#28 sonnets later

[28sonnetslater]

#7 - An Ardent Palate

Turns out at least one of you clever folks already guessed @fayrobertsuk’s theme and the topic of the last poem (Lust of the Seven Deadly Sins), so here’s Gluttony:

You’ll gorge yourself on all you might desire, pick this and that, fill platters to the brim. The feast arrayed in front of you inspires more active souls to hustle to the gym.

That’s not your game – it’s all about the choices that cause ascetics such a dreadful fright – but here your inner toddler rejoices! (Now clean your plate – aught else is impolite.)

The world is full of misery and heartache, and people who insist on leeching joy, so come on – might as well inhale this cheesecake, and leave them to their schemes and scowls and ploys.

And though tomorrow’s gripe might make you weep, you can’t let tyrants rob you of your sleep.

– FR

[latinxmodernpoetry]

Testaments Scratched Into Bathroom Walls

As I contemplated on what should/shouldn’t be considered occasional poetry, I found instances of these poems in my everyday life. I applied the criteria Herrera put forth of what makes an occasional poem onto the visual poetry of the alphabetized world around me, and I found occasional poems in the bathrooms of the Porter Dining hall; either physically etched into the paint by someone with a strong hand and a ballpoint pen, or written in thick sharpie of various colors on the inside of the bathroom stalls. 

On the back of one of the stall doors in the bathroom is a message written in pink marker, “Anyone Else Struggling With Work-Genocide Balance? Free Palestine” There are words of descent for the testimonial question in black marker, “Did you do it? Did this save Gazans?”, “anti-semitic”, and a circled and crossed out, “Genocide” and next to it, “is not a buzzword”. Then, in thick red sharpie, “STFU”, “girl shut up. israel is a imperialist apartheid state and an embarrassment to jews around the world.” On the right wall is etched “Free Palestine”, then in black marker ,“From Hamas” and then in red sharpie, “no girl from the damn IDF.” These writings on the inside of the stall are incredible to me for a multitude of reasons. For one, I feel very lucky to be in this stall on this particular day because it is evident that there was a progression of time between each of these writings; these testimonials built off of each other and today I have arrived at the end of the completed sonnet. If I came earlier I might have missed the sass and energy from the red marker and be disappointed with the conversation ending with the black marker, and if I had came later I would have missed all of this completely. Two days after this day, the school repainted the inside of the stalls because of all of the writings. I would have never got to experience this incredible occasional poetry. What I got to read was an accessible, emotionally charged, uniting work, on the inside of bathroom walls. This is occasional poetry, practically textbook occasional poetry.

Herrera would be proud, I think, of the poets that congregated here in the bathroom of the Porter Dining hall. I see his hand on these walls, I see Corral as well. How are these different from "Testaments Scratched Into A Water Station Barrel"? The answer is they’re not, they just haven't been published and been given the "legitimacy" needed to be considered poetry. I am giving it to them however, in the form of this blog. I am telling you these are occasional poems, and they shall live on in publication within this blog. They shouldn't have to, but the literary world still requires it, and the physical world has covered up this great work. This the only place they will live on.

When I think like this, it makes me view these etchings in a similar vein to that of ancient engravings and Roman graffiti that are preserved for us to read today. We use those etchings to guess what the society was like at the time, and I kind of wish we could save these bathroom stalls for the same purpose. I feel like these should be taken out and sent to a museum and preserved for future generations, like pieces of Pompeii or The Berlin Wall. These feel like very profound occasional poems, made for others to read in the future to understand what was happening on campus at UCSC, on November 28, 2023. The school painted over them though. These artifacts only live on in my phone and on this blog. To have them removed feels akin to the burning of the library of Persepolis, akin to the erasure of a time and a place. I feel so fortunate to have seen the work and been able to document it, this was historical.

This blog in itself feels in part an occasional poem, or at least a documentary poem as I am documenting what I view to be an important historical moment. 

[cabinscreaking]

On June 17, 1885, the dismantled Statue of Liberty, a gift of friendship from the people of France to the people of America, arrives in New York Harbor after being shipped across the Atlantic Ocean in 350 individual pieces packed in more than 200 cases. The copper and iron statue, which was reassembled and dedicated the following year in a ceremony presided over by U.S. President Grover Cleveland, became known around the world as an enduring symbol of freedom and democracy.

Intended to commemorate the American Revolution and a century of friendship between the U.S. and France, the statue was designed by French sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi (who modeled it after his own mother), with assistance from engineer Gustave Eiffel, who later developed the iconic tower in Paris bearing his name. The statue was initially scheduled to be finished by 1876, the 100th anniversary of America’s Declaration of Independence; however, fundraising efforts, which included auctions, a lottery and boxing matches, took longer than anticipated, both in Europe and the U.S., where the statue’s pedestal was to be financed and constructed. The statue alone cost the French an estimated $250,000 (more than $5.5 million in today’s money).

Finally completed in Paris in the summer of 1884, the statue, a robed female figure with an uplifted arm holding a torch, reached its new home on Bedloe’s Island in New York Harbor on June 17, 1885. After being reassembled, the 450,000-pound statue was officially dedicated on October 28, 1886, by President Cleveland, who said, “We will not forget that Liberty has here made her home; nor shall her chosen altar be neglected.” Standing more than 305 feet from the foundation of its pedestal to the top of its torch, the statue, dubbed “Liberty Enlightening the World” by Bartholdi, was taller than any structure in New York City at the time. The statue was originally copper-colored, but over the years it underwent a natural color-change process called patination that produced its current greenish-blue hue.

In 1892, Ellis Island, located near Bedloe’s Island (which in 1956 was renamed Liberty Island), opened as America’s chief immigration station, and for the next 62 years Lady Liberty, as the statue is nicknamed, stood watch over the more than 12 million immigrants who sailed into New York Harbor. In 1903, a plaque inscribed with a sonnet titled “The New Colossus” by American poet Emma Lazarus, written 20 years earlier for a pedestal fundraiser, was placed on an interior wall of the pedestal. Lazarus’ now-famous words, which include “Give me your tired, your poor/Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” became symbolic of America’s vision of itself as a land of opportunity for immigrants.

Some 60 years after President Calvin Coolidge designated the statue a national monument in 1924, it underwent a multi-million-dollar restoration (which included a new torch and gold leaf-covered flame) and was rededicated by President Ronald Reagan on July 4, 1986, in a lavish celebration. Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the statue was closed; its base, pedestal and observation deck re-opened in 2004, while its crown re-opened to the public on July 4, 2009.

[couple-write-fics]

Dandelion Seed among Maple Leaves

AU!Hana x Kazuha

(Dandelions by Ruth R.)

On the dock, disembarking from the Crux, Hana stretched and popped her shoulder along with her back. It had been a long 3 weeks. She was excited to be away from the stale confined air of the inner ship. That's why she enjoyed the air of the salty sea, the smell of Inazuman dango and the spices of Liyue. She was too excited to be back in Liyue though; she could finally take her well deserved break thanks to her work with Beidou to ensure that her crew didn't get Scurvy by keeping the small Sunsettia tree able to bearing fruit. 

“Perhaps we should go enjoy the midday sun. Afterall, the midday sun has a way of making one yearn for a moment of sleep. What say we find ourselves a place to rest?” the man that held her heart said behind her. He was an Inazuman that she had met when she was running from her captors. You see, she was betrothed to a man from Natlan but she did not want to be married to him as he was essentially a warlord. So, the night she was supposed to meet him, she ran far and fast from Natlan to Liyue, where she ran into the Anemo Samurai. 

“Yes, please.” She smiles and nods at him. 

Kazuha smiled, offered his hand to her, a gentlemanly action that she has grown used to. This is just a small and simple action that she had grown used to since meeting him over 18 months ago. He had treated her like she was a common human, not a runaway future noble from Natlan. He had protected her, laughed with her, dried her tears, held her and most of all, allowed her to express her desires to be a wandering soul, free of all responsibilities that her future entailed. To her, he was a zephyr of freedom that she needed; Yet, she longed to know what she was to him. 

He leads them through the Harbor city, smiling as he enjoys the sounds as he leads them to the plateau of Mt. Tianheng, a perfect place to watch the sunset and also collect flowers that she wants. She mainly wants to collect the flowers to make herbal remedies to ensure that no one gets sick on the ship again. She got the unofficial job of “Ship Medic”, which Beidou appreciated. After all, when he got sick himself, she nursed him by herself for all the hours she was able to. Over 28 hours, 3 fevers being repeatedly spiking and breaking and countless coughing fits later, she nursed him. She only smiled, circles under her eyes, and whispered “Thank the Archons you are okay” all before she collapsed.

“Here we are, I hope you enjoy our relaxing day before we nap.” Kazuha smiled before he watched her run off to collect flowers. 

He smiled as he watched, his eyes full of love and full of the Dendro-user. She was full of life, compassionate yet also timid to a fault. She is so scared of any man that isn’t any of the crew or him. She has woken him up, crying and has since then, slept with him. He has written Haikus, Poems, and Sonnets. The language he used made her smile and since then, she has been his muse. Her hair was that of moonlight, her eyes of Silverore. He enjoys seeing her smile and it makes him want to always keep that as a permanent fixture on her face. He wishes he could tell her how she feels.

“And I've heard of a love that comes once in a lifetime, And I'm pretty sure that you are that love of mine.” He mutters as he picks up a Sweet Flower that was growing nearby. “ 'Cause I'm in a field of dandelions; wishing on every one that you'll be mine, mine. And I see forever in your eyes, I feel okay, when I see you smile, smile.” He smiles as he whispers his one prayer to the wind, unaware of his crush being able to hear the prayer on the wind.

“Wishing on dandelions all of the time, Praying to Archons that one day you'll be mine. Wishing on dandelions all of the time, all of the time.” Hana had accidently started singing just nearby as she then got the Violetgrass that grew nearby too.

His eyes grew wide before returning to normal and, with a smile, walked over, taking her hand and smiled as he rested his forehead on her forehead.

“Dandelion, into the wind you go: Won't you let my darling know?” He softly whispers and smiles as she smiles back.

“Dandelion, into the wind you go; Won't you let my darling know that?” 

And with this, the wind blew as they softly locked lips. With this, they confirmed each other's feelings for each other. That they do harbor deep emotions and to truly love each other.

I guess that while he was the Zephyr she felt; she was the Dandelion Seed that blew in his calming breeze. They simply were meant to be.

((Firefly here!!! Hana will in several stories (not requests!) but she will have the AU! by her name when she isn't with her partners for romantic fics. Hoped you like it, more to come)

[loneberry]

Make me a poet: eat my heart

“In chapter III of Dante's Vita Nuova the poet returns to his home "overcome with ecstasy" at having been greeted, for the first time as an adult, by his beloved Beatrice. His joy is short-lived, however, since he is soon upset by a "marvelous vision" that appears to him in his sleep. A figure who identifies himself as Dante's "master" holds a woman, naked except for a crimson cloth, in his arms. The figure holds a "fiery object" in his hands, telling Dante, "Behold your heart." The figure then holds Dante's heart up to the woman, who proves to be Beatrice, and makes her eat it from his hands. After a short while the figure begins weeping bitterly, and weeping, he folds his arms over the woman and together they ascend towards the heavens. At this point Dante awakes, and is inspired to write a sonnet addressed to "all Love's faithful subjects" in which he requests help in interpreting his vision.

“Rossi traces the various responses Dante received from those who had read the poem. Cino da Pistoia saw the heart as representing Dante's love, and the act of eating the heart as representative of his beloved's growing awareness of his feelings. However, he ignored the sense of horror that the vision evoked in Dante, as well as the bitter sadness with which it ended. In the first part of his response, Guido Cavalcanti emphasized the state of Grace provoked in Dante by the ecstasy of his love. The bitter weeping, he believed, resulted from the fact that falling in love was, on the lady's part, a sorrowful event, or perhaps a prelude to her death. Later, Cavalcanti suggested perhaps that eating the heart could be an antidote against death (vv. 9-11):

Di voi lo core ne portò, veggendo

che vostra donna la morte chedea;

nodrilla de lo cor, di ciò temendo.

“According to Rossi, the vision of Beatrice eating Dante's heart, confined as it is to the level of dream, serves to sanctify their love (even if Beatrice initially resists it) and to unite their hearts, consequently transforming Dante, the "amante gentile", into a poet. Dante goes beyond metaphor into the realm of the symbolic. The renunciation of earthy gratification, represented by Beatrice's ascent after having eaten his heart, is a necessary antecedent to his acquisition of the poetic word and the exemplary pilgrimage that was to result from it. The vision was, in Rossi's opinion, a stopping point on a more complete voyage towards the truth: "al di là dello speculum egli aspira infatti al rapporto facie ad faciem; al di là dell' 'essemplo' egli vuole arrivare a vedere la 'bellissima figura' del Cristo". Thus, for Dante the eaten heart motif is taken up to portray a symbolic sacrifice that anticipates his poetic initiation. The experience of a Reality beyond the senses, previously deemed impossible unless evoked through mystic inspiration, can now be realized, through the force of the intellect, in poetic language.”

(C. Si.) Rossi, L. "Il cuore, mistico pasto d'amore: dal 'Lai Guirun' al Decameron." Studi Provenzali e Francesi 1982. L'Aquila: Japadre, 1983. pp. 28-128.

Source

[redaynia]

ANOTHER COUNTRY: THE 1980s AND GAY CINEMA

by Alex Davidson

My Beautiful Laundrette, with its positive representation of a gay relationship, came at a radical time for LGBT rights in the UK and stands in the tradition of queer cinema flourishing in times of homophobic oppression. Victim (1961), Basil Dearden's drama about a lawyer (Dirk Bogarde) who realises his own homosexuality while investigating blackmail attempts against gay men, was made when homosexuality was still completely illegal in the UK. The sympathetic portrayal may have helped pave the way for a partial decriminalisation following the Sexual Offences act in 1967.

Gay Liberation flourished in the late 1970s and gay men on British cinema screens, who conventionally ended up miserable or dead by the end credits, started having fun. While Derek Jarman's Sebastiane (1967), an erotically charged take on the life and execution of St Sebastian, ended in tragedy, there was no doubting the film's gleeful celebration of gay sex. Nighthawks (1978) took British audiences into the gay clubs of Lindon and divided gay audiences, some of whom felt the main character -- sensitively played by Ken Robertson -- was an unappealing and downbeat figure. The film remains, however, an invaluable time capsule of 1970s gay nightlife. Television was more problematic, with TV schedules plagued by tired stereotypes typified by John Inman in Are You Being Served? (1973-1985) and Larry Grayson -- both, however, familiar, beloved faces on the small screen. The Naked Civil Servant (1975) was more provocative, with a Bafta-winning performance by John Hurt as the unashamedly flamboyant Quentin Crisp making a genuinely subversive statement.

With Margaret Thatcher's ascent to power in 1979 came a lurch to the right and a darkening of attitudes towards LGBT people in the 1980s. As the Aids epidemic spread, tabloids became bolder in their homophobia, with The Sun under the editorship of Kelvin MacKenzie calling Aids a 'gay plague'. Groups such as OutRage! and Act Up protested at the government's slow response to tackling the virus, noting how homophobia informed political decision-making. However, some progress was made. During the 1970s, Labour MP Maureen Colquhoun had been deselected after being as outed as gay by the press, and when Peter Tatchell stood as a Labour candidate for Bermondsey in 1983 he face a notoriously homophobic campaign from his Liberal opponents (the seat was won by the Liberals' Simon Hughes, who later came out as bisexual). Yet in 1984, Labour MP Chris Smith was the first minister to come out while in office. More LGBT people became politically active, such as Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners (LGSM), who inspired the award-winning film Pride (2014).

The most famous instance of the Thatcher administration's homophobic policy-making arrived in 1988, when Section 28 of the Local Government Act was passed. This legislation banned local authorities from publishing 'material with the intention of promoting homosexuality' as well as 'the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship.' The law directly affected The Two of Us (1988), a mild BBC drama about two gay boys who must decide whether to leave their homophobic home town or stay and resort to conformity. The original had the boys continue their relationship but the broadcast version was changed: one headed back to heterosexuality, while the other is left alone. British filmmakers were quick to react to the wave of hostility that dominated the decade. Derek Jarman made unashamedly celebratory films about gay male lives in The Angelic Conversation (1985) -- a queer reading of Shakespeare sonnets addressed to a young man -- and Caravaggio (1986), a queered portrait of the renaissance painter. His 1989 experimental film The Last of England (1989) is a dark, poetic vision of a country in crisis and one of his most explicitly anti-Thatcherite films.

Production company Merchant Ivory has a (misleading) reputation for safe period dramas but its adaptation of EM Forster's Maurice (1987) was daring -- not because it was politically confrontational but because it had that rarest thing in 1980s gay cinema: a happy ending for its lovers. A further key British feature of the era is Another Country (1984), based on the early life of Cambridge spy Guy Burgess and starring Rupert Everett as a gay public schoolboy disgusted by his repressive environment. In both Maurice and Another Country, the protagnists are rich, white and male -- acceptable traits for audiences who had already embraced homoeroticism in the BBC's 1981 adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited. All three works were comfortably set in the past, as was Stephen Frears' follow-up to My Beautiful Laundrette, his admirably bawdy Joe Orton biopic Prick Up Your Ears (1987). This fondness for telling gay stories through the distancing lens of period drama makes the contemporary love story of My Beautiful Laundrette all the more urgent.

Gay British films with interracial relationships were scant. A heavy hint of homosexual attraction followed the titular black and white characters in Two Gentlemen Sharing (1969), while the silly but lovable Girl Stroke Boy (1971) gave audiences a couple, played by Clive Francis and Peter Straker, where the gender of one half of the relation was supposedly ambiguous, but gay love stories featuring black and Asian characters appeared less frequently in the early 1980s. The political significance of an interracial gay relationship in a London blighted by the National Front adds fire to My Beautiful Laundrette and, despite the mildness of the scenes of passion, the film sparked controversy; when it was shown in New York, the Pakistan Action Committee demonstrated against it as 'the product of a vile and perverted mind'. Kureishi explored race and homosexuality again in his TV adaptation of his own novel The Buddha of Suburbia (1993) and interracial love informed some of the most interesting queer stories of the 1990s, in Isaac Julien's Young Soul Rebels (1991) and Neil Jordan's The Crying Game (1992).

While Queer as Folk (1999) may be the most famous LGBT British TV series of past years, a handful of gay non-fiction series from the 1980s paved the way for its success. Gay Life (1980-1981) explored queerness in various contexts, while the delightfully right-on Six of Hearts (1986) offered docudrama profiles of gay men and women, most notable Andy the Furniture Maker, an unlikely star of the art underworld. Channel 4's magazine show Out on Tuesday (1989) gave voices to marginalised queer people -- a highlight was Khush (1991), which celebrated South Asian lesbians and gay men living in Britain, North America and India, and was directed by Pratibha Parmar.

Plenty of documentaries about lesbian lives were made in the 1980s but British fiction films about gay women were few. A rare example is Mai Zetterling's Scrubbers (1982), set in a female borstal, while towards the end of the Thatcher era Oranges are Not the Only Fruit (1990), based on Jeanette Winterson's novel, was a huge hit. More elusive still in 1980s British cinema are depictions of trans lives. While the US has led in interesting depictions of trans people, gentle sitcom Boy Meets Girl (2015-2016) is a rare example of a British take on a transgender protagonist. Throughout British cinema and TV history, lesbian and trans viewers have had to be content with one-off episodes of TV anthology series or supporting roles in heterosexual-focused stories.

The activism of the 1980s, supported by British filmmakers, paved the way for the repeal of Section 28 in 2003 and the passing of the Civil Partnership Act a year later. Same-sex marriage followed in 2013 but writing today the situation for LGBT people is murkier. Following the referendum on Britain's EU membership in 2016, the most divisive recent political event, homophobic attacks rose by 147 per cent, while the 2017 general election resulted in the sitting government opting to rely on an openly homophobic party to achieve a Parliamentary majority and remain in power. At the time of this release, how an uncertain political climate will affect LGBT people remains to be seen but, with equipment and online platforms widely accessible, filmmakers have more opportunity than ever to confront homophobia through their art.

Alex Davidson is the film programmer at JW3 and a former curator at the BFI National Archive. He regularly writes for Sight & Sound and the BFI website. His specialty is LGBT cinema and television.

Article sourced from the booklet included in the BFI's dual format edition of My Beautiful Laundrette (2017).

[redpandaramblings]

28 and 29, please.

28. Any writing advice that works for you and you feel like sharing?

This is absolutely not a brag, this is a “wish I had more advice.” Writing comes very naturally for me. It’s my niche and comfy spot. I’ll try my best, though! But some tips…

When editing, change your font to Comic Sans. (I haven’t been doing this lately, and I need to again.) It might be the “annoying font,” but seriously the trick works.

Don’t write at the same place you play if you can avoid it. So if you game at your desk, write at the couch, etc. This can help you get in a “work mode.”

If you’re just starting to get into writing, there are two different directions for getting started. Either 1. The stream of consciousness, or 2. Something with a lot of rules and structure.

The stream of consciousness is where you set a timer, 5 minutes to start, maybe; and you just write whatever comes into your head. And I do mean whatever. No need for punctuation, the goal is words in a page. Your first few streams of consciousness might look like- “What the fuck am I doing this is so dumb fuck fuck fuck balls balls is a weird term maybe I should get pasta later”. And that’s great! The idea is to get in the habit of putting words on a page, no matter how silly it might initially feel.

Now if directionless chaos scares the shit out of you, I recommend starting with writing with rules. Haikus are great examples of this, as well as a few different types of poetry. (Not sonnets, wouldn’t wish that on a beginner.). Sometimes set rules help to give structure to work within. Heck, if fanfic is your intention, song fics can be a good, unintimidating place to start. Just follow the plot of a “story” song. “Popular” from wicked could easily become a fic about Mina giving someone a makeover for example.

Final blurbs of random advice, if you’re seriously struggling to figure out where the story should be going, you probably made a mistake/ wrong choice about 2-3 paragraphs back.

Read your dialog out loud to yourself. Can really help when it comes to sounding natural.

The biggest thing is to let go of all embarrassment. We live in a world where people are selling smut books about getting ravaged by Tetris pieces. Cringe is dead.

29. What’s the hardest thing about writing?

As my favorite writing Professor said, the art of writing is the art of applying the seat of one’s pants to the seat of one’s chair. And that’s pretty true. The hardest part is literally… just doing it. Sitting down and starting to write without getting discouraged or distracted. And some days you get one sentence and by god you worked hard for that sentence. It can be seriously, hard ass work.

[boiledeggacademia]

Maya Angelou

Let me tell you one of the most soulful people I've learned about, Maya Angelou. She's an absolute queen with so much perseverance and wisdom. I don't think I've learned about someone with so many quirks in numerous areas from writing to dancing, to directing, to singing; she's amazing so please give this a read.

First, who is Maya Angelou? A brief preview.

An African-American author, a poet, a singer, an activist, a scholar, a scriptwriter, an actress, and a dancer

Best known for her unique and pioneering autobiographical style

Born on April 4th, 1928 and died on May 28th, 2014

She was born in St. Louis, Missouri

Maya's Traumatic Early Life

At an early age, Maya was sent to live at her grandmother’s place in Stamps, Arkansas because of her parents tumultuous marriage and eventual divorce

It was her older brother, Bailey, who gave her the nickname “Maya”

Living with her grandmother helped her develop pride and self-confidence

When she returned to her mother’s care briefly at the age of 7, she was raped by her mother’s boyfriend

When he was jailed and released not a day later, he was killed

Traumatized by his death, she later said, “I thought my voice killed him; I killed that man because I told his name. And then I thought I would never speak again because my voice would kill anyone …”

She became mute for 5 years, her usual lustrous personality crushed

She returned to live with her grandma through her teens and during the times she was mute, she holed herself in libraries, memorizing all books line by line like Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets, and Poe’s poetry; thought to be the beginning to her love for literature and writing

Her Literary Career/Famous Works

“I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” (1969)

Her most critically acclaimed book, spanning her childhood as she and her brother bounced back and forth from her mother's place to her grandmother's

She wrote this during her time with the Harlem Writers Guild, a safe community that supported African writers, in NYC

It narrated her experiences with racism, molestation, rape, and her chronic displacement

“Gather Together In My Name” (1974)

follows after "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" when Angelou was 17-19 years old

the book depicts a single mother's slide down the social ladder into poverty and crime

the title was from the Bible but it also conveyed how a Black female lived in the white dominated society of the US after WWII

its themes were motherhood and family, racism and identity, education and literacy

“Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water ‘fore I Diiie” (1971)

Angelou's first collection of poetry

many of the poems were song lyrics, inspired at Angelou's time in her life when she was nightclub singer in her 20s

it was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 1972

“Mom & Me & Mom” (2013)

her final book and 7 book memoir series that focused on her relationship with her mother

it covered her budding relationship with her mother when she was young with themes of reconciliation and reunion

Interesting Trivia

She was the first Black female street car conductor when she persisted for work at San Francisco in high school; “I loved the uniforms”, she had explained.

She was a civil activist, advocating for African-American rights as the northern coordinator of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference

After working as a dancer a club in San Diego, she had a short lived personal sex history but quit after she bought her first car, a 1939 pale-green Chrysler convertible

In 1972, she was the first African American to have her screenplay turned into a film, “Georgia, Georgia”; she’s also had a wide variety of singing, dancing, acting, and directing and producing shows and movies

She was besties with Martin Luther King Jr. and after his death, she sent flowers to his wife for more than 30 years until her death

She’s also very close friends with Oprah Winfrey, appearing on her show twice, and giving her life-changing advice during her hardships

Reflection

I had the chance to read Angelou's final book "Mom & Me & Mom" and I think it really showed a lot of how Angelou was the person she was today. Her mother, like her, was a very strong willed woman who had taught her how to be independent, to be courageous, and proud in such oppressive society. They were like two peas in a pod, two women who came together with their stories of experience, and teaching one another how to love themselves, to be empowered, and courageous. I related to the story with my own close relationship with my mother. Like Angelou and her mother, my mother and I were like a student and mentor and best friends all while still being parent and daughter. It made me appreciate and love my mother, and really keep the things she taught me close to my heart. This book was so monumentally relatable, I had to order my own copy to annotate it with my own experiences.

Angelou was a woman who wanted others to be strong, to be courageous, to love themselves, and see their misery and hard times as new opportunities that would being them happiness. Her personality was bright even when she was quite old, and she was so animated and influential, it's hard to be distracted if you watch her interviews. Like many female authors, Angelou's experiences have impacted the way she wrote her books; but her soulful autobiographical style makes her books unique; it doesn't seem like it's about the author, but a character who the reader can relate to and follow along her joys and miseries.

Thank you for reading this far and please give Maya Angelou's books a read. She has wisdom that society needs during these times of turmoil.

References:

A. Spring, Kelley. “Maya Angelou.” National Women’s History Museum, 2017, www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/maya-angelou.

Edmund, Aiyana. “10 Fascinating Facts About Maya Angelou.” Literary Ladies Guide, 22 Feb. 2018, www.literaryladiesguide.com/literary-musings/10-fascinating-facts-maya-angelou.

“Maya Angelou.” Biography, A&E Television Networks, www.biography.com/writer/maya-angelou.

Gibson, Megan. “A Guide to Maya Angelou’s Most Beloved Books.” Time, TIME USA, LLC, 28 May 2014, time.com/123030/maya-angelou-best-books.

“Maya Angelou Biography - Life, Children, Parents, Name, Story, Death, School, Mother, Young.” Encyclopedia of World Biography, Advameg, Inc, www.notablebiographies.com/An-Ba/Angelou-Maya.html.

[asfaltics]

un going aside

  —Sound, instead of take an un going through the Narrows, the most usual and       1 If it be otherwise, I, an unlearned, an un going to       2       and an un going on, at the bottom of which       3   imagine an un going into       4 an un going at eventide to their narrow       5 sonnets he claimed; and there is an un going aside, says : doubted difficulty in understanding how a       6 book issued under such auspices would meet with an un   going, singing       7 without going at an un going to the Convention       8 Secret drillings are the office, is it because I had an un going on there       9   and proved an un going by       10 and a steamer coming down the river, and An ungoing boat on the Ohio [   ] may attempting to cheer across [   ] the signal which side of the down boat she will tug       11 conscious of an un going to       12       Boole   miles, [   ] almost an ungoing 20 or 25 miles to the port. If the line       13 if you are history I think we have to depart from an un going to assume       14 A trapper may suffer from an un going       15   style of play, for he is an un going along blithely figuring       16 an ungoing of the ships, but mostly intent       17 And then ensued an ungoing — ’m, if you’ve decided to jump emptory Again she thrilled him. Yet socially silent hour or       18   sanction, is not only an un going authorities are sound and should       19 an un going to the bow       20 no doors and windows. An ungoing in . It was       21   and closed the door behind her An un going to be       22 In this case, I hoped to mainexplain anything that did not pertain this reputation of getting results, fectly clear to me [   ] was an un going       23 be an un going       24   and a mystic intuition of an ungoing splurge be a poor substitute for the detailed work       25   in this city that was reported as an un going to make up       26 un going paragraphs       27 versial therapy and there is an ungoing       28  

sources (nearly all cross-column misconstruals)

1 ex Willard Phillips. A Treatise on the Law of Insurance (1823) : 195 (Chapter 12, “Deviation and Change of the Risk”) unconnected errata (at p538, same volume) — Page 392, line 21 from botton, after ‘does’; read ‘not.’ 2 ex The History of Clarissa Harlowe, Letter 53 (To Miss Howe, containing a draft (from which this passage) to Mr James Harlowe), in The Novels of Samuel Richardson... in three volumes. (Ballantyne’s Novelist’s Library; London, 1824) : 634 3 ex “Reminiscences of a Tempest-tost Life” in Putnam’s Magazine 6 (October 1855) : 416-424 (419) 4 ex “Ground Game and Game Laws,” in The Farmer’s Magazine (London; December 1869) : 522-524 (523) 5 ex “On Gardening,” by “An Optimist,” The Living Age 115 (November 2, 1872) : 303-313 (310) (from The Cornhill Magazine (October 1872) : 424) 6 ex J. V. P., “Who wrote ‘Shakspere’?” in Fraser’s Magazine (August 1874) : 164-178 (167) 7 ex (via chaotic cross-column misreads), W. J. Patten (Bangor, Maine; June 10th, 1878). “A National Church Music.” In [John Sullivan] Dwight’s Journal of Music 38:6 (Boston; June 22, 1878) : 251 8 three-column OCR chaos involving a description of the upcoming The Cleveland Convention, and a report of a quick passage of an English troop-ship through the Suez Canal (fourteen hours, between the hours mentioned above), ex Engineering News (June 7, 1879) : 177 9 ex Mister Harrington’s address to the House (May 28, 1883) on the matter of Prevention of Crime (Ireland) Act, 1882—Seizure of the “Kerry Sentinel,” involving Messrs Parnell, Trevelyan, and (Edward) Harrington owner of “The Kerry Sentinel,” in The Parliamentary Debates (Authorized Edition; Great Britain, 1883) : 969-70 on Edward Harrington (c1852-1902), consult wikipedia; DIB (Dictionary of Irish Biography); and, for (fascinating) context, wikipedia on the Land War 10 ex Charles E. Clay, “History of the State Island Athletic Club,” in Outing (An illustrated monthly magazine of recreation) 11:4 (January 1888) : 340-351 (343) followed by C. Bowyer Vaux. “Aerial Messengers” (on use of pigeons in yacht races) 11 ex index (bottom of page), in The Federal Cases / comprising cases argued and determined in the Circuit and District Courts of the United States. Book 21 . Runaways—Shore, Case No. 12,137—Case No. 12,805 (St. Paul; 1896) : 1351 OCR misread of “upgoing”, “cheer” for printed “sheer” (which is likely a typographic error for “steer”) + OCR cross-column misread 12 ex Julie M. Lippmann (1864-1952), “Mrs. Chisholm’s Companion,” in The Smart Set : A Magazine of Cleverness 8:1 (September 1902) : 135-139 (137) author at wikipedia 13 ex South Australia. Parliament. Debates in the House of Assembly (First session of the Eithteeenth Parliament of South Australia) Booleroo Centre Railway Bill. (October 19, 1905) : 438 14 from preview snippet only (nothing on landing page), The Parliamentary Debates (official Report).: House of Commons, Contains the 4th session of the 28th Parliament through the 1st session of the 48th Parliament. Great Britain. 15 ex Raymond S. Spears. “Opportunities for Trappers Incomes, No. 1,” in Hunter-trader-trapper 22:5 (August 1911) : 27-30 (28) 16 ex Ed. A. Goewey. “An Old Fan Says:” (illustrated by “Zim”), in Leslie’s Illustrated Weekly Newspaper 118 (April 30, 1914) : 418 which led (on following page 419) to Chief Red Eagle (1885-1972) his “Chased by a Moose, A Vacation Story.” on Chief Red Eagle (Henry Perley) consult wikipedia 17 from preview snippet only (nothing on landing page), The Sunday at Home (Religious Tract Society, 1914) 18 snippet (nothing on landing page), Collier’s 56 (1916) : 23 the whole — “Will I ?” she retorted with mocking awkward reluctance at last , “are you manner were both pleading and per- curtness . And then ensued an ungoing — ’m , if you've decided to jump emptory Again she thrilled him . Yet socially silent hour or ...” 19 ex “Memphis St. Ry. Co. v. Rapid Transit Co.,” Supreme Court of Tennessee. Oct. 23, 1915 (appeal, finding reversed); in The Southwestern Reporter 179 / November 3 — December 15, 1915. (St. Paul, 1916) : 639 20 ex (preview snippet only, but found in different scan linked here) “Discovering the Union Label,” by P. J. Doyle (from The Carpenter), in The Shoe Workers’ Journal 18:8 (August 1917) : 8 21 ex Gertrude Henderson (with illustrations by O. F. Howard), “Scheherazade of the Factory,” The Century 99:3 (January 1920): 427-31 (428) 22 ex preview snippet, nothing on landing page (and title suspect), Heart’s International (1920) note — this magazine seems to have been a predecessor to Cosmpolitan 1911: Hearst’s International: “World To-Day”, a middling monthly magazine, was acquired to attack politicians against whom Hearst waged war, namely Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and William Jennings Bryan. He renamed it “Hearst’s magazine” in Apr.1912, shortened it to “Hearst’s” in Jun.1914, and finally entitled it as “Hearst’s International” in May.1922. from wikicorporates timelines for Hearst Communications. scans of several numbers (as well as books published by a related entity) available via archive.org 23 ex “The Battle of Booby’s Bluffs,” By Major Single List, in Infantry Journal 19:4 (October 1921) : 427-433 the whole — “In this case , I hoped to mainexplain anything that did not seem pertain this reputation of getting results , fectly clear to me . and I felt that I stood an excellent I promptly saw that my battalion was chance , because Colonel R was an ungoing to [have the hardest nut to crack]” 24 ex Charles F. Howell, “Marine Insurance / Cuban Conditions Bad,” in The Weekly Underwriter 104:11 (March 12, 1921) : 428 aside — first page of each number features a spectacular photograph of a disaster (e.g., grain elevator explosion; train wreck; fire), together with monitory details. 25 misprint in this edition (corrected in later), John Dewey, Human Nature and Conduct: An Introduction to Social Psychology (1922) : 74 26 ex discussion following John J. Moren (Louisville), “Diagnosis and Treatment of Encephalitis,” and cross-column misread involving G. A. Hendon (Louisville), “Cancer of the Large Intestine,” in Kentucky Medical Journal (March 1922) : 204 27 ex High Egg Production by Individual Hens, Pens and Flocks (Reliable Poultry Journal, 1922) : 91 specifically, ex Part II, Chapter III, “A high-producing strain of barred rocks and how it was bred / Methods of breeding that have enabled J. W. Parks of Altoona, Pa., to develop a remarkably productive strain and to win financial independence — interesting examples of pen and flock production — Methods of line breeding and “Tracing Back” by pedigrees.” By Grant M. Curtiss, Editor of Reliable Poultry Journal 28 ex confused snippet preview (nothing at landing), Acta Chirurgica Scandinavica: Supplementum (most definltely not 1922, though so dated) in full : “of these facversial therapy and there is an ungoing debate tors .”

—

all tagged ungoings  

[buckybarnesbingo]

BBB Week 28 Roundup!

This includes our Discord party Round Robin fic, as well as a bunch of other amazing works!

Congratulations to Minka, PherryT, and Poliz for winning tokens!  The tokens were the prizes for the drawing of all the names of those who joined the Discord party.

Title: The First and Last Night Collaborator: pherryt Link: AO3 Square Filled: C5 - Clothes stealing Ship: Stucky Rating: Explicit Major Tags: explicit sexual content, nsfw art, 1940′s Summary: When Bucky was ready to ship out, the last thing he expected was for his best friend to give him a night to remember, a night worth coming back for. Steve was always worth coming back for, but knowing Steve wanted Bucky the way Bucky wanted him? It took Bucky's breath away... Word Count: 5554

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Title: Unexpected Collaborator: arrowsandmixtapes Link: Tumblr Square Filled: U4 - Precision Ship: Bucky/Reader Rating: Teen Major Tags: Canon-typical gun use (target training, no violence). Summary: Training at the gun range leads to an unexpected interaction with Sergeant Barnes. Word Count: 1030

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Title: We Regret The Inconvenience Collaborator: plutosrose Link: AO3 Square Filled: K3 - Meet Cute Ship: Stucky Rating: Explicit Major Tags: New York City Subway, Job Interviews, meet cute, Captain America Steve Rogers/Modern Bucky Barnes, Networking works best if you meet Captain America on a train, Porn Watching, Thirsty Bucky Barnes Summary: “That’s the third time that’s happened today,” blond guy said. For a moment, Bucky hadn’t realized that he was talking to him, but of course, he must have been. There wasn’t anyone else in the damn train car. A stray thought occurred to him–that people could have written sonnets about this man’s eyes--before he shook it off. “No offense, but if I see you on the next train, I’m getting off.” - Bucky gets stuck in a train car with a guy who turns out to be Captain America. Word Count: 2519

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Title: Magic Happens Collaborator: Caiti (Caitriona_3) Link: AO3 Square Filled: U2 - Clint Barton Ship: Clint/Darcy/Bucky Rating: Teen Major Tags: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, moodboard & one-shot Summary: Natasha is tired of watching these three tiptoe around each other and they don’t have time for it right now. So she’s going to interfere. They can thank her for it later. Word Count: 1579

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Title: The Curious Witch and the Cursed Wolf - Chapter 3: A Name and A Feeling Collaborator: riotfalling Link: AO3 Square Filled: B4 - warm and fuzzy feelings Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: fantasy AU, witch!Tony, wolf!Bucky, fairytale vibes, Non-graphic injury Summary: Once upon a time there was a man, and a wolf. They both went into the forest looking for different things, and instead they found each other. Word Count: 1697

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Title: Sacred Trust Collaborator: caiti-creative-corner Link: Tumblr Square Filled: B5 - Bodyguard Ship: Bucky/Clint/Darcy Rating: Teen Major Tags: moodboards, fantasy AU Summary: Dark rebellion and a queen on the run. Two unexpected champions. Will Queen Darcy get her throne back … and what will she do about the two bloodstained men who were her only support during her darkest days?

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Title: My fuckbuddy is nice to my cat, and other serious problems (that Bucky has at 1 in the morning) Collaborator: Minka Link: AO3 Square Filled: Y5 -  Ship: Stucky Rating: Mature Major Tags: explicit sexual content, language Summary: “Hey, girl,” Steve said, crouching down low to scratch Alpine behind the ears. “How’s it going?” Alpine was a fluffy mess under Steve’s hands, rubbing and pressing and meowing like she was the one with a hard-on trapped in jeans that were already far too tight. Bucky watched with a combination of amusement and mild displeasure at being ignored. ---- When his frequent booty call is nice to his insufferable cat, Bucky starts to worry that his blood is rushing back up to his head. Word Count: 8682

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Title: Treasure Hunt Collaborator: ibelieveinturtles Link: AO3 Square Filled: Y2 - desert island Ship: Brock/Darcy/Bucky Rating: Teen Major Tags: cheating (kind of but not really) Summary: Brock Rumlow has deserted the Hydra, taking a prisoner and a precious cargo with him. In return for sanctuary, he promises the crew of the Nomad treasure beyond their wildest dreams, but what will they really find? Word Count: 3188

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Title: A Dead Man's Face Collaborator: LBibliophile Link: Tumblr Square Filled: K1 - In memoriam Ship: Bucky & Steve Rating: Teen Major Tags: Winter Soldier, brainwashing, partial amnesia Summary: The Winter Soldier knows that he was once called Bucky Barnes, and had a childhood friend called Steve Rogers. The Winter Soldier knows that Captain America is his enemy and the enemy of everything Hydra stands for. The Winter Soldier now knows that Captain America is the type of man - monster - who would use the face of Bucky’s dead friend as a weapon against him. But he will not falter; he has a mission. Word Count: 530

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Title: Sexting Stucky Collaborator: BookDragon13 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: B5 - Bucky/Steve Ship: Stucky Rating: Explicit Major Tags: sexting, Daddy kink, implications of sex, sub!Steve Summary: Steve interrupts Bucky’s after mission debriefing concentration with a text Word Count: 375

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Title: An Unexpected Gift Collaborator: caiti-creative-corner Link: Tumblr Square Filled: Y1 - Friends to Lovers Ship: Clint/Darcy/Bucky Rating: Teen Major Tags: unplanned pregnancy, moodboard Summary: Clint and Bucky are friends with benefits who decide to bring in another friend on one particularly memorable night. The three of them enjoyed themselves immensely and had plans to follow up with more, but their conflicting schedules got in the way. Fast forward five or six weeks and Darcy finds out that their fun left her with an unexpected gift. Word Count: 1569

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Title: BBB Round Robin Fic - October 2020 Collaborators: eachpeachpearplum, Menatiera, Rise Up Ting Ting Like Glitter, rebelmeg, LadyDarkPhoenix, LiquidLightz, Fighting_for_Creativity Link: AO3 Squares Filled: eachpeachpearplum, Y3 - waking up married Menatiera, B3 - Team dynamics Ting, Y1 - waking up married rebelmeg, C1 - tattoos LadyDarkPhoenix, Y1 - ballet LiquidLightz, U2 - Prisoners / Captives Together Fighting_for_Creativity, K2 - “Are you even trying?” Ship: Bucky/Avengers Rating: Teen Major Tags: accidental marriage, magic, tattoos, implied polyamory Summary: Bucky wakes up with a ring on his finger. And he's not the only one... Word Count: 1979

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Title: Ice Bound - Chapter 1 Collaborator: LBibliophile Link: Tumblr Square Filled: Y1 - image of Steve and Bucky post-Azzano Ship: Bucky & Steve Rating: Teen Major Tags: Bucky & Steve Summary: Steve and Bucky are Bonded. From the day they first meet they are inseparable – best friends and brothers – hardly a day goes past without the other’s company. People say they are lucky, finding each other so young, so close, never having to search and wonder; they say that it is a sign of the strength of their bond. They will need that strength. Word Count: 615

[helloiamace]

I’m reading Shakespeare’s sonnets and we all know number 18 (shall I compare thee to a summer’s day etc.) and that’s lovely and all but what’s really getting me are the ones that make it so very clear that Shakespeare was just... human

he was literally just a guy

my favourite examples of this so far include the following:

sonnet 23, in which Shakespeare describes his difficulties expressing his love verbally and compares the feeling to forgetting a line because of stage fright – basically he’s tongue tied in front of his crush

sonnets 27 and 28, in which Shakespeare complains about losing sleep because he lies away thinking of the one he loves

and the one that inspired me to make this post – sonnet 32, in which Shakespeare speculates about his own death and asks his lover to hold on to the poems, not for the technical skill but for the emotion

something about that just got me

once, Shakespeare was a living human being, writing a poem asking his lover to hold on to it even though he was sure time would bring better poets and now, over four hundred years later, he is known worldwide as the bard

he wrote a sonnet asking someone to read it after his death and cherish it for its emotion and not its skill and here I am, four centuries later, getting emotional over his sonnets

[28sonnetslater]

#12 - A Wednesday Car

This year I am using the seven days of the week as prompts for a crown of sonnets After the film ‘A Complete Unknown’, with apologies to all the participants ‘Sylvie’ equals ‘Suze’, for the purposes of reality With some words from the song of the same name by Johnny Cash

...the new dawn’s magic, Wednesday’s sorcery that haunts this earthly city’s cracks and peaks with words to tie you down or set you free, to liberate those lemons, dogs and freaks.

In Greystone, Woody shines but cannot speak of all he’s been and all that he has done, while Pete recounts the wonders that he seeks and Johnny simply laughs and gets his gun.

Now Bobby rides electric wheels for fun as Sylvie weeps for what she helped create, yet Joan cannot regret what is to come ‒ a whole wide world to circumnavigate.

She whispers softly ‘just fuck off and sing’. She knows the hope and loss that Thursday brings...

RJT

[excuseme-youpretty]

dana!!! 3, 4, 5, 9, 19, 23, 27, 28, 34, 43, 44, 56, 66, 67, 73

My original pride and joy tbqh.

3. What do they wear to bed? 

Usually an oversized shirt or sweater, more often than not liberated from her own partner, and a pair of panties. She prioritizes comfort over sex appeal and has a penchant for the biggest gaudiest slippers she can find.

4. Do they like cuddling? 

Absolutely. Dana was attention-starved for the majority of her adolescence and, as such, will always jump at the conclusion to get close to another person. Dana feels safest when nestled between a pair of tightly-woven arms, a nose buried against her scalp or the valley of her throat, and a heart thundering against her upper back. Pure paradise.

5. Do they have a secret handshake with anyone? 

Not currently. But I can absolutely see her developing one with her best friend Donna. It seems to fit them both perfectly!

9. Do they have any artistic talent? 

Yes. Dana possesses a broad, illustrative talent which presents itself across a variety of media. Her designs are colorful, sharp and highly detailed. She is drawn toward macabre imagery juxtaposed by an array of pigmented colors; a yin and yang of artistry which highlights her perceptive eye. Dana had always maintained a strong desire to become a tattoo artist and would often practice upon pristine banana skins during her various untimely smoke breaks at school. That dream may have died when her mother remarried, but she will always possess a love for all things artistic.

19. What does their relationship with their family look like? Are they close? Distant? Ect. 

Dana’s birth Father passed away when she was thirteen. Four years later her mother remarried a man for money and, as cliche as it sounds, her story devolved into a wicked caricature of family life. Her mother no longer acknowledges her existence (which wasn’t much of a stretch, admittedly. Dana was never the malleable toy she craved in a daughter), her Stepfather is leering and cold and suggestive, and her stepbrother tortures her in every way possible. She would love nothing more than to break away from their influence - if only she had somewhere, or someone, to go to.

23. How do they usually wear their hair? 

Dana’s hair is often long, wavy, and often dipped in a highly pigmented color which changes far too frequently. She prefers to keep her hair down and loose around her shoulders, or drawn over to one side. But for those rare days when she simply cannot fathom giving herself over to productivity, she will pull her hair up into a messy bun.

27. What is their favourite holiday? 

Halloween. My girl Dana is a spooky bitch and proud of it. Her heart is a smorgasbord of all things dark, gloomy and gothic. Halloween simply allows her to reach her full potential. It also allows her to stock-pile on all the haunting, tacky chachkies she can get her hands on.

28. If they could have one wish, what would they wish for? 

To be freed from the overbearing corruption of her tainted family, away from their malice and toxicity, and returned once again to the sanctuary of a forgotten lover’s healing embrace. Just a singular glide of his velveteen lips against her ricocheting pulse-point, the opalescent flourish of his fingertips resting against her outer thigh to write sonnets upon her skin, would make all of her dreams come true. Would make every ounce of pain worth it. But that will never happen. Not in this lifetime

34. Have they ever broken the law? 

Oh, yeah. Underage drinking. Underage fucking. Taking illegal substances. Performing tattoos without a license. A break in here and there. She was an efficient rebellious teenager before her reputation was irrecoverably tarnished. Ah, those were the days.

43. Where is their dream vacation? 

Tokyo, Japan. One thousand twinkling lights. Perpetual momentum. Lights and music and hope and, somewhere hidden among the mania, him.

44. Do they know more than one language? 

Yes. Dana is fluent in English, Samoan and can she can speak a little Japanese.

56. Do they own their own baby pictures?

Sadly, no. All Dana was able to maintain from her childhood is a few faded pictures of her Father. She keeps them hidden at the back of her wallet.

66. Do they like glowsticks? 

I mean, who doesn’t? Dana has visited more than her fair share of neon-enriched raves in her lifetime. That initial crack followed by a rush of tantalizingly bright color will always be satisfying.

67. What is something that is simple, but always makes them smile?

When her scars are caressed with caution and care. She does not desire sympathy, nor does she wish to dwell on how they came into fruition. She simply wants to feel beautiful; admired.

73. What attracts them to another person?

Personality, first and foremost. Dana is drawn toward humor like a moth to an iridescent flame. She thrives on improperly timed puns, jokes which have a poorly conceived tagline. Laughter may as well exist as an aphrodisiac in her book. That being said, she’s no fool. Looks stimulate her with almost as much intensity as a little hilarity.

[starcunning]

A slender volume of poetry

FFXIVWrite2019

Thirty days begat thirty entries. The final tally:

X’shasi Kilntreader × Edna St. Vincent Millay: 11 entries

Odette de Dzemael × Marceline Desbordes-Valmore: 5 entries

Caelina Valeria ×  Alexander Pushkin: 3 entries

Zenos yae Galvus × Aleksandr Blok: 3 entries

Emet-Selch × Christopher Marlowe: 2 entries

Aris Greensorrow × Lisa Bellear: 1 entry

Fray Myste × Paul Verlaine: 1 entry

Gaius van Baelsar × Nikolai Nekrasov: 1 entry

Melloria Hathaar × Taliesin the bard: 1 entry

Menelaus × Euripedes: 1 entry

Sidurgu Orl × L. Khuushaan: 1 entry

Indexed below. Also available on AO3.

1. My heart, being hungry ("Voracious") X'shasi Kilntreader (a miqo'te Warrior of Light) & X'moru Tia (a miqo'te adventurer) × "My heart, being hungry, feeds on food" by Edna St. Vincent Millay 

2. With greater wit, or better, wealth ("Bargain") Caelina Valeria (a Garlean Warrior of Light) ♦ Nero Scaeva × "The Bronze Cavalier" by Alexander Pushkin

3. Why should you worship her? Her you surpass ("Lost") Emet-Selch & Warrior of Light; Emet-Selch/Warrior of Light × "Hero and Leander" by Christopher Marlowe An AU where the Fourteenth Councilmember's shade was found upon a reflection and uplifted to their previous station, as befits an Ascian.

4. And to knock at my heart is to beat on my grave ("Shifting Blame") Fray Myste/Odette de Dzemael (an elezen Warrior of Light) × "Parted" by Marceline Desbordes-Valmore

5. A Fear that in the deep night starts awake ("Vault") X'shasi Kilntreader/Baro Llyonesse (a legacy-only miqo'te Warrior of Light); past X'shasi Kilntreader/Haurchefant Greystone × "Interim" by Edna St. Vincent Millay 

6. Go, therefore, like the eye of an angel to awaken his courage ("First Steps") Odette de Dzemael & Colette de Dzemael (an elezen Warrior of Light; Odette's younger twin); Aymeric de Borel/Odette de Dzemael × "The Water Flower" by Marceline Desbordes-Valmore CW: body shaming; fatphobia; narcissistic mothers.

7. returned, to your place of dreaming ("Forgiven") Aris Greensorrow (a viera adventurer) × "Dear Dja Baby Boori" by Lisa Bellear

8. To lay down their reckless heads ("Rencounter"; a free-prompt day) Zenos yae Galvus × "Twelve" by Aleksandr Blok "Shasi sas Intemperatus," an AU where by necessity X'shasi joins forces with Gaius van Baelsar to defeat Lahabrea and is declared Viceroy of Eorzea.

9. Daisies spring from damnèd seeds ("Hesitate") X'shasi Kilntreader ♦ Urianger Augurelt × "Weeds" by Edna St. Vincent Millay

10. Now flooded with moonlight ("Foster") Gaius van Baelsar/Midas nan Garlond × "Who is Happy in Russia?" by Nikolai Nekrasov

11. I breathed my soul back into me ("Snuff") X'shasi Kilntreader/V'jaela Firebird (an Echo-blessed miqo'te adventurer) × "Renascence" by Edna St. Vincent Millay CW: Drug use; breath play; adult content.

12. And not in vain you’ve sent me light ("Fingers Crossed") Caelina Valeria ♦ Nero Scaeva × "Angel" by Alexander Pushkin

13. We shall die apart, shall we not? That is what you wanted! ("Wax") Odette de Dzemael & Colette de Dzemael; past Fray Myste/Odette de Dzemael × "Elegy (You, who have taken all)" by Marceline Desbordes-Valmore

14. Who will measure Uffern? ("Scour") Melloria Hathaar (a miqo'te Warrior of Light) × "The First Address of Taliesin" by Taliesin the bard

15. To be flame in the heat ("Travail"; a free-prompt day) Sidurgu Orl/Warrior of Light × "It's an Honour to be Human" by L. Khuushaan A roleswap AU where Fray lives and Sid dies, becoming the player's Dark Knight mentor.

16. And find me at dawn in a desolate place ("Jitter") X'shasi Kilntreader & Regula van Hydrus × "Departure" by Edna St. Vincent Millay

17. Brought to earth the arrogant brow ("Obeisant") X'shasi Silverhair (an Echo-blessed miqo'te adventurer who is not yet the Warrior of Light) × "Dirge" by Edna St. Vincent Millay

18. You're gone away, and I'm in desert ("Wilt") X'shasi Kilntreader/Zenos yae Galvus × "You're Gone Away" by Aleksandr Blok

19. And we will all the pleasures prove ("Radiant") "Solus zos Galvus"/Aquila jen Novius (a Garlean engineer who will later incarnate as Caelina Valeria) × "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love" by Christopher Marlowe

20. Thy mark is on me! I am not the same ("Bisect") X'shasi Kilntreader × "The Suicide" by Edna St. Vincent Millay

21. Your other sister and my other soul ("Crunch") X'shasi Kilntreader & "Minfilia" (Ryne Waters) × "Ode to Silence" by Edna St. Vincent Millay

22. This red gown will make a shroud ("Detritus"; a free-prompt day) X'shasi Kilntreader & Fray Myste × "The Shroud" by Edna St. Vincent Millay An AU where the mysterious voice heard beginning in "Prelude in Violet" belongs to a different benefactor: one who allows the Warrior of Light to rewrite history.

23. And where her glances fall, there cities burn ("Parched") Menelaus (an Ancient and member of the Convocation of Fourteen who will one day incarnate as X'shasi Kilntreader) × "Helen" by Euripedes

24. A look all veiled in blue ("Unctuous") Aymeric de Borel/Odette de Dzemael × "Flower of Childhood" by Marceline Desbordes-Valmore

25. I knew her for a little ghost ("Trust") X'shasi Kilntreader & Lensha Hathaar (a legacy miqo'te Warrior of Light from a timeline where she failed in her duties) × "The Little Ghost" by Edna St. Vincent Millay

26. And all have gone to sea in the wind ("Slosh") Carvallain de Gorgagne/Odette de Dzemael × "The Roses of Saadi" by Marceline Desbordes-Valmore

27. The easy shadow of night is softly laid ("Palaver") Emet-Selch/Caelina Valeria × "Remembrance" by Alexander Pushkin

28. My needle to your north abruptly swerved ("Attune") X'shasi Kilntreader/Baro Llyonesse × "Sonnet III (No lack of counsel)" by Edna St. Vincent Millay

29. To live again, undying! Aye ("Deleterious"; a free-prompt day) Fray Myste × "Last Hope" by Paul Verlaine Archive Warning: Major character death.

30. And You're afar—but are you real there? ("Darkness") Zenos yae Galvus & Estinien Wyrmblood × "I seek salvation" by Aleksandr Blok

[rosenrot234]

explaining Preacher’s playlist

Putting this under a read more break because there’s a lot. I was bored so I finally tried to explain the reasons each song is there. Granted some only have a sentence or two. Not everything needs a giant essay response. Warning though, talks of abuse do take place.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLT9aIxp8n042hnvTQMd7vOTVJp2utaZwp

1: Beim Ersten Mal Tuts Immer Weh / The First Time Always Hurts -Just one last time please be nice to me Come over here Just be nice to me and come and sit beside me here Just one last time please be nice to me Come over here One more time again Come on give me just a little bit now Come on let me have a final kiss now Come on give me just a little bit now Fool me please just one more time again -I wanted to start Preacher's playlist with something surprisingly dark rather than edge into the darker parts later on. So Preacher's trauma is right in the listeners face and how in a fucked up way he still misses someone that really fucked them over. -Especially with the last bit of the song "Why don't you want me no more?" Bishop would often ignore him as punishment and it would fuck with Preacher's head a lot and how he just wanted to be in his good graces again.

2: For Your Entertainment -I call this one of his "mask" songs. How Preacher often tries to appear to people. It also ties in a bit with how confident he felt in the past when Bishop was around. I wanted to counter the "wtf" start of the playlist with something boppy. Since once Preacher catches wind that someone is figuring out what happened to him, he's all lies and glamour to distract people from talking about it.

3: You Think You're a Man -I kinda wanted to include this song because the listener would have trouble figuring out "Okay is Preacher singing this or Bishop?"

4: Message in a Bottle -Catchy little song but it helps explain how even if Preacher made a bunch of new friends he still felt isolated due to having to hide a lot as a Tiefling. -Love can mend your life But love can break your heart

5: Mony Mony -I always pictured Preacher singing this with his friends. There's not a lot to say for every single song. I just wanted to get mood music for Preacher's gang of buddies.

6: Out There -More alluding to Preacher's lonliness and how Bishop also used that to have some sort of control over him. With all his friends, Bishops word really was the only word that had meaning / value to him.

7: Medicate -Yeah Preacher's coping mechanisms weren't the healthiest

8: A Penny for a Tale -Mocking the greedy? Say no more

9: Goo Goo Muck -Lore wise I always pictured Preacher making this song up on the spot to entertain his friends

10: Lost Boys -While this song is about vampires I just felt it fit still with Preacher and his buddies. His playlist early on covers a lot of that part of his life.

11: The Rocky Road to Dublin -Yet more "Just singing with friends"

12: Zydrate Anatomy -I mean lorewise he did deal in drugs both real and fake in his mid teens so I wasted no time getting this song onto the list.

13: Open Your Eyes -More mood music to his early teens. Trust me I'll have more to say with other songs

14: Back and Forth -This song screams Preacher when he's scamming people to me

15: Drinkin with Jesus -At first I picked this one because cmon. A Tiefling called Preacher , a song called Drinkin with Jesus seemed perfect. Then I realized "Oh shit the lyrics fit". A lot of the time Preacher had to be completely alone to show just how messed up he was back then even before his assault.

16: Feel Good Inc -A lovely mix of isolation, "The world is corporate bullshit" , and more. You damn right I'm putting this on the list.

17: The Cave -Timeline wise this is a bit of a jump into the future where Preacher is in another down mood and tries to recover from it. -But I will hold on hope And I won't let you choke On the noose around your neck And I'll find strength in pain And I will change my ways I'll know my name as it's called again -That last lyric always made me think of Preacher actually maybe someday going back to using his birth name. Berlyn. And just finding his own identity again. Away from Bishops shadow. This would be around the time he grows his trademark purple mustache. It's a small decision but it was still an important decision since Bishop used to even control how he looked.

18: Devils Dance Floor -CMON. DEVILS Dance Floor. Perfect Tiefling music. I also wanted something to pick the mood of the playlist back up a little after that dip.

19: A Touch of Evil -Aka the most metal "Gay pining" song I'm aware of. The playlist takes a turn of "But I want his attention so bad" and how he wanted to be in a proper relationship with Bishop. Teenage hormones are rough so I'd imagine they'd be double rough as a Tiefling.

20: Skills in Pills -More showing Preacher's distructive habits and drug selling. I wanted to avoid putting Rammstein on the list because it'd be predictable as fuck. So I settled with Lindemann.

21: Jigolo Har Megiddo -Preacher playing up the whole "I'm made from demons" thing for flirty singing.

22: Come Out and Play -And we jump back into more "street punk shenanigans"

23: You Look So Fine -More pining and angst. I really liked sudden dips in mood with this playlist. Like his outer walls are cracking and you're getting peeks at the sensitive stuff going on in his head.

24: I Wanna be Yours -Even more pining because I'm an asshole

25: Sleeping Powder -I wanted something comical to again lift up the mood of the playlist so this song was perfect. Just that "I'm back! Where are we going?" makes me think "Okay I'm done being sad, wait what are you guys doing today?" Also the faint "broken" from 2D in some parts of the song were fitting.

26: Sandmann -Preacher's super protective of kids so this was perfect

27: Deleted this one, moving on.

28: Breaking the Habit -One of the  many times Preacher TRIES to get out of his self destructive habits and loops but its left unknown if he got out this time or not. This song fits in pretty much any part of his timeline with Bishop. Adding more to the "loop" of abuse that will be talked about near the end of the playlist.

29: Unzerstorbar ( Indestructable ) -I broke my "no german lyrics" rule with this song but I HAD to. It's such a "FUCK YEAH WE'RE YOUNG AND INVINCIBLE" song that ends on a more quiet note that always made me think "Deep down they know they're not" -As a child I was - I was ahead of all. As a child I was cold and I figured out how much time I have left anyways, because I am indestructible.

I was cool - I was hard and I knew what's goin' on. I was clever and smart and have considered long, Why am I made of steel? What is the meaning that I am indestructible?

This world is so small, so much lesser than I. Super Hero - all alone. Whether I like it or not. Meanwhile, I ask myself: is there someone like me here?

30: Sympathy for the Devil -Again. HOW THE FUCK CAN YOU NOT HAVE THIS SONG ON A TIEFLING PLAYLIST?

31: All I Want -I always pictured this song during a hectic chase either in the sky or on the ground. Preacher is a speedy boy so this was a good fit ( The fact that this song was in Crazy Taxi also makes me think of speed )

32: Action -I thought this fit the mood of Unzerstorbar and wanted to continue the vibe

33: Hit That -More chaotic city vibe music

34: Down the Rabbit Hole -I wanted to include Adam Lambert again since he's early in the playlist.

35: The Heart of the Riding Man -I blame Fennah for getting me into this song. The lyrics were just such a fun match. Preacher might be a Tiefling. But Bishop will always be the "Devil" in this song. -Oh the heart, the heart of a riding man Scarred and cut himself from the devil he ran Oh, from the devil he ran

36: Komm Zuruck / Come Back -DID YALL WANT MORE PINING? Well it's back and much more chaotic this time. -I've missed you long enough asked myself, where exactly you are and if you still bite your nails we planned everything perfectly with false papers and well covered and then suddenly you did it on your own account.

I've had enough, get me out of here don't give up on me now.

Wherever you are (wherever you are) oh, I'm with you Whoever you kiss (whoever you kiss) oh, I forgive you Make your way (make your way) and then release me come back, don't make me wait

37:  Sick Boys -Imma be real with you. I'm a slut for Social Distortion so I had to include SOMETHING with them

38: God is a Popstar -One of the first songs I put to this character and it's still such a perfect fit with the religious stuff in Preacher's story. The video is even nice as a helper because you could imagine Preacher is in the place of Jesus here. All dolled up then thrown away.

39: Applause -More flashy "haha nothing is wrong I just want attention" songs since Preacher is a greedy mother fucker when it comes to attention.

40: Trust Me -This is getting to the important part of the playlist. His relationship with Bishop was toxic as fuck. Preacher also did lots of things he didn't want to but the reward was Bishops attention. So with the previous song and this it really shows the leftover effects Bishop had on him. Preacher is one hell of a good liar thanks to Bishop. So in a way. He does have the risk of becoming someone elses Scorpion. Those mental walls I mentioned earlier are breaking at this point.

41: Fireflies -The sad truth that Preacher still misses and thinks about Bishop. The lyrics here are meant to really tug at you as Preacher's barrier is crumbling at this point. -If all you ever get from the sonnet is the count of the fall of man Every call and cost made to your heart You were in the kind of game that put the force in me I was ever chasing fireflies -Sometimes I follow a firefly He takes me into the night Baby, I just survive I got drunk, I'm sorry Am I losing you? Sometimes I follow a firefly He takes me into the night Baby, I just survive I got drunk, I'm sorry Am I losing you?

42: Prison Sex -Probably the most important song in the playlist. I wanted that earlier darkness to come back full force now that the listener is at probably the most vulnerable part of Preacher's head. It's disgusting and that's the point. Preacher finally fully admits to himself about his rape. And the song implies he has a huge risk of continuing Bishops cycle of abuse. Both the abuser and the abused have lyrics in this song.

43: I'm Not Jesus -This is sort of like Preacher is finally saying "No FUCK THAT. I'm not like you." This song is also about abuse so I wanted to include it. He's angry at this point and finally fighting back in his head.

44: You're Gonna Go Far, Kid -In my head this is Preacher sort of mocking himself and his skills at lying

45: Lone Digger -I wanted another song to help "lift up" the mood again since this playlist has a lot of ups and downs.

46: Money -I thought the lyrics were fitting for this part of the playlist

47: I Don't Care -Mood gets a little somber but in a more beautiful way than flat out heartache or suffering. A little more of Preacher rebelling finally against Bishop

48: Creep -But in the end all his rebellion eventually leads to him being depressed. Bishop is gone from his life at this point. But he's clearly still lingering in his head. No matter how much he tries to ignore it.

49: Souk Eye -The finale where Preacher admits he'll always have Bishop in his thoughts even if he also knows damn well to never deal with him ever again. Even if sometimes it hurts like hell.

I wanted this playlist to be able to go  on a loop and make sense. His moods are often on a cycle of "Fuck yeah I'm awesome! Fuck you Bishop!" to "Dammit we could have been so good for each other in another life wtf" It just repeats and repeats much like how people repeat their own cycles after trauma or abuse.

[rp-meme-central]

Sanders Sides - Virgil/Anxiety - sentence starters

1. “Oh, I’m sorry. Was I not wanted at this exact second?” 

2. “Look, it’s my job, okay? A little blood pumping’s good for the old circulatory system.”

3. “Get over it. You’re the least popular character and you know it.” 

4. “Give it up. Resolutions are nothing more than empty promises to yourself. Shouldn’t even try.” 

5. “You sicken me. You can’t always rely on a catchy tune to solve your problems.” 

6. “What? I know your limits, that’s all I was saying. Stop looking at me like that.” 

7. “I’ve got an idea. Don’t. Don’t even try.” 

8. “Um, rude much? I was just touching up my eyeshadow.” 

9. “And when in doubt, remember that everything we do is all pointless anyway.” 

10. “That was dark even for me.” 

11. “I gotta say, you do impress me... by being a clueless moron all the time.” 

12. “And I’m... not gonna tell you my real name, because I don’t have to.” 

13. “One option, and I’m just throwing this out there, is to hide under the covers until the sun goes away.” 

14. “You tried. You failed. Let’s go to sleep.” 

15. “I would write an angsty sonnet illustrating my contempt for you, if I actually cared enough about what you were saying right now.”

16. “You know what? I’ve had enough of this. None of this makes any difference, you know why? Because I’m right and you’re wrong, that is why!” 

17. “I gotta say, I don’t really know how to react to you complimenting me. I kinda thought you didn’t like me.” 

18. “I’m not alone on this one? Nice.” 

19. “That’s what a birthday brings, sadly enough. The awareness of the passage of time, how far you’ve actually come, how little time you have left. I mean, who knows? Any day could be your last.”

20. “You look like the Man. I fight the Man. I wanna fight you now.” 

21. “I was going to bring that up, but it would have been too much work.” 

22. “Small, dark, and empty. Like the cavity where my heart would be. If I had one.” 

23. “No, I didn’t. Whatever you asked me to do, I didn’t do it.” 

24. “We have a bubble. The bubble is nice here. And anything you need to do, you can get done in your familiar bubble.” 

25. “It’s no use, _______. Nothing beats the real thing.” 

26. “What are you doing in my room?!” 

27. “I removed myself from the equation. I quit. Decided it wasn’t worth it anymore.” 

28. “Okay, it’s real sweet that you all decided to come for a visit, but if I wanted to stand around being insulted, I would have shown up in person like I usually do.” 

29. “Let’s just face facts. You’re better off without me.” 

30. “I actually think you were right to not want me around. I’ve always aimed to protect you, but lately... it feels like I’ve been keeping you from doing anything.” 

31. “Being anxious about the idea of growing more anxious. Yeah, that sounds like me.” 

32. “You’ve kind of made me want to open up to you, but, big surprise, I’m really anxious about it.” 

33. “I’m at least glad that I can offer some help, even if sometimes I can be... hard to deal with.” 

34. “I guess there is sort of a dark edginess to it, like one of those Crayola crayon Halloween packs.” 

35. “Wait. Am I the first one to show up? That’s not good.” 

36. “Are these all your old journal entries and stories that you wrote in middle school? These are so cringy, why would they be here?” 

37. “Stop. Please. Too much. Embarrassing.” 

38. “Old poems you wrote? Ugh. You were trying so hard to be edgy. I feel like I’m an archaeologist that dug up an ancient cringe compilation.” 

39. “Get rid of it! Get rid of the phone now!” 

40. “What the heck was that? Disappearing on us? Don’t you dare try that stunt again.”

41. “Is it too late to be an outcast again?” 

42. “______, buddy, um... an insult doesn’t really have that punch when you have to explain it afterwards.”

43. “Are we good? Like, we did the holiday stuff. Can I go back to my room now?” 

44. “Great. I’m feeling the spirit of Christmas welling up inside me. Or maybe that’s vomit.” 

45. “You know what won’t be enjoyable? Those three ghosts that are going to be visiting you later tonight.” 

46. “What? It’s my favorite Christmas story. Let me be an individual, _______.”

47. “Nice gloves. Did you just finish washing some dishes?”

48. “Look, I’m not choosing sides here. All I’m saying is that you both suck at what you do and I’m tired of having to keep lighting fires under your butts.”  

49. “This is part of the problem. We keep having this same problem, but instead of facing it and fixing it, we just... find a distraction.” 

50. “That just proved it. Loops are the worst.” 

51. “This situation is pretty cut-and-dried, isn’t it? You guys just cut it out.” 

52. “No, stop. No one is getting naked.” 

53. “Wow. You are unbelievably extra any chance you get.” 

54. “Yes, I am a puppet, here to take you on a magical adventure through your feeli - aw, this was a mistake. I can’t do this.” 

55. “Jeez, ________, that was pretty rough.” 

56. “Maybe you won’t have to understand your feelings if you fix the problem.” 

57. “Jeez, you sloppily eat some jam, accidentally make a few puns, and now you’re all sensitive about not being taken seriously?” 

58. “I appreciate what you bring to the table and all, but what you just recommended would be a massive change in ______’s life, so... I kind of hate a little bit right now and shut your dirty mouth.” 

59. “______, don’t start. I have plenty of hate to go around.” 

60. “You once knew me as real gloomy, this weird spooky, broody _______, because I knew you’d listen to me as too scary to ignore.” 

61. “You’re lost. It’s okay. I was lost once too, but thanks to all of you life sucks less now.” 

62. “Oh, don’t hug me. I’m scared.” 

63. “Thank God, I can move my arms again.” 

64. “I don’t always like when you talk about me like I’m some innocent, harmless angel. It just, it kinda makes me feel weird. Not - no - not weird, not in a weird.... It takes away some of my, uh... thunder.”