#On the Beautiful Blue Danube

[eternal-evergreens]

｡⁠*ﾟ⁠+*⁠.⁠✧"Into the looking glass - III"｡⁠*ﾟ⁠+*⁠.⁠✧

Part I Part II Part III Part IV Part V Part VI Part VII

Post format: Multipart series

Pairing: Yandere!Male!DoL x Fem!Isekai!Reader

Word count: 5.1k

Synopsis: You gain the chance to wake up in the world of one of your favorite games. Unfortunately, the 'favorite game' happens to be one about rape, violence, and stalking. Not only that, but the game seems to be rigged against you. All you want is to find a way home and put this all behind you, but is that even possible...?

Warnings: Sexual Assault, Attempted Non/Con, Drugging, Attempted Kidnapping, Stalking

Excellent Good Decent Okay Poor Bad Terrible

No, no. Not happening. Never.

You need money. But you won’t get it through unscrupulous means. You still have your morals, and you’ll abide by them. That’s why you saved Kylar. That’s why you’d save him again, should it happen in the future.

You push the thought out of your mind and exit the temple. As you pass by Danube Street, a thought hits you. 

The spa. Why haven’t you been working at the spa? 

It’s not really an early-game option due to the stat checks required, but those shouldn’t be a problem for you. With your hand skill at C by default and your beauty over the max, working as a masseur is as simple as walking up and asking for work. 

You head over and ask for work, and the lady at the front desk takes one look at your hands and gasps. Her bored demeanor quickly melts away into an excited one as she quickly shows you the ropes. You get the basics down pretty quickly and soon take your first client, a trim woman who looks to be in her early 30s.

“Hello, I’ve not done this before. Do I just lie down?” That makes two of us, you think to yourself. 

“That’s right! Just lie down, and I’ll take care of the rest,” you say, smiling. The trim woman seems reassured and quickly lies down on the table. You get to work on her shoulders and neck first, cautiously looking for knots and tension as you knead her muscles. The woman relaxes under your touch and begins to make small talk. She tells you about her family, how her kids are both bright young boys, and her husband brings her flowers every month. She seems really happy. -Trauma -Stress

She leaves you a tip. You make £75. 

Your next client is less friendly, but you manage to massage her without incident. She leaves you a tip. You make £80 and decide to take a break, feeling a little worn out from standing on your feet for nearly two hours straight. After fifteen minutes, you get up and head back into the spa, where you take on another two clients. They both leave tips, and you make £120. The spa closes after that, and you head outside. 

Someone throws a water balloon at you from a nearby car, soaking your shirt and leaving it near-invisible. You hear cheers as they speed away, leaving you soaked out in the open. +Stress

You look around, but luckily, no one is around to see your predicament. You cover yourself with your arms as best as you can and head home. You take the alleys to avoid passersby seeing you, walking quickly in hopes of getting home sooner. You don’t watch where you’re going and end up walking right into someone. 

“Watch where you’re going, you—!” You look up, about to apologize, when you see icy blue eyes staring back at you. It’s Whitney, his face, only inches from yours, changes from anger to a smug smile.”Well, what do we have here? A slut all out on her own?” Whitney’s friends giggle. 

“Why is she walking around so exposed?” One delinquent asks. “Is she a pervert?” They giggle, crowding around you.

“I wanna get a picture!” Soon, all the delinquents are pulling out their phones. Suddenly torn between the desire to cover your face and your chest, you end up hiding behind the thing closest to you, which ends up being Whitney. He seems taken aback but soon wraps an arm around you protectively. +Love

“Fuck off,” he says, arm still around your waist. “Get your own slut.” The others seem disappointed but comply regardless. When everyone’s phone has been put away, Whitney releases you and shrugs off his jacket. 

“Can’t fuck a sick person,” he says, throwing his jacket over you. “Make sure to give it back. Now fuck off.” He shoves you out of the alleyway, leaving you stunned. Did that really just happen? 

You check your phone.

Whitney The Bully  Whitney wants to own you.       Fascination: 50% Love: 5% Devotion: 0% Dominance: 40%       Jealousy: 0% Lust: 100% 

You walk home with his jacket wrapped around your shoulders. It smells like smoke.

—————————

It is Thursday, the 8th of September, 2022. -It has been 4 days since the game started. -The game started in autumn.  -It is autumn. -School term Finishes on Friday the 2nd of December. Current Funds: £729 Pain: You feel okay Arousal: You feel cold Fatigue: You are alert Stress: You are calm Trauma: You are uneasy Control: You are insecure Allure: You look like you need to be ravaged

After waking up and finishing your morning routine, you go to Robin’s room and play video games with him for an hour. Some of the games remind you of those you used to play back home. +Love -Trauma +Stress 

“It’s almost time for school,” he says. “Do you want to come with me?” You smile and nod. Robin stands up from the bed and puts his controller away. He holds the door open for you as you leave, and you notice a faint blush on his cheeks as you pass. You swear you saw him glance down. +Lust

You’re suddenly reminded that you’re in a yandere game and that Robin is a target character. ++Stress

You grimace as you round a corner and resist the urge to cover your butt as Robin walks behind you. Your skirt is so short he can probably see your underwear as you walk. +++Stress

You see Bailey holding a mousy girl by the arms, a bundle of rope in his other hand. 

“You owe me £200 this week,” he says. The girl is holding back tears but still manages to keep a strong look about her. Robin looks away. The other orphans do the same. They all look…resigned. You step forward. 

“I’ll pay,” you say. “Let her go.” Bailey raises an eyebrow but releases the girl. You hand over the £200 without fuss. It’s only after parting with the money that you remember you could have just pepper-sprayed him and gained some catharsis. You don’t really need to be stingy with it, after all. Bailey counts the money and leaves, leaving the mousy girl to dust herself off.

“Thank you,” the mousy girl says. “I was really scared.” 

“Will you be okay?” You ask her. She nods. She seems genuinely okay. 

“Yes, thanks to you. I promise I’ll pay you back for this,” she says, running off. 

“You don’t have to!” You call out after her, but she’s already gone. 

You did a good thing today. -Trauma -Stress

“That was really impressive,” Robin says. “It’s not often people stand up to Bailey.” You shrug, and Robin cracks a smile. +Love

You and Robin chat on the way to school, mostly about the games you played earlier. There’s a certain glint in his eyes when he looks at you that wasn’t there before. You have to suppress a shiver every time you accidentally meet his gaze. +Stress

“I just don’t understand why they’d make a tutorial so difficult,” Robin says, shaking his head. “Maybe-” He’s cut off by something, eyes widening. You follow his gaze and see two hooded figures approaching rapidly from the alleyway you just passed. You reach for your pepper spray as the figures get closer, unhooking it from its keychain and holding it at the ready. 

“It’s her,” one says. You waste no time and spray them both, then grab Robin’s arm and sprint to safety with him. ++Crime (Assault) ++Crime (Assault) +Stress +Fatigue

You don’t stop running until you reach the school gates and are safely behind them. You and Robin pant heavily as you struggle to come down from the adrenaline. 

“Where did you get that?!” Robin whisper-yells. 

“A kid in my English class makes them,” you say at a normal volume. Robin’s look of concern only grows, and he spends a few minutes lecturing you on the dangers and illegalities of pepper spray. You mostly tune him out. 

The bell rings, finally putting an end to Robin’s monologue, and you head to class. You focus on the lesson, and Sirris calls you up to the front of the class. A student uses a ruler to flash your panties to everyone. To make matters worse, Sirris wanted you to undress for the demonstration. You comply, feeling humiliated as the class leers at your body. +++Stress

The bell rings, and you rush out of the classroom. You feel your heart pounding in your chest as you walk. Your ears are ringing, your heartbeat is too loud, the world is spinning, and—

It’s all too much for you. You pass out. 

—————————

It is Thursday, the 8th of September, 2022. -It has been 4 days since the game started. -The game started in autumn.  -It is autumn. -School term Finishes on Friday the 2nd of December. Current Funds: £529 Pain: You feel okay Arousal: You feel cold Fatigue: You are wearied Stress: You are distressed Trauma: You are uneasy Control: You are insecure Allure: You look like you need to be ravaged

You wake up with something soft yet firm under your head and Sydney right above you. 

“You’re awake!” He says. “I was worried. I wasn’t sure what to do, so I brought you back to the library.”

“Not the nurse?” You say, getting up. You realize that you’ve been lying on Sydney’s lap. Sydney looks sheepish. 

“I didn’t think of that,” he says, not meeting your gaze. He looks genuine, but you get the feeling he’s not being honest. +Awareness 

Sydney insists you stay with him for another ten minutes so he can monitor your condition. When you ask about going to the nurse again he makes an excuse of not knowing if you’re good to walk. You decide not to push it any further and spend the next ten minutes chatting with Sydney. When the ten minutes are up, he looks hesitant to let you go but relents regardless. +Love +Lust -Sydney’s purity

By the time you leave, it’s already lunch. You missed two classes. ++Deliquency

Feeling stressed from everything, you decide to sit alone in hopes of relaxing. You should have known better, however, as a group of students soon come by to make your day harder. The second they start jeering at you, you unhook your pepper spray and blast them all in the face. ++Crime (Assault) ++Delinquency +Status

The students are screaming and hurling insults, but the ringing in your ears makes it impossible to hear them. You finish your lunch in silence. 

You spend the rest of school zoning out, hoping your stress will subside. It works, kind of. 

You have detention, but you don’t feel like going. Considering all the shit you pulled today, Leighton is probably going to take off your clothes and smack you or something. You don’t have good enough grades to know where the tunnel from school is, so you walk out the front. Leighton tries to stop you, but you pepper spray him. ++Crime (Assault) ++Delinquency +Status 

A group of students say they’re going to the lake. You could use a change of scenery.

You join them. +Status

Hanging out at the lake is fun enough. No one tries to grope you after what happened at lunch, so you end up having a somewhat enjoyable time. 

Then they start bullying another student, who thankfully isn’t here to listen to them shit-talking them, and what little fun you were having quickly melts away. You stand up and walk away, deciding to go for a swim instead. You think about retrieving the lichen for your science project but push the thought out of your mind. 

You swim for about an hour, and when you exit the water, the sun is already beginning to set. Your fellow classmates are still hanging out, but you don’t really feel like joining them, so you put on your clothes and go for a walk, planning to head back after you’re done.

You hear a bullet firing from afar. Something is hunting you.

Fuck. You whip around, trying to locate the source of the bullet. You heard it shoot from behind you, but you don’t see anyone. Going back the way you came might mean running straight into their arms. You glance around one last time, but a second gunshot has you running on your feet in no time.

You dash through the woods, not bothering to look behind you as the gun fires off in the near distance. You don’t think they’re shooting at you, and running zig-zag like you were taught as a kid just means slowing down. So, you run straight ahead with no clear plan in mind. You unhook your pepper spray again (you should probably thank Kylar), just in case, but you don’t know how much good it will do in a gunfight. Still, something is better than nothing, so you hold onto it, keeping it close to your chest as you run, run, run.

Your foot hits something strange and loses balance. You don’t even have time to process it until you’re lifted upside-down by your heel, face to inverted face with a plant person. 

“I caught one!” The plant girl exclaims. “This one’s wearing lacey panties!” You spray her, and she falls, her vines releasing you instantly. It’s only when you see sap pouring out from a hole on the side of her head that you hear the gunshot and realize it wasn’t you that took her down.

“Got you,” Eden says, a hand on your shoulder. You try to turn around, but the second you move, you’re on the ground, nose pressed into the soil, and arms pinned behind you in a painful grip. You feel your pepper spray being torn from your hand and thrown next to a bush. 

Shit. Shit!

He’s got you in a submission hold. There’s nothing you can do but go along with it and wait for an opportunity. It takes everything in you not to thrash and scream against his hold, but you know that would only make things worse.

Eden runs his hand down your back, stopping when he gets to the hem of your skirt. He flips it up, taking a moment to admire it before giving it a light slap. You jump when he hits you, though it’s more about the surprise than the pain.

“You’re hurting me!” You cry, trying your best to sound helpless. “Please let go!” You weakly struggle against his grip for good measure. 

“Sorry, sweetheart,” he says, voice gruff. “Can’t do that. You’ll run away.” 

“I’ll be good! I’ll be good! Please, please, let me go!” You wiggle around, pretending this is as much strength as you can muster up. Eden leans down and studies your expression for a moment. You can feel the outline of his cock on your back as he leans down to look at you. The scrutiny in such a position is near-unbearable, but he releases you without a word. 

You force yourself to be still for a moment, not to do anything that would alert him. Then, slowly, you turn around and, mustering up every bit of courage you have, lean up and kiss him. He seems taken aback but soon reciprocates the gesture. You press into him, stroking and massaging his skin as you cautiously lean him back into a more desirable position. 

Though it costs you your dignity, you’re eventually able to get on top of him, grinding against him through his pants as you lower him to the ground. When you’ve got him completely below you, and you’re straddling his hips, you break the kiss and pull yourself up. 

“I think it's time we get rid of these,” you say, grabbing your panties and lifting your hips, then swaying them suggestively. You shift your weight to one knee and lift your other leg up, then, in a sudden, adrenaline-charged burst of speed, you throw yourself off of him and stagger to your feet. You kick him in the crotch and run towards the bush where your pepper spray landed. 

Eden catches your foot, and you nosedive towards the ground. You fall, but pepper spray is just within reach. You grab it and go limp. Eden drags your body closer to his, and you use it as an opportunity to spray him. He grabs his eyes and recoils, and you quickly gather yourself and run back the way you came. 

Your clothes snag on bushes and branches as you run, but you pay it no mind as you force yourself to run. You can’t hear anything but the wind in your ears, so you have no idea if Eden is chasing you or not. 

Silly you, it shouldn’t have been Eden you were worrying about. 

You feel yourself hit the ground before you even register being knocked down. There’s a growling above you and two hands on either side of your body. You twist around, barely even registering the wolf ears and sharp teeth of the man on top of you. You spray him, and he staggers back. You rush to your feet and keep running until you’re safely out of the forest. Your clothes are practically in scraps by the time you’re out, and at this point, you think it’ll be cheaper to just buy new clothes instead of fixing them. 

Then, it hits you. The pain and exhaustion. 

You drop to your knees, suddenly aware of every scratch, scrape, and bruise you acquired while running through the forest, suddenly aware of the strain on your muscles from the fatigue. You stay sitting for a few minutes, waiting for your muscles to stop hurting or for you to stop caring. When you notice the sun is starting to set, you pull yourself up and drag yourself back home, where you run a bath and then go straight to bed. 

—————————

It is Friday, the 9th of September, 2022. -It has been 5 days since the game started. -The game started in autumn.  -It is autumn. -School term Finishes on Friday the 2nd of December. Current Funds: £529 Pain: You are upset Arousal: You feel cold Fatigue: You are wearied Stress: You are distressed Trauma: You are nervous Control: You are anxious Allure: You look like you need to be ravaged

You get up and check your socials on your phone.

Excellent Good Decent Okay Poor Bad Terrible Primary relationships:  Robin The Orphan Robin wants to be your best friend.              Fascination: 100% Love: 5% Devotion: 30% Lust: 40%         Confidence: 0% Trauma: 0% Jealousy: 5% Whitney The Bully  Whitney wants to own you.       Fascination: 50% Love: 10% Devotion: 0% Dominance: 40% Jealousy: 0% Lust: 100%  Kylar The Loner Kylar is obsessed with you.       Fascination: 100% Love: 9% Devotion: 55% Jealousy: 55%        Lust: 90% Sydney The Faithful ? Sydney is conflicted.       Fascination: 70% Love: 8% Devotion: 25% Purity: 20%        Jealousy: 0% Lust: 70%  Avery The Businessman Avery thinks you’re cute.     Fascination: 55% Love: 1% Devotion: 0% Jealousy: 0%     Dominance: 0% Lust: 30% Rage: 0% Eden The Hunter Eden wants you back.     Fascination: 80% Love: 0% Devotion: 0% Jealousy: 0%     Dominance: 0% Lust: 100% Black Wolf The Alpha Black Wolf wants to see you again. Reputation:  The police consider you a person of interest, and have enough evidence for an arrest. The atmosphere in the orphanage is calm. You are considered a normal student by teachers. Your fellow students desire you. Lust: 100% Status: 60% Sex: Unknown. Prostitution: Unknown. Rape: Obscure. Beastiality: Unknown. Exhibitionism: Obscure. Pregnancy: Unknown. Combat: Low-key. Kindness: Obscure. Business: Unknown. Socialite: Unknown. Overall: Notorious. The townsfolk call you Darling. Those in the criminal underworld call you Darling.

Your eyes hover over your police reputation. You sigh. You’ll have to visit Landry after school. You throw your covers off of you and climb out of bed, groggily going to your wardrobe. 

Right. Your clothes got torn. You pick up an undamaged skirt and shirt, tossing the tattered garments into the trash. You put on your clothes and pick up your bag, not bothering to stop by Robin’s room this morning.

You take a bus to the shopping center, where you do what you should have done on day one: buy clothes that actually cover you. You browse for a few minutes, looking for something as pervert-proof as possible. You settle on a school blouse, shorts, a sports bra, suspenders, and a pair of work boots. 

The shorts provide you protection against people lifting your skirt, the suspenders (which you’ll have to sew on) keep you from being pantsed, the sports bra can’t be unclipped and provides support in case you need to run, and the work boots will help you keep your footing when you need to go to the moor or the woods. 

You buy what you’re wearing as well as a few backups of the shorts and shirt, totaling £215. You pay and leave, arriving at school just in time for your science class. Today’s Friday, so you have a chance to improve your grades if you do well on the tests. 

The lesson pace is a little different from usual. It’s just a review of everything you’ve learned this week. Nothing new is being covered, so you don’t bother to take notes. Not that you’ve had any time to study your notes since coming here.

The test is easy enough, despite your terrible study habits, and you manage to improve your grade to a D. -Stress

The rest of the day continues similarly, and soon you have D’s all across the board. --Stress

You go to the pub after school, looking around for a thin man or woman with black hair and a grey sweater. You feel a hand on your shoulder and turn your head. It’s a tall man you’ve never seen before. He’s covered in tattoos.

“You’ve been busy,” he says, booze on his breath. “Don’t think I don’t recognize you. You’re the talk of the town. Bit surprising not seeing you being fucked raw, though.” His grip on your shoulder tightens. “I reckon it’s time I got my slice of the pie. You like it rough, right? That’s what I’ve heard. Come ‘ere, sweetheart.” 

“Am I interrupting?” You hear a man’s voice, and the tall man’s hand on your shoulder loses it’s grip. You look over to see the face of your savior and realize it’s the very person you were looking for. Your face shifts to one of relief. -Stress

“Yeah,” he says. “Piss off.”

“I recognize you.” 

“You should, I come here more often than I-” 

“March 3rd, 2009. Nightingale Street.” The tall man pales. “So you know what I’m talking about. I wasn’t there myself, but I’ve heard the stories. You were the talk of the town.” 

The tall man stutters. “Y-you’re not with the fuzz. You won’t turn me in.”

“You don’t know that. And either way, we both know you’re not hiding from the police. So how about you let her go, and I won’t tip off the Elk about your latest haunt.” The tall man looks at you, then Landry, then you again. Landry smiles. He throws his hands off of you.

“Fine. Shit, fine. You her lover? You picked a damn slutty one.” Landry waits until the man is out of earshot before turning to you. 

“Come with me,” he says. “I want to talk to you in private.”

“Reputation isn’t always a good thing,” Landry says as you sit down. “Word’s spread about you. You’re notorious. That’s why that drunkard went for you. You remember what he said, right?” 

“I haven’t even done anything,” you say. 

“No, but you’re pretty while doing it,” Landry retorts. “Not hitting on you,” he says. 

“Thanks?” 

“It’s not a good thing. You attract attention wherever you go. Where a normal person might have to fuck a hundred people to start getting known as a slut around town, you’d only have to fuck one.” 

“Oh,” you say, slinking in your seat. “So, what can I do?” 

“I think I can help you,” he pauses. “Well, not me. But I think I know someone. This orphan at the home on Domus Street. A computer whiz. Mickey, or McKay, something like that. Best hope is to find this orphan. If you can get them to come work with me, they’ll be able to hook you up. There’ll be some money in it for you, too. Just don’t step on Bailey’s toes.” You nod. 

“Thank you,” you say. Landry smiles.

“There’s another thing, too,” he says. “I’ll be frank. I know you need money. Don’t ask me how I know, word gets around. I think I can help you. If you come across any jewelry or other items you don’t know what to do with, I can take them off your hands. I’ll pay well.” He looks over your shoulder. “As well as can be expected, anyway.” 

“Can you help me get the police off my trail?”

“I can help you,” he says, reclining. “But I need you to do something for me. And no, it’s not about money. I was expecting a package, but it never arrived. Good thing I know where to find it, it had a GPS tracker. It got lost somewhere deep in the moor. Get it for me, and I’ll prevent any of your past misdemeanors being pinned on you. It’s a small black box.” You nod and stand. 

“Oh, and do be careful,” Landry says. “I don’t believe the tales of monsters, but there’s a sensible reason behind some superstitions.” 

You’re already wearing work boots, but you want to wear something that you can afford to tear, too. Preferably something resistant that can protect you. But you don’t have the money for that, so you head back to the orphanage and wear the only other outfit you have, a sundress. You put your pepper spray keychain on your bookbag and take it with you, hoping you won’t run out during this trip. 

After double checking everything is in order, you leave the orphanage and begin to make the long trek to the moor. 

Several people attempt to pick you up along the way. By which you mean literally every person who passes by you has slowed down to talk and ask where you’re headed. Not willing to risk anything, you turn them all down, running when they get too persistent. By the time you finally make it to the farmlands, you’re exhausted. So you sit down near the entrance to rest, knowing you’ll need your energy for the moor. 

“You alright there?” Someone asks. You look up to see a suntanned boy under a straw hat, looking concerned. He looks around your age, with red hair and a boyish appearance. He must be Alex, you realize.

“It was just a really long walk to get here,” you admit sheepishly. 

“You walked all the way from town?” You nod. “Well, Jesus! No wonder you’re so tired. Come in and get some water, my place isn’t far.” 

“Do you own the farm?” 

“Yeah, I do! It’s a work in progress, but it’s home.” You smile. 

Alex is right, and it doesn’t take long to reach the cottage, where he offers you a glass of water. You thank him and gulp it down. +++Drugged

…Huh?

You stare at your phone. The screen seems to shift.

Pain: You feel okay Arousal: You feel cold Fatigue: You are wearied Stress: You are calm Trauma: You are nervous Control: You are anxious Allure: You look like you need to be ravaged A lewd warmth fills you Your perception is altered

You look back up to Alex, who’s staring at you with a grin. You stand up but nearly fall. Alex stands with you, his hands on your shoulders. 

“Easy, there,” he says as if you’re a horse that needs to calm down. You shove him off of you and  run, reaching for your pepper spray, but in your altered state, you can’t figure out how to unhook it. 

>Try again (Skullduggery: Impossible) >Rip it off (Athletics: Challenging) >Spray without unhooking (Dance: Very Difficult) 

You rip it off, but the fabric holds firm. Alex is close behind you.

>Try again (Athletics: Challenging) >Spray without unhooking (Dance: Very Difficult) 

You try again and the fabric doesn’t yield. Alex is right behind you.

>Try again (Athletics: Challenging) >Spray without unhooking (Dance: Very Difficult) 

This is taking too long. You spray without unhooking, managing to get Alex, but in your flailing, also manage to spray yourself. +++Pain ++Willpower

You run, you don’t even know where you’re going you just run.

You can’t open your eyes, but you know they wouldn’t be of much help in this state, anyway. You run until you hit what feels like tall grass, then slow. You’re in the moor now. 

You try to quiet your breathing as you listen for anything that may be chasing you or lying in wait. You hear nothing. You go a little further in, just enough to be hidden among the grass and wait. 

Eventually, the pain subsides, and you open your bleary eyes. You still feel unsteady, though, so you wait longer. It takes another forty minutes for you to regain full balance and control of your body. When you do, you trudge deeper into the moor, relying on the map on your phone to guide you to the box. After what feels like two hours of searching, you finally find the box across from some water. 

You grimace as you step in, your shoes and socks instantly soaking with dirty water. The water is about knee-high, so not enough to touch your sundress but just enough to make movement heavily uncomfortable. You hobble over the box, just about to reach it, when you feel something suck you in. 

You look behind you and recognize the thing as a lurker. You waste no time and spray it, freeing yourself and grabbing the box before leaving. 

Of course, nothing is ever that simple, and just as you leave the water, you see a terrible shadow overhead. You look up and notice a harpy in the sky. You are being hunted.

You start to run. Your pursuer approaches rapidly. ++Stress

You run faster, pushing yourself to your limits as you sprint across the moor. But luck is never on your side, and your foot sinks into something as you land. You look down, and it’s a fucking foxhole. Not big enough for you to run through or hide in. You pull yourself out, but it’s too late. 

“Found wife,” he says. You spray him and keep running. That should keep him out of commission for a while. 

Eventually, you feel safe enough to walk the rest of the way out of the moor. You sneak around the farmlands and begin to walk the rest of the way home. You’re too tired to make it very far, however, and soon pass out on the road. You feel yourself being lifted onto a stretcher before passing out again.

You’ve unlocked a fragment.

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A Brave and Startling Truth

by Maya Angelou

We, this people, on a small and lonely planet Traveling through casual space Past aloof stars, across the way of indifferent suns To a destination where all signs tell us It is possible and imperative that we learn A brave and startling truth And when we come to it To the day of peacemaking When we release our fingers From fists of hostility And allow the pure air to cool our palms When we come to it When the curtain falls on the minstrel show of hate And faces sooted with scorn are scrubbed clean When battlefields and coliseum No longer rake our unique and particular sons and daughters Up with the bruised and bloody grass To lie in identical plots in foreign soil When the rapacious storming of the churches The screaming racket in the temples have ceased When the pennants are waving gaily When the banners of the world tremble Stoutly in the good, clean breeze When we come to it When we let the rifles fall from our shoulders And children dress their dolls in flags of truce When land mines of death have been removed And the aged can walk into evenings of peace When religious ritual is not perfumed By the incense of burning flesh And childhood dreams are not kicked awake By nightmares of abuse When we come to it Then we will confess that not the Pyramids With their stones set in mysterious perfection Nor the Gardens of Babylon Hanging as eternal beauty In our collective memory Not the Grand Canyon Kindled into delicious color By Western sunsets Nor the Danube, flowing its blue soul into Europe Not the sacred peak of Mount Fuji Stretching to the Rising Sun Neither Father Amazon nor Mother Mississippi who, without favor, Nurture all creatures in the depths and on the shores These are not the only wonders of the world When we come to it We, this people, on this minuscule and kithless globe Who reach daily for the bomb, the blade and the dagger Yet who petition in the dark for tokens of peace We, this people on this mote of matter In whose mouths abide cankerous words Which challenge our very existence Yet out of those same mouths Come songs of such exquisite sweetness That the heart falters in its labor And the body is quieted into awe We, this people, on this small and drifting planet Whose hands can strike with such abandon That in a twinkling, life is sapped from the living Yet those same hands can touch with such healing, irresistible tenderness That the haughty neck is happy to bow And the proud back is glad to bend Out of such chaos, of such contradiction We learn that we are neither devils nor divines When we come to it We, this people, on this wayward, floating body Created on this earth, of this earth Have the power to fashion for this earth A climate where every man and every woman Can live freely without sanctimonious piety Without crippling fear When we come to it We must confess that we are the possible We are the miraculous, the true wonder of this world That is when, and only when We come to it.

[reidfucker]

two left feet

dr. spencer reid knows how to dance. keyword, knows how to — not that he's any good at actually, physically performing it.

or dr. spencer reid asks you to waltz with him.

an itty bitty reid drabble as i try to familiarize myself with tumblr. no beta or second thoughts at all !!! i typed all of this out experimentally. (update: edited it a tad :–D)

oh, and spencer is a trans man. it's not explicitly stated or dwelt upon, but i hope you know.

once reid gets into something, he gets into it. lately, he's been reading up on dancing: in particular, the waltz.

in his silently agreed on corner of the couch, with his feet in your lap as you sat beside him. you see him reading the waltz book, whatever that entailed.

it wasn't uncommon for spencer to be interested by things he completely hadn't dabbled in the past. he usually accumulated facts on a multitude of topics, storing each trinket of knowledge for later use. though, he hardly ever applied those skills after getting familiar with them.

this time, he closes the book, thinking to himself. you can't help but giggle to yourself and wonder, what is so thought-provoking about the waltz? but reid finds something to ponder on even in the most mundane things, so there's no need to question.

"hm." reid hums, getting your attention.

"spence?" you can visibly see his train of thought derail.

"oh– um– i was just wondering if..." he considers his words, "i was just going to ask if you'd like to dance with me."

you grin, "aw, of course. who am i to decline you?"

"um... i'm no good yet. but hey, what's learning without trying?" he gives a shy smile, getting on his feet pushing up his reading glasses, instead of taking them off. you told him he looked cute in glasses, and he'd look cute nonetheless, but you noticed he wears them more often now.

"what songs go well with the dance you have in mind?" you say, browsing through your cd collection.

"would it be cliché if i said 'cant help falling in love' by elvis presley?" spencer stands slightly behind you, sort of waiting for you.

"yeah... very cliché. but it's okay, i'll play it anyway." you can't help but grin at how anxious he is about nearly everything.

"well, it's because my mother loves that song. well, used to, now she can hardly remember things."

you turn to him once the cd is in place, "you don't need to explain yourself to me, spencer. i like the song." you reassure him, "now... shall we dance?" you hold a hand out.

spencer gladly takes your hand, gladly taking charge. you've never danced before, and it's evident that spencer hasn't either, but strangely, you feel like the ceramic couples spinning together inside a music box.

he closes his eyes, following the rhythm, visualizing the images from the textbook.

what a mind, you think. it would be nice to live inside his brain: to know every thought before it's fully processed, to see what images flash through his mind, to watch the connections between lines from books and quotes an unsub dropped.

on the other hand, you don't know what you're doing. spencer's eyes flutter open and closed every once in a while and he oh-so-softly laughs whenever he commits a mistake. you consider kissing him, but you don't want to interrupt this brilliant mind at work.

once he's comfortable enough with the pace, he leans his forehead on your shoulder, transitioning into slow dancing. you wrap your arms around his waist, and you just melt together.

rocking you back and forth just in time with the rhythm, he whispers in your ear, "you know, waltzing was considered... scandalous back in the day. couples danced in what they called 'closed position,' they were practically, uh, pelvis to pelvis."

you chuckle, giving him a nod. he feels you nod and takes it as a sign he's good to continue.

"yeah, up until the waltzes of strauss, it was deemed inappropriate. i get that, 'the blue danube' is such a beautiful song, it's hard to pass up the opportunity to... y'know..."

reid rambles on, whispering to you all throughout, as if he were professing his love for you. and in his own little way, you knew he was.

he takes a few (many) awkwardly timed steps, and even you can admit your bodies don't flow together seamlessly. but really, it isn't half-bad.

[babyseraphim]

BABYSERAPHIM’S DBDA MASTERPOST

so, the show's been cancelled, i know. but if they're not gonna make any more content, then by god, i'm gonna fucking do it myself.

~

Music Analyses

1910's Music: Edwin Payne Style The Doll Spider & The Blue Danube Waltz How did Edwin listen to music in the 1910's? What were Edwin's first/favorite piano pieces to play?

~

Fanfics

my healing needed more than time beautiful fanart: ch. 1 - ch. 4 - ch. 6 - ch 10 - hand sewn plushie

Chapters: 12/? Word count: 77.1k

After tangling with the spirit of a mad scientist, Edwin is left with a seven-year-old Charles that has no memory of him or their afterlife together. Edwin learns about Charles’s childhood in steps, as Charles finds his way back to the family he’s built by working through the trauma of his past.

~

dye it all, rosary beautiful fanart: ch. 1

Chapters: 2/2 Word count: 9.2k

Edwin doesn't understand how trauma works. He and Charles learn the hard way. (A fic based on the long-lasting consequences of the Lust circles of Hell on Edwin's psyche)

~

your virtue's my vice

Chapters: 1/3 (probably) Word count: 3k

Charles spent a full year making making sure Edwin was comfortable with intimacy. Now, Edwin wants to know why Charles never talks about himself. Sequel to dye it all, rosary

~

foolish flame beautiful fanart

Chapters: 1/1 (+ fanart) Word count: 5.6k

Orb-based will-o'-the-wisp mythology case fic written for Painland Week. Charles finds out what it's like to be the brains for a day, and Edwin is enraptured by his partner's endless talents. They kiss about it.

Overloaded

Chapter: 3/3 Word count: 9.1k

The aftermath of being used as a witch's magical battery has left Edwin's spectral body wracked with daily pain. Despite Crystal's protests, he does not think that Charles needs to know.

~

By Lantern’s Light

Chapters: 3/3 Word count: 13.6k matching playlist

Edwin is kidnapped by a demon during a case, leaving Charles and Crystal to pick up his trail. It takes them four days to find him. AKA, a heartbreaking story of love and near loss told from three separate perspectives.

~

I'm So Aces at Babysitting

Chapters: 2/2 Word count: 3.7k

Edwin babysits little Charles, and Charles babysits little Edwin. They go to the planetarium and the skate park, respectively.

~

All of the below fics are part of my pre-canon series and should be read in order

The Case of the Selkie’s Skin

Chapters: 4/4 Word count: 14.1k matching playlist

Charles and Edwin are hired by a recently deceased selkie to track down her skin, which was stolen from her and hidden away by her husband before he passed on. Charles finds that her story hits a little too close to home.

Victrola Blues

Chapters: 1/1 Word count: 3.6k

"[Edwin’s] past with music had unfortunately set him down a road that eventually ended with being murdered and imprisoned in Hell for seventy years. Most days, Edwin cannot help but believe that if his love of music hadn’t been so all-consuming, he may have gone on to live a full life."

The Case of Eros’s Arrow

Chapters: 4/? (not likely to be finished) Word count: 13.2k matching playlist

Charles and Edwin are hired by a deity of love four days before Valentine's Day to seek out a stolen magical item. What could possibly go wrong?

Series OC Masterpost

~

Playlists

Charles & Edwin Crystal Niko Esther Monty

[hmslusitania]

I’ve been thinking a lot about Art lately. What it means, and what it means for people to create it, and what it means to be derivative, and what machines might do with it and the fact machine generated art (also called AI art in some circles) makes a hodgepodge, and the statement “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” Because what is machine generated art but imitation? Surely this is flattery?

Some months ago I had the opportunity to go to the Portland Symphony. It was for nerd reasons, the performance list was the battle between Star Wars vs Star Trek, but the conductor hadn’t arranged solely for pieces from Star Trek, or solely for John Williams. He included the theme from ET, and Thus Spake Zarathustra and Blue Danube from 2001, and then the music of a science fiction film from the 1930s no one in the audience had ever heard of before. And somewhere in the middle, he included one additional piece. It was his own, the first of his original compositions he’d ever had performed for an audience.

And it was lovely! It was an absolutely delightful piece of music, and he’d structured the show well enough that we could hear the pieces he’d incorporated that were from the Star Trek theme, that were in conversation with Michael Giacchino’s new Star Trek theme, that were borrowed from Strauss, that had John Williams oozing from the semiquavers and the rests.

It was imitation, and it was derivative, and it was beautiful and full of heart. It was the answer to why imitation is the sincerest form of flattery — it’s because that level of imitation isn’t saying “I couldn’t come up with anything on my own so I borrowed yours” it’s saying “the art you created so moved me that I could not imagine trying to express this piece of my soul without incorporating this thing you created into it.”

When people select the art that we imitate and that we derivate from, it’s an expression of love. It is an acknowledgement that the other has created something beautiful that spoke to us that we now can’t live without.

When computers do it, it’s just soulless. It’s matching defined bits and slapping them together. It isn’t an act of art or love (art and love are, of course, the same thing in their own way) it’s simply… mimicry. Heartless mimicry. It cannot replace actual art and everyone who tries to pretend it can is my enemy.

[stuckasmain]

I cannot escape it

Went to a event where there’s lights that sync to music, they had some nice choices but also randomly played Indiana jones and… motherfucking Blue Danube.

I can only share one video but the first time we heard it in the loop my dads wonderful commentary:

“Do you like my show, Dave?”

“Beautiful show, Hal.”

[ominousredherring]

Over and Over

You remember how I said I would start to write happier things? Yeah... me too. But not this time. You get the gist, unedited, written while listening to the same song. Over and over.

This was inspired by the Davy Jones theme song from POTC. Listening to it while you read adds a special effect, trust me.

The song played over and over.

Melancholic, almost remorseful sounding as the box played its tune countless times. By now, you had it memorized, humming it as you went from class to class or mindlessly tending to the plants in your room of requirement.

The mysterious music box, you had only just found in the Forbidden Forest, was grimy and muddy from the forest floor. It wasn't until you cleaned and polished it, storing it away as a trinket that it opened on its own, playing a song that enchanted you.

If you had to guess, the song reminded you of a lover in mourning, or a love forbidden. Maybe that's why you could never bring yourself to close it, why you could only sit and listen to it as it played over and over.

It made you feel. You had kept your emotions inside the past several months, never allowing yourself to think about the inevitable future. But this song, made you sit back and realize a year had turned to months, now it was only a week. Reality had begun to sink in. Soon, you would be alone again, you would be mourning your own love lost.

Your own forbidden love, doomed from the start, but you both didn't care when you were fifteen. At sixteen, you both still remained hopeful for the future. Now, at eighteen, you could only hope any god listening would grant you any sliver of luck. Unlike whoever this tune was created for.

"It's beautiful." A calm and deep voice spoke from behind you, but you weren't afraid in the slightest. You'd know that voice from anywhere.

"I wasn't expecting anyone to be down here so late." You said as you got up from the couch, meeting him half way in between the pillars of the Undercroft that were illuminated in the dim candlelight.

"I should have known you were down here. When I asked Sebastian where you were, he said he saw you sneak in here hours ago. I got worried when you never left." Ominis said as he took your hands in his, bringing your knuckles to his lips as he kissed each one slowly and sensually.

"I didn't realize you were looking for me."

"Darling, there is never a moment I am not looking to be within your presence. Every second without you is torture." His eyes opened, the gorgeous cloudy blue you fell in love with peered straight into yours, as if he could see into your very soul.

"This song... I've never heard of it before." Ominis commented, prompting you to look at the box you left on the table in front of the fireplace.

"I'm not sure who wrote it, but I found the music box the other week and I can't seem to get enough of it."

The both of you stood still and listened to it play, its melody echoing within the walls of the Undercroft as it had been for the last several hours.

"Well, if we are to both be awake at this hour, then it's only right that we make full use of it." Ominis said, making you question what he meant until he pulled you close to him, taking a dancing position as he began to twirl you in the middle expanse of the room.

The candle light was dim, but it didn’t matter. The song played over and over as Ominis held you close, dancing with the tune. The dance he chose wasn't the usual waltzing you both tended to enjoy with the more upbeat music, like the Blue Danube.

No, this dance was slow and steady.

Your fingers laced in his, his other hand on the small of your back while your other hand would play with the hair on the back of his neck. At one point, you kissed his jaw, only promoting him to return the kiss on your forehead, letting his lips linger for a while as you swayed in a circle.

Over, and over, and over again.

It wasn't until the song played for the tenth or eleventh time that he halted your dance, prompting you to raise your head from his chest.

"Darling, I'm so sorry for shouting at you. I don’t want you to remember me that way. The memory I wish to leave with you is my undying love.” he whispered as he laid a kiss on your lips.

You understood his anger at the time, the both of you shouting at each other only days ago, fighting against your inevitable future. Once your NEWTS were finished next week, your graduation would be the very next. Your final year at Hogwarts would be over, along with your relationship with Ominis.

You fought hard for him to see things your way, that you could withstand anything for the sake of your love for each other. While you had no qualms about being introduced to his family, no matter how risky it was, he pleaded for you to say otherwise. You told him you would cut through any witch or wizard who dared to stand between you and him.

"Azkaban be damned." You shouted, and for the first time in a long time, Ominis saw red. He yelled at you, with the rage one would expect from a Gaunt, that you would have no part in his sadistic family.

You had ran off after that, holding back the tears as you slammed the gate shut behind you in the Undercroft. Not realizing at the time that Ominis only wished to protect you.

He knew you were stubborn, it was one of the many qualities that he had come to love about you. However, much like his best friend Sebastian, your stubbornness would turn into recklessness when you didn't think things through. Going against his family, the most powerful and dangerous in the wizarding world, would be the single most reckless thing he could imagine, and it would only end in death and heartache.

His heart couldn't bear the thought of losing you, but if he had to lose you to keep you alive? Then he too, could be just as stubborn.

You couldn't look at him for days, fearing the tears would begin to fall, because you were stubborn in letting this be your reality. This was unacceptable! To lose him? How could you go on? How could you even think of a future without his smile, his laugh, his sarcastic remarks that made your banter fun? How could you imagine a life where Ominis isn't the one you are laid to rest beside when the end has come?

"I can't accept this." You said, clenching your eyes shut as you tried your damned hardest to will the tears away, but they flowed down your cheeks anyway.

"You have to."

You let go. The walls you fought so hard to build had finally broken as you sobbed into his chest, heaving for air as every wail and painful cry tore at your throat. Your whole body shuddered in his arms as he held you so tight that you didn't have to worry about falling to the floor if your legs gave out.

"I'm going to miss you. Every day, for all eternity." He whispered, tightening his hold on you. He began to cry with you, knowing that he thought of every possible action he could take to stay with you, but each one had its own negative reaction.

Run away? They would find you both and surely your death would be certain.

Strike his name off the registry? His father, no matter how disappointed in Ominis he may be, would never allow a single drop of Gaunt blood out of his control.

Stay together? Then his family would more than definitely use your ancient magic forcibly, to use you as a weapon. The moment either of you would try to refuse, he knew either his, yours, or Merlin forbid your children's lives would be made an example of.

In the end, he knew the only choice was to go your separate ways. This was the only way you both could live, and see the other one live as well.

"I hope we are luckier in the next life." You murmured, still grounding yourself in his chest as he heaved his own sadness as quietly as possible. He didn't want you to see the tears that were currently streaming down his face, but you felt them in your hair as they fell.

"I promise I will find you," He began, lifting your chin up as he whispered into your lips, "Until then, and for all eternity, I will always be yours."

His conviction only motivated you to close the distance between your lips and kiss him passionately. Your tongues used to fight a fierce war in each other's mouths, battling for dominance as your passion grew. Now, they only slide together like a dance, a final waltz before the dream would die and the night would end.

The song played over and over.

Melancholic and remorseful, for the lovers who could never be.

[worstvideogamesong-poll]

had to continue the tradition of crossing over evergrace with whatever it goes against. let's defeat manic miner's the blue danube with the power of #buyinggoodssweep

beautiful work

[seabreeze2022]

Danube River cruise, Part 2. Zurich day 2.

After a nap we walked back into the old part of Zurich for dinner. Crossing the many bridges gives you a unobstructed view of the buildings. The swans were still feeding after dark.

Cheese fondue with morel mushrooms is phenomenal. Items to dip in the cheese are chunks of bread, small potatoes, pickled onions and best of all pickles. Second coarse was a rosti (hash brown) and sliced lamb with a mushroom sauce.

Just wandering around the city which is very safe.

Interesting 15 th century Tavern.

Not many wooden buildings.

This fountain is near the Cathedral, hence its motif.

A back ally bar.

Carriage at the museum.

Nancy with Heidi the cow.

Similar to Amsterdams 3 dimensional plaster figures on the building. This is a painting indicating to people who could not read what is sold here. This was a cobblers business back in the day.

Another example of a business advertisement is the double painting on the corner of an old printing shop. The words on the left say, “Book Printer.”

Nancy getting a sip from the “snail fountain” on Frog street. Someone had lined the top of the fountain with snail shells.

This is “Frog Street” several shops sold frog souvenirs.

Here a very wide fountain was made more user friendly by the first spout pouring into a funnel. Which has supported extension spout pouring the water out closer to the edge of the fountain.

The tops of the chimneys had small designs looking like little houses.

The Swiss knock off of Kentucky Fried Chicken.

We took the funicular car to the top which is where the University is.

View from the University level.

One of the University buildings.

Another example of colorful shudders.

Large water fountain with the Blue and White flag of the city of Zurich.

This was an observatory in town. The wind vane had the sun and moon symbols.

Classic Swiss lunch of Mac n’Cheese but you spoon in dollops of applesauce which sweetens it up. Again this is not Velvetta cheese.

Waiting at the train station looking for the gate number.

First class car for our trip of eleven hours to Wein (Vienna). Only a few people on the trip. We were looking forward to a beautiful ride through the farmlands of Switzerland. Unfortunately the windows were pretty dirty preventing photos. Worst of all the chairs did not recline at all. Making the trip horrible. It was a very fast train averaging 90 mph. Coming down hill from Innsbruck we were doing 136 mph. Barely felt the train moving. We arrived in Wein at 0140 in the morning. They closed down the train station and kicked us and the homeless out in the cold. Hotels were full. Drunks were screaming. Cold biting wind was blowing. Lucky for us we found a 24 hour bar and moved in for 4 hours.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Art: Nocturne in Blue: On Thin Ice by Leonard Koscianski, oil on canvas, 2020.

* * * *

A Brave and Startling Truth by Maya Angelou

We, this people, on a small and lonely planet Traveling through casual space Past aloof stars, across the way of indifferent suns To a destination where all signs tell us It is possible and imperative that we learn A brave and startling truth

And when we come to it To the day of peacemaking When we release our fingers From fists of hostility And allow the pure air to cool our palms

When we come to it When the curtain falls on the minstrel show of hate And faces sooted with scorn are scrubbed clean When battlefields and coliseum No longer rake our unique and particular sons and daughters Up with the bruised and bloody grass To lie in identical plots in foreign soil

When the rapacious storming of the churches The screaming racket in the temples have ceased When the pennants are waving gaily When the banners of the world tremble Stoutly in the good, clean breeze

When we come to it When we let the rifles fall from our shoulders And children dress their dolls in flags of truce When land mines of death have been removed And the aged can walk into evenings of peace When religious ritual is not perfumed By the incense of burning flesh And childhood dreams are not kicked awake By nightmares of abuse

When we come to it Then we will confess that not the Pyramids With their stones set in mysterious perfection Nor the Gardens of Babylon Hanging as eternal beauty In our collective memory Not the Grand Canyon Kindled into delicious color By Western sunsets

Nor the Danube, flowing its blue soul into Europe Not the sacred peak of Mount Fuji Stretching to the Rising Sun Neither Father Amazon nor Mother Mississippi who, without favor, Nurture all creatures in the depths and on the shores These are not the only wonders of the world

When we come to it We, this people, on this minuscule and kithless globe Who reach daily for the bomb, the blade and the dagger Yet who petition in the dark for tokens of peace We, this people on this mote of matter In whose mouths abide cankerous words Which challenge our very existence Yet out of those same mouths Come songs of such exquisite sweetness That the heart falters in its labor And the body is quieted into awe

We, this people, on this small and drifting planet Whose hands can strike with such abandon That in a twinkling, life is sapped from the living Yet those same hands can touch with such healing, irresistible tenderness That the haughty neck is happy to bow And the proud back is glad to bend Out of such chaos, of such contradiction We learn that we are neither devils nor divines

When we come to it We, this people, on this wayward, floating body Created on this earth, of this earth Have the power to fashion for this earth A climate where every man and every woman Can live freely without sanctimonious piety Without crippling fear

When we come to it We must confess that we are the possible We are the miraculous, the true wonder of this world That is when, and only when We come to it.

[ryttu3k]

Classic 100 weekend! My shortlist (and 41-strong longlist) are here, will be keeping track of everything beneath the cut! Bolded entries are from my shortlist, regular text will be longlist, others I really dig will be asterisked. Let's see how we go!

98. Rimsky-Korsakov - Scheherazade (getting started on the longlist early on!)

95. Beethoven - Symphony No. 5* (listen I longlisted three other symphonies, 5th didn't fit)

94. Hisaishi - My Neighbour Totoro* (I do have Hisaishi longlisted, but for Spirited Away)

92. Rodgers & Hammerstein - The Sound of Music* (I think this was on either Mum's longlist or shortlist. Either way, I grew up on this!)

90. Strauss Jr - On The Beautiful Blue Danube* ([muffled space shuttle docking in the distance] Anyway I'm a quarter Viennese this shit's genetic)

86. Westlake - Babe* (got Westlake in my shortlist for Antarctica, but Babe is lovely too!)

84. Westlake and Lior - Compassion* (just a beautiful piece)

83. Einaudi - I Giorni* (huh, I thought I actually did longlist this)

78. Jenkins - Adiemus* (oh hey I know this! I have Benedictus from The Armed Man in my longlist, didn't realise this was his too)

76. Williams - Jurassic Park (longlist! For a very silly reason - my brother and SIL used the main theme as their wedding march, so got some lovely associations with it)

73. Jeffes - Music for a Found Harmonium* (didn't longlist it but totally should have!)

71. Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata (technically I longlisted it for the third movement and they only played the first, but oh well)

67. Williams - Indiana Jones* (how much Williams will be on here? Yes)

61. Elgar - Pomp & Circumstances (the first appearance of something from my shortlist! This one got on the list because my grandmother loves it so much and gets so much comfort and joy from it)

57. Ravel - Bolero (here is a super fun drum corps version! Lowkey want to be the cymbalist who looks like she's having too much fun, and also those two drummers at the end who are leaping into the air. Such great energy!)

56. Hisaishi - Howl's Moving Castle* (another Hisaishi! Still waiting for Spirited Away (Nausicaa wasn't on the nominee list, alas), but honestly, any is good)

54. Copland - Anthem for the Common Man (I also really like the Emerson, Lake, and Palmer version :D Oh, they just played a snippet of it!)

52. Powell - How To Train Your Dragon* (I do love me some Romantic Flight)

48. Saint-Saëns - Carnival of the Animals* (I have the Organ Symphony on my shortlist and Samson et Delilah (for Bacchanale) on my longlist, but I enjoy this too! Also Danse Macabre, but not sure that'd make it onto a list of music to make you feel good...)

47. Copland - Appalachian Spring (my favourite of the two Copland ones I had on my longlist!)

46. Theodorakis - Zorba the Greek (literally how can you not enjoy this piece?)

45. Sibelius - Finlandia* (pieces that make you want to visit the Arctic)

43. Tchaikovsky - 1812 Overture (my first memory of this: the very first Symphony Under the Stars in the Domain, January 1992. I had just turned five. Featured live cannons, fireworks, and the bells of St Mary's Cathedral, and it definitely made an impression!)

39. Grieg - Peer Gynt* (I basically grew up on this, thanks to a Grieg-loving Mum)

36. Westlake - Antarctica feat. Penguin Ballet (it's a penguin ballet <3)

35. Beethoven - 7th Symphony (this was my top choice and it should have been much higher up ;_; And they only played the second movement, my fourth-favourite of four!)

34. Vangelis - Chariots of Fire (I mean I longlisted it, but better than the 7th?)

28. Orff - Carmina Burana (this was one of the first live concerts I ever saw. When Ave Formosissima transitioned into the O Fortuna reprise I got chills. I also goddamn adore Ave Formosissima into the techno version of O Fortuna, but...)

27. Richter - Four Seasons Recomposed (the reorchestration that made me fall in love with Four Seasons. I liked bits before but this is just... next level. You know how sometimes you have a super elaborate and detailed painting and there's so much you lose a lot of it, like, say, Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights? And then you see details and you're just, "I didn't know that was there!" and you can focus on that and just marvel at the genius of it? This is like the musical version, by taking excerpts and celebrating them!)

26. Saint-Saëns - Organ Symphony (hilariously one of my Sunday morning Traditions(tm) is listening to this, so. I still kept my Tradition(tm)!)

22. Williams - Star Wars (damn, I thought this'd be top 10!)

20. Dvorak - New World Symphony (thought this'd be higher too, honestly! Lots of surprises up this end.)

19. Beethoven - Pastoral Symphony (made it to the top 20! Unsure if Eroica will get in, so we're basically just waiting to see where Choral comes in. Top 5 or bust!!)

18. Tchaikovsky - The Nutcracker* (one of my first ballets! Granted, one of a lot of people's first ballets...)

12. Shore - Lord of the Rings (and The Hobbit) (surprised this did so much better than Star Wars, but very pleased!)

8. Elgar - Enigma Variations* (particularly Nimrod, Mum's favourite)

7. Jenkins - The Armed Man (specifically Benedictus. I'm still uncertain if this makes me Feel Good or just makes me Feel A Lot, but either way: emotions)

5. Gershwin - Rhapsody in Blue (my beloved <3 Lovely orchestral version)

2. Holst - The Planets (surprised it got in so high, but pleased!)

1. Oh, you know :)

Current count

Shortlist: 6/10 (Pomp and Circumstances, Penguin Ballet, 7th Symphony, Four Seasons Recomposed, Organ Symphony, Star Wars)

Longlist: 17/31 (Scheherezade, Jurassic Park, Moonlight Sonata, Bolero, Anthem for the Common Man, Appalachian Spring, Zorba the Greek, 1812 Overture, Chariots of Fire, Carmina Burana, New World Symphony, Pastoral Symphony, Lord of the Rings, The Armed Man, Rhapsody in Blue, The Planets, aaand Choral!)

[vinylfoxbooks]

Christmas Fic!

I have a Christmas special finished that I was going to put out today but I'm tired and my bed is comfortable so it'll be out tomorrow (Dec 26). Here is a list of the songs I listened to to get the vibe (not including the ones I actually mentioned in the end notes):

*Merry Go Round of Life - both Andy Morris & Joe Hisaishu

*Chalkboard - Jóhan Jóhannsson

*Kingdom Dance - Tangled Soundtrack

*Solas - Jamie Duffy

*Experience - Ludovico Einaudi

*I Hear a Symphony - Cody Fry

*Isabella's Lullaby (イザベラの唄) - Takahiro Obata

*Middle of the Night - Joel Sunny

*Tonight ve Dance - Peter Gundry

*Howl's Moving Castle - Vitamin String Quartet

*Sway - Michael Buble

*Eleanor Rigby - Cody Fry

*Arctic Waters - Soetkin Milbouw

*The Sleeping Beauty Op.66 - Tchaikovsky

*Kaiser Walzer (Emperor Waltz) Op.437 - Johann Strauss II

*The Nutcracker Suite Op.71a - Tchaikovsky

*An Der Schonen, Blauen Donau (The Beautiful Blue Danube) Op.314 - Johann Strauss II

*Voices of Spring Op.410 - Johann Strauss II

*Swan Lake Suite Op.20a - Tchaikovsky

*Tarantella Napoletana - Gli Italiani di leri

*Can Can - Jacques Offenbach

*Jessica's Theme - Bruce Rowland

*Vivaldi's Autumn (Four Seasons)

*Tarantella in D Minor, Op.23 - Oliver Gledhill

*13 Pieces Op.76 - Jean Sibelius

[mikimeiko]

Day 6 - Bratislava (Slovakia)

It's a beautiful day, sunny and breezy, big fluffy clouds in the sky, and a very crisp light that makes everything beautiful.

And coffee is only slightly more expensive than in Italy, I could cry XD (it also tends to be more acidic, which I don't particularly care for, but still).

There's a good amount of people strolling through the street of the old town, but it's not the crowds of Vienna or even Innsbruck. It's like a good, enjoyable quantity of people.

Bratislava is full of small, slightly hipstery cafés, and boy was this something I missed while in Vienna (mostly because it was raining all the time, and the bigger, fancier cafés have never felt really welcoming to me). Also there's a lot of specialty coffee shops where you can find different roasts and brewing methods, which I like a lot.

I found this really cute one in a courtyard off one of the main streets (which seems to be a thing I didn't properly understand yesterday, lots of places in this courtyards/alleyways to explore) which has pretty good coffee AND it comes with a bottle of water? Lovely!

For lunch I went to a (very touristy) restaurant built inside an ex theater. It's quite beautiful, and they managed to preserve enough of the original structure to make a good, original setting. There was supposed to be a lunch set menu (most restaurants apparently have them), but there wasn't? Possibly because I was too late, but I couldn't find an indication of the time anywhere. Anyway, after a moment of real frustration, I decided to give in to the touristy vibe and get THE MOST touristic food available: the garlic soup served inside a loaf of bread XD and you know what, it was actually pretty good! Though, as it generally happens with soups served in bread, it was A LOT of bread. Almost impossible to finish. Maybe people share it? I hope so, because otherwise is an immense waste.

It's getting cloudier but tomorrow it might rain, so I decide to go check out Devin Castle, a castle ruin on top of a rock at the confluence of the Morava and the Danube which is luckily included in my 72h public transport pass even if it's outside of the city. (Also included with my ticket: the bus to the Hungarian border south of the city. Should I go to the Hungarian border? Should I cross into Hungary for like 5 minutes? My heart wants to XD).

The castle is pretty magnificent. You can climb up but the garlic soup in bread is proving as hard to digest as it sounds XD So I just take the road the circle around it, going near the river.

There's also a path that starts here and goes up along the wetlands of the Morava with panels that explain how the wetlands work and why they are important to preserve. It looked really promising but the path around the castle was in the other direction. It's a lovely walk near the river, and I'm quite happy to be in a more natural environment after all these days spent mostly in cities.

On my way back I decide to go check out the riverside area of the Eurovea shopping center, which is supposed to be very nice even if it's technically part of the shopping center.

(Also since it's close I decide to also go see the blue church, which is VERY PRETTY)

I go inside the mall, try to figure out how to get to the riverbank, somehow manage to go down one floor and then up again JUST AT THE RIGHT PLACE to completely miss the part where you have to step outside if you're on floor zero and end up walking for an infinite time inside this giant mall, which is really NOT what I wanted (the weather is still nice! I yearn to be outside!). In the end I manage to get out of the shopping center at the right place and well, the guide wasn't lying when it said this was worth visiting! Very pleasant, very beautiful.

I'm so tired and I wanted to go back to the hostel early tonight but somehow it's already nine by the time I get back. Oh well XD

Met a lovely Slovenian girl called Nadia and had a nice talk with her to close well the day!

[sheetmusiclibrarypdf]

The Library Of Easy Piano Classics, Vol.1 & 2

The Library Of Easy Piano Classics, Vol.1:Best Sheet Music download from our Library.The Library Of Easy Piano Classics, Vol.2:Please, subscribe to our Library. Thank you!

The Library Of Easy Piano Classics, Vol.1:

Contents: The Library Of Easy Piano Classics, Vol.1Download - Butterfly - Rameau: Le Tambourin - Georg Friedrich Händel: Air And Variations - Georg Friedrich Händel: Air - Scriabin: Album Leaf - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Alla Turca Turkish March - Edvard Grieg: Anitra'S Dance Peer Gynt Suite Op.46 No.1 - Ludwig van Beethoven: Bagatelle - Jacques Offenbach: Barcarolle Les Contes D'Hoffmann - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Capriccio Italienne Op.45 - Claude Debussy: Deux Arabesques - Ludwig van Beethoven: Ecossaise - Frédéric Chopin: Fantasie Impromptu - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Fantasy In D Minor - Johann Sebastian Bach: Four Pieces From The Little Notebook - Ludwig van Beethoven: Fur Elise Bagatelle In A Minor Woo 59 - Franz Joseph Haydn: Gipsy Rondo - Claude Debussy: Golliwogg'S Cakewalk - Dmitri Kabalevsky: Having Fun - Edvard Grieg: Humerosque - Antonin Dvorák: Humoresque - Johannes Brahms: Hungarian Dance - Franz Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No.1 - Claude Debussy: La Fille Aux Cheveux De Lin - Georg Friedrich Händel: Largo - Louis-Claude Daquin: Le Coucou - Franz Liszt: Liebestraum - Isaac Albéniz: Malaguena - Franz Schubert: March Militaire - Frédéric Chopin: Mazurka In B Flat - Claude Debussy: Minstrels - Minuet Blavet - Ludwig van Beethoven: Minuet In G - Franz Schubert: Moment Musicale Op.94 No.3 - Ludwig van Beethoven: Moonlight Sonata Op.27 No.2 - Fauré: Nocturne - Nocturne In E Flat Op.9 No.2 - Frédéric Chopin: Nocturne Op. 72 No. 1 - Sergei Prokofiev: Peter And The Wolf - Zdenek Fibich: Poem - Dimitri Shostakovich: Polka - Bach: Prelude And Fugue Book 1. No 2 - Bach: Prelude And Fugue Book 2 No. 12 - Frédéric Chopin: Prelude In A Op.28 No.7 - Frédéric Chopin: Prelude In B Minor Op.28 No.6 - Sergei Rachmaninov: Prelude - Bach: Prlude No. 1 - Rondinio Field - Ludwig van Beethoven: Rondo A Capriccio In G Op.129 - Hummel: Rondo - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Rondo In D - Aram Il'yich Khachaturian: Saber Dance - Franz Schubert: Serenade - Ludwig van Beethoven: Six Variations - Franz Joseph Haydn: Sonata In D Major - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Sonata K 543 - Sonate Au Clair De Lune Moonlight Sonata - Nicolay Rimsky-Korsakov: Song Of India Sadko - Isaac Albéniz: Tango - Johann Strauss Jr.: The Blue Danube Waltz Op.314 - Scott Joplin: The Cascades - Franck: The Doll's Complaint - Robert Schumann: The Happy Farmer Op.68 No.10 Album For The Young - Claude Debussy: The Little Negro - Anatol Lyadov: The Music Box - Edward MacDowell: To A Wild Rose Woodland Sketches Op.51 - Traumerei Kinderscenen Op.15 No.7 - Erik Satie: Trois Gnossiennes - Frédéric Chopin: Valse - Johannes Brahms: Waltz In A Flat Op.39 No.15 - Frédéric Chopin: Waltz In C Sharp Minor Op.64 No.2 - Carl Maria von Weber: Waltz

The Library Of Easy Piano Classics, Vol.2:

Contents: The Library Of Easy Piano Classics Vol 2Download - 1812 Overture op49 (Tschaikowsky, Peter Iljitsch) - Air (Bach, Wilhelm Friedemann) - Allegretto Scherzando (Bach, Carl Philipp Emanuel) - American The Beautiful (Ward, Samuel A.) - Anitra's Dance (Peer Gynt Suite op46,1) (Grieg, Edvard) - Aria (Verdi, Giuseppe) - Arietta - Prelude No1 In C From The Well-tempered Clavier (Js, Bach) - Ave Verum Corpus K.618 - Allegretto Scherzando (Cpe Bach) - Air (Wf Bach) - Bell Song From Lakme - Minuet In G - Sympathy No7 - Sympathy No 7 - Sympathy No3 'Eroica' - Sympathy No 6 'Pastoral' - Theme From Variations On A Theme From Paisello's La Molinara - Piano Concerto No4 - Ecossaises - Minuet Op 49 No 2 - Farandolce From L'Arlesienne Suite No2 - Hungarian Dance No 4 - Hungarian Dance No 6 - Lullaby - Waltz - Prelude Op 28 No 4 - Gavotte - Waltz Op 18 - Waltz Op 34 No 1 - Waltz Op 64 No 2 - Waltz Op 69 No 2 - Nocturne Op 9 No 2 - Polonaise Op 40 No 1 - Polonaise Op 53 - Fantasy Impromptu Op 66 - Funeral March From Sonata - Sonatina - Reverie - Bell Song From Lakme - Pizzicati From Sylvia - Slavonic Dance No 10 - Melody - Jeanie With The Light Brown Hair (Foster) - Mighty Lak A Rose (Nevin) - Entry Of The Gladiators - Waltz Fromfaust - Anitras Dance From Peer Gynt - Minuet - Piano Concerto - Bouree - Gavotte - Minuet No 1 - Bouree From Music Of The Royal Fireworks - German Dance - Saint Anthony Chorale - Gypsy Love Song (Herbert) - My Herat At Thy Sweet Voice (Samson And Delilah) - Danube Waves - Parade Of The Tin Soldiers - Maple Leaf Rag (Joplin) - Over The Waves - Parade Of The Tin Soldiers - Four Scottish Dances - Les Preludes - Fascination - Nocturne - Fingal's Cave (Mendelsshon) - Theme - Piano Concerto In C - Minuet From Don Giovanni - Minuet In F - Minuet - Ave Verum - Romance From Eine Kleine Nachtmusik - Rondo - Romance From Piano Concerto No 20 - Arietta - Menuetto - Sailor's Dance (Dido And Aeneas) - Mighty Lak A Rose (Nevin) - Caprice No 24 - The Whistler And His Dog - Themes From Madame Butterfly - Solvejg's Song - Sailors Dance - Rondeau - Minuet - Over The Waves - My Heart At Thy Sweet Voice (Saint Saens) - Minuet (Scarlatti) - Sympathy No 7 - Trout Quintet - Impromptu - Moment Musicale - Sympathy No 9 - Piano Trio In E Flat - The Happy Farmer - Blindmans Buff - Melody - Slumber Song - Traumerei - Canon (Sciabin) - The Stars And Stripes Foreveer - The Washington Post - Emperor Waltz - Tritsch Tratsch Polka - Vienna Blood - Wine Women And Song - I Am The Very Model Of A Modern Major General (Sullivan) - Themes From Madame Butterfly - Morning Prayer - Waltz - Waltz In E Flat - Tritsch Tratsch Polka - Sympathy No 5 - Sympathy No 6 - March From The Nutcracker - Waltz Of The Flower - 1812 Overture - Chanson Triste - Battle Hymn Of The Republic (Traditional American Hymn) - Waltz (Schlubert) - Waltz In A Flat Op.34 No.1 - Red River Valley (Traditional American Song) - Waltz In C Sharp Minor Op.64 No.2 - Chicken Reel (Traditional American Fiddle Tune) - Waltz In E Flat - Good King Wenceslas (Traditional English Carol) - Prayer Of Thanksgiving (Traditional Netherlands Hymn) - Auldlang Syne (Traditional Scottish Air) - Aria - Evening Star - Wine Women And Song - The Band Played On - American The Beautiful Read the full article