#Cape Town Youth Choir

[raevenlywrites]

Do you know how to sew poll

My tags

#church youth group by hand#punishment for being kicked out of school by machine

@inscrutably-coy tags

#i've done both but I'm not great at either#also raev I want to hear this story

Not that interesting I'm afraid. I was kicked out of my last two weeks of senior year and my mom thought I did it to spite her so she insisted I still learn something with those last two weeks so she made me learn how to sew (we worked together on some basic peasant tops and skirts I wore to renfair later that summer)

...okay, maybe it is that interesting? Lemme set the scene

The year is 2004. 9/11 is still very fresh in the small minds of my small rural town, and the powers that be (vice principal with little man complex) already hate me bc I'm goth and smarter than he is etc etc.

Be Me. Be voted "Delightfully Different" for the year book superlatives. Goth it up for picture day bc I know why tf I got voted this way. Give the people what they want. Dress like the motherfucking Crow.

(Fun aside, my now wife then girlfriend and I are responsible for SEVERAL amendments to the school dress code, including a beautiful line about "no trench coats, dusters, cloaks, opera capes, or other such outwear that hits below the knee. anyway)

Be me again, sick but at school bc that's how it fucken works. gotta train up teh work force etc etc. So i'm sick, tired, and in my fucking pjs bc fuck that noise. Get pulled out of homeroom by the wardrobe police (librarian) and be fed some bullshit line about how my pics for the year book "didn't turn out". On a digital camera. Bitch fuck you. whatever. take my picture, get out of my face, i hate you all.

Back in homeroom, buddy asks me what that was all about. me, grumpy, explains the above bullshit. complains, goes to last period.

get called to the office

principal mc inferiority complex stares at me, I stare at him. he asks if I have any idea why i'm here. i had honestly assumed it was to receive another scholarship and have my pic taken for the news paper, as has already happened a few times this month. smart senior, remember? so I just stare. Prin. Bullshit tries to do a hard ass routine, all cop drama style, am I sure I don't know why i'm here etc etc. I honestly have no idea and say as much. Something I said maybe? he asks smugly. Nope, no bells my dude. Something threatening?

Dear reader, I am truly lost. I'm sick, have a headache the size of texas, and just wanna go back to choir, the one period I share with my gf. I finally do the adult thing (sad but one of us had to be) and tell him I truly have no idea why I'm here so if he could just tell me we could both move on with our days.

He tells me a fellow student overheard me making a bomb threat.

I am floored. I do not recall saying such a thing because I didn't fucking say such a thing. I go over my conversations in my head, and it is only now after the fact that I realize what I must have said. in my tired teen tirade, I invoked the dreaded columbine and said something to the effect of "[in regards to my goth wear] it's like they're afraid I'm going to shoot up the school or something".

I really don't remember if I pieced that together there or later. I truly didn't care. Old dude says they can sett me up with ISS (in school suspension) which would take a week to set up so I'd only be in there for like three days anyways, or, and this is clearly his smug preference, I got home and never set foot on school property again.

This is, of course, the dream scenario. Finals are done; this last two weeks of school is seniors dicking around and practicing for graduation. I have no interest in any of this. It does not feel lik ea celebration or milestone to have slept my way through four years of high school. I gleefully accept his terms and drive myself home in my hot pink geo tracker I wrecked so that mom would let me paint it purple while it was in the body shop anyways (trying to impress a girl. it clearly worked, she married me)

Mom is furious. Swears I did this on purpose. I wish I had thought of it, honestly. Two weeks of crash course home ec ensue. I learn to sew on a machine and wear adorably bland peasant top to ren fair.

Graduation comes, I don't go (banned from school property). Friends after teh fact tell me that 1) the choir doesn't sing alma mater bc my beautiful gf refused to sing w/o me present, and we were the alto section. Popular girl in my grade who is unthinkably sweet and everyone loves and we were on the basketball team together in 7th grade goes on and on about how awful the person who made up lies about me must be and how terrible they must feel etc etc. Snitch is in that class, has to heard it, wants to die on the spot. Absentee victory.

See above where I was smart. Top 10 in my class. Announcer goes to read the students names. "Announcing, the top 10 graduates of 2004. Number 9..." Just skipped right the fuck over me. Goddamned hilarious.

So basically this is the story of how the adults in my life made fools of themselves and I had my Ferris Buehler's Day Off of it all.

And also sewed my younger sibling a monkey for their birthday.

[nfornaomi]

Heeellllooo from South Africa!

We landed in Cape Town late last night and it was a great first day today hiking up Table Mountain, walking around Bo-Kaap, and then checking out the Victoria & Alfred waterfront.

There are various trails up Table Mountain and the one we took was the Platteklip Gorge hike. It was basically a stair master (big rocks!) with almost 700m of elevation gain in 1.8km. Total hike was just under 10km in 3 hours, 1.5 hours up, and then 1.5 hours going from one side of the top (Maclear's Beacon) to the other (cable car side). Today is the first day of spring and it's still quite chilly; it was 10 degrees at the top 🥶. Overall, nice views and great to get the legs moving after the long flight yesterday.

Next up we went to the Bo-Kaap area which is known for its colourful buildings. Formerly known as the Malay Quarter, these houses were built and leased to slaves - mostly from Asia and the rest of Africa. It's said that the houses are painted in different colours as a freedom of expression once they were able to be purchased, as all the houses, when leased, had to be white. We had a great / face-palm learning experience about how to navigate the 'parking attendant' culture here in SA. We hadn't had a chance to break our bills into smaller denominations, and upon telling the 'parking attendant' we only had 50 cents (euros), he pocketed it and told us we could buy him something from the corner store across the street. That 'something' turned into a jar of peanut butter and a jug of cooking oil. So instead of paying the usual 10-20 Rands of 'bribery' money, we spent 150 Rands instead 🫣🤣. At least our car was in one piece afterwards! Upon consultation with Brandon and Michaela just now, we feel much wiser and better equipped to handle these situations in the future 😂 - eg pay AFTERWARDS, not before. And you don't HAVE to pay!

The V&A waterfront is a lovely district with lots of shopping, eating, music, and handmade goods. We perused the aisles at The Watershed, listened to a youth choir perform in the area, and gaped at a seal taking a nap on a dock. All in all, a place we would come back to again.

[jozigist]

Global music and lifestyle festival announces top local and international dance acts

CORONA SUNSETS FESTIVAL WORLD TOUR LINE-UP ANNOUNCED The best of local and international dance acts including Louie Vega, Sun-El Musician, Musa Keys and Ndlovu Youth Choir Cape Town, February 21st, 2023 - The star-studded line-up for the Corona Sunsets Festival World Tour has been announced, with top local and international acts to perform across two stages at the event, to be held in Cape Town at the Glen Country Club, Clifton, on April 1.

Artists performing include iconic SAMA-Award winning South African artists, Sun-El Musician, Black Motion, Majozi, Msaki, Musa Keys, Jeremy Loops and Good Luck as well as special guest, seven-time Grammy winner, American DJ Louie Vega. Considered one of the best living house music deejays, New Yorker Louie Vega is a leader in global dance music, with a music palette mixing everything from house to salsa, Afro-beat and jazz and soul. Seven times nominated, Vega received a Grammy for his remix of Curtis Mayfield’s “Superfly” and later did an instrumental remix of Black Coffee’s “We Are One” featuring Hugh Masekela. A first-of-its-kind global touring festival, the Corona Sunsets Festival World Tour follows the sunset worldwide and features a full year of festivals with international musicians and DJs performing as the sunset takes center stage at 14 iconic beach destinations across the globe. These include South Africa, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Italy, Japan, Canada, UK, China, Greece, Brazil, Dominican Republic, India, and Uruguay. Fresh from appearing on “America’s Got Talent” All Stars edition recently, the celebrated Ndlovu Youth Choir will be bringing their own vocal magic to the festival’s iconic “sunset moment” on the recognizable, Mandala symbol, main stage design. For Msaki fans, this will also be the chance to see one of her last shows before the singer takes a performance sabbatical in June. In addition to music performances, the festival will immerse attendees in creativity along with interactive elements such as eco-friendly culinary experiences with locally sourced ingredients, markets, a ‘Village of the Free Spirit’ and installations from local artists, encouraging festival goers to unwind and enjoy nature. “We are so looking to welcome South African and the world to the festival in a truly Corona way and amplify the feeling of relaxation and rejuvenation that nature provides us. We want to share our love of nature by making guests more aware of their environment, allowing us all to slow down, disconnect and unwind,” said Marsha Kumire, Marketing Director, Corona South Africa. Adds event organiser, Shaun Duwe: “The setting could not be better for what is going to be the ultimate summer sunset celebration. Putting the line-ups together for the festival is incredibly intricate and we are incredibly proud of the mix of incredible local and international superstars and sonic styles that will entertain while paying tribute to the setting sun.” Tickets are selling fast, and Phase 1 is already sold out. All event information and tickets are on sale at corona.howler.co.za.

FollowthesunsetZA #CoronaSunsets

T&C’s Apply. Not for persons under the age of 18. Read the full article

[walking-stressed-mess]

Some beautiful music to help soothe your soul a little. Here lies the Cape Town Youth Choir singing an arrangement of Billie Eilish's "when the party's over". This was filmed in different locations in Cape Town, South Africa before pertinent alerts of COVID19 were released by the South African government.

I hope this beautiful musical brings some sense of calm to you in these difficult times. I recommend listening with earphones!

[suetravelblog]

Last week I attended an Artscape Theatre performance that was unexpected. It was a “Musical Reflection on the Youth of ’76 and South Africa in 1976″.

Mandla Mlangeni – news.uct.ac.za

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“April 16, 2019 is the 43rd anniversary of the “historic June 16 uprisings that changed the course of South African history.”

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Mandla Mbothwe Creative Director Artscape Theatre – UCT

South Africa Youth Day

June 16, 1976 “marked the beginning of the Soweto Uprising, a series of protests that escalated quickly around the country, especially in Cape Town”. Youth Day is celebrated in South Africa every 16 June.

“Invoking the spirit of forgotten youth” and inspired by creative director Mandla Mbothwe, Mandla Mlangeni performed with the Cape Town Philharmonic, Amandla Freedom Ensemble, poet Koleka Putuma, and the Gugulethu Voices Choir. Mlangeni is CHR Artist in Residence and Standard Bank Young Artist for Jazz 2019.

Africa Mkhize – artSMart

Jazz, Classical, and Indigenous Music

The performance brought together themes of jazz, classical and indigenous music, and a cast of accomplished artists including Afrika Mkhize, Lesego Rampolokeng, Ariel Zamonsky, Mark Fransman and the Thespians, and Thembi Mtshali-Jones.

Ariel Zamonsky, Argentinian Bass Player – Twitter

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“Oratorio of a Forgotten Youth harnesses choral traditions that define struggles against apartheid with contemporary musical forms.”

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Cape Town Philharmonic CEO Louis Heyneman – YouTube

According to Cape Town Philharmonic CEO Louis Heyneman the collaboration “debunks the myth that classically trained musicians are stuck in a formal mold and not adaptable to other genres”. He adds, “We are an orchestra for all seasons and therefore bringing seemingly opposing musical forms together is part of who we are”.

Thembi Mtshali Jones – Gagasi FM

Mark Fransman – nbillknight.co.za

Koleka Putuma – PEN South Africa

It was a heartfelt, emotional evening for both performers and audience.

Gugulethu Voices Choir – News24

Mandla Mlangeni – Oratorio of a Forgotten Youth at Artscape Theatre Cape Town Last week I attended an Artscape Theatre performance that was unexpected. It was a “Musical Reflection on the Youth of ’76 and South Africa in 1976".

[fakazavibes]

Cape Town Youth Choir - Nkosi Siphe' amandla

Cape Town Youth Choir – Nkosi Siphe’ amandla

Cape Town Youth Choir – Nkosi Siphe’ amandla Mp3 Download

Cape Town Youth Choir – Nkosi Siphe’ amandla Mp3 Download Fakaza: Cape Town Youth Choir released a new hit song tilted Nkosi Siphe’ amandla ”, This is one of the best offerings from South Africa’s Super artists.

Cape Town Youth Choir – Nkosi Siphe’ amandla Mp3 Download

Song: Nkosi Siphe’ amandla

Artist: Cape Town Youth Choir

Album:



[hiptvmusicza]

Cape Town Youth Choir – Ndikhokhele Bawo (Audio)

Cape Town Youth Choir – Ndikhokhele Bawo (Audio)

Download Cape Town Youth Choir Ndikhokhele Bawo Mp3

Cape Town Youth Choir Ndikhokhele Bawo. Cape town Youth choir gives a stunning performance of this spirit filled song tagged Ndikhokhele Bawo.

Get the project below.

DOWNLOAD: Cape Town Youth Choir – Ndikhokhele Bawo 

[princehenry11]

Cape Town Youth Choir – Ndikhokhele Bawo

Cape Town Youth Choir – Ndikhokhele Bawo

Download Cape Town Youth Choir Ndikhokhele Bawo Mp3 Zip Fakaza

Cape Town Youth Choir Ndikhokhele Bawo. Check out as the Cape town Youth choir gives a stunning performance of this spirit filled song tagged Ndikhokhele Bawo.

Stream, Listen and Download Zip File.



[supportourgoddesses]

World Water Day is celebrated internationally on March 22. Declared by the UN 25 years ago, this day annually focuses on our most important resource: water. But damaged ecosystems, water pollution, and climate change are hurting the supply. The 2018 theme for World Water Day is how we can use natural solutions to solve modern-day challenges. Replanting forests and protecting water-based ecosystems will balance the water cycle. Recycling and reusing wastewater can provide energy and water to urban areas. Solutions are everywhere, and its time we started looking for them.

We use water in our homes to drink, cook, and clean with. But 95% of water is used outside the home, for agriculture, industry, and textiles. The rising population in our developing world requires more water than ever. In a decade, we might need twice as much water as Earth can supply.

In places like Cape Town, South Africa, droughts are breaking records held for over a century. The city awaits “Day Zero,” when, likely this summer, it will shut off it’s taps. My youth choir has the chance to travel on international goodwill tours every other summer. Last August, we traveled to South Africa, spending two out of our three weeks in Cape Town. The drought had been going on for years at that point; shower times were limited to two minutes, and every public building we performed in had signs reminding us to conserve water. When “Day Zero” comes, Cape Town’s schools, libraries, and homes won���t have running water. Until it rains, residents will have to get their water by other means. I don’t want to think about such a catastrophe happening here in Boston.

So what can you do? Water woes are endless, and go way beyond a few plastic bottles. But here’s some small steps (shameless plug lol) to help you conserve our most important resource.

Buy less. As goods travel around the world, so does the water that made them (metaphorically, of course). Buying one less shirt or cooking pot can save up to 700 gallons on another continent. By changing your habits, you can have a global impact.

Flip the Switch. Water is used to prepare coal, extract oil, and build solar panels. The energy that lights your homes is the top user of water, after agriculture. So conserving electricity is a double pat-on-the-back for you.

Go (Part-time) Vegetarian. A single burger uses up to 600 gallons of water. Taking meat off the menu one or two days a week will cut down on your water footprint (so to speak). So if you’ve grown up in an Italian household like mine where vegetarianism will get you disowned, no problem: a part-time no-meat diet will do.

& Now the Basics… Turn off the faucet overtime you brush. I know you’ve heard it before, but you can save up to 4 gallons every time you brush. Thats almost 3,000 gallons a year.

Today, over 2 billion people are living without clean drinking water at home, and over half of them draw from contaminated sources. 663 million people spend countless hours each day trekking and queuing to distant sources, effecting their health and education. Since our actions have a direct impact on the global supply, celebrate your World Water Day by spreading the word about these issues and the many ways to solve them.

[exploresidewaystour]

15 Songs to Transport You to South Africa

While there are many thoughts and wishes going through our minds at the moment, one that has often been mentioned in conversations and articles is the feeling of wanderlust. ‘The strong desire to travel’ leads us to wonder about all of the places we wish to travel to, as well as those that we’ve visited before and have fond memories of.

When thinking of South Africa endless images come to mind. From its unique wildlife, safaris and the Savannah to incredible cities with buzzing energy and the quiet hidden gems on the coast.

But what about its music? South African music has historically reflected social and political issues and was often used as a form of protest against the apartheid system. Music has also often been the medium through which the country could seek and participate in solidarity throughout its history.

Today, the country hosts multiple musical festivals across the year which display the best of local talent. From the internationally acclaimed Cape Town Jazz Festival to more boutique festivals such as Splashy Fen, both local and international visitors are spoilt for choice.

With most of the world isolated at home, we thought we’d transport you from your couch in your living room to vibrant South Africa through its toe-tapping beats and sweet, soulful melodies.

Listen to the full playlist here:

1. Weekend Special – Brenda Fassie

Brenda Fassie was the first-ever South African to make the Billboard ‘s Top 100 and with this iconic song. The success of ‘Weekend Special’ led to a world tour for the singer, making her one of the first South African artists to make the leap across the Atlantic.

2. Africa – Toto

Although not a South African song, one cannot help but immediately be transported to the African continent. Surprisingly, keyboard player, David Pache, had never even been to Africa when he wrote the song. Nonetheless, he captured its beauty and the song has become an all-time favourite all over the world.

3. Special Star – Mango Groove

Special Star is a South African classic and a popular choice in music line ups for celebratory occasions in the Rainbow Nation.  Known for its unique style, it beautifully fuses township and pop music. Mango Groove performed this song at the Freddie Mercury tribute in London (via satellite) to an estimated audience of a billion people in 1992.

4. Wamkelekile – Hot Water

Performed by the energetic South Africa group, Hot Water, Wamkelekile was included in the soundtrack for the movie Blended, featuring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. Wamkelekile is a Xhosa word, one of the twelve official South African languages, and means ‘Receive my welcome’.

5. Waka Waka – Shakira

How can one listen to this song and not reminisce back to the festive 2010 FIFA World Cup hosted in South Africa? It’s also the most-streamed World Cup song of all time. The song was recorded with the Cape Town-based band Freshly Ground and was No. 1 in 15 countries with over 15 million downloads worldwide.

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6. Jabulani – PJ Powers

PJ Powers has a special place in the heart of South Africans. In 1994, she performed at the landmark inauguration of Nelson Mandela, and in 1995, her song with Ladysmith Black Mambazo, World in Union, reached number 47 in the UK singles chart – an unforgettable moment in South African music history.

7. Doo Be Doo – Freshly Ground

The band Freshly Ground is a South African Afro-fusion group who came together in Cape Town in 2002. With members from all over the continent (South Africa, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe), Freshly Ground’s musical style blends elements of traditional South African music (such as kwela and African folk music) with blues, jazz, and features of indie rock.

8. Scatterlings of Africa – Johnny Clegg

Considered to be a ‘national treasure’ in South Africa, the late Johnny Clegg (White Zulu) was known to fight the apartheid system with his music. In its essence, the song implies that the entire human species originated in Africa, from where the different races of man evolved and spread around the world. The song was used in the 1988 movie Rain Man, which won the Oscar for Best Picture.

9. Pata Pata – Miriam Makeba

Not only was Miriam Makeba (affectionately nicknamed ‘Mama Africa’) the queen of early Afro-Pop, she was also a United Nations goodwill ambassador and civil rights activist.  Pata Pata was originally sung in the Xhosa language and it means “touch touch”.  Pata Pata was also a style of dance that was popular in the shebeens (an informal licensed drinking place in a township) of the townships in the city of Johannesburg in the mid-1950s.

10. Down South – Jeremy Loops

A firm favourite for many South Africans, Down South is the perfect song for any occasion in South Africa whether it be a braai (South African barbecue) or a road trip on a weekend. A born-and-bred Capetonian, Jeremy Loops wrote the song about “that feeling of leaving what you know behind, including your comfort zone, friends and family”.

Image credit: Jeremy Loops via Facebook

11. Umoya – Caiphus Semenya

Formerly self-exiled from South Africa in the 1960s, Caiphus Semenya has built a solid reputation as a musical director and composer.  He’s known for having worked with a variety of other exiled and semi-exiled African artists, such as Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba.

12. Thuma Mina – Hugh Masekela

A leading, international voice in the fight against apartheid, the late Hugh Masekela had a legendary musical career. He collaborated with an astonishing array of musicians, including Harry Belafonte, Herb Alpert, Bob Marley, Fela Kuti, Paul Simon and his ex-wife, Miriam Makeba. For almost 30 years, “Bra Hugh,” as he was fondly known, was exiled from his native country.   The song Thuma Mina regained popularity when quoted by president Cyril Ramaphosa in his inaugural address to the nation.

13. Shosholoza – Ladysmith Black Mambazo

Shosholoza is a song which is often referred to as the second national anthem in South Africa. The song was originally sung in a call-and-response style by all-male African workers that were working in South African mines. Ladysmith Black Mambazo, a South African male choral group, reached international fame after singing with Paul Simon (1986 album Graceland) and went on to win five Grammy Awards with their fifth win dedicated to former president and icon Nelson Mandela.

14. My African Dream – Ndlovu Youth Choir

The youngest members of this list, the Ndlovu Youth Choir gained international attention whilst participating in the 2019 edition of ‘America’s Got Talent’. The choir was established in Moutse Valley in rural Limpopo in 2009. Formed by the Ndlovu Care Group’s child care community, the programme is aimed at giving children from disadvantaged backgrounds the same opportunities as their more advantaged counterparts.

15. Mannenberg – Abdullah Ibrahim

This Cape Town jazz classic by Abdullah Ibrahim encompasses parts of other typical African musical styles, including marabi, ticky-draai, and langarm, and became a reference for the genre of Cape jazz. Ibrahim still performs at many jazz festivals around the world.

These songs are a dazzling reflection of the beauty and poetry that resonates throughout this wonderful country. Visitors to South Africa’s shores often comment on the energy that they feel – from the people they meet to the places they visit.  

Now that you’ve escaped to South Africa, why not start planning and researching for your next trip? Get in touch with our team of experts who can tailor your stay in Cape Town and Johannesburg and let the real exploring begin. 

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The post 15 Songs to Transport You to South Africa appeared first on Explore Sideways.

[billysigudla]

record in SA 10 FEB 2020 |   The crown of more than 51,945 people at this past weekend's Match in Africa - which saw Roger Federer take on Rafael Nadal in a charity match in Cape Town - set a new world record for the largest attendance at a tennis match. The sixth Match in Africa – and first held on the continent – raised $3.5m (approximately R54.6m) for the charitable Roger Federer Foundation.  The atmosphere in the capacity stands was electric as Bill Gates and Trever Noah joined the two champions for a curtain-raising doubles match, with Federer and Gates facing off against Nadal and Noah. Fans were ecstatic to see Trevor Noah back on home soil as both he and Bill Gates convincingly proved that there’s more to them than their less sporty day jobs and that they were fully committed to a good cause. Advertisement  The Match in Africa also showcased a host of local talent in between the matches, which kept the excitement high, including the legendary Ndlovu Youth Choir and the energetic Zip Zap Circus – a Cape Town-based social circus that was founded to inspire young people and to help build a new culture of peaceful coexistence in South Africa.  Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal did not disappoint, launching into an exciting rally of world-class tennis that had spectators on the edges of their seats. After a hard-fought three sets, Federer emerged as the winner of this round. But the players matched each other lobby for lobby and ace for ace throughout. The thundering contest was tense to the last minute.  All the net proceeds generated by The Match in Africa will be donated to the Roger Federer Foundation, to support education in rural South Africa. The Roger Federer Foundation has been supporting education programmes for over 16 years and has invested extensively in educational initiatives throughout Africa.  Following the match, Roger Federer said: “What an unforgettable night. We raised more than three-and-a-half million US dollars for vulnerable children in the region, achieved a world record with more than 51,945spectators at a tennis match and had so much fun on the court. Thanks, Rafa for a great match, to Bill and Trevor for stepping out of (at Herman Immelman Athletics Stadium) https://www.instagram.com/p/B8gfuLbjYS_/?igshid=12f4o0ykzsa40

[msgates]

Ndlovu Youth Choir ready to serenade tennis fans in Cape Town Click here for articles February 06, 2020 at 11:48PM

[hairstylishe]

Ndlovu Youth Choir and Wouter Kellerman just won this big US award, and we're so proud!

Ndlovu Youth Choir and Wouter Kellerman just won this big US award, and we’re so proud!

  Cape Town – First they made waves on popular reality competition show, America’s Got Talent and now the Ndlovu Youth Choir have made South Africa proud again by winning an award with flautist Wouter Kellerman won the Best Independent Music Video for their Zulu version of Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You.

The ceremony for Hollywood Music in Media Awards took place at The Avalon in Hollywood,…

[romanlightman001]

Cape Town Youth Choir (formerly Pro Cantu) - Ukuthula

[bellringermal]

Micorom Fanfic (+MicolashXFauxsefka because things are hella complicated :P)

Takes place some months before the Mensis ritual. 

Translated from Italian & written last year. Enjoy ;]

Suddenly she was too close, but it was also too late.

He felt the woman’s lips pressing on the corner of his, her hands pulling him by the collar. A sigh, a laugh. “Relax. Yharnam is in your hands now.” As if that rotten town mattered something to him. He did not do it for power, to sit behind Laurence’s marble desk and look down at everyone else from the high balconies of Upper Cathedral Ward. He wanted not the idolatry of an ignorant crowd, the world itself was a relic of what it used to be, Yharnam was in ruins, a city no king nor vicar could be proud of anymore, especially not someone who like him could see what waited patiently on the other side.

Through the thin but impenetrable veil of material reality, the realm of the nightmare shaked wildly, calling his name through the trembling lips of young Caryll. Whatever the future had in store for him and the whole Mensis was not in the streets of Yharnam, it was not among the regressed citizens that haunted the alleys like a pack of rabid dogs. They were the devoluted deviation of the human race, those who will be left behind to kill and be killed like the animals they became. He and his followers were those who will go ahead, jump on top of the evolutionary chain and ascend. Mother Kos had shown him the way long ago, but her gift was wasted. It would not happened again, not now that a new infant was so close at hand… not now that the ritual was about to begin. Iosefka, or at least the woman who called herself so, nipped his jaw, still chuckling “Where is that little head of yours? Oh, what I would not give to see the world as you see it… the very thought makes me shudder. You’ll share your knowledge with me, won’t you not, Master Micolash?” “When the time comes.” He snapped, still stiff despite the blandishments of the false doctor who was now sitting on his lap and working hard to unbutton the scholar’s shirt and bowtie. “I’m sure it will be worth the wait. My colleagues… They did not have the slightest idea of the implication of their findings. They knew about Kos and about the effects of the brain fluid for so long and yet they never dared to… We are not like them. We are not afraid, Mensis fears nothing and no one.” “We? I never said you were one of us.” Hissed Micolash. “Not even if I’ll be a good girl? You know, if I want, I can be very, very good…” their lips met again and Micolash had to muster all his willpower to not respond at the intrusion of her tongue. Once he had youth, but now not even that could mitigate the disgust he felt for that pathetic shell of flesh and blood that was his body. Little more than a prison barely able to contain his thoughts and altogether unfit to put into practice their great complexity. One defective instrument, always there to remind him that despite all his knowledge and efforsts he was still just a human being, subject to hunger, pain and the weaknesses of the flesh. He hated feeling so unconfortable in his own skin, constricted in a earthly existence that didn’t fit the ambitions of his mind and unable to put to rest those beastly and low instincts that defined mankind. He hated the way his body reacted to the touch of that slut, how his hands clutched to her hips with desperate need and that he could not do anything to prevent it. When was the last time he had been with a woman? He couldn’t remember. He felt the grip of Iosefka’s hands on his shoulders, the touch of her smooth skin against his neck, but his mind was somewhere else. His wide-open eyes didn’t even see the woman clad in white above him. He felt like shattered, a few pieces of his psyche were driven into reality as splinters in the fingertips of a clumsy boy, others hurled at the star-filled firmament. He never had felt so disconnected as then. It was painful.

It was wrong, everything… All wrong.

Mother Kos… please … please, deliver me from this agony…

I was born a mortal… unclean, inferior, but have I not proven myself worthy of you? Deliver me from the idiocy and meanness of humanity, erase those desires that keep us away from greatness …

Kos… Mother mine!

I deny my own race, I’ll give up everything … everything…!

Suddenly, the pain ceased. It was a miracle, a truce or perhaps that double agent of the Choir had finally stuck a dagger in his heart? It did not matter, the silence was a pleasant company, the weightlessness a relief.

Then came a warmth, a familiar feeling that brought him back by twenty years, to the school that for so long had been his home, the voices in the hallways, the nights of intense and desperate study.

Her skin and hair felt so soft and warm as their foreheads pressed against each other as if to unite their minds into one. They had big dreams and expectations even then, oh yes, perhaps even bigger because of the fervor of youth. Their voices were lost in the gloom of the library accompanied by the rustle of pages, their fingers intertwined as they breathed in each other’s mouth. Carnality and intellect made complimentary, rather than polar opposites.

Rom … yes … yes, his Rom!

He would have listened to her for a thousand years, his back against the roof tiles and his star-lit eyes pointed to the skies. “Animis coelestis erant, corporis umbra iacet … ‘our minds were made for heaven, even if the body was lying on the ground’ … Sic itur ad astra…” He chuckled. He loved the way she frowned when a translation didn’t make sense to her.  “Then we go to the stars.” “Simul cum tibi?”  “I’m sure that that line is not in the manual … But yes, ‘with you’, my dear. Semper.” “Semper.”  (Author note: Always) The echo of that word dragged him down. He gasped like a drowned man, until his hands found the carved armrests of the chair. He caught his breath, barely aware of the voice of Iosefka and her gloved hands on his shoulders. …had he fallen asleep? Was that a vision? A memory..? “Are you… crying?” Micolash jumped up, pushing away the young woman in chuch attire “Hey, what’s got into you?!” “Go away.” He growled, hunched over the desk cluttered with papers, fists clenched against the table, his whole figure was shaking.  “Wha-” “I SAID GET OUT!” He roared, throwing the entire contents of a display of vials of blood and mercury on the floor while sheets of parchment and scribbled notes fluttered around like frightened birds. Iosefka needed not to be told twice and she closed the door behind her with a thud. But even so, it was impossible to ignore the sounds of breaking glass coming from inside. Micolash took his face in his blooded hands, his chest rose and fell frantically, tears running down his cheeks so abundant to made him blind.

Where Iosefka had touched him with her hands and tongue now burned as if he had been disfigured with acid. Micolash wanted to tear his skin away, clawing his own flesh to the bones, anything to erase those red markings on his neck. That wench! That Choir slut dared…! Dared to…!

Rom’s kisses came back to him, her big brown eyes, the words they spoke to each other in a soft voice as the night came to an end and the pale moon in the sky started to fade. Sunlight glimmered on the surface of the lake… that very lake that had become her prison, her entire world.

Rom, my little, stupid Rom! Even after all this time you’re still there, are you not? Hands that are no longer hands, lips that are no longer lips, but you’re still you! In that limbo out of time and away from everything, with just your children to keep you company… our …

The man stumbled and let himself slipping against the wall as the glass shards from the mirror he smashed into pieces with his bare hands get caught in the rim of his thick black cape.

…Our children.

I do not know if those… things…. really are what I fear them to be But I’ve always suspected it. Somehow, I always knew… Because I can still feel the shapes of your body against mine since that last night we spent together so… so long ago. I remember your touch as clear as that of Iosefka… how can you be more real than her, how can your memory be more vivid than the reality in which I wander and grow madder every day? Why, Rom?! Why did you do that?! Stupid, stupid!

He raised his eyes which had turned red from crying and meet his own reflection in the cracked mirror. The fragmented image that returned his gaze was that of a broken man of over fifty years, his hair graying, his lips tight and pale, his gaze as empty and lifeless as that of a puppet. A sob rose in his throat and transformed gradually into a crazy, high pitched laugh interrupted occasionally by choking breaths. “Oh Rom, my dearest friend! What a pair we are…! If you could see me now… would you laugh at me? Would you pity me? Me, a mortal man who’s growing older and weaker and you, a Goddess in your own right?”