#so you get a bardcore taylor swift cover

[lichtecht]

thank you @capitaen & @glandin for tagging me :)

the rules are: pick a song for each letter of your url

j - jungle drum by emiliana torrini

i - i’m doing push-ups by bears in trees

n - nocturne by secret garden

x - XS by rina sawayama

y - you by ALIKA

o - orangenlied by annenmaykantereit

u - under the sea by bukahara

o - on the verge by skott

w - willow by hildegard von blingin'

e - eyes wide shut by bukahara

m - make up your mind by florence + the machine

e - everything moves by bronze radio return

i tag (no pressure obviously) @sillygooseness @padmedala @michameinmicha @is-this-taken-too-questionmark @ieatsticksrocksmud and anyone else who wants to do this, it’s so fun :)

[blysse-and-blunder]

In lieu of a making a comeback

11:45pm Sunday, June 18, 2023

Went through my drafts folder today, scrolling quickly past all the posts I’ve saved for when I’ve finally finished succession and found that the last time I drafted a commonplace book post was back in early May? I may post that one later—it’s a bit of a time capsule now, and isn’t even fully finished (hence why I saved it rather than posting). but rather than wait for perfection—my lesson of the year it seems—I’ll dash off a short one here. for my own entertainment, which of course is the point.

[no read more on mobile; scroll or press J to skip]

Reading just started victoria goddard’s bee sting cake, the second book in the greenwing & dart series. jemis’ narrative voice sounds a little too much like fitzroy’s — exacerbating my prejudice against first-person narration where the pov character just kinda sounds like the author’s mouthpiece—but seeing more of ragnor bella, this area of the twelve kingdoms, these references to the Interim and the Last Emperor, remains delightful. Also about 80% of the way through ursula k. le guin’s a wizard of earthsea for the very first time, which has been a slow because I’m absolutely savoring it. one of those books that feels like it’s in conversation with Tolkien but goes about ‘let’s make magic literary’ in a totally different way.

watching the aforementioned succession. @hematiterings and I were doing a rewatch (for me; her first time) and we have now gotten up to season 4 episode 3, You Know the One, which means that there’s only one more episode before I’m in new territory. it’s been a really rewarding rewatch, even as I’ve been doing laptop work the whole time—I’m understanding characters’ relationships and the stakes of different decisions and events so much better than I did the first time.

listening for some reason this week and last I have not been able to get enough of Hildegard von Blingen’s bardcore covers. Specifically the cover of taylor swift’s willow, which is not a song I knew, cared about, or really even noticed before now? But it the bardcore cover elevates it so well? hildegard’s voice is so lovely? one of those sopranos I usually don’t quite believe are real—just a pleasure to listen to. bad romance and holding out for a hero have been on repeat as well, and pumped up kicks (buskin boots!) is so much more interesting than the original, but willow has been the one I actively searched by name.

playing d+d campaign one tonight for the first time since FEBRUARY. it was good! we laughed! R tried to seduce a jaguar! we might be starting a schism in a fantasy meso-american religion or possibly playing the ball game to avoid that! we won’t be able to play again until late July, early august! The real boss fight is—has always been—scheduling.

making look at this dining room chair I glued back together.

No after pictures yet but it was clamped for a few days and has now been back in use with no ill effects since…gosh, last weekend? so we’ll count that as a win.

working on between finishing my most recent slog of grading (32 review assignments, which I spent waaaaaay too long on out of an anxiety of needin to help them revise for their final portfolios) and the next round of grading (final exams for 385 are due…thursday, possibly? and portfolios Friday, though I expect I get many either late or with extension requests, my fault entirely), I think I have to write at least one job app for June 30 and. maybe try to slap some new stuff into ch 2. or conference paper? hm.

[teaandinanity]

Oft-Played Music Meme

Tagged by @quilleth (thank you!)

Rules: put your 'on repeat' playlist on shuffle and list the first 10 songs then tag up to 10 people! (or, if you're like me and don't really use spotify, go to your most played)

I can't believe it's roasting me like this but half of this is here because I have a bunch of OTP playlists that I put on while Contemplating Blorbos.

Everything I Do - Bryan Adams

Chasing the Moon - Mary Lambert

We All Lift Together - Warframe

Revenge is a Bitch - FJORA (I first heard this in an AMV but I went 'oh my god yes more female-vocal villain songs I need it' so now I have it and as you can tell from its place on this list I listen to it a lot)

The Night We Met - Lord Huron (this lives in my head rent-free and I hold basically every OTP I have up against it like paint swatches to see if I can make it work)

Stand By You - Rachel Platten

Dynasty - Miia

To Get To You - Mike Parr ft Frida Winsth

Sleepwalking - All Time Low

Anti-Hero (bardcore cover of the Taylor Swift song) - stantough

I have no idea who has been tagged and quill already got the usual suspects, but if you recognized any of these songs and had positive thoughts please steal this and feel free to tag me because I am always in the market for Shiny New Music. (also I am a trash panda who steals memes all the time, so even if you don't wanna tag me please join me in trash panda-dom)

[mysticstarlightduck]

Songs and OC Ships Tag Game

Thank you so much for the tag, @dancinginsepia!

Rules: write two to five songs from them that represent your ship between your ocs (it can be platonic or romantic or a secret third thing). then add a quote from said WIP (if possible!) underneath it.

Because there are many ships in my main WIP The Last Wrath, I'll go with my favorite ship from my second main WIP, Tales of Wilted Flowers.

Xarian/Lorelai - WIP Tales of Wilted Flowers

Set in the fictional world of Ravaryn, this book follows the story of a fae outlaw and a human adventurer in their quest to clear both their names and get their lives back, while fighting an ancient evil the kingdoms tried to ignore.

(This book is still very early in the drafting process, so I don't have as many quotes as I would like. There will be a full excerpt here tho!)

Willow - Taylor Swift (Bardcore Cover by Hildegard Von Blingin)

Xarian and Lorelai meet by accident (or what one could call fate), and that encounter leads them to the adventure of their lives while they slowly fall in love. Not only do some of the lyrics in this song really fit this context, but the overall fantasy theme of the cover music suits the ship!

King and Lionheart - Of Monsters and Men

They're a very supportive couple, who are always there for each other and ready to take a stand to protect the other should they need to - even if it means facing their worst fears. Throughout the story, they become each other's best friends, forming a bond that cannot be broken easily.

Wild Uncharted Waters - Jonah Hauer-King

I think this song fits their romance so well! They took a while in the story to actually confess to one another that they are in love, plus Xarian actively tried to hide his feelings in fear that being with him would put Lorelai in more danger - but eventually, they realize that they are stronger together than apart (plus it's in the moments where they're far from one another that they realize how much they need one another). I think this song fits that moment of realization.

The Tragedy of Julian and Rosaline (Raney Shockne ft. Alina Gingertail)

The story of Xarian and Lorelai almost ends in a tragedy, especially when their pasts come to haunt them both. Luckily they were able to prevent it - unlike the events of this song. Still, I think that this song perfectly encompasses the feeling of that bit of the story - when all seemed to go wrong - plus, it has a perfect fairy-tale romance style that this ship is all about.

My Demons - STARSET

Both of them have "demons" in their pasts that haunt them throughout the story. For Xarian it is his time as a captive of a cruel sorcerer for years in his backstory. For Lorelai, it is her family's secrets. Both of them help each other when their pasts come back to destroy their current lives. This song has the perfect vibe for this!

For the Dancing and the Dreaming - HTTYD Soundtrack (Cover by Peter Hollens)

What can I say? I am a huge fan of HTTYD, and this song is one of the most beautiful romantic songs I ever heard. I think that the lyrics are pretty self-explanatory, and fit Xarian and Lorelai's story beautifully!

Quote/Excerpt

[...] "I have spent so much time running, from my past and ... from myself. Running away that horrid fate he said was mine. At the time, everything seemed so clear, so linear, my revenge so close I could almost taste it."

Xarian paused, glancing up at the starry sky with a hand reached out, before scowling, frustrated as he crossed his arms over his chest. There was a nervous edge to his voice, which wasn't there before, almost sorrowful.

"But now... I don't know. I don't know exactly who I am, or where I'm going - or even if we're going to make it out of this alive without bloodshed. I don't want to feel that pain again."

Lorelai listened, head tilted as she tried to think up an answer. She walked closer to where he was leaning over the parapet, looping her arm around his.

"How about... we figure this out together? There are many things I don't know as well, and any of our fates couldn't be less certain than what they are today. Gods know I am not one to speak about how things are going to end up." She spoke, playfully twirling with a small ribbon of her hair, before turning to Xarian, who met her eyes, unsure. "But if there's one thing this adventure has taught me, is that we can do anything. If we do it together. What do you say?"

Lorelai looked at him as Xarian considered her words. For a moment, she was afraid he would say no, that he'd withdraw, trying to solve everything alone as if it befell him to shoulder the world. He always wanted to help others, but never himself. But then, he smiled - a happy, genuine smile.

"I would like that, my love," Xarian said, moving gently so that he could hold her closer. "That would be ... perfect. I'm new to this, but I trust you - more than I trust myself, sometimes. With you beside me, I'm sure we'll find out all those answers, or at least some of them" [...]

Tagging (gently): @writernopal @chauceryfairytales, @clairelsonao3, @elshells, @exquisitecrow, @cabbojage, @aziz-reads, @rickie-the-storyteller and OPEN TAG