#Violinist Legend

[theecholegend]

The Hero of Legend is also a talented musician.

[th3-0bjectivist]

Dear listener, I tried listening to six full hours of mainstream radio this week again. I tried, oh, sweet merciful Jesus, I tried. Lo, I have at this point all but confirmed that modern radio is a steaming pool of liquid dogshit. Given a second appraisal, it’s dogshit with a candy-coated hardshell for ease of ingestion! The disheartening repetition, the complete lack of cutting-edge creativity and genuine emotion, ten to twenty ass-ramming commercials in a row only to come back to the feckless frenzy of fail that comprises the vast, vast majority of modern music? It was all terribly grating, and somehow the music was even worse. As soon as I couldn’t take a millisecond more of the doldrums of modern radio, I went to YouTube and listened to two straight and comparatively blissful hours of immortal work by Antonio Vivaldi. So, get into the time machine again with me dear listener, and set course for the early 1700’s, a time when radio didn't exist! The social standards might not have been top-notch, but the powdered wigs were undeniably gorgeous, and the quality of the music… to die for!!!

As anyone who comes from a musical family has likely experienced, Vivaldi had the principles of composition fused to his DNA, and perhaps even down to the subatomic level with the help of his father. Having trained for priesthood in his early years, Vivaldi instead gradually gravitated toward a now celebrated career in music. Becoming an elite level violinist under the tutelage of his father Giovanni Battista, whom he regularly toured Venice and played duelling violins with, this legend of orchestra developed an immense capacity for transforming the basics of music into something so immensely interwoven and sublime that very few can or will ever dare so much as approach the legitimate majesty of his body of orchestral work. Known as something of an Italian religious dogmatist, his calling to the church and desire to be a priest secured him the nickname ‘Il Prete Rosso’ (The Red Priest) because he was a ginger, or in modern politically correct parlance… a natural red head. During a three-decade long gig serving as Master of Violin at an historical Vincentian orphanage, Ospedale della Pietà, Vivaldi managed to gather inspiration and organize his most emotionally powerful compositions. I could probably add a lot of unnecessary details here, but his greatest and most everlasting works are part of his ‘The Four Seasons’, a set of four violin concertos that are meant to express nearly the precise sensations and emotions of summer, winter, autumn, and spring. If you smash play on the above track you will be treated to Presto (from the Summer section), a song you probably know or have heard before. Presto means ‘quickly’ in Italian and is performed at one of the quickest speeds a human can possibly play music (second only to prestissimo speed, I think). Vivaldi also had a strange disease throughout all his life which many historians suspect might have been severe asthma. And with his penchant for taking numerous ‘leaves of absences’ to tour the world and develop an international reputation, this clearly mega-talented rockstar of yester-century ended up spending all the money he earned during his lifetime. Sadly, after approaching the end of his life and skidding through a decade’s worth of career decline, all accounts show that he died completely broke, having spent what little money he had left on multiple assistants that circumnavigated him through his now dire and at the time completely untreatable health issues. Vivaldi isn’t my personal favorite composer of all-time, I’ll leave that distinction to Bach (who himself was inspired by Vivaldi). But his works live on to this very day because he accomplished exactly what he strove to do; embody the excellence of execution in his craft to produce works that bring us together as human beings and sometimes inspire a rare spark of imagination to propel us to create the very best work we can possibly bring forth.

Right above this paragraph is a live variation of The Four Seasons, a classic musical work of art and transcendent beauty that I cannot recommend highly enough. Vivaldi sure did one thing that modern, corporately funded, concentrated and even desperate bands just can’t… and that is actually innovate. He had immense natural technical skills, had them brought to bloom by his family and his own efforts, and he ended up creating over 500 instrumental and choral works, plus about 40 operas. Have *you* created 500 instrumental and choral works and 40 operas!? Didn’t think so. So, get to work on that! And join me next time for some jaunty Brahms. Image source: https://www.craiyon.com/image/dPwZA5VRRTawSH1T9Sslcw

[aiiaiiiyo]

[asheanon]

That's about as much as I can manage to do for him this weekend, but... we're getting around to showing off some Lorien content, finally! 🎻✨

[haitilegends]

Repost @imsherie

Write the vision and make it plain..✨I literally woke up from seeing this in my dream and wrote it down. That morning I called @stringschick and said how can we make this happen! And now it’s a masterpiece and it’s available on YouTube ! Go watch the live music video of my new song “#Candlelight” It’s not only a beautiful song but a beautiful experience. ❤️✨..📷 @_ashtronot_ ....#linkinmybio #newmusicvideo #bts #newmusic #realmusic #candlelight #artist #musicvideo #youtube #newartist #rnb #newrnb #musicians #strings #violinmusic #singersongwriter #🎻

#Haitilegendsclassical

#haitilegendsrisingstars

#haitilegends

#ImSherie

#HaitianWomeninmusicHL

#womeninmusicsingersmusiciansbands

#WomeninMusicHL

#womeninmusic

[ashtxrie]

summertime (jeongin)

PAIR. musician!jeongin x reader GENRE. angst, right person wrong time, missed opportunities, pianist x violinist, reader fumbling, jeongin deserves better WORD COUNT. 2.1k WARNINGS. mentions of drinking NOTES. oh yeah it's the post-finals ash comeback !

i think i’ll miss you forever  like the stars miss the sun in the morning sky 

june 00

summer had begun. 

sunlight draped through the windows in veils of liquid bronze, winking off of the steinway in the center of the room. yang jeongin sits at the bench, fingers flitting across the monochrome keys. he locks eyes with you momentarily, your violin on your shoulder. you both exchange one of your secret smiles. we’re doing well. 

yang jeongin was only supposed to be your accompanist for one concert, a little over a year ago. it was his first time; his mentor had called in sick that day, so he — a novice of age eighteen — was called on to play with you for your concerto. you were also eighteen at the time — a violin prodigy, a local legend. 

it only took that one concert to note that the chemistry was undeniable. instead of one instrument line chasing another, it was as though time itself warped to fit your tempo. the pianist, no matter how skilled, was never to distract the audience from the soloist — but together, both of you shined the brightest. and so he was called on for your next concert, and the next, and the one after that — until the two of you became some sort of a package deal, where one was never in a concert hall without the other. 

tabloids called it a dual sensation, a collision of harmonizing colors. later, you’d jokingly call it fate. you’d miss how elated jeongin was from your statement, eyes squinted in crescents for the rest of the day. 

“you’re a star,” jeongin smiled one time, after a particularly successful performance. you had received a standing ovation. 

“if i’m a star then you’re the sun,” you replied, expression mirroring his. “just look at the way everyone gravitates toward you.”

even you? jeongin wanted to ask, but he swallowed the question. 

june 01

at nineteen, summer had arrived again. jeongin was going to confess today. after a year of nearly blurting it out loud, he hid flowers in the corner of the room, waiting for the end of this rehearsal. you were shining, as always. 

you reached the end of your cadenza. suddenly, you turned around. “i’m not sure if i told you already, but i’m moving to the states in three months. i was going to tell you earlier, but couldn’t really find a good time to,” you breathed a little laugh. “it shouldn’t really affect you though; you’re really famous around here already anyway.” 

jeongin’s eyes shifted to the corner of the room, where he could barely make out the pale pink petals. he waited too long. he had smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “that’s such a great opportunity, i’m so happy for you.” 

“i’ll keep in touch,” you assured. words thrown out, haphazardly. it wasn’t a promise, and jeongin knew it. but in his mind, he hoped it was. 

you picked up your violin, and jeongin faced back toward the piano like you always had before. you both didn’t say a word for the rest of the rehearsal. 

july 01

one month had passed since then.

somehow, the two of you have gotten closer than ever before. jeongin seemed to find himself going to the cafe with you after practice, texting you late into the night, and running useless errands together. 

“i’m going to get new strings. come with me?” you ask. jeongin knows you just changed it two months ago, far too recent to need a replacement. but he doesn’t dare ask you about it and agrees to go with you anyway. 

maybe another version of yourself would have loved him. and maybe he would have been brave enough to ask you on a proper date, if he was a better man. but he isn’t, so he hopes and dreams and damns himself. 

august 01

two months in. one month left.

jeongin gifts you a music box: a delicate wooden contraption of two figures dancing, lacquer smiles plastered on their faces. he’d spent his month’s paycheck on the custom-made design, and even more on the musical mechanism. 

“play it,” he smiles eagerly. he leans forward, clasping his hands. 

and you do, using both hands to wind it up. it plays a sweet melody, one you recognize instantly. the woman and the man, spinning around and around. you play it again after the song is over. 

later, as you’re cleaning up your sheet music, you find the find the first piece you and jeongin worked on together. the same score that you both had used for that very first concert, the one he landed by chance. 

“let’s play it again? for old-times’ sake?” 

of course he agrees. jeongin could never say no to you, always a call away. 

now you’re sure that you’ve heard that song before, the one in the music box. it’s playing now, after all. 

september 01

your last performance. jeongin would never forget it. 

maybe you both were good, really good, or maybe you were terrible. jeongin doesn’t remember, and he doesn’t care, because he’s playing to your cadences, and you’re playing to his tune. 

after the encore, you rushed over to hug him, thanking him for the past year. 

“do you ever have dreams?” you looked up at him, eyes glistening.

“dreams?” he laughed. “well, i’m in one right now, aren’t i?”

october 01. 

it was no longer summer when you left. 

without the sun, jeongin’s days are dimmer. he runs through his warm-ups in an hour, sitting through a limbo between consciousness for the other twenty-three. 

in the morning he’ll call you, and that is the only time he feels alive. 

you talk about places, and things. sandy beaches and wide roads, skyscrapers and subways and neon lights. jeongin says to wait a few more years, when his brother moves out for college, and he’d fly over too. 

he hangs on to the sound of your voice, ever a hoper, a dreamer, and imagines hearing it for years to come. 

december 01. 

the last day of the year. an almost-snow crowds the corner of his window. jeongin gets to stay in his apartment for half a week. 

his neighbors are more festive than ever before. he hears the sounds of plates clambering, eager footsteps, and a steady drum. 

jeongin calls you, the line connecting on the second try. there’s the faint sound of a piano playing in the background, of you laughing at a residual joke that someone made. he’s alone in his apartment. 

“hello,” he smiles. 

“hello jeongin,” he imagines you smile back. 

“it’s new year.”

“sure is.”

“what are you doing?”

“talking to you.”

he laughs. you smile.

“did you hear the news?” you ask. 

“what news?”

“orpheus’ orchestra is coming around. they invited me to play a concerto with them. i just met my accompanist today, he’s really nice.”

“oh.”

was that who she was laughing with before? he wants to go. with you. you should go together. 

“i’ll buy your tickets,” he starts. you both know it’s impossible. 

“front row seats, i hope?”

“whatever you’d like.”

his neighbors change the channel. sometime, sometime, it sings. 

long after you hang up, jeongin leans against the wall closest to the radio. phone leaving red imprints on the side of his face. 

“happy new years, darling,” he says, softly.

the radio plays. aren’t you a little in love, too?

march 02. 

you don’t pick up jeongin’s calls much these days, and when you do, it’s always brief, ended abruptly. you’re always busy, always needing to go. 

the walls are thin. jeongin thinks of calling you. 

half of the time you don’t pick up, but he likes you, and he wants you to like him too. 

so what if he stalls a little on your calls? two minutes into three, three into four, four into five–

he squints his eyes against the sun. 

he dials your number, and he hears the piano again. a two-minute reverie before you have to leave again — the shortest call yet. you hang up mid-goodbye. 

you don’t call again for a while after that.

october 02. 

it’s been six months since he last heard from you. his neighbors had moved out not long after, and a young man around his age had moved in. his name was kim seungmin — the vocal protege who was relocated here for a local tour — and he was desperate for a piano accompanist. they bonded quickly, and a little part of jeongin reignited at playing an accompaniment part for someone again after so long. 

tonight, in particular, they had decided to grab a drink together. mid-way through the fourth shot, jeongin’s ringtone suddenly plays. 

yang jeongin’s eyes wander over the foreign digits on his phone. an incoming call from an unknown number. he excuses himself and goes outside; he picks it up anyway. 

he hears a familiar voice from the other line. “hello?” 

��sorry, who’s this?” he wonders if he’s drunk already. 

“oh shoot, sorry wrong num– wait. jeongin?” 

“yes?” realization hits him. he calls out your name softly, apprehensively, afraid of it sounding foreign on his tongue. it’s been so long, after all. 

all the walls he’s built for the past six months break, going back to the dreamer of a boy he was one year ago. maybe it was the fact that he missed this sound for so long, or maybe it was the alcohol, but he asks the person on the other line to stay just a little longer. 

“okay,” you say, and it’s silent on both their ends. 

don’t let it end this time, he says to himself, when the line dies. don’t let it end. 

october 05. 

it’s been three years. jeongin’s gotten into fashion, met friends who he regards as family, found a love for diabolical footwear. his days are a lot less lonely now, with him performing with a full-time ensemble with seven other members. they were touring in america, for god’s sake! he finally got to visit the place he wanted for so long. 

he’s known as another name now, remembered as the artist “i.n” instead of jeongin, the one who accompanied you all those years ago. but he never forgot. 

jeongin walks into a thrift store on one of their tour stops with hyunjin, tasking the older to “rate the fit” as he looks for what he describes as “peak vintage sustainability.” 

browsing the aisles, he pauses at a familiar object. a music box, with two figures dancing. 

“you can go ahead actually,” he says to hyunjin, waving him on. “there’s just something i want to look at.” 

he takes a while staring at at his own reflection in the figure’s glossy face. twenty-four, he counts out. he’s almost twenty-four. that means you are too. 

hands shaking, he twists the handle of the music box. he closes his eyes, and lets the familiar melody play until it unwinds completely. he wished it never ended. it would make it all too real. 

jeongin wonders if this is yours. he wonders if you still think about him from time to time, like how he does of you every day. 

he pays for the music box and leaves. 

in the morning, on the train, there’s a woman sitting across from him. she looks to be about the same age as him. the same age as you. he’s in america now, after all. she smiles down at him, hands clutched above at the handle. he’s holding the music box. 

a second, then she is gone. jeongin looks into the sea of people of wherever he’s arrived, when the train’s stopped and he has to leave. 

jeongin wonders if he would still recognize you on the street if you walked by. he’s scared. he’s afraid that his memory of you is becoming hazy, and replays your voice in his head until your last half-assed cut-off goodbye is all he can hear. 

and he finds you, in the girl with a red scarf and the lady with polished fingernails. the musician with a violin case and the girl with a dog. 

maybe you’re not in this city at all. maybe you’re out, in the streets of another foreign town. 

under the roof of a korean cafe.

at a cheap motel, payment upfront. 

it doesn’t matter who you are. he’ll find you everywhere.

in a broken-down apartment, at the last stop of the train. 

he’ll be yours for all of them. 

TAGLIST : @star-sim @boyfiejay @jlheon @jwsdoll @dimplewonie @suneng @en-gelic @mygnolia

*tagging my previous gen taglist for this one but from now on the ppl i tagged above will only be tagged in my enha-centric fics! if you'd like to be added to the general taglist (which is everything!) or the skz-focused taglist, please lmk with an ask or comment <3

[leviosally]

2024 Fic Roundup / AO3 Ask Game

Thank you for the tag @gaiaseyes451 ! Sorry it took a bit to get around to this 💜

What fandoms do you write in?

Good Omens currently, but have written for The Witcher, and a bit for Legend of Zelda

How many words have you published in 2024?

459,251...that's not including my other account. Wahoo!

What is your greatest achievement this year?

I'm just so happy (and a little wistful) to have finished my long fic, Play for Me the Music of Your Heart It's been a long time in the writing (since 2022) and I'm so pleased to have crossed the finish line.

What are your favourite top three fics you've written this year?

(I technically have only written/added on to 2 fics this year 🙈)

Play for Me the Music of Your Heart- My 31 ch. Good Omens university music school AU that I finally finished!! May I offer you violinist Crowley? Or pianist/conductor Aziraphale?

Sweet Things - My short post S3 kinky fic from The Art of Yelling server's Valentine's Kink Calendar event. (CW sex with snake form Crowley)

( I wrote an rpf on almost this exact day a year ago though)

What was your biggest pit of despair moment?

I worried myself several times (unnecessarily, but anxiety gremlins) that I would draw a complete blank on the final ch. of my long fic and fail to complete it. I gave the gremlins the finger.

What have you learned?

Tell the story you want to tell. Better to write for yourself and the handful of people the story will resonate with than to force a story you think will appeal to the masses. If it's pulling at you, it's pulling for a reason.--wise words there by gaia that I'm going to leave.

And also, just continuing to learn more about writing, art and the creative process in general.

What fic did you want to do but never made it off the ground?

Nothing that I started that didn't make it, plenty on the idea pile that I want to write.

Did you beta any fics? Any favs you want to shout out?

I did! I've looked at fic for @dat-carovieh, @nightgazings, @tawnyontumblr, there might be others that I'm forgetting and I'm so sorry, but all of you are wonderful writers and it was a pleasure working with you!

What three fics have you read this year that you love?

The Squire's Wife by @copperplatebeech - Good Omens. I have had it marked for later for forever, because 24 hours/day is criminal. It's wonderful! Copper's signature snappy, crisp prose, her wonderfully witty sense of humor and the absolute sorcery she invokes in her dialogue use make this a wonderful read. And of course, she had me at 'music au'.

The Red King's Consort by @okamiwind - This one is Legend of Zelda (BotW/ToTK) and the pairing Link/Sidon. It is one of the most beautiful fics I have ever read, pairings aside. It is scorching hot, evocative, and just lush. It's like eating a particularly rich truffle, and the pining and longing is off the charts gorgeous.

I did a lot of re-reading of comfort fics as well, as this year was quite stressful, so @mia-ugly Slow Show, @sevdrag, Old Vines, I will always love these from the bottom of my heart.

What ideas are percolating for next year?

Let's see...I want to write my own Link/Sidon if the right idea hits. I also have a shorter kink fic in mind for GO as well as a meet-cute that's art student Crowley and figure model Aziraphale. Longer GO fic includes a wildland firefighter Crowley and forest service ranger Aziraphale fic (not 31 chapters again, Someone willing) and we got pretty jazzed about a drum corp AU on The Serpent and the Saint server last night, so...maybe a collab? 👀

I've also been told I need to get cracking on a historical original fic for Liszt/Chopin 😆😏

Who do you want to thank?

Oh godddd, so many amazing people: @ajconstantine, and @tybalttrouble my wonderful betas, and @dawn-the-rithmatist for yelling with me and cheering and also helping beta. WE MADE IT. Everyone on the Art of Yelling discord server, really, y'all are awesome.

@wingsofopal for your amazing art, your encouragement, and for reaching out and prodding me to open The Serpent and the Saint pub discord server to all the amazing people reading and supporting Play for Me the Music of Your Heart. @gaiaseyes451, @paperclipninja, @hermiola, @notalostcausejustyet (and special shout out to you, my dear, for helping me navigate formatting for print) and everyone else I didn't tag who is there, or that I can't find here, I LOVE YOU ALL TO ABSOLUTE BITS AND I DON'T DESERVE YOU 🥹😭🙏🫂

No pressure tags: @dat-carovieh, @badwolfbadwolf, @ambrasue I have no idea who hasn't been tagged yet, if you're mentioned above, also please take it as a tag. If you see this and want to play, please do!

[elesdecroisa]

Briar - Perpetual Concerto | Journey Unfolds (kind of)

Sometimes, you would hear mysterious violin sounds at night. The violin sounds are hauntingly beautiful, and it has attracted many to try and find its source, to no avail. The one playing the violin at night is nobody else but Briar - a Graveborn who looked like a teenage girl, but her skills say otherwise. Today, let us delve into the story of Briar and find out more about her!

A Fatal Mistake

Briar was once a daughter of a small noble family, and led a pretty peaceful life. In the year of her birth, the wild rose bushes growing outside her house bloomed so vibrantly, that her parents decided to name her Briar - meaning “Thorny bush of wild roses”.

Briar grew up without having any special talents for anything - but she made up for it by being well-behaved and extremely hardworking. She, however, still had a favorite thing to do, and that was to play the violin. She dreamed of being the greatest violinist ever, and worked extra hard to pursue her dream, knowing that she must use her effort to replace the talent that she never had. But her relentless pursuit of improvement had led herself to her own demise - she was so indulged in her violin practice that she forgot to eat or drink, and then finally collapsed to the ground from exhaustion. 

Instead of leaving this world, however, Briar returned as a Graveborn. Nobody knew how this happened, even Briar herself. At first, she thought it was a miracle that she returned, but as she witnessed the death of her loved ones while she remained unchanging after years, she finally acknowledged that she had gotten the curse of immortality. Being a person who believed firmly that all actions have consequences, to Briar, this was the price she had to pay, for she could have prevented such a foolish mistake from taking her life, as it was something she had complete control of.

The Life After Immortality

Later on, Briar learned to accept her fate, and finally got used to her Graveborn identity. She still does things she loved when she was alive, and takes up other hobbies and habits too, to make use of her endless available time.

Even as a Graveborn, Briar never gave up on her passion. She practiced the violin almost everyday, slowly honing her skills over the years. Even though the progress was slow, she still kept going. Hard work finally paid off, and now her violin skills have reached a peak that few mortals could compare to. But sometimes, she would still lament about how she would never be able to perform on stage like she used to dream about anymore. 

Briar also learned magic over the span of years, and she has mastered a few spells, some of them have been modified by her so that she could cast them just by playing on her violin, which was also infused with her own magic for the sake of being a catalyst to her spells. Her most signature modified spell is a teleportation spell that turns her into a flurry of rose petals before transporting her away, leaving a few fleeting petals on the ground.

The night sky is now Briar’s stage and audience, as she developed a habit of playing the violin outside at night. She would teleport away the moment someone of other factions came near her radius, and remained a mysterious legend for years. Once in a while, she would encounter other Graveborns outside, and she would not be afraid to perform for them, given that they wish to hear her play.

Briar keeps a lot of rose bushes of all colors in her garden as a tribute to her long deceased parents, who loved roses during their lifetime. She adorns her hair, her outfit and even her violin with white roses that she picked from the garden then preserved with magic.

Briar’s Skills

As a Graveborn Mage, all of Briar’s skills are spells that she had modified so that she could cast them using her trusted violin. Her musical-imbued skills can deal damage, buff her allies, as well as weaken enemies. Let’s find out more about them!

Crescendo of Petals

When Briar’s Ultimate, Crescendo of Petals, is cast, she starts playing a song on her violin, buffing her allies’ Attack and allowing their debuffs to last longer, as well as reducing enemies’ Attack Speed and dealing damage per second to them. Even though she cannot use normal attacks nor cast active skills during this duration, she remains Unaffected, allowing the song to play until the end.

This skill can enable the team to turn the tide of the battle to their advantage, and is extra useful when the team has many allies who focus on debuffing and controlling enemies.

Sul Ponticello

Inspired by the violin technique with the same name that creates glassy and eerie sounds by playing near or even on the bridge of the violin, Briar casts this skill on an enemy and inflicts a debuff on them, allowing her allies to gain DEF Penetration against this target for some time.

This skill helps her team to quickly focus the fire against an enemy, finishing them off quickly.

Vibrato Surge

When this skill is cast, Briar deals damage to an enemy and adjacent enemies around them, immobilizing them on cast. 

This skill can be useful for allies with crowd control-focused skills, as well as for interrupting enemies’ actions.

Shadows’ Requiem

Once Briar unlocks this exclusive skill, she will enhance herself even further upon casting Crescendo of Petals. During the duration, she now has the ability to assist other allied Graveborn heroes, dealing extra damage alongside them as they attack. If this skill is upgraded further, she can even assist heroes of other factions too, but the effect won’t be as powerful as with Graveborn heroes.

Ending Remarks

With her enchanting music, Briar hopes to alleviate the pain of the sufferers, giving them a moment of solace. Anyone who got the chance to hear her music will be left with a deep impression for the rest of their lives.

[camisoledadparis]

THIS DAY IN GAY HISTORY

based on: The White Crane Institute's 'Gay Wisdom', Gay Birthdays, Gay For Today, Famous GLBT, glbt-Gay Encylopedia, Today in Gay History, Wikipedia, and more … January 9

Your Due Date: January 9, 2025

259 – Died: Saint Polyeuct, lover of Saint Nearchus. Soldiers in the Roman army and deeply attached to each other, Polyeuct and Nearchus were both stationed in Militene, Armenia. The earliest account of Polyeuct's martyrdom was written by Nearchus.

The primary thread of their story is the desire of these two friends to spend eternity together. According to the text, when the emperor issued a new edict against Christians, Nearchus was worried that, since Polyeuct was a pagan and Nearchus a Christian, his own possible martyrdom and the eventual death of Polyeuct might lead to their being in separate places in the afterlife. Polyeuct reassured him that he had long been drawn to Christianity and intended to die a Christian. With a convert's fervor, Polyeuct then attacked a pagan procession and had himself arrested. The judge turned out to be his own father-in-law, Felix, who begged him to reconsider.

Polyeuct's wife, Paulina, came to court and unsuccessfully implored him, for the sake of their marriage and their son, to change his mind. After severe tortures, he was condemned to death. Just before he was beheaded, Polyeuct saw Nearchus near. His final words to Nearchus were "Remember our secret vow."

Nearchus was later martyred, being buried alive.

Before his own death, Nearchus recorded this story, which was recounted annually at the church at Militene and eventually erected over Polyeuct's tomb in Militene. In the year 527, a great church with a gold-plated ceiling was built in Constantinople and dedicated to St. Polyeuct. Later in the same century, Gregory of Tours wrote that the most solemn oaths were usually sworn in this church; because Polyeuct had come to be considered the special heavenly protector of vows and avenger of broken promises.

1900 – Richard Halliburton (presumed dead after March 24, 1939) was an American traveler, adventurer, and author. Best known today for having swum the length of the Panama Canal and paying the lowest toll in its history—thirty-six cents—Halliburton was headline news for most of his brief career. His final and fatal adventure, an attempt to sail a Chinese junk, the Sea Dragon, across the Pacific Ocean from Hong Kong to the Golden Gate International Exposition in San Francisco, made him legendary.

Richard Halliburton was born in Brownsville, Tennessee. The family moved to Memphis, where he spent his childhood. He attended Memphis University School. He also showed promise as a violinist, and was a fair golfer and tennis player. In 1915 Richard developed a rapid heart condition and spent some time at the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Michigan, run by the innovative John Harvey Kellogg, whose philosophy of care featured regular exercise, sound nutrition, and frequent enemas.

Leaving college temporarily during 1919, Halliburton became an ordinary seaman and boarded the freighter Octorara bound from New Orleans to England. He toured historic places in London and Paris, but soon returned to Princeton to finish his schooling. Travel inspired in him a lust for more travel.

Halliburton idolized mountain climber George Mallory, who died in 1924 while trying to climb Mt. Everest. He knew and admired aviatrix Amelia Earhart. He knew journalist Lowell Thomas, who had made Lawrence of Arabia a living legend. Halliburton craved the celebrity of Rudolph Valentino, the great romantic screen star of the silent era. Richard was acquainted with and looked up to swashbuckling cinema star Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., who was also a world traveler.

Halliburton's first book, published in 1925, The Royal Road to Romance, became a bestseller. Two years later he published The Glorious Adventure, which retraced Ulysses' adventures throughout the Classical Greek world as recounted in Homer's The Odyssey, and which included his visiting the grave of English poet Rupert Brooke on the island of Skyros. In 1929 Halliburton published New Worlds To Conquer, which recounted his famous swim of the Panama Canal, and his retracing the track of Cortez' conquest of Mexico.

(Click for larger)

Halliburton's sexual associations with members of his own sex became apparent. To protect the image of heroic masculinity he had cultivated to win over an admiring public, he kept secret his true sexual orientation. He seems also to have kept it a secret from his doting parents, who longed for grandchildren from their one surviving son. Among those romantically linked to him were film star Ramón Novarro and philanthropist Noel Sullivan, both of whom shared his enjoyment of the bohemian lifestyle. Halliburton's most enduring relationship was with freelance journalist Paul Mooney, with whom he often shared living quarters and who assisted him with his written work.

In 1931 Halliburton hired pioneer aviator Moye Stephens on the strength of a handshake —for no pay, but unlimited expenses —to fly him around the world in an open cockpit biplane. The modified Stearman C-3B was named the Flying Carpet after the magic carpet of fairy tales, and this became the title of his 1932 best-seller. They embarked on "one of the most fantastic, extended air journeys ever recorded" taking 18 months to circumnavigate the globe, covering 33,660 miles (54,100 km) and visiting 34 countries.

Halliburton (R) with Moye Stephens

On March 3, 1939, Halliburton began to sail a Chinese junk across the Pacific Ocean. The Sea Dragon, a gaudily decorated 75-foot (23 m) junk, was made to his commission in the shipyards of Kowloon by cartwright Fat Kau. Emblazoned with a colorful dragon and equipped with a diesel engine, the Sea Dragon was supposed to make its maiden voyage from Hong Kong to the Golden Gate International Exposition in San Francisco (at Treasure Island).

Three weeks out to sea on March 23 the ship encountered a typhoon. The junk was last sighted by the liner SS President Coolidge, itself battling mountainous seas some 1900 km west of Midway Island. That was the last seen the junk. After an extensive US Navy search with several ships and scout planes over thousands of square miles and many days, the effort was ended. In 1945 some wreckage identified as a rudder and believed to belong to the Sea Dragon washed ashore in California.

Missing at sea since March, Halliburton was declared dead on October 5, 1939 by the Memphis Chancery Court.

Simone de Beauvoir (R) with Jean-Paul Sartre

1908 – Simone de Beauvoir (d.1986) is best known for her revolutionary study of women's condition, The Second Sex (1949), a work that changed women's lives worldwide. In 1999, an international colloquium was held in Paris to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of The Second Sex. The conference included a number of papers on Beauvoir and lesbianism, a topic that, a decade earlier, would have been virtually unthinkable.

In 1990, however, when Beauvoir's journals and two volumes of her letters to Jean-Paul Sartre were made available, it became clear that Beauvoir had had a number of same-sex relationships throughout her life. These revelations, along with others, completely shattered the heretofore unassailable myth of Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre as the twentieth century's most perfect couple. Today, Beauvoir's same-sex relationships are widely acknowledged, although attempts to excuse them (as "bohemian existentialist experimentation," to give but one example), in the interest of preserving Beauvoir's heterosexual image, persist.

Beauvoir was born in Paris into a bourgeois Roman Catholic family. Her family's fortunes declined after World War I, but she was nevertheless the beneficiary of an expensive private education. She then studied philosophy at the Sorbonne, where she met Sartre in 1929.

From 1931 to 1941 Beauvoir taught philosophy in secondary schools in Marseilles, Rouen, and Paris. In 1943, she published her first novel, L'Invitée, one of several fictional works dealing with her relationship with Sartre.

Although she herself seems not to have been involved in resistance efforts during the Nazi occupation of Paris, in 1945, soon after the end of World War II, she published Le Sang des autres, a novel reflecting on the question of political involvement and the French Resistance.

The feminist classic The Second Sex followed in 1949 and was eventually to make her reputation. Her strongest novel, Les Mandarins, appeared in 1954; a semiautobiographical work, it too focused on her relationship with Sartre, the subject that has preoccupied both her autobiographical works and the scholarship devoted to her life and work.

Beauvoir's same-sex relations, characterized by intense emotion and in most cases with a confirmed sexual component, likely began with Beauvoir's school friend "Zaza." Several of these relationships occurred during Beauvoir's career as a philosophy teacher during the 1930s and 1940s, and involved her students (who seemed to be the initiators, able to resist neither Beauvoir's physical nor her intellectual magnetism).

In one case, Beauvoir's rendez-vous were structured around philosophy lessons. Exasperated at having to discuss Kant before climbing into Beauvoir's bed, the student Nathalie Sorokine called Beauvoir "a clock in a refrigerator." When Sorokine's mother complained to the school, Beauvoir was fired, effectively ending her teaching career.

When Beauvoir was asked point blank in an interview if she were a lesbian, she angrily denied it. It should be noted, however, that Beauvoir tended to define things narrowly (she also claimed she was not a philosopher, again according to a strict definition). For Beauvoir, a lesbian is a woman who refuses to have anything (sexual) to do with males.

Further, Beauvoir was a major participant in the public erasure of her lesbian identity. A comparison of the unpublished diaries with published works shows a very different representation of the relationship with Zaza in Beauvoir's autobiography Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter (1958) or of Beauvoir's lover Olga as the fictional Xavière in her novel She Came to Stay (1943). It has only recently been recognized that Beauvoir was the model for the lesbian Inès in Sartre's No Exit (1944).

In the early 1960s, Beauvoir began a relationship with Sylvie le Bon which lasted to the end of Beauvoir's life. In 1980, following Sartre's death, Beauvoir adopted Sylvie so that the latter could legally care for Beauvoir, who was to die six years later. Their relationship offers a model of the lesbian couple described theoretically in The Second Sex.

1924 – Sergei Parajanov sometimes spelled Paradzhanov or Paradjanov; (d.1990) was an Armenian film director and artist from the Soviet Union who made significant contributions to Ukrainian, Armenian and Georgian cinema. He invented his own cinematic style, which was totally out of step with the guiding principles of socialist realism (the only sanctioned art style in the USSR). This, combined with his controversial lifestyle and behaviour, led Soviet authorities to repeatedly persecute and imprison him, and suppress his films.

In 1948 he was convicted of homosexual acts (which were illegal at the time in the Soviet Union) with a MGB officer named Nikolai Mikava in Tbilisi. He was sentenced to five years in prison, but was released under an amnesty after three months. In video interviews, friends and relatives contest the truthfulness of anything he was charged with. They speculate the punishment may have been a form of political retaliation for his rebellious views.

Although he started professional film-making in 1954, Parajanov later disowned all the films he made before 1965 as "garbage". After directing Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (renamed Wild Horses of Fire for most foreign distributions) Parajanov became something of an international celebrity and simultaneously a target of attacks from the system. Nearly all of his film projects and plans from 1965 to 1973 were banned, scrapped or closed by the Soviet film administrations, both local and federal, almost without discussion, until he was finally arrested in late 1973 on charges of rape, homosexuality and bribery. He was imprisoned until 1977, despite a pleas for pardon from various artists.

Even after his release (he was arrested for the third and last time in 1982) he was a persona non grata in Soviet cinema. It was not until the mid-1980s, when the political climate started to relax, that he could resume directing. Still, it required the help of influential Georgian actor Dodo Abashidze and other friends to have his last feature films greenlighted.

His health seriously weakened by four years in labor camps and nine months in prison in Tbilisi, Parajanov died of lung cancer in 1990, at a time when, after almost 20 years of suppression, his films were being featured at foreign film festivals. In January 1988, he said in an interview, "Everyone knows that I have three Motherlands. I was born in Georgia, worked in Ukraine and I'm going to die in Armenia."

1941 – Joan Baez is nothing less than a legend, both as a folk musician and as a catalyst for social change. A singer, guitarist, and songwriter with eight gold records and six Grammy nominations thus far, Baez has long been visible as a protest figure supporting civil rights, peace efforts, and human rights through her direct activism and numerous free concerts.

Born on Staten Island, New York to a Scottish mother and Mexican-American father, Baez moved with her family to California when she was a small child. She lived in Baghdad from 1951 to 1952; there, confronted with rampant poverty and human suffering in the streets, she first realized her passion for social justice.

Baez stood out as an artistic nonconformist and peace activist in her high school in Palo Alto, California, and then at Boston University—where she remained for only a short time. She had begun playing at local coffeehouses and decided to drop out of school in 1958 to concentrate on her musical career.

Baez started playing in clubs such as Gate of Horn, which belonged to impresario (and Baez's future manager) Albert Grossman, and appearing with well-known musicians such as Pete Seeger.

In 1960 her first album, Joan Baez, was released to huge acclaim. Gifted with an extraordinarily beautiful voice, she also brought an unusual intelligence to the interpretation of folk songs, both traditional and new.

Baez became increasingly involved with the civil rights movement, using her growing fame as a means of drawing attention to a cause she believed in deeply. She especially worked in conjunction with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; Dr. King's speeches and Baez's singing were a staple of demonstrations and rallies during the turbulent 1960s.

Baez also became very active in promoting nonviolence. During the Vietnam War, she visited Hanoi for thirteen days to witness the horrors of war herself, and for ten years she withheld the percentage of her income taxes that would have been put toward military expenses. In 1967, she was arrested twice—and jailed for a month—for blocking the entrance of the Armed Forces Induction Center in Oakland, California.

All the while she continued recording albums in her signature clear soprano, both writing her own material and performing classic songs of resistance such as "We Shall Overcome," "Oh, Freedom," and "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?"

She founded both the Institute for the Study of Nonviolence (now The Resource Center for Nonviolence) in California in 1965 and the Humanitas International Human Rights Committee, which she headed from 1979 until its demise 13 years later.

Although she may be most famous for her civil rights and peace activism, Baez has also been prominent in the struggle for gay and lesbian rights.

She has been open about the relationship she had with a woman in 1962; in an interview a decade later, she told a reporter that she basically considered herself bisexual, a statement she stood by despite the controversy it sparked. She did marry activist David Harris in 1968, and had their son Gabe in 1969; although the couple eventually divorced, Baez never again pursued a lesbian relationship.

Still, she has been visible in the gay community; in 1978 she performed at several benefit concerts to defeat Proposition 6 (the Briggs Initiative), which proposed banning all openly gay people from teaching in the public schools of California. Later that year, she participated in memorial marches for the assassinated San Francisco city supervisor, openly gay Harvey Milk.

Alongside Janis Ian, she played a benefit for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in 1994, and has performed numerous times with the lesbian duo the Indigo Girls.

1994 – Elijah Daniel is an American comedian, rapper, and author. He became popular online through his comedy on YouTube and social media. Daniel is the author of the erotic novel Trump Temptations. His book went viral, and saw significant sales the day it was published; rising to the top of sales lists in multiple categories. Daniel's book received favorable reception. Trump Temptations became the top seller on Amazon.com in three categories: humorous erotica, LGBT erotica, and gay erotica.

Elijah Daniel was born in Detroit, Michigan. He was raised evangelical Christian. After his grandmother became ill, Daniel moved into her residence to care for her. During this period, he began to write comedy to occupy himself. He publicized his comedy work through posts on Twitter, and videos to Vine.

Daniel led an online White House petition in 2013 to make the Miley Cyrus song "Party in the U.S.A." the U.S. national anthem. It received international coverage. Starting in 2014 Elijah began hosting a weekly internet prank with CollegeHumor called Text Prank Thursday, where he would have his Twitter followers text random phone numbers saying whatever he told them to say. Daniel told Vice that he cultivated a group of followers online who appreciated his absurd and bizarre comedic antics. By 2016, his Twitter following had grown to over 95,000.

In 2016 Daniel stated on Twitter that he was going to get drunk and write an erotic novel starring Donald Trump. Daniel was inspired by a tweet which said the user wished to perform a sex act on Bernie Sanders. Daniel wrote the work as a parody of Fifty Shades of Grey. Within four hours, he had released the erotic novel titled Trump Temptations: The Billionaire & The Bellboy on Amazon. The work was Daniel's debut novel.

Trump Temptations became the number one best seller on Amazon.com in three categories: humorous erotica, LGBT erotica, and gay erotica.The book was listed on Amazon above Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James, and was featured in The Washington Post, Daily News, Los Angeles Times, GQ, Gay Star News, London Evening Standard, The Daily Telegraph, and Vice. The Guardian classed the work as part of the "small but burgeoning new genre: satirical books about Donald Trump" that began with the 2016 presidential campaign. Cosmopolitan called the book a literary success.

Daniel hired Trump impersonator Chris Ferretti to read the audiobook.

Trump biographer Marc Shapiro wrote in Trump This!, that Daniel's novel was one of the most infamous works capitalizing on interest in Trump. An article in Fortune said that Daniel displayed a Trump-like skill to capitalize on a niche demand.

After the Orlando nightclub shooting in June 2016, Daniel publicly urged on Twitter for any individual who is closeted to feel free to contact him privately for support, and he published "An open letter to the LGBT kids who feel lost and scared" on Fusion.net. The letter positively received by ATTN:, which called it a powerful commentary on the attack.

On August 30, 2017, Elijah Daniel performed a publicity stunt centered around Hell, Michigan – an unincorporated town that allows visitors to pay for the opportunity to hold the title of "mayor" for a day. In what he called "a copy-and-paste of Trump's Muslim ban", he announced a satirical law that banned heterosexuals from entering and living in the town. In response, Daniel released an edited version of The Bible called "The Holy Bible… but Gayer" two weeks later. Sales of it were briefly banned on Amazon before being restored.

2016 – When Hubert Edward Spires was twenty years old, he decided to serve his country by joining the military. Because he was a gay man in a very different time, though, he was removed through an "undesirable" discharge. On this day in 2016, the 91-year-old Connecticut man finally received the honorable discharge he was denied 68 years ago.

In 1946, he joined what was then called the U.S. Army Air Force and became a chaplain's assistant at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. Spires quickly took to the work, which included writing letters to families worried about their loved ones, playing organ during Catholic Mass and preparing the chapel for various services. When it became known that he was a homosexual he was given an "undesirable" discharge.

Because of the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell in 2010, it became possible for Spires to apply to have the status of his discharge changed. The 91-year-old Spires filed a federal lawsuit seeking an honorable discharge so he can receive a military burial.The Air Force has changed the 91-year-old's records to an honorable discharge. Spires said, "I can go to my grave with my head held high."

[guujikaroko]

PLEASE go on about genshin characters and instruments and genres 🙏🙏 Totally agree with your Sumeru 4 headcanons! Like as much as I like kpop, I can’t see them being a kpop group

Ok, fine, just because you asked (<- really wanted to do that for a while anyway)!

Since there's so many characters, I'll only do some this round with a little explanation.

Lumine: she's a jazz clarinet! Clarinets have this airy, whimsical sound that just screams "Lumine" to me, but it's specifically in a jazz contest that it reminds me of her. Since I default to Traveler Lumine, I imagine her being a star in ascension in the jazz world, always busking and playing with other famous jazz musicians and befriending them.

Aether: a classical clarinet. I envision the twins mastering the same instrument but going off to build their music careers in different genres. Clarinet in classical music also has an airy quality to it (is the instrument's nature, after all), but the "mood" is noticeably different from a clarinet in jazz music.

Venti: he's pretty much the creator of Mondstadtian music, so he probably knows everything medieval under the sun. But he isn't one to stay complacent either, so along with classical harp, he'd also play the accordion, with is vital for European folk music! I'm sure he's proficient with a ton more instruments.

Diluc: classical violinist. Do you ever look at this man? His face screams "I hate Paganini for what he did to my fingers". Damn near a virtuoso too.

Zhongli: he's not an expert in Liyuese culture, he IS Liyuese culture. I can only give him the erhu. He had all the time in the world to master every piece of traditional music possible and I'm sure he'd be a living legend in the orchestras of today. That being said, he loves trying new things, so I bet he'd dabble on things like jazz erhu too.

Childe: he looks like an electric bass player to me. Now, what genre does he play in is the question... I'm staying with funk for now, but it's subject to change. He does look like he'd dance a lot while playing too.

Ei: she's been disconnected from her people for a LONG while, so I wouldn't be surprised if she only knows gagaku (traditional Japanese music). With that in mind, I'd choose the koto for her.

Itto: unemployment be damned, my boy can play some drums! It's so easy to imagine the whole Arataki gang getting ready to work on a taiko ensemble. But I think Itto would like to try some drum kit too.

Nahida: while the image of her holding a big-ass citar would be hilarious, I think she'd actually be a tabla player. You know what they say about percussion being the backbone of music; Nahida's reliable like that.

Wanderer: Mr. Kabuki over there could have played gagaku in the old days, but I actually think he was more of a singer instead. And, after the Sumeru Archon Quest, he could have picked up traditional forms of Indian singing too. In general, I'll always associate his musicality with theater.

Furina: also a singer. Originally an opera singer, grew tired and overwhelmed by her career and then retired. I think she's a jazz soloist these days, but she doesn't really make a career out of it anymore.

Neuvillette: a very talented cellist, but I think it's more of a pastime for him than an actual career. Otherwise, I can see him as a superb orchestra conductor.

[dimensional13]

Cumulonimbus Cobaltshine - The Cobalt Dragon of Svantmiirik

I've been waiting quite a long time to post this, since I didn't want my players to see it. But here it is, the NPC picture from my campaign I am the MOST proud of so far, a friendly blue dragon the party encountered, and Nax's "master", I suppose! Species: Blue Dragon (refers to himself as "the one and only Cobalt Dragon" to set himself apart from other chromatics, as true, ferrous Cobalt Dragons don't exist on Sancstoryl) Age: Ancient (thought to be around 850). Alignment: Lawful Good (at least according to magical effects that detect alignment) - Cumulonimbus Cobaltshine of Skyscale, the Cobalt Dragon of the Svantmiirik, the Sky-Blue Virtuoso. There's much confusion around this oddball of a blue dragon, who acts as the protector and de-facto leader of the kobold-founded city of Svantmiirik, AKA "Sky's Song" in the common tongue, a semi-independent city state in the southern forest of the Kingdom of Bursztyn with a famous Bard's College. Not only does he avoid the usual favorite places of blue dragons, hot deserts and rocky cliffs by the sea, in favor of a lush forest environment, but in place of following Tiamat, he praises Bahamut and, interestingly, Corellon. In place of tyranny and control, he promotes the values of artistic expression and harmony. Instead of putting others down, he seemingly wishes to lift people up. According to local legends, Cumulonimbus is the son of "Ozone the Skyscale", another legendary Blue Dragon, who is said to have founded the founding Skyscale Kobold-Tribe of Svantmiirik about 1000 years ago, after breaking from Tiamat to take a kobold who he fell in love with as a mate, and starting a line of sorcerous kobolds within the tribe. And after hearing that half of the Skyscales had fled the desert and made a new home further northwest, he immediately rushed to their aid, to become their new dragon in place of his father, who remained with the other half of the tribe in their desert homeland. There, in these unfamiliar woodlands, he encouraged the Skyscales to open up to the outside world, and created the community of Svantmiirik; where kobolds and other humanoid peoples could live in peace. Now, chromatic dragons breaking from their more selfish base instincts and the ways of Tiamat, and instead embracing the ways of Bahamut (or metallics doing the opposite) is no impossibility on the world of Sancstoryl. It's rare, but not unheard of. After all, the legend of Kethindras the Blazeheart, the good Red Dragon King of Wanil, as well as reports of a green dragoness protecting and tending to a lush, druidic grove in Grenwal, come to mind. But two blues in a row? Quite a statistical anomaly to say the least! To this day, many people think he's just an elaborate Illusion, or a fake of some sort. However, according to some magical inspections by various adventurers, he's supposedly the real deal. Cumulonimbus, also lovingly called "Uncle Nimbus" by the younger Skyscale Kobolds of the city, is often an unseen presence in the city, unless there is an emergency, like when the city is under attack. And in that case in you REALLY do not want to see him. However, he can also be spotted when there's revelry to be had at a festival or concert, which is often, due to Svantmiirik's focus on the bardic arts. Sometimes, he even joins in with the fun, using a magical instrument called the "Cobalt Dragon's Octobass", a gigantic Viol that can either sound like a normal, deep Octobass, or like any other Instrument in the Viol Type. Due to the Octobass' size-changing capabilities, and Cumulonimbus' shapechanging that he mastered, most people usually do not know that a concert has Cumulonimbus performing as a violinist until a blue Dragonborn dimension doors 500 feet into the air, suddenly transforms a massive dragon and flies away under joyous laughter. When a celebration or fight isn't to be had, however, he tends to relegate most tasks regarding diplomacy, communicatons, public relations and bookings of face-to-face meetings with other regional leaders to his speaker, a kobold called Nax Skyscale with bardic and draconic sorcerous abilities, who also happens to be a former adventurer at the continental adventurer's guild. Cumulonimbus seems to trust Nax and his input almost unconditionally; most likely because they share familiar bond through Ozone, the previous dragon of the Skyscales who also happens to be Nax's ancestor, making them cousins of a sort. However, despite his apparent benevolence and love for the arts and music, some tendencies that blue dragons are known for still seem to come to the surface of his personality from time to time. For example, despite everything, Cumulonimbus believes running a city requires order and structure, and he takes personal charge in enforcing it. Svantmiirik may be technically led by an elected mayor, who does most of the work, but this mayor still answers to him on many matters. He also believes in doing most things "by the book", and always seems a bit anxious to think outside the box, or the confines of common law; very unusual for someone so favorable of the bardic arts. He even has a paladin order, the Cobalt Knights, who swear a unique Oath of Harmony that focuses on joy and the protection of bards, under his wing. Despite these tendencies, he nonetheless has been describes as evenhanded and fair; even having personally pardoned people who personally have wronged him in the past... such as, but not limited to, the occasional overzealous adventurer who thinks "chromatic dragon bad" and attacks out of nowhere when he gives a speech during the opening ceremony of a festival. The location of this blue wyrm's lair is a mystery to most but the Skyscale kobold-tribe or Cumulonimbus' closest associates. It also seems to not have the usual effects that an ancient dragon's lair would have on the environment; at least, not a single thunder- or sandstorm was sighted near the forests of Svantmiirik, nor the nearby mountains. A leading theory is that these effects are being actively suppressed by either a spell or a magical effect. Either way, his lair's location remains a well-kept secret amongst the Skyscales. Probably the best kept secret of Svantmiirik.

[posttexasstressdisorder]

Friday, 11-15-24, 8am Pacific

'Mornin' all, Mr. Baggins here with Morning Coffee Music, selections to get us in gear and in good cheer. Yes, it's Friday, and I wanna start us off with music you probably know well, if you're of at least a certain age. This album served as incidental music for All Things Considered on NPR for quite awhile. Here is new-age composer Ray Lynch, with his 1984 album "Deep Breakfast". He leads us off with a big glass of bubbly "Celestial Soda Pop." Enjoy!

That album puts a smile on my face every time I listen to it. Next I had wanted to play you one of Wendy Carlos' "Switched-On" Brandenburg concerti, but alas, they do not exist on YouTube. So, we'll have to do with the regular "un-plugged" kind. I thought we'd hear the jaunty Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F major, BWV 1047, performed by The Chamber Orchestra of The Saar, conducted by Karl Ristenpart in a 1960 recording.

Next let's hear our Brazilian friend Mme. Novaes, in her sparkling performance of the complete Op. 10 Etudes of Frederich Chopin.

Let's travel back to Dvorak now, we heard his first symphony yesterday, this morning we'll listen to his 2nd. Again, Istvan Kertesz leads the London Symphony Orchestra.

And I thought we'd hear a little Gershwin, this time his "Rhapsody In Blue", with Leonard Bernstein at the piano AND conducting the New York Philharmonic on a Columbia Masterworks recording from 1959.

Igor Stravinsky conducts his suite from his ballet "Petrushka" for us now, we hear a historic performance from 1962, from the Great Hall at the Moscow Conservatory. The Symphony Orchestra of the Moscow State Philharmonic Society plays.

And as a little "dessert", here is a delicious little "Vocalise" by Stravinsky, sung by the incomparable Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, accompanied by pianist Geoffrey Parsons.

We've been invited to attend a Schubert Soirée with violinist Gidon Kremer, who plays along with members of The Chamber Orchestra of Europe. Some gorgeously tuneful Schubert!

I thought I would wrap this edition of Morning Coffee Music up with a historic recording from 1941. A pair of legends took the stage at Carnegie Hall to bring us what might be the most spirited recording of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 put to record. Vladimir Horowitz is at the piano, and his father-in-law, the formidable Arturo Toscanini was at the helm. I do hope you enjoy!

That should have gotten your blood stirring just a bit, and hopefully leave you with a smile! Mr. Baggins signing off for now, I'll return this afternoon at 2pm Pacific with your Afternoon Stack of Classic Wax!

Until then, be kind, babies, be kind.

[th3-0bjectivist]

Dear listener, I turned on my car radio for about five hours on a long drive this week and found myself suffering and appalled through the advert-heavy and song-lite nature of it all. Seriously, this is what passes for radio programming these days? The ninety-nine and one-half trillionth T-Swift breakup ballad? Pop-country tunes that manage to all sound the EXACT same as the previous pop-country tune?? Radio rock stations featuring tunes with less balls than a castrati troupe!? Modern hip-hop/rap music that all sounds roughly equivalent to setting up a lawncare sprinkler system in my car only without the water!!? Nine-to-ten agonizing commercials in a row before you get to the commercial-free hour, only to be then reminded between each individual song that it’s the commercial free music hour!!??!?!!?? I flipped from station to station hoping for some form of alleviation, for SOME hope that music is still alive and well on the radio in 2023. Y’know what I found out? The absolute BEST music programming on modern radio is based on tunes created around two to three centuries ago. That’s right folks! The best radio station I came across was a classical one. The classical radio deejay was informative, his voice was soft and pleasant, there were minimal commercials and the musical interludes lasted forty-five minutes at a stretch until the next commercial break. Inspired by this, until the end of 2023, I’ll be posting 3 classical tune sets (Bach, Vivaldi, and Brahms) starting with my personal favorite German musician of all-time, Johann Sebastian Bach.

Generally regarded as one of the greatest composers in the history of Western culture, this man was truly fit for the title ‘Master of Composition’. Starting off as a mega-talented organ player and violinist, Bach had a distinct flair for blending widely varying instruments and regional musical styles, regularly synthesizing multifarious sound techniques to make a noise ain’t nobody on Earth had heard before. Having been employed by local churches early on, Bach began composing his own ‘sacred music’ (see also ‘church music’) and being something of a musical jack-of-all-trades engaged in his own ‘non-secular’ works which did not jive with very simply defined and rigid church traditions. Having a penchant for engineering complex and experimental arrangements, Bach developed a special talent for weaving melodic lines and immensely complex interdependent harmonies together to provide compositional structures that were simply second to NONE in the early 1700’s and even up to this very day. His concertos for orchestras, sonatas, suites, cantatas, keyboard works, choral works and organ works really are the stuff of legend which is why they are hailed up to the current day! I could go on endlessly about his accolades, but instead I’ll just leave you with the following final thought. Some of Bach’s individual works are like observing an incredibly detailed drawing or painting, except with audio. If you concentrate enough on a single piece, you’ll very clearly hear the overlapping elements, the solid lines accompanied by the abstract rudiments floating softly in the background and be moved emotionally by the very physics of the harmonic motions. It’s not just the melodic nature of the man’s tunes, but also the harmony that accompanies them. Smash play and enjoy a variation of Cantata BWV 147: Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring and experience for yourself why people like Bach were truly the rock stars of their era. And if you want more, like way more, click just below for The Best of Bach and enjoy!

He also married his own cousin, had 20 children through separate wives, and died after eye surgery in 1750. I like to separate the art from the artist on my blog. Nobody’s perfect, it was different times back then with vastly inferior social and medical standards at play. I don’t judge too harshly. I mean, he was so talented that Duke Wilhelm had him imprisoned after Bach simply tried to leave the Duke’s royal court to find a better gig. He did something that the vast majority of modern musicians just can’t seem to be bothered to do… innovate (to simplify that word for modern musicians, it means creating brand NEW stuff that no one has heard of or tried before, you’re welcome…)! And for that reason, he has more than earned his placed in the annals of human history as one, if not the greatest composer, and my personal favorite classical composer of all time. Image source: https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/history-and-civilisation/2019/07/how-bachs-anatomy-may-have-handed-him-greatness

[books-and-strawberry-tea]

New Books 2025 ₍ ᐢ.ˬ.ᐢ₎˚୨୧

(That I've found so far)˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗

I'm a little unsure about Gate to Kagoshima. I've seen the blue cover in the shops before, I know the publishers are different now, but I don't know the reason why as of yet. And the same for My Funny Demon Valentine, I know that was released digitally, but I'm unsure about physically (in the past I mean).

My Funny Demon Valentine˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗

Romance, Paranormals, Demons

Asmodeus, Prince of Hell, just wants to make music. Jazz, specifically. Unfortunately, he’s a demon. And he’s supposed to be evil.

Clearly, for Ash, a career as a musician isn’t exactly an option. Plus, he’s cursed.Sick of playing by the rules, Ash and his three brothers escape Hell in search of freedom on Earth. But it’s harder than they thought to keep their enemies off their tail . . .

The four rogues quickly become the Underworld’s Most Wanted, and if they’re caught, the consequences will be dire. Yet everything changes for Ash when he meets a beautiful violinist who can see through his curse. It must be too good to be true, but, no matter the risk, he has to have her.

Evangeline Gregory is just your average human. She works at a jazz bar, plays gigs on weekends . . . and, apparently, hallucinates demons.

At least that’s what Eva tells herself when, moments after she meets the man of her dreams, she sees him shift into a 7-foot-tall monster. Not believing her own eyes, Eva decides to investigate and soon finds herself caught in the middle of a supernatural clusterf**k of epic proportions. But Ash isn’t the only one keeping secrets, and the search for answers reveals a shocking truth that will change the course of her life forever. Or maybe just doom it. Eva and Ash will learn the path to love can be complete Hell.

Gate to Kagoshima˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗

Japan, Historical, Romance, Time Travel

They lay… Her heart torn to ribbons. How would she ever let him go now? 2005: While researching her Japanese ancestors, Isla travels from Scotland to Kagoshima. There, a vicious typhoon and a strange white gate in a deserted shrine tumbles Isla back to 1877 and the dawn of the Satsuma Rebellion, the conflict that heralded the end of the samurai. Keiichirō Maeda, a samurai with eyes that promise the world, introduces Isla to a way of life only previously encountered in books, and Isla begins to wonder if she has found her true home. But as the samurai muster against what she knows will be a futile battle and the end of everything they hold dear, Isla is increasingly anxious. Should she tell the man she now loves what history has taught will happen to the samurai, or should she let Keiichirō die the glorious death he so believes in, proud to the end that he remained a faithful warrior? And if that does happen, can Isla ever find her way back to her modern-day life in the Highlands? Only time can tell…

The Legend of Meneka˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗

Romance, Mythology, Fiction, Retelling

In this sweeping crossover of romantic fantasy and Hindu mythology, acclaimed author Kritika H. Rao reimagines the famous tale of a celestial dancer tasked with seducing a human sage, but when she finds herself falling in love with her mark, she will be forced to choose between loyalty to her home and being true to herself—perfect for readers of Daughter of the Moon Goddess, Kaikeyi, and Circe.

Across the mortal and immortal realms, celestial dancers known as apsaras are revered for their beauty, allure, and enchanting magic. But Meneka knows that is not all they are. Trained as a weapon—a warrior—Meneka despises leaving each of her marks in thrall to her potent illusions. With every seduction Lord Indra, king of heaven, demands of her for his political gain, she craves her freedom more and more.

When a mortal sage’s growing powers threaten Indra’s supremacy in his own realm, Meneka seizes a rare opportunity. She strikes a deal—if she can seduce this dangerous man, Indra will allow her to forgo future missions. But upon meeting the sage, Kaushika, Meneka finds herself captivated by his energy, ignited by his empathy and passion, even though he threatens everything she’s ever known. Can she overthrow the man who is—little by little—stealing her heart, or is Kaushika seducing her instead? As war looms in the skies, Meneka must choose between her duty to protect her home, and the sage who is showing her what true love can mean.

Romantic, spellbinding, and empowering, The Legend of Meneka breathes new life into Hindu mythology to weave a lustrous tale of a woman discovering the cosmic power within herself. This first book in the Divine Dancers duology is a completely unputdownable adventure for lovers of romantasy and myth retellings.

The The End of the World There is a Pond˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗

Poetry

A stunning debut volume infused with apocalyptic overload, beginnings and endings, and all the ways we betray ourselves.

At the End of the World There Is a Pond is a book about aftermaths. Each poem comes in the wake of a deep rupture—the rupture of mental illness and addiction, of migration and displacement, of violence, familial conflict, and ecological catastrophe. The speakers of these poems engage with despair and playfulness in equal measure, always allowing humor, irony, and the exuberance of the natural world to bend darkness toward something like hope.

Again and again, Steven Duong’s writing excavates the unnatural conditions of the seemingly natural the betta fish trapped in its mason jar, the forest choked by invasive kudzu, the elephant wounded in a landmine blast. Ultimately, At the End of the World There Is a Pond articulates an impossible How can we reconcile a deep love for the world in all its buzzing, wriggling aliveness with an equally deep self-destructive desire to leave it behind?

The Lotus Shoes˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗

Historical, China, Women's Fiction

An astonishing story set in 1800s China. Little Flower is sold into slavery, and Linjing into marriage . . .

As a child, Little Flower is sold to Linjing's wealthy family to become a muizai. In a fit of childish jealousy over her new handmaiden's ladylike bound feet and talent for embroidery, Linjing ensures Little Flower can never leave her to ascend in society.

Despite their starkly different places in the Fong household, over the years the two girls must work together to secure both their futures through Linjing's marriage. As the two grow up, they are by turns bitter rivals and tentative friends.

Until scandal strikes the family, and Linjing and Little Flower's lives are unexpectedly thrown into chaos. Linjing's fall from grace could be an opportunity for Little Flower - but will their intertwined fates lead to triumph, or tragedy for them both?

Lies on the Serpents Tongue˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗

Mystery, Gothic, Thriller, Horror

A beautifully dark YA set in Appalachia tinged with magic, mystery, murder, and romance. For fans of House of Hollow and Wilder Girls! As Caball Hollow slowly recovers after a tumultuous summer, the James family must also come to terms with their own newly revealed secrets.        18-year-old Rowan James has spent her whole life harboring unpleasant truths—that’s what happens when you can smell people’s lies—and building walls around herself to block them out. Like her younger sister, Linden, who can taste the feelings of others, Rowan has long resented her gift, which has taught her that everyone lies and no one is who they seem to be. So when her old nemesis, Hadrian Fitch, the biggest liar of them all, shows up on her front porch—bloodied, broken, and asking for help only she can give—her first instinct is distrust. But something new is stalking the Forest that surrounds Caball Hollow.       Now things are disappearing. At first, it’s small stuff—like letters, photos, and keys. But then, Rowan notices people around her are losing their memories. And when the body of a neighbor is found in the middle of town, Rowan knows there’s a link between this death and all the events disturbing the Hollow. Can she find what—or who—the link is before it takes another life?

Where Did You Go?˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗

Fae, Dark Fantasy, Romance

Trapped in the In-Between, Caly, Mendax, and Aurelius are fighting for their lives—they just don't know whose.

Caly's bond to Mendax from their bonding ceremony and her mortality being tied to Aurelius's from when he saved her life mean the three of them have tangled their life forces together. And now that they know maintaining both connections is against the natural order of things, one of them must be sacrificed for the other two.

Caly can't let another one of her loved ones die, but she also needs to answer the summons so she can finally meet her father. Then, perhaps, she can be sent to the Elysian Fields to be with her mother and sister. But her father has information that could change everything—and even if she's ready to sacrifice herself, she'll have to get through the Seelie Prince and the Unseelie Prince to do so, while also keeping them from killing each other.

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil

Vampires, Lesbian, Horror, Paranormal

Santo Domingo de la Calzada, 1532. London, 1837. Boston, 2019.

Three young women, their bodies planted in the same soil, their stories tangling like roots.

One grows high, and one grows deep, and one grows wild.

And all of them grow teeth.

[bizarre-blorbo-bracket]

Round 1 poll 18: Antonio the Violinist from Identity V vs Waldo Trumbull from The Comedy of Terrors

Propaganda under the cut:

Antonio the Violinist

Antonio is a less popular character from an obscure video game. He's an incredibly tall, lanky, undead man based partially on the real life Niccolò Paganini and legends surrounding him. I have purchased things for research on Paganini to fuel my obsession with Antonio. He has prehensile hair and I just want him to carry me in it. I research harder into his lore than I do for any other character in this game, and he has very little. He's possessed by the devil because the devil got him out of music based slavery. He plays the violin and spins around when he hits a survivor. His original animation for a survivor struggling out of his hold was changed from him falling on the ground and getting up without using his arms to him swiping at the air around him. He has music magic that hurts you. He has no connection to any other playable character as of my submission. He's spooky yet handsome. One of his accessories implies he died alone in the cold of winter. He has insane amounts of gender. He can play violin on a single string. He can play that single stringed violin with his HAIR. He's full of skill and diseases. His first deduction(lore snippet gained by completing tasks) shows that he's got a CVS receipt length of medical disorders, and the second one shows that he's the only character in the game confirmed to fuck for pleasure. I want him carnally. I want him to be my bestie IRL. I want to be him. I want to hold him. I want to comfort him. I want to tear his limbs off and stitch them back on. I want him to be turned into a marketable plushie.

Waldo Trumbull

He's from a rarely talked about 1963 film which is absolutely ridiculous slapstick + dark comedy combined. He's a complete arsehole who there is no good reason to like--not only is he a serial killer (murders people to bring in customers to his undertaker's business) but he's also just a petty dick. He is built like a stick insect and moves around like a live-action cartoon, ungainliest creature ever. Has the personality of a scraggly feral cat that will bite and scratch if you get too close. He asks "May I?" before touching the breast of a *wooden carving* of a woman. His name is *Waldo Trumbull*, his first name only being revealed late in the film as he seems to know it's ridiculous and goes by his last name or "Mr W. Trumbull" (you can't pretend your first name is just W, Waldo, that's not how it works). Half of me wants to grab and shake him, half of me wants to keep him as a pet, he is such a creature.

[tiredenigma]

For the past three weeks I've been thinking of Jhin from League of Legends to a point where I can't have a normal thought anymore. I have info dumped four separate people the same stuff about him almost word for word and get even more excited to share every time. Fuck you remix rumble for making him a violinist. Fuck you riot for making him so compelling. And a personal fuck you to mister dr Hannibal Lecter for kicking off my love for murderers who see art and beauty and something more in killing.