#song of the lioness era

[cricketnationrise]

Hello! Would you be willing to write George Cooper from the Tortall universe? If you'd prefer a different character that's fine I just would love to read something of yours in this fandom. ♥️

Dancing Dove, 11:23am

of COURSE i will write you some George Cooper! here's a little moment of the first time he invites Alan to the Dancing Dove - hope you like it!

read the rest of the ficlets here!

⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️

before the noon bell, dancing dove

George was just getting back from a stroll around the Lower City when his Gift tapped him on the shoulder, saying pay attention, daft boy. He looked around for the source of his Gift’s focus and couldn’t help a delighted grin spreading across his face when he recognized a shock of red hair and purple eyes picking their way through the marketplace crowd. The youth was accompanied by Gareth of Naxen—the younger one—unless George missed his guess. So the lad was in page training, then, he mused as the pair stopped at a stall with armor and weapons for sale. Grin widening with impishness, George slid through the throng of people and tapped the small red-head on the shoulder.

The lad startled badly and turned to look up at him. George was momentarily caught in the sharp gaze of those strange purple eyes, but recovered quickly enough that the page didn’t notice.

“So—it’s the young sprout with purple eyes. I was wonderin’ if you’d fallen into a well.”

To his pleased surprise, the lad grinned back at him. “I’ve been at the palace.”

Master Gareth interrupted then, breaking off their conversation with his suspiciousness. George introduced himself with a bow and, on a whim he’d never be able to explain to himself, invited them for a drink at the Dove. By all rights, he should have stayed in public, shouldn’t have brought two pages—one of which would likely be Prime Minister—into the heart of his kingdom. But he had a good feeling about the little red-haired lad, and besides, the invitation made his Gift curl up like a contented cat in a sunbeam.

He signaled to Solom for ale and lemonades and settled in with Gary and Alan at his customary table, subtly waving off his curious inner circle of deputies. Gary’s questioning was expected, his sharp mind on display, guessing George’s real position within minutes of sitting down. Alan stayed quiet, sipping his drink and seeming to just take it all in. His face betrayed nothing, no sign of approval or distaste as George named himself as Corus’ King of Thieves, the Lower CIty’s Rogue. It was frustrating to be unable to get a read on the young sprout—the lad’s own Gift canceled his own out. Oddly, he wanted to know everything about Alan, was itching to know what Alan thought of George’s life; it was clear he was waiting for all the facts before giving any sort of reaction.

“I like you—” Gary said then, interrupting George’s train of thought. “For all you’re a thief.”

George laughed. “And I like you, Gary—for all you’re a noble. Friends, then?” They sealed it with a handshake. “And you, Alan?” he asked, using every bit of his hard-earned diligence to keep the trepidation out of his voice.

“I…want some more lemonade,” he said, pouring himself a fresh tankard, the hint of smirk hovering around his mouth. George couldn’t help but smile at that; the lad would be keeping George on his toes, for certain. He heard the noon bell ring out over the city and slumped internally; it wouldn’t do for them to spend their whole afternoon in the Court of the Rogue, no matter how much George was enjoying himself.

“You’d best be gettin’ back.” He couldn’t help but make his position clear before they left, though. “If you need anything, send word through Stefan—he works in the palace stables. You’ll find me here most of the time, and if not, ask old Solom. He’ll fetch me quick enough.”

Both pages shook his hand after standing; George suppressed a jolt when the feel of Alan’s hand seemed to send a shock up his arm.

“You’ll be seeing us, then,” Alan promised with all the gravitas of a vow of fealty. “Good day to you.”

George watched them leave with a smile on his face. He had a distinct feeling that the next few years were going to be quite interestin’ indeed.

#cricket writes #mkaugust #ficlet fest 500 #tortall #song of the lioness era #george cooper #alanna of trebond

[templeofoccultpractices]

Bastet

Other names:Bast

Major cult center:Bubastis

Symbol:cat, lioness, ointment jar, sistrum, solar disk

Parents:Ra and Isis

Siblings:Horus and Anhur (half-brothers)

Consort:Ptah

Offspring:Maahes

Connection to other gods:Sekhmet, Hathor, Rāt, Tem, Artemis

Celebrations

Bubastis celebrations of Bastet 'Feast of drunkenness'

Bubasteia was celebrated by intoxication,music, debauchery, children would be born without fathers on this day.

Bastet was a goddess of ancient Egyptian religion, worshipped as early as the Second Dynasty (2890 BCE). Her name also is rendered as B'sst, Baast, Ubaste, and Baset. In ancient Greek religion, she was known as Ailuros (Koinē Greek: αἴλουρος "cat").

Bastet was worshipped in Bubastis in Lower Egypt, originally as a lioness goddess, a role shared by other deities such as Sekhmet. Eventually Bastet and Sekhmet were characterized as two aspects of the same goddess, with Sekhmet representing the powerful warrior and protector aspect and Bastet, who increasingly was depicted as a cat, representing a gentler aspect

Role In Ancient Egypt

Bastet was originally a fierce lioness warrior goddess of the sun worshipped throughout most of ancient Egyptian history, but later she became the cat goddess that is familiar today. She then was depicted as the daughter of Ra and Isis, and the consort of Ptah, with whom she had a son Maahes.

As protector of Lower Egypt, she was seen as defender of the king, and consequently of the sun god, Ra. Along with other deities such as Hathor, Sekhmet, and Isis, Bastet was associated with the Eye of Ra.She has been depicted as fighting the serpent named Apep, an enemy of Ra. In addition to her solar connections, sometimes she was called "eye of the moon".

Bastet was also a goddess of pregnancy and childbirth, possibly because of the fertility of the domestic cat.

Images of Bastet were often created from alabaster. The goddess was sometimes depicted holding a ceremonial sistrum in one hand and an aegis in the other—the aegis usually resembling a collar or gorget, embellished with a lioness head.

Bastet was also depicted as the goddess of protection against contagious diseases and malicious spirits.

History

Bastet first appears in the third millennium BCE, where she is depicted as either a fierce lioness or a woman with the head of a lioness.Two thousand years later, during the Third Intermediate Period of Egypt (c. 1070–712 BC), Bastet began to be depicted as a domestic cat or a cat-headed woman.

Scribes of the New Kingdom and later eras began referring to her with an additional feminine suffix, as Bastet. The name change is thought to have been added to emphasize pronunciation of the ending t sound, often left silent.

Cats in ancient Egypt were highly revered, partly due to their ability to combat vermin such as mice, rats (which threatened key food supplies), and snakes—especially cobras. Cats of royalty were, in some instances, known to be dressed in golden jewelry and were allowed to eat from the plates of their owners. Dennis C. Turner and Patrick Bateson estimate that during the Twenty-second Dynasty (c. 945–715 BC), Bastet worship changed from being a lioness deity into being predominantly a major cat deity.Because domestic cats tend to be tender and protective of their offspring, Bastet was also regarded as a good mother and sometimes was depicted with numerous kittens.

The native Egyptian rulers were replaced by Greeks during an occupation of Ancient Egypt in the Ptolemaic Dynasty that lasted almost 300 years. The Greeks sometimes equated Bastet with one of their goddesses, Artemis

Festival

Herodotus also relates that of the many solemn festivals held in Egypt, the most important and most popular one was that celebrated in Bubastis in honor of this goddess.Each year on the day of her festival, the town was said to have attracted some 700,000 visitors, both men and women (but not children), who arrived in numerous crowded ships. The women engaged in music, song, and dance on their way to the place. Great sacrifices were made and prodigious amounts of wine were drunk—more than was the case throughout the year.This accords well with Egyptian sources that prescribe that lioness goddesses are to be appeased with the "feasts of drunkenness".A festival of Bastet was known to be celebrated during the New Kingdom at Bubastis. The block statue from the eighteenth dynasty (c. 1380 BC) of Nefer-ka, the wab-priest of Sekhmet,provides written evidence for this. The inscription suggests that the king, Amenhotep III, was present at the event and had great offerings made to the deity.

──────⊰In Workings⊱──────

*Please know basic protections and energy work before attempting any deity work.*

*It is important to note that everyone's experiences are different and will work with spirits for different reasons. Some people may like a spirit while others will not and that's okay. Ask these spirits what they will work with you on as well as ask them if they can help you with whatever it is you need.*

Ideas for honoring or working with/worshipping Bastet

Altar

Create an altar/sacred space for your rituals and giving offerings for Bastet. Items may include

⬩An altar cloth

⬩Black or yellow candles (you can use any color)

⬩Cup or chalice

⬩Incense and an incense burner

⬩Offering bowl

⬩Statue of Bastet, cat or lion

For more information on basic deity work and altar setups check out the deity work post.

Offering items:Bread, Catnip, Fish, Frankincense, Meats, Myrrh, Perfume bottle, Sistrum, Water

Rituals

⬩Fertility rites and rituals

⬩Protection

⬩Motherhood

⬩You can ask her what she can help you with⬩

𓃠𓃠𓃠𓃠𓃠𓃠𓃠𓃠𓃠𓃠𓃠𓃠𓃠𓃠𓃠𓃠𓃠𓃠𓃠𓃠

For more content relating to other practices/religions or pantheons follow my main blog for updates or ask me anything

If you have any more questions or wish to join a community feel free to join my 18+ discord server

Ask me anything on my blog

#occult #witchcraft #witchblr #deity #neter #neteru #netjer #kemetic #kemetism #Kemetic gods #kemetic pagan #kemetic witch #kemetic paganism #kemetic polytheism #netjeru #spirit #spirits #kemetblr #occultblr #paganism #pagan #witch #Bastet #Bast #neterism

[bardicbeetle]

hey. Hey. You got any analysis of the Lost Boys or thoughts on the movie to share? who's your favorite character in it and why??

@abalonetea

Analysis on the movie I've been many levels of obsessed with since age 14 you ask?

...this is going to end up undercut for length I can already feel it.

The Lost Boys is my comfort movie, my I-feel-like-shit-nothing-is-fixing-it movie, my I-can't-write-please-help movie and my go-to for when I am inflicting media upon a new friend. I know it backwards forwards, upside down and inside out, I own the out of print novelization written by Craig Shaw Gardener, I posted the original prequel script to fanfiction.net in the early 2010s because I found it buried in a forum post and wanted it to be easier to find, I have listened to every version of cry little sister that G Tom Mac has ever put out in addition to the entire stage musical he produced. The fic I wrote for it in 2011 is still on Wattpad and to this day for some fuck ass reason gets 1000s of hits per year. I have another fic for it on ao3 that still takes up brainspace for me on a minimum weekly basis.

I.

Honestly do not know who I am as a writer if not for this film.

It is such a huge part of who I am as both a fan of media and a vampire writer and as a horror enjoyer in general.

And it is undeniably, baked into its bones, queer as fuck.

Not just from the overt point of here is a film in the 1980s about men sharing blood, directed by an openly gay man, hands us platonic and familial and romantic interactions between male characters, who are allowed to hold one another, allowed to express emotion, allowed to exist freely and without shame I am--so very abnormal about this movie.

I'll be the first to admit it's not perfect by any means, it very much exists a time capsule of its era, but also, to momentarily put the bar on the floor, it isn't slur laden and full of take-backs for any of the emotional vulnerability like other things around then were (see: Once Bitten, which while unarguably very much more on the comedy side of horror-comedy, i'm going to put into the same category by virtue of Camp Vampire Movies of the 80s).

It hands us one of my favorite mothers of all time. Lucy Emerson is a treasure, she spends the whole movie trying her goddamn best to remember that she is stronger than anyone gives her credit for. That she chose to divorce an abusive man, pick up her two sons, and leave without more than signing the papers and getting out. She doesn't care if they're poor, she doesn't care if she could have gotten something from her ex-husband, she wants her boys safe and there is a very large implication that sticking around to do the whole song and dance would have ended badly. Lucy lives for her sons, she wants so badly to make the world easier for them than it was for her, she wants to be part of their lives and part of their interests even if she does not understand them, and I maintain that Had Max Actually Succeeded, it would not have been long before the Lost Boys themselves were Lucy's as much as her own two sons, and that would not have ended well for Max. Protecting mother, lioness, made to be underestimated so you are always caught off guard.

Edgar and Alan Frog are near and dear to my heart, these idiot vampire hunter children were just so very much what my brother and I were in terms of Making Up Games To Play--ignoring the fact that for these two it's real, not that it ever had been before the Emerson family rolled into town and Sam's brother got mixed into the Lost Boys group. Edgar wanting to be in charge of things and wanting to protect the people he cares about and the town he is too stubborn to admit he loves despite being what, 12? 14? Alan being quieter but just as absolutely ready to go "yeah we are totally experts at this" as his twin, the fact that neither of them have any idea what they are getting into. Dipping barely into the sequels territory (which...they aren't good. by any definition. but Edgar and Alan are the best part of them both) we get Edgar dealing not only with his perceived loss of Alan to half-vampirism, but his whole loss of Sam after having to kill him and I just.

Ugh.

NOW, dipping into the main event there is Michael, who spends this whole movie just trying to figure out where the hell he's supposed to belong at this point. He doesn't see any point in starting a new high school in his senior year, he doesn't want to upset his mother by just absolutely dropping off the planet, he cares deeply about his family and wants to help however he can because they are struggling for money. So what does this seventeen year old kid do? He starts picking trash up off the beach for eight hours a day. He gives that money to his mother under the guise of it being "leftover from christmas" because he doesn't want her to worry about him working. He feels so fucking lonely without the friends he left behind in Phoenix and he feels like he's too old to supplant himself into a new friend group in Santa Carla before everyone goes their separate ways after high school anyways.

Enter Star and the Lost Boys.

Yes, Michael is taken in by Star because she's beautiful and mysterious and he's a teenage boy seeing nipples through a tank top, but beyond that he sees in her, in David and the others, how self sure they all are of the decisions they've made. This group is all within his age, they're all living in a goddamn sunken hotel half claimed by the ocean, they have motorcycles like him, they smoke weed and eat chinese food and Marko keeps pigeons and Dwayne can skateboard and Paul is a music nerd and what the fuck how do they manage to seem like they have their lives more together as a group of teenage runaways than he does?

He's enamored with it, obsessed with it, the movie speeds up a timeline of something that does in fact happen over the course of a couple weeks, of him hanging out with them, slowly experiencing more and more symptoms of vampirism from the blood he drank the first night, unable to stop coming back, unable to really figure out what it is they have figured out that he doesn't, and hoping that maybe if he stays with them he will eventually feel the same confidence in his own existence that they do.

But couple that with the horrifying reality that he is becoming a monster. His younger brother is terrified of him, the family dog bites him, the horses won't go near him, he pulls a mouse out of a trap freshly dead and squeezes it like a spent juice box into his mouth, he is falling apart at the seams by the time David decides it's time to finish things. And that's what David wants, he wants Michael in a position where he is no longer lucid enough to resist once there's blood in the air.

And it almost fucking works.

I stand by my belief that the entire movie hinges on the beach party where the Lost Boys kill a whole bunch of Surf Nazis. The whole thing, the outcome of the final fight, the failure of Max's plan, all of it hangs on that one night, and whether or not Michael can actually manage not to give into the bloodlust. He does manage, obviously, he leans into the shock and fear and near throws himself out of that tree because he knows that if he doesn't, he will join the blood bath happening not ten feet away. He is starving and exhausted and everything in him is screaming that if he just gave in, it would all feel so much better.

But he doesn't.

He lays in the sand until he cannot hear any heartbeats left.

Lays there clawing his hands into the ground like if he can hold himself still enough then maybe this will stop being real.

Three of the four boys don't pay much mind to this, Dwayne Paul and Marko have slipped back into regular antics despite being coated red. Their faces have returned to normal, their eyes no longer brilliant gold rimmed red, they are laughing and shoving and having a good time.

But David is furious. He's quiet about it, he isn't loudly angry, something I think he probably absorbed from Max over the years, he tells Michael what needs to be done if he wants to stay with them, and then he and the other Lost Boys leave him there in the sand, burnt flesh and ashes drifting down to him on the breeze.

The thing about David is that he realized the night on the train bridge that he didn't care about Max's bullshit plan. He didn't care that he was originally going to feed Michael to Star. He is fixated on getting Michael to join them, not just for himself, not just to keep Star around, but also because there's a refusal to give up in this kid that has him excited, a stubbornness that he wants to break. It's the thing that eventually leads to his death.

ANYWAYS.

I think, perhaps, I have yelled enough.

Oh, shit, favorite character.

I think without any doubt it has to be David. Especially after reading the novelization, the comics, the original prequel script, he's just, he is such an interesting character and his motivations are so obvious despite how much he would appear to hold them close to his chest. He's a root character I can trace a lot of the tropes that carry over in my own antagonists to, and some of my protagonists as well.

double anyways, camp vampires from 1987 my beloved.

Thank you Katie <3

#the magician cries #questions concerns and or rotten tomatoes #piles of vampire bs #tlb #the lost boys

[aromanticbuck]

Tag Game

Tagged by: @lovelymysticmoon, thank you!

Do you play an instrument? I do not

Favourite book characters? Alanna of Tortall. literally the only character who has stuck with me since middle school. I need to reread the Song of the Lioness Quartet - maybe on the roadtrip.

What's your star sign? Leo

Favourite colour scheme? right now, it's probably purple and silver/grey, or just... olive drab green. I never left my WWII era and now all my blorbos are soldiers idk what's happening in my brain.

What languages do you speak? English fluently, and I'm learning Greek (slowly)

Dream/aspiration? I want this stressful week to be over. But I would love to be a published author one day.

Short or long hair? short! I chopped mine to above my chin recently and I absolutely love it.

Tea or coffee? tea!

Bring your favourite book character to real life or go into a fictional world? put me in a fictional world pls!

no pressure tagging: @kitthekazoo @fighterkimburgess @artistformerlyknown @aramblingjay @spiritcold5 @avasrhodes @lucydonato and anyone else who wants to do it!

#tagged #alex says things #about me

[alagaisia]

Today’s book: The Scottish Boy, by Alex de Campi. I actually got this book for free almost two years ago from a neighbor who works in book distribution, and I picked it because of its gorgeous cover art, and then put it at the bottom of the stack.

Excellent. It took me a chapter or two to adjust to reading in present tense, but I enjoyed it once I did. The politics of knighthood and nobility at times reminded me of Tamora Pierce’s Song of the Lioness series, which I loved as a kid. I haven’t read much historical fiction lately, and this is an earlier era than most that I have read, so it was very fun to sink into the day-to-day customs of an unfamiliar period. I loved the many side characters and the complex and layered relationships throughout the book, including the sort-of love triangle that found what I felt was an incredibly satisfying resolution. And, while I’m again not familiar enough with the 1100s to catch historical inaccuracy, I do feel like the characters were (at least to the untrained eye) reasonably believable for existing in their period; nobody complained about corsets or raged against customs of the time using modern arguments (though I can’t speak to how accurately those customs were depicted), they just quietly made good lives for themselves within the framework they were given, which I always appreciate. And though an mlm romance naturally centers the two male characters, the female secondary characters all had agency and competence and a role to play in their own lives and in the book and in society (without being time travelers transplanted straight from the front lines of second-wave feminism).

Lots of sex scenes that I skimmed past, but I’m sure they were good for people who enjoy that sort of thing (I didn’t catch any ridiculous phrasing, at least), and for those that don’t, it was easy to skip through without missing anything important.

I didn’t think my “vaguely documenting books I read” would turn into a whole book review and recommendation thing, and it probably won’t, but I did very much enjoy this and if you’re looking for a good genre-fiction queer story, I’d give it a shot.

(other books I've read this year)

#the Scottish boy #mine #my book log #alex de campi #2023 reading list

[the-al-chemist]

🏷⚠️💭 for 4,5 & 6 💛💛💛

Hello, lovely anon! Thank you for the ask! 🧡

🏷️ Does it have a title yet? If so, where did it come from?

4 - This Shadowed Land

The title of This Shadowed Land comes from the song ‘Shadowland’ from the musical The Lion King. The full lyric is: “Shadowland, the leaves have fallen/This shadowed land, this was our home.” The song is about a young woman (well, lioness) faced with the reality that the place she once called home has been turned into a desolate land at the hands of a dictator and is needing to take drastic measures to stop it. It fits the story well, and is just a gorgeous piece of music. I’d recommend giving it a listen.

5 - The Lights That Never Go Out

This is another musical title, this time based on the song “There is a Light That Never Goes Out” by The Smiths, which features in the very first chapter (which is already written!)

6 - ??? (The Hinny WIP)

The Hinny Wedding WIP has no title. I need one. If anyone has any suggestions, send them to me, I’m all ears. Really. Potentially the title will be something along the lines of “On This Wild Night”, as the story is accompanied by a poem taken from a book written by a very dear friend of mine: The Wild Night’s Bloom by E.M.G. Somerwill.

⚠️ If you had to select five tags for it, right now, what would they be?

This Shadowed Land:

#artemis hexley - she’s back!

#harry potter golden era - yasssss we are into the canon days!

#kingsley shacklebolt - I love him, honestly.

#the phoenix resistance - some chapters from this story were included in the @phoenixresistance project

#angst - it’s full of it

The Lights That Never Go Out:

#artemis hexley - a given by this point

#charlie weasley - he’s hardly in TSL, we’re making up for this here. Mainly because I have withdrawal symptoms just thinking about it.

#bill weasley - yessss the dream team is back together

#hurt comfort - I hope you like hurt-comfort, because there’s a lot of it.

#more hurt comfort - no, but really. I mean it.

Hinny Wedding WIP:

#artemis hexley - we done knew it.

#charlie weasley - aww yeah.

#weasley family - they’re all here!

#hinny wedding - who doesn’t love a wedding?

#farce - it’s a comedy! Sort of. A drama-comedy. There’s sad bits too, but mainly it’s funny. I think so, anyway.

💭 Is there a line or scene you can see clearly already?

This Shadowed Land

So, there are several chapters already written and published as part of TPR, but of the chapters I haven’t written yet, there are 4 that occupy my dreams:

Artemis hanging out at Bill’s wedding. (I love a wedding, okay?!)

Molly and Artemis have a quiet moment together washing dishes at the start of the war.

Bill finds out about Artemis’ disappearance.

Artemis’ final showdown at the BoH. I won’t tell you more.

The Lights That Never Go Out

I’m taking a different approach with the Lights series - I have a very vague outline, but as only writing chapters/scenes when they become clear in my mind, and am doing so as that happens rather than waiting for them to occur in chronological order. This means that the only scenes that I’ve imagined clearly I’ve already written! There are 4 or 5 of them so far, with a planned total of 20.

Hinny Wedding WIP

The first draft is fully written, but it needs A LOT of editing. If you want a preview, the first draft of the first scene was published as part of the Valentine’s Day Prompts Challenge (Day 5: Late).

#wip ask game #artemis hexley #this shadowed land #the lights that never go out #hinny wedding

[saint-starflicker]

nickname: poe

sign: sighs

height: 5ft nothing (153 centimeters)

last thing i googled: 'old gods appalachia lavinia' because I'm catching up on the seasonal episodes of the Old Gods of Appalachia podcast after Bumper Crop and I reached the Valentine's Day episode but I don't remember who Lavinia is and apparently she was in the episodes that were Patreon exclusive so I didn't hear them

song stuck in my head: Michael Arden's vocals in Pilgrims Hands because he doesn't hit those low notes so much as he embraces and absolves them of their sins and then gives them wine and weed brownies to get comforting prophetic dreams and divine visions from JUST LISTEN TO HIS DULCET TONES HE IS A VOCAL FLOWER CROWN

number of followers: i don't look behind me don't look behind me don't look behind you don't look now don't look don't

amount of sleep: 6 hours nightly because I've achieved adulthood! ...10 when I should be on meds but for whatever reason I am not on meds

dream job: I was a hedge trimmer for a maze when a giant mecha robot just stomped in. Then I was a supersoldier at the supersoldier dormitory but I was a journalist disguised as a supersoldier and trying to write an article exposé about unethical treatment of soldier clones. Another time I was at a Reality Warper Magic School and the final exam was an aria but I did it so badly that they sent me to the same super hell that Castiel went to at the series finale of Supernatural, because they can't allow people to graduate with Reality Warper powers if they do their Reality Warping Aria that badly. I literally do dream of labor.

wearing: It's Sunday. Pink cotton jersey Hello Kitty pajamas and a plushie hat that is shaped and colored to look like a ram. Because I'm an adult and nobody can tell me not to.

books that summarise you: the His Dark Materials trilogy, Neil Gaiman's Stardust (I have a signed copy from 2004!), and a whole shelf of historical nonfiction with no specific region or era I hoard them like a dragon

favourite song: currently still a 50/50 between "You and I" or "Portrait of a Girl" both from BAPO

favourite instrument: all of them, equally (...im not fond of the harmonica...)

aesthetic: 2005 BoHo Revival but I think kids these days call it Cottagecore, if I had the funds/time/energy I would live in Steampunk, but thanks to BAPO, DPS, and Fraternity by Andy Mientus I have really been into Dark Academia lately

favourite author: i owe each of my faves a lot because of the impact their works had on my life, but 'never meet your heroes'

random fun fact: When the lioness has children, she stops making love to the lion. The lion gets jealous. Sometimes so jealous he eats the children.

#poe.txtwall

[whalewave]

Love and Hate (사랑과 혐오)

To the rainbow sky. While fighting against a long night,

2022, a rainbow has appeared in Seoul City Hall Plaza again for 3 years. Various booths, performances, and crowds of people did not stop. In particular, the performance of Lionesis, the first LGBT boy group in Korea, was the most memorable. It can be said that the song "Show me you Pride" has the most beautiful lyrics in the world.

While fighting against a long night

The place we finally arrived. "Higher"

To our paradise

To the rainbow sky

Didn't know when I fought lonely

The fence named "WE"

When we being as we,

we even make a path that doesn't exist.

No matter how much you shoot at us with your tiny keyboard

we are bulletproof, we are bulletproof

and Untouchable 

We're the conqueror of the Savanah field.

When "LIONESSES" appear,

We organize this field. "Charge"

We burn up the era of discrimination, we shine and emancipated. like "Jewel"

When annoying gazes press you 

You can take my hand whenever you feel alone 

Love is love 

Show me your love 

You're the one who shines like a star 

Show me your fire 

Show me your light 

Show me your PRIDE 

Come out, Babe 

It's my PRIDE 

While I determined to die,

and kick out the closet door

They welcome brave me. And they were another "me" outside the closet. 

Like standing in front of a bungee-jump stand,

more nervous before I jump down.

After jumped out of courage, 

What the... it wasn't a big deal and just fun. 

Tomorrow, the tomorrow's sun will rise. 

And it'll be brighter than today

You don't have to hide or try to avoid it. that bright sun is on our side. 

Just before dawn is the darkest time. 

And if you feel trapped in the darkness 

Just call us "Friend" 

Then we'll be the candles in your dark room 

When annoying gazes press you 

You can take my hand whenever you feel alone.

...

As always, there were hate protests from the other side. They are a Christian organization in Korea, and they swear at queers who enter the entrance to the queer parade or say that they hurt their parents. In the old queer parade, he even blocked marching trucks with his body and climbed all kinds of hatred, such as throwing objects. Every year, the media is buzzing about homosexuality for and against homosexuality, which is very wrong. Homosexuality is not about pros and cons. human rights and freedoms. There is no difference between heterosexual and homosexual. Isn't everything created out of love? There are people who oppose the queer parade because they don't want to see it, and that's also wrong. Because hating to see is one of hatred. There is a system of nature and society, and queer people are a system that everyone has to accept in the end. If you hate it just because it's unfamiliar, it's no different than a 5-year-old child. Unfounded hate is unconditionally defeated. I respect queers who overcame a lot of hatred and run to the end. Queer Parade 2022, a summer full of love and hotter than ever. The street that about 135,000 people passed is still hot.

[ratsalad]

1, 5, 11, 20, 21 teehee

1. you have a chance to interview tobias forge; what 3 questions would you ask him?

- what is your real hair color and why do you like dyeing it

- do you truly intend on making music videos for songs bygone eras (e.g. body and blood), only yes/no answers allowed; if yes which songs do you have in mind

- i know musicians genuinely can't answer questions like 'when are you coming to brazil' because they're not responsible for planning their shows but: shows in asia when :(

5. have you got any unpopular ghost opinions? share them

impera's not spooky enough for me :( i got into ghost primarily because they were wonderfully blasphemous and horror-aligned in the most delicious of ways (differently from a band like bloodbath for example, like with ghost there's almost something romantic about it) but i feel like impera lacks that completely, aside from the lyrics (which in my opinion are the least important part of evoking a mixture of fear/disgust/wonder/reverence - the sound is what makes it)

obviously a lot of people interpret that as me saying 'impera doesn't sound like opus' which, yeah it doesn't, but that's not the point I'm making. it feels like a huge departure from their previous sound and atmosphere and while i still like it as music, I'm not sure if I'm in love with it as a ghost album

tobias can make what he likes and i can respect that, but people are also allowed to have opinions about it that aren't 'this is perfect and i love it,' which i feel a lot of people in this fandom don't get

ehhh what else... i think the very american themes in this album are a bit restrictive and are nowhere near as interesting as prequelle or meliora were.

i don't think i have any radically unpopular opinions... i suppose the way copia would talk about the ghoulettes as chained lionesses during the prequelle shows made me uncomfy? lol

OH of course i thought they totally oversold the 'exciting' afterparty -_-

11. favorite ghost meme

'i will be actively disturbing the peace'! it makes me laugh so hard

20. have you ever had a dream involving ghost?

ughhhhhh yes only recently, after the afterparty ended at 1:45 IN THE MORNING i went to bed and dreamt that there was actually more to the after-party and missed all of it because i went to sleep. didnt like that

21. you get to spend a day with one ghost character. who is it and how do you spend the day?

it's papa ii and we're fornicating

#THANKS JOHN #theropoda #ask #ghost #vaaya moodu

[themonkeycabal]

re: Fantasy Recs

riseoftherose said: If you don’t mind a slightly younger aimed author, I still enjoy a series I first read as a kid, always thought it deserved more rep. The Land of

Sorry friend, it looks like your rec got cut off a bit there. 

msprufrock said: Also aimed slightly younger, but I really enjoyed Akata Witch (and the sequel Akata Warrior) by Nnedi Okorafor. It’s a YA fantasy series set in Nigeria

Oh nice. Sounds like fun. Scarlet Odyssey is also set in a very Africa-like world, really loved that. 

gerundsandcoffee said: I liked Uprooted by Naomi Novik. It’s a stand alone original but heavily rooted in Eastern European folklore.

I think I might have read that one. It sounds familiar. I’ll have to look again. Thanks! 

solysgoldensun said: The Invisible Library series by Genevieve Cogman is pretty fun, involving dragons, fae, and librarians (oh my!) in a multiverse semi-portal fantasy deal with steam punk elements.

Oh nice. I’ve got a little bit of a weakness for steampunkish-ness. (oh, bonus, the first book was only $2.99. I picked it up. thanks!)

anomaly-nerd said: The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison is my current favorite. It’s a little plot heavy but the worldbuilding is fantastic and the protagonist is impossible not to love

I don’t mind plot-heavy if I feel like it’s going somewhere. Love good worldbuilding, though. So great. 

Anonymous said: I highly recommend Temeraire. That series was amazing. It's 9 books, complete storyline that begins in Napoleonic Wars era Europe and then expands into almost every continent. It was just mwah *chef's kiss*. The lead characters (one human, one dragon) are both absolutely adorkable and I thoroughly enjoyed every chapter. There are serious matters and some dark chapters, but it's a very optimistic series overall, not grimdark in the least.

Oh, thank you for reminding me of that one! I have the first one, I think I read it when it came out, but I never followed up on the rest of the series. 

emilise284 said: any/all of Diana Wynne Jones’s works: Howl’s Moving Castle, Dogsbody, and Fire and Hemlock are among my favorites. 

Robin McKinley is also gr9, I especially love Pegasus and Chalice

if you’re looking for recent fantasy Gideon the Ninth (and sequel, Harrow the Ninth) by Tamsyn Muir are GREAT fun and very gay (but also maybe edging a lil further towards grimdark than you’re in the mood for rn)

Cool. Thank you!

backwardsandinhighheels said: For urban fantasy, I’ve really enjoyed the Guild Codex series by Annette Marie - funny with found family vibes and slooow burn romances, and the heroine of Spellbound is a normal human girl in a magic guild which gives me serious Darcy vibes

That sounds like a lot of fun. Thanks. (score, the first one is $3.99 and has Margarita in the title. Can’t go wrong there. I grabbed it.) 

lady-of-luthien said: The first fantasy author I really got into was Tamora Pierce. She writes a lot of YA stuff. Song of the Lioness, The Immortals, and Protector of the Small series. All awesome.

Oh yes, I read some of those. Definitely fun. 

furyleika said: Absolutely second Robin McKinley, particularly The Blue Sword and The Hero and the Crown. Also Tamora Pierce. If you don’t mind younger aimed, my absolute favorites of all time are Patricia C. Wrede’s Enchanted Forest Chronicles. Anne McCaffrey’s Pern novels straddle the fantasy/sci-fi line depending where in the timeline you’re reading. The Harper Hall series is a great starting point.

I also really like Garth Nix’s Old Kingdom series. They may be closer to grim than not, but things turn out okay! Way less depressing than GRRM. I liked Holmberg’s Paper Magician series if you haven’t read that from her.

Swordheart from T. Kingfisher is awesome and funny and romantic. It says it’s in the same series as something else of hers, but I didn’t read those and enjoyed it anyways. Okay, I’ll stop. (Oh wait! Have you read Neil Gaiman’s stuff? I like almost all of it.)

Oh, I’ve totally read Anne McCaffrey, very into Pern back in ye olden tymes.  

I have the Paper Magician, but I haven’t read it yet. I just finished Spellbreaker/Spellmaker and I wanted to try somebody else first. 

T. Kingfisher sounds familiar, but I don’t recognize any of the titles (maybe I read Clockwork Boys, that sounds really familiar. Or I started to read it and got distracted and forgot -- this happens). I will check out Swordheart. 

Garth Nix sounds familiar, too (I am bad with names, so this happens a lot, too). I’ll check out the first one. Thanks! 

And, yes, I’ve read all the Neil Gaiman things lol. 

owl-librarian said: Echoing Diana Wynne Jones, Tamora Pierce, and Garth Nix rec’s. I also recently reread a bunch of Patricia C Wrede books, which are delightful. If J/YA isn’t your jam, try Mercedes Lackey; HIGHLY prolific fantasy writer. Some of her stuff is a little dated now, but gosh a lot of it is still awesome. I particularly like her Arrows of the Queen trilogy.

Oh, yes, definitely I’ve ready Mercedes Lackey. Back in ye olden days with Anne McCaffrey and Terry Brooks (I was very into the Shannara books in high school). 

gothfirefaerie said: If you like amazing world building and word porn I can not recommend Patricia a McKillip enough! My favorites are alphabet of thorn, fantastic beasts of eld and ombria in shadow. Also great for world building is Michelle Sagara and her chronicles of elantra but while I wouldn’t call them grimdark they are heavy.

Those sound fun. Thank you. Love worldbuilding. 

owl-librarian said: Have you done any Terry Pratchett? He’s the right kind of fantasy for me, definitely not too heavy “high fantasy” - and full of real characters and great humor! If you are intimidated by his Oeuvre start with “Guards! Guards!” or “The Wee Free Men”

Oh yes, absolutely. Great fun. 

owl-librarian said: I also highly suggest the Bordertown books edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling; it was a shared world created back in the 80s for authors to play in - there are several short story collections and a couple of novels set in this town that is the border between our world and faerie. It was revived in the 2010s with Ellen and Holly Black in another short story collection.

That sounds familiar, but I don’t think I ever read any of it. Thank you, I’ll check it out. 

cathsith said: @sarahreesbrennan In Other Lands is *amazing* and lots of fun and the furthest thing from grim!dark that I can think of

Awesome. Thank you.

lover-of-the-starkindler said: *nods along for most of the recs and takes notes of the others* Summers at Castle Auburn by Sharon Shinn is good; Perilous Gard by Elizabeth Marie Pope is a Tam Lin retelling set in Elizabethan England and is amazing; Woodwalker by Emily B. Martin if you like sneaking through forests and political plots…

Sweet, thank you.

Thanks everybody I will check out all of your lovely recs. 

#book recs #book rec list #so many things to read #wonderful!

[pricechecktranslations]

The ask about the Sloth's era made me curious about something. Are the designs of the main sinners heavily influenced by their time periods? Like, I know there'd be artistic liberties that might make some of them less accurate, but how much of the design was taken from their respective eras? Can you also go a bit in-depth on which arc corresponds to which real life era (I remember you answering this before, but it's been a while). The designs of Gluttony and Sloth I'm most curious about. Thanks!

Yes, for the most part. Venomania's tailcoat looks pretty Victorian to me, but Conchita's dress is I think medieval in style, Riliane's dress is based on the styles of pre-Revolution France, Margarita's is Victorian of course, Kayo's outfit is obviously traditionally Japanese (pre-Meiji Restoration), underneath Gallerian's judge robes he wears a lounge suit which was becoming the fashion in the 1910s-1920s, and Nemesis...uh...

Well, she'd be another outlier like Venomania, I think.

Bear in mind, a lot of the design choices in the series boil down to "it looks cool/it references the VOCALOID", hence why they are inspirations only. A corset would never be worn on the outside the way Conchita wears it (it didn't even exist back then), detached sleeves was not the norm in most European fashion, etc. Similarly, no time period choice is going to be an exact match because not only is Evillious history heavily condensed compared to ours, but it also draws inspiration from many anachronic periods. Like, Daughter of Evil is clearly French Revolution in design, but Arth's expansion campaign feels (to me) very heavily based on Charlemagne (his song is even called medieval by mothy in the video title). Obviously these two things were NOT one right after the other in real life history, but they are in Evillious.

But, to give a rough estimation (and please be advised I am not exactly a historian here),

OSS is clearly classical era, albeit again with a ton of anachronic elements like television. There's a lot of obvious Roman influence which I've talked about elsewhere, drawing from several different periods of its history (Etruscan rule, Republic, Empire), as well as a little bit of Greek.

Venomania's is a little bit trickier for me, pretty much none of the outfit styles in it feel early medieval and I'm not as well versed in the structure of society for back then. Venomania is a Beelzenian noble, Asmodean having been colonized by Beelzenia at the time, which makes me think it's meant to be Byzantine era? The Venomania manga does have some medieval looking outfits in it, so it's not like there isn't anything to it at all (also clear generic Arabian influence in some places). --I don't know, timeline wise it's obviously supposed to be early medieval but I just can't get over Venomania's outfit, which feels like it should be from a much later time period. Lukana says it's becoming the fashion in western Evillious, but if you look at medieval outfits of Europe at the time it's obviously not inspired by any of them.

The Conchita novel feels easier to pin down in medieval history if only because Marlon is currently undergoing a civil war with Lioness at the time, which takes obvious inspiration from England’s War of the Roses. So, probably around the 550s or so.

Daughter of Evil is French Revolution with some medieval mixed in as I've said (Allen's outfit looks almost directly copied from the styles of the time, even).

Sloth is Victorian, though it does draw inspiration from earlier periods as the newspaper is a recent invention, Maistia is a more recent discovery, and so on.

Enbizaka is the most obvious one, featuring a clear Admiral Perry knockoff who is planning to force open Jakoku's harbors with warships the next time she visits, making it obviously shortly before the Meiji Restoration (I believe that's the Tokugawa shogunate?) around the turn of the century. There are elements that feel like they're from older fairytales though, specifically Kokutan's adventures.

Greed and Wrath are both roughly around the same time period, with Gallerian's story taking place around the 1910s (WWI) and Nemesis' story being more around the 1940s (WWII), however it does also take bits from earlier in history as well, such as Maistia having their civil war over slavery around that time (the real-life American civil war being in the mid-1800s).

#()anonymous

[shit-talk-turner]

Re: long post about Louise and Alex's relationship - not too bad at all. I like your theory anon, but I'm still convinced that she is a paid companion. I don't think there is any friendship there. // Original, loooong post anon here & you're right, I don't even think they're friends either, just the thought of romance between them feels completely preposterous. I didn't at first like backing the "paid escort" theory, because I felt like it could contribute to gay rumours or Milex shipping, & it seemed ridiculous because he has a steady stream of women who are at least interested in him, in theory. The longer this goes on, though, it does seem like an arrangement or "situationship," where it has been boiled down to just be purely transactional between the 2 of them. I compared it to a glorified in-person Only Fans gf a while back. It may be some version of a simp/dom (or whatever they call it!), BDSM-type thing, where Alex literally hands over the cash & he kisses her (Rouje) boot & she calls him a pathetic piece of shit beta cuck, or something. This actually (sadly) doesn't sound that far-fetched. I think there were elements of this dynamic between he & Alexa & we know he was practically bewitched by that woman! Therapy!!!!!!

Yeah this is an oft-overlooked point. Everyone talks romantically about “She’s Thunderstorms” and “Secret Door” as Alexa-inspired songs (*I’m intentionally not naming some others because that’s a different conversation) but I think we spend comparatively little time also thinking about how Alexa was the primary woman in his life in the same era as all these dominatrix-types who pop up in the lyrics on Humbug, the one who has her boot on his chest, the lioness, the “ego mechanic”, et al.

[the-lincyclopedia]

Fic writer questions I never get asked

Thanks for the tag, @khashanakalashtar! This is an interesting list! 

What date did you make your AO3 profile? What date did you post your first fic?

I joined AO3 on February 5, 2018. Seriously. I was FFN-only for so long. I posted my first fics on AO3 the day I joined. My first fics ever to hit the internet, however, were published on July 13, 2011, which is when I got my FFN account.

Do you cross-post your work?

Yeah, still. When I first got my AO3 account, I posted a bunch of things that were already on my FFN account, and these days I put basically everything on both. I like that FFN gives a pretty accurate and nearly complete timeline of my fanworks, which is the main reason I’m still posting there. Nothing I’ve posted there in the past three years has gotten much engagement, and I know the site is dying. 

What’s your fic with the most comment threads? The most bookmarks? Are the top 5 of those categories basically the same, and basically the same as the top 5 kudos?

Top 5 by comment threads: 

Face the Future with You (Check Please)

Man Oh Man, You’re My Best Friend (Check Please)

It’s Always You (Check Please)

Love in the Time of Influenza (Carry On)

I Love You, All Right? (Check Please)

Top 5 by bookmarks: 

Love in the Time of Influenza (Carry On)

The Aftermath of Angelic Assumptions (Good Omens)

Man Oh Man, You’re My Best Friend (Check Please)

Nightmares (Carry On)

Christmas Planning (Carry On)

Top 5 by kudos: 

Love in the Time of Influenza (Carry On)

Face the Future with You (Check Please)

Nightmares (Carry On)

The Aftermath of Angelic Assumptions (Good Omens)

Christmas Planning (Carry On)

So basically the Check Please fandom comments more and the Carry On fandom is more into bookmarks and kudos, and there’s more of a correlation between kudos and bookmarks than between either of those and comments. 

What’s the word count of your longest fic or series?

“The Jumper Chronicles,” my longest fic on FFN, is 111,223 words. I abandoned it in 2015 and I really would not recommend it. On AO3, my longest fic is “who could ask to be unbroken (or be brave again)” at 14,772 words. It’s part of my longest series on AO3: “Samwell Men’s Harmonies” at 29,921 words. 

What’s your most underrated fic?

MOST underrated? I have 132 fics on AO3, so there are a lot of potential answers. I guess I’ll pick my work with literally the fewest kudos: it’s a charming little rhyming poem about Harry Potter called “The Willow May Whomp You.” It has two kudos, fewer than 70 hits, no bookmarks, and no comments. I was so proud of it when I finished it, and AO3 really did not care. 

Does your early work contain any writing sins?

I had heard that not breaking up your dialogue was bad (which it’s not? Who told me this? Why did I believe them? Ugh), and I thought that adding adverbs to dialogue tags constituted breaking up your dialogue. So I had lots of unnecessary beats and adverbs and internal monologue mixed up in what otherwise might have been passable dialogue scenes. (I don’t remember whether this came up a ton in my fics and I don’t feel like looking, but I remember it pretty clearly in the original stuff I was working on back then.)

Have you ever had a work podficced?

Yes! I requested it for Fandom Trumps Hate, though, so I don’t know if it counts, exactly. It’s not like someone read my work and approached me about podding it. Anyway, my Yuri on Ice fic “When and If” has a podfic version. 

Have you posted any podfics? Fanvids? Fanart?

I was going to say no, and then I remembered that back in, like, 2009, I tried to make a couple Romione fanvids, one to Taylor Swift’s “You Belong with Me” and one to “I’m Not That Girl” from Wicked. Unfortunately for everyone involved, I didn’t have a clue how to pull bits of video from a movie (still don’t, actually), so they were basically slideshows. I’ve long since taken them down from YouTube and the computer I made them on has long since died, so I can’t prove any of this to you, but . . . uh, yeah. That happened. 

Are there any trends in your favorite ships?

I feel like there have been, like, eras of my shipping. When I first started shipping (i.e. before I realized I’m queer), it was basically “girl I can project on” shipped with “literally whoever her canon love interest is, regardless of anything about him” (Romione, Percabeth). Then it was “asshole guy” shipped with “other guy who interfaces between the asshole guy and the rest of the world” (Johnlock, Otayuri to a lesser extent). I feel like it’s becoming “broken person whose coping mechanism is meanness” shipped with “broken person whose coping mechanism is sunshine” (Zimbits, maybe Snowbaz). This is pretty similar to the asshole x interface-with-world, but the relationship is a little more mutual and balanced, and the mean one has a better excuse for being mean. 

Do you have fandoms you’ve written a lot for? Fandoms you’ve only written a one-off for?

Fandoms I’ve written a lot for: Check Please, Carry On, Harry Potter, Sherlock, Lizzie Bennet Diaries, and Yuri on Ice. (I’m defining “a lot” as at least five fics, and please note that I’ve got a 30k Lizzie Bennet Diaries fic that’s only on FFN because I really don’t like the ending.)

Fandoms I’ve only written one-offs for: Discworld, Turtles All the Way Down, Maleficent, the Chronicles of Narnia, Paper Towns, Six of Crows, Hoot, the Odyssey, Song of the Lioness, and Downton Abbey. (There are multiple other fandoms with two fics each.)

What fandom got you into fandom?

Harry Potter. I’d been writing next gen fics for like two years when a school acquaintance shared an FFN link to a Marauders fic on Google Buzz and I was hooked. 

Do you have a strategy for summaries?

I try to describe the premise/first part of the plot, and I add notes that might be relevant (i.e., major trigger warnings or other things that might put people off). I don’t use quotes, either from the story or from anywhere else. 

Do you use beta readers? For what? Do you have a go-to beta?

Occasionally for plot/general “is this good?” type feedback, or if they’re mandatory for an event, I guess. (I’m doing my first bang, so that’s a new thing for me.) I don’t feel the need to use a beta for spelling, grammar, or punctuation since I’m a semi-professional copyeditor. These days I do read most things to my QPP over the phone before publishing them. That’s usually more of a cheer-reading situation than a beta situation, though. 

I tag @doggernaut @carryonsimoncarryonbaz @birlcholtz @cricketnationrise and anyone else who wants to play! 

#mine #tag game #fanfiction #about me

[thegryffindorprincess]

Twin Size Mattress//Draco Malfoy x Reader

She hopes I'm cursed forever to Sleep on a twin-sized mattress In somebody's attic or basement my whole life Never graduating up in size to add another And my nightmares will have nightmares every night Oh, every night, every night

A/N: Based off of ‘Twin Size Mattress’ by The Front Bottoms. So this song is one of my absolute favourites and I think it’s so sad dude. However I thought this would make such a beautifully sad draco x reader. Just to let you know: requests are open, I have a new Draco series coming & a Lucius imagine out super soon! Anyway enjoy!

Set: Golden Trio era into Post War

Word Count:1,989

Warnings: honestly so much sadness bro 

This is for the lions living in the wiry broke down frames Of my friends bodies When the flood water comes, it ain't gonna be clear It's gonna look like mud

But I will help you swim I will help you swim I'm gonna help you swim

To Draco, she was a roaring lion with a mane of perfect hair and a will stronger than anybody else’s. He’d noticed her long before she’d noticed him. He watched her as she got weaker throughout the years, the darker the wizarding world got. She was a muggle born, so he guessed this was a hell worse than she’d ever expected to experience. Y/N’s body became weaker over time and the lion like prowess stopped as Draco looked after her from afar. She stayed too close to Hermione for him to ever speak to her. But he wanted to. He got to one night, when he was taking a late night stroll around the grounds to clear his mind in his fifth year. Dumbledores army had just arrived back to the castle, Harry had met Voldermort again, this time at the Ministry and everyone was scared. That’s when he saw her standing on the edge of the Black Lake, swaying on her heels. He’d approached quietly, playing with his hair as he came closer. When she saw him she flashed him a gentle smile. Draco finally plucked up the courage to stand next to her. He flicked his wand so that a gentle, silver glow lit the river bank. Y/N looked up at him through her thick eyelashes.

“Are you scared Draco?” She asked gently. They’d never spoken, but she laid her head on his shoulder then as if they’d been friends for years. He raised his hand to her head and gently played with Y/N’s hair, thinking of an answer.

“I’ll protect you.” Was all he said as they stood there together in peace. “I will protect you with everything I have.” She shuffled closer to him then.

“The floodwaters coming Draco...” She huffed as she looked at the water in front of them. He took her further into his arms and kissed her forehead.

“I will help you swim.” 

This is for the snakes and the people they bite For the friends I've made, for the sleepless nights For the warning signs I've completely ignored There's an amount to take, reasons to take more

They’d decided to be together after that night, in a secretive way, but still devoted. He’d snuck out of the manor at least three times a week so she could show him muggle London in the summer holidays. Draco adored the time he spent with her, but in the back of his mind he knew it was coming to an end. You see, unlike Y/N, a beautiful lioness, Draco was a snake. In the recent months, things were becoming darker. Instead of running away though, he was losing any shred of bravery he had left. He was friends with all the wrong people. Back at Hogwarts, he sat at the Slytherin house table, the dark mark he’d acquired burning under neath his robes, he looked over to her. Drowning out the conversations of his friends about mud bloods, he watched Y/N laugh with Harry, Ron and Hermione as they sat huddled together and it stung. Why couldn’t he be like them? 

Draco cuddled her to him as they lay in bed, thoughts of what he had to do swirling through his head. Y/N was peacefully asleep, while he lay wide awake. He was wearing long sleeved pyjamas even in the heat as he couldn’t let her see what he’d done. As he lay looking down at the girl, he thought about all the warning signs at home he’d ignored, he should’ve prepared for this war, got away, joined the order, moved as far away as possible. That was all just dreams now. His mistakes were piling up on top of each other and he couldn’t take anymore. Draco kissed her head as he jumped out of bed, sliding out of the room silently, praising merlin that his girl was a heavy sleeper. He made his way out into the corridor towards the room of requirement. 

It's no big surprise you turned out this way When they close their eyes and prayed you would change And they cut your hair, and sent you away You stopped by my house the night you escaped With tears in my eyes, I begged you to stay You said, "Hey man, I love you, but no fucking way!"

Y/N awoke to screaming in the halls. She slipped unnoticeably out of the Slytherin common room, getting lost in the crowds. Hermione appeared then next to her, concern spread across her features. She pulled Y/N with her as they jogged out into the courtyard. Hermione and her pushed to the front. There lay Dumbledore, dead. Harry was bent over his body sobbing, his shoulders heaving as he held his hand. The school raised their wands to the sky, Draco was no where to be seen. People began to leave then, one by one going back to their common rooms, until the four of them were left.

“This was Draco.” Harry spat. Y/N looked at him in slight shock, struggling to regain composure. “He let them in. He’s one of them. He has the mark. Snape had to kill Dumbledore to save Draco. This is his fault.” Rage began to sore through Y/N’s body. She briefly dropped to the ground to give Harry a hug, before getting up and leaving the three be. She ran, as fast as her legs would carry her, up to the Owlery tower. She stood on the edge for ages, bent over in agony. She never thought she could hate him, but he’d proved her wrong. Y/N was knocked out of her thoughts by a familiar hand on her shoulder. Draco smiled down at her, tears brimming in his eyes. She simply shrugged him off.

“Show me it.” She demanded, crossing her arms and standing opposite. He looked at her wide eyed. “Show me it, now.” Draco took a deep breathe and began to roll up his sleeve, showing her the mark that adorned his pale flesh. She scowled at it. “It’s no big surprise you turned out this way, really.” She whispered at nobody in particular. Draco stayed silent, pulling down his sleeve again, hiding the mark once more. “I just prayed you would change sides.” Y/N looked at him now. He guiltily stared at his feet. “Did you escape?” She asked gently, watching how he nodded so slowly it felt like it might of not happened. “Are you going to fight against the school?” She asked, her tone emotionless. He nodded again, looking up at her with big, sensitive eyes. Y/N glared at him, and turned on her heal to walk away. Draco, with tears in his eyes went to chase her. 

“Stay?” He begged, droplets of water rolling down his cheeks. Y/N turned to him, placed a gentle kiss on his cheek and shook her head.

“Hey man, I love you.” Draco looked up a little eagerly, but was met with her pained face walking away from him once more. “But no fucking way.” She spat. 

This is for the lake that me and my friends swim in Naked and dumb on a drunken night But it should've felt good, but I can hear the Jaws theme song On repeat in the back of my mind

The war was over. The right side had won. Draco’s family had all charges against them dropped. He should be happy, he thought to himself as he stood by the side of the large river in front of him, Blaise and Pansy splashing eachother already swimming. Draco stripped from his clothes and dived into the cold water. He felt alive for the first time in a few years. The group swam together, laughing, all of them naked. The water felt so relaxing over his skin as he sunk deeper into the river. But still, in the back of his mind he knew something was still wrong. It was on repeat, the sense of loneliness, which he tried to push away. That was the moment he decided to start to drink. Everyday. To feel alive again. 

Make sure you kiss your knuckles before you punch me in the face There are lessons to be learned Consequences for all the stupid things I say And it is no big surprise you turned out this way The spark in your eyes, The look on your face I will not be late

He’d passed out again. It was only three pm, but he was laid on his sofa in his flat, eyes closed. They fluttered open at the sound of ringing. Draco flung his arm to reach for his phone. The number was unknown. He groaned, before swiping and answering.

“Who is this?” He snapped down the line.

“Jesus Draco,” A familiar voice spoke, “kiss your knuckles before you punch me in the face.” The sentenced ended with a slight tone of amusement. Draco’s heart began to flutter as he realised it was Y/N. 

“Lesson learnt.” He groaned. “I’ll take the consequences for all the stupid things I say.” She laughed gently.

“Are you drunk?” She asked quietly. Draco nervously paused. 

“Yeah...” Draco whispered. Y/N sighed.

“It’s no big surprise you turned out this way.” The words stung as Draco remembered the last time she’d used them. “Anyway, do you want to see me? It would be nice to see you. I’ve missed the sparks in your eyes and the look on your face when you see me.” Draco swallowed loudly. 

“Please,” He sighed, “I will not be late.” 

I wanna contribute to the chaos I don't wanna watch and then complain 'Cause I am through finding blame That is the decision that I have made

Draco staggered into the bar. He knew he’d fucked up before he’d seen the disappointment painted on her face. His breath stank of fire whiskey, his clothes were dirty and he could barely walk. He sat down opposite her, and she simply blankly stared back. He’d gotten nervous. He’d contributed to the chaos in his brain by poisoning himself. He didn’t want to watch himself be lonely just to complain. 

“Am I to blame for this then?” Y/N spat at him as he swayed in his seat. She looked beautiful Draco thought, absolutely radiant. Draco simply shrugged as she asked. They sat in silence for a while, taking eachother in. 

“I’m about to be made homeless.” Draco said, with a slight laugh to his tone. He decided to laugh so he didn’t cry. She just stared back at him.

“I’m going.” She announced breaking the silence. “I’m not letting you ruin my life again, i’ve decided.” And Y/N left Draco sitting alone. 

She hopes I'm cursed forever to Sleep on a twin-sized mattress In somebody's attic or basement my whole life Never graduating up in size to add another And my nightmares will have nightmares every night Oh, every night, every night

Draco laid on the mattress on Blaise’s floor. He stared at the ceiling as his girlfriend Astoria laid next to him asleep. He wondered what Y/N was thinking about. Probably the fact he deserved this. To not have a permanent home. He clung to himself. He didn’t want to sleep. Draco knew when he did his nightmares would get worse. His nightmares had become so violent, he thought his own nightmares were having nightmares. And that’s where he’d stay. On his twin sized mattress he used to share with her, just now without her warmth. And that was how it would be. Every night of his life. 

#draco #draco malfoy #draco x reader #draco x reader fluff #draco x reader angst #draco x reader sad #draco malfoy x reader #draco malfoy x reader fluff #draco malfoy x reader angst #draco sad #draco fluff #draco angst #draco fanfiction #frontbottoms #songprompt

[fayewonglibrary]

Dou Wei and Faye Wong: The "Ambiguity" of "The Higher Being" (2020)

by Xu Jinjing  

I can't see through your ambiguous eyes They seem to be deep yet still very shallow The sky turned gray-blue I want to say goodbye It's not too late

—— Faye Wong, "Ambiguous" 

Oh~ my goodness, the higher being Heaven and hell are all on earth ...

Where is the happiness Where is the happiness Where is the happiness

—— Dou Wei, "The Higher Being"

From the masterpiece "Shameful" in the Black Panther era to the masterpiece "The Higher Being" in the Masters of Rock era, Dou Wei had obviously undergone a transformation from angry rock and roll youth to music philosopher. Dou Wei's transformation was brought about by his age and experiences and it was also closely related to his love life.

Before and after the release of Dou Wei's first solo album "Black Dream", he was in the vortex of a love triangle with Jessica Jiang and Faye Wong. On one hand, Jessica Jiang was the "suffering lover" who gave up her studies for him. On the other hand, Faye Wong was the "Heavenly Queen" who had risen to prominence in Hong Kong and the entire Chinese music industry. How could he choose? For Dou Wei, it was an extremely difficult decision.

In "The Higher Being", he described the rich aspects of human nature in the form of two-character words. He spoke indifferently and calmly, then shouted in a rather desperate voice: "Where is the happiness?" Dou Wei's thorough understanding of human nature and his matter-of-fact attitude towards life is somewhat reminiscent of the ideas of French existential philosophers such as Jean-Paul Sartre's "Hell is other people" and Albert Camus’ "There is only one really serious philosophical problem and that is suicide."

Dou Wei knows that it is very absurd to place one’s happiness on others. However, in his own life, he could not be so decisive and transparent. He lingered back and forth between the old Beijing hutong with Jessica Jiang and luxury hotels in Beijing's business district with Faye Wong whenever she returned to the city. There was aura and fame in Faye Wong and freedom and love in Jessica Jiang. All fulfilled the emotional needs of this artist from different aspects, making it difficult for him to make a definitive choice.

Faye Wong is a Leo who pursues control of her career and feelings. She could be very satisfied with the rich emotional and spiritual world that she created on her own. For the man she loved, she could also put down her identity as the "Heavenly Queen" and return to Beijing's old hutongs to pour a chamber pot and take care of him [when he was ill]. For these feelings, she vowed to not give up. Faye Wong finally had the last laugh in this long-distance love triangle relationship.

It is worth noting that when Faye Wong’s dream of love becomes a reality, she also needs daily self-affirmation and her lover's care to maintain the freshness and vitality of this relationship. The phrase “seems to be deep yet still very shallow" in her song "Ambiguous" perfectly expresses Faye Wong's complex and contradictory mood. In order to win Dou Wei's love, she could put herself down and be the little woman next to him. But in her emotional life, she obviously could not only just hold the "chamber pot".

When she and Dou Wei got married, Faye Wong in Dou Wei’s eyes turned from a musically compatible partner to housewife. Faye Wong’s career, aura, as well as her romantic ideals made the contradiction between the two more intense. In other words, the symbol of the chamber pot only became a gimmick for the media to describe the love between Faye Wong and Dou Wei, but it could never become the core element and theme of Faye Wong's expression of this relationship. The romantic Faye Wong can never be constrained.

Even if the sky deepens, still can't see the cracks on the brows Even a house filled with dim lights cannot shine through my body It can still reflect your heart ...

I fear that tragedy will repeat in my life The more beautiful things are, the more untouchable they are History repeats itself in this busy city There is no reason to fall in love without the undercurrent —— Faye Wong, "Undercurrent"

What is good or bad How can we adapt to this era I do not understand ... Look forward to receiving love's greetings Hope someone can save me Come soon, I'm waiting Take me to safety Stay with me at this time Let me feel your tenderness —— Dou Wei, "Sad Dreams" 

On the evening of December 31, 1998, Faye Wong held a New Year's Eve concert during her Scenic Tour in Hong Kong. After singing the opening three songs, she told the fans in Cantonese (in summary): This year, many people encountered a lot of happy and unhappy things. The important thing is to continue to learn from these experiences so you can face them in the future. I wish the fans a happy new year.

After the New Year's greetings, she sang the classic song "Undercurrent" in a trembling voice. When the fans started to cheer her on, Faye Wong stood on the stage and sang selflessly: “I fear that tragedy will repeat in my life..." At this time, Faye Wong and Dou Wei's marriage was on the edge. Faye Wong's popularity was continuously growing and the emergence of the third party Gao Yuan was close to exploding.

Three months ago, I repeatedly listened to the live recording of Faye Wong’s "Undercurrent”. I felt her emotional situation at the time with empathy. Faye Wong's spirituality and creativity have given her a very clear perception and intuition of her situation and fate in her emotional life. However, even if she knew that this relationship would not end well, even if she knew that the love with Dou Wei would encounter many ups and downs, while facing the doubts and opposition of many relatives and friends, she still chose to marry Dou Wei without hesitation. Faye Wong’s firm decision naturally reminds me of Nietzsche’s famous line: “Even if life is a dream, we must have this dream with a sense of interest, not to lose the sentiment and fun of the dream; even if life is a tragedy, we must act this tragedy vividly, not to lose the magnificence and comfort of the tragedy”.

The "tragedy" that Faye Wong firmly chose is most representative in Dou Wei's music. However, if you scrutinize the lyrics of "Sad Dreams", you will find that Dou Wei's "sadness" mainly comes from disappointment and uneasiness during this time period. In this state of loss and dissonance, love and salvation are just looking for a temporary "safe haven”.

One person saw love as a source of inspiration and romantic ideal. The other person only saw love as a substitute for grand narratives. The tragic ending of the two could have been predicted.

But there are times, when I'd rather Choose to keep this love alive and not let go And wait until we have finished admiring this view Perhaps you will keep me company And watch the trickle of water flow forever 

—— Faye Wong "Red Bean" Outside the window, the sky, the mind, the endless green field Your brilliant smile, I run desperately Fly by in the distance, no chance to reach the village, sunset, the boat returns Look at that day, there are white clouds In an instant, you appeared in front of me I saw the evening breeze blowing and the beauty of the rainbow —— Dou Wei, "Outside the Window" 

Of all of Dou Wei’s albums, "Sunny Days" was the most open and unconstrained. The self-doubt and isolation in "Black Dream" transformed into the self-expression of a Taoist temperament that was rather at ease. Take this song "Outside the Window" as an example. The style of the leisurely and boundless melody outline a simple and poetic atmosphere. The era of this album was when the relationship between Dou Wei and Faye Wong was in its best state.

In early 1995, Faye Wong released her live concert album which is still one of her most highly regarded albums by the public.  Dou Wei’s album "Sunny Days", which included the song "Outside the Window" was also released in the year 1995. No matter how bleakly their love ended, these moments are unforgettable. Listening to Dou Wei’s "Outside the Window" along with Faye Wong's smart and spirited singing in her concert, it is really wonderful to witness how the two people were in harmony.

By the time Faye Wong released the song "Red Bean", her relationship with Dou Wei had almost completely broken. In fact, "everything has an end" is already a well-known law of life for Faye Wong. But she still "chose to keep love alive and not let go" and to love vigorously rather than fall apart tragically. This is the "female lioness" side of Faye Wong. Her self-determination has been the same with Dou Wei, Nicholas Tse and Li Yapeng. Life is short and there will always be people who are unwilling to repeat mediocrity and unwilling to hesitate. After so many years, when listening to Faye Wong’s "Red Bean" again, we can see that this is still a person who seeks happiness without regret. 

When will the moon be clear and bright? I raise my cup of wine and ask the blue sky In this heavenly palace I wonder what year it would be? ... People may have sorrow or joy, parting or meeting The moon has times when it is not bright Nothing can be perfect since long ago

——  Faye Wong, "Wishing We Last Forever"

Good spring scene on this sunny day Hazy like before Sweet dreams, the green mountains beyond the sky in the dream Look up at the blue sky ... I often say that happiness is born out of suffering Joy turns to sorrow, it’s been true since long ago Don't make me uneasy, it's hard to tell right from wrong The vicissitudes of life are no longer regrettable ... Spring Summer Autumn Winter Every year, every year, a hundred years, a thousand years The sky changes, the earth changes, the mountains change, the water changes A thousand changes, people change, hearts change

The past has come from afar to the present Something will make you remember

——Dou Wei, "Sunny Days"

When it comes to Dou Wei's open and sunnier side, we can't help but talk about the title song "Sunny Days" from the album of the same name released in 1995. However, if we analyze the lyrics carefully, we will find that the melody seems cheerful and happy, but the content expressed a kind of indifferent pessimism that sees through everything.

After separating with Faye Wong, Dou Wei's emotional life was not able to settle down. Although he maintained a high quality creative output, in the eyes of the media and the public from the aspect of mainstream success, he is seen as just a middle-aged "uncle" who is increasingly "down" and "frustrated".

However, if we listen to "Sunny Days" carefully, we can appreciate that all joy, happiness, and success in the worldly sense have already been foreseen, reflected, and deconstructed in Dou Wei's spiritual and cultural vision. During the eight years I spent in Beijing, my biggest regret was that I did not get to listen to Dou Wei’s live performance. However, whenever Dou Wei’s music is on, we can temporarily deviate from the secular world of fame and fortune and escape from life for a moment of freedom and calmness...

From this perspective, when facing Dou Wei’s love, Faye Wong has never  leveraged the various areas of her fame and fortune. She loved Dou Wei because she loved his soul and his talents, and at the same time, tolerated the arrogance, gloom and betrayal attached to his soul and talent... Faye Wong’s love for Dou Wei is reflected in her cover of "Wishing We Last Forever". It's so vivid.

If we link together the titles of these two songs by Dou Wei and Faye Wong, we will discover the eternal expression of emotions and the ultimate meaning of life:  "On this sunny day, I hope people will last forever." From this perspective, although Dou Wei and Faye Wong have been separated for more than 20 years, the love between them and their continuous pursuit of life and love seems to have never faded and never changed.

In these classic songs that Faye Wong and Dou Wei gave to the world, may ordinary people like you and me realize the blessing!

POSTSCRIPT

For the purpose of researching China’s social and cultural life in the 1990s, I began to discover some important Chinese films and popular music during this time period to study. Among them, Dou Wei and Faye Wong’s music naturally could not be overlooked.

Listening to them over and over, not only evoked my youthful memories of the 1990s, but also inspired me to use the love life of celebrities as a clue to sort out the ecology of Chinese pop culture in the 1990s. After all, professor Li Gongzhong from the School of History of Nanjing University suggested that I use emotion as a clue when researching. While professor Cheng Boqing from the School of Sociology, Nanjing University taught the academic history of emotional sociology in a simple and systematic way where I learned to be open to exploring social and cultural life with emotions. 

Next, in preparation for writing: Dou Wei and Faye Wong had several representative albums that came out in the 1990s that I listened to dozens of times. The quality of their work is very high.

There were not only the biographical works of Dou Wei and Faye Wong, but I also found sources such as: "Perfect Faye Wong-Selections of Faye Wong Songs" (edited by Tian Lai Music Studio, Baihua Literature and Art Publishing House, June 2006). ), "Faye Wong Biography" (Huang Xiaoyang, Jiangsu People's Publishing House, January 2011 edition), "Days When My Long Hair Flew" (by Jessica Jiang Xin, Bo Ji Tianjuan & Hunan Literature and Art Publishing House June 2011 edition). These references were used for my writing. Of course, it should be noted that I was quite suspicious of many details in the books, so this essay will not list them as official citation notes. All the text in the article is the author's hypotheses of the above materials. If there are errors, the responsibility for the text is entirely the author's own responsibility.

Because Dou Wei and Faye Wong are both musicians who have had a profound influence on the author, despite the preparation, I was unable to find a suitable way to express the writing. In the long process of coming up with ideas for this article, I made a small playlist on NetEase Cloud Music, consisting of 8 representative songs by Faye Wong and Dou Wei, including 4 by Faye Wong and 4 by Dou Wei, and paired them up in 4 groups. I set the name of the playlist as “菲”常，“唯”一 ".  Friends who are familiar with the music and life of Faye Wong and Dou Wei will naturally smile at the name of my playlist.

When I listened to this playlist for the 30th time, I suddenly had an idea: Why not use the 8 songs in this playlist as a thread to write this essay? With this idea, the inspiration for writing this article occurred instantly.  Although I try to be well-researched in my interpretation of Faye Wong and Dou Wei’s love life, these are still very personal accounts. I welcome all the fans, followers and researchers of Faye Wong and Dou Wei to communicate, criticize and correct.

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SOURCE: THE PAPER // TRANSLATED BY: FAYE WONG FUZAO

#2020

[ordinaryheroinesarchived]

🙉🙈💚🚫🍰 dani

Had to put this under a read more because it got LOOOOONG.

🙉what are two things that make my muse uncomfortable in conversation

Talking about her love life and having children. Though Danica-Rose is comfortable in herself and who she loves, in the time period she lives and grew up with it’s seen as an illness and something punishable by being locked away in an asylum and being put through frankly horrific treatments to try and cure it. But Dani is a habitually honest person so having to lie about who she is and loves doesn’t sit well with her. 

As for talk of having children, a topic her mother and sisters often bring up, Danica-Rose is physically unable to have children, as barren as winter rain, and after raising most of her siblings in her childhood, teens and early adulthood, she doesn’t want to become a mother. She loves kids, she adores her nieces and nephews and the kids of her friends, but she just can’t see herself as a mother (Even though she’s a kickass stepmother to Claire and Charlotte in her modern ship with Louisa).

🙈what’s my muse’s biggest blind spot?

Dani’s biggest blind spot is her brothers and sisters. Someone could beat her up so badly, torture her, drive her to the brink of death and drag her back again and she’d gladly take it if it meant keeping her brothers and sisters safe. If they were threatened, any of them, she’d be in protective lioness mode faster than you could blink. When Emily and Peter, two of her younger siblings, died they became two of Danica-Rose’s most painful events and memories and she swore she would never let anyone harm the others, older and younger, so if you wanted to hurt Dani, they’d be your prime targets. 

💚what does my muse get envious over?

Dani gets envious of other couples, straight couples, being accepted and have their love validated and yet other couples, gays, lesbians and others, are considered wrong and that they must be sick or criminals in that era. She envies the couples who get to show their love and be who they are, whereas she has to hide or risk persecution. 

🚫what is one thing my muse wouldn’t want someone else to know about them?

Danica-Rose was there and holding her brother and sister when they died. She had been left in charge to nurse them, still very much a child herself when Peter was taken and much older when Emily left them, and since the family couldn’t afford a doctor, she did what her mother and grandmother instructed, giving them a herbal cure for their illness that did very little to help. She and Andrew Jr, her oldest brother, were both present when Peter and Emily passed away, and each time Andrew Jr said a prayer for their souls and Dani held their heads in her lap and shed tears for them. She would never want anyone other than those who already knew, to know that. 

🍰what’s my muse’s guilty pleasure?

She’d never admit it but she does love turning her record player up on her favourite songs and dancing around her apartment with her dogs when the neighbours aren’t in. If she’s really getting into it, she’ll even start singing along and that’s when the dogs join in too with barking and howling. 

#~Books In the Library Of My Mind~ // Musings Tag (Danica-Rose) #~Ave Maria~ // gratiaplcna #tw; child illness #tw; child death #tw; mentions of child death #tw; traumatic childhood event #tw; period typical homophobia