#musical instruments is NOT my cup of tea in art

[extinct-fish]

"I don't think Eurydice wants anything to do with me after I looked back... I remember her screaming and crying, and for months on end, no less. I only wanted to make sure she was okay, but now... It's my fault she's gone..."

WHOO Angst!

[dalliancekay]

Singing

I feel, we as a fandom, don’t talk enough about Aziraphale's singing.

Maybe he's not much into whatever pop/rock sensation is currently in most humans earphones*, but we know that he used to be a music tutor and therefore surely knows many great tunes.

On top of that, his music taste isn't as ancient as some might think... yes he likes classical music, but contrary to some opinions of it, not all of it is from 18th century. The symphony (number 5) he buys from Maggie at the beginning of S2 was written in 1937 by Dimitri Shostakovich who had a turbulent life (it being the 1930s AND trying to survive in Stalin's cruel regime).

The piece the Bentley plays for Azi when he asks for music on his way to Edinburgh is one of my favourite pieces of music called Danse Macbre by Saint-Saëns, the opening of which Wikipedia describes thus:

The piece opens with a harp playing a single note, D, twelve times (the twelve strokes of midnight) which is accompanied by soft chords from the string section. The solo violin enters playing the tritone, which was known as the diabolus in musica ("the Devil in music") during the Medieval and Baroque eras, consisting of an A and an E♭—in an example of scordatura tuning, the violinist's E string has actually been tuned down to an E♭ to create the dissonant tritone.

Aziraphale is also clearly aware of the film and the music + songs from The Sound of Music (1965) and Aziraphale, living in Soho as he does, I bet is a great lover of not just drama in theatre, but also musicals.

Therefore it is not a huge reach to conclude he would knows some fabulous songs to sing while making himself a pot of tea and a cup of coffee for Crowley on one the countless idyllic mornings in their cottage. Nor is it a stretch to assume that he loves to sing Crowley to sleep, playing with his hair as he does so, much like we all love to see in art and fics that this wonderful fandom provides.

So my question is, what does Aziraphale love to sing? Is it Maria from West Side Story? Singing in the Rain?

Does he love Jesus Christ Superstar (much like he loves his collection of misprinted Bibles)? Did he and Crowley go see Hamilton?

I also think they would have a huge collection of instruments in their cottage, perhaps even a beautiful grand piano... that, of course, they both can play. *but neither is the Bentley, who plays Queen to Crowley basically indiscriminately, even though he tries to play other things when driving. Whether he tried to play music in his car before the 70s, I'm not sure we know?

[liucactus]

Things to do instead of eating

Clean your room

Make a new Ana diary

Take out the laundry

Fold the laundry

Finish school work

Stop procrastinating game quests

Draw/doodle

Start a new hobby

Practise instruments

Read a book

Make a Pinterest board of pretty outfits you can get once you’re sk1nny

Design new room layouts

Learn origami

Go for a walk

Take a nap

Listen to playlists

Dance

Vacuum

Karaoke

Make a Pinterest board of mealsp0

Design fantasy outfits/OC’s

Crochet

Do a workout on YouTube

Chat to a friend

Have a cup of tea

Teach yourself how to make latte art

Take out the trash

Write a Song

Compose music

Read fan fiction

Write fan fiction

Watch a movie

Catch up on a show

Start a new show

Sincerely,

To my lazy self

[icarusredwings]

Finding home Au things that are canon (because I said so, and it's MY au so I can do whatever I want. Send me headcanons, and I'll approve them)

Gambit just got back from the void so he's just now meeting everyone. He looks a little different from how they remember since their gambit really was never a full team mate and rather then just some guy that helped Logan a couple of times. This being said hes meeting Rouge as a 35 year old linguistics teacher for a bunch of brats, flirting with her in the halls, trying to impress her all the time, etc. He wanted to have a cool class like how to use a Bo staff or tutor energy weilding kids but instead got stuck with sex ed. Because of this, he now makes a ton of jokes to Rouge about it (she's across the hall) but actually is really excited to start his cooking elective class this coming fall when he's considered a real team member.

Ororos heals click in the hall like they did when you were a kid and you could tell the principal is coming. She's almost always with a tea or a coffee, walkie talkie and keys jingling. She's very sweet but kids shit their pants if sent to Mrs. Munroes office, meanwhile Mr. Summers office is a nothing, just a lecture and a slap on the wrist. Aint no one actually scared of lasik because they know thw worst theyll get is community work for a couple of weeks but they ligit cry the second theyre sent to munroe's (especially if they know theyre guilty of a big prank or something)

The school gives out free hygiene products and depending on what you need you can special request it.

If students get too angry they are sent to Piotr's art room for art therapy. He surprisingly is very artistic and chill.

Forges shop class is working on a car with no weight limit and that can handle their heavy hitters (Colossus and Wolverine) both in the same car (most bust) as well as a car made from plastic recycling. They're working on it. Its only blown up once!!

Gambit makes breakfast for the staff and some students of they beg enough. He keeps bringing Rouge the first cup of coffee from the pot and has made her pancakes shaped like hearts multiple times. Watching her stab them and smother them make him... giggle helplessly.

Gambit🤝Watching their love intrests viscously stab and rip apart their meals with a boner wishing it was them🤝Wade

He's very respectful towards her, though and sometimes is a bit (COUGH a lot COUGH) of a kiss ass.

Hank's students have blown up the lab at least 4 times by now. One of those times was Wades fault for touching stuff he wasn't supposed to.

Kurt is very glad that Wade has taken over his Duel weaponry/swordsman class, so now he has time to start working out a pitch for a world's religion class+ sunday school. He still runs a fencing club, though.

Peter (quicksilver) has tried so many different positions, including music teacher of all different instruments. Now he just kinda lounges around in the game room and speed cleans the mansion after each day in like 2 minutes flat. Imagine being paid a full salary just for 2 minutes of work? And you get to live somewhere for free and play games all day? Fuck yeah.

Positions I've been thinking about:

Beast (Dr. Henry "Hank" McCoy) is the Vice-Principal, so he does orientation. He has multiple science classes, including biophysics, and has electives in philosophy and poetry.

Colossus (Piotr Rasputin) is an art teacher and handles art therapy

Gambit (Remy LeBeau) runs a sex-ed class and is hoping to soon get approved to run a cooking class next semester.

Nightcrawler (Kurt Wagner) has a fencing elective as well as a religion class, sunday school, and sometimes helps Morph with drama/theater. (Ex duel weaponry instructor)

Rogue (Anna Marie) is a Linguistics teacher who drabbles in social science. “Diction and Linguistics, with Professor Rogue” She can teach just about any language, but russian/german/ french/ spanish and Japanese are her main ones. She's who you go to if you dont understand English and need help. Almost all foreign students have her.

Cyclops (Scott Summers) is the headmaster. He has classes in Geometry, has an elective for leadership and communications (PFFT) as well as being the schools mobility/disability specialist. He, of course, specializes more with children who have trouble with their eyesight.

Storm (Ororo Munroe) is the Headmistress. She has an Environmental Science and Political Science class as well as a multi cultural elective.

Shadowcat (Katherine "Kitty" Pryde) has a comp-sci class and runs an ethics class.

“Ethics 101: Forgetting Everything You Ever Learned From Emma Frost, with Professor Pryde.”

Wolverine (Logan Howlett) is a(n occasional hand to hand combat/ martial arts) PE instructor. (Ex History teacher)

Jubilee is the schools event organizer, event coordinator, event manager, and more broadly, event professional, the ‘hip’ school counselor. "Activities Director & Counselor"

Morph is the director of drama acting and disguises (duh)

Laura is a graduating student In training under the Wolverine (Gabby is a student and is too young to be an understudy)

Yukio graduating student In training Under Storm or Rouge (I can't decide)

Negasonic teenage warhead (Ellie) graduating student In training under Jean Grey.

Mr. Wade Wilson (Deadpool) Is in training under Colossus. Duel weaponry/ swordsman tactics class instructor (plus whatever Logan's doing, he's very nosey and WILL cause issues if bored)

Jean Grey is an english teacher, has a class on psychology, and drabbles in physics.

Ice man (Bobby) is the school financal advisor/accountant and runs a business elective class.

Forge is a Shop teacher.

Quicksilver (Peter maximoff) Janitor, housekeeping, music teacher, replaced original Logan as PE teacher for a while, target practice, teaches fast kids how to avoid running into walls, always in the game room, stock/ errand boy, gets bored super quickly, sports instructor, Read almost all the books in the library, likes swimming, mainly just lays around waiting for something fun to do, his father causes trouble sometimes which he thinks is entertaining but also hella embaressing.

I'm unfortunately left without a history teacher, so shoot me any ideas :)

[gameyface46]

Hey, they look pretty good together!

So yeah. Good Together by Lake Street Dive released a few weeks ago, and this was supposed to come out in June for the June project, but I’m counting it for June so I don’t have an excuse to not do a July project.

The roles were picked based on the 30th Anniversary Music Festival art, so Dedede represents drummer Mike Calabrese, Bandee represents pianist Akie Bermiss, etc. Marx is actually really cute! I should draw him more. He’s representing bassist Bridget Kearney here.

I actually really like how this turned out. This was supposed to be finished in a day, but… I couldn’t.

Signed and color versions below the read more!

Yes it is read Cake Street Dive.

Now, thoughts on Good Together? I love it.

They really know how to start a song off. Most opening instrumental is so funky! I really like it! Favorite song is hard to pick… Dance with a Stranger, Seats at the Bar, Far Gone, Good Together… they all are great! Set Sail is so… wistful… I love it so much! It was the PERFECT album closer. Help Is On The Way is so groovy… ach! I love this album. The only song I kinda disregard is Twenty Five. Wistful like Set Sail, but personally not my cup of tea. I don’t prefer overly sad songs. But it’s still good, don’t get me wrong. But I won’t have it on loop like every other song. Please listen to Lake Street Dive if you have the chance! New favorite band besides Sammy Rae and the Friends. Hey, if you like them, I think you’ll like this group too!

Now for other matters.

Playing OneShot. Pretty good game so far. Niko is SO CUTE. Cold take, I know, but it’s the truth. The character designer designed so hard when creating them. Also I’m going in blind, which is a treat. I hear the story is VERY important, so yeah. I watched the Ace Attorney anime before playing the game, ruined it for me. Playing the Apollo Justice trilogy was a treat.

AAI2 released in the West, very glad about that. You KNOW I’m getting it.

That’s basically June, so see ya, and GOOD LUCK MY EARTHLY COMRADES! THE SUN IS COMING.

♪ We could be good together! ♪

also wtf there’s a tag limit.

[bimboficationblues]

post-punk 🎶

HEHEHE I'm kicking my feet and squeeing thank you

probably my favorite genre (and definitely one of my Top 5), though it's something of an imprecise term owing to its kind of awkward dual use as a periodization term (the music that followed punk) and a genre term (forms of music adjacent to punk that skewed towards the danceable, the somber, or the experimental) - it covers a lot of goth rock, new wave, noise rock, jangle pop, art punk, dance-punk, various forms of alternative and experimental rock, and also gets applied to a lot of bands that existed before and during punk's initial break (like Wire, Television, and Talking Heads). most of the bands that at one point fell into this genre category eventually end up doing something that is extremely attenuated from "punk" at all. but that is one of the main things I like about it, the way that it proceeded from the kind of "spirit" or tenor of punk while not limiting itself to that basic toolset. I like that basic toolset a lot! but it can get stagnant really fast.

I do feel a little picky about people working in the genre these days. I definitely like bands that are willing to take some larger risks in terms of bringing different energies, instruments, and songwriting structures to the table and not just endlessly do new takes on New Order (you may notice that Interpol are conspicuously absent from my favorites). There's a lot of bands on the current post-punk circuit that do very little for me (Fontaines D.C. is the big one that has a very passionate fanbase but I find totally boring; Dry Cleaning and Wet Leg are a couple of women-led acts that I respect but aren't my cup of tea).

On the flipside: I *highly, highly, highly* recommend anyone who is thinking of checking out contemporary post-punk music to listen to HMLTD's album West of Eden, which has some fantastically catchy and emotionally resonant songs, an interesting thematic thrust (including two of my favorite songs about gender dysphoria, the "Joanna" duology), and also kind of acts sonically as a grab-bag of a bunch of different post-punk styles from over the years while still sounding pretty cohesive. it did not get the love it deserved. Parquet Courts' Wide Awake was great for similar reasons, but got a way better reception popularly and critically.

here are some "classics" of the genre that I am a fan of:

and some contemporaries (from like the past couple decades) I really like or am keeping an eye on for whatever they do in the future:

[wreywrites]

Opus

Jedi June Week 3

Prompt: Art/Music

A/N: I very much love Dooku and will probably continue to be a Dooku apologist for the rest of my days. Like, yeah, he fell to the Dark Side and committed war crimes and that's not really forgivable, but I definitely understand his frustrations. Warnings: None AO3

“Am I dressed up enough for this?” Kylen asked quietly as she leaned toward him. She was nearly as tall as he was, and for a reason Dooku was as yet unwilling to admit, that made him feel rather sad.

“No,” he murmured back, offering his arm. As she took it, he subtly turned her to face a pair of Pantorans several steps ahead and to their right. “But neither are they, and frankly, that doorman’s jacket is in appallingly bad taste—”

“Are you just trying to make me feel better?”

“No. You are certainly not terribly underdressed, and you are as well-dressed as many of these people, and we will be in a box anyway.”

Kylen shot him a mischievous grin. It was the same one she had ten years ago, when Dooku first brought her to the Temple, and the fact that it had not changed a bit in all these years made him feel rather less sad. “So you’re saying that a lot of people are underdressed—including me—but it’s okay that I’m underdressed because I’ll be hidden away in your private box?”

“Always you put words in my mouth.”

“Not always. Tonight though, yeah.”

They were at the door. The Rhodian taking tickets recognized Dooku at first glance, gave him a quick bow, and gestured him through the door. Dooku nodded in return, guiding Kylen along beside him.

“Why are we here again? I can listen to concerts on the holonet.”

“Because trips to the zoo are well and good, but there is more culture to be learned than the mating habits of rontos.”

Kylen laughed. “I’ve never once learned about the mating habits of rontos at the zoo—No, wait, that was how I got the talk—”

“Kylen, please, this is high society—”

“That’s why I said the talk and not—”

Because the Force was kind to him, they reached the entrance to the wing of private boxes at that moment and the doorman bowed as he asked, “I assume this is your guest, sir?”

“Indeed,” Dooku said. “Pemmi Kalanh, my great niece.”

The doorman’s face registered surprise briefly, then he nodded. “Of—of course, sir.”

As they walked through the door, Kylen leaned close to him again and muttered, “You know I’m wanted in all of Black Sun space under that name, right? If that guy knows anyone—”

“You may defend yourself against all attacks this evening, but I doubt there will be any.” He scrutinized her. “I did not realize Miss Kalanh was wanted by such powerful people, or I would have used a different name.”

“And Pemmi Kalanh is Dac Enab’s niece too,” she said, as though she already knew she was allowed to defend herself against all attacks and did not much care either way. “Does that make him your son? Or are you on different sides of the family?”

Dooku sighed. Force give him patience. “Are you familiar with the classical workings of Zykos Lpirna?”

“I know how to square skip,” she said, unhelpfully.

“This is not music for square skipping.”

Kylen laughed as he held the door to the private box open for her. She stopped, and he could feel her surprise in the Force.

“You were not expecting this, I take it.”

“No.” She was smiling again, strolling forward, picking her way between the meditation mats and the small tea table. “No, Master, I was not expecting an exact replica of a meditation chamber in this concert hall.” She leaned on the railing, looking out over the orchestra and the sea of people trickling into their seats.

Dooku moved rather more serenely to stand next to her and watch the last few musicians take their seats and begin to tune their instruments.

“Now what?”

“Now we listen.” He walked back to the tea table. The water was already hot, so he poured each of them a cup, knowing the answer even as he asked: “Would you like tea?”

“Please. Montellan Blue, if you…” Kylen trailed off as she turned to see him already holding her preferred tea leaves. “Of course you have it.”

“Of course.”

They each took a cup and settled on a meditation mat.

“So you just drink your tea and listen?” Kylen asked as the shuffle of the audience seating themselves began to die down.

Dooku nodded, sipping his tea and deepening his breathing.

“Okay.”

He perhaps ought to have warned her that they would be meditating on mats and not sitting in the stuffy seats of the wealthy, he thought as she repositioned her formal tunic to better tuck her feet under her knees as she sat cross-legged on her mat. She was nothing if not resourceful though—he had learned that the hard way and then some in the ten years since he had met the little girl on Vriis—and soon she had finished her tea with a contented sigh and a smile, and then the music started and she closed her eyes.

Dooku allowed himself a smile as the music swelled until it felt like his heart would simply burst from the overwhelming beauty of it all. He felt a thousand little lights in the Force as the orchestra fed those same emotions to every being in the audience. The brightest one, the warmest by far, was the one next to him.

The Jedi Temple was a brighter place because of her; the Order itself seemed more hopeful, less complacent. Kylen was not one to sit back and let the galaxy take care of itself.

No, she was like him.

And now, as the orchestra rose to something faster, brighter, he felt her riotous joy through the Force.

It was not a trip to the zoo—her favorite pastime—but she was learning nonetheless. She heard the music.

He could have taught her. He had considered it many times, not least when Djarro Ghresh—Djarro Ghresh of all people—had asked her, but there was always that little tug in the Force telling him that someone else needed her more.

If only he had known just how much of a sense of humor the Force had. If only he had known from whom she would learn, which of the Jedi would sharpen her and be sharpened by her as beskar sharpens beskar.

But he had not, and even if he had known, would he have interfered? More than he did, anyway. He smiled to himself at the admission.

It was for the best that she had not become his padawan. There would have been a wonderful symmetry to it—like the earlier music of Lpirna—Dooku had found her, brought her to the Temple, given her occasional saber lessons as a youngling when so many others regarded her fierce determination (and propensity to tackle Kenobi after losing to him) with trepidation. Yes, it would have been beautifully symmetrical if, after all that, he became her master and she his padawan.

The Force had other ideas though, and looking back, he conceded, as usual, that it was for the best. Because she had a different master, he could fill a different role in her life, not a stern and strait-laced teacher, but a rather an indulgent mentor, one who could bring her to concerts, take her to five-star restaurants for wine tasting and hors d’oeuvres, teach her advanced saber moves with which to surprise Kenobi, and simply to be friends.

Their friendship was like the later works of Lpirna, the more mature ones. The music twisted; it went up when the audience expected it to go down, it softened when it could have rattled the bones. Those works were his favorites anyway. They never ceased to surprise him, to bring a smile to his face with their unexpectedness, to make him consider what he thought would happen and realize that the quirks made the music better.

He was almost startled to hear the final notes of the final movement fading away already. Dooku took another deep breath and opened his eyes.

Kylen was sitting on her mat, legs crossed underneath her, a faint smile on her face. If the lethargy of the rise and fall of her shoulders was anything by which to judge, she had been deep in meditation, perhaps to the point of visions.

She opened her eyes, the familiar spark dancing in them.

Or perhaps she had simply relaxed and enjoyed the music. That was why they had come, after all.

[minttsaltt]

oh i know what to talk about. ever seen vega-p on youtube?

to be completely honest when it comes to vocaloid i mostly listen to the older songs (2010-2015 id say) and pjsekai is where i find newer songs LOL

i don't really go out of my way to listen to new vocaloid and its something i should do more

ok now to what u actually asked!! i have never seen vega-p before!! so i checked them out and completely honest its not my genre ;_; but i think their songs are pretty good other than my personal preferences!!! i can tell they have serious potential :) i really like that they add story into the songs and i wish more westen music had fantasy/imaginative stories rather than the singer/writers personal experiences (not that those are bad but i feel like there is an oversaturation of songs like that in western media)

out of the 4 songs i listened to i liked ROTTEN CORE it kinda reminds of hitoshizuku×yama's softer songs with its story and soft instruments (specifically the song Seasonal Feathers)

but (this is my complete personal preference!!) the songs were almost too soft, i would love to see more power in their songs!! like the newest one, DISSAPPEARANCE FESITVAL teto sounds great!!

if they could mix rotten core's vibe and dissappearance festival's tone and power 😍😍

also i only say this as a music listener and NOT a writer/producer! making music is really hard!

also also i LOVE the art they make for their videos its such a pretty style

sorry this was so long!! and that only like half of it is what you actually asked!!

tldr; good music but not my cup of tea! i expect great things!

and omg feel free to ask more about vocaloid songs!! i could actually write essays about some of my favorites

[dyrewrites]

Writer Interview

Tagged by @cowboybrunch here

I've been slow on these but this one seems fun, and I don't think I've done it...so here we go!

I is also taggin'; @aziz-reads @rowanmgrey-author @pb-dot and @stesierra (because I haven't seen it from you guys either =P)

--

Short stories, novels, or poems?

I write all three, also the novella and flash fictions which live in between. My favorites are probably novels, because I like to ramble and those let me...but I did adore the novella and would like to write another.

What genre do you prefer reading?

Absurdist! If you need examples; Absurdist fantasy is like Terry Pratchett. Absurdist horror would be like David Wong. Absurdist scifi would be like Douglas Adams.

Are you a planner or a write as I go kind of person?

Both, depending on what I'm writing. I like to write as I go for most things, but if it's part of a series I will be planning.

What music do you listen to while writing?

Whatever fits the vibe, usually it is instrumental but I've found I can write with lyrics if it fits the tone.

Favorite books/movies?

No. I can't list those. There are too many.

Any current WIPs?

All my current stuff is here, includes links to buys the published stuff, where to read full chapters, and all the tags for snips and art

Create a character description of yourself: 

It was a small thing, unassuming at first with its pale surface shining ever so beneath the 'natural' lighting of the bulb. A simple mug, one would guess from the handle on the side, the striped straw set inside--if the steam coming off it was a bit more skeletal than one might expect. Then it spun around, revealing eyes and a mouth fit in a dour expression, "were you expecting something else?"

Do you like incorporating actual people you know into your writing?

No, not ever. I've accidentally put a real person's name and some of their personality in a thing and that was enough to make me feel like a horrible person. So nope.

Are you kill happy with your characters?

I am never happy to kill my characters, but if it needs to happen it needs to happen. I don't go in with the intention of doing it though.

Coffee or Tea while writing?

Coffee. I am a coffee cup.

Slow or fast writer?

Fast. I obsess and write to the detriment of everything else I need to do. And so I write a lot, and quickly.

If you were in a fantasy world, what would you be?

Depends on the world, I imagine. But, if I had the option, I would like to be one of the items for sale in one of the Wandering Shops in the Discworld that just sort of appears? A broken coffee mug watching everyone from a high shelf.

Most fav book cliche:

I don't even know what these are, if I'm honest.

Least favorite cliche:

See the above.

Favorite scene to write?

I enjoy the beginning of a new area, where description is needed to set a scene. Getting into a scene is probably my favorite thing to write. But for types of scenes...I think the quiet ones? Where characters are just being themselves in a safe place. Or eating, I do enjoy writing about various ways things eat. Especially if it is bloody. Hm. I may not have a favorite.

Reason for writing?

I'd like to say it's because the voices, and it is, but it is also coping and therapy and it helps me work things out and lets my brain calm down. Which is important as it is never calm unless it is all the way calm to the point of near-catatonia.

->blank under cut<-

Short stories, novels, or poems?

What genre do you prefer reading?

Are you a planner or a write as I go kind of person?

What music do you listen to while writing?

Favorite books/movies?

Any current WIPs?

Create a character description of yourself: 

Do you like incorporating actual people you know into your writing?

Are you kill happy with your characters?

Coffee or Tea while writing?

Slow or fast writer?

If you were in a fantasy world, what would you be?

Most fav book cliche:

Least favorite cliche:

Favorite scene to write?

Reason for writing?

[beatricesgrapes]

I would love to know more about your musical training!

That's a lovely question!

So, when I was 4 my parents wanted me to do as many sports and activities as possible.

Sports weren't exactly my cup of tea (and they still aren't), however I really got into music and found out I have a perfect pitch. That is what allows me today to play a lot of instruments, but I am, at the end of the day, a trained pianist.

When I was 10, after 6 years of private lessons, my parents were advised to enrol me into a conservatoire, and so they did it.

There I completed my pre-academic training (8 years) and academic one (usually 3 years, but I did it in 2). I am not considered a Doctor of musical arts, but rather a Master, since my skills are pratical and theoretical.

Now I'm pursuing a degree in orchestral conducting while finishing my philosophy one at university, and every now and then, I do concerts with different orchestras around Europe (as a pianist).

I have also received vocal pedagogy lessons, but I don't enjoy singing in front of people lol.

[silmeria-lafleur]

Basics

Name: Reika Tsukihana

Nicknames: Not yet. Maybe in the not so distant future. Like Rei o My Little Blossom.

Age: 27 at the beggining of ARR.

Nameday: 7th Sun of the 1nd Umbral Moon

Race: Half Raen Au Ra and half midlander ishgardian hyur.

Gender: Female

Orientation: Heterosexual ( With some weakness to high men and pointed ears)

Profession: Adventurer and Scion of the Seventh Dawn

P H Y S I C A L A S P E C T S

Hair: Straight hair. At the beginning she dyed her hair to brown, but her natural color is ash blond. She likes to change her style constantly depending on her activities

Eyes: Large, wide teal/light green eyes ( It depends on the lights) Her limbal rings are dark bluish green

Skin: Fair so Reika usually gets red easily, she often avoids the sun (like a vampire?)

Tattoos/scars: No tattoos. She has a huge scar in her right arm that was inflicted by Zenos in her first battle against him.

F A M I L Y

Parents: Her unknown isgardian mother.

Reika's father is Takumi Tsukihana and her foster mother Sayaka.

Siblings: None

Grandparents: Still unknown.

Children: None yet 🥰 She would like to have her own child, and if possible, to adopt. After the Dragonsong war many children were orphaned and homeless, so it is a possibility.

Pets: She has a nutkin has a pet. I would like to think that it's the very same or related with the one in Thancred scenes lol She casually found it near Tailfeather's aetheryte and from there they have been almost inseparable, but when Reika has to travel far away due to her dangerous adventures, then Artoirel would take care of it.

S K I L L S

Abilities: Arcanima, Painting, Archery, Singing and some musical Instruments ( Mostly Lute, Harp and Piano), Alchemy and Botany.

Hobbies: Repostery, Botany, Music... and anything related to Arts, Reading ( a lot!), sightseeing... and sleep.

T R A I T S

Most Positive Trait: Reika tends to be comprehensive, does not judge first and always wants to understand a situation well before saying anything. She is always willing to listen and offer different solutions to something. Although she is quite emotional due to her artistic side, she tries to think about the logical side of things.

Most Negative Trait: When she has been repressing her emotions for a long time, she tends to be a nihilist. As it is common for her, she knows that sooner or later it will end, so she simply ignores any negative thought and eventually everything will return to her "normal state"

L I K E S

Colors: Purple, Teal, Pastel Pink, Black.

Smells: Flowers! Flowers everywhere! To smell the pages of a new book or that earthy smell that rises after a light summer rain.

Textures: Soft and warm blankets, Nutkin's fur lol the grain of a piece of paper, petals and leaves.

Drinks: She doesn't drink any alcoholic beverage, but inhuman amounts of tea ... Whenever. It's always a good time for a good cup of tea

O T H E R D E T A I L S

Smokes: Never

Drinks: Did I mention Tea? She. Loves. Every. Single. Cup. Of. Tea.

She is 70% tea and 40% sleep.

Drugs: No. Nope ( perhaps Fantasia? but that's my addiction, not hers)

Mount Issuance: Idk what this means, sry >.< Can I answer this later?

Been Arrested: Not yet 👀 ( Does the bloody banquet count? That one was the closest)

That took a while, but I enjoyed doing it. Thank you @starrysnowdrop for tagging me! 🥹💖

I don't who hasn't been tagged yet so anyone who wants to do this please tag me back, so I'll know.

[thisworldisablackhole]

This week in listening, 02/09/24

I honestly just listened to a fuck ton of Silverstein and Thrice this past week, so in an effort to not repeat the same bands on these posts, I'm only including 6 releases instead of 10.

Chelsea Wolfe's new album dropped today (friday) and by goly it's my favourite thing she's done since Unknown Rooms in 2012. To be fair, I haven't given many of her other albums a fair shot (heavy doom-folk wasn't really my cup of tea), but after listening to this I think I owe it to myself to do a full run through her discography. The gothic industrial instrumentals are both subdued and engaging, and when combined with Chelsea's gorgeous voice it comes together to sound somewhat like a soundtrack to unearthing the catacombs of a lost civilization in a decayed concrete jungle.

Like Moths To Flames has been one of my favourite metalcore bands since I re-discovered them a few years ago. They've been a super solid band ever since their first EP in 2010 and have only grown stronger over the years. It's actually quite rare for a metalcore band from the 2010's to still be on top of their game and improving after 6 LP's. One of my favourite things about this band, and why I believe they've managed to be so consistent over the years, is that they aren't afraid to wane and wax in their evolution without losing sight of their DNA. Over their career they have released albums that have gone back and forth from heavy hardcore to a more hook centric Breaking Benjamin-esque alt metal sound, but it's always been good and it's always sounded like the same band. Now with these new singles (and the two standalone singles they dropped in 2023) they are stripping way back on the catchy choruses to pour their focus into just creating memorable and heavy as fuck riffs. This is some of their most crushing and technical material to date and I can not wait for the full length to drop later this year.

Wolves & Machines are a super underrated alternative rock/post hardcore band in the vein of Brand New and Thrice. I first listened to this band back in 2010 when they released their debut record Ailments. I really loved that record and have super fond memories listening to it, but those memories were only triggered recently when I stumbled upon them again while falling down a rabbit hole of "fans also like" sections on spotify. I completely forgot they existed until I saw their name and then all those memories came flooding back to me. I swiftly hit play on Ailments and let the nostalgia bathe me in it's afterglow. The absolute best part of rediscovering this band though was finding out that they never stopped putting out really solid albums. I have since fallen absolutely head over heels with their 2014 record Since Before Our Time. For fucks sake, just hit play and you'll see why.

Ghost Atlas is the side project of progressive metalcore outfit ERRA's guitarist and clean vocalist Jesse Cash. Ghost Atlas' 2017 album All Is In Sync... was very much rooted in post hardcore ala HRVRD, Saosin and Circa Survive. With this new album he has diverted course a bit into much softer pop rock territory. He didn't completely ditch the post hardcore edge, but the whole album is just a lot more mellow and blissed out than his previous work. Some fans have felt very divided by this shift in sound, but I love it. This record is just pure comfort. I think the album art does a perfect job at capturing the vibe: a morning cup o' joe on your balcony with a cat on your lap, and Jesse's beautiful voice serenading you into a deep state on contentedness. This is likely going to end up on my year end list.

I've been a "big fan" of Burial ever since his groundbreaking 2007 LP Untrue. I put "big fan" in parenthesis because despite absolutely loving some of his earlier music to death, I am not die hard enough to be keeping up with every two song single or weird ambient EP he has released over the years. Someone wrote online that this new single was his "best work since Rival Dealer", and that was enough to make me don my Burial fan cap again and dive in. Boy was I not disappointed. These two tracks are expansive at approx. 13 minutes each, but they do not feel tiring or strung out at all. They represent everything I love about Burial; that sweet sweet crackling atmosphere, nimble footed drum patterns and haunting vocal samples that are effective in their sparsity, injecting just the perfect amount of melody into the hazy rhythms. Dreamfear slowly disintegrates and becomes more aggressive over it's run time until the sample repeating "BACK FROM THE DEAD, FUCKED UP IN THE HEAD" hits us in the head over and over, inducing psychosis panic in the listener. It's glorious.

I've been getting back into more progressive rock and metal recently. I blame TesseracT and Aviations for that, as they both put out absolute home run records last year that reawakened the bound and gagged Dream Theater fan inside me. I checked this album on a whim after reading a review about it that described it as "bright and uplifting" metal, and I was immediately captivated by it. If there's one thing I absolutely adore in music, it's a contradiction. Taking two things that people usually do not associate with each other (uplifting and metal) and engaging them in holy matrimony. Artificial Language have a more classical sound than Aviations, but the bright chords, djenty riffs and piano leads are all still in stock. I'd say it's the perfect counterpart to 2023's Luminaria and I'm keen to give it more listens over the coming weeks.

[fairlyabookie]

Tea

Author's note: Day 20 of February prompts! Enjoy!

Tucked away in the heart of an industrious town, a tea shop brims with life, clamorous clients running frivolous gossip, good-natured newcomers seeking for an exquisite cup of tea; such patrons for tea look up to Sam, a charming businessman with a boundless supply of teas, ranging from rarities exclusively in certain regions of the land to commodities loved by all consumers. 

For each incoming customer, workers greet earnestly, guiding them to a seat to their liking, whether it be with a view of the town before them or having a view of the surrounding ambiance. Many patrons of Sam’s Tea Shop would often comment on the cordial welcomes, feeling as if they were at home rather than a shop with clients. The shop owner, on the other hand, valued being with his clients, listening to their conversations in earnest, reciprocating concerns with sound advice or simply entertaining them with his skills in the arts. Sam, in other words, was a man of many talents, harboring many a trifle from the town’s locality and consciousness. 

“Welcome in!” 

A worker bids a new customer with a wide grin by their lips. [Reader] smiles shyly, whispering a request to sit by the bar area. The worker obliges, guiding the youth to their seat. There, playing an ostentatious piece on a stringed instrument, Sam invigorates his audience with grandiose musicality, earning applause from them as he concludes with a flourish. 

“Would you like an appetizer to begin your time here?” 

[Reader] refuses, requesting only tea for the time being. Their eyes linger on the owner longingly, as if silently beckoning for him to approach the newcomer - they shyly avert their gaze, noticing clients showering the man with compliments. For a moment, they had no idea why they were here in the first place - one could simply discount it as a whim, where Sam had approached [Reader] about his tea shop once upon a time. The boisterous ambiance was too much for [Reader], strange faces contorting to even profane ones under the guise of gossip and tea, harsh words affixed in rhetoric arguing excessively. If this wasn’t a tea house, they would’ve mistaken it for a brothel with this sort of vulgarities. 

“[Reader], you’ve arrived! Welcome, welcome! I see you’ve emerged from your shell to join us for tea time. What would you like?” 

Noting the cordial grin by Sam’s lips, [Reader] knew he was simply being professional - civil perhaps, but at the same time, welcoming. They answer demurely, 

“I’d like something simple, please.” 

The grin widens. 

“Jasmine tea, then?” 

They nod, muttering a thanks to the owner. With nimble fingers, Sam dexterously prepares the tea, pouring from a porcelain teapot to a matching teacup, a thin vapor steaming from the liquid. A quick waft insinuates the nostalgic essence of jasmine tea, a tea [Reader] was only familiar with. They partake a sip, tasting its savory flavor. 

“Tell me, [Reader]. Was going ‘round town refreshing from being cooped up in your monastery all day?” 

Sam leads the conversation, initiating an unexpected question. 

“It is different, yes. Thank you for asking, Sam,” 

[Reader] answers politely, sparing a glance to study their surroundings. 

“I’m not used to being around so many people; this feels like a betrothal more than a tea shop.” 

Sam feigns surprise, stifling the urge to snicker about [Reader]’s out-of-pocket response. 

“How so? Many of my customers often come to socialize and enjoy tea. Is it not up to your liking, my dear scholar?” 

A complicated expression befalls on [Reader]’s features, a cross between a frown and a pout. 

“I didn’t mean to say an offensive comment, Sam. Well, what I meant is that it’s simply too loud for me. I surmise that your shop is popular too…” 

A hearty laugh bubbles from the owner’s lips. 

“Spare me your arguments, scholar! You’re overthinking about your rhetoric! Again, I take no offense for your comments. I often have folks from your monastery tell me that all the time.” 

“Many apologies on the behalf of my seniors..” 

[Reader] darkly mutters. 

“You’re too formal!” 

Sam ruffles [Reader]’s head, a gesture he’d equip to acknowledge a budding friendship, or as a casual gesture after exchanging formalities. 

“Come now, drink up! I presume you’re here to catch a break from sticking your nose up in the books. Have some more!” 

The inspirited gentlemen’s comment elicits more customers’ call for tea as he pours more into [Reader]’s cup. The puzzled scholar sheepishly thanks him, washing away their anxieties with another sip of cool jasmine tea.

[iphisesque]

I've tried writing poetry more than once, but I keep getting stuck on this: I write verses for songs that don't exist instead

I can't sing, so embracing it is out of the question, so how do I make poetry feel just as poignant when whover doesn't have the music in my brain reads it?

oh i get this ALL the time like you wouldn't believe how often. so many songs i have written started out as poems and vice versa so many poems were originally song ideas (i reckon this is at least partly because i like to write in fixed meter and song verses are by definition fixed meters).

what i like to do, since im also a singer, is take it in whatever direction the text leads me and make songs out of my more musical poems — perfectly fair if this isn't your cup of tea of course, but songwriting without singing is also a very valuable art, and if you play an instrument you can write an accompanying melody and see if anyone's interested in singing it (or even sing it yourself for a quick demo, i promise you bad singing with amazing songwriting is nothing new and there are so many people who value lyrics or melodies over technical vocal prowess).

if you're adamant about not wanting to write songs, which is super fair, you can probably try your hand at more rigid meters which have fixed accents and a more musical quality to them: i take a lot of inspiration from ancient greek and latin meter, you could try following them or similar fixed-accent meters exactly. you would have to make sure the correspondence isn't too off between the original type of accent and your language's type of accent, which can be a bit of a pain, but luckily writing modern language poetry with ancient language meters is nothing new, and you can often find examples of poems from the past handful of centuries trying to adapt these forms into their own languages (at least in italian it's like this — and if you're italian i would recommend you check out what carducci does with the odi barbare, it's very interesting metrically if not thematically)! and obviously, once you have your meter of choice down, you can just say which one it is and anyone who has any familiarity with the meter will know how to read it.

at the end of the day, though, nobody is inside your head like you are, and you always risk something not coming across like you intended — be it the metrics of a verse or the meaning of an expression you used. there's a lot of poems i have scrapped because they didn't sound right to others who heard them differently to how i did in my head, and others i have posted regardless of how someone else might read them differently, simply because i liked them too much to let that dissuade me, and others yet which i have posted as poems but i could hear a melody for while composing them and just couldn't be assed to record them or make them song-length. i cannot for the life of me remember who originally said this because i am a hack, but i am very fond of the theory of art according to which art is the intersection between the author, the work itself and the people who experience it: the melody you have in your mind is part of the poetry itself, but so is a potential reader's "misunderstanding" and reinterpretation of it, those elements aren't necessarily in competition but they come together to create a meaningful artistic experience that exists in the world as opposed to just in your head.

[bestbugs]

🐛 Finny’s VERY long list of their interests, fun facts, and favorite things! 🐛

(To be updated on Desktop, because mobile formatting got a little messed up.)

Key:

🖍 Interests from my childhood

‼️ HUGE interests of mine!

(Add a post cut here)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Interests (in no particular order)!:

1.) Laundromats 🖍

2.) Car Washes

3.) Chevron Cars 🖍

4.) The Human Body (How it works, books about it, etc.) 🖍

5.) Aliens

6.) Theory Channels (Game Theory, Film Theory, Food Theory, Style Theory).

7.) Music 🖍

8.) Art 🖍

9.) Scouts (Girl scouts and Boy Scouts)! Fun Fact: I was in Girl Scouts when I was little, and I want to be a volunteer for either Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts someday!

10.) Schools / “Schoolcore”

11.) Hospitals, specifically Childrens Hospitals. (I went to a children’s hospital very often when I was younger, and I began associating it with comfort and “getting better!”) 🖍

12.) Learning other languages and learning about other cultures (and what life is like around the world!) 🖍

13.) What life was like in the past.

14.) 2000s-Early 2010 aesthetic.

15.) Backpacks ‼️🖍

16.) Stuntmen and women

17.) Wrestling 🖍

18.) Old Commercials ‼️ (Mostly from 2000s-Early 2010s)

19.) Ska music 🖍‼️

20.) Care Bears 🖍

21.) Rockhopper Penguins ‼️

22.) Vocaloid 🖍‼️

23.) Old magazines (usually 80s-early 2000s)

24.) Public Service Announcements ‼️

25.) Retro Arcades ‼️🖍

…and more that I am probably forgetting! I will update the list as more things come to mind!

Fun Facts:

🐛 I don’t mind what pronouns are used for me! I like the sense of anonymity that comes with the option of someone using any pronouns for me gives me.

🐛 Finny is just an online nickname I like, not one I use in real life!

🐛 My favorite colors are currently orange and yellow, but I like most colors!

🐛 I write all the time! I have a huge storage box full of completed journals— and I have been writing consistently since I was in 2nd grade! That’s over a decade of writing!

🐛 I like to edit photos and videos! I hope that I can get better at both someday!

🐛 I have a binder that I use as my own personal “scrapbook” and personal care guide. I am super proud of it— and I plan on having a tour of it with you all, soon!

🐛 I can play the drums, clarinet, and I am learning the piano! I want to get back into playing the recorder, because that was the first instrument I’ve ever played! This time, I’d like to use a higher quality recorder.

🐛 Puzzle games, rhythm games, racing games, arcade games, and fighting games are my favorite! My favorites in each category are currently: Tetris (any version), Project Mirai DX (or any version of a Hatsune Miku/Vocaloid rhythm game), Mario Kart 8, most retro arcade games AND pinball machines, and Tekken!

🐛 I’ve been using tumblr since 2012, but my original account is lost.

🐛 I’ve been a Vocaloid fan since about 2009-2010! My favorite Vocaloid is Luka, but I love them all!

🐛 My favorite Care Bear is Funshine bear! My favorite thing that I own is my Funshine Bear cup!

🐛 My Favorite Song is currently: 🎶Break by Kero Kero Bonito🎶

🐛 My favorite TV show is currently Bluey!

🐛 My favorite movie is currently most Pixar movies! Monsters Inc has a special place in my heart.

🐛 My favorite art material to use: Colored Pencils

🐛 My favorite snack is freeze dried apple slices!

🐛 My favorite drink is Snapple Apple juice, or warm tea with lemon!

🐛 If I were an animal, I would pick a penguin or a house cat. If I were a cat, I would want to be a fluffy orange cat!

More details may be added soon!

Last Updated: April 11th, 2023.

❓Why make this list?❓:

Sometimes when you’re upset, you can easily forget what things make you happy. Making “about me” lists gives me the opportunity to revisit what I know I like— and it gives you all the opportunity to get to know me better!

[swaglet]

15, 16, 21, and also whatever day of the month your birthday isn’t!

15. comfort food?

right now it's maruchan chicken ramen like those cups of noodles...... i am sooo addicted to those thangs rn. and also green beans with olive oil drizzled on them with seasonings mixed in. i eat that every day

16. what's something you want to create soon?

it's gonna take quite a bit of work but there's a voice line in overwatch where lucio asks everybody their favorite animal and i want to draw all the characters who have a response with their favorite animal .... also a few videos and a mashup of over the garden wall music i want to post once fall is in full swing

21. tea, coffee, or hot cocoa?

i love tea and coffee equally tbh... it honestly depends on the day............... i drink green tea as much as i drink coffee and the caffeine content is irrelevant to me because i have to have decaf

day of my birthday, 30. what do your hobbies look like? (i think that's what you meant!)

MESSY .... i have sheet music strewn all over my room and my car, all my instruments are sitting everywhere with their cases open so i can play them at a moment's notice (not so much nowadays because i'm sick but i leave them open just in case i feel well enough), my desktop is full of wips of musescore files from composing music, my desk itself is covered in embroidery thread and pencils and pens and markers and there's so much clay and paint smeared on the art side of my desk and my sketchbook is always in the way of something and my drawing tablet is as well especially when i play games