#tries and failures of artistry

[khys-treasure-box]

AN: I've been playing a lot of Metaphor: ReFantazio lately, so my apologies that this first post didn't come sooner. ^^' I've really been brainrotted to hell and back with that game because I just love it so much. That being said, in a weird, roundabout way, that's exactly what inspired this post! My favorite character is Strohl and me and my friends have a running joke that he's just fantasy Akihiko, so it's only natural that I write something about my dearly beloved proto-Strohl! /hj <3

CW: None! Just fluffy thoughts about Akihiko being a dork! This isn't technically X Reader, but you can absolutely read it as such. <3

So... we all know how canonically dense Akihiko is about romance, right? I mean, he seriously wondered why he failed so miserably during Operation Babe Hunt; so much so that he evidently went out and bought some sort of pickup artistry book after. He does not know how to get women, or really anyone for that matter. :')

That being said, how awkward he is about love truly never leaves my mind.

I fully believe that not only is he the type to not realize he has feelings for someone until someone else tells him, but I also believe that, beyond that point, he'll do anything but just ask someone else for advice. He'll sooner turn back to that book he bought after going to Yakushima than just ask. Not to say he would never get to the point of asking someone he knows for help, but he'd have to be really really desperate I fear. He can't help it, really, he's just super shy when it comes to this sort of thing. Sure, all these romance books and movies he's forcing himself to sit through seem incredibly cheesy, but if there's a chance they'll somehow help his predicament, then he'll put up with it all. He has to learn somehow, doesn't he?

Don't even get me started on how much he flounders when he's finally plucked up the confidence to start trying to flirt. Oh boy, this poor guy is a mess. He's trying so hard to act cool and charming, but he just ends up stumbling over his words and having to laugh it off as if he was just making a joke. Things that he used to say so casually (or so he thought at least) end up coming out super stiff compared to before. Any time he tries to compliment his crush, he feels like it comes out weird and ends up backpedaling in a panic. He might just die inside a little if he gets laughed at, but that's not gonna stop him from trying! He's nothing if not stubborn, so a little bit of failure isn't going to be enough to deter him. Yea, he's probably gonna make a fool of himself a dozen more times, but surely he'll get it right eventually... right?

The moment he decides to confess is absolutely where he blunders the most though. It's not that he didn't have a plan, because he definitely did; he kinda had to have one to be quite honest. He just... couldn't exactly stay on script. Even with the perfect time and place for it, I can't help but see him kind of freezing up. He had a plan, but it's all out the window now that he's really here trying to execute it. He probably has to be nudged into saying anything at all, and when he finally does, he just kind of blurts out "I love you".

He'd probably be beating himself up on the inside immediately for screwing up so royally, but if the person he's been crushing on is really deserving of him, surely an awkward confession is no problem for them. <3

[desmon1995]

Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Bard Who Changed the Game

I don’t think anyone, aside from maybe Sondheim, has shaped the modern musical landscape as profoundly as Lin-Manuel Miranda. Over the past two decades, his influence has become so ingrained in our cultural fabric that it’s almost easy to take him for granted. His quirks and stylistic flourishes have been memed and parodied to no end, and yet, when you step back and really see what he’s done, it’s nothing short of extraordinary.

When Lin first burst onto the scene with In the Heights, it wasn’t just a debut—it was a declaration. Today, the show might feel a little quaint compared to what followed, but back then? It was a revelation. A heartfelt story about a Latino community in Washington Heights, filled with dreams, struggles, and joy. It wasn’t West Side Story. And that was the point. It wasn’t about gangs or tragedy—it was about life and love and hope.

What a lot of people don’t know is that many powerful, very white producers wanted to twist Lin’s vision. They tried to turn In the Heights into a grittier, R-rated version of West Side Story, leaning into the stereotypes that Broadway has leaned on for decades. But Lin fought back. He fought to keep the heart of the show intact, and he won. That kind of resilience, that ability to stand up for your vision when the odds are stacked against you, is something that’s deeply inspiring—not just for creatives, but for anyone trying to make their voice heard in a world that often prefers silence.

And then came Hamilton. What more can be said about it? It wasn’t just a hit—it was a phenomenon. It’s still being discussed, dissected, and debated. But beyond the groundbreaking artistry, Hamilton proved something critical: that audiences will show up for stories led by people of color. That diversity isn’t just important—it’s lucrative. The one-two punch of In the Heights and Hamilton didn’t just shake up Broadway; it redefined what was possible.

But Lin is not without his flaws, and he’d be the first to admit it. He’s in a position most minorities never dream of—a place where success comes with impossible expectations. Everyone wants a piece of him, and if his stories don’t align with someone’s idea of what he should be creating, the backlash is swift and unforgiving. But the thing about Lin is that he keeps going. He keeps pushing forward, even when he’s not sure if he’ll stick the landing. That vulnerability, that willingness to risk failure in service of something bigger than himself, is one of the things I admire most about him.

And he doesn’t do it alone. Lin surrounds himself with brilliant collaborators like Alex Lacamoire and Eisa Davis. He knows when to extend a hand, when to ask for help, and that humility is such a rare thing to see in someone of his stature.

I’ll admit, it stings a little when I see people casually dismiss him now. Around the early 2020s, it became almost trendy to hate on Lin. Some of that is just the natural cynicism that comes with growing up—people getting embarrassed about what they used to love. Another part of it, I think, comes from how visible and liberal he is in an industry that often prioritizes polished perfection over raw humanity. But here’s the thing: Lin’s always been bucking the system. People forget that there was a time when he was an outsider, fighting to tell stories no one else wanted to tell.

For me, as a young Black kid growing up in conservative Texas, Lin’s work was life-changing. Loving show tunes wasn’t exactly “cool” where I was from. Expressing that love often meant opening myself up to ridicule, homophobic slurs, or just the quiet, constant reminder that these stories weren’t for me. But Lin changed that. He made space for kids like me to feel seen, to feel like we belonged in this art form we loved so much.

That’s why I’ll always root for him. Even if his next project doesn’t hit the same cultural high notes as Hamilton, I’ll be there. Because Lin doesn’t just make art—he makes space. He takes stories that might otherwise be overlooked and gives them the kind of polish and care they deserve.

Lin didn’t just change Broadway. He changed how so many of us see ourselves. And for that, I’ll always be grateful.

Also, Happy Birthday

[duckprintspress]

10 Books for Pansexual and Panromantic Visibility Day!

May 24th is Pansexual and Panromantic Visibility Day, so make sure to say hi to your pan friends before they’re invisible again! We’re celebrating with (shock) book recommendations! Explicit pan rep is hard to come by, and in cases where it’s implied, the difference between interpreting a characters as bi versus pan is often down to personal perceptions of the character and the sexuality/romanticisms in questions. With that in mind, we present 10 titles we loved with either explicit or implied pan rep! The contributors to this list are: Nina Waters, Tris Lawrence, boneturtle, E. C., and two anonymous contributors

All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries series) by Martha Wells

“As a heartless killing machine, I was a complete failure.”

In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids, for their own safety.

But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn’t a primary concern.

On a distant planet, a team of scientists are conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid—a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module, and refers to itself (though never out loud) as “Murderbot.” Scornful of humans, all it really wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is.

But when a neighboring mission goes dark, it’s up to the scientists and their Murderbot to get to the truth.

A Fisherman of the Inland Sea by Ursula K. Le Guin

The award-winning stories in A Fisherman of the Inland Sea range from the everyday to the outer limits of experience, where the quantum uncertainties of space and time are resolved only in the depths of the human heart. Astonishing in their diversity and power, they exhibit both the artistry of a major writer at the height of her powers and the humanity of a mature artist confronting the world with her gift of wonder still intact.

Commit to the Kick by Tris Lawrence

For eighteen years, Alaric has lived under the cloying politics of family and his Clan community. His freshman year is supposed to be a chance to explore a world where Clan and his shapeshifting Talent isn’t central to his life. But when his inner bear bursts forth during his first football game, endangering those around him, Alaric realizes that it’s not so easy to ignore his past, or his own internalized anger.

In his quest for anger management, Alaric begins to train in taekwondo, and makes new friends in both sports. He finds that he is creating his own small community, where Clan, Mages, other Talents, and even humans come together and build their own found family.

When Alaric receives news that something has happened to his brother Orson, he must return and deal with his Clan and his place in their world. He discovers that old prejudices are still strong between Clan and Mage communities, but that both may be in danger from a creature long thought to be only a legend. Alaric must figure out how to move forward and prevent a war and protect both his home and newly built communities, his found family with him every step of the way. 

Count Your Lucky Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur

Margot Cooper doesn’t do relationships. She tried and it blew up in her face, so she’ll stick with casual hookups, thank you very much. But now her entire crew has found “the one” and she’s beginning tofeel like a fifth wheel. And then fate (the heartless bitch) intervenes. While touring a wedding venue with her engaged friends, Margot comes face-to-face with Olivia Grant—her childhood friend, her first love, her first… well, everything. It’s been ten years, but the moment they lock eyes, Margot’s cold, dead heart thumps in her chest.

Olivia must be hallucinating. In the decade since she last saw Margot, her life hasn’t gone exactly as planned. At almost thirty, she’s been married… and divorced. However, a wedding planner job in Seattle means a fresh start and a chance to follow her dreams. Never in a million years did she expect her important new client’s Best Woman would be the one that got away.

When a series of unfortunate events leaves Olivia without a place to stay, Margot offers up her spare room because she’s a Very Good Person. Obviously. It has nothing to do with the fact that Olivia is as beautiful as ever and the sparks between them still make Margot tingle. As they spend time in close quarters, Margot starts to question her no-strings stance. Olivia is everything she’s ever wanted, but Margot let her in once and it ended in disaster. Will history repeat itself or should she count her lucky stars that she gets a second chance with her first love? 

Maneater (Monsters of Moonvale series) by Emily Antoinette

If something ever seems too good to be true, it probably is. That’s how the “friendly” invitation to join a new coven turned into a surprise demon summoning. At least it wasn’t a virgin sacrifice. Then I really would have been screwed—and not in the way they plan for with the succubus they’ve bound. 

When I help free her from the bindings and offer her a ride back to work, things get even weirder. She tells me she wants to see me again. This captivating woman wants to see me—a nerdy witch who spends his free time playing D&D. 

There’s no way she means it. Because that’s definitely too good to be true. Still, there’s no way I can resist the opportunity to spend more time with a goddess like her. 

There’s Magic Between Us by Jillian Maria

A diehard city girl, 16-year-old Lydia Barnes is reluctant to spend a week in her grandma’s small town. But hidden beneath Fairbrooke’s exterior of shoddy diners and empty farms, there’s a forest that calls to her. In it, she meets Eden: blunt, focused, and fascinating. She claims to be hunting fae treasure, and while Lydia laughs it off at first, it quickly becomes obvious that Eden’s not joking-magic is real.

Lydia joins the treasure hunt, thrilled by all the things it offers her. Things like endless places in the forest to explore and a friendship with Eden that threatens to blossom into something more. But even as she throws herself into her new adventure, some questions linger. Why did her mom keep magic a secret? Why do most of the townspeople act like the forest is evil? It seems that, as much as Lydia would like to pretend otherwise, not everything in Fairbrooke is as bright and easy as a new crush…

Fire and Flight (ElfQuest series) by Wendy and Richard Pini

The forest-dwelling elves called the Wolfriders are burnt out of their ancestral home by vengeful humans. Betrayed by cowardly trolls, the elfin band, led by Cutter, Blood of Ten Chiefs, must cross the Burning Waste to find a haven they’ve never seen before. Can the Wolfriders survive? If they do, what surprises await them at Sorrow’s End?

Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler

This is the story of an apparently young, amnesiac girl whose alarmingly unhuman needs and abilities lead her to a startling conclusion: She is in fact a genetically modified, 53-year-old vampire. Forced to discover what she can about her stolen former life, she must at the same time learn who wanted-and still wants-to destroy her and those she cares for and how she can save herself.

Final Draft by Riley Redgate

Laila Piedra doesn’t drink, doesn’t smoke, and definitely doesn’t sneak into the 21-and-over clubs on the Lower East Side. The only sort of risk Laila enjoys is the peril she writes for the characters in her stories: epic sci-fi worlds full of quests, forbidden love, and robots. Her creative writing teacher has always told her she has a special talent. But three months before graduation, Laila’s number one fan is replaced by Nadiya Nazarenko, a Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist who sees nothing at all special about Laila’s writing.

A growing obsession with gaining Nazarenko’s approval–and fixing her first-ever failing grade–leads to a series of unexpected adventures. Soon Laila is discovering the psychedelic highs and perilous lows of nightlife, and the beauty of temporary flings and ambiguity. But with her sanity and happiness on the line, Laila must figure out if enduring the unendurable really is the only way to greatness.

Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp

Best friends Corey and Kyra were inseparable in their tiny snow-covered town of Lost Creek, Alaska. But as Kyra starts to struggle with her bipolar disorder, Corey’s family moves away. Worried about what might happen in her absence, Corey makes Kyra promise that she’ll stay strong during the long, dark winter.

Then, just days before Corey is to visit, Kyra dies. Corey is devastated–and confused, because Kyra said she wouldn’t hurt herself. The entire Lost community speaks in hushed tones, saying Kyra’s death was meant to be. And they push Corey away like she’s a stranger.

The further Corey investigates–and the more questions she asks–the greater her suspicion grows. Lost is keeping secrets–chilling secrets. Can she piece together the truth about Kyra’s death and survive her visit?

You can also view this list on the shelf on our Goodreads, or visit Bookshop.org and check out this list in our affiliate shop! Note: due to the difficulty of differentiating a pan characters versus a bi character unless which they are is explicitly identified in canon, we have put bi and pan characters on joint lists – so these lists linked are bisexual and/or pansexual character lists.

What are your favorite books with pansexual and panromantic characters?

[pisoprano]

Happy birthday, @blur0se! I wrote some more Loveybug AU for you!

Marinette was feeling giddy. Becoming Loveybug was just—GAHH!!! She didn’t have words for it. She wanted to dance and squeal and start throwing confetti. 

She’d told Chat Noir she loved him! 

After all her failures with trying to tell Adrien her feelings, she’d actually succeeded in revealing the three suns in her heart (i.e., those three little words, “I love you”) to someone! And sure, Chat had run away before responding, but clearly that had to be because he was about to transform back, right? Or maybe it was just that he was too surprised by the other news she’d shared to say anything? 

(He looked so sad, though, when he learned that Ladybug wasn’t coming ba—DON’T THINK ABOUT ANY OF THAT! THIS IS HAPPY FUN TIME TO CELEBRATE!) 

She started planning what she was going to do when she saw Chat Noir again. Maybe they could go on a romantic boat ride together? She could wear a fancy dress and have a violin serenading them as they watched the stars together! And she had to bring him a rose—no, a dozen! A hundred! How expensive were roses again? She'd figure that out later, she just knew that any roses had to be red because her kitty needed to know that this was no platonic friendship that she was giving him, it was a romance. One that would last forever and ever! 

The akuma alert popped up on her phone. A part of Marinette was annoyed—she hadn’t finished her dating plan yet!—but on the other hand, it meant seeing that beautiful, silly, fun, caring, adorable, wonderful boy in cat ears that much sooner. She’d have to make up for the lack of a plan with extra hugs (and kisses if she could snag them!) 

“Tikki, spots on!” 

Loveybug yo-yo'd herself into the sky and looked for her partner (the akuma could wait). Unfortunately, he didn’t seem to have shown up yet. Probably something in his personal life holding him up. She wished she knew more about that personal life. She wished she was a part of that personal life. Maybe he’d open up more about himself to Loveybug—he certainly wouldn’t tell Ladybug since she'd told him ‘No talking about identity stuff!’ too many times to count (she was a fool to have made that rule—sure the world had ended a couple times, but on the other hand, consider: kissy kissy meow meow). 

She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn’t see all the birds coming. Loveybug was thrown into the air by Mr. Pigeon’s latest flock of evil pigeons. Maybe I can manipulate the swarm of birds into making a message for Chat? she mused to herself. A giant heart shouldn’t be too difficult, right? 

As she tried to think through her plans of sky artistry, she suddenly felt a pair of sturdy arms wrap around her. 

He’s here! 

Loveybug closed her eyes in a dramatic swoon and nuzzled up to him, “Hey, Hot Stuff, where have you been all my life?” She moved her hand up to his neck to play with his bell, but it wasn’t there. All she found was a metallic chain. 

She opened her eyes to look at her catboy. Except he wasn’t her catboy. Sure he was a catboy—black cat ears, a tail, and baton with a paw print that he was using to keep the both of them aloft in the sky as they fled the pigeon horde. But his hair was green and his posture was perfect and he looked like a soldier waiting for orders. Nothing like the fun-loving goofball that had been Ladybug’s partner since the very beginning. 

(Except that time when he’d given up the ring. Except that time when he’d been replaced.) 

“Catwalker?” she whispered. 

“Good day, Loveybug, I hope you are alright?” 

“Of course I’m alright!” she yelped. “Why wouldn’t I be alright?” 

She couldn’t let herself fall apart over losing Chat, not again. She needed to be Loveybug right now, she would die of mortification if Catwalker of all people found out that she was Ladybug in disguise. Mr. Perfect could never find out about how Ladybug had screwed things up with Chat Noir so badly she’d dreamed up an alternate version of herself to fix it. 

Catwalker frowned. “Are you sure you’re okay? We’ve got an akuma to deal with, but if you’re not feeling well—” 

“Yep! Purr-fectly fine, that’s me! Paris’ number one heroine of love and justice! Loveybug! Not Ladybug! She’s not here! Oh look, the Pigeon Man! Let’s go fight him! With the power of love!” 

She gave Catwalker a smooch on the cheek and flung herself away towards danger.

(But why was Catwalker here? He can’t be a permanent replacement. Chat Noir had to come back. If Chat hated Loveybug so much that he gave up the ring again just to get away from her, she’d—DON’T THINK ABOUT THAT! EVERYTHING IS FINE! JUST KEEP DOING WHAT YOU’RE DOING! YOU LOVE CATWALKER TOO, RIGHT? HE’S SUPER PRETTY AND NICE. YOU CAN LOVE HIM UNTIL CHAT NOIR COMES BACK. HE HAS TO COME BACK.) 

[mr-orion]

The absolute anger and bitterness i have for working over 11 years of building up this skill that ended up in this arduous void of toiling artistry just leaves me alone in a room by myself with frustrated tears along with my head and wrists aching, drawing pictures over and over that a few people ever see or care about

Yeah. It feels like that sometimes. It's why I implore people to look beyond themselves and browse the art tags they enjoy posting in. I hope you find joy in your craft.

That being said; you can only enjoy something so much. It's okay to quit. It's important to have more than one hobby you're happy with, its important to be paid attention too. Building connections is difficult, it's hard work with lots of risk. Not everyone can do it.

More often than not, you find people. People don't find you. It takes reaching out and failure. Did you find me because you stumbled upon me, or because I reached out in some way first? For most of the people that know me on tumblr its the latter. I know many of my mutuals wouldn't be my mutuals if I never said how much I like their art. For every mutual I have, theres also a dozen people I tried to be friendly with that never blossomed into those thing. That's okay.

I know a lot of artists feel lonely, and underappreciated. It happens. There's not much you can do about it except for treat others how you'd like to be treated.

And anon, I know it can be hard. You're not alone in sentiment. Please feel free to reach out if you'd like. Additionally, I have an art server on discord for adults and would love to extend an invitation to you or any of my followers that would like a nice small community to share and critique art of any skill level. Let me know.

[rafent]

21. A memory of the first time they did an activity they love

21. a memory of the first time they did an activity they love

All that Rafal learned in Gradlon he brought with him to Lythos, but it was difficult nevertheless. More difficult than expected. His memorized readings of cakes, cookies, truffles, eclairs, and tarts over the centuries never found true application, stored only in his brain and never working their way down to his hands. Only reasonable, perhaps. No prince of Gradlon could ever mend the blow to his honor if he was sighted in a kitchen, failure or not.

However, that was soon forgotten. In Lythos no-one judged; neither the Divine One nor the Divine Dragon Monarch Lumera, and certainly not Nel. He asked if only for that reason alone. Access to the castle kitchen became granted on his request and a new world followed. Here was the flightless Rafal's territory- here was his sky.

And he buried himself in the kitchen until he got it right.

'Damn you.' He cursed at himself; at another holey batch of macaron shells chucked aside as refuse. Had the dough been undermixed? The filling too much in proportion? There was no immediate answer. Only another try.

Water. Milk. Eggs. Flour. Butter. Sugar. Salt. These rudimentary ingredients were the colors and paints of Rafal's artistry, whisked and kneaded into a bowl. The piped batter set to dry. The casks of their containment lied on the counters half-full, nearly expended. Pages of guiding tomes spattered with flour and hasty-wet finger marks, not that he needed them for anything more than quick measurements- the recipe books. Or so he thought at first. So proudly and confidently, though his first attempt wasn't remotely close to being the final one.

He didn't let that stop him. Instead of destruction this was creation. Instead of failure it was trajectory for success. Being good at something- being useful. It was worth doing. With fillings of buttercream and ganache Rafal could express the sweet flavors he'd always dreamed of tasting without dirt or soil to dilute them. With egg-whites and egg-yolks he could make something out of nothing. A day wasted away meant nothing at all.

By the end he'd found his victory. Centered on the plate he triumphantly offered to the Divine One and company were a dozen perfect macarons. Hidden away in the kitchen were the hundred tries it took to make them.

[tseecka]

I drove a two-hour round trip to go buy a treadmill off of someone on Facebook Marketplace, and I spent the entire drive talking to myself about Aggie---or more specifically, tonight, his Sire. Now you get to benefit from my highway monologuing.

So, DeVry. Beauregard DeVry. (Formerly Dorian Du Vrai Beau-Regard, formerly Dorian Beauregard).

He was handsome, once; its written all over his features, though age has shown him little mercy. Though he hasn't aged a day since he was 56 years old, the centuries he has seen still managed to write themselves into the lines and creases of his face, smudge their fingerprints ever darker under his eyes. He is, now, a tired sort of handsome, with salt-and-pepper hair cropped neatly around a tall, wide forehead, and a square jaw, not striking, nor pretty, but dignified and elegant nonetheless.

As far as vampires go, he's on the older side--a few centuries, at least. He was born sometime in early 17th century France, and was turned on the cusp of the Age of Enlightenment, but I don't actually care to get into it any more than that, because I'm not really very interested in French history and I don't want to get bogged down in details about DeVry when Aggie is RIGHT THERE. This is just to establish three and a half particular details: He's old, he's French, and he--and by extension, Aggie--are of a lower generation than might be expected. (I'm thinking he is 9th or 10th, making Aggie 10th or 11th, because I like the idea of my insatiable little hedonist being of a lower generation and giving other vampires conniptions.)

Like all Toreadors, DeVry has an eye for beauty; and like his childe, he finds that beauty in fine art. What DeVry seeks, though, rather than experience or sensation or emotion, is perfection. Precision. The epitome of beauty is a perfectly executed brushstroke, the flawless line of arm and leg in a ballerina's leap, technical expertise. Where Aggie wants to experience beauty--sink up to his elbows in it, crush it through his fingers and lap up the creative juices trickling down his wrists--DeVry would preserve it behind glass--immaculate, distant, untouchable, even those art forms that require air and movement in order to breathe. Over the years, this seeking of perfection has become a nearly pathological impulse, a flavour of madness, the standard for said perfection ever impossibly higher. Rather than finding beauty in the unique nature of a slight flaw, or in the evidence of humanity, it rings out discordant to him. He doesn't care for breaking new ground or trying something new, the evolution of style that comes with the passing centuries and changing human minds; rather, he knows what art should be, in his opinion, based on his experiences, and continually tries to seek out those he thinks are capable of being molded into that perfect model. DeVry doesn't want to experience art; he wants to observe it, for art's own sake.

Because, in his mind, the vagarities of human emotion are an impediment to achieving the platonic ideal of art, DeVry holds a belief that only a Kindred will be able to create it; though he accepts that a Kindred with no taste or aptitude for art in their human life will not become magically adept upon Embrace. Therefore, those he chooses to support and patronize--like Aggie--are humans who show an aptitude beyond that of their peers, one which could be molded and shaped and tended to the uppermost extent to which they are capable; and then, if they continue to show promise, Embraced so as to allow them to exceed the limitations of humanity, accessing the ability to create what he thinks of as art--something divine, to which humanity can only aspire.

To this end, Aggie is something of a failure. His artistry, while technical perfection in practice, is far too human in its expression; while he is capable of singing without his technique being overshadowed by emotion, he doesn't typically care to. Rather than unlocking hidden ability and potential, being Embraced only served to further feed the infusion of raw emotion that Aggie pours into his music, now inspired by the distance he is forced to take from Alastair and Phillip in his new unlife and the impact that his experiences with his heightened senses have on his emotions.

DeVry has only sought approval for Progeny a handful of times in his long life; he is incredibly discerning in bestowing the gift he offers, and so despite Aggie not living up to his expectations post-Embrace, he still harbours a great deal of care and affection for the younger Kindred. Aggie, for his part, is giddy with the new sensations on offer, and thankful to DeVry for the privilege of experiencing them and the faith that DeVry has always shown in Aggie's ability. (Another commentary on Aggie's relationship with music and with DeVry is forthcoming.) So the two share a fairly genial, familial relationship; the core of their disagreements and conflicts tends to boil down to their individual natures. Where Aggie is loud and unabashed, and free with his affections, DeVry is reserved; where Aggie is messy, even sloppy, DeVry is fastidious; where Aggie has a tendency to be emotional, DeVry is cold. If they do have a conflict, it is often smoothed over by Aggie giving DeVry a private concert in which he brings all of his technical skill and expertise to bear, as though to remind DeVry, "This is why you Made me; this is why it was worth it." (Aggie's technical skill does, indeed, improve once his ear becomes more capable of hearing the finest distinctions between notes, and he no longer needs to worry about breathing to sustain himself while singing.)

DeVry has been married a few times, once as a human and twice after his own Embrace. His first wife was a ballerina; his obsession with the pursuit of perfection in art has its roots in the way that no other ballerina was ever able to compare to her talent and beauty after he lost her, and has since--over time, with the erosion of rational thought, and the loss of connection to his more human emotions--perverted itself. He is currently unmarried, has no mortal descendants, and Aggie is his only childer.

[harrison-abbott]

My uncle tried to make a Western film. He’d made movies before. He made a family drama film about a mother trying to raise a young child with a growth hormone disease … The child had a condition where he couldn’t grow tall like the other kids and they bullied him because of it. And she had to try and encourage him despite his disability.

 Then he made a film three years later about a retired policeman who covered up a murder in his official days. The ghost of the murdered man haunts him in his sleep; and then develops into hallucinations. The ex-cop starts to lose a grip of reality and he goes to a psychiatrist to talk about his issues. But of course he can’t tell the lady shrink exactly what happened … and makes up this elaborate lie to disguise the caustic truth.

 Both of these movies were reviewed by indie newspapers and showed at low key film festivals. Simply for a lack of budget.

 With his Western film my uncle vowed to up the notch on his artistry … expand his opus. He took out all kinds of dangerous loans in order to make it work. Set out to that Greatest of Countries to film it, right in the deserts of what were three hundred years back the very cornerstone of pistolsmoke mayhem caught in sandy dust, blood and glee.

 The Western film followed a man that’d had his face disfigured by a group of bandits when he was very young. Which fuelled in him a desire for revenge. He vowed, from that disastrous day, to avenge his slashed physique by hunting these men down and injuring them in similar ways. All his life he hasn’t been able to operate like regular people because of his disfigurement … and grows up with impossible rage and inability to forgive.

 And nine years later he ends up face to face with one of his attackers. The attacker does not even recognise him. He has the glaring chance to shoot him. But can’t go through with it.

 So he rides back to his hometown. Confused and feeling like a failure. He contemplates suicide. But doesn’t have the courage to persevere with that, either … And hits the bottles for months. He just cannot stop being drunk. And it’s not an abusive or abhorrent type of drunkenness … only plain suicidal.

 His little sister sees him in his state. The state that he’s gotten into … and she asks him to stop with the alcohol. Makes him vats of soup and brings him water and sits with him so that he won’t head out for beer. She saves him, in essence.

 That’s basically the film.

 It was panned critically and drowned at the box office and it kinda killed my Uncle’s confidence … This creative adventure that he’d planned his whole life. Nobody loved it.

 Some defeats are impossible to return from.

 My uncle was a nice, quiet, humble man. I never heard him say a mean word to somebody else … And his initial films were pretty good. In my small opinion. It’s just a shame what happened to him.

 Most critics are only that and not auteurs themselves or filmmakers or writers, anything. Because they’re not on the front line it’s easier for them to abuse and dictate.

[nel-world]

hi

Bill audition . A call from his boss pulls him away to hand out flyers, leading to frustration and a scuffle. Rushing to an audition, he meets a girl in the elevator and reunites with his friend. A drunken dance home turns into a street fight, introducing Rick, a new threat. Seeking support, he visits his therapist and tries to reconnect with his dad. In the end, he pours his emotions into a monologue.

Bill wakes up to a call from his boss, a harsh reality check. Missing flyers add to his troubles, and tension rises with a co-worker. On impulse, he escapes to Atlantic City, leaving his co-worker baffled. In exchange for covering his audition, the co-worker demands drinks later. Bill meets Toby, a casting agent, offering a glimpse of hope. Determined, he pushes himself harder at another audition, where he also meets Amy, sparking a new connection. But his best friend warns him—chasing a dream and a girl might be too much failure to handle at once.

Bill's therapist advises him to care for his father. He connects with Toby for guidance and grows closer to Amy, who offers him a role in a musical. At home, he experiments with fire and discovers his immunity, sparking his transformation. Inspired, he writes a solo show. A visit to Kailasagiri, RK Beach, and a Shiva Tandava performance deepens his inspiration. Just as Toby secures him a role, Terry fires him. A careless mistake with a prop gun at an audition and work leads to a serious warning.

Bill drunkenly shoots a video, making reckless choices. Rick’s men capture him, setting a trap, but when they set him on fire, his power fully emerges, and he escapes.

Part 5: Rebuilding Connections Bill reunites with Amy and shares a rare emotional moment with his best friend after the attack.

Part 6: Uncovering the Truth Bill prays to Lord Shiva, finding inner peace, then quits his job to move forward. Watching Rick on TV reminds him the villain is still out there. In therapy, he processes his trauma. Performing in a show brings him redemption, while another meeting with Amy hints at romance.

Spending time with his dad in the attic leads to shocking discoveries—Rick’s betrayal is finally revealed. Determined, Bill tries to confront Rick but is blocked. He seeks help from Sal, an attorney, and Tina, a hacker, while confronting his boss, who is also a victim. When his dad collapses, the stakes become personal. Outside the hospital, detectives approach Bill—.

Bill gets a call from the Hess Show—his big break. But as he lies in bed, anxiety creeps in. Determined, he sneaks into Rick’s meeting as a waiter, only to be insulted once more. Meanwhile, he learns Amy is leaving, adding to his heartbreak.

Deep in thought, he sits inside his fridge, processing everything. Then, another call confirms it—his moment has come. He takes a train ride, goes shopping, and reinvents himself, dyeing his hair and wearing glasses. Celebrating his success, he dances in a Times Square theater, shouting, “I got the role!”

But at the meeting, Hess Show creators offer him a clown role—a cruel joke. Refusing to be belittled, Bill declares, “I’m no clown.” Just then, Tina calls with new evidence in North Carolina. The final strike lands—Rick gets arrested. Justice is served.

Bill travels to India, seeking closure and reconnecting with his roots. He visits his childhood home, embracing his past before facing a brutal fight with Rick’s men outside a theater—the final showdown. Captured and tortured, he reaches his lowest point, suffering a broken leg.

After surgery and grueling physical therapy, he slowly recovers. A visit to the Grand Canyon gives him a fresh perspective. Finally, he delivers a powerful solo show, embracing fire as his true artistry. With renewed strength, he confronts Rick one last time—ending the war for good.

[dyloncaleb]

bonny - “to attractive or beautiful.”

babe, it’s not your personality or your touch that makes them a hideous human. it’s not the way you walk or the way you talk. it’s not the tears that only you see at night that makes them more vile. it’s who you are - it’s the beauty that you illuminate when the sun shines on your body. it’s the artistry that you create when you look in the mirror and your smile that makes birds sing ever so gallantly at your glamor of self-love. it’s their insecurity, their self-doubt because no one’s loved them the way you have. put your hand on your heart. do you feel that? you’re still alive. your attractive, your beauty, you are what makes those who are right for you gravitate towards you. it’s your smile, your humor, the way the stars align new friendships because oftentimes, friendships are better than relationships. bonny, a beautiful word to express fondness. do me a favor and self-reflect in the mirror and remind your inner-child who you are. because failure doesn’t exist with you. you’ve tried everything to help a dishonorable person love themselves. now it’s your turn. love you. LOVE YOU!

— Dylon Caleb

[ukbeautys-blog]

Why UK International London Beauty School Stands Out Among Makeup Academies in Noida | UK INTERNATIONAL |

1. Unparalleled Expertise:

The UK International London Beauty School is not a place where competence is just a catchphrase, it is a criterion that the school focuses on. Along with a team of veterans and expertise of the professionals in the industry, the school’s curriculum designed blends the age-old techniques with the new technologies. They didn’t even have to attend school to learn how to cook. They acquired their skills from their mothers, fathers, and grandparents in the process of making a traditional meal regularly.

2. Comprehensive Curriculum:

The beauty school UK London International makes up the curriculum to be wide and comprehensive covering all details on makeup artistry and beauty. Whether the application is very simple such as basic makeup application, to very advanced techniques in bridal, editorial, and special effects; the students will receive comprehensive training that will lead them to the sort of career they are going for. UK International stands as the best makeup school in Noida.

3. State-of-the-Art Facilities:

Such an environment that helps in the development of personal skills as well as creative ones, makes it possible to more effectively conduct talent and creativity training. UK London Beauty School International has a modern structure that houses the most efficient machines, tools, products, and technology. Studying at the cosmetology school is not a routine like usual, but such skills gained are true to performing animal practising in a specially equipped theatrical makeup studio and theoretical classes in classrooms are designed to make students participate more in all processes of make-up like real experts.

4. Industry Connections:

The fact remains that networking is something you must have in your position in the beauty field and UK International London Beauty School aptly foresees the need to build strong industry links. Through guest lectures, workshops, and industry partnerships, the students have an environment that favours interaction with leading professionals where they can learn valuable things in their respective fields. Such bonds are not only valuable but also inspirational; they facilitate learning and prepare students for their future careers after college.

5. Commitment to Excellence:

That is, how UK International London Beauty School is out front when it comes to it, is its failure to succumb to mediocrity in its quest for the highest excellence. Be it the intensity of the education, the faculty’s devotion to what they believe in or the accomplishments that the graduates have, this school tries to showcase excellence in all sectors. Opting to be this dedicated to the task of equipping students with the knowledge, counselling, and training there can be no doubt that the institution is the only one offering them the best education and support on their paths to becoming exemplary professionals in their respective fields. and our commitment makes us the best makeup academy in Noida.

Conclusion

Uk International is the best beauty academy in Noida. Can you provide the best beautician course near me? We are the best bridal makeup course providers, and we provide you with all the different types of courses, such as cosmetology courses, haircuts, chemical makeup courses, and many more. UK International gives you 100% job assistance, and we are the one where the skill meets the expertise. our academy has the best trainers to make you the best artist in this field. our course runs on the latest modules to provide you with the best quality education.

UK International is the best beauty school in Noida, Ghaziabad, and Delhi, and we have the best faculty on campus across India. Join us fast for your makeup, hairstyling, cosmetology, nail art, and booster skills and become a certified beautician and makeup artist. We are best at creating experts.

[nintendouniverse2023]

The following progressive of My Batman AU resembles some new origin stories and new accomplishments between the DC Universe.

Bio: Here in Gotham City, for as long as can be remembered, it has been a city of crime and corruption. The Criminal Underworld, Street thugs and Murderers overwelbed the peace everywhere leaving the innocent helpless to stop them. The most loyal of the Underworld are the Falconies and Maronies. When Billionaires the Waynes showed up trying to keep the peace together with their family company Wayne Enterprises along with the help of family friends Alfred Pennyworth, Lucius Fox and Dr Lesile Tomkins. Dr Thomas Wayne, skilled surgeon and philanthropist, who is determon to do what he can to keep the city safer. Martha Kane was a kind gentle soul born with a wealthy family. Thomas and Martha fell in love, got married and gave birth to a son, Bruce Wayne. When he was 6, Thomas Wayne decided to run for mayor. After witch, they decided to turn Wayne Manor into an Orphanage as a Gotham Renewal Fund and Move to Wayne Enterprises, we’re the Penthouse is. Bruce fells real bummed about this and wish they could they here. 2 years later, Bruce and his parents were walking out of the movie theater, Thomas said they would take a short cut to the car, only to be lead to Crime Alley. Through the dark alley, come across a thug with a gun, demanding Martha’s pearls. Thomas tries to protect Martha only to be both of them being shot and the thug takes the necklace. Bruce just traumatized and stood there watching his parents' deaths in front of him. Thug then points the gun on his head with a smirk on his face saying “What’s the matter, Ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight.” The thug disappears, sparing the boy, who was nowhere to be found by the police. In the GCPD, Alfred picked up Bruce knowing what happened and stays to be Bruce's guardian. After the funeral at night, Bruce swore to his parents to avenge their deaths by spending the rest of his life dismantling all criminals.

When Bruce is 13, he discovered the Wayne Terminus train station that was located underneath Wayne Enterprises. Study about Martial Arts, Criminal Law, Chemistry, criminal psychology, Invention, computers, disguise, acrobatics, weapons, marksmanship, escape artistry from stage magician and family friend Giovanni Zatara, Combat from Ted Grant/Wildcat and detective skills from Henri Ducard. After Turning 18, Bruce would go out for a journey to learn from the masters. After months of Journey, Bruce went to North Africa, where he discovered a mysterious secret Erupoe ninjutsu under from Ra’s Al Ghul. Learning other types of Ninjusu against the other student, he became good allie named Bronze Tiger. He was later trained by others members of the League like: David Cain, Slade Willson, Onyx, Hook, Thomas Blake, Ubu and Merlyn During that time he met with Talia Al Ghul, they got along at first until they began to have a secret romantic relationship. 4 years When Bruce got this far and now he has to face off one is Lady Shiva. Whoever stands last, will have to take off the head of the failure to earn the rightful place as his rightful successor. Bruce learning about the League's true colors, he has to win this one. They fought with destiny, proudly focus and honor. Eventually Bruce won the final fight. Ra’s other Bruce his sword and begins the final blow on Shiva. Bruce throws Ra’s sword to Ra’s chest and makes a run for it carrying Shiva as the League chases after the traitor. Along the chase, swordsmen and arrow shooters attacked him. Bronze knows about this, so instead of stopping Bruce, he told him to go and sacrifice himself so Bruce and Lady Shiva can live. When Bruce takes Lady Shiva to her home, she asks why he save her. He said “When I was young, a dark city took my family away. But I decided to strike back leaving no more innocents to die, that’s why I come here to extirpate my emotions to make the light to others.” After dissuasion for a while while her 3-year old daughter Cassandra Cain comes home, Bruce left North Africa as Ra’s Al Ghul swore revenge and a pregnant Talia heartbroken.

Bruce Wayne, age of 22 returns to Gotham City and becomes the CEO of his family’s company, learning the same time Captain James Gordon has been transferred here to GCPD with his family. When Alfred explains to Bruce things gone wrong in the scene in which Dr Death came to Gotham, he needs to become a symbol of Justice to strike fear into criminals. He started out as an unknown vigilante for a while but that didn’t scare them. He was gonna cancel it when he dated Andria Belmont. It ended at the last minute when the mob was after her and her father. This leads Bruce over the edge, he goes to the Wayne Terminus as the same place he found as a number of Bats that live here now and turn it into a headquarters. Using custom items from the Enterprises for it along with other things and future development. Alfred and Lucius agree to keep that a secret. Now Bruce becomes what he has been training to do, starting a war against the criminal underworld, Batman! On Batman's first year of Crime Fighting, He began to take one the Gotham Underworld and Not Long soon after Lead to many clashes with Karl Helfren aka Dr Death. During that time he continued striking fear into criminals, First encountered The Penguin, Black Mask, The Riddler and Mr Freeze, Gain trust to the GCPD, Force Salvatore Valestra and his Gang to split up after Dr Death pushed Red Hood into a vat of chemicals and They form a truce alongside with the cops who aren’t corrupted, agreement to defeat the Dr Deaths criminal underworld once and for all. After Batman successfully brought down Dr Death and his empire, Batman ended up facing the insane giggling killer to use and destroy whats left of the empire and turn Gotham into his own image, The Joker!

Since then more and more costumed criminals had appeared to challenge the Dark Knight, some who even come from across the world or had lived for centuries. Some cases even both Though his mission was getting tougher and tougher, Bruce would be grateful that he would not be alone and did have allies. From Alfred, to young ward Dick Grayson who had also lost his parents and becomes Robin, The Justice League with The help of Superman, Barbra Gordon a technical hacker as Batgirl, family friend Leslie Thompkins, business manager of Wayne Enterprise Lucius Fox, and even the new and improved GCPD all led by new Police Commissioner James Gordon. Batman would not rest until the city was officially safe.

Appearance: A mini beard, His suit was a black and gray all over the armor, Ninja Gurntlets have tech and the cowl has some drastic white movesets.

Voice Actor: Jensen Ackles

Age: 27

Height: 6.2 incs

Weight:210 ibs

Personality: Chilled and Supportive *As Bruce Wayne* Serious, Vengeful, Supportive, Smart, Aggressive, Strict and Determined *As Batman*

Favorite Foods: Lobster

Family: Thomas and Martha Wayne *Deceased*, Alfred Pennyworth *Adopted Father* and Dick Grayson/Robin *Adopted Son*

Allies: Lucius Fox, Dr Lesile Tomkins, Commissioner James Gordon and The GCPD, Barbara Gordon/Batgirl, The Justice League and Selina Kyle/Catwoman *Sometime*

Enemies: The Joker *Arch Nemesis*, Dr Death *Former Arch Nemesis*, Ra’s Al Ghul *Former Teacher* Talia Al Ghul, Asians, League of Assassins, Gotham Thugs, The Gotham Gangs, Mob Bosses and Lower Low and Medium Rouges, Lady Shiva *Sometimes*, Clayface, The Penguin, Mad Hatter, Ventriloquist and Scarface, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, The Riddler, The Calendar Man, Firefly, Killer Moth, Black Mask, Two-Face *Former Friend*, Mr Freeze, The Scarecrow, Solomon Grundy, Man-Bat, Killer Croc, Great White Shark, Zsasz, King Tut, Egghead and Kite-Man *Sometimes*

Likes: Training, The Gazette, Getting into a tangle with Catwoman, Out Smarting his foes and Being a family man

Dislikes: Worrying to much, Crime Bosses getting out of prison that easy *Mostly The Penguin*, Villains managing to escape *Mostly The Joker from Capture or Arkham*, His plan not going to plan, The memory of his tragic life and The horrors he have to deal with Dr Death in Batman’s first year.

[gloriabomfim]

Certainly! Here's a transcript of 10 montages depicting Blob's attempts to help Bumpy using his slime powers but encountering comical failures:

Montage 1: "Blob's Gooey Guffaws" [Scene: Bumpy is trying to cross a puddle.]

Bumpy: "I don't want to get wet."

[Blob tries to create a slime bridge but makes it too slippery.]

Blob: "I've got this!"

[Bumpy slips and ends up in the puddle.]

Bumpy: "Not quite what I had in mind."

Montage 2: "Slippery Situation" [Scene: Bumpy needs a grip to climb a tree.]

Bumpy: "Help me climb this tree."

[Blob coats the tree with slime.]

Blob: "This should do the trick!"

[Bumpy slides down the tree trunk.]

Bumpy: "I'm going down, not up!"

Montage 3: "Blob's Sticky Snafu" [Scene: Bumpy has a stack of books to carry.]

Bumpy: "I need help carrying these."

[Blob tries to create a slime book carrier.]

Blob: "I've got a solution!"

[Slime carrier oozes, and books fall.]

Bumpy: "My books! Not the best idea."

Montage 4: "Squishy Squeeze" [Scene: Bumpy wants to fit through a tight space.]

Bumpy: "I need to squeeze through there."

[Blob tries to make Bumpy slimy and flexible.]

Blob: "You'll slide right through!"

[Bumpy gets stuck halfway.]

Bumpy: "I'm stuck! Not what I had in mind."

Montage 5: "Blob's Bouncing Blunder" [Scene: Bumpy needs to jump across a gap.]

Bumpy: "I need to make this jump."

[Blob turns Bumpy into a bouncing ball of slime.]

Blob: "Bounce your way across!"

[Bumpy bounces uncontrollably and misses the jump.]

Bumpy: "I'm airborne, but in the wrong direction!"

Montage 6: "Sloppy Artistry" [Scene: Bumpy wants to paint a picture.]

Bumpy: "Help me with my painting."

[Blob offers a slimy paintbrush.]

Blob: "Here's a special brush!"

[Bumpy's painting becomes a messy blob.]

Bumpy: "I wanted a masterpiece, not modern art."

Montage 7: "Blob's Overload" [Scene: Bumpy is trying to repair a leaky pipe.]

Bumpy: "I need to fix this pipe."

[Blob tries to seal the pipe with slime.]

Blob: "I've got a watertight solution!"

[Pipe bursts, spraying water everywhere.]

Bumpy: "I think we made it worse!"

Montage 8: "Sticky Slip-Up" [Scene: Bumpy needs to climb a ladder.]

Bumpy: "Help me reach the top."

[Blob creates a slime ladder.]

Blob: "Climb away!"

[Ladder collapses into a pile of slime.]

Bumpy: "I'm down, not up!"

Montage 9: "Slippery Sled" [Scene: Bumpy wants to sled down a hill.]

Bumpy: "Let's go sledding!"

[Blob makes a slime sled.]

Blob: "Hop on!"

[Sled slides uncontrollably, crashes into a snowbank.]

Bumpy: "That was more of a crash than a slide!"

Montage 10: "Blob's Slipstream" [Scene: Bumpy is trying to catch a ball.]

Bumpy: "Toss me the ball!"

[Blob creates a slime hand to catch the ball.]

Blob: "I've got it!"

[Slime hand misses the ball completely.]

Bumpy: "Guess we need some practice."

And there you have it, a series of comical montages showing Blob's failed attempts to help Bumpy with his slime powers.

[aftrskool]

i think that thee meaning of life is how the collaboration the entire history of the world makes up our world in the present...this sounds so silly but i was looking at my fridge CUZ i was getting milk out of it for milk and cookies at 12 am (fck yea) and im like wow thats millions of years of discovering problems and solutions & refining artistry and function through materials harvested and refined and shaped and studied and improved upon and remixed and parodied and made again by people all throughout history until we get to the present moment where all of the craftmanship in human history had culminated into the object that i beheld...and every single object around me. every single brick of every single building is the culmination of the efforts of every human life who ever tried and i cant stop thinking about it for like at least the past week........ and every single blade of grass is the culmination of the carcasses of every single animal and plant that died in that spot or seeded in that spot over millions of years cycling that same carbon. i wish with all my heart that i could sit down one on one with each person that ever lived on earth and talk to them and learn their name and face and hear their life story and all of its triumphs and failures and all the boring domestic details

when i die i wish for each one of my teeth to be put into a tiny silver chest lined with velvet on the inside and for each tooth to be given to each person in my life that i feel influenced me the most so that they can keep it and have proof of my life in theirs something to carry with them and keep me by. and for my body to be blanketed in dirt somewhere natural so that my nutrients can get decomposed and cycled back into the environment so that i will forever live on in that spot where grass and weeds and flowers and trees and shrubs will grow using my deconstructed body’s resources, and reproduce there and seed and whether they seed in the same place or their seeds get carried by animals or the wind or the rain wherever those seeds germinate or wherever those seeds fail to establish and simply rot and become carbon in the soil they will feed whatever comes next and through that i will have given myself as a contribution to the earth that has run its course in such a unique way that its allowed me to live....... im so happy that i was born i cant wait to see all the experiences i will collect and all the emotions that will pass me i love happiness and im so happy i get to love

[diogenescamus]

@keister-meister

I guess it's just being realistic, like... he's got no trust fund/inheritance like James or Sirius who could just be Order Heroes full time. What are the chances Snape wouldn't end up having to do a mundane, stable job just to earn money to live independently? Does being a DE even pay?

With the way JKR wrote his personality it's difficult to see him having the social adeptness and smarts to be a successful millionaire entrepreneur or like any kind of job that requires impressing people. Imo the spy thing is already stretching it despite being canon. He comes off as an emotionally unbalanced, immature loser most of the time.

Like even in canon he was a full time teacher, which is pretty mundane, and the "exciting stuff" was kind of volunteer work.

Very true points. Snape is more of an inventor than an entrepreneur.

 I've always thought that with his genius intelligence and talent, a Dark!Snape who did not have his conscience, morals,  and Batman-tier obsessive guilt any more, could probably become the most dangerous (not the most powerful or strongest but the most dangerous and terrifying) Dark Lord in the world, by utilizing his genius intelligence and Muggle upbringing to combine magic with science as a terrorist. For me, I’ve always sort of seen a connection between Severus Snape and the Joker. Like several times when I watch Joker (2019), there are so many moments with Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck where I think, “Damn, he really looks like Snape”. The same thing with Snape and Heath Ledger’s Joker. Like, it really would not take that much to have Snape turn into a mix of Phoenix and Ledger Joker. The backstories and abilities  just line up so well. 

So imagine a Severus Snape who becomes a Joker like terrorist, utilizing his genius intelligence and brilliance with Potions and magic  along with the mundane sciences of chemistry, physics, and biology in order to conduct terrorist attacks. He’d be like a one-person al-Qaeda.  Think explosive bombs that can take out street blocks. Think of chemical weapons like Joker Venom/Laughing Gas. Think white phosphorus. Think biological warfare. Think nuclear. Anything that involved chemistry, physics, and biology, mixed with magic, was his domain from which he could enact terror on the world. For you see, the Marauder’s constantly cruel pranks on him warped Joker Snape’s sense of humor and so he plays his “jokes/pranks” on the world itself just like the Marauders did to him. Sirius Black once tried to play a Killing Joke on Snape and now Snape repays it to the world. Plus, with his powers as a wizard and skill with Potions, he could teleport away from the scene of the crime and so much more. You could definitely see how a Joker Snape could become the most dangerous and feared terrorist in both the Wizarding World and the Muggle World. 

As for how Severus Snape becomes the Joker, it could go something like this. 

Like, imagine a young Severus Snape who became insane through the trauma of the bullying and sexual assault he experienced in Hogwarts. He tried coping with the only thing that’s never failed him, Potions. So he self-medicates with Potions and develops an addiction to Potions in order to cope with his trauma.  Specifically Snape who grew up thinking lesser of his father because of his alcoholism, who saw it as a weakness, who vowed never to stoop so low, who, in his wizard superiority phase, deemed it as a ‘Muggle failure.’ Snape who struggles in his adolescence and young adulthood (and again, later on) but who still has a vehement aversion to alcohol, lest he end up like Tobias. Everyone needs a crutch, though, and so he turns to other things. Drugs are deemed too Muggle, but Potions? Potions are a paragon of wizard artistry, and better yet, he’s good at them. Knows how to make whatever he wants. They’re easy to rationalise, too: he knows the theory behind everything he takes, the safe quantities, the potions that can’t be mixed. He can tell himself he’s self-medicating responsibly, that it’s the smart thing to do, that this way he’s in control. He can trick himself into thinking his worsening addiction isn’t remotely like Tobias’ failures, that he’s not the same as his father...  

As for what Potions that Snape starts self-medicating with right after the Werewolf Shrieking Shack Incident, that would be,

Elixir To Induce Euphoria as an antidepressant for his depression.

Calming Draught for when he becomes manic or triggered and to avoid panic attacks.

Draught of Peace to help mitigate anxiety and agitation. 

Draught of Living Death to help him sleep.

Potion for Dreamless Sleep to help deal with his nightmares by making sure he never has to be haunted by them in his sleep.

Eventually, things come to a head the summer after he graduated from Hogwarts. Severus commits suicide and he both succeeds and fails. He fails in that he dies only temporarily and doesn’t pass on. But he succeeds in the sense that the old Severus Snape has died and the Joker Snape has been born. Thus is the genesis of the most dangerous and feared terrorist that the Earth will ever see. And the legacy of carnage, chaos, terror, destruction, and madness that he lays in his wake will be remembered for centuries and millennia to come. For he does not commit his acts of terror for any real ideological goals. He does it because he wants to see the world burn and Hogwarts had taught him his sense of humor from which he will inflict on the world. And so, I will finish it with this quote,

"When a child's cries are not answered by comfort but with blows and insults, they stop crying. And learn to expect no comfort save that which they can give themselves. They hide their pain and suppress, like a warrior in battle. But sooner or later, they must face it, and the longer it is put off…The more likely they will to fill in the hole inside themselves by reflecting that pain and give back to the world the only gift that the world has taught them. If the world will not warmly embrace the child, then the child will burn the world to ashes in order to feel its warmth."

Why does every single Snape AU have him doing mundane shit. The man’s jobs in canon where 1) terrorist 2) spy 3) teacher/spy 4) Headmaster/spy. None of them are mundane, and he loved all of them except the parts related to teachers (Snape loves spying, he says so to Harry). Why then does every single alternative job have him be a healer or a potions brewer or an academic. The man is meant for excitement! Give me less boring standard potions apprentice Snape, give me more billionaire mad scientist entrepreneur Snape (or all three!) superhero Snape, vigilante Snape, auror Snape. Have him do exciting stuff, otherwise he’ll hate it.

[slavghoul]

Interview from Soundi 4/2022

This one was done very early in March so nothing new in terms of news, but he talks a great deal about his youth and past projects, which I think is very cool.

What role did music play in your family and in your life growing up in the 1980s and 90s in Linköping?

- My family was very interested in music and really consumed a lot of it, but we weren't the kind of a family that played or sang a lot. I think my mother and my brother could have been very musical, but they just never got into it. My dad had been in a band way back in the 60s, but he too chose photography as a career. Still, a certain artistry was always present in our lives. We have all always been very aesthetic. Both of my brothers have also written a lot.

What were the turning points in your youth or the things that ignited your passion for music? You have often mentioned your older brother, who passed away in 2010, as an important mentor.

- My parents divorced when I was born. My father always had a separate life with a different family, so my mother raised me and my brother on her own. My older brother was already a teenager when I was just a toddler. This led to two things. First, there was no sibling rivalry between us. He always took care of me and to a certain extent was very responsible, although he did do some silly things like taking me to gigs and parties when I was a kid. Secondly, he exposed me to a lot of different culture. For as long as I can remember, I've always been surrounded by diverse influences. That's why I have such vivid images of the '80s, even though I was just a little kid at the time. Pop culture from the mid-80s onwards defined my life as a child. My brother would come home and say, "Look at this! I just found Prince's new album", holding Purple Rain. Then we devoured the album in its entirety. So it's no wonder I've always been interested in music. It's been a part of me for longer than I can remember.

Over the decades you've written music and lyrics, played the guitar, drums and piano, sung and even recorded albums yourself. Do you feel you are first and foremost a guitarist, or do you really identify with any instrument?

- I'm okay with all those instruments, but I'm not particularly good at any of them. I sort of started as a drummer after finding my grandmother's weaving looms in the house. I started beating on our corner sofa! I did that for years. I've been singing forever too. Even before I had my voice break, I tried to sing in a 60s style, really deep, like Jim Morrison. But I didn't become a singer, and now I'm just okay at it because I've done it so much. At the same time I've got worse as a guitar player. During Ghost, I didn't practice playing as much as I should have. This is a shame really. The guitar is the most rockin' instrument because you play it by dangling it over your crotch! But I've been playing it since I was 7, so I'll never be a total failure at it. If you put me in any cover band, I'm sure I could emulate any rock or pop style of playing. Theoretically I'm pretty clueless, and my strength has been more that I have a keen ear for music.

In the 1990s and 2000s, you did ten years of black and death music with Superior and Repugnant (Forge used the stage name Mary Goore). Even with Ghost, you can still tell that extreme metal means a lot to you.

- Extreme metal is appealing in a very primal way, and death metal is still one of my favourite genres. I'm still a metal collector and I listen to it a lot. When I was 11 or 13 years old in the early 90s, I started buying records and magazines, devouring all kinds of music. Candlemass, King Diamond, Coroner, Mercyful Fate, Bathory, Testament and countless other bands appealed to me. In an instant, I was a head-to-toe rocker and I knew I was on the verge of something that would forever be important to me. The emergence of Entombed, Dismember and other Swedish death metal felt different. Suddenly I saw them on local TV channels and in OK! magazine stories. Almost all the teenage boys in town were wearing Morbid Angel shirts.They all started wearing black. It was a phase in life for a lot of people. For me, it's been my whole life.

The Papa Emeritus and Cardinal Copia characters, as well as some of the Ghost lyrics, are still pure extreme metallic catalogue, which in turn draws from horror and history.

- This also dates back to the 90s, when there was a record store in Stockholm called House Of Kicks. I was completely freaked out when I entered it for the first time, I felt like I was walking straight into a horror movie. Soon everything around me revolved around horror films and satanic imagery. At that age, it all felt completely intense. Given that my family was Christian, that was the opposite of what I should have been looking for. I think the 90s is my favourite period of my musical life. When everything was still new and wonderful, and I hadn't yet grasped the inevitable business loops and laws behind it all.

In retrospect, Repugnant became a cult band with their demos, EP and Epitome Of Darkness album (2006), but you've said that being in that band was a frustrating period for you because of the constant stagnation.

- If you had asked me when I was 17 or even 21 what I wanted from music, I would have said I wanted to be signed to a major label and tour the world, not just be part of a small underground band forever. When that didn't happen, I started to lose my inspiration for Repugnant. We were completely behind the times, which was cool for a while, but if you couldn't see any future for it, it was hard to keep the hunger alive. Ever since I was a little kid I've been fascinated by the idea of making really, really melodic and catchy music. I've always been a fan of huge rock and pop bands. I thought I could do that too. Partly because in the metal scene the idea was strictly forbidden. I wanted to break the idea that the same person can't belong to both worlds.

At the turn of the millennium, you joined the forerunner of glam rock, Crashdiet. Just a few years later, you made several EP releases and one album with hardrockers Subvision.

- Crashdiet was initially a therapy project, but it also showed that I was quite puritanical about a certain kind of rock. I soon realised that me and Dave (Lepard, guitar) were pursuing quite different things. I was a big glam rock fan. The New York Dolls and all those bands up to Guns N' Roses. Dave was more into sleaze rock bands. I didn't care for Poison, Stryper and all that stuff when rock became lime green entertainment. We went out on our own with a few Crashdiet mates to do what we thought that kind of rock was all about. Rock where old glam meets punk aesthetics. Subvision became a kind of hybrid. It was too metal to become a popular pop rock band, but it was also too pop and rock to be a proper metal band. We were operating in the middle of all this, where there was nothing. We made some really bad decisions and worked with a manager who didn't have the right weapons to back up what we were doing. We were in the wrong place at the wrong time again.

If the stars had aligned and you had hit it off properly, could Subvision have been the band you would have experienced creative fulfillment with as well?

- I'm happy that neither Crashdiet or Subvision became anything bigger when I was in my twenties. I could have easily ruined it all. If the breakthrough had happened back then, it would all be over. I was arrogant and naive. The fact that I have managed to do some things right with Ghost is because, for all my mistakes, I knew better what to do. Even now I have not managed to avoid all the mistakes, as we well know. Besides, I would have hated most of the music we wrote at the time. I never want to hear again any of the songs I wrote with Subvision. They make me sick. Those songs were too close to me. Too personal. Ghost also has a lot of my own personality, but it doesn't come out in the same way. I realised at the time that what was much more interesting to me was how I told the stories.

Was this the moment when you came up with the idea of the stage characters seen on the front of Ghost? It's guaranteed you a quirky, secretive avenue to create music.

- Yes. While I was in Repugnant and Crashdiet, I played a few gigs with a honky-tonk band. I found I liked being undercover. I wanted to do things in secret. Not to become famous in my own face or to put myself in the spotlight for some egoistic reason, but because it is a fun concept. The experience made me feel that if I create a kind of figure that gets all the attention, I can still be myself behind the scenes. That way, I could look at my creations objectively, because I'm kind of doing it for someone else.

When Ghost's debut Opus Eponymus came out, you were almost 30 years old and trying to achieve success with several bands. What were your goals for Ghost? Would you have continued making albums if this project had remained a marginal audience affair?

- I would have been more than happy if Ghost had remained a small, stable business that I could have done on top of everything else. That was my idea from the beginning, when I was writing my debut for four years. My original vision was not where we are now. I could never have seen an occult rock project achieving commercial success. I didn't make Ghost with the idea that this was my breakthrough. I just thought that if I'm going to do something creative with my life, it has to be something that I really feel. I imagined myself doing something in the same spirit as Diamanda Galas, Dead Can Dance or Sunn O))). Not in the sense that my music sounds like any of those, but that it's some kind of art installation. As if we were a theatre show rather than a band. My goal was that we would perform in Helsinki Opera House at the most.

When did you realise that Ghost was on its way to a size where you could realise your dream of an artistically independent, yet gigantic show touring the world with a rock band?

- The biggest step I've taken in my entire career was when I leapt from complete nothingness to at least being something with a future. That was in March 2010, when I released my first songs on Myspace. It was kind of an overnight breakthrough. Before that night, maybe about ten people knew about Ghost. The next minute the number was in the thousands. It. Was. Totally. Unbelievable. Just the sheer number of people who were glowing about Ghost and the number of people who made loud declarations about how much they hated us was a signal that we had spawned something powerful. That could have ended in a brief shock, but song, album and concert after song, it just kept going. And it still goes on. You can see it with every new single release. Everyone has an opinion about Ghost. Wow! Moments abound from then on. Like seeing James Hetfield wearing a Ghost shirt in an interview that was seen all over Swedish television. It was a gigantic, huge moment that I will never forget. Or when Darkthrone's Fenriz listed us as one of the metal bands of the future, which sounds pretty funny now knowing our music.

The last stadium-level heavy rock bands, such as Guns N' Roses and Metallica, cemented their size category more than 30 years ago. Even then, heavy rock was still mainstream. Ghost, on the other hand, made its breakthrough in the 2010s, when rock was definitely not big.

- So, similarly, many 80s rock bands like Judas Priest and Ozzy Osbourne grew to be huge because they managed to make a few albums that were part of the pop peak of the time. The rock they made was what was topping the Billboard charts at the time. Now it's a different story. Ghost is not hip-hop, r'n'b or experimental pop made by young artists. In the metal world, people think we're doing really commercial things, but in the big picture we're just a footnote to the fact that someone is still making old-fashioned music. We're the odd bird that gets a Grammy every now and then for some reason. I don't know if there's continuity for us. I'm pretty sure that everything we do with Ghost could change at any time. And it will. Sooner or later I'm going to realize that the peak of our career passed some time ago, and now people are talking about something completely different. I'm happy as long as I manage to make music to which people's first reaction is some kind of exclamation mark. It means that we still stand out from the crowd, but you can't repeat that forever.

At first, Ghost was just you. Then came the Nameless Ghouls, a band of faceless members. Later, you even had to go to court with them, as they demanded a larger share of Ghost's income. Now Ghost is just you again. Is self-governance the best solution for Ghost, or do you long for a full-blooded band activity?

- The biggest mistake I ever made was to think for a single second that Ghost could be both. When I was in my thirties, I thought the same as many people that age. I worried that my youth was over and that I was losing my grip on my friends. I feared that life would put us on our own rafts and we'd drift in different directions. By the time Ghost hit, I was at a point in my life where I had a job for once, had two kids and had taken some pretty big steps towards adulthood. Up until then, I had been single and unemployed. Ready to go out into the world at a moment's notice. By the turn of the 2010s, I hadn't given up on those dreams, but I had settled down. To put it really cynically, I needed some guys because I couldn't do Ghost alone. It was easy to ask these friends I didn't want to lose touch with to join me. Invite them to a party, so to speak. I was absolutely sure that we were going to experience something that was going to be fun, and I wanted to experience it with friends. I had already done most of the groundwork for Ghost. The whole concept was there. We had a record deal. The rest of them were sitting at a ready-made table. Some of these people were sceptical about whether this was going to be anything at all. They were moaning about how stupid it all sounds, and how silly they look in their outfits. Although these same people have since said that Ghost meant a lot to them, it is nothing compared to what it means to me. Ghost is everything to me from 2006 onwards. So I just had to give up the idea that this was something I could with other people. It wasn't that from the beginning, and I shouldn't have forced this concept into a band. I lied to myself for a while about it.

With decisions like this and your records, many people see you as a confident and visionary musician who knows what you're doing. In what ways are you outside your own comfort zone and the most insecure?

- I'm usually confident about music, but the next moment I might be unsure about the same things. However, I never doubt myself to the point of feeling completely useless. There are a lot of people who dabble in designing houses, building them and then selling them for a small profit that just about compensates for the resources spent on them. I experience composing in much the same way. Every piece is like a new project. A new goal that I try to achieve as successfully as possible. I don't settle for easy solutions. I might throw a few of my colleagues under the bus when I say that quite a few musicians are content to make whatever sound they want for 45 minutes. As long as the band keeps going and going. I don't get the fulfilment of making an album every two or three years because that's just the way it has to be. It's important to me to try and write the best songs I can. Even in my Repugnant days, my desire to write recognisable songs was high. I wanted it to be the superstar in its genre. This creates situations where I know what I want, but I can't seem to find the means to achieve my goal.

How do you get out of such locked situations when composing?

- I may be a bit of a control freak in some things, but I'm not afraid to admit I need help to achieve a bigger goal. That's where co-writing sessions very often help, as I did on the new album with Joakim Berg, Salem Al Fakir, Vincent Pontare, Max Grahn, Peter Svensson and Klas Åhlund. I also developed a little imagination exercise for myself years ago. In a locked situation, I imagine for a moment that I am another musician, writing music for a completely different band. What if I were this person from this band who always does these things well, I think, and I start a kind of role-play. That little imaginative exercise has often opened up possibilities in any number of directions. In a way, it's the same kind of opportunity opener for objectivity that all the visible role-playing has been.

When we last spoke in March 2019, the tours for the Prequelle album were in their final stages. You said at the time that you had a clear vision for Ghost's fifth album. Now, two and a half years later, Impera has been released. How much do your visions for the albums change as you make them?

- Can I make a small reference to Star Wars? You may know how different George Lucas' original idea of a single Star Wars film was, and what the franchise has grown into. Even before a second of the album was written, I knew I wanted to write an album about empires and their disintegration. I knew what kind of visual expression would go alongside all that. I had also sketched out what songs should be on the album at what stage, so that my idea of the right kind of drama would be realised. The idea of all this may have been in my head since 2014, but Ghost albums are not finished until they are finished. I'm always making changes to the albums, all the time and even in the last few moments. There are always some decisions and choices to be made, because every beat and every melody has to have a meaning.

After Prequelle's melodic, catchy and poppy Ghost, it was certainly possible to continue in the same vein and guarantee steady growth. You chose a different path, and Impera's melodic language, rhythm and atmosphere is like the joy of 80s rock squeezed through the formal language of the vicious Ghost.

My goal has always been to write new music. New experiments. If my music matters, all the better. If it stands on its own feet as something that has meant something to someone, great. At the point when I'm writing music and trying to do my job, if you think of composing as a job, I can't think at all about what my music is, what it isn't, what it could be, what it can't be or what it will mean. I just have to try to make something as good as possible until the whole album crystallises in my mind. I might find that this song is like a closing song, this is the last act, so it doesn't matter if it lasts seven minutes. It's not a song that could become a hit, so it doesn't need to be compressed into a form that could be played on the radio. Similarly, I might have a song in my hands that screams "Hit! Hit! Hit!" and it may be a good idea to trim it a little and make sure that the song has the right seeds to reach its potential. It's about not shying away from any means when you have a certain imagery in mind that you want the music to express.

One of the unwritten rules in rock's history is that at some point, even big bands will turn around and change their style completely. Ghost has already flirted with many genres, but how far could you go here? Could you imagine doing something completely different, like a hip-hop album, and succeeding?

- I don't know if my rap record would be good, hah hah, but if it seemed topical, why not? I think I understand the design language of hip-hop, which I like. Of course, my interest in the genre is limited because I only like a certain type of hip-hop from a certain period, i.e. the late 80s and early 90s. Sampling is the most fascinating part of hip hop. You can take any part of the music that you like, whether it's an old soul track or a be-bop song, find a rhythm to give it flow and get someone to rap over it. Public Enemy, Run-DMC, Cypress Hill, House Of Pain... all that stuff that sounded very different from most of the hip-hop of today. At the time, hip-hop's message could be very loud, but it was also celebratory, hit-making and in a certain, strange way, joyful. The tone could be very self-ironic and the music even sounded funny. Hip-hop today often feels like a feverish nightmare, whereas the Beastie Boys, for example, had a more colourful feel. The core idea of Beastie Boys is something that I feel a kinship with in Ghost. If I wanted to make a death metal album that sounded like it was made in 1987, I could do it. If I wanted to make a punk album that sounded like 1977, I could do that too. But writing an urban hip-hop album? I'm not entirely sure… but maybe that’s exactly why I should do it someday.