#if mezzo takes forever

[swaps55]

2023 Year End Fic Wrap Up

Tagged by @cr-noble-writes. Thank you!

Words written (published or not, WIPs totally count too!):

Published: 65,113 Unpublished:  41,773 Total: 106,886

It feels like I wrote a lot less this year than previous years, but I think it’s less about word count and more that my two big projects, Fugue and Mezzo, sucked up my entire mental bandwidth and I just didn’t have capacity to kick out one shots like I have in the past. I have a bunch of ideas for fun one shots, but not enough time or energy to realize them.

Also, this number is by no means accurate. My Mezzo Leftovers document is sitting at 11.3k, and Fugue finished up with a scrapheap of 28.3k. Gosh, it's hard to believe Fugue was actually 2023. It feels like years ago. Just writing it aged me 10 years. XD

Smut scenes written (if applicable): None. Did I daydream frequently and in great detail about how Sam and Kaidan reconcile in ME3? Yes. Could I write it in my sleep at this point? Also yes. Did I write a word of it? No.

New things I tried: 2nd person POV, Mordin POV, and EDI POV were all new and very scary things I tried, and think were largely successful (jury is still out on EDI and Mordin because only my beta has seen it, but I’m pleased with them).

Fic I spent the most time on: Probably Mezzo, because I wrote more of it than Fugue in 2023.

Fic I spent the least time on: Probably Capriccio, because it was short and mostly wrote itself.

Favourite thing I wrote: Well…I wrote so little outside of the long fics, because they have sucked up all my time and spoons. Fugue is something I am so proud of, but Mezzo has been so fun.

Favourite thing I read: A Sip of Serenity was a Spec Recs Kaidan & Liara treat fic for me by @screwyouflightlieutenant and I love it with an unholy love. Also, Madrigal and Volta by @dandenbo are PHENOMENAL stories you should drop everything and read.

Writing goals for next year: Finishing Mezzo sounds ambitious, but I guess I can be ambitious in January. XD

Tagging...I don't know! Who hasn't done this? If you haven't, please do it and tag me, because I wanna see. @stormikins? @otemporanerys?

[zumicho]

💞 but really I just want to know what you think of ur mutuals ^^

anon. look what u made me do.

ask game

💞 : @ your favorite blog

if you weren’t on this list know I love you !! I just have bad memory <3 IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER !!

@causenessus was the first mutual on this blog I actually talked to / interacted with and her tags for white denim overalls really solidified the fact that I wanted to be part of this community <3 ily ness !!!! anon you didn’t ask but I’m going to list my favorite works from these people too lol

new grounds I think about every 4 business days, and how they comfort you (I’m definitely biased) is so well written and heartfelt !!

@mitskicain is cheating in this thread bc she’s my irl but also quite literally my favorite person alive even tho she NEVER REPLIES WITHIN THE SAME DAY (stuck up, I know) — and if ur into ken sato she’s a great pick !! she has some haikyuu works coming soon too <3

@mollyrolls . the barney to my ted. i love her so bad u guys have no idea I miss her whenever she’s not on here n I’m so grateful they exist </3 molly if u see this u didn’t read that. i hate you i hate you i hate you I hate you hey cupid! is my favorite rendition? version? take..?? on iwa on this app (I’ve said that already) & all shades of blue is criminally underrated

I CAN TELL THIS IS GOING TO BE AN INSANELY LONG POST IM SO SORRY 💔💔💔💔💔

@nectardaddy is an incredible writer and person all around I still can’t fathom that they’re in my dms. dodger u are insane and i love u

88 ford is a well known obsession of mine !! if dodger is the president of the ‘GET UP’ / down bad club consider me the vice president. OH AND IM SO EXCITED FOR I HATE YOUR GUTS

@sweetfushi , the akaashi to my bokuto — sweetest person ever, is one of my only jjk moots and put me onto the show itself 😭🤍 I can’t pick a specific favorite but the way she writes nanami is perfect to me !!! there’s also mha and haikyuu on her page go take a look <3

@kuroppiii RO. THE PATRICK TO MY ART. my favorite film freak on this app. they have a challengers inspired miya twins fic that takes up 90% of the space in my brain. if u don’t go read right NOWWW I’m coming for u and ur family

@sandwhitches IS SOOO FUCKING UNDERRATED her smau dedication is everything. PLUS MY TWIN FLAME HELLO I LOVE U MITCH !!! ur humor is top tier and I’ve never clicked with anyone as quick as I have with you ugh — read on sight or it’s on sight 💥👊

@guitarstringed-scars I haven’t interacted with u as much as I’d wish to but MO UR SO COOL !!! ur movie taste is everything to me and raven’s eye diner is such a creative piece of work and so so fun to read ,, I have to sit down and grab a snack whenever I do

@cr4yolaas is legendary for making mezzo forte I owe u my life rye. I’m so serious rn I was hooked from blue spring (which I still haven’t finished bc i don’t want it to end rip) and I’ll be staying a fan forever!! ur blog is a blessing to this community

@/yenonoff is on a hiatus and I don’t want to bother her but she’s a great rec if u like haikyuu AND eye candy when u read. her blog is just so nice to look at and i miss her terribly

not being on this does NOT mean I don’t like u pleaaaase know I love all of my mutuals dearly n cherish every interaction I have with u all

[cyybrzz]

To anyone who sees this and does musical theater...

I need advice... again. this time it's a theater thing for all my musical theater performers out there who wanna help a girl out 😔🙏

🔮 I'm having an internal crisis.

So i've been into musicals for FOREVER and I love singing songs at karaoke and getting into character and stuff whatever THE POINT IS recently i've been considering actually trying out for a musical?? the last time i didn't theater was elementary school if that counts and i've never been apart of a choir so no i can't read sheet music or know what it means sos the closest i've gotten is orchestra. I'm just nervous because i've never done THEATER before and i would have no idea how to prepare and i feel like id make myself look stupid at any auditions if i did; now im here on tumblr again asking for advice!!

🔮 *googles how to get my voice to work*

i don't think i'm a BAD singer but i'm not anything out of this world, i think i'm anywhere from an alto to a mezzo-soprano?? (my most comfortable songs to sing are JD's songs from heathers or ngrom from waitress, i can also sing from like deja vu to 505 if that helps to any music nerds anywhere! thanks) anyway i don't even know my voice range and whether im a good singer; also i think that 99% of the time im singing with my head voice and idk how to belt or sing with chest voice so if anyone has any vocal advice on how to sing better and warmup my voice for stuff like this it'd be greatly appreciated i'm literally clueless when it comes to singing so if you think any piece of advice is stupid and common knowledge it's probably not for me and i'll gladly take it

🔮 fake it til you make it??

I DONT KNOW IF IM A GOOD ACTRESS EITHER UGH i don't really get stage fright bc i do multiple sports/activities that require me being in front of an audience i just don't want to look stupid 😓💔 I can memorize lines and stuff like that it's just the performance aspect in worried about so if anyone has tips on how to scope out my acting ability or how to improve it reach out please i #needthat

🔮 auditions exist... unfortunately

uhm how do auditions work bc i don't wanna embarrass myself if i even decide to go for it bc what if i make a fool of myself and ill have to fall off the face of the earth and no one will be able to see me again? what if i mess up at auditions and they think im terrible? what if i don't mess up and they still think im terrible? it's so scary as a newbie someone please sos

🔮 do i even go for it?

with all these issues and roadblocks do i even try to go for it... i have a friend that does theater and i'm scared they'll judge me if i mention trying out for it 😭 the urge to try theater again (kinda) has been so strong lately and me being watching musicals and singing songs doesn't help! please be brutally honest i need it, toodles!

[black-arcana]

A beginner’s guide to symphonic metal in 5 albums

Few genres do grandiose like symphonic metal. As the name suggests, it marries the scope and ambition of classical music to the power of metal. The result is orchestral, opulent and sometimes OTT, but it’s a hard heart that is completely resistant to it.

The seeds of the sound were sown in the 80s, when diverse trailblazers such as Celtic Frost and Savatage began incorporating orchestral instruments into their music. But it began to accelerate in the late 1990s, with bands such as Therion, Nightwish, Within Temptation and cult favourites Haggard began to properly fuse the two genres.

Today, symphonic metal has become an unlikely commercial force. Nightwish and Within Temptation are festival headliners, while a constant stream of newer bands have emerged in their wake. For anyone who is new to this grandest of genres, these are the five albums to start with.   

Therion – Secret Of The Runes (2001)

Therion remain the original and – the purists would have you believe – the best of all the symphonic metal acts. Named in honour of Celtic Frost’s second album To Mega Therion, the Swedes have been led by multi-instrumentalist Christofer Johnsson since 1987. While others have prospered by ‘sexing-up’ the genre’s principles, the Therion experience remains a pure one – sackcloth and ashes, almost. Take our word, it’s a beautiful thing.

After Forever – Decipher (2001)

The second album from this pioneering and much-missed Dutch outfit, who ran from 1995 to 2009, Decipher employed live classical instruments and a full choir to complement the stirring soprano delivery of Floor Jansen (now, of course, with Nightwish). Soon afterwards Mark Jansen quit, taking his growled co-vocals along to the guitarist’s next band of note, Epica. The album’s grandiose arrangements still sound masterful today.

Within Temptation – The Silent Force (2004)

Although you’re likely to be distracted by the captivating strength of Sharon den Adel’s upfront vocal dynamism, Within Temptation’s symphonic aspirations reached their most querulously romantic apex on this goosebump-inducing masterwork of the form. Although the guitars were louder and crunchier than on 2000’s Mother Earth, and the open- hearted pop savvy was at full widescreen pelt, this 2004 follow-up confirmed the band’s special affinity for wizardly orchestral bombast, here performed by the Ego Works Session Orchestra, under the noted Russian conductor Felix Korobov.

Epica – The Quantum Enigma (2014)

Formed by former After Forever guitarist Mark Jansen, Epica played a crucial part in the development of symphonic metal via a string of consistently impressive releases, but with The Quantum Enigma – their sixth studio record – the Dutch band raised the bar to a whole different level, hiring a live chamber choir and a string orchestra to enhance a collection of tunes that is uniformly strong. Throw in the soaring vocals of flame-haired mezzo-soprano  Simone Simons and the results are seismic.

Nightwish – Endless Forms Most Beautiful (2015)

You could pick anything from 2000’s Wishmaster onwards, but the Finns’ first album with Floor Jansen represents Peak Nightwish in terms of a grandiosity. A high-concept exploration of evolutionary science, featuring narration from scientist Richard Dawkins, it’s an absolute triumph. From the full-pelt throttle of Shudder Before The Beautiful and cinematic bombast of Weak Fantasy to the  life affirming anthemia of Alpenglow, it’s a constant stream of brilliance. Then there’s The Greatest Show On Earth, a 25-minute show-stopper most bands could only dream of writing. It’s no surprise this was the record that turned Nightwish into festival and arena headliners.

[boysplanetrecaps]

Build Up Episode 1: Don’t Go

Hello and welcome back to my Build Up recaps! In the last one, we covered the first two “Pre-4” Mission performances -- If You and Every Moment of You. In this post, we’ll cover Don’t Go (Kajima) and wrap up episode 1, finally!

I found some decent links to watch the episodes. 

Episode 1

Episode 2

I’m deliberately hiding them behind a read more since I’m not sure if MNET knows about them and/or if they’ll be there forever, so watch while you can! 

Just a little note before we dive in -- I noticed after I had posted the previous one that Seunghun from CIX has braces! 

I’m just really surprised, because I would have guessed that his agency would have made him take them off for this show, or something. I’m glad he has them if he needs them, for sure -- it’s just a surprise. Knowing this helps explain why he smiles so strangely sometimes. 

Anyway! 

Don’t Go

The next performance is Kajima, Kajima (Don’t Go, Don’t Go). 

A little about the song before we get to the performance. It was originally performed by a singing duo called Brown Eyes, which, per Wikipedia, is “considered one of South Korea's most important R&B groups, given their immense commercial success.” The duo consists of Yoon Gun and Naul, both of whom have gone on to do other stuff. Naul recently did a duo with Sung Sikyung, the guy who first sang Every Moment of You (the previous song on this show). The song Kajima, Kajima won the Best Ballad/R&B Performance award at the 2008 MNET Asian Music awards.

Kajima, Kajima is the miserable wail of a deserted lover begging their partner to come back. Some of the lyrics, per a blog I found: “Stupidly / I still live for you / Where are you? / I need you so much / Oh baby, my only one / Please stop and come back now / Just tell me this is a joke / Simply return to me.” 

Mini Korean lesson: You might recognize the -jima ending from the GOT7 song Stop It, when they say “hajima, hajima” over and over (“hajima” means “don’t). And you heard the “ka” verb at the beginning of the Oneus song Lit, when they say, “Kaja!” (let’s go!) So ka is for go, and -jima is a negative command, so kajima is “don’t go”. Woot! 

Kajima, Kajima is known for a really high note -- a high G#5. I would have to warm up to hit that note at all -- and I’m not confident I could hit it with much resonance. And I’m a mezzo-soprano -- it would be insane to hit that note as a tenor!  Like the other ballads on this show, it’s known for being particularly emotional, but in this case it’s also tricky to sing. That’s why the other guys call it a “hell song.”

So, who would want to take this song on? Why, mister high notes himself, Park Jeup.

Park Jeup was second to choose and chose this song right off, but it took a while for anyone else to join him, to the point that he started to get nervous. But after a bit, 16th ranked Detective Donghun from A.C.E. chose it while there were still spots open in every song. It turns out that Donghun really wanted to sing Breath but chose this song so that he could work with Jeup. Aww! They were on I Can See Your Voice 4 together, so Donghun may have admired Jeup’s voice for a while. They’re “chingus” in the sense that they were born in the same year, 1993, and in Korean culture having someone around who is the same age as you is sort of meaningful, almost like when you meet someone from your home country when you’re abroad.

“Will I be able to sing this song well?” … “I’m sure you’ll do well.”

Also, Donghun proved he’s not scared to tackle tough material when he did an EXO song for his teaser performance. 

By the time Neon chose the song, Ditto, Tomboy, and Shall I Love You Again  were closed, but he seems to choose this song without hesitation. By the time 36th place Hyukjin choose it, the only songs open were this song, Every Moment Of You (the one we just saw), or Breath, but I think he might have really wanted this song anyway. Based on his teaser performance -- that wild metal performance -- he also likes to tackle tough material. (Hyukjin was also born in 1993, making him also a chingu to Jeup and Donghun. Neon is a little younger, about 28 years old.)

In my original assessment of Jeup, I noted that I loved his technique but wasn’t sure about his timbre, but that I’d give him a chance to grow on me. For Hyukjin, I recognized the ambition of what he tried to do and again decided to reserve judgment. About Neon, I said that he has nice, clean vocals, with good technique and a lot of power. And I said that Donghun has an appealing warm vocal color with good breath support, but strains his throat a bit. If I had to pick a favorite voice of the four based on their teaser song, I’d choose Neon, but Donghun wouldn’t be too far behind. This is a group of powerful vocalists, regardless of the category they chose, and I am hopeful that it will turn out well.

The group seems pretty happy to all be working together, and they view each other as talented colleagues, which might make it tricky to divvy up the parts. They’re all really good, so who should sing what? 

Look at how shiny Hyukjin’s suit is! Those gray lines are just lights reflecting off of creases in the material. 

They begin singing the song a bit to test out the waters, and Jeup’s strong clear tenor fills the studio. Over in team Beautiful, Lim Sang Hyun wonders out loud, “Is that the original song playing?” 

LTR: Lim Sanghyun, Taewoo, Jeong Yunseo, Kim Minseo 

They take turns singing a bit and they all sound fantastic. They’re not really sure what to do, because Jeup doesn’t want to take the verse, which he thinks is too low for him, and so he wants to do the chorus, which is a long part. Donghun also wants to do that long part, but decides that it suits Jeup more and decides to do a different part that is more emotional, even if it’s shorter. The rest of the part distribution goes well.

Then we go into a mini montage of Donghun’s struggles in his life. He’s always wanted to sing, and went on various shows to make that happen, but though he made top 10 of Superstar K5 that wasn’t quite good enough, and then he made the debut lineup of that shitshow that was MIXNINE but of course that group didn’t debut. He thought that debuting (in A.C.E.) would make it ok, but it didn’t. I beg to differ, sir! People really like A.C.E.! But I guess it’s not like A.C.E. have hit the highs of BTS and Seventeen, so I understand what he’s saying. “Actually the survival program itself was a bit of a trauma for me,” he adds, and I feel that. These shows seriously should gift each contestant at least 20 hours of a post-show mental health counseling. 

The guys are meeting in some sort of staff room, probably at one of their agencies. Looks like three of them were drinking something cool, but smart Jeup is drinking something hot. Cold stuff is bad for your throat, my friends. Jeup knows where it’s at.

Left to right: Hyukjin, Neon, Donghun, and Jeup

Also, I think Jeup looks so much nicer with his hair this way, sort of parted and brushed back, instead of down over his face like bangs.

Anyway, at this meeting, Donghun is saying, “I want us to decide what kind of thoughts we’ll have when we sing this song, so that we have a unified approach. The song title is Don’t Go, Don’t Go. We can make it about our dreams. I haven’t seen my dream lately, and I hope it comes to me now.”    

The editors play some sad piano music as Donghun’s words sink in. All four of them know what he’s talking about. Honestly, Hyukjin and Jeup know what he means even more than he does -- A.C.E. is about 100x more popular than Jeup’s group was, and about 100,000x more popular than Hyukjin’s current group. 

Hyukjin, partly quoting from the song, says, “Living like a fool is heartbreaking. But we keep living like fools.” Then he smiles incredulously, as if he almost can’t believe that he’s made that connection. Donghun has really hit a nerve here. 

Donghun agrees with Hyukjin, and says, “yes, we keep singing like fools.” He interviews that he wants to reclaim his dream and get it back. 

As the lights go down on performance day, Donghun voiceovers, I want to sing my heart out with no regrets. 

Here’s the full version, no reactions. 

My thoughts:

Damn, that was good. 

Let me nitpick for just a few seconds. Yes, Hyukjin’s voice is a little thin and he strained on the highest notes, and Jeup’s voice is a bit too high in timbre to be my favorite, and Donghun’s voice still sounds strained, like he must be hurting his throat. 

But it all ended up working. I don’t know, man, this was good. For one thing, all the voices are really good individually, and then they also are a great mix. You’ve got the slightly tart Jeup, like a strawberry. You’ve got the bright voice of Hyukjin, like a raspberry. You’ve got the slightly challenging voice of Donghun, a pineapple. And then the smoothest voice, Neon, as a slice of banana mixed in to smooth the whole thing down. It fucking works. I don’t even like this song and I liked listening to their performance. I mean, this is going on my playlist, you guys. This is good shit.

I particularly like Neon’s voice, even though I recognize that it’s not quite as powerful or well trained as the others’. To me, he sounds just a little like Do Kyungsoo and that’s just about the highest compliment I can give to a singer. 

Also, damn, I don’t normally talk about this kind of thing exactly but Park Jeup, in addition to being a real sweetheart, is a really good looking dude. I’m not made of steel, you guys. 

Those cheekbones! Those shoulders! Am I alone on this…? 

The MNET edit, like all the edits so far, is pretty restrained. I guess they told their editors to not do a whole bag of coke before they sat down to their editing control panel. There are a few instant replays of high notes, but they’re blended in to the background mix so it’s not so jarring to listen to. 

All the reaction shots are positive. We see the judges just loving all of them. Vocal Coach Guy even asks, “wait, is this live or playback?” The love seems slightly more focused on Jeup and Donghun, less so on Neon and even less so on Hyukjin, but all four of them get some love, which is nice. 

Solar likes it. I think. I guess? Not sure.

She’s excited Jeup hit that one high note! She tries to hit it too and kind of can’t! 

Backstage, the guys all kind of fall over hearing Jeup’s high note. They almost can’t believe it. Hwanhee kind of hits his own knees with his hands involuntarily. 

When they’re done, the judges give them a standing ovation!

They lavish praise on all of them, again focusing a little less on Hyukjin and a little more on Donghun. They think that the four of them could just debut as a group the way they are. Basically, the judges agree with me, so that’s good.

Vocal Coach Guy points out that Jeup doesn’t just hit high notes -- he sings with emotions. Then he adds that Jeup has nice shoulders, so that was funny. Wendy asks about Jeup’s range, and he says that he can sing any male song, that they’re all in his range. 

Dahee says that it was nothing but compliments, so the question is, who could win? Backstage, the boys aren’t sure either. No one floats Hyukjin’s name as top tier, but the other three get named, and the boys think that all four were excellent. 

So, who wins…?

Baekho, Solar, and Vocal Coach Guy all vote for Donghun from A.C.E. 

Eunkwang and Jaehwan vote for Neon, and Wendy votes for Park Jeup. 

So, Donghun wins! Vocal Coach Guy lavishes a bit more praise on him, saying that it was an easy choice to pick Donghun because his voice is so good. 

And then, oh guys, it’s so sad. Donghun starts to cry, saying it’s the first time he’s been recognized like this. 

The judges are a little uncomfortable because the “win” is kind of a minor one, and they’re surprised at his reaction. It’s like this is what Donghun has been waiting his whole life to hear. 

Donghun adds that he didn’t expect to win, that he was focusing on working well with his team.

Backstage, the guys are like, oof, wouldn’t want to have to follow that! 

So who is up next? Team Breath. The editors do that thing like they’re trying to trick you into thinking that the performance is starting, but the episode is almost over and this obviously just a teaser. Thanks, editors. Theditors. 

Since we’re at the end of the episode, I’ll end the post here. Woo! Finally to the end of the first episode! I'm only two full episodes behind... great! Anyway, I'll see you in the next one, and thanks as always for reading. <3

[sailorspica]

reijean hitchannie college band AU headcanons that may not lead to fic form but i feel strongly about because i did undergrad at a huge university with a prestigious music school where everyone was depressed + i've been giffing kids on the slope (2012) w reiner's seiyuu + the given akihiko/haruki reijean agenda:

all the warriors grew up playing classical music w/ varying degrees of parental pressure, for example mr leonhart is a violinist and annie's first and forever teacher so maybe she maims him here too (he's like jk simmons in whiplash); karina is into classical music as a status symbol

by contrast hitch and jean know how to have fun. hitch learned everything from youtube, jean's mom let him quit piano lessons as a kid so he came back to it on his own when he realized it was cool/thought it could get him girls (it doesn't) (inspo: nick cave)

annie (lead/rhythm guitar), hitch (vocals/rhythm guitar/octave pedal "bass"), jean (vocals/keys/bass), reiner (drums). reiner would do bass if he had sukuna arms

reijean meet in intro to audio engineering which counts as a science class for some reason, form the band after roping annie into their final recording project; annie's an undeclared part-time student who mostly works

first they try marco as rhythm guitarist but he is too jazzy and cannot wrap his mind around rock tone, annie is furious (low stakes version of trost; sounds derogatory but marco just looks like a jazz guy)

hitch is a business major who thinks music is a hobby, kinda yasu from nana energy. annie recruits her after overhearing her teaching/berating marlowe before he absolutely bombs an open mic night

hitch is an acoustic girlie (dark ukulele past) but annie and jean take her shopping and she picks a danelectro stock '59

annie plays a jaguar bc of her short fingers, she's some combo of lindsey jordan / luna li but also j mascis

reiner's favorite drummer is karen carpenter, deadass

hitch is the least disciplined which equal turns teaches them to relax but incites rage, annie and jean lock her in a room w reiner bc this bitch cannot count

everyone sings but especially hitch and jean, the vibe is michelle zauner and craig hendrix; i think they hype up the other two who are very self conscious

main songwriters are annie and jean, jean finds jazzy chords that hitch hates

annie was concertmaster of her arts magnet high school orchestra until mikasa showed up and the worst part is violin is mikasa's like, tertiary instrument; now they are ex-gf roommates

opera singer mikasa ruins lives, she is kissing kissing mezzo historia in boy drag (inverse girl armin) in uhhh idk la clemenza di tito

ymir is probably a drummer in a nu riot grrrl band, root of her frenemyship with reiner, also i think she's trying to steal annie and/or hitch

reiner is a cello performance major who became interested in rock percussion after hooking up w eren; eren's taste is incredibly lame, he likes like, dave grohl

eren and mikasa both did piano lessons as kids and she forces him to be her accompanist most of the time, but he and jean tag in and out ever since eren gave himself gamer's carpal tunnel before mikasa's first jury freshman year

jean is Not a music major but he makes money as music majors' accompanist; he could be studio art? or something "reasonable" (a la the MPs, business school hitch), like cybersecurity

annie and marcel = violin, pieck and bertie = viola, reiner and porco = cello

bertolt is living studio ghibli whisper of the heart in italy

for the first half of undergrad reiner lived with marcel in place of porco bc that little shit felt smothered by the galliards bUyINg a whole apartment for their boys, but when marcel graduated pocco moved in and uhhhhh evicted reiner, who thought he had saved enough to make it on his own by living rent free but uhhhhh karina stole it

uhhh pieck looks like my first gay crush (a violist opera singer) so let's say she's studying abroad

point is, reiner is isolated through no one's direct fault, really, besides pock; annie is his closest friend in town and she's such a tsundere about it. he lived on her and mikasa's couch for a week but will never return because it was too awkward even for his broke ass

[monotonous-minutia]

Cendrillon (Chicago Summer Opera, 2022), Acts III & IV

she's so tired and scared but still feels she needs to be cleaning :(

this aria!! I always feel like I'm right there with her

go off Pandolfe

the audience started clapping when he chases them off

actually good opera dad

this is such a cool effect

yay forest scene!

pretty!!

pure diva magic

gay subtitles I keep watching this like "is this real life"

her locket is the heart

i can't handle this!!!!

they both fell asleep on the ground and then the fairies led the princess away during the scene change. always wondered how (story-wise) they'd get separated.

fairy godmother takes one look back...

poor Lucette

back to the ball!!

she has the locket!

princess lineup

don't give up!!

she's here!!

so lovely!!

lookit them holding hands <3

a servant drags stepmom away and Pandolfe is happy lol

together forever at last!

happily ever after <3

omg this was so cute. they managed to make it shorter without cutting any major scenes; missed some choruses and ballets, but nothing super jarring. I got both my favorite duets!

Obviously I love that it's two ladies in love and I wish I wasn't shocked about it being portrayed onstage especially this having been performed in 2022. However I will admit there is something to be said about those trouser mezzos in their pants suits. They both give me feels in different and similar and lovely ways.

overall this is so charming and magical I loved it so much. HOWEVER I cannot believe they didn't let the divas kiss. I mean. come on.

[needs-to-stop-looking-at-yigas]

I think i remember a post where you mentioned sooga liking opera but kohga never taking him to see it. How about kohga finally getting tickets for them both? Possibly having sooga get invested in it and kohga being bored but still watching to make his bf happy?

I do NOT remember saying that, but then again I haven't written them in almost a year ish, soooo you're probably right! Let's do it!

"Sooga, get in here!"

Sooga stepped into his masters quarter's the second he was requested. Of course he did, fucking obedient idiot. He bowed upon entering, shutting the door behind him.

"You summoned me, Master Kohga?"

"Yes. Here, and don't say I don't do shit for you."

Kohga sighed as he handed him the small envelope. Sooga looked it over in his hands, before opening it. He inspected it closely, before looking up at Kohga in clear disbelief.

"Master Kohga? Is this for me? Honestly?"

"US, dumbass. Unfortunately I'm going with you."

Sooga was trying to keep his composure, clearly trying not to act out of line.

"You. Me. Is. Forgive me if I'm being presumptuous, but is this a date? Are you asking me on a DATE? To the OPERA?"

Ugh, he was disgustingly excited. He rolled his eyes, and held a finger up for him to pay attention. Like a dog, he was trained to know what his hand signals meant.

"Yes, I'm asking you on a date. BUT, we're gonna dress the part. APPARENTLY you can't do yiga attire in the opera. So we're gonna have to be in stupid monkey suits, and the mask I had to fight tooth and nail to keep. And god, you look like you're going to fucking explode."

Sooga was statue still, but when you've been inside a man, you can kinda figure out what he's thinking, regardless of what's happening. He gave a careful nod.

"I'm just. VERY excited, Master Kohga. May I please go get ready?"

"Yeah yeah. Take forever, maybe we'll miss it-"

Sooga bounced out of here quicker than a banana thief. God, if he bailed on him, he'd be crushed. Though he was debating how worth his glee was, later when he was stuck in that fucking seat. He was forced into a monkey suit alongside Sooga, which wasn't THAT bad. He knew he looked good, and Sooga DEFINITELY knew how to clean himself up. God, every shirt he owned fit snug on this man, he loved it. And so did the other gerudo women, sneaking glances at him.

Now he couldn't blame them, Sooga was a babe who rode like an absolute dream, but he was noticing. And he'd be damned if these tickets be wasted on this bullshit (Urbosa gave him these, so they were free, but still). He nudged his partner.

"Sooga, I'm not gonna lie, I've never done this crap. Tell me about it!"

That seemed to cheer him up immediately. He did find comfort in being commanded to do something.

"Oh, well Cil knows more than I do, as well as our resident treasurer, but I'm fairly well first. I know the first opening act has a female lead, so chances are we'll hear either soprano, alto, or one that Maz Koshia finds rather funny due to his namesake, 'Mezzo Suprano'..."

Kohga was semi paying attention. Listen, he hated that someone paid for him to watch a woman. He was gay, if he was gonna watch a woman, she could at least be jerking a guy off. Her just singing sounded like hell on earth. But you should see Sooga right now. When you got him going on something he liked, like yours truly or fishing, you just couldn't shut him the fuck up. Kohga would never admit it, but he loved it. So, it was worth it.

Having said that, he needed something to think about or he wasn't gonna survive this boring ass event.

"Hey Sooga, you wanna get dinner after this?"

"I mean, Master Kohga, this is already a treat, I can't be selfish and ask anymore of you!"

"Sooga, baby,"

He reached over to grab his tie, and bring his masked face closer to his. God, he could fuck him, ruin him, give these people a real show.

"You're gonna get treated the FUCK out of tonight~"

"Then, may I make a request?"

Yeah he was gonna ride that fucking dick in this stadium, fuck consequences.

"Mhmm~"

"Can we get clam chowder? In those bread bowls?"

This guy and his fucking fish, he was gonna kill him. He tried not to yell at him, ask him why FISH. Why did he ALWAYS WANT IT. But he sighed, nodding.

"Yes, we can get bread bowls."

"And then we can get you dessert? A few?"

Stuffing kink ass. He chuckled, gently tapping the spot of the mask that was covering his lips.

"Stuff me how you want, big guy, I'm all yours for the night ~"

He was about to get a kiss, to stave him off until after, when Sooga suddenly lurched foreword in excitement, making Kohga fall right behind him in their seats. At least he could get a good view of his back from here.

"Shh! It's starting!"

This was gonna be a long fucking night. But, again, worth it.

[mayoiayasep]

since you're still doing ship things uhhhh what's your take on mezzo" (romantic or platonic, your choice)

not the most comfortable with romantic mezzo but also godddd they mean so much to me. there is so much love there there is so much growtht there. the first time i heard forever note i got so happy i hit my nose on my bed bc i was stimming too hard. and their dynamic in season 3 so far has been wonderful god tamaki's been so protective and sougo just wants tamaki to be happy anf. and. mezzo

[eternalxbarbie]

𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑹𝑨𝑪𝑻𝑬𝑹 𝑺𝑯𝑬𝑬𝑻

𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐬 !

FULL NAME.  Caroline Elizabeth Forbes

NICKNAME.  Care, CareBear, Vampire Barbie/Judgy (Damon), Goldilocks/Gorgeous (Enzo), Love (Klaus), Wendy (Andrea)

GENDER.  Cis Female  

HEIGHT.  5′8″ 

AGE.  20  (Born on October 12th, 1992 — she thinks it’s fate that Jeremy’s birthday is the day after hers)  

ZODIAC.   Libra sun (aesthetic oriented, people pleaser, strong moral compass), Aries moon (swift, enthusiastic, and impulsive), Scorpio rising (magnetic, passionate, loyal, obsessive)

SPOKEN LANGUAGES.   English, minimal French 

𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 !

HAIR COLOR.  Blonde (she had a red hair phase freshman year of high school. It was a dark time.)

EYE COLOR.  Blue

SKIN TONE. Fair-skinned

BODY TYPE.   Slim, slender  

VOICE.  Mezzo-Soprano

DOMINANT HAND.  Right

SCARS.  None, thanks to that handy vampire healing ability. The fact that she has no physical scars often messes with her head, as she thinks people do not understand that she still has trauma from what she’s been through even though there is no longer physical evidence of it. 

TATTOOS.  None, and with no plans to get any. She subscribes to the “you don’t put a bumper sticker on a Bentley” mentality.   

PIERCINGS.   Two holes in each earlobe, cartilage piercing on her left ear. She got a belly button piercing during the ill-fated red hair era, but Liz found out and made her let the hole close up.

BIRTHMARKS.   None

MOST NOTICEABLE FEATURE(S).   Eyes, hair, smile

𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝 !

HOMETOWN.   Mystic Falls, Virgina

SIBLINGS.   None  

PARENTS.  Bill and Elizabeth Forbes 

𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 !

OCCUPATION.  Student; Headmistress (eventually)  

CURRENT RESIDENCE.  McKinley, Virginia  

CLOSE FRIENDS.   Stefan Salvatore (her confidant, her partner in crime, her voice of reason), Jeremy Gilbert (her best friend, her soulmate, her twin flame), Elena Gilbert (her non-biological sister), Bonnie Bennett (her non-biological sister), Matt Donovan (her buddy, her tie to human life), Rebekah Mikaelson (the other half of Team Barbie)

RELATIONSHIP STATUS.  In a relationship with Klaus Mikaelson, it’s complicated with Stefan Salvatore. (Widowed by Stefan Salvatore on March 8th, 2018. Married to Chronos in 2064.)

FINANCIAL STATUS.  Stable. Liz is able to provide pretty much anything Caroline needs, and Klaus is more than happy to get her anything she wants

DRIVER’S LICENSE.  Yes! She wants to get her motorcycle license too. (Stefan’s influence, for sure)

𝐬𝐞𝐱 & 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 !

SEXUAL ORIENTATION.  Demisexual

PREFERRED EMOTIONAL ROLE.  Prefers to be the caretaker most of the time, constantly trying to think up meaningful ways to make sure that the people around her know how appreciated they are. Her current relationship has shown her that she is allowed to also enjoy being taken care of as well, something that was fairly foreign to her until now and still feels uncomfortable and unfamiliar on occasion.

PREFERRED SEXUAL ROLE.  Definitely a switch. With Tyler, she was the more dominant force. With Klaus, it’s far more balanced but she lets him take the dominant role more often. 

RELATIONSHIP TENDENCIES.  Once she decides she’s in, she’s in for the long haul, come what may. Can be clingy and jealous. Very thoughtful, just wants to make life for her partner as idyllic as possible. Remembers every single milestone (first kiss, first date, anniversaries) but does not expect her partners to do the same.  Consistently uses sex as a weapon or distraction. 

LIBIDO. Incredibly high, probably something to do with forever being stuck with teenage hormones. 

TURN ON’S. Protectiveness, thoughtfulness, having secrets with her partner,  eye contact, neck kisses, consensual roughness, the tongue thing. Super big fan of angry/make up sex. Also very into building tension with secret glances/touches in public.

TURN OFF’S. Ignoring her, interrupting her, pessimism, sexism, messiness, lack of commitment/affection.  

LOVE LANGUAGE.  Her preferred love languages to receive are physical touch, words of affirmation and quality time. Her preferred love languages to give are acts of service and physical touch.

𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐨𝐮𝐬 !

CHARACTER’S THEME SONGS.    Mastermind by Taylor Swift. Hurricane by Halsey. Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond. Barbie Girl by Aqua. Problem by Natalia Kills. Tennis Court by Lorde. Where Does The Good Go? by Tegan and Sara. Bottom of the River by Delta Rae. If We Cannot See by Devics. The Future Freaks Me Out by Motion City Soundtrack.

HOBBIES TO PASS TIME.  Reorganizing the closet of every person she lives with, shopping (especially with Jeremy), planning events, learning to bake (she is not great at it yet but she is determined), posing for sketches for Klaus, wedding planning (for her eventual June wedding), sewing (gotta make all those costumes somehow), dancing (especially in the kitchen while Stefan cooks), singing (she loves drunk karaoke), going to the theatre (live theatre and movies) 

MENTAL ILLNESSES.  Obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety, PTSD 

PHYSICAL ILLNESSES.  None (shout out to vampirism) 

SELF CONFIDENCE LEVEL.  Confident about her abilities (including organization, planning, physical fighting, debate, gift giving). Confident in her sexual skills. Confident in her appearance. Not confident in her ability to have people continue to care for her; constantly thinks that she will outlive her usefulness and be forgotten. Not confident in being chosen first or being considered important. Confident in her intellect in relation to school but not in relation to real life application.

[lovejustforaday]

2023 Year End List - #14

Forever Forever - Genevieve Artadi

Main genres: Progressive Pop, Art Pop, Jazz Fusion

A decent sampling of: Psychedelic Pop, Nu-Jazz, Digital Fusion

So yeah, I decided on the final contenders for 2023's year end list and promptly realized that the list was almost entirely full of albums by solo artists. Strange coincidence, I know. I swear it's not intentional - sometimes that's just the way the cookie crumbles.

Knower were one of the only bands to even make the cut for the honourable mentions list this year, let alone a proper spot on the actual list. Knower Forever got snubbed in part because, as much as I liked that record, Genevieve Artadi's own solo endeavour from this year was just a little more enticing to my ears.

As I mentioned in the aforementioned honourable mention.....what the fuck was that sentence?

Ahem...LIKE I SAID EARLIER, I discovered Genevieve Artadi through being one part of the LA-based jazz-funk band with Louis Cole, whom in turn I discovered through 2017 memes, and then rediscovered through my dad. Some crazy pipeline, eh? Also, turns out she's not a newcomer in the slightest and has in fact been making records in various groups since as early as the late 90s.

So who is Genevieve Artadi anyway? Well, as a solo artist, she's one of the more esoteric figures active in her artistic medium. As a vocalist, she opts to sing in a dainty, glassy mezzo-soprano that conveys sweetness with a touch of snark. She doesn't generally sing plain old regular melodies, instead playing with discordance, near-octave jumps, and occasionally letting her voice fall frail. She has a lot of that real jazz spirit that allows her to let loose and get creative, decorating her musical compositions with a lot of pizazz.

I've also noted a subtle, uncanny element to her delivery. Artadi's lyrics are mostly stream-of-consciousness, and the words often fall out of her mouth like she's an advanced robot, learning to recreate the more awkward parts of human behaviour through song. All around, her artistic persona and execution are both deeply fascinating.

And it seems that I chose a great point of introduction to her solo work. Forever, Forever is cool shades of pastel art pop elegance with fanciful psychedelic jazz embellishments. Genevieve Artadi has invented her own musical garden just like Minnie Riperton, except she's inviting the listener to sit down and eat spice cake made with crushed diamonds, and down it all with some very oddly perfumed tea that just might turn the whole world around you giant if you should drink it.

I'm just gonna say this now - fans of Melody's Echo Chamber and Sheena Ringo will both probably get a lot out of this record. There's a commonly shared love of this kind of ambitious, cartoonish but classy prog-pop approach which I could always use more in my life, especially to remove the drabness of my daily commute. Can't have enough of this kind of stuff, honestly.

So how bout those tracks?

"Visionary" is emergent psychedelic pop that unravels like folds of a fan into a sea of warm, fuzzy pads and acoustic guitars. It very much immerses you in the imagery of a world that is idyllic, but with ceremonies stranger and grander than you could fathom, like going through a portal gate to witness a festival of millions of butterflies. An aesthetic parallel to the fantastical anime film spectacles of Hayao Miyazaki and Satoshi Kon.

The best way I could describe "Nice" is that it's elevator jazz music that's taking you towards a destination of self-actualization. Artadi's high speed enunciation over the shaky 2/4 rhythm makes me feel all dizzy and out of breath just hearing it. Endless ascension.

"Black Shirts" is a shifty checkerboard ballroom romp with several track progressions, from flowery flute melodies to jazzy breakdowns with steppy piano solos, all before devolving into flimsy bossa nova pastiche. Genevieve Artadi tells a very frank tale of co-dependence, with silly metaphors aboutthings like Nissans that rings both funny and terribly sad. This song bleeds creativity, like sonic violets and indigos spilling over into a monochromatic landscape shaped like the one in M.C. Escher's Relativity.

"Plate" has some god-tier tight, groovy drum work which I'm guessing was laid down by her regular bandmate Louis Cole. The stream-of-consciousness lyrics travel about as fast as the speed that my own thoughts regularly fly in and out of my head, so it feels like a very familiar sensation; like being lost in maze of contemplation until my head is as big as a balloon. Very cool track.

I'll admit I'm not as keen on the majority of the slower cuts. I really think Genevieve is at her best when she's conveying a very composed, jazzy musical hysteria, especially because her more soft-pedal voice lends itself to more exuberant, flashy melodies. The sunny closer "Watch For The View" would be my one exception, though even that's more mid-tempo song than anything.

But beyond my silly preferences, I think this is a really fun record. Forever, Forever is everything you should want in your art pop - quirky, eclectic, evocative, and seriously addictive. This is a true music nerd's record, and it's clear that a lot of love and ambition went into this project.

I'm hoping Genevieve Artadi reaches a bigger audience with whatever she does next, because she's one of the most creative artists in her medium, and she needs to be experienced at least once by everyone.

8/10

Highlights: "Visionary", "Black Shirts", "Plate", "Nice", "Watch For The View"

[swaps55]

When does Anderson realise what's going on between Sam and Kaidan?

After the Normandy goes down he glimpses into Kaidan's grief. When Kaidan starts fighting his way back after that he gets to know him better. When does the other shoe drop? He knows Sam so well, shouldn't be taking him forever ..?

This is a FANTASTIC question, and one I have given a fair amount of thought. I'd claim "spoilers!" and keep the answer close to the chest, but it'll be a hot minute before I get to it, and who knows if anyone will still be reading by that point. XD

Still, I'll put it under a spoiler for anyone who doesn't want to know.

I initially asked myself the same question: why hasn't Anderson figured this out yet?

And here's the answer I came to: Anderson is not just grieving a soldier, he's grieving a son, and I imagine he feels very alone in that grief. Plenty of people knew Commander Shepard. Not many people knew Sam. In Kaidan, Anderson has found a rare person who understands his grief. That's a powerful thing. My guess is that he wouldn't take the time to ask why or examine it very deeply - all his emotional and mental energy is going towards burying and moving on for someone he loved like his own child.

When Sam comes back, I don't think it occurs to him to ask, "why do you care so much?" when "thank god you care as much as I do," is all that really matters.

So with that said, when does he figure it out?

Originally, my answer was: he doesn't. I was going to leave it at, "he never figures it out on his own, and Sam doesn't get the chance to tell him." It was going to be a huge regret for Sam that his father figure never knew he'd found someone.

But as I've gotten deeper into Opus and deeper into Mezzo, I'm no longer happy with that. It feels like pain for the sake of pain, rather than pain that's meaningful to the narrative or to the characters.

So toss that one in the garbage. So what does happen, then? Sam and Anderson don't have a whole lot of opportunity to interact before the reapers come. When Sam is in lockup, he's not exactly going to be chatty about his fraternization history. We've already walked through that he doesn't really clock it from Kaidan, because the role Kaidan plays in Anderson's own complicated feelings for Sam's death and resurrection give him a pretty big blind spot.

My working premise, then, is that Anderson does find out, but not because he figures it out.

It's because when Kaidan gets injured on the final push, Sam pulls his helmet off and lays one on him right in front of Anderson before they say goodbye, and Anderson has a bigger "oh" moment than either Sam or Kaidan ever had, lol.

I've written a snippet of the conversation Sam and Anderson might have about it in Anderson's final moments. It's less a snippet and more of some passing dialogue in my head that I scribbled down so I wouldn't forget it:

~

"Tell me about him. About...you and him."

"What about it?"

Anderson gestures with a weak hand. "Any of it. All of it. I...missed everything, and it was right under my nose."

"No," Shepard says softly. "You didn't. It just sort of...grew up around us. Like it never started and just always...was."

"Tell me."

At first Shepard is silent. Fear strikes Anderson's heart, but then he shifts, exhale coming out like a rattle. "Ever just...meet someone, and then turn around one day and realize there is nothing you wouldn't do, no bridge you wouldn't cross, no sin you wouldn't commit...for them."

A faltering smile touches Anderson's lips as he remembers the lost boy playing in the fountain, the kid who was determined to bend physics to his will, the man who laid in a hospital bed after turning the N7 test on its head and asked if he'd done enough.

"Yes. I have."

[milady-pink]

Waitress AU

Warnings: Food/baking, domestic abuse, unplanned pregnancy, cheating

Summary: Working at a dead end job, waitress Christine soon finds herself with a new problem: an unplanned pregnancy. Life is all about trying to find the sweet spots and luckily this pie genius has a new (and pretty adorkably sexy) OBGYN, who isn’t too happy at home either.

TL;DR Quirky cute and sexy Erik as a doctor, lab coat and all.

Word Count: 1853  || Graphics: @firefly-graphics

"What Baking Can Do "

Recipe Book

AO3

“Shit shit shit!!!”

“Christine, calm down! Everything will work out!”

“Yeah, maybe it was meant to happen!”

Despite their best efforts Christine still felt like her life was running away without her. From a young age she promised herself she would have children and a loving husband; ever since the first time she saw her father hit her mother. Since her once loving husband turned into the exact type of man she was trying to stay away from, she made a new promise— not bringing a child into the same house she grew up in. She felt like a failure. She also felt betrayed; by God, by her husband, and especially by her ovaries.

Christine raked her hands through her hair, scratching her scalp to calm her body, while taking in a deep breath through her nose and releasing through her mouth. All thoughts were pushed to the farthest corners of her mind, really not wanting to deal with her impending doom at the moment.

“Are you alright, honey?” Asked a concerned Carlotta.

Christine lets out a sigh, “Yeah I’m fine, I ju—”

Before she finished speaking, inspiration for a new pie recipe struck; not an absurd thing to happen since almost every other pie has come from a momentous occasion in her life. For better or for worse. A woman's voice whispered to her from the dark crevices of her mind, a long forgotten melody rolling like waves into her ear.

Sugar

Butter

Flour

“Christine, are you sure you’re alright?” Meg’s voice brought her crashing back to her environment— the dimly lit women’s restroom at the diner.

“Shh, I’m inventing a new pie in my head” she hushed her friend to find the right ingredients from her mind’s pantry.

“Of course you are,” cautioned Carlotta, weary of her friend’s reaction to finding out she is pregnant.

“I’m gonna call it, ‘I Don’t Want Raoul’s Baby Pie’.”

“I don’t think we can write that on the menu board,” pondered Meg, “considering this is a family restaurant.”

Not one to be deterred, Christine thought of a new name. “Then,” she huffed, “I’ll just call it, ‘Betrayed By My Eggs Pie’.” Her two closest friends looked at each other and shared a shrug, decidedly giving up on family-friendly names and letting her run wild to get her emotions out. “Crack and egg, combines it with sausage, soak in beer, mix in cheeses red dressing, and use extra shortening to trap the moisture in your crust forever—”.

“Chrissy!,” interrupted Carlotta’s cigarette mezzo voice, “This ain’t somethin’ you can just cook up and mix into a pie.” 

Just as Christine opened her mouth to respond, a much deeper mustachioed voice rang into the women’s bathrooms from the door. “Y’all can pledge the sorority later! If ya don’t do yer work, I’m gonna dock yer pay!” This caused the three waitresses to leave the comfort of their meeting room, Christine going first to emphasize that she was don’t with any and all conversations concerning her uterus. 

As they walked back into the streaming afternoon light of the diner, Piangi called out Carlotta especially. “And you are really starting to push my buttons!” He pointed right in her face.

And, because her red hair was not the only fiery aspect of herself, Carlotta answered him. “Oh really? Which one is mute?!” The two then got into a stare-down until one of them broke and they both had to get back to work.

A familiar voice broke Christine of her daze at the counter.”Excuse me ma’am, is there anyone who can get me a piece of pie around here?”

Turning around from serving a customer, she is surprised to see Raoul who instantly put his hands around her waist. “Raoul,” she hesitated, “what’re you doin’ here?” Anxiety slowly seeped into her body, not wanting him to find out about the pregnancy.

He huffs out a breath, clearly not wanting to talk about it. “Friggin’ foreman was on my ass for bein’ a little late. So I told him, don’t blame the Taco Bell breakfast line on me!” Even his reenactment of his anger gave Christine chills, which she suppressed. “Anyway, I’m takin’ the rest of the day off, don’t belong at that shit job,” he trailed off before startling her with a boisterous, “hey where’s my kiss?”

“Raoul, I gotta get back to the customers,” which wasn’t a lie, but she also didn’t want his cologne to give her another nausea attack.

“They can wait,” he demands. Christine goes up to her tiptoes and places a chaste kiss on his cheek, getting scratched a bit by the scruff that’s been there for days. With a smile on his face, he asks the dreaded question, How’re we doin’ today?” This not-so-secret phrase was code for ‘how much money did you make at your dead-end job that I can waste at the bar?’ All too familiar with how he works, Christine pulls out what few dollars she’s made from tips, usually waiting till dinner to give him her full day’s wages. 

Handing the money over to him, he of course would not miss an opportunity to berate her a bit. “Not too bad…not too great either.” He places the money into the back pocket of his worn jeans. He follows her around as she gets a piece of pie for him. “You know, I’ve been thinkin’.” Uh oh. “I don’t think you working at this rundown diner is worth it for you anymore.”

Not wanting to cause a scene, or any trouble she’ll have to deal with when she gets home, Christine cautiously asks her husband, “Oh? And why’s that?”, as she placed the pie piece in front of him.

Sitting down to let his beer belly relax, he scratches his chin as he answers her. “Well, for starters, I don’t like those girls.” Christine had to try and focus on the creases the paper napkins had to keep herself from defending her friends. “That one,” he stated, pointing at Carlotta who was standing by the jukebox giving him a vicious side-eye, “looks at me like I just killed her dog. Besides, I kinda like the idea of havin’ you at home makin’ pies for me all day.”

He takes a break from trying to ruin Christine’s life to take a bite out of her pie. “This is damn tasty!” The response to her baking, regardless fo who its from, always brings a smile to her face. “Don’t start thinkin’ you're too good. This is good, but face it hun, your no Sara Lee.” 

A blessed moments silence as he ate gave Christine the idea for ‘My Husband’s A Jerk Chicken Pot Pie’, completed with chicken pounded so hard you can’t even recognize it. That is, until he makes a comment on the size of her breasts. “They look like they grew a size overnight.”

Offended, she crosses her arms while relying, “That’s crazy, Raoul.”

“Hmm, maybe you’re eatin’ too much pie.” She brushes his words off as he gets up from the counter, giving her a blue kiss on her cheek with a promise to see her at home. The tinkle of the diner’s silver bell has never sounded so good.

In the diner’s kitchen finishing up washing some dishes, Christine’s thoughts are interrupted when a voluptuous waitress in a blue dress comes strolling in with a tray of dirty dishes on her shoulder. Carlotta places the tray onto the stainless steel counter next to the kitchen’s sink. She huffs out a breath, effectively garnering Christine’s attention.

“Christine, life is a shit show.” She began, with a sudden candidness she was not prepared for. “I’m married to Drooling Phil the town’s invalid and buy adult diapers on the way home from work most nights. And Meg over there,” she points through the door, “has been single her whole life, eating TV dinners alone every night.” She places a manicured hand on Christine’s shoulder. “But honey, we still wouldn’t wanna be you.”

This made Christine want to smack her hand off of her shoulder in faux support, but instead calmed her face to not emote, and walked over to dry her hands on a towel. “Everybody has got somethin’ they gotta deal with in their life; this is just mine. Don’t worry about me, it’ll all be fine—”.

“Oh yeah? What kinda father is Raoul gonna be?” Trying to get her younger coworker to see sense, Carlotta tries to plead. “Sweetheart, you shouldn’t force yourself to follow the vows you made, you were too young to even understand what they meant! Look at who he has become.”

“He wasn’t always like this, it’s just a rough patch, that’s all. He’ll get better, maybe the baby will bring that out of him.” Christine countered.

“How long have you been tellin’ yourself that for?”

She really didn’t want to think or talk about this right now, maybe ever. “I couldn’t afford to leave him even if I wanted to.”

“Girl you gotta dust the flour out of your brains and do that baby a favor! Leave his sorry ass and build a life, for the both of ya.”

“He’d never let me—”

“He’s not the one carrying a ba—”

“I don’t need to be reminded of what’s livin’ inside of me! I got 14 pies that need baking, so if you’ll excuse me.” She started moving about the kitchen grabbing what she needed for the upcoming batch.

“Chrissy—”

“Life’s Peachy Keen Pie”

“Christine!”

“Where There’s A Whisk There’s A Way Pie”

“Fine, I’m leaving!” Giving the stressed girl one last look over her shoulder before catering to more customers.

With four pies done, three in the oven, Christine was halfway through. Baking always helped calm her mind and let her wander into a world of flavor, textures, and fillings. Fruit, spices, creams, and more. Every pie has a piece of herself in it, however small, so that she can be part of the sweetest moments of a person’s day. She also puts little parts that remind her of the various customers she gets throughout the week. Certain things just go together; like the intimidating rhubarb pie that is actually sweeter that it first appears, much like the various bikers that come in. Or a lemon meringue with a sour filling and sweet whipped cream that reminds her of an older couple, one who is sour and one who is sweet. Baking, especially pies, opened these doors into the lives of the many customers and townsfolk she encounters on the daily. Doors that she could walk right through, and leave her old crummy life behind.

She wishes her mom was still alive, she had so many questions left unanswered. The biggest was why she never left her dad, gave herself and Christine a new life? The same thing she was currently debating. At least now she knows what her mom felt; alone even though she was carrying life. With flour covering her hands, Christine silently asks her mom once again.

Why didn’t you bake a door for the two of us to walk through?

[helloxavanhere]

Here comes the drums

Soft as a trail of bread crumbs

One two, one two

Like a heartbeat through and through

Crescendo with fire

Grow ever, ever higher

She stands center, she takes the stage

With a wink and smile wars would wage

Beneath a halo of light

Such a visionary delight

With the introduction comes a voice

And oh do the heavens rejoice

It fills my ears, fills the soul

With nary a sleight, my heart she has stole

Yet she's lost in the moment, I'm lost in her verse

Her life, her dreams, and becoming a nurse

Followed by a lovesick sigh, a sniffling twitch of the nose

A winning smile with glowing cheeks that could shame any rose

Such a chorus of memories

Ones that last centuries

From dusk to dawn

I wouldn't dare yawn

How therapeutic

Swayed by your music

Just a little more

From my depths I implore

So starts the dance

A desire to take you by the hands

You're beautiful and you know it's true

Just as I know your favorite color is blue

To craft a bridge to our hearts

A connection of our parts

A plan to be better

To quickly be ignored to the letter

Slower and softer you mezzo out

With enough time to connect your freckles while you pout

The track comes to an end

As will always be our trend

Dancing's not a crime

But I know there is a line

Before a slow dance forever

Where we can be together

With so much left unsaid

You are the song stuck in my head

[studentessamatta]

Announcing the 2023 Matta Spring Book Club Selection! “Io non ho paura” di Niccolò Ammaniti L’estate più calda del secolo. Quattro case sperdute nel grano. I grandi sono tappati in casa. Sei bambini, sulle loro biciclette, si avventurano nella campagna rovente e abbandonata. In mezzo a quel mare di spighe c’è un segreto pauroso, un segreto che cambierà per sempre la vita di uno di loro. It is the hottest summer of the century. Four houses swallowed up by the wheat fields in a forgotten corner of Tuscany. The grown-ups are take refuge inside to avoid the heat. Six children, on their bicycles,venture into the hot and abandoned countryside. Out there, in the middle of that sea of grain is a terrifying secret, a secret that will change forever the life of one of them. Italian classic literature. Vuoi migliorare il tuo italiano leggere libri e chiacchierare in italiano? Want to improve your Italian by reading books & conversing in Italian? Group and private book clubs begin the week of March 6, 2023 I invite you to join the 2023 Spring Matta Book Club and escape into the world of Michele and his friends during a long hot, torrid summer in Tuscany in the almost forgotten town of Acqua Traverse. Reading Ammaniti’s “Io non ho paura” is a great way to practice and improve your knowledge of the Imperfect Past tense and increase your vocabulary. Through a book club experience (group or individual), you will practice reading, listening, and conversational skills and learn about Italian culture and its economic and social scene during the 1970s. Visit the Studentessa Matta Website for more information and to sign up. Leggiamo “Io non ho paura” insieme! #readitalianbooks #Italianbookclub #IoNonHoPaura #NiccoloAmmaniti #StudentessaMatta #learnItalian #italianclassicliterature https://www.instagram.com/p/CnZ84vwOp2T/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[vera-dauriac]

I posted 1,214 times in 2022

390 posts created (32%)

824 posts reblogged (68%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@automaticdreamlandkid

@xserpx

@vera-dauriac

@notyouraveragejulie

@verdiesque

I tagged 1,208 of my posts in 2022

#opera - 424 posts

#verdi - 182 posts

#the met - 117 posts

#the musketeers - 117 posts

#a great show that ran 2 seasons - 113 posts

#don carlo - 59 posts

#ask me stuff - 56 posts

#spotify - 52 posts

#mariusz kwiecien - 52 posts

#mozart - 47 posts

Longest Tag: 94 characters

#can you imagine being a tumblr user of 8 years and waking up to something that makes no sense?

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

OK my bitches (by which I mean the lovely operblr folks), Don Carlos at the Met has been seen. Here’s a bullet point list of my thoughts.

--Even if I don’t like Act 1, if you’re at the Met and those opening notes sound, it’s very exciting!

--If you ever asked yourself: “When Matthew Polenzani does that gorgeous pianissimi, can it possibly hit the back of the hall?” The answer is yes, yes, it does. *sobbing*

--Hubby: “I expected Sonya to be pretty good, but she’s even better than I expected.” Truth.

--The Met orchestra playing the Act 2 prelude…. Fuck. Me.

--The bro-love duet is everything you want it to be.

--If a mezzo doesn’t own the stage when she walks on as Eboli, can she really call herself a mezzo? Barton is A Mezzo ™.

--Carlos is so extra in the scene with Elizabeth. Matthew was perfectly ridiculous.

--Dupuis is so natural in the duet with Owens, I didn’t even think about the fact he was singing. It was just so good. The only criticism I have is most of the night, I wish I could have turned up the volume on Owens’s lovely voice.

--There are moments in DC when I am wont to drift. A mediocre garden trio will do it every time. This was not mediocre.

--The Met chorus was just crazy good in the Auto-da-fe.

--Owens best moment is the open of Act 4. Without anyone else to compete with but an orchestra at a volume he can work with, he’s great.

--The Grand Inquisitor scene is the only tempo issue I had with the evening—too fast. Let the bassoons of doom take their time.

--Relyea is everything you thought he would be.

--Let’s be blunt: this duet and the quartet that follow is one of the places I drift sometimes.

--If the audience had clapped any longer for Barton, the Met would have been forced to reconsider the encore policy.

--My poor Rodrigue! The singing could not have been better. And good lord, Matthew and Etienne were all up in each other’s stuff. One quibble about the staging, though. There are long stone benches/tombs (depending on the scene) and people sit on them all the time. Couldn’t Carlos have schlepped his boyfriend over to one rather than letting him stand until the very end? It barely registered the poor guy was dying.

--Did I cry literal tears during the lacrimosa? No one will ever know, because it was very dark.

--Sonya nailed her aria, unsurprisingly.

--Until it hits “Au revoir,” this is another duet where I sometimes drift, but once they hit that part, I was invested and it was lovely.

--So, those reviews were not exaggerating—Carlos gets stabbed, and Rodrigue comes back surrounded by a bright light to embrace him and they collapse on each other in the middle of the stage together.

Obviously, I loved it. It’s in cinemas next weekend. Go see it if you can!

22 notes - Posted March 19, 2022

#4

Trying to actually do a little writing tonight in the first time in forever. Wish me luck.

25 notes - Posted February 21, 2022

#3

I simply do not understand people who say they don't like to read history. Like, how do you not want to hear about all the crazy shit people did 600 years ago? It's absolutely fantastic.

26 notes - Posted September 2, 2022

#2

So, I just watched Becoming Traviata, an excellent documentary about the 2011 Aix-en-Provence Traviata with Dessay, Castronovo, and Tezier. Just in case anyone is looking to win my undying love, the person who gifs the rehearsal of Un di, felice, eterea will have it.

30 notes - Posted January 15, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Rewatching The Borgias, and fuck me sideways, but who the hell gave Francois Arnaud the right to be this sexy?

30 notes - Posted August 12, 2022

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