the one who had lived through the incident. Instead, it was the doctor who had been the first to witness two tiny bodies on their bedroom floor, their mother deceased in the corridor and red staining the carpets. The most Chase would leak was that the three of them must have thought he'd gone psycho. He hardly spoke a word after that horrific night. Maybe if Flynn had remembered his toy truck, his father would have been spared from discovering the haunting scene.

Now Chase Brody was reduced to a man who sat by his apartment's front door, waiting for a card he knew was never coming.

#jacksepticeye #chase brody #brody family #my writing #writersofjack #I wrote this for Father's Day last year #just never put it on Tumblr for some reason #ao3 transfer #tw child death #tw implied death

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reneehenryphotography · 4 years

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Online Persona Research

An online persona, also known as an online identity is a social identity that an internet user establishes through online communities and websites.

Virtual Influencers:

Nowadays virtual influencers are becoming more popular. By definition, a virtual influencer or CGI influencers are fictional computer generated ‘people’ who have realistic characteristics, features and personalities.

Behind each profile are clever creators, brands and individuals who remain faceless. They are the ones responsible for growing the personas popularity on platforms such as Instagram where the virtual figures are moulded into internationally recognised influences. The creators get to choose the way they look, dress and act while keeping the money the influencers make from brand deals.

Lil Miquela (@lilmiquela on instagram) is one of, if not the first virtual influencer to be created. With 2.2million followers and counting 19 year old Lil Miquela is the most popular virtual influencer on the platform. This fictional character markets a variety of brands, primarily in fashion. As a marketing tool, Lil Miquela has featured product endorsements for streetwear and luxury brands such as Calvin Klein and Prada.

After reading through articles about Lil Miquela and other CGI influencers I found a few different and interesting opinions on the personas. Adam Rivietz, cofounder and CSO of the influencer and marketing company #paid had a very valid point about fictional characters promoting real products. Rivietz said “virtual influences like Lil Miquela raise other concerns. After all, why should followers trust the opinion of someone that doesn’t exist?” He points our that “virtual influencers aren’t trying on the clothing brand” stating that they are not real people, so they can’t give a totally authentic endorsements. Ryan Detert, CEO of the influencer marketplace Influential states that the concerns Rivietz has is what makes virtual influences so attractive to companies, “They’re much easier to control”. In the near future, Rivietz thinks, many companies may begin building their own digital influencers, simply because it’s a more efficient way of controlling the message that reaches their target audiences.

I can see where Detert is coming from when it come to business and marketing but I definitely agree more with Rivietz opinion as I think that in many ways its wrong for something not real to have an influence over people. This just goes to show how easy it is to create believable fictional characters.

Virtual Characters:

Virtual characters are seen in animated movies ,Tv shows and music videos. These characters possess certain qualities and have their own personalities. During our class on Thursday we briefly discussed ideas around the virtual band the Gorillaz. The Gorillaz are a well known British virtual band created in 1998 by Damon Albarn with visual effects and artwork done by Jaime Hewlett. The band primarily consists of four animated characters. Their fictional universe is displayed through many types of media such as music videos, interviews and short cartoons.

Their website itself (https://www.gorillaz.com) displays the bands aesthetic through an interactive experience. A music video immediately begins playing once the site is click on with the bands visuals appearing. These visuals are often real videos with the animated characters superimposed into them.

The Gorillaz are a good example of an online persona that has a strong sense of character. Their style is reminiscent of 80's dance music with strong influences from hip-hop, dub, electro, and pop. Sticking to a specific genre and style is one of the many elements that have made the Gorillaz so successful.

False Realties:

We now live in a world of false realties. All forms of social media offer an alternate view of who we are as individuals. We can show the best side of ourselves curating a perfect lifestyle for followers to wish for. We either judge or feel judged through what we post. By only showing certain parts of our lives on social media we have control of our image and are able to display our ‘ideal’ lives.

During class we spoke about how people have used this idea of false realities to trick people into thinking they were on holiday through the power of social media and editing. The examples showed that social media can often not be trusted and how easy it is to create a false life through curated media.

George Mason (above) a London based vlogger tricked his followers into thinking he went on an eight-day vacation across five European countries. Mason stated that “there's this bad side of it where it is so easy to be deceitful online." He noticed how many influencers fake their lavish lifestyles online and he decided to see how far her could take it. The image above shows how easy it is to manipulate an image to create a false reality.

References:

Mosley, Megan. “Virtual Influencers: What Are They & How Do They Work?” Influencermatchmaker.co.uk. https://influencermatchmaker.co.uk/blog/virtual-influencers-what-are-they-how-do-they-work (accessed May 11, 2020)

Katz, Miranda. “CGI ‘Influencers’ Like Lil Miquela Are About to Flood Your Feeds.” Wired.com. “https://www.wired.com/story/lil-miquela-digital-humans/ (accessed May 11, 2020)

Wikipedia. “Gorillaz” en.wikipedia.org. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorillaz (accessed May 11, 2020)

Wann, Elizabeth. “The False Reality of Social Media.” Churchleaders.com. https://churchleaders.com/youth/youth-leaders-articles/275100-false-reality-social-media.html (accessed May 11, 2020)

Boan, Daniel. “A Youtuber Faked an 8 Day Vacation on Instagram.” Insider.com. https://www.insider.com/fake-vacation-instagram-george-mason-2019-4 (accessed May 11, 2020)

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madridtravel-blog · 5 years

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Factors to Pay a visit to Madrid

The Spanish funds is the middle of artwork, tradition, manner and as a traveler a pair of times is only not plenty of to see what the town has to give. It is a paradise for these who like to check out artwork galleries and historic edifices, museums and natural landscapes. Madrid is a traveler's delight and you can select from a wide variety of points of interest when you spend a getaway in this article. Some properly recognised sites of interest that you can examine out on a Madrid weekend: The Plaza Mayor surrounded by residences and with 9 gates is the perfect put to hold out with your loved ones. Historically an arena for bullfighting currently it houses a large selection of stores and cafes. The Grand Via is a well recognised shopping avenue stuffed with cinema theatres, malls and hotels. Between the art galleries in this metropolis, the Museo del Prado is perhaps the finest hosing some remarkable art pieces amongst the 12th and 19th hundreds of years. Drawings, coin collections and sculptures kind component of its belongings. The Templo de Debod situated right in the city's centre, gifted by the Egyptian federal government, attracts quite a few visitors. The substantial El Retiro Park is well known for its rose backyard garden, galleries, sculptures and a lake. The Palacio Serious where the King of Spain resides is the major of its type in Europe and open to public creating it a well known tourist attraction. You can enjoy a wonderful stroll in this article and see the Royal quarters and the intricately adorned majestic throne. For football fanatics a visit to the Bernabau Stadium is a must which is property to the internationally acclaimed Real Madrid Group. Finding to look at a match right here is an practical experience of a lifetime for a tourist. The Mercado San Miguel market is the put to be where you can buy refreshing fruits, meat and greens. The residences of the Spanish dramatist Carpio which is made up of some of his priceless functions and the Palacio de Linares that shows some of the finest architectural finesse are destinations wherever the traveler might tour. To know more about Madrid visit at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museo_Nacional_Centro_de_Arte_Reina_Sof%C3%ADa Las Ventas is Madrid's most well-known bull fighting ring and is a should enjoy for travelers. Choose a trip on a cable motor vehicle from Pintor Rosales to get an aerial check out of the city. The Plaza de la Villa presents a view of many splendid architectural buildings together with the City Corridor. With so considerably to see in the metropolis you can be relaxation certain you will have a great deal to do after you have achieved Madrid. Make absolutely sure you do not miss a serious bullfight even though you are in this article mainly because that is heading to include to your holiday memories. So if you are keen to get a flavor of the Spanish tradition and historical past, Madrid is one metropolis you ought to not overlook.You would like to obtain more details pertaining to Madrid http://www.tripindicator.com/madrid/ticket/skip-the-line-reina-sofia-arts-center-tour.html kindly go to the website.

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phfanfic-diekoenigin · 6 years

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prequel: 008

SEPTEMBER 2010 (OSKAR)

Schloss Ludwigslust, Ludwigslust, Mecklenburg

Wednesday, 15 September 2010

His great-grandfather, King Heinrich Ludwig I of Mecklenburg, had shamelessly copied his Dutch cousin (and aunt by her marriage to his half-uncle) and created a national holiday celebrating the birthday of the monarch. The first Königstag, King’s Day, took place on 18 November 1919, only months after the Treaty of Versailles turned the Grand Duchies of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Mecklenburg-Strelitz into the Kingdom of Mecklenburg. Heinrich Ludwig would appear on the balcony of Schweriner Schloss, wave to the gathered crowds of wellwishers and gawkers, and go back inside where it was nice and warm, leaving his subjects to show their love for their King by throwing street parties and getting drunk in the middle of the day.

King Heinrich Ludwig I died in 1954 and his son carried on the tradition. His great-uncle, Paul Friedrich II of Mecklenburg’s birthday was 10 September and, now, so was Königstag. Thanks to the fairer weather, Paul Friedrich took a more hands on role and began visiting Mecklenburg’s three exclaves in West Germany. Horst, Mannhagen, and Walksfelde were visited each in turn by Paul Friedrich, Queen Thyra, and their children during Paul Friedrich’s long reign.

King Paul Friedrich II died in 1982 and his son carried on the tradition. His father’s first cousin, Wilhelm Franz I of Mecklenburg’s birthday was 17 July, and, now, so was Königstag. Some argued for the date to stay in September as the front half of the calendar year was now overloaded with national holidays, but Wilhelm Franz refused, saying “my birthday’s in July” and that was the end of that. By now, the tradition of visiting the exclaves was well entrenched and much looked forward to by the tiny villages. After Wilhelm Franz married, Eleonora of Leiningen (his mother’s first cousin) joined him, and then their daughter a few years later. When the Soviet Union fell and Mecklenburg regained access to the two exclaves in what was formerly East Germany in 1990, Rossow and Schönberg were added to the rotation. Tragically, Wilhelm Franz would never spend Königstag at Rossow or Schönberg.

King Wilhelm Franz I died in 1992, leaving a three year old queen to carry on the tradition. His second cousin twice over, Karolina Augusta I of Mecklenburg’s birthday was 15 September, and, now, so was Königinnentag. Queen’s Day. Without a husband or any children of her own, Karolina Augusta was joined by her mother and brother during her visits to Mecklenburg’s five exclaves. Karolina Augusta celebrated her first Königinnentag in Mannhagen, and today, celebrated it in Schönberg. Over the decades, the festivities put on by the villages had evolved from small, locally sourced street parties to large, internationally sourced agricultural shows. It was not Lina’s thing. Like, at all. But as with everything else, she threw herself into it each year by letting her hair down (figuratively) and going for a more casual, approachable wardrobe (flat shoes) in order to join in the festivities while still looking wildly out of place standing near livestock and giant vegetables.

Officially, Königinnentag ended when the traditional work day did. Karolina Augusta didn’t hold to traditional work hours, and neither did Oskar.

Oskar Harald Christian Heinrich Philipp af Danmark was born on 19 September 1983 at Euphemiasburg in Bad Doberan, Mecklenburg (because hospitals are for the common folk), the second child but first son of Harald and Helene af Danmark. Although born in Mecklenburg with the intention of being raised in Mecklenburg, Oskar was baptised into the Church of Denmark six months later to appease his grandfather.

As male-line descendants of King Christian IX of Denmark through a succession of approved marriages, Oskar, his older sister Louisa, younger brother Axel, their parents and their aunt were considered members of the Danish Royal Family, and entitled to the rank of Prince or Princess of Denmark and the style of Highness. As male-line descendants of Frederik VIII through his third son, but not his first son, they were, however, excluded from the line of succession. Known to the rest of his paternal family as the Bernstorff branch (named for the palace his grandparents lived in until his grandfather’s death in 1991), they were the appendix of the Danish Royal Family, nice to have around but not essential.

This, rather dry and not entirely interesting, information was relied upon more than Oskar cared to admit. When travelling the country, the continent, or the world, there was nearly always someone who’d crunch up their face and ask why a Danish prince was a representative of the Mecklenburgish queen. He’d like to answer “nepotism?” but instead answered with a variation of “I’m a Mecklenburgish citizen, not a Danish citizen” and avoided getting into explaining Mecklenburg’s standard practice of recognising any foreign rank and style of its citizens so long as the style is not Royal Highness or higher as that’s reserved for very specific people within the Kingdom. If their historical style is Royal Highness or higher they are downgraded, which must ruffle some feathers, but hasn’t stopped Mecklenburg from becoming a kind of refuge for the royally and nobily overthrown.

His business card identified him as Prinz Oskar af Danmark, External European Policy Advisor to The Queen of Mecklenburg. Basically, it was his job to advise his cousin on all things Europe, but not Mecklenburg. Less basically, he got paid to read international news, travel the world, argue with his team about what they should and shouldn’t report back to their boss, and attend so many meetings with people he wanted to strangle half the time. He’d had the job since 2006 after Lina created the role especially for him. Oskar’s detractors argued he was too young, but Lina argued back that there still were plenty of old white men in the Königliches Ministerium für Auswärtige Angelegenheiten und Handel (Royal Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and abbreviated - as all the ministries were - as KMAAH), and how a fresh perspective was desperately needed.

Despite accepting the job, from the beginning Oskar felt his position was largely unnecessary. A fresh perspective? That was just a nice way of saying “inexperienced”. There were plenty of policy advisors in the KMAAH office. It’s the whole point of the ministry. For months, Oskar dug deep, settled into his fancy office in Schweriner Schloss, poached some employees from the KMAAH office, worked hard to prove his cousin’s faith in him wasn’t misplaced, absorbed as much as he could, soaked up the knowledge of his coworkers, asked question after question after question - except for the question that really mattered, the one keeping him up at night.

“Does my job even matter?”

It took months for Oskar to realise the answer was yes, a resounding, heartfelt yes.

Advising Karolina Augusta on political matters, on Mecklenburg’s role in Europe, the internal politics of her neighbours and how they might affect their homeland was difficult and challenging, but ultimately rewarding. Lina always made sure to show her gratitude. He felt valued, his opinion respected. But working so closely with family, in a world where public and private blurred, required a clear line to be drawn in the sand. Oskar was not her Private Secretary or Deputy Private Secretary. There were areas of her life Lina would not appreciate him putting his two cents in. It was sometimes difficult determining what those areas were. Oskar detested the line in the sand while also understanding the reason behind it. They were cousins, born a handful of years apart with similar outlooks and goals. To jeopardise that relationship because he couldn’t keep his opinions to himself would have been a terrible waste. As strange as it might sound as her family and employee, Oskar was proud to call Lina his friend.

And friends help each other out, even on a national holiday.

Die Papiere were delivered to the monarch of Mecklenburg every day of the year, twice if necessary. The blue leather bound box, secured by a not especially secure lock, would be filled with the previous day’s, or that morning’s, ministerial papers and other matters for the monarch to attend to. On the evening the fifteenth of September, the day’s second batch of die Papiere delivered to Schloss Ludwigslust had a strong foreign flavour to them thanks to the Annual Informal Meeting of German-Speaking Heads of State held the week before in Austria.

During dinner in the Schloss’s Jagdsalon, Hunting Hall, with over twenty of his relatives seated around the vast table between the large room’s deer head and antler decorated pillars, Lina had asked if Oskar could join her in going over the documents should she have any questions. Karolina Augusta I of Mecklenburg always had questions so Oskar said he’d be happy to.

And he was. Let no one doubt his commitment to his job, and queen and country.

After climbing several flights of stairs to the Russische Appartement (the smallest guest apartment consisting of only a bedroom and ensuite) on the second floor to freshen up, Oskar descended the Große Osttreppe to the first floor just after eight.

Two of Lina’s protection officers were on duty on the first floor landing, guarding the doors to Lina’s Appartement, and keeping track of those who used the Große Osttreppe, Wache Halle, and the Goldener Saal (where another pair of Lina’s protection officers guarded another entrance to Lina’s Appartement). The officers nodded their heads at him - he was expected - with one opening the double doors to Lina’s Vorzimmer to alert the Aide-de-Camp on duty that evening.

Oskar waited with the guards while the Aide-de-Camp went to tell Lina of his arrival. His dismal attempt at smalltalk was cut short when Major Lehmann returned with Lina’s permission to wait for her in the Empfangszimmer.

The Major stepped aside to allow Oskar to enter the Vorzimmer ahead of her. Lehmann was Oskar’s favourite of Lina’s three Aides-de-camp. Nowak was very serious, but Stenberg had no sense of humour at all. The Vorzimmer des Monarchen, the Antechamber of the Monarch, was rectangular and primarily yellow in colour due to the wallpaper and upholstery. Originally sparsely decorated to allow the room to hold small groups of people waiting for their turn to see the Dukes and Grand Dukes of yesteryear, the Vorzimmer was now decorated as a drawing room. Sofas and armchairs were arranged in a horseshoe around the fireplace, a couple of end tables, a few buffet tables and cabinets were carefully placed around the room to allow space for paintings (including an enormous painting of a cat-dog faced lion) and an unobstructed view out of the room’s two windows overlooking the grounds behind the Schloss. Atop nearly every flat surface was a vase, overflowing with flowers freshly cut from not only Schloss Ludwigslust’s garden, but from all of Lina’s residences across the country. Amongst the vases were dozens of family photos spanning decades, some stretching back before he or Lina were even born. He was sure he’d find himself in a few photos if he was interested in looking. He wasn’t. He’d seen them all before and didn’t linger as he headed to the open set of double doors to Lina’s Empfangszimmer.

Major Lehmann closed the doors behind him. The Empfangszimmer, Receiving Room, was once the Audienzzimmer, Audience Chamber, as the stately red colour of the wallpaper reminded any visitors aware of the Schloss’s history. Once upon a time, when the court was permanently based in Schloss Ludwigslust, this room was used to receive official guests and hear petitions. The Ducal and Grand Ducal Thrones used by his ancestors were now in Euphemiasburg’s Museum Wing. The Empfangszimmer was now decorated in a similar fashion to the Vorzimmer, though more formally, with fewer flowers and any photographs being of current and former heads of state instead of family members. None of the Vorzimmer’s four sets of double doors were ‘false’, they all leaded somewhere. The same could not be said for the Empfangszimmer’s four sets of double doors. Two were ‘false’ and leaded nowhere revealing only sections of the Schloss’s central heating system. All sets of doors were identically designed to keep the room symmetrical.

The Empfangszimmer had one final door, a ‘hidden’ one. Much smaller in height and disguised to blend into the red wallpaper and white and gold trimmed wooden panelling of the room, this door lead to Lina’s Schlafzimmer, her bedroom. Schloss Ludwigslust had several of these hidden doors, some for staff use, others for the Schloss’s residents and guests, and none of them truly ‘hidden’ if you knew what to look for, or happened to notice the doorknob.

Oskar took a spot in front of the large mirror on the wall between the room’s two windows (most rooms in the Schloss had only one or two windows). The doors connecting the Empfangszimmer and Lina’s Studie was open and Oskar could hear Lina talking to someone. With the only other sound in the room being the soft ticking clock on the mantelpiece, it became impossible not to overhear his cousin in the next room. He tried to distract himself by focusing on the gold framed mirror. Mirror technology was not the best when the Schloss had been built so the two metre tall mirror was actually made up of several pieces. Why hasn’t Lina replaced the small panes with one single piece? Yeah, yeah, they were original to the room -

Yeah, it wasn’t working. He could still hear everything in the next room.

She was on the phone.

“-until November.” Pause. “Maybe. I hope so.” Pause. “Next year. Spring, after Easter, I’d imagine.” Pause. “Well, your summers are terrible so-” Pause. “They are not! We get a lot of sun here.” Pause. “We do not escape to Scotland. No one goes to Scotland for the weather.” Another pause, some laughter. “Okay, maybe some people would go to Scotland for the weather.” Pause. “Would you be able to talk again later? Oskar and I need to go over some things.” Pause. “About an hour?” A long pause. “Okay, ich werde bald mit dir reden. Tschüss!” Pause, some laughter. “Okay. Tschüss, tschüss.”

A few seconds later, Lina walked into the Empfangszimmer holding her early birthday present to herself snuggled against her chest. The female black and white Stabyhoun puppy, named Pavlovna, squirmed a little in Lina’s arms, eager to greet the newcomer.

“Hallo, Oskar,” Lina said, a sing-song edge to her voice, as she snuggled her cheek against Pavna’s fluffy fur. No one was immune to the charms of tiny, cute animals. No one included Oskar.

“Hallo, Lina,” Oskar said, closing the distance between them. “And hallo, Pavlovna.” He reached behind the puppy’s right ear and scratched, the little puppy leaned into his ministrations until Oskar moved his hand to rub the top of Pavna’s head, and then a final pat before taking a step back.

He didn’t bow and Lina didn’t expect him to. He’d already bowed to her that morning, and again when she returned from Schönberg (no one seemed to have a concrete answer for how many times one should bow to their monarch, but Oskar didn’t want to give any uptight courtiers any ammo on him). He would bow to her at least once more before the day was done.

“How’s Pavna doing tonight?” He asked.

Oskar had read the Dutch Ambassador’s birthday message to Karolina Augusta so he now knew Stabyhouns were amongst the rarest breeds of dog in the world. The Ambassador was happy Lina had purchased a Dutch national treasure and hoped it would help boost the breed’s profile outside of the Netherlands. If the Ambassador was hoping that Lina would breed Pavlovna and create some kind of Mecklenburgish-Dutch Stabyhoun Alliance, he was sorely mistaken. Lina didn’t breed her animals, not even the horses. She said it was because she didn’t have the time to breed animals. Which wasn’t false. She was busy. But The Queen was busy and she manages to breed Corgis like they’re going out of fashion. Klaus reckoned, and Oskar agreed, that the reason Lina didn’t breed her animals is because she knew she’d never have the heart to sell the puppies or foals, and soon Schweriner Schloss and Schloss Ludwigslust would be overrun.

“She’s doing well.” Lina pressed a kiss against the puppy’s head. “She had a big day today. Hopefully, she’ll sleep through the night.”

Oskar chuckled, “sounds like having a newborn baby.”

“Well,” Lina said, grinning and canting her head a little, “she is a puppy.”

“And you want to go through all of it again?”

“Eventually,” Lina kissed Pavna’s head again. “Come on. We’ve got a fair bit to get through.”

“Wonderful. Can’t wait. After you,” Oskar said, gesturing towards the doors behind them. Lina spun around on the spot, her dress flaring out around her, and Oskar followed her into the next room.

Lina’s Studie, Study, was the third of four public rooms used by Lina on the frequent occasions she would conduct meetings or audiences, or host lunches or dinners while residing at Schloss Ludwigslust. The fourth public room, through the other set of double doors, was the Bildergalerie and Esszimmer, Picture Gallery and Dining Room, with its painting covered walls, small selections of family heirlooms encased in glass cabinets, and a long table and twenty-two chairs. When his great-great-whatever-grandfather built the Schloss, the Bildergalerie had been about thirty percent larger than it was today. As part of the Schloss-wide modernisation carried out by his grand-uncle in the seventies, Paul Friedrich turned the Galerie into two rooms, a smaller Bildergalerie and Esszimmer, and a private Bibliothek. It was during this modernisation ensuite bathrooms were provided for each Appartement. Thank fuck he’d been born after that had happened.

The lack of carpeted floors in Lina’s residences have been an unexpected blessing in the years since her coronation. From two, to three, and now four dogs in the space of just four years was remarkable for someone who’d never owned so much as a goldfish growing up. Axel had asked her how many dogs she planned on getting and got back “I shouldn’t suspect too many more” in reply. Axel’s expression meant he clearly found that a troubling response. Oskar agreed. Lina liked collecting and cluttering up her space more than people would assume from her polished, public persona. Four dogs were enough for one person living alone, surely?

(He then remembered the seemingly endless number of corgis, cocker spaniels and dorgis The Queen had and prayed Lina didn’t follow in her mentor’s footsteps in relation to dog ownership.)

While (often highly patterned and colourful) wooden floors were standard in royal residences throughout Mecklenburg, rugs and hall runners were also common. At least they were easily transportable and not too difficult to wash, Oskar thought as Lina crouched down and placed Pavna on the carpet next to the other dogs, her dress billowing out around her. Whether or not Pavna took the hint to join Nikki, Asta and Willa in their nap on the rug while Lina and Oskar worked remained to be seen. Lina had told them all about how stubborn Stabyhouns could be even after training.

Lina rubbed Pavna behind the ear, gave the older dogs a quick pat, stood up and gestured for Oskar to take a seat on the room’s only sofa. The sofa was hundreds of years old, and only comfortable enough sit on for short periods of time in hopes of keeping people from overstaying their welcome. Oskar took his spot on the side of the sofa closest to Lina’s preferred armchair, around the corner of the coffee table. Continuing the theme from the Vorzimmer, a vase of flowers and a couple of framed family photos sat atop the coffee table, in addition to two neatly arranged piles of paper and folders, a handful of pens and two glasses of water.

“Let me know if you would like something to eat, or something else to drink,” Lina said as she sat in the armchair on his right, a blur of red in the periphery of his vision.

Lina was still wearing her Königinnentag outfit. There hadn’t been time to change between arriving back at Schloss Ludwigslust from Schönberg (or Schönberg-Dosse to be precise and differentiate it from Schönberg-Nordwest) and dinner. It was a rare occasion indeed for Lina to attend an evening meal without a wardrobe change. And her cousins had teased her mercilessly about it. Now, Oskar supposed, there was little point in changing into anything but her pajamas and so Lina remained in her red dress and red flat shoes. The red jacket she had worn to Schönberg was draped haphazardly over the back of the two seater sofa. Oskar hadn’t felt underdressed during dinner, but he did now, having left his dinner jacket in his room. Ah well, it wasn’t worth the long walk back to his room to retrieve it. His black trousers, white button up shirt, grey tie, black cap toe Oxfords, and a three day growth would have to do.

“Will do,” Oskar said, leaning forward to pluck a folder from the top of the pile meant for him, labelled ‘Mecklenburgisch-Deutsche Sicherheits Allianz’ and stamped ‘STRENG GEHEIM’. “Let me know if you’d like any of my staff to get you something.”

“Not necessary, thank you” Lina said kindly and with a hint of smirk, “besides, I’m sure Axel is busy.”

Oskar laughed, “I’m going to tell him you said that.”

“And I’m going to tell him you called him your staff.”

“I never mentioned him by name,” Oskar said, leaning against the backrest of the sofa (which was even less comfortable than the sofa cushion), removing his favourite pen from his shirt pocket and flipping open the folder.

“You were thinking it,” Lina said pointedly. Oskar shrugged nonchalantly. She was right, of course, he sure as fuck wasn’t referring to Louisa.

“My brother could use the employment,” Oskar said, peering over the top of the folder. Lina pursed her lips but kept quiet. She kept a firm hand on the wheel of the bus of working royals, driving them where she thought they should go or be the most useful. She was supportive of all her cousins’ careers, but she really didn’t care what the non-working royal part of the family did so long as they were happy and not embarrassing her or the country.

“Possibly,” she said, picking up a pen and a folder of her own to read through. This one was labelled ‘Vorgeschlagene Streitkräfte-Beförderungen’ and stamped ‘GEHEIM’. “If only he would stop being so stubborn and apply for a position out east...”

“It’s a good thing we don’t have a teacher shortage in this country then, huh?” Oskar said. Lina scoffed, offended at the mere suggestion she would allow something as horrific as a shortage of teachers happen in Mecklenburg. “He wants to work in Wismar.”

“But why? Wismar is nothing special.”

“Ouch.”

“Wismar is beautiful. But it is as equally beautiful to half a dozen towns in V-R, V-G and M-S,” she frowned, deep in thought as she fiddled with the pen in her left hand. “He’s not hoping to live on the Karola is he?”

“There would be a long line of cousins trying to murder him in his sleep if he tried that.”

“Is there a girl I don’t know about?”

“No girl,” Oskar said. He didn’t think there was a girl currently anywhere, let alone Wismar. Axel was enjoying doing nothing for now, having no ties keeping him in one place for too long. Oskar didn’t really blame his little brother for wanting to take it easy after five years of study. Oskar’s own degree took only three years to achieve and he was incredibly burned out by the end. “It’s only been a year since he finished at Rostock. If he’s not working this time next year, you can issue a royal decree suspending his rank, style and title until he gets a job.”

“Because that wouldn’t be an overreaction. Or an abuse of my powers.”

“Not at all.”

“Or even worth doing at all since by law we recognise international ranks, styles and titles and you’re Princes and Princesses of Denmark in Denmark as well, so...”

“That’s a good point,” Oskar said. “We’ll just have to think of something else to get Axel off his arse and become a contributing member of society.”

Lina sighed, shaking her head, but Oskar knew she wasn’t too irritated by his shenanigans. He could be very charming if he wanted to be, and Lina was, you know, smiling and not frowning. But they were wasting time and that was something Lina could - and would - frown about.

Sensing his cousin was about thirty seconds from telling him to get to work, Oskar dove into the words in front of him. While he read and made notes in the margins (he should have brought a highlighter) about the latest reports regarding Mecklenburg and Germany’s mutual security alliance, Lina read through the proposed promotions in the five branches of the Mecklenburgish Armed Forces: Army, Navy, Air Force, Medical Service, and Reserves, approving, disapproving or delaying a decision upon further review, one after the other.

Oskar didn’t weigh in on domestic or internal military matters, it was literally not in his job description, but his top secret security clearance meant he could see, hear or read everything not classified ‘EXEKUTIVE NUR’. Promotions would never be stamped as such and Oskar knew nothing on the coffee table would be either. Lina would have gone through Die Papiere and set aside anything he wasn’t supposed to see. Anything with an ‘EXEKUTIVE NUR’ stamp was probably still in the blue ministerial box sitting on Lina’s desk. From his experience with being privy to Top Secret information, Oskar had no idea what kind of stuff would need to be classified for Lina’s eyes only. A plan for Mecklenburgish worldwide domination? The recipe for Lina and Fætter Philip’s secret sauce?

They worked in silence for several minutes. Notes were made, water was sipped, legs were crossed and uncrossed, and on the carpet in front of Lina’s desk, Willa started snoring softly.

Once Oskar reached the end of his folder, he closed it and placed it on the coffee table next to the other pile of documents. Another sip of water. He waited a couple of minutes, eyes wandering around the small room, until Lina was done going over the proposed promotions. She closed her folder shut and held out for Oskar to take and place on top of the ‘done’ pile.

“Okay, let’s get into this,” Oskar said, reaching for the rest of his pile. He glanced over at the pile closest to Lina, and saw that the Armed Forces promotions had been an anomaly, something for Lina to do while he read through the folder on Mecklenburg and Germany’s security alliance. Both piles of paper and folders were in Oskar’s wheelhouse. Lina had not been exaggerating when she’d said they had a fair bit to get through.

These were the days Oskar wished he got paid overtime.

Beneath the Mecklenburgisch-Deutsche Sicherheits Allianz folder was the primary reason Lina had asked Oskar for his assistance. The handful of folders contained several inches of papers and were labelled ‘Informelles Jahrestreffen der deutschsprachigen Staatsoberhäupter’, numbered ‘Eins’ through ‘Vier’, and stamped ‘STRENG GEHEIM’.

Almost a decade previously, Germany, Mecklenburg, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein decided they wanted to get together once a year and talk about how German-Speaking they were (or ‘German-Speaking’ as Oskar saw it. He didn’t understand a bloody word of Alemannic German). One week from her sixteenth birthday, Lina (with Eleonora and a few dozen diplomats and their staff) attended the first Informal Annual Meeting of German-Speaking Heads of State in 2004, hosted by Switzerland. Each year, every September, the meeting is hosted by one of the five countries on a rotation.

As Mecklenburg would be hosting the next Informal Annual Meeting of German-Speaking Heads of State in late September 2011, a number of potential talking points had been proposed by KMAAH based on this year’s meeting in Austria. Oskar had taken some notes of his own during the meetings but as he didn’t have them on him, he recounted to Lina what he could remember and promised to bring her his notes the next day.

Lina detested the word, finding it cold and cynical, but she lived for networking. She understood, cultivated and wielded soft power like no one he had ever seen, preferring it over the considerable hard power she did wield as an executive monarch. Events like the Informal Annual Meeting of German-Speaking Heads of State were vastly important in Lina’s eyes and very much looked forward to each year.

Next year would be Mecklenburg’s second time hosting the meeting between representatives from Mecklenburg, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Liechtenstein. Lina had first hosted the meeting in 2006, less than a week after her coronation. The other leaders probably thought it was a nice, welcoming gesture to the young queen. Oskar thought asking an eighteen year old to host an international event had been a big ask. Lina had handled it beautifully, of course, having attending the two previous meetings in Switzerland and Austria and knowing exactly what to expect, and what was expected from her.

So, it was sometimes nice to do the unexpected. Lina, along with himself and several of his friends in KMAAH, were going to use 2011’s meeting as an opportunity to angle for the eventual inclusion of Belgium and Luxembourg. If trilingual Switzerland was allowed in, then equally trilingual Belgium and Luxembourg should be allowed in too.

It amused Oskar greatly that if Belgium and Luxembourg were invited - and accepted - then the monarchies would outnumber the republics during the annual get togethers. More networking for Lina. Not that Europe’s monarchies needed much more networking with Mecklenburg. Lina had made it her life’s mission to cultivate strong - and in some cases, familial-like - links between her and her fellow monarchs and their families.

Aside from the proposal to include Belgium and Luxembourg, Oskar and Lina worked on a rough outline of key points from this year’s meeting they would like to carry over to next year’s: vocational training, cultural and social integration, etc. Major events - within and outside Europe - in between meetings would also be discussed in detail, with each nation sharing how they dealt with or plan to deal with that event. Some topics, such as how to preserve and promote German’s many dialects have featured at every meeting and always would, while Germany and Mecklenburg not-so-secretly wished everyone would just learn Standard German.

Included in the minutes from this year’s meeting in Austria were a number of proposals from KMAAH on where to host the 2011 meeting. Schwerin and Rostock made sense from an accomodation and travel point of view, but Lina was a fan of having the meeting in Neubrandenburg. Mecklenburg’s third largest city - and smallest city as Mecklenburg only had three - had fared poorly during the Nazi Occupation and even worse during the Soviet Occupation. Since Mecklenburgish Reunification in 1990, money and resources had been poured into the city to bring it on a level with Rostock. They were still a couple of decades off from achieving that goal, but despite the lack of suitable accommodation for the five countries and their delegations, Oskar understood Lina’s desire to show how far Neubrandenburg has come in the decades since the Soviet Union crumbled. However, the issue of where to put everyone may possibly supersede Lina’s hope for hosting the event in Neubrandenburg. Rostock - and Euphemiasburg - was more suited to this type of large scale event.

“We should have rebuilt Palais Neubrandenburg when we had the chance,” Lina said, despondent.

“We’ve still got a year.”

Lina chuckled, “my builders are good, but they’re not that good. Neustrelitz is only half an hour from Neubrandenburg.”

“True. But-”

“Yes, it’s still too far.” Lina didn’t suggest hosting the meeting entirely at Neustrelitz as it would be pretty difficult to show everyone how well Neubrandenburg was doing if they were in Neustrelitz. Lina reached for the square Post-It Notes and scribbled Palais Neubrandenburg and Neuer Standort?? then stuck the piece of paper to the coffee table. Oskar didn’t bother trying to suppress his grin. Baroness Amalia von Kettenburg, Historical Architect to The Queen of Mecklenburg, was soon going to find herself in charge of rebuilding the Palais.

Did Lina even have a Modern Architect?

“Well, we’ve been working for just over an hour,” Oskar said, glancing at the carriage clock atop the mantlepiece. If it weren’t for the electric lighting and the laptop on Lina’s desk, you wouldn’t know you were in the twenty-first century. Schloss Ludwigslust was a building stuck between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Lina looked at him, puzzled. There were still some papers in the pile to work through and therefore they were not finished for the night. “I heard you say you’d call someone back in about an hour.”

“Oh,” she smiled softly, “it was just Harry. He’ll understand if I call back a little late. And I am not leaving Die Papiere unfinished.”

“Why not?” Oskar asked and Lina did not like that question. She frowned and furrowed her brow, a tinge of revulsion on her face. “It’s your birthday. We can finish this up in the morning.” Or on Friday, or Saturday, or Sunday, or even Monday morning before the Royal Court returned to Schwerin and with it Lina to the Schloss and Oskar to his apartment in the city. “And it’s not even urgent. We’ve got about a year until the next Informal Annual Meeting of German-Speaking Heads of State.”

“We should also suggest a better name at the next meeting.”

“Okay, I’ll work on a shortlist and don’t change the subject.”

Lina sighed, “I have always worked through Die Papiere in one go. I don’t care what day it is,” she said cutting off his attempt to butt in. “If you want to stop, I’ll finish them on my own.”

“I said I’d help.”

She raised her eyebrows, saying ‘and?’ with a pointed look. So, he said ‘and’. Or, more accurately, ‘but’.

“But it’s your birthday. It’s his birthday, too, right?” Oskar remembered singing Happy Birthday to Harry last September during Lina’s twenty-first birthday celebrations. She’d finished all Die Papiere that day too. She did it every day. Birthday, Christmas, Easter, New Year’s. It didn’t matter. The country never took a day off so neither did she. Lina called the week between Christmas and New Year her ‘week off’. Which was a load of shit because during that week she still accepted Die Papiere each morning, took daily briefings, organised upcoming events, gave her annual New Year’s Speech, and hosted New Year’s Eve celebrations for her staff and their families at Schweriner Schloss. Oskar knew - everybody knew - he’d never be able to get her to take a real, actual, no-work-done day off, but maybe, if he played his cards right, he could get her to take half an evening off and leave some work for the next day. “Parliament’s not back for a couple of weeks. Die Papiere will be pretty small tomorrow. I promised I’ll help you with the stuff from the Informal Annual Meeting of-”

“You don’t need to say the whole thing again.”

Oskar closed his mouth and leaned back, pen in his right hand. He was close to getting her to agree but pushing too hard and too fast would force her to push back. Out of principle, out of her bone deep sense of duty - which was normally endearing and something to encourage - but fuck it, she was twenty-two and deserved the night off. He twirled the pen between his fingers, once, twice, three times.

“Do you have any public engagements tomorrow?”

“A few in Waren after lunch.”

Oskar doubted it was only ‘a few’. It was probably closer to six or seven engagements and a few walkabouts. But it gave him an idea. One that would appeal to Lina’s suppressed sense of spontaneity. Like, real suppressed.

“How about a wager, then?”

“You might have a gambling problem.”

“I bet,” he continued, ignoring her comment because the little red book in his room filled with past and open bets on the personal and professional lives of him and his extended family meant he more than might have a gambling problem. He didn’t have a losing money problem, though, since all bets were capped at a hundred Kronen. “I bet,” he repeated having lost his train of thought. “If we don’t finish today’s and tomorrow’s Die Papiere after breakfast tomorrow, I join you in Waren.”

“As punishment?”

“I don’t think Waren would like to be called that. You’re being pretty mean today,” Oskar said, Lina chuckled. It was also absurd. Waren was too pretty and charming to be considered a punishment. “But yeah, sort of. I was planning on doing absolutely nothing tomorrow. Having to put on a suit and play Prince Charming for a few hours would be a massive inconvenience.”

Lina frowned, not because she was pondering the wager but because she didn’t like him using the phrase ‘play Prince Charming’. Unlike Lina, Oskar didn’t see himself as being royal twenty-four-seven. It was role he slipped in and out of with ease. His job as External European Policy Advisor to The Queen of Mecklenburg meant he had a public role to some degree, but he didn’t see himself as a public figure, and he wasn’t a working royal like his parents.

“It’s a good bet.” It wasn’t. Lina’s slight eye roll meant she agreed it was a bad bet. There was no way in hell Lina was going to leave Die Papiere unfinished tomorrow morning. But if a shitty bet got Lina to take some time off, Oskar was going to take it. And hope Lina was going to take it too.

She did.

“Fine. I accept the conditions of the wager.” She stuck out her hand and they shook on it. Oskar made a mental note to add the bet to the red book. For posterity.

“Okay, I’ll leave you to it.” Oskar got to his feet, leaned down to kiss his mildly bemused cousin on the cheek, bowed his head and told Lina to say hi and Happy Birthday to Harry from him. “And everyone else, too.”

“Okay,” she said, her tone moving from bemused to amused, “I will.”

Oskar went to the dogs and patted them good night. Little Pavna had snuggled up so close to Asta she was half-covered by Asta’s long grey fur. The four dogs barely acknowledged him. As Lina had said, they’d had a big, busy, exhausting day. The Schloss was currently hosting dozens of people happy to play, throw, swim or run with them while Lina was carrying out her official duties.

As he neared the door leading to Lina’s drawing room, Oskar paused and turned back to see Lina had gotten up from the sofa, going to her desk to retrieve her phone. She was grinning at the screen, typing rapidly with both hands.

“Gute Nacht, Lina,” Oskar said, smiling, the soft feeling of love and affection for his cousin coming to the surface. Startled he was still in the room, Lina looked up from her phone, and distractedly pushed back her perfectly secured hair. The grin she’d been wearing before grew into a wide smile.

“Gute Nacht, Oskar.”

The next day, after another raucous breakfast with his extended family, Oskar brought his notes to Lina’s suite.

They finished Die Papiere. Oskar still went to Waren. And it was six engagements. Two walkabouts. And a very confused media presence.

Translations:

Russische Appartement = Russian Appartment

Große Osttreppe = Great East Staircase

Wache Halle = Guard Hall

Goldener Saal = Golden Hall

Mecklenburgisch-Deutsche Sicherheits Allianz = Mecklenburgish-German Security Alliance

STRENG GEHEIM = TOP SECRET

Vorgeschlagene Streitkräfte-Beförderungen = Proposed Armed Forces Promotions

V-R = Vorpommern-Rügen, a region of Mecklenburg

V-G = Vorpommern-Greifswald, a region of Mecklenburg

M-S = Mecklenburgische Seenplatte, a region of Mecklenburg

EXEKUTIVE NUR = EXECUTIVE ONLY

Die Papiere = The Papers

Informelles Jahrestreffen der deutschsprachigen Staatsoberhäupter = Informal Annual Meeting of German-Speaking Heads of State

Eins = One

Vier = Four

Palais = Palace

Neuer Standort = New location

#dk: chapters #royalfanficcollection #prince harry fanfiction #royalfanficcentral

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Scottish Architecture News: Buildings in Scotland

Scottish Building News 2021, Architecture Photos, Property Scotland Images, Architects, Design Links

Scottish Architecture News

New Architecture Developments + Buildings in Scotland – Built Environment + Architects Updates

post updated 27 Feb 2021

Scottish Buildings News

This page contains a selection of major Scottish Architecture News, with projects arranged chronologically, latest first. Each architecture news item links to an individual project page. We’ve selected what we feel are the key Scottish Building News stories.

The focus is on contemporary Scottish buildings but we do post on changes to major traditional buildings in Scotland.

Scottish Architecture News 2021

Scottish Architecture Designs – chronological list

2 Mar 2021 Radisson Hotel Objection News

From Architect Alan Dunlop:

As the architect and designer of the Radisson SAS, a project that has garnered many architecture and hotel design awards, nationally and internationally. I write to object in the strongest possible terms to these proposals.

Read Professor Alan Dunlop’s objection in full at Radisson Hotel Glasgow

26 Feb 2021 Lower Tullochgrue, Aviemore, northern Scotland Design: Brown & Brown Architects photograph © Gillian Hayes Lower Tullochgrue, Aviemore Lower Tullochgrue is the refurbishment and extension of a traditional house in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park. A dilapidated steading has been replaced by a contemporary extension, with a timber and glass upper volume above a stone plinth, with the existing topography of the site maintained at all times.

26 Feb 2021 Strone Cottage, Scottish Highlands Design: Loader Monteith Architects photography : Nigel Rigden and Gillian Hayes Strone Cottage, Scottish Highlands The Strone Cottage is the adaptive restoration and extension of a highland bothy in the Cairngorm Mountains of Scotland.

12 Feb 2021 Upper Parkbrae House, Oyne, Aberdeenshire, North East Scotland Design: Brown & Brown Architects photograph © Nigel Rigden Upper Parkbrae House, Aberdeenshire This contemporary Scottish property design is comprised of a timber and glass box, which is cantilevered above the landscape, and sited on a stone wall which runs both inside and outside of the building.

11 Feb 2021 ER Residence, Glasgow Property

10 Feb 2021 Langside Halls Queen’s Park, Glasgow

5 Feb 2021 Scottish Design Awards 2021 Programme

1 Feb 2021 Kingsborough Gardens, Glasgow

Scottish Architecture News 2020

18 Dec 2020 Literature House for Scotland, John Knox House, Edinburgh Winning Architects: Witherford Watson Mann ; Groves-Raines Architects Studios ; Studio MB photograph © Daniel Lomholt-Welch Literature House for Scotland Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature Trust has selected Stirling Prize winning architectural firm Witherford Watson Mann to lead the next phase of development at the Literature House in Edinburgh. They will be working in partnership with Groves-Raines Architects Studios and Edinburgh-based Studio MB.

20 Nov 2020 Cloch Lighthouse in Gourock Design: Benjamin Tindall Architects Cloch Lighthouse in Gourock Guiding light. Dougall Baillie Associates to advise on changes to home at the Cloch Lighthouse. The professional services of a Lanarkshire civil and structural specialist have been enlisted to advise on a significant upgrade to accommodation at one of Scotland’s most picturesque and dramatically-situated lighthouses.

19 Nov 2020 Holiday Inn Pacific Quay Hotel Architects: Mosaic Architecture + Design image courtesy of architects Holiday Inn Pacific Quay Hotel Glasgow Mosaic Architecture + Design, one of Scotland’s most experienced practices, has secured Glasgow City Council planning approval to build an £18m Holiday Inn Pacific Quay hotel on the site of the former Glasgow Garden Festival.

10 Nov 2020 Quarry Studios, Deeside, Cairngorms National Park, Scottish Highlands Design: Moxon Architects photo © Timothy Soar Quarry Studios in Cairngorms Quarry Studios is conceptually anchored in the landscape by two main elements; vertical concrete chimneys acting as a counterpoint to the low profile of the roof and a massive timber wall that intersects each volume.

6 Nov 2020 Laurieston Living Award News Design of Phase 2: architects Anderson Bell Christie image courtesy of architects Laurieston Living Glasgow A local Glasgow housing development has been named the best Affordable Housing Development of the Year in Scotland. Laurieston Living, which is being delivered by Scottish home builder Urban Union, scooped the award at this year’s Scottish Home Awards – seeing off competition from across the country.

5 Nov 2020 Chivas Brothers HQ in Glasgow International design studio Graven, has designed new, award-winning offices for Chivas Brothers, the Scotch whisky business of Pernod Ricard, on Blythswood Square in Glasgow’s city centre: Chivas Brothers Glasgow

29 Oct 2020 Science Centre Glasgow Photos We took some photos of this cluster of interesting buildings in a rare window of good weather: photo © Adrian Welch

photo © Adrian Welch

photo © Adrian Welch Science Centre Glasgow

29 Oct 2020 Canonmills Garden Recognised for Success at the Scottish Homes Awards

Canonmills Garden, Artisan Real Estate’s stylish new homes development in Edinburgh, is in the running for two prestigious accolades in this year’s Scottish Home Awards which takes place on Thursday (October 29):

Canonmills Garden Edinburgh

8 Oct 2020 Langside Halls Queen’s Park, Glasgow

11 Sep 2020 Scottish Design Awards 2020 Winners

11 Sep 2020 The Carpenter’s House, Stenton, East Lothian

10 Sep 2020 Scottish Architecture Conference The programme for the RIAS 2020 convention has been announced. With the Grain will run online from Monday 28 Sept – Friday 2 October: RIAS Convention 2020: With the Grain

7 Sep 2020 Hidden Stories Map: Glasgow Doors Open Day

4 Sep 2020 St Peter’s Seminary Cardross Building

30 July 2020

Planning Application Submitted for New Town Quarter Development

Plans have now been submitted for one of the largest developments to come forward in Edinburgh’s city centre for a generation.

Ediston and Orion Capital Managers have been working together on their shared vision for New Town Quarter, previously known as New Town North, since last year and have carried out what has been one of the largest consultations ever on a city centre development.

New Town Quarter Development

27 July 2020

Maven acquires site in Edinburgh

Maven Capital Partners, a leading UK property and private equity manager, has purchased a site at Murieston Crescent, Edinburgh, for the development of a purpose built student accommodation (PBSA) complex.

Murieston Crescent Edinburgh

21 July 2020 Builders frustrated by poor performance on crucial planning decisions

Responding to official planning performance statistics for 2019/20 published today, trade body Homes for Scotland (HFS) described another overall increase in decision times for housing applications as “hugely frustrating”.

Director of Planning Tammy Swift-Adams said:

“Despite an 11.5 per cent drop in the number of decisions made on local housing applications (defined as being for less than 50 homes), the time taken to make those decisions crept up for the second year running.

“This is concerning given that these small developments are, by nature, the lifeblood of SME home building businesses – a sector supported by Scottish Government loan funding during the crisis, but also needing local government support if it is to thrive”.

“Things are no more positive for major housing applications (those for 50 or more homes), decisions on which were two weeks slower than the previous year at 37.5 weeks – more than double the 16 week statutory timescale.”

“With all of the consultation and discussion time that has gone into improving the planning system, it is extremely frustrating to see this evidence that improvements are just not emerging on the ground.”

“And, of course, we also await the Scottish Government’s decision on whether planning application fees will be increased again. This decision, and the timing of its implementation, must be made in the context of this performance – with home builders currently receiving some of the poorest service across the system whilst already paying the lion’s share of fees.”

Swift-Adams also points to the Scottish Government’s new consultation document proposing changes to Scottish Planning Policy. These include removing the principle that planning applications that will help solve housing shortages should be looked upon favourably by decision-makers. The paper also seems to suggest that planning authorities should focus more singly on allocating their preferred sites and pay less regard to whether or not the homes that are needed are actually going to be built.

She continued:

“Scottish families and communities don’t need housing land. They want real homes to live in, and more of them. That requires a better functioning system and policy that encourages local planning authorities to ensure the sites they choose for housing development can and will be delivered. With the housing market showing encouraging signs post-lockdown, now is the time for local authorities to work closely with home builders to deliver the homes required.”

4 June 2020 Red Tree Magenta, Shawfield, Glasgow Design: NORR, Architects photo © Keith Hunter Photography Red Tree Magenta Building Clyde Gateway embarked on delivering the first commercial building at the 11ha Magenta Business Park site, Shawfield to act as a catalyst to the market, prove it as a business location and to demonstrate the viability of the remediation strategy for the wider site.

27 May 2020 New Homes Quality Board – interim board announcement

First step towards creation of New Homes Ombudsman scheme

The first step towards the creation of a New Homes Ombudsman (NHO) scheme has been announced with the appointment of an interim New Homes Quality Board (NHQB) chaired by “New Homes Quality Champion” Natalie Elphicke MP.

As a new independent body, the NHQB will have responsibility for the quality of new build homes and consumer redress. It will be guided by the principles of independence, transparency and integrity, and will comprise a mix of representatives of consumer bodies, home builders, warranty providers, lenders and independents such that it will not be dominated by any one group.

The interim board has ‘met’ for the first time and will now:

• oversee the composition and appointment of a permanent board; • complete, consult on and adopt a new comprehensive and robust industry code of practice that will place more stringent requirements on all parties involved in the construction, inspection, sale and aftercare of new homes; • agree a process to appoint a New Homes Ombudsman (NHO) service to adjudicate against the new code.

Nicola Barclay, Chief Executive of Homes for Scotland, said:

“While housing is a matter that is devolved to the Scottish Government, consumer protection remains a reserved matter and so comes under the responsibility of Westminster, making a UK-wide solution crucially important. Working closely with colleagues in the Home Builders Federation in England, we are delighted to see this progression which reinforces our determination to ensure a high-quality home for each and every purchaser. We are also pleased that the stringent requirements will see consumers receive the same level of clarity and consistency wherever they live.”

The ambition is that a permanent chair and board will be in place by Autumn with a view to the new code and ombudsman service being in place by the start of 2021. There will then be a transition period for builders to sign up to the new arrangements. It is anticipated Government will ultimately legislate to improve consumer redress as soon as possible and these new proposals aim to complement such reform.

Natalie Elphicke said: “This is a welcome move, and a much needed step in the right direction. I am committed to ensuring that the new arrangements will deliver a step change in the quality of new homes and customer experience. They will be based in the principles of independence, transparency and integrity, values I know Government and the industry are determined to instil. I look forward to working with all parties to finalise and implement these changes as quickly as possible.”

All the new arrangements will be paid for by the industry and once established, the NHO will be free to consumers, with access being through a new portal.

Natalie Elphicke is a qualified barrister and solicitor. In 2015 she was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for her services to housing. Natalie’s background is as a national specialist in complex housing and structured finance law and public policy. A former international law firm partner with over £4billion transactional experience, she had been described as “probably the best in the City” in her specialist area of housing.

She has extensive experience structuring and successfully setting up new organisations in her professional capacities, working with a diverse range of stakeholders. This includes most recently at the Housing & Finance Institute. She has a strong reputation as an independent commentator on housing matters ranging from housing policies to building new homes faster as well as in relation to the quality and safety of new build construction.

Natalie is a member of the Jaywick Sands coastal community team and a member of the NHBC advisory panel. She is a voluntary worker at her local homeless shelter, having previously volunteered at free legal/advice centres over many years. In December 2019, Natalie was elected as a Member of Parliament for Dover & Deal.

21 Apr 2020 Housing delivery can build way out of coronavirus crisis

Responding to today’s publication of the latest UK State of the Economy report, Chief Executive of industry body Homes for Scotland Nicola Barclay said:

“Whilst public health has quite rightly been the government’s top priority up to now, it is clear that the economic fallout could have even further reaching consequences for the country. Today’s report highlights that Scotland’s GDP could fall by 33% during the current period of social distancing, with construction noted as one of the most exposed sectors.

“We share the Economy Secretary’s desire to rebuild the economy as quickly as is safely possible and believe that we can, quite literally, build our way out of this. This is why we are working on a recovery plan which includes the core components necessary to kickstart home building, including putting robust control measures in place to protect workers, home purchasers and tenants, as well as working across the sector to ensure everyone is ready to go as soon as we can.

“Delivering the homes of all types that our country needs brings many significant benefits in terms of protecting vital jobs and skills, improving social wellbeing and contributing more widely to the economy through the extensive supply chain.

“Restarting from a standstill requires considerable planning and co-ordination so it is imperative that the Scottish Government works closely with industry to establish a programme for recommencement so we can provide the homes that so many people desperately need.”

9 Apr 2020 Mark Baines, Glasgow School of Art

Mark Baines, who has been a seminal part of the School for 50 years, has passed away (not Covid-19 related).

Mark was one of the first cohort to study on the full time programme at the Mac, went on to work with Andy and Isi at Gillespie Kidd & Coia, with Ian O Robertson Architect and Ian Bridges Architect before returning to GSA to teach generations of architecture students, most recently as Stage Leader for the DipArch programme.

Below is a tribute from his long-time colleague Johnny Rodger, Professor of Urban Literature at The Glasgow School of Art:

Mark Baines

It is with great sadness that we hear of the passing away of our colleague Mark Baines. As an esteemed and respected teacher, practitioner and critic, Mark Baines played a distinctive and vital role at the heart of architectural culture in Glasgow and Scotland in general. Any comprehensive list of his important achievements and his experiences could never be retailed in the space available here, and his place in Glasgow life was a unique one.

His long connection with the Mackintosh School of Architecture started in the early 70s when he was amongst the first cohort of full time architecture students at his beloved Glasgow School of Art. After going out to work as a practising architect for a few years he returned to teach in the school in 1982 and he taught there right up until 2020.

Generations of students were influenced by his encyclopaedic knowledge of the field and his quiet, patient, insightful and inspirational analyses which opened up a whole new spatial and structural world to them. He was the critical eminence grise behind the student edited annual MacMag, and he guided and oversaw the production of that publication which has refined and exposed the creative spirit of the Mac students since 1974. Public recognition of his position as a towering figure in the pedagogical culture of the Mac came when at the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland’s annual Design Tutor of the Year Awards in 2013 he was given a Lifetime Achievement Award.

After MSA Mark started his professional career at the firm of Gillespie Kidd and Coia. The firm had a long association with teaching in the school going back to the 1920s and arguably longer, and Mark joined them as they were at the cutting edge of the rebuilding of the country after WWII. His experience there under the tutelage of Isi Metzstein and Andy MacMillan, set the standards for his own life as an architect and architectural teacher in terms of the fundamental importance of drawing, the vision of the discipline as a collaborative one through the methodologies of the studio, and the necessity of a discursive critical approach to the work.

Mark went on to work with other firms like Ian O Robertson Architect and Ian Bridges Architect through the eighties and onwards , especially on housing projects, and in 2007 completed the design and construction of the massive Merchant Building –a contemporary response in scale and material to the historical setting of Glasgow Cross – with his firm Gholami Baines.

As a critic Mark Baines played a prominent role as a public intellectual, writing chapters and articles for magazines, books and catalogues, putting on exhibitions and giving talks to innumerable groups and societies. Although his knowledge of architecture and architectural history was inexhaustible, and his moral and ethical discourses on where we live and how we do it drew a broad civic public, he became particularly well known for his critiques in a few specialist areas. After working with GKC and studying their work he became one of the acknowledged world experts in the field, writing extensively on the importance of their work in an international sense.

Among the exhibitions he curated on the GKC work, his 2007 one drew the biggest viewing public that The Lighthouse has ever had for any show. He was also an authority on the great 19th century Glasgow architect, Greek Thomson, wrote extensively on his work, campaigned to save numerous of his buildings, and was Chair Person of the Greek Thomson Society. Although his own tastes and indeed practice were of a contemporary not to say modernist outlook, Mark Baines worked tirelessly to broadcast to the world the genius of Thomson’s work and his importance to architectural history.

Mark was a respected and admired colleague, and was recognised by his fellows for the perspicacity of his vision, the originality and acuity of his judgement and the consistency of his approach. For many people he embodied the successes of the studio system at the Mackintosh School of Architecture, as a humane teaching and learning environment. Generations of students and colleagues from all around the world have been humbled then inspired by the breadth of his culture and his willingness to share it. He will be missed greatly at the Glasgow School of Art to which he was totally committed as a creative and collaborative institution.

Johnny Rodger, Professor of Urban Literature at The Glasgow School of Art

9 Apr 2020 New Town North Development at Former RBS Site image courtesy of architects Edinburgh New Town North Development

10 Mar 2020 Judges line up for 2020 Scottish Design Awards

The judging panels for the 2020 Scottish Design Awards have been confirmed with a mix of figures from industry and academia coming together to celebrate the nation’s best new work:

2020 Scottish Design Awards News

29 Feb 2020 Celebrate Perth’s New Creative Hub – Official Opening and First Exhibition Perth Creative Exchange, a £4.5 million creative hub which will help boost the local Perthshire arts economy, was officially opened at a launch ceremony on Wednesday February 26, by the Provost of Perth and Kinross, Dennis Melloy. photo : Fraser Band Perth’s New Creative Hub

29 Jan 2020 The Watch House, Crail, Crail, Fife, Eastern Scotland Architect: Alan Dunlop drawing © Alan Dunlop The Watch House in Crail, Fife Planning Approval and Listed Building and Conservation Area Consent granted unconditionally for this historic property renovation in Crail. The building is listed and sits within the conservation area in Crail, overlooking the Firth of Forth and The Isle of May.

17 Jan 2020 Paisley Museum Building News, western Scotland Design: AL_A image courtesy of architects office Paisley Museum Renewal Plans to transform Paisley Museum into a world-class visitor destination telling the town’s unique stories, including that of the globally admired Paisley Pattern, have taken a major step forward as The National Lottery Heritage Fund announced £3.8million of support for the project.

25 Feb 2020 The Glasgow School of Art appoints Penny Macbeth as new Director The Glasgow School of Art has appointed Penny Macbeth, currently Dean of Manchester School of Art and Deputy Faculty Pro-Vice Chancellor for Arts and Humanities focusing on external engagement and partnerships, as its new Director following an extensive international search: New Glasgow School of Art Director: Penny Macbeth

25 Jan 2020 New Gorbals Housing Association, Crown Street, Glasgow Design: Page\Park Architects photograph : Keith Hunter New Gorbals Housing Association Glasgow The new home of the New Gorbals Housing Association is a bespoke office and civic piazza forming the centrepiece of the Crown Street redevelopment in Glasgow.

7 Jan 2020 Lesley Samuel joins Halliday Fraser Munro as a landscape architect

A rise in masterplanning project wins across Scotland has seen award-winning architectural design and planning practice Halliday Fraser Munro bring high-level expertise to its team, adding landscape architectural services to its portfolio:

More info on the Edinburgh Architecture News 2020 page

More contemporary Scottish Architecture News on e-architect soon

Scottish Architecture News 2019

27 Nov 2019 Ashtree Road Pollokshaws Award News

Graeme Nicholls Architects along with clients Home Group in Scotland and Merchant Homes Partnerships are celebrating this week after their Ashtree Road development won not one, but two awards at the prestigious 2019 AJ Architecture Awards.

Ashtree Road Buildings

10 Oct 2019 ; 23 May 2019 New Macallan Distillery Building, Speyside – 2019 RIAS Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award Winner Architect: Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners ; Exhibition Design: Atelier Brückner photo © Speirs + Major New Macallan Distillery Building The Macallan Distillery and Visitor Experience in Speyside reveals the production processes and welcomes visitors while remaining sensitive to the beautiful surrounding countryside.

5 Oct 2019 Scottish Architecture Student Films Two films here, by Edinburgh architecture student Daniel Lomholt-Welch:

Schiehallion:

youtube

Fragmentation:

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1 Oct 2019 Perth Affordable Housing Electric Car Charging Points Perth housing development news: Muirton Living

25 Sep 2019 RIAS Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award 2019

24 Sep 2019 RIAS respond to Public Enquiry into 2 Scottish Hospitals

The Scottish Government has announced a public inquiry will be held to examine issues at the new Royal Hospital for Children and Young People (RHCYP) and the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) sites.

RIAS President Robin Webster OBE says; “The RIAS welcome the move by Health Minister Jeane Freeman’s to hold an inquiry into the delivery of Scotland’s 2 hospitals. This follows our earlier support for inquiries into failures in Schools across Scotland and our continued involvement in these discussions.

The removal of a co-ordinating overseer with professional independence; a broad and comprehensive understanding of the building design and the procurement process; with the time to apply that understanding and vitally, the executive authority to influence it, has inevitably allowed many gaps in the procurement process to open up; such that responsibilities are clouded, and appropriate resolution of issues fails to occur.”

18 Sep 2019 Fairways – Townhouses, St Andrews, Fife Design: Sutherland Hussey Harris image courtesy of architecture office Fairways Townhouses by St Andrews Old Course The Fairways – Townhouses in St Andrews are laid out so that one taller, tower-like building form addresses the urban setting facing towards the town centre.

6 Sep 2019 Whitehorn Hall Student Accommodation, St Andrews, Fife Whitehorn Hall Student Accommodation

8 Sep 2019 Scottish Design Awards Winners Clydebank Community Sports Hub by Marc-Kilkenny Architects wins: Scottish Design Awards 2019 Winners

6 Sep 2019 Paisley Museum Renewal News Paisley Museum Renewal News Paisley Museum Renewal, Scotland, design by AL_A, transforming the building into a world-class destination showcasing the stories of a Scottish town whose influence reached around the globe.

2 Sep 2019 £200m construction projects signal Glasgow move for architects Halliday Fraser Munro

Barclays Campus, Buchanan Wharf architects Halliday Fraser Munro relocate to larger Glasgow office after winning £200m worth of city construction projects

Halliday Fraser Munro Architects in Glasgow

Scottish Buildings News in 2nd Part of 2019

Scottish Building News 2019 image courtesy of HfS

Scottish property news from earlier in 2019:

Scottish Architecture News 2019

More Scottish Architecture news online soon

Location: Scotland

Scotland Buildings Updates Archive

Scottish Architecture News 2018

Scottish Architecture News 2017

Scottish Buildings News 2011

Scottish Architectural News 2010

Scottish Building News 2009

Scottish Building News 2007

Scottish Architecture

Glasgow Architecture News 2020

Scotland Architectural Resource Links

Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland News

RIAS/RIBA Awards 2019 Shortlist news

Scottish Borders Buildings

Best Building in Scotland Award

Scottish Housing

Historic Scottish Architects

Architecture Books Scotland

Scottish Design Awards

Architecture Design Scotland News

Buildings / photos for the Scottish Building News page welcome

Website: Architecture

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expatimes · 4 years

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Defeating fascism beyond the ballot

The world can breathe a sigh of relief that it will not know just how unhinged Donald Trump would have become with the validation of re-election, especially after already surviving literally hundreds of scandals and an official impeachment.

Trump’s defeat – largely to the credit of Black people, especially Black women – is immeasurably consequential for the planet. Even without a majority in the Senate (which Democrats still have a slim shot at winning in Georgia’s upcoming runoff elections), the United States can now work internationally and domestically to undo the damage Trump caused during four years of his presidency.

However, the US faces steep, deep-seated problems that neither began, nor will end, with Donald Trump. As liberals celebrate a “return to normalcy,” the people who delivered this victory will not be satisfied by a return to a profoundly violent status quo.

Trump and his disciples already plot a comeback, but if we study how he was narrowly defeated, we can prevent society from welcoming his brand of politics again.

Denormalisation

If liberals thought of Trump’s constant lying and false promises as “un-American,” they should listen to Native Americans and read about the long history of Indigenous genocide as nonpartisan US government policy.

This is a country built on Black enslavement and Indigenous genocide, constructed by a racist system of law and lifted by imperialism. Now, as the empire crumbles, it is also a country descending into a neo-feudal society only buttressed by a consolidating panopticon of state violence and corporate surveillance.

These are not problems that can be addressed individually and there are no cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all solutions. Rather, everyone has the power to wield, given their specific positions in society, and everyone must play a role if we want to change institutions and systems. Start exactly where you already are.

Trump has spent years broadcasting that he would try anything to maintain the presidency, including legal and clandestine voter suppression and intimidation. If the election’s integrity can be protected from Trump and his supporters’ ongoing attempt at a coup d’état, we will still emerge into a polarised country where nearly half of the voting population – roughly 70 million overwhelmingly white people – do not consider bigotry a deal breaker.

The ratio of people who approve of political violence is growing substantially across the ideological spectrum. Furthermore, a good portion of the populace has a twisted view of reality, where rumour and conspiracy are more important than critical thought or facts. Research shows that many of them can be converted, but how?

Personal relationships can slowly rebuild shared trust. In practice, this includes the sometimes difficult job of listening patiently and empathetically to friends who have fallen for concerted misinformation campaigns and more diffuse efforts of manipulation. Everyday compassion might be our best way out of the social media bubbles and conspiracy theories that cloud our collective foresight.

Undoing oppression cannot be a burden placed on the oppressed – people living at the intersection of marginalised social categories. People mobilised by this electoral wave must support and invest in communities of colour, but without demanding that marginalised people find “common ground” with fascism. The hard work of confronting and transforming this system must be carried out by those most structurally privileged.

Critique as a gift

One of the most important long-term strategies is scaling up this kind of work into intentional organising and community building everywhere: our work, families, friends, everyday interactions and wherever else possible.

The long-term political battleground is cultural, as Antonio Gramsci wrote from prison almost 100 years ago and US conservatives have understood since at least the 1970s. In the words of Republican media strategist Pat Buchanan, “if you capture the culture of the country, eventually you might prevail.”

The right-wing strategy of recapturing American culture after the anti-war movements of the 1960s and 70s explains why the strongest sources of censorship and “political correctness” in this country are not leftist “online mobs,” but rather conservative entities like the Texas State Board of Education, which has spent decades rewriting history with political intent.

In its narratives of exceptionalism and refusal to teach this country’s violent history, the board denies generations the opportunity to reckon with the structures that shape their present realities. And given Texas’s population size, textbooks produced for that state influence instructional materials in many other states, and the effects of this miseducation grow and become embedded over time.

Evidence of the “culture war” strategy is abundant today, well beyond Fox News. Spend a minimal amount of time on social media and you will come across the disinformation machine fuelled by millions of dollars of Koch money, propaganda videos on YouTube from accounts like PragerU (which is not a university of any kind), and thousands of similar copycat accounts that are likewise monetising narratives of white victimhood and paranoia.

We must learn and teach each other how to better recognise propaganda, appreciate difference and confront injustice. Furthermore, we must commit ourselves to more intentional and democratic relationships, contrary to the dominant paradigms where we are always in competition and our victories must come at someone else’s expense.

Breaking the grip of these ideas will require building an alternative through mindful practice – embracing constructive critique, learning to give and cherish feedback, knowing how to apologise and grow, and preferring strategic bridging over destructive sanctimony. Neither performative cruelty nor tone policing can help us get there. Accountability is not the same as fixating on someone’s small mistakes or clumsy language.

As bell hooks has put it, “Forgiveness and compassion are always linked: How do we hold people accountable for wrongdoing and yet at the same time remain in touch with their humanity enough to believe in their capacity to be transformed?”

Uprooting arrogance at a societal level requires self-examination. We should support each other more and police each other less.

Merging left without compromising values

Lasting change will also require merging around a transformative agenda that speaks to different constituencies without sacrificing progressive values or pandering to colonial tendencies.

Among other things, this vision for systemic change must include Black reparations, radically curtailing or even withdrawing the state’s power to inflict violence on marginalised communities through policing and criminal punishment, honouring the treaties this country made with Native peoples, expanded equal access to rights like education and healthcare, demilitarisation, equal pay, progressive taxation on the ultra-rich, green jobs, decarbonisation and environmental justice.

The policies above are overwhelmingly popular with the electorate but they remain difficult under our current institutional design. Therefore, organisers must work community by community, state by state, and federally towards procedural reforms that can yield structural payoffs.

These include abolishing the electoral college, honouring Puerto Rico’s vote for statehood, instituting ranked-choice voting, protecting voter rights such as universal registration and mail voting, making election day a holiday, mandating voting as a civic duty, reforming campaign financing, instituting an independent commission to reverse partisan districting, democratising the Senate by making it proportionally representative of states’ populations, curtailing executive authority to make war and surveil the world, and more.

In all, our platforms must be driven by intersectional analyses attentive to how each policy will differently impact people depending on their various identities and social positions. We otherwise risk reproducing a long trend within so-called progressive movements led by men and white people, and especially white men, where their concerns become the default. Everyone else is dismissed with demands to “not be divisive” about our very real differences, which are treated as something to reduce or eliminate, rather than appreciate and welcome.

Personnel is policy: taking and making space

In the finer details, social transformation will require shifting the field organising strategy and infrastructure of political parties, especially the Democrats. The 2020 election cycle proved that the old guard’s strategies are ineffective, but also that their antidote is bottom-up energy. In particular, one of the most significant investments donors can make is in year-round community organising and canvassing efforts to build up sustained power.

Trump’s defeat belongs to social movements and activists, especially Black organisers and Black women in particular, who turned out to vote in record numbers.

Credit is also due to Indigenous voters who undeniably helped tip Arizona, Wisconsin, and played an important role in Democratic victories in other states, despite the disrespectful erasure of Indigenous peoples in corporate media coverage of the election. States like Georgia, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Michigan were likewise won by organisations like Mission for Arizona, spearheaded by young Latinas.

These organisations lack the resources of the Democratic establishment but did the hard work that paved the way for Trump’s defeat. Let us save the symbolic gestures of gratitude and actually provide these groups ongoing support and investment.

Incorporating these solutions requires altering not only policy platforms but also the makeup of the party. Democrats are more diverse than the Republicans in membership, but not much more in leadership. White consultants who occupy most positions of power inevitably approach issues with internalised biases, and thereby come to the “impartial” conclusion that “X community does not vote, so more resources must be redirected towards old white voters instead,” which only becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

As long as strategic decision-making remains dominated by white strategists, the party will continue redirecting resources away from its most important and yet most disrespected backbone of support – people of colour – thereby feeding apathy and disaffection. Do not expect marginalised communities to continue rescuing a party that refuses to hear or show up for its own base.

A politics of love

“Your Congresswoman-elect loves you,” Cori Bush declared during her acceptance speech. “If I love you, I care that you eat. If I love you, I care that you have shelter and adequate, safe housing. If I love you, I care that you have clean water and clean air, and you have a liveable wage. If I love you, I care that the police don’t murder you.”

Flawed as the electoral process is, it remains crucial to making social change. Elections provide a structure of opportunity, attention and resources to organise and reshape discussions about our material, everyday realities. Activists interested in changing society must therefore continue to engage their momentum and give them direction, all while changing their traditional model – from one where our energy flows upward to support the liberal establishment, towards one where we instead draw resources from electoral cycles to improve and sustain our communities beyond them.

Activists should remain critical of the risk of activist energy being co-opted by a Democratic Party that has presided over a bipartisan dismantling of public services such as housing, bloating and militarisation of a racist policing system, mass incarceration exacerbated by their own crime bills, mass deportation programmes, indiscriminate surveillance, growing inequalities, and a war and carbon-based economy.

At the same time, the work of groups like those mentioned above shows that it is possible to build electoral power without sacrificing organisational autonomy at the grassroots.

The pace of change in political institutions is unbearably slow by design. However, taking state power remains important to altering the daily realities of people’s lives. Around each new win up and down the ticket, no matter how small, we can rally new resources and recruits, feel our power through our results, and grow the fight for radical democracy, both within and well beyond the state.

Love is an everyday, radical mission. Collective liberation requires an ethic of care and a strategy for building political communities rooted in shared respect for all living things. In this, anyone can play a role, everyone is needed and everything must be built with intention – forging welcoming spaces, ceding space, redistributing power, organising solidarity everywhere, winning small battles, persuading the public and scaling upward to generate new possibilities in our unwritten future.

Given the interlinked crises facing humanity, radical change is more urgent now than ever, so let’s pick up a clipboard and do the work, following the leadership of the people of colour, especially Black people, and especially women, who won this election.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.

. #world Read full article: https://expatimes.com/?p=15259&feed_id=21933

#DonaldTrump #Inequality #JoeBiden #Opinions #Politics #Racism #UnitedStates #USampCanada #USElections2020

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georgewagner · 4 years

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A guide to apprenticeships

Whether you’re about to leave school or you’re a seasoned worker looking to change careers, an apprenticeship is a great opportunity to earn money, a qualification and hands-on experience at the same time. If you’re curious about whether an apprenticeship’s right for you, check out the answers to 15 frequently asked questions below. Plus, find apprenticeship opportunities near you.

FAQs

What is an apprenticeship?

Who can do an apprenticeship?

What are the benefits of an apprenticeship?

Are there any entry requirements for apprenticeships?

What can I do if I’m not eligible to do an apprenticeship, or want to try out a job role or industry before committing to an apprenticeship in it?

How much will I get paid during my apprenticeship?

How many hours will I work on my apprenticeship? Can I work overtime?

What trades apprenticeships are available?

Are there any government initiatives for apprenticeships available?

Can I do an apprenticeship during the coronavirus (or COVID-19) pandemic?

What does an apprentice’s day look like?

How will I be assessed during my apprenticeship?

What’s the apprenticeship application process?

What can I do after my apprenticeship?

How can I find an apprenticeship near me?

What is an apprenticeship?

An apprenticeship is a one to six-year programme (depending on the apprenticeship level) where you’ll have a contract of employment and follow an approved study programme. So, your time will be split between doing a real job and studying for a formal qualification (at least one day per week) at either a college or training centre. Some apprenticeships offer additional qualifications too, such as a diploma.

Who can do an apprenticeship?

Anyone – there’s no maximum age limit! You just need to be aged 16 or over and not in full time education. If you’re about to leave school, then you can still apply for an apprenticeship to start in the next academic year. Just make sure that you’re aged 16 or over by the end of the summer holiday before the apprenticeship starts.

What are the benefits of an apprenticeship?

1. You’ll earn money whilst you learn

You’ll be paid for your normal working hours; plus the time you spend at college as part of your apprenticeship.

The amount you’ll get paid depends on your age and which year of your apprenticeship you’re in. You can find the pay rates in the ‘How much will I get paid on my apprenticeship?’ section of this article.

2. You’ll get a nationally recognised qualification

There are four levels of apprenticeships, and all of them offer a nationally recognised qualification – some are even accepted internationally!

Intermediate apprenticeship (Level 2) – the qualification you’ll get is equivalent to five GCSE passes at grades 9-4 or A*-C.

Advanced apprenticeship (Level 3) – the qualification you’ll get is equivalent to two A-Level passes, a Level 3 diploma or the International Baccalaureate.

Higher apprenticeship (Levels 4-7) – the qualification you’ll get is equivalent to the first stages of higher education, e.g. a foundation degree.

Degree apprenticeship (Levels 6 and 7) – the qualification you’ll get is equivalent to a bachelor’s or master’s degree.

3. You’ll get hands-on experience and practical skills

At least 50% of your time will be spent at work during your apprenticeship. This is where you’ll work alongside more experienced staff – including a senior employee, who will coach you.

An apprenticeship is a great opportunity to pick up job-specific skills, as you’ll get hands-on experience with tools, programmes and/or software that’s used in the industry that you’re in.

4. You could get national or international recognition and help others

There are plenty of apprenticeship competitions available, where you’ll go up against other apprentices in your chosen industry. Examples include the National Apprenticeship Awards as well as sector specific awards, like the Screwfix Trade Apprentice competition.

There are awards dedicated to apprentices from under represented backgrounds too, such as the Women in Construction Awards – check out previous winner Amy Eddleston’s story.

You can also become an apprenticeship ambassador for your industry. You’ll share your story and inspire other people and employers to consider apprenticeships! Get involved in the Young Apprentice Ambassador Network, as well your local ambassador network.

5. You’ll have the same rights as normal employees

As an apprentice, you should have an employment contract which entitles you to the following rights:

Break(s) during the working day – at least one 20-minute break if you work more than six hours daily. It’s usually unpaid and can be split up if needed.

Breaks during the working week – you’re entitled to at least 11 hours of uninterrupted rest between finishing work and starting work the following day. You’re are also entitled to a 24-hour period of rest in a seven-day period.

Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) – £95.85 per week (correct at the time of writing) if you’re too ill to work.

Statutory maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental pay and leave.

A minimum notice period, that your employer must give to you if your employment ends.

Protection against unfair dismissal.

The right to request flexible working.

A reasonable amount of time off to deal with any emergencies involving your dependants (partner, child, parent etc).

Statutory Redundancy Pay – apprentices can be made redundant, but you’ll get redundancy pay and support from your training provider or the National Apprenticeship Service to help you find another apprenticeship.

Apprentices can also claim benefits, such as Universal Credit, if they need to.

Are there any entry requirements for apprenticeships?

Yes – they vary depending on the apprenticeship’s level. You must check the job description for the specific apprenticeship that you’re applying for, as there might be particular qualifications and/or skills required.

Apprenticeship level Entry requirements Approx. completion time Intermediate (Level 2) You’ll need to show that you’re able to complete the programme. One year to 18 months Advanced (Level 3) Some industries ask for three or more GCSEs, but others don’t. 15 to 24 months Higher (Levels 4-7) At least five GCSEs at grades A-C plus Level 3 qualifications, such as A Levels or BTECs. Three to five years Degree (Levels 6 and 7) Five GCSEs at grades A-C plus Level 3 qualifications, such as A Levels or BTECs. Some degree apprenticeships ask for specific grades, and for the applicant to have qualifications in subjects that are related to the apprenticeship. Three to six years

What can I do if I’m not eligible to do an apprenticeship, or I want to try out a job role or industry before committing to an apprenticeship in it?

If you don’t meet the entry requirements for an apprenticeship, or you simply want to discover what the industry’s like, then you can do a traineeship. It’s an unpaid course with work experience that gets you ready for an apprenticeship or the workplace. You might get your travel and meals paid for during the course.

You can apply for a traineeship if:

You’re eligible to work in England.

Unemployed, with little or no work experience.

Aged between 16 to 24 with qualifications that are lower than Level 3.

If you’re aged 16 to 17 and are based in Wales, or in S5 or S6 and live in Scotland, then there are programmes available to give you a taste of your chosen industry and provide a foundation for a future apprenticeship.

Traineeships in England.

Traineeships in Wales.

Foundation apprenticeships in Scotland.

There isn’t a traineeship programme available in Northern Ireland at the moment, but the Youth Training Strategy is currently in the process of developing one.

How much will I get paid during my apprenticeship?

You’re entitled to the apprentice rate throughout your apprenticeship. The rates are (correct at the time of writing):

16 to 18-year olds:

£4.15 per hour.

19+ year olds in the first year of their apprenticeship:

£4.15 per hour.

19+ year olds that have completed the first year of their apprenticeship:

National Minimum Wage for your age, which you can find on gov.uk.

However, many apprentices get paid more than the apprentice rate. Phil, a heating and plumbing apprentice with Rated People member Dyno, got paid £12 per hour from his first day. Find out more about Phil’s experience on our YouTube channel.

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Apprentices earn more than university graduates in many sectors, too. We looked at data from TotalJobs and found that construction apprentices have a 21% higher starting salary compared to graduates. Visit our Trade Advice Centre to check out the rest of our research on career paths: apprenticeships vs. university.

How many hours will I work on my apprenticeship? Can I work overtime?

Apprentices work for a minimum of 30 hours per week, plus one day spent studying at college. You can work overtime, however, if you’re under 18, then you can’t work more than 8 hours per day (40 hours weekly). If you’re over 18, then you can’t work over 48 hours per week. There are some exceptions though, such as for jobs that require 24-hour staffing.

Apprenticeships can also be made part-time if your employer agrees. You’ll need to work at least 16 hours a week minimum.

What trades apprenticeships are available?

From bricklaying to building surveying, there are hundreds of apprenticeships available in traditional hands-on roles, as well as technical, planning and supervisory roles.

Some examples include:

Traditional trades Plumbing. Plastering. Roofing. Welding. Carpentry and joinery. Painting and decorating. Road and highways maintenance. Security system installation. Heating and ventilation installation. Scaffolding.Engineering Electrical engineering. Civil engineering. Gas/heating engineering. Railway engineering. Mechanical engineer.Property management, planning and project management Facilities assistant/management. Town planning, including technical support. Site management. Transport planning. Quantity surveying. Land buyer. Construction management. Support services within the construction industry Accountancy. Human Resources (HR). Marketing/communications. Commercial/office/administration. Customer service.

You can find a full A-Z of apprenticeships on the National Apprenticeship Service website.

Are there any government initiatives for apprenticeships available?

To encourage employers to take on apprentices, the government has invested £1.6 billion into providing funding and support for employers as part of its new Plan for Jobs 2020.

The available opportunities include:

Apprenticeships

Employers will get £2,000 for each new apprentice that companies hire aged under 25, and £1,500 for new apprentices aged over 25, between 1st August 2020 and 31st January 2021.

Work placements

The new Kickstart Scheme offers 6-month work placements for 16-24-year-olds that are on Universal Credit and are at risk of long-term unemployment.

Traineeships

The government is investing £11 million to triple the scale of traineeships in 2020 and 2021.

Work coaching and advice

There will be 27,000 work coaches available, as well as a £32 million investment into the National Careers Service which will benefit over 250,000 young people.

Sector-based work academy placements

Triple the amount of sector-based work academy placements will be available in 2020 and 2021.

From the Green Homes Grant to schools, hospitals and courts maintenance, the government is also investing £8.8 billion into new construction projects in both homes and public spaces across Britain. So, there are plenty of job opportunities for you to continue your construction career in once you’ve completed your apprenticeship.

Can I do an apprenticeship during the coronavirus (or COVID-19) pandemic?

Yes, lots of employers are still offering apprenticeships. This includes those in the construction industry, which is an essential sector in the UK. The industry is taking special steps to prevent the spread of coronavirus on site – find out how in our stories during lockdown from our tradespeople video below.

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Of course, you must follow the government’s advice on protecting yourself and others from coronavirus, as well as any regional lockdown instructions from your local authority. Visit our Trade Advice Centre for more tips on how to keep safe from coronavirus whilst working.

What does an apprentice’s day look like?

There’s no ‘typical day’ for an apprentice – each day varies! However, you can expect to spend half of your week at work and one day at college, minimum. You’ll also get either:

Day release – at least one day of study per week, or

Block release – a full week of study, alternating with weeks of work.

We spoke to some apprentices to find out what being an apprentice is like. Check them out below, plus some real-life apprentice stories on other websites:

Plumbing and heating apprentice: GB Plumbing & Heating.

Painting and decorating apprentices: Suave Property Care.

Instrumentation, Control & Automation: Severn Trent Water.

Administration, Civil Engineering, Gardening etc: Southwark Council.

How will I be assessed during my apprenticeship?

All apprentices take at least two assessments at the end of their training, to confirm that they can perform well in the occupation that they’ve been training in.

The assessments could be an observation of you whilst you’re in the workplace, a practical test, a written exam or an interview.

What’s the apprenticeship application process?

1. Create your CV and cover letter

Your CV is a written summary of no more than two pages, detailing your skills, education, experience and achievements. Follow the National Careers Service advice on how to write a stand out CV.

2. Submit your application

Visit one of the websites listed in the ‘How can I find an apprenticeship near me?’ section earlier in this article to do this.

3. Wait!

Make sure to make a note of the closing date for applications for the apprenticeship that you’ve applied for – this will give you an idea of when you should hear back from them!

Apprenticeships.gov recommends applying for more than one apprenticeship at a time, to increase your chances of securing an apprenticeship.

4. Interview

Whether it’s face-to-face, over the phone or on Skype/Zoom – it’s a good idea to prepare for your interview beforehand. Check out these tips on how to get ready.

What can I do after my apprenticeship?

Set up your own business

Lots of qualified tradespeople become self-employed after their apprenticeship – our less experienced tradespeople find about 60% of their job leads on Rated People. Plus, we regularly share lots of tips and tricks on our Trade Advice Centre to help small business owners succeed, such as 5 learnings for one-person businesses.

Secure a permanent position

65% of apprentices stay with the same employer, according to government research. Once your apprenticeship’s over, it’s likely that you’ll be promoted to a role at a higher level.

Find a new job in a different company or switch job roles

Did you know that 85% of apprentices stay in employment after their apprenticeship? Once your apprenticeship’s over, you’ll have the freedom to move to a similar or related role at another company.

Complete another apprenticeship at a higher level

You can do more than one apprenticeship! For example, if you complete a Higher apprenticeship, then you’ll be able to apply for a Degree apprenticeship.

Go to university

If you complete an Advanced (Level 3) apprenticeship, then you’ll be qualified to apply for a foundation or undergraduate degree at university. Plus, an apprenticeship doesn’t affect your eligibility for student finance. You can search for university courses on the UCAS website.

How can I find an apprenticeship near me?

There are apprenticeships available in big and small companies alike. If you’re interested in working for a specific company, then visit their website to see their current apprenticeship vacancies.

If you don’t have a specific company in mind, you can search for apprenticeships by keyword, distance from you and qualification level on the relevant government websites:

Apprenticeships in England.

Apprenticeships in Scotland.

Apprenticeships in Northern Ireland.

Apprenticeships in Wales.

Plus, the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) offers over 100 construction apprenticeships at Intermediate, Advanced and Higher levels across the UK. Visit the CITB website to find apprenticeship opportunities.

You can also search for more apprenticeships based on the sector you’re interested in and your location on apprenticeships.gov.

If you’re an employer and you’re interested finding out how to hire an apprentice in construction, visit our Trade Advice Centre.

Still got questions about apprenticeships? Or are you simply in the process of applying for one? Comment below and let us know!

The post A guide to apprenticeships appeared first on Rated People Blog.

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englishchinesetranslations · 5 years

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“Wrong theology in this area has been bound up with wrong action, giving legitimation for Christian support for persecution and discrimination of Jewish communities and eroding the recognition of Jewish people as neighbours whom Christians are bound to love … Christian communities may wish to consider whether there could be suitable opportunities in their public worship to focus and express repentance for Christian involvement in fostering antisemitism.”

“God’s Unfailing Word,” Church of England Faith and Order Commission , 2019

If it can be said that Europeans are today largely blind to Jewish aggressions, then Christians are among those fumbling around in deepest darkness. Historian Jonas Alexis once remarked that, contrary to older Christian anger at depictions of Jesus and Christianity in the Talmud, no such reactions are evident in relation to modern the Jewish comedy in which “Jesus, Christians and the cross are routinely mocked, even obscenely treated.”[1]

Jewish aggression against Christianity is, of course, nothing new. In the fifth century, edicts had to be pronounced banning Jews from burning and desecrating crosses, and Socrates Scholasticus reported in Historia Ecclesiastica that Jews had taken a Christian boy during Purim and crucified him.[2] In his Princeton-published Reckless Rites: Purim and the Legacy of Jewish Violence (2006), Elliott Horowitz pointed out multiple cases of Jews urinating on, and otherwise exposing their genitals to, crosses from 12th-century Germany and 13th-century England.[3] Even today, Daniel Rossing, a former advisor on Christian affairs to Israel’s religious Affairs Ministry, has commented on anti-Christian violence in Israel, which peaks during Purim. “I know Christians who lock themselves indoors during the entire Purim holiday,” he says. And yet, while Christians are spat upon and assaulted in Israel, and mocked and obscenely treated in the Diaspora, the majority of Christians remain among the most guilt-ridden and philosemitic of Europeans, applauding Zionist wars that kill their sons, and lauding a people that has done more than any other to overturn traditional Christian moral values. It is one of the most glaring contradictions in this age of contradictions.

The latest chapter in this sorry state of affairs is that the Church of England has, in its latest official treatise, decided to announce formal repentance to the Jews for centuries of putative injustices, as well as the Church’s unconditional adoption of Zionism. The Guardian explains:

Christians must repent for centuries of antisemitism which ultimately led to the Holocaust, the Church of England has said in a document that seeks to promote a new Christian-Jewish relationship. … The document, God’s Unfailing Word, is the first authoritative statement by the C of E on the part played by Christians in the stereotyping and persecution of Jews. Attitudes towards Judaism over centuries had provided a “fertile seed-bed for murderous antisemitism”, it said. Theological teachings had helped spread antisemitism, and Anglicans and other Christians must not only repent for the “sins of the past” but actively challenge such attitudes or stereotypes.

I must confess to an overwhelming fatigue when reading statements like this. They blend a profound historical ignorance with the most septic obsequiousness. The first instinct is simply to protest, and then to try to provide a litany of factual correctives. But I have carried out this Sisyphean task so many times, and in so many prior articles. I now find myself asking only why we should even offer explanations or responses to such accusations as “the part played by Christians in the stereotyping and persecution of Jews.” We owe nothing to the Jews. Any Christian intellectually and morally weak enough to be convinced that he does, probably isn’t worth the effort of convincing otherwise.

But how is it that yet another major Western institution has collapsed into White Guilt, in the process rendering itself pathetically pliable to Jewish manipulations? Having read God’s Unfailing Word, I argue that total Jewish dominance in the academic production of histories of the Jews and anti-Semitism has played a major role in shifting opinion in philosemitic directions. This has been amplified by Jewish activity in so-called “interfaith” dialogue, which has been ongoing internationally for over a century and has served Jewish interests exclusively while undermining Christian theology, especially those elements that made Christianity beneficial to Europeans in the past. This poisonous combination possesses lethal power because the Church of England is already in its death throes.

The Diseased Church

The publication of God’s Unfailing Word is reflective of the Church of England’s already-established position as the compliant lapdog of a GloboHomo master. The Church of England is one of the most homosexual-friendly denominations on Earth, going so far as to allow “gay clergy” to live with their partners in secular “civil partnerships.” In February 2018, the Church of England’s Education Office even published a policy supporting degenerate sex education among children which includes the statement that “Pupils should be taught that humans express their sexuality differently and that there is diversity in sexual desire.” Newcastle’s Anglican cathedral attracted attention in June, when it was revealed the church would host a weekend-long LGBT festival that included a panel discussion on “Queering the Church.” One of the four panelists was a Church of England curate who identifies as ‘non-binary genderqueer transgender.’ This is a church in the grip of terminal disease, and its policy on LGBT issues is unlikely to change the downward trajectory of its attendance, which has declined 1 percent/year in recent decades.

At the heart of this disease is the Archbishop of Canterbury and leader of the Church of England, Justin Welby, a man who looks like ten minutes of manual labor would actually kill him. He is the definition of all that is wrong in modern Man. Setting aside his uninspiring physical presence, Welby is a literal bastard, his mother Jane Portal having cuckolded her husband, the alcoholic Jew Gavin Welby (born Bernard Weiler) with her boss, Sir Anthony Montague Browne. The result of these chaotic origins is that Archbishop Welby/Weiler/Browne has fled entirely from any sense of meaningful identity, asserting in 2016: “I know that I find who I am in Jesus Christ, not in genetics, and my identity in him never changes.” If Welby limited himself to personal genetic oblivion there might not be a problem. A problem does, however, emerge, when Welby uses his position and influence to attack those who do pursue their interests. In 2016, when Nigel Farage told the press that sex attacks by migrants were “the nuclear bomb” of the EU referendum, Welby/Weiler/Browne told MPs in the home affairs select committee that he “utterly condemned” Farage for an “inexcusable pandering to people’s worries and prejudices, that is giving legitimization to racism.”

If that wasn’t bad enough, Welby/Weiler/Browne, who has confessed to struggling with his mental health, appears to have an almost Freudian desire to replace the Jewish father he thought he had with the current Chief Rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis. Welby/Weiler/Browne has taken to accompanying Mirvis on numerous excursions, echoing the Rabbi’s sentiments on almost every subject, and even arranging for Mirvis to provide the Afterword for God’s Unfailing Word. In his own Foreword to the same document, Welby/Weiler/Browne (one might call him Welby/Weiler/Browne/Mirvis) is glowing in his praise of Mirvis, and provides a delusional and ignorant elaboration of the history of Jewish-Christian relations:

In simple terms, the Church is being less than its true self when it refuses the gift of Christian–Jewish encounter. … Given the kindness, wisdom and scholarship of the Chief Rabbi, to count him among my friends is one of my greatest privileges. … Too often in history the Church has been responsible for and colluded in antisemitism — and the fact that antisemitic language and attacks are on the rise across the UK and Europe means we cannot be complacent. I reflected on this as I stood alongside other Christian leaders in ankle-deep snow within the camp of Birkenau in 2016, amid the ruins of the gas chambers. … The Chief Rabbi has opened, with characteristic honesty and affection, a challenge upon which we must reflect. We cannot do that reflection honestly until we have felt the cruelty of our history.

Such sickly musings are nothing new. In 2016, the Guardian reported:

The archbishop said Britain had a “shameful record” on antisemitism. “As a nation, we have to recognise that antisemitism has been the root and origin of most racist behaviour going back for the last thousand years in this country,” he said. “We have a shameful record until very recently, historically. It bubbles to the surface very easily indeed. When we see it, it tells us there are strains and stresses in society. It is the canary in the mine.” Welby also said that hate crime against Muslims had increased, fuelled by irrational fear that resulted in a high level of prejudice. Integration of Britain’s diverse population was a huge challenge, he said. “It’s been the biggest failure of the Church of England over the last 40 or 50 years, in terms of how we’ve dealt with integration.” It was a “great cause of shame”, he added.

In September, Welby/Weiler/Browne took his level of shame-promotion to an entirely new level when he prostated himself in front of crowds of amused and bemused Indians, apparently in supplication for a mass shooting by British troops that occurred in the garden of Jallianwala Bagh some 37 years before he was born.

Jewish Influence on God’s Unfailing Word

The Anglican tendency toward navel-gazing self-recrimination, which has assumed pathological proportions under the current Archbishop of Canterbury, has collided with Jewish dominance of the historical narrative. Jewish dominance in the academic production of histories of the Jews and anti-Semitism has played a significant role in shifting opinion in this instance. Notes at the end of God’s Unfailing Word reveal the document to rely heavily on ubiquitous, biased and factually dubious accounts of historical Jewish-Christian relations that have been written by Jewish academic activists (Jules Isaac [who was instrumental in orchestrating the pro-Jewish elements of Vatican II], Yehuda Bauer, Frederick M. Schweitzer, Marc Saperstein etc) or non-Jewish scholars who enjoyed lucrative and celebrated careers for their sympathetic portrayals of Jews (for example, the dreadful Gavin Langmuir).

Looked at objectively, this reliance in itself is maladaptive in the extreme. One struggles to find an equivalent case in history where one of two feuding parties fails to chronicle its own struggles, later adopts the narrative of the opponent, and thereby comes to perceive its entire history through the eyes of the opposing side. By way of explanation, we could suppose that the Church of England’s Faith and Order Commission desired an academic gloss for its theological musings and, since Jews and philosemites dominate the mainstream discussion of Jewish history and anti-Semitism, the Commission was forced to turn to Jewish sources. I don’t think this is a full explanation by any means, but it does provide some insight into the flow of ideas and intellectual influence, and should point to academia as one of the most important areas that must be contested if the West is to survive.

Even without its highly revealing endnotes, Jewish intellectual fingerprints are all over God’s Unfailing Word, where they catastrophically combine with a flamboyant Anglican penchant for weakness and subservience. The primary stated objectives of the document are essentially Jewish, being that of “challenging antisemitism,” and “working together [with Jews] for the common good of our society.” Of course, working with Jews for ‘the common good of our society” invariably means the familiar recipe of “fighting racism,” “rejecting homophobia,” “rooting out anti-Semitism,” and campaigning on behalf of migrants and ethnic minorities. In other words, Christian “tolerance,” always a volatile and deeply problematic virtue, has been weaponized in modernity as a primary engine for self-dispossession, pathological altruism, perverse virtue signaling, and moral self-flagellation.

Irrational shame, of the type exemplified and promoted by Welby/Weiler/Browne, saturates the pages of God’s Unfailing Word. The text, which purports to consist of “Theological and Practical Perspectives on Christian–Jewish Relations,” is remarkably one-sided. You will search in vain for references to the Jewish trade in Christian slaves, or the mass practice of exploitative usury. You won’t see any consideration of the impact of Jewish dissemination of pornography or the general degrading of morals. You will turn from page to page without encountering any mention of Jewish contempt for Christianity, and historical and contemporary violence against Christians. What you will instead find are multiple references to the assumption that “the Christian–Jewish relationship is a gift of God, endless rumination on “the persecution and prejudice experienced by Jewish people through history,” the blunt declaration that “antisemitism is a virus that may appear dormant but can all too easily be reactivated in all kinds of contexts,” and “the Church, which should have offered an antidote, compounded the spread of this virus.” [The concept of anti-Semitism as a virus, now clearly rampant in the Christian churches, is a Jewish contrivance. See here for further discussion.]

God’s Unfailing Word promotes nothing more than nicely packaged Jewish ideas, including the notion that there should be a “recognition on the part of the Church that it bears a considerable measure of responsibility for the spread of antisemitism,” and demands “repentance, for we are rightly reminded of the burden of responsibility the Christian tradition bears for its teaching of contempt over the ages.” Jews are completely absolved of any responsibility for anti-Semitism, and any idea they may have engaged in provocative or antagonistic behaviors, their only role being one of “grave suffering and injustice.” In order to address this assumed state of affairs, God’s Unfailing Word effectively redefines the theological and dogmatic positions of the church in much the same way as the Catholic Church did with the 1965 Second Vatican Council declaration Nostra Aetate.

A Redefined Theology

The Church of England now affirms that there has been a “difficult history” involving Jews and Christians, but only in the sense that Christians have contributed to “grave suffering and injustice.” The Church will henceforth teach that Christians “have used Christian doctrine in order to justify and perpetuate Jewish suffering.” Furthermore, they have “fostered attitudes of distrust and hostility among Christians towards their Jewish neighbours, in some cases leading to violent attacks, murder and expulsion.” Christians today must “reject such misuses of Christian doctrine” and engage in “repentance for the sins of the past.” This new theological approach, which raises White Guilt to the position of dogma, is explicitly explained as adapting to “scholarly research, particularly since the Second World War.” This is, of course, refers to the products of Jewish academic activism.

The historical narrative underpinning the new theology is laughable in its naivete. The mass presence of crypto-Jewish networks in 15th-century Spain, for example, which mainstream scholarship has established at one point threatened to overcome and infiltrate even the Jesuit Order, is held up merely as an example of the fact “the Church has never been without Jewish members.” Suspicion of Jews is argued to have been rooted less in the insincerity of Jewish converts than in “the underlying structure of antisemitism.” The authors of God’s Unfailing Word avoid further digression on Jewish behavior, for reasons one can surmise with little effort.

The section of the document concerning anti-Semitism is awful. It begins by pointing out that the Church of England’s College of Bishops accepted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism with its examples in September 2018. The document explains:

The examples highlight the way that antisemitism tends to weave together four interconnected claims, all of which should be vigorously resisted: (a) that there is something inherently wrong with Jews as a people; (b) that Jews always seek to control and influence others; (c) that because there is something inherently wrong with Jews, this influence is inevitably to the detriment of those others; (d) that therefore those with authority have a duty to restrict so far as possible the scope for Jews to exercise any influence over others.

The authors of God’s Unfailing Word insist that although “these pernicious claims appear in secular forms of antisemitism, … it is also clear that theological ideas have been used to support them in church contexts, thereby contributing to the persistent grip of the ‘virus’ of antisemitism.” Christians should mourn that “centuries of Christian government in European history include a long catalogue of anti-Jewish measures, such as legal discrimination and periodic expulsion, alongside bouts of communal violence leading in some cases to the massacre of entire communities.” Martin Luther, without whom the Church of England would not exist, is castigated because he “described [Jews] as demonic and called for the burning of synagogues.” England, meanwhile, is condemned as “the birthplace of what became known as the ‘blood libel.’ … England became the first country to order the entire Jewish community to leave, thereby seeking to be a Christian territory with no Jewish presence.”

The document then explains a total adoption of the perspective of the Jewish historical and activist Jules Isaac who, in 1947, began to wage a campaign designed to promote specific recommendations in Christian churches, mainly the Catholic Church, for the “purification” of Christian teaching regarding the Jews. The Church of England Faith and Order Commission adds:

Jules Isaac, who wrote on Jewish–Christian relations in the aftermath of the Second World War, saw a profound link between historic Christian anti-Judaism and the eruption of antisemitism in the twentieth century. If the first premise of antisemitism is the perception that ‘there is something inherently wrong with the Jews as a people’, then traditional Christian teaching that the Jewish people are collectively responsible throughout time for the death of the divine Christ, and therefore guilty together of deicide, imbues it with a terrible power. Isaac coined the phrase ‘the teaching of contempt’ (enseignement du mépris) to describe what he saw as key features of Christianity’s sustained hostility to Judaism from earliest times.

Christians are now impelled to apologize for this “teaching of contempt,” and engage in “ecclesial repentance for complicity with the evils of antisemitism.” The Church of England insists that “such ideas should have no place in Christian teaching and belief.” Christian communities are urged “to consider whether there could be suitable opportunities in their public worship to focus and express repentance for Christian involvement in fostering antisemitism, for instance in relation to observance of Holocaust Memorial Day.”

The cathedrals of Norwich and Lincoln have for centuries displayed stained glass windows depicting the boy martyrs William of Norwich and Hugh of Lincoln, both found murdered, and both determined by contemporary investigators to have been murdered by one or more Jews. The authors of God’s Unfailing Word now take some pride in pointing out that supplementary notifications have been placed near these windows, explaining them as:

a shameful example of religious and racial hatred, which, continuing down through the ages, violently divides many people in the present day. Let us unite, here, in a prayer for an end to bigotry, prejudice and persecution. Peace be with you: Shalom.

From here, the Church of England moves to retreat from any theological claim that Christians might be God’s “chosen people.” For fear of placing Jews outside salvation, the Anglican Church now insists on a bizarre ‘acknowledgement of mystery regarding the claims of Jewish people,” which is a vague and cowardly method of asserting that “Jewish people since the coming of Christ nonetheless remain recipients of God’s promises.” Of course, this is necessarily a theology that makes the coming of Christ utterly redundant, since God’s promise can be fulfilled without a Messiah. The only explanation offered for this wholesale abandonment of Christian doctrine is that Christianity “carries a heavy burden of responsibility for antisemitism and its lethal consequences,” and “it has to accept that there is a mystery here that transcends its understanding in history, though its meaning will be revealed at the end of time.” This is perhaps the greatest ever example of “kicking the can down the road.”

Christian teaching is to be adapted in several areas in order to avoid insulting or stereotyping Jews. For example, there is a clear retreat from the position that the Old Testament serves as an obvious prophecy of the coming of Christ:

Those who teach and preach in the Church of England should avoid implying that the meaning of Old Testament prophecy points to Christ in such a direct and obvious way that anyone who denies it must be refusing to pay attention to the text or be somehow defective in their understanding. Such implications feed directly into the negative stereotyping of Jewish people that forms the fundamental structure of antisemitism.

As part of the Church of England’s fundamental revision of theology, God’s Unfailing Word also articulates a new orientation in relation to Israel. This new orientation is profoundly Zionist, even going so far as to insist that “the approaches and language used by pro-Palestinian advocates are indeed reminiscent of what could be called traditional antisemitism, including its Christian forms.”

Conclusion

Perhaps the most ironic aspect of God’s Chosen Word is that it isn’t good enough for the Chief Rabbi, who ruminates on the putative blameless nature of his ancestors in his Afterword:

As for my ancestors, their interaction with Christianity meant being faced with the brutality of the Crusades; it meant being forced to choose between converting to Christianity or certain death; it meant false accusations of sacrificing Christian children at Passover to obtain blood for matzah in what became the cruel Blood Libel; it meant requiring the great Rabbinic leaders, including a figure no less than the Ramban (Nachmanides, 1194–1270), to publicly defend their faith against prominent priests as part of the ignominy of the Disputations, resulting in censorship, violence and slaughter.

Mirvis acknowledges and celebrates “the document’s honest appraisal of the destructive nature and origins of Christian perceptions of the Jewish people,” but he expresses a “substantial misgiving … , despite the progress it undeniably represents and articulates. Namely, that it does not reject the efforts of those Christians, however many they may number, who, as part of their faithful mission, dedicate themselves to the purposeful and specific targeting of Jews for conversion to Christianity.”

In other words, the meaning of so-called “inter-faith dialogue” is the same as that of multiculturalism—Whites/Christians must forever make room for Jews and others. They must engage in endless groveling apologies. And they must never try to convert others or attempt to imply that they should acculturate to their norms. In short, the best position for Whites, in the eyes of Rabbi Mirvis, is crawling on their bellies like his good friend Mr. Welby.

That’s not my style. I think I’ll stick with the historical reality of Christian-Jewish interactions over the centuries, a reality that leads naturally to the teaching of contempt.

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