#And I am constantly reminded by my favourite artists and authors as well as artists who maybe one or two pieces i like

[ast3ri]

Btw if you are an artist and I like your art, I'll probably most likely print it out and glue your work in my journal if I cant buy a physical copy.

Because I like to take art I like with me, and have a permanent remnant of it, as my journals go into a locked safe when they are full.

If your handle or signature isn't on the art in some way, I edit it digitally to include either your name (if you have it on your blog) or your url/@ username. Dw though! I'll let you know if I can!

Your art will live on with me, touching my heart and inspiring me to keep painting for as long as my journals survive along with all my sentimental keepsakes.

[spacehologramcollection]

The Kombat Kast and Music.

A nice fluffy post. As it appears all I’ve been writing recently is smut and Fujin smut at that. One fine man there. A finely aged wine if ever there was one. I’m not even sure what to call this. I guess it’s like The Kombat Kast and your song. Do people still have songs? (Like this is such a 00’s thing: ‘OH MY GOD THIS IS OUR SONG SHUT UP LET ME RECORD IT ON MY PHONE!’)

I don’t own any of the songs.  Didn’t link anything in because I’m sure Tumblr wouldn’t be happy with that. Under the cut for slight NSFW and because it’s a looooong post. I’m going to do a part 2. This was so long.

Enjoy!

Warnings: Slight NSFW below the cut so 18+, little bit of angst, lots of fluff. Mentions of Kano, slight shitpost, it’s at the bottom, because the tea has been spilled. 

Songs don’t belong to me. 

·        Kabal. Song: Morocco

Artist: Moon Taxi. Lyric: Running in circles I was losing my mind, when you found me and you led me to the water just in time, Reasoning: Okay. So, this may just be a self-insert fantasy of mine. But I can imagine this song playing in the background after you get caught in a thunderstorm, you’re drying his hair off and you’re cuddled up in your dimly light apartment. I also think the lyrics speak to your relationship. The verse is talking about been lost and someone finding someone. Post-burn Kabal is very lost, unsure, confused. So, I feel the lyrics really speak to your relationship. Because he literally was running in circles, he had lost his mind little, and you kind of helped. When you tell him ‘This is our song’ he fucking loves it instantly. He doesn’t give a shit if it’s not his style of music. If you say it’s your song, then it’s your fucking song. Will. Put. It. On. In. the. Car. Stryker is done listening to it. When he hearts it, he thinks of you, which always bring about a goofy smile on his face. Pre-burn: I also feel this applies to pre-burn, he was running around with the Black Dragon, slightly lost in life, and like (AU where his shit storm story in 11 doesn’t happen) you pulled him out of that shit just in time.

·        Raiden. Electric Love. Song: Electric Love. Artist: Børns Lyric: And every night my mind is running around her. Then it's getting louder and louder and louder… Baby you're like lightning in a bottle, I can't let you go now that I got I, All I need is to be struck by your electric love, Baby, your electric love Reasoning: Raiden gets two. Lucky bastard. This song has two lyrics that speak to your relationship with the God of Lightening. He’s literally like lightening in a bottle, well in a man, and you got hit by his electric love. It’s an obvious choice. The whole song could be attributed to his feelings towards you, or your feelings towards him. You’re in love with the thunder and lightening itself. It’s a very sweet song. One that you’ve caught him humming along to. Once you tell him, ‘This is our song’ he loves it. Such a cute fucking song for the both of you.

·        Dark!Raiden. Song: Electric Feel. Artist: MGMT. Lyric: Baby girl, Turn me on with your electric feel… You can feel it in your mind Oh you can do it all the time, plug it in, change the world Reasoning: Need I say more? Probably another obvious choice for yours and Raiden’s song. This one has less of a romantic feel, the beat really gives me power/sex vibes when associated with him. So, it suits Dark!Raiden more. He’s more dominant and more in control. He’s also my likely to use his powers to get you going, if you’re into that sort of thing. You’ve probably fucked to this song too. When you tell him it’s your song, he becomes obsessed with it. And whenever he comes on, he’s reminded of that first sinful time he heard it. Your body is electric to him and he loves it.

·        Fujin. Song: Rather Be,

Artist: Clean Bandit. Lyric: We're a thousand miles from comfort, we have travelled land and sea But as long as you are with me, there's no place I'd rather be I would wait forever, exalted in the scene As long as I am with you, my heart continues to beat Reasoning: Okay guilty pleasure song, but it fucking bops. This sums up your relationship because your relationship was not only a shot in the dark, because you’re falling in love with a God. You’re unsure if it’s going to work. It’s more than just a long-distance relationship, you’re falling in love with someone who could be in a different realm to you. Literally a thousand miles from you. When he returns, he finds great comfort with just hanging out with you, taking walks, and enjoying your company. There really is no place he’d rather be or anyone he’d rather be with. You wait for him, completely taken back when he arrives. As long as you’re with each other, you’re content and at ease. He misses you a lot but knowing he’s returning to you makes it easier. When you tell him about the mortal custom of having a song with the one you love, he wants to know what yours is with him. You two love this song. He really vibes with it. You have gotten a little drunk and sung/butchered the song together. Good times.

·        Smoke. Song: Ophelia. Artist: The Lumineers. Lyric: Oh, Ophelia, you've been on my mind girl like a drug…Oh, Ophelia, you've been on my mind girl since the flood, Oh, Ophelia, heaven help a fool who falls in love. Reasoning: I totally changed my mind with this one, I originally thought it suited Kabal. But it fits way better with Smoke and your relationship. Smoke is a giant Hipster, and no one can argue with me on this one. So, he loves the band. He’s the one that comes up with the idea for this been your song. He’s unsure of himself. He’s not fully human anymore, love isn’t his forte either. So, it literally is heaven help a fool who falls in love. When you first listen to it, you’re unsure. But when he explains that your constantly on his mind, and he constantly thinks about you. You kind of get the meaning more. That, and it’s a very catchy song. He’ll also, on occasion, sing it to you whilst he twirls you around your apartment.

·        Cassie Cage: Song: Jenny. Artist: The Studio Killers. Lyric: I wanna ruin our friendship, we should be lovers instead, I don't know how to say this 'Cause you're really my dearest friend. Reasoning: The reasoning for this song been your song with Cassie, is mainly due to the fact that you’d always listen to it in her car. No matter the trip. She and you would sing it and vibe to it. You always did wonder with the lyrics if it had another meaning, you hoped it did. So, it comes to no surprise when you share your first kiss to this song. You’re both driving home from the movies, and she’s about to drop you off, the songs just ended and you’re both giggling and the adrenaline is high. Queue a soft kiss between the two of you. Cassie does admit she hopes the song kinda gave it away, she was being very forward, but wanted to like you give you time to see if you felt the same. Que it becoming your song, whenever it comes on in the club, you’re ready to get up and dance. Jacqui is requesting it so she can watch you two groove!

·        Jacqui Briggs. Song: What We Live For. Artist: American Authors. Lyric: We look up at the stars, a perfect night to dream with you Got nineties retro on the radio, our favourite tune I put the pedal to the metal just to laugh with you It's interstellar when it's just us two Reasoning:

This is such a cute song. The two of you live and love 90’s songs and retro music. You both love cute dates involving star gazing, going for drives and your dates are always filled with laughter. It’s your jam. You also love road trips, planning them, talking about them and obviously going on them. Jacqui literally also has the best music taste. It came on your first road trip as a couple. You both kind of looked at each other, your mouths sort of mouthing the lyrics, not wanting to admit it your guilty pleasure song. When you both catch each other singing it, you both smile, and then you turn your solo mumbling act; into the best operatic duet the car has ever seen! Your relationship is also interstellar. You both live life to the maximum and you’re living life to the full. When you ask what your song should be, you both agree on this one instantly. You trust each other both so much, as long as you’re together, you’re prepared for anything including the great unknown.

·        Sub Zero (Kuai Liang):

Song: Almost (Sweet Music) Artist: Hozier. Lyric: I wouldn't know where to start, "Sweet Music" playing "In the Dark", Be still "My Foolish Heart," Don't ruin this on me. Reasoning: A pretty cute reasoning. Why this is considered your song. You chose it because of how he often referred to love as foolish prior to your relationship. That, and when you had your first romantic moment, he did utter the phrase ‘Be still my foolish heart’ and it did make you giggle in the moment. It’s such a Kuai way of saying ‘What the fuck is going on?’ he’s basically a window error noise when it comes to romance. When you tell him this is your song, he’s confused and wants to know what you mean. Once you tell him, he’s kind of into it. It’s a happy sounding song, with a nice beat, and he kind of looks at you when listening to it. If it was to come on shuffle and you were in private, he would remark on it. Smoke once played it and he ended up blushing a little too much. Don’t let Bi-Han know, he’ll never hear the end of it.

·        Scorpion (Hanzo Hasashi.)

Song: Would that I

Artist: Hozier.

Lyric: The whole song. Just the whole song. But specific lyrics: With the roar of the fire my heart rose to its feet… I fell in love with the fire long ago … So in awe there I stood As you licked off the grain Though I've handled the wood I still worship the flame As long as amber of ember glows All the wood that I'd loved is long ago… Oh, let it blaze alright (ooh) Oh, but you're good to me

Reasoning: This whole song screams what a relationship with Hanzo would be like. And it’s just not because of the fire theme either. His heart has been dormant for a while, but when he sees you, it literally rose up and got life back to it. It speaks to your relationship in terms of you too, you’d fallen in love with him a long time ago and had fallen in love with the fire a long time ago too. He’s always in awe of you and you’re always good with him. Your patience is never ending, and he burns bright in your life. You’re falling in love with fire, the warmth, the crackle and familiarity when you love him. When you tell him, this is your song and you’re both listening to it. You swear you see the smallest smile. He pretends like it’s not a big deal. Music is not his jam, not modern music anywhere, but he finds the lyrics soothing and accurate with your relationship. Cuddling with this in the background too.

·        Erron Black.

Song: Home. Artist: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. Lyric: Girl, I've never loved one like you

Ah, home, let me come home Home is wherever I'm with you Ah, home, let me come home Home is wherever I'm with you Reasoning: So, it’s not a proper country song. But the lyrics have meaning, and it’s kind of got a folk/country vibe to it. This song fits your relationship, just because the lyrics suit his kind of way speaking. It reminds you of him when you listen to it. Erron hasn’t had a fixed home so to speak of in a while. He’s a drifter, has been for a long time. Until he came to Outworld, he hasn’t really had  fixed location. Nothing to come back to. It’s a lifestyle he’s grown accustomed to and used to. If you’re going to be with him, it’s kind of a life you’ll have to either grow used to too or be prepared to wait for him. Either option you choose, this song fits that relationship. Either his feelings towards coming home to you, or you travelling with him and home being wherever you are as long as you’re with him. When you admit this is the song you’ve got in mind for the two of you. He kind of furrows his brow. He listens to it and he can vibe with it. It’s got a certain country style jam to it; he loves the whistling and he definitely can do the whistle part perfectly. He’s also started affectionately referring to you as ‘the apple of his eye’. You two also have a bit too much whisky and end up singing this. Confusing the fuck out of Kotal and Jade, who are trying to figure out which realm this song has come from.

·        Bi-Han.

Song: I think We’re Alone Now. Artist: Tiffany. Lyric:

Look at the way we gotta hide what we're doin' 'Cause what would they say If they ever knew Reasoning:

Ever since watching the Umbrella Academy, I can imagine Bi-Han, Smoke and Kuai just dancing TERRIBLY to this song. But I digress. This song started as your song as joke. He caught you singing it, he thought it was a jam. Queue you both getting a little tipsy at the Lin Kuei temple and fucking belting the fuck out of the song. You’re both hammered, Smoke isn’t sure how to react, Kuai is dying on the inside. You’re having a great time. You drunkenly both agree this is your song. Purely because, you constantly have to hide what you’re doing, because what would Kuai and the Clan say? Frost couldn’t give a fuck. She just wants to be left out of this. You have had to run hand in hand outside, because he really wanted to fuck you, but they had a full temple. So that wasn’t happening. And in his absolute adrenaline fuelled state, he may have started singing it. He’s not sure if it was out of nerves or if he wanted to make light of the situation .

·        Sareena. Song: Trust. Artist: Martha Bean. Lyric: Don't let history haunt you, just let the mystery guide you I'm telling you now, there's a way (Close your eyes and let me guide you Take you to a place where love can find you) You gotta liberate Find your freedom… Reasoning: So this song is more geared towards personifying Sareena. It’s a song that makes you think about her. She has a pretty shitty backstory and she’s also a fair bit of mystery around her. She’s haunted slightly by her past, has regrets, and in the end found her freedom. She just needs some love guys. That’s all she needs. Love literally helped her find her way and freedom. It’s such a powerful emotion. When you tell her, this song reminds you of her, she doesn’t know how to react. She’s not exactly clued up on pop culture, so you play it to her. She loves it. She suggests it represents both of you. You both heal and guide each other, when you’re together it’s a place of love, and a place you both found together. Who would have thought it?

·        Kano.

Song: Lonely Together. Artist: Rita Ora featuring Avicii. Lyric:

Oh Lord, here we go

I might hate myself tomorrow but I'm on my way tonight At the bottom of the bottle, you're the poison in the wine And I know I can't change you and I, I won't change Let's be lonely together

A little less lonely together Reasoning: Okay. This was going to be a major shitpost. But I thought I’d use this to let people know why I don’t think Kano is like ‘marriage material’ on a serious note. At the bottom so you can skip. The lyrics sum up the relationship pretty well. Kano isn’t the type of guy to actually give us a fuck. You can’t change him, and you never will change him. But at the time you can both feel like you have someone, I guess. I was going to just put ‘fucked with an anchor’ because he can actually fuck himself with an anchor.

[ezrasarm]

Fanfic Writer Appreciation Day

I know, I know, I’m a little late to the party but I spent all of yesterday trying to actually finish and post a fic for once so I’m hoping you’ll forgive me for the delay 😂

Part 1 - THANK YOU!!!

(yes there are multiple parts to this so strap in)

I would like to start off with a huge thank you to those of you who thought of me and tagged me in those beautiful heartfelt messages! @a-seeker-of-imagination @adikaofmandalore @lola-wolf @agirllovespasta @oloreaa @din-damn-djarin @littlevodika @mrschiltoncat @cinewhore and @mindless--ramblings @plexflexico @imalovernotahater I’m looking at all of you 👀

I was just talking to @din-damn-djarin and @chaotic-noceur this morning about how theoretically (although heaven knows this isn’t always the case) writing should be something we do for our own enjoyment. To blow off steam, to let our imagination run wild, to have some form of creative output in our life, to feel productive, to make yourself happy, to make other people happy, etc. Whatever your reasons for writing, your own enjoyment of the process and content should be very high on that list. It’s very easy to get dragged down the rabbit hole of fixating on the number of notes and reblogs and comments we get on our work. And that’s great! If we’re gonna post this stuff it is endlessly gratifying and humbling to receive validation and appreciation for the hours upon hours of work that we put into it for absolutely no charge. But it’s not everything. It’s moments like these that remind me why I keep coming back. Knowing that I have a network of amazing, talented and supportive writers and readers, mutuals and friends who look forward to hearing from me and what I’m making next. That was never something I expected to gain by starting this blog but I am endlessly thankful to all of you for it.

Okay I think my point got away from me and I just wound up turning into a big mushy ball off feelings but what I was trying to say was thank you so much for your support because none of us are under any obligation to give or receive it but it sure does make things seem a whole lot more worthwhile when we do.

Part 2 - Right Back Atcha!

On to the second portion of this post! Screaming at you all about how talented you are!

@vercopaanir The Lovely Moons

TLM was among the first fics I read when I joined this fandom and I have loved every bit of watching your characters grow and overcome new challenges in every sense of the term. Every time I sit down to read a chapter I’m astounded by the professionalism and artistry you use to maneuver your craft because you are an artist. Reading it feels like it should be an actual print book that I can hold in my hand and turn pages in and write notes in the margins of all my favourite parts (’cause there are a lot). To think that you are author, editor and publisher all on your own while working still working blows me away!

@chaotic-noceur Scribbled Ink, To Be Human, Stanley

What can I say Kay? You write angst like no other. You are truly the angst queen but then you came along and you pulled a stunt like Scribbled Ink and excuse me? Who gave you permission to be both the queen of fluff and queen of angst?!?! You write such beautiful, heartfelt stories with concepts that are so raw and emotional and real and you do it with such finesse! I am constantly in complete awe of your writing!

@din-damn-djarin Find My Way Back To You, (Not So) Secret

Ploots, you magnificent bastard (there I said it)! I know you don’t believe me but I really do mean it when I say I love everything you’ve written with a passion. You come up with such astounding fic concepts and you characterize all the characters you write for so beautifully- I mean Frankie in FMWBTY??? You kept all my favourite parts of him but then you made him your own and it was astounding. I love that you’ve given me the privilege of being a part of your writing process and I have so much fun working on your fics with you!

@littleferal First Time Sleeping* Together

This series is bringing me life! I know I’ve already screamed at you but I love that you’ve looked at this very suggestible topic from the most innocent of viewpoints and explored the other forms that intimacy can take. That and they’re all just insanely cute and soft and fluffy and I love them!

@oloreaa Orbit

Rea!!!!! Our adopted tumblr child (except you’re not a child)! Somehow everything you write manages to be so soft and so cute and so fluffy it makes me feel like I'm about to spontaneously combust! You write Din cuddles for crying out loud! What more could anyone ask for than our big beautiful tin can to wrap them up in his arms and never let go? You write these moments with such a warmth and softness and intimacy thats hard not to fall in love with.

@starryeyedstories All Of Me

I still can’t get over how beautifully written All Of Me is! It just does things to me! It will always be way up at the top of my list of favourite Din fics! Your writing just makes me want more and I am seriously considering rewatching all the Star Wars sequels so I can read all your Poe stuff now. It is that good!

@aerynwrites What They Don’t Know

I don’t know what you did but I blame you entirely for my love of Paz Vizla now. It is seriously all your fault (and I love you for it). You are an amazing writer! Simple as that and you have so much beautiful content that I have yet to read. What you do for this fandom does not go unnoticed!

@agirllovespasta Masterlist

Yes. Yes I am aware that I’ve just linked your entire masterlist but it’s simply because I want everyone to read everything you’ve ever written. I love you and you are talented and amazing even if I don’t remind you of that as often as I should!

@tintinwrites Unspoken

I will admit I haven’t read a whole lot by you yet but of what I have read I love the way you weave your sense of humor into everything, it doesn’t fail to bring a smile to my face. The sass in unspoken killed me and I’m still not over Din talking to the kid.

@alwaysbethewest A Light In Your Eye

You are SO. FREAKING. TALENTED. You get that balance of sentimental and playful so perfect and it makes me feel things! Your characterizations are on the nose, the way you describe settings to set the atmosphere of the scene is amazing and your imagery makes my brain explode a little. You’re an artist. 

@dindjarindiaries Bittersweet

If someone asked me to site one blog to get a good taste of this fandom I would without a doubt point them in your direction. You write so many of my favourite characters and you write them so. damn. well. I love seeing you pop up on my dash- which reminds me I just saw that you updated Bittersweet but I haven’t had time to read it since and it’s driving me a little crazy.

@a-seeker-of-imagination Masterlist

 Alright, so admittedly I’m awful and I haven’t actually read anything you’ve written yet but you’ve got a Peaky Blinders fic I’ve got my eye on and you write for Pedro so I’m eager to do so! I can already tell you have such a passion for writing that anything you’ve written is bound to be amazing!

There are so many more of you who deserve love and appreciation and recognition and I sincerely apologize if I have missed you out of this list but my brain is a mess and I have trouble keeping track of who has written what a lot of the time! 

Part 3 - An Announcement Of An Announcement 

This is me announcing that I will be announcing something fanfic writer appreciation adjacent... soon (actually I’m announcing a number of things soon) so you should keep your eyes peeled 👀👀👀

[blackswaneuroparedux]

Not to sound stupid but are you okay in Paris? Just watching the tragic fire that is burning down Notre Dame cathedral in Paris. We are left speechless at the scale of this horror as it unfolds. Our thoughts and prayers go to the people of France at this time. How are the French coping?

It’s very surreal to be in Paris this evening. I just got back home myself with my visiting sister. 
She is asleep as I soon will be after finishing writing up this post. But I have a dram of whisky to keep me company until then.

I was running late to have dinner at one of my favourite traditional restaurants in Saint-Germain area of Paris. My uncle and his French wife and my visiting sister were waiting for me there patiently. I didn’t understand at first why there were a throng of people in my way - I felt like a trapped salmon swimming the opposite way. They were bustling through the street leading to Notre Dame; I thought it odd because it’s a small street hidden away from the tourist trap area around Saint Germain. 


Only when I sat down at the table to make my apologies to my family did the waitress and other small number of diners started to openly talk about something bad happening at Notre Dame. 


We stepped out and the small street was filling out of more people. It was surreal. It felt like there was some alien ship had landed nearby and people were going to see what was going on. It was only until one looked up into the clear Paris sky could one see the plumes of smoke and the first wisps of fire on the tower. 


It was a surreal sight. 


We stood there and watched open mouthed. In shock mostly. Around us were a mixture of Parisians, white, black, North African as well as foreign tourists of every nation it seemed. We all just stood there in shocked awe. 


We really didn’t get a great view as the police set up a cordon and everyone was pushed back. 


Many around me were in tears. Others took selfies and shared their disbelief with friends. Most watched in stunned silence. 


The thought had crossed people’s mind that perhaps it was a terrorist attack but that argument was quickly extinguished as clearly there was no explosion. 
All the signs pointed towards some disastrous and tragic accident. 


We left the scene and slowly walked to the Île Saint-Louis, the island in the middle of Paris next to the Île de Cite where Notre Dame stands on. We went back to my uncle’s apartment and had a stiff dram of whisky. We watched the French national news on television whilst also looking out of the apartment bay windows at the terrible sight of the roof and steeple reduced to an ashen shadow of itself.

My French aunt, a medieval historian by background, was inconsolable. She was in tears. Besides being a devout Catholic she has an infectious enthusiasm to point out historic things the rest of us would miss when we would often go for brisk winter walks after Sunday lunches, usually around Notre Dame. 


Here she was again but this time in inconsolable lamentation. Notre Dame de Paris was as she said the cradle of late medieval music. Much of the imagination of those involved in European, religion, culture and music is tied to this place she would never tire of pointing out. Late 12th and early 13th Century polyphonic repertory created at Notre Dame has provided an understanding of how musicians learned to capture rhythm in their notational systems. The innovative musicians Adam of St. Victor, Leonin, and Perotin were all connected to the cathedral in the 12th and 13th centuries. 


Although the building has been constantly reshaped over time, much of the architecture and sculpture dates back to the original building, which was completed in around a century beginning in the 1160s. 


It was much mutilated during both the Renaissance and the 18th century. It was desecrated during the French Revolution and by the early 19th century, the cathedral was was crumbling and half-ruined inside. 


The crowning of Napoleon as emperor followed by the success of Hugo’s novel focused attention on the building, prompting major restorations in the mid-19th century. Indeed it needed all the 19th century labours of Prosper Merimee, Victor Hugo, (Eugene) Viollet-le-Duc and (Jean-Baptiste) Lassus which allowed the Gothic art to be restored to its rightful place.

Notre-Dame de Paris is much loved by the millions of French people and foreigners who visit each year - yet they enter and go out again, I am sure, without quite understanding just what this cathedral is. 


Yes, it is the cathedral of French cathedrals, with one of the longest and richest of histories: the site of royal weddings, the consecration of Napoleon Bonaparte as emperor and the beatification of Joan of Arc. It is also where the public celebrates the lives of the great and good.

It was at Notre Dame in 1431 that Henry VI, king of England, was crowned king of France, and James V, king of Scotland, married Madeleine of France in 1537. Requiem masses were held there for presidents Charles de Gaulle and François Mitterrand.

But Notre Dame to be honest has been more revered by foreign visitors than the locals. This is not out of contempt for religion or for anything traditional. But more because of the over familiarity of having it permanently there that you forget that it is actually there. 


It’s a sin we all make with the places we live near to and even forgetting the traditions that underpin them. We just take them for granted and lazily neglect their importance of what they symbolise or represent. 


To many Parisians, the 850-year-old landmark is quite simply the heart of their city, its two Gothic square towers rising above surrounding buildings along the river Seine. But many forget - including many Parisians - too that Notre dame is the main spot from which all distances to other cities from the French capital are measured. 


And for good reason because Notre Dame Cathedral - commissioned by King Louis VII - was to be a symbol of Paris’ political, economic, intellectual and cultural power at home and around the world. The city had emerged as the centre of power in France and needed a religious monument to match its new temporal and spiritual status. In other words how much the religious life and proud traditions centred the life of a nation. But alas no more. Just as the political centre has been swept away in secularist revolution and reforms from the 18th Century onwards, so has the place of religion and tradition been blown on the winds of change. 


My suspicions are that Parisians will mourn the damage and the loss of Notre Dame but not necessarily feel the weight of the religious loss - outside of the Catholic faithful within France - in equal measure. This is the real loss. The church - whatever one may think of it - without question helped shape the idea of a French kingdom from the 13th Century onwards. So even though France has been a democratic secular state since the French Revolution, many French understand the cultural importance of Notre Dame as symbol intimately tied to the development of the idea of a French nation. As Victor Hugo put it, “La cathédrale était un lieu de refuge. Toute justice humaine expirait sur le seuil.”

My hope is out of the ashes of tragedy a spiritual as well as a cultural renewal might awaken France to respecting its roots and honour traditions that brought them greatness. As my French aunt reminded us this evening that Notre Dame was deliberately designed to inspire awe and to pull your gaze upwards, to think about things transcendent, whether it was God or the Catholic version of Christianity or the transcendent power of human engineering and ingenuity.

We need to restore Notre Dame not just to its former physical glory but to its cultural importance to help all of us to rise above pettiness of politics and think upon the transcendent values of faith and ingenuity. Victor Hugo thought of Notre Dame as a work of art authored by humanity itself, with no individual artist. It surpasses anything an individual can do and therefore becomes the best of what all of us can do.

The question that I ask myself from time to time is that how can we call ourselves culturally advanced Europeans when we lack the imagination and the ingenuity to even dream of building structures worthy of outliving us?

These are questions for another day….

Nil desperandum!

[lazingonsunday]

Tag Game!!

I was tagged by @gretavanfic and @bigthighsandstupidguys , thank you, lovelies!! 💛

1. What is your middle name?

Starts with G lol

2. How old are you?

20

3. When is your birthday?

Dec 2

4. What is your zodiac sign?

Everyone is putting like moon and sun and rising and I have no idea what that mean lmao, sorry! I think I’m a Sagittarius though

5. What is your favourite colour?

Orange or Yellow ���💛

6. What’s your lucky number?

Don’t really have one, but I always tried to be #10 on my volleyball jersey

7. Do you have any pets?

An old border collie named Riley

8. Where are you from?

Canada! 🇨🇦

9. How tall are you?

Like 5’7 ish

10. What shoe size are you?

Usually 9.5 or 10. I got big ass feet :(

11. How many pairs of shoes do you own?

Way more than one human being needs

12. What was your last dream about?

I went to IT chapter 2 last night so safe to say I was having some freaky clown dreams all night lol

13. What talents do you have?

Um, I can say the alphabet backwards, which is super random lol. I can also kinda play guitar, bass, ukulele, and harmonica, but I’m not very good at any of them yet lol

14. Are you psychic in any way?

I used to think so when I was little, but not so much anymore

15. Favourite song?

Ooh, this is hard. Right now I really love When The Curtain Falls by GVF, but I would say an all time fave might be Forever in Blue Jeans by Neil Diamond because it reminds me of my mom

16. Favourite movie?

Oh, also a tough one! I think either Rocky IV or The Sandlot

17. Who would be your ideal partner?

Jake Kiszka, obviously. But in all seriousness, anyone who is genuinely kind that I feel comfortable and happy around.

18. Do you want children?

I never thought so, but now a bunch of my older cousins are having kids and they’re pretty cool, so maybe one day if I found the right person to raise them with

19. Do you want a church wedding?

No, even though my mom will kill me if I don’t lol

20. Are you religious?

I was raised Catholic, but I don’t consider myself religious anymore.

21. Have you ever been to the hospital?

Yes, I’m asthmatic af lol, and prone to breaking my fingers playing rugby

22. Have you ever got in trouble with the law?

No, I am a well-behaved child

23. Have you ever met any celebrities?

I met the magicians Penn & Teller if that counts haha

24. Baths or showers?

For practical purposes of actually getting clean, showers, but I l o v e baths

25. What colour socks are you wearing?

Black

26. Have you ever been famous?

No

27. Would you like to be a big celebrity?

While I daydream about it frequently, realistically I know I would hate it

28. What type of music do you like?

Literally the most random taste in music, it changes all the time. I don’t even have certain genres that I like, just certain artists or albums from a variety of genres

29. Have you ever been skinny dipping?

Yes. I was very drunk lmao

30. How many pillows do you sleep with?

Three normal ones and a body pillow

31. What position do you usually sleep in?

On my side cuddled up with the pillows

32. How big is your house?

Typical white suburban neighbourhood house

33. What do you typically have for breakfast?

I typically pout in the kitchen for 10 minutes before I give up and make something completely inappropriate for breakfast lmao. Usually grilled cheese. This morning alphagetti. I hate breakfast so much lol

34. Have you ever fired a gun?

Nope. No desire to.

35. Have you ever tried archery?

Yes, we did it in school a few times

36. Favourite clean word?

Love

37. Favourite swear word?

Idk if it’s a swear word, but I say ‘goddammit’ a lot

38. What’s the longest you’ve ever gone without sleep?

Not long, I’m a sleepy bitch. Probably 24 hours

39. Do you have any scars?

Yes

40. Have you ever had a secret admirer?

In 9th grade I found out this guy had a crush on my and told literally everyone but me lol

41. Are you a good liar?

I don’t lie very often, but mostly because I am a terrible liar

42. Are you a good judge of character?

Yes. I frequently get such strong vibes off of people and I can tell right away if they’re the kind of person that’s gonna stress me out

43. Can you do any other accents other than your own?

Not well

44. Do you have a strong accent?

I guess I probably have a Canadian accent, but not super strong. The region I’m from has a pretty neutral North American accent

45. What is your favourite accent?

Certain regions of Irish accent are so beautiful. Like Hozier’s accent

46. What is your personality type?

Quite shy, but generally very kind

47. What is your most expensive piece of clothing?

I have a shirt that I got for work that was like a hundred bucks and I never wear it cause I sprayed foundation on it once and now I’m scared I’m gonna ruin it lol

48. Can you curl your tongue?

Yes

49. Are you an innie or outie?

Innie

50. Left or right handed?

Right

51. Are you scared or spiders?

Not really scared of them, but I don’t like them to be close to me if that makes sense

52. Favourite food?

Probably burritos

53. Favourite foreign food?

Mexican

54. Are you a clean or messy person?

Fairly clean

55. Most used phrase?

I really don’t think I have one?

56. Most used word?

Completely. I say it like to agree with someone or acknowledge what they’re saying

57. How long does it take for you to get ready?

Depends what I’m getting ready. For school or something I don’t really care about, maybe half an hour. For work or going out, probably over an hour.

58. Do you have much of an ego?

I don’t think so

59. Do you suck or bite lollipops?

Suck until I get bored and crunch it lol

60. Do you talk to yourself?

Yes, a concerning amount. Like full conversations with myself at full volume, constantly when I’m alone.

61. Do you sing to yourself?

Occasionally

62. Are you a good singer?

Not really

63. Biggest fear?

Never learning how to make meaningful connections , pushing all my friends away, and dying alone.

64. Are you a gossip?

No, I hate it! My friends try to tell me about people we went to high school with, and I just genuinely don’t care and don’t want to know lmao

65. Best dramatic movie you’ve seen?

Idk what classifies as a ‘dramatic’ movie, but I guess the Rocky movies again

66. Do you like long or short hair?

I love long hair, I’m so jealous of people with really long hair. Mine grows so slow :(

67. Can you name all 50 states of America?

Maybe, if I thought really hard about it? I can barely remember Canadian provinces lmao

68. Favourite school subject?

I always really loved some topics in science, but then hated others. I was probably best at English.

69. Introvert or extrovert?

Introvert af

70. Have you ever been scuba diving?

No, even snorkeling freaks me out. The ocean is some scary soup

71. What makes you nervous?

Pretty much everything lol. But mostly any social situation where there’s people I don’t know, or I don’t know exactly what to expect.

72. Are you scared of the dark?

Really depends where I am. Usually no, but if I’m outside then usually yes, and after watching It last night, yes lol

73. Do you correct people when they make mistakes?

Depends who it is and what the mistake is

74. Are you ticklish?

Honestly, not really

75. Have you ever started a rumour?

Not intentionally

76. Have you ever been in a position of authority?

Kind of? At work they have like hourly leaders who are in charge of the sales floor, and I did that a lot, but it’s not really a lot of power or responsibility. Also babysitting I guess

77. Have you ever drank underage?

Yes

78. Have you ever done drugs?

Honestly, this is gonna sound so stupid, but I’ve never done anything other than alcohol and cigarettes. I actually high key wanna try weed, but again the whole ‘not knowing what to expect makes me anxious thing.’ Not even so much that I’m nervous to try the drug but that I’m nervous to try to buy it or get it, even though it’s fully legal in Canada and there’s a dispensary on every corner lmao

79. Who was your first real crush?

The first one I remember was a boy named Evan in first grade

80. How many piercings do you have?

Just my ears, and I rarely wear earrings so I always have to stab through them again when I do

81. Can you roll your R’s?

No, and I can’t whistle either! Which is deeply infuriating!

82. How fast can you type?

Fast enough to not look foolish

83. How fast can you run?

Not fast at all. I’m asthmatic and out of shape lmao

84. What colour is your hair?

An ugly medium mousy brown. I always wanna dye it a little lighter, but I go to the hairdresser like once every two years so it would look stupid when it grew out lol

85. What colour are your eyes?

Hazel-y greenish

86. What are you allergic to?

All sorts of environmental allergies; dust, pollen, animal hair, etc. I’m always sneezing and watery eyes lol

87. Do you keep a journal?

I carry a notebook, but it’s more like an agenda than a diary

88. What do your parents do?

My dad owns a drywall company and my mom is a stay-at-home mom, but she volunteers a lot now that we’re older

89. Do you like your age?

No. I think that being in your late teens and twenties can be really stressful because you feel like there’s certain things that you should have accomplished or experienced and it can be very overwhelming, feeling like you’re competing with all your peers to get your life together

90. What makes you angry?

Rude and disrespectful people

91. Do you like your own name?

Not really

92. Have you thought of baby names, and if so what are they?

I’ve definitely thought about it but I don’t really have specific favourites

93. Do you want a boy or girl for a child?

I don’t have a preference. I’d probably like to have one of each

94. What are your strengths?

I think I’ve become a lot more kind and open-hearted in the last few years.

95. What are your weaknesses?

I feel like I have let fear dictate my entire life, and there’s so many things I haven’t done because I’ve been afraid. I need to step outside my comfort zone more often.

96. How did you get your name?

There was a character on a TV show called my name that my parents liked

97. Were your ancestors royalty?

Not that I am aware of

98. Do you have any tattoos?

I changed the question because scars was an earlier one. I have two tattoos on my right arm

99. Colour of your bedspread?

Because it’s summer, I have a lighter blanket that’s light blue. My winter duvet is navy

100. Colour of your room?

Light blue

That was LONG lmao but really fun! I’m too lazy to bold the questions so sorry if it’s hard to read!

Tagging: @frcmthefires @sweetkiszkadreams @okietrish @sammyscherub @gretavanbobatea @jake-thomas-kiszka @mr-stank-i-dont-feel-so-dank and anyone else who wants to do it!!

[fabien-euskadi]

11: what’s an inner joke you have with your friends? /// 16: what’s your favorite pasta dish? /// 28: sunrise or sunset? /// 47: what food do you think should be banned from the universe? /// 88: are there any artistic movements you particularly enjoy? /// 90: talk about your one of you favorite cities. /// Please. ///

11: what’san inner joke you have with your friends?

I guessinner jokes are supposed to remain as such -outside a certain restrict circle,they make no sense and they certainly are not funny at all… and a joke withno sense nor laughs is not a joke.

16: what’syour favourite pasta dish?

Vegan ragù.Or, as most people would call it, a vegan recipe for spaghetti alla bolognese (mineuses tofu instead of meat or even soy - and it works).

28: sunriseor sunset?

When Ilived close to the sea, I used to watch both - and I used to enjoy both as muchas I could. Now, both have a aura of depression: the sunrise reminds me that Iam still awake, the sunset makes this place dive into a sea of darkness, coldand misery. So, the answer used to be: “both”; now, it will be:“none”.

47: whatfood do you think should be banned from the universe?

Being veganand having many food intolerances, it would be far more useful for me if allthe food that requires animal ingredients disappeared. Probably, most disheswould still exists in one way or another, but they would be done in a differentway - so, it would be (probably) zero disadvantages for many benefits.Coincidentally, the book I am working on takes place in a planet where humansdo not eat animal ingredients - some even dare to eat fish, but that isconsidered a taboo (like, on Earth it is considered a taboo to eat fecalmatter). So, as a writer, I’ve banned a whole type of food - not from theuniverse as a whole, but from a planet (sadly, a fictional one).

88: arethere any artistic movements you particularly enjoy?

For thisanswer, I am going to focus only on architecture. I have a soft spot for threeportuguese styles, all of them for different reasons - and, somehow, all ofthem are absolutely fascinating. The first one if the Manueline Style, thatdominated portuguese architecture in the last years of XV Century and the firstquarter of the XVI Century - medievalist historians tend to consider that thisstyle, that started the Modern Age in Portugal, in no more than a mereevolution of Gothic, but I can prove it is not and I am ready to punch in theface whoever defends that Manueline is Gothic (I consider that an intellectual dishonesty).Then, we have the Portuguese Plain Style, defined and theorized by the North-Americanauthor George Kubler; somehow, this is a sub product of the Renaissance, mixedwith a certain “military” and rational taste that we could find inthe Manueline of Miguel de Arruda; I could talk about this style for hours andI will need to do it in my thesis (yes, I am going to talk about the PlainStyle as well). Finally, I have a soft spot for the proportions and elegance ofSoft Portuguese… that is, there is no other way of saying it, the style ofportuguese ultra-conservative right-wing regimen (technically, it’s not afascism as such, but that does not make it a better regimen); yeah, I hate thepolitical ideology that created it, but there is something about thearchitecture that captivates me - it´s a bit like the Nazism: you may hate theideology (and I do), you may hate the regimen (and I do), but the autobahnswere a great idea.

90: talkabout your one of your favourite cities.

Probably,that city is Granada. But I don’t know anything anymore. Maybe I would hateliving there. Maybe I would hate the lack of the sea, the extreme temperatures,the tourists (Granada also receives those who are going to Sierra Nevada), thefortune tellers that disturb your inner peace constantly, the ugly outskirts…and then, I would start hating a place that I truly love. And I don’t want tohate Granada, I want to remain in love with that gorgeous, happy, monumentalplace. Being so, I am going to love just the bits of Granada that I love andpretend that the other ones do not exist at all - it’s like a poet that writes millions of poems about his muse’s beautiful eyes, ignoring that she has a bad breath and shefarts all the time… and I guess this is the best metaphor ever for Granada.

Thank you - ou obrigado, if you will:)

[crowsent]

Aspect Of Winter

Let me preface this by saying that I will be biased. Any and all words coming from my mouth, typed onto this screen with my ratchet fingers, will be heavily inclined to sing good praises of this book. For two main reasons. One: it’s a gift from a darling friend of mine. Two: it’s fucking gay and my queer ass rejoices.

But that aside, READ THIS BOOK. READ IT. MAKE YOUR LIFE RICHER AND READ THE BOOK.

It is so damn good. But! Before I bust out the magnifying glass of unnecessarily big words I definitely googled to sound as extra as I physically possibly can, here’s a brief synopsis of the book.

It follows the main character, Feayr, a high-school senior who, for the sake of literally everyone, goes by Fay. For some reason, he has magical powers that enable him to essentially wield winter like his own personal mallet where everything in the world can be a nail. He’s also hella fucking gay.

Because of his powers, Fay doesn’t really feel like he fits in with normal people. Cue Janus University. It’s a magical school for people with magical potential and is essentially Fay’s ticket to having a life and a place for himself surrounded by other people like him. So he leaps on that train of opportunity with all the grace of a dying elephant and kicks off the story.

There’s magic that’s done in a very unique way, unlike Harry Potter, or Carry On, or some of the other books with magic that I’ve read. Very fresh and new. Lots of mythological creatures as well from all over the world, not just ones with Hellenic or Gaelic origins. There’s a fuckton of shit to read and enjoy and consume like the word devourer I am.

Read the book. Please read it. It is so good. I wanted to cry a few times. Read it.

Now. Onto the magnifying glass! Beware spoilers!

First thing about the book is the syntax. Easy to read, easy to understand, no less compelling. It also helps that Tom Early, the author, has such a great sense of humour. I had to put the book down to keep myself from laughing because holy shit. There are some great moments in this book. So much so that writing down all my favourite quotes would take more than one post.

It helps that Fay is hilarious in his own right. My queer ass just understands him so much. I relate to this man on so many levels and if anything happened to him, I would kill everyone in the room and then myself. He’s so awkward and adorable!!!!! But. Honestly. I kind of feel bad for him.

One. His school has dick bitch homophobes who constantly tell him that he’s not worthy of anything. And, honestly, that hit hard. I’m fortunate enough that I wasn’t harassed like that in my earlier days. I’m a little more hardened now, and more than willing to throw hands, but if I heard that when I was younger, I would break.

It’s so sad seeing Fay struggle with his sexuality and try to carve a place for himself in a world that obviously fights back against him. Personally, I think that him wanting to go to Janus is a parallel to him wanting to be accepted as he is. A way to find someplace to belong, with people like him, so he would feel more normal and less weird. But that might be a stretch.

And while Fay has this awkward, shy side to him, he also has something much darker. Infinitely darker. Like. A piece of his soul dark. Kind of suspected it in the scene with the dullahan where the thing tries to take his soul but gets turned into an ice statue and shattered into a million bits instead.

That interaction paved the road for all the future dark things that Fay has the potential to do. And the things he DOES do, later on near the end of the book. It ties in nicely, subtle enough that the scene with Aria fucking floored me, mouth reaching for the floor, eyes wide like dinner plates. But it wasn’t out of the blue. There were enough hints that got my head gears whirring like the cogs of a dying clock. There were pieces for me to put together and holy shit did I fit them together. There’s so much that I sat there for a good few moments muttering “what the fuck” while I pictured Fay ripping off Aria’s wings.

It is such an intense moment in the book.

But the thing I love most about Fay is that he acknowledges his shortcomings. He KNOWS that he lets other people fight his battles for him. He knows that he doesn’t do a very good job of communicating his feelings to other people (like with Tyler and that whole spiel about him dragging Tyler into the magic world) and here’s the best part.

HE TRIES TO FIX IT. He sees what he lacks, and does his fucking best to fix it.

First encounter with the homophobes and Fay freezes, lets them have their words and their jabs, and walks off meekly with his head down. Some reflection later, and he FREEZES one of the homophobe’s lips together and walks away with his head high. Fucking proud and happy.

And after Tyler pointed out that Fay wasn’t communicating that good, Fay does what any good boyfriend (and person) should do and ACTUALLY COMMUNICATES. I fucking can’t. I am incapable of canning. This boy is so precious.

Of course, an equally precious child is Sam. I lowkey aspire to be her. One, the no-nonsense attitude that she isn’t afraid to show everyone. Two, the fact that literally everyone in school knows she can kick their collective asses and she knows it. Three, she has such a fun personality with her own little quirks that I just die on the inside.

If I met Sam when I was in highschool, I would be fucking gay for her. And in the books, Fay mentions, on multiple occasions, the crowd of men AND women flocking to Sam. Just a nice touch that I adore.

Sam is essentially both brains AND brawn. She’s fierce, she’s smart, she managed to make a simple spell that makes a Minor Orb of energy into a damn fucking shield she’s not afraid to use as a means to bash heads in.

And she’s an artist. Who draws. A lot. And I just. Sam feels so real to me and I am so taken with her character.

Of course, she has her flaws too. One that stood out to me was the fact that she can’t seem to back down from a fight. Sure, sounds like an inconsequential thing, but it was a crisis of character for her when she lost BECAUSE she didn’t back down.

She had an entire thing about her mom not being proud of her because she wasn’t good enough and I just choked.

Of course, there’s Tyler. A jock-type who happens to be bi. Reminded me a lot of Cooper from One Of Us Is Lying. Except. Tyler’s not exactly in the closet. He knows what he is and is proud of that and honestly fucking bet.

He doesn’t take shit from anyone too, and isn’t afraid to hold his ground if he needs to. Like. He stood up to Sam in a parking lot early on in the book. At this point, it has already been established that Sam is hell incarnate and is not afraid to kick someone’s teeth in. Sam can do a no hands running leap over a fence!!!

And Tyler stood his ground and looked her straight in the eye. Mad respect for that scene, honestly. The way it’s written makes it so that Tyler doesn’t back down, but he also doesn’t disrespect Sam.

More mad props to Tyler is that Fay is his first relationship with a guy. And he powers through. Sure, he’s nervous, but he still asked. Honestly, more than I could say for myself. It takes a great deal of courage to ask someone out, even more so if it’s the first date.

Tyler is goals tbh. He willingly follows Fay into battle knowing the risks because he doesn’t want to lose Fay. He struggles with his parents getting a divorce, has a lot of his own personal issues that can and will tie my tongue with how much he just continues moving forward. And just.

This man. This man. I have so much respect and feelings for this man. He’s kind and considerate and I just can’t.

While these three are the main characters, there’s a bunch more that Early gives life to.

Aiden, for instance, only appears for a few scenes but damn is he complex. At first, I was all: hot guy. Accent. Foreign. Hot. Holy shit. Then, after the attack on Fay’s home, I switched to “what the fuck?” “what the fuck????” “bitch what the fuck!??!?!??” And THEN, he became more like a rival than an antagonist and just. I can’t.

Good characters are honestly my driving force for reading literally anything, but the plot and mechanics is strong in the book as well.

As I mentioned earlier, the magic is unique. There’s the words but it’s not actually said in the book what those words are. But it doesn’t even matter because you see the characters and how they respond. How the magic responds to them,

There’s a whole scene where Sam and Fay try out spells, figure out what they do, and what’s compatible with them. Spells have compatibility. I really enjoyed the fact that magic in this universe seems alive, ancient, and more than just a hand wave. It feels like it’s part of the caster.

Sam’s minor orbs, for instance, is different from Fay’s. Fay’s looks like a damn snowball, while Sam’s doesn’t. Same spell, different casters = different lookin spell. Wards too. Sam’s ward is standard. Fay’s turns everything that hits the ward into ice. Again, same spell but because the people casting them is different, it changes. It’s a nice touch and makes the world itself come to life.

Fight scenes aren’t prevalent in the early half of the book, but holy shit does things go from 0 to 100 real quick. Aria’s first fight was brutal and I just practically vibrated with excitement when that happened. Motherfucking art.

The entire book is filled with scenes like that, actually. Made me stop, rethink my life decisions, praise every god that I managed to exists in a universe where Aspect of Winter is a thing. I love it. Can’t wait to read the next book (when I get my hands on it) and can’t wait for the third book to come out.

One scene in particular hit me with a mountain of questions and elicited a chorus of holy shits. Felt like I was about to sing Heathers Fight For Me. Right at the very end. I can quote it because it was seared into my very brain.

Bit of context.

The thing with Fay’s very soul bearing some part of winter? Yeah, that was how he managed to chill everything, and make his own ice sculptures whenever he wants. The thing that killed the dullahan. That thing that is such an integral part of him.

It was sealed.

No more ice magic.

Fay described it as feeling EMPTY.

So, you’d think that after being sealed away, the ice wouldn’t manifest anymore right? Whatever thing is inside Fay would stay there and not be a danger to him or to others anymore, right? Fucking wrong. The very last line of the book read as follows:

“Behind me, the stones on the beach were covered in a thin layer of frost.”

Like. Bitch!!!!!!!!!!!!! Either the seal broke, or it wasn’t strong enough.

(Didas is also a shady bitch and I don’t trust him but I don’t think he’ll endanger the lives of everyone quite so easily.)

Either way, winter is fucking coming and I am fucking terrified.

[imagine-that-one-thing]

21 kids and a kiwi.

Authors Note: I really couldn't help myself when I saw the picture on H's Instagram about Kiwi and this has been torturing me in my brain ever since, so here is a lil somethin' to get us through until the next two days until KIWI comes out. 

Harry Masterlist found HERE

It was only a matter of time before he became a music enthusiast who aspired to constantly be surrounded by the beautiful, affectionate, innocent eyes of children and their laughter that is astonishingly contagious.

Five years ago when he sauntered through the front door with a crooked grin and enthusiasm through the roof with his eyes overflowing with pure delight, you weren’t surprised when the words, “I am going to be a music teacher.” Escaped his perfectly rosy lips. You glanced over at him with a cup of coffee in cupped in your palms while your body was sat up on the stool by the countertop. You gave him a generous smile and nodded. You certainly weren’t surprised at all.

He needed something to do while he was taking a break from the A-List stardom life of touring and recording.

Over the five years, he triumphantly earned his Bachelor's degree in music, completed a student-teaching experience at the school he went to growing up and received his teaching license. It wasn't as intense as you had thought it would be, you expected him to be as miserable through obtaining his degree like you were years ago, but none of it bothered him, he appreciated constantly being buried in books and papers while discovering more about his passion. He never complained on the late nights he was perched in front of his laptop revising for tests and whatever else he was stuck doing at ungodly hours.

Today, you encounter yourself with your hands and arms grappling to hold everything, car-keys, purse, and many different snacks for Harry’s music class. Since parents were allowing their children to stay after school to rehearse for the winter musical that Harry has been extremely excited about producing. Harry proposed to feed the kiddos snacks. And by Harry volunteering to feed the children, what was really inferred was that you would be left in charge of the food needs of the individual children and their various allergies and desires.

You step into the front office and give the receptionist your typically generous smile as she welcomes you, opening the door for you to enter the foyer that leads to the rest of the school's classrooms. You wander the endless hallway of dim lights, eventually making it to the music centre. As you stand outside the two wide doors, you overhear the laughter of children echoing and the soft tone of the piano playing. You grin to yourself before you manage to force the doors open, instantly causing all the little eyes to stare over at you, "Missus Y/N," a few of the little ones hurry over to you with great joy, their little arms wrapping around your legs. 

You catch Harrys chuckles before he's by your side taking the food from your arms, "Hey Missus Y/N," he chuckles with a wide grin, kissing your cheek and making his way to the table that he has evidently set up for the snacks. 

You watch as the little ones follow his every step and endeavour to assist him, all of them listening to his every instruction and holding onto his every word. 

"What do we say to Missus Y/N for bringing us the food?" He announces to his group of what you like to call, little minions.  They all glance over at you and in unison declare thanks with a charming chime of "Thank you Missus Y/N."

You give them a small laugh and assure them that they are welcome before Harry proceeds to help two little girls that are a little shorter than the rest and having a troublesome time stretching for the fruits.  

You can't help but relish him with that gorgeous grin on his face as he does everything to help all the kiddos that require his attention, making sure each and every child is taken care of. If you didn't know any better, you'd believe he was the father of all twenty-one children.

Harry stands beside you proudly, "You're going to be blown away, jus' watch." He beams as his eyes stay focused on the twenty-one children assembled in a well-defined manner. "Lilly, sweetie a little more to your left," Harry gestures graciously and she shuffles to her left, "There we go," Harry gives her a thumbs up, "Okay, on three I want you all to show Y/N what we have practised... 1...2...3." Harry counts and a warm and soothing tone of young voices harmonising together and bouncing off the walls. You proudly smile at the wonderfully sounding kids as they sing 'Rudolph the red nose reindeer,' with cute, dainty smiles as they bounce up and down gleefully. 

"You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen, you know Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen, But do you recall the most famous reindeer of all?" With each name of a reindeer, a little one steps forward proudly. 

You allow the adorable singers to finish the song before you give them your own special standing ovation, "Wonderful, each and everyone one of you," you exclaim with such happiness etched into your heart. Little kids carolling Christmas carols is honestly one of the warmest things that you cherish. 

"Okay ladies and gentlemen, it is time to get ready for your Mummy and Daddy's to come pick you up, go get your backpacks." Harry gestures towards the other room where the backpacks and belongings are kept, "Don't forget your jackets it is cold outside."

"Can we sing another song?" One girl smiles as she walks closer to Harry and he nods.

"I think we have a few minutes, once you all collect your bags we can sing another one," Harry informs the little girl before she skips off happily towards the other room. "So, what do you think? Cute, huh?" Harry beams as he turns to you with bright eyes that have always brought joy to your fluttering heart. 

You nod your head in agreement, his little crew are by far extremely cute, especially when they're singing and enjoying themselves. "Yes, you have done a good job, they can even hold notes." 

"Yeah, they're a good little group. So, I was thinking the kids, in the beginning, they have differently decorated reindeer antlers so we know they're Dasher, Dancer, Prancer and the rest." 

"Seems like a good idea. All of them outfitted as Reindeer would be so adorable," you admit, already imagining all of the kiddos decked cutely as Reindeers.

"Mhm, I was thinking you could help me with decorating them."

"Harry," you sigh, remembering the last time he said those exact words. You got stuck last time decorating fairy wings while he slept on the couch because you got sick of scolding him and having to redo his creations because...well... he isn't steady with his hands when it comes to decorating small things with glitter glue. He tried, he really did, but he just wasn't brought into this world to decorate things, especially fairy wings. "I love you, I do, but I can't decorate reindeer outfits all on my own within two weeks."

"I know, darling, I will help."

"Harry, do I need to remind you of the fairy wings? Or the Halloween costumes?"

"Y/N," Harry chuckles, "I promise I am better at decorating Reindeer ears than I am pumpkins and fairy wings."

"Mhm, you owe me dinner and a movie night after all this." 

Harry nods, "of course, I'll even cook for yeh." 

You grin and graciously nod in agreement to his proposal. You can never turn down his propositions to cook. The second best thing to seeing him prepare the children is to observe him dance around the kitchen with nothing but a pair of sweatpants on while he hums along to his favourite songs. It's breathtaking, to say the least. 

You and Harry both stand and welcome each parent as they walk in to claim their children with wide grins when they see how the children are vibrant and beaming. 

Once the last child leaves, Harry turns to you, "Thanks, thank you for everything you do and allowing me to do this," he gestures his arms around to his little music room that has become his 'safe-haven,' you could say. His safe haven to escape the world used to be the studio, and since he is taking a hiatus with his music career as an artist, he has resorted to his music room as his place. He loves the laughter of children and the vibration of their beautiful voices as he performs on the piano and teaches them new songs. Harry loves observing their faces light up when their favourite songs get played and he especially loves it when they request some of the older songs that he has taught them with parental consent.

His eyes are evermore an eminent shade and his smile is invariably a little bit wider when he gets to spend extra time with the little ones and preparing for small musicals and recitals. He has a soft spot for kids, it is obvious, and there is a part of you that absolutely adores watching him operate his magic with so many young individuals who have a strong devotion and passion for music like he does. He is connected with them on a different level, it's beautiful to witness.

You lean up and kiss Harry sweetly before you carefully pull away, "You always support me. It is no problem. But, next time you want to sign me up for snack duty, don't remind me at midnight." 

"Yeah, sorry about that love, I forgot." 

"I know," you chuckle, "So, I was in the fruit aisle today, take a guess what I stumbled upon?" You grin cheekily as Harry crosses his arms over his chest and raises his brow.

"Well, darling, I am assuming you stumbled across the fruit."

"Smart ass," you roll your eyes at your husband who is grinning widely at his comment, "I happened to catch a glimpse at some kiwis," you inform Harry and he instantly chuckles while covering his face with his hands, "I got a few, too. I remember you enjoy them quite a bit." 

He chuckles and shakes his head, "oh my, I don't think I am ever going to live that down, am I?" 

"Mmm, no," you shake your head, "So, can you remind me how it goes again?" you purposely bat your eyes and grin at him as he rolls his eyes and curls his lips. 

It has been a while since the all-so-famous song Kiwi has been brought up. You can't really help yourself today, especially considering how at one point he came home with a box full of kiwis thanks to a dedicated fan who was quite the comedian. 

Harry steps closer to you, his hands pressing to your waists while his lips caress to the corner of your mouth. Your arms drape over his shoulders and shivers become pulsated down your spile as his soft breath steadily hits your bare neck as he slowly sings.

 "She worked her way through a cheap pack of cigarettes. Hard liquor mixed with a bit of intellect. And all the boys, they were saying they were into it. Such a pretty face, on a pretty neck."

(Tell me what you think, here). 

[coldrunawaymaker]

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Ankur Tewari on music festivals in India, spoken word poetry, Gully Boy and more in this exclusive interview - art and culture

The city of lakes and a popular tourist and wedding destination, Udaipur, Rajasthan is alive with culture and the sound of music of various genres. Lake Pichola, City Palace, Fateh Sagar Lake, Jagmandir Palace are some of the must-visit locations while you’re in this city.The Vedanta Udaipur World Music Festival (UWMF) has begun today and will be on until Sunday, February 9 2020. A city-wide, multi-venue music festival featuring 150 global artists and collaborations, the fest also sees participation from countries namely Spain, Italy, France, Brazil, Switzerland, and many more.In its 5th edition this year, this festival has fast become the biggest world music festival in the country. This year’s edition is built around the concept We are the World: Unity in Diversity. Spread over three picturesque venues, UWMF offers immense diversity in music that celebrates different moods of the day, right from a morning meditative raga to personifying romantic music at its best played beside the lakes in the afternoons. Evenings will bring spirited youthful music that connects people of all age groups. The festival also features local Rajasthani talent.Ahead of their performance tomorrow at UWMF 2020, we got a chance to speak with Ankur Tewari and The Ghalat Family. Excerpts from an exclusive interview:Q. Tell us about the inspiration behind called The Ghalat Family and why?A. The inspiration behind the band being called The Ghalat Family is actually nothing serious, we didn’t have a name for a band. We were shooting for a music video and a friend of ours saw us and he said that we are a bunch of misfits and somehow the word The Ghalat Family came out between fits of giggles and laughter and we just stuck by the name.Q. Your opened for singer Norah Jones back in 2013. What’s been your fondest memory of that day?A. It was quite a special opening for Norah Jones back in 2013. It was a summer-time festival where we were going to play and I have always been a fan of her music and I have never seen her live so just to share the backstage along with her is a big honour. Karsh who was also opening for alongside us is a friend of hers (Norah’s) and because of him we met her, chatted with her. It was quite a humbling experience to see somebody so famous and big, being so humble, and her band was also too nice and too sweet.Q. How far have famous authors from history impacted your songwriting? Tell us some of your favourite proverbs/lines written by Manto and Bukowski.A. An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way and an artist says a hard thing in a simple way this quote by Charles Bukowski has always struck a chord with me. There are so many interesting authors and poets whose words resonate with me, Manto’s Toba Tek Singh is a classic for me where people in an art house are asked to decide whether they want to go to Pakistan or stay in India during partition… can’t describe the partition in a better way.Q. What’s more fun: performing for a live audience or in a studio?A. I have always been a performing artiste. I love performing to a live audience. I have not been in the studio as much as I want to be in the studio. I find performing live is a better community experience but in recent times, I started enjoying recording in the studio as well. But definitely, when I perform I like to play more for an intermediate audience than big stages. Big stages make me feel very distant from the audience and with my band members at the same time.Q. Favourite film song project you have been a part of?A. Favourite film song project that I have been a part of is my first song Sabse Peechhe Hum Khade for Let’s Enjoy (2004). That was the song I used to sing and then I used it in the movie and then I got Silk Route to sing a cover of it.Q. What can the audience expect at the Vedanta Udaipur World Music Festival 2020? Tell us something about the songs you have chosen in your set and what’s in it for everyone attending?A. Vedanta Udaipur World Music Festival is very special for me especially it is organised by SEHER. It is like a family for me and I have curated an interesting set of my popular songs including Mohabbat Zindabad, Sabse Peechhe Hum Khade, Dil Beparvah and some surprises.Q. Your thoughts on the music festival scene in India and if there’s one thing you could change, what would it be?A. It is amazing that there are music festivals that showcase artistes from around the country and the globe. When I started making music, there was none, but it’s so amazing to see so many festivals cropping up, so many stages, and I am encouraged to see this kind of an atmosphere in the world with independent music.If there’s one thing I could change, I would try to include more new artistes in the line-up every time because, for me, music festivals are about the discovery of new music as well. Vedanta Udaipur World Music Festival is one such festival which brings new artistes from across the globe in its editions and I simply admire this concept.Q. Tell us more about Woh Hum Nahin and the process of writing/composing it.A. Woh Hum Nahin came to me in about 5 minutes. I was backstage going to perform in 10 minutes and I was looking at my phone and I saw the images of violence in the hostel of JNU and it really hurt me that such kind of violence is happening in universities, in colleges in India and it had a deep impact on me. Thought about of nation that has Mahatma Gandhi as a father of the nation, a pioneer in the world of peace and agent of love in this country. Such an act happening, it broke me within. Even before I could hit the stage in 5 minutes these words came to me and I went and performed my set. I came back and found the chords to these words, and recorded it in an hour’s time.Q. How did you decide on collaborating on Kommune with Roshan Abbas?A. If I may be honest it was Roshan Abbas who decided to contact me and Gaurav Kapoor and take our discussions further. We were usually discussing how we don’t find going out exciting where the only place you go out is to tune out of the world. But sometimes you go out to tune in to something and feel enriched when you come out of it and we were missing those events. So Roshan Abbas came up with an idea that we should gather those people who will be interested in storytelling, poetry or music of a softer sort. We pretty much started on instinct and before we knew it, it is known into a big thing.Q. What can you tell us about the upcoming seasons of The Spoken Fest? After the Delhi debut late last year, will Spoken be going to other cities too?A. We are constantly in touch with the spoken word artists and poets around the world and we are trying to make it interesting with each coming year.The Delhi edition was encouraging and on the response of the Delhi edition, we thought to take it to other cities as well. Many cities have written to us and we are strongly crunching the numbers to make sure that we can take it to other cities as well.Q. For upcoming poets, what is the one-word advice you would want to share?A. My only advice to upcoming poets is that you should be honest and clear with what you want to express and try not to push vocabulary outside what you use. If you are not satisfied with your vocabulary, read more books and increase your vocabulary, once you start using those words in your life you should include mini pauses as well.Q. Name three poets you’ve seen Live in performance and find great promise in their voice?A. Some of the poets I admire are Kausar Munir, Swanand Kirkire and Varun Grover. They’ve also had an amazing impact on me.Q. You’ve worked with Prateek Kuhad on several songs too - tell us about this collab. A. I’ve worked with Prateek on the collaboration called Dil Beparvah, for a show called The Dewarists and it happened organically. It was amazing that we both are diverse personalities and the song became the meeting point for both of us and started an interesting friendship where I get to learn a lot from this young artist.Q. Your favourite from the Gully Boy album and why?A. My favourite work from Gully Boy is definitely Apna Time Aayega for the way the song happened, the way poetry happened and the collaboration happened with Divine who is such an amazing artist. I’ve never imagined that I would be collaborating with a hip-hop artist. It was a dream collaboration to work with Dub Sharma, Divine with Javed Akhtar Sahab giving his suggestions and inputs.Q. Jeene Mein Aaye Mazaa is a sweet reminder of life in Bombay (Mumbai) one has lived and misses. What was your inspiration behind the number?A. Jeene Mein Aaye Mazaa is for me a story about friends, a story about people who stands by you even when the times are tough. When the tough times are over you look back and you realise how important they are because you know tough times don’t last but friends do. They make this world worthwhile and if we can ever look beyond the balance sheets of life then you will realise friends are what makes your world. Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter Read the full article

[putschki1969]

Kadokawa: Wakana’s Personal Interview  ✧⁺⸜(●′▾‵●)⸝⁺✧

A translation for all of you ❤ DO NOT REPOST THIS on other sites! This is a public post so if you want people on other websites to read it, just link to THIS post!

Please credit me when you use parts of these translations! => http://putschki1969.tumblr.com/

Disclaimer: It’s been 84 years....Oh God, I am so sorry, I can’t believe how long it took to finish this interview. Please forgive me, Wakana!!! I translated 「Keiko’s Personal Interview」 as well as 「Keiko’s Eye」 a million years ago. Then I decided to translate 「Hikaru’s Personal Interview」 too, which was also finished AGES ago. Of course I also did 「Hikaru’s Eye」 :P. For some reason, I lost all of my motivation after that and then I got distracted with other stuff. Only recently I was reminded that I still hadn’t translated 「Wakana’s Personal Interview」. @vagabon80 was kind enough to provide some extra motivation which pretty much made me finish this in record time XD 「Wakana’s Eye」 will follow soon. Sorry I made all of you wait so long, I hope you’ll still enjoy reading the interview (even though it’s quite old by now).

As always, be aware that I am by NO MEANS fluent in Japanese (tbqh, my Japanese sucks), English is also not my first language. I put a lot of effort into this but still, there will most likely be mistakes in my translation. I sometimes take certain liberties because I am just not a big fan of super literal translations. I think it can really interrupt my flow of reading. So yeah, I’ve tried to make it sound as natural as possible. But don’t worry, I am trying VERY hard to stay true to the original meaning.

Check out all my other translation HERE!

Personal Interview – Favourite Things – Wakana (Bessatsu Kadokawa/別冊カドカワ)

“I wanna become a person that isn’t afraid of being who they are”

Wakana charms people with her amazing singing ability and her almost translucent voice. In private, she enjoys reading and watching movies, intellectually she is incredibly curious; when she loves something she will become deeply absorbed in it, she will investigate it thoroughly with the “temperament of an otaku”. I became increasingly fascinated by this lively girl, whose voice is completely different to her singing voice and who kept laughing cheerfully throughout our conversation

“I think none of the things I have done so far have been a waste of time”

- With this section’s interview and pictures I’d like to show the private side of Wakana-san. Therefore you brought some books which we could use as props for our pictures.

“When I thought about what to use, I was pretty undecided because there are so many different things I am doing at home but I ended up choosing my hobby ‘reading’. I really love books! For today’s occasion I thought it would be best if I was photographed with the books I am currently reading.”

- Whose works are they?

“It’s 『Masquerade Hotel』 by Keigo Higashino-san and part 2 of Miyuki Miyabe-san’s series 『Solomon’s Perjury』. They are two of my favourite authors, I think I would pretty much read all of their published work. Of course I enjoy the suspense and mystery solving part but what I really love is the way both Miyabe-san and Higashino-san describe their characters. The main characters in Higashino’s works are always spot on, they are very relatable. I can’t really explain it but I often get the feeling that his books are truly capable of pleasing the reader. Miyabe-san is great at depicting the inside of people, it feels very real, I get the impression that she just writes whatever she wants and whatever comes to her mind. I think Kajiura-san is a lot like that as well but that’s just my personal opinion *laughs*. I think they are strong woman who do not stray from their beliefs. They are people who pursue the things they wanna create, the things they wanna express.”

- Do you mostly read books when you are at home?

“Recently, I have really been addicted to Western TV shows! I recommend the cop show 『GRIMM』 which is full of suspense, very intriguing and heavily inspired by Grimm’s Fairy Tales! I also watch a LOT of movies. I am a big fan of the actress Meg Ryan.”

- She does a lot of romantic comedy, right?

“I love it! 『City of Angels』 is among my favourites! It’s about an angel called Seth who falls in love with a surgeon called Maggie who is played by Meg Ryan . Due to him being an angel, he doesn’t realize he is in love at first. When he asks one of his angel friends, »There’s this tightness in my chest, I wonder what it is...?« he gets the answer, »That’s love what you are feeling.« From then onwards, the love story of Seth and Maggie begins...it’s quite a sad story but I still love it very much, I’ve watched it multiple times. I have this habit of watching my favourite scenes again and again. I am quite the maniac when it comes to things like that *laughs*. At one point in 『City of Angels』 Maggie just won’t believe that Seth is an angel, in that moment the two of them become very distant. But then she reconsiders her thoughts and realizes that Seth wouldn’t be capable of lying to her. There’s a scene that follows where Maggie says, »I can’t see you but are you here right now? Please, can you stay by my side tonight?« The song that’s playing in the background in that moment is truly beautiful! Just by watching this scene, I feel like I can fall asleep easily *laughs*.” [Note: The song Wakana is referring to is “In the Arms of an Angel”]

- The song fits perfectly.

“I love it so much, there are no words *laughs*! Aside from romantic-comedies, and that’s something our fans already know about me but I should still mention it here, I really love 『Jurassic Park』, 『Back to the Future』 and all works by Ghibli.”

- Yeah, those are well-known facts *laughs*

“Hehehe *laughs*! Ah! Right now, if someone were to ask me where I would really like to go in Japan, I’d reply ‘Fukui’.”

- Because...?

“I wanna see the ‘Fukui-Raptor’ of course! *laughs* A dinosaur fossil was discovered in the Fukui prefecture, it’s the first time that an entire skeleton of a carnivorous dinosaur could be reconstructed. It’s a holy ground for every dinosaur fan!”

- Ah, I see!

“Speaking of dinosaurs, recent research suggests that all dinosaurs may have grown hair. Like, they seemed to have had real feathers....For us fans it’s really...well, there are many mixed reactions...” [Note: Wakana has mentioned this in one of her B-Pass interviews in case this sounds familiar to anyone]

- It’s a complicated feeling, right?

“That’s true *laughs*. Even if they are like that, I just love imagining them in a certain way and coming up with many wild ideas. I also enjoy seeing things from a different viewpoint and getting different ideas when it comes to manga, novels and films. I am constantly thinking, »I wonder what’s gonna happen next?« and I try to find out all by myself *laughs*. I talked about it earlier during our interview for my ‘Spiritual Message’ but ever since I was in elementary school I was in a chorus group, I really loved the Shiki Theatre Company and all I did was sing. Then, I also became interested in manga and oil-painting, during my time as a junior high school student I was lucky to become the head of our art department. I imitated the styles of painters such as Renoir and Millet. I used tons of paint trying to create bumps and unevenness *laughs*. I remember sitting by myself during the summer holidays, drawing oil-paintings while listening to Hide’s 『Pink Spider』. Then of course I also took lessons in rhythmic sports gymnastic and by the time I came into middle school I also started with vocal music, afterwards I’d take gospel lessons...my mother taught me how to play the piano. I was scolded if I didn’t practice as often as possible *laughs*.”

- So your mother was your first music teacher?

“Yes, she was. Once I had entered high school I really started to concentrate full-time on my singing so I ended up abandoning everything else I had been doing halfway through...I feel very grateful for my musical education because once I became a part of Kalafina, I needed to be able to read musical scores and that was something I had been taught. But still, thinking back, I feel like none of the many things I have done have gone to waste. This is just a little story but one of our songs is called 『lapis』 and while we sang it, I was able to imagine it by thinking back to my time in the school art department, where I had once come across a certain blue, this particular shade of lapis lazuli. I think Kalafina is a classical-pop group. We each have our own genres and we all bring them together to create our music. Such as it is, I add a sense of classical music to Kalafina with my high voice and I think that I am assigned to my position simply because my family provided this environment ever since I was a child. Right now I think I have reached a point where those parts can’t be developed any further within Kalafina.” [Note: I am really not sure about that last sentence. I don’t know how to translate it so I just wrote this. But meh, take it with a grain of salt.]

“As part of Kalafina I want to convey enjoyable music, an enjoyable voice, an overall enjoyable time.”

- All right, are there any songs or vocalists that Wakana-san is paying attention to aside from Kalafina that is?

“Someone other than the artists I aspire to be like, if I had to think of one, that would probably be...Masamune Kusano-san from 『Spitz』! I really love his voice! One day, I would love to sing together with him, it’s one of my little dreams. Then of course I’ll often hear a voice on the radio or on other media and I’ll think, »Oh my God, what a gorgeous voice!!«, »Who the heck is this?« I’ll be immediately intrigued. Then as if my life depended on it, I’ll memorise as many lines from the lyrics as possible and I’ll try my best to search for the song, I’ll also ask all of my friends about it. I won’t give up until I find it *laughs*.”

“My fortune-telling note described me as »not being able to just take the simple and easy route due to an otaku temperament«”

- Hearing this story, I feel like you are naturally very determined and fixated on things?

“Hahaha, I really have the temperament of an otaku, I totally believe that about myself *laughs* It even says so in my fortune-telling, it said »stubborn with the temperament of an otaku«!”

- Fortune-telling? *laughs*

“Yes. It’s not like I 100% believe in it but I find fortune-telling quite fun as a sort of entertainment *laughs*. Keiko and Hikaru are always like, »Oh, that fortune-telling note you brought us was really interesting«, everyone gets super excited about it. Recently I’ve been really into the very popular »Hoheto-fortune-telling«. I totally recommend it to you *laughs*! If you search for it online, I am sure it will come up at the top; it uses your birth date to tell you your fortune. The results are unexpectedly accurate and a little too real and harsh if you ask me. By the way, I got the same results as Kajiura-san. It described us as »not being able to just take the simple and easy route due to an otaku temperament«. When I told her about it, she said, »That makes sense! I always want to be as thorough as possible!« To which I will reply, »Yes, Sensei is really quite like that. Always contemplating and worrying whether or not it’s okay with this or that kind musical scale, then deciding it’s not sufficient, there are three voices after all...« It is very demanding music after all. We ourselves can do our best simply because we can see and feel that music, those specific chords, within Kajiura-san. I often want to understand the feelings that go through Kajiura-san’s head, when for example, she decides to add a sharp to a note. All three of us think like that. We will ask ourselves things like, »Why do only this melody line and the center melody work together like this?« One of us will come up with a suitable answer, something along the lines of, »It’s the best way to make use of the upper and lower harmonies!« The three of us will have conversations like that all the time. Keiko is also the type of person to be very stubborn, she has a strong fighting spirit, she will always see things through till the very end. Hikaru does things her own way and at her own pace but she is very hard-working and determined as well, she never gives up. All of us can get extremely fired up. It’s like a bonfire! Daily, we are adding fuel to it.”

- This combination of otaku temperament, fighting spirit and relentless persuasion in one’s own way is really strong, right?

“We are truly a very passionate group *laughs*!!”

- Now, to conclude our interview, I’d like to ask what kind of woman Wakana-san would like to become in the future?

“It’s kinda vague but for the most part I would just like to be more cheerful and kind. I wanna keep being a part of Kalafina forever. But I also love cooking...I LOVE cutting onions *laughs*, having that in mind, I think I would also love to pursue cooking seriously and become a great wife. One day I’ll start thinking about a future like that but right now all I want to do is convey an enjoyable voice, enjoyable music and an overall enjoyable time as part of Kalafina.”

- What are your goals for 2015?

“I think it would be nice if I could live as honest and natural as possible, maintaining the status quo, no, scratch that,  I don’t wanna maintain the status quo, I want to grow. As Kalafina, I want us to make a lot of progress. And as a human being, I would just like to become a person that isn’t afraid of who they are. No matter what, it’s gonna be very hard...to live more freely...ugghhh...maybe it’s not a good thing for me to do things more freely...”

- I am sure it will be fine!

“It will be fine because Keiko and Hikaru are there for me. They will surely provide some sort of regulation, »STOP Wakana! You may do as you please till this point and no further!« *laughs* The three of us will continue to do our best in order to become stronger women.”

[justonemoreepisodeuk-blog]

Little Britain

Hello and welcome to the fiftieth blogpost spectacular.  Looking back, it’s remarkable I’ve been able to draw this much rambling out of me, and even more remarkable that people have been reading it.  I hope you can appreciate that it’s a rollercoaster each time I press publish on one of these things.  I’ve had posts go wildly popular almost straightaway, like the Love Island one, and I’ve had carefully crafted pieces about hidden gems, like Wild Wild Country, struggle to get much traction.  All I have to ask is that everyone reads everything please.  It’s not worth missing out on my opinions just because you happen not to have seen every series and every episode of Bob’s Burgers.  The good news is that I have, so each post promises the perfect blend of subjective views and overly personal condescension.

But what show is getting this unique treatment for such a landmark milestone on Just One More Episode?  Little Britain.  There are many reasons for this.  The first is that I can’t believe I haven’t covered a sketch show yet.  There’s not really a sketch show I haven’t enjoyed.  You have the dizzying highs of a sketch whose punchlines open your eyes to an elevated form of comedy and you have the terrifying lows of jokes whose flat landings and laboured extractions make you question your will to live.  Constantly whiplashing between such strong sentiments is good for the soul, and it’s better to have a strong reaction than to feel meh about the whole thing and start checking your Whatsapp when you’re barely ten minutes into the appalling second series of Westworld.

The second is that the programme was hugely important in my life.  It was autumn 2003 and I had been packed off to university after seven years in the same school and eighteen years in the same village.  I was not good at meeting new people.  Luckily, my Little Britain DVDs had come with me (yes, DVDS; remember them?  This was the past after all) and rumour soon spread among the first years that I was willing to lend them out.  I was a bit like a Blockbusters of British comedy.  We would watch each episode as if we were discovering a new horizon in laughing out loud.  Then we would compare our impressions of the characters and debate endlessly and aggressively who was better.  Some of these new friends seemed cooler at the time than anyone I had ever come across. They lived in cities like London and had backpacked through foreign continents, whereas all my stories were about doing the trolleys at Cobham Waitrose. This BBC comedy united us.

And the third reason is that I recently spotted the show in the Netflix list of programmes that I might like (well done Netflix) and couldn’t resist clicking on it to see if it was a good as I remember and next thing I knew I had worked through all three series at the expense of any of the premium content I was consuming at the time (step aside, The Alienist).  This is where we need to handle Little Britain more carefully, as some of it has not aged that well.  It always trod a fine line, and that line has moved over time.  For example, Emily Howard seems like a harmless character. She is transgender, but the humour comes from numerous situations where her efforts to pass fall below expectations, exacerbated by her insistence not just on being a lady, but on being a stereotypical lady from a bygone age.  But, all these years later, I have to ask myself if we are just laughing at someone because they are transgender.  In the wokeness of 2018 (with the long way to go that we still have in many of these matters) it’s hard to be sure.

Similarly, Sebastian Love, the prime minister’s aide, is funny because of his badly hidden unrequited love, or are we just laughing at him for being gay?  Daffyd Thomas, the only gay in the village, veers towards a similar sense of uncertainty.  The bad taste doesn’t come from the jokes about rimming, but from the idea that homosexuality is ridiculous and laughable.  On the other hand, we shouldn’t expect single characters to represent whole diverse communities, but it’s good to talk about it, isn’t it? Having a little chat about contentious issues helps everyone spend more time in a constant panic they are offending someone.  And that’s better than being a bigot.  I think.

From its original home on BBC Three (RIP), Little Britain went from subversive to mega mainstream. The three series are remembered for their shocking and explicit moments: WI ladies that vomit on minorities, a Fat Fighters group leader spitting on Vanessa Feltz’s face, Bubbles DeVere’s fat suit with flappy tits and a bum crack that spreads realistically on bending over, bitty. But more than that, it was its quotability that gave it lasting mass appeal.  By 2005 you couldn’t move without someone saying “I want that one” or “yeah but no but yeah nut no.”  Criticism began to stick about its lowest common denominator appeal, relying on catchphrases and offensive willy content to please the great unwashed and the great uneducated, resulting in no great art at all.  “Bring back repeats of Are You Being Served?,” whined the more conservative people, “at least that only had innuendo.”  But had Britain lost its subtlety?

This brings me onto my favourite thing about Little Britain: the lines you don’t remember.  Everything was so well observed, but filtered through a lens of ridiculous absurdity.  Sure, it was quite a chuckle whenever Andy told Lou that he wanted that one, but it was even funnier when Lou would deliver a throwaway line enlightening us on a previous opinion of Andy’s regarding the matter in hand: “And besides, you don't like George Michaels. You said that Jesus to a Child aside, you found his output emotionally vapid.”

Let’s deconstruct an example, with my all-time favourite quotation from Vicky Pollard:

“I know cos we was all down the arcade and Kelly flobbed on Destiny and a bit landed in my hair.  Cos Kelly hates Destiny.  Cos Destiny told Warren that Kelly pads her bra.  It’s true; Nathan reckons he put his hand down there and pulled out a bag of Jelly Tots.”

1.       The names – we immediately imagine the types of people that have names like Destiny

2.       Down the arcade – nothing aspirational ever happened in an arcade, and being down anywhere is the accurate precursor for trouble ensuing

3.       Flobbing – a great piece of British slang that we frankly don’t say enough; we vividly picture it hanging off Vicky’s hair in a big lump

4.       Girls hating each other – remember school, everyone?

5.       Padding a bra – see above

6.       What Nathan reckons – the word of a lad being enough to condemn a young lady’s virtue.  Isn’t the world unfair?

7.       Jelly Tots – oh I forgot about this brand, but thank goodness I am being reminded of it now as its reference is increasing my nostalgia and amusement

Again, are we just laughing at poor people? Probably.  Sorry.

I’ve already said too much, but I really want to list out some of my most beloved, yet widely underrated characters, so I’m doing it anyway:

Anne and Dr Lawrence

David Walliams in a dress going “eh eh eh” doesn’t sound great on paper, but hearing him answer the phone in a perfectly civilized manner and apologise for being rude before creating havoc is a unique juxtaposition.  But are we just laughing at mental health?  Probably.

Sir Bernard Chumley

Rather than being a national treasure, this retired actor is confined to a council flat with his equally elderly sister, Kitty. His vile desperation, whether it be for extra Meals on Wheels or for the chance to manhandle aspiring younger men, leads to some harrowingly dark scenes.

Mr Mann and Roy

The concept got done to death, but there was something so simple yet so artistic about this awkward customer and hapless shopkeeper. I just don’t know if Margaret ever got out of the store room, as she didn’t have any arms or legs.

I’ll stop here.  David Walliams and Matt Lucas, whatever they were making fun of, could turn themselves into such a wide array of believable characters, that each scene felt real despite its absurdity.  The former is now a children’s author whose books I have read to my niece, whilst I once spotted the latter in a café and secretly hoped he had overheard how funny I was being with my friends.  Both are now firmly established in the British comedy hall of fame, and rightly so.  Around 15% of my speech is influenced by the nonsense that they crafted, so it’s only fitting I leave you with a definitive quotation from Tom Baker’s berserk narration of each episode: “Britain, Britain, Britain.”

[theseventhhex]

Empara Mi Interview

Empara Mi

Photo by Eva Pentel

Give Empara Mi an opportunity and she'll excel. Truly an enigmatic virtual prodigy, Empara Mi’s versatile and striking realm of creativity is remarkably innovative and laced with musical eccentricities. Continuously transforming genre with appealing advancement, Empara Mi’s latest single ‘Alibi’ embodies a bold and striking sonic statement – with moments of sheer intensity and vocal authority. Devoted to constant studio time, honing her craft and refining her sound, Empara Mi’s ambitious outlook, unique exuberance and steely resolve will surely hold in her in good stead for future undertakings and further plaudits… The Seventh Hex talks to Empara Mi about self-doubt, horror movies and lying outside at night…

TSH: Being a very visual driven artist, does this aspect aid you in particular when new music is being formulated?

Empara Mi: You know, I just go with the flow. If I have an intention to sit down and write a song, then that’s what I’ll do. I don’t think that you have to necessarily be driven or mega-focused to write new music. But yeah, like you said, I do think visually a lot, which is why a lot of the time when I sit down and write, I think of the video first. I normally have this feeling of what I want to create, then the words will follow and the whole thing starts to make sense. I generally have a solid idea of what I want with visuals too. It just becomes a case of merging my ideas with others and hoping for a positive outcome.

TSH: Self-doubt is a factor that often comes into play with your chosen subject matter...

Empara Mi: Yeah, that’s true. You know, this direction wasn’t subconscious until I got asked to explain what my songs mean. However, it lead me to figuring out that there is quite a prominent theme in my music of me feeling self-doubt and like I need to break out of something. I guess it comes from being young and growing up somewhere else, as well as leaving home at an early age. I left home when I was 15 and went out by myself to try and discover what was going on. Overall, my songs do consist of wanting to discover another world, all the while having the ability to overcome the doubters who say you cannot achieve your aims.

TSH: Do your surroundings seep into your musical endeavours?

Empara Mi: It’s weird because my surroundings are changing all of the time. Growing up in Guernsey, we didn’t have a music scene or a culture there, so I listened to whatever I wanted. It was a case of just kind of merging genres of music and making whatever you wanted. I’m constantly moving and I’ve never settled. I’ve never had a home here in England; I just move around from spot to spot and end up in various areas of London. Also, I don’t know why, but I have this Americana dreamlike thing that I love to put into everything, even though I’ve never lived in America, ha!

TSH: Is your vocal direction freeform or do you have intentions in mind?

Empara Mi: It’s all very much in the moment. I write 90% of my material in my bedroom and I have my mics set up around me. I just record whatever I’m thinking and feeling. There’s not much thought going into it, and a lot of the time, I end up with the original demo vocals. There’s always something about the first take that is so raw and real, so I don’t like to change this element, even though the quality can be a little iffy. You can’t really replicate the feeling you have when you’re originally doing something, besides I can’t act or mimic a feeling, therefore I stick with the first take most often.

TSH: Do you recall how you settled on the visual aesthetics and origins of ‘Alibi?

Empara Mi: Well, everyone was like how the fuck did you come up with that video?! It doesn’t necessary make sense during one’s first watch. And this is because the lyrics are quite odd alongside the bondage stuff - it doesn’t really connect. Also, some people have got the idea of the song distorted. Some people think ‘Alibi’ is about a past lover and getting revenge, but it’s actually about a battle with yourself. The song is in relation to the voices in the back of your head telling you that you’re not good enough and in turn overcoming these types of feelings.

TSH: What was the trickiest part in forming ’Alibi’?

Empara Mi: It was a very difficult song to finish. The song slows down to 20BPM by the chorus, which was absolute hell to achieve. I wrote the song on guitar and had this vision of the song sounding really grand and Tarantino-esque. I basically sent the framework for the song to Kanye West’s producer Andrew Dawson. It turned out, he really liked it, so I flew out to the States and we both ended up spending a lot of time on it to get to just right. I had like 20 different versions of that song!

TSH: What does a track like ‘Spoon’ convey to you?

Empara Mi: It’s one of my favourite tracks that I’ve done to this day. It’s weird because I’m not really singing on it; instead I’m doing this odd rap thing. That track was all about capturing a moment in time, it also touches on life and death, but I don’t think anyone picked up in that. For me, it brings to mind how one would live their life if they knew it was going to end.

TSH: How rewarding is it for you to know that each day revolves around you being creative and doing something that you’re passionate about?

Empara Mi: It’s amazing and I really do love it. Although, I have to say that I’ve had to learn how to appreciate this line of work, which wasn’t the case in the very beginning. Early on, I had so many hopes for how I wanted things to happen, but now I’ve taken a more laidback approach. I do what I want, and if it works, it works. You know, when I first started making music, I just wanted to be so perfect, haha! Maybe I was slightly naive, since I thought a lot about how I’d be received. However, the moment you stop thinking this way, that’s when everything becomes a lot more satisfying, a lot clearer and more enjoyable. Nowadays, I spend so much time in the studio and I don’t leave until late. I simply love challenging myself to feel satisfied with my work...

TSH: The ultimate satisfaction is to eventually have your music in a Tarantino movie...

Empara Mi: Haha! Pretty much! That’s would be an incredible achievement.

TSH: Has your father’s fondness for Eminem and hip-hop died down over the years?

Empara Mi: No, he still does love Eminem very much! My dad just loves hip-hop in general. Each time I get in the car with him, we have a row over which CD to play, haha!

TSH: Is it true that you won’t sleep until you’ve seen a horror movie?

Empara Mi: Oh, yes! I love my horror movies! I saw The Exorcist again last night. Also, I went to see IT the other day, and I didn’t find it scary at all! I thought it was more of a comedy actually. But yeah, each day I have to watch a horror movie, which reminds me, I watched the entire Scream franchise again last week too. I guess I just love scaring the shit out of myself, haha!

TSH: Your love for dogs is also very apparent on your social media?

Empara Mi: Ha! I just love dogs. Maybe I’m being soppy, but they are just so loving and loyal. I think I’m one of those crazy dog persons! My Instagram and all of my feeds are flooded with dog selfies. I tend to bring the dog to the studio often too.

TSH: Does constantly being immersed in music help you to achieve a positive headspace?

Empara Mi: Yes, music helps me to feel positivity more than most things. Having said that, I do have this obsession of lying outside at night by myself and looking at the sky. It’s a weird thing that I do, but it really makes me feel smaller than I am and puts everything into perspective. Whenever I get stressed about something, I just remember how small I am and that nothing really matters. I guess this type of attitude helps to keep me in check and makes me feel content too.

TSH: What sort of opportunities are you relishing as you look ahead to next year?

Empara Mi: I feel like I’m building towards something very hopeful. I’m currently sitting on over 60 songs. My next step is going to be quite the leap: I’m no longer going to release little things each time. I mean I love my interludes, but they are not what people can really latch on to. The interludes are just snippets of a wider context of material. I want to put out a proper visual album next year. I have many singles completed and visuals/short films in mind to accompany them. I’m just really excited to share more material. And in the meantime, I’ll continue to explore further concepts that I have in mind.

Empara Mi - “Alibi”

Alibi - Single

[emilybaverstockmarkmaking]

‘THE BLUEBELLGRAY WAY’.

‘ELECTRIC MIX, VINATGE AND MODERN.’

Known to be one of Scotland’s most exciting textile exports, Fi Douglas founder of Bluebellgray has taken the traditional floral design and added her own abstract style of painting, hence my desire of research.

Established in 2009, Fi Douglas graduated from Glasgow school of Art where she invented her own style and use of colour which you can clearly see in her designs. What makes her designs so unique?  Upon observation and research I have come to the conclusion that her style is her own through her use of vibrant, oversized watercolour shapes with the combination of hand painted floral designs.

How can I introduce this style into my own designs?

When drawing from my two chosen museums I would like to explore the medium of watercolour as well as developing the idea of hybrid between my two museums. Looking at Fi’s designs I can see a hybrid or relationship between one or more subjects, which makes me think of my own work and how using watercolour could help form the idea of hybrid. Having one idea drawn in watercolour and the other in posca pen or acrylic paint would individual show the two museums as a collaborative piece.

Alongside the Bluebellgray designs I was also inspired by her philosophy and mental approach to her work which I discovered in an interview between Douglas and The luxpad in 2012.

https://www.amara.com/luxpad/interview-with-fiona-douglas-bluebellgray/

Q- How do you continue to produce original and inspired designs?

A-  “ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING! Walk through the park, chelsea flower show, art gallery, traditional textiles I pick up on my travels and my friend’s beautiful gardens.”

What does this tell me? How does this influence me?

What I liked about Fi’s response was her positivity and optimism about the anything and everyday, reminding me to always keep my eyes open and look at what things are and what they could be. This is something I need to do as I tend to get lost in my own world and think about other things instead of focusing on my surroundings. In addition, the positive energy that bounce of her words remind me to stay calm and think of what I have achieved instead of what I've got left to do.

Q- Do you think that homeware designers will ever move into fashion- would you ever design a full clothing line?

A- “I would love to do a full clothing line, but I think I would like to do it in collaboration with another fashion designer or brand that has synergy with Bluebellgray to really come up with something special by combining our skills, something of a dream.”

What can I take from this?

As a textile student I am constantly thinking about my future as a designer and whether I will be able to make it in the creative industry. What I sometimes forget is that a lot of subjects in the arts are connected through skill and creative which makes my opportunity for me in the future. Similarly to Fi, I could start of as a surface designer and then look into interiors or fashion. 

The process of transition makes me think about how my finale samples have the opportunity to be anything! How they connected with so many fields within the arts. 

Q- Who is your favourite artist/designer- or who would be the person that expired you the most?

A- “I really love the photographer Tim Walker for his sheer beautiful creativity and vision. Quentin Blake- I grew up loving all the Roald Dahl books and it was Quentin Blake’s illustrations that inspired me as a young girl to paint, they played a big part of influencing my creativity from a young age. I still love them now and dream of owning an original one day/

What can I learn about these artists?

First of all I would like to research into theses artists to continue my positive journey of inspiration.

Looking back over my childhood as Fi did, one of my favourite books was ‘The big Katie Morag storybook’ by Mairi Hedderwick, which still sits on my bookshelf. What I loved most was the detail and colour she use to portray, looking back now I find it even more inspiring.

Perhaps this was the beginning of my love for pattern and love. Moving forward I would like to continue looking into the author and illustrator Mairi Hedderwick and her process.

Overall, my research into Bluebellgray has developed my knowledge and aspiration as a designer, improved my mindset and broaden my research. I will put into practice Fi’s method to her designers and see whether it successful as well as researching into favourite inspirations.

MAIRI HEDDERWICK.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-26483303

 Commonly known for her books based on a Scottish girl named Katie Morag, Mairi Hedderwick is known  Although Mairi Hedderwick did not grow up in Scotland or have red her, she says Katie Morag is based on her.

With one of her main influences being Enid Blyton, Hedderwick’s style of illustrator is what I loved most about her books when reading them as a child. Her attention to detail is what always make me interest, for example if you look a the last image above and in the left bottom corner there is a red beachball which is full of blue and yellow lines, shapes and dots even though the item is such as simple object she makes it fun and interesting. You can’t help but be pulled in by her drawings.

In our life drawing sessions the element of detail and looking properly is a topic which we are constantly pushed to practice, seeing Mairi’s work I confirm its importance. A alongside taking inspiration from her work and continuing learning in the life drawing sessions I hope to make my work more detailed and fun to create a narrative and make my audience interested in the detail in my drawings, as I am with Mairi’s.