#national pianist day

[nationaldaysbydigitalhygge]

November 8.

[subby-sab]

Today is 8th of November.

Today is World Pianist Day, World Radiography Day, World Town Planning Day, National Cappuccino Day.

[murderousink23]

11/08/2023 is Day of the Police of Bulgaria (ACAB) 👮‍♀️👮‍♂️🇧🇬, Pianist Day 🎹🌎, National Cappuccino Day 🇺🇲, National Harvey Wallbanger Day 🇺🇲, National Parents as Teachers Day 🇺🇲, National STEM Day 🧬🇺🇲

[hell0-gh0st]

Movies for the girls who wants to fell something ♡₊⁺

(check the TW )

- The Virgin suicides (1999)

- White oleander (2002)

- Black Swan (2010)

- Girl interrupted (1999)

- Drop dead gorgeous (1999)

- Dirty girls (2000)

- Bones and all (2022)

- Gone girl (2014)

- Thirteen (2003)

- Jennyfer's body (2009)

- American beauty (1999)

- Carrie (1976)

- The loved ones (2009)

- Tragedy girls (2017)

- American Mary (2012)

- Welcolme to the dollhouse (1995)

- The substance (2024)

- Ghostland (2018)

- Valley of dolls (1967)

- Lady bird (2017)

- I,Tonya (2017)

- Hereditary (2018)

- Candy (2006)

- Requiem for a dream (2000)

- Priscilla (2023)

- Pearl (2022)

- Mysterious skin (2004)

- Buffalo 66 (1998)

- Donnie darko (2001)

- Midsommar (2019)

- Possession (1981)

- Palo alto (2013)

- Kids (1995)

- Christiane f (1981)

- Raw (2016)

- May (2002)

- Heather (1988)

- Ginger Snaps (2000)

- Tamara (the horror one, 2005)

- All Cheerleader die (2013)

- Saint Maud (2019)

- Stoker (2013)

- Orphan (2009)

- Heavenly creature (1994)

- Suspiria (1977 & 2018)

- The red shoes (1948)

- Repulsion (1965)

- Prozac nation (2001)

- Clockwork orange (1972)

- Fight club (1999)

- Leon (1994)

- Lolita (1962 & 1997)

- Noce blanche (1989)

- Lost in translation (2003)

- My Beautiful boy (2018)

- I believe in unicorns (2014)

- The Florida project (2017)

- The lovely bones (2009)

- Ripe (1996)

- Marie Antoinette (2006)

- Mustang (2015)

- Miss violence (2013)

- Daisies (1966)

- Ghost world (2001)

- Fantastic mr fox (2009)

- Juno (2007)

- Lilya 4 ever (2002)

- Gia (1998)

- The perfume (2006)

- To the bone (2017)

- Joker (2019)

- The perks of being a wallflower (2012)

- The crush (1993)

- Fishbowl (2020)

- Down in the valley (2005)

- Brokeback mountain (2005)

- Mother! (2017)

- Dancer in the dark (2000)

- Speak (2004)

- Sharing the Secret (2000)

- Amélie (2001)

- Tart (2001)

- Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind (2004)

- all the bright places (2020)

- little miss sunshine (2006)

- As you are (2016)

- Dazed and confused (1993)

- Dead poets society (1989)

- My girl (1991)

- 10 things i hate about you (1999)

- Aftersun (2022)

- 5 feet apart (2019)

- Little women (2019)

- The pianist (2002)

- Where the crawdads sing (2022)

- La la land (2016)

- The glass castle (2017)

- 500 days of summer (2009)

- Uptown girls (2003)

- Call me by your name (2017)

- V for Vendetta (2005)

- The pictures of Dorian Gray (2009, The book is so much better)

- Waves (2019)

- Manchester by the sea (2016)

- A silent voice (2016)

- Death in Venice (1971)

[vague-humanoid]

espite his towering influence, particularly on the academic left, Edward W. Said today seldom shows up on the list of dangerous thinkers loathed by conservatives or blamed for undermining the Western academy. Whether intentional or not, this conservative ambivalence about Said’s legacy is merited. While he is considered the godfather of postcolonialism, a theoretical approach toward accounting for the legacy of colonialism, Said’s personal life and intellectual output defy any simplifying labels that might be placed upon him — whether by the left or the right. Rather than a mere critic of the Western canon, Said was a sophisticated thinker who saw both colonizers and the colonized as inheritors of a shared cultural patrimony.

Said’s universalism shone brightly in his passion for classical music, a conservative artistic milieu if there ever was one. In addition to his university responsibilities and political activism, Said was the classical music and opera critic for The Nation from 1986 until shortly before his death from leukemia in 2003. His writings on music are less widely known than his political and scholarly output, though Columbia University Press has dutifully collected and published them over the years, including in a collection released this year, titled “Said on Opera.”

Said’s love of classical music was not merely a pastime. Toward the end of his life, Said attempted to blend two of his worlds — politics and music — by co-founding the East-West Divan Orchestra, which sought to unite Israeli and Arab musicians within a shared cultural project. The decision to create such an organization, not without controversy, was a unique distillation of Said’s perspective on culture and politics. While he excoriated the injustices of Western imperialism, including the way that systems of knowledge were often deployed to crush the oppressed, he remained an ardent universalist. Said saw the cultural achievements of the West as part of a shared cultural heritage to be critiqued and grappled with, not an alien imposition to be rejected. It is that legacy, expressed in his love of opera, which makes revisiting Said as a scholar and humanist more necessary than ever in an era of political polarization and cultural turmoil.

Said was a talented pianist, having practiced as a child during his upbringing in Cairo and played to small audiences while an undergraduate at Princeton University. His rapid scholarly ascent in literary studies and his simultaneous work as a public spokesperson for Palestinians in the United States did not allow him to develop his musical abilities. Yet he remained an avid fan and critic throughout his life. In Said’s near-worship of Glenn Gould, the Bach performer extraordinaire, one could see the lingering allure of the piano virtuoso and even a potential alternative life path.

Though his appreciation for classical music and opera predated his academic interests and political concerns, Said brought his unique critical sensibility to bear in his essays on the subject. As the theater and opera director Peter Sellars writes in his preface to “Said on Opera,” “If you have spent the day, the week, the month, and the year opposing, with every cell in your body, the ratification of the Oslo Accords, which go through in spite of your opposition, and inaugurate an era of unprecedented Palestinian suffering and oppression, you come to Beethoven’s Opus 110 Sonata ready for the heights and the depths, the heartbreak, the despair, and the unfathomable consolations, generosity, and relief of this music.”

[yup-thats-me]

—the last dance • Howl Pendragon

pairing; Prince!Howl x Princess!reader summary; not all famous love stories are happy ones. Their tale is the living proof warning; fantasy kingdoms, death a/n; I highly recommend you listen to “Howl’s Moving Castle Theme but darker,” by PianoDeuss. I swear it sets the mood!

The hauntingly beautiful music from the century-old piano filled the dimly lit, empty ballroom space. The pianist was Princess Y/n, the future queen of the kingdom Atheria, the pride of the nation; the angel.

But this angle was hurt. Her fingertips are red, her head tipped back as her fingers played by their own. Her sunken eyes closed; lips shut in a line. What had happened that made the Angel so hurt? No one besides her broken heart could tell.

She played; played and played for hours. She did not stop even though her hands were aching, her throat dry and in need of water, but she could not stop. She won’t stop until she hears the ballroom door open. She can’t stop.

An unknown amount of time had passed. One hour? Two hours? Perhaps it was five. But no matter because the sound she had anticipated for so long was finally heard. The ballroom door opened slowly, almost unnoticeable. But she could hear it. She spent her days waiting for that sound; how could she not.

The one who walked towards the princess, so gracefully so ethereal was of course, Prince Howl Pendragon. The son of Y/n’s rival kingdom; her lover. Even though she watched him walk towards her, she could not stop her fingers from playing. She begged them to cease, but she no longer had the control over her being. It was all him. He had become her other half.

Only when Howl softly grabbed her hands did the music stop. “My love, I’m here.” He had whispered, tears glinting at the corner of his sapphire eyes. “You can stop.”

Y/n tried to get up from her tool to embrace her lover, but her knees gave out, making her fall. Howl had also knelt beside her, his tears no longer in his eyes; they stained his beautiful face.

Y/n wiped his tears with a smile, her voice coming out a bit hoarse. “It’s okay. I’m okay.” Howl had nodded slowly. He helped the girl, his hands so gentle and careful as if she would shatter. She just might.

“Can I ask Princess Y/n for a dance?” Howl had asked.

This question in any other situation would have been a merry, joyous one. Y/n should have declined with a ‘no’. She was breaking. Her body was weak, and maybe Howl should not have asked that too. He was not too well. His complexion was pale as a sheet, hair disheveled. But ironically, the princess agreed with a heartfelt smile. And the man with a smile, snaked his arm around her waist, gently pulling her close.

With a wave of his hand, the music Y/n had been playing yet again filled the empty ballroom, save the two of them. How did he do that? Did he learn magic? He must have. Regardless, the princess smiled as the two swayed to the music, their bodies as if melting to become one.

When they neared the end, Howl had put his head against Y/n’s shoulder, his tears seeped through her dress, soaking her soft skin. “If only, my love. If only, were I braver.” His voice breaking.

A soft sigh left Y/n’s lips, her hands caressing the back of his head lovingly. “Indeed, darling. If only…” she paused for a moment, tears blurring her vision. “…were I braver.”  

With the sunrays filling the castle, in came the innumerable voice of tourists. Their guide walked all around the ballroom, pointing out famous pieces. At last, the group stopped before a painting.

The painting was done in a simple manner. It was the expressions the figures wore that made it famous. It painted picture of Y/n, the angle being embraced by Howl Pendragon; the embrace was so tight yet so gentle, there were no sign of hurt or discomfort on Y/n’s face, all that marred their embrace were tears. The painter had painted the tears so meticulously as if they were truly crying.

“And here is the most famous couple in all of Atheria. The couple who were soulmates destined to be apart.” The tour guide had sighed heavily as if he knew them personally.

A man from the group had asked. “What does that mean? Do they not love each other? Was that a forced marriage?”

“If only that were true, their story would have been a happy one.” The guide continued. “The two of them were from rival kingdoms. They met by chance; love was inevitable. When the time came, Y/n was to be married off, she had begged her father, the King on her knees to let her get married to Howl, but he rejected the princess’s wish,” soft gasps could be heard from the group.

“But you see Howl was also set to marry Y/n and no one else; Howl’s father, unimaginably had agreed to their marriage. But before he could celebrate, news came that Princess Y/n had committed suicide in her bedroom, unable to bear being married to someone else, if not Howl. Hearing the news, Prince Howl slashed his throat in the courtroom.”

“Even in death, could they not embrace each other.”

do not steal, translate or copy my work on any other site. all belongs to yup-thats-me™️ on tumblr

[accio-victuuri]

excerpt from this article by xinhua.net: The Olympic flame arrived in Paris on French National Day. Three Chinese torchbearers participated in the relay.

Paris, July 14 (Xinhua) -- The flame of the Paris Olympics arrived in Paris on July 14, the French National Day, and began its two-day relay in the capital. Three Chinese torchbearers appeared on the first relay day, including pianist Lang Lang, Chen Zhongwei, chairman and general manager of Hengyuanxiang Group, and young actor Wang Yibo.

Chen Zhongwei and Wang Yibo's relays were both on the last section of the day - from the Louvre to the City Hall.

Wang Yibo is a well-known sports "enthusiast" in the circle. He served as a promotion ambassador for the previous Olympic Qualifying Series in Shanghai. His relay was arranged on the road near the City Hall, and it was close to 11 o'clock at night.

　　"It feels like a very special experience. I can serve as a torchbearer at night. At the same time, I see that the number 85 at the starting point of my leg is unpacked, which happens to be my birthday. I feel very honored and happy." Wang Yibo said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua News Agency reporters, "I hope that Chinese athletes can enjoy the Olympic stage and work hard to achieve good results."

　　Wang Yibo was recommended by Mengniu, a partner of the International Olympic Committee's TOP program, to be the torchbearer this time. He is also the 13th torchbearer recommended by Mengniu in the torch relay of this Olympic Games.

[vee1021]

@bobcross1010 HERE IT IS ❤️

THE CITY

Ok, first I need to explain the City. The City is NOT a normal city, its the size of a NATION and IS THE ONLY NATION, it is the last bastion of humanity in the world (that we know of). The City is run by a person called the 'Head', who controls all business in the City. The City is split into 27 districts, letterd 1-27, each with a MEGACORP that owns and sponsors the 'Nest' of the district. If you don't live in a Nest, you live in the Backstreets, and there are very few options for you there. The most common are a) become a Fixer (mercenary basically) b) work for one of the many syndicates or get lucky and join a Finger( the 5 LARGEST syndicates) or c) dissappear and have everyone forget you.

LOBOTOMY CORPORATION

Haha the funny Corporation haha

So, Lob corp. ran nest L until it fell during the White Nights and Dark Days, when Angela decided to spread the Light, but she was stopped by the Sephirot, and the Light was not finished spreading. Spreading the Light was a GOOD thing, but the Sephirot were disillusioned by Ayin (the owner of Lob corp.)

THE LIGHT

The Light is confusing i barely understand it...

Its basically like the cumulative indomitable human spirt (i THINK) which causes the phenomena known as E.G.O. and Distortions

THE PIANIST

Finally...

The Pianist is a Distortion, the FIRST Distortion, actually, and he destroyed the entirety of District 9, which was one of the safest Nests in the City. He killed THOUSANDS of people, including the SPOILER

The main character, Roland's, wife Angelica. This event kicks of Roland's rampaging throught the City and the reason Library of Ruina happens. I fully recommend playing the game of you like deck builders, ots on steam and console. Lobotomy Corporation is on steam (its a management sim), too, along with Limbus Company(FREE GACHA). Limbus is also on mobile. The story is so good. I'd you dont play it, at least watch a playthough

[demigodsanswer]

TUAP// it’s not you, it’s me

[set during the same rehearsal period as this fic] a little over a year after they started dating

Annabeth was rehearsing Theme and Variation with Beckendorf in the morning. It was a Balanchine piece that started with a simple point of the foot.

And that where where the day started to go wrong for her.

When she pointed her left foot, it looked sickled, turning in instead of out.

On the break, she tried to readjust her shoe, taking it off, squishing the box more, and putting it back on. It hardly helped. Her left foot was a problem child, but this was a new low.

After lunch, she rehearsed Kitri's act one variation. It was fast, exhausting, and one of Annabeth's favorites. And her right pointe shoe broke in the middle of her turn sequence. The shank snapped, and she was forced off pointe. She called for the pianist to stop as she looked at her shoe. It had gone from new to completely dead in a second.

Annabeth looked at the ballet master, confused about her own circumstances. "My shoe broke," she said dumbly.

"Alright then," Ariadne said, "Drew you take over."

While Drew ran her variation. She was a tiny spitfire who's Kitri was always a fan favorite. Between her, Piper, Helen, and Annabeth this run was sure to bring in great reviews. If Annabeth could get her act together, that was.

This new pair of shoes had felt fine after breaking them in last night, but now they felt warped and strange. That happened sometimes; their shoes were made by hand, small differences always persisted. But she usually knew if a pair was awkward or warped before she even sewed them. Maybe she'd just woken up with different feet this morning.

But they'd have to do. Her only other pair probably didn't have enough life to get through this and her last rehearsal of the day, and she'd rather save that last pair for rehearsal with Percy. At least, at the end of this crap day, she'd get to see him.

~

Percy tried not to get frustrated or angry in rehearsal, but with the way he was dancing today, it was hard not to.

He was debuting as the principal in Allegro Brilliante with Piper tomorrow, and he felt like his legs and his torso were simply no longer connected. Allegro was everything Balanchine knew about classical ballet in fourteen minutes. And today, it felt like Percy didn't know a damn thing about classical ballet.

Piper looked great at least. It was her debut too. But that only added to the pressure. Whenever she debuted one of Maria Tallchief's roles, it got some press attention. ("Doesn't matter that I'm three inches shorter and from a different nation," Piper complained, always with a telling smile that revealed she did like both the comparison and the attention.)

At least he and Annabeth had Don Q rehearsals that afternoon.

~

Somehow Don Q was worse. Having a bad dance day was one thing. Having a bad dance day even with Percy was another.

They had a few minutes before Cassandra, the ballet master looking over their act two pas de deux, arrived, and they were using the time to work on the act one finale lift. Percy had to pick her up and hold her on one hand, with Annabeth up in the air, the side of her torso parallel to the floor, legs split, and top arm up shaking a tambourine.

And every time they tried it, something looked or felt wrong. They weren't able to hold the lift for the pause in the music where Annabeth was supposed to give the tambourine a little shake. She always went up, wobbled, then came right back down.

On their last attempt, Percy hadn't even locked his arm before she slipped backwards out of his hand. He managed to catch her bridal style, his quick reflexes kicking in to keep her from crashing to the floor.

Percy's eyes were wide with shock, looking at her in his arms. "Are you okay?" He asked quickly.

Annabeth stood on shaky legs. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," she rested her hands on his face and pressed their foreheads together as she took a deep breath. "I'm okay, you caught me," she promised. He'd never dropped her -- not in rehearsal, and certainly not on stage.

Percy kissed her gently. "I'm sorry," he promised.

"It's a two person job, okay, it's not all your fault," she promised.

Percy pulled away, visibly angry at himself. "I just wish I could stop dancing like a six year old!" He yelled to the vast, empty studio, before flopping down onto his back in the middle of the room.

Annabeth laid down next to him. "It's not you, it's me." She lifted her left leg in the air. "I haven't been able to do even a simple tendu all day, because my left foot refuses to not be fucking sickled for three fucking seconds!" She let her voice climb to a yell, and it did help a little. She put her leg back down.

"Long day?" Percy asked.

Annabeth rubbed her eyes, hoping she avoided her mascara, but over it at this point. "Yeah. You?"

"Fucking awful," he said. "Nervous as hell for Allegro tomorrow."

Annabeth wasn't on tomorrow, so she'd get to watch from the audience with Percy's family.

"You're going to be amazing," Annabeth assured him.

"I remember watching you do it as a the principle with Lee for his final performance. I was in the corps," Percy said.

"I remember," Annabeth said back. She did. The principle female actually engaged with male corps quite a bit in that ballet. "I cried like a baby when it was over."

The moment the dance was over, before the bows had even started, she'd started weeping. By the time Lee took his final bow, she was full-blown sobbing. She was twenty-four then, and she hadn't danced the role since. It was if she'd retired the ballet with Lee. She was pretty sure she'd do it again in due time.

"It was sweet. You're so good in that role. It's why I can't believe you never did Tchai Pas before last summer," Percy said. They were very similar ballets. Almost the same costume too.

"Who are we to try and figure out the whims of Chiron Bruner?" She asked. "I mean, he's the man who hired a six year old and a girl with pigeon toes." Annabeth put both legs in the air and sickled both for dramatic effect.

It got a laugh from Percy at least.

"I did Bassilo's act three variation for YAGP my second year in that competition," Percy started. That was Annabeth favorite part to see him dance. It was right before her thirty-two fouette's though, so she knew she wouldn't be able to watch during the actual performance, or she'd get so flustered and out of breath just from the thrill of watching him that she'd never get through the turns.

Percy continued. "My teacher gave me a tape of the ballet, I think Mariinsky? Maybe the Bolshoi. But I watched it over and over. I loved the music."

"Where is this going?" She asked.

"So, I'm at finals, I place tenth in the country --"

"Fuck, you're so talented," Annabeth said.

"Thank you," Percy said back with a smile. "Well, I was looking through the program that night in the hotel ..." he covered his face with his hands. "I thought the ballet was called donkey hotay. I was always confused, because there wasn't a donkey. But I don't know, ballet is weird. I didn't learn the real name until after YAGP."

Annabeth laughed. "You thought -- wait, you thought it was first word: donkey, second word: hotay?"

"Yes!"

Annabeth somehow laughed harder, until her breath was almost completely gone.

"That's actually really cute, Percy," she said, finally catching her breath and rolling onto her side to face him. "Why haven't you told me that story before?"

Percy brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "I knew it'd make you laugh, and I knew eventually there'd be a day I just really, really needed to hear you laugh."

Annabeth leaned forward and kissed him -- gentle, innocent, passably work appropriate.

"Alright lovebirds!" Cassandra said as she opened the door. "Time to get working."

Percy and Annabeth popped up off the floor, but Cassandra didn't seem put off by their position when she walked in. Plenty of dancers needed floor time during long rehearsal days.

"Oh, we don't have a pianist yet," Cassandra observed.

"Actually, could we show you the act one lift?" Annabeth asked. "We're having trouble with it." Cassandra was the best ballet master at diagnosing and issue and finding the solution.

"Go for it," Cassandra said.

They ran it again. Like before, it felt unstable, and Annabeth wasn't able to hold for the length of time she was supposed to.

"Hmm," Cassie hummed. "Percy, you're hesitating with the supporting arm, so you aren't getting her up fast enough, but the back arm is coming down too quickly. You're letting go before she's in a stable position. Keep that hand on her back as long as you need. If it never comes down, that's fine." Percy nodded.

"Annabeth, you're leaning back. Your legs are really pulling you back, but even the shoulders. It makes sense, there's a lot of," Casandra struck a Kitri-like Spanish pose, her back arched, one leg forward, arm over her head, wrist flicked, and her head looking over her shoulder. Annabeth smiled. "But here, make sure your torso isn't pulling you back, and your legs could even be more forward. And lift to torso more. That might help. Right now, you're really parallel. See if you can get some bend in the waist." Annabeth was short-waisted with long legs, but she'd try.

"Okay, try," Cassandra said, giving them some space.

They both took her notes, and it went better. They held that time, but it didn't feel perfect.

"You're both tired," Cassandra said at the end of the lift. "Breath, get some water."

They did.

The pianist joined them a few minutes later, and they started.

Act two's pas de deux was flirty, a little sexy, and it was usually so good for them. But whatever bad vibes they'd started the day with hadn't gone anywhere. They were both starting to get frustrated, Annabeth could feel it, and not just with themselves, but with each other. Their usual natural chemistry wasn't there, even. And the absence of that made everything that much more frustrating.

If they had to run it one more time, Annabeth might just have a big fucking donkey hotay break down.

"Are either of you on tonight?" Cassie asked.

"No," Percy said.

"He debuts Allegro tomorrow," Annabeth said.

Cassandra smiled. "Brilliant! Pun intended. Is this your last rehearsal for the day?"

They nodded.

"Alright, then let's just call it a day." They still had fifteen minutes scheduled for rehearsal. Never in her life had Annabeth had a rehearsal end early. "You two aren't feeling it, you're tired, and you're just getting more and more frustrated. Go home, enjoy each other's company," she winked at them, "the ballet will be here tomorrow." She shoo'd them towards their bags, before dismissing the pianist, and wishing Percy merde on his debut.

"Did we just get sent home early?" Percy asked.

"Yep. And I think she implied we should ... "

"Have sex about it?" Percy finished.

"Okay, so you also got that vibe?" Annabeth asked.

Percy nodded. "That was either the vibe she was giving off, or just constantly what I'm thinking about. Could go either way."

Annabeth grabbed her bag. "Come on, donkey boy, let's go enjoy our night off."

[icycoldninja]

Can you write a pianist reader with the DMC men?

They didn’t know she can play a piano until they came across a sweet melody coming from the attic in her home, just to find out a hidden piano and their dearest playing it

They secretly watch her playing it, sweat trickling down her forehead and arms as she put her heart and soul into the piece she’s playing. Then out of nowhere, they either complimented her or give her a round of applause, asking her why she didn’t become a professional pianist if she’s so good at it and why she chose to become a devil hunter instead (She have always worked as a fellow staff in the shop)

She exclaimed that her dream is to be a pianist but she’s born in a struggling household that could barely cover her education fee so in order to go to her dream university, a.k.a, a prestige music institute, she needs to win the national competition at first place to win the scholarship since that university fee is almost impossible to be covered by her parents.

She tried her best but it’s still not enough and to watch the very thing you’re supposedly good at become something others are not only good at but also excell at it is when her nightmares come to life. The moment in which she’s supposed to have it all; the glory, the fame and her dream…she slipped past a few notes due to the immense anxiety from crowds of people watching plus the fact that the song she chose to play at the time is ridiculously hard as well. Those few notes she slipped is enough to tell the difference between her and her opponents, making her fail the national competition.

She recalled the time she fainted on stage from shock after knowing the results which leads to her being carried to the ER immediately ;the amount of times she cried so much to the point in which her voice were hoarse, her eyes and nose were puffy, her head was banging wildly from huge waves of headaches and there are even times where she vomited from crying too much. After that, she no longer pursue her dream of being a pianist anymore since her parents couldn’t afford to pay for her education fees so she dropped out, going from 100 to 0 as she works multiple different jobs she doesn’t like to pay the bills and try to survive. Consequently, she fell into severe depression and it would take a lot of energy for her to be even mildly interested in other aspects of life ( which could explain why she always seems to have a deadpan expression and emotionless eyes like looking straight into a dead man’s eyes ) sometimes her parents had to break down the door to drag her outside because she’d almost always lock herself up in her room for days on end without eating/ drinking/ washing up

All that leads to where she is now, a fellow devil hunter in the shop, she does not like her job a lot but the boss is cool, the wage is…acceptable and the ladies are quite nice to hang out with

Now, It takes a lot for her to even look at her old piano again, the sight of it pains her yet comforted her. It isn’t until years of feeling scornful at the sight of seeing people happily play piano does she gain courage to find her companion again after years of dust collecting and many attempts to either sell it or keep it for…future purposes

———————————-———————————————-

P/S: This request is rather long because i’ve just had a weird dream where most of the lore is being written in here so I hope you don’t mind. Also, the song the reader played is this one right here

Yes, of course! Don't worry about it, and please enjoy.

Sparda boys + V x Pianist!Reader headcannons

¤ Dante ¤

-Dante happened to be heading up to the attic when he heard music. Thinking there might be a ghost in the house, he ran up to look, and happened to see you playing the piano.

-You were marvelous! Pouring your heart and soul into your music, you were so focused, you didn't see him running up the stairs and continued to play, sweat actually pouring down your arms.

-When you finished, Dante surprised you by loudly applauding your performance before asking why you didn't become a musician instead of wasting your talents hunting devils.

-You were a bit reluctant to admit that you flunked a competition due to anxiety and from that point on simply couldn't handle the pressure of playing on stage, before basically becoming a shell of your former self who struggled to stay afloat until you became a devil hunter.

-He was sympathetic to your fears and promised you he'd never look down on you for your shortcomings. He also encouraged you to keep playing, perhaps putting on a show for the others, all because you're very good at it.

-Of course, if you only want to play privately up in your attic, he won't disturb you.

■ Vergil ■

-Vergil was reading quietly in his room when he heard music coming from the attic. Despite his nonchalant attitude, he decided to investigate, only to find you aggressively playing the piano.

-You were surprisingly skilled; watching you made Vergil's chest swell with pride he hadn't felt in years. When you had finished, he gave you a short round of applause, frightening you with his sudden appearance.

-He asked why you weren't a professional musician, because with those skills, you could easily become one of the best.

-You sheepishly informed him of how you needed to win a national competition to get into a good school, but screwed up and failed. This sent you into somewhat of a depression, and you didn't play again for a long time.

-Vergil was glad that you'd finally found your MOTIVATION to play again and left you to your own devices.

-He sometimes sneaks up to the attic or cuts a portal into the wall so he can watch you play, making sure to never get caught.

□ Nero □

-Nero was awakened from his sleep by piano music that made him wonder if his attic was haunted.

-When he went up there, he found out that it wasn't a vengeful ghost, it was just you, playing the piano so furiously there was sweat dripping down your arms.

-He stood there watching you for some time, internally debating whether or not he should interrupt and make a nice comment or something.

-You eventually saw him and asked what he was doing there, to which he replied that he heard your cool playing and decided to come up and see it. He then asked why you didn't go pro--you'd be world famous if you did.

-You informed him that way back in the day, you had to compete in a competition for a university scholarship, but you screwed up a few notes and didn't get first place, so you stopped playing for a whole and generally decided to not play publicly ever again.

-Nero just shrugged at that and figured if you didn't want to play in front of others, he wouldn't make you, but he was sure to leave the door open a little so he could watch you, even when you thought he left already.

● V ●

-V headed up to the attic to get something and heard you playing.

-He was shocked by how well you played, and wondered why you never tried playing professionally.

-You told him all how you failed that competition and became overwhelmed with stage fright, as well as how failing sent you into a depression, recounting these tales a bit too cheerfully.

- He was sorry to hear what that had done to you, but at least now you were doing better and willing to play again.

-He thought that if he played an instrument alongside you, you might feel a little less embarrassed or frightened, so he channeled his inner Vergil, grabbed his violin, and began playing.

-You guys regularly play together up in the attic now, and when people walk by your house, they wonder where that enchanting music is coming from.

[sammylbir]

Day 1: First Kiss (Kaede x Kirumi)

What was wrong with her? Geez.....

"Ahem."

Kaede blinked for a brief moment, to give herself some much needed confidence, before giving the maid a determined look.

"Kirumi....you accept any request. Right?"

"I would not say that i would accept any request.", the tall girl replied professionally and shook her head. "There are some requests that i cannot fullfil."

"Oh...yeah?", Kaede asked, her false confidence beginning to melt away and dripping on the floor. "Such...as?"

"Mainly sexual acts. I am a maid, but not a slave. Also, if you ask me to destroy an opposing nation then i have to decline as well. Because I'm only human, after all."

"A human that's great at almost anything else.", the pianist mumbled with pink cheeks and Kirumi perked right up.

"Pardon me?"

"N... Nevermind!", Kaede blurted out and closed her eyes, trying to regain some of her composure. "So.. other than that.... anything else is fair game?"

"Indeed.", the maid confirmed and folded her hands over one another, her arms touching each end of her respective chest, causing the pianist to blush even more.

Geez, good thing Miu didn't see her like that...

But still....should she even ask that? Her request may not have been inappropriate, at least in a sexual way. But still....could you ask anyone for that?

Geez, why was she so dumb and called her to her room? She should have just-

"What's your request?"

Kirumi's words snapped the pianist right back to reality. She easily noticed the slightest bit of impatience in the maid's voice and knew that she should tell it to her now.

To get it over with.

"Right....", Kaede answered and tightened her fist. "My request is...and I'm sorry if it makes you uncomfortable, you don't have to accept it if you don't want to, but..."

"Kaede? Are you really alright?", the maid asked her, her voice beginning to shake and waver. Kaede nodded.

It was now or never....

"I request....i request..."

Come on...

"I request to you, to kiss me on my lips!", Kaede blurted out and immediately felt how her face turned beet red, upon saying those words. Shs noticed how Kirumi's normally stoic and professional facial features broke apart and showcased some red cheeks of her own.

She did not say anything to her and instead kept on staring, causing the pianist to explain herself.

"Look... it's just....that....you know....", the pianist stumbled with her words and tried her best, to sound as comfortable as possible. "I.... never kissed anyone before...nor did anyone kiss me, so...i wanted to see how it would feel like....you know. To...."

She fiddled with her hands and her ahoge moved downward.

"Have...my first kiss..."

To her dismay, the maid did not answer back to jer and continued to stare at her bewildered, completely frozen in place. Kaede felt like she was going to melt on the spot.

"And... truth be told....i....i have a crush on you...", the pianist admitted quietly, as Kirumi's blinking got a bit faster.

Yet still no response.

"I...i always found you quite pretty....", Kaede explained and rubbed her own arm. "You're so...selfless...kind....and pretty...i...i blush whenever you smile at us and....well..."

She let out a frustrated sigh.

"Y...you know what? Forget it.", the pianist told her and turned around. "Sorry for wasting your time, Kirumi. Have a good-"

But all of a sudden, she felt someone grabbing her shoulders firmly yet softly. Surprised, the pianist attempted to say something and then...

She felt a pair of lips on hers.

Kirumi's lips.

Gasping with widened eyes, Kaede felt her heart beating faster and faster, instinctively returning the gesture and stroking the maid's back. Kirimi let out a hummed delight and both ultimates explored each other's warmth and taste, before eventually both let go in order to gasp for air, their faces bright red.

Kaeds touched her lips for a brief moment, still not believing that this actually happened just now.

Kirumi kissed her.

Kirumi Tojo kissed her on the lips.

Was...this a dream?

"Well...", Kirumi asked flustered, yet trying to appear professional nonetheless. "Did...you like this... Kaede?"

"I...of course I did!", Kaede blurted out happily with a smile. "You...kiss so great! You must have done this before...right?"

It was a logical conclusion. But...

"No.", Kirumi replied and shook her head. "That.. was my first kiss too."

"Wh....what? But...you kissed so well and...and...."

"I....followed my instinct...", the maid explained and rubbed her arm sheepishly. "The moment you admitted your feelings to me, I..did what I honestly always wanted to do."

Always..wanted..to do?

"Wait...you mean?"

"Yes...Kaede."

Kirumi grabbed her waist and smiled down at her, stroking her cheek gently.

"I...love you too..."

"Wo..woah...", Kaede mumbled surprised and blushed heavily, while looking away. Kirumi did the same and for a while, none of them swapped any sort of word at all.

Heavy silence was filling the air and the crickets played their nightly tune outside.

It remained like this for a long while. Until....

"Kaede.....", Kirumi said to her and the pianist looked up to her sheepishly.

"Y...yes?"

"I...have a request of my own... actually..."

"Oh? And...that is?"

"Well... I..."

The maid stared into her eyes deeply.

"I... want to kiss you again....", she told her. "May...i?

Kaede didnt hesitate.

She smiled at her happily.

"You may.", she answered and soon, the gap between them was no more yet again.

The End

[digital999placebo]

back on my usual shit. Tormenting the one I love. A lidl fanfic snippet beneath cut hehehe (a convo between Gilbert and Roderich on the topic of Germany)

[Somewhere in Continental Europe, 1870]

“You can’t be serious about raising him on your own,” Roderich spits acid, “You have no experience or qualifications outside of war, let me do it.”

“If I can manage an army of men, I believe I’m capable of caring for one child.”

“Children are not trained men, Gilbert.”

“You’re the last person I want to be lectured by on this,” Gilbert cuts in and adjusts his position in the chair. “I mean no offence, Roderich, but I rather have Feliciano beneath me than beside me.”

Roderich makes a strangled sound and opens his mouth to retort that Feliciano is perfectly well-adjusted when Gilbert continues.

“Don’t get me wrong, I don’t doubt your efficiency in raising regular children. You could turn a stuttering fool into a credentialed politician and a tone-deaf cripple to the most renowned pianist. You and your country have a culture that mine does not. Your understanding of music is something I couldn’t even dream of achieving, but what you lack is the ability to admire a well-oiled machine. I want Ludwig to not only be a force to be reckoned with within the political spectrum, I also want him unbeatable on the field. I want people terrified at the mere mention he’s coming… And that is nothing you can provide.”

Roderich nearly laughs at Gilbert’s delusion. The nation before him couldn’t seriously believe that Ludwig, a wiry and mutilated little thing, a walking blasphemy against God and Mother Nature herself, covered in sutures and wrapped in bandages that needed to be changed daily, was going to become anything but what he was created of, dead tissue. He searches Gilbert’s face for a trace of self-awareness and is horrified when he doesn’t find it.

“That– Ludwig won’t even survive that long,” Roderich manages to get out, quiet, angry, and small. He can’t help how his voice shakes and rises. He’s furious, but can’t say why, perhaps because he feels bad for the little thing Gilbert has created, so frail yet already carrying the weight of Gilbert’s expectations, he’s angry because he knows better and he doesn’t know how to make Gilbert understand that. “He’s blind and mute; incapable of even feeding or relieving himself despite his age. You haven’t created a machine, you haven’t even created a person, you’ve created a thing whose only purpose is to suffer a slow death.”

Gilbert’s mouth tightens and he drums an impatient finger against the chair’s armrest, “You’re underestimating him.”

“I’m realistic, one of us has to be. That thing is suffering every day,” Roderich begs. “It’s sadistic.”

Gilbert hits the armrest with his fist and Roderich reels back.

“Don’t call him that! He’s not a thing, he’s the future of Europe,” Gilbert sneers at him, all composure finally lost, “You sit here and speak as though he were to die any day now, yet you beg me to resign him to your care?” –Gilbert wrinkles his nose in disdain– “I can see why Feliciano turned out the way he did, you have no perseverance, no dignity or strength, giving Ludwig to you would be to cut his throat. You’ve never struggled in a way that matters, nothing worth having is easily attainable. Ludwig will be great.”

Roderich trembles with withheld fury and he curls his lips to match Gilbert’s crude sneer.

“Fine,” he spits, “If that thing makes it at all.”

[subby-sab]

Today is 8th of November.

Today is World Pianist Day, World Radiology Day, National Cappuccino Day.

[murderousink23]

11/08/2024 is Day of the Police of Bulgaria (ACAB) 🇧🇬, Pianist Day 🎹, National Cappuccino Day 🇺🇸, National Harvey Wallbanger Day 🇺🇸, National Parents as Teachers Day 🇺🇸, National STEM Day 🔬🇺🇸

[ghostofthejungle]

I wish I could physically see and meet the braincell who told me it was okay to draw a whole ass PIANO

In my defense, I kept thinking about Sokka somewhen learning how to play; maybe, shortly after the end of the war, during a trip to the Fire Nation, he finds a broken piano in an abandoned room of the palace and manages to repair it (servants and guards decide not to question the din coming from said room day and night).

To everyone’s and mostly Sokka’s surprise, he is a natural: his fingers dance on the piano keys like they have no other purpose in the world and he is able to replicate tons of melodies by ear. Slowly, but inevitably, the notes generated by those black and white blocks become a great comfort for Sokka; his unspoken sorrows, fears and regrets turn into a melodic balm for his soul, the piano his trustworthy companion when he can’t sleep during the hot, endless summer nights.

He likes playing for an audience, but in certain cases the only thing he wants by his side is quiet, warm breeze accompanying the sound, while the moon´s cold rays gently wrap the dusty room.

It’s during one of these nights that a sleepless Zuko can’t help but follow a long-forgotten home call, Sokka’s notes materializing in front of him and guiding him towards something he didn’t even know he needed. He moves slowly, hypnotized, almost dreamwalking; the melancholic notes give voice to the cold air, embracing him like a soft blanket, soothing his spirit like a soft voice coming from afar, wandering through the Reigns just to find him and whisper in his ear everything he’s always needed to hear.

With this sensation strongly engulfed in every fiber of his being, Zuko stood in front of the door, meeting the pianist’s back in religious silence. He didn’t want to scare Sokka or interrupt the music + in that specific moment Zuko wouldn’t have been able to produce any sound whatsoever, even if he was asked to scream for his life: everything he ever wanted to express, and never dared to say, was wrapped around those tapered fingers, gently pressing the piano keys, tenderly stroking the most sensitive strings of Zuko’s soul, smoothly caressing his hair just the right way, just like his mother used to.

And when the song’s over a dense silence wraps the room, briefly interrupted by a dull tear falling on a gloomy D#, the same key Sokka touched last.

The candle on the piano suddenly lights up, allowing the tear to evaporate. A moonbeam escapes his trajectory and lands on Sokka’s widened eyes before a sincere, embarrassed smile warms his tired face. Sokka doesn’t turn towards the door, Zuko doesn’t walk towards him and neither of them will ever mention that night.

From that moment, anyway, Zuko rarely missed Sokka’s daily exercises, and Sokka didn’t mind at all; when he was there, for some reason, Sokka made some more mistakes, but he didn’t care. For once, he knew he didn’t need to be his usual perfectionist self to be understood, to give emotions, or to be useful, even.

Yes, Sokka could finally allow himself that self-indulgence with Zuko.

And there was no better feeling in the world.

Will I ever be able to capture all of this in a fanfiction or a fanart? Absolutely not. So, having said that, make do with this sketch and take care of it before I colour and definitely ruin it for good and for evil 🍵

[vladdyissues]

Please give us som Vlad headcanons!!! :)

Oh boy, you're gonna wish you'd never asked 😆 Long post ahead

🎧 Vlad is a huge fan of 80s synth-pop and new wave. Depeche Mode, The Cure, The Smiths, Duran Duran, Tears For Fears, Pet Shop Boys, a-ha, and New Order, to name just a few.

🎵 On a similar (quarter) note, music from the late 70s and early 80s is still difficult for him to listen to because it reminds him of the years he was pining for Maddie, the accident, and being hospitalized. Mid-80s music and beyond, when he began to take his life back and build his wealth and power, is his "good old days" music.

🎹 Another music headcanon: In Familiar, I hinted at Vlad being a pianist. I think he'd look pretty hot playing a saxophone, maybe even a trumpet. And Martin Mull is a pretty good guitarist and singer, so Vlad also having those talents would be really cool. But I like to believe that Vlad plays the geekiest, dorkiest, nerdiest, most Slav-coded instrument of all: the accordion. Just imagine him torturing Danny and Sam and Tucker with polka music and ballads about cheese while on a camping trip. Maybe Wulf howling in agony from somewhere in the woods.

🧀 Yeah, he’s basically the negaverse equivalent of Weird Al.

👂 Vlad got his ear pierced in the mid-90s.

🔥 Despite being a fire specter ("having a fire core", to use the phandom terms), Vlad loves the cold. Winter is his favorite season, Christmas his favorite holiday. A bit of a spoiler for either chapter 13 or 14 of Familiar: Vlad is a superb ice skater.

💔 Besides his mother, Maddie was the only woman Vlad ever loved.

🐄 Vlad grew up the son of a poor Wisconsin dairy farmer. His mother was a first-generation Romanian* immigrant. He was the first member of his family to go to college, and on a full scholarship. He has no siblings. (*I may adapt Vlad’s nationality depending upon the story/art/situation, but generally I like to HC him as Romanian, which you can see on his backpack here in this AU.)

👊 Vlad was a victim of bullying in his teen years. Because of his first name and his ethnicity—not to mention his appearance and disposition: skinny, gangly, "ugly", shy, nerdy, poor—Halloween was always a miserable time for him: getting pelted with plastic vampire fangs in the hallways at school; cruel nicknames like "Count Vladislob" or "Vladis-louse"; racist remarks about his Romani mother; "Bleh bleh! I vant to suck your bluud!" It was awful.

✌️ Because he spent so many years being made to feel ashamed of his unusual name, when he became rich and successful after obtaining his ghost powers, he put his name and initial everywhere. V for Vlad.

🏈 Vlad got his love of Green Bay from his father. Apart from a shared surname, it was one of the only two (2) things he and his dad had in common.

🔧 Working on farm machinery like tractors and hay balers was the other. Vlad and his dad would often fix the farm equipment themselves rather than hire a mechanic—mostly out of necessity. Vlad is still pretty good with a monkey wrench, though in college his focus shifted from engineering to physics after meeting Jack and Maddie.

🚀 Vlad grew up in the sixties. Space race, the moon landing, the Cold War. Every kid his age had space fever. Vlad was no exception. His bedroom walls were a collage of stars, rockets, shuttles, astronauts, and cosmonauts. Yuri Gagarin was his hero. He wanted to be an astronaut when he grew up. (Just like Danny.)

🩸 I mentioned this on another post, but I'll add it here, too: Vlad's obsession with gaining more power stems from the trauma and weakness he experienced when he was hospitalized. He made a vow to never be that helpless again.

🪦 Both of Vlad's parents were dead by the time he got out of the hospital. He was estranged from the rest of the Masters family and therefore had no one to turn to.

👶 Because of this, Vlad became obsessed with having a family of his own. Ironically, the accident sterilized him. He will never be able have biological children.

🍪 Some of Vlad’s happiest memories are baking with his mother. He had (and still does have) quite a sweet tooth—and a penchant for cooking.