#stellavesperis

[darkwing-ramblings]

@stellavesperis it remains I, darkwinganimus by another name, for my own sorting purposes I changed blog, to clarify before I reply properly.

Phantom is a great show, I agree! I rather unusually adore the love song present it has, All I Ask of You. Because it actually feels distinctly individual in declarations, the verses play off of each other and the tune is gorgeous with the slow melody. But my favourite remains Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again because I find much of the sentiments on grieving poignantly pleasing and also treating the topic with the grace it deserves. The way it encapsulates Christine and the Phantom's relationship in the end segment transition of her grief being the opening he needs that they almost genuinely connect through but never quite equally is great too! My favourite lines from the musical have got to be

"Wishing you were somehow here again Knowing we must say goodbye Try to forgive, teach me to live Give me the strength to try"

Les Miserables has such good use of leitmotifs and recurring notes yes! The reprises and parallel tunes and characters drawing on each other's earlier sounds and words is perfection. Javert and Valjean alike despairing to the same beats because of the same justice system case is absolutely brilliant storytelling and interlinking their stories in a way that still gives space for them to react differently characterisation wise but oh so similarly (Valjean throws away Valjean and picks up aliases etc for ages and Javert, well).

The finale is so good! It ending, despite it all, ultimately hopefully is exactly what I want from stories because nihilism is useless. If one writes of life and caring about other people and facing adversity but pushing through by faith/whatever else a character finds meaningful then to conclude in any style but one that says "It was worth it, no matter how hard or how bad it got just trying meant something and there is always hope that eventual change will come even if it is after you are gone" just misses the point of exploring characters and what they make of their lives entirely, I think. Also it gradually getting louder from ghostly quiet is neat like you do too it appears!

From Les Miserables my favourite lines have got to be the realisation Javert and Valjean's interaction in The First Attack yields:

You are wrong, and always have been wrong I'm a man, no worse than any man You are free, and there are no conditions No bargains or petitions There's nothing that I blame you for You've done your duty, nothing more If I come out of this alive, you'll find me At number fifty-five Rue Plumet No doubt our paths will cross again

Because it feels like the perfect culmination of proof that Javert has been truly beaten and it's so unapologetically anti-dehumanisation and compassionate and indicative of how at peace with himself and what he chose to become from years of hard effort from Valjean that it hits rather hard.

Javert has some pretty cool bits, such as from Fantine's Arrest:

I have heard such protestations Every day for twenty years Let's have no more explanations Save your breath and save your tears Honest work, just reward That's the way to please the Lord

Which are lines obviously horrible but they're really sung with conviction and show why he's a brilliant paragon of a character!

The verse I find funniest is Enjolras' utterly ruthless disregard for Marius' air-headed daydreaming infatuation in Red&Black:

Marius, you're no longer a child I do not doubt you mean it well But now there is a higher call Who cares about your lonely soul? We strive towards a larger goal Our little lives don't count at all

Because who could hear that and not be entertained? it brings the song back on track so effectively back to the important things like dying a martyr in a violent rebellion, honestly Marius, how could you get distracted from such an alluring goal? For shame!

Grantaire being supportive and also still calling Marius delusional is second place:

Is Marius in love at last? I've never heard him `ooh' and `aah' You talk of battles to be won And here he comes like Don Ju-an It's better than an o-per-a!

They really don't spare each other's feelings one whit in their group! The verses are from the same song and I love them for it!

Also, as is hopefully apparent, you need not apologise for having rambled! Why you were positively restrained I'd say and at worst hardly more rambling than I was!

Which is your favourite Phantom of the Opera song?

And to accompany it with is your favourite song from Les Miserables?

Plus any amount of why you might choose to expand on it with would be interesting to read I'm sure!

Oooooooh!!!!!! Thanks for the ask! :D This is a hard one. Here it goes:

Phantom of the Opera This is like picking my favorite child. All of this music is so good in its own way!!!!! However, I don't think there is actually a moment where I transcended this plane of existence more than the moment of when the Overture begins for Phantom of the Opera. The ostinato under the main theme is just FANTASTIC. The Overture (and the title track as well) captures the haunting, the drama, the chills of the whole show so well!!! (Angel of Music is up there for me as well, it's a little different vibes, but I love the 6/8 meter and the violin in the beginning :) and also Music of the Night... and well, all of it. I guess that makes the final track my favorite, because Andrew Lloyd Webber just does such an amazing job of weaving all these little themes together.) Les Miserables Oh, who am I kidding, this is also like picking my favorite child!!!! All of these songs are so good!! For me singing, I enjoy On My Own quite a bit, because it fits my range much better than most of the songs. But ultimately I think One Day More is unparalleled!!!!!!! (I guess I love the songs where they weave all the other leitmotifs together. It makes me so happy :) But Les Mis has SO many gorgeous moments in all the songs; it's hard to say that I like any of them less than the others. I still think my favorite line and moment is when "To love another person is to see the face of God" is sung and transitions into "Do You Hear the People Sing" in the Epilogue, even if One Day More is ultimately my favorite. That moment has fully altered my brain chemistry. Thanks for the ask!! Sorry I rambled a little bit XD I hope I answered coherently enough!

[papita474]

He is talking to himself jajajjs

my contribution to our talk jsjjsj.

@stellavesperis @dfwbwfbbwfbwf The repost were very long so im putting this here lol

[eri-pl]

As your friendly neighbourhood Melkor fan, I feel obliged to show this to you all. :D

Especially @stellavesperis because music theory. (Others may want to watch the video from the beginning, not the timestamp I linked).

What's the moral of the video? I have no idea. Except probably "we don't understand the world as well as we think". And it did remind me of Ainulindale, so I posted it.

[kitwilsonsass]

welcome @stellavesperis to himbo land

[eloquentsisyphianturmoil]

@dfwbwfbbwfbwf @eri-pl @papita474 @tolkienreader1996 @stellavesperis @thedarksearises @flowering-smile @eglerieth @rinthecap @alilsakurablossom @thecoolblackwaves @camille-lachenille @sadsilmarilsoup @tar-thelien @braxix @velvet4510 @eight-pointed-star @melestasflight @rebeccas-rambles @thewhitewolf2002 I appreciate you.

[eri-pl]

Oooh I really like this one!

I never remember who's actually a mutual and who's just "I like them" but whatever. I'm sorry if I missed anyone who feels sad about it.

@dfwbwfbbwfbwf cloud

@edennill loaf

@eloquentsisyphianturmoil tux

@erendur another cloud

@lanthanum12 smol+creature?

@papita474 orange obviously

@stellavesperis another tux

(No pressure to reblog, tagging you just to let you know you are a cat)

WHAT KINDA CAT ARE YOUR MUTUALS

I REALLY WANNA SIT HERE AMD GO THROUGH TAGGING EVERYONE BUT I HAVE TO GO TO BED NOW SO I’LL DO SO TOMORROW!!!

[darkwing-ramblings]

Christianity and the portrayal of it through The Bishop and The Thenardier's from the Les Miserables musical

@stellavesperis

"Hmm I’m happy to share where I stand on religion in how it relates to its presence in les miserables later but putting it into words shall be a separate message I think to properly give it space to breathe and see what I end up coming up with."

My previous pledge.

"(For the record, my personal views on religion are rather all over the place at the moment, I'm queer but I grew up Christian, so it's taking some time for me to reconcile the two, but it's important to me that I do reconcile them and I don't let someone's beliefs get in the way of my own. I'm not quite as firm as my posts may have made me seem, but those headcanons were really something I needed to hear that day and a step in the right direction for me :)"

Your own prefacing. This is extremely reasonable and I have no intention of trying to impede the process- religion at an individual belief level is after all something extremely finicky and weighted with so many considerations that any attempt to by anyone is also nearly doomed I imagine. It reads like discussions of religion outside of pointed context is still fine to attempt thus I shall continue with my post and it's up to you if it's a conversation you find interesting or useful enough to participate in?

Well, that was long.

Religion and me, myself and I and an important disclaimer

The subheading needed to contain my own greatly abbreviated preface (message me directly if you want the whole thing, I'd be happy to share more specifics there but won't derail n a public post to quite that extent).

I myself am not a believer in any particular faith or divine higher power and have been raised as such, but a couple of people in my family happen to be religious so I have some experience with Christians in that setting as well as a few friends who have at some point also believed. I have always admired the solace belief in the afterlife etc can allow with its structured framework in helping individuals navigate the world and hold no ill will towards anyone for such beliefs. I think the freedom to practice or not practice a religion is incredibly important as is never assuming a "default" and "normal" category for someone to fall into.

There are undeniably issues with religion as an organised institution that holds power today and has done historically. However, I won't go further into it here beyond clarifying my ability to reconcile both that institutional pressure pushing interpretations of beliefs/faith/the divine can cause harm to those in a religious community and outside of it and that as with any group chriastians (or any religious folks) are not a monolith even sub-denomination who all share the same views.

The Bishop

Is a supporting character with whom the story would not exist as it does- the role both his belief in redemption and mercy and the importance of empathy towards his fellow man is the lynchpin of facilitating Valjean's journey to inner peace. His internalisation of Christianity contributes to his willingness to offer second chances and more directly to the power he is bestowed by the church to follow through with that desire into action.

His unashamed kindness and prioritisation of the tenet that everyone has a soul and the right to a personal relationship with a forgiving god no matter their circumstance is fascinating and reaches the same conclusion that a secular person may also reach of "every life has value" extremely pleasingly.

Frankly, I rather appreciate that a character who's so unabashedly good is in the musical and who saves Valjean from spiralling despair as a rather saintly paragon. I also think that his religion greatly informs how he reached where he is but that it does not detract from him as a person just being like that too. For all religion gave him the structured path to help others through charity etc it itself as a system of belief is not necessarily the entirety of his character and I believe in any life where he could make circumstances work getting by he would be a good man.

So Monsieurs you may release him For this man has spoken true I commend you for your duty May God's blessing go with you. But remember this, my brother See in this some higher plan You must use this precious silver To become an honest man By the witness of the martyrs By the Passion and the Blood God has raised you out of darkness I have saved your soul for God!

The passage comes after Valjean attempts theft for the second time and is once again found out by the police and dragged back for The Bishop to confirm it. The Bishop notably is acting against the laws of the society without any moral qualm in his offering mercy here, even as he thanks the policemen for doing their job as the agents of the law not makers of it.

But, more interestingly, while "God's blessing" and an unrelenting faith in everyone having a "soul "worth leading to the light again are invoked and The Bishop speaks on behalf the divine as he knows it he also calls Valjean "brother". Now "brother" recognises Valjean as his fellow man, a fellow child of God sure but also just as another person capable of change which again is a stance I believe he could have reached with or without structured faith. It is just religion that gives him such unflinching conviction in his view of the world as it is and culturally ensures that the policemen respect him as a community figure of importance and take his word as a witness for it immediately despite the shakiness of Valjean's tale that is only afterwards and in the moment made true of the silver being a "present".

Thenardier

Also claims to be Christian, as does his wife, with a rather different portrayal from the musical regarding their self professed faith.

Thenardier is a thoroughly nasty character, a career criminal who: cheats on his wife, threatens his own daughter, runs his legitimate inn shadily, overcharges customers when he has a legitimate business, isn't above violent crime, loots corpses and runs pre-mediated cons that the police can never quite catch him out on. In his and his wife's one act of almost decency agreeing to fostering Cosette for money that's not not a rip off of Fantine they show themselves to be extremely negligent about actually looking after her, using her as essentially slave labour and insulting her and her mother to Cosette's face. It's just awful, particularly when Thenardier's wife at least is shown to be capable of being alright when it contrasts with how she treats a young Eponine.

The implications are that they don't actually believe in God in any way that's real and not an act, which I'm not all that fond of on its own as the only characters more or less explicitly shown to do so.

In Look Down there's lines that mirror Thenardier's later ones in the sewer commenting that where there is great suffering God clearly can't be there or listening though I suppose so it as a reflection of harshness which Thenardier willingly engages with not on atheists being less moral is a possibility. Turning also has some sense of the lack of hope being what drives character's to losing faith in the face of hardship that it doesn't villainise the grieving for.

[CONVICT TWO] I've done no wrong! Sweet Jesus, hear my prayer!

[PRISONERS] Look down look down, Sweet Jesus doesn't care

(Look Down)

It's a world where the dog eats the dog Where they kill for bones in the street And God in His Heaven He don't interfere 'Cause he's dead as the stiffs at my feet I raise my eyes to see the heavens And only the moon looks down The harvest moon shines down!

(Dog Eat Dog)

WOMAN SEVEN Same old story. What's the use of tears?

WOMAN FIVE What's the use of praying if there's nobody who hears?

ALL Turning, turning, turning, turning, turning Through the years.

(Turning)

But I do appreciate how Thenardier saying the right words and presenting as faithful to the Christian church etc is a tool that he abuses and gets away with as a way to bring in some criticism on how it can function as a tool to hurt people and not face consequences, regardless of whether individuals such as Valjean and Marius call him or his wife out.

[MADAME THÉNARDIER] That would quite fit the bill If she hadn't so often been ill Little dear, cost us dear Medicines are expensive, Monsieur Not that we begrudged a sou It's no more than we Christians must do

(The Bargain)

Lip service to compassion which contrasts rather well to The Bishop and particularly his acting as an individual to show Valjean mercy rather than on any established policy.

THENARDIER So it goes, heaven knows Life has dealt me some terrible blows.

MME. THENARDIER You've got cash and a heart You could give us a bit of a start!

(Wedding Chorale)

As for you, take this too! God forgive the things that we do.

Marius following punching Thenardier up with that is also funny, as a personal note.

We know where the wind is blowing Money is the stuff we smell. And when we're rich as Croesus Jesus! Won't we see you all in hell!

(Beggars at the feast)

This suggests its more their focus on the present life being comfortable than about disbelief in the afterlife outright but it's up in the air.

In conclusion

Religion adds fascinating layers to characters and their dynamics when integrated into a story and explored as a theme but for me it works best when there's multiple representations of it all that enrichen the complexity of issues.

I also enjoy the differences in how belief in a possible divine power manifests in affecting characters as its all still individual reactions.

I shall eventually get around to working on a Valjean and Javert one plus the finale and Fantine at possibly a separate and later point, I'll see.

I would be happy to hear anything of your own you have to say or add or disagree or agree with here, @stellavesperis, or whoever jumps in if they're suitably polite!

[stellavesperis]

Overture

This is my original work and I do not give permission for this to be reposted outside of Tumblr, or used in any other sort of way without my expressed permission. Please be respectful of it.

Okay, so I have another music update! This is the Overture (opening song pre-curtain lift) for my Noldolantë stage adaptation idea. (I like to play around with tempo a lot more than the notation software likes lol; same warning as last time that it's digital instruments that certainly have a sound to them. I am hoping to get a group of performers together within the next year or so to try and record a few of my ideas with better sound quality! Keep in mind that (the opening especially) is a little rough because of a lack of intuitive performers.)

Also, if you listened to my piece Through the Smoke, I did reuse the ending of that piece with slightly different instrumentation, as I sort of did intend the end of that piece to become part of the Overture.

More on the music beneath the cut.

Overtures usually give a preview of the themes to come throughout the rest of the performance, so I tried to work in as many leitmotifs as I could from other pieces I'm working on, and I believe the final count was eight. Here they are in order of appearance.

Main Theme (the first time it appears, I think I just want it to be a vocalist, no words. However, the cello sounds way better than the voices do on this particular notation software, so that's what I used. After the first iteration, the cello is just a cello and there won't be any more vocals XD.)

Maedhros' Theme This is the new melody the violins are playing after the transition away from the Main Theme at 1:14 (the B section again, which I used in my last piece- I'll get around to posting his actual main theme eventually, the B section just works great as a build)

Spirit of Fire (Fëanor's Theme) This is the runs on the violin underneath Mae's Theme just after the transition, as well as the bassline shortly before the return to the Main Theme.

The Oath (Doom) That's what I've used this little leitmotif for in the past (it's that little four-note melody that comes in on the flute and gradually builds with other instruments to overtake Maedhros' Theme), but lately I've been expanding its use and I'm not sure if I can rightfully refer to it as "The Oath Theme" anymore.

Song from the Sea This is the harp line under the Main Theme after we return from the middle section. I used it in my earliest drafts of this musical from years ago as the finale. And then the ones that I also explained in Through the Smoke:

Maglor's Theme

Finwë and Indis

Silmarils (leitmotif)

I'm happy to talk more about it if there are any questions :) I also would like to state going forward, my instrumentation and style for the musical is a little different from what I've posted now, which is heavily and dramatically orchestral. I'll be using guitar more and leaning into a bit more of a folksy style, as that is what I'm most familiar with writing aside from orchestra, while still retaining the instrumentation in certain parts (If I had to ascribe a particular sound to it, I would say it's probably most like The Amazing Devil's music, which you should absolutely listen to). Thanks for stopping by and listening! :D

[papita474]

@stellavesperis @dfwbwfbbwfbwf @sadsilmarilsoup IDK WHAT THE FUCK THIS IS JSKLAJJSKKSKJSS

But macaroni maglor¿?¿?¿?¿

[eri-pl]

So, I'm watching Hadestown

Thank you, @stellavesperis for the rec.

It's giving me feelings. Silm feelings, too. Like, I know B&L weas inspired by Orpheus myth, probably with many things in between, but I have so much Silm in my head that I can't stop thinking "reverse Beren and Luthien"...

But also there are fragments in the text that just --- just

Like a web of stories interconnect, like reflexes form a crystal chandelier... and the recipe for tragedy, at least one of the recipes for tragedy is you have all the right ideas but they just don't work they can't work... And I hear him singing and I'm like "yes this checks out but I'm so sorry my guy it just won't work", it's just... I have feelings about them. I have a lot of feelings.

Some things are just... archetypical i guess? Or maybe I'm just seeing things.

Also, guys not listening to (in this case, literally not hearing) their wives/gfs --- why does this always happen?

The meshing of this myth + Western (for lack of a better word) is done so well. And I love the music style.

Also, now I will imagine Luthien with this exact looks (as Euridice) because it feels like... feels like a kind of retribution.

[also why does Orpheus have such a high voice? I don't like high voices...]

[stellavesperis]

Notice about Rings of Power S2

Hi! I’m StellaVesperis. I'm an avid linguistics nerd, musician, and Tolkien fan. I mostly blog about The Silmarillion (Maglor and Maedhros are my favorites forever), but I may also be talking about:

Les Miserable (especially Enjoltaire)

ATLA/ LoK

Fullmetal Alchemist

Legend of Vox Machina and other DnD related shenanigans

And a few other fandoms/interests I pop in and out of :)

I also write music, most of which is Tolkien-inspired. My current pet project is a stage musical of the Noldolantë. I hope to actually do something with it someday, but for now, it's just me and my ideas against the world XD. I'll be updating this pinned post with links to my posts about the project. (MU stands for Music Update, which is a post about the music. If it’s just a title, then there’s an actual song linked there).

MU: Ideas for next song: The Veil of Night Draws Back

Through the Smoke

MU: Track Titles

Death in Days Undying (lyrics)

Overture

I also try to keep this blog SFW. Thanks for taking the time to stop by! :)

[ao3feed-kotlc]

The Past of the Elves

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2mdGYeK

by SemperAeternumQue

When having a fun picnic in the woods with her friends, Sophie Foster encounters a mysterious stranger...with a tragic past. With the help of Bronte and her friends, she may find herself involved in a mystery that spans centuries. Prompt fill for StellaVesperis.

Words: 2205, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien, Keeper of the Lost Cities Series - Shannon Messenger

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Gen

Characters: Sophie Foster (Keeper of the Lost Cities), Maglor | Makalaurë, Keefe Sencen

Relationships: Councillor Bronte & Sophie Foster, Sophie Foster & Keefe Sencen, Sophie Foster and Maglor | Makalaurë

Additional Tags: Hopeful Ending, ancient scroll, bronte being helpful for once, maglor is a mysterious wanderer dude, Clumsiness, No beta we die like Kenric, Vague Timeframe, i haven't read kotlc in too long, Requested, One Shot, for now, may become a chaptered fic if i ever have time, Crossover

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2mdGYeK

[sadsilmarilsoup]

Thanks for the tag @vixies-art

I made myself a wallpaper using this app called shuffles and I think it's very adorable 😊

Tagging @mysticalmagicalbooknerd @eloquentsisyphianturmoil @stellavesperis @papita474 and whoever else wants to join!

Let’s play a game

Everyone post the most recent picture in your camera roll. You only get one sentence to justify yourself if you wish. This one is mine.

My boyfriend is rly good at Latin, so I was looking up how to say ‘I love you’ but found this instead :)

Your turn!

@bookmovietvworm

@myfairkatiecat

@i-am-a-fish

@valtsv

[sadsilmarilsoup]

Oooh thanks! I got king as well!

Tags for @vixies-art @stellavesperis @erendur and whoever else wants to participate :)

Ok, here's a fantasy game because I want to feel nostalgy (there was a period of time, when my dream №1 was becoming an elf)

So, here we go

1) take this quiz

2) make your own character, based on the result, using this piccrew (the character can look whatever you want)

3) repost with your quiz result and your character. Don't forget to tag somebody

Feel free to take part even if you weren't tagged :3

I'll go first

I'll tag: @sparrows-my-abhorred

[sadsilmarilsoup]

Oooh this is so cute!

Tagging @vixies-art @erendur and @stellavesperis :)

Which oddly specific colour palette are you?

Thank you for the tag, @citrus-moonlight!!! This is... quite literally my wardrobe color on top of the eyeshadows/lipsticks I wear on the daily so this is actually quite spooky skfjsdkf

Link to quiz.

No pressure tags (and you if you see this!): @sixpennydame @nube55 @littlerequiem @pinkberryfox @thechaoticarchivist

[papita474]

@dfwbwfbbwfbwf @stellavesperis jwkshskssj this goes whit you two talking about gooron jjaksjs