#well not for most commercial italian pop

[greypetrel]

🙤Shuffle Tag🙧

Rules: Shuffle music library, list 10 songs, tag people, woo!

Tagged by none else than @demandthedoodles (thank you!). And since I'm a control freak for writing and apparently also for my Spotify library, I reunited all songs from tags in one playlist... Listing the one of this batch below, but they're from number 11 to 20!

Do you want to - Franz Ferdinand

The Final Countdown - Europe

Fire Meet Gasoline - Sia

Weep for Manetheren - Hildegard von Blingin'

Rose Tattoo - Dropkick Murphys

Kill this Love - BLACKPINK

Pou na Vro Mia na Sou Miazo - Maraveyas

Pirate Medley - Peter Hollens

A New Hope and End Credits - John Williams

Гей, соколи! - Eileen

Tagging: @shivunin @daggerbean @salsedine and @coloricioso and whomever is there who wants to do this! (really, I'm shy in tagging and I forget people, pop by and tell me you'd like to be tagged!)

[youremyheaven]

The Astrology of Muses: A Vedic Exploration 🎨🖌👫💏

This is going to be a loooong post so hang in there besties<3

Claire Nakti observed that Ketu being the root or tail of the dragon is the source of our creativity. So whatever we channel during the process of art making is reflective of our Ketu, its placement etc. While I agree with this observation, I'd also like to add that Venus is also very important in determining the creativity, creative nature and career of an individual, as well as who or what they seek inspiration from.

Obviously Sun-Moon relationships and other aspects with luminaries can also determine how we connect to and draw inspiration from others.

First of all, let's understand what a muse is.

A muse is defined as a person (often, a woman but not always) who serves as a source of artistic inspiration creativity, and passion for the artist.

In mythology, the Muses were nine goddesses who symbolized the arts and sciences. 

There is a spiritual reason why women serve as the source of creativity for others. This is because of them being Yin, inwardly expansive and vessels that can be receptive to a variety of influences. Water is the most feminine element and the ability of water to take the shape of whatever's its poured into is very important in this context. Water is life giving but it can also be destructive and turbulent. All of these are very telling about feminine nature.

Anyways, let's look through some artist-muse relationships in history and pop culture.

F Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda Fitzgerald

Probably one of the most famous literary romances. Zelda was Scott's lover, wife and muse. They had a very tumultuous marriage; Zelda was diagnosed with schizophrenia and Scott was an alcoholic but they also enjoyed immense popularity and success early on in their marriage and career.

It is now known that Scott plagiarized much of his work from the diaries and letters of his wife, Zelda and was controlling & abusive towards her when she expressed interest in furthering her own literary career.

Both of them had Mars in Mrigashira as their atmakaraka

Scott had Ketu in Ashlesha & his muse, Zelda was Ashlesha Rising (and mercury which was her amatyakaraka)

2. Vita Sackville West and Virginia Woolf

They were both married to different men when they began their affair with each other. They significantly influenced each other's work; Vita wrote Seducers In Ecuador dedicated to Virginia, while Virginia's Orlando was about Vita. The relationship lasted until Virginia's death in 1941.

Vita was Uttara Ashada Rising, whereas Virginia had Venus in Uttara Ashada

Vita had Venus in Aswini and Virginia was Aswini Moon

3. Ingrid Bergman & Roberto Rossellini

They began an affair when she was still married to her husband whilst filming the movie Stromboli. She got pregnant and they later got married.

While the movies Bergman made with Rossellini were commercial failures, the films have garnered great appreciation and attention for their contribution to Italian Neo-realism.

Bergman was Magha Sun, Venus & Rising, whereas Rossellini was Magha Rising

He had Rahu in Ashlesha and she had Ketu in Ashlesha

4. Lillian Gish & D.W Griffith

Lillian Gish is called "The First Lady of American Cinema"; she was a muse to the first influential filmmaker in Hollywood, D.W. Griffith. She appeared in his ground breaking movies The Birth of a Nation (1915), Intolerance (1916), Broken Blossoms (1919) and Way Down East (1920).

D.W Griffith was Ashlesha Moon with Mars in Vishaka atmakaraka and Ketu in Chitra

Lillian Gish had Chitra Sun, Venus & Saturn (amatyakaraka) in Vishaka and Ketu in Ashlesha

5. Norma Shearer & Irving Thalberg

Norma Shearer would be dubbed the First Lady of MGM for not only being the contracted actress with the most box-office appeal but also the wife of studio head Irving Thalberg.

Thalberg, was a film executive who was called the  “boy wonder of Hollywood” who, as the production manager of MGM, was largely responsible for the studio’s prestigious reputation.

Shearer and Thalberg were married in 1927, after which Shearer had her pick of films, parts, costars, and directors, and she used this advantage to avoid being typecast. Thalberg largely directed her career until his death in 1936.

She played sexually liberated ingenues in the 1920s & 30s and is now considered a feminist icon.

She was Ashlesha Sun (atmakaraka), Venus & Mars in Ardra and Ketu in Rohini

He was Rohini Sun, Mars in Ashlesha (amatyakaraka) and Ketu in Ardra

5. Godard and Anna Karina

Karina served as a cinematic muse to Godard, appearing in eight of his films; during their five-year marriage and after. Karina liked being the muse, stating in 2016: "How could I not be honoured? Maybe it's too much, it sounds so pompous. But of course, I’m always very touched to hear people say that. Because Jean-Luc gave me a gift to play all of those parts. It was like Pygmalion, you know? I was Eliza Doolittle and he was the teacher."

Their contribution to the French New Wave and to cinema in general is widely acknowledged and well-regarded.

Karina was Ashlesha Venus (amatyakaraka), Punarvasu Rising with Ketu in Revati

Godard was Ashlesha Mars (amatyakaraka), Jupiter in Punarvasu (amatyakaraka) with Rahu in Revati

6. Monica Vitti & Michelangelo Antonioni

For 10 years, Monica Vitti was the muse and lover of Michelangelo Antonioni for almost a decade, starring in many of his most famous films, such as L’Avventura (1960), La Notte (1961), L’Eclisse (1962) & Red Desert (1964).

Vitti is Swati Sun with Ketu in Hasta

Antonioni has Hasta Sun, Mercury & Ketu along with his Venus in Swati

7. YSL & Paloma Picasso

Yves Saint Laurent had many muses but perhaps his most overlooked muse is Paloma Picasso

Paloma Picasso was the muse, who originally inspired Saint Laurent’s ‘Scandal’ collection of ‘71, and his career-defining turn away from the perfectionism of couture to a different kind of empowerment of something more wild, free and personal. 

YSL was Uttarashada moon (atmakaraka), Paloma had Uttarashada moon & jupiter (conjunct)

8. Hubert de Givenchy and Audrey Hepburn

Givenchy designed the iconic 'little black dress' worn by Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's, which cemented the actress as one of the most stylish women of the 20th century.

"His are the only clothes in which I am myself. He is far more than a couturier, he is a creator of personality," said Hepburn. The Breakfast at Tiffany's dress also helped Givenchy gain worldwide recognition, and his intricate, feminine designs became the subject of adoration.

Givenchy is Shatabhisha Sun & Jupiter

Audrey is Shatabhisha Moon

9. Bob Mackie and Cher

Mackie is a costume designer. His work with Cher has a place in fashion history, from the sheer dress she wore to the 1974 Met Gala to the beaded see-through gown she wore to accept her Oscar in 1988 (let alone, designing hundreds of her costumes for The Sonny & Cher Show).

Mackie has Ketu in Bharani and Cher has Mercury in Bharani (amatyakaraka)

10.Jean Paul Gaultier and Madonna

The cone bra—one of Madonna's most famous and recognised stage outfits from her Blonde Ambition tour—was created by Jean Paul Gaultier in 1990. The piece soon launched Gaultier's career, and solidified his relationship with the iconic performer.

Gaultier went on to design stage outfits for many of Madonna's concert tours, and she even made an appearance as a model in his spring summer '95 collection. After almost 30 years of friendship, they attended the 2018 Met Gala together (Madonna wearing one of Gaultier's designs, of course).

Gauthier is Bharani Moon & Madonna is Purva phalguni Moon & Rising

This is an example of Venus attracting & partnering with Venus.

11. Pedro Almodovar and Penelope Cruz

They've done numerous movies together in the last 25 years. They are both Punarvasu Moon

Almodovar is a Purvaphalguni Mercury (amatyakaraka) and Ketu and Penelope is a Bharani Sun, so this is yet another Venusian creative partnership.

When it comes to artist-muse partnerships, sharing Ketu/Venus to Sun/Moon/Rising aspects seems to be very common. Its also common to see artists and their muses share the same luminaries. We are inspired by people who project our qualities in different ways. there is a reason we are drawn to certain people and its always because of how subconsciously they remind us of ourselves.

social muses, trendsetters & it girls

I'm not going to mention Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe or Princess Diana because I feel like enough has been said about them.

There are some people who seem to inspire not just one person specifically but the tastes and culture of a whole era. They are tastemakers who set trends and are widely imitated and their influence has far reaching impact. They are "muse" to everybody.

Jackie O

she is one of the most culturally influential people of the 20th century and defined her era (60s America) and is probably an early example of an "influencer", which is to say, people imitated her style, her manners etc

Jackie is Pushya Sun & Mercury, Aswini Moon, Ketu & Rising in Vishaka, Venus in Mrigashira atmakaraka.

2. Grace Kelly aka Princess Grace of Monaco

She is synonymous with elegance, flair and grace to this day and is widely regarded for her artistic success as well as her charitable endeavours. She is one of the most influential women in history.

She has Vishaka Sun (amatyakaraka) & Mars, Purvabhadrapada Moon, Swati Mercury, Ketu and Rising

3. Liz Taylor

Liz Taylor was known for her love of diamonds. She always dressed like a movie star, in very extravagant style with her plunging necklines, fur wraps, feather boas, and eye-catching headpieces. She was very glamorous

She was the first celebrity to have her own fragrance and thirty five years later, her perfume empire remains one of the most successful celebrity fragrance ventures of all time. White Diamonds is one the best selling celebrity fragrances in history. She paved the way for numerous others to follow in her foot steps, although not everyone has had her success.

She is Shatabhisha Sun & Mercury, Vishaka Moon, Jyeshta Rising along with Venus in Revati atmakaraka and Jupiter in Ashlesha amatyakaraka

4. Twiggy

She is the world's first supermodel. She is an important cultural icon and was the face of the Swinging Sixties in her babydoll dresses and mary janes.

She's Pushya Moon & Mars, and Punarvasu Rising

5. Diana Ross

Miss Ross rose to fame as the lead singer of the girl group the Supremes, which became Motown's most successful act in the 1960s, and one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. After leaving the group in 1970, she launched a successful solo career, with many huge hits across the next couple of decades. She is known for her extravagant style and is a true 80s diva who blurred the lines between costumes and everyday clothing.

She is UBP Sun, Bharani Moon, Vishaka Rising

Mercury in Revati amatyakaraka and Jupiter in Ashlesha atmakaraka

6. Beyonce

Beyonce is one of the most influential women of the 21st century. Her impact on culture is immense and undeniable.

She is Purvaphalguni Sun, Vishaka Moon (atmakaraka) & Chitra Rising

Bey & Jay have been each other's muses for a good while and have multiple albums inspired by each other. They are pop culture royalty.

Jay is Jyeshta Sun & Mercury (atmakaraka), Hasta Moon, Ketu & Rising in Purvaphalguni

7. Rihanna

RiRi is one of the most iconic women ever.

Her music, looks, products, personality- everything about her is influential af. She's multi talented and has excelled in several fields.

She is a Revati Stellium (moon, venus (amatyakaraka) & rising)

8. Paris Hilton

Probably the OG influencer. Paris defined her era (the 2000s) and has had a lasting impact on pop culture that needs to be studied. She was written out of her family will and built her own empire. She paved the way for all influencers.

Dhanishta Sun & Mercury, Pushya Moon & Jyeshta Rising

9.Kim & Kylie

I don't like them but to say they haven't had an impact on beauty/fashion/pop culture would be lying. I personally see it as a negative impact 😬 but its an impact nonetheless.

They normalized plastic surgery to such an extent that every other girl in the West and almost every famous woman at this point has fillers, botox, BBL or something done. They also paved the way for influencers entering the fashion world.

Kim is Chitra Sun, UBP Moon & Jyeshta Rising with Mercury in Vishaka amatyakaraka and Venus in Purva phalguni atmakaraka

Kylie is Ashlesha Sun, Swati Moon & Purva ashada Rising

She has Venus in Uttaraphalguni atmakaraka & Saturn in Revati amatyakaraka

10. Bella Hadid

cannot talk about it girls and not mention Bella.

she's had such a massive impact on pop culture in the late 2010s & now in the 2020s. she made y2k style as popular as it is today and is probably the only true supermodel of our era.

She's Hasta Sun (amatyakaraka), Purva phalguni Moon & Rising with Ketu in UBP, Mars in Ashlesha atmakaraka

she's inspired practically The Weeknd's entire discography. He has Ketu in Ashlesha

it's interesting to me how all the Hadid siblings have inspired a lot of pop music. (Gigi with Zayn, Anwar with Dua Lipa etc)

11. Selena Gomez

Selena's inspired way too many heartbreak songs to not be on this list.

She's Pushya Sun & Rising with Aswini Moon with Ashlesha Mercury (atmakaraka) & Venus

There has been a lot of Vishaka women and Jupiter natives in general, Pushya ladies, Ketuvian (esp Aswini), Venusian influence and a lot of people with Ashlesha atmakaraka/amatyakaraka. Pisces influence and Jyeshta influence is also seen. Why are these planets/naks/rashis recurring?

Talking about people who have a very wide impact, it makes sense as to why Jupiter natives would be here; its expansiveness reaches everyone. In fact if you look at the era defining cultural figures of any decade, you will see a common Jupiter influence. This is also why Pisces rashi (Pisces is ruled by Jupiter) is so common in the world of art & entertainment.

Venusian placements are what creates trendsetters imo. Its what makes others imitate you and want to be like you.

Ashlesha natives dominate the entertainment sphere because entertainment and all art tbh, is in the simplest terms, manipulating others.

Pushya women inspire others with their feminine charms. Ketu being the root or the tail means that its very easy for others to project on to them. They lack identity on their own; its a very shadowy realm. This is what celebrities are to most people; you don't know them or understand them, which makes it easier to project onto them and love them for that illusion.

Jyeshta represents lack and in the world of influence, more than abundance, its that space of lack that makes it easier for people to add/built on to the persona they see of someone.

I'll make a part 2 sometime but for now this is it. I hope it was insightful.

[raincitygirl76]

So, the CBC posted a rather poorly written article about the archived video you can play at the link below. But they also posted a news segment from the CBC Vancouver TV station in 1993. As in, thirty years ago. All about the trendy new (in 1993) craze for cappuccino rather than ordinary coffee. A craze that was then sweeping North America, including Vancouver.

The 1993-era manager at Bridges (an iconic Vancouver restaurant that was open from 1980 to 2021) is interviewed by the reporter. He reveals they sell many cappuccinos since they installed their espresso machine, and sell them for $2.75 a pop. The way the restaurant manager says “$2.75” makes it clear he knows most viewers of the 6 o’clock news will think that’s a crazy amount of money for anyone to spend on a beverage.

There’s been a lot of inflation between 1993 and 2023. $2.75 CAD could probably get you an ordinary drip coffee at Starbucks in 2023. But a fancy drink with espresso, steamed milk, etc would probably run you closer to $6 CAD with tax. Maybe more, if you want a big size.

The segment also shows the Robson Street intersection in downtown Vancouver that, in 1993, had the highest coffee consumption in North America. Mainly because the street-level businesses on 3 of the 4 sides of that intersection were all fancy coffee shops selling espresso-based beverages.

No idea if they still have 3 coffee bars at that intersection. I know for a long time there were 2 Starbucks kitty corner across from each other at that intersection. Don’t know if it’s still true, as I haven’t been to Robson in years. Robson Street is chock-a-block full of tourists any time of year.

It’s also cool because it talks about Commercial Drive, which was (kinda sorta still is) Vancouver’s Little Italy.* My apartment building is 2 blocks from Commercial Drive. Below I’ve posted the Instagram profile and Yelp page for Caffe Calabria, Vancouver’s oldest continually operating coffee bar. Which I believe may still be family owned. Caffe Calabria is 4 blocks from me, and the decor inside is wild! Hence me linking to both Yelp and Insta, so you can check out the photos.

In my opinion, the coffee itself is actually better across the street at Continental Coffee (another longtime Commercial Drive standby, and also Italian, despite the bland name). But Calabria also does lovely grilled paninis, desserts and gelato, and has more space. Continental Coffee I go there strictly for the espresso-based beverages, not for a meal and a look at all the (mostly full-sized) reproductions of famous Italian statues. Those line the walls at Caffe Calabria, and it’s fun.

https://instagram.com/caffe.calabria?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

I found these photos from Café Calabria that you should check out https://yelp.to/t8NRz9frW4

Weird thinking that until probably the mid-to-late late 1980s, Commercial Drive was the only place in Vancouver you could buy espresso-based beverages. I’m a bit fuzzy as to when exactly the fancy coffee craze took off, as I was only born in 1976. Judging by the CBC News segment, it was well underway by 1993. I can’t really remember a time when fancy coffee bars weren’t around, although I admit they were not as ubiquitous when I was a teenager as they are now. But I don’t think I drank coffee of any kind, ever, until I was at least 16. And I didn’t turn 16 until October 1992.

* Commercial Drive is still called LIttle Italy, and it certainly still has an unusually high proportion of Italian coffee bars, restaurants, delis, and places where you can buy fresh (not dried) pasta and other Italian food. But nowadays you can’t throw a rock on Commercial without also hitting restaurants serving Ethiopian, Japanese, Indian, Jamaican, Lebanese, Vietnamese, Salvadorean cuisine, etc.

And the population of the surrounding houses and apartment buildings hasn’t been primarily Italian for a very long time. I moved to the area in 2002, and it was already extremely multicultural, multiracial, and multilingual. Every continent represented except Antarctica!

But every time the Italy men’s football soccer in Canada and the US) team is playing in either the World Cup or the Euros, the Italian-Canadian diaspora (normally scattered all over the Greater Vancouver area) converges on Commercial Drive. They watch the games on the big TVs in the Italian restaurants and coffee houses here, and whenever Italy wins a match, they spill out onto the street and stop the traffic, waving little Italian flags. Or sometimes big Italian flags. Even though most of them are third or fourth generation Canadian by now and no longer speak the language.

I think that happens partly because Canada’s men’s national soccer team was always dreadful until only 2 or 3 years ago. Canada was never playing in the World Cup or the Euros, because it never qualified. So people cheered for the countries their grandparents or great grandparents immigrated from instead. Which, for people of Italian descent, meant trips to Commercial Drive.

The same situation does not happen whenever the Women’s World Cup is held. But Canada has an excellent national team in women’s football/soccer (or was, until very recently), and it’s usually a contender. Its unforeseen, humiliating, and headline-generating early departure from the 2023 Women’s World Cup notwithstanding. Italy’s national women’s team has a much less distinguished history. In my experience, most Italian-Canadians, like most human beings, want to cheer on the country they think will have at least a chance at winning the tournament (Canada), not the country that rarely even qualifies for said tournament (Italy).

It’s the same reason Italian-Canadians usually cheer for Italy rather than Canada in the men’s World Cup and Euros. At the men’s World Cup in 2022, Canada qualified for the first time since 1986. While Italy shocked the world by not qualifying. All the Italian restaurants and coffee bars that usually fly Italian flag bunting quickly switched to maple leaf bunting in 2022 to bring in World Cup customers. Many fewer than usual, because the Italian diaspora had no need to descend on Commercial Drive from the suburbs, with Italy missing the tournament.

[greenishness]

hi hello do u have any german music recommendations👂🎧

Sure!! Most of this is commercial pop or rock because I like having fun 💃🏻

Blaues Licht - Kraftklub

Ganz schön okay - Casper ft Kraftklub (my favorite summer song!!)

Zum Laichen und Sterben ziehen die Lachse den Fluss hinauf - Thees Uhlmann (my dad insists that this is the best song ever recorded)

Aufstehn! - Seeed ft CeeLo Green

Wildberry Lillet - Nina Chuba (my Italian roommate is obsessed w this one lmao)

Photosynthese - Dilla

Beinebrechen - Alligatoah ft Felix Brummer

Jenny Jenny - AnneMayKantereit

Wem du's heute kannst besorgen - Faber

Bei Dir - KUMMER

Imo Alligatoah is fun to listen to in general if you're interested in German as a language! He enunciates really well, has a good voice and his lyrics are clever

A lot of german bands are popular especially for their satirical or political songtexts so if your german is good you can give käptn peng KUMMER or Antilopengang a try 👍🏻

Personally I also like Deutschland by Rammstein and Haus der luege by Einstürzende Neubauten. And I am a MASSIVE fan of this girl's choir from Belgium covering German songs with women's names as song titles across all genres lmao 😭 CORDULA GRÜÜÜÜÜÜÜN 🎙️👄🎙️👄🎙️👄

[alertfacts]

Connie Francis Obituary: Celebrating Her Life and Legacy

It’s often said that the music of a generation defines its soul. For countless fans, the voice that captured the spirit of the late 1950s and early 1960s belonged to none other than Connie Francis. Known for her heart-wrenching ballads and vibrant personality, Connie's songs became the soundtrack of many lives. As we reflect on the life and legacy of this musical icon, we celebrate the impact she had on the world and how her music will continue to resonate for generations to come. In this Connie Francis obituary, we delve into the remarkable journey of a woman who sang her way into the hearts of millions.

The Early Days: A Star in the Making

Connie Francis, born Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero on December 12, 1937, in Newark, New Jersey, was destined for greatness from an early age. Raised in an Italian-American family, Connie's passion for music was evident even as a child. Her father, George Franconero Sr., recognized her talent early on and became her staunchest supporter.

By the time she was in her teens, Connie was already making waves in the music industry. But it wasn't all smooth sailing. Despite her undeniable talent, she faced numerous challenges and setbacks, including multiple record labels turning her down. Yet, she persisted. With her father's encouragement and her own unyielding determination, Connie eventually found her big break. But who could’ve predicted that the young girl from Newark would soon become one of the most celebrated voices in music history?

The Rise to Stardom

Connie's first major hit came in 1957 with the release of "Who's Sorry Now?" The song, a cover of a 1923 classic, was an instant success. It soared to the top of the charts and established Connie as a force to be reckoned with in the music world. The combination of her powerful voice, emotional delivery, and girl-next-door charm captivated audiences worldwide.

In the years that followed, Connie Francis released a string of hits that solidified her status as a pop music icon. Songs like "Where the Boys Are," "Stupid Cupid," and "My Happiness" became anthems for a generation. Her music was a blend of pop, rock 'n' roll, and traditional Italian ballads, showcasing her versatility as an artist. And let’s not forget the international appeal she cultivated by recording in multiple languages, further broadening her fan base.

Yet, Connie’s success wasn’t just about her voice. She had an innate ability to connect with her audience, to make them feel every note, every word. Whether she was singing about love, heartbreak, or nostalgia, her songs resonated deeply with listeners. And in a time when the music industry was still largely male-dominated, Connie Francis broke barriers and paved the way for future female artists.

Trials and Triumphs

But life wasn’t all glitz and glamour for Connie Francis. Behind the scenes, she faced numerous personal and professional challenges. The pressures of fame, coupled with a series of tragic events, took a toll on her mental and physical health. Connie endured multiple failed marriages, a horrific assault in 1974 that left her deeply traumatized, and battles with depression. Her career, once unstoppable, began to wane as she struggled to cope with the aftermath of these traumas.

Yet, in true Connie Francis fashion, she refused to be defeated. She made a triumphant return to the stage in the late 1970s, proving that her spirit was as resilient as ever. Her performances, though fewer in number, were just as powerful, reminding the world why she was, and always will be, a legend.

Connie’s Legacy: More Than Just a Voice

So, what is it about Connie Francis that makes her legacy so enduring? Is it just her voice, or is there something more? Well, for starters, Connie wasn’t just a singer—she was a trailblazer. At a time when the music industry was rife with gender inequalities, she stood out as one of the few women who managed to achieve both commercial success and critical acclaim.

Connie Francis was also a pioneer in many ways. She was one of the first American artists to record in multiple languages, reaching audiences far beyond the English-speaking world. Her Italian-language songs, in particular, resonated with the global Italian diaspora, making her a beloved figure in countries like Italy, Argentina, and Australia.

Moreover, Connie’s influence extends beyond music. Her openness about her struggles with mental health, particularly in an era when such topics were taboo, helped to destigmatize issues like depression and PTSD. By speaking out, she paved the way for future artists to be more open about their own battles, thereby contributing to a broader cultural shift.

And let’s not forget her philanthropic efforts. Connie was deeply committed to various causes throughout her life, including supporting veterans, animal rights, and mental health awareness. Her charitable work was an extension of her generous spirit, and it remains an integral part of her legacy.

Remembering Connie Francis: The Enduring Impact

As we come to terms with the loss of Connie Francis, it's natural to feel a sense of sorrow. After all, the world has lost one of its most iconic voices. But instead of dwelling on the sadness, let's celebrate the incredible life she lived and the joy she brought to so many. Her songs will continue to play on the radio, in movies, and in the hearts of those who grew up listening to her. And new generations will undoubtedly discover her music, ensuring that her legacy lives on.

Connie's music transcended borders, resonating with fans worldwide.

Her resilience in the face of adversity inspired countless people.

Through her music and philanthropy, she made a lasting impact on the world.

So, what’s the takeaway from Connie Francis’s life? It’s a testament to the power of perseverance, the importance of staying true to oneself, and the impact that one person can have on the world. In this Connie Francis obituary, we’ve celebrated not just her music, but the woman behind the voice—a woman who overcame incredible odds to leave an indelible mark on the world.

Conclusion

In the end, Connie Francis was much more than just a singer. She was a cultural icon, a pioneer, and a symbol of resilience. Her music, filled with emotion and sincerity, touched the lives of millions, and her legacy will continue to inspire future generations. As we reflect on her life and accomplishments, let’s remember the joy she brought into our lives and the lessons she taught us about strength, perseverance, and the enduring power of music.

[daimonclub]

A short history of pop music

Ariana Grande A short history of pop music, from blues, soul, gospel and jazz music, through rock, hip hop, funky and disco to modern commercial, and rap music. And now that is summer time you can visit our page about The most beautiful summer songs from 1960 to 2024, many famous of them in Italian! Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. Berthold Auerbach One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.” Bob Marley The only truth is music. Jack Kerouac Without music, life would be a mistake. Friedrich Nietzsche If I had my life to live over again, I would have made a rule to read some poetry and listen to some music at least once every week. Charles Darwin Music makes one feel so romantic – at least it always gets on one’s nerves – which is the same thing nowadays. Oscar Wilde Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible. Frank Zappa Music... can name the unnameable and communicate the unknowable. Leonard Bernstein After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music. Aldous Huxley Where words leave off, music begins. Heinrich Heine To understand where pop music comes from we have to start from Blues. This is a genre and musical form that originated in African-American communities in the “Deep South” of the United States around the end of the 19th century. The genre developed from a fusion of traditional African music and European folk music, that incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads.

A short history of pop music The blues form, ubiquitous in jazz, rhythm and blues and rock and roll, is characterized by the call-and-response pattern, the blues scale and specific chord progressions, of which the twelve-bar blues is the most common. The blue notes (or “worried notes”) which are often thirds or fifths which are flatter in pitch than in other music styles, are also an important part of the sound. Blues shuffles or walking bass reinforce the trance-like rhythm and form a repetitive effect called a groove. The origins of the blues are also closely related to the religious music of the Afro-American community, the spirituals. The first appearance of the blues is often dated to after emancipation of slavery and, later, the development of juke joints. It is associated with the newly acquired freedom of the former slaves. Chroniclers began to report about blues music at the dawn of the 20th century. The first publication of blues sheet music was in 1908. Blues has since evolved from unaccompanied vocal music and oral traditions of slaves into a wide variety of styles and subgenres. Blues subgenres include country blues, such as Delta and Piedmont, as well as urban blues styles such as Chicago and West Coast blues. World War II marked the transition from acoustic to electric blues and the progressive opening of blues music to a wider audience, especially white listeners. In the 1960s and 1970s, a hybrid form called blues rock evolved. Now we can pass to soul music. This is also a genre of African American popular music that led to many later genres, from funk and dance music to hip hop and contemporary R&B. It developed in the USA in the late 1950s from African American church music called “gospel music”. After slavery ended in 1865, African Americans weren’t welcome in the churches of white Americans, so they built their own churches and sang Christian songs with African-American vocal styles and rhythms. They sang joyful, up-tempo gospel songs while clapping and moving to the beat, and they sang slower gospel songs that expressed deep feelings like yearning for God’s love. These different styles led to the two main styles of soul music. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3w8I8boc_I The first soul songs were created when gospel songs were changed into secular songs by rewriting the lyrics. Joyful, up-tempo gospel songs became up-tempo soul songs, while slower gospel songs became romantic love songs. An example of the up-tempo style is R&B artist Ray Charles’ 1954 song I’ve Got a Woman (Way Across Town), a secular version of the old gospel song I’ve Got a Savior (Way Across Jordan). Another example is Ray’s first crossover hit What’d I Say in which he uses a gospel-music call and response to exchange sexy “oohs” and “aahs” with the Raelettes, his female backing singers. An example of the slower style is former gospel singer James Brown’s 1956 song Please, Please, Please in which he changed a gospel song about yearning for God’s love into a song about yearning for a girl’s love. In 1930s in Europe swing became popular. Benny Goodman and his Orchestra were the 'King of the Swing', as were Glenn Miller and Artie Shaw. The music was fast and frantically paced and led to dances being banned from dance halls, as the young women being flung into the air by their partners showed their stocking tops and underwear. Jazz continued to be popular. In 1940s, in Europe the Second World War brought fast, frantic (and often American) dance music - boogie-woogie or jitterbug. Dances were held in church halls, village halls, clubs, Air Force bases - everywhere! But slower, romantic songs were also popular as loved ones went away to fight, such as Vera Lynn's 'We'll Meet Again' and the song about coming home again, 'The 'White Cliffs of Dover'. After the war 'skiffle' bands became popular. These bands used household items, such as washboards and tea chests, as part of their set of instruments! Tommy Steele, who later became very famous, first played in a skiffle band. Obviously we couldn’t imagine pop music without Soul-Jazz, which was the most popular jazz style of the 1960s. It differs from bebop and hard bop (from which it originally developed) in that the emphasis is on the rhythmic groove. Although soloists follow the chords as in bop, the basslines (often played by an organist if not a string bassist) dance rather than stick strictly to a four-to-the bar walking pattern. The musicians build their accompaniment around the bassline and, although there are often strong melodies, it is the catchiness of the groove and the amount of heat generated by the soloists that determine whether the performance is successful. Soul-jazz’s roots trace back to pianist Horace Silver, whose funky style infused bop with the influence of church and gospel music, along with the blues. Other pianists who followed and used similar approaches were Bobby Timmons, Junior Mance, Les McCann, Gene Harris, and Ramsey Lewis. With the emergence of organist Jimmy Smith in 1956, soul-jazz organ combos (usually also including a tenor, guitarist, drummer, and an occasional bassist) caught on, and soulful players became stars.

Taylor Swift And now we can finally talk of ‘Pop’ that is the short term for popular music. There are different styles of pop music, but they all appeal to the general public. But when did ‘modern’ pop music begin? There were two significant moments. First of all Leo Fender invented the electric guitar in 1950. Then, in 1954, Sony introduced the transistor radio and after that, music was accessible to people in their homes and cars. In 1954 Elvis Presley released That’s All Right. He fused country music with black rhythm and blues to create rock and roll. At that time this was an innovation, and Elvis, who was young, attractive and exciting, became the first teen idol and made pop music a youth culture. Rock and Roll was born and it became soon very popular. The 1960s was the decade of The Beatles, who dominated pop music from 1961 to 1970 with a new folk-rock sound. The Beatles were the first band to play in a stadium: Shea Stadium in New York in 1965. In June 1969 they had their seventeenth number one hit – two more than Elvis. The 60s also saw the first outdoor music festivals and popular music began to have a social and political message, for example, Bob Dylan. This was also the beginning of Motown and soul music with artists like Ray Charles, The Supremes and Marvin Gaye. The Beatles began their career. They leapt to fame in 1963 with 'Please, Please Me'. The Beatles moved through the late 1960s as favourites of the 'flower power' generation - many young people enjoyed 'hippie' music. Other teenagers preferred the music of the 'Mods' - ska music and The Who. Next came the 1970s and several new genres of music appeared, like reggae (Bob Marley), glam rock (David Bowie), punk (the Sex Pistols) and heavy metal (Iron Maiden). When the Bee Gees recorded Saturday Night Fever, a new global dance phenomenon was born: disco. Michael Jackson’s Thriller video started the trend for using video as promotion and during the 1980s the influence of MTV meant that the video became as important as the song itself. Madonna exploded onto the scene, and with her ability to adapt to every trend, is now a pop icon. In England the first big new sound of the 1970s was “Glam Rock”, the main figures of this were David Bowie, Elton John and of course Gary Glitter. In the bleak political backdrop, these larger that life British bands and characters brought a welcome relief with their platform boots, sequins, nail varnish and colourful hair. This period also saw the spring of the punk movement of the late 1970s. Great British bands of this scene were The Sex Pistols and The Clash. The Punk style was Mohicans, bondage clothes, safety pins, piercings and bovver boots. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHoHIL2ABVQ The 80s was the era of indie music from bands like The Smiths, The Cure and New Order. This decade also saw the first ‘raves’ when disco transformed into high energy dance music. The 1980s saw also the rise of hip hop and rap music, with American influences powerful once again in the form of such groups as Run DMC and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. It also saw the rise and fall of the 'New Romantics', typified by groups like Adam and the Ants, who dressed as pirates and highway men and wore huge amounts of makeup. From the late 80s, through the 1990s and into the first part of the 21st century, other musical styles appeared. Grunge (Nirvana), RnB (Beyoncé), rap and hip hop (Eminem, Ice-T, 2Pac, Black Eyed Peas), new rock (The White Stripes) showed that pop music is always evolving. The 90s onwards was also the era of boy bands and girl bands such as Take That and The Spice Girls. Britpop, this was the general name given in the 1990s to a new wave of successful British bands who made a big impact in the United States and Europe, as well as in England. The most successful have been Radiohead, Oasis, Blur, Pulp, Massive Attack and The Spice Girls. Today pop is a global industry. CDs replaced records a long time ago and nowadays, downloading from websites is marking the end of these traditional music formats. It is now the age of digital music. In 2006 Gnarls Barkley with his song Crazy became the first artist to reach number 1 in the UK charts based only on download sales. In Europe, Britain is certainly more famous for pop music than it is for classical composers or jazz musicians. Names such as The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Elton John, George Michael and The Spice Girls are known world wide but little do people know of our other musicians not in the pop world. In Britain, most youths listen to punk, garage, house, rock, pop and R&B. (such as McFly, JLo, Xtina, Beyonce, Pink, Britney, Justin Timberlake, Mis-teeq). Nowadays the internet has also revolutionized the way music is being consumed. Including all video and music streaming, internet-based music consumption was the primary choice for 64% of respondents to a recent survey. That’s not even accounting for livestreams or music purchased through the internet. This internet-heavy metric is being reflected on the business side as well, with 75% of the music industry’s revenues in the U.S. coming from streaming. However, for artists, streaming revenue is usually the third-biggest earner after live performances and sales. But utilizing streaming to its fullest potential keeps modern artists in the loop. For example, Beyoncé was one of the first artists to utilize streaming platforms to release an album completely unannounced in 2013, a marketing move that has been replicated many times since. Data is from 2022 and is sourced from a survey of over 44,000 people from 22 countries by IFPI that asked people their primary mode for consuming music, so it highlights global music consumption habits. As of 2022, paid subscription services (i.e. Apple Music, Spotify) are the most preferred option for listeners, accounting for nearly one-fourth of main platform share. 1) Paid Audio Streaming 24% Spotify, Apple Music; 2) Video Streaming 19% YouTube; 3) Radio 17%; 4) Purchased Music 10% Vinyls, CDs, purchased digital albums; 5) Ad-Supported Audio Streaming 8% Amazon, Deezer; 6) Short-form Videos 8% TikTok; 7) Social Media Videos 5% Facebook, Instagram; 8) Live Music 4% concerts, livestreams; 9) Other 6% music on TV, phone-to-phone transfers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEXUQpffn2k And now to conclude this article I would spend a few words on Lounge music that is a type of easy listening music, popular in the 1950s and 1960s. It may be meant to evoke in the listeners the feeling of being in a place, usually with a tranquil theme, such as a jungle, an island paradise or outer space. The range of lounge music encompasses beautiful music–influenced instrumentals, modern electronica (with chillout, and downtempo influences), while remaining thematically focused on its retro-space age cultural elements. The earliest type of lounge music appeared during the 1920s and 1930s, and was known as light music. Lounge music often incorporates smooth, relaxed instrumentation which can also be found in pop music, especially in more mellow or soft pop tracks. The use of electronic elements, synthesizers, and smooth vocals is common in both genres. Many artists create music that can be classified under both lounge and pop genres. These artists often blend elements from both styles to create a unique sound. Both genres aim to create a specific mood or atmosphere. Lounge music is typically designed to be soothing and relaxing, which can be a characteristic of some pop music as well, especially ballads and softer tracks. Lounge music, particularly in its more modern forms, often aims to have broad appeal, similar to pop music. This includes catchy melodies, accessible arrangements, and production that appeals to a wide audience. Pop songs are frequently remixed into lounge versions, and lounge tracks can be covered or adapted into pop formats. This interchangeability highlights the fluid boundaries between the two genres. Both genres are frequently used as background music in various settings, such as cafes, bars, and stores, where creating a pleasant atmosphere is key. Lounge music, particularly from the mid-20th century, has influenced the development of pop music. The lush orchestrations and smooth styles of early lounge music have found their way into the arrangements and production techniques of modern pop music. Genres like chillwave, downtempo, and nu jazz often blend elements of lounge and pop, creating music that is both relaxing and catchy. Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent. Victor Hugo Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything. Plato If music be the food of love, play on. William Shakespeare There are two means of refuge from the misery of life - music and cats. Albert Schweitzer The only truth is music. Jack Kerouac Everything in the universe has a rhythm, everything dances. Maya Angelou You can also visit these other pages:

Drive and listen Drive around cities while listening to their local radios Listen to local radio stations while driving through the cities around the world. Drive & Listen. Entertainment Music and Dancing Best summer songs Free Internet Radios Best Christmas Songs Christmas Songs Read the full article

[jamesludwig]

10 Most Famous Swiss Singers  

Switzerland has long had a distinct cultural identity, despite its diversity of German, French, Italian, Romansh, and other ethnicities.

Religious and folk music dominated the country until the 17th century, with growth in the production of other kinds of music occurring slowly. 

Fast forward to the 1990s, many rappers and DJs started to influence Switzerland’s musical scene. Swiss musicians enjoy a worldwide reputation, for commercial success.

Here are the 10 most famous Swiss singers. 

1. DJ BoBo 

Peter René Baumann, better known as DJ BoBo, is a Swiss singer-songwriter, rapper, dancer, and music producer. He was born on 5th January 1968 in Kölliken, Switzerland.

His music genres are Pop, electronica, reggae fusion, house, and eurodance. He has sold 14 million records worldwide and has released 12 studio albums as well as a few compilation albums which have included his previous hits remixed. 

2. Beatrice Egli 

She has been singing since the age of nine, and at 14 years she began taking singing lessons and singing at folk festivals. This singer has sold over 1,000,000 records in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria this far.

She was the winner of season 10 of the German music competition ‘Deutschland Sucht den Superstar. Egli became the second contestant from Switzerland to win the title after Luca Hänni. 

3. Gjon’s Tears 

This singer acquired his stage name when he was still a child after moving his grandfather to tears when he performed for him.

He is a great musician. He won the MTV Europe Music Awards, Best Swiss Actin 2Lady

4. Ladyva

Vanessa Sabrina Gnaegi, also known as Vanessa G o Ladyva is a Swiss pianist, singer, and composer. She was born on 8th December 1988 in Ipsach, Bern, Switzerland.

Ladyva started playing the piano when she was 14. This musician genres are boogie-woogie, blues and jazz. Her YouTube channel has over 39 million views.  

5. Bastian Baker

This singer’s heartfelt and hard-hitting melodies and texts reveal a heightened sensitivity. He writes in English because it’s a common language and it’s an important factor when sharing your music with the whole world.

Baker has been crazy about music since he was very young. He took guitar lessons for many years and was also the soloist in a choir. His music is an example of the rich and diverse Swiss music scene.

6. Luca Hanni  

Luca Hänni is a Swiss pop singer and television personality. Hänni was born on 8th October 1994 in Bern, Switzerland. He learnt drumming in kindergarten. He is also a self taught guitar and piano player.

Hanni created history by becoming the youngest and the first non-German winner of the German talent show Deutschland Sucht den Superstar. He has many albums and has also released several hit singles.

His songs top the Austrian and Swiss Albums Charts and became gold-sellers in both countries.

7. Dieter Meier  

Dieter is a Swiss industrialist, musician, and conceptual artist. He was born on 4th March 1945 in Zürich, Switzerland. For the Music group, Yello, he is a vocalist and lyricist, as well as manager and producer. 

8. Stephan Eicher 

Stephan Eicher is a Swiss singer and songwriter. He was born on 17th August 1960 in the rural municipality of Münchenbuchsee not far from Bern, Switzerland.

He sings in a variety of languages, including French, German, English, Italian, Swiss German, and Romanche, sometimes using different languages in the same song. 

He released his first greatest hits compilation album entitled Hotel*s in 2001 as a tribute to the hotel Hess on the Swiss Engelberg which was his second home. Martin Hess, the hotelier couple’s son, became his close friend and producer. 

9. Anna Murphy 

Anna Murphy is a Swiss musician, singer, songwriter, and audio engineer, best known as the female lead vocalist of the Swiss folk metal band Eluveitie. She plays the flute and hurdy-gurdy. 

Her music genres are folk metal, melodic death metal, Celtic metal, and progressive metal. She at one time worked as an audio engineer at the Obernauer Soundfarm Studios in Lucerne.

10. Tina Turner  

Anna Mae Bullock popularly known as Tina Turner is an American-born Swiss singer and actress. Tina was born on 26th November 1939 in Brownsville, Tennessee in the United States of America.

Tina is often referred to as “The Queen of Rock and Roll”, and is considered one of the greatest singers of all time. She is well known for her swagger, sensuality, gravelly vocals, and unstoppable energy,  not forgetting her career longevity and her famous legs.

Tina has received so many awards and honors over the years including being recognized by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C., two-time inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and stars on the Hollywood and St. Louis Walks of Fame.

Tina applied for Swiss citizenship and she became a Swiss on 22nd April 2013 and was issued a Swiss passport. She gave up her American citizenship at the U.S. embassy in Bern later that year.

Sources : https://www.discoverwalks.com/

[kensfoodfind]

Cocozza (the "pop-up")

NOTE: This was originally written for my main blog at KensFoodFind.com during the COVID-19 pandemic when many restaurants, including the Majestic Grille (where Cocozza stood in for) closed. Because it was a huge success, the owners decided to turn the "pop-up" concept into a full-blown restaurant in Harbor Town, Downtown Memphis' secluded community on the northern end of Mud Island. Since then, the restaurant's popularity has grown in Downtown Memphis and beyond. As a result, I went back to the restaurant to see it for myself, resulting in an updated review. The following is what I initially wrote about Cocozza. Enjoy.

_____________________

I learned that today is the last day for Cocozza American Italian, the "pop-up" started by the owners of The Majestic Grille to take the restaurant's place during the coronavirus pandemic. According to the blog I Love Memphis, the inspiration for Cocozza comes mostly from family recipes of co-owner and Italian-American Deni Reilly. Most of the menu is traditional Italian with items like spaghetti, lasagna and Chicken Parmesan. To quote the restaurant's website, it is a "red sauce joint" that is unpretentious in both its menu and how it presents itself. On the night that I visited (December of 2020), I kept it simple in getting the spaghetti and meatballs along with an appetizer (the Majestic… er, Cocozza's popular fried calamari) and a dessert (lemon cheesecake).

From what I remember, everything in the pasta was great. From the meatballs to the thick sauce, this was a well made meal that holds its own with other great restaurants like Bardog Tavern (coincidentally, both Deni and Bardog's owner Aldo Dean are Italian-Americans from New Jersey). I hope the spaghetti and the other Italian dishes will have a future with either the Majestic or as "Cocozza."

As I'm writing this post, this will be Cocozza's last night as a "pop-up" restaurant. With the world on the verge of returning to normal, Deni and her husband (the marvelous Chef Patrick Reilly) will soon resume operations of The Majestic Grille. I'm hopeful that "Cocozza" will continue in some form, such as a catering service or as retail products (prepackaged meals) that are currently selling in grocery stores like Cordelia's Market (aka "Miss Cordelia's") and High Point Grocery. Maybe demand could lead to a permanent "Cocozza" independent of The Majestic Grille, setting up shop in a neighborhood like the South Main Arts District. Regardless of its future, I appreciate the efforts of the Reillys for being innovative in keeping their restaurant going in these rough times. If this is it for Cocozza, it was great while it lasted.

DATE: Recently, the Reillys signed a lease in Harbor Town where they will relaunch Cocozza this Fall (2022). It will be located in 110 Harbor Town Square, next to Cordelia's Market. To learn more details, check out this article in The Commercial Appeal.

Website: EatCocozza.com

[creativeprojectcaitlinhendry]

Appropriation

"Appropriation in art and art history refers to the practice of artists using pre-existing objects or images in their art with little transformation of the original"(tate , nd).

Appropriation in art can be traced back to the Cubist era however become more popular in mid 20th century mainly in the pop art movement. Pop artists such as Warhol used everyday products that were well-known to attract people to his work. The familiar image is what is powerful about appropriation allowing there to be pre-existing knowledge surrounding the object used such as the soup can.

Jeff Koons

Jeff Koons is a well-known American artist best known for his pop art style sculpture depicting everyday objects. Koons's most famous artwork is Ballon Dog which is mirror-polished stainless steel with a transparent colour coating giant balloon dog sculpture. By using a well-known object such as a balloon animal Koons's work attracts familiarity and nostalgia from people. But this is not the only time Koons has been known to use appropriation in his work. Koons has been in several lawsuits over infringement laws but the most recent is his work titled Made In Hevan. The artwork depicts the sexual exploits of Koons and his ex-wife, the Italian porno star, “La Cicciolina”. Koons is being sued by Michael Hayden who is a set and prop designer, Hayden states the reason he is suing is due to the fact that he had never intended for the base of the sculpture to be commercially used by anyone other than Cicciolina. The lawsuit initially claims that Koons appropriated the work Made in Heaven (1983) several times for lithographs commissioned by the Whitney Museum and first displayed as a giant billboard. 

Appropriation is not a key factor in the art world and has been since the 20s(earliest known date) weather Koons was fund guilty or not.

Deborah Kass

Deborah Kass is an American artist who explores the lines between pop art, art history and self. Like most artists who experiment with pop art Kass has many works that fit the description of appropriation art. The work I'm interested in is Kass's 1992 Warhol Project. The work is a play on Worhols mass-produced screen print in the 60s, to make the work her own Kass used her idols as the subject such as the likes of Cindy Sherman, Barbra Streisand, Elizabeth Murray, and Linda Nochlin. Kass used this as a way to bend the meaning of the Warhol prints and created a new feminist take on the work . The artist also replaces Warhol's face in his self-portrait work with her own and by doing so challenged the patriarch of the famous male protagonist himself.

I feel more connected to the way that Kass has appropriated what Koons has achieved I think making small changed yet still being respectful to the work and the prosses though Kass in her series is challenging Warhol I think with my work I want it to be more of a stance of admiration rather than mockery.

[apptworadioapps]

Radio Slovenia: FM & AM Online - (Radio Android Application 🇸🇮📻)

 As an AI language model, I can write an article about radio stations in Slovenia, but please note that the information provided is based on publicly available sources up to my knowledge cutoff of September 2021.

Slovenia is a small country located in central Europe, bordered by Italy, Austria, Hungary, and Croatia. The country has a vibrant radio scene with numerous stations catering to different tastes and interests.

One of the most popular radio stations in Slovenia is Radio Slovenija, which is operated by the Slovenian public broadcaster RTV Slovenija. The station has been broadcasting since 1928 and offers a diverse range of programs, including news, current affairs, music, and culture. Radio Slovenija has several channels, including Val 202, which is aimed at younger audiences and plays contemporary music, and Ars, which focuses on classical music and the arts.

Another well-known radio station in Slovenia is Radio Center, which is part of the Center Group media company. The station offers a mix of popular music, news, and entertainment programs and has a large audience in the country.

Radio 1 is another popular commercial radio station in Slovenia, broadcasting a mix of contemporary music, news, and talk shows. The station has a strong online presence, with live streaming available on its website.

For listeners who prefer a more specialized musical experience, there are several stations to choose from. Radio Aktual plays contemporary pop music, while Radio Salomon focuses on electronic and dance music. Radio Capodistria broadcasts in Italian and caters to the country's Italian-speaking population.

There are also several community radio stations in Slovenia, such as Radio Študent, which is run by students and covers a range of topics, including politics, culture, and music. Radio MARS is another community station, offering programming focused on alternative music and youth culture.

In recent years, many Slovenian radio stations have expanded their online presence, with live streaming, podcasts, and social media channels. This has enabled listeners to access their favorite stations from anywhere in the world and has allowed stations to reach new audiences.

In conclusion, Slovenia has a diverse and vibrant radio scene, with stations catering to a wide range of interests and tastes. Whether you prefer popular music, news, talk shows, or specialized programming, there is something for everyone on the Slovenian airwaves.

SO, DOWNLOAD NOW APP!! 🔽🔽

✔✔ GOOGLE PLAY STORE: ▶ https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.apptwo.radio.slovenija

✔✔ AMAZON APP STORE:  ▶ http://www.amazon.com/gp/mas/dl/android?p=com.apptwo.radio.slovenija

✔✔ SAMSUNG GALAXY STORE: ▶https://galaxystore.samsung.com/detail/com.apptwo.radio.slovenija

[my2phetaliaheadcanons]

Feliciano’s World-Wide Amusement Land

The mouse clicked in rapid successions as (Y/N) waited for the white laptop screen to load.

She nearly groaned as the internet moved at 90’s era speed. Head in hand, she huffed as she glared hotly at the modern device. She raised a (S/C) as she bargained with the slow device. “Bobert. Load or else.”

The inanimate device seemed to know its time was running short and chose to quickly finish loading a purple and white job search site. Though to the woman it felt like it was done out of fear.

Chuckling satisfied, (Y/N) began to scroll through the site. Reading quick summaries of different jobs turned her chuckles into sad grumbles. For most were either deemed beneath her while others seemed to require a skill set, she didn’t even have. Other descriptions read more like pleas for naïve, new workers that would show their soft bellies at the slightest criticism to appease their cruel bosses.

For two hours this pattern repeated like an unwanted earworm of the newest pop craze. (Y/N) felt her eyes dry and redden, her blood pressure rose in anger at the fruitless search.

She was ready to call it a day. Those two hours had sucked her motivations like ticks that covered a starving dog. Her (S/C) pale moved to rest on the top of the laptop. Just as her hand rested against the warm plastic a loud ad began, making the woman jump like a skittish witch’s cat.

Her gasp of fear was drowned by the cheesy 80’s party music and a fast talking announcer began to speak.

“Are you looking for a rad new job?!” Bold, yellow text covered the screen repeating the question. “Well, look no further than Feliciano’s World-Wide Amusement Land!”

The screen flashed to various workers at many different positions in the park. “We’ve got animatronic handlers, chefs of all kinds, professional ride operators, and even security to protect our secrets!”

Before (Y/N) could process even that much of the commercial, a cute looking Italian appeared on the screen. Despite his human appearance, with sweet, closed eyes there were obvious robotic features to the man. Things like obvious divides for metal panels and two metal sprockets sprouting from his neck. (Y/N) could only assume it was Feliciano, for what other robot would they put on screen.

His small curl bobbed as he spoke. It was sweet and just as fast as the previous announcer. “Please-a come and work-a with us. We’ll give you plenty-a of pasta if you do!”

With that last line, the ad changed from a video to a pop-up showing a large, red, apply now button. It red light giving (Y/N)’s face a red glow.

In her stunned silence, the woman could only ask herself one question.

Should I apply?

Apply

Don’t Apply 

[vanaglori-ah]

INTRODUCING...LAN !!!

full name: lanfei tsai

preferred name: lan

age: 25

pronouns: she / they

sexual orientation: bisexual

ethnicity: east asian, taiwanese

hometown: london (south london specifically)

current occupation: actress

height: 1.73 m / 5 feet 9 inches

personality: lan is often defined by her friends and family as a workaholic, blunt, and sometimes mean spirited. they carry themselves with intense nihilism, no doubt partially caused by the industry they currently work in. lan is often seen as the realist among her friends, saying things without any sort of sugar coating. their nihilism creates for caution and intense distrust in individuals. things are too good to be true most of the time so they hold onto the reality that things will get worse. lan also works a lot, mostly because she is afraid of not having enough money for her basic necessities. streaming and social media have really prevented her from making acting her only source of income so she must take on multiple jobs, such as being a part time influencer and an ambassador for multiple beauty brands. lan has an avoidant attachment style meaning they keep people at an arm’s length. it is very hard to get to know them and takes a lot of work. this explains their deep distrust in most people. if you manage to go beneath the exterior, then you will find that lan is very kind and understanding. she’s always there when you need her and she’ll throw everything out the window for you. despite her clear annoyance with, well, everything, lan is actually a very patient person. they don’t get angry or irritated. their irritation and annoyance is usually out of fun. though their initial impression of being intimidating and mean tends to trump everything in regards for people’s perception of her. and sometimes, they let that initial impression ruin their interaction with lan.

hobbies: cosplay, fashion design, art

family: father (in contact), younger brother (in contact)

bio: lan was raised by a single father in south london with her younger brother. she was known to be a tomboy and enjoyed experimenting with her gender expression at a young age. when they were about ten, they got scouted by a talent scout for a chinese company. lan was offered an opportunity to become a c-pop idol. they decided to take the chance if they could help their father out with the bills. however, after about three months, lan quit. lan hated the restriction they felt under the company’s thumb and how the company wanted to push a certain image of femininity onto them. during secondary school, lan discovered a love for acting and started in school plays and community theater. eventually, they decided to branch out into commercials before landing a main role in a teen drama called black daisies. at the age of 16, lan received critical acclaim for their performance and started reaching out for more projects including blockbuster movies, indie movies, sitcoms, west end theater productions, and soap operas. she decided to attend college while working as an actress and received her degree. she also completed her post-graduate studies as well and thus received her masters.

education: university of the arts london

ba - film and television

ma - film

quirks

lan is a polyglot. she can speak english, mandarin (albeit how taiwanese people speak it which makes her scrutinized among “proper” mandarin speakers), cantonese, french, and italian.

lan took a few courses in fashion design and uses it mostly for their cosplay hobby.

lan enjoys cosplaying male characters and has a different social media account for their cosplays. some of the popular ones have been: baizhu and zhongli from genshin impact, tengen uzui from demon slayer, kurapika from hxh, and kieran valentine from monster high.

you can find lan on instagram at tsailan. their cosplay account is tsaiplay.

lan is also on tik tok at lanlanfei and it’s a mix of regular tik tok videos and their cosplays.

lan prefers to present masculine. they don’t wear swim suits often.

[an-sceal]

Okay, okay. But what kind of dogs are the Cobra Kai characters? My thesis: (Holy crap this got long. And stupid.)

Johnny - Golden retriever? The himbo of dogs. Would bark at the same sus spot on the wall for hours, nevermind it's a nail that's been there for four years and he sees it every day. Won't chase a ball, or even a person running away from him, but goes absolutely apeshit for a frisbee. Has to be crated on the day there's a different mail carrier, the one who once brought a package to the door and rang the Bell of Rage. Will protect his family from all dangers, including other dogs (until they prove themselves worthy), cats, birds, that one piece of trash in the gutter over there, and squirrels. Amazing with puppies, secretly terrified of stepping on them. Definitely steals food off the counter. Takes training really well, but forgets what he's doing halfway through a command most of the time. Has to wear a thundershirt and sleep between his people during rain, wind, fireworks, and after scary commercials with vets in them. Still loves the older dog in the house, even though the older dog bites him without warning every time they play together. A Very Good Boi who sometimes goes on a rampage, tears the couch apart, then falls asleep so hard he doesn't wake up and winds up peeing on the carpet.

Daniel - Italian greyhound. Compact, agile, you have no idea how he got on top of the fridge and ate all the treats that time, it's just part of his charm, okay? Likes to antagonize the golden retriever next door by running from room to room and popping up in windows to bark. Feels intense shame about the time he bit that one UPS guy, but in his defense, the UPS guy smelled like macaroni and cheese. Smart, but easy to trick- follows the long-haired grey cat everywhere, even lets the cat groom him, never seems to understand the cat knocks things onto the floor just to watch him tear them up and get in trouble for it. Tries to get along with other dogs, but mostly seems to annoy them just by existing at the same dog park. Great with puppies, until something sets him off and he snarls. Would be happy to go back to being friends almost immediately though, gets very upset when puppies no longer trust him. A Very Good Boi who barely remembers being abandoned at the shelter, except for his intense separation anxiety, distrust of anyone outside his immediate family, and general dislike of new people who might disrupt his carefully regimented life. Constantly quivering with rage and/or fear, but wags his tail anyway. Amanda - Corgi. Sassy, intelligent, adorable. Everyone wants her until they find out how much work it is to keep her occupied, and what she'll do if she gets bored. Super sweet and tolerant until she's finally had enough and bites. Loves long walks, high quality food, and keeping all the other dogs in the neighbourhood in line. Will turn her back and visibly ignore a command if she doesn't feel she's being adequately appreciated. A Very Good Grrl who wishes the Italian greyhound and the golden retriever would stop squabbling and be friends so she could get some sleep.

[slytherinbarnes]

Seasons Change [3]

iii. the summer will warm the coldest parts of your heart 

pairing: Steve Rogers x reader

word count: 3.3k

warnings: smut, language. 

summary: a mission throws you and steve together, bringing a new sort of revelation to your relationship. 

a/n: okay, yes, I know this is late, but listen, I couldn’t find my laptop amongst all the moving boxes! good news is that I did find it though, so here is seasons change part 3 (my favorite part!), one day late!!! the taglist for this series is open!

previous chapter // series masterlist // full masterlist

June 20, Rome, Italy. 

You walk out of the bathroom of your hotel room, your final belongings gathered in your arms. You dump them into your open suitcase, not bothering to organize them since you’re finally flying home again, before zipping the suitcase closed and plopping down beside it on the bed. You stare out the window of your room, admiring the Sydney skyline outside, though you’re glad to trade it for a familiar skyline in just a few short hours. 

As you stand to grab your suitcase, your phone rings, and your stomach drops with dread, already aware that this phone call is not going to be one that you like. You grab your phone from your pocket, eyes scanning the familiar number on the screen before you answer with a sigh, “Hill, this better not one of those calls.”

“It’s just recon!” You sigh again, and you can practically hear her cringe though the phone, “I know you haven't been home in months, but you’re our best agent. And you know I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important.”

“Who gave the orders?”

“Fury.”

Not optional then. You nod once, even though she can’t see it. “Where?”

“Rome.”

Your brows lift slightly, “Italy?”

“You know any other Romes?”

You deadpan, “Yeah. Georgia, Alabama, Illinois.”

Hill lets out a short laugh, “Okay, okay, I get it, smartass. Yes, Rome, Italy.”

“Just recon, huh?”

“Just recon.”

You sigh, knowing you can’t say no if it’s from Fury. “Alright, send over the file.”

“Already done.” You can hear the smile in her voice when she adds, “Oh, and you’ll have a partner on this one.”

You groan, “You know I do better solo.”

“You’ll like this one!”

“You said that about the last one.”

“Who, Franklin?”

You hum in acknowledgement, “He talked too much. And he ate way too much garlic for someone sharing a tiny room above a church.”

Hill laughs again before she mutters, “Well, I mean it this time.”

“Who is it?”

“Can’t say. Classified.” You let out a sound of frustration, and you can hear the amusement in her voice when she reassures you. “You’ll meet him in the safe house.”

“Fine.”

“Don’t forget that you’re my favorite agent!”

“Yeah, yeah. Talk to you soon.”

-

Shield sends a Quinjet to fly you to Rome, which you suppose is the closest thing you’ll get to an apology for not getting to go home. Still, it’s better than flying commercial, so you accept the gesture, and your flight passes uneventfully, which you’re grateful for.

The safe house is close to your landing spot, so you decide to walk, thinking the fresh air will be good for you. Unfortunately, you underestimated just how hot it would be beneath the Italian sun, and by the time you arrive at the safe house, you’re sticky with sweat. You walk inside, the apartment pretty small as far as safehouses go, but you’re used to sharing close quarters with other agents, so you aren’t worried about it. You drop your bag on the floor in the living room, heading towards the kitchen and calling out as you move. “Hello? Anyone here?”

As you step into the kitchen, you find it empty, save for a note on the table, along with a small brown paper bag. There’s a delicious smell wafting towards you from the bag, buttery and warm and full of cinnamon, and when you pull it open, you see a fat cinnamon roll staring back at you. You get an idea of who your partner is before you even read the note left beside the bag.

 Went to grab a few things, be back in a bit.

-S

 You roll your eyes and mutter under your breath, “God damn it, Hill.” 

You knew you’d regret telling her about your arrangement with Steve, but she was suspicious after he called her in Japan, and she pretty much pieced it together on her own. All you did was confirm the details for her. Still, it felt nice to talk about it with someone. Not as agents, but as friends. You work so often that you don't have a lot of opportunities to get close to anyone, and besides Steve, Hill is the closest thing you have to a friend. 

You shake your head, sure that she’s laughing her ass off at HQ, before you settle into one of the chairs at the table, pulling the bag with the cinnamon roll towards you. You pull a copy of the file out of your bag, given to you by the pilot in the Quinjet, reading through it again as you eat the cinnamon roll left to you by Steve. And that’s where he finds you later, sitting at the table and popping the last bite into your mouth, and he says from the doorway, “Where does it rank on your list?”

You look up in surprise, so engrossed in the file that you didn't hear him come in, and he smiles as he walks into the room and sets two bags of groceries on the table. “So?”

You shake your head at him, not understanding. “So, what?”

“The cinnamon roll, where does it rank?”

You smile and wipe your hands clean, looking down at the crumbs scattered on the table. “Oh. Definitely not as good as my mom’s, but it’s one of the better ones I’ve had, so maybe a 7?”

Steve’s brows lift and a playful smirk settles itself on his face. “A 7? It’s at least a 9.”

“There’s isn't enough icing for it to be a 9.”

He smiles and nods, taking note of the criticism. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

He starts to put the groceries away, and you stand to help him. “So you’ve read the file?”

“Simple surveillance, in and out in a few days. Intel says Alexandrei Ivanov has been scoping out tourist traps to test Hydra weapons at.”

You nod, both of you on the same page, before you ask, “So how are we gonna play this?”

Steve grabs a different file, turning to hand it to you as he grabs the last few groceries. “Newlyweds Victoria and Logan Jones. Honeymooners happily in love, hitting up all the best tourist spots and snapping plenty of pictures for their family back home.”

You feel your cheeks heat up a little as you scan the file, realizing that you’re gonna have to pretend to be married to Steve for the next few days. And everyone knows that you have to stay in your cover at all times, because you never know who’s watching. This should be fun. You take a deep breath and look up at him with a smile, feigning a confidence you don’t quite feel. “So, when do we start?”

-

It turns out that you’re starting right away. 

You freshen up from your flight and change clothes into the ones Steve brought for you, a bright yellow sundress; both of you looking incredibly average when you reveal your outfits to each other. Preparing to be tourists, you both don sunhats and grab a camera, and with your cover in place, you head to the Coliseum hand in hand, playing the part of a couple in love. 

It doesn't take long for you and Steve to spot Ivanov, as most of the Hydra operatives tend to stand out in a crowd. Steve squeezes your hand when he spots him first, and he turns to you and sweeps you in for a kiss, whispering softly against your lips, “Ivanov at your 3 o’clock.”

You feel your skin heat up with his touch, and you tell yourself that it’s the Italian sun, because you’re an operative and this is just work. But Steve seems to notice the effect he’s already having on you, because he smirks, and you repress an eye roll as you turn away and look around for Ivanov. When you spot him, you turn to your fake husband and exclaim, “Let me get your picture, love!”

You see his cheeks tinge pink, and now it’s your turn to smile, the nickname clearly something he enjoys. He passes you the camera and stands in line with Ivanov, and you point the camera at Steve, pretending to snap pictures of him, when in reality you’re capturing Ivanov in the background. Once you get the shot, you smile at Steve, waving him back over. “Oh my god babe, you look great! Come see!”

Steve walks over and checks the pictures, smiling his approval at you. “Wow, you really captured my good side!”

You lean into your cheesy role, beaming up at him. “Every side is your good side!”

“Baby, c’mere.” He pulls you in for another kiss, this one more passionate than the last, his tongue instantly slipping into your mouth. You have to work hard to remind yourself that you’re in public and this is a job, so you need to keep your composure. Every move the two of you make needs to be calculated, it needs to serve a purpose. 

Steve’s mouth moves over your jaw and down to your neck, his mouth pressing kisses and love bites into the skin there. You automatically tip your head to the side, giving him better access, and you hear him whisper against your throat, “Think you can get his phone?”

He lightly nips the side of your neck, and despite yourself you let out a soft moan, unable to hold it back. You feel Steve smile against your neck, and you clench your fists hard, pressing your nails into your palms, trying to calm yourself down again. You nudge Steve back up to your mouth and pull him close, running your tongue over his bottom lip, sinfully slow. You hear Steve’s breath hitch in his throat and you smile before whispering, “Phones are my specialty.”

You pull away from him, stepping back and smiling at his expression, Steve clearly getting into this just as much as you are. You’re slightly relieved that you aren’t the only one affected by his presence or his mouth on yours. You’ve seen each other a few times since Japan, quick flings on your way to other cities and missions, but each tryst never feels like enough. You feel yourself wanting to spend more and more time with Steve. Not just for the sex though. The sex is great, but you’re starting to enjoy just being with Steve. 

You try not to think about it too much, focusing instead on your arrangement. No strings attached, just hook ups. No feelings, no relationship. That’s it. 

You shake your head to clear your thoughts, returning to the present and your need to lift the phone off Ivanov. You carefully evaluate him; where’s he’s standing, where his phone is most likely to be on his body, what’s the best way to get it off him. And as you watch him standing near the railing, a thick crowd of tourists moving past him, you decide that the best method is to slip it from his back pocket as you move past him with the crowd. 

You blend in with the families and couples moving through the attraction, and when you get close enough to him, you deftly slide the phone from his back pocket, quickly switching it to your other hand, held out of sight. You wander over to an area with brochures and pamphlets, grabbing a few and using them to further hide the phone, before making your way back to Steve, the phone hidden in your hand. When you reach him, you give him a smile, passing the brochures and the phone to him. “Look at all these places we need to visit here! So many exciting things to see!”

Steve beams at you when he feels the weight of the phone, and he quickly slides an SD card into the phone, transferring whatever he can as he chatters away about what cafes look best and what attractions you absolutely need to see before your honeymoon is over. When the transfer process finishes, he pulls you close and whispers, “Now how do you get it back?”

“Bumping into him is best, he’s less likely to feel it sliding into his pocket that way.”

Steve smiles at you, “I have the perfect idea then.”

Your brows furrow together, wondering what he has in mind as he pulls you towards Ivanov, talking excitedly the whole way. When the two of you get close, he holds up the camera. “This looks like a good spot, babe! Let’s take a few selfies here.”

“Good idea, love.”

His eyes cut to yours, and you confirm the nickname is one he really likes as he lifts the camera and pulls you close. He snaps a few of the two of you smiling before he leans in and kisses your cheek, snapping a few more. Finally, his lips find yours, and you hear the camera snap a few more times before his arm lowers and his kiss grows more passionate. His tongue slips into your mouth again, and you feel one of his hands slide down to your ass, the phone hidden beneath his hand, pressed against your butt. 

You feel a spark of arousal as he shifts you backwards, his mouth moving to kiss your neck as he bumps into Ivanov, quickly sliding the phone back into his back pocket. Steve’s hand quickly returns to your ass, squeezing lightly as Ivanov turns to look at the two of you with disgust. “Watch where you’re going!”

“Sorry man, it’s just hard to keep my hands off her.”

Another squeeze to prove his point, and you close your eyes, steadying yourself as Ivanov retorts, “Maybe you should take her home and fuck her then.”

“Maybe I should.”

You look up and find Steve’s eyes, and the look in them is enough for you to know that he means it. You both mumble another apology to your target before Steve takes your hand and leads you through the crowd, the two of you heading back to the apartment you’re sharing. But it’s like the walk cools Steve off or something, because when you arrive back at the building, he drops your hand and steps inside, awkwardly rubbing his neck as you lock the door behind you. “Good grab back there.”

“Yeah, you too.” You shake your head, your mind too focused on his hands on you, before you amend, “I mean, thanks.”

He holds up the SD card and the camera, “I should get these sent over to Fury.”

“Uh, yeah. Of course.” You glance towards the bedroom door, thinking there’s only one thing that’s gonna cool you down at this point. “I’m gonna shower, try to wash off this sweat.”

“Enjoy it.”

You swear you can see Steve physically cringe at his response to you, and you nod once, grabbing your bag as you head into the bedroom, closing the door behind you. You move straight to the bathroom, switching the water to cool, hoping you can shock your arousal out of your system. You strip quickly and step under the cool stream, the water shocking the heat that seems to linger on your skin. Goosebumps lift on your skin, chasing away all thoughts of Steve, and when you feel calmed down enough, you switch the water warmer, intending to wash up before you get out. 

You wash your hair and body quickly, wondering if you can claim jetlag and pretend to go to sleep early to avoid any more awkward interactions with Steve. But as you stand beneath the warm water, letting it wash over you and relax you, you hear the bathroom door swing open. Confused, you turn to see who it is, surprised to see Steve striding towards you and pulling the shower door open. “Steve, what are you-”

The rest of the questions dies on your lips as he pulls you towards him, crashing his lips onto yours. His tongue slips into your mouth and you moan into his touch, hoping he won’t pull away from you this time. You tug him closer and he steps into the shower fully clothed, moving beneath the stream of warm water with you. His hands start to roam over your body, and your lips move together frantically. 

You reach up and unbutton his wet shirt, pushing it off his body and onto the shower floor with a wet sound before your hands find his pants and belt, undoing them too and pushing the fabric down to join his shirt. His boxers are the last to go, and as you nudge them down his legs and grab him, his hand slips between your legs, expertly moving against you. The two of you stand pushed together, water running over you as you bring each other to the edge, ridding yourself of the tension that’s been building all day between you. 

Steve is the first to pull away, muttering “bedroom” against your lips. You nod and reach behind you blindly to switch the water off before allowing him to lead you into the bedroom, both of you dripping water across the floor. He leads you to the bed, still wet, and you lean back into the sheets, too aroused to care. Steve follows, and he’s inside of you in seconds, both of you moaning as you climb towards your highs together. It doesn't take either of you long to reach the top, and stars explode across your vision as you tip over the edge, Steve’s name coming out of your mouth as you finish.

-

You fall asleep almost as soon as Steve rolls off of you, exhausted from traveling and spying and being with Steve. You wake a few hours later, when the moon is high in the sky, and you roll over to face Steve, only to find that he isn’t there. Curious, you slide out from beneath the sheets that Steve tucked you into, and you pull on your discarded sundress from earlier before wandering out into the living room. 

There you find Steve, sprawled out on the couch, fast asleep. You smile when you see him, wondering why he’s out here, until you see the sketchbook in his hand. You move closer to him, grabbing the book to close it and set it aside, and as you do, you spot the drawing half finished on the page. 

It’s of you, fast asleep, sprawled out on the sheets, a soft smile on your face. You flip to the page before it and find another picture; you in Japan, eating across from Steve, and the one before that is you at the holiday party a few months ago. You look at Steve in surprise, still sleeping, unaware of what you’ve seen, and you smile as you close the book and set it on the table beside him. 

You hear your phone ring in the other room, and you head back to the bedroom, scooping it from your suitcase and answering without looking at the screen. “Hello?”

“Good job in Rome. We’re running the data from the phone and already getting hits on other locations, which means we need you somewhere else.”

You wander to the doorway between the bedroom and the living room, looking out at Steve as he sleeps on the couch, and when you do, you suddenly become aware of the intimacy of all of this. The playing pretend, the cinnamon roll, the notes, the sketches, it’s a breach of your arrangement. No strings attached, no feelings. You shake your head at yourself, wondering if you’ve managed to ruin a good thing, and at the same time, Hill’s voice comes through the phone, soft and concerned. “Agent, are you there?”

“Yeah, sorry.” You look at Steve one last time before turning and heading to your suitcase, already starting to pack up. “Where do you need me?”

-

This time when Steve wakes up and looks beside him, there is no note. 

-

[cellophanejpeg]

where it's so sweet and heavenly

(gif made by me)

pairing: Marcus Pike x F!reader

summary: An unexpected surprise leaves you anxious about your relationship with Marcus.

warnings: a bit of angst

word count: 3.6k

masterlist || series masterlist

“Are you okay?” Your coworker, Anne, asks as you lean over the sink and take a deep breath.

You’ve been feeling weird all morning. Well, scratch that, you’ve been feeling weird all week. You’ve been more tired than usual, and your emotions have been everywhere. Just last night, you cried over a dog food commercial, claiming the puppies were too cute. Marcus hugged to comfort you and laughed at your reaction later. Now your stomach is acting up and you feel sick every abrupt moment you make. The smell of the hospital is making you gag every time you take a deep breath.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” You sigh, feeling a little better after taking a short break. “I’m feeling kinda weird lately.”

“Something you ate?” She approaches you, looking at the dark circles under your eyes through the mirror.

“Probably.” You grimace, thinking about the ham and eggs you tried to prepare for yourself this morning. No matter how hard you tried, you could never cook it as well as Marcus. He always makes you breakfast when you stay over his place or vice versa. Sometimes he makes you dinner too. Most times. He knows you’re not really good at cooking. Being neighbors with your boyfriend has its perks.

Regardless, you continue to work, longing for your lunch break, where you’re supposed to spend it with Marcus. You’re more excited to see him than to eat since you continue to feel sick all morning. Later, in the locker room, as you change from your scrubs to your usual clothes to go out for lunch, Anne shows up again and asks you a strange question.

“Hey, when did you have your last period?”

“What?” You laugh, throwing a shirt over your head.

“You said you’ve been feeling weird lately... Don’t you think maybe you could be, you know... pregnant?” She argues, sitting on the bench near you.

You’re not pregnant. You’re a nurse, you would’ve noticed the symptoms if you were pregnant.

“That’s possible,” You huff a laugh, shaking your head. “Marcus and I– We use protection every time and I’m on the pill.”

Anne shrugs. “You know no contraceptive method is one hundred percent safe.”

“Yeah, but what are the chances of the condom breaking the same time the pill fails?”

You stare at her and the silence grows between the both of you. In the back of your mind, you know it’s possible. Of course you do, but you don’t want to think about it. Not right now.

When Marcus arrives to pick you up, you greet him with a kiss on the lips and a smile. Things have been going great between you two. Nine months officially together and you couldn’t be happier. He’s kind and appreciative of you, and you don’t know how you got so lucky to have met him. He’s always understanding and respectable of you. The perfect boyfriend.

Marcus drives to your favorite Italian restaurant, offering to pay for the meal. Of course he would take you to have your favorite meal on a common day. But today you don't feel so good. It starts with the car ride to the restaurant. Marcus always drives safely, but you feel sick with every turn the car takes. When you get to the restaurant, you can’t even eat half of your food. You keep staring at it and feel like throwing up.

“Everything okay, baby?” Marcus asks and you look up at his concerned eyes.

“Yeah,” You smile at him. “I guess I’m not as hungry as I thought I was.”

“You sure?” He takes your hand over the table and you melt under his touch.

“Yeah…” You smile at him. “Maybe we could have it to go?”

“Only if you promise you’ll eat something this afternoon.”

Your smile grows and you look away, cheeks burning under his gaze. He’ll always make you intimated with his immense worry and care for you. That’s why you love him so much.

“I promise.” You nod at him.

When Marcus is done eating, you both make small talk before leaving. As you stand from your seat, a wave of nausea hits you and you take a deep breath, trying to make it go away. He doesn’t seem to notice you stood behind and continues to walk away. You slowly try to take a step to follow him but feel what you just ate in your throat. You don’t know if you call for him, or just run to the restroom. Fortunately, he notices you’re not by his side and frowns confused, walking back to you.

“Sweetheart? Are you–” He starts but is interrupted by an unfamiliar voice.

“Pike?”

You both turn to the source of the interruption and you see a couple staring at both of you. She’s tall, dark haired and blue eyed, while he’s even taller, blonde, and also blue eyed. They look like a couple out of a movie. Marcus huffs out a laugh and shakes his head as he looks at the couple.

“What are you two doing here?” He asks, with a smile on his face.

“Business trip,” The man answered, smiling at you two. You look at them confused, but offer a polite smile at them.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Marcus rests his hand on the small of your back and introduces you to them. “These are Patrick and Teresa. Some old colleagues from Texas.”

“Oh.” You smile, shaking Patrick’s hand. “Nice to meet you.” Teresa leans in to shake your hand and her sweet perfume invades your nostrils. It’s strong but syrupy and it hits you with another wave of nausea. It takes everything in you not to gag in front of them and keep a neutral face, but you might have done a face because Teresa wrinkles her brows at you.

“Are you okay?” She asks, still holding your hand.

“Yeah.” You nod, letting go of her and turning to Marcus. “I need to go to the restroom–”

Marcus looks at you concerned and opens his mouth to speak, but you’re already turning your back to him and rushing to the restrooms. When you reach them, you barely have time to kneel on the floor before letting the contents of your stomach out in the toilet. Tears water your eyes and you clutch the porcelain bowl on the side with a strong grip, as if to comfort you. After it’s over, you sit on the floor and lean on the wall of the cabin, taking deep breaths.

You can’t be pregnant. You’ve been with Marcus for not even a year. But the symptoms are there. You think back when Anne asked you the last time you’ve had your period and realized you missed last month. Closing your eyes, you try to hold back tears. No use to cry when you’re not one hundred percent sure of it. So you take a couple of breaths and try to clear your mind.

Forcing yourself to stand up, you wash your mouth and face with cold water and pop a mint in your mouth. When you leave the bathroom, you take two steps before getting jumped at by Patrick.

“Jesus!” You put your palm on your chest, letting out a breath.

“Sorry.” He smiles at you and watches your face. “Are you feeling better?”

There’s something about his expression, his eyes are roaming all over your face and you feel a weird sensation in your stomach. Not nauseating, like before, but something in your gut telling you to stay away from him.

“Uh, yeah,” You answer before starting to walk back to Marcus.

“Good. So, when are you going to tell him?” He starts walking beside you.

“Tell who what?”

“Marcus. That you’re pregnant.”

You stop walking and turn your head to him so fast it almost gives you whiplash. Frowning deeply, you look at him confused.

“I’m not pregnant.” Your voice is just a whisper, afraid Marcus will listen to your words even though he’s feet away from you.

“You were throwing up, weren’t you?” He points his thumb in the direction of the restrooms.

“The food…” You trail off, frowning deeply.

“No, it wasn’t the food, was it? You’ve been feeling nauseous since you set foot in this restaurant.”

Okay, so now this guy is starting to scare you. “You’ve been watching us–”

“Yes.” He interrupts you and keeps talking like it’s nothing. “How long have you two been together? A year? Two?”

“Nine months…” You answer almost automatically still trying to figure out how this man knew you’ve been sick before.

“Ah, so that’s why you haven’t told him.”

“I’m not–”

“Listen, don’t worry about Marcus, okay?” He interrupts you again, touching your shoulder. "I'm sure he'll be supportive. I mean, I wanted to marry Teresa months after they met, he was willing to give her–"

"What?" It's you who interrupts him this time. "Teresa…?"

"Oh," The smile fades away from his face. "You didn't know."

You watch as he tries to walk away. Marcus had told you of an ex-fiance that left him for another man, but he never told you her name. He never told you what exactly happened.

"Wait," You call him, holding his forearm. Glancing at Marcus and Teresa, you see them talking normally and smiling at each other. You feel a sting of jealousy in your heart, nothing but a small poke of a needle in your feelings. It bleeds a little but you quickly swallow the light pain down and look at Patrick again. "Teresa and Marcus–"

"Listen," Patrick sighs and looks at you. "That was years ago. I'm sure Marcus doesn't hold any grudges by the way he's smiling at her. And don't worry about the baby, he seems like the family type of man."

With that, he walks away leaving you behind with your thoughts. When you return to your boyfriend you give the excuse your lunch break is ending and that you have to go. Marcus immediately complies, saying his goodbyes to the couple and driving you back to work. The car ride is much more silent than before and you can't stop thinking about what Patrick had told you.

Marcus stops the car on the other side of the street in front of the hospital and sighs deeply.

"Alright, what did he say to you?" He asks, turning his body to face you.

"Who?" You unfasten your seatbelt and look at him.

"Patrick."

Your gaze drops and you think About lying to him. But you decide to tell him the truth, regardless, there are no lies between the both of you 

"He said…" You hesitate. "He told me about Teresa."

Marcus' eyes widen a little, but he lets out a little sigh indicating he knew it was coming sooner or later. When he doesn't speak, you continue.

"He told me you wanted to marry her after… Months of relationship. Is it true? She was the one who left you?"

"Yeah, that was–" He laughs, looking away for a moment and then looking back at you. "Yes."

Nodding, you wait for him to speak again; he looks into your smile and offers you an honest smile.

"I used to jump into relationships. Get too excited, wanting to skip to the best part." He explains. "With you, I– I wanted something different. Wanted to take it slow. Something I've never done before and honestly? It's the best thing I've ever done. I don't feel like I have to rush things with you."

Despite the sweet words and good intentions, your heart drops at them. If Marcus wanted to take things slow with you, how would he react to you being pregnant?

That is if you're pregnant.

You smile at him anyway and press your lips to his but pull away quickly. Hoping he can't see the tears in your eyes, you open the door to leave.

"I have to go," You say, trying to conceal your emotions. "We'll talk more about this later, at my place?"

"Sure." He smiles at you. "Pizza or Chinese? Or do you want me to cook again?"

"Pizza is fine." You close the car door and duck to look at him through the window. "I'll be home by 8."

"I love you, okay?" Marcus searches your eyes. Your gut tells you he knows something is off, but he doesn’t push you to talk or anything. Instead, he just smiles sweetly at you.

A beat of silence passes before you answer him, voice quivering.

"I love you too."

…

Tears water your eyes as you look at the plastic stick sitting on the bathroom sink. After having lunch with Marcus, you marched to Anne and asked her to draw your blood to run a pregnancy test. The results would be sent to your email by the evening and you were nervous and jittery all day. It’s a miracle you weren’t sick anymore, but your emotions were definitely everywhere. The symptoms were so obvious, that you’re almost embarrassed to admit they totally flew by your head. On your way home, anxiety was eating you on the inside, so you stopped at a drugstore and bought the cheapest pregnancy test to bring home. And there it is.

Two lines.

You try not to cry, not to lose your mind over it, deciding to trust the blood test rather than the pharmacy one. Besides, Marcus could be knocking on your door at any moment and you wanted to be sure before telling him.

Holy shit, you’re gonna have to tell him. You can’t even imagine how disappointed he’s going to get. He wanted to take things slow with you and now you’ve ruined it.

Almost as if on cue, the doorbell to your apartment rings, echoing the place and scaring you. You quickly throw the test in the trash bin and rush to the door. Marcus is standing by your door with a pizza box in one hand and a bouquet of flowers in the other. Despite your feelings at the moment, you let yourself smile, feeling a warmth in your chest.

“What’s the occasion?” You ask as he comes in, handing you the flowers.

Daisies and Baby’s Breath. Your favorites.

“Just thought I’d bring my girlfriend some flowers.” He shrugs with a nonchalant tone in his voice as he places the pizza on your coffee table.

You smile at him and press your lips against him, in a sweet kiss. “I love them. Thanks.”

Marcus radiates serenity. Somehow, as you sit on the couch to eat with him and watch old movies, gives you peace. And you realize you want that peace for the rest of your life. If he’s willing to accept the fact that you got pregnant after nine months of a relationship, you could be together. Live together. Maybe even get married, who knows? The thought brings a tiny smile on your lips. This man got you wrapped around his little finger and he doesn’t even know it.

“I can practically hear your thoughts, sweetheart.” Marcus lays a hand on your thigh, rubbing his thumb on the soft fabric of your sweats.

Looking up, you see warm brown eyes, wrinkles in the corners, honesty in them. But what if he doesn’t want it? What if Teresa left him traumatized? What if he decides he doesn't want to have a family with you right now? What if he wants you to get an abortion?

“I don't feel like I have to rush things with you.”

His words echo in your mind as you feel your smile fading away and anxiety slowly creeps into you again.

“Honey?” He calls you, shifting to move closer to you.

“I need to tell you something.” You barely recognize your voice as you talk.

Marcus gets anxious and you can see it in the way he straightens his back and mutes the television, looking you straight in the eyes. This is it. The calm before the storm. You take a deep breath and open your mouth to speak, but your phone dings on the coffee table and your heart speeds up even more.

“Sorry, I just have to–” You pick up the phone and unlock it, quickly tapping on the email notification.

It’s the results of your blood test. You breathe out as you skim your eyes through them, tears welling up your eyes. Marcus calls your name and you let out a sob, covering your mouth with your hand. He doesn’t hesitate and pulls you to an embrace, even though he doesn’t know what’s causing you to panic.

“Baby, you’re scaring me.” He confesses, the low tone of his voice vibrating on your skin as you let him hold you close to his chest.

“I’m s-sorry, I just–” You sob, pulling away and looking at him with teary eyes. “I’m pregnant.”

Marcus’s eyes widen a bit and he can’t hide the surprise on his face as you start rambling.

“You said you wanted to– to take things slow after– after Teresa, and I– I– I’m sorry, I was on the pill and I didn’t think– I’m sorry, Marcus, I ruined everything– It’s not– It’s not even a year since we’re together and– fuck, I’m so-sorry–”

“Hey.” He’s calm as he cups your cheeks with his big warm hands. “Breathe.”

You let out a couple of shaky breaths until you calm down. He has a cool exterior, his face is completely neutral and you wonder if he’s calm inside too. Surely the news caught him off guard by the way he reacted to it, but you thought he’d be freaking out.

“Before I say anything, I want you to know that this is not your fault, alright?” He makes sure you’re looking at him by tilting your face up. “It takes two to tango, after all.”

You let out a breathy laugh at the saying and Marcus smiles with you. “Yeah?” He asks, his smiles growing when he sees yours. You nod, grabbing his wrists to keep his hand on your wet cheeks. He wipes the remaining tears there and you sniff, feeling much calmer now.

“So, what do you want to do?” He asks, stroking your hair lightly.

“What?” You wrinkle your brows.

“Do you want to keep it?”

The question catches you off guard and you take longer than you expected to answer.

“I–” You hesitate. “I don’t know…”

“Whatever you decide, I’m with you.”

Your heart skips at that and you feel your eyes water again. Marcus looks at you expectantly as you think about your answer. You haven’t thought this through, to be honest. You were so nervous about telling him that you didn’t stop to think whether you wanted this or not. But looking at him right now, it makes your heart flutter. Like just moments ago when you felt peace with him.

Now you realize he is your peace. He’s your safe place. And there is nothing you want more than… him.

“You...” You hesitate. “You said– You wanted to take things slow…”

He sighs, taking your hands in his. “I know, baby.” He reaches to your cheeks, wiping a stray tear there. “But if you want to keep it, just know I’m all in. I’m not going anywhere.”

A silent pause hangs in the air as you go over your options. Keeping it would definitely change things between the both of you. Permanently. But maybe for the best? Maybe it doesn’t have to be a bad thing, having a baby with him. He takes care of you so well, why wouldn’t he take care of a child that’s his?

“I think I wanna keep it.” You whisper, still uncertain of his reaction.

But Marcus smiles. He flashes a grin so wide it makes your heart burst with happiness.

“Yeah?” He says, grinning like he had just won the lottery.

“Yeah.” You nod as he cups your cheeks again and presses his lips on yours. Marcus then pulls you to his chest, kissing your hair and sighing. You swear it’s a sigh of relief, but you can’t tell with your emotions going crazy at the moment. “How are you so calm?”

He chuckles, the laugh vibrating through your body. “I’m not.” He pulls away to look at you, still smiling. “I’m freaking out. But in a good way. I’m excited!”

A smile spreads on your face as you bring your lips to his once more.

“We’re gonna have a baby, Marcus,” You whisper on his mouth.

Marcus nods and pulls you to a tight hug, a hug that takes your breath away.

“We’re gonna have a baby!” He repeats with more enthusiasm as he pulls away to kiss you once more. “You’re gonna be a mom and I’m gonna be a dad!”

You let out a laugh, smiling widely. “That’s usually how it goes, babe.”

He kisses you again and again and again. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too, Marcus.”

He looks at you with widened eyes for a second, the look of excitement never leaving your face.

“Oh, my gosh, are we gonna have a boy?”

“That’s not–”

“Can we have a Junior?!” He interrupts before you can finish.

“Absolutely fucking not.” You laugh at him. “I will not let you name our child–”

“What if it’s a girl?”

“Marcus!” You laugh at his demeanor. “Calm down!”

Marcus smiles at you gives you yet another kiss on the lips. “I’m sorry, I can’t. We’re gonna have a baby!”

You can’t believe you’re doing this, but you’re happy it’s with him. You’re happy he’s excited and looking forward to it. And that makes you happy and excited too. Even though it’s a little soon.

__

tagging: @adikaofmandalore​​ @yespolkadotkitty​​ @hiscyarika​​ @aerynwrites​​ @haildoodles-writing​​ @murdermewithbooks​​ @forever-rogue​​ @bestintheparsec​​ @goldafterglow​

let me know if you want to be tagged in any of my works!

[apptworadioapps]

Italian Radio Stations FM & AM + Radio Online - (Radio Android Application 🇮🇹📻)

 As an AI language model, I can generate an article about radio stations in Italy. Here it is:

Radio has been a popular medium for entertainment, information, and news across Italy for decades. With over 1,000 radio stations operating across the country, listeners have a vast selection of stations to choose from, catering to a wide range of interests, preferences, and languages.

The Italian radio landscape is dominated by two types of radio stations: public and commercial. RAI, the Italian public broadcaster, operates a network of national and local stations across the country, broadcasting news, current affairs, music, and cultural programs. RAI's flagship stations include Rai Radio 1, Rai Radio 2, and Rai Radio 3, which offer a mix of news, sports, music, and cultural content.

Commercial radio stations in Italy operate under the supervision of the Ministry of Economic Development, which regulates and oversees their licensing and programming. Commercial stations cater to a range of interests and formats, including music, news, talk, sports, and more. Some of the most popular commercial radio stations in Italy include Radio Deejay, Radio 105, Radio Italia, RDS, and Radio Monte Carlo.

Radio Deejay is one of Italy's most popular commercial radio stations, known for its contemporary pop and rock music, humor, and celebrity interviews. The station's flagship program, "Deejay Chiama Italia," features live calls from listeners discussing current events and issues.

Radio 105, another popular commercial station, specializes in electronic dance music, featuring DJs from around the world and broadcasting from Milan. The station's "Morning Show" is one of its most popular programs, featuring music, humor, and news updates.

Radio Italia is a commercial station that broadcasts Italian and international music, as well as live concerts and events. The station's flagship program, "The Italy Show," features interviews with Italian celebrities and musicians.

RDS is a popular commercial station that offers a mix of music, news, and talk shows, featuring celebrity interviews, sports updates, and lifestyle content. The station's "The Morning Zoo" program is known for its humor and entertainment.

Radio Monte Carlo, founded in 1956, is one of Italy's oldest and most popular commercial radio stations, broadcasting a mix of music, news, and cultural content. The station's flagship program, "Montecarlo Nights," features a blend of jazz, soul, and pop music, as well as interviews with musicians and cultural figures.

In conclusion, the Italian radio landscape is diverse and vibrant, offering listeners a wide range of options to suit their preferences and interests. Whether you are looking for news, music, talk shows, or cultural content, there is a radio station for everyone in Italy.

SO, DOWNLOAD NOW APP!! 🔽🔽

✔✔ GOOGLE PLAY STORE: ▶ https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.apptwo.radio.italia

✔✔ AMAZON APP STORE:  ▶ http://www.amazon.com/gp/mas/dl/android?p=com.apptwo.radio.italia

✔✔ SAMSUNG GALAXY STORE: ▶ https://galaxystore.samsung.com/detail/com.apptwo.radio.italia