#Ode De Joy

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WALDO (Charlie Arnaiz, Alberto Ortega)

Waldo de los Rios was an Argentinian musician and arranger who moved to Spain in 1962, became a key figure in Hispanovox, arguably the most popular and influential record company in Spain, and gained wealth and renown for his recordings of ‘Ode to Joy’ and other classical standards, some of which went to top the charts in countries around the world. In 1977, rich, married to Isabel Pisano, a…

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A Little Girl Gives A Coin To A Street Musician And Gets The Best Surprise In Return

A Little Girl Gives A Coin To A Street Musician And Gets The Best Surprise In Return. Quantum Math– 16 de mar. de 2014 Bonus video! What a wonderful surprise to receive a live Beethoven live concert in a public square. Palavras Perdidas: VAGAS PARA AULA MÚSICA, Benefícios Da Música Na Aprendizagem Das Crianças, 33 Músicas que não são cantadas pelo vocalista principal, Curso de música, TUTORIAL…

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Back to the Dance Part Two: Environment and Logistics in the Dance

Thank you to those that have read along thus far; here's Part One of this new series if you haven't had the chance to read it yet!

Now that we've covered the political background of the Seven Kingdoms and the lead up to the Dance, we can start discussing the war itself. The next four parts will cover aspects of warfare in this setting and our own history, starting with the environment and logistics; we'll touch on aspects of the plot where it intersects with the topic at hand, discussing what we know about warfare in the pre-modern world, the conduct of warfare in George's series, and where problems arise in the Dance in trying to reconcile the latter with the former. Covering the environment of Westeros and what we know about logistics there, ie how do people, goods, and services move from place to place, allows us to assess how these factors affect warfare during the Dance (or don't affect it). This is important for establishing what is militarily possible for the Blacks and Greens to achieve, before we even get to how the actually fight.

Assessing the role of the environment is necessary given that it generally determines or influences how one fights: the deserts of southern Dorne will require different equipment and approaches to campaigning than the open expanse of the North. We know from F&B that Rhaenyra's coronation most likely took place on the 12th day of the 3rd Moon (March 12th; we'll use our calendar hereafter) 129 AC, and that autumn was well advanced by the team Jace arrived at Winterfell. We thus know that it was autumn by the latter part of March and remained so until Maiden Day the following year, after which it was winter for the next 5-6 years, meaning that the entire Dance took place during autumn and winter. We'll get into some of the issues that years long seasons create for the setting, but the fact that the war was fought for more than two years entirely in the autumn and winter creates immediate problems.

It should be noted that the seasons have symbolic as well as literal meaning in the series for George, who speaks of summer as a time of "growth and plenty and joy" while winter is "a dark time where you have to struggle for survival." There's nothing necessarily wrong with this view of the seasons, but the affect of the seasons on warfare in our own history is something which does not appear to carry over into the books. The years long seasons in particular create problems for the setting given that the cyclical nature of our seasons had an affect historically on two human activities in particular: seafaring and military campaigning.

Written around the early 5th Century AD, Vegetius' De Re Militari identified which months of the year were deemed safe for navigation; while the climate of the Mediterranean is renowned for being temperate and ideal for habitation, the weather can be exceptionally dangerous even outside the expected autumn and winter months, as seen in 2022 when unexpectedly heavy weather blew an F/A-18 Hornet off the deck of the USS Harry S. Truman in July. By our modern calendar, Vegetius deemed navigation permissible from May 27th to September 14th, with navigation becoming more dangerous due to severe weather from Sept. 14th to November 11th while Nov. 11th to March 10th was deemed too dangerous, and advising not to venture out before May 15th (DRM, 146). There is room for nuance in this picture however: per Oded Tammuz' investigation of ancient shipping accounts from the Eastern Mediterranean, the risks Vegetius attaches to winter weather (minimal daylight and long nights, dense cloud cover, fog, and violent winds) mainly applied to coastal vessels who risked shipwreck or foundering from taking on too much water, while ships on the open sea only really risked the latter fate. Michael McCormick made similar findings in Origins of the European Economy: Papal communications to France and Germany between AD 580 and 700 did not travel north in January, February or March when sea travel was used, but still took place even in October, November, and December (McCormick, Origins, 79-80). Sailing during autumn and winter was risky but it did take place, most likely on the open sea rather than along the coasts.

With regards to Planetos, the Narrow, Sunset, Summer, and Shivering seas are probably closer to the North Sea and Atlantic Ocean than the Mediterranean, with the latter three arguably being oceans in their own right. The books don't ignore the dangers of seasonal bad weather as autumn is repeatedly described as a dangerous season for ships, especially in Arya's ADWD POV "The Ugly Girl" when the Kindly Man sends her to kill the maritime insurer, while Stannis' fleet is scattered by a storm en route to Blackwater Bay in ACOK. Nonetheless, the risks posed by autumn and winter weather to naval activities should have dire implications for the plot of the Dance; we'll cover naval warfare in greater detail during Part Four, but suffice it to say that the Ironborn are screwed in this scenario. According to F&B, Dalton Greyjoy was able to seize 75% of the ships in Lannisport harbour and sink the rest before sacking the city; just so we're clear, using the distance scale on Atlas of Ice and Fire's map of Westeros gives us a distance of c.400 miles (c.644 km) as the crow flies between Pyke and Lannisport. Sailing around the Westerlands coast to avoid being spotted or wrecked by the weather would probably add half or even double that distance, and oared ships like the Ironborn longboats aren't quite seaworthy enough to handle such navigation as I discussed in the Velaryon Blockade post (more on this in Part Four!).

Shipping was seasonal and so to was warfare, for while George refers to summer as a time of 'growth and plenty,' this is exactly what one needs for waging war. In Logistics of the Roman Army at War, Jonathan Roth notes that the 'campaigning season' for armies in the classical world depended on when grain and fodder from the harvest became available to feed the armies and their animals, with armies preferring to spend the winter months of December, January, and February in 'winter quarters' near supply bases (Roth, Roman Army, 137, 177). Harvest times also varied from region to region; to quote Roth at length:

According to Greek sources, farmers sowed most of their grains in autumn, between October 20 and November 25; harvesting began in Greece in the middle of May and in southern Italy in late May. In the eastern Mediterranean, farmers planted wheat and barley in November and December, harvested barley in April and wheat in May. The Egyptian harvest took place during the months Pharmouthi and Pachon (March 27 to May 25). A fast-growing “three-month wheat” was sown in the spring, sometime in early March, and harvested in May or June; barley, millet, and panic could also be sown in the spring. Spring sowing had the advantage of furnishing a rapid early crop on fallow land, but could be used only on land rich enough to carry a crop every year. In the eastern Mediterranean, grapes were picked through the summer, from June through September although sometimes as late as October. Legumes, such as lentils, peas and vetch were harvested in April and May, chickpeas as late as June; figs gathered in August and September, and olives between September and November. (Roth, 136-137).

We thus have a Mediterranean campaign season which likely began around March or May and continued to November at the latest, meaning 7-9 months at best for largescale warfare and 3-5 months of 'winter quarters' in which this would be off limits or greatly curtailed, unless stores could be drawn upon or an army had no choice but to fight.

We know that Westeros has many different climate regions as according to George, "The Mountains of the Moon get quite a lot of snow, the Vale and the riverlands and the west rather less, but some. King's Landing gets snow infrequently, the Storm Lands and the Reach rarely, Oldtown and Dorne almost never." This should mean that limits on growing even during the winter should not be too severe outside of the North, but the problem this presents should be obvious nonetheless. Years long winters should see long periods in which warfare is drastically curtailed if not absent entirely from large parts of Westeros, owing to the need to carefully conserve existing stores and the harvest produce, save for a place like Dorne where greater rain and cooler temperatures would make warfare more viable. We also have to ask how warfare would function during years long springs, summers, and autumns; would the armies be forced to stop fighting for a time to allow grain and fodder to be planted and replenished? That certainly isn't the impression the books give us: Jaime II of AFFC mentions that 2000 men of the Lannister Army were retained to assault Dragonstone while the rest were dismissed to their homes, but this is due to the War of the Five Kings being all but over; in Catelyn V of ASOS, Robb expects to march on Moat Cailin with 12000 men once Edmure and Roslin are wed and plans to retake the North from the remaining Ironborn despite the inclement weather, sparse population, and economic disruption the North has experienced from the war. The importance of winter quarters to premodern armies is lost in the setting due to the seasons being thrown out of whack, and the logistical challenges that the armies should face are only treated haphazardly by the narrative.

The question of how harvests work in Westeros is another area where the environment's role in the story requires scrutiny, as their timing and frequency is unclear. As Roth's previous quote shows that the relationship of harvest times to the seasons is a complex one, since harvest time is determined by how long it takes for crops to germinate, grow, and ripen, while the climate and weather of a season often determines what can be grown/planted. I bring this up because the books make it clear that keeping track of the seasons is difficult: in Catelyn I of ACOK, Catelyn thinks with regard to autumn that "even the wisest man never knew whether his next harvest would be the last;" TWOIAF outright admits that the Citadel is unable to predict the length or the changing of the seasons, and the best they can do is mark the shortening or lengthening of the days to notify the realm that the change is taking place. With no one able to know the seasons are changing until it is already taking place, how can populations reliably plant and harvest crops in the first place? This should open the door for autumn rains to ruin summer crops and for winter snow and rain to destroy what was planted in autumn, depending on when the planting took place vis a vis the season changing.

The plot of the Dance doesn't help these issues by invoking the harvest as a plot device at opportune times: Jace arrives at Winterfell when Cregan Stark is already in the midst of his winter preparations, while TWOIAF claims the need to keep every man he could for harvesting prior to winter delayed Cregan's sending aid to Rhaenyra; when Aemond and Criston Cole abandon Harrenhal sometime after the 'Fish Feed,' Aemond and Vhagar attack Castle Darry in the midst of the harvest being brought in; the Hightower Army experiences desertion after First Tumbleton as men leave for 'home and harvest;' and finally, Rhaenyra's requests for aid while taking refuge at Duskendale are met with the response that Cregan Stark could not send men until they "bring in our last harvest."

Determining when these harvests took place is possible to an extent: the Battle of the Honeywine took place a fortnight after the end of the Battle of the Gullet, so January 20th 130 AC, and allowing a week for a raven to reach King's Landing means that Aemond's mustering of his forces would be complete by February 10th, while his 20 day march to Harrenhal would have brought him there the day after Criston Cole on March 2nd, meaning the 'Fish Feed' would have taken place some time after and the harvest in the Riverlands would be taking place in March or April; I suggested in Part 9 of the original series that Tumbleton likely fell on April 30th, though April 28th is probably a more accurate date, meaning the Reach harvest would be taking place some time in May or June; as for the North, if we take what TWOIAF says to be true that the riots in King's Landing began on May 22nd, then Rhaenyra would have fled two days later (I mistakenly suggested 5 days before) and probably arrived at Duskendale on June 1st, while her ravens would likely have reached Winterfell after a fortnight which means the northern harvest was ongoing in mid-June. So the Riverlands was harvesting in March and/or April, the Reach in May and/or June, while the North was harvesting in June and may have done so or continued to do so the previous or following months (May-July).

Based on the quotes from George and Jonathan Roth, this sequencing makes no sense: per Roth, the Egyptian harvest ran from late March to late May whereas Italy and Greece to the north and west began their harvests in mid-to-late May. Yet despite the Reach rarely receiving snow and having by far the warmest climate in Westeros outside Dorne, the harvest in the Reach is a month behind the more northerly Riverlands which have suffered considerable damage from the war already? The North is even worse however, as we were told that the snow was already deep around Winterfell when Jace arrived there in March 129 AC, but somehow the North is harvesting at the same time as the Reach or just a month later despite winter having officially arrived weeks before on Maiden Day? In essence the plot invokes harvest time not because it is important to the setting, which would lead to serious questions about how people are to be fed with a war going on, but because it ensures foreordained outcomes by keeping the North 'on pause' and weakening the Hightower Army at the right time.

Instead of the environment constantly affecting the plot even on a small scale, the narrative uses it for deus-ex-machina purposes which causes serious dissonance given the effect the environment has on ASOIAF. Asha and Theon's POVs in ADWD give us a front-row seat for how miserable it is to be fighting a war in the North during late autumn, let alone winter, via the actions of Roose Bolton and Stannis Baratheon's armies. In Arya IX of ASOS, Arya and the Hound find Lord Harroway's Town all but submerged by the flooding Trident, and Catelyn's later POV chapters highlight the struggles of Robb's forces to make progress with so many fords and bridges washed out by the rain. But aside from adding 3-4 days to Aemond and Cole's march on Harrenhal, the rain which we should expect to be affecting the Seven Kingdoms in a year long autumn and at the beginning of a 5-6 year winter has next to no affect whatsoever.

Having discussed the issues with the environment in the plot of the Dance, we can now assess the role of logistics; we will identify the logistical means available to the setting and the extent to which logistics actually influences the armies, or if logistics like the environment is not integrated into the narrative. For those who haven't read the Dorne analysis, my analysis of logistics in the pre-modern era is indebted to Hugh G. W. Davie, in particular his article discussing the economics and logistics of horse-drawn armies (I'll once again recommend checking out his blog if you have an interest in military logistics and the Eastern Front of WWII in particular). He provides a useful model for understanding the logistics of pre-modern armies, viewing them as 'micro-economies' that had to meet their demand with transport and supply inputs to output mobility.

Demand encompasses all the maintenance requirements of an army's personnel and animals, such as rations for humans, fodder for animals, water for both, alcohol for daily human consumption and to substitute water if safe sources are unavailable, fuel such as firewood for warmth, food preparation and operating forges, among numerous other items. We haven't even discussed the amounts of these items that might be required, but it should already be clear that the appetite of a pre-modern army could be voracious, although there were methods on the demand side that could be used to mitigate this. Temporarily reducing ration and fodder consumption or substituting with local forage and grazing the animals could preserve an army's stores and extend its range, forced marches could be used to cover great distance in a short amount of time with reduced consumption, unnecessary baggage, wagons, and carts might be abandoned to cut down on the number of camp followers who would otherwise add to the army's demand, and an army might be divided into separate hosts to disperse it's consumption of a region's supplies so as to avoid exhausting them (the maxim of 'march divided, fight united').

None of those methods save for the last two could be more than short term solutions, and mobility ultimately depended on meeting existing demand with supplies and transport. Supply sources will vary depending on the surrounding environment and enemy intervention, but Davie identifies three primary means with which an army can obtain supplies: Forage, gathered locally by one's troops; requisitions from the local population; and stores drawn from one's own magazines and conveyed to the army via transport. Forage is heavily dependent upon local population density, which is a rabbit hole I have no intention of going down in the context of ASOIAF; suffice it to say that gathering forage locally in this setting might be possible for a small and/or dispersed host, but larger armies would need to rely on requisitions and magazines for their needs. Requisition involves receiving stores directly from the local authorities, population, and markets, potentially by force but most often through purchase, while magazines involve stockpiling stores from one's own supplies along the army's lines of communication and transporting them where needed. A quote from Part Two of the Dornish Analysis should put in perspective the quantities of supplies needed:

Some idea of what these sources would have to yield for the Dornish can be gleaned from Jonathan Roth's excellent book The Logistics of the Roman Army at War (264 BC-AD 235), which analyzes the supply of the Roman Army from the early Republic until the Crisis of the Third Century. The Roman soldier's daily ration consisted of 1 to 1.3 kilograms (2-3 lbs) of grain and non-grain rations, and a minimum fluid requirement of 4 liters, half of which would be consumed via breathing and eating and the other half by drinking water, with another 4 liters or more required for daily operations in the form of water and alcohol (combat demands would certainly exceed 8 liters per day). Horses called for a 9.5 kg daily ration of hard and dry/green fodder, or 14 kg of pasturage, with 30 liters of water; pack animals like donkeys and mules required 7.5 kg, 11 kg and 20 liters respectively while oxen required 18 kg, 22 kg and 30 liters. To put those numbers into perspective, 1000 Dornish soldiers would need 1 tonne of food and 8 or more tonnes of water per day, with more needing to be stockpiled to support marches and combat. 100 Dornish knights with perhaps 2 horses each would need to furnish their mounts collectively with 2 tonnes of fodder and 6 tonnes of water daily.

This brings us to the third 'point' of the triangle, transport, without which an army's demand cannot be met and it's supplies are inaccessible. Despite being a fantasy setting, Westeros is in the same boat as our own world prior to the steam and internal combustion engines: moving people, goods, and services from one place to another requires some combination of water, wind, and muscle power. The former two involve seaborne and riverine transport, although oars were also utilized by watercraft in these situations as were poles and towing by draft animals for inland waterways. Land transport was entirely dependent on muscle power, with soldiers and/or porters carrying what they could manage or else depending on wagons, carts, and pack animals.

We'll discuss shipping in greater detail when covering naval warfare in Part Four, but suffice it to say that both factions have ample capacity for sealift within the setting. Oared and pure sailing vessels are utilized regularly in the books for moving goods and people throughout Westeros, while the ample coastlines of the Narrow and Sunset Seas possess numerous ports capable of serving both factions needs, weather permitting. An excellent example of what sealift could achieve comes from the Cretan Expedition of AD 911, launched by the Byzantine Empire against Muslim pirates stationed on that island; to meet this threat and that of other Arab pirates in the Levant, 15600 ground troops with equipment, supplies, and animals were provided transport by a fleet of 112 Dromons and 75 Pamphyloi (Dromons used for cargo transport) (Pryor and Jeffries, Age of the Dromon, 548-550). Westeros has access to larger ships than these for transport, so the main limits to what could be moved would be the availability of ships and port capacity. That being said, sealift would likely play more of a strategic role in war, moving troops and materiel around the periphery, with inland water and land transport being necessary to connect these to the interior.

I addressed inland water transport throughout the original analysis, but it warrants detailed discussion here for it's potential to connect armies in the field with supply centers that would be too distant to draw supplies from overland. Making effective use of riverine supply lines depends upon the navigability of the rivers themselves, ie the depth of the river, prevalence of debris and man-made obstacles such as mills, dams, and bridges, the strength of the current, etc. Fortunately for the setting, the regions where the bulk of the fighting takes place are home to three highly navigable rivers: the Trident, the Mander, and the Blackwater. Jaime I of ASOS states outright that the forks of the Trident are the easiest way to move goods and people throughout the Riverlands and TWOIAF confirms this, saying they "stimulate trade and travel during peace time, and serve as both roads and barriers in time of war."

The Mander's navigability is similarly high: although Victarion's AFFC POV "The Reaver" calls the Mander "wide and slow and treacherous with snags and sandbars," this mainly limits sea-going vessels to sailing no further than Highgarden, whereas Ironborn longboats can navigate as far as Bitterbridge and utilized all the vassal streams for raiding the Reach long ago. TWOIAF confirms this image, offering anecdotes of the Ironborn raiding up the Mander and of John Gardener "the Tall" who sailed his barge to the headwaters of the Mander and won the fealty of the local lords and petty kings of the region. The Blackfish's account of the Battle of the Blackwater in Catelyn II of ASOS provides further evidence of the Mander's navigability, as Tywin, Mathis Rowan, and Randyll Tarly travel to the battle from Tumbler's Falls on the Blackwater thanks to barges provided by Mace Tyrell. We know that Petyr Baelish negotiated the Tyrell-Baratheon alliance with Mace at Highgarden, so those barges would had to have come up the Mander with most if not all the troops that may have joined Mace, before they travelled overland to the Blackwater.

Our information on the Blackwater is much more scattered but indicates that it is also highly navigable; it certainly had to be for Tywin and Mace's forces to travel down river on those barges! The Blackwater is consistently described as deep and swift in the books with it's current being strongest where the river empties into Blackwater Bay; despite this, Imry Florent's ships were able to move upriver against the current when Stannis attacked King's Landing, and Cersei VI of AFFC notes that Margaery Tyrell is fond of sailing up and down the Blackwater Rush. We even hear from Sallador Saan in Davos II of ASOS that the galleys Ragged Jenna and Laughing Lord are said to be playing pirate on the Blackwater after having been far enough upriver to avoid the wildfire during Stannis' attack, suggesting even seafaring warships could venture far upriver to some extent. The river's high navigability is further indicated by the fact that ferries are the only means of crossing to King's Landing from the south based on Sansa IV of ACOK and Sansa II of ASOS, while Borros Baratheon's men fell trees to make rafts when they arrive at the Rush following the Moon of the Three Kings. The absence of a bridge over the lower Blackwater suggests that large vessels are expected to travel some ways up the lower river at least, as it's unlikely a bridge would be an obstacle if river traffic consisted only of smaller vessels capable of lowering their masts or those lacking one.

Regarding the capabilities of riverine transport, Jonathan Roth notes that the Romans possessed riverboats with a capacity of 34 tonnes, though most were smaller capacity craft of c. 9 tonnes. Even a 9 tonne boat could carry as much as 18 wagons or 72 pack animals, and with greater speed than land transport (Roth, 197). River transport also has the advantage of requiring less effort than land transport to move heavy loads, with a barge towed by a horse able to move 250 times the load the horse could carry on land. When the Roman Emperor Julian invaded the Sassanid Persian Empire in AD 363, he used a fleet of 1100 river vessels to carry siege engines, bridging equipment, and 6 months supplies for the bulk of his 65000 strong invasion force on its march from Callinicum (Raqqa) to Ctesiphon (Al-Mada'in), about 600 km (c.373 miles) as the crow flies. The main challenge facing this method is the rivers themselves, as the water level can rise or fall depending on the weather and render navigation difficult if not impossible.

This brings to land transport, the evidence for which in the books and which is in keeping with our knowledge of premodern methods. These include pack animals such as horses, donkeys, and mules, and wheeled transport in the form of two-wheeled carts and four-wheeled wagons (for goods) and carriages (for passengers), pulled most often by oxen and horses though donkeys and mules could also be used. The question of how important land transport was economically and it's efficiency compared to waterborne transport is complicated. The books tend to overestimate it: Catelyn II and III of ACOK provide us observations of Renly's host which imply the entire force of perhaps 100000 is moving by land, including "mangonels and trebuchets and rolling rams moved on wheels taller than a man on horseback." Upon learning of Stannis besieging Storm's End, Renly leaves behind "his wagons, carts, draft animals, and all his cumbersome siege machinery" with his foot soldiers and races to Storm's End. Catelyn notes that "he had outdistanced his supply lines, left food and forage days behind with all his wagons and mules and oxen. He must come to battle soon, or starve."

In reality, siege engines would be built on site of the siege as they were far too large to haul on the march, while such a large host should be relying on the Mander as a supply artery and drawing stores from friendly towns and holdfasts rather than foraging directly from the local region. That being said, if Renly's movements paint too rosy a picture of land transport in a premodern setting, it is also true that it is often discounted as too expensive and slow for anything beyond shortrange hauling. Reality was more complicated however, as Jonathan Roth notes that we have evidence of long distance land transport in Roman sources, such as pack trains carrying British tin through Gaul to the Mediterranean, a 640 km (c. 400 mile) journey which too over a month (Roth, 198). A common misconception was that Roman horse collars were inefficient and even harmful and that this limited the potential of land transport prior to the High Middle Ages; as Gail Brownigg notes in her article "The Origin of the Horse Collar," this misconception was based on faulty fitting of Roman collars to horses in modern experiments, and the fact that these were intended for pulling chariots and other light vehicles at speed while oxen were used for heavy hauling well into the Medieval era.

The limitations pre-modern and especially Medieval land transport faced were not technological but distance and infrastructure-based, as traveling great distances required providing rest and sustenance for the animals and their drivers, and depended on routes being able to support traffic since wheeled vehicles could be damaged if the state of the roads was poor. Cost was certainly a factor but it was far from insurmountable, as James Masschaele demonstrated using royal purveyance accounts in 1993; these record goods moved on behalf of the English crown for military purposes in the 13th and 14th century, and suggest that the ratio of land to river to sea transport in terms of cost was 8:4:1. Clearly there was an incentive to use waterborne over land transport, but on average the selling price of grain increased by only 4% for each mile it travelled, doubling for every 250 miles carried by land (Masschaele, "Transport Costs," 273-274). Although England is far smaller than most of the Seven Kingdoms, Masschaele notes that a ten mile trip would give most producers access to several markets, while the price of grain would be halved if the cargo could reach a river port and travel that way (Masschaele, 274). This last point is important for enabling land transport to meet army demand, since I pointed out in Part Three of the Dornish Analysis that land transport alone can only get one so far:

In Firearms: A Global History to 1700, Kenneth Chase gives some numbers for the transport requirements of a pre-modern army: An army of soldiers carrying 80 pounds of equipment and rations with no additional transport might march 12 miles a day for 10 days before running out; adding pack horses, carrying 250 pounds and consuming 10 pounds of fodder per day, might allow that army to make the round trip if supplies of grass, water and forage could be ensured. Supply wagons with a driver and two horses consuming 23 pounds per day and carrying 1400 pounds of supplies could each support 30 infantrymen enough for an army to march 200 miles, assuming 1 day of rest in 6 for the horses and favourable terrain. To double this range and allow the army to make a round trip of 400 miles, would require the number of wagons to increase from 1 per 30 men to 1 per 5 men, while removing abundant water and grass from the equation would cut the distance fivefold (400 miles to 80) (Firearms, pg. 17-18).

If the armies in this setting can establish magazines and hold markets at towns and holdfasts along their marching routes, and make use of the rivers to the greatest possible extent, their range of movement and thus mobility will be greatly extended. Larger teams of horses and oxen can be used to move heavier loads over shorter distances to these depots or river ports, allowing large stocks to be accumulated and moved via relays at the former or simply shipped greater distances via the latter. Moving armies and their supplies great distances would present issues, but these are manageable provided that land based supply chains and waterborne transport are combined effectively.

The question for the Dance is whether any of this actually matters in the plot, or if logistics is ignored like the environment in pursuit of predetermined outcomes. Fortunately the Blacks and the Greens each offer us an example of major operations being conducted, where at least 2 of the three transport methods we discussed could be used: the Riverlord armies and the Hightower army. The Riverlords conduct four major campaigns during the Dance: the first is led by Daemon against the Greens supporters in the Riverlands in 129 AC; the second begins after Daemon leaves for King's Landing in 130 AC, and sees them defeat the Lannister host and Ser Criston Cole before their army is annihilated at Tumbleton; the third is Second Tumbleton, which sees a newly raised host defeat the Hightower Army under Addam Velaryon; and the fourth and final campaign is in 131 AC when the Lads defeat Borros Baratheon at the Kingsroad.

In none of these campaigns do we get a sense that logistics affects the Blacks in any meaningful way, starting with how Daemon raises his army. Harrenhal is captured soon after Rhaenyra's coronation or c. March 13th, 129 AC, with Daemon securing the ruined castle and its wealth. We know that the initial supporters of Rhaenyra included the Freys, Mootons, Pipers, Darrys, Mallisters, the Rootes of Harroway, and the Vances of Wayfarer's Rest, with thousands of supporters supposedly flocking to Harrenhal in the days that followed. The only houses that we know supported Aegon II are the Brackens and the Vances of Atranta; when Stone Hedge surrenders, we're told that Aegon's supporters laid down their arms, suggesting there were other houses besides these two that supported him though none are ever mentioned. This is significant as Daemon's plan relies on amassing an army and presumably the supplies to maintain it at Harrenhal, a dilapidated half-ruin in the east of the Riverlands. The Trident, the God's Eye, and the roads would certainly facilitate these movements, but all the same I think HOTD actually got something right with the subplot of repairing Harrenhal, as the large quantities of men, animals and supplies would need to be kept safe from the elements (if the environment mattered that is).

Despite this, we have no indication of any Green houses interfering with this build up, either in the 'war of ravens' that followed Aegon and Rhaenyra's coronations or in the Stone Hedge campaign that began sometime after the murder of Prince Jaehaerys. We know from Jaehaerys' royal progress in 52 AC that Atranta is somewhere between Pinkmaiden and Stoney Sept, since the King travelled Harrenhal-Riverrun-Acorn Hall-Pinkmaiden-Atranta-Stoney Sept; despite this, neither the Pipers nor the Vances of Wayfarer's Rest are prevented from answering the call and the Pipers are even counted among Daemon's forces at Stone Hedge. Daemon manages to march his host, largely comprised of houses from the eastern Riverlands, from Harrenhal to Stone Hedge or c. 200 miles based on Atlas' map; this distance is entirely achievable for Daemon's host of unknown size, but it also relies on Daemon facing no interference on his march and arriving at Stone Hedge when the Brackens are absent.

When Daemon departs Harrenhal for King's Landing, the Riverlords abandon also the castle that was their primary base and depot for more than a year but there is no indication of any supplies be left behind sabotaged or otherwise that Aemond and Cole find, while rain only impedes the Green advance on Harrenhal and has no such affect on the larger Riverlord host. At almost 10000 strong including the Winterwolves, the Riverlord host has no apparent difficulties finding supplies nor is this an issue when the c.7000 strong army occupies Tumbleton in the lead up to the first battle. Even when this host is destroyed, Addam Velaryon raises another one in short order; this new 4000 strong host is raised from House Frey, Blackwood, Vypren, Piper, Smallwood, Deddings, Vance, and Darry, and allegedly includes forces of House Tully as well. Addam also manages this despite our knowing that all these houses save Tully, Vypren, and Deddings have suffered heavy losses in the past months, with the Darrys having seen their castle and lands burned by Vhagar. Distance seems not to be an issue either, even though Harrenhal alone is c.500 miles (c.805 km) from Tumbleton as the crow flies, and we know that Addam's forces attacked from the north and west. Unless they could move men and supplies down the Blackwater or draw upon local stores as they marched, even if they force marched for a time Addam's army would have collapsed before it ever reached Tumbleton. The same issues present themselves with the Lads march on King's Landing in 131 AC, where c.6000 men are raised at Riverrun by the Tullys, Freys, Blackwoods, Vances, Darrys, Mallisters, and Brackens. Between the Trident and the Riverroad the Lads should have had no issue reaching the Kingsroad at Harroway Town, but from there to King's Landing is a 375 mile (c.600 km) march; since they would be marching through hostile territory and could not count on requisitioning stores from towns and holdfasts along the way, the Lads would need to stick close to the God's Eye and the Blackwater in order to be supplied by watercraft, otherwise they're on a one-way trip.

It's often remarked upon especially by fans of the Greens that the Riverlords have infinite manpower, but as a Green fan myself I think this impression results from their logistics being ignored. Aegon's host at the Field of Fire was 11000 strong and drawn mainly from the Riverlands, while Edmure Tully's forces at the Battle of the Fords was some 12000 strong; I estimated in Part Four of the original analysis that the Riverlord host at the Fish Feed was c.7000 strong excluding the Winterwolves while the Lads army was c.6000 strong. Over 13000 men is in line with what we've seen elsewhere in the books, the problem is that the weather never affects their movements, the need for harvest labour never impedes their raising armies, and their armies never struggle with supplies and seem capable of appearing out of nowhere.

By contrast, the Hightower army runs into logistical problems even when it ought not to and largely at the convenience of the plot. Following Rook's Rest, Ormund Hightower sets out with a host of 1000 knights, 1000 archers, and 3000 men-at-arms, along with thousands of sellswords, freeriders, and camp followers, to subdue Rhaenyra's supporters in the Reach. I tried my hand in the previous analysis to estimate the size of this army but I think it's better to stick with the numbers we're given; even if the total host was 10000 strong with over half combatants, this would still require substantial land and riverine transport based on the Roseroad and Honeywine to support the initial march. Of the five houses that are bannermen to the Hightowers per the AFFC appendix, Costayne, Beesbury, and Mullendore all support Rhaenyra while Bulwer and Cuy never appear in the Dance, ensuring that maintaining secure supply lines would be difficult. Although we're told that the Caswells and Rowans raised a host similar to Ormund's in size, as with the Riverlords the Blacks in the Reach have no issues with Green supporters impeding their advance or threatening their supplies, since the Hightowers and Redwynes are the only houses we know of that support Aegon from the outset.

Ormund does have to contend with his supply lines being attacked, as the Costaynes fall upon his baggage train while the Beesburys and Tarlys burn fields and harass his forces. They manage this despite Three Towers being just under 150 miles (c.240 km) south of Oldtown, Honeyholt being just under 100 miles (c.160 km) to the north, and Horn Hill being 100 leagues/300 miles (c.483 km) to the northeast. No assistance or warning against these attacks is given from any of the other surrounding houses or the Hightower's own demenses, nor do Ormund's assailants have to worry about their own supplies. Under these circumstances, it's unclear why the Caswells and Rowans even needed to attack Ormund when the Tarlys, Beesburys, Costaynes, and Mullendores should have been able to keep Ormund bottled up in the Honeywine valley, leaving the Blacks in the Reach proper to attack the Greens elsewhere (more on this when we get to strategy in the Dance). Even if Ormund broke out of the valley, the Oakhearts and the Shield Islands are also supporters of Rhaenyra and are well placed to cut off the mouth of the Mander from the Sunset Sea, and Ormund cannot sustain an advance to King's Landing without the Hightower and Redwyne fleets moving supplies from the south up the Mander.

Following the defeat of the Black armies at the Honeywine on January 20th, 130 AC, the Hightower army sets it's sights on King's Landing. By the time of the 'Fish Feed' in March, Goldengrove, Old Oak, and the Shield Islands have submitted and the army lays siege to Longtable, eventually sacking Bitterbridge and taking Tumbleton by c. April 28th. The distance from Tumbleton to Brightwater Keep at the source of the Honeywine is just under 800 miles (c.1290 km), meaning the Hightower army covered that distance in almost 100 days between the Battle of the Honeywine and the First Battle of Tumbleton. That's a marching rate of c.8 miles per day, but when we consider the delays likely caused by the siege of Longtable, the sack of Bitterbridge, and the submission of the Oakhearts, Rowans, and Shield Islands, it's likely the marching rate was closer to the ideal 10-12 miles per day. This is significant, as according to Maester Munkun by the time the Hightower army crossed the Mander at Bitterbridge it numbered more than 20000 strong, with a tenth of them mounted knights.

If we take 20000 as our figure, this means the soldiers alone would have required 20 tonnes of rations and 160 tonnes of water each day; as for animals, if we assume each knight had two horses then we have 4000 warhorses in total, while giving the army one 2-horse wagon per five men would mean a total of 12000 horses. Excluding non-combatants, the Hightower army's total demand would be 20 tonnes of rations, 114 tonnes of fodder, and 520 tonnes of water per day. The amount of wagons and draft horses could be greatly reduced, as we suggested already, if the army utilized riverine transport and a magazine system for their supply chain. Establishing small garrisons at towns and holdfasts like Cider Hall, Longtable, and Bitterbridge to oversee the accumulation of stocks and allowing riverine and land transport to move stores up in relays should allow the army to maintain the over 8 mile per day pace we've calculated, by keeping the army's baggage to a minimum and allowing soldiers and pack animals to carry what supplies are needed on hand.

Unfortunately, the evidence F&B provides us suggests this is not at all how the Hightower army operates: when Longtable surrenders to Ormund, we're told he stripped the castle of it's wealth and every scrap of food, feeding his thousands on Lady Merryweather's grain; after the First Battle of Tumbleton, the man charged with the army's "baggage train", Ser Hobert Hightower, wishes to "fall back to the Reach to replenish their fast-dwindling supplies." Both anecdotes imply that the Hightower army supplies itself from forage on the move and carries with it what supplies it can, a remarkably ad hoc supply system that could not support a host of this size. Not only would it be impossible to meet the army's demand through foraging and carrying supplies via baggage train, we've already shown that this is unnecessary provided the army utilized riverine transport and established magazines as it advanced. With 5 men per wagon, the Hightower army could cover 400 miles before it ran out of supplies and was unable to turn back; adding the forces of local lords to his army as F&B claims Ormund did would only increase the logistical burden and offset any supplies obtained by plunder or forage. If the Hightower army functions as the narrative suggests, then it doesn't matter that Addam could not reach Tumbleton with his army, as Ormund's forces would never have made it past Bitterbridge.

Analyzing the Riverlords and the Hightower army shows that neither the environment nor logistics have more than a momentary effect on the plot of the Dance, influencing events here and there when it's convenient for the plot but otherwise being completely ignored. This negatively affects the story by removing stakes from the plot and making suspension of disbelief impossible. The worst part is that none of this was necessary, as there are fairly simple 'fix-its' that could be employed; for starters, have summer continue in 129 AC and autumn begin in 130 AC, with winter arriving in 131 AC. The fairer weather in summer and the earlier part of autumn would allow the armies of both sides to operate more freely, while allowing for more growing and harvesting of crops with which to feed said armies. As for logistics, having the armies operate more dispersed and/or stressing the importance of shipping, food storage, and magazines would show the armies are taking logistics seriously and place the writing on a better footing in that regard. I'll discuss this more and in greater detail when we cover strategy in the Dance, but these simple fix-its would go a long way to making the Dance better mechanically.

That wraps things up for Part Two; thank you for bearing with me through this fairly dry subject matter! Now that the 'board' is set up in terms of the Dance's political origins and the environment in which it was fought, we can start setting up the 'pieces' so-to-speak and look at how the Dance was fought on land, in the air, and at sea. Stay tuned for "Land Warfare in the Dance!"

[chaotic66hummingbird]

"Ode to Joi"

Ana de Armas

- Blade Runner 2049

[cybrsan]

Treasure — J.WY [Pt. 1]

STORY SUMMARY: Wooyoung is moon-blessed, a waterbender born under the Siren Moon that rises once every 88 years. His blessing is believed to be his unique and powerful healing abilities that he has coined “Wavesong.” However, his true gift is that of his prophetic dreams, glimpses of futures yet to unfold—and you just happen to be the subject of his recent visions.

PAIRING: Waterbender Jung Wooyoung x Non-Bender F!Reader

RATING/GENRE: M ; angst, fluff, eventual smut ; ATLA au, enemies to lovers

WORD COUNT: 2.6k

WARNINGS: Minor POV switches

A/N: This story has been a long time coming. It is the second addition to my "Ode To ATEEZ" series and the first to my "Together in Harmony" series. I decided to split it into chapters because I believe it will flow better that way. I hope you enjoy!

LINKS: Ode To ATEEZ Masterlist | Together in Harmony Masterlist | Cross-posted on AO3

Masterlist | Next ↠

Crossing the Desert of Eden is not for the faint of heart. It is one of the world’s greatest paradoxes, a place where nature's most wonderful and most dangerous creatures coexist in a delicate balance. Even the sand itself is an example of this—crystalline and beautiful, ever sparkling under the light of the sun, yet each granule is as jagged as splinters of glass. Without proper foot bindings, your journey cannot even begin.

Amidst the harsh landscape, pockets of life burst forth in brilliant defiance. Rare desert blooms dot the barren terrain with bursts of color. Some hold the power to heal, their petals emitting a fragrance that soothes both body and soul. Others are laced with deadly venom, capable of stopping a heart with but a single touch.

Sand serpents slither through the dunes, their scales nearly translucent, giving them the ability to blend in seamlessly with the landscape. One bite is all it takes for total paralysis to overtake you, rendering you incapacitated for mere minutes to hours at a time. Celestial birds soar overhead, searching for prey, their wings casting shadows on the ground below.

And even if you’re able to avoid those threats, blinding winds carry grains of sand like lashes, stinging skin, obliterating landmarks, and disorienting even the most skilled navigators. The desert swallows the unwary, erasing their footprints from existence.

It is in this very place that Wooyoung finds himself, accompanied by seven of his fellow benders. In normal circumstances, he would avoid a place like this at all costs, his sense of self-preservation persevering over the curiosity of what secrets the desert holds. But things haven’t been normal for a long, long time. 

He feels like he’s been walking for days, his legs heavy and leaden. Despite his protective robes, the wind and sand have whipped at his skin, leaving it battered and raw. Just one look at the faces of his companions is enough to prove he isn’t the only one feeling this way. The only one who seems miraculously energized is their de-facto leader, Hongjoong. He moves forward with ferocity, a tinge of madness in his eyes.

To his left, Yeosang stumbles, nearly falling onto the sand below. Wooyoung reaches out for him, a second too slow, but luckily San reacts quicker, catching him by the arm. The exhaustion has begun to take its toll. Everyone comes to a stop, nervous energy flowing between them. Everyone except Hongjoong, that is. Seonghwa, the eldest of the group and the one with the most power after their leader, places a hand on his shoulder.

“We need to rest, Joong. Look at the kids—they’re exhausted. Yeosang almost collapsed.”

‘The kids.’ Wooyoung frowns, the endearment not sparking the same joy that it used to. Seonghwa and Hongjoong may only be a year older than the rest of them—two in Jongho’s case—but they’ve always referred to them that way. Wooyoung used to find it cute, often teasing them about how they acted like an old married couple. He supposes that the recent distaste for the nickname comes from the fact that Hongjoong hasn’t been the same ever since he told him about his dream.

It takes a moment for Hongjoong to comprehend what Seonghwa said, thoughts still elsewhere. Yet once his eyes find Yeosang, he immediately acquiesces, apologizing for not stopping sooner. His entire demeanor seems to soften, making him seem more like himself. Wooyoung already feels like he can breathe better because of it. 

“Hopefully we aren’t too far from a Dweller community,” Hongjoong says, taking out his compass. “Let’s go.”

The Dune Dwellers are natives of Eden, having found ways to thrive in even the most unfavorable conditions. They aren’t particularly fond of outsiders, regarding any so-called adventurers as naive and stupid more than anything else. They often find the remains of the less fortunate, bodies lost to the sand. Dwellers are some of the only people who know how to navigate the desert and survive, but even they won’t wander into it aimlessly, searching for a treasure that may or may not exist.

Luckily, it isn’t long until they find one of their communities with Hongjoong’s guidance. Tracking their location becomes easier when you familiarize yourself with the signs the locals leave for one another, like a carving in a rock or some shimmering paint on a cactus. Things that are easy to miss when you don’t know what you’re looking for. 

The town is small, cut through the middle by a bustling market area teeming with vendors trying to pawn off their goods. Wooyoung immediately feels some of his tension fade away, the lively environment making him feel more at home. You wouldn’t expect any place in such a barren landscape to be so full of life, but the Dwellers have a thriving community of their own despite their living conditions.

The sounds of haggling and bartering are music to his ears, and he quickly finds himself imbued with newfound energy, eager to start talking to people and fishing for information. Maybe he’ll be able to find some clues as to Pandora’s location, and Hongjoong can finally be appeased. He makes a quick plan with the others to meet at the town’s small inn at sunset before wandering off on his own. 

The scent of spices, freshly baked bread, and cooking meat mingle in the air as he walks, making his mouth water. He stops at a stall selling juice made from prickly pears, kept cool by the waterbender who continuously refreezes the ice it sits upon. In exchange for a few copper coins, he buys a glass and greedily gulps it down.

He shivers, the cold drink a shock to his system in the hot, dry climate. It is both tangy and sweet and he hums, pleased, as he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and returns the glass to the merchant. Just as he goes to pull his hand back, the man grabs his wrist. Wooyoung's heart jumps in his chest and, though he tries to keep his composure, he is sure the shock shows on his face. Dwellers may not greet outsiders with open arms, but they’ve never shown any outward acts of aggression toward them before.  

��What are you doing here, nakuto? You’re a long way from the Water Tribe.”

Wooyoung gently removes his arm from the man’s grasp, though he is no longer fearful. The term nakuto, a respectable term for ‘young one,’ brings back memories of his home and instantly puts him at ease. “How did you know I was a waterbender?” 

“I don’t see many of my own kind out here; most are exiles from the Fire Nation or native sandbenders. Your necklace gives you away.”

Instinctively, Wooyoung reaches up, fingers caressing the delicate shells around his neck. He supposes it is reminiscent of the Water Tribe, but he’s worn it for years and barely remembers that it’s there. It was a gift from his brother, a good luck charm given to him when he left for the Fire Nation seven years ago. 

The man continues, “Did something happen to your Tribe, boy? It’s not safe out here.”

“No, it’s not like that. I’m here with a group of other benders—we’re looking for the eternal library, Pandora.”

“Pandora,” the man scoffs. “A myth. You should turn back while you still can.”

“I’m afraid turning back isn’t an option. Come on, pakana. Surely you must know something.” 

The man harrumphs, though Wooyoung can tell the use of the honorific pleases him by the slight smile that tugs at his lips. “You can call me Marok.”

“I’m Wooyoung.”

“Well, Wooyoung, there really isn’t that much information out there about Pandora; I probably don’t know much more than you do.” Marok creates a small stream of water from the melting ice, absent-mindedly spinning it around his fingers as he talks. “I’ll tell you what—go talk to ol’ Nadira. She’s a sandbender, and been here almost all her life. If anyone were to know something, it’d be her. Go west of town and look for a purple tent with yellow flags.”

“Thank you, Marok—I appreciate your help. Yui remoi.”

“Bayui jilok.”

Wooyoung nods, acknowledging Marok’s blessing, and starts to head west. The sun has begun to set, and he suspects he has less than an hour before he has to meet the others at the inn. Hopefully, whoever Nadira is, she’ll be cooperative. With the town being as small as it is, it doesn’t take him long to reach the outskirts, and the bright purple tent is easy to spot, a beacon of color amongst the sand. Just as he reaches the entrance, a girl pushes the flap aside, nearly bumping into him as she exits in a hurry. 

“Sorry,” she mutters, barely acknowledging him as she rushes back to town. 

The hair on the back of Wooyoung’s neck stands up. He doesn’t get a good look at her face, but her voice and white robes… He stops himself, shaking away the uncomfortable feeling of familiarity. Her eerie similarity to the girl he’s been seeing in his dreams for the past few nights is of little importance. He’s not trusting his visions ever again and will do whatever he can to avoid those uncertain futures. He quickly enters the tent, ready to get some answers so that he and the others can leave this town and the girl behind come morning.

You rush past the boy entering the tent, barely sparing him a glance as you hurry back toward town. Your conversation with Nadira was unsatisfactory, to say the least. She couldn’t tell you much more than you already knew, which is that Pandora is near impossible to find and even harder to get into, especially as a non-bender. It’s rumored to be buried far under the sand, sealed shut by an elemental lock. However, she was surprised by the map you carried with you, saying she hadn’t ever known there to be someone who successfully cataloged all of Eden. She couldn’t confirm whether or not the entirety of it was correct, though she did verify that certain locations lined up with her own knowledge of the desert.

You relax your steps, an exasperated laugh slipping from your lips as you realize you were practically stomping out of frustration. You take a moment to center yourself; as tempting as it may be to sell the map to the nearest street vendor, you’ve traveled too long and too far to give up now. Freedom is nearly in your grasp—you can feel it. You will claw your way to it if you must.      

Double-checking that the map is secure inside your sling bag, you tighten the strap around your torso and head through the doors of the inn. The atmosphere is much livelier now that it’s late afternoon, with talking and laughter nearly drowning out the small band playing in the corner. The bar area seems to be where most people are congregating, chugging down mead and ale. The one serving maid is busy juggling orders from all directions, delivering filled mugs to rowdy drinkers who seem to enjoy cheering each other on for every sip taken. 

As you weave through the crowded tables in search of a seat, you can’t help but notice a group of travelers that stand out from the crowd. You could sense their disharmony from a mile away—two members seem to be locked in a heated argument, heads close together as they speak in hushed voices. A few of the others seem to be playing a drinking game that involves making silly gestures and mimicking one another while one boy gazes off into the distance, lost in thought. Your interest peaked, you take a seat at the bar, right next to a man who has several empty tankards in front of him. He doesn’t seem too inebriated, but surely he’s drunk enough that his lips will be loose. 

You place a few coins on the counter, ordering two drinks. You slide one to the man to capture his attention and nod in the group's direction, asking, “So, what do you know about the new guys in town?” 

The man eyes you, scrutinizing your appearance. He must see something that he likes because he decides to indulge you, taking the ale in hand and relaxing further into his seat. “Heard from the barkeep that they’re some adventurers tryna find the library of Pandora.” He huffs and takes a long drink before adding, “A buncha fools.” 

You bristle, wanting to defend them as their goal seems to be the same as yours, but you stop yourself, not wanting to discourage the man from sharing more information. “I see. Are they benders?” 

He nods. “Yeah, far as I know. One of ‘em is apparently tryna get some information outta Nadira.” 

You think back to the boy you saw entering the tent and curse yourself for not paying more attention. You could have talked to him, asked him why he was seeing Nadira, and proposed some sort of alliance. Winning one man over would be easier than winning over seven all at once. But alas, that seems to be your only option. Taking one last swig of your ale, you hop off the bar stool and give the man a two-finger salute.

“Thanks for your time—enjoy the rest of your night.” 

He raises his mug and bids you farewell as you turn around, steeling your nerves as you march right up to the group of benders. One of the quarreling men who dons a head of striking red hair notices you first, his eyes instantly narrowing upon your approach. He slides closer to the others, almost protective in his movements, seemingly forgetting his previous argument. 

“Can I help you?” 

His voice is steady, laced with none of the heat you had expected. Instead, his words are cold, punctuated in a way that cuts you like a knife. However, you refuse to let him intimidate you.

“Yes, actually. I heard you were looking for Pandora.”

He quirks an eyebrow. “Why is that of any interest to you?”

“I’m looking for it too.”

“And?”

You grit your teeth, his standoffish attitude grating on your nerves. The man he was fighting with places a hand on his arm and steps slightly in front of him, greeting you with a smile. You can immediately feel the difference in his aura, the gentleness radiating off of him. He is the water to the red-headed man’s fire. Perhaps literally.

“Sorry, Hongjoong is just a bit… on edge lately. I’m Seonghwa.” 

He takes a moment to introduce each of the others before asking for your name in return. You’re surprised to find that they’re a pretty well-balanced group, with at least one bender for each element. That will definitely come in handy when it comes to the elemental lock. You almost can’t believe your luck; after all this time, maybe things are finally turning around in your favor.

Yunho, an airbender who was a part of the group playing the drinking game earlier, chimes in. “So, you’re looking for Pandora too?” 

You nod. “That’s right. I think we can help each other.” You reach into your bag and wrap your fingers around the map. “You see, I—”

“Wooyoung!” 

You’re interrupted by San, a dimpled firebender, who gets up to excitedly greet the missing member of their party; Wooyoung must be the boy you bumped into earlier. Now that you have a moment to actually look at him, you suppose that he’s quite beautiful, with a sharp nose and full lips. His hair is like nothing you have ever seen before—silver on top with blue ends, comparable only to how it looks when the light of the moon meets the sea. 

Your lips barely part to greet him when he turns to you, eyes ablaze with hatred. “What is she doing here?”

NETWORKS: @cromernet @kflixnet @pirateeznet

TAGLIST: @nebulousbookshelf @ad0rechuu @seonghwaddict @sanniesbunnie @wooya1224 @tournesol155 @ja3hwa @pocketjoong-reads @lovandr

[impossiblyholyparadise]

Nouvelle lettre à ma femme...et nouvelle ode au candaulisme...

A ma femme, à la femme que j’ai passionnément et réellement aimée...

Sois libre.

Tu veux être libre ! Sois-le !

Réellement et en réalité.

Tu dis souvent, très souvent : « Plus de mec...Je n’aurais que des amants... »

Alors chiche ! Fais-le...

Prends-en un, deux, ce que tu veux, ceux que tu veux... !

Et moi restant ton mari, peut-être pourrais-je aussi devenir l’un d’entre eux, sait-on jamais même si ça me parait difficile... ?

Si ça te redonne libido et sourire...

Fais-le...Oui, rien que pour ça, oui fais-le...

Ose enfin être ce que tu es , ce que tu veux être...

Si ça te « sauve » ...Fais-le...

Si ça sauve notre couple...Fais-le !

Si ç’est ce que tu veux au fond de toi...Fais-le !

Tu en as toutes les facilités et toutes les possibilités : chez lui, chez eux, en déplacement, à l’hôtel, même dans « ton appartement » ...

Je te préfère mille fois libre que malheureuse, aigrie, rancunière, colérique, insupportable...

Oh, bien sûr, ce n’est en rien et même pour tout dire tout l’opposé de tout ce que je voulais initialement, mais maintenant il faut qu’on en sorte, pour toi, pour moi, pour nous.

Il faut en admettre l’échec, en tirer les conclusions, se relancer, prendre des décisions...

Agir...

Moi je souhaitais et voulais un partage de ce mode de vie, un vrai et réel partage, libertin certes mais plus encore, un partage de vie, de liberté(s) voulues, consenties, admises, comme autant de bonheurs de joies, de complicités...

En confiance, en tranquillité, en partage, en différence de mode de vie, un mode de vie différent mais surtout libre...comme toi tu veux, voulais, aspires, aspirais... !

Mais toi, non, d’ailleurs je ne suis pas sûr que tu veuille exactement ça...

Sais-tu réellement ce que tu veux... ? Sais-tu réellement ce que tu voudrais... ?

Je pense que tu veux juste ta liberté, à toi, et à toi seule...

Alors prends-là !

Et du coup, vivons en couple libre sans divorce...J’ai horreur des conflits et je ne veux surtout pas faire de mal à nos parents réciproques...

Aussi, dans le fonctionnement du couple libre d’aller et de faire ce qu’il veut (dans le respect de l’autre bien sûr), juste prévenir l’autre, comme tu voulais, comme tu me l’a demandé et indiqué. Comme certains couples au FM que tu connais fonctionnent, des absences, des soirées, weekend chacun de son côté...

Ne pas savoir avec qui tu es et où tu es, et surtout ce qui s’y passe...

Tant pis, ce n’est réellement pas ce que je souhaitais pour notre couple ni mon sens du partage au sein du couple...mais du coup, juste savoir à peu près où et quand malgré tout...Un lieu, une date...

C’est tout ce que je demande maintenant et avec la réciproque dont je n’aurais pas même eu forcément besoin s’il y avait eu vraiment partages et complicités au sein de notre couple.

Donc, oui, ton plaisir sera mon plaisir même s’il sera moindre car non complice et non partageable… !

Force est de constater dans notre société moderne, et peut être même de tous temps, que les femmes libres, libérées et libertines sont souvent plus heureuses que leurs homologues monogames.

Aussi sois en une.  Prends cette liberté, prends-là ! Ose la prendre. Je pense qu’il n’y a que ça pour te sauver, pour me sauver, pour nous sauver, pour sauver notre couple.

La raison est simple, elles donnent et reçoivent plus d’amour. Nous sommes des créatures sociales qui obtiennent le bonheur par les interactions avec d’autres. Dans le cas de la femme libre, elle rencontre plus de gens et ces interactions sont normalement et de fait très agréables, le plus souvent sur le mode de la séduction perpétuelle.

 Une légèreté s’empare de leur vie et agit sur elles, leur entourage et leur perception du bonheur.

Un homme qui rencontre une femme monogame peut être indifférent ou courtois au mieux.

Un homme qui rencontre une femme libre sera plus amical, plus coquin et fera tout pour montrer à quel point il peut être bon et à son écoute, aller au-devant de ses envies, lui faire plaisir.

En outre, une femme libre sera beaucoup plus confiante et sûre d’elle quand son mari et les autres hommes qu’elle rencontre lui disent constamment à quel point elle est belle.

La normalité n’existe que dans les esprits sans imagination...

On peut être mariés et trouver d’autres personnes intellectuellement, amicalement et même sexuellement parlant...Il n’y a rien d’anormal à vivre et à aimer la vie, l’amour et le sexe me semble-t-il ?

De plus, tu as toujours eu des amis même en étant avec moi et même si tu ne les gardes pas...Ce qui d’ailleurs dans le cas des amants pourrait être un plus...Ne pas les garder trop longtemps.

Un bon mari doit vouloir que sa femme soit aussi heureuse qu’elle peut l’être.

Par conséquent, la seule voie logique à suivre est de la laisser ou faire d’elle une femme libre.

Une femme libre, libérée et libertine à plus de chance d’être une femme heureuse, vivant et inspirant l’amour et le bonheur.

J’ai toujours rêvé d’être un bon mari.

 Laisse-moi alors une chance de l’être ou de le devenir.

Bannir la jalousie, la colère, les conflits...

Juste vouloir et faire en sorte que vive en travers moi, au travers nous la paix, l’Amour, l’harmonie...

Laisse-moi devenir cet homme, ce mari, cet amant... !

Cet homme libre d’être libre et d’avoir su libérer les autres et surtout toi... !

Sois « ma Lyria »...( nom de notre Chatte très indépendante...)

Une femme libre, libérée et libertine à plus de chance d’être une femme heureuse, vivant et inspirant l’amour et le bonheur.

Prends la sécurité et l’amour du mariage mais aussi la chance, l’excitation, l’expérience de la vie et du couple libre...

Be an hotwife !

[qiangche]

SALÓN DE MÚSICA — los instrumentos en aquel espacio son tantos, y tan variados, que se toma su tiempo antes de decantarse por uno: el violín. entonces logra que la estructura de madera se acople a su cuerpo, un brazo manteniéndolo en el aire con firmeza y el otro arrancando las primeras notas de sus cuerdas con el arco. lamentblemente, nada tarda en convertir aquello en una auténtica agonía musical, ¡hacía años que no practicaba! ¡no la podían culpar! desafortunadamente (o no) su pobre interpretación de ode to joy queda a medias cuando un sonido a sus espaldas le interrumpe. aunque da un respingo, se las arregla para suavizar su expresión de espanto. ' ¿o-oh? ' carraspea, ¡tiene la cara rojísima! ¡qué verguenza! ' ¿has venido a... practicar también? '

[a-modernmajorgeneral]

At the ancient Olympics in Greece, athletes weren’t the only stars of the show. The spectacle also attracted poets, who recited their works for eager audiences. Competitors commissioned bigger names to write odes of their victories, which choruses performed at elaborate celebrations. Physical strength and literary prowess were inextricably linked.

Thousands of years later, this image appealed to Pierre de Coubertin, a French baron best known as the founder of the modern Olympics in 1896. But today’s Games bear little resemblance to Coubertin’s grand vision: He pictured a competition that would “reunite in the bonds of legitimate wedlock a long-divorced couple—muscle and mind.”

The baron believed that humanity had “lost all sense of eurythmy,” a word he used to describe the harmony of arts and athletics. The idea can be traced back to sources such as Plato’s Republic, in which Socrates extolls the virtues of education that combines “gymnastic for the body and music for the soul.” Poets should become athletes, and athletes should try their hand at verse.

That philosophy was a driving force at the 1912 Stockholm Games, where organizers introduced five arts competitions as official Olympic events. Modern history’s first written work to win an Olympic gold medal was “Ode to Sport,” a prose poem by Georges Hohrod and M. Eschbach. It begins:

O Sport, delight of the Gods, distillation of life! In the grey dingle of modern existence, restless with barren toil, you suddenly appeared like the shining messenger of vanished ages, those ages when humanity could smile.

Over the following eight verses, the poets sing Sport’s praises. “O Sport, you are Honor! The titles you bestow are worthless save if won in absolute fairness. … O Sport, you are Joy! At your call the flesh makes holiday and the eyes smile. … O Sport, you are Fecundity! … O Sport, you are Progress!” And so on.

Today’s readers are often underwhelmed by the first poem to win gold, describing it as “florid,” “saccharine” or “overblown.” But as far as the 1912 jury was concerned, Hohrod and Eschbach knocked it out of the park.

“The great merit of the ‘Ode to Sport,’ which, in our view, was far and away the winner in the literature competition, was that it is the very model of what the competitions [were] looking for in terms of inspiration,” wrote the jurors in their report.

It’s perhaps unsurprising that Hohrod and Eschbach understood the spirit of the competition, the fabled marriage of muscle and mind, so acutely. That’s because they were pseudonyms for the man who had conceived the whole idea: The author of “Ode to Sport” was none other than Coubertin himself.

The first major excavations at Olympia, the Greek sanctuary that hosted the ancient Games, began in the 1870s. While previous digs had revealed ruins around the Temple of Zeus, the large-scale efforts that followed uncovered sprawling structures and thousands of artifacts.

At the time, Coubertin was a teenager living in France. He had already seen the ruins of ancient Rome on family trips as a young boy, and now he was hearing all about the excavations at Olympia. He had recently started attending a Jesuit school, which provided him with a classical education and strengthened his burgeoning interest in ancient Greece.

“[Coubertin] was raised and educated classically, and he was particularly impressed with the idea of what it meant to be a true Olympian—someone who was not only athletic, but skilled in music and literature,” Richard Stanton, author of The Forgotten Olympic Art Competitions, told Smithsonian magazine in 2012. “He felt that in order to recreate the events in modern times, it would be incomplete to not include some aspect of the arts.”

The baron’s fellow organizers never fully shared his vision. After a few false starts, Coubertin formed the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894, and the first modern Olympics took place in Athens two years later. But the inaugural 1896 Games included only athletic competitions, such as the discus throw, swimming, fencing and pole vaulting. Several new events debuted in 1900 (among them water polo and archery) and 1904 (boxing and lacrosse), but muscle and mind remained firmly at odds.

Coubertin pressed on. When officials announced that Rome would host the 1908 Olympics, the ancient city’s selection evidently set the baron’s gears churning. On August 5, 1904, he published an article titled “The Roman Olympiad” on the front page of the French newspaper Le Figaro, writing:

The time has come to enter a new phase, and to restore the Olympiads to their original beauty. At the time of Olympia’s splendor … the arts and literature joined with sport to ensure the greatness of the Olympic Games. The same must be true in the future. … Let the Romans now give us such a typical Olympiad and reopen the temple of sport to the ancient companions of its glory.

Coubertin argued that the partnership of sport and art had “outlasted the destruction of Olympia,” and the time had come to “restore this ideal completely.” Now that the first three modern Games had gotten the ball rolling, it was “possible and desirable to bring muscles and thought together again.”

Two years later, the IOC held a conference to seriously consider “to what extent and in what form the arts and literature can participate in the celebration of the modern Olympiads.” The event program listed several arts categories that were under consideration. Under “literature” were two bullet points: “possibility of setting up Olympic literary competitions; conditions for these competitions” and “sporting emotion, source of inspiration for the man of letters.”

Coubertin gave a rousing opening speech, doubling down on the metaphor of muscle and mind’s remarriage. “I would verge on being untruthful if I said that ardent desire compels them to renew their conjugal life today,” he said. “Doubtless their cooperation was long and fruitful, but once separated by adverse circumstances, they had come to a point of complete mutual incomprehension. Absence had made them grow forgetful.”

Officials ultimately agreed to add five arts competitions to the upcoming Olympics in 1908: literature, painting, sculpture, music and architecture. All works entered into these categories, collectively named the Pentathlon of the Muses, would need to be inspired by sports, restoring the ancient harmony that Coubertin had envisioned.

[mmyashas]

the "la ultima cena de qsmp" (the last supper of qsmp) in quackitys titlme honestly reminds me a lot of Jesus Christ . which means someones gonna be a traitor . hes also playing himno a la alegria (ode to joy) which means maybe thisll be the last time they all enjoying each other as friends brothers before the Horrors

[madebypointlesswords]

Rating all the Latin authors I've read in the past two years in honor of my oral Latin exam tomorrow

Caesar (De Bello Gallico)

This is a weird one because while his prose isn't extremely difficult, it was also the first unedited work I read, so for lil 15-year-old me, this was very difficult. But I learned a lot from Caesar (especially that he made it an art to making his sentences as long as possible. We read an entire 200 words, and IT WAS JUST ONE SENTENCE.), and the sense of nostalgia while rereading it is very pleasant, so I will give you a solid 6/10

Pliny the Younger (Epistulae)

Mixed feelings about this one again. This could also be just because I despise prose. I really do not like it at all. Pliny's epistulae were pretty okay. I liked them a little better than Caesar's because of their variety (for those that don't know, epistulae means letters). His letter about the Vesuvius was a lot of fun to translate, even with all the hyperbata, but his letters about or to his third wife were very uncomfortable. Like, I get things were different back then. BUT YOU WERE 45, PLINY. 45. SHE WAS WHAT? 14? 15 TOPS? MY GOD. THAT'S A BIGGER AGE DIFFERENCE THAN I HAVE WITH MY FATHER.

7/10

Ovid (Metamorphoses)

Ovid is life Ovid is love. He was the one who introduced me to Latin poetry, and I will always love him for it. He was an icon and a legend. The poems of his that we read (Daedalus & Icarus, Latona and the Lycian peasants, Diana and Actaeon) were all bangers, and I love them all to death. I never wanted to go back to reading prose after this (but unfortunately, I will have to next year. ew)

11/10 (I love you, Ovid)

Vergil (The Aeneid)

*deep sigh* Listen. I love his complex works, and I have great respect for this poem but by the GODS. Vergil's poetry is the most difficult I've had to translate by a long shot. He made me rethink my entire career in Latin. I have considered quitting so many times because of this man. I felt like a complete idiot most of the time. This is not a guy to fuck with. Luckily I got through it on my finals (barely.) but Christ alive this man made my life difficult.

5/10

Horatius (Satires and Odes)

Horatius will always have a special place in my heart. We read his poetry right after Vergil's, and it almost completely restored my faith in my abilities. He's just my little guy and I have fond memories of translating his works. We still know many Latin phrases that he wrote (Carpe Diem being the most famous. Hello, DPS fandom). Also, he and Vergil were most definitely in love. I don't make the rules. I have evidence if you want me to elaborate.

9/10

Catullus (love poems)

Ah, Catullus. Horny poet of the year. Had a wild affair with an older married woman. Nepotism baby. Sappho stan. Didn't know how to budget, but we aren't holding that against him. Just wanted to write poetry and dance (who doesn't, honestly). Gave fuck-all about education. Wrote nearly all of his poetry about the older woman he had an affair with. Might I add that this woman was married to one of his father's bestest buddies? Yeah. Icon. Here's a kid's choice award.

8/10

Martialis (Epigrams)

This dude had ZERO chill. Roasted everyone in the city. Literally, no one is safe. Wasn't afraid to call people out by their real names. Some people allegedly committed suicide after being roasted by this guy. Translating his epigrams gave me more joy than hearing we had seen the end of Vergil. His humour may be a little silly now, but I will not accept any Martialis slander on my blog.

10/10

And that is all folks

[dograffe1]

The Smashing Pumpkins

Lately I have been quite stressed due to many different factors in my life. And so I figured I should do what I love which is to yap about bands and music. It's important for anyone to take a break from all the chaos of their life and find joy in their past times, if not then they'll lose the will to fight for a better life. Today I listened to "Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness" by The Smashing Pumpkins. This album will be remembered in my history.

Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness

Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness: 6/10

Tonight, Tonight: 8.5/10

Jellybelly: 9/10

Zero: 9.5/10

Here Is No Why: 10/10

Bullet With Butterfly Wings: 10/10

To Forgive: 9/10

An Ode To No One: 10/10

Love: 9/10

Cupid De Locke: 7.5/10

Galapagos: 8.5/10

Muzzle: 9/10

Porcelaina Of The Vast Oceans: 8/10

Take Me Down: 8/10

Where Boys Fear To Tread: 9/10

Bodies: 8.5/10

Thirty-Three: 8/10

In The Arms Of Sleep: 8/10

1979: 8.5/10

Tales Of A Scorched Earth: 9.5/10

Thru The Eyes Of Ruby: 9/10

Stumbleine: 7.5/10

X.Y.U: 9/10

We Only Come Out At Night: 8.5/10

Beautiful: 9.5/10

Lily: 9/10

By Starlight: 9/10

Farewell And Goodnight: 9/10

Thoughts:

This is a monumental moment my friends. This is one of the greatest albums I have ever listened to. I can barely even describe the sound. It's like the magic and melody of The Cranberries with the style of The Pixies with riffs that are unheard of. And thus we have our first,

10/10, Overall Score

Favorite Song: All of them, but if I had to choose:

[curedigiqueen]

Ah, Precure dance endings. A series staple. Whether you consider the First dance ED to be "You make me happy" or "Ganbalance de dance" or even the very first "Get You! Love Love?!" the point is they've been around for a while. Generally speaking nothing but a simple fun time, but rarely has had anything to do with the show proper. Nothing wrong with that of course, but the very first Precure ED was a bit more than that.

Futari wa, as opposed to every other season, only has the 1 ending. Sure, it changes visually halfway through to accommodate Pollun and the new villain team, but that's it. (Which is more than the OP which doesn't change at all, which is also unusual). But I think people often miss the relevance of the song in between all the less relevant eds, and the iconicness that is the OP.

But the ED is also iconic and a crucial piece of the Futari wa Purikyua experience.

Episode 45, the last episode before shit hits the fan, features this song heavily. This song isn't really my favorite ed, and the episode isn't a particular favorite of mine (Futari wa has so many good episodes), but it utilizes the ed effectively, and the song that you've been listening to all this time hits harder.

Nagisa immediately falls in love with the song. The song speaks to her looking at the lyrics of course its no surprise. But it's not just "song that Nagisa would like". Though I would be remiss if I did not mention the inclusion of sweets in the lyrics. Nagisa loves chocolate. It's the go to simple important part of life for her.

They have the girls sing it. Sung by a chorus, not just Nagisa and Honoka (but they do get solos), but the whole class, many of whom appear in the ED. Because of Futari wa's small main cast the side characters hold a more important role than they do in many future series, so these are characters we know, even if just from an episode. There's a weight to the music being diegetic.

Of course the episode ends sweetly, with Nagisa, Honoka, and the fairies, singing their heart out with the rest of their class. But for a moment that wasn't a guarantee. Nagisa and Honoka being unable to sing with their class highlights the toll that this fight has taken on their normal school lives. They have to fight against someone who fully intends to kill them, and then destroy their loved ones, alone while every one else is.

Made all the more poignant by the subject matter of the song.

First of all, the title "Get you! Love Love!" is in English, and a bit nonsensical in English. But "Love Love" in Japanese, means more "lovely-dovey". It's VERY much so in your face romantic. A word used to describe Mepple and Mipple. The song is about the joy of teenage romance. While I don't really want to call it frivolous, next to world saving it doesn't hold the same weight.

Now, I recognize that may seem counter to my point that the song is important to Futari wa. I mean there's no canon romantic relationship. Closest is Nagisa's crush that she never actually confesses to. But putting aside all of Futari wa's romance elements (which is an entirely different discussion), the lyrics are still very relevant to Futari wa.

The Opening holds the iconic line "even wearing school uniforms we're unbelievably tough" and features scenes of them fighting evil in their school uniforms. The opening is an ode to how badass they are in all aspects of their life.

But the ending is the other side of the coin. It tells us how frustrated they are with the villains encroaching on their everyday life. While I don't speak Japanese, and have seen it translated a couple of ways, the reoccurring "datte yatte ran'nai jan", is either "because you can't make me do this", or "because I can't do this". IDK which is right, but either way, this is in regards to fighting, stress, and trouble, which stands in stark contrast to the opening which is very much so about how much they can and do fight. "For the sake of the earth, for the sake of everyone That's fine but isn't there something that you're forgetting?! Now!" They aren't even being subtle about the Pretty Cure part about the girls lives in the song. How much that they don't want to do it. "My heart is pounding and throbbing like a dreaming teenager An original daily life is something I won't get rid of" The lines of Nagisa and Honoka's solo. The most thematically important lines in the whole song imo. While the importance of the everyday is important in most Precure seasons, it is especially emphasized with Futari wa. The main theme of the story is about how precious day to day things are, and how unfair it is for the girls to have to fight for that.

Because ultimately that is what Futari wa Pretty Cure is about more than anything. I think it's important to view Futari wa Pretty Cure through the lens of a slice of life first. It's tone a lot of the time, focusing on poor grades and unfinished homework, lacrosse, errands, sleepovers and family. A relatively grounded slice of life from the perspective of magical girls. The value of the normal events highlighted by the desperation Nagisa and Honoka have fighting to defend them. The ED highlights it by focusing on the more "frivolous" aspects of the girls lives.

The visuals of the ED are pretty simple, but effective. They showcase the different circles the girls interact with. Their families, their classmates, their clubs and of course the villains. Because of Futari wa's focus on their community, the presence of these characters in the ED is deserved. A fun lighthearted focus on their day to day lives to contrast the OP.

Also, I'd like to point out the ED visuals humanizing the villains. While Futari wa's villains are easily among some of the franchises worst, having the unforgivable flaw of being forgettable, the show doesn't do a completely terrible job of humanizing them. And the ED contributes to that. The dancing of the villains, just being the goofy people that some of them are when not, trying to destroy the world. While I wouldn't call the behavior canonical, it really isn't off base for characters like Gekidrago and Regine. The villains, for all that they are generic, are primarily motivated by their desire to continue existing: the same motivation that drives the Cures. (Gotta love their goofy dance).

Also a guy screams at the end of it. If I have to hear it now so do you.

[deromanuscoven]

Welcome to the Marius de Romanus Appreciation Week!

It is with great joy that we kick off the event for our beloved Marius!

Today, August 14th, the event of our Congrega begins to celebrate Marius de Romanus. The event will run until August 20, with a bonus day, with a special theme, before closing.

We kindly ask you to tag your posts with " Marius de Romanus appreciation week" so we can easily find your work. If perchance, you find that we have missed one of your works, please contact us here so that we can make up for it.

✦There is only one rule to respect and treat with love the character being celebrated during the week, as always.

✦There will be two prompts for each day of the week, plus one bonus day, before the event closes. You can decide to treat only one prompts or both, the choice is yours. As usual, any kind of work is accepted, fanart, fanfiction, headcanon, moodboard, etc…

The prompts for Marius de Romanus week are as follows:

DAY 1 -Father/ I am a son of Rome

DAY 2 - Sanctuary/ Prime minister

DAY 3 - Sassy Marius/ Rational Marius

DAY 4- Husbands- whispers and souls/ Wives - dried roses

DAY 5 - Messy notes, messy desk/ Ode to Botticelli

DAY 6 - Believe in the power of tenderness/ Noble Heart

DAY 6 - Draw on his skin/ The sound of friendship

BONUS DAY - DOMINUS

Banners are free to use, if you want use them for accompany your works.

Thank you to all who will participate!For any questions or needs, please contact us here, we will be happy to help you with doubts, questions, etc… We will get back to you as soon as possible.

We are very happy to be able to celebrate Marius, and look forward to the event!

⋆⁺₊✧Thank you all!

A very Special Thanks to:

@fofoqueirah,@faerywhimsy,@akab0mb,@the-apostates-martyr,

for their beautiful fanart!

✦We remind you that we will meet again, after the closure of the Marius event, on the first of September, for a three-day mini-event. On September 1st we will dedicate a day to Marius, on September 2nd we will dedicate a day to Armand, and on September 3rd a day to Daniel. The prompts for the mini event will be two for each character and will be announced next week. We also remind you that from September 14th to September 20th we will host the Marius/Daniel appreciation Week event, to celebrate the couple. Prompts for this event will be released by September 5th.

Thank you all for your attention and have fun!!

[julieverne]

Jane dreams of the piano.

She dreams of her fingers, long and fluid on the keyboard, her feet on the pedals. The mathematical timing. She dreams of the stretch in her palm, the span of her hand. The smooth, cool keys against the pads of her fingers. The piano bench, firm and unsupportive. She dreams of the sounds she used to make with her hands. Dreams of all the songs she never made the piano sing.

She used to be good. If she'd worked at it, she could have been famous. And she'd loved it, but she'd wanted more from life than touring cities she never really got to see, listening to music she didn't make. It'd have been different, if she could compose, but she was never satisfied with her own work. It always felt flat and unfinished to her.

She always woke up, alone, face wet with tears, the sting in her hands, the rain starting to fall outside. She hadn't lost a lot; not really. But it felt like a lot when it rained, when the pain in her hands reminded her of what she'd lost in stark clarity.

But one time she didn't wake up alone. Maura had fallen asleep in Jane's bed again. For someone so polite, she had no trouble inviting herself over and helping herself to Jane's bed - and chest, where her head currently rested.

The sobs woke Maura, even though Jane had tried to be quiet. Maura sat up and left the lamp off, knowing somehow that Jane didn't want to be seen like this.

And for someone so stiff and uncertain, for someone who had wept the first time Jane had hugged her, Maura had no trouble pulling Jane upright and wrapping her arms around Jane, rocking her, making hushed little noises of comfort, rubbing her back and arms, cradling the back of her neck as Jane leaned into Maura and sobbed with the loss, with the pain, with the fear, pressed against Maura shaking. Every time it rained it was like being in that basement again, pinned to the filthy floor while Hoyt...

But Maura was humming now. Ode to Joy, the first song Jane had learned to play, and Jane's fingers loosened their grip on Maura's ribs to slowly span out, pressing against Maura's soft flesh in order, her brain seeing the black and white keys, her younger, undamaged hands pressing them, the pride in her for doing something difficult correctly for the first time, the pride her parents had in her. Jane calmed slowly. What was damaged couldn't be undone, but perhaps it was time to get a keyboard - just a small one, just to see.

"I didn't know you could play," Maura said softly. She'd obviously recognised the pattern of Jane's fingers on her torso.

"I could," Jane affirmed. "Maybe I can again."

But for now, the simple tap of finger to covered flesh was enough to remind her. To bring her hope. Maura let go of Jane with an awkward laugh, as though she wasn't quite sure what had come over her, as though nurturing wasn't in her spirit, as though she was aware that embracing Jane like this in her bed was too intimate for whatever they were to each other. But Jane didn't let go, her fingers still tapping away.

"I should go," Maura said nervously, realising she'd fallen asleep in Jane's bed again, that she hadn't been invited.

"No," Jane murmured. "You should stay." Jane lay back down, tugging Maura with her, and when she started the finger movements for clair de lune on Maura's back, she heard Maura hum along in her arms.

[greensparty]

This Month In History - October Part 1

This month there’s so many pop culture landmark anniversaries to the point where I needed to do a 3 parts. Here is part 1 of what I celebrate this month in history:

Oct. 1, 1984: The Unforgettable Fire released

In Oct. 1984, the 4th album by U2 was released. While this might not feel as epic as The Joshua Tree or Achtung Baby (the 2 albums that are often looked as U2's all-time best), this is a very ambitious breakthrough album for the band. It was also the beginning of their longtime obsessions with America, i.e. songs about MLK, Elvis Presley and 4th of July. An excellent album that still holds up. Happy 40th TUF!

Oct. 1, 1999: Three Kings opens

In Oct. 1999, David O. Russell's Operation Desert Storm epic was released. Here is my piece I wrote in 2014. Happy 25th 3K!

Oct. 2, 1959: The Twilight Zone premieres

In Oct. 1959, possibly the greatest genre anthology series in TV history premiered on CBS. From the distinct mind of Rod Serling, each episode was like it's own mini-movie with something to say about society. I discovered it in syndicated re-runs on channel 38 when I was a kid. My older sister and I stayed up and watched their marathon one Summer. The series has been rebooted and remade many times over the years, but those original 5 seasons are truly among the best works in TV ever. Last year I got the blu-ray of the original series and I've slowly been making my way through the entire series and being reminded just how great it was. Happy 65th TTZ!

Oct. 2, 1974: The Taking of Pelham 123 opens

In Oct. 1974, one of the great 70s crime movies was released. Here is my piece I wrote in 2019. Happy 50th TTOP123!

Oct. 2, 1984: Let It Be released

In Oct. 1984, the 3rd album by The Replacements was released. Here is my piece I wrote in 2019. Happy 40th LIB!

Oct. 2, 2009: Zombieland opens

In Oct. 2009, one of the great horror-comedies was released. Here is my piece I wrote in 2014. Happy 15th Zombieland!

Oct. 4, 2019: Ode to Joy released

In October 2019, Wilco's 11th album was released. I got to review this and I've been lucky enough to review several Wilco releases since then. It was a serious return to form for the band and I'd put it up there with Yankee Hotel Foxtrot as one of their best albums. I named it my #2 Album of 2019 and included it in my Best Albums of the 2010s. Happy 5 OTJ!

Oct. 5, 1979: Reggatta de Blanc released

In Oct. 1979, the 2nd album by The Police was released. Talk about not dropping the ball or falling into a sophomore slump! So many great songs on this, notably "Message in a Bottle", "Walking on the Moon" and "Bring on the Night". Best of all, all three members got a chance to shine with songs they wrote not, just Sting. Happy 45th RDB!

Oct. 6, 1989: Drugstore Cowboy opens

In Oct. 1989, Gus Van San’t best movie was released, and that is saying something. Here is my piece I wrote in 2014. Happy 35th Drugstore Cowboy!

Oct. 8, 1999: The Limey opens

In Oct. 1999, one of Steve Soderbergh's most underrated movies was released. Here is my piece I wrote in 2019. Happy 25th TL!

Stay tuned for more October-iversarries!

[landgraabbed]

1, 7, 11, 16, 19 for the ask meme please!!!

tysm baby!!!!! <3

1. a song you liked as a child

u know this. i used to be obsessed with stand by me - ben e. king hehe

7. a song you know every word to

u saw how i decided this lmfao! we got canção de engate - antónio variações

11. a song that makes you dance

tongue tied - grouplove hehe

16. a song that makes you think of an old (or current) crush

vienna - ultravox, always on my mind - pet shop boys, bc u love those. but also nice to see you - vansire and put your head on my shoulder - paul anka (its u)

19. a song that makes you emotional

i am a basic bitch....... ode to joy.....