#5 years of poe party

[ranposgirlboss]

~late night car drives with bsd charas~

this is an idea i got while listening to depressing vocaliod songs, SO HERE WE ARE!!! these are just some hc i have about how it would go, some charas are COMPLETELY platonic!! (this is mostly platonic in the 1st place tbh) this is my first time writing on this app, and i haven't written anything online in a few years, so if the formatting is weird, PLEASE TELL ME IDK WHAT IM DOIMNHG

chara list: dazai, chuuya, poe, ranpo, and yosano

GENRE: fluff fluff fluff and sillies

enjoy!!

-----------------------------

DAZAI

-HESSS DEEEEEFFF THE TYPE TO BRING YOU ON LATE-NIGHT DRIVES!!!!!

-he would probably be going to some weird ass convenience store with you at ungodly hours in the morning 💀

-HE EITHER SINGS THE MOST DEPRESSING SONGS OR THE MOST UPBEAT SILLY SONGS THERE IS LITERALLY NO IN BETWEEN

-i feel like he would mess with you and fucking drift the car when yall turn

-lets just say you get close to dying more then once 😁

-one time when yall tried to sneak out, kunikida caught yalls asses (your ears still hurt to this day from the mouthing off you got from kunikida)

-all in all, VERY FUN TO GO OUT WITH!!! WOULD RECOMMEND IF YOU WANT CHAOS!!!! OR IF YOU LIKE ALMOST DYING 10 TIMES IN 30 MINS <3333

CHUUYA

-ok so i know i said late night CAR rides BUT CMON WHO DOESNT WANNA RIDE A COOL ASS MOTORCYCLE WITH CHUUYA!??!?!?/1

-mf has HORRIBLE ROAD RAGE!!!

-i hc that when chuuya gets really pissed and the person is super rude to him, he fucking makes their car float...LIKE FULL ON 😭

-AND THEN HELL MAKE THEM SAY SORRY

-but other then his road rage, its honestly pretty chill

-i know that he has a BANGER playlist, I JUST KNOW IT

-i fell like he'd also play around on the motorcycle a bit, BUT AT LEAST HE WOULDNT NEARLY KILL YOU UNLIKE DAZAI (눈‸눈)

-id say its pretty nice and balanced, with enough calmness to make it enjoyable for the most part, but enough thrill to keep asking him to take you out <33

RANPO

-just gonna let you know right off the bat, his ass is NOT driving 😂

-there is a high chance that he JUST woke up and started banging on your door because he had cravings and well, he ran out of his snacks...so OBVIOUSLY he had to bang on your door, its important!!!

-and even if he was completely awake...he would get yall lost so fast

-so you were driving him

-honestly? its kinda funny to see groggy ranpo walk around and try to grab what snack he wants at the convenience store when he's barely awake

-bro literally drops the bag like 5 times (you picked it up all 5 bc you kinda pitied him rn 😭)

-he basically ends up sleep walking his ass outta there

-the ride is mostly quiet, mainly because ranpo falls asleep on the way back

-imagine if you played heavy metal and woke him up

POE

-HE WOULD DRIVE WITH YOU FREQUENTLY, DUE TO HIM BEING A NIGHT OWL

-these car rides would be so peaceful

-ngl he would probably sometimes take you out just to drive with you (its not like gas is a problem for him anyways 😭)

-HE HAS SUCH A GOOD PLAYLIST OF SONGS TO JUST SIT THERE AND DAYDREAM TO

-doesnt seem like a talker tbh, he might ask you if you want to go anywhere specific, but you guys mostly just listen to music together (he saves the story telling for another time <3)

-I FEEL LIKE HE WOULD MAKE A PLAYLIST THAT LIKE KIND OF HAS A STORY LINE SO IT WOULD BE SO FUN TO DAYDREAM TO THE SONGS CUZ YOU COULD CREATE YOUR OWN STORY TO THEM

-you hold karl in your lap and pet him like you're an evil villain (cannon)

-very calming and relaxing drive <33

YOSANO

-UGH IM SO GAY FOR HER

-ngl she kinda gives dazai vibes, in terms of playlist

-there has been more than one occasion when she just drunk-drove you

-LUCKILY YALL DONT DIE??!?!?!??! HOLY FUCK

-shes a small talker, OR A GOSSIPER WHILE YALL DRIVE

-yall just have so much fun talking about the ada and everything that's going on there <333

-would scream the lyrics to any 2010's throwback song, while having a (hopefully) safe dance party

-very fun to be around, and even though she drunk drives, shes def safer then dazai

-----------------------

THANK YOU FOR READING THIS!!!! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*.✧

PLEASE SEND ME REQS I BEG OF YOU

#bsd #dazai x reader #ranpo x reader #poe x reader bsd #poe x reader #yosano x reader #chuuya x reader #fluff #wholesome #ugh i want them to be real #justiceforjared

[hauntedwitch04]

Becky’s Halloween party!

Welcome to my Halloween party! I really love this feast, and I wanted to celebrate it with you all. I know that I’m already late, but here I am. I took some prompts from the internet, hope you like it. I’ll try to post everyday, but I can’t assure anything, I'm so sorry.

With love, your Becky,💫

DAY 1: “You can’t go out with such a thin jacket in October, you gonna get a cold!” with Steve Harrington

DAY 2:  “I love this song. It totally gives me Halloween vibes.” with Timothee Chamalet

DAY 3: "If you keep eating so many sweets you will get cavities." "I eat you out practically every day and my teeth are practically perfect." with Sirius Black 

DAY 4: “You know darling, it’s dangerous to walk around after midnight.” with Azriel

DAY 5: “You are scared of a crow?” “It’s a fucking crow in the middle of the night in October, obviously I’m scared.” with Eddie Munson

DAY 6: "You know, honey, as much as it costs me to admit it, your pumpkin is much more beautiful than mine." "Of course, I am the queen of pumpkins." with Steve Harrington (x Henderson!Reader) 

DAY 7: "You saw the ghost, too." "Love...it was a fucking bedsheet." with tasm!Peter Parker. 

DAY 8: "Did you buy a fucking cauldron?" "All witches need their cauldron to make potions, you dummy." with Ben Barnes 

DAY 9: "If you keep singing the Nightmare Before Christsmas songs, I think I won't make it to Halloween in one piece." "But at least you'll know them all by the time we see it on Halloween night." "Tell me we're playing trick-or-treating, because this is a fucking treat." with Andrew Garfield 

DAY 10: "Trick or Treat." "I choose treat, but I know something sweeter than this candy." "And what would that be?" "You." with Remus Lupin

DAY 11:  "You are the cutest ghost I have ever seen." with Dad!Steve Harrington x daughter x Mom! Reader

DAY 12:  "Feel lucky that I share my treats with you." "I left all the chocolate to you." "That's why I love you." with Remus Lupin 

DAY 13: "Why do we have to choose a pumpkin, we already have X that it is an empty head." with Azriel 

DAY 14: "I love spending my days with you in front of the fire and u good horror book in my hands, because I finally feel at home." with Regulus Black 

DAY 15: "Remind me never to let you tell a scary story again, I will have nightmares for the next ten years." with Eddie Munson  (for my sister) 

DAY 16: "Strange as it may seem, I love walking through cemeteries at night. Everything is so scary, gloomy, and finally you feel really alive." "Love, I think it's time to stop reading Edgar Allan Poe." with Regulus Black 

DAY 17: "What was that sound?!" "You stepped on a twig." "Why are there twigs on the ground!?" "Why are we in a freaking forest!" with Sirius Black 

DAY 18: "I love reading during the rain, but you know what I love most? Reading during the rain with you in my arms, with your intoxicating scent of cinnamon and chocolate that smells like home." "Man! You give me diabetes." with Remus Lupin

DAY 19:  "God, I wish it was Halloween every day if I could see you in that dress. You're the sexiest witch I've ever seen." with Joe Keery 

DAY 20: "If you eat so many sweets, your stomach will hurt." "Oh come on, I'm not a child anymore." "Does your stomach hurt?" "Shut up before I punch you." with Rhysand 

DAY 21: "You won't be able to convince me to enter that abandoned house." "Okay." "What, you don't insist?" "No, because apparently you'd rather be alone in the surroundings of an abandoned house in the middle of nowhere." "Fuck you." with Loki 

DAY 22: "Would you like to watch Corpse Bride? I've already made hot chocolate and lit the fire." "Are you asking me to marry you?" "Why?" "Because it's the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me." with tasm!Peter Parker 

DAY 23: "Tonight there is a full moon. Do you want to go watch it?" "No, sorry I can't tonight, I turn into a werewolf." "What?" "Stupid, of course I feel like going to see the moon with you." with Andrew Garfield

DAY 24: "Remind me never to let you drink at a party again, you looked possessed." "Well, at least I was in theme with the party since it was for Halloween." with Timothee Chamalet 

DAY 25: "Oh my God, did you see that beautiful cat!" "I wouldn't go too close, it's a black cat." "Really? Are you afraid of black cats? I didn't think you were so superstitious." "Well I have a witch in front of me, so I believe in everything now." with Steve Harrington 

DAY 26: "We could watch Sleepy Hollow." "I'm not going to watch another horror movie just because Johnny Deep is in it." "But have you seen how hot he is?"  with Ben Barnes 

DAY 27: "Why are you dressed as Dracula?" "Because it's my Halloween costume?" "I thought we decided to go as JD and Veronica!" "Well look at it from that point of view, they're both dead." "So will you be in a little while when I kill you." with Sirus Black 

DAY 28: "You got me candles!" "Cinnamon and lavender, your favorite."  with Remus Lupin 

DAY 29: "Wow, what is that on your neck? Oh my God it's a bite! Did a vampire bite you? Are you going to be like Dracula? Oh my God, oh my God that's cool." "No man another animal bit me: my girlfriend." with Steve Harrington 

DAY 30: "I will never again take a drink offered by you." "Why? Don't you like them?" "No honey, I love them, but I am more and more convinced that you are a witch and that you put love potions, because the love I feel for you is beyond imagination." with Azriel 

DAY 31: “I fucking love Halloween Party!” with the Marauders 

#becky's halloween party #remus lupin x reader #sirius black x reader #james potter x reader #regulus black x reader #marauders x reader #steve rogers x reader #eddie munson x reader #stranger things x reader #andrew garfield x reader #tasm!peter x reader #ben barnes x reader #sebastian stan x reader #chris evans x reader #timothée chalamet x reader #paul atreides x reader #bucky barnes x reader #tony stark x reader #steve rogers x you #loki x reader #rhysand x reader #azriel x reader #cassian x reader #nyx archeron x reader #joe keery x reader #anthony bridgerton x reader #benedict bridgerton x reader

[pray4byron]

I was waiting for an opening as I saw you had match ups available and would love to see who you'd put me with.

Preference for male characters from Hazbin Hotel

About me: You can call me Claire. I'm AFAB she/her, 5'3", panromantic demisexual. I'm Tim Burton pale, brown eyes, messy curly bob brown hair, glasses with glasses chains usually, chubby but strong, dress either romantic gothic feminine or butch cryptidcore, like no in between, never wear make up because sensory hell.

Some type of neurodivergent but not diagnosed specifically. I tend to know a little about a lot of things due to jumping from focus to focus. Queen of Dad jokes, rather blunt since I'm not subtle. Aside from English can speak Latin, some Gaelic, some Spanish, a little bit of Turkish/Arabic, Church Greek and Slavonic, and random phrases in Russian, German, and Italian. I'm ENFP, Ares cabin from PJO if that means anything.

I teach preschool, love children as they're so fun to be around and the possibilities they have ahead are wonderful. I also bake, sew, knit, read tons of books, collect rocks and other nature stuff, tend to the gardens, I sing in my choir, and like to listen to music. Not specific music genres that I care for, more vibes, but been into some Bauhaus lately, along with SJ Tucker and The Dead South.

My faith is important to me, I even am considering pursuing becoming a religious sister at a convent, like a nun.

I do love horror, romantic gothic poetry (Think Poe and the like), analog horror(DOAI, Mandela Catalogue), Dr. Who, bad b movies (think Redletter media level bad), animation in general, HB HH, stuff like that, I read everything and anything so long as the narrative is interesting or the subject is a hyperfixation of mine, such as Religions, Mythology, History relating to late Medieval to Elizabethan, textiles, fantasy, or speculative biology (like thought potato on youtube). I also do dress in character for the Renaissance Festival, people assume I work there as I have season passes for the last 5 years and attend all weekends from open to close.

I tend to be a sweet tooth, love any chocolate, baked goods with richness or chocolate flavors, drink lots of coffee, tea, sweet red wines, mead, rum based cocktails or dark malty beers if we're going alcohol, though I tend to be the driver if I'm going to party somewhere. My giving love language is touch and words, along with acts of service. My receiving love language is words, touch, and gift giving. I love to cook or make gifts for others, usually don't expect it in turn.

I'm loud, maternal, weirdly dark yet wholesome, and able to lift a toilet with my bare hands up two flights of stairs. I tend to talk either like a southern grandma or terminally online weirdo with random swears. When friends have a bad breakup I'm like do you want a hug or does someone have to die?

In relationships I can be very talkative, but also in a sense the less dominant partner. Like, I handle the day to day, but not great at organizing the dates, the stuff like that's more romantic. I'd hope my partner could handle that part. I'm also romantically easily flustered. Like squeaking and burning red in the face from genuine good flirting.

So hope you can find someone right for me, God Bless you dear.

hello claire!! i decided to pair your with…

Lucifer !!

First of, he loves your love of kids, and let’s be real, he probably has a love of kids as well, as much as Charlie is an adult, he would probably eagerly introduce you to her after finding out this tidbit of info

Honestly, to him, you give off very strong, emotional support wifey vibes and honestly he is all in for it haha

Lucifer doesn’t mind that you can be very talkative, infact, he enjoys it.

He tries to make it fairly easy when it comes to planning dates for you, so most of the time, you both just stay in

Also, Luci is definitely someone who gets flustered easily, so you both just end up giddy and smiley at eachothers shy little flirty comments and it’s the most heart warming thing

#hazbin hotel #x reader #mio’s writing ! ☆ #fanfiction #x y/n #hazbin hotel x reader #hazbin hotel x y/n #hazbin hotel x you #x you #mio’s matchups ! ☆ #reqs closed #hazbin lucifer #lucifer magne #lucifer x y/n #lucifer x you #lucifer #hazbin hotel lucifer #lucifer morningstar x reader #lucifer x reader #lucifer morningstar

[jesuisici33]

tagged by @thewolvesof1998 and @spotsandsocks

Share your top nine characters of the year! ✨

Buck and Eddie from 911

2. Grace Chasity from Hatchetfield/Starkid Musicals

3. George Eliot from Poe Party

4. TK Strand and Carlos Reyes from 911:Lonestar

5. Cinderella from Into the Woods

6. Patrick Brewer and David Rose from Schitt's Creek

7. Paul Matthews and Emma Perkins from Hatchetfield/Starkid Musicals

8. Oscar Wilde from Poe Party

9. Edgar Allan Poe from Poe Party

tagging @hippolotamus @911-on-abc @eddiebabygirldiaz @rmd-writes @monsterrae1 @actual-sleeping-beauty @malewifediaz @bonheur-cafe @apothecarose @mammameesh @chimneybuckley-han @daffi-990 @callmenewbie @liminalmemories21 @disasterbuckdiaz @wikiangela @wildlife4life @flowertrigger @cultofsappho @paperstorm @jamilas-pen @jamespearce9-1-1 @loserdiaz @aroeddiediaz @wandering-night19 @theotherbuckley @eowon @carlos-in-glasses @cold-blooded-jelly-doughnut

[alwritey-aphrodite]

It’s everyone’s favorite time of year: summer blurbs!! As always, the rules are only one character per prompt, and once the prompt is crossed off it’s gone forever! You’re welcome to request more than one, but please send individual asks, as it’s easier for me to keep track of <3 This event is running from June 1-30, but feel free to start requesting now! (I know it’s early but finals are right around the corner…) This will stay open until all prompts are taken, so act fast if you have a specific idea in mind!! I love you all and I hope this summer is wonderful for everyone <3

Prompts:

1. Lemonade (Poe Dameron)

2. Post-swim shower (Roy Kent)

3. Sunbathing

4. Ice cream

5. Farmer’s market (Finnick Odair)

6. Backyard parties

7. Sunrises

8. Picnic

9. Beach trip

10. Tropical drinks

11. Rain through an open window (Jamie Tartt)

12. Matching swimsuits

13. Fireflies

14. Lake house (Poe Dameron)

15. S’mores

16. Drive-in movies

17. Sunset on the beach (Finnick Odair)

18. Collecting seashells (Jamie Tartt)

19. Fresh fruit (Finnick Odair)

20. Road trips and diners

21. Fixed AC

22. Friendship bracelets (Santiago Garcia)

23. Water balloon fight

24. Caught in a rain shower (Poe Dameron)

25. Wildflowers (Sejanus Plinth)

26. Stargazing

27. Evening walks (TASM!Peter Parker)

28. Breakfast outside (TASM!Peter Parker)

29. Sleeping in

30. Last minute vacations (Poe Dameron)

Characters:

Poe Dameron

Santiago Garcia

Jamie Tartt

Roy Kent

Sejanus Plinth

Finnick Odair

TASM!Peter Parker

Tagging some of my wonderful and lovely friends because they’re wonderful and lovely: @onceuponaoneshot @beybaldes @whimsical-roasting @hopefulromances @dameronalone @eyelessfaces @benedictscanvas

#sejanus plinth #sejanus plinth x reader #tasm!peter parker #tasm!peter x reader #jamie tartt #jamie tartt x reader #roy kent #roy kent x reader #poe dameron #poe dameron x reader #santiago pope garcia #santiago garcia x reader #finnick odair #finnick x reader

[biggest-geo-oogami-enjoyer]

TKATB - Theories, wahoo.

This will contain spoilers for Days 1 and 2 of @fantasia-kitt 's 'The Kid At The Back', along with containing mentions of material found on her Twitter (https://twitter.com/fantasia_kitt).

This is mostly based off things I've picked apart and/or kinda pieced together. If you feel I'm incorrect, or am missing something; hell, if you have any theories of your own, please share!

Anyway, the actual theories (apologies in advance if the rambling is...uh...too rambly).

- Okay, so considering the fact Jess was moved into the ‘Lower Class’ school, it means that she either failed a class or got a ‘violation’ (those are the conditions for being moved down, according to Hyugo). Brittney mentioned how ‘confident and loud’ Jess is when she’s angry, and Brittney apparently was popular at some point, but lost it at the party (it was mentioned a few times by Deryl) 2 years ago due to an incident. I think maybe Brittney was being bullied and Jess lost her shit, maybe even got physical? And that led to the duo being sent to the ‘Lower Class’ school.

- Subaru (Geo) and Hyugo are mentioned to be brothers, but Hyugo says “Subaru! I wasn’t expecting to see you here!”, which could mean Geo (due to him being rich af) was moved down as well??? Hyugo and Geo are brothers but have different surnames, so I have a feeling (also because Geo is said to have daddy issues by Fantasia herself), that maybe Subaru Oogami and Hyugo Sugimoto aren’t related.

- Continuing that, Hyugo is the ‘traitor’ that the ‘Rough-Voiced Man’ was looking for in the cinema, so he’s obviously affilated with some dodgy people, and we know he hates injustice, so perhaps he is a mercenary or assassin of sorts (he did canonically kill somebody, with Sol witnessing it, check Fantasia’s twitter); and that could be why Geo avoids him? Hell, why does Subaru even go by Geo? Is it a codename, like Geo Sugimoto, is he hiding his real identity?

- With the person who threatened MC and their father with taking the farm, and the Marie Antoinette references, maybe the ‘handsome man’ is Crowe’s father? Hell, maybe even Eries, the fuchsia-eyed celebrity Jess loves. Along with that, the 'moral' I suppose of her biography was along the lines of: change is inevitable, either you deny it, or accept it. It'll happen anyway, what changes is your role and reaction to it (say you choose Crowe, Sol'll lose his marbles; if you choose Sol, Crowe might move on...unless he's also insane but I doubt it).

- Flowers seem to be important symbolism-wise, like the carnation and passionflower mentions made by Crowe (carnations can mean love for someone, or purity if white, or rejection/disappointment if yellow. Passionflowers mean renewal and hope I think). Brugmansia is also a poisonous flower, so it hints to Sol being a ‘poison’ that could kill us.

- I've seen this mentioned by @sweet-herbal-peach-tea (I'm sorry for tagging you anon, I wanted to credit you; also check their theories out as well anons), but I'll add it here anyway: With the prominence of Edgar Allan Poe's 'Annabel Lee', it could hint to Sol having loved us either in a past life...or...maybe we - the MC - look identical to a past lover of his, one who maybe passed; and he's deluded himself into thinking we are them?

Now for my favourite ones:

- The Hallow’s Ball, the event Deryl mentions on the groupchat, is on Friday. Assuming the game will be 7 days long and that Day 1 is Monday, that means Day 5 is crucial. It could be a catalyst, hell it may even decide what ending you get (Fantasia said there’ll probably be about 5, 1 true, 2 good, 2 bad; albeit that could change). Geo mentions he doesn’t want to go, neither does Brittney, but I think she will due to the fact Jess is. It may decide whether you choose Crowe or Sol, along with finalising relations with the other characters. - Hyugo also mentions ‘taking care of Sol for him’, implying his absence…or even death. Hyugo pulls a gun on a person who seems to know him, maybe the boss of a crime syndicate? Hyugo hates injustice, so maybe the missing persons cases are being caused by people Hyugo knows, and he wants to stop them? I think if Hyugo vanishes (hell, it’s already known that he doesn’t always show up to class), so that might be a way to get more info out of Geo.

That’s all I got off the top of my head lol, if it seems janky, I'm sorry. ;^

And uuh...yeah. This is my first Tumblr post so yeah. Love this Visual Novel and cannot wait to see more! (Especially of Geode lmfao).

#the kid at the back sol #geo subaru oogami #sol brugmansia #the kid at the back #tkatb sol #crowe ichabod #jericho crowe ichabod #hyugo sugimoto #tkatb hyugo #the kid at the back hyugo #geo oogami #tkatb vn #brittney claire #jessie sitrus #deryl helianthus #i love this visual novel so much #repost #reminder that geo is superior #geo(de)

[columba1234]

My 16 7 winners from this year Eurovision 2023 (in no particular order)

1, Czechia: Vesna - My Sister's Crown

(this is my earliest personal winner when the songs were selected lol)

2, Finland: Käärijä - Cha Cha Cha

(I once rank it last after the first listen, but after a second time, I regretted it. Käärijä, you are my winner)

3, Latvia: Sudden Lights - Aijā

(If this one doesn't qualify, I'll riot. Anyone who can vote in the 1st semi, please vote number 4 please. Thank you)

4, Spain: Blanca Paloma - Eaea

(Spain is really stepping up for Eurovision this year. From SloMo to Eaea (both of them are really good, I just don't really like SloMo last year), so having Eaea this year is perfect)

5, Slovenia: Joker Out - Carpe Diem

(Ljubjiana 2024? A high chance indeed)

6, Serbia: Luke Black - Samo mi se spava

(Like Spain, Serbia is stepping up their Eurovision quality from last year's success of In Copore Sano. Belgarde 2024 is a high chance too.)

7, Austria: Teya and Salena - Who the hell is Edgar?

(POE. POE. POE. (Why the hell can I almost forget Austria? It's one of your winners, @columba1234))

Honorable mentions:

Moldova: Pasha Perfeni - Soarele și luna

Norway: Alessandra - Queen of Kings

Germany: Lord of the Lost - Blood and Glitter

Malta: The Busker - Dance (Our Own Party)

France: La Zarra - Évidemment

Portugal: Mimicat - Ai coração

Croatia: Let 3 - Mama ŠČ

Ukraine: TVORCHI - Heart of Steel

Australia: Voyager - Promise

(actually, this is my top 16 post lol (and they are soooo good, 2023 is truly a strong year) and Eurovision 2023 is in less than 2 weeks now and I still can't watch semi 1 live due to exams....)

#eurovision #eurovision ranking #eurovision song contest #eurovision 2023 #esc 2023 #esc #vesna #sudden lights #teya and salena #luke black #blanca paloma #käärijä #joker out #pasha parfeni #alessandra mele #lord of the lost #the busker #mimicat #la zarra #let 3 #voyager #tvorchi #my sister's crown #cha cha cha #aijā #eaea #carpe diem #samo mi se spava #who the hell is edgar #soarele și luna

[goldenamberhoney]

Induction

Warnings: Kidnapping (Not exact kidnapping; like the one from Wednesday in the Nightshades)

Pairing: Xavier Thorpe x Addams!fem!reader

Summary: Wednesday rejects the Nightshades but Y/N accepts after a certain someone’s begging.

You had followed Wednesday to the statue, a book being held by Poe immediately drawing your attention to it. “Wednesday, look,” you said, kneeling down to see under it as you pulled out a notebook. “S…N…A…P. Snap. Tw…twice,” you said, writing it all down as you stood up, Wednesday looking a you with a half-proud expression. You stood back, the girl lifting her fingers up and snapping her fingers, the sound echoing.

Immediately, the statue rumbled as we walked through, climbing down the stairs as Wednesday followed you. A book caught your attention as you flicked through the pages, your eyes landing on a tear in the book. “Found it,” you muttered, Wednesday immediately grabbing the book. “Well done, cousin,” she said, touching the tear gently. That was, until, a bag was thrown over your head and you were dragged into a chair.

As much pleasure as it brings you to be in this position, not knowing who you were under the vulnerability of. “Who dares breach our inner sanctum?” a voice asked as the bag was pulled off of your head. And just like that, your hopes were dashed as you looked into Bianca’s eyes. “You can take the mask off, Bianca,” Wednesday said. “Actually I preferred you with it on,” you said as she scoffed.

“How did you get down here?” Xavier asked, looking at you. “Rowan showed us,” you said, not looking at the boy. “Left pocket,” you said as Xavier took the photo out of her map. “Tracked the watermark and then I solved the riddle,” you said. “Wait, there’s a riddle?” Kent asked, confused, “I thought we just snapped twice,”. You scoffed. “Well aren’t you the brightest of the bunch?” Wednesday asked as you sniggered.

“The Nightshades are an elite, social club. Emphasis on elite,” Bianca said. “We have roof parties, campouts and the occasional midnight skinny dip,” Yoko said. “Last I heard, the Nightshades had been disbanded,” you said. “Yeah, the group kinda lost its charter 30 years after some normie kid died,” Xavier said, shrugging. “Weems looks the other way as long as no one makes any waves,” Yoko said.

“What are we gonna do with them?” Divina asked, as Xavier stood up. “I think we should induct them. They have a legacy,” he said, pointing to our mother. “Let me save you the trouble, I’m not interested in joining,” Wednesday said, making Yoko frown. “You’re seriously turning us down?” she asked, confused. “Can you believe it?” she said, sarcastically as Xavier turned to you. “Y/N….you as well?” he asked, a look of almost sadness on his face. “I…” you said, not knowing how to respond.

“Untie her,” Bianca said, pointing at you. “I freed myself 5 minutes ago,” you said, dropping the rope. “It’s upto you, I’m leaving, Y/N,” Wednesday snapped as you turned to follow her. Xavier stepped in front of you, his hand blocking your way as you glared at him. “Y/N, please,” he said, hands on your shoulders. “Why?” you asked, the word more of a statement than a question. “If it means you’ll stop ruining my coat,” you said, brushing his hand off of your coat and walking away, so he couldn’t see the smile on your face.

A/N - What the hell is this. It’s so bad 😭😭😭

#xavier thorpe #xavier thorpe x reader #xavier thorpe x y/n #xavier thorpe imagine #xavier thrope x reader

[writingallthetimee]

okay so here's my timeline :) i got a little tired near the end so let's pretend it's finished (i promise i have a life)

Ep 1

Sunday 18th September - she arrives at Nevermore - this would only make it mid-September, which I’d say makes sense because even though Weems says it’s “mid-term” (9:05), she could just mean they don’t usually accept students once a term has already started 

Monday 19th Sep - she goes to therapy, meets Tyler, plays the cello- I’m assuming this is the next day bc that makes the most sense 

Saturday 24th Sep - fair we know this is the weekend because Wednesday says there's the fair this weekend, plus it has to be Saturday because there's a whole day of no lessons right after in EP2 

Ep 2

Still Saturday 24th Sep - searching for the body after fair

Sunday 25th Sep - rowan shows up again 

Monday 26th Sep - Poe cup - Bianca says “I can’t wait to wait to crush Ophelia Hall tomorrow” in Xavier’s room at 29:34 

Ep 3

Still Monday 26th Sep - nightshades kidnap

Tuesday 27th Sep - Outreach day

Ep 4

Thursday 29th Sep - Wed goes to the morgue - she says it’s Thursday at 1:24  

Friday 30th Sep - Wednesday shows enid her board, class, people plan dates

Saturday 1st October - rave’n - Thornhill says “I know you’re all excited about Saturday at 6:06 

Ep 5

Next Saturday 8th Oct - parent-teacher, grave digging - Bianca says “I thought you were gonna apologise for acting like a complete jerk last week” 

Sunday 9th Oct - Gomez innocent 

Ep 6

Next Saturday night 15th Oct - Wednesday’s party

Sunday 16th Oct - Wednesday gets snood (enid says, ‘they asked me to give it to you on parents' evening’, Lucas was grounded since parents' evening) then they break into Gates Mansion

I’m going to assume this is the 16th of October, I also like the idea of her birthday being in the month of Halloween

So October 13th 2006 falls on a Friday, making it line up that she’s born on Friday the 13th (8:20 EP1). We know the show takes place in 2022 because the flashback to her parents’ rave’n banner shows the date 1990 and Wednesday says “32 years ago”.

So I’m saying that her birthday was on Thursday the 13th of October 2022, but her friends didn’t celebrate until the weekend when they had the time to throw the party etc. 

Ep 7

Saturday 22nd Oct - Mayor’s funeral, Fester arrives, date with Tyler - fully assuming this since there isn’t any evidence of when the funeral took place but usually, funerals take place a week after deaths so this probably makes the most sense 

Sunday 23rd Oct - Kinbott dies, Wednesday finds out about the real Hyde

Ep 8

Still Sunday 23rd Oct - Torturing Tyler, “To lose”

#might edit this later #to finish ep 8 #wednesday #wednesday addams #wyler #wenclair #tyler galpin #frankiespeaks #enid sinclair #s1

[unganseylike]

 Hi y’all! As promised, here’s my 2023 reading wrap-up – my reviews and thoughts about some of the books I read this year :) As a heads up, some of these reviews may contain very very vague and mild spoilers just because I personally feel like it’s impossible to give a good sense of my thoughts on media without that; so I’ll list the books I’m going to include in the order mentioned above the cut in case you want to 100% avoid any potential spoilers. Another disclaimer- these reviews are each quite different in content; my goal was to give a synopsis (except for a few I didn’t feel were worth my time), give my thoughts and mostly-non-spoilery takeaways, and connect to an overarching theme of this post. My initial goal was to write like 2 sentences for each book, but that definitely is not what happened. This is a long post. A long post where I gave into my inner booktuber and wrote like I was doing a video. I enjoyed writing this, but. It’s a lot. You might not enjoy reading it.

If you’ve read these books, I’d love to hear what you all thought…Since these are all books I read this year, I haven’t gotten to re-read any yet, and I’d love to have some new things to think about when I do! Please tell me if you check out these books after reading my list <3

Also…let me know if you have any books you’d recommend. I think this list might just give a sense of my picky taste. 

I’d like to give a shoutout the love of my life, Libby, for making this possible.

Books, in order of mention, with numerical ratings: 

What Moves the Dead- T. Kingfisher: 5/10

The Hollow Places- T. Kingfisher: 6.5/10

The Hacienda- Isabel Cañas: 9/10

The Honeys- Ryan La Sala: 7/10

I’m Thinking of Ending Things- Iain Reid: 7.5/10

The Ruins- Scott Smith: 3.5/10

The Cabin at the End of the World- Paul Tremblay: 4.5/10

The Beautiful Ones- Silvia Moreno-Garcia: 4/10

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau- Silvia Moreno-Garcia: 6/10

Where Ivy Dares to Grow- Marielle Thompson: 5/10

Beloved- Toni Morrison and The Turn of the Screw- Henry James (brief discussion, no ratings)

Paris Is a Party, Paris Is a Ghost- David Hoon Kim: 8.5/10

The Fragile Threads of Power- V.E. Schwab: 4/10

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue- V.E. Schwab: 4/10

When the Angels Left the Old Country- Sacha Lamb: 6.5/10

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes- Suzanne Collins: 8.5/10

Project Hail Mary- Andry Weir: no rating because didn’t finish (bad)

Station Eleven- Emily St. John Mandel: 7.5/10

Severance- Ling Ma: 9/10

Annihilation- Jeff VanderMeer: 9.5/10

The Archive of Alternate Endings: Lindsey Drager: 8/10

Ok, let’s kick this off with my first category: horror and/or I read this because I thought it was horror but it wasn’t. Over the last two years or so, I’ve gotten into reading horror–ish books, because I like the genre expectations, and it freaks me out less to read it than watch it.

Over the summer, I decided to check out T. Kingfisher. I’d heard good stuff about her as a horror author. I first read What Moves the Dead. This is an adaptation of Edgar Allen Poe’s short story “The Fall of the House of Usher.” Both this book and the new Netflix show are pretty different from the original and each other, but of the two adaptations, What Moves the Dead is probably closer in tone and setting (19th century countryside, gothic elements), but that’s mainly because the Netflix show has barely anything to do with the original (thanks Mike Flanagan!). Like the original, the plot kicks off with the narrator receiving a letter from the Ushers asking for help, leading them to travel to a crumbling manor. On the other hand, Kingfisher’s book does casually take place in what must be an alternate reality; it’s set in the fictional country Ruritania, and the narrator, Alex, is from another fictional country Gallicia. This world building mainly functions to normalize nonbinary identity and unique sets of pronouns. This does play into the plot, but I feel like it wasn’t necessary to create a fictional culture just for this, or otherwise it should’ve played more of a role in the story…like the narrator could’ve just said ka uses neopronouns and it would’ve been more straightforward than creating whole new countries. This worldbuilding aspect was probably my biggest issue with the book (though of course I love cool linguistic discussions about pronouns and gender!), maybe along with the random cameos by Eugenia Potter (as in, relative of thee Beatrix Potter, of Peter Rabbit fame). There are some great creepy bits with fungus, rot, rabbits, and corpses. There are some similarities to the fungal horror in Mexican Gothic (which T. Kingfisher actually discusses in the appendix), but it’s not quite the same – either way, we love the crossover between fungus and gothic lit! Overall, certainly a far better adaptation of Poe’s story than Mike Flanagan’s, but some of the original content seemed out of place, while other original aspects needed more fleshing out. 5/10. 

I decided to try another book by T. Kingfisher, The Hollow Places, which I had heard really good things about! This one’s an adaptation of the novella “The Willows” by Algernon Blackwood, which features some sinister willows and cosmic horror (fun fact: I read the novella because Algernon Blackwood is where Martin Blackwood of TMA gets his last name) (fun fact 2: read “The Willows” it fucks. it’s free on project gutenberg). Unlike What Moves the Dead, Hollow Places takes place very much in the present, following a recently divorced woman who moves into her uncle’s museum of oddities. She and her GBF (okay, actually, he’s the eccentric middle aged neighbor who is a barista at the cafe the narrator goes to get wifi, but he does feel a bit gay best friend cliche to me) slip through a hole in reality to an in-between dimension full of willow-y islands…and hungry eldritch beings beyond their perception. Please appreciate that full sentence. I really liked the times while the duo was in this other place, but some of the moments in their own dimension felt a bit discordant; I honestly think it’s because their present was so modern. Like it felt weird to read them discussing memes after exploring a deadly pocket world. But maybe that’s the point of setting horror/fantasy in the modern world instead of a vague past. Despite this complaint, I actually think this a better adaptation in comparison to What Wakes the Dead, with original content nicely expanding on aspects of the novella. I did kinda hate the climax, but I’ll ignore that and rate this 6.5/10. When you fear getting torn apart by terrifying otherworldly beings, it really does put your ex-husband’s annoying texts into perspective. 

Before I get back to mid books, let’s talk about one I really liked: The Hacienda from Isabel Cañas. I actually wrote a few notes about this right when I read it because I knew I wanted to share something about it eventually. Those notes were: “cinematic, especially in flashbacks, not so typical final girl or just female protag period.” Which was not that helpful for writing this review because I don’t remember wtf I was talking about, but I’ll try to interpret past-Julia for you all. The book takes place after the Mexican War for Independence, during which the father of the main character, Beatriz, was executed. So, with her and her mother dependent on the goodwill of their cruel estranged family, Beatriz happily accepts a proposal from a hacienda owner and is ready to prove herself a capable homemaker. But, there’s something deeply wrong with the house, something that wants Beatriz dead. The only one that believes her is the priest Andrés, who has recently returned to the area, where his beloved grandmother had taught him witchcraft and had been a pillar of the community. He struggles to keep his witchcraft secret, while protecting Beatriz and trying to take on his grandmother’s mantle. I think I enjoyed nearly every moment of this book! I got a little stuck on the beginning, but once I got through the first few chapters, I was so invested in the story and was really following the ups and downs as Beatriz tries to solve the mystery and escape some evil shit. I loved the main characters, especially the women and Beatriz’s role as a gothic/horror heroine (hence the “not so typical final girl” note?), and I remember being surprised by the actions of characters I thought I was rooting for! Also, it must be said. Hot. Priest. I’m not generally a big fan of romances, but it worked for me lol. And, as I said in my notes, some scenes were so cinematic- I could picture exactly how they’d play out in a (good) movie. 9/10! I need to reread this, it was one of my favorite books I read this year! 

Around the same time, I read The Honeys by Ryan La Sala, and also had written down some terrible notes (adding some punctuation to make it semi-readable): “the horror of hypermasculinity, hyperfemininity, and the gender binary, bees, mean girl cliques, superorganisms like bees and aspen and rot. Actually very similar to midsommar in terms of grieving protag and sunlight horror and uhhhh joining a cult. Also I learned the term social horror.” I think that says it all…but I’ll give a more clear summary. When Mars’ twin sister dies terribly, he decides to attend her preppy summer camp in her place to reconnect with her memory and learn about her strange violent death. Mars is genderfluid and has always struggled in his political and public-facing family, thus resulting in his parents placing their hopes and confidence in his sister. But at Aspen Conservatory, Mars finds himself drawn away from the traditional gender roles of the camp and toward his sister’s elite and insular female friend group, the Honeys. They seem to accept Mars as one of their own, but what exactly does that mean? Overall, I really enjoyed the book, especially for all the creepy stuff that happens by daylight. It’s a great example of social horror; the gender binary sure is sinister in this book! I had a few complaints though. I thought Mars was a fun protagonist, but I didn’t always understand his motivations and occasionally he felt a bit annoying to me…but he is a teenager who has just witnessed his sister’s horrific death, so perhaps that behavior was intentional. I wasn’t a fan of the mystery reveal/conclusion, it felt a bit out-of-left-field to me, but maybe I just missed something. Also, it was a little too YA for me at this point in my life (though I wouldn’t actually classify it as strictly YA, if that makes sense), but I’m picky about genre, as you will see in these reviews. 7/10– after writing this review, I’m definitely considering rereading so I can see if I pick up on more foreshadowing!

I had a note saved for my next book I’m Thinking of Ending Things (Iain Reid), but it’s a spoiler for the entire thing so I won’t share. All I’ll say is, it was a joke about final girls…you’ll get it if you read it. I read this after trying to watch the movie on Netflix and giving up because it was boring in a discomfiting way (the stilted conversation and repetition was all intentional but it was getting to me), but I still wanted to know what happened and figured the things that bothered me in a film media wouldn’t be problematic in a book. I honestly don’t know how to describe this because it’s super surrealist and very easy to spoil with any of my personal takeaways. Most basic summary of all time: a woman questioning her relationship with her new boyfriend decides to go on a road trip to meet his parents. I actually recommend watching the movie trailer to see whether you’d like the book, because it gives a good sense of the inexplicable weird and tense vibe and atmospheric horror. 7.5/10 because reading this made me feel itchy. It was supposed to make me uneasy, and it sure did the job.

Ok, next are two books I don’t feel like describing in depth because they were mid/bleh. The first is The Ruins, by Scott Smith. I just learned they made a movie of this? I was thinking that it would actually work better as a movie than a book, but apparently it did terribly in theaters. Quick summary- four young American tourists in Mexico explore Mayan ruins in search of a fellow traveler, but become trapped on a hill covered with man-eating vines. The official summary mentions “a creeping horror” and “the terrifying presence that lurks there,” so I want to explicitly say that the big bad is man-eating vines because I was expecting something a bit deeper based on the blurb. I’d classify this as survivalist/nature/psychological horror and want to note it’s pretty gory. I’d give 3.5/10. It’s fine, but not what I look for out of the horror genre. 

The second book is The Cabin at the End of the World (Paul Tremblay). I saw really good reviews for this (btw there’s also a movie, which I haven’t watched but apparently is very different), but it also wasn’t all that interesting to me. I honestly don’t remember the plot very well/don’t feel like I have anything to write about it, so you might be better off looking it up, sorry. I’d give 4.5/10 though. 

Next, we have a few books that fit under the “I read these thinking they’d be horror” umbrella. This is my own fault for assuming Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s other books would be similar to Mexican Gothic. I would say I mainly didn’t like these books because I thought they were going to be a different genre, so take my word with a grain of salt. I read Moreno-Garcia’s The Beautiful Ones and The Daughter of Doctor Moreau over the summer. The Beautiful Ones is what I learned is called a “novel of manners,” where the quirky main character must navigate elite society to search for a suitor. The twist is that this takes place in a historical fantasy universe– the main character and her love interest have telepathic powers. I wish that the fantasy elements were more smoothly incorporated; I think this book could’ve been much better as magical realism. Even if the author didn’t want magic to be the main focus but for it to still be included in the story, magical realism would make that possible! I’d give 4/10, but that’s partially because I’m not really interested in the genre; if you like romance or YA fantasy with a twist, this might be fun, but I unfortunately do not! 

I somehow made the same mistake with The Daughter of Doctor Moreau. Okay, actually this one might’ve been a result of requesting it on Libby months before, then forgetting what it was by the time I got the book. This one I liked a bit better because the story had more interesting political meaning and is sci-fi/historical fiction, but it still wasn’t 100% for me. It’s inspired by H.G. Wells’ The Island of Doctor Moreau, which I haven’t read, so I can’t comment on this as an adaptation. It takes place at a hacienda in 19th century Yucatan, Mexico, where Dr. Moreau experiments making human/animal hybrids and cares for his sickly daughter, Carlota; beyond their estate, a Mayan rebellion is mounting. The plot kicks off as the Moreau’s resources dwindle, and they hope to resolve their financial troubles with a union between Carlota and their patron’s son…but, of course, things are not what they seem at the hacienda. I enjoyed reading the book, mainly for the commentary on connections between colonialism and patriarchy, and was definitely invested in the story, but I think it just wasn't my taste– all in all, though, 6/10.

One more book in this category, but this one’s not actually my fault. This one actually mentions Mexican Gothic in the description just to fuck with me I guess. Where the Ivy Dares to Grow (Marielle Thompson) does indeed intentionally use gothic tropes and subverts them, which I guess is cool, if you don’t carry a sense of betrayal about getting gothic lit baited :/ Saoirse travels with her fiance to his family’s ancestral manor as his mother reaches the end of her life, but his parents have nothing but contempt for Saoirse. Plus, the passion has long since cooled between her and her fiance, especially as he has grown exasperated with her mental illness that causes her to disconnect from reality. Though the manor seems unwelcoming at first, she eventually grows attuned to its idiosyncrasies, and begins to slip back in time to meet her fiance’s charming ancestor. While I found a lot of this book frustrating (not just because of the genre betrayal…), I did like the incorporation of a protagonist with a dissociative disorder (specifically, Depersonalization-Derealization Disorder) into a fantasy genre. I think many times with fantasy, characters will question their sanity, only to be reassured with the realization of the truth of their magical reality. Here, the fantasy setting doesn’t negate Saoirse's struggle with mental illness, or vice versa. I think the conclusion was well done in this vein, and it increased my perception of the whole book. Despite my bitterness. 5/10. 

Before we leave the horror genre, I want to mention 3 books I read during my ghost fixation this spring, which don’t 100% fit as horror, but y'know, ghosts. I read Beloved (Toni Morrison) for the first time ever! There’s a million things online/in literature about Beloved, it’s a classic, nothing unique I can say, other than it’s so so incredible and who am I to give it a rating. My class read The Turn of the Screw (Henry James), which is the 1898 novella that “Haunting of Bly Manor” is based on (once again, Mike Flanagan is out here making wild adaptations…). We discussed it through a queer theory lens, and I recommend reading it with attention to sexuality and innocence, and how interrogating these things can be deeply violating. 

I read an excerpt of David Hoon Kim’s Paris Is a Party, Paris Is a Ghost for that same class, and I liked it so much that I read the whole book. Fun fact- half of the title alludes to the poem “Ghost Q&A” by Anne Carson, which I actually used in a web weaving post (here’s the relevant line: “A: have you been to Paris; Q: no; A: Paris is a ghost; Q: no it’s not”).  It plays with nonlinear time, since ghosts classically disrupt the progression of time and the definition of a “present;” us trc folks are quite familiar with that… The book follows (in the most ghostly use of the word) Henrik, a Japanese adoptee raised by Danish parents, an expat living in Paris. To top off the layers of identity and belonging, Henrik begins working for a blind physicist (i.e., someone who can’t see and question his ethnic background) as a translator between English and French, neither of which is his first language. The book is divided into three parts across Henrik’s life; the first centers around the implications of his girlfriend’s hikikomori. The third part focuses on Henrik later in adulthood, which I personally found less engaging than the other two (which I REALLY liked), but that may just be me and my interests as a young person, and that was my only issue with the book. I’d say this book is for fans of nonlinear storytelling, ghosts (of course), interrogation of identity, language and the art of translation, ambiguity, and weird shit. 8.5/10. Also I have a pdf of the first chapter (from when I read it for class), so DM me if you want to read a sample. 

Finally, we are done with horror (or are we? More on that later).

Next is a category I call “YA/YA adjacent/adult fantasy/gave me YA vibes sorry I know this is a controversial classification but that’s how I think of it.” 

I’ve already made two petty posts about the two V.E. Schwab books I read this year , The Fragile Threads of Power and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (here’s one post, can’t find the other now). They were…fine. First, Fragile Threads– it’s a spinoff series (?) from A Darker Shade of Magic, which I read a while ago and liked but forgot the details, so I think I’m a pretty good objective reviewer here. This new book takes place seven years after the original series and follows the original main characters and a few new ones. I think it was a good choice to have this fairly hefty time skip. The original characters are now in their late 20s/early 30s, which is unusual in the genre (or often post-time skip, the characters’ issues will be suddenly all solved and they’re all comfortably settled into adult life and domesticity). On the other hand, the new main characters are both tween girls, which felt like a strange choice and made everything feel kinda disconnected. I would’ve liked to spend more time with the new characters; the older set had pretty disproportionate screen time (perhaps Schwab felt readers who are big fans of ADSOM would be unhappy otherwise?). The major plot beats felt really rushed and unearned (especially the resolution of one of the major conflicts offscreen…if you’ve read it you know what I mean). When the next books in this new series come out, I’ll check them out, but I’m not that invested. 4/10. Regarding Addie LaRue, yea it was mid and I don’t feel like delving into it. readwithcindy has a video about the whiteness of the book  and books like it, which is worth checking out. Also 4/10. I still don’t believe that every person in the world would feel compelled to COMMENT ON ADDIE’S FUCKING FRECKLES WHAT IS SO SPECIAL ABOUT HAVING SEVEN FRECKLES I DON’T GET IT??????? Anyway. 

As per many tumblr recommendations, I read When the Angels Left the Old Country (Sacha Lamb). It’s a queer Jewish immigrant story that follows an angel and demon who are chavrusas (Talmudic study partners); they leave their shtetl for America to find and help a girl from their village. Along the way and through their time in America, they explore things like free will, gender, names and identity, labor justice, and fucking up rich people. I felt like this was a good historical fantasy, and I’m always up for Jewish fantasy! I’m not super into the angel and/or demon thing I know tumblr people like, so fans of those tumblr posts that are like “an angel is actually high tension wires” would probably like this. 6.5/10 - not 100% my taste, but definitely a fun read and I can’t believe this is the only really Jewish book I read this year. Someone tell me about more Jewish books please. 

There’s a couple other books I read in this category, but I don’t feel strongly about commenting on them (and we definitely don’t need to discuss the fact I read two game of thrones books in like a week for no reason), so let’s move on to my next set, sci-fi/apocalypse-y/dystopia. 

I read A Ballad of Snakes and Songbirds early this year. Obviously lots of people have been discussing it recently because of the movie, so all I’ll say is that I was pleasantly surprised. I was nervous it might be another pointless spinoff about a villain’s backstory (and trying to justify their actions), but this is definitely not that. This book had shit to say, and it was really well done. 8.5/10. 

I want to start the rest of this category with a book I didn’t like before getting into books in this genre that I felt worked so much better, at least for me. My brother sent me a paragraph-long text with a glowing review of Project Hail Mary (Andy Weir). He’s not a big texter, so I figured I had to check it out- I joined the long long waiting list for the book. And, I couldn’t get through it. I really tried, but everything about it annoyed me so much, despite the fact I had liked The Martian which is a fairly similar style. First, the narrator exemplifies the worst of scientist characters; while reading this book, I posted several times to complain about this problem. If you haven’t seen my many personal posts about my life, I currently work in a microbiology lab and ultimately want to become a research scientist. I regularly interact with truly incredible scientists, people I aspire to be like one day. But if I asked my supervisor to calculate a star’s orbit in her head, I think she might slap me. I really don’t think you can write a realistic scientist who is an expert in every subject, and the weirdly humble and immature attitude of the book’s narrator pissed me off more because of this. The fact he claims to be a microbiologist but seems to do everything but microbiology is beyond the point…It would be much more interesting to me to have the narrator find himself so out of his depth in a time of crisis and/or when alone in space. Of course, this would require some more creativity to move the plot forward, but that could be really cool! My other major reason for not finishing was the actual apocalyptic conflict. This was more a personal thing for me than a book problem; the conflict is a bit convoluted, but not bad in itself. Honestly, reading about an all-consuming response to a planetary crisis was just overwhelming and some aspects of their stopgap solutions made me physically nauseous (I don’t want to give specific spoilers but uh. I think the idea of what happens with the Sahara and Antarctica were what actually made me finally stop reading). On the other hand, it made me so sad to think about a reality where such a crisis warrants the appropriate response. We have a real planetary threat on our hands, and we can’t even mobilize the bare minimum measures because of the same capitalist and exploitative motivations that have driven climate change this whole time. This second unrealistic aspect gave me a good dose of climate doom. I can’t rate the book because I didn’t finish, but I’d be really interested to hear your thoughts on this one, since I don’t understand why it has been so praised. 

I do think it’s possible to more realistically handle the idea of proportionate crisis response and normalcy/lack thereof in an apocalypse situation. We have all been living through a pandemic and have all personally experienced how quickly the definition of “life as normal” can change, as well as seen our world’s failure to raise a just and appropriate response when profit is in the picture. I’ve felt pretty sensitive to how fiction handles these topics, and I have a few broad  categories for pandemic media: pre-COVID and eerily accurate or pre-COVID and absolutely inaccurate; post-COVID and insensitive (it gives the audience a little elbow, like “hey we all remember THAT right, look, it’s been incorporated into this story lol!”) or post-COVID and tastefully incorporates some interesting insight or post-COVID and ignores the whole thing (though it’s a different question whether you can create something fully new without incorporating lived experience even subconsciously) (as another note, I want to add that before 2020, I was really into the science history of pandemics, but haven’t done much reading on that front since) (also, when I say post-COVID, I mean post-outbreak. COVID rates are soaring right now, let’s stop ignoring this. While we’re in a parenthetical, please get the new vaccine if it is accessible to you). 

Both Station Eleven (Emily St. John Mandel) and Severance (Ling Ma) were indeed published prior to 2019, and so they fit into category #1. Reading them this year actually felt really valuable and almost cathartic, rather than anxiety-inducing. Station Eleven loosely follows several people who are connected by their involvement in a production of King Lear immediately before the outbreak of a deadly flu. The fairly extensive glimpses into their lives prior to and after the outbreak round out really nicely. I like that we see such a range of ages of characters. One of the main characters was a young child when the flu started, and most of her screen time takes place twenty years after; only a small fraction of her life took place in what the older characters view as “normal” times. So what does that mean for people like her (or those born after the outbreak)? Should she be mourning something she experienced for just a few years? Her whole life has taken place during a period of apparent transition, but what is the world transitioning to? When does a transition end? After twenty years, there’s a sense of peace and predictivity to her reality- isn’t that a sort of normalcy? I also really liked the way all the characters were loosely connected to one another; there are lots of books with such setups, but I like that this connection doesn’t entail some great mystery or a climactic meet-up. Connection is just how the world works. 7.5/10; it left me with things to think about, but it was a bit of a slow read for me at some points.

While I read Station Eleven because I saw my lovely mutual posting about it, I read Severance because my coworker posted about it…but what are mutuals if not coworkers. It is similarly made up of pre- and post- outbreak scenes, but it follows only one character, Candace Chen (interesting quote from a New Yorker article about this choice: “...Ma flouts a trope of dystopian fiction, a genre that, with its fixation on the fate of civilization, has a tendency to produce protagonists meant to stand in for society at large. Rather than an Average Joe, Ma gives us a Specific Chen, conjuring an experience of the apocalypse through the lens of someone whose variegated identity is not an exotic distraction but part of the novel’s architecture”). These scenes of the past are less strictly cohesive flashbacks, and more snippets of Candace’s dispassionate existence. When the epidemic breaks out, she keeps working her corporate job in bible manufacturing in New York City, even as her superiors and coworkers leave or fall ill, even as the city’s infrastructure crumbles and she moves into her office, until she eventually is rescued by a band of survivors. Candace is a cog in a machine, otherwise adrift and lonely in late-stage capitalism. The Shen Fever isn’t a disease where the victims fall ill and die, leaving the sight of the narrative; the fevered linger, acting out loops of their daily/familiar routines until they finally wear themselves ragged and die. So, there definitely is more cutting, explicit criticism of consumerism and capitalist society in Severance than Station Eleven. It’s also more psychological (and ambiguous). While Station Eleven gave me a sense of peace and calm occasionally, I never felt that here, where the non-fictional aspects of life under late-stage capitalism is inseparable from the book’s fictional dystopian elements (perhaps the difference in tone between the two books is because Station Eleven is about connection, and Severance’s narrator exemplifies the disconnection wrought by capitalism). There’s not really a sense of urgency or stress, though. In my opinion, that’s because (as many of us have experienced) when crisis is happening all the time, people become exhausted and adjust their idea of normalcy to some level of tragedy. Between the symptoms of the fever and Candace’s commitment to work a pointless job through a pandemic, this book really did eerily reflect the world’s insistence on “life as normal” during the beginning of COVID. There is so much more to talk about with Severance (I was mainly focusing on how it compares in regard to a sense of normalcy in crisis, but there’s SO much interesting stuff in it- I didn’t mention at all, for example, the role of immigration), and I highly recommend checking it out if you don’t mind an uncomfortably realistic sense of impending capitalistic doom! 9/10.

These three apocalypse books all used scenes set before, during, and after the onset of a crisis, so it’s interesting to me that they have such different relationships with normalcy. I’d be super intrigued to hear what y’all think about these books (or other similar ones) and their very different treatment of the same themes.

Sorry for the mini book report there. It’s time for me to talk about one last sci-fi book, which was actually one of my top books of the year- Annihilation (Jeff VanderMeer). I read this after I finished my last finals of my university career, and I finally had some time to myself. It was a strange and liminal sort of period for me, existing in this space for two weeks where I was just anticipating graduation and my move to a new city, a looming end to life as I had known it the last 4 years. I spent several evenings sitting on the quad, enjoying the nice May weather, and barely noticing as the sun set and it grew dark around me. I really expected nothing from Annihilation and couldn’t believe how much I loved it. For one, it gives me hope that scientist characters don’t have to be awful (unlike Project Hail Mary’s protagonist, the narrator here sticks within her field and even explicitly mentions being recently refreshed on the scientific topics relevant to the story). I don’t know what genre you would call this– it’s like 60% horror 40% sci-fi (but I couldn’t bear to add another book in the horror section, that’s why it’s in here, and also I wanted another jab at Project Hail Mary’s protagonist); it’s cosmic horror, where the incomprehensible thing is biology and the strange inhuman beauty of nature. The narrator is simply called The Biologist, a woman who is absolutely fascinated about the natural world; she’d be satisfied staring into a puddle in a parking lot for hours. I love her. She joins a mission, made up of women also referred to simply by their fields, to learn more about the mysterious environmental disaster zone called Area X. The movie’s description calls this a “mysterious zone where the laws of nature don’t apply,” but I think the Biologist would say the exact opposite. The story, told through her field journal, records the team’s investigation into Area X and the terribly strange and beautiful things she encounters there; meanwhile, she reluctantly reveals her not-so-scientifically-objective motives for signing up for this doomed expedition. You’ve probably heard of the movie and/or seen gifs of its beautiful visuals; this is one of the cases where the movie is pretty good (and Oscar Isaac is there), but it’s really a completely different piece of media than the book- I recommend reading the book as a separate entity than the movie. This one is a 9.5/10! Once I reread and better understand the conclusion, I’d probably add that 0.5 points back. Has anyone read anything similar to Annihilation they recommend? I need more of a funky scientist interacting with surreal natural horror. 

Ok, one last book that I would consider miscellaneous to my categories here, but theoretically could be scifi? 

I read The Archive of Alternate Endings (Lindsey Drager) after seeing a quote from it in a tumblr post. In fact, you might’ve seen the post I recently made with a different excerpt from it. I finished it just before the new year so that I could fit it in here and give it the honorary place of the last book :) Archive combines a lot of things I know y’all like: the circularity of time, folktales, web weaving, siblings, tragedy, nautilus shells, etc. Since we’re at the end of this post, I’ll give a better go of describing an experimental book: a natural history of storytelling, as traced through the tale of “Hansel and Gretel” and Halley’s comet. Not sure if that makes sense, but essentially, Archive reveals the human connections at each 74 year interval of the comet’s orbit, from 1378 to 2365, through revisiting the meaning of “Hansel and Gretel” to different pairs of siblings. Compared to other works that attempt to do the grand connections across time and space thing, Archive does this very well, probably because this structure is not an afterthought and it’s not a tool to build anticipation of the characters meeting- it’s the thesis statement. One thing I did have trouble with was the incorporation of real historical figures into this piece, especially considering its structure. I was able to more easily digest some of the historical liberties taken than others; I didn’t mind the historical figures and original nameless characters separately, but it was strange to see Ruth Coker Burks (though she’s not named explicitly) interact with a pair of fictional siblings. 8/10. Other than that issue, I think this book worked well and was a great last read for 2023!

I said that was the last book, right? Sorry.

I realized I’ve never posted here about one of my favorite books, and I want to use this as the chance to talk about it, if anyone’s still reading at this point. 

I read A Tale for the Time Being (Ruth Ozeki) in the spring of 2022. I learned about this book because someone had left it in a classroom I was teaching in, and I thought the title was great, so I took a picture of the cover and eventually searched for it at the library. How’s that for fate? Here’s a brief summary. A novelist with writer’s block finds a journal that has washed ashore. Alongside the novelist’s annotations, we read the words of Nao, a Japanese teenager. Nao has decided to kill herself, but first she wants to do something that’ll matter: write about the incredible life of her great-grandmother, a hundred year old Buddhist nun. Despite her best attempts to focus on her grandmother, Nao ends up using the journal as a diary, documenting the events of her own life that have led her to plan a suicide. While Nao’s life and her intentions are obviously extremely bleak, she writes with a delightfully bright and peppy voice that makes her journal both a pleasure to read and that much more devastating, as we quickly begin to care deeply for Nao. The novelist’s parts of the book are objectively weaker than Nao’s, but her role as helplessly studying the journal years in the future is definitely necessary for the book to work (plus she’s the framing device). I do want to note content warnings for Tale; suicide, of course, but also I was surprised by brutality of Nao’s bullying (I’d loosely define some of it as torture) and the escalation of events toward the end. So adding some less obvious CWs in case people wanna check it out: graphic depictions of bullying; sexual assault; racist fetishization of Japanese women; child neglect; and lots of discussion of suicide. Beyond that, I’d add that this book is just absolutely packed full of everything, which can make it seem occasionally a bit all over the place, but it’s all connected, so it’s worth it to try to follow the various threads. From reviews I see online, some people LOVE this book, others hate it, so it might be an acquired taste…but personally, I recall it as one of the best books I’ve read and am going to take this as motivation to finally reread it. 

Right, now we are done. So what are the takeaways of this ridiculously long post ? Here are few bits of wisdom I learned from my 2023 reading: You have got to read the originals that adaptations are based on because Mike Flanagan and co will fuck around with the source material, but also because knowledge of the source material can add a lot to your understanding of an adaptation you enjoy (and there’s usually a reason someone found them worthwhile of adaptation). Screwing with time can work incredibly well in any genre, but it will come off as cheap if the author doesn’t get the implications of non-linear time and just wants an excuse for excessive flashbacks. There is good pandemic fiction out there, you just have to avoid cringey COVID-derivative material. Stop making your scientist characters be experts in everything, and start making them obsessed weirdos. And take better notes than a string of adjectives if you want to write in-depth book reviews. 

Thanks for bearing with me through this post! Let me know what you think! Did you read these books? Agree with me or disagree with every word? Do you have any recommendations for me? Read something good with a ghost in it? Or do you want to share books from this year you hated? And should I channel my inner booktuber and do more posts like this?

Happy New Year!

Julia

#hi guys! i said this was long right? because its really long #i was possessed by the spirit of insanity and book blogger #this was one of the few times where me taking forever to finish something wasnt because gave up. it was because i wrote so much

[glorious-blackout]

I was tagged by the lovely @aeolianblues to list 5 songs I’ve been listening to lately, thank you! 🥰 

I have to confess, I’ve been on such a Eurovision 2023 fix lately that my normal music taste has taken a backseat 😅 Here are some of my fave entries from this year (so far):

Käärijä - Cha Cha Cha (what can I say? It’s crazy. It’s party. And I am ridiculously excited to see it live in May 😍)

Blanca Paloma - Eaea (particularly the live version. I am not immune to beautiful women with immaculate vocals...)

Voyager - Promise (synth metal in Eurovision? A keytar solo? Sign me up!)

Lord Of The Lost - Blood And Glitter (Germany are taking fun risks again! Hallelujah 😂🥰)

Teya and Salena - Who the Hell is Edgar? (I haven’t been able to get the ‘Poe Poe Poe Edgar Allan Edgar Allan Poe’ hook out of my head and I’m not even mad about it)

Tagging: @rock-n-roll-fantasy, @alexturne, @thespiritofvexation, @see-sawed, @chrysochromulina, @elorianna and anyone else who wants to do this! 🥰

#I could have kept going for ages - I love so many songs from this year #sadly not including the UK's entry but Mae Muller is such a gem of a human that I'm rooting for her anyway #other non-ESC songs that have been on repeat include Depeche Mode's 'Never Let Me Down Again' and Royal Blood's 'Limbo' #and Thanya Iyer's 'slow burn' courtesy of aeolianblues; my shuffle keeps playing it and it's such a beautiful song #tag game

[foxilayde]

What’s ur fav thing about Oscar Isaac and why?

Oh damn that’s a really good question and no one has ever asked me that before…

I’ll just catalog some moments off the top of my head that made my heart all “🥴 🥰”

SW press when he went off about how Poe was not human in the way that we understand humans and that he is categorically an ALIEN.

Darth Raisin. Drag Queen Name “Raisin”. Iykyk.

in SFAM when he sings ‘The Sandman The Brakeman And Me’ to Ava. Bro. That MoF album defined my entire LIFE.

And when he sang ‘5 Years’ at that charity event! ASDFHJDDDGJKJKL!!!

That time he insisted Elvira accompany him on the red carpet even though she wasn’t dressed for it, he kept his arm around her waist. 😭

When he talked about taking mushrooms in Budapest with his brother and they danced with god.

Him being terrified of the Jesus knocking at the United Nations painting in his childhood home.

The fact that he’s not on social media and respects his children’s autonomy and doesn’t show their faces.

That he’s such a loyal friend to Brian Pestos he still fucking does his dumbass movies 😭

He’s at the HEIGHT of his career rn and taking valuable MONTHS off to do a PLAY. Which is farrr less lucrative and 100x more work than any movie gig. Because he loves acting.

That in preamble to getting the gig for Llewyn Davis he played guitar sets at open mics for weeks beforehand. And that after he got cast he methodically went to parties in character as Llewyn Davis and inadvertently attracted his current wife Elvira performing this shenanigan.

That he started a production company with said wife and named it after their children??? 😭

The unapologetic display of donning falditas

Aligning himself with the Guatemala Service Project and getting the ppl of Guatemala clean water.

And also his acting is just so good. He’s a respecter of the story, and he’s weird enough to take bold chances and not be self conscious about it.

He goes to bat for his HS buddy to release a comic book under his own prod company’s dime.

He never ignores fans at events. He always signs posters outside.

Personally when I met him he’d been talking to randos like me for HOURS, but you’d never be able to tell. Because he was so kind and focused and joyful and present and he didn’t need to be.

He just seems like he goes above and beyond for the things that matter to him.

And that’s my favorite thing about Oscar.

Oh and also his teef.

#anon

[oraclekleo]

Choi Soo Bin (TXT) Kinky* Reading

Hello and welcome!

I’m Kleo and I’m here to present some k-pop related tarot readings to you.

Disclaimer:

I would like to state that all these readings have a purely entertainment nature and their purpose is to bring some fun into my and hopefully yours lives. I have never ever met any of the idols / actors / celebrities in my readings, I don’t know them personally. Tarot reading isn’t an exact science and I can never guarantee any of it. Most of it is my intuition mixed with fantasy. Don’t take these readings seriously and don’t base any important decisions on tarot readings only, use your common sense.

If you wish to request a tarot reading, please read the pinned post on my profile first to see the instructions on how to request. I only do readings for idols / actors / celebrities of 18 years of age or older. Requests for readings including younger people will be automatically dismissed. If you feel uncomfortable with these tarot readings, do not engage in reading my posts. Thank you for understanding.

Reading Info:

Rating: 18+

Reading Type: Single - Couple

Requested: Yes - No

Deck: E. A. Poe

Spread: Kinky*

Questions:

Position

Libido

Turn On

Kink

Dirtiest Secret*

Full Name: Choi Soo Bin

Stage Name: Soobin

Group: TXT

Masterpost: TXT

Choi Soo Bin

Soobin (TXT)

Deck: E. A. Poe

Spread: Kinky*

Position - 3 of Wands

Soobin is not that much into power play but he would prefer to have a reliable partner who would be able to guide him and aid him when he’s in doubt. He’s likely to form a well balanced relationship where both parties give and take and create their future together without one of them trying to control the other.

Libido - 5 of Swords

Soobin is in a battle with himself, as it seems. Maybe he feels like he should focus on more important things than passion and desire but he can keep that beast chained up only for a limited time. The creature is pulling the chains and maybe it would be smarter to learn how to guide it, rather than suppress it. He might suffer from times of high tension when he literally doesn't know what to do with himself (I would have some ideas…).

Turn On - 7 of Wands

Soobin is likely to feel attracted to someone confident about their own sexuality, someone clearly highly passionate and sensual but who is in charge of their urges and can vent them when it fits them. He’s likely to admire someone who accepts themselves with both the good and bad about them and is not ashamed of their darker sides.

Kink - XIII The Death

No, this doesn’t mean necromancy and you don’t even think about it! Soobin is likely to dream about liberating experience which would allow him to set his inner beast free and be himself without feelings of guilt, shame or doubt. He’s likely deeply sexual but for some reason tries to hide his true nature. It’s sad, honestly. Let the man be himself. Let him have some dirty fantasies.

Dirtiest Secret* - IX The Hermit

Dear! What is it with TXT? This is the second member who has the Hermit card for the Dirtiest Secret question. I don’t follow TXT so I don’t know the situation. Are they like under a lot of pressure? Because that’s what I get from the readings… Will everyone just leave Soobin alone for a bit so he can introspect and clear his mind? He needs some time for himself to relax and find out what it is he truly wants.

Thank you for reading!

Hit the Like 💖

Comment! 💬

Reblog! 🔁

Follow for more! 💌

#choi soobin #choi soobin smut #choi soobin scenarios #choi soobin imagines #choi soobin txt #txt choi soobin #soobin #soobin tomorrow x together #soobin txt #soobin scenarios #soobin smut #soobin imagines #txt soobin #txt smut #txt tarot #txt scenarios #txt imagines #txt kpop #kpop txt #oracle kleo #kpop tarot #kpop #kpop smut #kpop imagine #kpop scenarios

[thelogicalghost]

A rundown of the Eurovision finalists from the official Youtube playlist

Apologies for lack of above-letter marks in non-English words/names.

("Peace Peace" is a reference to "Love Love Peace Peace," a legendary Eurovision host song throwing shade at common entry tropes. Highly recommend googling it. Somewhat equivalent to calling a movie Oscar-bait.)

—---------------—

ARMENIA: "Future Lover" - Brunette

Weird little pop song that starts out slow and then gets rap-adjacent. Rumor is that all the lyrics were lifted verbatim from viral social media posts.

ISRAEL: "Unicorn" - Noa Kirel

Bog-standard "I'm special" pop song. Rumor/joke/possible reality: Israel picked a mediocre song to ensure zero chance of hosting next year.

SWEDEN: "Tattoo" - Loreen

A pop song that would be better if the singer wasn't trying to do a weird vocal thing. Hoping the final performance is better than the music video.

FRANCE: "Evidemment" - La Zarra

Techno-pop song that absolutely slaps and has undeniable style. Extremely French. Got stuck in my head. Makes my top 5.

UK: "I Wrote A Song" - Mae Muller

Solid breakup pop song that definitely got stuck in my head. Upper tier but not top tier. Would love to see it do well in on US charts.

AUSTRIA: "Who The Hell Is Edgar?" - Teya & Salena

Quality techno-dance song elevated to Eurovision levels by lyrics about being possessed by E.A. Poe. Music video is perfection. Makes my top 5.

CZECHIA: "My Sister's Crown" - Vesna

Strong women-empowerment song elevated to Eurovision levels by a bizarre music video. Looking forward to how it'll translate to the stage.

SERBIA: "Samo Mi Se Spava" - Luke Black

Classic Eurovision goth vampire, this year trapped in a video game boss fight. Only downside is the singer's weird breathy almost-singing.

NETHERLANDS: "Burning Daylight" - Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper

Sad ballad about depression. Uncomfortably accurate feels, but too slow and sad for Eurovision.

ITALY: "Due Vite" - Marco Mengoni

Solo ballad in Italian, nothing visually interesting, very meh.

FINLAND: "Cha Cha Cha" - Kaarija

Frantic rock song about getting drunk in a club with epic music video of singer in a WWE-style fight. Very Eurovision, strong contender.

CROATIA: "Mama SC!" - Let 3

100% BONKERS rock song that never mentions names but is undeniably a "f*** Putin" anthem. Includes middle-aged men in drag. A must-watch. Makes my top 5.

PORTUGAL: "Ai Coracao" - Mimicat

Peppy fun little pop song with a peppy fun little dance number.

AUSTRALIA: "Promise" - Voyager

Australia still hasn't quite figured out what Eurovision is about. Decent alt-rock song but way too mainstream and polished for this rodeo.

SPAIN: "EAEA" - Blanca Paloma

Poignant Middle-Eastern style song about a mother's pain. Not sure what to make of this one, but recommend giving it a try.

GEORGIA: "Echo" - Iru

Standard pop song with standard "big fans and lots of flowy fabric" music video. Meh.

LITHUANIA: "Stay" - Monika Linkyte

Might've been a decent ballad about … trauma, maybe? … but performance is uninteresting and music sounds a little off.

SLOVENIA: "Carpe Diem" - Joker Out

Boilerplate party anthem with a music video about a party in a hotel.

UKRAINE: "Heart of Steel" - TVORCHI

Male duo aims for that specific "I'm a boss" style (I personally associate with US rappers) and falls short IMO. Feels disjointed.

SWITZERLAND: "Watergun" - Remo Forrer

"Peace Peace" ballad morning boys fighting in wars. Meh.

ROMANIA: "D.G.T (Off And On)" - Theodor Andrei

A song that can't seem to decide what genre it wants to be or what it wants to say, but it definitely wants to sing it in bondage/fetish clothing.

AZERBAIJAN: "Tell Me More" - TuralTuranX

Low-key pop/ballad that feels out of place in Eurovision, with an awkward hipster boy feel.

GREECE: "What They Say" - Victor Vernicos

Another meh ballad with a sad boy singing in the increasingly intense rain.

POLAND: "Solo" - Blanka

Boilerplate Instagram-girl pop song. Nomination caused outcries of corruption, and if you watch her performance in the Poland national finals you'll agree.

ALBANIA: "Duje" - Albenia & Familja Kalmendi

Haunting lament, I think about losing children. Solid music, really hope the final performance is visually interesting.

CYPRUS: "Break A Broken Heart" - Andrew Lambrou

Another sad rock ballad, very meh.

MALTA: "Dance (Our Own Party)" - The Busker

Party anthem for people who don't like parties. Fantastic music video and a saxophone riff cherry on top. Makes my top 5.

BELGIUM: "Because Of You" - Gustaph

Great homage to 90's hip-hop with fun dancing. Unfortunately song is a little too forgettable. Bonus points for Supremes-esque choir.

GERMANY: "Blood & Glitter" - Lord of the Lost

German heavy metal in glittery carnival outfits. No idea what's going on here but it's very Eurovision.

IRELAND: "We Are One" - Wild Youth

Beatles-style throwback "Peace Peace" song. Would be unremarkable except for weird glitter masks.

SAN MARINO: "Like An Animal" - Piqued Jacks

Very off-putting rock song meant to evoke animalistic attraction, but the weird lyrics and creepy singer just make it uncomfortable.

MOLDOVA: "Soarele si Luna" - Pasha Parfeni

Rock-style Druid chanting, a Eurovision staple, including a distinctive wooden flute (possibly aping last year's winners?)

ICELAND: "Power" - Dilja

Another girl ballad. Very unmemorable.

DENMARK: "Breaking My Heart" - Reiley

Extreme teen/YA pop star vibes and the music video makes him look even younger. Standard sad breakup pop song.

NORWAY: "Queen Of Kings" - Alessandra

Girl wrote a rock anthem about her YA dystopia self-insert heroine and I'm here for it. Makes my top 5.

ESTONIA: "Bridges" - Alika

I can only describe this as Baby Adele singing not quite "Rolling in the Deep." Solid talent, hope she makes it in the industry.

LATVIA: "Sudden Lights" - Aija

Can't focus on or care about the song when it's playing over a music video that seems to include a cult, an empty pool, and a forced baptism.

#eurovision #eurovision 2023

[diceriadelluntore]

Storia Di Musica #262 - The Alan Parsons Project - Tales Of Mystery And Imagination Edgar Allan Poe, 1976

La seconda storia di dischi letterari si lega a doppio filo con quella dei Pink Floyd, Storia #261. C’è una storia di grande passione per la musica: a 16 anni, per un piccolo lavoro part-time, Alan Parsons lavora al magazzino duplicazione nastri della EMI a West London. Si mette subito in mostra per l’abilità e per la dedizione, tanto che già l’anno successivo è mandato agli studi di Abbey Road, dove cura i master di niente di meno che Sgt.Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band dei Beatles. George Martin, che era uno sveglio, lo nota e lo vuole a suo fianco come ingegnere del suono per le registrazioni di Let It Be e di Abbey Road: Parsons tra l’altro è l’assistente di studio del leggendario concerto improvvisato sul tetto degli studi di registrazione, ed è lì con i Fab Four nel loro “commiato” come gruppo. Diviene uno degli ingegneri capo degli Abbey Road Studios: lavora a capolavori come All Things Must Pass di George Harrison e McCartney di Paul, ed inizia una piccola collaborazione con i Pink Floyd, prima con alcune registrazioni di Ummagumma e Meddle, poi a dirigere le estenuanti e intensissime sessioni per The Dark Side Of The Moon (che durarono oltre 6 mesi, più 3 di post produzione), il cui successo clamoroso farà di Parsons un nome di qualità per l’ingegnerizzazione del suono. Produce infatti moltissimi artisti emergenti e non, tra cui Ambrosia, The Hollies, John Miles e i primi dischi, di grande successo, di Al Steward (inclusi i due più famosi, Time Passages e Year Of The Cat). Nel 1975 ha l’idea di fondare un suo gruppo: lui cura tutta la parte musicale e di produzione, Eric Woolfson quella di scrittura, Andrew Powell le orchestrazioni e gli arrangiamenti, chiamando di volta in volta il meglio dei sessionisti e di cantanti a lui cari, che casomai in quel periodo stavano lavorando con lui. La musica de The Alan Parsons Project si inserisce nel filone del pop rock sinfonico, che stava nascendo in quegli anni con grande successo dalle braci meno ardenti del prog, con largo uso delle tastiere elettroniche, orchestrazioni imponenti, atmosfere barocche e massicce, con testi che pescano anche riferimenti altisonanti. Infatti i primi lavori sono concept album che si ispirano a cose niente affatto scontate. il disco che ho preso in considerazione oggi è il loro primo Lp, Tales Of Mystery And Imagination (1976) che si ispira alla omonima raccolta di racconti del grande Edgar Allan Poe. Il lavoro di Poe è stato uno dei riferimenti letterari più utilizzati nel corso del tempo nella musica rock e non solo: un esperimento simile lo fece Lou Reed con The Raven, il suo ultimo album da solista del 2002, che si ispira in parte ai racconti dello scrittore americano, ma non ha l’organicità del lavoro della Alan Parsons Project. Che infatti oltre a nominare i 7 dischi utilizzando il titolo di racconti di Poe, ne segue anche la trama, con Woolfson che spesso utilizza intere frasi dei racconti come testo. C’è anche un grande plus: durante le registrazioni del 1976, Parsons chiama Orson Welles a recitare alcuni passi da inserire nel disco come prologo alle musiche: tuttavia nella prima edizione del 1976 non compaiono, e vengono rispristinate solo nella ristampa del 1987, curata nella rimasterizzazione dei nastri originali dallo stesso Parsons. Welles legge prima di A Dream Within A Dream', il primo brano strumentale, un oscuro pezzo di saggistica di Poe, il numero XVI dei suoi Marginalia pubblicato tra il 1845 ed il 1849. Il secondo passaggio che Welles legge precede il brano The Fall Of The House Of Usher - Prelude, ed è una parafrasi parziale dalla saggistica di Poe, presa da una raccolta. Il brano che prende spunto da Il Crollo Di Casa Usher è una lunga suite in 5 parti (Prelude, Arrival, Intermezzo, Pavane, Fall), è il clou del disco, che però offre anche altre cose interessanti: in The Raven Alan Parsons divide il canto con Leonard Whiting, recentemente ritornato alla ribalta, poichè oltre che cantante fu anche attore principale del Romeo E Giulietta di Franco Zeffirelli, accusando dopo 5 decenni gli eredi del regista di “violenza psicologica” per le scene di nudo di quella pellicola; The Tell-Tale Heart vede come protagonista vocale Arthur Brown, leader della band  The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, il quale diventerà famoso per le esibizioni con il fuoco durante i suoi show, più l’apporto ai cori di Jack Harris, che diventerà fido collaboratore negli anni dell’ APP; The Cask Of Amontillado e (The System of) Dr. Tarr And Professor Fether (tra l’altro due tra i racconti più belli di Poe) hanno la voce di John Miles, mentre To One In Paradise quella di Terry Sylvester degli Hollies, la band che Parsons contribuì a lanciare definitivamente. Partecipano alle registrazioni anche gli Ambrosia e i Pilot, altri gruppi curati da Alan Parsons. Che nel mentre si registrava il disco, ebbe anche tempo di lavorare a Tubular Bells di Mike Oldfield. Parsons usa anche uno dei primi vocoder (la sua voce modificata in The Raven per esempio) e nella suite The Fall Of The House Of Usher si rifà nientemeno che a Debussy, il quale nel 1908 scrisse una La Chute De La maison Usher ispirandosi egli stesso al racconto di Poe. Il disco ha anche una copertina particolarissima disegnata dai geni della Hipgnosis: tutta verde, ha una striscia luminosa che fa intravedere l’ombra di un uomo, la striscia continua sul retro dove c’è il disegno di due uomini bendati come mummie in un paesaggio che sembra egiziano, idea che vuole trasmettere uno dei punti chiave della narrativa di Poe, l’essere bloccati o sepolti vivi (nel racconto de Il Barile Di Amontillado, è uno dei temi principali per esempio). Il disco uscirà con le migliori recensioni, e avrà successo in Europa (in Germania è uno dei dischi più venduti degli anni ‘70 in assoluto), Canada e Gran Bretagna. Il percorso di ispirazione letteraria continuerà anche nel secondo disco, I, Robot, del 1977, ispirato all’omonimo racconti di Isaac Asimov, che ebbe anch’esso notevole successo. Il percorso della Alan Parsons Project continuerà con numerosi dischi anche per tutti gli anni ‘80, dove ad una produzione musicale ancora più pomposa e sfarzosa si assocerà il tentativo di comunicare “messaggi concettuali”, come i messaggi astrali di Eye In The Sky (1982), dei pericoli della civiltà industriale di Ammonia Avenue (1984) o le oscure simbologie di Vulture Culture (1985).

#the alan parsons project #tales of mystery and imagination #1976 #recensione

[marauder23]

First Line Ask Game! Rules: List the first lines of the last ten stories you published (or works in progress if you’re feeling brave lol). See if you or others notice any patterns!

Oh snap. Last 10 published? Here. We. GO.

1. Stick & Poke (Louigan, e, WIP, 5/8, tattoo parlor/flower shop AU)

The buzz of the tattoo gun sings. A familiar hum that elicits a shiver of excitement at the base of her spine.

2. upon a dream (Reylo, e, 1/1, dead dove/non con, dark fairytale)

He came to her at night.

The room was dark. Cold. Thick stones unable to keep out the chill of the winter despite the fire burning low in the grate.

3. Stubborn Follies (Reylo, e, 12/12, regency)

It was, of course, well understood that the duty of a well-bred lady once she came of age was to secure a most advantageous match. After all, this was her sole purpose. Not only for her family but for herself. Marriage was the manner in which she ensured her future. For otherwise, she risked the term dreaded by debutants the world over: spinster. Old maid. A burden on her family and a social pariah.

4. Crash (Reylo, e, 1/1, wounded enemies to lovers)

It’s been 47 hours when Rey finally hears the creak of the old weathered deck floorboards just outside. She’d been dozing in the sagging armchair by the fire, worn and lumpy. She was unable to resign herself to the bedroom. Not when he was still out there. But her eyes itch with tiredness. Heavy and half-lidded. She must have dropped off a while ago because there’s a pained crick in her neck when she stumbles to her feet to investigate the noise.

5. Home to You (Reylo, e, 10/10, holiday second chance romance, social media fic)

It’s been seven years since Ben has been back in his hometown. Seven long years. And in that time, he’s been busy. Up to his eyeballs in work actually.

First Order Corp was a project he’d started back in grad school with his mentor, Anthony Snoke. And now? Now it’s net worth is upwards of $68 billion dollars.

6. Damned (Reylo, e, 1/1, Halloween spooky/dead dove/dub con/stepcest)

Her breath caught in her lungs. Her palms were sweating, skin prickling in alarm. Every hair along her body seemed to stand on end, goosebumps crawling up her arms.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

They weren’t even supposed to be here.

7. Shower (Reylo, e, 1/1, micro, best friend’s older bro AU)

His breath is hot at her shoulder.

Rey’s back presses firmly to the glass as Ben’s hands tangle with hers, threading his fingers with her own as his body cages her in.

8. Vinyl (Reylo, e, 1/1, micro, record shop AU)

The shop bell dinged when he opened the door.

It was a dingy little hole in the wall record shop. Scratched records hung from the ceiling, graffitied and splattered with inky paints. There was something vibrant and visceral about the place. The music pumped through old amps around the room, the bass line and kick drum thrumming through his veins.

9. Party (Reylo, e, 1/1, micro, rivals to lovers office AU)

His eyes burn through her across the room. Twin black embers burning low in the dim lights of the vast hall.

The music echoes, the beat of the bass pulsing along with the rhythm of her heart. She feels it just beneath her ribs fluttering like a caged bird, clawing it’s way out.

10. Popcorn (Reylo, t, 1/1, micro, movie theater AU)

“Did Poe text you?”

“Yea. He can’t make it. Finn’s car is on the fritz so he had to pick him up.”

“Right.”

“What about Rose?”

“Didn’t Hux text you? Apparently her sister came into town last minute so now they’ve got to bail and hang with her.”

“Oh. Yea. Yup.”

Silence. Awkward, tension filled silence.

“Should we just—“

“Maybe we should—“

They both start talking at the same time and they laugh awkwardly. Rey shifts from foot to foot. Her and Ben have been part of the same group of friends for five years now. Ever since college. And as of two years ago they stopped hanging out alone.

Lord help us. I see lots of patterns including enemies and a certain level of thirst. What do y’all notice?

#marauder23 #fanfiction #writing process #patterns #lots of smut #lots of enemies #it’s almost like enemies to lovers is my OTP #oh wait…