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maaikeatthefullmoon · 7 days

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Once upon a time, there was a Good Omens fanfiction reader, who swore they didn't like AUs.

They read all the discussions about the 'classics', the 'must reads' and shrugged.

"But it's not canon", they muttered to themself. "They're not human. How on Earth can anyone write these stories about them when they're not actually bloody human? It’s not right."

And then, dear reader, they were persuaded to read just one AU. They were still an angel and a demon, just in a slightly different universe. And then...then they tried a human AU. And then...then they were hooked. Obsessed, one might say.

That reader, dear reader, was me. Of course. Obviously. Well, duh. And I would like to share the obsession in the form of some recommendations.

I have the wonderful @shadesofecclescakes to thank for MANY of these absolute beauties, she is absolutely the QUEEN of recommendations (and medicinal gifs).

So, now, in no particular order, some Highly Recommended AUs:

Or Be Nice by charlottemadison Rated E - A is a bookseller, C is a drummer, they are BOTH petty bitches. They're newly neighbours. C has a CAT and I'm there for it, he also has migraines and I hard relate. It's bitchy and the pranks were DIVINE. It was also deliciously spicy. The loveliness is that the author really captured the flawed nature of humans but also how it can be overcome. Same author as What We Make of It (what was Shotgun Wedding - an absolute GO AU CLASSIC and one of the best things I've ever read)

Not a Mounted Dildo but a Fuck Machine by NaroMoreau & summerofspock Rated E - So very, very E. This one was just filthy. So wonderfully filthy. The authors would like to tell you there was no plot to their porn, but there really was. A meets a girl online, because A is straight. He really is. Honest. But then, oops, lockdown happens. But, it's a good thing, really. For his best homeboy C is there, to help this poor virgin 'learn the ropes' for when lockdown is over and he goes on his first date...with the girl he's so very much into...coz, no homo, yo...;)

The Whole Damned World Seemed Upside Down by WyvernQuill Rated M - An AU in the way that it's still angel/demon but after Crowley makes a wish for things to be 'different', the universe obliges...and he's dumped into a reality which is very, very different to what he knew. He learns some truths and there's a whole lot of drama. Beautifully written with a wonderful plot and great drama. Excellently described and would make for great TV. (Oh, and Death in the new reality is really squeamish - it's brilliant.)

Telling Tall Tales by Siobhans_World Rated E - A sweet pretend relationship fic, where A pretends to be Maggie's boyfriend to help her pass as straight for her family. But he then meets her cousin, C, who he then inevitably (ineffably?) falls for. Miscommunication, angst, fluff, gay panic, it's got everything.

Flawless by @mrghostrat & @chernozemm Rated E - I've decided only to include one fic by each author and boyyy was it hard for ghostrat! But Flawless was, well, flawless. For such a relatively short story, it kept us guessing until the end. The characters were all beautifully written - the flaws (ha.) were DEEP and CRACKED but so fucking perfectly sculpted and presented. It was incredibly real and believable. Extremely maturely written and satisfying. AND THE ART!!!

How To Pull An Angel: A Bunnings DIY Guide by NascentSurrender Rated M - When I first saw the title, I thought it was going to be a silly, irreverent, comedy romp. But it was actually a funny, well written story that will stick in my mind always. Firstly, C watches Bluey - which is now CANON for me. Secondly, having lived in Aus as a child, I've got a soft spot for the country anyway, and I've barely ever seen it come up, so this was lovely. There were some wonderfully humorous bits, but also tender and beautiful moments that I adored.

Montreal Confidential by Maggie_Honeybite Rated E - I learned about Montreal (and Canada & their baked goods), classical music and mafia stuff in this fic. A is a widower. C plays the cello. His cello's name is Bentley. This is one of the only age-gap, mild D/s fics I've actually gotten into. There's fluff AND drama. CW for non-con (not A/C)

Under the Summer Stars by @pannotbread Rated E - an amazing astrophysics/astroecology/astrobiology fic that has pining, slow burn and Only One Telescope (yes, really, and it's everything you'd imagine). It's got beautifully written (erotic) imagery and So Much Science that's been written accessibly but still with amazing detail. It's poetry. It's hot. It's gorgeous. CW for internalised homophobia and self hatred. *Not completed yet*

Oddity by @tsyvia48 Rated E - A museum fic! About David Bowie! A is in charge of collections, C is an actor hired by (highly incompetent) Gabriel to guest curate a new Bowie exhibit. Miscommunication ensues for delicious tension. There's bitchiness, there's a bit of light angst, there's a lotta love. *Not Completed Yet* Poetry Carved In Flesh by @fellandcrow Rated E - I'm obsessed by tattoos. Hence, I am obsessed by this story. I'm planning a(n enormous) GO tattoo once GO3 is out, and this fic has actually helped me with my ideas. London-based A stalks lovingly follows Edinburgh-based tattoo artist C online. They build up a rapport. Well, C likes A. A is SMITTEN with C. C encourages A to get tattoos. Which he does. C designs a tattoo especially for A, the fic has currently left off at the point where C is in London and going to tattoo A. *Not Completed Yet*

There Is A Light & It Never Goes Out by @phoen1xr0se Rated M - A escapes from a disappointing, chaotic life to a remote island for five months to do research on puffins. There he meets lighthouse keeper C. Who also ran away, 20 odd years ago. There is a chaotic, found family on the island, but it is small, and it is lovely. This fic is written with love and passion and the imagery is so beautiful. The author has actually gone to do Actual. Physical. Research. on puffins. So how is THAT for dedication? Cannot wait until it resumes. *Not Completed Yet*

Ok, because I am Bad At Tumblr, I've not tagged the majority of authors, if you are on here - please let me know if you're here and I'll edit!

I should probably add in the following, I suppose. I'm writing an AU.

Free by, well, me. Imposterssyndrome (yes I know it's Imposter Syndrome, but that one already existed) Rated E - A runs a bookshop, C has an unfortunate past as a runaway ex-addict. They meet in an acute mental health ward after both having had a mental health crisis. Eventually A invites C to move in, and they navigate sharing a space, and their lives together. The story starts heavy, and is an emotional roller coaster, but there are moments of fluff and smut mixed in. There is a happy ending, I promise. It's a passion project, heavily researched and has a LOT of lived experience in it. I've gotten to know some amazing people through it who have messaged me and shared their experiences and I'm so glad I wrote it. *Not Completed Yet*

Last thing to say - once I finish Free, I will be teaming up with @shadesofecclescakes to write another human AU which is VERY much in her wheelhouse and I CANNOT FUCKING WAIT. I just know you're all going to LOVE it. The only thing that will make it even better is ART, so we're still on the hunt for someone.

**Last-last thing to say. I’ve missed off a few Biggies. There are some super popular AUs, mostly written around 2019. Most people will have read them. I’ve tried to focus on the perhaps lesser-known & WIP ones. Although I know many people don’t read WIPs, hopefully you’ll (book)mark them for future!**

#good omens fan fiction #good omens fanfic #fanfic recommendation #good omens fanfic recommendations #good omens fic recs #good omens au #good omens human au #go fanfic #fanfic rec #go au recs

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vanillabeenflower · 4 months

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My Reimaginings for the HB/HH Rings + Hellborns

My ideas for a redesign of the setting and its inhabitants to have it make a little more sense! I'll put all this under the cut so it won't be too long on the dashboard:

Okay! So, I've noticed QUITE a few slight discrepancies between some of the rings. I wanted to share how I would do it, based on some critiques I've seen. This is in no way anything negative, I just want to share how I would do it. With that in mind, know that I tend to be a bit blunt with my criticism but know that it's out of me thinking that it would be the obvious option, personally, and not out of any rudeness.

The Flaws

I want you to know that I in no way know anything about demonology, but I do know a bit about Dante's Divine Comedy and the emotions associated with colors. I'm going to go down the list in the show's order, one by one, and then give my versions at the end.

First is the Pride Ring, where the main cast of both shows reside. Now, I want to point this out: why are ALL of the sinners only confined to this ring? That doesn't even make sense from a biblical retelling perspective. Didn't the entire journey through Inferno show that there were sinners on every level of Hell?

Anyway, first off, I really don't see this as the Pride Ring. I expected this to be the Wrath Ring, which is what I thought until I saw the actual Wrath Ring. There's this thing called "color psychology", which is the study of how colors influence emotions or give clues to the atmosphere of someplace. Historically, purple has always meant royalty and wealth, since it was the most expensive color to dye your clothes in. I think that would be a more fitting color for the Pride Ring. As for the design, It's cool, but doesn't say Pride. It says New York, which I think would be the opposite of Pride.

Next is the Wrath Ring, which looks great. I have no actual criticism of the ring's design itself since it fits really well. I like the volcanic elements and the fiery sunset sky, and the fact that it's where many hell beasts/animals reside makes sense. Also, it is mainly rural and has fire-related weather (flaming tornadoes) which also makes sense. I have no fixes for this. Good work!

The Gluttony Ring is the same way. I appreciate the fact that the sky has hexagonal shapes in it (not shown above) and that it's mainly plant life since the actual Beelzebub is an insect, and most people associate insects with being outside. There are a few things I'd change, like pushing the plant aspects a bit and having the buildings look more like various insect nests, not just beehives, maybe a few dens or plant-inspired buildings (I really like how Zootopia's world is built because it was made with the builders in mind: animals. Since they use organic structures in real life for their homes, they made some buildings have a curvature that fit their "ancestor" instincts, it even extended to their cars at one point. I highly recommend reading The Art of Zootopia to see their creative process with a bit more polished language).

Okay, why did they make the Greed Ring green?? Everyone knows that green is the universal color of Envy, so why is it here? I get that making it green works much better than any other color, and I agree, it does look better, and it's the same color of money, but I have an alternate idea. Make the Greed Ring yellow.

This might not sound like a good choice, but here's my reasoning. I love that the Greed Ring is a polluted, overly industrial cityscape, that fits amazingly. But if you look at real-life smog-filled cities, what color are they?

Yellow. Or at least a dirty, dark yellow-brown. So what I'm saying is that you don't even need to make it a bright yellow, making it a dark yellow-brown would really show how filthy the Greed Ring is. Also yellow is the color of gold so it also makes sense symbolically.

I have my gripes with the Lust Ring. Why is it dark blue?? The color symbolism was right there, pink and red are the most associated colors with lust!

However, I do like the fact that it's always night in the Lust Ring, it's very symbolic of the "nightlife" aspect of the emotion. I just don't know why they chose a normal sky color over something else.

I am a sucker for good color combinations, but I don't really think making the night sky dark blue made sense. It doesn't even have to be a drastic change, just shift the night sky's color to the warmer side a bit. If the ring does have a day and night cycle, and I'm just stupid, make the day go from hot pink to light pink from top to bottom, then have the night sky go from red/magenta to hot pink, with white stars (or just make the sky a lighter version of those two options). It would look mega pretty!!

The Envy Ring is one we haven't seen yet, but I wonder what we'll get since we already used up our green card with the Greed Ring. Someone I was talking about this with said that since the Envy Ring is ruled over by Leviathan, the ring will be ocean-themed and blue, like the ocean. I like that idea since sea blue is, in fact, a real color (and I also think that those 2 twins from the Mammon episode are from there, because of the way they acted and since they are fish-themed), and the theme fits. But the problem is. Sea green is a real color too.

Wait, this was the Sloth Ring?? I assumed this was part of the Lust Ring because of the colors, and because I was holding onto some hope of the color psychology making sense!

But. I LOVE this ring. The more pastel color of the ring actually relaxed my eyes a bit, which I think was the intention. I love the floating islands and the waterfalls, it all gives off a very relaxing atmosphere. My only design change would be to change the sky to a color like baby blue since blue as a color is actually scientifically proven to reduce feelings of stress and anger.

My Rendition

Now that we have all that out of the way, here's my version of how I would've done things.

I would match the colors of the rings to their corresponding color. I would arrange them in the way that they are in the show, but we'd risk that cool rainbow gem order up top. But if we want to arrange them in rainbow order, they'd be inaccurate to the order of the rings in Inferno (I think??), so you can choose which order you'd like, I'm just doing this for myself. Also I realize that they aren't really based on the nine levels of Hell, but the 7 Deadly Sins, which is fine by me, I find that making more sense.

Red = Wrath (an obvious choice, since red signifies strength, danger, and actually stimulates energy in real life)

Orange = Gluttony (it just makes more sense than yellow, plus if we're assuming the bee motif, it's the actual color of refined honey)

Yellow = Greed (color of gold and matches the smoggy city it's depicted as)

Green = Envy (another obvious choice, plus since Leviathan rules over this ring, it would match the ocean aesthetic as sea green)

Baby Blue = Sloth (soft blues actually cause a relaxed response in the brain)

Purple = Pride (color of royalty, also associated with arrogance and wealth)

Pink/Hot Pink = Lust (OBVIOUS CHOICE)

The Hellborns

Now my headcanons on what the overall citizens of each ring would be. I actually have an idea for slight species dimorphism for all the imps in each ring but I'll have to design that another day. I want my rainbow imps dammit

The Wrath Ring would have the highest imp concentration, with any other demon species being the lowest here. Imps who are born here are red in color, about the same shades of red that we see in all imps in-show.

The inhabitants of the Gluttony Ring should be bug/insect demons since the ruler of the ring is literally an insect. Imps born here are shades of orange.

The Greed Ring would have those shark demons seen in Exes & Oohs, but someone I was chatting with said it would make more sense for all the aquatic demons to be in the Envy Ring, so I don't know. Imps here are born in shades of yellow.

The Envy Ring would have mainly fish/aquatic-themed demons. Imps born here are shades of green.

The Sloth Ring should make the demons there have more themes of ungulates or ruminant animals like goats, sheep, and pigs because Baphomet is not a demon species. Imps born here are shades of blue.

The Pride Ring is where demon royalty mainly resides. Imps are rarely born here and if they are, they're usually born into servitude. Imps born in this ring are purple.

The Lust Ring is where incubi and succubi live (like Verosika). Imps born here are shades of pink.

For Hellhounds, I think they should be found in all rings rather than mainly in the Gluttony Ring. Even though the reason that's where they are is because Cerberus apparently guards this ring is very clever, it doesn't make that much sense. I also think they should all be grayscale and have their eyes correspond to the color of which ring they were born in (I love achromatic color schemes with one bright color to add color to it).

Anyway, those are my thoughts! I hope you enjoyed this interpretation of mine!

#redesign rants #hazbin hotel #helluva boss #hazbin critique #helluva boss critique #hazbin critcal #helluva boss critical #I'm not really ''in the fandom'' enough to call myself this but I've watched the shows #long post

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vedurnan · 1 year

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Hello,

Do you keep any text written 1000+ years ago close to your heart? Do you feel like the features of people who wrote text so long ago can be seen in the people around you? Thanks for your time and your blogging.

there are a lot of sumerian proverbs from the electronic text corpus that i think about very often, i encourage you to look through that website because i am sure that some of them will really leap into your heart. every time i visit it i am struck by a new one, but here are some that have stayed in my mind for months and years:

it is not yet 1000+ years since dante, but i think about dante a lot, especially the vita nova and his descriptions of love... many people have read the divine comedy but not as many have read the vita nova. it is short and it's beautiful and fascinating, i highly recommend you to read it! https://digitaldante.columbia.edu/text/library/la-vita-nuova-frisardi/

dante's life was really crazy, if you are interested in his poetry at all i really recommend reading about his life especially his insane exile thing. he's like grimes to me

there are a lot of old english poems and riddles i think about a lot too. this one is the best

sometimes i feel like the difference between the people who live now and the people who lived then is extremely small. there are times when i wonder how i can even know for sure that any of this is as old as people say it is, and what if it was all fake and written by modern people? some part of it is fake and written by modern people anyway since it is all translated into comprehensible modern english. i always end up thinking it doesn't matter either way, the vast distance of history is given meaning within my mind, and there is some small part of me that exists outside of time and was there with them too

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spellbook-gayboy · 1 year

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Okay, so @timetravellingkitty tagged me in the ‘get to know me better’ ask game, so I thought I’d put it here to avoid clutter!

three ships:

Birdflash (DC Comics)

Leosagi (TMNT/Samurai Rabbit)

Markrex (Invincible)

first ever ship:

ok, I might be showing my age a bit here, but back in the day i was a hardcore Savant Par (Danny x Tucker from Danny Phantom) shipper. Haven’t watched the show in a few years now, but what can i say? Childhood friends just does it for me

last song:

but i am currently listening to

last film:

oogh, havent watched a film in a hot minute. Actually, now that I think about it, I did recently get through some of The Artist (pretty great film highly recommend it).

currently reading:

would you believe me if i said The Divine Comedy? (aka the worlds oldest author self-insert fic)

currently watching: the 1966 Batman show (childhood nostalgia reasons)

currently consuming: dihydrogen monoxide

currently craving: the weekend

Tagging: @sequids @glupshittostan @sillymanwithocs @crismakesstuff @summerfrwrks @vlogger-with-a-beanie and anyone else who wants to jump in!!

#Spotify

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sonodaten · 1 year

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The Divine Comedy and You

I’m sure like some myself, there are some others who’ve reached the end of Ch 8 and are wondering what to do while they spend their days grinding for mats, building characters, and unlocking voice lines.

Might I recommend taking a look at Dante’s Inferno? Path to Nowhere’s setting, lore, plot, and a couple of characters pay homage to what is considered one of the greatest literary pieces of all times, and giving it a read through could be a great way to get a deeper understanding of any of the above while we’re waiting for the next story update.

That being said, Dante’s Inferno can be a little…dense, especially if you’re a first time reader! If you’re interested, I’ll have some resources compiled under the read more, and how you could use them (but everyone knows their reading style best, so to each their own).

First, here’s a link to one of the Gutenberg Bible’s online version of the Inferno.

Dante’s Divine Comedy—the Inferno, Pugatario, and Paradiso—was a poem, which is why it’s divided into cantos. The version linked above is a translation from 1997, as the original was written in Italian nearly a millennium ago. This post will focus on the Inferno, as I’ve yet to see anything that really jumps out at me as being sourced from Purgatario or Paradiso, but I could be wrong!

Now, this can make it a little difficult to wrap your head around the prose (I certainly was not born and reading a millennium ago in Italy), so here’s a link to the SparkNotes website. It can give you plain, more modern translations for the cantos, as well as analyses, information and summaries on major characters, themes, and plot points. It’s great if you’re having trouble parsing what a particular canto is saying, or you just need to look something up real quick.

Recommendations:

1. Using both of these together, I also highly recommend taking notes! I found it especially helpful to do so right on the text (download a copy of the pdf and make comments, print the pdf and hand write notes, or if you can grab a written copy and take notes in that/on post it notes and stick them to the pages) because a lot of the times your notes are going to reference the text itself, and it’ll just save you a lot of time and hand cramps if it’s just right there/close by to your notes!

2. Take breaks! Not just to relax your eyes, but also because the Inferno is 34 cantos, which doesn’t seem like a lot but it really is. I don’t recommend trying to get through it all in one sitting.

3. The internet is your friend. Along with a long list of other cultural references (including Greek Mythology), the Inferno includes a lot of reference and commentary on events that were happening during the time Dante was writing it. This link will take you to the Wikipedia page listing them in alphabetical order (note: this includes references from the entire Divine Comedy, but does cite which part and canto each reference can be found). As with all Wikipedia pages, remember to utilize the footnotes and further research when using. Knowing about some of these references/events and the context in which Dante was experiencing them can help make the text easier to understand.

Anyway, that’s all I have! If anyone else has any other tips for read throughs, feel free to add them. Dante’s Inferno (and really the whole Divine Comedy) is an enduring favorite of mine over the years, and I’m more than happy to take this (admittedly golden) opportunity to shill for it.

#path to nowhere #ptn

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konigbabe · 8 months

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hi! sorry to annoy you again, lovely - i'm the 💜 anon.

may i ask what are your favourite books or series? either non-fiction or fiction?

i love asking people this question bc i'm going to add it to my list <3 !!

Hello! And no need to apologize, I should be the one apologizing because I wasn't here for the past few days much so sorry for the late answer 💜

I'm not much of a reader lately but the books I've read and enjoyed would be, for example (all the links lead to amazon):

Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica (2017)

The Taming of the Shrew by W. Shakespeare (1594)

R.U.R. by Karel Čapek (1921)

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (1915)

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (1937)

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou (1969)

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder (1st book) by Holly Jackson (2019)

Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri (1321)

I would highly recommend R.U.R - first time the word "robot" was created and it's said to be one of the pillars of today's scifi genre (if you find it in English, I read the original aka in Czech) - and The Metamorphosis by Kafka are my two ult fav books of all time

I cried reading Of Mice and Men and still haven't recovered from the ending (and I read that book 6 years ago). No kidding.

#i enjoy classics more than modern #old soul in a young body #19th and 20th century writers are my go-to #dostoyevsky and osamu dazai have some goodies too #Holly Jackson is my fav author lately #moni answers #anon #💜 anon #ask

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ruki--mukami · 2 years

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genuinely curious of what do u think about italian literature

"Much like a lot of other authors I’ve read, regardless of nationality, I find Italian literature very fascinating. One series that comes to mind is Dante's Divine Comedy. I highly recommend it if you haven't read that as of yet. The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio was also quite the entertaining read... in fact, I remember discussing it a while back. Aside from the whimsical and erotic stories, the author explores both human virtues and vice in quite an eloquent manner. The tales certainly differentiate from other medieval writings of its time."

#diabolik lovers #ruki mukami #mukami ruki #ask #react #diabolik lovers rp #ruki's book recommendations

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metalmessage · 1 year

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✨ 𝐼𝓂𝓂𝑜𝓇𝓉𝒶𝓁, 𝓂𝑒𝓉𝒶𝓅𝒽𝓎𝓈𝒾𝒸𝒶𝓁 𝓂𝓎𝓈𝓉𝒾𝒸𝒾𝓈𝓂 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓀𝓃𝑜𝓌𝓈 𝓃𝑜 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒 ... Action: ANOUSHBARD Base: Tehran • Iran Genre: Extreme Ethno Progressive Metal Title: Abandoned Treasure FFO: Orphaned Land, Melechesh, Opeth Format: Album Label: Independent Distro: / Release: April 01, 2023 Bulletpoints: 🔘 Second album of the soulful Iranian top artists 🔘 Sophisticated progressiveness, emphatically varied 🔘 Uniquely melodic, atmospheric, with strong identity http://www.facebook.com/anoushbard/ https://open.spotify.com/artist/4vn1sbM398VhKpkvXMO78d https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Anoushbard/3540462240 https://anoushbard.bandcamp.com/album/abandoned-treasure https://youtu.be/wHA41wTOOnY [ The Righteous Ardaviraf (Preparation) Official lyric video ] The band says about "The Righteous Ardaviraf": "The song describes what our ancestors thought and believed about life after death. It happened many centuries ago: In the book 'Arda Viraf' the story of the upright and meaning-seeking Wirāz is written down. Wirāz was a fervent, deeply devoted priest of the ancient Zoroastrian religion, who was chosen to go on an afterlife journey - to find out what really happens to a person and his soul after death. This was celebrated in a very special ritual intimately, with appropriate, solemn clothing. Thereby the holy book of the religious cult was read, the 'Arda Viraf'. The traveler was given three goblets of wine, which, by means of a special addition, caused him to fall into a death-like sleep for seven days. When he woke up, he could tell his experienced story. We strongly recommend our followers and fans to read more about this truly famous story, especially in its country of origin, Persia, which is set several centuries before Dante Alighieri's kindred 'Divine Comedy'." Deepest spirituality: The - rebellious - appeal of the forbidden has always represented an additional attractive element for true passionate and fervent idealists to live out their inclinations. This is also the case with ANOUSHBARD. The band risks so much to be able to fully devote themselves to their music.And the correspondingly profound and lovingly polished, consistently convincing to brilliant result is ultimately also the fascinating mirror of the artistic ideal of these absolute conviction offenders.With their second album "Abandoned Treasure" these highly estimable thoroughbred musicians have completed a fabulous, completely timeless work, which reveals itself to be as hard-hitting as it is stylistically uncompromising - and which can intoxicate the senses with sophisticated high-quality sounds! FLASHBACK: Founded in 2017 by Sherwin Baradaran and Siavash Motallebi, the first album "Mithra" was released in 2020. The debut album consists of 6 tracks, all of highly unique identity. Already on it, the participants had found their very own, fascinating and completely distinctive style. Most of the extremely varied and diversely dynamic compositions thematize Iranian culture and often mystical stories passed down from it. Subsequently, ANOUSHBARD worked on another album, titled "Abandoned Treasure" and featuring 8 tracks. As on the previous album, those involved mastered to focus on Persian literature and stories.During all the years of existence, ANOUSHBARD had many difficulties in finding suitable co-musicians such as drummers or bassists. In 2021, Arman Tirmahi officially joined the formation as a bassist. He helped the group with the second album. Nima Seylani, an accomplished Oud player, also joined the line-up. Many in the Western industrialized nations will find it hard to imagine: but the biggest obstacle in ANOUSHBARD's path are the government regulations for Metal music there. Unfortunately, Metal is completely banned in Iran, so it's not possible at all to perform in public or release an album. Singer and guitarist Sherwin says: "We named the band ANOUSHBARD, which was a political prison in the Sasanian Empire (224 - 651 AD) and which means a place where you forget your identity and disappear forever. As a band, we call ourselves that because we are very interested in the history of our country and in our Persian roots." [ Logo & Artwork: Anoushbard • Pic: Anoushbard ] MEDIA FEEDBACK: 7,5 / 10 ➤ "... reminiscent of bands like Orphaned Land or Al-Namrood ... Death Metal elements crossed with oriental melodies and acoustic guitars and folkloric percussion elements ... works well in one piece ... despite many ideas, however, ANOUSHBARD never lose the thread ... the production is nice and clean and transparent ..." (Crossfire) ➤ "... very atmospheric ... pleasant feeling while listening ... clear oriental touch ... powerful metal riffs ... partly is growled what the stuff holds and only a little clear vocals provides a bit of loosening up ... how well traditional sounds and Metal but can get along ... interesting, what beautiful music can be created in secret ... a very successful whole ... recommendation for all those who appreciate on the one hand powerful metal, but also want to be enchanted by atmospheric!" (Metalmamas Neuigkeiten) ➤ "One of the greatest treasures a country can have is its culture and legends. The legacy and history of a civilization must be shared in schools so that memories and lessons are never lost … ANOUSHBARD brings Iranian culture, myths, religion and rituals … an interesting and unique blend of Persian music and Progressive Metal, sometimes with more traveling and spiritual passages and others with more aggressive moments where the throat is present … the band also sometimes uses local instruments, such as the Daf, an Iranian percussion instrument." (Roadie Crew) ➤ "… nostalgic and emotive Progressive Metal, focused on empathizing with the roots of the area … desert magic, for this hidden treasure, full of riches…" (Trueno Metálico Web) ➤ "… spiritual headbangers … a unique work, offering many different styles from beautiful instrumentals … riffs, solos, and general variety is what provided excitement …" (Wanna Hear a Great Song Today?) ➤ "The most noticeable element is the generous inclusion of world music sections, with tones, timbres and rhythms that are clearly Middle Eastern in orientation and probably Persian in origin … alternating and mixing elements of these two forms with some atmospherically charged Metal parts and more aggressive Metal with harsh lead vocals makes up the bulk … in the spirit of Progressive Metal … sounds interesting …" (Progressor)

➤ "… ANOUSHBARD managed to find their own formula … I believe that’s one of the best middle eastern influenced Metal records I’ve ever listened to … well-written, well-arranged, and perfectly delivered …" (Rock Era)

➤ "… a complex album … interesting … many layers and layers of different sonancies … deals with a such a variety of influences from oriental music to Extreme Metal features … many details … Rock instances …" (Metal Addicts)

➤ "… very good … 8 well constructed tracks … I highlight the great 'Blacksmith's Apron' and the excellent 'Tower Of Silence (Dakhma)' … a great job, well rounded … they have plenty of potential …" (Rock Vibrations) etc. 🌐 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙤 & 𝙋𝙍 Action: 𝗠𝗘𝗧𝗔𝗟 𝗠𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗔𝗚𝗘 ᴳᴸᴼᴮᴬᴸ • 𝐸𝓈𝓉. 2001 https://www.metalmessage.de/PR_ANOUSHBARD_en.php 💥 𝙌𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙦𝙪𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙮, 𝙘𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙖𝙨𝙨!

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nicasbookblr · 1 year

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Yet another book review 🎉 Infernal Fall by Bryan Timothy Mitchell Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thoughts: If you love character developments, you sure should read this one. The book focuses on character development as that is the main premise of the plot. This Divine Comedy’s Inferno retelling is a must have in your shelf. It is set in our modern world and follows a troubled man named Daniel who fell into inferno and journeys through it to reunite with his girlfriend. It was a time well spent reading this book and I highly recommend this if you’re looking for a biblical/Christian fiction. 🔖 #infernalfall #bookishcanadians #bookblogger #bibliophile #bookstagramcanada #bookstagramphilippines #bookstagramfeature #bookishcommunity #booksofinstagram #bookreview #bookreviewer #igreads #bookworld #bookworm #booksbooksbooks #readersofinstagram #bookgram #booklover #booknerd #bookcommunity #bookstagrammer #goodreads (at Calgary, Alberta) https://www.instagram.com/p/ClG3-oJrIoi/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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redbone135 · 2 years

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My 2021 Books for the Year

Reading Goals:

31/25 books ✅

At least three books in each of ten genres ❌

Key:

*= Reread

Bold = One of my top six books for the year

Strike = A book I HIGHLY recommend not reading… ever

Bookstagram: Read_Reads_135

I love to talk books so feel free to drop me an ask or a message to chat about anything literary!

High Fantasy

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J Maas

Dinosaur Lords by Victor Milan

Dinosaur Knights by Victor Milan

Dinosaur Princess by Victor Milan

Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

Classic Literature

Middlemarch by George Eliot

Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald *

The Odyssey by Homer *

The Iliad by Homer

The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri (I’m conflicted here because Purgatorio deserves to be bolded, but Paradiso deserves a strike through it, so my opinion averages out to be pretty neutral)

Young Adult Series Starters (That I only read the first of...)

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen *

Over The Woodward Wall by A Deborah Baker (The only reason I didn’t read the sequel is because it wasn’t out yet - I preordered it and I never preorder books. I can’t wait to read it in 2022)

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Mark of the Thief by Jennifer Nielson

Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements *

Graphic Novels

The Boys (Vol. 1 - 12) by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson

Fables (Vol. 1 - 12) by Bill Willingham

Dear Becky by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson

Jack of Fables (Vol. 1 - 3) by Bill Willingham

Christmas Romances (Where the guy is raised by a wise older woman who just ‘wants him to be happy’ and he somehow manages to find love in less than a month because ... Christmas... Also the setting is definitely a bed and breakfast of some kind)

The Christmas Wedding Guest by Susan Mallery

Snowball’s Christmas by Kristen McKanaugh

Twelve Days of Snowball by Kristen McKanaugh

Seaside Holidays by Kim Katil (If all your characters are going to be men... maybe talk to a guy about it first to make sure they come across as believable?)

Urban Fantasy/ Speculative Fiction

Middlegame by Seanan McGuire (Preordered this sequel too... Guess I’m just becoming a bit of a fanboy)

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

Jurassic World by Michael Crichton

Horror

For kids:

Welcome to Dead House by R.L. Stein

Ghost Next Door by R.L. Stein

For Adults:

John Dies At The End by David Wong *

Detective Novels

Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith

The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith

Autobiographies of Famous Authors

Smile by Sarah Ruhl

Guts by Gary Paulsen *

Books of the Bible

Revelations

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kiragecko · 3 years

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Reviews of Christian Allegorical FANTASY

Note: Christianity is a broad, varied thing. I can only write from my perspective, and it’s hard to describe that perspective to an international audience. Words have different meanings in different countries. But this is what I think about the various Christian allegorical fiction I’ve read, measured by writing quality, allegorical quality, and ability to make me happy. Your perspective may vary.

Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis –

Writing: Y’all know this guy is good.

Allegory: Shockingly strong for something with such mass appeal. And deeper than you thought as a kid. Never sidelines the story, because he’s integrated the two so well.

Problems: So, you don’t notice the colonialism, racism, classism, sexism, and mild ableism as a kid. Dude was a white British man during the early and mid 1900s. He does not entirely rise above his culture. Some of the dehumanization of species/cultures that are obvious stand-ins for real world cultures horrified me during my latest reread. And it’s subtle enough that it’s hard to point out to kids.

Story: The story is great. I’ve read ‘The Horse And His Boy’ so many times that my papa’s copy is held together with tape. He wouldn’t let me take them when I moved out. Had to buy my own. It was tragic.

The Archives of Anthropos, by John White –

Writing: Reminds me of Terry Brooks, a little. In that the writing is servicable, and some of the fantasy is pretty derivative, but it’s definitely not bad. The roots are strong, but he didn’t have enough experience to cut all the weaker bits and ruthlessly rewrite.

Allegory: Solid. Not tacked on, not super deep. Really good for a Narnia imitation.

Problems: Not sure, haven’t reread in a while. Pika didn’t like a battle near the beginning, so we had to stop.

Story: It’s set in Winnipeg!!! Unashamed about being heavily inspired by Narnia, this series is a delight. Not as good as it’s inspiration, of course, but it feels like a heartfelt fan letter. Some of the ideas are REALLY cool. This series is worth reading, you guys! Especially the first 2 books.

The Circle (Black, Red, and White), by Ted Dekker –

Writing: Readable. Slick. Masculine.

Allegory: Lacked both the desired subtly and the necessary depth. Felt like it was written for fantasy fans that felt guilty about reading secular books, rather than to say something important.

Story: Don’t like Narnia-esque books aimed at adults. Allegories shouldn’t be trying to be cool. Not a fan. (But please note that these opinions were formed 15-20 years ago. I may have been missing something.)

The Space Trilogy, by C.S. Lewis –

Writing: Again, this is C.S. Lewis. He’s good at writing.

Allegory: A little weird, for me. But I struggle with allegory for adults. One of the books is Adam and Eve on Venus, with original sin working slightly differently? I don’t get it.

Problems: My problem is that I don’t like it! Sometimes it reads like Douglas Adams, but not funny. That makes no sense!

Story: Don’t like Narnia-esque books aimed at adults, even if they’re written by the authour of Narnia. This is Sci-Fi. There is romance. Really not for me.

The Story of the Other Wise Man, by Henry Van Dyke –

Writing: Good, if I remember correctly. Feels dated and classic, like it should be from Victorian times. (I just checked, it’s from 1895.)

Allegory: Like most morality from more than a century ago, it reads a bit weird. Just, life was a lot harsher then. Nice clear simple message, just taught from a mindset I don’t totally understand.

Story: As a kid, this one made me SAD! He loses everything and feels like a failure! Does have a good message, teaching is sound, good storytelling, but it wasn’t fun enough to make the lesson stick.

Left Behind, by Tim Lahaye and Jerry B. Jenkins -

Writing: I remember the writing being fine. They read like thrillers, which isn’t a bad thing. I’ve enjoyed some thrillers.

Allegory: Revelations is ALREADY an allegory. This is just an uninspired expansion.

Problems: Everything.

Story: I hate apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic stories. This series wasn’t written by someone who was bothered by the suffering of everyone who made ‘wrong’ choices, and that makes it hollow and awful. ‘We’re so good and smart and better than other people!’ NO. That is not Christianity.

A Wrinkle In Time, by Madeleine L’Engle –

I still don’t get how this series is Christian?? Really freaked me out as a kid. Had quite a few nightmares.

After a little research, it turns out that she has a very different understanding of Christianity then me. You’ll have to get a review from someone who can see from that perspective.

Duncton Wood, by William Horwood –

Writing: Extremely good. Heavy and beautiful. Kept me reading as I got more and more weirded out.

Allegory: Not a Christian allegory. And yet Christian enough, in a weird Anglican(??) way, to make it difficult to interpret as non-Christian. There’s a Jesus figure who gets martyred. There are schisms. It’s weird.

Problems: Almost certainly shouldn’t be on this list, yet I spent half an hour searching for it because I was so sure it was supposed to be on this list.

Story: Moles and their experiences with religion. There are similarities to Watership Down and Redwall, Narnia and Lord of the Rings. (The last mostly in language/writing style). If it wasn’t so close to Christian allegory as to be in the uncanny valley, I would have loved it! As it is, I would have prefered LESS Christ.

Christian ALLEGORICAL Fantasy

The Pilgrim’s Progress, by Paul Bunyan –

Writing: (Note: I’ve only read versions rewritten for kids. At least one was heavily abridged.) This was written in 1678. That is a LONG time ago. The worldview is really different from ours. Also, the versions I read were not inspired updates.

Allegory: This was written only 100 years after the Protestant Reformation. Punishments are incredibly disproportionate. Rich people have completely different rules than the poor, and this is seen as Godly. It’s been over 20 years since I read this book, and I don’t remember much, but it’s a weird read if you’re expecting modern concepts of right and wrong.

Story: Fascinating! Did not enjoy. Might as an adult. Reading an allegory that you can’t relate to at all is a weird experience.

Hind’s Feet On High Places, by Hannah Hunnard -

Writing: (Note: I’ve only read the version rewritten for kids.) Writing is really good.

Allegory: Names that are just English words have always annoyed me. Other than that pet peeve, this is extremely good. Straight-forward enough to be read to a 7 year old, complex enough for me to reference when I’m trying to describe my experiences to my husband. Solid Christianity, with enough hard stuff to challenge you, while still managing to be fun.

Problems: We’ve got some nasty ableism baked into the setting (disability as metaphor for sin and bondage), and the images are painfully white.

Story: I love this book! This is a Pilgrim’s Progress that actually matches with Christianity as I understand it. If you’re looking for a fun fantasy with a good message, this isn’t it. If you’re looking for a distillation of Christianity, told as a story because that makes it more accessible – this is a good one.

The Divine Comedy, by Dante Alighieri –

Haven’t read it.

Tales of the Kingdom, by David and Karen Mains -

Writing: The first collection of stories is really strong. The next 2 get weaker. Short stories read differently than novels, and the writing style works well for that format.

Allegory: TOO strong. Some of the stories still make me mad to think about, because the messages are HARD. (Also, names that are just English words still annoy me, no matter now much I love the series.)

Problems: Ableism – true selves don’t have disabilities and are always beautiful. Art is not 100% white, but all the most beautiful people seem to be. And I love lizards far too much to handle the dragon story.

Story: These stories mean a lot to me. They are very much not something a non-believer is going to enjoy. They tend to focus on the parts of Christianity that are hard, uncomfortable, and/or different from mainstream culture. They also stick with you for decades. Narnia is my favourite series on this list to read, but Tales of the Kingdom might be the best for exploring your faith. Highly, highly recommend.

#religion #christianity #gecko recs stuff #people write things #these were the ones I could think of #anyone else know good allegories #(preferably aimed at kids but not tiny kids)#?

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cinnamogai · 3 years

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Have you watched/played Angel of Death? If not, I highly recommend it!! Personally i prefer sub, but sub and dub are both great imo!

no i have not!! haven’t heard of it either :0 read through it a synopsis and it sounds super interesting!! i love any type of media or literature that has like.. how do i explain it? levels?? like how a video game has you fight different bosses at different stages. i love that type of setting in anything omg!! so good. it reminds me of the divine comedy, though that is such a odd comparison oops JSSJ. i’ll be sure to check it out!!

#currently watching elfen lied which is #whew #a trip #cinna loves interaction

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encrucijada · 3 years

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Do you have any unpopular opinions about writing craft?

i don't know if this is an unpopular opinion but the idea that you Need an outline is bullshit. pantsing is a more valid method than you think because even if you write something that doesn't make sense the first round you can just... go back and rewrite so it does. that's what second and third drafts are for. also as human beings we are pretty good at pattern recognition and might make cool connections within our story without even realising it.

i started writing all my drafts in lowercase because it takes the weight off of it and feels like i am just writing a silly little post for tumblr or texting my friends. highly recommended. and with this tidbit i want to say that doesn't matter how out of the box you might think it is, if it's making you type words, then it's valid.

creative formatting is also valid as hell!!! i'm talking stuff like describing camera footage or photographs or voicemails or leaving sentences unfinished. writing with the text on the centre?? italicing all the dialogue instead of putting it in between quotes. lists. just writing paragraphs like those lists of aesthetics people do here on tumblr for tag yourself's??? it's all very sexy of y'all doing this stuff.

fanfiction is real writing. if you disagree you can discuss it with john milton's paradise lost and dante aligheri's the divine comedy. and dante says "self-insert's can be academically recognised and praised".

writing out of order is totally okay!!! abandoning projects is also totally okay!!! writing and never sharing it with the world is totally okay!!!

nothing is original anymore. you should ripoff everything you like from the media you consume and make your own mosaic made out of all the parts you collected. people will love to read it. they did it with the twilight clones and the hunger games clones. i myself ripped off the raven cycle for a book of mine. it's more cake.

#answered

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xiolaperry · 3 years

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Four Ways Gaston Could Have Died (And the One Way He Actually Did) - Chapter 5

Chapter Notes: Somehow, this chapter veered away from being simply a Gaston “death” and ended up turning into a Colonel Ives backstory. For those of you who have not seen the movie "Ravenous", I highly recommend it. It is a surprisingly funny dark comedy horror story, and Robert Carlyle is amazing in it (as always).

---

Francis Ives had not expected to discover he had a half brother when he attended his father's funeral.

He hadn't seen his father in years (and was better off for it) when a solicitor contacted him to inform him of his death. Malcolm had somehow gotten rich before he died, and the will stipulated attendance of the funeral for access to the funds.

Tempted though he was not to comply with the demand, the money would be welcome. He had recently been diagnosed with tuberculosis and wanted to visit America to see if the doctors there could help him. Therefore, he made plans to attend. His miserable excuse for a father owed him a chance to live.

The church was empty. Every movement was magnified and echoed through the cavernous space. The only ones in attendance were the solicitor, who had to be there, the minister, who doubtless had never laid eyes on Malcolm Gold in his life, and a pair of drunken old men. Ives wondered if they’d been bribed, too.

The minister waited a few minutes past the time to begin, hoping in vain for additional mourners to fill the empty seats. He'd just cleared his throat and begun to speak when a well-dressed man entered. A beautiful woman and a little girl followed him. They sat down and the man, a fierce scowl on this face, gestured with impatience to the minister to continue.

Ives watched them from the corners of his eyes, wondering who they could be. Forced into attendance like him, no doubt. Malcolm Gold was not the type to make friends.

Unnoticed, he studied the older man. His longish hair was silver at the temples, and he kept running his hand through it and looked annoyed. He walked with a cane, but there was no air of weakness about him.

Ives assumed the woman was his wife. She looked young enough to be his daughter, but the way she put her hand on his thigh to stop his leg from bouncing with impatience was not at all daughterly. And even from a distance, he could see love and concern radiating from striking blue eyes that he'd not soon forget.

The little girl fidgeted and looked as though she'd rather be anywhere than here. Ives couldn't blame her, he felt the same way. She winked when she caught him looking, and he smiled.

After the service, he went straight to the family and introduced himself. “Francis Ives,” he said, extending his hand.

“Mr. Gold,“ the older man answered, returning the handshake.

Gold? Ives's mind reeled at the surname, and the resemblance he now noticed. He heard nothing else of the introductions, and he realized he must look odd, standing there frozen in shock with his hand still out.

“Please forgive me, I didn't catch the names of your wife and daughter; yours distracted me. Your name is Gold, as in a relation of Malcolm Gold?”

“Yes. Unfortunately, that bastard was my father.”

“Mine too!” he blurted out before he could think of a more delicate way to say it.

The family stared at Ives, speechless.

The little girl recovered first. “Does this mean you're my uncle? Papa, do you have any other brothers and sisters? My name is Tilly, can I call you Uncle Ives?”

When she paused to take a breath, her mother pulled her a short distance away to give the men a moment to process the revelation. Her hands fluttered about, making signs, and Tilly responded in kind. Mute, he thought.

Mr. Gold asked, “Malcolm was your father? But you said your name was Ives?”

“I took my mother's name. I wanted nothing that would connect me to that man.”

“Ah. I didn't have that luxury. Didn't even know my mother.”

The solicitor interrupted. “Good, I see you've met each other. If you'd be so kind as to follow me, the minister has allowed us to use his back office for the reading of the will. You can continue the family reunion there.”

“Whatever gets this over with the fastest.” Gold waved his hand for his family to follow him. Tilly, a bit more subdued but still grinning, skipped ahead. Gold's wife gave him a quick hug and then they continued on.

The reading was brief. Malcolm had made a few big gambling winnings shortly before his death, and his sudden demise prevented him from squandering it all. It was to be divided equally between his two known children, Francis and Labhrainn.

“Thank God there aren't more of us running around,” muttered Gold, who received an elbow to the ribs from his wife for the comment.

Finding the idea of a brother intriguing, Ives hoped to continue the conversation with Mr. Gold. But as soon as the information on the distribution of Malcolm's assets was finished, Mr. Gold stood up, said a curt goodbye, and headed for the door.

His wife stopped him. Her gloved hands flew as she signed, although one did not seem to move quite like the other. Ives watched Gold's face change from hard and impatient to soft and indulgent during her 'discourse.' Tilly chimed in with “Please, Papa?” and an imploring look. Gold sighed.

“Belle insists that you accompany us home for a meal so she can get to know you better.”

Belle poked her husband, and he amended, “We would both like you to come, you are my half-brother, after all.”

She beamed at Ives, and he wondered how his brother had gotten such a beauty. At his hesitation, Tilly said, “Please come. You can meet my cat. I brought her all the way from New Zealand.”

“How can I turn down such an invitation? I would be honored to meet your cat.”

Belle was a wonderful hostess, and Tilly's smile lit up the room. Her endless chatter at the dinner table made him laugh more that night than he had in months. Gold (who asked him to please not call him Labhrainn) was not as surly as he first appeared and warmed up to him over the course of the meal.

After they sent Tilly to bed, Ives and Gold spent a pleasant evening comparing stories of their upbringing and tales of their youth over glasses of whiskey. Ives told him of his plan to travel to America in hope of a cure for his tuberculosis.

Gold's tales of his time in New Zealand were fascinating, but his mood darkened when he spoke of Gaston Legume and the cause of his return to Scotland. When Belle removed her glove to show him the wooden finger Gold had crafted for her, Ives shook his head with disbelief. What kind of man would hurt a woman like that?

Sensing her husband's distress over the memories the conversation had brought up, she kissed him. The tender moment embarrassed Ives, and he looked away.

They talked until the early morning. After saying their goodbyes, and offering their best wishes for his health and recovery, Gold surprised him by asking him to keep in touch. “I'm learning to write,” he explained. “The letters will be good practice.”

The half-brothers struck up an enjoyable correspondence. Ives looked forward to Gold's letters, which included notes from Belle and Tilly. He would not have believed you could come to love someone through the mail, but he did. He loved his newfound family. They were the only bright spots in his life as he got sicker and weaker, and the illness turned him bitter and desperate.

The doctors in America were no better than the ones in Scotland. Depressed and discouraged, his thoughts turned dark. Every breath was a struggle, resulting in him coughing up a pint of blood. There was nothing left to be done. He decided to check himself into a sanatorium to convalesce, more than likely to die.

He took his time on the journey, telling himself he was traveling at such a slow pace because he was enjoying the scenery, not because he was too weak to press onward. Then one afternoon, he met an Indian scout.

The scout insisted on building a campfire for them both, and Ives shared his meal with him. The campfire danced, flickering patterns of light and dark across their faces.

He watched the robust, healthy man just sit there, taking his good health for granted. The Indian enjoyed smoking his pipe, drawing breath without pain, not coughing and choking on his own blood. He observed this with such jealousy that it made his soul ache. Ives wanted to live.

It wasn't fair that his disgusting reprobate of a father got to have a long life. It wasn't fair that he was here, dying, thousands of miles away from a family he had gotten to know so late in life. The night was clear, and he leaned back, looking at the cold stars that cared not for his suffering.

The scout told stories to pass the time, and one in particular caught his attention: The Wendigo. A man eats the flesh of another, absorbing his strength, his spirit. As the man spoke, Ives felt a cold darkness fill him. Could the tale be true? He had to try; it was his last chance. Perhaps it was a manifestation of Malcolm's selfishness, the trait showing up in his nature here at the end. He would do anything to keep from dying.

He killed the man as he slept and roasted him over the campfire he'd built. The smell was mouthwatering, and the taste, divine. The Indian scout was absolutely right. He grew stronger and had no regrets.

A stolen uniform completed his reinvention of himself. “Colonel Ives” sounded impressive and powerful, matching the strength he now felt inside. But what to do next? He was hungry. The meat he'd saved from the Indian did not last long, no matter how hard he'd tried to ration it.

An answer came in the form of a wagon train headed West. The small group welcomed having a Colonel join them as a guide. A few small manipulations of their circumstances allowed him to eat them that winter, and come spring he was a new man, happy and healthy. Tuberculosis? Vanished. As did the black thoughts.

His only regret was that the meat hadn't lasted longer. But the more he ate, the more he wanted. So he continued on.

Ives wanted to share his good fortune, build his own small family. Alas, Boyd and Colonel Hart were a disappointment. He left Fort Spencer, deciding it was better to keep moving and see the world.

He never wrote to Gold again. He missed the connection to his family, and he’d compose letters to them in his mind. But they remained unwritten. A voice inside told him he was not who he had been; that he never would be again. The voice sometimes begged him to reconsider his course. Whenever it spoke up, he squashed it down firmly. It was too late. The hunger was insatiable.

One day, he was talking to some sailors who mentioned their ship was bound for New Zealand. An idea formed in his mind, a way to thank Gold and his family for their encouragement and kindness during his difficult time. He booked passage on the spot.

And now here he was, in New Zealand, sitting in a tavern, watching Gaston Legume from across the room.

He must be cautious. Ives no longer cared about collateral damage as a general rule. Disposing of witnesses just meant more provisions for him. However, some of these people were Gold and Belle's friends. Punishing Gaston should not come at their expense.

Calqhoun is the name he gives in case Belle or Gold kept in touch with anyone. He slides into character with ease. People found the mild-mannered man of god forgettable, which is his intention.

As he enjoys David Nolan's company, he thinks that he'd like to find a place for himself. Sometimes it was lonely being a cannibal. Tough making friends.

So he sat, nondescript, and made conversation with David. The man was friendly and not overly bright, which was exactly the combination he was looking for. In the space of an evening, he learned all he needed to know about Gaston: where he lived, his habits, and his associates.

The next day Ives set up camp in a remote part of the jungle. Gaston's disappearance must not coincide with his passing through. His stores depleted, he hunts, and finds the locals to his taste. He bides his time.

He considered grabbing Gaston from his bed, but it seemed rather anticlimactic. This man had hurt his family, the only people he loved in this world. And for that, he deserved to suffer.

First, he moved things around to set Gaston off balance. His shoes while he slept. His tools. He left the barn doors open and stole his axe.

Gaston ranted to his aunt that someone was playing tricks on him. The scowl never left his face, and he accused everyone he met of being the culprit.

Ives escalated his campaign. He left sheet music in the barn, a book on the bedside table. He hung one of Tilly's drawings in the kitchen and left a woman's dress on the clothesline. A piano key was placed in his saddlebag. Now Gaston crossed from being angry to afraid.

The axe, covered in blood, was the perfect sight to greet him for his last morning on earth. It was lodged in the kitchen table and covered with gore. Ives watched from the shadows as Gaston staggered toward it, pale and shaken. He came up behind him and struck him in the head.

As Ives dragged Gaston through the jungle underbrush, he considered if he wanted to eat such a vile man. When they reached his camp, he told Gaston who he was. He describes exactly what he is going to do to him. Big, strong Gaston cries and begs. Ives starts by removing one finger and enjoying it as an appetizer.

He doesn't taste so bad after all.

“Calqhoun” drops by the little village before he leaves New Zealand. He talks to David Nolan again, who, with a bit of maneuvering, tells him all about the disappearance of Gaston. A bloody axe in the kitchen table was the only clue, and the entire village was stumped by the mystery. Cora is the only one who cares that he is missing.

His only regret is that he can't write to Gold and tell him all about the favor he has done for him. Papua New Guinea is the next stop. Perhaps he'll find some companions there.

#rumbelle #rumbelle fic #ravenous #ravenous au #the piano #four ways

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