#baroque verse

[whatinthefuckingninjaturtles]

round 1 poll 3

[sundere1181]

uhhh anyway. i wrote a little thing for the iteration competition. If i win the first round ill make a part two about what my splinter is up do and maybe a crossover with a different set of turts who knows

A quiet day in the Hamato household. Leo, Mikey, and Raph sat in the living room, doing various different activities. It was calm and peaceful, until… 

The door to Donnie’s lab opened with a bang, revealing said turtle with an odd mixture of shock, fear, and excitement on his face.

‘Vision!’ he hurriedly signed.

Leo sat up straight, signing back. ‘you had a vision? Of what?’

Donnie paused (probably for dramatic effect) Then replied, ‘interdimensional baking contest.’

It was Leo’s turn to pause. 

‘What???’ Mikey signed from her position on the floor. Raph just stared.

Donnie repeated the signs, with more vigor. ‘I swear! I saw it! We all fall through a portal and there's other us and we bake to win!’

‘Okay,’ Raph finally joined the conversation. ‘If that's true, when?’

‘Soon.’ Donnie signed, right before the floor dropped out from under them with a bright multicolored light.

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The turtles all landed in a heap in the middle of a large auditorium, filled with mini kitchenettes, all of them colored either red, orange, blue or purple. The one they were in front of was purple, and had six aprons all labeled ‘baroque’ on them.

Donnie looked around then poked Leo in the arm. ‘Told you.’ 

Leo rolled his eyes and stood up pushing Mikey over in the process. “Baroque? Like the 17th century art style?” he said, signing as he spoke.

“Of course you’d know that.” Mikey muttered.

“Hey!! You guys!!” 

All of them looked over at the new voice, except for Donnie, who had to be alerted by Raph that someone was here.

It was a shortish turtle with blue spots in twisting patterns all over his limbs and head, and he donned a blue domino mask. He was wearing an apron that said ‘mighty fighty turtle teens’

‘Horrible name’ Donnie signed distastefully. His siblings nodded.

The other turtle jogged over to them “I’m Leo!” 

Leo, Donnie, Mikey, and Raph all looked at each other before shoving their Leo to go talk to the other Leo.

“Konnichiwa.” Leo said flatly. “I’m also Leo. These are my siblings. If our Donnie is right and this is some multiverse situation, then you probably already know their names.”

“Yeah!!” Other Leo smiled. “I just came over to say good luck, and maybe offer some sort of alliance in the upcoming contest?”

Leo quickly turned to Donnie and translated in a flurry of quick signs, before asking his opinion. 

‘Yes’ Donnie signed. ‘Ask him what we’re baking.’

Leo turned back to the other Leo. “Sure. Also, my Donnie wants to know what we’re baking.”

“Oh, the first one is a chocolate sculpture. I can show you guys the example? The contest doesn’t start for a little while.” 

Leo shrugged. “Sure, why not.”

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Good god.”

Good god was right.

The turtles were standing in front of a large sculpture of a dragon curled around a tower; all made of chocolate.

‘I have been learning sculpture. We will be fine.’ Donnie signed seemingly confidently, but his hands trembled ever so much as he looked at the massive structure.

‘You have been learning metal sculpture. This is chocolate.’ Leo signed back, putting extra emphasis on the signs ‘metal’ and ‘chocolate.

‘We are going to lose.’ Mikey signed confidently.

‘We are not going to lose!’ Raph signed back. ‘We got this. Go big or go home.’

‘I want to go home.’

“What’re you guys talkin’ about?”

Other leo had been joined by some of his brothers. The one asking the question was  the other Mikey, who had orange half-circle stripes all over his body and an orange domino mask over his eyes.

“How bad we’re going to lose.” 

“We’re NOT going to lose!” Raph insisted.”

“Yeah!” Other Leo agreed. “I’m sure you’ll  do great!”

Mikey rolled his eyes. “I’m going to look around.” He said, then walked off.

‘I should follow him.’ Donnie signed, before doing just that.

“Why do you look like a candy cane?” Other Mikey asked Raph, out of nowhere. 

Raph scowled. “I’m leaving too.” Before stalking off.

“And then there were three.” Leo sighed.

“Why didn't he answer my question?” other Mikey asked sadly.

“He’s albino and a little sensitive about it. Just try not to bring it up again, okay?”

“Okay!” Other Mikey grinned. 

Leo smiled and patted him on the head.

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Mikey, how is that chocolate coming?” Leo called from where he was helping Donnie shape the base of the dragon. Raph was out on a supply run.

Mikey looked at the chocolate pot ze was tempering slowly over low heat. “Slowly. Can’t I turn it up a bit so we can go faster?” 

“No!” Leo snapped. “We can’t burn it.”

Mikey rolled her eyes, and waited until Leo turned his back before ne smiled mischievously and turned the heat up all the way.

It was still going by much too slowly, so quietly, glancing back at Leo and Donnie, Mikey lit his hand on fire and stuffed it under the grate. Grinning, she continued stirring it.

FFOOM!!!!!!!!

Mikey yelped as the flames shot up, engulfing the entire stove and also most of his arm. (Sometimes being fireproof comes in handy)

“MIKEY!” Leo screeched from behind her.

One moment, she was engulfed in flames; the next, ne was covered in white foam and looking right into the eyes of a very angry Donatello.

Donnie set the fire extinguisher down aggressively and started signing, hands moving jerkily and quick. ‘I can’t EVEN with you right now, M-I-C-H-E-L-A-N-G-E-L-O. Somebody could have been hurt.’ (the fact he took extra time to fingerspell mikey’s full name really showed how angry he was with her) 

Donnie sighed. ‘Go…’ he paused, like he was searching for what to say. ‘Go sit somewhere.’

Mikey rolled zeir eyes, crossed her arms, and stalked off. He just wanted to make it go by faster. Yeesh.

[seraphim-eternal]

the baroque male

you have died to the law so to belong to another (Romans 7:4)

[mars-ipan]

komaeda wouldnt be catholic he would be gnostic christian i refuse to believe in a context where he is christian specifically that he wouldn’t believe there is a lesser god (which is in control of reality and is despair) compared to the true god that is a personification of the abstract (hope) and quite literally unfathomable. sorry i feel really strongly about philosophy and that’s tied heavily into religion due to metaphysics so i had to say it

that's fair. i just went catholic for the aesthetics

[auutumn]

autumn court inspired by germanic folklore & fairytales, my beloved

[deciessomnia]

@party-of-rpg-muses :: Frederic did say that he was a pianist before arriving in this "dream world" as he called it. But at this gathering, he truly got a chance to show his aptitude. His fingers moved and flowed upon the keys, as if he was dancing with the music itself. The entire time, Frederic had a look on his face that seemed to be a mix of enjoyment and calm focus, all while his eyes remained closed, as if he himself were one with the music.

Following a very successful performance, the young man stood from his bench and removed his hat as he gave a bow to the applauding audience before removing himself from the hall. A soft, warm smile appeared on his face as he met with Crescendo and Serenade.

There was a strange if not awkward calm between the once engaged couple Baroque and Forte. The formerly engaged would subtly steal subtle glances from the other from across the room. Once they sensed the tiniest of hints of the other turning their head, attention would immediately divert elsewhere. This happened every now and then during the banquet that followed the peace treaty and alliance signing.

Those who did notice, though few how it was, would give a disheartened or amused sigh. It was hard to tell between Crescendo and Serenade who missed the other more. While there was a mixed eye roll amongst the crowd that resulted in said person getting pinched hard by their partner. To those who were close to Crescendo, bet it was he who missed Serenade more than the once princess did herself for him.

There was a special performance for the banquet that was scheduled. Though both Crescendo and Serenade had planned it together, it was someone else who had invited a musician. Despite questioning Jazz repeatedly on who it was, Jazz remained tight lipped. It only served to annoy Crescendo and annoyed him more so with that knowing smirk on his friend’s lips.

❛ I’ve never heard this piece before… ❜ Crescendo thought upon hearing a piano play. Head turned towards where a group of musicians once were to see a familiar man behind ivory keys playing. Eyes widened at the sight as a smile began to form on his lips. ❛ How long has it been since I last saw him? ❜ Crescendo wanted to laugh, but held it in. ‘No wonder Jazz had that knowing look in his eyes. ❜ he made plans to punch his friend in the shoulder later.

Feeling the piece soon come to an end Crescendo started heading in Fredrick’s direction. Glancing out of the corner of his eyes he saw Serenade do the same. So they had the same thing in mind with how long it been since they’ve seen the man.

❝ Fredric, how long has it been~? ❞ Crescendo greeted the man with a genuine smile on his lips, happy to see him.

❝ Hello Fredric. It was quite a surprise to see you were the one someone spoke about inviting. ❞ Serenade said with a chuckle. Jazz could be quite the sly one when he wanted to be. Perhaps surprising was more fitting in this case. Serenade was quite amused with how much it annoyed Crescendo that Jazz would not tell him. ❝ How has time been treating you? ❞

[poettrista]

The Last Whisper

This is just a sneak-peek of one of the poems that will be found in my second collection, which I am currently working on:

[madlori]

Hey how about some ART TALK

Art history is a bit of a hobby of mine. Last weekend I went to the Frick in Pittsburgh because they had a special exhibition we wanted to see, and in the gift shop I picked up a book that told the story of a series of acknowledged masterpieces. The first one in the book is Birth of Venus, the second is Mona Lisa, and the scream I scrumpt when I turned the page to see the third:

Let me tell you about Artemisia Fucking Gentileschi.

She was a 17th century painter and one of the first women to be admitted to a Florentian art society and is widely regarded as one of the finest of the Italian baroque painters. She was raised by her father, who was also a painter who studied Caravaggio, and early in her career she had to put up with people saying that her paintings surely must have been painted by her father (despite her father himself saying she was a peerless artist and super accomplished).

As a young woman she was raped by a colleague of her father's. Her father sued the rapist because he hadn't married her (THIS was the crime, not the rape itself, of course) and Artemisia was tortured with thumbscrews to verify her testimony. Some of the...ahem...feelings about this entire episode definitely come through in her work.

Contrary to how these stories usually go, Artemisia had a long and productive career, was well paid for her work, enjoyed the patronage of the Medici family, and traveled widely. History, however, has only recently come to appreciate her and name her among the great painters of the period.

Let's talk about THIS FUCKING PAINTING, though. Judith Beheading Holofernes. Probably her most famous work.

The story is one of Judith, a Jewish woman, who got the general of the army about to invade her city to come have dinner with her, got him drunk, and chopped his head off. Then she paraded his head out to the army, like a boss. It's been painted a number of times but this one...this one really brings the rage. Look at Judith, the strength in her arms, how she's got a look of steely concentration. If you look closely, you can see she has her knee up on the bed behind him to get more leverage. Her maidservant is helping hold him down. Neither of them look horrified or hesitant, they're ready to cut this motherfucker. (also that's definitely Artemisia as Judith. She put herself in a lot of her paintings)

It's an apt interpretation of the verse from the Book of Judith, which is admiringly succinct:

Her sandal ravished his eye, Her beauty made captive his soul, The sword passed through his neck. — Book of Judith, 16:9[7]

It's got a real "the tiger is out" energy, right?

Now let's look at the same scene, painted by Caravaggio, who was no slouch at painting, but...come on.

Judith looks like a scared teenager. She's holding him at arm's length as if that's gonna work. Her maid is a crone, lurking at her shoulder like Wormtongue. This does not, imho, compare to the power of Gentileschi's version.

Artemisia painted another image of Judith holding the severed head. And a lot of other paintings. I'm just thrilled to see this one in this book, as it's one of my favorites. We have one of her paintings here in Columbus and I always visit it when I go (when it's up, that is).

[basu-shokikita]

My Analysis on The Duel

Over the course of my stay in the MTL fandom I've seen several takes on what The Duel means so I wanted to throw my interpretation!

For the record, I used the isolated guitar tracks of Toki and Skwisgaar that user crystalsmeth made for this. Here is Toki's version and here is Skwisgaar's version of The Duel, so feel free to listen to them while you read this. Or you can also listen to the regular version Spotify with your headphones or something.

As we know, Toki walks into the auditions late and begs Dethklok, Skwisgaar specifically, for a chance to prove himself. Skwisgaar accepts and immediately starts playing, leading to the legendary battle.

From the beginning of the song until 0:12, Skwisgaar is the one playing. He's doing the call and he's reckless, unafraid to destroy Toki the way he destroyed every other auditioner.

As such, an afraid but determined Toki answers from 0:13 to 0:20. The rest of Dethklok are shocked, since no one else before him was able to hold against Skwisgaar for even a verse.

While they're metaphorically transported into the sky and turned into mythical beasts, the call and answer dynamic continues. Though their verses are much shorter than the beginning.

Side detail: Toki's verses here are a bit clumsy and improvised, reflecting of his nervousness.

However, around 0:25, a change occurs. When Skwisgaar plays his part, he doesn't stop to listen to Toki's response. On the contrary, he continues playing, and thus creating an harmony with him.

Visually, this is the moment where the tension starts building up, both of them wanting to overcome the other though Toki is visibly behind Skwisgaar.

Toki catches up at 0:38 and they face each other. The call and answer dynamic resumes briefly and intensely as they shoot beams at one another.

While spinning so fast that you can barely tell them apart, the harmony once again returns (0:51). The whirlwind of pink representing Skwisgaar and teal representing Toki only grows bigger, and they're entangled with each other.

There's a sudden cut at 0:55, and in comes the baroque segment. They're still harmonizing but the musical style has changed and so have their clothes and attitudes. They have unimpressed, smug faces, akin to the aristocracy of the time.

But then, around 1:10, their expressions change, indicating the end of this relatively low-pressure part of the exchange. Their fighting is about to resume.

It's 1:15 and they're playing together. But here's the key. It's not call and answer, it's not a harmony they're both fighting off either. It's lead and rhythm guitar. But it's not Skwisgaar playing the lead.

It's Toki.

That's right, go ahead and listen to the isolated tracks I linked at the beginning of the post. For a brief moment, Toki is playing the lead guitar while Skwisgaar takes care of the rhythm guitar. And guess, what? They're happy about it!

As they soar into the skies, they're smiling at each other. Yes, it's faint but you can see it. Both Skwisgaar and Toki joyfully staring at each other, while playing together. Skwisgaar, who minutes ago was defeating auditioners left and right. Skwisgaar, who said they didn't need another guitarist in the band. Skwisgaar who didn't think anybody could match him, less alone conquer him.

That Skwisgaar, relegated to playing the rhythm guitar to this boy he just met and actually enjoying it. I tend to believe this is the moment where he decided he wanted Toki in the band, and by this point on he was just playing for the fun of it, rather than to defeat Toki.

From 1:23 onwards, they're harmonizing though there's something different about it this time, and this is better appreciated with earphones, by the way!

So far, we've had Skwisgaar's guitar come from the right channel, and Toki's guitar come from the left channel. But here, their guitars come together, right in the middle. You can try it with your earphones, if you take off the right or left one during this part, you can still listen to the harmony perfectly, whereas before where you would effectively mute Toki or Skwisgaar's guitar depending on which one you took off.

While Skwisgaar and Toki play in the beautiful skies, surveilled by their animal spirits, their music has fused into one. They have become a single entity.

The call and answer dynamic returns at 1:40 and so do the guitars to their respective channels. The conclusion to this fight is near and the visuals mirror it too, as they turn night-like.

While Toki technically loses the battle, he doesn't lose the challenge, as he's accepted into Dethklok because of his playing and that was the whole point of the auditions.

So, here you have it, my lengthy analysis on The Duel. I haven't really seen people talk about the fact that Skwisgaar, even for a few seconds, allowed Toki to play lead. And it's a fact that drives me insane! I mean, we're talking about Skwisgaar, the guy that truly believes himself to be better than anyone...It really goes to that he respects Toki's playing more than he'll ever admit. Musical soulmates, man...

[diminuel]

OPLA thoughts: Since they are shuffling things around, condensing the plot in the live action and Garp says that he's been chasing Baroque Works for a long time, so I wonder how involved he'll be in the Alabasta Arc.

I'm also curious about a live action Crocodad theory X'D Will it be different than Manga-verse? Will it work the same? Many things to think about and I guess we'll know a bit more once we've seen Dragon on screen~ (And I hope that we'll get some Dragon-Garp interactions since we know they chatted.)

[kalechipswithasideofkale]

my adrenaline has gone down finally so i feel i can give my thoughts on this season

no more faks! no more! please!

i think the series is taking inspiration from different art movements and genres. season one - surrealism?, season two - modernism?, season three - baroque? im not well versed on this stuff but i definitely noticed they use different forms of art to make the seasons feel different from one another

piggybacking off the earlier bulletin; i think thats also why this season feels like all flash and no substance. whatever movement or era they decided to do with season three is very ou la la oui oui i zam an artist bonjour /nm its very different from the movements they went with in the past seasons. this one feels serious and fancy smancy

i still think they’re going to go through with sydcarmy and this season just solidifies it. syd and carmy are severly mentally ill with issues they need to work out. they dont handle stress and expectations well if at all.

i think some of the things being said by the characters are being taken at face value specifically carmy calling claire peace. i dont think the writers are writing claire to be a source of peace for carmy; hes just so in denial and confused about his emotions he knows he supposed to feel peace from claire but cant figure out why he doesnt

i missed marcus sweeps and tina in this season so much. and syd! i was excited for sweeps to go to wine school only for it to be a one off thing. the tina episode was good but thats the only thing i can think of from the top of my head that she stood out in. marcus’ mom died? but it feels like she didnt die at all? like the weight of his moms death isnt being felt in his character and that made me really sad. i wanted a little more with syd and marcus with their moms :/

im not angry at carmy somehow? i just feel this deep sadness because he is so unlike himself. my initial frustrations with the season made it hard for me to look at his character. now that ive calmed down, he just makes me sad. like thinking about him makes me feel like a wet sausage dude he needs serious help and im scared he’s gonna do something very bad in this next season/part

i was really hoping there would be more parallels between new york carmy and current syd. they might explore it in season 4 and i really hope they do!

where tf was everyone else in the emergency room and why was it the two faks. there is no dissection in the world that will make me okay with those losers being there im sawry

syd being the first person sugar called and claire being the last mhm yup 🙂‍↕️

a good chunk of claire and carmys scenes being muted or cool colors once again!

RICHIE AND HIS DAUGHTER AA!! i wish they had an entire episode dedicated to them theyre so cute!

theres something to be said about loneliness and isolation this season? again i would need to rewatch the season. something something carmy pushing syd away something something nat fearing giving birth because of her mom something something syd having a breakdown and isolating herself from the rest of the fam something something

pete ❤️

chris you have reached ur limit on white male characters enough is enough theres NO MORE ROOM

ngl i actually liked seeing john cena on my screen yall pls

why are we so close to everyones face i zont like zat at all

i thought they were going to bring louis back and got so excited!!! BRING BACK LOUIS

they wrap up the claire storyline by season 4 or part three?? whatever theyre doing idk

LUCA!!!!!!

as much one sided beef i have with jlc she delivered i crode very hard

backseating the characters of color is very lame and bogus! i hated it! what happened to tinas friends she met at school? does ebra not have family? syd and her dad? marcus and his roommate? so many characters they could introduce from sydney marcus tina ebra fuck even angel and manny but they insist on introducing characters that have ties to the berzattos. i hate it! i really do!

syds apartment? where did you go fren….

i wish they were more artsy fartsy with carmys internal struggles give me cringe film student vibes please ill take anything

FUCK CICERO he didnt do anything but PISS ME OFF >:(

why didnt they have syd work out the economics (or whatever tf that computer dude did do). didnt she do something like that in season one? i guess since cicero called him it makes sense

richie and nat are so adorable i love them!!!!

overall pretty mediocre season. it was okay for a show like the bear. i don’t agree with having an entire season dedicated to build up! or atleast in the way they’ve done it in season 3. season 1 was a prologue for the entire show yet it still felt like a complete season. alot of the things that went down in season three either could’ve been compressed into a shorter span of time or they could’ve gotten more episodes (as if its that easy lol but the pacing wouldn’t have suffered as much if the season was longer). um decent season? i dont hate it! i dont love it either. like i said it feels soulless and maybe thats the intention? idk man 😔

i will most definitely be seated for season four TRUST

[sundere1181]

I wish I could respond to this with a drawing but alas, I cannot. So you must imagine. Anyway, my Donnie says thank you, Leo and Mikey are in the background causing trouble and Raph says “what the fuck are we supposed to with this?” Out of sight of Donnie so he doesn’t get in trouble

[laiqualaurelote]

Press Release: Spooky Action at a Distance Album Reveal

The London Music Register - Local Interest

Spooky Action At A Distance unveils cover art for their much awaited debut album

The Ambassadors meets The Breakfast Club

Perhaps even more difficult than snagging a ticket to one of SAAAD’s sold-out club shows is trying to describe the experience to your less-lucky friends afterwards.

Their sound defies basic mortal conventions such as genre, instead better described by critic buzzwords, namely, transcendent and explosive.

Four band mates of wildly different backgrounds and styles meet to produce something that’s both the ultimate sum of their ancestral influences and entirely, uniquely theirs. Their music unabashedly melds high and low art- what begins as a pop punk song flows seamlessly into an operatic verse, while another number features elements of a baroque dance suite in what can best be defined as a modern club anthem. Their lyrics are equally packed with esoteric references and universal emotions.

It shouldn’t work- but it does. And it’s delicious. In order to tide you over until the album release, we’ve got the first look at its cover art, and as a gift to fans, it’s visually indicative of the band’s layered sound.

Many of you may be familiar with The Ambassadors from school trips to the National Gallery. The painting’s a popular subject of debate for art historians due to its detailed subjects and metaphysical symbolism. It’s reproduced faithfully here, albeit with a few cheeky adjustments.

SAAAD frontwoman Crystal Palace (yes, that Crystal Palace!) takes the place of the leftmost figure, complete with lavish outfit and undeniable rockstar swagger.

Across from her, drummer Charles Rowland stands in a dark coat, sticks clutched in a gloved hand.

Bassist Niko Sasaki lays across the top shelf à la Molly Ringwald, dandelion-crowned head at Palace’s shoulder.

Center frame- the band’s ‘brain’: virtuoso Edwin Payne sits with a lute across his lap and the painting’s infamous distorted skull slashing across his legs. (Memento mori seems to be a prevalent theme in many of SAAAD’s songs, though they often turn it into a lively celebration)

Eagle eyed fans will notice a couple additions to Holbein’s instruments- a bear figurine, a lantern, and a cherry blossom branch among them. Are they references to the band’s lyrics? Hints at future projects?

One thing’s for sure, we cannot wait to see more of this group. *

Spooky Action At A Distance’s album is available for preorder at record stores all across London.

Next live show: Saturday night at the Catabasis (tickets required in advance)

Booking inquires should be sent to Jenny Green.

HELLO I LOVE THIS?! for those unfamiliar with The Ambassadors by Hans Holbein, it's a 16th-century painting most famous for the weird distorted shape in the foreground, which looks like an alien object but is an anamorphic skull that comes into view if you approach it from certain angles. It's absolutely perfect for this band AU, I am shrieking. my eternal thanks to you anon

I actually drafted, but did not put in the fic itself, the track listing for the band's debut album AFTERLIVES, complete with writing credits:

SKELETONS IN THE CLOSET (Payne)

ACES DACES (Rowland)

LEFT OVER RITE (Payne)

TANPOPO NO KAMISAMA (Sasaki)

STICKY CRICKET WICKET (Rowland)

GIRLS’ KNIVES OUT (Sasaki, Surname von Hoverkraft)

RESTLESS PIANO SYNDROME (Payne)

PICK UP WHAT YOU’RE PUTTING DOWN (Rowland)

BRACELET ABOUT THE BONE (Payne)

BURY THE EX (Surname von Hoverkraft)

LANTERN IN THE DARK (Payne)

STAIRWAY TO HELL (Payne, Rowland) 

(bonus track)

13. GOT THE HELL OUT OF HELL (WE AIN’T GOING BACK) (Payne, Rowland, Sasaki, Surname von Hoverkraft)

gig officially gigged

[kavalyera]

.................okay but ROMANTIC Vincent x bodyguard could slap 😗🤨😲now that might be something I could potentially eat up. Suddenly I am hungry.

cringefailure french boy needs a bodyguard i got u bae dw

ʚ♡ɞ

You work for the Marquis de Gramont as a bodyguard

You’re well-versed in guns and all that combat jazz

You get your hands dirty for this guy, and commit acts of violence

It’s just your job anyways

It’s much better than being a common hitman or mercenary because then you have a boss to hide behind

A particularly hot boss to be specific

He’s attractive, you and the other Myrmidons agree upon that

Vincent is young in comparison to literally everyone in the Table’s circle of representatives and agents

He’s a hyperglot, he’s got a taste in art, he likes cats more than dogs, he’s sexy as hell, and he’s interesting when he talks sometimes

God, isn’t he just amazing?

It’s when you’re at the Louvre with this guy again(second time this week)

“What do you think about art?”

A simple, innocent question

Your answer goes along the lines of something basic

Nothing too profound, just rather something short and simple

And that sends the Marquis to talking about art and history as a whole

Now you know the difference between Baroque and Renaissance art

And you know Realism, Impressionism, and Romanticism

Vincent finds Romanticism particularly interesting: a quiet theme romanticizing the softer and more gentler parts of life

You can see that in him

Vincent gets excited when he talks about art

You can see it when he smiles, or when his eyes are practically gleaming as he talks

You only nod, answer simple and short when he pauses to ask

Then—

Then Vincent has you accompanying him more than often

You get a chance to talk to Chidi a whole lot, Vincent’s right hand man

And you get to hear more of Vincent’s ramblings

Attending bourgeois luxuries

Palais Garnier, and all that stuff

It only takes nine months(fuck, that’s nearly a year) for you to actually start seeing Vincent

Vincent, not the Marquis— but just him

A guy that plays piano and fills most of his days learning a new language if he’s not doing anything important

He holds everyone to high standards including you

But there’s always something that Vincent likes about you

It’s clear in his actions, really

“These gloves would suit you, don’t you think?”

Vincent likes giving gifts, he doesn’t know anything else about relationships or how to properly say it

But it’s clear

He first got you gloves when he saw your hands were particularly bruised

Then it just straight up jumped to him giving you a car, sleek black and elegantly shaped

God, you wish you were joking

But you wanted to test the waters first

“I want you to come with me to the Louvre again”

“Alright, kiss me on the cheek first”

Was that too bold?

Either way, after a moment of pause, which was Vincent just processing it—

—he kissed you on the cheek

What kind of chapstick was he using to get those lips so damn pink and perfect and soft?

You’ve been eyeing those lips for a while now

And feeling it first hand-

Fuck, it was exhilarating

“So are we gonna go now?”

Vincent put a hand on his hip as he asked you

“Yes, sir”

Shit, you were so fucking whipped

reblogs appreciated as always<33

[mesetacadre]

I'm in no way versed in musical theory but isn't the intro-chorus-verse-chorus and similar structures some people lament being so ubiquitous in contemporary music basically analogous to the main theme and variations structure that most pieces, especially longer ones, took in the baroque-classical-romantic period? Like maybe humans just generally like that sort of structure in music and it doesn't represent some kind of dumbing-down

[paintaboveyourbones]

So, one of the great pleasures of TVC verse, for me, is analyzing each book chronologically. And what I mean by that is there's this temptation to want to look at the series as a whole and say "oh! this is cool because this is a precursor to this moment 5 books from now". But I think it's important to keep in mind that Anne wasn't some master planner. She was very much someone who let herself indulge in whatever was engaging to her at the time, and you can see this in the way that her canon was malleable and contradictory at times.

One of my favorite reminders of this is right at the beginning of interview

Yes, Anne would go on to write these incredibly baroque, leather-clad-wearing characters. But it's important to remember that when it was just her in her apartment in San Fransisco waiting for Stan to get back from work, the image she was drawing on, the trope she was interested in exploring, was the classic movie vampire. This was the vision of Louis she was initially playing with :

This is so interesting to keep in perspective because it explains a lot of the framework laid down in the interview. It explains the origins of so much of the vampire lore—even when Anne explicitly rebels against parts of it—like her being bothered by the lack of a reflection because it implies the soul is in hell, and she didn't want that—it's a rebellion against this specific incarnation of the vampire image.