#sweet Séverine

[hollowterrain]

Sweet Séverine in Marie Mur

[tsuchiman]

Séverine

[sowhatifiliveinfukuoka]

Miriam Veil and Sweet Séverine (2022)

[florameline]

The beautiful Sweet Séverine

[isablooo]

plsplspls tell us (me) more about porphyry & mirabelle! <3

GLADLY THANK YOU FOR ASKING <3 will just share some brief intros and facts!! Let me know if there's anything specific you want to know!

Porphyry is the oldest vampire I've introduced so far but is very bloodthirsty and ruthless so you'd never be able to tell! She's pretty unbridled in general and is the type to say whatever everybody else in the room is thinking but nobody wants to say. She gladly supplies Séverine with blood vials from her hunts that Sév can sell under the counter to her vampiric customers. If Séverine needs to pop out quickly and has nobody else to ask, she will sometimes ask Porphyry to watch the shop for her, though Porphyry usually either lazes about or scares people off (not always on purpose, she's just intimidating).

Mirabelle is a hill folk lady who has only recently moved from her village to Verdeux city. She has dreams of becoming a singer in the theatre but is saving up by working at a tavern for now. She comes across as a sweet ingénue but actually has a very macabre interest in vampires.... as soon as she found out there are vamps in Verdeux she would not leave them alone (I say 'them' but I mainly mean Séverine and her shop ajskda). She's like if one of those girls who tweets about wanting to get bit by a hot vampire was put in the same world as a bunch of vampires.

Also this is their height difference (Porphyry is 5'11, Mirabelle is 5'0)...

Porphyry finds Mirabelle very funny and has almost forgotten that she initially threatened to eat her.

[bookloverturnedfangirl]

I think the line “this means nothing,” has done more damage to me than any other.

[ichor-waffles]

Never have I sobbed so hard in the entirety of m-my entire life p-please why you c-c-can’t do this to me s-s-stoooopp

[highbornkinsmen13]

Enrique: *Sees Séverin and Lailanwalk into the room holding hand* "So who finally confessed?"

Laila:*with a proud smile*" it was me, I made sure it was short and sweet. "

Séverin: " you yelled listen hear you little shit I have feelings for you and it's about time you acknowledge them......from the roof".

Laila: "It worked tho"

[warmthandwaves]

Laila: Now what are the three stages of life

Zofia: Birth

Enrique: What the fuck is this

Séverin: Death, ah sweet death!

[hollowterrain]

house of iris x sweet séverine

@houseofiris.official @sweet.severine

[childotkw]

Tag 8 people you want to know better

I was tagged by @mursalmango 

Favorite Color: Purple!

Last song: ‘Ghost’ by Jacob Lee

Favorite musicians: I’m all over the place with music, so I don’t really have one.

Last movie: David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet

Last TV show: The Haunting of Hill House

Favorite Characters: Ahhhhh. Tom Riddle, Harry Potter, Tony Stark, Stiles Stilinski, Naruto Uzumaki. (Favourite Characters that I made: Raina Séverin, Alden, Cassius, Eli, Cayden, Sena).

Sweet, spicy, or savory: Sweet.

Bubbly water, coffee, or tea: Has to be tea!

Pets: I have one corgi (Ollivander), two cats (Pippin and Potato), and technically there is a fish.

I tag: @k-s-morgan, @adrift-in-eden, @bookworm-2692, @dailydreamer57, @emeraldsage98, @rmb--eternal, @thatqueerweirdo, @madrone33.

[sowhatifiliveinfukuoka]

Miriam Veil and Sweet Séverine (2023)

[unicorns-bookshelf]

Title: The Gilded Wolves

Author: Roshani Chokshi

Genre: fantasy, young adult

Rating: 4/5

~Beware of spoilers~

I feel like lots of people picked up The Gilded Wolves expecting it to be Six of Crows 2.0. Because of that the review section is full of people who were either disappointed that it’s not similar enough or enraged that there are some parallels between the two but they aren’t “good enough” to be an actual copy. It’s disappointing because there’s so much more to say about this book than comparing it to another.

The story takes place in Paris in the year 1889 during Exposition Universelle. Séverin, a hotelier at day and a treasure hunter at night, is trying to restore the inheritance that was unjustly taken from him by the Order of Babel - an organization focused around a fragment of the Tower of Babel that supposedly brings magic and fortune to the place where it’s located. Séverin was supposed to become one of the Patriarchs - heads of the four houses of the Order in France, but, as he believes, his test had been falsified and he was stripped of privileges. However, during his search, he comes across a compass with a map to an artifact that could turn the world and the Order upside down. and along with a group of friends decides to find it.

The Gilded Wolves is a treasure hunt book. Reading it I couldn’t help but think about Indiana Jones, The National Treasure or The Mummy movies. There was even a scene where the characters are chased by a flaming rock rolling down the tunnel. The book was action-packed but between the action, there was always time for some banter or sweet, familial moments. Not to mention the writing that was absolutely beautiful, full of lush descriptions absolutely raw one-liners. The plot had some great twists. One at the end left me hungry for more and I can’t wait for the second part of this book.

A common complaint I heard is that people found the magic system confusing. I personally can’t understand that since to me the magic system basically boils down to “people born with magic can modify things to give them special functions”.  Some do it with flowers, some with stone and some with human brains. “Forging” in this context means “shaping”, shaping the object to do your bidding or shaping the human mind to see what you want it to see. Sure, we don’t exactly know the limits or laws regulating it but I don’t feel like it’s necessary for the story. In this book, magic is closely connected with building the aesthetics of the world - guards with Sphinx masks, animals made of precious stones guarding magical artifacts, dresses that have burnable layers - all of it is supposed to show that magic is deeply ingrained in the world and make it feel extraordinary and unique. Even the history of the world presented in The Gilded Wolves is connected to the magic - where the Babel Fragments were located after God destroyed the Tower civilizations grew and people were able to Forge. Europeans stole one of the Babel Fragments during their crusades and brought it to France. Along with it, they took plenty of Forged objects that the Houses collect and keep in their treasuries away from thieves’ reach.

The only thing I had a problem with was the number of Forged objects the author introduced. After a while, it was difficult to keep track of them and remember which one was supposed to do what. Not to mention there were some that even the characters weren’t sure how to use.

The Gilded Wolves had six main characters, all wonderfully diverse with their own goals. Séverin and Hypnos are French and Algerian and Haitian, respectively. Enrique is half-Spanish, half-Filipino. Laila is Indian and Zofia is Jewish and autistic. Enrique is also bisexual and Hypnos is gay. Through them, the author tells a story of racism and the effects of colonization in that period of time. Laila often gets mistaken for a maid, Enrique is considered “not Philipino enough” to be taken seriously by the group of Filipino writers he wants to join, Hypnos is looked down upon by the other house Patriarch because he’s mixed. 

I loved the characters separately and I loved the friendship between them, especially between them and Hypnos. I was pretty sure he was going to betray them at first but he turned out to be an absolute sweetheart and one of my favorite characters together with Zofia. One thing I didn’t appreciate, however, was the amount of absolutely overbearing and unnecessary romance. 

Each part of Séverin’s POV was full of Laila. No matter what was going on, if he remembered Laila (and he always did) his train of thought would stray thinking about that one single time they’d slept together and how he should forget about it but he can’t. It was sometime really overtaking the plot and simply tired me out. At the end of the book, I realized that Séverin was a horribly selfish character - longing for things he had but they were taken from him instead appreciating what he still had and then taking his frustration out on other people for his failure when he lost that too. The finale would go completely differently if Séverin stopped being so horny just for a moment. 

Laila’s POVs were more bearable because she wouldn’t forget that she cares about other people on the team when it was convenient. Her relationships with Zofia and Tristan were sweet and caring and I also loved her banter with Hypnos and how she always wanted to believe he’s on their side. She was really fierce and honestly could do much better than Séverin.

But with just those two the romance subplot wouldn’t be so bad. Sadly it had to extend to Enrique, Zofia, and Hypnos. Zofia and Hypnos were my favorites and they deserved something better than a love triangle with a guy who can’t pick between them. Not to mention that Zofia getting upset that Enrique and Hypnos kissed came out of the blue because before them she showed absolutely no interest in him romantically. It was just so forced compared to Enrique’s relationship with Hypnos where the attraction at least went both ways from the very beginning.

Another thing that bothered me was the ages of the characters. They absolutely didn’t fit the way they acted. I would say that Séverin and the rest were around 20-25 and based on how he acted and how others treated him, Tristan was like 13. It feels so weird to see Laila mothering a boy who’s just two years younger than her. At one point Laila says that she was told she won’t live until her 19th birthday and my reaction was “Oh well, looks like they were wrong” and then she said that she still has a year and I was picking up my jaw from the floor so... yeah. 

I’m also a little sad that I can’t say more about Tristan, Séverin’s adopted brother with love for big spiders and ability to Forge plants but there was just so little of him. He seemed like a character I’d grow to really love.

To sum up, The Gilded Wolves is a novel with spectacular writing, a beautifully crafted world that comes alive when you’re reading, a treasure hunt plot that felt really nostalgic to me and a cast of diverse characters. It does have its faults but saying that it’s just milder Six of Crows is doing it a great injustice. The book is also a beautiful commentary on racism and colonialism and what consequences does it has for people. I will gladly add the already announced sequel to my To Be Read list. 

Amazon / Goodreads

[isablooo]

I’m in dire need of doing a training arc where I do hardcore research on perfumes (specifically 18th and 19th century perfumery) because I’m trying to come up with signature scents that Séverine would recommend for each of the other charas and so far it just comprises of flavours or motifs I associate with them and I have no idea if these would even work together as scents?? Here’s what I’ve got so far:

Mirabelle- amarena cherry, red roses, maraschino cherry

Séverine - lilac,

Wilfred- bergamot, earl grey, roses, sickly sweet flavours

Clemence- blood oranges, clementines,

Tatiana- honey,

Johann- ????

Porphyry- ????

[mexicaneurolover]

Eurovision 2006 my top 37

Hello and welcome to another episode of this ESC tops, and after a little break because of New Year, I go back to May 18 and 20, 2006 when the 51st edition of the contest was held in Athens, Greece, after Helena Paparizou’s victory in Kiev last year. 37 countries took part, while Armenia had their first entry this year, Austria, Hungary and Serbia & Montenegro withdrew, the latter because of problems with the national selection process. Also this year was the first in where only the top 3 scores were said by the spokespeople in order to save time of the voting. The contest was won by Finland with Lordi and Hard Rock Hallelujah, making this their first win ever after debuting in 1961 and the last to date. And now, let’s review the songs.

1st Place: FINLAND/Lordi-Hard Rock Hallelujah (Real Placing: 1st-292 points)

This... song... is... AWESOME, one of the first ESC songs I discovered, this has a special place in my heart, I usually don’t listen to this kind of music, but this is perfect, the performance is epic, they are amazing and wow, SUCH A DESERVED WINNER AND FINALLY FINLAND WON EUROVISION, and with one of their best songs ever. 

2nd Place: GREECE/Anna Vissi-Everything (Real Placing: 9th-128 points)

Also ANNA VISSI IS BACK, and with another beautiful song as in 1982, her voice here is so perfect, the lyrics are so strong but I love them, this is one of my favorite songs to sing in the shower, the last part it’s the best one here and yeah, THIS DESERVED SO MUCH MORE IN THE FINAL. 

3rd Place: BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA/Hari Mata Hari-Lejla (Real Placing: 3rd-229 points)

Another Balkan song that it’s so perfect that makes me feel like in other dimension, his voice is so perfect and beautiful, the whole atmosphere here is stunning and... I don’t have words to express my love to this song, it’s simply perfect. 

4th Place: SWEDEN/Carola-Invincible (Real Placing: 5th-170 points)

QUEEN CAROLA IS BACK, and with another amazing song, her voice as always is very strong and the music is so cute, even I like more the Swedish version, also the performance is very amazing and wow, I’m so in love with Carola. 

5th Place: NORWAY/Christine Guldbrandsen-Alvedansen (Real Placing: =14th-36 points)

This song makes me want to travel to the Nordic forests and sing around the fire, her voice is like a fairytale and the music is so stunning and beautiful. The performance is so effective and I fell in love with this entry the first time I listened to it.  

6th Place: ROMANIA/Mihai Traistariu-Tornerò (Real Placing: 4th-172 points)

YEEES this entry is everything, his voice is very good and the music is perfect, so here everything works, and I can’t stand still while listening to this song, the performance is so cool and those high notes kill me every time I hear them. 

7th Place: IRELAND/Brian Kennedy-Every song is a cry for love (Real Placing: 10th-93 points)

Ireland goes back to what the do well, a classic Irish ballad, and I love it, his voice is so beautiful, the music is cute and overall this song is stunning and perfect. One of the best ballads that year and I like the lyrics on this song. 

8th Place: ALBANIA/Luiz Ejlli-Zjarr e ftohtë (Real Placing: 14th SF-58 points)

AHHHH I LOVE THIS SONG, the ethnic sounds are so wonderful and his voice is so good, also the performance is perfect and I like it so much, and I love the Albanian language, even if I only know one word. 

9th Place: UKRAINE/Tina Karol-Show me your love (Real Placing: 7th-145 points)

One of my fave songs from Ukraine, I love the music, her voice is so stunning, she’s so stunning, the performance is perfect, also this makes me smile for no reason, and that long note is epic, YOU’LL BE MY BUTT, THAT’S WHY I’M GAY, my favorite misheard lyrics ever. 

10th Place: SLOVENIA/Anzej Dezan-Mr. Nobody (Real Placing: 16th SF-49 points) 

This is one of my guilty pleasures of the year, the music is so nice, but reminds me of something else, his voice is cool and the performance is perfect, also the lyrics are relatable for my old life. A nice entry from Slovenia, I think this deserved more actually. 

11th Place: FRANCE/Virginie Pouchain-Il était temps (Real Placing: 22nd-5 points)

Awww this is a sweet song, maybe her voice wasn’t on point on the night but this relax me so much, the music is so charming and yeah, what a wonderful feeling this song has, I enjoy this every time I listen to this.  

12th Place: CROATIA/Severina-Moja štikla (Real Placing: =12th-56 points) 

This song is such a wonderful one, the performance is so cute and she sings nice, also I love the dancing and the lyrics are so funny and irreverent, AFRIKA PAPRIKA, OMG this is such a song that lights me up and wow, she’s dancing on high heels. 

13th Place: RUSSIA/Dima Bilan-Never let you go (Real Placing: 2nd-248 points)

Oh well, I have a love hate relationship with this song, the music is so good and I love the performance, but my problem here is his voice, I’m not a big fan of his voice, but in the chorus everything seems in control, I don’t think I hate it as I did before but I think a runner up it’s a bit high for this one. 

14th Place: FYR MACEDONIA/Elena Risteska-Ninanajna (Real Placing: =12th-56 points) 

That time when Greece displayed the country as Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, so funny, well... this song is awesome, her voice is so cool and the performance is effective, also reggaeton in Macedonian, count me in, I enjoy the music, everything here mixes perfectly and yeah, one of my fave Macedonian entries ever. 

15th Place: ANDORRA/Jenny-Sense tu (Real Placing: 23rd SF-8 points/last)

I love the music on this song, it’s so enchanting, also her voice is so strong and perfect, so I don’t understand how this came last in the SF, the performance is a bit crazy but I like it, it’s so effective and this is one of my favorite songs from Andorra. Also have I expressed my love for Catalan? 

16th Place: BULGARIA/Mariana Popova-Let me cry (17th SF-36 points)

Another ballad that IMO deserved so much more, her voice is perfect and the music makes me travel to a magical land, also, what’s with the hair of the backing singer LOL, I love the chorus, it’s so strong. 

17th Place: BELGIUM/Kate Ryan-Je t’adore (Real Placing: 12th SF-69 points)

WHY THIS SONG DIDN’T GET THROUGH THE SEMIFINAL? I’M A SUCKER FOR THIS KIND OF SONGS, the music is so cool, her voice is stunning and what a performance she had, everything was on point, so I don’t understand how this didn’t make the final. J’ADORE THIS SONG. 

18th Place: GERMANY/Texas Lightning-No no never (Real Placing: =14th-36 points) 

OMG COUNTRY MUSIC AT ESC, count me in, I like the music and her voice is so sweet and cool for this song, also the staging is so country and I enjoy it, a nice entry that makes me smile every time I listen to it. 

19th Place: LITHUANIA/LT United-We are the winners (Real Placing: 6th-162 points)

I know the lyrics on this one are a punch on the face, and it turns out to be a bit annoying, but at the same time I like this one because of the music also they are wonderful singers and they have a lot of charisma. Another quite brilliant joke song. 

20th Place: UNITED KINGDOM/Daz Sampson-Teenage life (Real Placing: 19th-25 points)

This song is a cute one because of the lyrics, but I feel a bit uncomfortable with the performance, also, as I exposed with previous songs of this style, this isn’t one of my favorite genres, but I appreciate Daz’ charisma on stage, and overall I enjoy it.  

21st Place: TURKEY/Sibel Tüzün-Süper star (Real Placing: 11th-91 points)

If you asked me 2 years ago, I would’ve said that this song was my last place and I hated it, but now I kinda appreciate it more than I did before, somehow I still think it’s a bit flat and that is one of Turkey’s flattest attempts ever. 

22nd Place: MONACO/Séverine Ferrer-La Coco-Dance (Real Placing: 21st SF-14 points)  

Oh another song that makes me want to go to the beach and dance hula with hot dancers, her voice was a bit all over the place but the performance is so cool and the music is nice, this makes me smile so much, and MONACO PLEASE COME BACK. 

23rd Place: POLAND/Ich Troje ft. Real McCoy-Follow my heart (Real Placing: 11th SF-70 points)

This song for me it’s very good, maybe the performance was a bit off putting because of the clothes, but it was so cute when he kissed the belly of his pregnant wife, that moment always makes me cry, also I like this over their 2003 entry, and I think voice-wise, this deserved the final.  

24th Place: DENMARK/Sidsel Ben Semmane-Twist of love (Real Placing: 18th-26 points)

I love the twist sounds in this one, reminds me of a Disney Channel movie song and yeah, I like it, her voice suits this song perfectly and this makes me feel like in a beach. What a twist for the contest. 

25th Place: SPAIN/Las Ketchup-Un Blodymary (Real Placing: 21st-18 points)

This is a weird song, the music is so intriguing and the lyrics are interesting as well, they sing average but somehow I manage to like this song, the performance is so perfect for this song, maybe the dancers were too much. This is not Aserejé but this works for me.  

26th Place: CYPRUS/Annet Artani-Why angels cry (Real Placing: 15th SF-57 points)

This is a very cute ballad and she has a vey good voice, also knowing she was a backing singer to Britney Spears makes me love her more, the performance was cute and yeah, I enjoy this song. 

27th Place: ICELAND/Silvia Night-Congratulations (Real Placing: 13th SF-62 points)

This is a brilliant joke song, her attitude was so... how can I say it... special and the music is so good and I enjoy this one and makes me laugh. Her singing is bad but I think it’s part of the whole act. The booing at the end was funny though. 

28th Place: MALTA/Fabrizio Faniello-I do (Real Placing: 24th-1 point/last)

Oh why, his voice here is horrible and he sang this so bad, the music is okay but this is very repetitive and boring at some point, also the performance was too bad, and I think this was a deserved last place in the final. 

29th Place: PORTUGAL/Nonstop-Coisas de nada (Real Placing: 19th SF-26 points)

Also this screams mid 00′s so badly, they sing okay and the music is catchy, but the outfits are hideous and horrible, this entry is quite average but I enjoy it. 

30th Place: ESTONIA/Sandra Oxenryd-Through my window (Real Placing: 18th SF-28 points)

This is certainly better than the other songs I have lower, the music is so mid 00′s and I like it because it was the kind of music I heard when I was 7 years old, her voice could’ve been better and maybe with that, the song would’ve done better. 

31st Place: THE NETHERLANDS/Treble-Amambanda (Real Placing: 20th SF-22 points)

This is an interesting song, this has an imaginary language and it’s nice, and the music is fine, also their energy is contagious, but I think this needed something else to be a better song. 

32nd Place: SWITZERLAND/six4one-If we all give a little (Real Placing: =16th-30 points)

Okay why many of the prequalified songs are bad? This was one of my faves a long ago, but sadly this has become mediocre and annoying for me. They sing so well but the song... is very outdated.  

33rd Place: ARMENIA/André-Without your love (Real Placing: 8th-129 points)

Oh another annoying song, I don’t like his voice so much here and the music is cool but sadly everything else it mediocre, his diction is bad as well so overall this, IMO, is a weak debut for Armenia.  

34th Place: LATVIA/Vocal Group Cosmos-I hear your heart (Real Placing: =16th-30 points)

Their voices are so good and enjoyable, but sadly I have a little problem with a capella songs, because it’s a gender I don’t enjoy so much and I find it annoying after a while. Also the performance was a bit weird and uncomfortable. 

35th Place: MOLDOVA/Arsenium ft. Natalia Gordienko-Loca (Real Placing: 20th-22 points)

Oh this song is an absolute mess and a whole disaster, the music is kinda annoying and I hate the lyrics so much, oh no, I don’t like this song at all.  

36th Place: ISRAEL/Eddie Butler-Together we are one (Real Placing: 23rd-4 points) 

Okay this song is very boring and forgettable, his voice is okay but sadly, this doesn’t go anywhere, but I enjoy the gospel feeling in this one. This doesn’t stand out so much. 

37th Place: BELARUS/Polina Smolova-Mum (Real Placing: 22nd SF-10 points) 

Oh this song is so bad, the music is so annoying and mediocre, her voice isn’t the best and this is a song that I forget as soon as it ends, not a great entry from Belarus. 

[grandilcquently-a-blog]

here’s some stuff about aymeric and how he deals with death;

      * ) when his father dies, aymeric feels nothing. his father didn't care for him, gave him the classic ' you must act like a man would, ' talk every three hours, it seemed. they were never close, but he did regret his father's death for a short time thereafter, and only because of his mother. 

      * ) his mother went only a few months later—and he was devastated. he loved his mother; she was kind, gentle, and taught him everything, even when she wasn't supposed to. she refused to leave him only with his governess, and played a large part in his childhood and adolescence. he spent seven months mourning her, and now that he is of immortal life, there are parts of him that wish he were vampyric sooner; so that he may have saved her.

      * ) his own death shook aymeric to the core. he loathed it, feared it; prayed for nights on end for it to stay away. ( he never had prayed properly before. ) his life, which had been tainted by death in what seemed like one swift blow, would now be coming to an end, and only at his own fault. but, once approached by death itself, he refused it, and accepted it. he looked death in the eye and said, ' you may take me, but only once; you will not claim another séverin after i. '

      * ) and so undeath came. his first kill was not easy; it never is, under any condition. but ... after coming to terms with his newfound power and weaknesses, aymeric was okay with what he had to do to survive. death would not claim another séverin, he would remind himself.

      * ) just two months prior to his marrying of elizabeth, aymeric grew weary of his thirst for blood. he did not like killing for his own survival, and in a fit of rage, anguish for those he had taken; he realized, that he had become death, to them. he could hide his true nature from his love, but not whilst killing minor nobles every other night to sate his bloodlust.

      * ) elizabeth's death was not something that aymeric could have ever seen coming. he dwelled on telling her everything, asking to turn her, so that they could be eternally together; because he knew it was only a matter of time before she noticed that something was wrong. but, he never had the chance to pose it to her, as her death was one orchestrated by fate itself, it seemed. 

      * ) unlike his parents, aymeric watched elizabeth die. she lain upon their bed, broken and bloodied, and he held her hand through it all. he whispered sweetnesses to her, like he had when they first met, reassuring her that it would be alright. but, it seemed that night, death would claim another séverin.

      * ) he could not turn her like he had been; aymeric could not bring himself to do so. he wanted to, like he always longed, but would she have wanted that? no, elizabeth was a woman of honor; of a kind heart, she would never hurt anything as long as she lived. he knew this, and it broke his heart, and it took decades for aymeric to finally come to term with elizabeth's death, for the regret to finally met away.