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Leo's Parade Diaries:
Kriegland Appreciation Day
Leo the Tiger speaking; you also know me as the Marching Wonder. Because the birthday of His Majesty, King Leo V, falls on April 3, the world has dubbed it "Kriegland Appreciation Day," and the nations hold parades involving only Krieglandonians and no other Forsythians. The other animals of the Forsythe System, however, gather together to play various marches and fanfares to salute the king, so he is always very grateful for the wonderful tributes he gets, and sharing his passion for music with the world is one of the greatest gifts, he says, one can both give and receive. (For example, the Snare Soldier and his Drumbum Rats performed Krieglandonian marches and other favorites in a concert setting, using the throne room of King Ross II of Ratatat. The Snare Soldier both conducted and played his own field drum at the same time. At other points, King Ross would conduct. The lions of Leonine would do the same thing in King Lionel's throne room, while the Drumbum Tigers of Bengalia performed at Marching Greens, part of Wonder Park, a public park in Wildcat City named in honor of, believe it or not, me!)
The focus here is on the big parade we held, however, but we didn't do it in Wildcat City. We have to be careful how we do parades so that it isn't a fire hazard because all the G-52s, not just Leo the Patriotic Lion, tend to attract enormous crowds. However, we got the mayor of Washington, D.C.'s approval to have our celebratory parade in the nation's capital. Since it was just focusing on Krieglandonians, my three bands, the military band representing Kriegland as a whole led by my best friend, John the Tiger, and the Royal Ensemble announcing the king were the main focus of the parade, with units of soldiers marching otherwise, and each unit of soldiers always had drums accompanying it, with at least one bass drum and field drum (a field drum is a rope-tensioned snare drum). The king himself rode on a drum-shaped float; he usually marched in parades, leading his Royal Ensemble, but today, they were letting him take a load off since he was the lion of honor. He wouldn't be performing any music himself until later on, but he had his own field drum with him. As such, he was wearing his royal robe and crown.
There were Krieglandonians from all over the world marching in this parade, however. For instance, we have Cold Snare from Russia, and Danger Drummer from Denmark. Both soldiers were in charge of giving the commands to begin and end the parade at the right spots, and due to the magical effects that CNG had done to all of us in the past (although for the better here), the whistles they blew sent magical telepathy signals to other drum majors (including me), so that we were all doing this in sync. Both played their field drums, however, while simultaneously leading their own bands. (The king traditionally gave Danger Drummer the command to beat a drum roll to call all to attention.)
At approximately 10:45 a.m., the parade began. What wonderful sights and sounds filled the air afterwards; the beating of drums, the blare of trumpets, the shrill toots of the flutes, piccolos, and fifes, and the tramp of marching paws. (We're Krieglandonians; we march barefoot in the United States, and all the streets were clean and free of hazards so could perform on our paws.) Not a paw out of step; we marched in perfect unison with steady steps, and the drums reinforced the precise marching that symbolized us.
Note that in terms of the marches we performed, we played a mix of American, British, and Krieglandonian marches. (Why we didn't have our own national anthem is beyond my comprehension, but we did original military marches.) The crowds watching waved American flags, and the members of the Zanicchi Administration gave us the military salute as we passed by. The drum majors of each band would make their bands mark time (march in place) with only the drums beating so they could salute the administration back. When the king's float passed by, he stood to his feet and saluted the administation. (Each animal in that administration respected the parade's marchers by also padding, or going barefoot. Leo and Tom tend to do this anyways.) He wouldn't sit back down on the king's throne until long afterwards.
The Royal Ensemble was marching in front of this float, so when it was their turn to salute the administration, a different lion in the drum major role (whom King Leo had appointed) gave the salute. When it was my turn, due to the fact I had three bands I led, I marched in front of the military-style band and saluted. I appointed two other drum major tigers to march and lead the other two band, one of which was a pipe and drum band, and the other was the most famous of the three, my showoff band. (Think college football halftime show here; my showoffs perform shows like that all the time, and use modern marching percussion that Corps Coon likes to call "football drums.")
One march gaining popularity ever since Leo got elected as President was "Wildcat March," but contrary to what some might have thought, it had nothing to do with Wildcat City. Instead, the man who wrote it adapted the alma mater song from Northwestern University (whose mascot is a wildcat) as the trio section of the march, and indeed, when my bands got the nod to perform it at that university, it surprised a lot of people. Still, they welcomed the march (and us) with open arms. We felt it was best to perform it for this parade, and at the university's request, it would be performed again in Wildcat City for Leo the Patriotic Lion's big birthday parade, falling on July 4th as it always did (and so it should), which would be themed around music. (That parade was bound to be much larger than this one.)
When the parade had concluded, we made our way to the White House lawn, where my showoffs performed a field show for the honor of the king. They then made way for the Royal Ensemble to formally escort him to a podium where he could speak, but due to the fact Leo the Patriotic Lion is our President, they also joined in with the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets so they could play "Hail to the Chief" to announce him. (As Vice-President, Tom the Patriotic Tiger's announcement song is "Hail Columbia;" the ensembles played that first, and then played "Hail to the Chief.")
The official conclusion of the program consisted of us playing the national anthem of the U.S., complete with a flyover of fighter aircraft leaving streaks of red, white, and blue in the sky. A second flyover, however, done to salute King Leo, left streaks in the patriotic colors of Kriegland: purple and gold. Then the king was able to give some remarks from the podium, although the crowds did break out in a singing of "Happy Birthday" to the king.
"Oh, thank you!" he smiled. "Thank you all! What a wonderful time we had blessing all of you with the gift of music, which we truly believe to be the greatest thing that was ever invented. Think about it; society can't exist without music. What a boring world we would be if it did. Though it was sad to see the destruction of our own planet, we have come to the realization that us being so behind the times as we were actually wasn't the right thing to do. I guess we were just so scared of the potential immoral content and behavior that came with those new mediums, such as radio and television; at the rate we were going, we wouldn't have even been close to having those things until the year 3012. I kid you not. As a result, coming here after that destruction was the best thing that ever happened to us, and probably the worst thing that ever happened to the old version of Bendraqi. He hated music, although not to the degree of other haters we have dealt with. No haters here, though; we're all music lovers." The crowds broke into applause after that statement. "A big thanks to the Zanicchi Administration for hosting us as well. Thank you all again, and may the music be with you!" More applause, and then the crowds dispersed to go about their business.
Although we would celebrate with dinner, dessert, and a birthday cake for the king, we first allowed him a little private music time in the music room of the White House, where he was now playing his field drum, and performing solos such as "Drum Corps on Parade." He would switch over to a concert snare drum for the polite gesture of playing a drum roll in the presence of Leo and his administration, and then giving them the military salute, prompting them to salute back. The king played a drum roll for multiple salutes in this regard; one was for Leo, one was for Tom, and one was for the celebrate coyote soldier, percussionist, and drum major who was pursuing other goals related to the medical field (if I am correct), Zachary Chandler. (He first learned to beat a drum as part of his rehabilitation from being a psychopath coyote in his terrorism days, and even during his time as dictator; such was where the cartoonist, George D. Higgins, first began drawing him and Leo in political cartoons. Such cartoons were said to help ultimately bring Zachary down, but the people of this nation would tell you there was actually more good than bad that came out of it, and so it remains up for debate as to whether he qualifies as a hero, a villain, or just an antihero.)
The dinner that night was at a restaurant in Washington, D.C., and for their sake, I cannot say which one. But it was typical of what you would expect of that restaurant, and as seemed to be the tradition ever since COVID-19 broke out, the guest of honor did not blow out the candles with his breath, but with a hair dryer or a fireplace bellows. (King Leo got to use the bellows.) There were a few physical gifts he got, but by his beliefs, the greatest gift of all was celebrating another circle around the sun, and life itself. It was a philosophy folks said that the Krieglandonians got right, even though we got so many things wrong. But still, we had a fantastic time, and the king had a wonderful birthday.
The next day was just a normal day, but King Leo was allowed some more time in the music room, where he practiced his drum music alongside Judge Marcus and William the Bull, with the Hellcats of West Point and the Herald Trumpets joining him. This was proof of our President's philosophy holding true: if you have time to lead the county, you have time for music.
THE END
-----------------------------------------
Leo's Parade Diaries:
Kriegland Appreciation Day
Leo the Tiger speaking; you also know me as the Marching Wonder. Because the birthday of His Majesty, King Leo V, falls on April 3, the world has dubbed it "Kriegland Appreciation Day," and the nations hold parades involving only Krieglandonians and no other Forsythians. The other animals of the Forsythe System, however, gather together to play various marches and fanfares to salute the king, so he is always very grateful for the wonderful tributes he gets, and sharing his passion for music with the world is one of the greatest gifts, he says, one can both give and receive. (For example, the Snare Soldier and his Drumbum Rats performed Krieglandonian marches and other favorites in a concert setting, using the throne room of King Ross II of Ratatat. The Snare Soldier both conducted and played his own field drum at the same time. At other points, King Ross would conduct. The lions of Leonine would do the same thing in King Lionel's throne room, while the Drumbum Tigers of Bengalia performed at Marching Greens, part of Wonder Park, a public park in Wildcat City named in honor of, believe it or not, me!)
The focus here is on the big parade we held, however, but we didn't do it in Wildcat City. We have to be careful how we do parades so that it isn't a fire hazard because all the G-52s, not just Leo the Patriotic Lion, tend to attract enormous crowds. However, we got the mayor of Washington, D.C.'s approval to have our celebratory parade in the nation's capital. Since it was just focusing on Krieglandonians, my three bands, the military band representing Kriegland as a whole led by my best friend, John the Tiger, and the Royal Ensemble announcing the king were the main focus of the parade, with units of soldiers marching otherwise, and each unit of soldiers always had drums accompanying it, with at least one bass drum and field drum (a field drum is a rope-tensioned snare drum). The king himself rode on a drum-shaped float; he usually marched in parades, leading his Royal Ensemble, but today, they were letting him take a load off since he was the lion of honor. He wouldn't be performing any music himself until later on, but he had his own field drum with him. As such, he was wearing his royal robe and crown.
There were Krieglandonians from all over the world marching in this parade, however. For instance, we have Cold Snare from Russia, and Danger Drummer from Denmark. Both soldiers were in charge of giving the commands to begin and end the parade at the right spots, and due to the magical effects that CNG had done to all of us in the past (although for the better here), the whistles they blew sent magical telepathy signals to other drum majors (including me), so that we were all doing this in sync. Both played their field drums, however, while simultaneously leading their own bands. (The king traditionally gave Danger Drummer the command to beat a drum roll to call all to attention.)
At approximately 10:45 a.m., the parade began. What wonderful sights and sounds filled the air afterwards; the beating of drums, the blare of trumpets, the shrill toots of the flutes, piccolos, and fifes, and the tramp of marching paws. (We're Krieglandonians; we march barefoot in the United States, and all the streets were clean and free of hazards so could perform on our paws.) Not a paw out of step; we marched in perfect unison with steady steps, and the drums reinforced the precise marching that symbolized us.
Note that in terms of the marches we performed, we played a mix of American, British, and Krieglandonian marches. (Why we didn't have our own national anthem is beyond my comprehension, but we did original military marches.) The crowds watching waved American flags, and the members of the Zanicchi Administration gave us the military salute as we passed by. The drum majors of each band would make their bands mark time (march in place) with only the drums beating so they could salute the administration back. When the king's float passed by, he stood to his feet and saluted the administation. (Each animal in that administration respected the parade's marchers by also padding, or going barefoot. Leo and Tom tend to do this anyways.) He wouldn't sit back down on the king's throne until long afterwards.
The Royal Ensemble was marching in front of this float, so when it was their turn to salute the administration, a different lion in the drum major role (whom King Leo had appointed) gave the salute. When it was my turn, due to the fact I had three bands I led, I marched in front of the military-style band and saluted. I appointed two other drum major tigers to march and lead the other two band, one of which was a pipe and drum band, and the other was the most famous of the three, my showoff band. (Think college football halftime show here; my showoffs perform shows like that all the time, and use modern marching percussion that Corps Coon likes to call "football drums.")
One march gaining popularity ever since Leo got elected as President was "Wildcat March," but contrary to what some might have thought, it had nothing to do with Wildcat City. Instead, the man who wrote it adapted the alma mater song from Northwestern University (whose mascot is a wildcat) as the trio section of the march, and indeed, when my bands got the nod to perform it at that university, it surprised a lot of people. Still, they welcomed the march (and us) with open arms. We felt it was best to perform it for this parade, and at the university's request, it would be performed again in Wildcat City for Leo the Patriotic Lion's big birthday parade, falling on July 4th as it always did (and so it should), which would be themed around music. (That parade was bound to be much larger than this one.)
When the parade had concluded, we made our way to the White House lawn, where my showoffs performed a field show for the honor of the king. They then made way for the Royal Ensemble to formally escort him to a podium where he could speak, but due to the fact Leo the Patriotic Lion is our President, they also joined in with the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets so they could play "Hail to the Chief" to announce him. (As Vice-President, Tom the Patriotic Tiger's announcement song is "Hail Columbia;" the ensembles played that first, and then played "Hail to the Chief.")
The official conclusion of the program consisted of us playing the national anthem of the U.S., complete with a flyover of fighter aircraft leaving streaks of red, white, and blue in the sky. A second flyover, however, done to salute King Leo, left streaks in the patriotic colors of Kriegland: purple and gold. Then the king was able to give some remarks from the podium, although the crowds did break out in a singing of "Happy Birthday" to the king.
"Oh, thank you!" he smiled. "Thank you all! What a wonderful time we had blessing all of you with the gift of music, which we truly believe to be the greatest thing that was ever invented. Think about it; society can't exist without music. What a boring world we would be if it did. Though it was sad to see the destruction of our own planet, we have come to the realization that us being so behind the times as we were actually wasn't the right thing to do. I guess we were just so scared of the potential immoral content and behavior that came with those new mediums, such as radio and television; at the rate we were going, we wouldn't have even been close to having those things until the year 3012. I kid you not. As a result, coming here after that destruction was the best thing that ever happened to us, and probably the worst thing that ever happened to the old version of Bendraqi. He hated music, although not to the degree of other haters we have dealt with. No haters here, though; we're all music lovers." The crowds broke into applause after that statement. "A big thanks to the Zanicchi Administration for hosting us as well. Thank you all again, and may the music be with you!" More applause, and then the crowds dispersed to go about their business.
Although we would celebrate with dinner, dessert, and a birthday cake for the king, we first allowed him a little private music time in the music room of the White House, where he was now playing his field drum, and performing solos such as "Drum Corps on Parade." He would switch over to a concert snare drum for the polite gesture of playing a drum roll in the presence of Leo and his administration, and then giving them the military salute, prompting them to salute back. The king played a drum roll for multiple salutes in this regard; one was for Leo, one was for Tom, and one was for the celebrate coyote soldier, percussionist, and drum major who was pursuing other goals related to the medical field (if I am correct), Zachary Chandler. (He first learned to beat a drum as part of his rehabilitation from being a psychopath coyote in his terrorism days, and even during his time as dictator; such was where the cartoonist, George D. Higgins, first began drawing him and Leo in political cartoons. Such cartoons were said to help ultimately bring Zachary down, but the people of this nation would tell you there was actually more good than bad that came out of it, and so it remains up for debate as to whether he qualifies as a hero, a villain, or just an antihero.)
The dinner that night was at a restaurant in Washington, D.C., and for their sake, I cannot say which one. But it was typical of what you would expect of that restaurant, and as seemed to be the tradition ever since COVID-19 broke out, the guest of honor did not blow out the candles with his breath, but with a hair dryer or a fireplace bellows. (King Leo got to use the bellows.) There were a few physical gifts he got, but by his beliefs, the greatest gift of all was celebrating another circle around the sun, and life itself. It was a philosophy folks said that the Krieglandonians got right, even though we got so many things wrong. But still, we had a fantastic time, and the king had a wonderful birthday.
The next day was just a normal day, but King Leo was allowed some more time in the music room, where he practiced his drum music alongside Judge Marcus and William the Bull, with the Hellcats of West Point and the Herald Trumpets joining him. This was proof of our President's philosophy holding true: if you have time to lead the county, you have time for music.
THE END
Leo's Parade Diaries: Kriegland Appreciation Day
His Majesty, King Leo V, celebrates his birthday in the nation's capital.
King Leo, Leo the Patriotic Lion, etc. © me and me alone
Zachary Chandler © Chuong
All music referenced that isn't in the public domain belongs to everybody who owns the rights.
Northwestern Alma Mater: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkPHUPNStqM
Wildcat March: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kmvk5iuQfO0
King Leo, Leo the Patriotic Lion, etc. © me and me alone
Zachary Chandler © Chuong
All music referenced that isn't in the public domain belongs to everybody who owns the rights.
Northwestern Alma Mater: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkPHUPNStqM
Wildcat March: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kmvk5iuQfO0
Category Story / All
Species Unspecified / Any
Gender Any
Size 120 x 120px
Chuong: You know what goes well with marching bands from April to October? Night markets.
Zax: Oooh I know plenty back in Dallas and no it's not just an Asian thing, though they are inspired by Asian night markets. Think of outdoor park and street vendors involving food, art, and crafts. In Texas, no night market is complete without taco trucks.
Wrangler Wolf: We got plenty back in Pearland.
Avon: Back in Belgium, many food vendors in our night markets sell beer due to our national traditions. Like Germany, Belgium is a country described as the land where beer flows like rivers. We got plenty of music as well.
Zax: Oooh I know plenty back in Dallas and no it's not just an Asian thing, though they are inspired by Asian night markets. Think of outdoor park and street vendors involving food, art, and crafts. In Texas, no night market is complete without taco trucks.
Wrangler Wolf: We got plenty back in Pearland.
Avon: Back in Belgium, many food vendors in our night markets sell beer due to our national traditions. Like Germany, Belgium is a country described as the land where beer flows like rivers. We got plenty of music as well.
C.K./King Leo: I think I may have been to a few of those night markets you speak of; we did so the last time we were in Dallas.
Leo: What was the occasion?
C.K./King Leo: We helped a different marching band play the national anthem at a Dallas Cowboys game.
Leo: What was the occasion?
C.K./King Leo: We helped a different marching band play the national anthem at a Dallas Cowboys game.
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