#occupation: conductor

[fcsources]

hi, just wondering if you had any chinese female faceclaims (20-25) who would fit an orchestra conductor?

𝙝𝙞 𝙗𝙖𝙧𝙗𝙞𝙚! that is quite a young age for an orchestra conductor without any other context, but if that fits the world of your story, then don't mind me!! here's what i have for you, doll ♡

Bridget Gao Hollitt ( 1997, model with acting roles, half Chinese )

Elkie Chong ( 1998, musician with acting roles, Chinese )

Estelle Chen ( 1998, model, Chinese )

Fernanda Ly ( 1995, model, Chinese )

He Cong ( 1995, model, Chinese )

Isabelle Zhang ( 2001(?), model, Chinese )

Lauren Tsai ( 1998, model with acting roles, half Chinese )

Lin Yun ( 1996, actress, Chinese )

Meng Mei Qi ( 1998, musician with acting roles, Chinese )

Meng Ziyi ( 1995, actress, Chinese )

Ning Yi Zhuo ( 2002, musician, Chinese )

Sijia Kang ( 1997, model, Chinese )

Sun Yihan ( 1998, actress, Chinese )

Xu Jiaqi ( 1995, musician with acting roles, Chinese )

Yuan Bo Chao ( 1997(?), model, Chinese )

Zhong Feifei ( 1996, musician, half Chinese && half Black )

[lizdive]

based off of the leaks where it looks like sunday has the astral express ticket on his clothes — ii.

When SUNDAY boarded the express, he was not surprised at the… less than friendly welcome. The tenseness that would follow him to every room and cart that had another occupant was one that he knew would not leave him alone for a long time. Nobody really wanted to interact with him too much.

Nobody but Pom Pom — which was expected since they were the conductor — and you.

For some reason, you tended to him like you both had been friends since childhood who had just reunited. You bought him new clothes with your own credits, you forced helped him to decorate his bland room, you snuck into the archives when Dan Heng was on a mission and let him look at all the data and information he could dream of.

And overtime, SUNDAY found himself subconsciously keeping either you near him or him near you. Mostly the latter. Your presence was like reassurance humanized. Most of SUNDAY’s time was spent with you, and during those times he noticed how you picked up on his habits and mannerisms and knew what each little details about him meant.

He didn’t know if you had picked them up since Penacony or if you were just very perceptive and fast. But your knowledge on SUNDAY proves useful whenever it comes to missions or just mundane activities on the express.

If he’s struggling against conversation, if he’s trying not to stress over something he had placed and couldn’t find, if he doesn’t like the food but was trying to be polite.

"I’ll be fine, I’ll have Sunday with me," You would say whenever you would go off on a mission, effectively dragging SUNDAY with you. You initially thought he was annoyed by it, but the small smile that blooms on his face, so genuine and thankful that you pick him as your partner for the mission, always made you discard that thought.

The halovian likes to think that actions speak louder than words, so he will thank you by making sure you’re protected. He knows he’s not the strongest person on the express, but he also isn’t the weakest. He almost ascended, he’s more than capable of protecting you should the mission take a less-than-pleasant turn.

When it’s just a nice stop at a planet to explore and look around, SUNDAY acts like a bird who has just left it’s cage. If he drags you around during the little sight-seeing journey, please don’t be upset. He’s just so intrigued by how different every planet is from Penacony. He’s read of some, yes, but it’s very different when it’s in real life.

It’s still very new for him to introduce himself as a nameless, so sometimes he might pause mid-introduction to stop himself from saying the incorrect title. If you introduce him, he’d appreciate it. Just until he’s used to it.

[doyoulikethissong-poll]

Beethoven - Symphony No. 5 1808

The Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67, also known as the Fate Symphony, is a symphony composed by Ludwig van Beethoven between 1804 and 1808. It is one of the best-known compositions in classical music and one of the most frequently played symphonies, and it is widely considered one of the cornerstones of western music. First performed in Vienna's Theater an der Wien in 1808, the work achieved its prodigious reputation soon afterward. E. T. A. Hoffmann described the symphony as "one of the most important works of the time". As is typical of symphonies during the Classical period, Beethoven's Fifth Symphony has four movements. It begins with a distinctive four-note "short-short-short-long" motif, often characterized as "fate knocking at the door", the Schicksals-Motiv (fate motif). The symphony, and the four-note opening motif in particular, are known worldwide, with the motif appearing frequently in popular culture, from disco versions to rock and roll covers, to uses in film and television.

The Fifth Symphony had a long development process, as Beethoven worked out the musical ideas for the work. The first "sketches" date from 1804 following the completion of the Third Symphony. It finally premiered in 22 December 1808 at a mammoth concert at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna consisting entirely of Beethoven premieres, and directed by Beethoven himself on the conductor's podium. The concert lasted for more than four hours. The two symphonies appeared on the programme in reverse order: the Sixth was played first, and the Fifth appeared in the second half.

There was little critical response to the premiere performance, which took place under adverse conditions. The orchestra did not play well - with only one rehearsal before the concert - and at one point, following a mistake by one of the performers in the Choral Fantasy, Beethoven had to stop the music and start again. The auditorium was extremely cold and the audience was exhausted by the length of the programme. However, a year and a half later, publication of the score resulted in a rapturous unsigned review (actually by music critic E. T. A. Hoffmann) in the Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung. Apart from the extravagant praise, Hoffmann devoted by far the largest part of his review to a detailed analysis of the symphony, in order to show his readers the devices Beethoven used to arouse particular affects in the listener.

Beethoven was in his mid-thirties during this time; his personal life was troubled by increasing deafness. In the world at large, the period was marked by the Napoleonic Wars, political turmoil in Austria, and the occupation of Vienna by Napoleon's troops in 1805. The symphony was written at his lodgings at the Pasqualati House in Vienna.

Symphony No. 5 received a total of 94,6% yes votes!

[hughmanbean]

Ghost Train

One day, Boxy finds a large box. One that's connected to multiple other ones in a big line. He moves it around a little, and finds himself enjoying rolling it back and forth. It's a train!

Well, the carriages at least. The locomotive is puffing, but it's not actually moving it. He shows it to Lunch Lady and Box Lunch, who agree with him, but point out that he has nowhere to keep it. He thinks back, and has an idea.

"Look, dude. It's not that I don't have the space but more about how you even got that."

"I found it with my great box sensing powers! And you're a big ol mighty Queen now, aren't you? I sure you'll find somewhere to put it."

"Hm. You got me there. You want a job?"

"No occupation is too great for the Box Ghost!"

"Great! I've decided that you will be the first Infinite Realms Train Conductor! I've been getting complaints about the whole traveling situation, and Wulf can't be making new portals willy nilly without the Observants being royal pains about it. You won't need tracks, so that'll help."

"I won't fail you, my Queen!"

"Egh, don't call me that. But anyways, I need you to go to this one dimension. It has a bunch of souls that need to be taken to the Infinite Realms. Dan and Ellie will go with you."

----

"You hear? There's a train taking souls into the night."

"Oh shut it."

"No! I'm serious! People are just disappearing! And all that remains is the whistle of the train..."

"You've been watching too many horror shows."

[peachetteprice]

Driving Habits | TF141

Disclaimer: Some of these are UK specific, including the style of car, manoeuvres, terminology, and gearbox. That's what happens when the boys live and work mostly in England! Also, I am almost taking my practical test in September, and I need to rant about certain habits. Sorry in advance to Soap and Ghost. Love you both, boys.

Credit to @soaps-mohawk for giving me the inspiration to explore this headcanon! It began with an exploration into what cars TF141 might drive! You can see the original post that inspired this here.

+ Including interactions when driving with an S/O!

Notorious one-handed driver. The other hand is either on the gearstick - just resting, contemplating - or mediating between the gearstick and your thigh. He loves a good reverse bay park. (He's an absolute beast at it, too. No need for minor adjustments. He just... knows the space. And he will make fun of you when you can't park as perfectly as him). Helps to get the shopping in better, because at least you can get to the boot! Has been known to swerve a little bit for birds in the road, but that's because he's an avid watcher, and the poor things get enough grief as it is - he wants to still be able to watch Robins and Thrushes in the trees on the weekend!

Captain John Price:

He does, however, neglect rabbits, foxes, badgers, squirrels, and rats. And the... occasional deer in Scotland? Not out of malice - not at all - but they're not worth swerving over and potentially causing a collision for. He might, only if you're with him - because you'll squeal if he doesn't and positively become harrowed by its body popping beneath the rear tyre - but it's much safer for a driver to simply ram it into the gravel than to mess around with the safety of himself, other drivers, and - of course - you.

Takes extra care around vehicles with stickers that denote that the occupants of said vehicle - bar the driver or secondary passengers - are animals or children. He will be extra sure to check his mirrors, touch on the brakes if need be, and will actively scan for dangerous drivers that he can shield the car from. His duty is to protect, after all, in whatever capacity.

That being said, in his youth, he was known to drive... a little faster than required. Only on country lanes does he still retain some of his more... reckless habits. He may go a touch too fast around corners, and ignore the chevrons that indicate the severity of a turn (one arrow, two, three), and if the road opens up to a sprawling range, whereby speed control for tight corners and blind junctions is not an issue, he will... perhaps... occasionally - only rarely if you're in the car with him - let her rip.

Begrudgingly drives your shuddering little Fiat 500 or itty bitty Hyundai i20 (hey, what do you mean, tiny, it's perfect for the city, John! Pay no mind if your boys giggle and point when you turn up at the base in it...), though much prefers the Triumph Spitfire, 1979, mint-condition, that he bought in 2008 for three grand and fixed up over a ten-year period (when he wasn't deployed, that was) which is now worth £18,000. That is his profit! But he won't let another soul touch it, drive it, or so much as look at it - unless it's you, on a good day - until the day he dies. It's in stunning condition, but God help you if you reverse into the driveway without him watching like a hawk, wiggling his hand as if it were the paddle of an aeroplane conductor, telling you to move closer to the wall and risk scratching your car just to protect his darling baby. It... oh no... it might be the only thing he loves more than you...

But those roads are his home, that's all!

Always, always, always over-revs the engine to get out of a junction. He can't help it! He's used to manoeuvring through rough terrain with a car the size of a military tank - he's bound to forget to treat a normal car with a normal amount of strength. He comes flying into and out of roundabouts for that exact reason! He has to get on and off them quickly enough - don't you know, they're deathtraps, they are!

Lieutenant Simon "Ghost" Riley:

He's also prone to checking his side mirrors and rear view mirror an inordinate amount of times for a twenty-minute pop to the shop. He is convinced that the Kia Sportage behind him is right up his tail - he's sure it's stalking you in the passenger seat, especially with your bumper stickers on the rear, the nasty perverts - no matter how many times you explain to him that the mirrors are convex! They will make everything seem closer than they truly are! Now, however, he does not and will not ever brake-check a car, but he will sure as hell give them the dirtiest stare if they decide to overtake him... or until they back off a few more feet behind you.

The poor man gets impatient at lights. He does. And crossings, too. Train, tram, pedestrian, any and all of them. Despises them all. He'd rather a set of traffic lights for people to cross at, than have those silly zebra, pelican or toucan markings along the road that he has to pray Grandma Doris won't divert her walking cane in its bilateral direction. Oh, and he bounces his leg like there's no tomorrow. Again, he can't help it! He isn't used to waiting in cars. He's used to tumbling down roads in Middle Eastern deserts as the crow flies. None of those silly turns and re-routes into estates because he took the wrong turn at a junction. He wouldn't have messed up had he had time to think! Had there been no traffic! And, oh, Christ, the traffic. Simon does not like traffic. He does illegal U-turns as soon as he sniffs there being a road closure - that's how much he dislikes waiting!

You'll never forget the day that he wrenched the handbrake up way too high, and you had to get your father to re-tighten it. You're sure there aren't any more notches he can lift it to. You're rarely ever on a hill that warrants it. He'll crank it up six times just to stop at the traffic light before the Tesco. It's bloody Tesco! It's not Mount Kilimanjaro!

Never gets the bite point consistently. Never gets the damn bite point. Always too low or too high. He doesn't over-rev it like Ghost does, but the amount of times he stalls the bloody car, thinking he's in another one of those tank-sized vehicles that has a brand-spanking new bite point - or dare he say, an automatic gearbox that doesn't even require a clutch - is incalculable. You'd think the man has only just learnt to drive!

Sergeant John "Soap" MacTavish:

Notoriously speeds through built-up areas. Often commits to doing 45mph in a 30mph zone. Only when there isn't anyone around, like at nighttime! He consistently zooms past speed cameras in his BMW. His poor 3L engine is just too powerful for those dinky little roads. And, promise, he doesn't do it on purpose! He just routinely forgets to glance at his speedometer (and his mirrors, but that's another issue), and he drives for himself and himself only. In fact, he often hums to himself and forgets you're even there, beside him, clutching onto the internal handle on the roof in case he veers too suddenly to either side. His object permanence doesn't prevail unless he has one hand on your inner thigh, and if he doesn't, well, you can kiss safe driving habits goodbye.

(Oh, and he always sits on the brake. And bite + gas. The handbrake is too cumbersome, and his feet are strong enough, Goddamnit!)

Alright, that isn't to say he's an... unsafe driver. He's only slightly inconsiderate. He brakes too harshly, too late, too suddenly, he coasts on the clutch around corners, he never feeds the steering wheel, and he sometimes forgets to check his mirrors before turning into a junction (but he's never T-boned a cyclist... yet... you can give him a tick for that one). But he hums and whistles a nice tune to himself - he prefers it to the radio, and that's not to say he prefers quiet so he can hear the sound of the engine, no, no... never... not at all - and he always makes an overt point to note every field of cows, sheep (especially horses!) as well as every cat he sees lurking along the pavements. Never dogs. Doesn't like the bastards. Got bit once. That was enough to turn him right off.

Sergeant Kyle "Gaz" Garrick:

Beautiful driver. Test-accurate. He could re-take it today and pass with flying colours. What a brilliant driver. The only bad habit he's picked up is driving with one hand (he tends to bite his fingernails on the other when he drives - helps with the stress of commuting in London), and never feeding the steering wheel through his hands. He does the wipe-on, wipe-off manouvre, mostly because he looks hot when doing it, though he tries not to. Mama Garrick always swats his hand whenever he does it because that's how drivers get into accidents, baby!

Car-shares with his mother, whether it's in her duck-egg blue Kia Picanto or his lime green Ford Fiesta - it has failed its MOT three bloody times, and he's revived that girl from death's vice grip more times than he can count, it has the mileage of a postal worker in the 1700s, nearing 200k - but this gentleman always remembers to bring the seat forward and upright after he's finished using it, so that her feet can touch the pedals, and to, naturally, reduce her back pain. He does the same with the headrest, too, because if there's anything he cares about more than his job, it's the safety of his family and friends!

Tends to drive on the cautious side. The only minor fault he'd get in a test would be hesitance because he simply doesn't trust any other driver but himself. His mother drilled that into him. She said that there's nothing worse than watching a car flash its headlights and signal you to go, with caution, as always, because the flash is not universal for 'go', only to pull in front of you and trigger you to emergency brake. Or, God-forbid, a pedestrian puts their hand up at you before they've even crossed the bloody road, and he has to slam on the brakes like he's Speedy Gonzalez at a traffic light. Lordy Lord.

Never mind the fact that he waits too long at pedestrian crossings because there could be somebody shrouded by that tree on the corner there. Do you see it? Over there! No, behind the sign, love! There could be someone - oh, whatever. He has to wait to make sure it's clear - otherwise, Grandma Doris is getting bumped in the legs and thrown fifty feet along the road! And he cares about the elderly!

Always nervously bites the insides of his cheek at roundabouts. Which is the most bewildering part of all, because he's so good at them! He always signals onto the roundabout. Never cuts lanes. Always follows directions perfectly, and if he doesn't, well, I guess you're taking a different route until you can turn around in a safe place. He always signals off the roundabout, too - even at mini-roundabouts - but he'll scrunch his face up every time, huff, and mutter:

"Yeah... botched that one."

...Regardless of how many times you tell him that he's a gorgeous driver! It's sexy, too, how he abides by the Highway code and gives way to more cars than he really should - no, except he really should stop doing that, actually, they're starting to take advantage of his kindness and he doesn't realise it - and how he's so... so... so fucking smooth with gear transitions. Going from stationary to a comfortable 20mph? He'll pop that sucker so fluidly into third (or second, if it's his mum's car) with such prowess that you barely notice the engine take the gas he's giving it. There's no jolt between first and second. He plays those gears like he's bowing a violin. How delicate his fingers are. How gentle his touch. It's mesmerising to watch.

And, you're about ready to give him your hand in marriage when you notice that every time he comes to a stop - on a hill, at a traffic light, in crawl traffic, waiting to turn into a junction, he puts the handbrake on, then takes his foot off the foot brake, then knocks the gearstick into neutral, then takes his foot off the clutch, and waits patiently like the darling man he is. Unlike someone else, he never sits on the brake...

Gaz even brakes in ample time, and you thought he couldn't be more perfect! That's what really gets you going - he gives the car behind him just the right amount of time to slow down that it's almost a waltz, and he's the conductor of traffic. Though... maybe don't let him get trapped at a stalemate on a mini-roundabout where all cars are turning left and are subsequently blocked by the need to give way to the right... his poor brain will short-circuit! If he does, give him a pat on the thigh and let him wait for someone else to make the first move - he hates decision-making when he's off-duty.

Bonus Round - Road Rage!

Captain John Price:

Lieutenant Simon "Ghost" Riley:

Road Rage? You mean, showing a healthy amount of anger and vigour towards a bloody idiot driver? You mean... baring his teeth and swatting a hand at them, occasionally honking the horn past eleven-thirty, even if people are sleeping, or pulling out one of his anger-insurance cigars? That's what road rage is? Well... Christ, he must be terrible for it. Don't tell his boys that... they think he's the most level-headed man on base.

He's slightly oblivious to the technique of cars around him. He drives like he's the only driver in the world, because usually he is - except for those fuckers behind you who won't back off - but if something does happen, and if it isn't too much of an issue, he'll grunt, clench his teeth, grip the steering wheel and let out a muttered 'bastard'. If, however, something really irritates him - especially if another car puts you in danger - he'll honk the horn and flail his hand at the windscreen in the hopes that the driver sees his frustration (even if you're the one driving, he'll reach over and honk the pad for you, even though you've told him not to!)

Sergeant John "Soap" MacTavish:

Well... he certainly knows a lot of Gaelic, doesn't he, your boy? You've hardly a monkey's bottom of what he's saying, but the vitriol in which he says it - he's not known for bottling his anger very well - makes it clear to you that he needs a hug and de-tox before bedtime. If the accused does anything on the defensive or antagonistic, he has been known to pull up beside them on a two-lanes-go-straight-on road marking, even if it isn't the right way to your destination, just to glare at them and give them the... stern finger. Maybe... maybe a word or two about precious cargo.

Sergeant Kyle "Gaz" Garrick:

Gaz is a simple guy when he's off-duty. He will sigh, tut, shake his head, and mumble 'nutter', or a very hushed 'oh, you absolute...' (bonus: he never finishes his sentence!) It's what his mum does! If another car puts you in danger, he may groan and roll his eyes - but he always asks if you're okay as soon as, and apologises for the sudden violence of his attitude! What a sweet man.

| Masterlist |

[kiddotarot]

MOON IN HOUSE AND EFFECTS = PART 1

As explained in the preceding issue, the Sun is regarded as the generator of power that gives spirit and life to all planets, the Moon is considered to be the conductor of power lent by Sun and rules over the lives of the beings on this earth. Sun represents individuality, whereas Moon shows one’s personality.

Moon in Ist House

In general, the 1st house belongs to Mars and Sun. When the moon is also placed therein, this house will come under the combined influences of the Mars, the Sun and the Moon i.e. all the 3 mutual friends will be treated as occupants of this house. The Sun and Mars will extend all friendly support to their natural friend Moon placed on the throne i.e. the ascendant house. Such native will be soft-hearted and will inherit all the traits and qualities of his mother. He will be either the eldest brother or will certainly be treated so. As long as the native receives the blessings of his mother and keeps her happy, he will continue to rise and prosper in every way. The things and the relatives as represented by Mercury, who is inimical to Moon, will prove harm- ful to the native, e.g., the sister-in-law and the green color will affect adversely. Hence it is better to keep away from them. Burning milk (for making Khoya) or selling milk for profit would reduce or minimize the power of the Moon placed in the 1st house, which means that the native’s life and property would be de- stroyed if he engages himself in such activities. Such a native should serve others with water and milk freely for long life and all round prosperity. Such a native will get a life of about 90 years and will be bestowed with honours and fame by the Govt.

Moon in 2nd House

The results of the 2nd house, when Moon is placed therein, will be influenced by Jupiter, Venus and the Moon, because this is the Puckka Ghar, the permanent house of Jupiter and Venus is the lord of the second Rashi Taurus. The Moon gives very good results in this house, as it becomes very strong here because of the friendly support of Jupiter against Venus. Such a native may not have sisters, but will certainly be having brothers. In case he doesn’t have, his wife will certainly have brothers. He will certainly receive his due share in parental properties. Whatever be the planetary position otherwise, but the Moon here will ensure male offspring to the native. The native will receive good education, which will add to his fortune. The Business associated with the things of the Moon will prove highly advantageous. He may be a reputed teacher also. The Ketu placed in the 12th house will cause eclipse of the Moon here, which will deprive the native either of good education or of male children.

Moon in 3rd House

The results of the 3rd house, when the Moon is placed therein, will be influenced by the Mars, Mercury and Moon. Here the Moon proves highly beneficial to ensure a long life and great wealth or riches for the native. If there are no planets in the 9th and 11th houses, then Mars and Venus will give good results to the native because of the Moon being in the 3rd house. With the advancement of the native’s education and learning, the economic condition of his father will deteriorate, but without affecting his education adversely. If Ketu’s placing in the horoscope is auspicious and not harming the Moon in the 3rd, the education of the native will bear good fruits and prove advantageous in every manner. If the Moon is malefic, it will cause great loss of wealth and money at the age of the malefic planet placed in the 9th house

Moon in 4th House

The results of the 4th house are the general product of the total influences of Moon, the lord of the 4th Rashi Cancer and the permanent resident of the 4th house. Here the Moon becomes very strong and powerful in every manner. The use of, and association with the things represented by the Moon will prove highly beneficial to the native. Offer milk in place of water to the guests. Obtain blessings of your mother or the elderly women by touching their feet. The 4th house is the river of income which will continue to increase expenditure. In other words, expenditure will augment income. The native will be a reputed and honoured person with soft heart and all sorts of riches. He will inherit all the traits and qualities of his mother and will face the problems of life boldly like a lion. He will receive honour and favours from the government along with riches and will provide peace and shelter to others. Good education will be ensured for the native. If Jupiter is placed in the 6th house and Moon in the 4th, parental profession will suit him. If a person has mortgaged certain valuables to the native, he will never come back to demand it. If Moon be placed with 4 planets in the 4th house, the native will be economically very strong and wealthy. The male planets will help the native like sons and the female planets like daughter

Moon in 5th House

The results of the 5th house, when the Moon is placed therein, will be influenced by the Sun, the Ketu and the Moon. The native will adopt just and right means to earn wealth and will not yield to wrong doing. He may not do well in business but certainly receive favours and honours from the government. Anyone supported by him will win. The Moon in the 5th house will give 5 sons if the Ketu is well placed and benefic even if the Moon is joined by malefic planets. By his education and learning the native will undertake several mea- sures for others welfare, but the others will not do good to him.

Hope you enjoy

[femboy-central]

… if you want to read my essay on how gay Nick Carraway is it’s under the cut

Until recent years, very few authors had the courage to express homosexuality in their work for fear of institutional punishment or negative social reaction. With stories like that of Oscar Wilde, writers were accurately terrified to explicitly explore the diversity of the sexual and romantic interests of their characters. Despite this, they were not stopped and authors chose to implement their gay characters with artistic subtlety. F. Scott Fitzgerald's most well known novel, The Great Gatsby, homes one example of this type of character. Although he does not live in a time period where he can be open about it, Nick Carraway is a homosexual man and this fact is crucial to truly understanding his self and his relationship with Jay Gatsby.

Perhaps the most damning evidence of Nick's sexuality is the fact that the only sexual encounter he is implied to have had is with Chester McKee after the party in New York (28), but it is not all. Nick's homosexuality is most casually clear in the descriptions he gives of the people in his life. Although he does acknowledge past romantic relations with women, he does not read as particularly interested in them. When questioned about a rumoured fiancée out West, Nick remarks that he is very opposed to "being rumored into marriage," (15) and in his first meeting with his supposed love interest, Jordan Baker, Nick compares her to a cadet (an exclusively male occupation at the time) and points out her most masculine features as ideal including her small breasts and erect carriage (8). In comparison, Nick's descriptions of the men around him are rich with intrigue; Nick notices how Tom Buchanan's eyes establish dominance in his face and the way his muscles move under his clothing (5). When Nick speaks about the train conductor on the hottest day of the summer, he critiques people who think of kissing flushed lips and laying with a partner in the heat despite no one else in that scene expressing those feelings (87). The suddenness of this flustered complaint implies that Nick is reacting to his own desires; desires he wishes he did not have.

While Nick is at least vaguely attracted to multiple men in his story, there is one he is consistently interested in throughout: Jay Gatsby. From their first meeting where Nick goes on about how pleasant a smile Gatsby has (36) onwards, Nick is very fond of Gatsby, going so far as to emphasise that he is the only rich person he did not end up disgusted by (2) and that all of the East was haunted for him after Gatsby's death (137). In Gatsby's life, Nick even expressed his affections to him in whatever ways he could. For example, when Nick agrees to reintroduce Gatsby and Daisy, he does not allow Gatsby to reimburse the favour (62). Also, after Myrtle's death, Nick only leaves Gatsby's side because he feels like he is intruding (112), returns to a bed he can not fall asleep in, and takes the first opportunity available to meet Gatsby again at dawn (113). Nick listens to Gatsby's story then (114), something nobody else would do in favour of spreading scandalous, borderline slanderous rumours.

Nick claims he is not a judgemental person, but proves himself wrong as the novel progresses in regards to every person he has met but one. Despite remarking that he disapproved of Gatsby "from beginning to end" (118), he was equally endeared to him. Nick also claims to be an honest person (44), which he proves not entirely true either. Realising Nick's true feelings for Gatsby reveals the intricacy of his character and calls into question the reliability of his narration. Although his intentions are always sympathetic, Gatsby is by trade a bootlegging criminal and yet even after meeting Meyer Wolfsheim and being told about his business (54), Nick plays ignorant about Gatsby's involvement. To Nick, the idea of Jay Gatsby is related only tertiarily to the idea of "Wolfsheim's men". Nick makes this clear every time he visits Gatsby after Wolfsheim's men begin working at his house by how suspicious he always is of them, even describing one's face as “villainous" (86). Nick does not judge Gatsby as the same as these people nor the Buchanans despite not being so different in truth because he is already in love with him and truly wants to believe he is a good person at heart. Even Tom Buchanan is aware of this on some level, showing his cognisance after Gatsby's death by telling Nick that "(Gatsby) threw dust into (Nick's) eyes just like he did in Daisy's" (138).

To ignore Nick's sexuality is to intentionally misunderstand his character and The Great Gatsby as a story. On his surface, Nick Carraway is a single objective voice in a world of desires and deceit, but as much of The Great Gatsby does, his character requires the reader to look below to his own human biases if they intend to comprehend him.

[george228732]

Tinkercian D.Alphegor

Next character coming up!

''One of the Heroes of Yore, always willing to put his life at risk for the sake of others, just like any other hero, with scars across his body that prove that he has potential to become an excellent warrior in the utmost future, along with the ones he adores deeply. Will he be able to finish the job?''

This is Dedede's ancestor/grandfather! One of the Heroes of Yore like I said, and a wonderful little guy that loves battling and more! He is also tatooed to hell and back! Also, true creator of Dedede's symbol, and a lover of heat and the sun.

Here they are other things about him!

He obviously needs a good, formal outfit for being a Hero of Yore, because his warrior clothes along with the train conductor clothing, so he has a pretty well taken care of cloak, even though he doesn't like it that much since he finds it itchy.

His weapon is an axe! Meant to be similar to Dedede's hammer! Just... Y'know, sharper. It weights a TON! Even more than Dedede's own weapon, and he'll swing it without mercy.

He's also owner of a pretty nice ability, the ability of making use of elemental abilities! Like, breating fire, releasing thunder from his fists, and releasing cold winds by snapping his fingers.

Also, he's taller than Dedede.

Trivia:

He's inspired by the story of Night on the Galactic Railroad like Dedede and Meta Knight, which is why one of his occupations and hobbies are trains and machinery, which is also why he owns a train, being inspired by both Campanella and Zanelli.

Like I said previously, he's a train conductor, so he has his own train and uses it quite frequently, although, his other job is the one of being a blacksmith, being himself the one who made his own axe, and also Galacta's lance.

His last name is a reference to Belphegor, the Demon embodying the sin of Sloth, and consequently, Dedede would be its sinner later down the line. His middle name is simply ''Dedede'' which is were he got the name from, since his mother remembered that name as some kind of myth from his family.

He's Scandinavian!

He's based off both concepts in history, trains (along with Steampunk) and vikings!

He's currently missing, having mysteriously vanished one decade or so before the Ancients collapsed. It's unknown if he was involved with that.

Perhaps, no one is meant to know what happened there.

[hazeerror]

Continued my Failed King AU and this time I brought you three more character's design for it.

Ruth, the White Lady

Gender: Female

Species: Higher being - Pale Plant base life-form

Age (mental): 40s

Title: Queen of Hallownest

Occupation: Monarch

Troupe Master Grimm

Gender: Male

Species: Higher being

Age: unknown (constantly changing body when it becomes too weak or old)

Title: Troupe Master

Occupation: Ringmaster, Cult Leader

Lace

Gender: Female

Species: Common

Age (mental): mid 20s

Title: Conductor of the Mayflies

Occupation: Nun at the local religion, Fencer (guard)

[tadc-harlequin-au]

Hello again :)

I have a question(s?) regarding our largest occupant of the Manor;

Z!

Since it takes multiple Souls to form a Figure-type Puppet, and since you implied that souls can transfer skills from their previous life, wouldn’t that imply that all of Z’s skills came from her past lives and NOT from her Puppet programming? If so, does her programming just dictate her behaviour? Is it like the conductor of an orchestra?

Where do you draw the line Past-Life Knowledge and Artificial programming? And where is Z in all of this?

(Sorry if this is a bit confusing and a lot, it’s been a while since I done this, can you tell Z is my favourite? *smile*)

Hello chronic, always nice to see you in my asks again :)

Yeah, so- remember when I said that some asks may be answered with half-truths? uh, yeah haha!!

Z's skills absolutely came from past life, 100%.

A directive for most Puppets actually works more so kinda like a sleeper agent activation phrase; for the non-crazy ones, that is. Once a Puppet undergoes the Madness route, it makes the directive their whole personality and pronouns, and this is what makes it hard to reform a once crazy Puppet to a functioning independent individual.

Killing their boss forms and letting them have a chill time in the void simply ain't enough, chief. It's not easy to fix something that was broken, but it can still be fixed nonetheless.

Going back to directives, if it wasn't obvious, people were actually interviewed about themselves before being turned into Puppets. These interviews helped the Puppetmakers decide where to put certain people in, since if the job aligns with the soul's interests, the puppet performs 10x more effectively than just putting random people in random puppet bodies. Literally using their passions and interests against them, and the directives makes sure they do that job, whether they like it or not.

It's why Z's a builder, why Gangle's a storyteller, why Kingr's a general, why Ragatha's a maid for a famous collector, and why Jax is an entertainer.

There was only one exception to this Puppet-making method where everything had to be rebuilt and programmed from the ground up to make them hyperfocused on their job and deliver with deadly precision, regardless of who they were in their past life, and oh boy, was it such a resource-expensive endeavor.

[girlactionfigure]

THURSDAY HERO: Herbert Zipper

Herbert Zipper was a conductor and composer who founded a secret orchestra at Dachau, and wrote a song that became an anthem for death camp inmates.

Born in 1904 to an affluent Jewish family in Vienna, Herbert was a musical prodigy who studied at the prestigious Vienna Music Academy with the great composer Richard Strauss. He found employment as a conductor and composer for cabaret shows.

Germany annexed Austria in 1938 and immediately started persecuting Jewish citizens. Herbert was arrested that year and sent by the SS to Dachau, where he became a “horse,” pushing a wheelbarrow loaded with heavy rocks for 12 hours a day. One of the most talented composers in Europe was doing the work of an animal.

Herbert was not the only music man in Dachau. All the Jewish members of the Munich Philharmonic – comprising most of the orchestra – were also incarcerated there. Herbert enlisted the other musicians in an audacious, even insane, plan. They would make instruments and create an orchestra, right there at Dachau.

How could anybody create musical instruments in a concentration camp? They combed the camp for discarded pieces of wood and metal and fashioned eleven primitive yet functional instruments. At least one guard helped the musicians; Herbert requested a piece of wire for a string instrument, and later found it under his pillow.

Herbert’s Dachau orchestra performed concerts for the other inmates every Sunday, in an outhouse. It’s hard to imagine the experience of listening to sublime music in a filthy environment, while knowing they could be all killed for their participation. Herbert said that the concerts were not for entertainment, but rather to bring purpose and even a bit of normalcy back to their lives.

Noted playwright Jura Soyfer, an old friend of Herbert’s from his cabaret days, was also at Dachau. Together they wrote “Dachaulied” (Dachau song), with Herbert composing the haunting music in his head and Jura penning the sad, sardonic lyrics inspired by the concentration camp motto “Work will make you free.” They thought that writing the song would help them maintain some dignity in an atmosphere of constant humiliation and demonization. Herbert deliberately made the song difficult to learn, so that his fellow inmates would have to use all of their concentration and thereby mentally escape from their horrific surroundings. Amazingly, the Nazis never discovered the secret orchestra.

At the end of 1938, Herbert and Jura were transferred to Buchenwald where they taught other inmates the Dachau song. Soon after, Jura died of typhus at age 26, and Herbert lovingly prepared his body for burial. At this time Hitler hadn’t yet began to implement his “Final Solution” to kill all the Jews, which started in 1941. Herbert’s father Emil was in London, desperately trying to get a visa for Herbert and his two brothers to escape Austria. Miraculously, Emil was able to secure his sons’ release from Buchenwald, and they joined him in Paris on March 16, 1939.

During all this time, Herbert’s fiancee, dancer Trudl Dubsky, was working in Manila, in the Philippines. She recommended him for the job of conductor of the Manila Symphony Orchestra, and he was hired, traveling there in September, 1939. Herbert and Trudl were married on October 1. Although it wasn’t a world-class orchestra at the time, Herbert enjoyed working with the Manila Orchestra and under his leadership it improved dramatically. Life was good for Herbert and Trudl until January 1942, when the Japanese army invaded the Philippines and occupied Manila. It was a brutal occupation and once again Herbert was arrested, this time for refusing to conduct the orchestra for Japanese military officers. He was incarcerated and harshly interrogated for four months before being released. For the next three years Herbert and Trudl survived hand-to-mouth, owning no belongings and traveling frequently in search of safe haven in a country at war.

The most difficult period was the Battle of Manila in early 1945. More than once the building where they took shelter was bombed by the Japanese artillery and they escaped with only seconds to spare. In the end of February they were living with hundreds of other displaced people in a seven-story building in Manila that had neither electricity or water. Herbert volunteered to get water every day, a dangerous and difficult undertaking.  On the early morning of February 26, 1945, Herbert was on his water run when he saw an opportunity to reach the American front line, and he rushed across a battle field to do it. While there he received a crucial piece of information: the apartment building where he was staying was due to be bombed by the Allies within fifteen minutes! Herbert desperately explained that 800-1000 civilians were inside the building! Due to his pleas, the bombardment was delayed for 45 minutes, giving him just enough time to get back to the building and rescue everyone inside including Trudl.

Until Japan was defeated on September 2, 1945, Herbert worked secretly for the American army under the command of General Douglas MacArthur, transmitting valuable information about Japanese shipping schedules by shortwave radio. When Japan finally surrendered, Herbert organized and conducted a concert of Beethoven’s “Eroica” symphony, a goal he’d set during the darkest hours at Dachau. The concert was performed in a bombed-out church.

Herbert and Trudl immigrated to America in 1946, joining the rest of his family. He co-founded and conducted the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra, and organized another orchestra especially to give free concerts for public school children. Students called Herbert, who had no children of his own, “Papa Z.” For the rest of his life he volunteered and supported arts education for young people.

Herbert was close friends with poet Langston Hughes and they collaborated on an opera together, “Barrier.” Trudl worked as a ballet tacher. They moved to Chicago in 1953, where Herbert founded the Music Center of the North Shore, and then to Los Angeles, where Herbert directed the School of Performing Arts at USC.

Interviewed by a Los Angeles Times reporter at the end of his life, Herbert said “We have to see the world as it is, but we have to think about what the world could be. That’s what the arts are about.”

Herbert is the subject of a biography, “Dachau Song: The Twentieth Century Odyssey of Herbert Zipper,” and a documentary that was nominated for an Academy Award. His beloved wife Trudl died of lung cancer in 1976. He continued his music for two more decades, conducting his last concert in 1996. Herbert Zipper died in Santa Monica in 1997.

For inspiring concentration camp inmates and inner-city schoolchildren with his music, and for saving hundreds of lives during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, we honor Herbert Zipper as this week’s Thursday Hero.

Lyrics of Dachau Song:

Barbed wire fraught with death surrounds our world

On which a merciless heaven visits frost and sunburn.

Far from us are all joys, far our home, far the women

When mute we march to work, thousands in the gray dawn.

But we learned the Dachau motto and it made us hard as steel.

Be a man, comrade, remain human comrade

Do good work, pitch in, comrade

Because work, work will make you free!

[yourdailyqueer]

David Ogden Stiers (deceased)

Gender: Male

Sexuality: Gay

DOB: 31 October 1942  

RIP: 3 March 2018

Ethnicity: White - American

Occupation: Actor, voice actor, conductor, musician

[newyorkthegoldenage]

Herbert Zipper was an internationally renowned composer, conductor, and arts activist who was imprisoned at Dachau in the 1930s. During that time, he had had crude musical instruments constructed out of stolen material and formed a secret orchestra that performed on Sunday afternoons for the other inmates.

Released in 1939, he accepted an invitation to conduct the Manila Symphony Orchestra but was jailed for four months by the Japanese during their occupation of the Philippines. After his release, he worked secretly for the Allies, transmitting shipping information by radio. In 1946 he emigrated to the United States, where he conducted the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra and promoted music education. In this photo, taken on March 10, 1949, he was conductor of the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra, and he makes some observations on an opera to violinist Sylvia Medford.

Photo: Associated Press

[thegildedbee]

:: January 19 :: Selection for Week 4 of 2025 :: 🐝"the hound of the baskervilles" (1902) from the daily sherlock holmes: a year of quotes*🖊️

"Well, Watson, what do you make of it?" Holmes was sitting with his back to me, and I had given him no sign of my occupation. "How did you know what I was doing? I believe you have eyes in the back of your head." "I have, at least, a well-polished, silver-plated coffee-pot in front of me."

This quotation is from the opening paragraphs of The Hound of the Baskervilles in 1902 -- new words for a fandom that had thought there would never be any others*, not after 1893, when Arthur Conan Doyle had arranged for all the world to see Sherlock Holmes plunge to his death in "The Final Problem" (a plot twist that prompted 20,000 households to cancel their subscriptions to The Strand Magazine).

It must have been supremely satisfying for readers to open up the magazine and to find the very first scene given over to Holmes and Watson, together, at home inside 221B. (The conceit of HOUN was that it was a presentation of an old case; Watson and Holmes would not actually be re-united until the following year, when Holmes was resurrected in "The Adventure of the Empty House").

My guess is that many would have supposed Sherlock to have slyly positioned himself just so, in front of the coffee-pot, in fond expectation of John entering the room and doing exactly as he did: spy the walking stick that a potential client had left behind, silently pick it up to observe it more closely, and attempt to channel his inner Sherlock -- while also failing to note that he was on stage, due to a careful arrangement of items on the breakfast table by a certain consulting detective.

Readers wouldn't yet know that they'd be getting Holmes and Watson back for real in the near future. Perhaps Doyle himself hadn't even decided yet whether or no -- he said he'd wanted to do a gothic ghost-type story, and had used his dead detective and his partner only because it was easier than creating new characters.

And yet . . . those first pages are so cunningly crafted, in how they bring all of us back into the space where Holmes and Watson orbit around each other, and in how their conversational badinage allows glimpses into the underlying particularities of their companionate relationship. This is where you'll find the passage where Holmes states that Watson is his conductor of light, and that he is very much in his debt -- and where Watson states that Holmes's "words gave me keen pleasure, for I had often been piqued by his indifference to my admiration." *The last words from "The Final Problem" are those of Watson saying that he would ever regard Holmes "as the best and the wisest man whom I have ever known."

[*Levi Stahl and Stacey Shintani, eds., U of Chicago Pr, 2019 ] [and, @totallysilvergirl, here you go :-) since you asked to be tagged for these extra-curricular ramblings]

[axl-ion]

Imma actually do it later today and finally post the AU ref for Ingo.

Prepare yourself, because he may not be the prettiest (but he's feeling good, so that's all that matters). So next one to shave (as we say) is Emmet! After that I will probably do Melli, since he's gonna be featured in the New Year's art, then Elesa and Skyla + maybe Drayden since like... He's the only remaining living relative to the twins.

So Imma do the same thing I did for Ingo and drop some basic info on Emmet too.

Character: Emmet

Identification card: Emil Golonka-Meňhert

Age: 31 years at the start of the decade (yes, this has been changed)

Occupation: Train conductor

Status: married for tax benefits (his wife is dating another person with full consent from Emmet or how to put it) + a loan

Goals: Escaping his past escapades.

Bad habits: Occasional drinking, smoking, comparing himself to others

Other info: He's very confidently AroAce, despite not knowing about the labels... Existing. He loves finding and exploiting loopholes and the system itself, but also can pick up on fellow exploiters. He used to do ████ █████ ████ ██ ███ ███████ ██████████ ████████ ███ █████ ████████ ████ ██ ██████ ███████ ███████ ██ █████ ██ █████████ ███ █████ ████ ███ ████ ████ ██ ███ ██████ ███.

[sauronpasta]

Fic update!

I finally have Chapter 8 out! Sneak peak below, or click the link above to go right to Ao3!

Fic summary: A year has passed since the battle at Eregion, less since the creation of the One Ring. Sauron is taken captive by Numenor, and Galadriel with him.

~

Chapter 8 sneak peak:

She throws herself at him, and she does not have her brother’s dagger now, does not have a shard of glass or an elven sword, but neither does she need it. Not with his soul in her very grasp. He feels her domination like a hook in his middle, and suddenly he is on his back. Her light is vengeful and her hands on his throat are like stone, heavy and hard as she bears down upon him, stealing the air his vessel needs. 

She speaks with a voice of the ages. 

“You would have me as your beast.” 

The ichor that pulses through his veins pushes to the surface, but she shows no fear at his blackened eyes. He has never been able to rule her with fear. 

“You would have me kill for you,” she rasps. He feels the beat of her blood in the palms of her hands, strong like a predator, quick like prey. “You see me as the conductor of your power, and I have been blinded. When will I see you for what you are?”

He does not mention, as spots dot his vision, that she is currently engaged in the occupation of killing under her own pretense. He grasps her wrist instead with soft fingers, stroking, apologizing. He ceases his pressure on their bond, letting her thoughts flow privately, only listening for their presence, not their content. He fills his own head with truth, with memories from the seen world: of their coupling, of how sweetly he had surrendered to her. Of his vows, and his revelation of her own power. 

Her eyes are wide and she does not turn from the truth. From the images of their time together in the island of the Edain. She sups them greedily even in her rage. He will ever be open to her, a story for her alone. 

Tell me my sins, Galadriel.