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bloopitynoot · 2 months ago

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9 Wangxian Coffee Shop Au's

I am back at it with another tried and true rec list! This one is for @aplaceofnonsense and features various ratings, lengths, and plots that fall under the coffee shop au vibe.

I have read and loved all of these fics so they have been pre vetted!

If you would like a personalized wangxian rec list- DM me! I love putting these lists together :)

The request:

wangxian

coffee/tea shop aus!

that's literally it

Here we go!

1 for you, andante (35600 words) by xuanxuanwo

Chapters: 1/1 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Music, Musicians, Pianist Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Guitarist Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Kid Fic, Coffee Shops, Bookstores, Existential Crisis, Unrelated Meng Yao | Jin Guangyao & Qin Su, Friendship, Romance, Light Angst, Happy Ending Summary: “Looks like he’s taken a liking to you,” Wei Ying says with a huff. Lan Wangji’s world shifts another ninety degrees when he’s pinned with the full force of Wei Ying’s attention. The guitarist perches on the other half of A-Yuan’s seat and slides an arm around the boy, smoothing back his hair before tweaking his nose. A-Yuan twitches, and Lan Wangji practically burns where Wei Ying had grazed against his shoulder. Wei Ying leans over and sets his chin lightly against A-Yuan’s head. There’s a gleam to his eye, silver coins that put all other metals in the world to shame. The boy sniffs again, and slowly, under the hollow of the guitarist’s body, he relaxes. “And who,” Wei Ying continues, “has bewitched my little radish?” -- On a rainy Thursday evening, after his final concert of the season, pianist Lan Wangji ducks into a bookshop, befriends a toddler, falls in love with a guitarist, and, ultimately, rediscovers his passion for music.

Notes: This fic absolutely gives fall energy. The vibes are rainy day nights, casual strolls, smoky jazz bar, and steaming hot drinks. I love this au so so much it really is a soul balm. It does ft a tiny tiny bit of angst, but the ending is solid. It's like the hot chocolate of fics.

2 Pan - we're queer here! (35279 words) by IBurbick

Chapters: 20/20 Rating: Explicit Relationships: Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Lan Huan | Lan Xichen/Nie Mingjue Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Modern AU, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Everyone lives, Sweeter than caramel sauce on your venti frappuccino, Everyone Is Gay, Because it's a queer café, cooking magic, autistic characters, Trans Character, Don't worry there will be drama, Homophobia, sorry about that, We serve 'het' as well, Lan-food is non-canonically not-bland but always-vegan, non-binary characters, Asexual Characters, pansexual characters, This is starting to sound like a round-up, Food Porn, Eventual Smut, Mental Breakdown, Dissociative Episode, POV Alternating, POV Multiple, Panic Attacks, Slow Burn, Music Theory, Verbal Fight, Fist Fight, supportive friends, Bullying, Madam Yu's A+ Parenting, Adoptions, Wei Ying is a canonically brilliant dumbass, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Hand Jobs, Pining, Mutual Pining, Mingjue is the best boyfriend Series: Part 1 of Pan - We're queer here! Summary: Lan Xichen owns a sweet little café named Pan where he tries to create his own little safe space where people are inclusive and can enjoy great food and drinks. When his chef Su Minshan suddenly quits he is in desperate need for a new 'culinary artist'. Enter Wei Wuxian who is a literal pastry wizard (no magic, just baking). Stick-up-ass Lan Wangji runs the business side of Pan and has some trouble getting used to the whirlwind that is Wei Wuxian, but of course he cannot but fall head-over-heels for him. !Possible trigger warnings:! - (mentions of) homophobia / bullying - chapters nine and ten feature a panic attack / dissociative episode - due to chapter seventeen, I had to turn the rating from General Audiences to Explicit. There will be smut, y'all. - characters will be getting in a fight, around chapter nineteen. Which is nothing compared to the fights in MDZS/The Untamed, but still.

Notes: I adore the pan coffee shop verse. each fic in the series brings a wholesome joy I did not know I needed. This coffee shop au screams rom com but also found family in community. I love the portrayal of xichen in this fic and I love how desperately lan zhan does not want to fall for wei ying. It's pure magic at pans!

3 Let Me Lose My Shadow (55696 words) by Harleydoll

Chapters: 9/9 Rating: Mature Additional Tags: Soft Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian Get a Happy Ending, POV Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, POV Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji Has Feelings, Fluff, Romantic Fluff, Dating, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, Cuddling & Snuggling, Sleepy Cuddles, Anxiety Attacks, Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji Loves Rabbits, Breaking of Gusu Lan Sect Rules (Modao Zushi), Gusu Lan Sect Rules (Modao Zushi), technically its just Lan Qiren's rules, Mentioned Lan Qiren, Sleeping Together, First Kiss, No beta we die like wwx, First Time, Hand Jobs, Kissing, Intimacy, Sexual Content Summary: Lan Wangji has always been good. He is a good nephew, a good brother, a good student. He excels in all of his classes, he obeys the etiquette of his household, and he does not speak out of turn. Good, Lan Wangji has come to realize, is just another word for boring. Or, Wei Wuxian just wants to do cute fall shit with Lan Zhan <3

Notes: This fic is less coffee shop being owned by one of the protagonists and more so coffee shop meet cute. ofc wei ying cannot leave the hot quiet guy with the fancy tea and gel pens alone in the cafe. What starts off rocky soon evolves into the cutest little slow burn. This truly is a fall coffee shop fic; so much pumpkin spice and cozy energy.

4 Made With Love (10900 words) by arekushia

Chapters: 1/1 Rating: General Audiences Additional Tags: Romance, Fluff, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bakery, Bakery and Coffee Shop, Pining, baker Lan Wangji, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Friends to Lovers, cheese to the extreme, i need to schedule a dentist appointment after writing something this sweet Summary: Wei Wuxian finds a new home within an unexpected place, and discovers that forever is never too far out of his reach.

Notes: The summary is short and the fic only around 10k but I swear it is so cute. It starts with a new cafe that opens without having coffee and turns into the cutest little romance. Wei ying just keeps going back and falling more in love with the cafe owner and baker. Lan zhan just can't stop giving his new customer custom orders and free treats. They are absolutely adorable- this is pure fluff.

5 The tea to my heart (83773 words) by blackmorphos

Chapters: 21/21 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Additional Tags: Fluff, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Developing Relationship, Lan Zhan makes a friend, A Yuan gets a much bigger part than planned, A Yuan is very cute, Wei Ying is cute too, angst but it in the past, a drunk scene, Lots of Tea, some steam buns, Falling In Love Series: Part 1 of The tea to your heart Summary: A tray being placed onto the table in front of him startled Wei Ying’s attention away from his phone. He looked up with a smile before seeing what the man had brought him. “You will have tea,” the man said in a low deep voice that brooked no argument. By the time that had filtered into his brain the guy had already walked away and disappeared out the back. Wei Ying looked down. No coffee, but there was a blue teapot with a small matching cup and a plate with a steam bun on it. Wei Ying blinked stupidly at it for a few moments before deciding it wasn’t worth arguing with the scarily intense man over it, and reached for the bun. It looked so inviting, and it was still warm. Biting into it Wei Ying then realised just how hungry he was, and within seconds the bun had been devoured. It was the best thing he had ever tasted. A sleep deprived Wei Ying stumbles into a tea shop, meets an impossibly beautiful man, and is served a cup of tea that changes his life in more ways than he could have possibly expected. A modern day meet cute with heaps of Wangxian fluff, mutual pining, and A-Yuan adorableness galore!

NOTES: I love this fic so much because Lan Zhan is aggressively taking care of Wei Ying; the exhausted hot stranger who walked into his not even open yet tea shop. Wei Ying WILL drink the tea and WILL eat the snacks. Eventually Wei ying WILL come over to his house to have his laundry done and a place to relax and he WILL have the things he needs for his "son". It is absolutely so cute. Wei Ying never stood a chance XD. Also the speed in which lan zhan wants them to get together breaks the sound barrier.

6 Three Hundred and Fifty-Five Milliliters (3615 words) by magicites

Chapters: 1/1 Rating: General Audiences Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Getting Together, Fluff, the trials and tribulations of your barista having a crush on you Summary: “Would you like the usual?” Lan Zhan asks. “Yes please! Mocha java chip frappe with just a little extra whipped cream,” says Wei Ying. He rolls his shoulders, cracks his neck, and sets both of his hands on the counter. He peers at Lan Zhan until he finally makes eye contact. “Tall. I mean it, Lan Zhan. Just. A. Tall.” - Wei Ying can't finish a venti frappe. Lan Zhan can't stop upsizing his drinks on the house.

Notes: A very short but cute fic- lan zhan is a simp and cannot help but continuously 'accidentally' upsizing all of wei yings orders. They are too cute in this. A small absolutely fluffy fic.

7 Stilettos and Soulmates (4536 words) by Regency_Bunny

Chapters: 1/1 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, One Shot, Meet-Cute, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Coffee Shops, Soulmates, Stiletto Heels, Fluff Summary: Lan Zhan’s blind date doesn't go the way he expected.

Notes: This is barely a coffee shop au- and really only a coffee shop au because they go to a coffee shop shortly BUT it is an excellent Wei ying rescues lan zhan from a bad situation fic. A very short fic but still cute. CW jin Zixun is terrible and touches lan zhan without consent - does not go very far. But heads up if that is something that is a hard no for you.

8 Milk, two sugars and some cinnamon (14,888 words) by GusuLanSectRules (JuweWright)

Chapters: 12/12 Rating: Teen And up Audiences Additional Tags: Background Relationships, 3zun | Venerated Triad Feels, Barista Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, POV Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Fluff, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, CW minor character deaths (in the past and canon compliant), CW mention of cancer, Light Angst Summary: Lán Wàngjī doesn't like coffee shops much. Mainly because no barista ever seems to want to process his custom order...

NOTES: I love a good barista WY fic and this is it. Lan Zhan falls for the barista's competency, navigates a new relationship, and really fucking wishes he didn't have to give his brother relationship advice. a solid fic with some light past angst.

9 Where You Fell (303,010 words) by Sweet_William

Chapters: 144/144 Rating: Explicit Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Mutual Pining, Alternate Universe - Homeless, Getting Together, Slow Burn, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, accidental sugar daddy lan zhan, Suicidal Thoughts, Self-Esteem Issues, No beta we die like wei wuxian, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Autistic Character, Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian Has ADHD, Panic Attacks, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Sex Work, Implied/Referenced Substance Abuse, Eventual Happy Ending Summary: Years ago, Lan Wangji was a Senior in high school, readying himself for graduation and the coming years studying at the Gusu Lan Institute of Music. Everything in his life made sense, from his role in his family, to a future as a classical musician. The only thing that didn’t fit was the sudden epiphanies he had about himself brought on by his bothersome and flirtatious classmate, Wei Wuxian. When the growing attraction and friendship was cut short by the other boy’s disappearance, he mourned what could have been, but ultimately had to move on. What he didn’t know was that fate would bring them back together again one day, or the reality of how far apart two lives can diverge, how some can find peace and prosperity, while others can fall farther than he ever imagined.

NOTES: I am not going to lie this fic is rough- as in emotionally intense and filled with characters going through tough things. BUT I swear there is a happy ending. It does not completely feature coffee shops but so much of the plot is dependent on a coffee shop that I think it still counts. This is so much angst my friends, but also a HUGE fic! Read with caution but I do promise the ending is solid and happy.

#wangxian rec list #wangxian coffee shop aus #coffee shop au #bloopitynoots wangxian recs #wangxian #wei ying #lan zhan #lan wangji #wei wuxian

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myargalargan · 2 months ago

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A Classical Polinalysis: Ep. 2

Hello friends, Polin stans, and classical music nerds!

Picking up from my episode 1 analysis, I am back with the second installment in the series of episode-by-episode analyses I mentioned when I shared the playlist I made of all the Classical pieces used in Bridgerton season 3.

The tracks on the playlist are all in order of when they appear in the show, and here are all the pieces that were used in episode 2:

Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 13 in B-Flat Major, Op. 130: VI. Finale. Allegro

Bach’s Violin Concerto No. 2 in E Major, BWV 1042: III. Allegro assai

Mozart’s String Quartet No. 8 in F Major, "Viennese", No. 1, K. 168: IV. Allegro

Mozart’s String Quartet No. 3 in G Major, "Milanese", No. 2, K. 156/134b: I. Presto

Mozart’s String Quartet No. 23 in F Major, "Prussian", No. 3, K. 590: IV. Allegro

Joseph Schuster’s String Quartet No. 2 in B-flat Major: I. Allegro di molto (formerly attributed to Mozart as the "Milanese" (or Paduan) String Quartet No. 2, K. 210)

Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 23 in F Minor, Op. 57, “Appassionata”: II. Andante con moto

All of this music is used over the course of the Full Moon ball, and the choice of music and the scenes each piece of music is paired with turns the ball something of a microcosm for the entire episode. What the hell do I mean by that?

This episode is all about flirtation, fertility, and passion, and the action in this episode sets into motion some of the major conflicts of the season. We have the Mondriches settling into their new home and attending society events for the first time, the Featherington sisters getting a healthy dose of Sex Ed, Francesca being granted the Queen’s favor, and—of course—Colin and Penelope beginning their lessons and all the tension and drama that brings. So let’s get into how the Classical soundtrack compliments this very meaty episode…

Looking at the track list in order, we’ve got a bit of a composer sandwich (get it? meaty episode? ha-ha-ha?) with Beethoven bread, Mozart filling, and Bach and Schuster toppings. The allegro finale of Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 13, which starts as Colin and Eloise’s conversation about Penelope in the carriage ends, welcomes us to the ball. The second movement of Beethoven’s “Appassionata,” which Francesca is playing when Lady Danbury sneakily invites the Queen to observe, concludes the whole event. But I have a lot to say about both Beethoven pieces, so I’m going to save that for later! To start, I want to talk about the flirtatiousness of the other pieces used during this episode. 😏

The next piece after the Beethoven string quartet is the third movement from Bach’s Violin Concerto No. 2, which plays when Benedict asks Miss Stowell to dance. We only hear the very beginning of the concerto in this episode, but the distinguishing characteristic of a concerto—which is also what I find so flirtatious about this piece—is the back-and-forth between a solo instrument (in this case, a solo violin) and an ensemble (in this case, a chamber orchestra). In particular with shorter pieces like this Bach concerto, which is an energetic two minutes long with concise musical verses, you get the feeling of a lively conversation, where the ensemble has their say, the soloist replies, the ensemble adds another musing, then the soloist replies, and so on.

I also think this concerto is fun for this scene for a couple other reasons. One, the soloist-ensemble dynamic calls to mind Benedict getting cornered by a pack of ladies. But also, this concerto is in what’s called “ritornello” form, which means that the ensemble repeats the same musical theme every time they come back in, and I love this as a funny little musical illustration of Miss Stowell’s persistence with Benedict—she keeps coming back, over and over, just like that repetitive musical theme!

The next piece is the fourth movement from Mozart’s String Quartet No. 8, which starts playing right as Portia tells Mr. Finch that his wife is a pastry and continues as Penelope talks with Colin about his writing. This piece actually elides seamlessly into the track from the season 3 OST called “Attempts to Flirt” the moment Colin says he’ll consider letting Pen read more of his writing if she talks to at least one lord that night, which is a fun little tie-in to our theme. And the string quartet is great for this moment between Colin and Pen because of its fugal quality. A fugue—such as Bach’s famous Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, which is used in a ton of films including the original Fantasia—refers to a structure where the musical theme is introduced in different voices or instruments one after another. (Kind of similar to a musical round, like “Row, Row, Row Your Boat,” but not as simplistic.) Like the concerto, there’s a repetition of musical ideas, and those ideas bounce around from instrument to instrument, again creating a sense of lively conversation. Almost as if one person starts to tell a story to a group of friends, and then another person jumps in to say, “Oh, yes, I know what that’s like!” and tells their own anecdote, and so on around the group as the conversation feeds on everyone’s enthusiasm.

I love this for Pen and Colin’s interaction because it has a similarly flirtatious energy as the concerto, but at the same time it’s more complex than a simple back-and-forth. There’s a layering aspect to a fugue—when a subsequent instrument picks up the theme, that doesn’t mean the first instrument stops playing. I think this has a similar energy to the way good friends who are comfortable and excited together might end up talking over one another or picking up the ends of each other’s sentences. I think it’s also illustrative of the complexity of Colin and Penelope’s relationship, especially at this phase. They’re friends, yes, but other feelings are starting to get all mixed in. They flirt quite easily with each other, but that makes things more complicated. A playful but multi-layered fugue illustrates this pretty well, I think.

Then we have our second Mozart string quartet of the episode, the first movement of Mozart’s String Quartet No. 3, when Eloise inadvertently lets it slip to Cressida that Colin is helping Penelope find a husband. This piece isn’t a concerto or a fugue, but it does still have an interplay between the instruments that, to me, creates a similar effect. There are several moments within this movement where the violin will start the musical line and one of the other instruments will finish it, like passing a baton. Or, again, like lively and comfortable conversation! To me, it feels a little bit like two people winking at one another as they catch each other’s meaning.

There’s also a fun little bit about two-thirds of the way through the piece where, for not even 30 seconds, the tone of the music changes entirely, to something darker and more dramatic. Musically this part is known as the “development,” which is where the music meanders and does a bunch of interesting things before it returns to the main theme that was introduced in the beginning. This is a very common musical technique, but it doesn’t appear quite so starkly in any of the other pieces used in ep. 2. Since this piece plays during an Eloise and Cressida scene, we could take this darker interlude to be a reflection of Eloise’s relationship with Penelope—how it has taken a dramatic turn but will be righted again before long. We can also look at it through a Polin lens, since Penelope and Colin’s relationship takes a similar trajectory. Either way, I like the idea that there’s a bit of dark foreshadowing in this otherwise playful, flirtatious piece of music.

From there, we have the fourth movement of Mozart’s String Quartet No. 23, which plays as the Mondriches enter the scene. Other than the Beethoven pieces, this is the longest piece used during this episode, and it gets the most airtime. It plays for the entire duration of Benedict’s spiel about how married couples are free from the rules of society because they have already fulfilled their duty. And I love this piece for this moment because it really goes places. This movement has some fugal passages, giving it that same flirtatious quality as the other pieces used this episode, but there’s also moments where the tone gets much more dramatic, moments when the tempo seems to slow or get interrupted, syncopated sections that almost feel cartoonish… The character of the piece is surprising, and it evolves over time, and—I think—it reflects the journey the Mondriches have been on since season 1 and the surprising evolution their life has taken in season 3. And will continue to take! As they figure out how to navigate this new world and learn that it’s not as simple as Benedict made it seem.

Okay, now onto the last bit of sandwich filling, the first movement of Joseph Schuster’s String Quartet No. 2 in B-flat Major, which plays while Lady Danbury leads the Queen away from the main ball and while Eloise’s group of debutantes lament their chance to show off. Is this piece also flirtatious? Yes, I think this piece has a similar quality to Mozart’s String Quartet No. 3, where sometimes musical lines started by one instrument get picked up and finished by another. But another thing I find really interesting about this piece is that it’s a case of mistaken identity. This piece was composed around 1780, but until the 1960s music scholars attributed the piece to Mozart. And to use this piece during this scene is particularly compelling, because it’s the moment that Cressida denies having any good gossip, but also the moment when the gossip about Penelope and Colin begins to spread throughout the ball anyway, which Eloise (and Colin) mistakenly blames Cressida for. There’s also maybe a deeper meta here about mistaken identities that could tie into Cressida’s false claims to the Lady Whistledown name, which is interesting to consider in contrast to this moment at the ball where Cressida—unlike later in the season—chooses to be the bigger person and renounces the lure of gossip in favor of protecting her new friendship with Eloise.

Which brings us to the final piece of music featured at this ball, the second movement from Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 23, the “Appassionata.” Which is of course relevant because Francesca earlier admits to loving it so much during her abbreviated conversation with Lord Petri. Petri describes Francesca’s favorite pieces as “expressive music,” which is fitting for a musical work nicknamed “Passionate.” Francesca also says, “I mostly enjoy the chord progressions,” in response to Petri getting all “can’t you feel it in the music?” and although Petri was talking about the Ries Piano Trios, I like thinking about Francesca’s response in relation to the second movement of the “Appassionata” because that movement is one big theme-and-variation—there’s a musical theme introduced at the beginning, and then that theme is repeated two more times with variations in the melodic structure but always with the same chord progressions.

One thing I love about this piece as the close-out to the ball is the way, with each subsequent variation on the theme, the music builds and builds. It starts out slow and in a low register, and it gets faster and higher pitched as it goes (the part we hear Francesca playing is the fast high part). There’s a really obvious analogy to sex here, which is clear in Petri’s reaction and Francesca’s discomfort with his reaction—which is appropriate because sex is such a major motif in this episode (“Inserts himself? Inserts himself where?”). But there’s also the analogy to the build-up that we’re about to experience at the end of the episode, the way everything Penelope has been through the past couple episodes (couple seasons, really) culminates in that first unbelievably passionate kiss between her and Colin.

But, more than that! The second movement of the “Appassionata” doesn’t have a true ending—it’s through-composed with the third movement, so that the two are meant to be listened to back-to-back. If you listen to the end of the second movement by itself, you’ll hear a chord that sounds like it’s supposed to resolve to a nice clear ending, but then instead of resolving, that chord is followed by an intriguing, dissonant, kinda jazzy-sounding musical lick. If you didn’t proceed to the third movement right away, musically, you’d be left hanging. (And even once you’re into the third movement, it takes a while for the music to properly resolve.) And I love this! Why do I love this? A while back, I did an analysis of Polin’s theme (from the original score) and wrote a bunch of stuff about how their musical theme, the way we hear it in part 1 of the season, feels unresolved, suspending us in the tension of their uncertain relationship status. We only get proper musical resolution in their theme in part 2, after they’re engaged. So using the second movement from the “Appassionata,” with its false ending, at the conclusion of the Full Moon ball—a ball which encapsulates so much of what’s going on in the episode overall—is such a great way to foreshadow the end of the episode: the build-build-build to the passionate kiss and then—! Leave us hanging as Penelope runs away and Colin’s life starts falling apart around him.

Speaking of endings…! It’s time to circle back around to the first piece of bread in our Beethoven sandwich, the sixth movement from Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 13…

If you’ve stuck with me this far, hang in there for just bit longer! Maybe take a quick break and grab a snack. ;)

I thought a lot about the usage of the allegro finale from Beethoven’s Op. 130 in this episode. It’s such an interesting choice, not necessarily because of the music itself, but because of the history of the entire quartet. See, when Beethoven first composed String Quartet No. 13, it had a different final movement. However, at the first performance, that movement received such a negative reaction that Beethoven’s publisher convinced him to write a replacement. The replacement is what’s used in the show. And it has an entirely different character from the original. The new finale is light and cheery, while the original was dense and complicated. The original was panned by critics as being incomprehensible, inaccessible, and difficult to both listen to and play. (Give it a listen. You may find that it makes you deeply uncomfortable 😅 but it’s definitely an experience!) The new finale, on the other hand, is…a dance! It’s bouncy and positively Haydnesque, and completely uncontroversial.

The original was ultimately published as its own work under the title “Grosse Fugue,” as Beethoven’s Op. 133. However, some Beethoven enthusiasts and music scholars will argue that the correct way to play String Quartet No. 13 is with the original ending, the way Beethoven intended. Preferences vary, though, and what this means is…there are two possible, perfectly valid, endings to this piece of music. And each ending has a completely different vibe.

Do you see where I’m going with this? 😉

This piece plays as we are welcomed into the Full Moon ball, and when I set out to do this analysis, I was originally looking at the allegro finale on its own, trying to find something meaningful in its structure or its harmonies… But I think what’s most interesting about it, in the context of this episode, is that it represents the duality of choice. And there’s a few different layers this could apply to: Eloise and Cressida’s decision whether or not to share the gossip about Colin helping Penelope, Colin’s choice to help Penelope in the first place (and to continue to help her after the journal faux pas)...his choice—at the end of the episode—to kiss her. The Queen's choice of a diamond, even! But if we’re talking about possible endings, then this piece is really setting us up for the ultimate narrative choice between Colin and Lord Debling. And it’s fitting as an introduction to the Full Moon ball because it’s at this ball that Colin gets his first taste of jealousy and competition, and then of course it’s Penelope’s humiliation at this ball that is the catalyst for the kiss that sends Colin into his downward spiral of desperate, all-consuming love. So whereas at the end of ep. 1 Colin may have been able to go about his life acting as though he was unconcerned about whatever feelings he may or may not have had for Penelope at that point, by the end of ep. 2 that’s simply not at all possible anymore. And so the show starts building the foundations of one of Penelope’s possible choices, one of her potential endings. (And I guess whether or not you consider Debling to be a perfectly valid alternative ending depends on what kind of Polin shipper you are. 😉)

So there you have it: the drama of choice, the sexiness and frustration of building yet unresolved tension, misunderstandings (and, you might even say, the probable pains of friendship), SO much flirting—some easy and straightforward, some ceaseless and unvarying, some deliciously complex… All present at the ball, throughout the episode, and in the Classical soundtrack.

♥

And here's some of the research I did for this post:

Beethoven's String Quartet No. 13: https://www.earsense.org/chamber-music/Ludwig-van-Beethoven-String-Quartet-No-13-in-B-flat-major-Op-130/

Beethoven's String Quartet No. 13: https://www.brentanoquartet.com/notes/beethoven-quartet-opus-130/

Beethoven's String Quartet No. 13: https://www.maramarietta.com/the-arts/music/classical/beethoven/

Bach's Violin Concerto No. 2: https://www.laphil.com/musicdb/pieces/4549/violin-concerto-in-e-major-bwv-1042

Mozart's String Quartet No. 8: https://fugueforthought.de/2018/07/01/mozart-string-quartet-no-8-in-f-k-168/

Mozart's String Quartet No. 3: https://fugueforthought.de/2016/08/27/w-a-mozart-string-quartet-no-3-in-g-k-156/

Mozart's String Quartet No. 23: https://www.talkclassical.com/threads/mozart-string-quartet-23-k590-sq-review.81909/

Schuster's String Quartet No. 2: https://www.earsense.org/chamber-music/Joseph-Schuster-String-Quartet-in-B-flat-major-No-2-KAnh-C2001-K-Anh-210/

Beethoven's "Appassionata": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tR706pYvNl0&

#bridgerton #polin #bridgerton season 3 #penelope featherington #colin bridgerton #bridgerton analysis #meta #polin songs

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dangermousie · 3 months ago

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Checked out two new kdramas - Love Andante and Romance in the House.

A no on both.

Love Andante - I am not sure why we have TWO low budget dramas this year about a South Korean Celeb and North Korean woman having to work together but we do. This one is terribly boring. If you want that sort of topic, you are way better off watching King 2 Hearts (genuinely great drama) or Spy Myung Wol (ridiculous fun.)

Romance in the House would be more palatable if it was a 50 ep weekend drama which is clearly is set up to be; but it's crammed into 12 eps and is ridiculous as hell without breathing room a weekender gets for me to care.

I disliked two eps of Serendipity's Embrace that I checked out before and I am not even starting a drama about forensic accountants (The Auditors aka paint drying the show) so...

There is literally NO airing kdrama that I am interested in. Ugh.

#kdrama #love andante #romance in the house

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filmografo · 1 year ago

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series intro - BIRTHPLACE

genre: space opera, sci-fi, litfic (a bit)

status: drafting / “outlining” book 2/3.

pov: third person limited, present tense.

tropes / themes: the unbearable weight of mortality, the terrifying realization of Want, space lesbians, growing up / apart / back, lgbtq+, exes to rivals to whatever it is austrakit are currently, found family, finding oneself, (space) war era, ambiguity, subjectivity, capital p Pining (+ more tba)

summary: After finding out her ex-girlfriend is training a ten men crew for what is essentially a suicide mission to map a planet Earth that’s been left behind, Kit Nikon desperately tries to give her life a new meaning.

tags (more TBA): #: birthplace #[we] have the sun in common

Space station gardens, neon green & blue, roots taking place, the smell of damp earth, bright unflickering lights, starfighters, healing bruises, hands against cold metal, sea water, warm sunshine, home in the valley of someone else’s ribs.

characters:

nalkita “kit” nikon (23 - she/her?) | 🌱

emigrate, novo amor

de selby (part 1), hozier

glossover, afternoon bike ride / lowswimmer

strangers, ethel cain

austra andante (23 - she/her) | 🌊

repeat until death, novo amor

i wouldn’t ask you, clairo

the end of love, florence + the machine

there’s nothing left for you, mitski

excerpt:

To know something is to be in constant battle with it: the plaguing of a garden, trying to disinfect a never-healing wound. Being near Austra, hands dripping with blood that never belonged to either of their bodies, means Nalkita has to fight against her own humanity, fight against desire. Close up her throat so the words I wish you would, Lieutenant don’t come out, raw and real. Kit understands so little about herself and knows Austra so much — the feeling of her expressive eyebrows against a fingertip, the weight of every responsibility she carries. Who is she to add another sandbag to Austra’s already aching shoulders but a soldier, a sinning one, at that? Refusing to give up on something that was never hers to begin with.

rambles / more about the series under the cut! :D

this was born from a fanfic/short story i wrote 2 years ago when i wasn’t ready to face what came after the events of what is now book 1 of the birthplace series. i took inspiration from novo amor’s birthplace album, which re-enlightened me about the meaning of “home”. i still hold it extremely close to my heart and will forever.

for book 1 of this, “astro-garden”, the journey kit goes on is extremely personal, quite lonely, quite difficult. titles never meant something to her until austra got one. there’s not much i can say except kit is a firecracker of a person and she’s going to need a lot of luck (she’s strong, she’ll manage)!

book 2 “roots in infertile soil” is as chaotic as i can possibly make a book. there’s more pining (for reasons...), more action, more drama... the characters are all a joy to write and flesh out, and the mercury ii crew are the type of found family that i’ve always loved to read about <3 i’ll introduce each and every one of them with tags in the near future so stay tuned for that!!! :)

book 3 is still in its early earlyyy development stages but hopefully i’ll have something cool to say about it sooner rather than later !

feel free to ask me about anything birthplace-related seeing as this is the only project i am currently (actively) working on!!! i would love love loooove to chat more about secondary characters, locations (the spaceships are Alive), discuss the plot / themes more in depth, etc!

i will be making a taglist with everyone who wants to get updates from this (i'll post more abt that later!) so send me an ask if you’d like to join it :D !

thank you for reading this (kinda long?) intro post for my silly little still unwritten novels hehe! i hope to hear more from u soon

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antrserf · 2 years ago

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🪷;;No me importa nada, yo tengo fé-

El shipp requiere name;

—Zorko?

—Draman?

🪷;;(El último me gusta por qué suena a drama y es lo que son ellos, un drama andante✨)

Drako; Acercate Zorman, acepta nuestro amor y copulemos

Zorman;coño e' la madre Drako

#tortillaland #tortillaland fanart #zorman #Drako

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nyasialiveshere · 10 months ago

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female authors and men who recommend them

everytime a woman says they are only reading a book or consuming certain media cause a male pop star said he personally likes it my heart fades away all of woman kind weeps

It can be true but the patriarchy is strong enough no need to even say stuff like that.

Especially cause a lot of times the books are written by female authors. I wonder is it is the fame association or the fact that its men giving stuff validity. I think the goal of men reading women centric work is to understand women better and the fans want to know what the guy likes but many never give an actual opinion.

Even if they did the point is to form your own opinion which will never be the same as a mans not really.

4 example a looooong time ago when I was a teen kji was still recommending books to fans back when fans read actual books. A lot of girls got sprung by the fact that he read a korean translation of me before you

( I only watched the movie and ended up reading the second book cause finnick from hunger games and khalessi from game of thrones was in it) but it was a big deal at the timw.

Now and days it is really not in the sm ent image to be intellectual for some reason, I suppose fans don't like that idk.

Many thought of it as a...indicator of him being..idk romantic.

Which..is possible but actually looking back in his old interviews he basically said he mainly read books to imagine himself in the main role he said this many times.

So he generally has little interest reading books he wouldn't want to be in. Me before you was a tragic romance which is basically his entire acting career. Andante, he cared for ill people the entire drama and his girlfriend who passes away. Spring has come, he cared for his girlfriends family and eventually his sick mother. Miracle that we met, literally played an angel...guardian angel..like that's very obvious.

Even the superm show as we wish where for like the first time ever the managers said the members get to create the mini dramas they want to star in.

Mark even reenacted his parents engagement story. Kji ended up doing a tragic romance that included memory loss and a car accident. It lowkey is neverending cause he even made it clear he hates romance but talked about a romance movie from the 70s he watched....where the fiance died.

Bonus round he only has writing credits on one song and it makes a reference to this movie. A very obvious reference.

Some people like what they like for very specific reasons. Even if you read the book or watch the movie you can't feel how they felt while consuming that same thing. It is good to pass on likes or learn of new things from people but its your own personal experience that matters.

I love watching golden girls because I think old people are like large adult babies who can talk, most people would never know thats basically the only reason I watched the show so many times.

This stuff although is there to just figure out but I think many assume korean is so hard to understand and confusing we must rely on social media to tell us who the kdolls are. 1stly tv interviews say much more than fansubs and fandoms. Many people do say a lot about who they are but many people read more fanfic than interviews. Some read both but the fandom version is more fun. I can say this cause I read kpop fanfic since like 2014 neve got in the way of like me knowing real personalities and fandom creations. This is shots fired for some people at least but kji isn't really shy..sm made him shy. He was super go getting and excited back in 2012 . Some may disagree that this was fake and the real him is shy, but I disagree, outside of Korea is usually when he's more talkative both to strangers and in general. Now it's reserved for the fans and outside of that he was typically mum. Nobody saw that kji again until at least a year into super m. Not simply clowning around but speaking his peace and defending himself and sharing his opinions.

In super m he got to be loud and obnoxious without censor because that's "American style" promotion. Cool guys can also be funny and total jerks yet still well liked in America.

yes he is an anxious person but not shy and introvert is a stretch.

Shy baby bear jongin at least to the degree it's been sold is giving noona fanservice I'm sorry. Anyone can be shy at any given moment but shy as in a personality trait is a bit much for anyone who's an idols and literally interacts with new people everyday.

I LOVE pseudoscience and feel like many things in pseudoscience are very accurate and have a lot of truth in them. But personality tests are iffy at best and go only surface level of what makes up a person. I also don't believe the basis of the test is ... good either

It's important to note that it was made to pigeon hole women more than actually discover who a person truly was on the inside.

Those personality test are inaccurate on multiple levels, please research many books debunking the extrovert introvert myth similar to animals personality changes with environment and comfortability. The same shy person in New York can be an extrovert in Los Angeles. Also personal experiences can craft a person's being extroverted or introverted. It's not a 100 percent set thing that can't change...complete myth..one that America and a lot of first world countries have latched onto in the name of faux tribalism.

For multiple reasons I keep referring to other sources to expound upon the fact that it gives me major ick people can't see how gross the origins of a Eurocentric world war two control device to dehumanize women SHOULD NOT be used as an accurate test of any kind and it's based off of a very immoral and inhuman type of thinking. I highly recommend reading this for appropriate cultural scope. I think it's better explained by these author's.

The craze to me was honestly a bit scary with how many people quickly latched onto these labels and identified themselves like, for so many reasons nooo! It's really ick to me for lots of reasons, yes it's fun but many people label idols like this. Rare types and common types, introverts and extroverts and it's like the idols begin to play more into the roles they were assigned.

Jongin being branded as an introvert(the offstage version of exo kai still a character btw) was to I believe sell a certain image to the fans. Introverts don't go out to clubs and party with girls and their friends, they stay quiet and text on bubble and act like they are texting their middle school clique. It always gives I don't know anybody here guys come get me. Yet that obviously can't happen but it creates that illusion and further deepens the bond.

At a certain point kji just stopped really saying much cause the bear bear image is what people cared about. I remember early on he explained how much he didn't like fanservice but he would try to get better. Basically I think he may have liked the book because of it having a caretaker in it and he likes that caretaker role. Most visible when he's with kids.

He as a person has that as a strong part of his character. I wish people would try to look at things a little deeper. If one does feel the need to get something or consume something just like their fave did at least maybe one form your own opinion and enjoy your own personal experience first and foremost but also understand why that other person likes that thing. People like men written by women more than the women who write them. Understand it takes a lot of positive influence from women to make a man like that. I.e the mother and other older female role models.

#kpop analysis #kpop #fandom culture #personality types #exo kai #jongin #feminism #this was worth not sleeping it's the weekend anyway #I have work to do but idc this was important

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exoplanetupdates-blog · 2 years ago

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[ENG] EXO Drama Masterlist

EXO

EXO Next Door (2015)

XIUMIN

Falling For Challenge (2015)

CEO-Dol Mart (2023)

SUHO

The Universe's Star (2017)

Rich Man (2018)

How Are U Bread (2020)

Behind Your Touch (2023)

LAY

To Be A Better Man (2016)

The Mystic Nine (2016)

Operation Love (2017)

The Golden Eyes (2019)

Ming Dynasty (2019)

Faith Makes Great (2021)

Crime Crackdown (2021)

Challenges at Midlife (2022)

BAEKHYUN

Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (2016)

CHANYEOL

Missing 9 (2017)

Memories of the Alhambra (2018)

Secret Queen Makers (2018)

D.O.

It's Okay, That's Love (2014)

Hello Monster (2015)

Be Positive (2016)

100 Days My Prince (2018)

Bad Prosecutor (2022)

KAI

Choco Bank (2016)

7 First Kisses (2016)

Andante (2017)

Spring Has Come (2018)

The Miracle We Met (2018)

SEHUN

Secret Queen Makers (2018)

Dokgo Rewind (2018)

Now, We Are Breaking Up (2022)

All That We Loved (2023)

EXO Drama Special Apperances

#EXO #MASTERPOST #DRAMA

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rillabrooke · 1 year ago

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11 and 13 for the song asks please!

11. is from my favorite playlist

the red poppy: russian sailor's dance - glière (my favorite playlist—at least the one i play the most—is my classical music playlist!)

13. should be in a movie

piano concerto no. 2 in f major, op. 102: ii. andante - shostakovich (^ i think it could fit well in a period drama or something like the truman show did with chopin's piano concerto no. 1)

song recs

#classical music for my classical music mutual!#a high schooler i know is trying to get into college for trumpet but he doesn't have much classical training #so i've been listening to a LOT of brass-heavy stuff lately... including the red poppy!#sforzinda #ask game #music asks #classical music #music

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romanticsrep · 2 years ago

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Un diecisiete...

Hoy es un diecisiete diferente a los demás, porque hoy no somos algo como lo fuimos en su momento pero eso no me detiene de escribirte, de pensarte, de amarte y de dedicarte, una vez más, todas estas palabras que brotan de mi corazón hacía ti. ¿Por dónde empezar? No lo sé pero, no por no tener un pensamiento o sentimiento claro, sino por el hecho de que todo lo que pueda llegar a decir quizás ya lo sabes, porque hemos compartido hasta lo más mínimo en estos dieciocho meses que ya todo lo sabes, hasta cuando ni yo lo sé. ¿Puedes creerlo? ¿Puedes creer que ya estamos a un año y medio de ser pareja? Yo puedo pero a la vez no, es increíble la cantidad de tiempo que ha pasado desde aquel 17 de noviembre, la cantidad de cosas que nos han sucedido, tanto a cada uno como juntos, pero me gusta, me gusta ver todo ese tiempo porque suelo puedo pensar en lo hermoso que es tenerte hace tiempo a mi lado, en mi vida, disfrutándonos un montón como lo hemos hecho desde siempre. Aún sigo sintiéndome el más suertudo por haber captado tu atención y tu corazón tan bonito, siempre fui un desastre andante, desde que nos conocimos y hasta el día de hoy, pero aún te gusté, aún así te sentiste atraído por mi y aún así me amas, ¿podría pedir algo más que eso? Lo dudo mucho, tener a alguien que me ame en todas mis formas, con mis locuras, con mis demencias, con mi todo, eso es lo que todos desean y yo soy feliz por haberlo encontrado en ti; soy feliz por haber encontrado a mi otra mitad en un virginiano que vive en un país tamaño pasillo (jajaj, te amo). Hemos pasado por tanto que sé que has llegado a tu limite en muchas cosas y es por eso que mi mayor regalo para ti en estos 18 meses debe ser el cambio, mereces un cambio, mereces una mejor pareja y yo quiero convertirme en eso para ti, para que seas la persona más feliz, para que tengas un amor el cual presumir, quiero convertirme en la mejor versión de mi para que sigamos amándonos con locura, con pasión, de la manera en que solo nosotros podemos, porque sí, quiero que seas siempre mío, no quiero tenerte como amigo porque siempre te veré como mío (claro que estoy usando una referencia al k-drama que estoy viendo porque la sentí muy yo).

En esta noche, en este comienzo de un nuevo mes de estar juntos (aunque algo diferente) solo quiero pararme frente a ti y abrir por completo mi corazón, sincerarme con todo, para que sepas que voy en serio, para que de a poco confíes nuevamente en mis palabras. ¿Sabes? Cuando digo que no soy nada sin ti no solo lo digo de un modo depresivo porque me quiero matar, es porque es verdad, porque me complementas de una manera tan increíble, tan única, una que solo tú puedes. ¿No lo notas? Cuando estamos juntos disfruto de la vida, disfruto de un simple juego, de un simple tweet, de salir, de besarte, disfruto de todo, lo más grande hasta lo más pequeño, cuando estás en mi vida todo tiene otro color, eres como el filtro que le da color a todos mis días, ese que aumenta la saturación y el brillo, pero no de una mala manera sino de una muy bonita, le das el toque a mi vida, a mi todo y es por eso que cuando no te tengo conmigo siento que algo falta, porque en definitiva todo se siente vacío sin ti a mi lado, se siente incompleto, sin sabor, sin gracias, no puedo disfrutar de nada si no es teniéndote conmigo, si salgo, ¿a quién le diré cada detalle si no te tengo? ¿Quién escuchará que tengo que tomar un examen de esto y aquello? ¿Quién soportará que tenga treinta cumpleaños en pleno diciembre? Si tú no estás conmigo yo no tengo mucho que hacer, mucho que contar, pero dios... teniéndote conmigo todo se torna divertido, alegre. ¿Tú sabes cuánto adoro que pasemos las noches en plato y en rave? Si no lo sabes debo decirte que lo adoro un montón, me encanta enseñarte mis canciones, que me enseñes las tuyas y que hablemos de lo que sea en los pequeños intervalos o durante las canciones mismas, que escribamos las letras, me encanta tener que escribirte siempre el puente de The Great War o las pequeñas partes en inglés de las canciones de aespa. Me gusta ganarte en los juegos de plato y el como te pones furioso por ello y quieres volver a jugar otra partida, que encima vuelves a perder (hasta que llegamos a tus juegos o a tu buena racha), disfruto ganarte en el juego de la pelotita que salta y que me mandes esos emojis enojados, me encanta tentarte en medio del juego diciendo cosas referentes a tus pelotas o lo bueno que puedes ser con los dedos, me encanta esa intimidad, esa conexión, esa cosa que tenemos solo nosotros dos y nadie más.

Amo muchas cosas de ti, hasta esos pequeños detalles. Yo sé que no soy el mejor, estoy muy lejos de serlo pero en lo que puedo ser el mejor es en amarte, en cuidarte y en dar hasta mi vida por ti, porque así de grande es mi amor por ti. Quiero darte mi mejor versión para seguir este camino juntos, para seguir amándonos porque nada me dolería más que te conviertas en un extraño, no después de haber vivido tanto juntos. Para algunos podré parecer un loco, pero no es locura, es amor, es este amor tan grande el que me hace no querer dejarte, porque me pierdo a mi sin ti, no quiero tener que dejar ir a una parte de mi, porque esa parte es mi favorita. Me cambiaste como persona, nunca lo dije pero fue así, tú sabes muy bien, porque de mi boca ha salido, que me la pasaba en problemas, discusiones por esto y aquello, hasta el simple hecho de una font era motivo para discutir pero cuando te volviste mi pareja fuiste apaciguando toda esa furia que tenía para con todos, de un momento a otro me tenías perdido en algún lugar junto a ti, siendo solo nosotros dos, los demás y los problemas de estos habían pasado a un segundo plano, solo me importaba ver tu sonrisa, escuchar de tu día y saciar nuestras ganas, esas ganas tan fuertes que permanecen hasta el día de hoy, porque tampoco puedo dejar de lado eso, el deseo, el deseo tan fuerte, tan mutuo y tan fogoso que hemos sostenido a lo largo de este tiempo, como has sabido llenarme de todas las maneras posibles, cumplir cada uno de mis caprichos, has sido el hombre indicado en todos los sentidos y yo en serio que no quiero ni planeo perder todo eso, he cometido muchos errores a lo largo de mi vida, unos peores que otros, pero sé que si te dejo será el mayor arrepentimiento de mi vida, ese es un error que no estoy dispuesto a llevar acabo, dejarte/perderte no entrará nunca en mis posibilidades.

Hace 18 meses a la 1:16 a.m. yo te daba el sí, a pesar de mis miedos por una reciente ruptura, te daba un sí porque esos ojos me miraban con todo el amor del mundo y me hacían sentir único en toda la faz de la tierra; un sí con seguridad pero con dudas del futuro, dudas que hoy no están, dudas que se esfumaron con todo ese amor que me entregaste, con todo ese cariño y confianza que nos dimos. Al inicio fue difícil, para ambos, te cerrabas, yo me estresaba pero fuiste abriéndote más y más, fue ahí donde vi que estabas dispuesto a todo como yo, cambiaste, cambiaste porque quisiste y porque te di la oportunidad; hoy la mesa se ha dado vuelta, hoy soy yo quien tiene que cambiar y quiero, porque te amo, porque te lo mereces y porque es lo más sano... pero queda averiguar si me darás la oportunidad (no, no es necesario que me lo digas ahora). Hemos pasado por mucho, pero me quedo con los momentos buenos, porque eso define nuestra relación, no las peleas por un like, no las peleas porque uno colgó, no nos definen los errores, nos define el amor, nos define la felicidad y el como hemos enfrentado las cosas. Solo me queda decirte que te amo, Nicolás, yo te amo. ¿He amado otras veces? Sí, ambos lo hemos hecho, pero este amor traspasa todo, no fue un amor efímero (porque de serlo no estaríamos aquí), no fue un amor pasajero, no fue un amor de me quedo porque no hay de otra, es amor de verdad, amor con felicidad, temores, enojos, miedos e incertidumbre, amor en todas sus formas, en todas sus facetas y las hemos atravesado a lo largo de este tiempo. No me arrepiento de amarte así de mucho, solo me arrepiento de no haberlo demostrado cuando debía, lamento haber dañado nuestro amor, tu corazón y tu confianza, pero daré todo de mi para que te sientas amado, feliz y seguro conmigo, no tengas duda de ello.

Felices dieciocho meses, feliz año y medio, gracias por darme tu amor, por entregarme todo lo que eres y por seguir haciéndome el más feliz de todos en el mundo entero, espero poder hacerte sentir de esta misma manera a ti por mucho tiempo más. Te amo, te amo con locura, te amo con adoración, te amo en los días nublados, te amo en los días soleados, te amé en cada estación habida y por haber y lo seguiré haciendo, mi amor por ti seguirá floreciendo como las bellas flores primaverales que salen en nuestros meses de nacimiento, mi amor por ti seguirá ardiente como ese sol de verano, te protegeré con mis abrazos de los fríos inviernos y te daré un beso abrigador en los otoños. Te amo con todo lo que soy, para siempre mi Nico, mi bebé, mi osito, mi papi, mi bubu, mi pupi, te amo muchísimo.

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werewolvesandaccordions · 2 years ago

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Brahms – Symphony no. 3 in F Major (1884) Despite how often people say Brahms was a conservative (which is true to a point), I think a lot of people underestimate his intensity of expression. The volume, bombast, and sometimes theatrical or operatic drama, are all underscored by the more traditional minded attitude toward structure and making sure the musical components are “functioning” in a logical way. Take the old form, and make something new out of it. Brahms had preferred that view to the newer Romantic school of thought favoring free-form and new forms created by the musical ideas themselves. Because of that, Brahms will always be the old scruffy severe German looking down at you from his wizened beard. Tangential, but I’ve talked with people who don’t like Brahms and they seem to come from this popular image: “Old fashioned”, dull, too theoretical, no good melodies, and (one extreme opinion) not truly “artistic”. But if we ignore the baggage of academicism and the symphony as a serious genre for developing complex musical thoughts, we should be thrown at the edge of our seats from the sound of the orchestra, and the long emotional melodies that people say aren’t there. I’ll take a moment to be more personal: I was surprised to find out that I’d made blog posts about the other three Brahms symphonies, but not this one. It was the first one that I fell in love with way back in high school. I remember listening to it and imagining knights in armor and large gothic castles. Brahms would turn in his grave. I got the idea from the bold and majestic opening movement. It begins with a statement of F-Ab-F, standing for Brahms motto “Frie aber froh”, Free but Happy. Somewhat leaning toward the 19th century trend of cyclical works, this symphony’s opening idea comes back in later movements as well. The motto of free but happy seems to radiate strongest in this opening movement. My favorite moment here is when the music quiets down a bit and teh flutes and bassoons play a an arabesque-like wavy melody over the strings fragmenting the same material, growing into a loud and stormy proclamation with chromatic lines (a very “Romantic” sound from a ‘Classicist”). The andante builds out of a chorale theme introduced in the winds. This more pastoral sound reminds us that this was a “vacation” work written while he was staying by the Rheine in Wiesbaden. The next movement, despite the unassuming title ‘poco allegretto’, has one of the more gorgeous melodies Brahms had written. It sings out of the cello and is punctuated by longing harmonies. Typical of Brahms, these harmonies are written out through counterpoint of fragments based off the contour of the melody. The last movement brings back the heaviness of the opening through a modified sonata. In the minor, it opens with a long and somewhat bouncy melody that could be like a Bach fugue subject. The music builds up energy into more drama, before shifting right into the “happy” counter melody. You could imagine this theme coming back with golden brass chorales. Instead, despite the dizzying effects done with the themes, and the noisy development that doesn’t let up in tension, the piece starts to sizzle up in agitated strings. A soft chorale brings back the opening motif, and then the symphony sighs away into a soft F major chord. Movements: Allegro con brio Andante Poco allegretto Allegro – Un poco sostenuto

mikrokosmos: Brahms – Symphony no. 3 in F Major (1884) Despite how often people say Brahms was a conservative (which is true to a point), I think a lot of people underestimate his intensity of expression. The volume, bombast, and sometimes theatrical or operatic drama, are all underscored by the more traditional minded attitude toward…

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