#not perfect but that's why composition is key

[ilikedetectives]

Getting BT2 kisses to (somewhat) work with Kalius is like getting a third eye opened

[ew-selfish-art]

Dp x Dc wherein learning magic is similar to learning how to play music. 

So basically, the creation of a summoning spell is like a full composition/song made of smaller components or ‘notes’ for things like gravity shifting, and geolocation, and transportation etc. which is why Magic can be taught and spells can be man-made. 

Danny, however, is the equivalent of having Perfect Pitch. He can compose entire songs of spells without really thinking about it due to his royal titles (ambassador/king/high prince) but doesn’t really know how to be specific which lands him in some trouble with Clockwork. His portals are coming along a lot better with the help of Wulf but its critical that Danny learns how to control the range of his magic *something something, for the timestream something* *blah blah according to the will of the ancients blah blah*. 

So put on the course to learn Magic, Danny decides to hunt down the House of Mystery and study up by himself. He’s doing community college online, what could a little bit of Magic self study really do to his schedule? This place has literally every magic resource he could need! 

Turns out he has a roommate in the House of Mystery- John Constantine does not take well to the fact that half of the spells Danny is creating are causing him issues with the JL. Random shit appearing, random shit disappearing, portals everywhere and don’t get him started on the fucking ICE present on every bloody thing the magic reaches. Not to mention there is no reason a normal human kid should be able to have this much power behind his spells. 

John attempts to teach Danny the basics like a little kid gets stickers placed on the keys of a piano. The problem is Danny has the ability to compose entire scores of Magic all on his own, and absolutely abhors the training wheels John is putting on him. 

Danny: You’re patronizing me! 

John: You deserve to be patronized. 

Just like, Danny learning Magic in various ways that you might teach kids to play musical instruments from the various Magic users in the JLD. Causing chaos along the way, found family, the whole nine. Stickers on the instruments for notes, taking away guitar strings that are ‘more advanced’ and replaying Twinkle, Twinkle little star over and over again. 

Danny can play the Magic equivalent of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake but cannot play Chopsticks. 

[drvscarlett]

About You Pt 17

Sebastian Vettel x Webber!Reader

Summary: Everyone knows about the history of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber. But there's a well kept story within the paddock about Sebastian Vettel and another Webber. This is that story.

A/N: and were back. were so back after getting this chapter deleted. trigger warning for this chapter as it contains blood, car accidents.

About You Series

2014, Circuit de Monaco

From this point of view, one could overlook Monaco as a whole. There was the sea that is fleeted with yachts, specifically docked there to watch the Grand Prix this weekend. Then, the clustered hills filled with trees and apartments, the composite of it can be eye-catching or an eyesore in Y/N’s opinion. And of course, she simply can’t miss how the balcony has the perfect view of the start of the Monaco Grand Prix. She can hear and see the Formula 2 cars dash around in their practice sessions.

“What do you think?” Sebastian walked in with a smile.

“This is just gorgeous. I mean I thought that I have seen amazing Monaco apartments when McLaren or when Red Bull booked us but this…”

Y/N lets out a loud ‘woah’ to conclude her statement.

It was no wonder that this apartment seems empty and unoccupied. If Y/N has to guess then the price for this place is skyrocketing. This was a dream location for anyone who wanted to stay in Monaco.

“So why did you call me here?” Y/N asked. The Red Bull driver has texted the location and she is still confused to Seb’s interest in this place. It was gorgeous but she knew how Sebastian explained several times that he was not one for the Monaco lifestyle.

“I bought it-”

She was mildly surprised with that. Only mildly because Red Bull has clearly lined up Sebastian’s pockets well especially after winning continuously for several years. Even today, Y/N pretty sure that despite the lack of win streak, Sebastian is still getting paid generously.

“-and I want you to have keys for it”

“I must have misheard that Sebastian” Y/N stated.

A key was laid out in her palm. It has a keychain of the checkered flag with an imprint of Y/N’s name as well as the date today. It contained two keys which has been poorly labelled with Sebastian’s handwriting on a plaster tape. One was scribbled as Mon, an acronym for Monaco while the other has Mar.

Maybe there was too much car fumes or petrol in Sebastian’s head which is why he is going crazy for giving Y/N this apartment so she tries to hand back the key. He just shakes his head in disagreement.

“This place is yours as much as its mine” Sebastian insisted “I knew you love Monaco and I want you to have a place to go whenever you feel like staying here.”

It wouldn’t be that bad to have a place to go to here in Monaco. However, there was this certain guilt that this was too much and she doesn’t think that she deserves this. It was something that Sebastian caught on, he could read her so well.

“I thought of you that’s why I bought it. You love the sea, you love the races, and bonus points because you have Nico and Lewis as neighbours”

The last statement elicited a laugh from the two of them. Sebastian wanted to convince her because this was a literal vision in his head that he wanted a safe space for Y/N to go home to. England and Australia may be her home town but it doesn’t give her the privacy that she needs. Monaco, on the other hand, is quieter and more peaceful despite the extravagance.

“Okay but I’m still going to text you when I’m going to go here”Y/N settled.

“Perfect”

“Now what is Mar?” Y/N’s curiosity got the best of her “And please tell me that its not a key to a boat in the Marina”

“Mar is Maranello”Sebastian clarifies.

It was time to move to the second surprise that he has for Y/N. He had been so excited to tell her about this but he had to keep it down until everything was settled and signed. Last week, he signed the contract.

The girl was confused. It didn’t make any sense to why Sebastian would be in Maranello when the Red Bull headquarters is in Brackley. Only Ferrari resides in Maranello, why would Sebastian be there?

“Sebastian Vettel, you are Ferrari’s new driver?”

There were talks that Ferrari would change their driver lineup but she haven’t heard Sebastian’s name being thrown in the hat. She couldn’t contain the excitement that she was feeling and leaned into hug Sebastian. Driving for Ferrari is a milestone for Sebastian especially when he used to idolize Michael when he drove for the red team.

“When are you announcing this? Who else knows?” Y/N quizzes.

“No one yet”Sebastian grins “I wanted you to be the first one out of the signing team to know”

This was an exciting news and hopefully one of the first of the many happy memories shared in this Monaco apartment. Things are finally turning for the better.

2014, Red Bull Ring

In a very media-centered event, it surprises a lot of people that there are places in the Grand Prix where any forms of press and media is not allowed. Of course, this varies depending on whose home turf they are racing on. Mercedes and McLaren definitely have bigger private spaces in Silverstone, just like how Red Bull have their own private lounge reserved for their private guest.

Jenson sticks out like a sore thumb with his McLaren merchandise. He seems to stick out even more with the way that he stands there and just gazing at the view in front of him. Sebastian, Y/N, and the little baby Margarette—if Jenson didn’t know any better then he would have guessed that they are an actual family. He was lucky that the media weren’t there to catch his reactions because they could catch Jenson spilling the truth about his feelings.

“Jenson is that you?” a voice broke Jenson out of his reverie. His head turned to see Hanna with a plate of fries.

“Hello Hanna, nice to see you around”Jenson politely greeted.

He honestly couldn’t fathom why Sebastian has invited her over. He gets it if Sebastian wanted to see the kid but to add this woman that has been the cause of pain of Y/N, Jenson could not help but scoff. His emotions does not seem to be hidden well as Hanna shifted nervously.

“I know you are probably thinking that I don’t deserve to be here and I think that too”Hanna explained “But Y/N invited me to take Marga because Seb is missing her”

“Y/N?”

The woman chuckles, “Yeah, I can’t believe it as well. She has been nothing but nice to me. I know that she have every right to hate me but she has been a supporting pillar and someone really wonderful to Marga”

They glanced back to Y/N, who was playing with the baby. She was gently rocking the baby and it giggles as it tries to reach her hair. Sebastian, on the other hand, was sat next to her with a loving gaze on the two of them.

Jenson couldn’t feel but sigh and ask if it was him in Sebastian’s place then would Y/N be as happy as that?

There were no need for words but Hanna have realized from the small interactions how Jenson is deeply inlove with Y/N. It felt like a déjà vu because that was the way she used to look at Sebastian. Her actions to force things to happen has ruined a lot of things for Sebastian and she was glad that things are still repairable.

“I know that look” Hanna pointed out “You love her”

It was something that Jenson cannot rebut. He had always thought that he was good at hiding things especially with his flirty attitude and his chill self. This was the first time he was seen for what he feels.

“That obvious huh?” Jenson nervously replied.

He had tried his luck once upon a time and he ended up in the friendzone. He took the friendship if that is all that she could offer just so he could keep her in his orbit. There is a part of him that knows that no matter how many girls he meet, it was always Y/N who occupies his heart. Confessing is not an option given how complicated things are and how telling will only do more harm than good.

“We were in the same position a year ago” Hanna understands Jenson “All I could tell you that it is best to move on so it won’t hurt you anymore”

A year ago, Hanna would have not suggested that. She would have urged Jenson to confess so he can end up with Y/N and Sebastian could end up as her’s. The past few months have been a huge period of moving on for Hanna. Maybe it’s the birth of her child that allowed her to refocus the unreciprocated love to the child. She also understood how much Sebastian and Y/N means to each other, she wouldn’t do anything more to damage them.

“That’s easy to say but so hard to do”Jenson mutters.

Hanna’s hands patted Jenson’s shoulders. It was a comforting thought that someone gets how he is feeling and maybe Hanna can serve his inspiration that maybe he could move on from this unrequited love.

“Everything will be alright Jenson”

2014, Silverstone Grand Prix

Jenson Button and Assistant Webber involved in a freak accident.

Jenson Button was going home after a celebration of Lewis Hamilton’s win in the recent Silverstone Grand Prix when he and assistant, Y/N Webber collided with a ten wheeler truck. The driver of ten wheeler truck has been drunk and lost control of the car. It was of sheer miracle that Jenson was not driving the car during the time of the accident because he was at the backseat drunk and sleepy. Due to that Jenson is able walk away from the accident with just some bruises and ready for the next Grand Prix. Unfortunately, Y/N who is behind the steering wheel received more dangerous injuries. Suffering from a head trauma and crippling injuries, Y/N was rushed to the hospital where she is placed in Intensive Care Unit.

The bright light and the white aesthetics of the hospital was a stark contrast to the blood that stained Jenson’s hands. His hands were shaking knowing that this blood was not his but from the girl who is currently fighting for her life. Tears were stinging his already bloodshot eyes as he watched the clock tick painfully slow.

Its already been a hour since Y/N was rushed inside. The doors of the operating room remained close and Jenson doesn’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

Scrambling footsteps screeched in Jenson’s hallway. He saw his fellow drivers and Mark. All of them equally frazzled with the worry and fear being the top ones to show.

“What happened?” Mark was quick to ask.

Honestly, Jenson was not much of a help. He was lying down and he just remembered how Y/N was reminding him that he has to get up early to apologize to a Ronnie in the morning. He was too dizzy after having too many tequilas and then a bright light followed by a loud crunch.

“Holy shit, is that your blood?”Lewis noticed “Man its all over you”

“It’s Y/N” Jenson muttered. He remembered how his hands and his clothes were stained when he tried to pull her out of the wreckage.

The reality of the whole situation sinks in. Mark, was supported by Nico and Lewis, as he falls down on his knees. Sebastian was pacing back and forth while Jules seems to be praying. They were all a mess as they await updates about the girl. As Formula 1 drivers, they should have been used to accidents and collisions because it was a risk that comes with their work. It hits a little different when it happens to someone who is not a driver and someone very dear to them.

It took another 40 minutes before a doctor appeared in front of them.

“How is my sister?” “Is she doing okay?” “What happened to her”

The flurry of questions was something that cannot be stopped. The doctor’s expression was not giving away anything if the operation turned out positive or negative.

“She is stable now” the Doctor explained “We stitched up the head wound and hopefully she will be awake in a few hours”

A sigh of relief erupted out of every single one of them. They were just so relieved that she survived the whole crash.

“But there is something that you must know about her..”

2014, Hockenheimring

“Seb, you have to focus” Y/N reminded him “This is your home race that we are talking about”

“I know but quali don’t start in about…” Sebastian knows he has 10 more minutes before it starts but he grins “20 minutes”

The grainy camera could showcase Y/N sitting on her bed. The balcony must have been open hence the sunlight gracing her face and shining light to the newfound hollowness in her face. Her busted lips and the stitches were a constant reminder of the tragedy that she survived.

With all those imperfections, Sebastian continues to stare at her lovingly across the screen. His thoughts remain the same that Y/N is the most beautiful woman he has ever seen.

“Sebastian, don’t make me call Christian”Y/N warned.

The German driver just raises his hand in surrender, “I’m just checking in you sunshine and I really miss you more than ever today”

It would have been really nice if she was here during his home race. Maybe he would have taken her for a drive to his parents’ house or they can get to explore some German countryside just like when they were younger.

“I’ll be there and recover soon”

“And I’ll be waiting. You take your time” Sebastian assures.

The door creaks open and Y/N could be seen turning sideways. She pans her camera to show Sebastian the visitor.

“Hey Mark!” Sebastian greeted.

Honestly, the retirement of Mark was a perfect timing. Sebastian couldn’t always take care of Y/N so Mark was placed in charge during race weekend. The Monaco apartment was big enough to have guests to stay over so Mark is currently camping at one of the guest room.

“Seb aren’t you supposed to be in your car right now?”Mark made a tsk tsk sound.

“I am but I wanted to talk to my best girl here” Sebastian reasoned out.

Y/N couldn’t hide the flush of red in her cheeks, “now you go and race! I love you!”

“I love you more sunshine”Sebastian replied

2014, Hungaroring

“That’s a terrible finish for Sebastian”

Mark’s comment from earlier has been ringing in her ears for the past few hours. Sebastian has started from P2 and ended up in P8 so Mark’s statement was not shocking. She has also seen the articles and the people in social media talking about Sebastian. Usually, people can blame the car or the strategy but today, Daniel won from P4. People are pointing fingers that Sebastian is past his prime.

She was fidgeting with her necklace again. She wonders if maybe her condition is a contributing factorin the recent poor performance of Sebastian.

Of course, Sebastian didn’t blame her for anything. He has always been supportive, kind, and lovely throughout this recovery journey. However, she feels like she is burdening Sebastian and distracting him from his true passion.

Speaking of the devil, the face of Sebastian shows up in her screen. Her hands hesitated to pick it up but she eventually pressed the green button.

“Hey! I have been so caught up with the meeting and I was only able to call now” Sebastian’s voice was cheery. If Y/N didn’t watch the race then she would have thought that he won with that smile on his face “Are you okay sunshine?”

“Yeah, tell me about your day”

Y/N is definitely lying but she no longer wanted to burden Sebastian. She continues to listen on with a forced smile on herself as she tries to fight the plaguing thoughts in her head.

2014, Autodromo Nazionale Monza

Seb: I know you dont like me much but we have to talk. Call me when you get this.

Mark: Hey mate. I wanted to talk to you about Y/N. Mark: Ring me up when you are available.

The notifications stared in front of Jenson for a good five minutes. It wasn't a difficult decision to ring up Mark because a) its about Y/N and b) Sebastian isn't someone he adores a lot. Although Jenson was hoping that Mark wouldn't pick up since its the late hours of the night.

"Jenson, its been a while"

Indeed it has been. Jenson can count how it had been almost 5 weeks since that accident. Heck,he could even count the hours and minutes that have passed if asked about. It was something on his mind 24/7 slowly eating him alive.

"Mark,how are you doing? How is she?"Jenson asked immediately.

"She is not doing well"Mark admits.

"But I thought everything is alright?"Jenson was confused.

He may or may not have been avoiding Y/N out of the eating guilt. However,he have heard from Nico that she was doing well. As far as he knows, she is staying with Mark in the apartment in Monaco.

"Her physical inabilities is taking a toll on her mental well-being"Mark explained "But I think she has been taking it too hard on herself."

Mark continued to talk about she has been pushing herself to the limits and wanted to expedite the whole process of getting back on her feet. He also mentioned how Y/N is clouded with guilt that she is a huge problem and a burden for everyone.

"But she isn't a problem or a burden"Jenson interjected.

"We know but she doesn't believe me" Mark sighs.

"What are we going to do about it?"

There was nothing that he wouldn't do for Y/N. Even if guilt was eating him up, he would have been an invisible figure being there for her. He would do whatever it takes just to bring back the old happy her.

"We are going to the next Grand Prix. Sebastian is making arrangements because he thinks maybe Y/N will feel better if she is surrounded by friends and the family she knows."

The Singapore Grand Prix was two weeks from now. Jenson immediately made a mental note for this one. Maybe he will busy himself with some media team bullshit or maybe he will have to arrive late for the free practice.

"I'm calling to let you know so you won't run away Jenson" Mark added "I know that you blame yourself for what happened but please, she misses you"

"You know me too well Mark"

"We're arranging dinner, promise you'll be there?" Mark continued to push.

"Anything for her"

2014, Marina Bay Street Circuit

When the news broke out about Y/N returning for Singapore, almost every driver arrived early to Singapore so they could attend the dinner arranged by Mark. Y/N was a beloved figure in the grid and even if she was not as close to everyone in a Nico, Lewis, Jules, or Jenson level—they all greatly miss her.

It was a good thing that Mark booked this restaurant for the night as people would have been really curious why the drivers gathered in one place.

Mark received a message from Sebastian that they were all there. He gently pushed the wheelchair to the elevator and texted him back that they will be there in a minute or two.

"Are you ready?" Mark wondered. "Its nice to get out of Monaco"

Y/N hummed in agreement. The glass elevator has a view of the whole Singapore nightlife. She could see the fireworks up in the sky to celebrate the upcoming weekend and the busy streets. It brings her a small smile that this was just like the old times.

The minute that the elevator opened, Jenson was standing there in front of them. Mark watched as Jenson immediately hugged Y/N and they were immediately crying.

Mark knew that if there was anyone who took this harder than Y/N then it was Jenson. He thinks he haven't seen Jenson interact or message after Y/N was pronounced safe from disaster. He knows how Jenson have blamed himself and thinks he should have been the one driving behind the wheel so this would not happen.

It was a joy to see them together again.

"I'm really sorry if I couldn't be with you a lot"Jenson continued to apologize.

"There is no need for that Jense"

"You might have needed me and I left you by yourself. I felt so guilty by the whole accident that I thought that its better to leave you alone"Jenson explained.

The hug just got tighter. There was no need for Jenson to explain himself because Y/N already understood. Many people forget that the two of them have been involved in the accident. Y/N's damage was physically present but Jenson's wound was something invisible to the naked eye.

"It's alright Jenson, were alright"Y/N assured.

It wss a good thing that the two met here rather than inside the restaurant. They wouldn't want the tears to get in the way of reconnecting and meeting with other friends.

"Let's get inside"Jenson wipes his tears "Everyone is waiting for you"

Before Jenson could open the door, Y/N shouted to wait.

"Mark,can you help me up?"Y/N asked.

Mark looked at her unsure. They have been through this several times in the Monaco apartment. Even if she tried to stand up,she normally can't walk because of the pain let alone stand for so long.

"Are you sure this is a good decision?"Mark was trying to find reason.

"I don't want them to see me in a wheelchair"Y/N admitted.

Mark gently helped Y/N up with Jenson assisting her as well. It was a team effort to keep her standing up but she is bearing most of its weight because of the excruciating pain that is hitting her.

The doors were gently pushed open and the drivers' attention turned to the newcomers of the restaurant. It made Sebastian shocked to see her standing there and trying her best to walk. He immediately went to assist her but he stops on his track.

"You stay there"Y/N instructed when Sebastian was three steps away "I'll do my best to get there"

It was quite painful for Y/N to take the first step and loosen her grip to her human crutches. Her teeth grinded each other as she tries to hide the pain away. She focused her attention to the hand of Sebastian reaching out for her.

"You can do it Y/N" Jules cheered on.

"Just careful steps"Sebastian encouraged.

The whole room seems to stand still with awaited breath as she takes another step towards Sebastian. It was like seeing a miracle for them and they felt speechless to see such feat. Some of them couldn't help but have tears in their eyes with how emotional this moment is.

"You've got this,one more"

Pain was shooting up but Y/N did her best to take another one. Her hands gripped Sebastian outreached hand before she could fall. Sebastian, gently held her close.

"You did it. You did it sunshine"Sebastian whispered.

The feeling of tears were welling up in her eyes. She doesm't know if this was because of the pain or maybe the longing that she felt for Sebastian. It didn't help when she looked at Sebastian and found his eyes tearing up as well.

There was a moment of comfort and peace that they both have been lacking the past few weeks. Everything was okay again now that they are back in each other's arms.

2014, Suzuka Circuit

Even if Y/N walked a few steps in Singapore,she was still advised to use the wheelchair. Her physical therapist have been trying to up her routines so she could walk again. For now she was stuck in a wheelchair and Sebastian don't mind pushing for her.

But today, Sebastian is quite busy so Jules have to sub for him.

"The media is going crazy with the news" Y/N observed. Today was the day that Sebastian was announced to replace Fernando Alonso and will start driving for Scuderia Ferrari. The media have been interviewing Sebastian as early as 8 in the morning and now its nearly lunchtime.

"I know, people say Sebastian may be the key to getting the championship back to Ferrari"Jules said.

"That puts a lot of pressure in Seb then"

"I'm sure he can handle it"Jules assured.

Jules pushed Y/N to the track. Their grid walks were something that Y/N have terribly missed. It was a good thing that its a bit cloudy so Jules wouldn't have to bring an umbrella for them.

"Speaking of Ferrari.."Jules opened up "I think I have to let you know that I may be replacing Kimi in 2016"

Y/N's eyes widened in surprise. She felt like she was in a deja vu moment when Sebastian first told her about the Ferrari contract.

"Ohmygod that sounds amazing Jules!"Y/N beamed.

Jules seems to be a little bit unsure of himself judging by the nervous smile that graced his face.

"Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself but you know I'm already thinking about it. Would the people cheer for me when I announce that I signed to Ferrari"Jules glanced at the Tifosi crowd chanting Sebastian's name.

Y/N knows how sometimes driver can doubt their ability. She believed that they are one of the best drivers in the world because it isn't easy to be a Formula 1 driver. The skills,the reaction time, and even their quick thinking is an asset that not many people have. They often downplay themselves when they felt like they are performing poorly.

"You have got to be confident Jules. I'm sure the Tifosis would love to have you in their team"Y/N comforts "You just have a shitbox that can't compete right now but Ferrari would give you a beautiful machinery and I swear you will be up on the podium"

It was a beautiful picture in Jules' head. Any kid would have dreamed of driving for Ferrari but winning with Ferrari is a different kind of euphoria. He glanced at her and he hoped that he could see her cheering for him someday when he is at the top of the podium.

"Thank you little sister"Jules said "I'll make you proud someday"

"You already make me so proud Jules"

READ: Statement regarding Jules Bianchi crash.

[astrobydalia]

There's no 'perfect' synastry.

Of course there are key things and certain objective knowledge that is important to know or look at in an astrological analysis, that's what astrologers are for in these cases, but analyzing a synastry is way more complex than at seems.

When I did couple's analysis on their compatibility I never just jumped into the synastry/composite reading, I always started the reading with a brief analysis on each individual's chart first because you can't understand the real compatibility between two people without understanding the parties as individuals first. That's what made sense to me.

Everyone has different relationship dynamics that work for them and that's why there are so many dividing opinions on synastry all around. Everyone has different things they value in a relationship.

'Is venus in the 9th house synastry good or bad???' that question makes no sense. Just like it's very cleverly pointed out on this post, a person's planet landing in your chart is like you inviting a certain person in your house. Asking that sort of question in synastry is like asking if inviting a lawyer into your house is a good thing. The answer is 'I don't know, I can only asume there's some legal or intellectual connection but who is this person? Why are they in your house in the first place? What kind of relationship do you have?' etc.

Which brings me to my next point EVERYONE MANIFESTS THEIR PLACEMENTS IN A DIFFERENT WAY (I will repeat this over and over) so how a synastry plays out ultimate comes down to how those people are, how developed, etc. (that's why I looked at individual charts first my readings!!) You can have a room full of people who has the same placements landing in the same houses in your chart and making the same aspects to your chart but you will have different relationships with all of them because THEY ARE DIFFERENT PEOPLE because again everyone has developed their chart in different ways, that's why it's important to understand this!!! Following up the previous analogy, not every lawyer is gonna behave the same in your house just because they're a lawyer, you know what I mean?

tl;dr CONTEXT. CONTEXT. CONTEXT.

[black-arcana]

NIGHTWISH's TUOMAS HOLOPAINEN Finds The Traditional Pop Song Structure 'Tedious And Boring'

In a new interview with Benni of Thomann Music, NIGHTWISH keyboardist and main songwriter Tuomas Holopainen spoke about his knack for writing long songs that do not follow the traditional format for radio-friendly singles. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We've been doing things this way for almost 28 years now, so why the hell would we change anything at the moment? But, yeah, it's really tedious to me that you have to do a song like under four minutes all the time — it has to have a chorus, it has to talk about somebody's love life or broken relationships. It's just tedious and boring to me. There is a time and place for those songs as well, but if you have a story you want to tell, and it needs some time to be told in a proper way, you just take your time and the song lasts however [long] it needs to last. As simple as that."

NIGHTWISH's latest album, "Yesterwynde", arrived on September 20 via Nuclear Blast. It marks the band's tenth studio LP, following on from the release of "Human. :II: Nature." in 2020.

Five months ago, Tuomas told Kerrang! magazine about the new album's first single, "Perfume Of The Timeless": "When we had the first meeting with Nuclear Blast, talking about the new album and singles, I told them the first single will be a song called 'Perfume Of The Timeless' and it's eight and a half minutes long and the chorus comes in at 3:30. And they were, like, 'Perfect!' I think that has to do with the fact that we have a long legacy. You know, we can do whatever we want, and I do, but it says something that we can do that, when I heard that for Spotify it's good to have the vocals start after 15 seconds, or people skip it; they don't have the attention span anymore."

Holopainen previously said about the new NIGHTWISH LP: "'Yesterwynde' took more time to make than any previous NIGHTWISH album. The new album was intensively worked on for three and a half years. My ambition and piety really skyrocketed, and I just couldn't let go of the creative process — and didn't want to. Along the way, 'Yesterwynde' became both an exhilarating obsession and a comforting haven for me. All aspects of the making — compositions, lyrics, arrangements, cover art, videos, mixing and so on — were given more attention than ever before."

The lyrics of "Yesterwynde" deal with large-sized universal themes: memories, mortality, humanism, time and much more. "The new album is the conclusion of the trilogy — textually, it follows in the footsteps of its predecessors 'Endless Forms Most Beautiful' and 'Human. :II: Nature.'," Holopainen said. "At the same time, 'Yesterwynde' is the band's most lyrically driven album: our music has never been so 'married' to the lyrics. So here's a tip: if something in the composition puzzles you, the words might clear it up."

"For me, one of the key lines is 'we are because of a million loves' — taken from the song 'Perfume Of The Timeless'," he continued. "Each of us is part of an unbroken chain that stretches back billions of years. If even one of your ancestors had died too young — mauled by a cave bear, for example — during this incredibly long period of time, you would never have been born. In other words: our existence is such an unfathomable privilege."

What does the term "yesterwynde" mean? Tuomas said: "It describes a feeling that cannot be found in any human language. That's why we had to invent a whole new word. The album is supposed to open that feeling to the listener."Photo credit: Tim Tronckoe (courtesy of Nuclear Blast)

[adracat]

Esoteric+Divine Composite: Suletta

Suletta's position as an amalgamation/twist on Miranda and Caliban is obvious along with Utena. But what are some of the lesser known? She's a character shaped with symbology ranging from norse and greek myth to alchemy. Fenrisulfr, Hercules, Hermes/Mercury, and the Red King.

Fenrir

I've already broken this down a bit in a previous analysis, and in light of the finale, she finally fulfills the Ragnarok prophecy.

The freed wolf who eclipses the 'sun', heralding an end to the Gods(Benerit and SAL)

And her method of devouring Odin Miorine is consuming her in holy matrimony as the new cycle of the world is born.

Hercules

This one might be a surprise, but it's true. Suletta is undeniably coded with Heracles/Hercules symbolism, beginning with his 12 labors. In the very first episode of GWitch, she slew the invincible Nemean Lion and 'skinned' his coat

And her final labor is the subjugation of Cerberus, the multi-headed dog of the underworld.

Take note, before Hercules descends and encounters Cerberus, he's inducted into the cult of Demeter and Persephone. Notrette as Anesidora is revealed to be our Demeter, chthonic goddess of agriculture. And prior to this battle, Suletta speaks with the Persephone of our tale, inducting her within the mysteries.

You can draw other parallels between the various herculean labors and Suletta's duels. Such as the Grassley battles echoing that of the Hydra or Elan/Peil as the man-eating Stymphalian birds.

Suletta's godlike strength suddenly doesn't seem like an accident, does it?

So why was this done, other than for fun symbolism? The answer all boils down to Hermeticism, as it often seems to. Specifically this painting of Hercules, called Allegory of Wisdom and Strength

I'm unsure if it's common to interpret this image as another symbol of As Above, So Below but it's clear to me Okouchi has. We have Hercules focused on earthly matters while the greek personification of wisdom, Sophia, is focused heavenward. The light of enlightenment crowns her brow. Both are in frame and not in conflict; As Above, So Below. Coincidentally (or not) Sophia is one possible ciphered translation for Baphomet; a blatant esoteric symbol of perfect unity.

Mercury/Hermes

This is of course obvious considering its in her name, but there's one mythological parallel I want to highlight. The tale of Persephone/Kore. It was Hermes who descended into the underworld and retrieved the 'defiled' Persephone, escorting her safely above and reuniting her with her mother

Suddenly, Shaddiq's dramatic comment about Miorine's defilement doesn't seem so off-color. They were intentionally harking to Persephone Mio who was taken by Hades, Prospera here.

The Red King

I've already discussed this a bit here, but let's recap. Suletta is derived from Soletta. Her signifying colors are Red and Gold as Holder, both key to the Red King. She was 'eaten' by a lion (aqua regia solution) before being reborn, her metaphorical sun blackened with despair (dissolving).

All of it culminating into a Great Work, banishing gundams, defeating SAL, and saving Eri; her Filius philosophorum (Philosopher's Child) All miracles.

Oh and finally married her White Queen ofc, though their union was cemented with a tomato by then. In GWitch's version of Theogony Hermes wed Persephone, accomplished the 12 herculean labors, created a philosopher's stone, and completed Ragnarok

Note: Considering the proper name of Fenrir, Fenrisulfr, Okouchi might've been trying to be cute. Sulfur girl indeed

[goldensunset]

Fun fact about N’s character theme: it’s based on prime numbers! I don’t know enough about music theory to tell you exactly how, but it’s neat that the composer took his mathematical affinity into account -moon

ya!!!! that’s what i was talking about w the arpeggios. that’s a detail i think is great fs….

don’t get me wrong it wouldn’t surprise me at all if n’s battle theme was some masterpiece of musical composition on a purely technical level that i don’t get because i don’t understand complex math and music theory terms. i tried researching the meanings behind his name and just exploded. i mean look at this. i do not go there

like i’m sure they were absolutely cooking something intentional. it’s all so nerdy. i trust they made their choices for a reason. but i still disagree with them

i guess what i was getting at is that like extra flavor details in the music like this are great but what’s underneath really matters too… the main melody plays the biggest role in storytelling here. in a critical plot moment you should be able to listen to a track and just Feel a certain emotion and get an impression of what the character is like or what the situation is like. is it happy, sad, fearful, determined? unsettling? does it actually distinctly lack a melody, and what does that say about it? like without having to study details like this behind the scenes.. you shouldn’t need a phd the song should just hit you y’know

like it doesn’t exist within a vacuum it exists in the context of ‘i’m fighting this guy who by now i know means well and has been lied to and is in denial at this point, in the hopes that he backs down from trying to change the world for the worse and admits he was wrong, so that we can please be friends’ i understand n is an unusual sort of person and that formulas and calculations are part of his character quirks. but also at his core he’s not a machine or something he’s a human being with a lot of feelings and beliefs. that’s like. a really important part of the narrative… ik he suppresses his thoughts a lot but like

ig i just would’ve expected more of that passion in him to come out during his decisive battle. you would not have to change that much about it to satisfy my conditions. like his standard battle theme works fine for him when he’s battling you just to like test and study you in a calculating sort of sense but in the endgame you’d expect it to be more dramatic. which is why i love the pokemas version where it gets fused with his castle theme it sounds absolutely perfect like that’s the n theme we needed

the like. main part of n’s battle theme like the melody part… it is full of dissonant intervals. again who knows there might be a numerical thing to it that i’m unaware of but y’know like those are the sounds that make you distinctly uncomfortable. that composers use to signify fear or evil. i once woke up in a feverish mini-panic bc that song made its way into my dreams. (and that actually made me appreciate it more not less. lol. if you strike fear into my heart that’s a compliment). and i know he is an antagonist and you should be at least a little bit afraid of him but see like that’s the kinda thing they did for like. ghetsis. the pure evil dude of all time whose name is actually music-related too. the man is so evil he got named after his own evil music. ok king

basically n my man he deserves more to his battle music than sounding scary and cold

buuuut i guess you could say that’s what his encounter theme is for. ‘prisoner to a formula’ has a distinct melody (although that song is creepy lol). and then in b2w2 it gets remixed into a major key and it’s now called ‘n’s theme’ so like yay for once mr natural harmonia has a memorable theme that sounds like he gets sunlight and fresh air and that’s definitively considered to be his character theme!! yay!!!!!

idk. maybe this is all supposed to represent how he suppresses everything he feels and withdraws into his shell and his mechanical obsessive habits while he’s battling. bc his heart is distinctively not in it it’s not true to who he is as a character and also he’s in denial and trying to talk a big scary game the whole time. like the music represents his outer self not his inner self which is imo not ideal for a decisive character battle. and especially not given that his battle theme is at its core basically the same in the sequel even after he’s undergone character growth they bothered to make a remix but still didn’t add heart to it. as if they still wanted your impression of him to be offputting. but who knows!

[only10th]

Been thinking about Pianist!wwx and violinist!lwj playing together at a mall. Wei Wuxian likes to go to the mall to play for people, he loves taking requests, or plays some well known musical pieces and sometimes he’ll play one of this original compositions.

One day he’s playing “Rain” by Ed Carlsen, which is one of his favorite pieces to play when he's out and about. He’s just so caught up in the moment that he doesn’t notice a man standing next to him, pulling out his violin and just joining him on the piece with so much ease. His eyes grow wide but soon that sparkle he has shines brighter at how easy and harmonic both of them sound. He laughs, he smiles, he shows off while the mysterious violinist stays focused and composed, yet the passion drips into every note they play.

Their duet attracts a lot of attention, multiple people taking videos and pictures (plus wwx is recording the whole thing himself since he sometimes uploads the videos of himself playing online) this is the first time anyone has joined him in a duet. After they’re done, they look at each other breathless, a bright smile on wwx’s face while there’s the smallest curve on the mysterious violinist’s lip. Before Wei Wuxian could even ask for his name, he had already put away his violin and walked away. Wei Wuxian groans, annoyed he didn’t even get to know the handsome violinist’s name. Maybe they’ll meet up again.

He hopes they do. He had never felt such a connection with another musician before.

A few weeks later, Wei Wuxian is playing at a restaurant. This time he’s getting paid to do so, which is great! He can’t just let opportunities like that pass by!

So, he’s playing something classical to fit the mood. It is rather fancy, your food, of the size of a quarter, costing you an arm and a leg type of place. Wei Wuxian will never understand why people want to spend their money like that, but it’s because of places like this that he has a place to work. Well, if playing here during the weekends is even considered work. He enjoys it nonetheless.

Once he’s done with a piece there’s scattered claps through the restaurant. This won’t do, the people need to be entertained! Wei Wuxian sets his phone against the piano, already recording. There’s a smirk on his face, cause he already has the perfect piece in mind. Fingers hovered giddily over the ivory keys, an exhale leaving his lips and soon began to play.

The melody startles some of the clients, which makes Wei Wuxian chuckle under his breath. The tune is fun, like a little dance around the calm waters of the lotus lakes of his old home. It’s one of his original compositions, but he’s played it a few times before, so he wouldn’t be surprised if people knew it. Wei Wuxian lets himself get lost in the song, silver eyes fluttering close. A sense of pride fills his chest, noticing how the restaurant had become quiet. He could sense all eyes on him, which sent a chill up his spine. What he didn’t expect was to hear a violin joining his now gentle melody.

His eyes snap open with a gasp, and right next to him he sees the same violinist from a few weeks back. His mouth hangs slightly agape, and for a moment he loses his focus which causes him to play a few sour notes. Yet, he smiles brightly, impressed that, despite this not being composed as a duet, the mysterious violinist was even able to join and keep up. Wei Wuxian can’t help but huff a laugh, and just as he does he is met with a piercing golden gaze. His breath stutters, he had never seen such beautiful eyes, especially ones that looked at him with such intensity.

Wei Wuxian has to stop playing, knowing there’s a solo coming up. He’d usually play it through, but he wanted to see if this violinist had also come up with his own solo, and he delivers as expected. He lets his eyes close and he plays his piece, swaying with the music he produces with much passion and Wei Wuxian can’t help but be completely mesmerized by such beauty. Not just him, but the crowd around him! At some point he has to join back, continue their little dance as both their melodies become one.

A round of applause erupts once they’re done, both of them looking at each other as if nothing else mattered in the world other than this moment. For the first time since their first encounter, Wei Wuxian could take a better look at the violinist. He was only a few inches taller, dark, ebony hair like the keys of a piano cascaded over his shoulder, a white ribbon braided and intertwined in it. A wide smile paints on Wei Wuxian’s face as he stand from the small bench to offer a small bow.

“We finally meet again, mysterious violinist.” Wei Wuxian says, quirking an eyebrow upward, “You know my song.” It was more a statement than a question.

The man nods in response, “Wei Wuxian is very talented.” Oh, his voice. The low timber sends a shiver down his spine. Wait, how does he know his name?

“How do you…?” Wei Wuxian starts, narrowing his eyes if trying to recall someone or something. “You follow my page. You’ve seen my videos.” He says with realization, which is followed by a laugh.

The man nods again before offering a courtly bow. He doesn’t say anything else as he turns to leave. No, not this time. Wei Wuxian manages to grab his wrist, stopping him in his tracks. “Hey, hey, don’t leave like that! Will you at least tell me your name?”

The violinist seems to consider shaking the grip off or telling Wei Wuxian his name. Golden gaze seems to stay glued on the other’s hand for quite some time before exhaling softly. “Lan Zhan.”

“Nice to finally meet you, Lan Zhan. Though, I’ll miss calling you my mysterious violinist.” Wei Wuxian chuckles. His fingers slip from the other’s wrist, now tucking them into his inner coat pocket to take out a piece of paper and scribbling a series of numbers. “I really, really like playing with you. Maybe… maybe we could…?”

“Yes.” Lan Zhan is quick to answer before Wei Wuxian can even finish his sentence, as if he’s been waiting for him to ask all evening. “I would like to play with you, Wei Wuxian.”

“Wei Ying. Call me Wei Ying.” Handing him the piece of paper with his phone number, a broad smile on his face. “Maybe we can grab some coffee? You took my song and modified it into a duet, I’ll forgive you only if we can play it again.”

There’s the tiniest curve at the corner of Lan Zhan’s lips. Golden eyes melting like honey as they gaze at silver ones. “Mn” he agrees. After that, you’d see them playing anywhere they could: malls, airports, restaurants, out in the streets when it was warm enough. They’d perform the most beautiful duets anyone has ever heard.

[arabriddler]

Or how I fudge and find out my way through making digital paintings.

art program used here : Procreate ( but the method can be applied to other programs )

original painting time ≈ 3 hrs

*note : English isn’t my native language in case something is confusing or wrong. Don’t hesitate to ask for more details regarding anything

**more important note : take breaks, drink water, don’t push your hands too hard.

Base

I start off by sketching where the bodies and objects are. Nothing too detailed. I’m just arranging stuff around and figuring out sizes. You shouldn’t spend too much time in drawing this and they shouldn’t be detailed so you can easily move the elements around without exhausting yourself beforehand ( also to avoid getting bored when you’re just starting.

composition is a little complex to figure out but for this one I made the characters around the middle point to create some sort of guide for the observer’s eye movement.

2. Initial sketch (optional)

I usually make one sketch for a drawing unless it has little details or elements I’m not used to drawing. For this one it was figuring out the clothes and the details on them. Again, don’t pressure yourself to make this look perfect or right. You’re just figuring out where things are.

As you can see, the sketch is pretty rough, not all the details on the hands are drawn. The eyeliner are still there and the chair is just a shape. Lots of lines are overlapping and.. you basically get the idea.

3. Second (final) sketch.

I wouldn’t call this a lineart. Linearts are more careful, less rough, cleaner. I like using sketches more than linearts because I like the rough sketchy texture they provide, and also it’s less restricting boring for me personally . Although we keep in mind this is the drawing we’ll color. So we’re more careful about it. I draw the details and clean the sketch.

also don’t be like me, I forgot to draw the cane here and was upset about it :(( didn’t notice till days later. But also sometimes I do change things here. This one wasn’t on purpose though.

it’s important here to avoid chicken scratch by using less strokes. For example. Instead of drawing a curve with say a hundred strokes, draw it with one and then clean up anything wrong. You make have to redo one stroke a hundred times to get it right, but it’s cleaner and softer. ( it helps with drawing hair )

Nothing is wrong in art but it depends what kinds of effect you want. You can use both methods to give different vibes, draw different things. But it’s important to know how to do them. oh and, it is one stroke but it’s fast. If you linger on it the line will come out woobly and shakey. If you do it fast it’ll come out clean.

4. Blocking.

You go back over the drawing here to fill in black spaces. Maybe if someone has black hair or for shading, you can also add texture on things like walls and etc*. I like leaving some white spaces when doing this because black is very reflective irl, so it gives some shine to it. It honestly depends on what the black element is, something’s are shiny some things are not. But it’s pretty fun

**when it comes to texture this is an example from another drawing

5. Grey scale coloring.

I have already a plate on hand of colors from white to black to use in my drawings. You can use three or more. This is the one I use

Circles to indicate that if you have white, grey, and black, that’s enough. why grey scale? The thing about grey scale coloring is that it helps figuring out contrast. You don’t want all your drawing to be of similar tone, when you have contrast, it helps make elements pop and differentiate things.

"Joseph Nelson." Roboflow Blog, May 15, 2020. https://blog.roboflow.com/when-to-use-contrast-as-a-preprocessing-step/

I’m honestly still figuring out how greyscale works but, looking at real life pictures is one way you can know how to do it. See how light is distributed where whites and blacks are used. One key element is to figure out where light comes from, and shading according to that . The light source isn’t very strong with this drawing so it was more of a simplified shading. If something is over the other, shade underneath. That’s the simplest way to figure out shading

before coloring, I did change the sketch to a more grey color and set the layer to multiply. What multiply does is that it darkens the color underneath it with a hue of the color in the multiply layer. I know, confusing, so here is a picture.

Sorry, got a little detailed there. back to our drawing.

As I said, the light source wasn’t very complex here to give more of a photo shoot vibe, but I can show another drawing with a more natural strong light

Places directly getting the light get very light colors like white, the ones opposite use very dark grey or even black.

of course the coloring here isn’t very realistic, I have, after all, colored the character, kristen, in lighter colors than everything else. This is because I wanted to create a sense of contrast to make her pop out against the background. So don’t limit yourself, play around.

6. gradient map

gradient maps replace the grey scale colors into other colors on a specific range, you can use a gradient map offered by the program or one you make yourself. How to chose them? Depending on the vibe you want to translate. I have synesthesia so I sort of follow my gut when it comes to this, but you can also look at movies and pictures and see what colors they use and what feelings they give. Or just go warm colors give warm feelings and cold colors give cold feelings. Or just whatever you like. Just have fun with it

See? It looks pretty fun. Heck you can even stop here even. Note that I merged the sketch layer and the grey scale one into one layer so it can change the color of the sketch layer too. Also sometimes id use the blur tool to blend some things but I didn’t use that here.

another thing to note is that if you leave things empty in the greyscale drawing they won’t change color in the gradient map, that’s why I use white in the empty spaces. Or sometimes I don’t if I’m unsure if I want to keep something white/black or not.

7. Coloring.

here, I add another layer and set it to multiply and basically color it in over the drawing. I have the colors for the characters on hand to use, and they change according to the gradient map.

note that it will look weird and wrong at first but just keep going, trust the process. The colors will fit in together.

Also notice the difference between the colors in the drawing and the colors on the color palette. Cool no?

And this is how the whole thing looks. You can also add details in here. Like the drawings on the vets and Ed’s bow tie. Makeup, blush, lipstick, nail paint… etc etc.

8. Details

I add another normal setting layer here and basically go back over the drawing to add details, fix mistakes, draw over things to make them pop off or look more hard than soft.

I mostly like going over the hair and facial features in this step, and also adding highlights and shine.

I also felt that the background was a little too empty, but I didn’t want something too detailed so it wouldn’t take the attention from the characters. so I added a pattern.

9. Finale touches. (Optional) sometimes the drawing is done here, sometimes it’s not.

I’d maybe add overlay and/or add layers and to highlight light sources, or add a multiply layer to emphasize shadows like in this example.

for this drawing I didn’t do that as I was satisfied with the lights and shadow, but it still felt too… rigid.

so I added a textile texture as a multiply layer so it would look more…Touchable?

And…that’s it!

If you like this, you can check out the original drawing’s post ( or support me on ko-fi? ) 👀👀👀

[nateconnolly]

It takes one thousand saints nine-hundred ninety-nine years to make a new vertebra for the angel Uriel. First, the hallowed dead souls must find raw material. The saints wander the cosmos, looking for an asteroid or comet with the right chemical composition. Once they find it, the saints set to work with lava and thunderbolts, blasting the celestial rock into the rough shape of a vertebra. Then they refine the shape with hammers, awls, and saws. The tip of Uriel’s spine is like a lock—it will not accept a key unless each ridge and scratch is perfect.

She has infinitely many vertebrae, and her flesh has infinitely many cavities where a vertebra fits. The cavities are connected by little tunnels. These tunnels are thinner than the cavities. If a vertebra is pushed hard enough, it will squeeze into the thin, suffocating tunnels between cavities—but it will naturally pop into the next space under that much pressure. 

Every thousand years, the saints squeeze another vertebra through the slot in Uriel’s neck. It has to be one thousand years precisely—that is the unit of measurement. 

Uriel is a holy abacus. Her spine helps God count the millennia that have passed since beginningless time. At the end of each millennium, the saints finish another vertebrae. It always slips seamlessly down the slot in the back of her neck, right at the junction where her skull meets the rest of her body. 

“Why do you need an infinite amount of vertebrae?” I asked her.

“Because time had no beginning, and so there is an infinite amount of past,” she answered with a smile. When she breathed in to speak, the air whipped my hair and cloak about. I had to struggle to stand upright in the wind. “That means infinitely many millennia have passed, and each vertebra corresponds to one millennium.”

I looked to the saints gathered on her lap, sanding down what used to be a moon. 

“You will need a new vertebra soon,” I said, “so there must be a cavity for that vertebra.” 

“Yes, there is.”

“Will time go on forever?”

“Yes, it will.” 

“Then you will need infinitely many more vertebrae,” I deduced. “How is there enough room? I know that the cavities in your back are infinite, but the number of vertebrae you already have is also infinite. The number of cavities is equal to the number of vertebrae already there—after all, infinity equals infinity. That must mean your spine is completely full, and there is no room for this new vertebra that the saints are crafting.”

“When they are finished, they will make room,” Uriel explained. “The saints will push the vertebra at the top of my spine to the second cavity. At the same time, the vertebra that is currently in the second cavity will move to the third cavity. And the vertebra that is currently in the third cavity will move to the fourth cavity. All the way down my spine, each and every one of my vertebrae will move one cavity lower than before.”

“But what about the last vertebra?” I objected.

“There is no last. That is what it means to be infinite: however far you go, you can always move further down. For each vertebra, there is another vertebra below it. No matter how many vertebrae are pushed into the back of my neck, they will never completely fill the spaces in my back. No matter how many years go by, they will never outnumber Time.”

[faustianfascination]

Giftee: @koco-coko OC: Pyetrovna Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Here's my gift as part of Mayday! Heyday hosted by @olivermorningstar & @lorei-writes

Thank you both for hosting this event! It's been fun and quite a challenge.

@koco-coko Tchai is a really lovely character to work with and I hope you enjoy :)

Prompt: Oak Fandom: Ikemen Vampire Pairing: Tchai & Mozart (platonic) Hurt/Comfort 1492 words

Summery: Mozart comes to realise that perhaps he should not have underestimated Tchai. Perhaps the porcelain composer was stronger than he gave her credit for.

************

The sound flowing through her body danced the line between joyful and painful, Tchai’s tremors had finally subsided enough to allow her movement more freedom, this composition she had desperately wanted to implement into a ballet. The music echoed through the old stone walls, her body flowing in perfect synchronisation with the strings. Movement, to graceful movement guided by a sound that felt like spring itself had begun to sing, the voices of the flowers in the garden translated into a perfectly light, airy moment of sonic perfection. The flowing fabrics of her delicate dress like a gown of petals dancing around her pale form, Tchai was a dancing spring bloom personified.

So entranced by the moment, the union of her body and the music Tchai didn’t notice his quiet approach. Footsteps measured and careful, Mozart often thought that approaching Tchai was like approaching a terrified baby deer. Ready to flee at the slightest disturbance and moments like this the thought of her fleeing made his heart ache. He was here to apologise after all. He stood at a distance, simply watching as she danced and played with a grace and elegance that was simply otherworldly. But here, in all her colours and all her fragility she looked like a fairy queen singing to her flower kin, summoning the most peaceful of spring days with her beautiful music and precise movements. The light pouring in from the window behind her making her look all the more ethereal, like an illusion that would vanish the moment he got too close.

Mozart didn’t like to admit he was wrong, but he knew while watching her that he was certainly very wrong in the way that he had treated her. Tchai was like a delicate doll, but as he watched her skill, her passionate ability to draw heavenly sound from her strings and incredibly skilled movements from her body he realised that treating her only as a doll, did her quite the disservice. He thought her to be a dandelion, so easily shaken to pieces, but before him was no dandelion. The fairy queen in front of him had the fortitude and disposition of an oak. She may look weak but her roots were deep and no matter how the wind would batter her, she would never be downed by it. Her raw fingers evidence of that absolute strength that was the temper of her soul.

The fairy queen danced with a strength that he knew he would never truly possess and a talent that dazzled him. Even if she didn’t know when to stop. There was the core of his frustration, he hated seeing her in pain, but getting her to stop was so very difficult. That’s why he had snapped so furiously at her and now why she broke into tears at the sight of him. He deserved it, but it hurt, mostly because of how much he had hurt her. He slowly made his way to the piano in the room and hovered over the keys, letting himself get lost in her tune and began to play along. Time seemed to stand still in that moment, he felt the joyful interplay in their melodies. But he got too lost, only being shaken out of his trance but the sudden stop of her playing and the stillness as she seemed to realise that he was there. She stood still, like a deer in a hunter’s gaze. And like a deer, she fled at the sight of him.

A few days earlier:

“Tchai, slow down you need to rest” Mozart said as gently as he could despite the headache pounding his skull. They’d been composing for hours, lost in creative fervour. Tchai’s body had long begun to tremor legs giving out as she cradled her violin on the music room floor, her fingers raw as she kept playing and refining one particular piece of the work. Entranced by her task, she felt like she was disconnected from the pain, her soul liberated from her rebellious body as she existed in sound, trying to figure out the last piece of the complex puzzle. So close, she was so close to solving the puzzle, she could feel that she had nearly weaved it all together. Every change leading to the solution, ever delicate finger movement that caused the slightest change in tone and intonation, building a path to the perfect sonic moment, she nearly found that change that needed to be made that would bring together the music perfectly. So close, she was so close and as she moved her fingers to make that final adjustment-

“TCHAI, FOR GODS SAKE WILL YOU STOP. YOU’RE TOO WEAK TO BE DOING THIS. GIVE IT UP ALREADY” Mozart’s voice crashed into her senses with a force that made her already overloaded system collapse. The tremors were overtaking her body and she felt his voice painfully rip through her body.

All she could think of was fleeing, so much that she began to drag herself across the floor. It had all overwhelmed her so much that she passed out. She had no recollection of how she got back to the castle, only coming to as Faust was giving her some medicine but all she could feel was embarrassment. Mozart yelling at her like that had hurt deeply. So much so she avoided him every time he tried to see her. It was a cut too deep coming from him.

Present:

She had fled to the garden with Svetlana now settled on her lap, just letting the soft sounds of the rustling leaves and the scent of flowers comfort her. Tchai hated how much she cried, how emotional she was. She had spent a lifetime feeling guilty over not being able to toughen up, of being soft and sensitive. Tears welling were a familiar feeling, her eyes almost seemed to be on the verge of tears no matter what. Everything made her emotional. She was frail, pathetic, every voice that had ever told her how she needed to be tougher, meaner, thicker skinned swirled in her mind until she remembered something.

There was a poetry book in the castle, Vlad had bought it from the future and she had opened it up one day to a page that had stuck in her mind whenever the phrase ‘thin skinned’ came into her mind. Her melodic voice began to recite it

“i don't want to grow a thick skin i want my skin to stay as thin as it was made and everything outside of that to be softer…”

The words hung in the air, unbeknownst to her Mozart had heard the words too. They struck him like a gale, because as much as he struggled with her overly emotional responses…her voice interrupted his thoughts

“What is so wrong with that Svetlana, why is wanting things to be softer, kinder so very wrong? I don’t want to change, because I’m not the one that’s broken or wrong. Why should I?” She quietly confided in her feline friend, unaware of the other vampire hovering near.

“You shouldn’t” Mozart said.

He came over and sat near her. She was too tired to flee him again, and she didn’t want to. The look of contrition on his face made her heart squeeze so she stayed still and let him continue.

“Being soft, or emotional is not a bad thing. Even if I don’t understand it and sometimes lack the patience to deal with it, you’re not the one who is wrong. I should not have been so harsh with you. So condescending…” His downcast eyes hinting at the shame he’d felt over the whole thing, he was truly sorry. It was evident in his features.

“I often tend to think of you as a delicate doll, so fragile that you need to be wrapped in wool and kept safe. That you are so frail that the slightest breeze could shatter you. However, after watching you today I came to realise something. Strength comes in many forms and I have rather been ignorant to not recognise yours.”

As he took a breath Tchai felt tears begin to roll down her face, this time not of fear or sadness, but a quiet joy. A recognition from someone who she admired, respected, loved. It was a simple moment, but it meant the world to be seen. For once, she didn’t feel guilty about her tears.

“Although, I will never stop worrying about you, I don’t want to see you in pain, I will do my best not to underestimate you. Even if I am a tad blunt about it” he said, finally looking her in the eye. Mozart took his handkerchief from his pocket and gave it to her so she could wipe away the rivulets flowing from her eyes and they shared a quiet moment in the flowers, her smile brighter than the sun in the sky.

---

AN: the poem is by Brianna Pastor

[bunnakit]

Not Me Episode 2 Music

this is kind of a boring day but there are some gems. thank you all for the kind words in the tags, pls know i'm not just rawdogging this. there is a spotify playlist of MOST of the songs (some are truly impossible to find) and i've listened to it on repeat enough i can recognize a lot of them.

So To Say - Taylor Crane

@williamrikers already touched on this one a little! This plays when White confronts the group about the plan and makes Yok reiterate the details of the plan as they're picking up the gas. (This song is also featured in episode 13 of Kinnporsche!)

??? - Tristan Barton

There's no doubt in my mind that the song playing during Dan's painting scene is a Tristan Barton composition, however, I cannot for the life of me figure out which one. It's very similar to 'Fighter' and 'Dawn Raider' - both would be very appropriate titles for this scene - but neither is quiiite right. Tristan Barton does often make custom songs for projects so it's entirely possible this was an original piece that is unlisted.

Finding My Memories - Sivan Talmor, Yehezkel Raz

Now we're into the interesting stuff. This song plays when White is confronting the image of Black and questioning why he's going to such extremes. It's fairly easy to interpret this as White desperately trying to find any key to Black's past, obtain any scrap of Black's memories to make all of this make sense.

'Freedom is the Oxygen of the Soul'

Guys I tried so hard. I spent about an hour scrounging every corner of the internet, demanding answers from Shazam and lyric finder sites, I listened to so, so many shitty songs.

@sparklyeyedhimbo had but one message for me after my hunt:

But you know what happened? @timetoboldlygo came in CLUTCH! (Kissing you forever Claire.)

Discover by Lane King is the song that plays during the motorcycle ride with White and Gram! I've been wanting to find this song for ages, it's so soft and relaxing and beautiful and I think it's a little breath of fresh air. It's the perfect song to accompany White's semi-awakening to what it means to be truly free, to make decisions for yourself and just breathe.

Light's Gone - Nylonia

Another hard hitter. Light's Gone plays as Black flatlines? Goes into cardiac arrest? Whatever the fuck is happening to that little freak (affectionate.) The light is quite literally leaving Black's body at the same time the light in White's life is trying to leave him. Ouch.

Lunar Eclipse - Marc Torch

Ahh, Lunar Eclipse my beloved. This song appears a lot in GMMTV projects particularly. It's in The Eclipse funny enough as well as another show I watched recently and cannot for the life of me remember (Enchante maybe?) Either way, GMMTV loves Lunar Eclipse (probably because it's royalty free and they don't have to pay anything for it) and to be fair so do I. (This plays immediately after Light's Gone as White stands up and begins changing clothes.)

Stronger - Lars Lowe, Jowen

The episode ends on this song as White and Sean have their completely heterosexual little race to the garage. I believe this song is supposed to be something hopeful, almost an encouragement or reflection of White's inner thoughts. He's getting better at this, he's improving and learning to be a better Black everyday, and he's going to be better and stronger at the end of this fight he's chosen.

[foundationsofdecay]

Alright, we're still talking about DYWTYLM, right? 'Cause I'm gonna talk about it a bit too

Much like how Gods and Vore are intrinsically connected, DYWTYLM and Fall For Me have a similar type of relationship, but there are actually so, so many more ways that this song ties into the rest of the discography than just the one, and I think this song should be given more of a spotlight in general.

Still looking first at the most obvious connecting thread, DYWTYLM shares several lyrical and compositional elements with Fall For Me. Looking purely at lyrics here, to put it simply, both songs are about unrequited love. Past that level, however, these songs are completely different. Fall For Me has this painful desperation to it, like there's an open wound in our heart in the shape of this person and it will just continue to bleed and fester until we can even just see the person again, "oh god I wish you were here," because we're falling apart and losing ourselves without them and "I am yours in the end" so wouldn't it just be so perfect, so easy, to fix our fractured existence if you would only just fall from reality and join me here, to protect me from my insecurities and my past? It's about wanting to be loved but also wanting someone to meet you where you're at even as it means falling deeper themselves to do so.

DYWTYLM, though, takes a very different tone. This is despondent, almost defeated in tone. I know you don't love me, but do you wish that you did? I'm still losing myself, "it's getting harder to be myself," and "my reflection just won't smile back at me like I know it should." There's a great deal of self-reflection on the loss of identity and general unmooring that's been caused by this person you've tied so much of yourself to drifting away. It's unclear whether or not this small, repeated "please smile back at me" is at them or at yourself. Back in Fall For Me we heard about how "I'm losing touch with what I am again," and this seems to have only grown stronger. This is despite what we see in High Water, where "I will accept that I can't pretend we will ever be together." Acceptance, clearly, does not mean that the pain disappears, or that you feel any less awful about it, or that you don't continue to question the circumstances.

It sounds something like this: I don't know why you don't love me, and I still wish you did, even though I know you don't. Could you at least tell me if it's personal, or "is it always the same" with you? The idea that's "eating me alive" is the idea that you feel no guilt for stringing me along like this, that "you don't conceal your feelings, they just don't exist." Can you at least tell me if you understand what I'm going through, if "there's something you give that you will never receive in return" like the way I will never receive your love?

That's a lot to unpack, but let's give it a go.

The opening lines to DYWTYLM, asking if you ever "roll with the waves" or if you always "duck into deep blue safety," are an evocative image representing a retreat into the safety of isolation and repression when offered someone's love. They are also a continuation of some of the ideas presented in The Love You Want from back in TPWBYT. Back then, just before Fall For Me, we have this metaphor of keys, noting that "it seems your heart is locked up and I still get the combination wrong," and wondering if "you're simply waiting to save your love for someone I am not." It's this question, again, of whether or not there's something about you that just isn't right for them, or if there's a blanket refusal, swallowing each presented key despite the possible ramifications down the line of always pushing others away and refusing that kind of connection.

There's one other piece in this verse, that "maybe you believe that in the end you will be better off that way," tying us back into DYWTYLM and the question of not just if that person always like this but if there's any kind of drive behind this avoidance - fear, anger, disgust, anything emotional at all - or if there's nothing there, which then ties us into the question of "can you ever forgive yourself," because of this underlying dread of the possibility that "you don't conceal your feelings, they just don't exist." What if you're not "[pulling] at the chains" of my love but instead "[pushing] into constant aching," the ache here being the absolute agony of unrequited love that we described in Fall For Me?

This is where the instability and sense of completely falling apart come into play. Picking the key metaphor back up, note how many different times we seem to have tried to unlock this person's heart. What does that really mean? Are we approaching with different types of love, or are we trying to change ourselves to suit what we think their taste might be, even though it never works? There's this deep-rooted insecurity, this question of if there's a chance we could possibly get this right if we were someone else. Certainly, constantly changing how you're acting around or approaching someone over and over again has to be not just exhausting but a major hit to your sense of self.

Over and over and over again we've given away and taken pieces from our self, adding in pieces of them that may look better or trying on different attitudes like they're outfits, so of course you're falling apart. You're a Frankenstein's monster of cobbled together pieces of yourself and someone else and something you can't even recall, you've made this one person the thread holding it together and now you're not just falling apart but losing all sense and recognition of who you even are, because you stopped living for yourself a long time ago.

In any normal relationship, this continued rejection wouldn't seem that big of a deal, the kind of thing where you really should just take the hint and move on, but we know this isn't the case. As such, let's go back to Give for a moment. Frankly, it's obsessive. I'm here, I'm not just interested but I want to "give you all that I can give," and in a bit that's echoed later on in Fall For Me, "if you wanna give me anything then give, give in again." We're constantly rejected yet fed enough breadcrumbs to still stay, given a hollow shell of love with no real substance to it. Aqua Regia describes it well when calling it "cold love, hot blood," and that's a huge part of why it hurts so much, especially considering the times when it really did feel like this might be an equal and loving relationship instead of this constant erratic and destructive attachment pattern.

That's why this is a constant aching that we think may be being pushed into deliberately instead of us just being a weight dragging them down that they're trying to pull away from in the way we feared in High Water, and that's why it's so painful to even imagine that this attempt to actually undo the locks and be shown that open and vulnerable heart was futile from the beginning, because there was nothing there that they could give, nothing real that you could ever receive in return. We felt so deeply jealous that they could "sever [their] connection with everything" in Missing Limbs, and in DYWTYLM despite the established horror at the concept of that indifference we also wonder if it's "better to just not feel? Could we hit delete?"

So, no, at this point we are asking for an acknowledgement at best, not to be loved, and these questions we're asking are more rhetorical than anything. Perhaps we've given up on even hearing an answer, at this point, but we have to ask anyways. They won't smile at me but I can't smile at myself either. I don't know who I am, but I hate whoever that is, and I want to be someone else, even though I don't know if that's possible. Anything, anything but this. I don't feel like a person, I don't sound like a person. Am I not fit for anybody, like this? Could I turn into a different person, start over as someone new? Could I hit delete on my emotions? Could I hit delete on myself? Would I be better off that way?

[henrikvanderhussy]

Clue Crew Zine Done Cheap

The current trend in fandom zines (fandoms in general, not Clue Crew in specific) are these very fancy, professionally-printed collections of fanfic and art. Typically it's competitive to be selected as a contributor, and expensive to purchase. I'm sure they satisfy a project management itch or an "owning a nice thing" desire, but they don't satisfy my personal feelings about fandom. I want to make something for the sake of making and sharing, and the joy of creating without the pressure to make it perfect. I want to touch it with my hands and feel like I'm connecting.

I was feeling a little sad that the zines I want aren't really a thing in fandom anymore. Then I remembered that I'm the bizarre Millennial Who Owns A Printer and also I accidentally just bought way, way too many stamps* 

So fuck it. Let's make a zine.

I'll print them at home and mail them out for free to anyone who wants one. If they're too large for a regular sized envelope, I'll still mail them out for free but also ask people to chip in a little money for postage if they can.

We need two things to make a Nancy Drew games zine: 1. People who want to make things for it, and 2. People who want it mailed to them.

1. Fill out this form if you want to make something for the zine. This is not a binding commitment, this is just a way for me to get in contact with you. I'll also poke people in a couple months to see if they're still interested in contributing. 

2. Fill out this form if you want to be notified when it's time for me to collect mailing addresses. To be clear, this isn't an 'interest check' or whatever. As long as one person wants it, I'm going to make it. I'll also put up another tumblr post when I'm ready for addresses, but if you fill out the form, you'll get a message and won't have to worry about watching for that post. 

"What can I make for the zine?" Honestly anything, as long as it centers around the Nancy Drew games and hasn't been posted publicly yet. Fanfic, meta, speculation about KEY, a puzzle, comparisons of Bess Marvin's character across different Nancy Drew media. Limit it to maybe…2500 words? I'm trying to keep this in a range that won't kill my printer.

Art doesn't really work, because again, home printer. BUT an option would be to put in a link or a QR code that goes to an art piece. And hell, if we're going to make this multimedia, it can be anything: a music composition, a podfic, a video acting out your favorite game scene with puppets. (I can help with image or audio hosting for anyone who needs it)

This is open to everyone to contribute, no restrictions or auditions. I'm setting a tentative submission deadline of February 29th (it's a leap year!), but that can be pushed back if needed.

I know it's uncomfortable to give your address to some stranger on the internet, especially since I'm newer to the Clue Crew! I've had my main blog (@theshmaylor) for ages though, and I have some mutuals there who I've met in person at various conventions who can vouch for me. I'll also make sure to collect addresses in a way that doesn't connect to your username or internet presence.

I really want to make this zine happen, so please share around Clue Crew tumblr, and let me know if you have any feedback or ideas!

*I thought I was buying 4 sheets of 6 stamps, but it turns out the sheet was folded and actually they're sets of 18 stamps, and sure I should have asked more questions about why it was so expensive but there was a big line behind me, so what was I supposed to do? Hold up the line at the post office? Of course not

[romchat]

Ripe Town Ep. 1 visuals: Under the cover of light

I am absolutely LOVING the historical crime drama Ripe Town. It's moody, nicely paced, and has really solid acting. The show reminds me of a grimmer, more ruminative A League of Nobleman, and its restrained but equally masterful cinematography caught my eye from the first scene. If you're looking for a prestige drama, this is it.

I wanted to share some of the cinematography choices the show makes in its first episode that help set the perfect tone for a crime drama. Film nerds, there are so many goodies in this show.

Under the cover of light

What a great cold open.

The show drops us (literally) in a farm field with our main character, Qu Sangeng, and his partner, Gao Shicong. They are bailiffs who have been sent out into the fields to investigate the mysterious appearance of a scarecrow, and they soon discover it's the dead body of Sangeng's mentor, Captain Leng.

(Side Note: There's something intriguing about the way the camera lingers on this sea of gold as it swallows and propels Sangeng and Shicong toward the scarecrow. It's almost like the field is its own character with its own memories. I don't think this will be the last time the plot returns us to this location.)

We learn at the coroner's that Captain Leng had not only been strangled but also pierced with a wooden rod bearing the Confucian quote "My principle is unified." This inscription paired with the theatricality of the body's staging (in broad daylight, in an open field) lends a deeper meaning to the murder. As an officer of the law, it is Captain Leng's duty to uphold justice, so why else would the murderer distort a classic work of philosophy if not to indict Leng of some moral malpractice?

And to a certain extent, we can understand that indictment by how the show portrays Captain Leng and Sangeng's colleagues in the criminal court system. Just look at how these officials are introduced:

They're filmed in darkness or shadow, the use of low-key lighting giving each a suspicious air. The strategic use of props further reinforces our first impression of them as sinister, incompetent, and corrupt men.

It makes you think about what other crimes have been committed in these rooms under the guise of justice.

The virtuous (but unstable) lone cop

Given how the show portrays the police and court system, it's notable how our main character, Sangeng, is often blocked in relation to them. As a bailiff, Sangeng is intelligent and principled. When we look at the composition of his scenes with men in power, he is often positioned towards the other end of the screen with the vertical lines of beams or doors physically demarcating his separation from them. He doesn't share their ethics nor does he tolerate their power plays.

And yet in Episode 2, we see the usually stoic Sangeng display a startling amount of violence and abuse of power, similar to a colleague he had criticized for the same behavior during this episode. I'm curious to see if and how this investigation continues to unravel him.

If these walls could speak

Ok, my favorite part of this show's cinematography is its use of dirty framing. Look at these gorgeous shots:

Dirtying the frame is when the camera crew uses things like architecture, objects, or even people in the foreground to add depth to a shot. Ripe Town constantly uses windows, plants, etc. to frame our characters as they discuss the case, which is such a smart way of upping the show's creepy factor. It feels like there is always someone (possibly the killer?) watching from beyond the frame

But maybe even cooler is the constant use of background action:

Check out how often there are people in the background near enough to our main characters to observe but far enough to not be intrusive (or helpful). Throughout Episode 1, we see farmers, bailiffs, and other workers stand around as Sangeng works the case. Like with the dirty framing, there's a sense of surveillance but this time from the townspeople as a whole. It's the classic small-town mystery trope where you suspect everyone knows more than they let on.

I wonder if this notion of surveillance will become one of the show’s major themes: are people watching because they’re trying to protect a secret or are they watching because they're hoping someone will reveal and take accountability for those secrets?

Together, these filming techniques create a fascinating world where murder is committed during the day and secrets are revealed in the dark. I can't wait to see how the story continues to deliver more and more interesting visuals as its mysterious plot unfolds.

[gasping-ghostzes]

My Roman Empire is ‘Vincent and The Doctor’

CW/TW: depression and Suicide

I remembering watching this episode for the first time, I was told it was heart breaking, but I was sobbing by the end. I’m not necessarily a Van Gogh die hard fan, but I am an avid admirer of his works and his life. When I tell yous that I think of this episode on the daily, I actually mean it. I was actually so worried that the episode would simply wash out Van High’s struggle with his mental health, but it didn’t. Which I’m so proud of, to me and many Van Gogh admirers, many of his works reflected his health at the time with the use of colour, shape and composition. So having Van High’s mental health be a key plot point within the episode was at-least the first reason for my love of this episode.

Reason 2? Simply how the episode is completed, instead of having Van Gogh’s life and mental health suddenly turn around after the Krafayis was killed, the episode took the most realistic approach. Because although the Doctor took Van Gogh to the future to see and hear of his own intense influence on the art world, that wasn’t able to stop Van Gogh’s passing. The episode to me shows that even though Van Gogh’s trouble with the Krafayis was gotten rid of, his troubles with his own health were not cured. I think that writing an episode where getting rid of the Krafayis would cure Van Gogh’s health struggles would have been lazy writing as it would be exactly what the audience wants. But this episode doesn’t shy away with the idea of being blunt and giving the audience the most real and human feeling while watching the episode.

To me, the Krafayis was simply another way for the writer/s to represent Van Gogh. In Van Gogh’s monologue, it seems that Van Gogh had related to the struggle of the Krafayis, being isolated and treated brutally by society and their own community is what coneys both Van Gogh and the Krafayis. Everything within this episode was perfect to me honestly, words can’t even describe it for me.

Lastly! The end scene of the Doctor and Amy taking Van Gogh to the future to see how his artworks truly impacted the creation, inspiration and meaning of art. Although Van Gogh is most definitely touched emotionally at the knowledge of how his paintings became essential to the world, it was soon revealed that much to Amy’s dismay, it had changed nothing to what happen to Van Gogh. But I think it’s exactly that, that makes this episode so beautiful to me. There wasn’t this moral obligation for Van Gogh to stay just because he saw how essential and admired his artworks became. I think in reality, not changing that important fact was the most perfect and realistic part of this episode. It’s quite a brutal part of suicide, because although that day may have changed Van Gogh’s life then, it was likely that the continuous torment, isolation and poor treatment of Van Gogh eventually got to him. Which although is quite sad, it’s simply a brutal truth of depression, to me, depression comes and goes in waves, some waves could be more or less aggressive than the majority, but that doesn’t change the small but important part that depression doesn’t just go away cause of one good day.

Van Gogh had to live in a time and life where he was socially isolated, lived with untreated mental health and in a time where mental health was extremely stigmatised and not studied as well as modern day society. It took place during a time where religion dominated society, and any mental health issues was seen as simply fake or not taken as a serious concern and threat. Because of this, many people who were different from social norms of the time were considered to willing go against religion and god. This explains exactly how and why Van Gogh was so mistreated and isolated from his community in his day to day life.