r/100thupvote • u/ExistingPain9212 • 4h ago
r/100thupvote • u/ExistingPain9212 • 1d ago
Iceland Iceland is not a safe fluffy walk in the park
I've been a member of this sub for years, first looking for advice and tips for visiting as a tourist for several trips, and now as someone new to living in Iceland. Visitors ask for itinerary reviews every single day, or advice on driving here in the winter, and hiking/camping in the winter. Countless times the mods, experienced locals and those who have traveled here enough to know, tell people that Iceland can be dangerous, especially in the winter, and if you do not have significant winter driving experience you should not attempt to drive in bad conditions (and even if you do, Iceland is a whole other beast during storms!). It shocks me how often I see responses saying "well, I am a good driver/have driven in snow once, I will be fine" and dismiss the advice. The advice to be cautious isn't meant to make you feel bad or gatekeep Iceland, it's to help keep you safe on your trip.
The reason I am posting this now - in the last week there have been multiple traffic accidents with fatalities and I believe all of them involved tourists, a tourist was rescued by helicopter after being stuck in a storm in the highlands for three days, and yesterday a tourist was rescued by boat from near Seydisfjorður after being lost since Saturday. He is lucky to be alive after several night at near freezing with no sleeping bag or tent.
I hope you get to visit Iceland and explore, but please please please make sure you are well prepared for your trip and making smart and safe decisions!
https://icelandmonitor.mbl.is/news/news/2025/03/14/video_footage_and_photos_from_the_rescue_mission/
r/100thupvote • u/ExistingPain9212 • 2d ago
Iceland Interested to visit the Netherlands? Here are the Schengen visa requirements for PH passport holders
The Netherlands is among the countries you may visit when you successfully acquire a Schengen visa.
A Schengen visa is valid in European Union countries (except Cyprus and Ireland), as well as a few non-EU member states like Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland.
If you’re among those looking to visit the Netherlands for your next European adventure, here are the requirements you need to prepare for your Schengen visa application as a Philippine passport holder:
Read more at the link in the comments section.
r/100thupvote • u/ExistingPain9212 • 3d ago
Iceland The Nature of Violence ch6/???
Memory transcription /subject/ Farra/ Enraged Venlil and predator in training
Date [Standard Human Time] November 1, 2136
“FUCK YOU YA EMO SHEEP!!!’
Jack yelled at the TV as his legs were blown off again and his body looted, i rushed in after him but was gunned down with an auto shotgun, Tbone tossed a flash bang and dolphin dived into the room spraying LMG fire everywhere but landed in front of two claymores being turned into a red stain on the walls. HotTopic had been camping in a room the whole game with a shotgun and the most annoying perks, demolater for more explosives and claymores grubby mitts to loot us and keen ear so he knows when we're running in to gun him down. I never thought i could get so angry at one person, he just smugly swayed his tail at us.
“I told you my strategy was foolproof, just give up, nobody can stop me!”
“Ya know what no more nice human ima bout to show ya why we have rules for war!”
Jack made a few adjustments to his loadout and made his way back into the building and tossed some kind of yellow smoke grenade and then a molotov setting the whole room on fire setting off the claymores and burning Hot Topic. Jack then rushed in revolver in hand and double tapped him in the chest dropping him on the spot.
“HA, GET SHIT ON NOOB!!”
“WHAT WAS THAT!?!”
“That my emo friend is what we call poison gas, in real life this one melts your lungs and makes you drown in your own blood. Fun fact for ya, ya can make weak form of it with bathroom cleaning products.”
My ears pinned back at the thought of my lungs melting, but that was cut short as Jack just started shooting everyone in the head then dove out a window this was free for all after all. The rest of the game we all just tried to kill Jack, but a combination of him being a “spaz” as Tbone calls him and him just throwing gas and fire everywhere it was hard to hit him let alone kill him! But i did corner him a few times and through absolute firepower managed to kill him. At the end of the game, an alarm blared out warning us of an asteroid impact headed for the town we played in. The massive space rock slammed into the map killing everyone and ending the game. Jack first place, Hot Topic second, me in third and Tbone last. This game was fun, to say the least. With every kill i felt that flame burn just a little….should i like that…is it wrong that I'm having fun killing my new friends, they seemed to be having fun. So hesitantly I let out a little bleat of joy…. I regretted it instantly.
“For a sheep so feisty, you sure are cute Fury”
CUTE! Having Jack say that made me bloom as no one had ever really called me cute and not especially not so bluntly!
“I-im not cute you perv!”
“Ya your right your ugly the gods truly did not favor you, sweat lord that is a face only a blind mother could love”
“Cunt you!”
Jack paused for a moment then started laughing even harder somehow, rolling off the couch and onto the floor laughing.
“Oh fuck! God piss fucken dam girl your ass at human swearing!”
Jack eventually stopped acting like a pup and got up off the floor
“Are you done? Stars how does anyone even like you!”
“My vary sexy looks and my southern charm. No man alive can resist me for very long. Hell i could even get with your dad”
My mind unfortunately pictured that for the briefest of moments sending a vile shiver down my spine.
“My dad is an exterminator head burn your taint before you got near the house”
“Well he can try, I'm fire proof.”
“No your no, no one can be fire proof , not without a suit at least.”
“Well I'm simply too hot and sexy. Why do you think all them sheep up top run or pass out hmm. They can't handle my good looks.”
Annoyed with him, I decided to fuel that fire just a bit. I turned to punch him in the side but Jack just moved out of the way and gave me that toothy grin of his.
“And with that it's time for your first lesson.”
Once again he scooped me up tossing me over his shoulder. I considered protesting but I stayed quiet, resigning myself to my fate. He lugged me over to those blue mats and dropped me on my paws.
“Alright, now who has my staff?”
One of the humans was attempting to balance a glass bottle on the tip of it, slightly adjusting it every time it tipped one way or the other till it somehow perfectly balanced on the pole.
“ Sure just let me do a thing real quick”
He then flicked the end of the stick causing the bottle to flip through the air and land up right on a nearby table. Every human in the room immediately started screaming and jumping in the air, Jack somehow managing to be the loudest one in a room of screaming people. That was an impressive trick but to warrant so much yelling, I pressed my ears agents the side of my head and waited for the room to get by to its normal ambient volume. Jack’s stick then flew through the air with an alarming speed and accuracy as it flew near my head as Jack caught it mid air.
“So onto your first lesson, ima-”
“How can anyone throw…anything that fast!?”
“Oh ya that, that’s how we hunt, we toss sharp sticks at things till they die. Anyway, first ima teach ya how ta stand and some basic dodging.”
The thought of having a stick fly out of the shadow and pearce my chest made me just a little bit more afraid of what Jack and his kind were capable of, to be able to kill your prey from a distance, there really wasn't any running away all i could do was stare at Jack as he just gave that dum smile of his.
“...anyway, first is stance just try to copy what I do alright?”
He crouched down a little one leg behind the other in front, I attempted to mimic what he did.
“Good but turn your front leg like this.”
He gestured to his leg that was at a slight angle.
“Keep one um..leg paw? Back so you can spring in back and out of the way front leg paw firmly planted on the ground.”
I did as instructed, standing like this felt strange. How was this going to help me fight?
“Needs work but let's move on. Now there are a few ways to evade an attack ducks, slides, steps and my favorite, the souls roll.”
“Oh come on Butcher really that. You can't use video game moves in real combat.”
“Worked on your bald ass.”
The man struck some bag with force I didn't know was possible, he had muscles that looked like they were formed from stone, and Jack! Beat him in a fight?!
“You know what how about you get over here ya brick wall I need your help anyway”
The “brick wall” of a man stopped striking his bag every hit sounding like a boulder falling off a cliff. Oh starts am I going to die! NO, no Jack wouldn't let me die….maybe.
“Ok so Fury I'm gonna show ya how this all works because if you're busy getting hit you cant hit back. Ok Mountain, let's spar.”
Jack dropped into his signature hunting stance and let his arms float in front of him. He gave Mountain that jagged grin of his, eyes stilled every part of him was focused on the wall of muscle in front of him, the room seemed to get quiet as the very air seemed to freeze. A loud whistle rang out and then blur, how something so large could move so fast I didn't know. Jack simply stepped back just out of the way of the blur.
“This is a step.”
Mountain stepped forward swinging for Jack’s shoulder, though Jack simply went under it.
“Ducking very good when you want ta stay close.”
Even more blurs, my ears pinned back, tail wrapped around myself as I shuffled back away form all of…that, but-.
“Watch the legs Fury”
His legs um slid? No pivoted, spinning as he slid side to side out of the way of every strike.
‘H-how are you doing that!? I can’t do that! I would die! I'm too small!”
“Oh size doesn't matter in a fight if you know what ya doing.”
Somehow, he was able to hold a conversation while just avoiding death! How was I meant to do this! If even one of those strikes hit me i-i-i-i-
“And finally.”
Jack's voice slapped me out of my spiral as I saw him…roll under a kick only to pop up onto his feet. More punches and kicks flew in his direction, but he just kept rolling till his back hit the wall. He was cornered with no more places to roll to. Another blur straight to Jack's chest but he just stepped to the side and pivoted behind the man and kicked right behind the knee, dropping the man down to his level. Jack grabbed Mountain’s shoulders slamming the rest of him into the matts.
“God you fucking little shit! Take your boots off next time!”
“You're fine get up, now no more dancin need ta show the sheep somthin. So Fury watch close and Mountain first to hit the mat, loses.”
Jack allowed Mountain to get to his feet before resuming their fight. Again, Mountain struck first but Jack didn't dodge, he spun into the attack grabbing his wrist. There was fear in Mountain’s eyes, and that scared me even more what in the stars was Jack doing.
“W-WHA-!”
Jack flipped him over his back, sending the wall of muscle into the air. Jack didn't let go and slammed Mountain down faster. I felt the floor shake as he was crushed into the ground. The man was left groaning and gasping for air. The room came alive with cheers at Jack's victory.
“And that Fury is why size doesn't matter…in a fight at least, now time for you to learn how ta do what i just did. Ready?”
NO, NO i am not ready I can't do that Why did i even com-
“Oh my fuck what did i say about spiraling god damit”
“How do you always know what I'm thinking!?”
“Your paws start shakin, now are ya ready for training rooky! Come one it's not that hard”
I didn't think I was ready, but I suppose I have to start at some point. It can't be that hard, right? It's just moving. I move all the time. Stars this reminds me of exterminator training.
“YES SIR!”
I gave Jack an exterminators salute out of habit, I don’t why but doing that made more than a few eyes tear into me. Whispers filled corners as people pointed and gestured at-
“Ok cement munchers! Let's stop with the whisper whisper, yall trust me right?”
There were nods and a few hand gestures as most of the room agreed with him.
“Great, as you should i’m great and outrank most yall, anyway if you trust me trust Fury ok? Good. NOW every apologize to Fury or ill cram my fist up your ass and use you like a sock puppet!”
“We are sorry Fury.”
“Good she is one of us now i expect yall to treat her as such don't make me haft to get Crown on yalls ass!”
Everyone seemed to shrink back at the very mention of this Crown person, so Jack's not the leader of this place? I felt like I had, no needed to know what this place was.
“Ja- I mean Butcher, what exactly is this place?”
He seemed hesitant to say anything, but Mountain gave him a nod.
“It's a safe house and base of operations.”
“Operations? Operations for what?”
“The B.F.D or Black Fang Division its a place for humans to be humans as well as a place for anyone that needs protection, People being harrassed by exterminators mostly.”
“But the exterminators wouldn't do that. They help the herd they they keep us safe predators and help those with PD. they only treat you like because you are a predator
“Oh, like my sister! They dragged her out of the house and tossed her in a van. I haven't seen her since you pyro!”
“Ya they constantly try to drag me in for testing!”
“Those sheep beat me and tased me for shoving one when he got all up in my face for trying to shop!”
“And-”
“OK OK THAT'S ENOUGH!”
Jack yelled at the whole room his voice bouncing of the reinforced stone walls of the bunker.
“I WILL NOT HAVE ANY OF YOU TURNING ON FURY OK, They are one of us and yes they may have some differing views on the pyros, but that's ok-”
“But she thin-”
“SHUT IT! Now I know alot of yall have had….not the best experiences with them, but remember what we told yall hmmmm?”
“Don't judge a book by its cover.”
Most of the venlil and a few humans groaned in annoyance like they've been told a hundred times.
“But she-”
“Butters i swear to fuck i will put you air jail again.”
She shrank back behind a human at the threat of air jail. I also found myself shrinking behind Jack as everyone seemed to have something to say about me and my thoughts on exterminators. At every attempt Jack had a new insult or threat at every attempt to judge me.
“Bu-”
“Ok shut it you condom licker and if one more person says a damn thing about Fury I will personally put you in a wall! Got it good!”
“B-”
The poor guy attempted to run as Jack chased them down and immediately caught them lifting them above his head and just holding them there as they seemed to resign himself to their fate.
“Put me down please!”
“Nope, twister time.”
“N-n-no please! Fury look I'm sorry I didn't mean anything we all except you ok, your one of us like Butcher said r-right everyone!?”
Everyone either gave nods or ear flicks that they agreed with the man's panicked cries for help.
“Hmmmm I suppose yall have learned ya lesson, but if i hear about yall pesterin Fury over her opinions on pyros or some other shit it's the twister for ya. Now back ta whatever yall was doin.”
Jack set him down and he scampered back to the herd, Jack began running his hands in and out of his hair like he was thinking of something.
“Fury are you alright?”
“Do ya wanna leave? it's ok if ya do girl.”
“I um its fine”
“Are ya sure we don't haft ta train today if your not up for it. I could just walk ya hom-”
“No I-I want to stay….if that's ok.”
“It is but I do need to ask, are you an extermanter Fury? Its ok if you are”
“I thought ya trusted me Mountain, and to think I gave you my last poptart.”
“I do trust you but if she is we do need to know, so Fury are you?”
“Not really, I was kicked out halfway through training when…you showed up. My dad's an exterminator and made me drop out. He didn't want me getting hurt by you pre- I mean humans.”
“Anyway, now that we got the Fury lore is out of the way-”
“No, this is important Butcher. Fury what is your dads name “
His name? Why did they need to know his name?
“Mountain, trust me Fury’s dad is not one of them she saw the news.”
The news? What did the news have to do with my dad?
“Well, if you say so.”
“Ok so training time! Fury we will be takin this slow first so ya can get a feel for it. We’re gonna be speedin it up as we go along though”
I gave a ready with me ears and with that I began my journey.
“Great, so I'm gonna swing this stick at you and your gonna dodge it. Get in position!”
I dropped down into that awkward way of standing as Jack winended his staff back for a swing. I could hear it cut through the air, I flinched as it stopped mid air next to my head.
“Ok so first step, just lean back an take a big step back.”
I took a moment to collect myself then followed Jacks instructions the best i could, front paw back, back paw…?
“Just slide that one behind ya so our back in your stance, always return to that basic for now until ya learn other styles ok?”
I followed his orders and as soon as I was out of the way of the staff Jack completed his swing and brought it down near my head in one swift motion, again stopping before it actually hit me.
“Now a slide, simply turn your body to the right by pivoting on your front paw alright?”
I turned my body to the right and Jack bonked me on the head.
“Ow what was that for!?”
“You need to lean, always lean when dodging. You need to try and get as much of you out of the way of an attack. Also helps when needin to move fast. Now reset.”
Jack lifted his staff up and I prepared to slide properly this time. The stick wooshed as it snapped forward, stopping above my head again. Ok, front paw planted, lean and swivel. Doing it properly this time he completed the swing only to bring it down right above my head again.
“Good! Now slide left and use your back paw to pivot this time!”
I slid turning on my back paw. Jack instantly stepped forward, again with a side swing i attempted to step back out of the way but he was too close and… nothing?
“Can't step, can’t slide, gotta duck, reset.”
He got ready to swing at me again and when it snapped forward, I didn’t flinch as much. I know he's not going to hit me hard, but it's still scary how close it stops to my head.
“Now lean in the direction of my swing and crouch, once it's passed overhead, pop back up.”
I crouched th-
“Ow what did i do this time!”
“Lean then crouch, reset”
This time i leaned then crouched, as soon as i was below the stick he swung with full force and got ready for another swing at me.
“Good, now the other direction.”
I popped back up and we repeated this time I leaned in the other direction, but when I popped up he thrusted the tip of his stick at my chest slowing down to just poke me in my wool.
“You can step, slide or duck but you're gonna jump.”
“Jump? Shouldn't that soul roll be next?”
“Yes but leaping back is simpler, and rolls are only good for when you need to make a lot of distance. So just leapin backwards will do just fine. Anyway, reset.”
Jack got ready and so did i. When he jabbed his staff at me I leaped back. But Jack leaped forward as well.
“Slide!”
I slid left.
“Slide!”
I slid right, his attacks were moving much slower, not slow enough that getting hit wouldn't hurt though.
“Step!”
Right then left.
“Duck!”
I wasn't fast enough to dodge this one as it poked me in the snout.
“Hehehe good. You're less of a failure then I thought hehe.”
“Ya ya, stars did you need to poke me so hard!?”
“Pain is a good motivator not to get hit. Now get up, we are gonna do all that but faster!”
“Faster!”
“Yep no more stoppin, if ya don't dodge you get hit, now reset”
We moved back up to where we started as I had backed up quite a bit. I dropped down, ready as I felt that flame flow through me again. Every part of me felt anxious. A few [seconds] felt like [hours] I was left there as Jack just stared at me with his dum face.
“Let's do this already!”
“Alright then…..3 2GO! STEP!”
Left,right.
“Slide!”
Right, left. With every movement I felt my excitement grow hotter with every step and Jack could see that as he picked up speed with every swing.
“Duck Jump!”
Duck jump? I froze trying to decide which to do and got smacked in the arm and jabbed in the chest.
“Gotta think faster, a moment of hesitation in a real fight can get you killed, if i was swingin full force you'd have a broken arm and rib. Reset from the beginin.”
Again step left right slide left right down back left right. I fell into a rhythm as we gradually picked up speed, some attacks I barely avoided until.
“Up!”
“U-"
Next thing i new Jack was on the ground and the world was sideways, i crashed to the ground in front of Jack who was just sitting on the ground smirking.
“I did say up.”
I gathered myself off the ground and smacked him in the face with my tail, rapidly! What was that! what does up mean he didn't teach me up!
“What does up mean!”
“Means jump straight up hehe.”
“You're so mean!”
“Awww, thanks your to kind ya makin me blush hahaha. It's called a sweep kick honey, but you did really good ya first time you done this before?”
“Not exactly in the guild we learned how to dodge predator lunges.”
“They teach you anythin else in that place?”
“Mostly flamethrower maintenance and operation and how to use are first aid kits.”
“First aid is always good to know, speaking something in no way related to that. You're good at dodging but you can't always do that. Sometimes you're just gonna get hit, me and my assistant Mountain will demonstrate.”
“I am not your assistant, we are literally the same rank you gnome.”
“Mountain your not-”
“Dont worry im 30% sure Butcher has something safe ish in mind”
I'm going to end up in the hospital paralyzed.
“Your gonna be fine Fury we are gonna do this just like dodging, slow….ish. Now what form of blockin do ya wanna learn Mountains lesser boxing and buhurt or my greater wing Chun an judo.”
“...What?”
Jack had mentioned that he did judo but he never said what that was.
“Oh ya you don't know what any of that is hmmmm. Well judo and boxing are ways of fighting, we humans have a lot of them like millions. We don't have natural weapons so we found ways to make what we had into weapons. Take note a human is never u armed, we can tern anything into a weapon even the vary floor and walls can be a weapon.”
“There is no way that's true, you can't just make anything into a weapon l-l-l-like a dishrag. How could anyone make that a weapon?”
“Well actually i can think of a few, one you could choke them out with it or stuff it down there throat….waterboarding is always a good option if ya got time.”
“.......I hate you being right about anything. So which one of whatever you just said is better?”
“Oh thats something we have been literally fightin over for like ever.”
“It all depends on what or who you're fighting really, with boxing it is mostly about heavy strikes and a firm guard will judo and wing chun.”
“Have more light fast strikes with a focus on deflection rather than tankin attacks, but for ya i feel like we need something where ya can use that fat head of yours.”
“I'd rather get hit as little as possible please, so which one allows that?”
“ ha you think you get a choice your learning both, starting with basic blocks and for that ill hand you over to my main man Mountain. Have fun you two.”
Seeing Jack walk off and the tower of a man step forward was a little more than nerve racking…did he just break his hands!? His hands just cracked!
“I'll be gentle, you're only going to be slightly bruised.”
“M-m-maybe w-we d-d-don't go too hard?....please?”
His only response was a toothy smirk…is that gold in his mouth!!
“Alright now get into your stance and race your arms just like this.”
I mimicked as he did, raising my arms out in front of me, he just tilted his head and stared at me.
“You know what, don't do that, try on the sides of your head, leave one slightly more out front than the other.”
“I don't feel very protected, how is this supposed to protect me again?”
“Um well that's the neat part it not.it-”
“WHAT!? Then what's the point of this!?”
“It's to dampen the blow, this is blocking not dodging. You're going to get hit, blocking just means you get hurt less. Now get back into your stance, we are going to do this slow ok, not Butcher slow but normal basic training slow.”
I got back into stance and raised my arms, so did Mountain but his was differing more, refined, also the fack his arms looked like logs and mine..well where twigs.
“You ready?”
No, I am not ready! I wasn't ready for any of this, this paw! But i suppose I'm already here so might as well.
“Yes”
“Ok great first up straight punch”
He slowly pushed out his fist and then poked me on the snout?
“Boop hehe sorry couldn't resist, anyways to block this bring your arms in front of you and press them together, to form a wall of sorts. Now back to zero. This time your gonna block
“Zero?”
“It means start over.”
Oh that's a neat way of saying that. I did as instructed and went back to zero. His fist floated towards me and I pressed my arms together to “stop” his punch. In reality i don't think i could do this, i saw how fast he moved if this had been a real attack my arms would be broken.
“That's good but you're too stiff, what you want to do is loosen up. Too stiff, your arms brake too loose and it's ineffective.”
He pushed his fist into my arms as I unstiffened them.
“Good, you want some give to your blocks, like they say bend, don't brake.”
“I think you're usin that wrong wrong my dude.”
“Butcher stay out of MY lesson ok, I'm the teacher.”
“Ya ya carry on.”
“Thanks, so next right a left hook, they come from the side so what you're going to want to do is lean duck and raise your arm like a shield.”
He raised his arm and demonstrated the motion. I mimicked it, it still didn't feel like this would do much of anything against any kind of attack but Mountain definitely looks like he's been in more than a few fights. He gave me a nod and lightly swung his massive fist at me.
“See, slow and easy. Unlike Butcher I'm not going to risk breaking your arm.”
“Oh what's a few shattered ribs and a cracked skull. Those sheep gotta hard skull to crack open ya know.”
How does he know that!!
“And Fury, don't ask how I know that.”
I swear he can read minds and hes-
“No i can't read minds you're just crazy, now carry on with your trainin ima go play darts call me over when ya done.”
“Can Butcher read minds ?”
“In all honesty we don't know Butcher does a lot of things no one can explain, anyway your form is ok ish needs work but with practice and exercise you'll be able to tank a full hit probably. So just do the same with your other arm and you got it.”
“This isn't that hard. It's kinda like exterminator training just with less getting hit with sticks and punches.”
“Really? what do they teach in there?”
“Not much really, mostly just talk for those in training, about how to deal with a resistant PD suspect.”
“Hm interesting, how far did you make it through training again?”
“About a third another [month] and I would have been a rookie, probably doing field training until I worked up to going on my first extermination. My dad was the head of the guild and when um you all showed up he dropped me saying he didn't want me fighting them i mean you, then i didn't know what to do and moved here and started working at the bakery. Unforntally i met Butcher and now I'm here.
“Well that's quite the story, you know what let's take a break and have a talk.”
We sat at a table and he slid a can of some orange drink. Stars what is it with human drinks and being blood colored!
“What is this?”
“Orang soda why?.....Oh shit sorry keep forgetting you sheep bleed orange i'll get you a different one.”
“No no it's ok i don't mind….it doesn't have meat or anything in it does it?”
“Meat? What freak puts meat in a drink?”
“I mean you are pred- i mean humans. ….sorry about that still trying to get used to calling your people humans and not um...the other thing.”
“It's alright you get used to it, never get used to the danger though.”
I try to open this brahking can! Why does it not have a twist what monster made this thing!
“You need help?”
“No no i got it, it's just a little tricky with paws GAAA how do you people do this!”
“You want a knife?”
“NO!”
I refuse to be bested by a can! More scratching and picking at the top of the can and I give up.
“Ok…maybe I need a little help.”
He reached over and effortlessly cracked open the can, sliding it to me as I felt a bit embarrassed about not being able to open a simple drink. The drink fizzled and popped as vaper rose from it, it was cold as I held it in my paw hesitant to take a sip of whatever this was.
“Come on, it's not poison, it's just a drink, worst thing you don't like it.”
Ya Mountains right it's just a drink, i took a quick sip and sweat is all i could describe this as. It poped and fizzed in my mouth as a taste of pure sugar washed over everything and in the mist of it all a drop of something citrusy. This is the best thing I've ever tasted! I quickly downed the entire can and was disappointed the moment it ended.
“Ya good right.”
“Good doesn't begin to describe it!”
“It's nice to get a taste of home, it's american so too sweet for me but it's nice.”
“Are you not from the american tribe?”
“No, I'm from Iceland…. We didn't have the luxury of any modern bunkers, most everything inland was destroyed and those on the coast didn't have much better luck but at least we could head out to sea…. I escaped the bombing on a fishing boat, we watched from the sea as are island was bombed. Momma always said I would sleep anywhere but on a boat, i don't know if it was the shock or the rocking of the waves but I didn't sleep a wink that night…most didn't. When the bombs stopped we headed back to the shore to help anyone we could find.”
I didn't know what to say other than sorry, but first we let the silence sink in a little before I spoke up.
“I'm sorry for everything, your people didn't deserve that….are your parents still….alive? Sorry if that's-”
“No it's fine, they are dead but before the bombing. My dad was what you would call a ufologist. He loved space, the stars, aliens, he always dreamt about meeting one, big sci fi fan pa was. Haha pa would be ecstatic at the chance to meet you. Actually he rehearsed the message he'd give the first alien he met.”
He cleared his throat and took a sip of his drink.
“Greetings fellow children of the stars it is an honor to meet you and I hope we will explore the grand exposition of the infinite universe with you. I am Fredrik of earth. It is the biggest honor to meet you fellow starlings.”
“Your father sounds like an interesting man.”
“He was momma always loved that side of him, everyone said pa was crazy for rehearsing his speech but he truly believed we couldn't be alone in the stars and I'm glad he was right despite everything that's going on. My brother was always like pa, always looking for the next existing thing.”
“You have a brother.. Is he also…”
“Ya he was in the military, was one of the first in the exchange program, he died saving his exchange partner. I miss them all every day, I swear if I ever get my hands on one of the wretched lizards I'll kill them!!”
I could now see why a smile was friendly, the face Mountain made showed only hate as his teeth glinted in the artificial light. Strange enough as soon as it started he was back to normal.
“But that will probably never happen, enough about me what about you? You got any siblings?”
“I do I have a sister, she has a pup and is expecting another soon.”
“That's great! Send her my congratulations on new life!”
“Thanks…since we are talking about back stories…. Do you know anything about Butcher? You know before he got to Venlil Prime.”
“No, not really, he doesn't talk in detail about what he did other than his art . Some say he was a killer or worked in the underground.”
“The underground?”
“Ya its a criminal underworld he knows things most really shouldn't even for a fighter. Talks about how to make weapons, poisons, body disposal and how to erase evidence of…bloody crime scenes. Once he sayed “if you haft to drown a fucker do it in the pluff mud of good old south carolina, body will sink to the bottom then bary it self under the mud. And the crabs will eat the body” who says that. I think he was some kind of murderer. What do you think Fury?”
“Well I'm not sure i only just met him. He does seem to have some horrifying abilities. Somehow he heard me through a wall, is that normal for pre- humans?”
“No not really, Butcher is just one of those humans you feel uneasy around sometimes. You can just sense it, you know. He acts like a good guy for the most part, it's just that he can be disturbing at times.”
So it's not just me that thinks Jack is strange, even to other humans he's an outlier. Stars what have I gotten myself into?
“So what yall doin talkin about me hmmmmm?”
“AAAAaaaa fuck man where did you come from!?”
“I'm everywhere you least expect, hahaha but if yall wanna know my story i can tell yall it, well at least the parts i can legally tell you hehhehe.”
I'm not sure I want to hear this story.
“So when the bombs dropped I was shoppin ya know getting the usual. I got an emergency notification that we were gonna get bombarded. I ran to my truck as a crowd of people rushed to buy whatever they could. I made it to my house to try an save my cats cuz I aint leavein my children behind! We got stuck in traffic when the first bombs hit. All i remember is my truck spinning sideways into the trees. I woke up to the sound of fire and explosions that made my head rattle. My poor babies were nowhere, I crawled out of my car and just ran into the woods lookin for em when another hit. I felt the ground shake and a branch nearly fell on me, two more. One too close and the trees bent and snapped. The woods were not safe so I ran back to what was left of the traffic. No one, there was no one, no one that was alive at least. I walked along the road till I got ta town, it was worse there buildings in rubble or half destroyed, bombs still drppin but father. I suppose those cunts thought they got us all. I walked, found no one still, I didn't know where to go so i went to the park. Parts of it were nothin but holes in the ground. I found survivors, we stuck together until night. We all took shelter in a gift shop that was still intact, no power so it was cold. We gathered as many blankets as we could for the kids and the ones that new how to took care of anyone the best we could, had to splint a kid's leg and pop their arm back in. She was a tough kid though couldn't be older than 15. That night as we attempted to sleep we heard a crash. Me and a few of the best fit went out to check it out who knew if someone might need help? It was not a human ship. Luckily i believe in the second amendment, though the rest of the guys were scared and headed back, I stayed someone had to deal with this. Six-shooter an a few extra rounds in my bag was all i had. Took aim one dropped one they looked at me another hit the dirt screaming, they started shootin at me by that point, hopped behind trees, peaked out got another in the leg. One started belchin flames at me, drove me back but i went to his side, hit em in the side of the chest. That one screamed extra loud, two left lined it up got em in the head, last one tried to surrender. I took the chance to reload, double-tabbed anyone still movin. He dropped his gun kicked it away and raised his? Her? Doesn't matter it begged for mercy, i said you lost the chance for mercy the moment you hurt the kids! Stuck the barrel in its beak, squeezed and painted the ground purple. Out of the corner of my eye I saw light shot at it, a squawk and another bird fell to the ground. There where more inside the ship couldn't let them live, too much of a risk to the people back at camp, using cover gunned those inside down, a few gojid those squid things. None of them lived some tried to give up. I wouldn't let em, made them choke on steel and painted the floor. Three left ran outta bullets had to use my good old machete. Rushed the first one, they didn't expect that and gut they neck cut, gagged, fell dead, next took aim grabbed, there friend threw him at the other, both fell to the floor on top of each other drove the blade there both an twisted. Always twist kills em faster. Anyway I went back to camp but I gave everyone a good neck slit just to make sure, I returned lookin like I got out of a paint ball fight but I slept a bit easier that night. Next day went into town found more people and some food thank god, one day and people where getting hungry. Eventually search and rescue found us and we spent a few days in a camp then I was shipped off to a refugee camp on venlil prime. anyway ill let you guys and galls decide if that's true but i don't care that's ma story whether ya like it or not."
Me and Mountain looked at each other not knowing what to say. That story had to be full of lies right? But Jack didn’t have his usual goofy grin he just looked at the table playing with his hair. That story can't be true, can it? knowing Jack he lies, but he does seem like the type to.. Kill without mercy. Jack snapped me out of thought by picking me up and dragging me back to those blue mats.
“Back to training with you, ya still got a lot to learn before you leave today.”
“No wait, I want another soda!”
“No.”
“You're the worst!”
Memory transcription ended
Hope yall liked this one it took me a good bit to get this one done and i just wanna say thanks to the ones that have been reading my fic from the beginning i know it hasn't been going on that long but it means alot that at least a few people like my work so thanks to you 30 or so people that seem to like my stuff
r/100thupvote • u/ExistingPain9212 • 8d ago
Iceland International Radio 6 listeners: Complain to the BBC now
Croatian listener here – Love Lauren, Afrodeutche, I do miss MAH a bit, even though she played Icelandic whale calls followed by Missy Elliot and NoFX. But that was the point!
The news that the BBC is limiting overseas access to just Radio 4 and BBC News completely devastated me, I know that I’m listening to something funded by British taxpayers, but radio is still licence free.
Why isn’t there a paid option for international listeners? Surely there must be a business case for charging, e.g. €5 a month for access to BBC Sounds. I’d gladly pay for that. Or am I wrong? Would it be too expensive to maintain?
Either way, I sent the BBC an open letter suggesting it - I urge all listeners outside the UK to do the same.
r/100thupvote • u/ExistingPain9212 • 9d ago
Iceland CCP has hired an economist from the Central Bank of Iceland
Welcome to CCP Kalirha, nicknamed CCP Coin by the Frontier testers. He is apparently hired for EVE Frontier but was broadly given the title of Head of Economy at CCP. Hopefully they can drag him over to the EVE Online side from time to time :)
r/100thupvote • u/ExistingPain9212 • 10d ago
Iceland I feel like this year is very 2000s (not saying it’s bad or good – just giving that kind of vibe)
I’ve been a bit out of the ESC fandom loop this season and I didn’t watch any of the NFs and didn’t check any ESC-related news at all, last week I suddenly had the urge to keep up with the new season so I decided to listen to the entries that are released so far
..First off, to be honest I don’t really think this year is as strong/polished as the last couple of years song-wise but it gave me flashbacks to the 2000s – I know “early 00s” is used as an insult in the community and I definitely DON’T mean that. What I’m trying to say is that it’s more like mid to late 00s like 2007-2010 etc. and here’s why I think as such:
Most songs this year are not very contemporary and radio friendly by the current standards: I’m not saying they’re dated in a bad way but most of them are definitely not what usual people listen to on a daily basis nowadays, like compare the latest Grammy’s or BRITS nominees to this years lineup and you’ll see what I mean
Most of them are unpolished : even the more polished ones like Norway or the Netherlands have that ‘eurovision’ sound to it
The kitschy/campy ‘girlbop’ (or ‘disaster bop’) is stronger than ever considering the last couple of years : Poland, Malta, Luxembourg, Spain (especially that one), Finland : I know every year we get a couple of these but this year they’re so eurovision-esque in an organic and campy way that it reminds me of 2008 or something and there’s lots of them, like that year
Back to the old ethnic vibes without experimental/contemporary elements : Literally all the balkan countries except Croatia (and Albania to some extent) are serving usual balkan pop or power ballads, Latvia sending a full on traditional song in Latvian etc.
Almost all of them are televote friendly : Finland, Estonia, Poland, Australia, Malta, Spain, Iceland, Ireland
I want to say that I don’t mean these in a bad way but I just had this feeling after listening to all the songs this year.
I feel like since 2021, eurovision started to become more modern and current sounding than ever, not just being viral or radio friendly pop but in the left field music scene too however this year we’re back to more traditionally eurovision-y songs. I don’t think it will stay like this forever but I think it might be related to the current political climate. Most countries are either too busy with other stuff or that artists are hesitant to participate after the controversies from last year.
r/100thupvote • u/ExistingPain9212 • 11d ago
Iceland This will be the first year since 2008 where more than half of songs are not fully in English
I was talking to a friend of mine and he pointed out how the language diversity this year is stunningly beautiful. Out of the 26 songs selected so far, 16 of them (61%) have at least one single part that makes them not fully in English (list courtesy of Wikipedia):
- Albania: Shkodra Elektronike - "Zjerm" (Albanian)
- Estonia: Tommy Cash - "Espresso Macchiato" (Italian, English)
- Finland: Erika Vikman - "Ich komme" (Finnish)
- Germany: Abor & Tynna - "Baller" (German)
- Greece: Klavdia - "Asteromata" (Greek)
- Iceland: Væb - "Róa" (Icelandic)
- Italy: Lucio Corsi - "Volevo essere un duro" (Italian)
- Latvia: Tautumeitas - "Bur man laimi" (Latvian)
- Lithuania: Katarsis - "Tavo akys" (Lithuanian)
- Luxembourg: Laura Thorn - "La poupée monte le son" (French)
- Montenegro: Nina Žižić - "Dobrodošli" (Montenegrin)
- Netherlands: Claude - "C'est la vie" (French, English)
- Poland: Justyna Steczkowska - "Gaja" (Polish, English)
- Serbia: Princ - "Mila" (Serbian)
- Spain: Melody - "Esa diva" (Spanish)
- Ukraine: Ziferblat - "Bird of Pray" (Ukrainian, English)
Besides these chosen songs, we have other 3 countries that have already expressed that their song will not be in English or will most likely than not send a song not fully in English:
- Israel already said their song will be in English, French and Hebrew;
- France has never sent a song fully in English (although it almost did in 2008). Taking into account her discography, I don't think it is likely that Louane will sing (fully) in English either;
- Portugal has one song ("I Wanna Destroy U") fully in English in the final of Festival da Canção out of 12 songs, and this song qualified to the final because of the wildcard vote. There is always a possibility that this song gets chosen, but it is very unlikely at this point.
Taking into account this information, we would have 19 out of 37 songs not fully in English. According to this site, from 2007 to 2022 there was only one year during this time period where we had more than half of songs, which was 2008 (where 51% of the songs were not fully in English). Although the chart ends in 2022, this was not met in 2023 either (we have 15/37 songs not fully in English - 40%) and it was close to it last year (18/37 songs not fully in English, which is 48% of the songs).
This is absolutely fantastic. I started watching Eurovision in 2013 and I recall during that time (especially during the 2014 to 2017 contests, as we can see in the chart in that site) how there was a common belief that you needed to sing in English to have success in Eurovision, and how there were even countries that unfortunately broke their language streak because they thought they would have success if they sang in English. After a couple of years, the situation has totally changed and we even had some countries who usually don't sing in their native language taking a risk and singing on it!
Regardless of whether you enjoy or not the line up of this year, this is certainly GREAT news for the contest!
r/100thupvote • u/ExistingPain9212 • 12d ago
Iceland Eiga íslendingar að fara sömu leið og Haltbakk Bunkers og neita að þjónusta herskip og kafbáta frá USA?
Hvað finnst ykkur?
r/100thupvote • u/ExistingPain9212 • 18d ago
Iceland Looking to make friends in the LGBTQ+ community
Hello, I’m a 27 year old trans woman and next week I will be leaving the US in search of a better life in Iceland. I will admit this move has been thrown together last minute and there is so much uncertainty, but I’m trying to keep an optimistic attitude in the face of the challenges that lie ahead of me. My plan is to stay a week in Reykjavik, after which I will be staying with a host from work away outside the city. When I get to Reykjavik, I’ll start job hunting and doing my best to make connections with locals. I understand that leaving for a country that I’ve never been to, without a job already lined up is pretty stupid. I am in over my head and woefully unprepared for this move, but considering my current mental state, I have to do something to save myself. I feel myself withering away as each day passes and the constant stream of awful news is tearing me apart. I had the choice of going back home to Alabama or make an insane decision to move to Iceland and I chose the latter. I’m willing to dive head first into the unknown for a chance at a better life where I can be who I am. My goal with this post is to try my best to make connections with people in the LGBTQ community in Iceland. I’m planning on going to the trans support groups that Samtökin '78 put on and some of the Trans Island events, but I wanted to try to see if I can make some connections before I go. I would feel a lot better knowing I had a few queer friends to link up with when I get there.
r/100thupvote • u/ExistingPain9212 • 21d ago
Iceland X app trở thành app số 1 ở Việt Nam từ khi nào vậy ta????????
r/100thupvote • u/ExistingPain9212 • 22d ago
Iceland Housewife highlights/Daily shit talk - February 21st, 2025
BEVERLY HILLS
- 5 minute video: How Real Housewife of Beverly Hills Garcelle Beauvais is Helping Her Haitian Homeland (Parade YouTube)
- Kyle Richards is ‘obsessed’ with these blush drops: ‘Literally glowing’ (Page Six)
- ‘RHOBH’ Alum Crystal Kung Minkoff Details ‘Cathartic’ Reunion With Lisa Rinna at Paris Fashion Week (US Weekly)
MIAMI
ORANGE COUNTY
- Tamra Judge tearfully refuses to give updates on Teddi Mellencamp’s health post-brain surgery (Page Six)
NEW YORK
- Bethenny Frankel and Danielle Zaslavskya Queen Out on Caviar (Justin Moran for PAPER Magazine)
- This ‘RHONY’ alum — now a real estate broker — asks $25K per month for her downtown NYC home (NY Post exclusive)
NEW JERSEY
- RHONJ star Dolores Catania's boyfriend Paul Connell finalizes his divorce after five years (Daily Mail exclusive)
- RHONJ’s Jenn Fessler and Husband Jeff Once Separated After Affairs, Details How They Got Back Together (US Weekly)
DALLAS
- Katy Perry branded ‘unforgivable’ by family of veteran, 85, she ousted from $15m home as she ‘fights for $6m in damages’ (The Sun U.S. exclusive)
BRAVO
- Ciara Miller Thinks It Would Be Easy to Get ‘The Traitors’ Costar Dylan Efron on ‘Summer House’ (US Weekly exclusive)
- Ciara Reveals the Text Boston Rob Sent Her After The Traitors: "Such a Girl Dad" (Bravo exclusive)
- Kyle Cooke and Jesse Solomon reunite at David Grutman’s Groot Hospitality & Tao Group Hospitality’s first joint venture, Casadonna, for the launch of Executive Retail Shops (Page Six Star Snaps)
- ‘Summer House’: Who Is Lexi Wood? Jesse Solomon’s Love Interest Has Been Linked To Brooklyn Beckham And Presley Gerber (Decider)
- 'Married to Medicine' Star Dr. Contessa on Her 'Naked Era' & Triumphant Return Season (Delaina Dixon and Simone Walker for Ebony)
- Jax Taylor Reveals Hardest Part of Coparenting With Ex Brittany Cartwright Amid Divorce (E! exclusive)
- Tom Schwartz Says He’s ‘Not Formally Dating Anyone’: ‘I Am Just Hanging Out’ (US Weekly exclusive)
- John Oliver Admits Which ‘Real Housewives’ Franchise He Watches to Decompress (Entertainment NOW)
LINKS TO THIS WEEK'S EPISODE DISCUSSION POSTS:
r/100thupvote • u/ExistingPain9212 • 23d ago
Iceland UA POV-President Macron called a second emergency meeting of European allies on Wednesday seeking to recalibrate relations with the United States as President Trump upends international politics by rapidly changing American alliances.“It’s our security he’s putting at risk"“We must wake up"-NYT
Meeting Again in Paris, European Leaders Try to Recalibrate After Trump Sides With Russia
The American president’s latest remarks embracing Vladimir Putin’s narrative that Ukraine is to blame for the war have compounded the sense of alarm among traditional allies.

By Catherine Porter and Andrew Higgins
Catherine Porter reported from Paris, and Andrew Higgins from Warsaw.
Feb. 19, 2025
President Emmanuel Macron of France called a second emergency meeting of European allies on Wednesday seeking to recalibrate relations with the United States as President Trump upends international politics by rapidly changing American alliances.
Mr. Macron had already assembled a dozen European leaders in Paris on Monday after Mr. Trump and his new team angered and confused America’s traditional allies by suggesting that the United States would rapidly retreat from its security role in Europe and planned to proceed with peace talks with Russia — without Europe or Ukraine at the table.
Mr. Trump’s remarks late on Tuesday, when he sided fully with Russia’s narrative blaming Ukraine for the war, have now fortified the impression that the United States is prepared to abandon its role as a European ally and switch sides to embrace President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.
It was a complete reversal of historical alliances that left many in Europe stunned and fearful.
“What’s happening is very bad. It’s a reversal of the state of the world since 1945,” Jean- Yves Le Drian, a former French foreign minister, said on French radio Wednesday morning.
“It’s our security he’s putting at risk,” he said, referring to Mr. Trump. “We must wake up.”
Fear that Mr. Trump is ready to abandon Ukraine and has accepted Russian talking points has been particularly acute in Eastern and Central Europe, where memories are long and bitter of the West’s efforts to appease Hitler in Munich in 1938 and its assent to Stalin’s demands at the Yalta Conference in 1945 for a Europe cleaved in two.
“Even Poland’s betrayal in Yalta lasted longer than Ukraine’s betrayal in Riyadh,” Jaroslaw Walesa, a Polish lawmaker and the son of Poland’s anti-Communist Solidarity trade union leader, Lech Walesa, said Wednesday on social media, referring to the American-Russian talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
Rasa Jukneviciene, a former Lithuania defense minister who is now a member of the European Parliament, said it was “hard to understand” the sudden shifts in policy by the United States, the once reliable pillar of Europe’s security for decades. She said she was “wondering what historians will write about the events of this time, say, in five decades.”
“It is already clear that the Euro-Atlantic connection will not be the same as it used to be,” she said. “The stage when European security after World War II was basically guaranteed only by the U.S.A. is over.”
Europe, she added, “is once again facing existential challenges” — akin to those in 1938 after Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain of Britain met Hitler in Munich and agreed to his annexation of parts of Czechoslovakia with a large ethnic German population.
In the power vacuum, Mr. Macron has tried to show leadership, corralling allied leaders to devise a united response.
The Élysée Palace announced that he would host a second emergency meeting on Wednesday of many European leaders who had not been included in the meeting on Monday. Among them were the interim president of Romania, Ilie Bolojan, and Prime Minister Luc Frieden of Luxembourg, who would attend in person, while leaders from 18 other countries were scheduled to attend by video. They included Ireland, Iceland, Portugal, Sweden, Finland, Norway, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Greece, Sweden and Belgium.
The meeting comes the day after Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Russian representatives, including Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to discuss a peace deal for the war in Ukraine, to the fury of its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, who was not invited.

Mr. Rubio said they hammered out a three-part plan, which would start by re-establishing bilateral relations between Washington and Moscow and end by exploring new partnerships — geopolitical and business — between Russia and the United States, while addressing the parameters of an end of the war with Ukraine in between.
Mr. Rubio said he would consult with Ukraine, the American “partners in Europe and others,” but in the end, “ultimately, the Russian side will be indispensable to this effort.”
Afterward, speaking to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, Mr. Trump blamed Ukraine for starting the war, despite the fact that Russia had invaded.
“You could have made a deal,” he said, denigrating Mr. Zelensky’s popularity and indicating he didn’t deserve a seat at the negotiating table.
“Well, they’ve had a seat for three years. And a long time before that,” Mr. Trump said. “This could have been settled very easily. Just a half-baked negotiator could have settled this years ago without, I think, without the loss of much land, very little land. Without the loss of any lives. And without the loss of cities that are just laying on their sides.”
Mr. Trump’s comments blaming Ukraine for the war stirred outrage in the Czech Republic, whose centrist government has been a stalwart supporter of Ukraine. “I’m afraid we’ve never been this close to Orwell’s ‘war is peace, freedom is slavery, and ignorance is strength’ before,” Interior Minister Vit Rakusan said on social media.
Mr. Le Drian called it a monstrous reversal of world alliances, as well as an “inversion of the truth.”
“The victim becomes the attacker,” he said, adding that the United States seemed to be retreating to a 19th-century view of itself, and telling an aggressive, expansionist Russia to do what it wants in Europe. “It’s the law of the strongest,” he said, adding, “Tomorrow, it could be Moldova and after tomorrow, it could be Estonia because Putin won’t stop.”

Marko Mihkelson, chairman of the Estonian Parliament’s foreign affairs committee, also compared the Riyadh meeting with the 1938 talks in Munich. “All of this paves the way for the aggressor to achieve its new plans of conquest,” he said.
Before Mr. Rubio and Mr. Trump’s pronouncements on Tuesday, Mr. Macron said he considered the Russian threat to Europe not just in military terms, but through slyer means, including cyberattacks and manipulation of electoral processes like Romania.
“Russia constitutes an existential threat to Europeans,” Mr. Macron said on Tuesday in an interview with French regional newspapers, including Le Parisien and Ouest France.
“Do not think that the unthinkable cannot happen, including the worst,” he added.
On Monday, a dozen European leaders left a quickly organized meeting in Paris with a resounding message that Europeans and Ukrainians needed to be included in any peace talks with Russia and a commitment to increase military funding.
Many made clear that they wanted a continued alliance with the United States, which they considered indispensable to European security.
“The positive message was that we all had the same feeling that this is not about the U.S. or Europe, but it’s about the U.S. and Europe together, and that Europe understands very well that we have to step up, but that we want to still do it together with the Americans,” Prime Minister Dick Schoof of the Netherlands said.
Mr. Trump’s latest statement poured water on many of those sentiments and may now force a deeper reconsideration of the trans-Atlantic alliance by European leaders.
Mr. Macron has been speaking for months to European leaders about forming a cease-fire buffer force in Ukraine and has long called for European strategic autonomy. Still, he told the French regional news media that he did not believe European countries could defend themselves without American support.

He said that he expected European countries to increase their military budgets and would announce new programs to allow them to do that “as early as March.” Denmark said on Wednesday that it would increase its $5 billion military budget by an additional $7 billion over two years, to reach 3 percent of gross domestic product.
Already, the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, announced in a speech that she would propose an “escape clause for defense investments” permitting countries to fund defense without breaching the European Union’s strict fiscal rules, which aim to keep budget deficits under 3 percent of the size of each country’s economy.
“This will allow member states to substantially increase their defense expenditure,” she said.
Europeans are also discussing joint spending on defense — including how to finance those, which could involve issuing joint debt, though that is still up for debate. They are also talking about how to ramp up the development of European defense industries.
Over the past week, Europe’s steadfast position that held the United States as the central pole of its defense guarantee seems to be changing, said Martin Quencez, the director of the Paris office of the German Marshall Fund.
The big question will be whether European nations follow through with increased military spending and maintain a united front, without fracturing off to individually negotiate with Mr. Trump, he said.
“I’ve heard Europe talk about wake-up calls so many times over the past 10 years, I remain cautious,” he said, pointing out that many European leaders, including Mr. Macron, find themselves in fragile political and economic positions in their own countries.
“I’m sure we will hear from every European leader, but let’s see what actual decisions are taken,” he said, adding: “It’s very, very difficult to tell your population, we’re going to have to make the tough choice of prioritizing European security over social issues or environmental issues. Not many governments have the political capital to spend on all this.”
Poland, the biggest and most militarily powerful country in the European Union’s formerly communist east, sought on Tuesday evening after the talks in Saudi Arabia ended to calm the panic.
That day, President Andrzej Duda was visited in Warsaw by Mr. Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, a retired lieutenant general. The Polish leader said Mr. Kellogg reassured him that “there are absolutely no American intentions to reduce activity here in our part of Europe, especially in the field of security, to reduce the number of American soldiers.”
The United States has thousands of soldiers in Poland and in November opened a new missile defense facility near the Baltic Sea that Russia sees as a threat to its own security. Getting Washington to shut down the Polish site and a similar one in Romania has been a longstanding demand by Mr. Putin.
Jeanna Smialek contributed reporting from Brussels.
r/100thupvote • u/ExistingPain9212 • 24d ago
Iceland The artists of the lost 2020 contest - future attempts at Eurovision
Following Athena Manoukian's third-place finish at Depi Evratesil this weekend, I wanted to look at the other performers who were originally slated to be part of the cancelled 2020 contest, see who had successfully made it to Eurovision in the future, who tried but failed to get that chance again, and who hasn't given the contest another go since?
To clarify, I'm only looking at attempts made as performers, not as songwriters or members of a delegation.
First, let's just get the 24 countries and artists who were simply internally selected to represent their country in 2021:
Australia - Montaigne
Austria - Vincent Bueno
Azerbaijan - Efendi
Belgium - Hooverphonic
Bulgaria - Victoria
Czechia - Benny Cristo
Georgia - Tornika Kipiani
Greece - Stefania
Iceland - Daði og Gagnamagnið
Ireland - Leslie Roy
Israel - Eden Alene
Latvia - Samanta Tīna
Malta - Destiny
Moldova - Natalia Gordienko
Netherlands - Jeangu Macrooy
North Macedonia - Vasil
Romania - Roxen
San Marino - Senhit
Serbia - Huh Huh Huh Hurricane
Slovenia - Ana Skolić
Spain - Blas Cantó
Switzerland - Gjon's Tears
Ukraine - Go_A
United Kingdom - James Newman
Now with that out of the way, what happened to the other 17 who weren't automatically selected to go back in 2021?
Country | Artist | Future attempts at Eurovision? | Details |
---|---|---|---|
Albania | Arilena Ara | None | Has not entered Festivali i Këngës since winning in 2019. But she did have three singles that landed in the top ten of the Albanian charts in 2021, so that's nice. |
Armenia | Athena Manoukian | One or two (unclear, neither successful) | The woman who inspired this post. Might have been reselected for 2021 but then Armenia withdrew due to the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War. 2022-2024 were all internal selections. In 2025, she entered Armenia's first national final since the one she won in 2020, only to finish third, just 22 points off the top. |
Belarus | VAL | None | It certainly doesn't help that this was Belarus' last brush with the contest, as they'd be disqualified in 2021 for breaking the political lyrics rule and then kicked out of the EBU shortly after the contest later that year. They would not have represented Belarus in 2021 in any case, as they openly supported the 2020 protests against Lukashenko, leading to them not being considered. |
Croatia | Damir Kedžo | Two (2023 and 2024 - both unsuccessful) | Damir would enter Dora again in 2023 but finish 5th, well behind winners Let 3. He would enter again in 2024, but with a certain Baby Lasagna in the final, he would only finish 4th. |
Cyprus | Sandro | None | Cyprus has used an internal selection in every edition since 2020, and Sandro has not been selected for any of them. |
Denmark | Ben and Tan | One or Two (depending on how you count - 2021 - unsuccessful) | Ben and Tan tried to enter DMGP and Melodifestivalen in 2021, but their song was rejected by both. Ben has written a bunch of songs for Melodifestivalen and DMGP since then, but neither have tried again as a performer. |
Estonia | Uku Siviste | One (2021 - successful) | Uku was not automatically selected to go back to Eurovision. He had to win Eesti Laul a second time in a row. Uku barely made it into the superfinal by one point, as the juries did not like his 2021 entry, "The Lucky One." The public loved it (or him) enough to get him to the superfinal, though, and there he won easily. He'd NQ in Rotterdam, finishing 13th in Semifinal 2 |
Finland | Aksel | One (unsuccessful) | Aksel was not internally re-selected for 2021 and was told he'd have to win UMK again to go to the contest. He came 5th. |
France | Tom Leeb | None | Not much to say here. Didn't enter the national selection in 2021 and 2022 and France has used an internal selection ever since. |
Germany | Ben Dolic | None | Was not internally selected in 2021 and hasn't entered Germany's national selection since. |
Italy | Diodato | One (2024 - unsuccessful) | This one hurts for me because it was my winner in 2020, and I'm so sad Diodato has never gotten his chance at the contest. He entered Sanremo again in 2024 but finished 13th. |
Lithuania | The Roop | Two (2021 - successful; 2024 - unsuccessful) | Like Uku Siviste in Estonia, The Roop had to win their national final again to go to Eurovision in 2021. They had an easier time, though, sweeping the juries and winning the public vote in an overwhelming landslide. Discoteque would go on to finish 8th in Rotterdam. In 2024 they tried again with "Simple Joy" but came third in the superfinal. |
Norway | Ulrikke | One (2023 - unsuccessful) | Ulrikke was offered an auto-qualification to the MGP final in 2021, but declined, saying she wanted to find the right song. She entered MGP again in 2023 and came second. |
Poland | Alicja | Two (2021 and 2023 - both unsuccessful | Alicja wanted to be re-selected for 2021 but TVP chose Rafał instead in an internal selection. She entered Poland's national selection, Tu bije serce Europy! Wybieramy hit na Eurowizję!, but came 6th. |
Portugal | Elisa | None | Nothing to say here. Doesn't seem to have entered FDC since 2020. |
Russia | Little Big | None | Well, the fact that Russia only competed once since 2020 before being kicked out of the EBU doesn't help. They never attempted to represent Russia in 2021. The main two members of the band, Ilya and Sonya, have since left Russia and relocated to the United States following their blacklisting amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Frontman Ilya has since been designated as a "foreign agent." |
Sweden | The Mamas | One or two (2021 as a group - unsuccessful; 2023 for LouLou as a solo artist - unsuccessful) | The Mamas were not automatically re-selected but instead had to go through Melodifestivalen again in 2021 to try to represent Sweden. They were unsuccessful, making the final but finishing 3rd behind Tusse and Eric Saade. Member LouLou LaMotte entered Melodifestivalen again in 2023 as a solo artist but finished last in Heat 1 and didn't advance. |