#I sort of combined classic with my own style

[neonjazzparty]

If you're still taking requests can you draw Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy? They can either be their classic animated versions or whichever versions of them is your favorite.

Okay I might have went a bit over board with this sketch but gosh I love them!

#I sort of combined classic with my own style #cartoon #art #drawing #neonjazzdoodles #harley and ivy #eat bang kill tour #dc #harley quinn #pamela isley

[yomogi-mogi-mochi]

Unnecessarily Convoluted Analysis of TWST Dorm Architecture

Putting that Art History degree to use 💪 I am getting my Masters in art history, so I am like semi qualified?? to do this. Tried my best with some of the dorms since some don't have an explicit cultural/architectural parallel irl. And obviously lots of liberties taken since I'm sure the people at Disney were not going for historical accuracy

Masterlist here

Much of this analysis can from my Spolia fic (Malleus x Light Fae MC)

Diasmonia: Early Gothic

Gothic- but early gothic. It's got a few flying buttresses, indicative of technology in later gothic movements- but in combination to the lower ceilings (lower than later gothic), fewer levels (celestory, triforium, doric columns, and shorter windows makes me think it's early gothic (more towards Norman architecture/Sens Cathedral), because it's a lot simpler and less technologically developed than high gothic (larger windows, rose windows, higher and pointier style, flying buttresses, more decorative stuff like Corinthian columns and stained glass). Still, I think the Fae would be been more concerned with its structural integrity against the waves of time- therefore gargoyles become a very prominent symbol in protecting this eternity and preservation of architecture since it basically prevents rain/weather from eating away at the building.

There's some interesting symbolism with Malleus' fixation with gargoyles, but I'm sure you can make that connection on your own based on what's out in Chapter 7 and how he reacts to both Lilia's and MC'S impending goodbyes.

Gothic was actually a term used by the French to demean the style, since it was seen as more 'savage' and 'lower' than classical architecture- which is symmetrical, solid, and values very literal and realistic (albeit idealized) characterization. Gothic architecture in contrast is a lot more airy, focuses on light and windows, and values more allegorical representations, which is why it resonated so well with the religious ruler and monarchies because they were able to not-so-subtly point to their influence and power in every single way without it being in your face all the time.

Because of this very stank contrast, it was labeled as "gothic" because people were criticizing it to be "savage" and "unkept". The goths were painted this way because they were mainly responsible for Rome's downfall, leading to the dark ages. Regardless of the French ruthlessly roasting the goths, this type of design flourished after the dark ages because technology was beginning to be advanced once more, and materials were more readily available.

My theory would be that the fae began to first develop this architecture because they had the advantage of magic, but then the humans were influenced by it- which leads them to high gothic (Noble Bell College), as well as Baroque and Rococo architecture (like the Pomefiore dorm). The Fae kept their style of early gothic since they didn't really see a point in changing much- maybe just more decorative gargoyles called grotesque as a symbol of the Fae's gratitude in their protection against time.

Also the hallways have what are almost like ribbed vaults which was one of the primary and first symbols of gothic architecture because they allowed more weight to be distributed to the vaults, and therefore allow for bigger windows.

Another distict characteristics in gothic architecture are clearly defined elevations.

Traditionally, they will have the celestial at the top, then gallery, then the main arcade (especially as we get into the later gothic periods and buildings get even taller and taller). Of course Disney isn't completely accurate with these things, but it seems that they're sort of going for that vibe, as many things end up being as our contemporary notions of historical design often creates a vague iconography of things that is often a copy of a copy of a copy of the original medium.

However I do think the intention to mimic the original design is still there overall, and combined with many of the other elements such as the prevalence of pointed arches that are a symbol of gothic architecture, and the sheer number of windows that were allowed originally due to the technological advances of the gothic era (and of course Malleus' own obsession with gargoyles), I think it would make sense to categorize this is like "gothic adjacent".

If I were to redesign the diasmonia dorm however, I would definitely begin by fixing the exterior- but I think they were referencing Malificent's tower in the Disney movie than any sort of historical accuracy lol. You win some, you lose some.

Pomefiore: Rococo with a touch of Art Noveau

Very obviously modeled after French Rococo architecture- the illustration of the hallways of Pomefiore dorm are almost exactly like the Palace of Versailles

It is definitely a toned down version- but pretty spot on, right? When I first saw the Pomefiore dorm I immediately Googled a picture of the Palace of Versailles cause I knew I saw it somewhere. Autistic spidey senses at it again.

Honestly wish they went more all out with the chandeliers, and had painted ceilings on the dorm colors- but I feel like they got the general vibes right. It feels closer to Romanesque with its simplicity but it still holds an aura of decadence and frivolity that I like. Very rich, extravagant like it's members (maybe not so much Epel lol)

Elements of Art noveau in the furniture (the peacock chair) and the embroidery of the uniforms.

Also, the peacock chair sort of reminds me of James McNeill Whistler's Peacock Room. He was an American impressionist that was sort of the forefront of art nouveau, since impressionism was one of the mainstream movements that really began the explosion of Japanese inspired design that is also used in Art Nouveau aesthetic.

(Vil would definitely have this room if he could)

The carpet in the room reminds me of William Morris' designs, and just art nouveau in general.

As far as I can tell, the exterior is based on a variety of German castle styles from 13th century Romanesque styles, to 18th century Neo-Gothic styles. Which is coincidentally what a lot of the castles on Disneyland are based off of.

Everything is very florial, Corinthian, and extravagant. I love it. It's very baroque, I dig it.

Scarabia

Please don't come for me I'm not as well versed in Non-Asian and Non-Western architecture except for religious architecture in Turkey and Jerusalem so I'm gonna try my best with this one

So I think it mixes a lot of the icons we think of in association to Arabic architecture like domes, pointed/ogee (rounded, then pointed)/multifoil (multiple curves) arches, and ornate floral designs that derive from the use of calligraphy in Islamic structures (as iconography, or pictures depicting the faces and bodies of religious figures were not allowed).

And I think all those tiny buildings resemble Minarets, or tall towers built adjacent to mosques where the muezzin can issue the call to prayer. But the artists were probably like "hm. Not enough. How do we make it more arabic??" And of course the contemporary orientalist perspectives that dominate the artistic realm made they go "quick just add a bunch of domes"

I think Kalim's room and the lounge in particular best shows the general "airiness" that parallels Islamic acthicture (ie the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque on UAE)

Open air courtyards are also a characteristic element of Islam architecture, which you can see with the areal view of the dorm, and also makes sense with Kalim's unique magic.

Jali window designs (the intricate gold metal covers on the arches) are also popular on Islamic architecture

The Haga Sophia in particular has been described to have a dome "suspended by the heavens", as the section connecting the building and the dome is made entirely of arches that allows the sunlight from the heavens to pour inside the building. Though the haga Sophia is a very special case, as it was occupied by varying religions with different architectural styles at certain periods- I think it's also a good representation of our contemporary prototype of Arabian architecture that makes up the final design of the dorm.

Ignihyde: Classical Greek

Looks like it's modeled after the Parthenon, which was built during the Classical period on Greece where Athens was flourishing as a center of mathematics, technology, and architecture. These are sentiments which becomes reflected in the Renaissance afterwards, such as symmetry and a very systemic way of approaching things. I think it fits perfectly with this dorm, since they're the "tech geeks" of NRC

It's got your pediment, your doric columns (would have preferred ionic columns but whatever Disney), your arcades. Pretty straight forward unlike the actual movie it's based off of lol (Hercules has so so many mythological inconsistencies. Like why are you talking about Achilles in the movie??? Trojan was hasn't even happened babe stop manifesting that shit)

I think the symmetry and order of Classical Greek design goes well with the overall futuristic look Ignihyde and the Island of Woe are going for. Pretty clever, Disney.

Heartslabyul: Tudor Revival Style

Though Alice in Wonderland is set in the later 19th century, I think the Tudorian Revival style than began in the beginning of the 20th century just shortly later fits best.

Turdorian revival style is characterized through half timbering, which is like the timber panels you see on the surface of the building; oriel windows (windows that jut out); mock battlements; and courtyards.

The Tudorian revival style also takes elements from Elizabethan era architecture and perpendicular gothic architecture, hence the long gallery and the tudorian four point arch)

The glass panes in the lounge leaves me to believe it's sort of like a glass house where part of the house is sort of like a greenhouse. This is characteristic of Victorian glasshouses that rose with the availability of timber, paint, and brick and the popularity of botany in the Victorian era propelled by botanical imports from British colonies. Architecrs like Joseph Paxton were also known for his opus magnum- the Crystal Palace, which held the Great Exhibition of 1851 (kind of like a world expo with the theme of industry and art) also popularize the movement- and was a significant sign of wealth, as glass and window taxes were especially high. But in the later century when iron and steel frame construction was advanced, people could be built out of iron and window panes, so they could be assembled easily, and also afforded by middle class citizens.

So it's basically a mix of Elizabethan and Victorian revival styles (tudorian and gothic), which is in theme with the Victorian period the original media is set in, albeit taking inspiration from styles little later in the period.

Savanaclaw:

Again- I am blind when it comes to Non-Asian/Non-Western architecture- but this one was kinda confusing cause it really doesn't have any architectural cohesivity??? Like it's just got a general "jungle vibe" which I'm not surprised at because Disney is infamous for glossing over non-white cultures and kind of just simplifying them into a "general vibe" which wow yikes my guy

Kind of reminds me of Mese Verde, which are structures made directly within a cliffside, or the Great Mosque of Djenné and the African Heritage house in Kenya which have very smoothed, natural designs that blend into the environment

What I could gather from my research and my juicy autistic brain, savannas are regularly subjected to wild fires- so a lot of the heavy, rocky architecture and interior style makes sense, opposed to one made of wood (which are mostly in the inside of the structure, besides the roof which I imagine is less likely to catch on fire). Much of the building seems also to be directly carved within natural rock formations- a very functional use of the resources around you- very savannaclaw!

The textiles in each of the dorm members' rooms resemble Kente fabric, a style of hand weaving from Ghana, originally reserved for royalty but now commonly worn for ceremonial occasions and such. Also unlike other African textiles styles, it's strictly a male practice. I think it would make sense for Sunset Savanna, a place where women are highly respected and perhaps take on more political and military positions- leaving largely men to the practice of textile making (both are honorable acts- not comparing the two). There aren't distinguished aesthetic styles of textiles that differentiate each weaving from another- rather, it is divided by technique and region- so this is not like a definite connection, just thought it was interesting to includle

Textiles seem to occupy the only decorative role in the entire dorm- so perhaps there is significant cultural significance? Maybe there is a certain region that's known for their practices? Or is weaving a symbol of adulthood or growth and therefore is why they're hung up in each of the dorm member's rooms with the exception of Ruggie, who may not have had the socioeconomic privilege of making one? Or does the practice vary across species? Much to speculate 🤔

Octavinelle: Art Deco and Art Nouveau

Saved this one for last because oh boy I don't even know where to start with this. Obviously the design is very creative and I love it, but there's a lot less historical elements I can use to analyze the style, kind of like the Savanah claw exterior.

But it leans towards the art deco style, which is most fitting for the business dorm I think.

Elements of Art deco like geometric aspects of design, thematic and aesthetic consistency, and decorative/geometric windows are seen throughout the dorm interior and exterior

But I think the art nouveau elements are also there too, with the cheeky sea-themed elements that use natural shapes and icons into the architecture, design, and surfaces of the dorm.

Otherwise, not much else to say about this dorm 🤷 it's not really based in anything historical but there are bits and pieces of art nouveau and art deco in there, but I definitely wish they would lean more into the art deco elements since I think it would go well with the general themes of the dorm values.

So uh, yeah. Told you it would be convoluted.

Feel free to add and or correct!

#twisted wonderland x reader #twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland analysis #art history #twisted wonderland theory #diasmonia #pomefiore #ignihyde #scarabia #heartslabyul #octanivelle #savanaclaw #twisted series #twst analysis #lilia vanrouge #malleus draconia #rook hunt #vil shoenheit #epel felmier #idia shroud #ortho shroud #ace trappola #deuce spade #trey clover #carter diamond #twst silver #sebek zigvolt #architecture #leona kingscholar #ruggie bucchi

[literary-illuminati]

2024 Book Review #11 – The Maya (10th Edition) by Michael D. Coe and Stephen Houston

My second proper history book of the year, and significantly better than the first! This existed on the happy intersection of ‘the r/AskHistorian’s big list of recommenced works on Goodreads’ and ‘stuff my public library inexplicably has a copy of’. It’s dense and more than a bit dry reading, enough that I read it over the course of a week as a side-dish to more digestible fiction. Still, fascinating read, and a book that left more far better informed about the subject than when I started it.

The book is more or less what it says on the tin – a survey of the history of the Maya (or at least the current state of what’s known about it). The book opens with an explanation of the Maya language family, the relevant geography, the characteristics of the high- and lowlands, and the division into northern, central and southern area the field seems to use generally. The better part of it is then arranged chronologically, beginning with the Archaic Period, through the Pre-Classic and Classic, then then Collapse and the Post-Classic. The Spanish Conquest and history since gets a very abbreviated epilogue, ending with a few micro-anthropologies of different contemporary villages and then a five-page travellers’ guide to the most important sites and how to access them.

It’s all, as I said, quite dense – the sort of book where every paragraph adds at least one new important fact and very little time is spent on repetition or review. Combined with the usually very dry, expository tone, it feels much more like a textbook to be read with a lecturer or group to break down and dig into each section than something that was really written to be read alone and for pleasure. Which you know, makes sense, given that this is the tenth edition of a book originally written several decades before I was born.

Now, I say this is a history book, but that’s honestly a bit of a kludge – better to say it’s an archaeology book or, failing that, about anthropology and historiography. There is very little narativizing, and it is very much told from the point of view of the present. That is, the sections are organized chronologically, but within them the unit of analysis is the archaeological site, with every supposition explained as emerging from the analysis of some ruin or artifact or fragment of text. Far more time is spent on the architecture and layout of Mayan cities than the people who actually lived within them, simply because the author’s have so much more to say about them.

It’s only really in the chapters on the Classic (and, to a much lesser extent, post-classic) periods that the book goes from theorizing about building and pottery styles to speaking more confidently about royal courts and high politics and dynastic grandeur, and above all the attempts to give specific particular people a sense of personality and personal biographies that you generally expect out of a pop history book. Which does make sense, given that those are the only periods where we really have enough textual evidence to confidently name and ascribe significance to any particular people – overwhelmingly dynasts and war-leaders, because of course those are the (almost invariably) men who constructed stelae and covered the walls of temples with testaments of their own greatness.

This means that you do get more of a look into nuts and bolts of knowledge production that you do in most histories – a passage about the development of chocolate drinks as elite consumption is framed with the discovery of cocoa residue on preclassic ceramic vessels, one about human sacrifice by the discovery of skeletal remains in cenotes near major architectural sites, that sort of thing. Similarly, just about every single discovery or theory is credited to one or a few specific academics who initially made it. Which will be either incredibly interesting or the dullest thing in the world, depending on one’s tastes.

The text is mostly incredibly dry and expository in tone, which makes the points where a real sense of personality and subjective opinion leaks through interesting. And endearing, at least to me, but I just find there to be something instantly likeable about the sort of academic myopia which considers human sacrifice and mass famine from the point of view of the universe but is roused to passionate rage by suburban sprawl building over unexamined archaeological sites.

I knew little enough about the specifics of Maya civilization going into this that just relaying everything that struck me reading this would turn this review into a novella. But the way that lowland urbanization and agriculture were based around, not rivers like just about every other culture I’ve read on, but cenotes (and artificially constructed simulacra thereof) in the limestone to capture enough rainwater to last through the dry season was just fascinating. The fact that, the region’s reputation for inexhaustible lushness notwithstanding, the soil the Maya relied upon was very thin and in most cases totally degraded after just a few years of agriculture as well. (Speaking of, the theorizing about how diet changed over the ages and how this related to population movements and density was just fascinating).

The book really wasn’t that interested in the specifics of mythology or divine pantheons beyond how they showed up on engravings and ornamentation – there’s no bestiary of gods or anything – but there’s enough of that ornamentation for it to be a recurring topic anyway. I admit I still find the fact that there’s this great primordial pre-classic god-monster which in the modern era is just called ‘Principle Bird Deity’ deeply amusing.

The book is deeply interested in the Maya calendar and time-keeping. Along with the monumental architecture it’s pretty clearly the thing that the authors find most impressive and awe-inspiring about Classical Mayan culture. There’s enough time dedicated to explaining it that I even pretty much understood how the different counts and levels of timekeeping interacted by the end of the book.

One beat the book kept coming back to (which I admit suits my biases quite well) is that there’s just no sense in the Maya were ever isolated or pristine. Cultural influence coming down from the Valley of Mexico waxed and waned, but on some level it was constant – Mesoamerica was a coherent cultural unit, and the similarities in philosophy and culture (not to mention material goods) between cultures within it are too blatant to ignore. The book theorizes that the population levels reached in the Yucatan before the Spanish Conquest really couldn’t have been supported by local maize agriculture, and instead cities were probably sustained by harvesting and exporting from the salt flats (among the best in the Americas) they controlled access to.

Even beyond trade, there’s several points where ruling dynasties were toppled or installed by armies ranging down from Mexico. The Olmecs and Toltecs make repeated appearances. Even the conquistadors conquest of the Highlands was really only possible because the few hundred Spaniards who got all the credit were marching alongside several thousand indigenous allies.

Speaking of – it’s really only an aside to an epilogue, but given I mostly know the Anglo-American history here, it did kind of strike me how...traditionally imperialist the Spanish were, compared to the more-or-less explicitly genocidal rhetoric I’m used to. If you were an indigenous potentate or ruler enthusiastically selling out to the Spanish Crown was significantly more likely to actually work out for you than trusting a treaty with the US of A, anyway (well, for a while. Smallpox comes for everyone),

Then again, the book does mention that the newly independent Mexican and Central American states in the 19th century were actually significantly worse for the Maya than the Bourbons had been (with things reaching their nadir with the genocidal violence of the 1980s in Guatemala), so maybe that’s it.

Anyway, the book is illustrated, and absolutely chock full of truly beautiful photography and prints on just about every other page. Even if you never actually read it, it would be a great coffee table book.

#book review #history #The Maya #Michael D. Coe #stephen houston

[beyondfabric]

Beyond Fabric x Norwegian Rain

A while back I was challenged by T-Michael and Alex over at Norwegian Rain to rethink modern officewear using some of their most classic raincoats. A sort of a social experiment aimed at registering a moment in time and context, that portrays my interpretation of professional attires in 2023.

Inspired by 3 of Norwegian Rain’s weatherproof styles, I put together 3 different looks I could wear to work in a not overly formal environment. Breaking down the traditional suit and tie paradigm, all 3 proposals are polished and sophisticated, with their own unique twists.

The first, depicted here, is a vintage-inspired combination that feels fresh by incorporating the raincoat’s technical fabric and a raw hemmed flannel sports jacket. On the more classic end, we have a stripped club collar shirt and wool tie, paired with off white corduroy trousers.

Ph: Elisabeth Teixeira

#beyond fabric #Miguel Amaral Vieira #menswear #men's fashion #men's style #style #fashion #inspiration #norwegian rain #outerwear #raincoats #waterproof #wiw #ootd #suiting

[thatbanditqueen]

Basic Training

I Don't Date Soldiers

A new fic, possibly a new WIP, about Elvis' life at Fort Hood. Let me know what you think.

Summary: Bess is a smart, young secretary working for the Commander of Army Intelligence training at Fort Hood, dreaming of a life beyond the military one she has always known. That's why she doesn't date soldiers, they only break your heart, and she is looking ahead to something better. One Friday night in March, she stumbles in to the new draftee who's turned the base upside down, and in a moment of weakness, decides to try and help him sleep. Just this once.

Warnings: None, fluffy and angst combined, but innocent. For now. There are a lot of typos.

Word Count: 4.8 K

Some notes: Probably good to know the acronyms, every Army base has a chain of command, and at the top sit the Commanding Officer (CO), the Executive Officer (XO), and a bunch of other officers, of different rank denoted by their ascending O rank, from 1 to 10. WAC - Women's Army Corps, established in WWII, their was a sizeable WAC presence at Fort Hood in 1958. Oh, and Killeen is the closest city to Fort Hood and Austin, TX is about an hour away. Also I really wanted this to take place on a Friday night, but also have had Elvis at the base for two nights, so I gave myself creative license to make March 30, 1958 a Friday. Just don't look it up and we'll be fine.

This fic was inspired by the writing prompt:

Many thanks to my beautiful sister-wives-in-arms whose advice support and love make being an Elvis girl possible and fun, @be-my-ally @vintageshanny @from-memphis-with-love @ellie-24 @powerofelvis @missmaywemeetagain and @whositmcwhatsit, from whom I have stolen her trademarked description of Elvis' awkward manner of kissing half on the cheek half on the lips like a goofy weirdo who was never taught how to kiss right so he decided to make up his own style. And thanks for reading and connecting with me here, the Elvis fandom is the best and I love our community!

Friday, March 30, 1958

9 p.m. at Sal's Cafe

Bess pushed her veal marsala from one side of her plate to the other, feeling the vibrations of her fork scrape across the bottom of the plate. The place checked off all the requisite Italian restaurant requirements: checkered table cloth, candle in an old wine bottle, violin player sawing away at a classical reinterpretation of “That’s Amore.” But the brown sauce, and the meat it was congealing around, was inedible. It was the sort of food that begged the question “why not stay in and cook at home?”

“I said, don’t you think, Bess honey? You follow that stuff, dontcha?”

Bess looked up at her friend Dori’s face, realizing she had drifted off daydreaming of a future far away from Killeen, away from her job at Fort Hood, away from the Army, away from officers, like the ones sitting across from them. Away from soldiers in general.

“What, Khrushchev? Well, I think we all knew he wasn’t going to take the threat laying down.”

Dori hit Bess' shoulder lightly, smiling at their dates, two officers from Army Intelligence.

“No, y’all will havta excuse my friend here, she still thinks she’s studying political science in Austin. You’d think a year of civilian life would make her normal again, huh?”

Dori flipped her blonde hair and drawled on.

“No, silly goose, no one here is interested in that Russian stuff, we’re talking about Mike Todd. What do you think poor Elizabeth Taylor is going to do now that her husband's dead?”

Bess tried very hard not to roll her eyes. Dori was right, she read the movie gossip magazines, but her friend’s distraught, serious expression had made her think they were discussing something with a little more gravitas. The recent atomic weapons testing, or Russian political shifts, the stuff at the top of her New York Times front page everyday. But why would any one in the Army want to talk about that?

Bess smiled at her date and tried to focus on the conversation at hand. Later in the bathroom, Dori chided her while applying a fresh coat of lipstick onto Bess’ mouth.

“I wish you would try to be polite.”

“Dori, you know I am breaking my rule here with you. I don’t date soldiers. I have two goals I'm focusing on: get into law school and shake off these twenty pounds. ”

Bess rubbed her hands over her waist.

“Rules were made to be broken, Bessie Pie, and you look great, men like a girl with a jiggle, I think you look like a brunette Jayne Mansfield.”

“Hardly. You’re Mansfield and Monroe rolled into one.”

“Don't sell yourself short. I know you were fixin' to marry that boy last year, and now all you talk about is law school this, politics that. Don’t you wanna get married? We're not getting any younger.”

“I’m twenty three. Same as you.”

“Eggg zactly. Sure, it seems young now, but you're gonna blink and be thirty and single, with nothing but your degrees to keep you company. You already have a good job now. I just know you’d set this law school thing aside if you met the right guy.”

“Of course I wanna get married, someday. But not now. You’re the one in a hurry to quit your job and settle down, not me.”

“I don’t have a job.”

“See, you’re half way there, Doreen. Me, I’m not giving up my goals for Captain Smarmy out there. How did you even meet these ones?”

Dori steadied her self on Bess’ shoulder.

“Stop moving, or this lipstick won’t be straight. I met them outside the PX, I thought they were cute. Arnie knew who you were, he was the one who suggested we all go out. He really likes you, I can tell - “

“Yeah, he was just in my pop's office lobbying for an assignment, he doesn’t like me. He is using me.  There’s a difference, I shouldn’t have to tell you that.”

“So what if he was? Maybe he saw you there and couldn’t get you out of his mind. He’s good looking, smart, he’s already an O3 —”

Bess stopped her friend’s hand, and fixed her hair in the mirror, pushing up her bust and sighing at the rounder curves that had been widening at her waist since she’d graduated from college and settled into a very sedentary, very single, and currently very celibate life living back at home and working for her father. She turned to look at Dori who was waiting to blot Bess' lips with a tissue like the sweet girl she always had been. For Dori, a fresh coat of perfectly applied lipstick fixed all of life’s problems.

“Look, Captain whatever out there is only here for six months or so for training, then he's off to Heidelberg. That’s why I don’t date soldiers anymore. I’ve learned from my mistakes. I’m waiting for you to catch up.”

Bess gave her dark curls one last fluff.

“How’d you get these suckers to come out on a double date anyway? They aren’t scared of your father?”

Dori avoided eye contact as she smoothed her blonde bouffant and pursed her lips, then looked at Bess in the mirror.

“They don’t know.”

“How do they not know your father is the CO?”

Dori shrugged, then pinched Bess as they walked out of the ladies’ room.

“Don’t tell, ok? Let’s just have fun. What if you fall madly in Arnie? And he asked you to marry him and go to Germany with him?”

Bess snorted as they walked out to the men waiting for them in the restaurant lobby and Dori's eyes took on a knowing look.

“Hmm, so that’s big fat ol ‘no’ to dancing tonight, I’m guessin’?”

Bess nodded.

“Please at least tell me you aren’t going home to work on that boring research project?”

Bess smiled mischievously. “Professor Blotke agreed to help me, it’s going to be my submission sample for Georgetown. Papa took Mama to D.C. with him for his meetings, so I have the house practically to myself. It's just Kay and me, and she’s probably already asleep. I just have to grab a new typewriter back on post, I busted mine.”

Dori shook her disapproving of Bess’ plans for the night, then turned to greet their escorts with her usual vivacious pleasantries. Bess smiled at Dori's ability to interact with the men so casually and intimately, sliding her hands through both of officer's arms as they walked to the car. She considered how different she was from her girlfriend, despite the fact that they were both twenty three year old daughters of career Army officers. Every relationship she'd been in seemed to occur in spite of her inability to feel at ease or flirt with boys.

The conversation turned to recent events at Fort Hood as they walked.

“So,” Dori exhaled, squeezing herself against her date. “Has anyone seen Elvis yet?”

Bess pounded her foot a little harder into the concrete, hearing that name now provoked instant irritation.

“Ughh, no. It’s only been what, three days, and honestly I wish he’d been sent somewhere else for training. All I do is answer calls about him. It is driving me up the wall and I can’t get anything done. He’s turned the whole base upside down. Must have been a hundred cars parked outside the main gate, all scattered around the fields. It’s a security issue. I just —"

“Well, that’s not his fault Bess, and I think it's great. I wanna to meet him, don’t y’all?” Dori looked at the officers on her arms.

Arnie smiled a big dumb smile as he looked at Dori’s bouncing breasts and agreed. “I think it’s good for the Army, boy, I just - I just wish we could get the other enlisted to lay off him.”

“What do you mean?”

Bess felt the pit of her stomach tense as she thought of the thousands of green little boys running around base on edge with no external distractions for entertainment.

“Yeah, the boys’ have been giving him a hard time, shouting out when he runs during PT, or at the chow hall. There’s some concern he hasn’t been coming to eat all his meals cuz a the way they’ve been taunting him.”

Bess sighed, her irritation dissipating momentarily into sympathy as she considered how hungry and lonely Elvis Presley must be. Then she remembered that she was hungry, hungry because all the good restaurants had been filled up tonight by people trying to catch a glimpse of him. Elvis was the reason the only benefit from breaking her vow against dating a soldier, the free meal, had been a bust. She wondered if it was going to be this crazy around town for the next six months while he was here.

“I feel sorry for the poor kid, I do. But I still wish he was some other base’s problem.”

***********************************************************

Back on post, Arnie asked Bess for the fourth time if she wouldn’t like him to come help her carry the typewriter to her car. Then they could meet the others at the night club.

Beth pursed her lips with a demure smile.  “I think I can handle a typewriter, Captain, I use them all day.”

Dori chimed in with a reminder that it was Friday night and they were only young once, but Bess put them off, grinning as she heard Dori exclaim that both men would just have to dance with her all night.

“Two gorgeous officers all to myself,  what eva shall I do?”

Free at last, Bess drove her car to the supply building, and snuck in the back door carrying the type writer that she had been using at home, the big sticker along the bottom reading “Property of U.S. Army” evident as she held the machine under her arm to unlock the door. Bess slipped off her heels at the door so that they didn’t click down the dark hallways, and she easily scurried in to slip the broken machine into the repair center and help herself to a new model, grabbing a few spools of typewriter ribbon and a package of paper on the way out. Balancing everything as she locked up to leave,  Bess smiled at the cool air on her sweaty arm pits and laughed to herself for pulling this stealth operation in a tight green cocktail dress and pumps.

“A better use of this outfit anyway, I’d say.” She muttered to herself, sheathing her right foot back into her white heel with a sense of pride that she’d managed to get in, get the new machine, and would probably be home before 11 p.m. Bess had propped her self up against the building to slip her left foot into the other shoe when she heard a voice behind her call out.

“Uh, hey, need any help there?”

Startled, she almost toppled over, catching herself at the last moment by dropping everything in her hands.

“OWW fuck fuck fuck a duck!

She screamed in pain as the typewriter clanged down on her bare left foot and she almost knocked heads with the tall, gangly soldier who squatted down on front of her at the same time to try and help her retrieve her supplies.

"Oh man, I sure am sorry, listen -"

“At ease, uh Private,” she glanced briefly at the rank on his uniform while straightening up, holding her foot in pain and taking in the view below her. The paper knob at the top of the new machine had broken off completely.

“Fuck, this is what I get, I suppose,” she laughed, looking up find herself across from the shy, inquisitive face of Elvis Presley.

“Oh fuck a duuuuuck.”

Bess forgot about the typewriter, the paper spilled everywhere, the throbbing pain in the left foot she was now holding up and cradling. She didn’t even notice how she was exposing her thighs until she rubbed her foot again and dropped it with a thud, realizing she was about to flash Elvis Presley. He seemed to realize it too, and smirked as he turned his face to look away as some sort of attempt to give her privacy while she smoothed her dress down. Bess did this while clumsily trying to balance between one heeled foot and one bare foot.

Elvis found it very hard to stifle his chuckles as he watched her stiffen, and held out his hand to put her at ease.

“Uh, hey there ma’am, I’m Elvis, Elvis Presley.”

Bess shifted and smiled awkwardly, wiping her dirty, sweaty hands on her silk dress and extending her right hand out to shake his. The the same right hand, that had, moments ago, been rubbing her smelly, left foot. Honestly, it seemed like the most polite option, since she decided to act as if the last five minutes hadn’t happened. As if  sneaking out of the supply building past 10 p.m. on a Friday night with her arms full of government office supplies was perfectly normal.

“Bess Schwartz, I’m, uh, I work in the Front Office here. I’m, I’m, I'm the secretary for the Army Intelligence Commander.”

She gasped when Elvis took her hand, the hand cover in her foot sweat, and squeezed it warmly, bringing it to his lips for a chaste kiss.

“Nice ta, uh, meetcha. Imma sorry, uh, for startlin’ ya Miss Schwartz, ma’am.”

Bess shivered in the darkness as she heard herself whisper for him to call her Bess almost incoherently while she watched Elvis drop down in front of her and fit her other white pump over her left foot. She tried to remember how to breath. It was hard.  Hard because she was struggling to subdue  her visceral reaction to Elvis' thumb as it slowly smoothed over the top of her foot, which made it harder still to recover from the embarrassment of getting caught stealing a typewriter. By the most famous person in the world. Bess shut her eyes in disbelief that this was actually happening, and was disappointed when she lifted her eyelids to find that it actually was happening and Elvis was still there. He met her eyes, his finger delicately stroking her ankle.

“There, now, honey, you think you can walk?”

She pulled her leg back and nodded as she scanned the parking lot, the road along and other buildings behind it.

“Mhmm. Thank you, Private. Say, what are you doing stalking around the base right now? Lights out is at 9.”

Elvis bit his lip, looking at the ground as he stood.

“Can’t sleep.”

Bess arched her eyebrow as she started to bend, but Elvis put his hand up to stop her and stooped to gather the paper. He crushed it under his arm as he grabbed the typewriter and ink ribbons, talking slowly and deliberately.

“Well, my first night some jokers went an put shaving cream in my shoes, I ‘spose it gave em a good laugh to watch me run around like a damn fool getting ready for inspection. An well, I ain’t been able to sleep since, can’t bare to, uh, to uh - ”

His voice trailed off, but Bess knew what he meant. He was afraid of looking like poor sport or tattle tale if he complained, and a coward if he just took it. Her eyes narrowed as she noticed the bags under his eyes, calculating he must be going on 40 hours without much sleep. Or much food either, if her date was to be believed. Men. Boys, more like. Little boys amusing them selves by torturing this poor kid. This, tall, lanky, kid, who hovered above her and whose large hands made her typewriter ribbon look like a checker piece.

“Yeah, uh, they’re just scared they won’t be able to get any tail now that your here.” She smiled as best she could under the pressure of trying to talk with Elvis smoldering, lonely boy eyes piercing through her.

Bess looked at a passing car just so she could collect herself, then back at Elvis, thinking of the crowds of women lining the gates.

“The men should be thanking you, we haven’t seen this many pretty girls hanging around the base, since, well, since ever. Probably gonna be easy picking, especially for the soldiers who can leave post. Those poor girls hanging 'round outside the gates don’t know you aren’t allowed to go near ‘em for the next three or so weeks.”

“Mhmm, seems like, uh, uh, ya don’t havta go off post to meet pretty girls.”

Elvis bit his lip again, enjoying how Bess became flustered and embarrassed, smoothing the sides of her dress. She reminded herself that she hated him, as she felt the butterflies swarm through her belly and make themselves at home, flitting willy nilly up her spine. Bess also became keenly aware of how hungry she was from skipping dinner. She didn’t have time for his teasing and looked Elvis squarely in the eyes as she spoke.

“I recommend staying away from them, too. Especially the WACs. You’re definitely not supposed to fraternize with other soldiers.”

Elvis looked off at the trees that lined the road to the right. “How bought civilians? Is, um, ah, frater-a-nizin', uh, allowed?”

Bess turned, ignoring the question, though she was unable to ignore the warm, playful flirtation in Elvis’ voice as it washed over her and her chest heaved up and down at a quicker pace. Once again she told herself that she did, indeed, know how to breath. Her annoyance at his line melted away when she returned to his eyes and saw the exhaustion underneath his bravado, instantly regretting what she was about to do before she even did it. Somehow she couldn’t help herself, it was as if she was having an out-of-body experience, watching herself fumble through a simple sentence.

“Listen, I, um, I just had the worst date of my life, at the worst restaurant. Couldn’t eat a bite. You help me get another type writer, and I’ll, I’ll fix us something to eat. Then you can sleep on my couch for a few hours.”

Watching  his eyes light up, Bess felt the need to add. “But no funny business. I’m just helping out a new recruit, doesn’t mean anything.”

For the second time that night, Bess oversaw sneaking a broken typewriter into the repair shop and taking a new one, hobbling as she led Elvis to her car and directed him to put the stuff in her truck.

“Ya live on post?”

Bess patted the passenger seat of her blue Ford.

“Nope.”

“You know I ain’t supposed to leave?”

“Yup.”

“So — what’s the plan, stan?”

Bess turned to Elvis, removing his hand from her knee where it had somehow landed, and whispered with breathy excitement.

“I’m going to sneak you off.”

Elvis quirked his eyebrows as she kept talking.

“I, um, well, I share an office with the CO's secretary, Mabel. Who might actually be the most powerful person at this command. So, as long as I get you back in time for reveille, we’ll be fine. None of these guys will mess with me.” 

“I, uh, I don’ wan no special privileges, I wanna, uh, be treated like any other man, any other soldier. I reckon I better -”

Elvis trembled when Bess touched his shoulder and rubbed it gently, looking up into his face with her big brown eyes, now tender and reassuring. He looked to her like he might cry as he spoke of not being special.

“Look, I would do this for any new recruit. Boot camp, uh. Well. This is the hardest  part of being in the Army. I promise. I’m not offering because you’re famous. I actually kind of hate you, do you know how much trouble you cause my office? So, you should know I’m helping you in spite of who you are. Promise. I would - I would do it for any soldier in your predicament.”

Bess said this firmly to convince herself as much as to convince Elvis. Then she added a friendly wink and drove off, enjoying Elvis’ bemused smile and telling herself not to worry. Underneath her calm, confidence was the nagging thought that, unlike Elvis, Bess knew exactly what happened if some rule-minded officer were to find out that she had snuck Elvis off post. She had a good understanding of rule-minded officers. Like her father. Who, thankfully, was out of town.

******************************

The bacon and eggs sizzled on the stove and Bess flipped them, shyly avoiding Elvis’ gaze from where he was leaning with his back arched against the door jab, his right hip twisted up and his thumbs hanging from his belt loops as he watching her cook.

“So, uh, what’s a secretary doing taking typewriters uh, um, out late on a Friday night an a bringin' ‘em home for, huh?”

Bess shook her head into the frying pan, then met his gaze.

“I , um, I happen to have some very important work I need to do from home. For the General I work for. That’s, uh, why I have a master key.”

“Uh huh.” Elvis’ smirked, nodding his chin as he stuck his hands slowly under his armpits, and lifted one knee up to lean back further against the wall.

“Hand me your plate, dinner is ready.”

Elvis bounced off the doorway and strode slowly over to where Bess stood at the stove, his long arms dangling loosely at his side. He had become more relaxed and confident once they got to her house, after tearing up a bit in the car and telling her how much he missed his parents and home and how he didn’t have any idea what Germany would be like. He had then muttered on about how millions of guys have been through this, so he knew he’d be alright, though the tear dripping down his cheek made Bess think he believed the exact opposite. Now he was behind her, almost a different person, cocky and teasing as his strong arms snaked around her waist to steady her hands.

“Nah, see how the egg is still all jiggly wiggly, Bessie? S’not done, not nearly. Wanna get the bacon good and browned up, so’s there ain’t no more pink left.”

She flushed at the way his breath hit her neck while his words softly compelled her to make his food the way he liked it. The rumble of his voice as her nickname rolled off his tongue was an assault on her sense of decency, and she let his hands linger at her waist for another beat before lifting them off and assuring him that she understood.No jiggly wiggly, no pink. Black. That she learned, was how Elvis liked everything, and everything was what she gave him, as he ate the pound and a half of bacon om her fridge and her last six eggs.

Bess mused that sneaking a fatigued Elvis off post and filling him full of food must be what made him clingy, comfortable and forward when he put his arms around her as she led him upstairs to the guest room. Rubbing his eyes as he plopped on the bed, Elvis grabbed her wrist imploringly and begged her not to leave him all lonesome in a strange house, in a strange town, where she was the only nice 'lil gal to treat him like a real human bean. Sighing, Bess sat at the top of the bed and let Elvis lay his head in her lap, where she stroked his forehead, and, at his request, started to tell him her life story. He had passed out after five minutes, when she had barely finished detailing how her parents met at Coney Island in 1932, three years before she was born.

Elvis' eye lids fluttered closed and he mumbled, “That’s a when I was borned. Aww, Bessie boo, we musta been babies at the same time.”

Bess groaned as she couldn’t seem to pull herself away from him, and stayed there with his head in her lap for another twenty minutes, afraid if she rolled it off her lap she would wake him. She was cupping the back of his head to gently move it off her lap when he thrashed around and called out the name Satnin. This led Bess to give up and lean against the head board, reconciling herself to a night sleeping sitting up with the most famous rebellious heart throb soldier in the world calling out for his mama in her lap.

Elvis’ hands moved first at the sound of the alarm, roving over Bess tummy and breasts  before he opened his eyes to the smacks of her hand hitting him off her. Somehow she had been pulled down into his arms over the course of the night, and she jumped up, commanding him to get his boots on while she ran down stairs and made some coffee. She prayed her younger sister hadn’t heard the alarm. Still wearing the dress from the night before, Bess watched Elvis gulp down his black coffee and chomp down the bread and cheese she had thrown at him to eat in the car. Loudly. With an open mouth. Wiping the crumbs from his mouth, he put his arm around her and squeezed.

Despite sleeping in his arms, Bess felt a shock and jolted at his touch.

“Just so we’re clear,  Mister, uh, Private um Presley, uh, this was just a friendly, patriotic gesture. I wasn’t, uh um, trying to seduce you.”

Elvis arched his eyebrow, his expression one of amusement and incredulity at the idea Bess thought of her behavior seductive. The way she had hesitated spitting out the word ’seduce’ so earnestly was adorable and endearing.

“OK, honey, you’re the boss, jus do me a favor and call me Elvis, huh?”

She nodded, eyes forward in concentration as she felt him squeeze her shoulders even tighter. She left it there, and found herself relaxing and leaning back into him after a few minutes with a sigh. She couldn't help it, it was an instinctive response to the way his fingers widened and began to tap out a rhythm on the side of her arm. Everything felt good, and their two bodies melded together in the dusky morning twilight for a spell until a gate came into view and Bess jerked up to throw Elvis’ arm onto the car seat with a smack, not noticing how he, too, stiffened with trepidation.

She stopped around the block from Elvis’ barracks and met his strong, uninhibited bear hug with her body, letting him press the air out of her lungs and kiss her cheek.

“Hey, Bessie Boo, I,uh, I can’t, I don’t even, I uh, I hate to leave you, honey, I ain’t even had time to tell you what I want to say, what -”

Bess put her finger to his lips, feeling his breath as she shhhed him. His brows were furrowed and he frowned, not wanted to leave her car and return to the barracks. She rubbed her hand up his chest reassuringly.

“You only have five minutes to get into your bunk, Private Pres - Elvis.” She murmured. “Now, go be a good boy, I have an idea, for how to help you sleep in the future.”

“Hmmm, sounds fun.” A naughty expression played across his face, his jaw hung open and he waggled his eye brows.

Bess realized the insinuation and hit his arm.

“Not that.”  She cocked her head towards the road. “You better go.”

“Huh, usually girls are tryin to run after me, not run me off.” She hit him again as he teased her. “Ok, ok baaaby. I’m off like a gun.”

Elvis face twisted into a crooked grin, and Bess felt like the sun was rising in her car, the earth was suddenly brighter when Elvis’ blue eyes beamed down at her and he kissed her goodbye. It was a light, sweet kiss aimed at her mouth but somehow missing and hitting the crease of her lips.

It had been, what, a year since she had been kissed? Bess kept her eyes closed, just enjoying the soft, tingling sensation of  his mouth crushed into her face. Elvis’ hands gripped her tightly, one hand on her neck, the other at her back, and he moved as if to kiss her again. In a brief moment of clarity, Bess realized she had been fighting her attraction to Elvis all night. It had been gradual and immediate, and she felt very different being close to him then she did when she saw hm in the movies or on the TV and radio. At the back of her mind she could hear all the reasons she shouldn’t kiss him. She pushed her hand up between their lips.

“Um, hey, look. Think we could just be friends? I, uh, I have a rule. I don’t date soldiers.”

Elvis sat back, a quizzical expression softening on his face into a smile as he rubbed her shoulder.

“Sure, Bessie baby, friends. Got it.”

He clicked his tongue and grinned, shooting her a thumbs up. Bess nodded, unable to stop the flutter of her heart as she watched Elvis’ long legs carry him forward as he jogged around the corner to his bunk, pausing to look back over his shoulder at her with a goofy smile as he waved goodbye.

“Fuck a duck.” She heard herself mutter, as she put her car into gear and drove home to shower and get Elvis Presley out of her head.

***********************************************************

Chapter Two: Moo Moo & Tupelo

If you enjoyed this and want to read more, comment, reblog, and let me know what you think and if you would want to be tagged. Tagging a few of you on here who read my stuff, but DM or comment if you would rather not be ;)

@doll-elvis @richardslady121 @waiting4brucewayne2adoptme @father-of-2cats @everythingelvispresley @j-v-9-2 @eliseinmemphis @moonchild-daniella @notstefaniepresley @louisejoy86 @amydarcimarie @kingdomforapony @dkayfixates @artlover8992 @18lkpeters @literally-just-elvis-fics

#elvis presley #elvis presley fan fic #elvis presley fan fiction #elvis fan fiction #army elvis #fort hood 1958 #basic training #elvis x oc #writing prompt game #banditqueenwrites

[leupagus]

Three-Legged Puppy Fics

List five of your least-popular fics, as well as when/why you wrote them.

Home to the Weary: Merlin, Gwen/Morgana, 2010.

I wrote this at the request of a friend who wanted, I think, something Gwen-centric. Because I was not a fan of the show I decided to focus on an AU in which Gwen backflipped out of that whole situation and founded her own sort of kingdom, only meeting the terrible trio years later. It was really fun and was the first time I'd ever tried writing a fic that hinted at a larger world going on around the characters, if that makes sense. This one's a little pretentious but you can definitely see my "style" as it were.

Treads on the Ground: Babylon (not the sci-fi show, the short-lived british cop show), Liz Garvey/Finn Kirkwood, 2022.

This was written during my Bertie Carvel phase where I'd watched "Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell" and was desperate for something, anything, that didn't have him wearing terrible prosthetics or playing a psycho. He still sort of plays a psycho in this show, but he looks super hot and angry all the time which is really all I needed. (Also bonus hilarity: Liz's boyfriend in this show is played by none other than James Lance, playing "louche asshole" to the absolute hilt.) Anyway I wrote this because I really wanted a fake dating AU for these two AND a "Finn is secretly in line to the throne" fic and this was the perfect way to combine these two. I'm still legitimately really proud of thsi fic.

The Bright Relief: 1776 musical, John Adams & Thomas Jefferson (and a little bit of / in there, if I'm honest), 2010.

I wrote this because my friends waldorph and screamlet and I were having the Summer of 1776 Feelings and we all wrote various (wonderful) crimes and misdemeanors in that fandom, mostly revolving all the ways in people who love John Adams make fun of him. That was a truly terrible summer but made a whole lot better by those two, and by William Daniels being the most John Adams to ever John Adams. (I actually rewatched the miniseries a few months ago and Paul Giamatti does a great job but that thing is SO DREARY. Although I will say Stephen Dillane first caught my eye in the role of TJeff, aka once again playing a guy who's down real bad for someone smarter than him (in this case both Abigail AND John). The scene where he first meets Abigail is just nonstop flirting, with John making faces in the background. It's great.)

Happy Tails To You (Until We Meet Again): SGA, Rodney McKay/John Sheppard, 2009.

Oh lordy — probably the worst fic I've ever written, but I can't quite bring myself to delete it. I've been on the periphery of fandom for most of my adult life (what up X-Files yahoo groups and Prodigy Star Trek RP rooms), but SGA was what made me start thinking of writing fic after a long period of only reading it. (Yes, there is college-era gus fic out there. No, I'm not posting it on AO3.) I never quite got a handle on Sheppard or McKay but I did enjoy writing this and the other SGA fic I wrote, but yeah this deserves its obscurity.

Honey Now I'm Not One To Complain: Dalgliesh, Adam Dalgliesh/Kate Miskin, 2022.

Another one of my "Bertie Carvel is extremely attractive when he's sad and/or a cop" flash-fandoms, although I wrote a pretty good primer on the first season that I think gives a good case for the show as a whole. I wanted to write that largely because the show is so resolutely grim and I prefer stories that are... not grim, so I gave myself the challenge of putting these guys into one of the classic tropes. I did toy with the fake dating/marriage trope but honestly I think this was funnier, and I would always rather commit to the bit.

Tagging uhhh let's see, @laiqualaurelote, @themardia, @sadcypress, @auntieclimactic, and @eyebrowofdoom, if they (or anyone else) wants to do this.

#three-legged puppy fic appreciation #ficcage of interest #...very very slight interest

[millenari]

I promise I will shut up about the Broadway Revival sometime soon but thinking about it again, I do think that if it were just bad, I wouldn’t pay any attention to it at all.

Like… I don’t really clown much on the West End Revival. I mean, yes, the three big changes in that production I know off the top of my head are A) Rap!Tugger, which most everyone hated, B) Growltiger costumes, which most everyone didn’t care about, and C) Sexy!Griz, which most everyone either hated intimately or didn’t care about. But even so, nobody really dissects the West End Revival the way we do the Bway Revival. And part of that may have to do with less accessible boots, but I’ve seen (probably) most of the West End Revival footage that exists and yet it’s the Bway Revival that gets my goat.

And, yes, the Gillian Lynne snub element of the Bway choreo definitely plays a big part in that.

But also… the Bway Revival is sometimes really good? The West End Revival just... *is*. It’s a 98 clone with slightly different (and generally disliked) costumes. If it weren’t for the sort-of-racist and unbearably cringe Rap!Tugger, I don’t think this production would get much attention within the fandom at all (despite doing really well financially), because that’s all it really is: a perfectly serviceable 98 clone.

(And that’s not a bad thing. I like 98. I like the West End Revival. It’s a good production with skilled performers, chunks of it are on yt check it out.)

But the Bway Revival changes don't universally suck. There are elements (lots of elements!) of the Bway Revival I adore and I genuinely think are better than the original. Everything to do with Macavity, imo, is just brilliant. The old Macavity fight choreo had this kind of cool abstract tribal vibe to it, but the new choreo looks violent. It also looks more catlike; Munk and Mac crouch low to the ground like hunched-up cats, they circle each other, and the hits actually look like they connect at the right angles. The goofier parts (the mutual ass-slap, the playing tug-of-war with Demeter, the piggyback ride) are removed so it feels more serious: Munk actually looks nervous or frightened sometimes despite not backing down, and it looks like the background cats might be being controlled (which explains why few cats try and help Munk during the fight until the end). Not even to touch upon the lighting and music.

Revival!Macavity’s style of movement is super unique and recognizable too, Daniel Gaymon’s Macavity is amazing, I love how the way he moves sometimes makes him look possessed by something (also his Plato was adorable, He Has The Range Darling). His costume is cool on its own, (I don't love the old Macavity design, which simultaneously makes him look more like a tiger and also a little boy wearing pajamas rather than a housecat) but I love how the little mane-like collar and wig curls makes him look like Tugger & I love the parallels between the two that this production emphasizes. Tugger, the tribe’s most popular cat & pride and joy, versus Macavity, the outcast. Tugger, who everyone wants, versus Macavity, who can’t seem to acquire the one cat he wants.

Plus Macavity’s mind control? In the classic Mac freezes the cats; in the Bway Revival he forces them to dance. In the show where dancing together is a symbol of togetherness and community.  In the show where characters frequently imitate each other to indicate closeness or admiration. In the show where you spend like 5 minutes watching Grizabella the Outcast Cat fail to dance along with the others, Macavity forces the others to dance with him. NO NOTES WHATSOEVER.

And the extra lore and worldbuilding they add to the magic element? I don’t love the Macavity Interlude, but “He hypnotizes with his eyes/His head moves like a snake” in combination with the fact that it seems like Macavity needs eye contact to control other cats? Plus how Tugger, Munk, and Deuteronomy all seem to be immune to his powers to a degree?

This element isn’t really in the boot on yt but in later performances there’s a bit at the end of the fight where Macavity, (on the top of the car) visibly tries to use his powers on the gathered cats, and when he fails he looks down at his hands and then scrambles to grab the jumper cables. The idea that he has some kind of ‘magic meter’ that he is capable of using up somehow? Potentially explaining why he went the subtle route and tries to impersonate Deut rather than go in guns blazing for Demeter?

THE WAY DEMETER REACHES FOR HIM WHEN HE FIRST GRABS HER? The way she looks like she’s flailing and trying to get away from him the second time, after the fight? Tantomile jumping between Demeter and Mac the second he lets go of her?

AND DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE MISTO/MAC PARALLELS I’VE BEEN WORKING ON A GIFSET FOR THAT

It’s so good. Those changes make me go insane. Because they’re deliberate, and pointed, and they add things to the story, build upon the story, and add more depth to the story. They’re also just cool and fun to look at and play around with. That’s the thing that gets me about the Bway Revival, because they were capable of making insightful and meaningful changes that genuinely elevated the source material in really cool ways.

#cats fan on main #and this all especially holds true in a piece of media like cats that relies so heavily on visual storytelling #from which like half of its audience walks away going 'wait was that just 2 hours of nonsense?' #if you dont want your audience to think theyre watching a bunch of fun nonsense (which fun nonsense is fine but the bway revival clearly-- #--wanted to be taken seriously) then those visual storytelling elements have to be tight asf #jelliclerants

[randomvarious]

1990s German Trance Playlist (YouTube)

Chicago had house, Detroit had techno, and with both of those world-changing dance genres managing to resonate so profoundly throughout much of Europe, you just knew that that continent was gonna then take all that inspiration from those two styles and eventually create something of their own that could stick too. And the big genre that they came up with was trance, which in its earliest days, was heavily nurtured like no other in the city of Frankfurt, Germany.

Now, although he's not strictly known as a trance musician or DJ, it's safe to say that trance music would not exist in its current form if it weren't for the legendary Sven Väth. Sven, a native of Frankfurt, co-founded Harthouse Records in the early 90s with some other folks, and that label would then prove integral to both the rise and spread of trance and hard trance. Sven was someone who had spent many a vacation in the party capital of the world, Ibiza, Spain, and he had also been to the tiny, coastal Indian state of Goa as well, where the beach parties there had DJs spinning all sorts of psychedelic tunes in order to induce their revelers into a state of trance 😵.

And Harthouse's first release was a trance record by Sven himself, along with his trusty sidekick Ralf Hildenbeutel, who seemed to have more of the technological knowhow in order to make Sven's ideas into a reality. Together, under the name of Barbarella, they released "My Name Is Barbarella," a 1992 song that sampled a line of dialogue from the French-directed Jane Fonda sci-fi flick that they had taken their own name from, and also sounded deeply inspired by Ibiza as well. As an undisputed early trance classic, the 9-plus minute version of this one is currently sitting at over 163,000 plays across a bunch of different uploads on YouTube, and it's the song that kicks off this little ten-song playlist here.

And right after "My Name Is Barbarella" then came another Harthouse classic: "Spectrum," by Metal Master, which was a duo that Sven Väth was also a part of, along with one of Harthouse's other co-founders, Matthias Hoffmann. The record that this song comes from, Vol. 1, is the one that started to establish Harthouse's harder edge towards trance, as its first Barbarella release was actually a much softer affair. True to the name that they'd given themselves, Sven and Matthias seem to have incorporated some metal guitar into this one, in the form of long, atmospheric, and distorted chords, which when combined with string synths, really manage to cinch the whole song together, making for quite an astounding piece of dance music 🤩. Currently nearing 112,000 plays with its multiple uploads on YouTube.

But while those two tracks are wholly important in the history of trance music, I also bring them up here because Sven Väth's other halves from both of those duos happen to have trance tunes of their own that are excellent too. Ralf Hildenbeutel had a song that's really hard to believe was made all the way back in 1993—because it sounds so much more modern!—called "Hypnoticharmony (Part II)," which he released as Progressive Attack. As its title suggests, this one is indeed hypnotic, as well as deep, and more than any tune in this playlist that precedes it, also feels like a blueprint for what trance would soon become. And across multiple YouTube uploads, it currently has under 18,000 plays.

And Matthias Hoffmann's contribution is simply one of the most breathtaking pieces of trance that I've ever heard in my life. Back in 1994, he released a song as Brainchild called "Symmetry (C-Mix)," which was put out on another label that he and Sven Väth had also helped co-found called Eye Q Records, which was closely associated with Harthouse itself. Then in '99, "Symmetry C" was re-released on Multiply Records, a subsidiary of UK label Telstar, and on it came a whole bunch of remixes, including a "Breakbeat Remix" that was done by the UK's Lange. And this is a tune that currently brings the whole playlist full circle too, as it serves as the final song while also taking us back to trance's origin point of Frankfurt. Currently sitting at over 341,000 YouTube plays across many different uploads.

Now, we're almost done here, but I'd be remiss if I didn't, at the very least, make mention of a few more tracks on this thing, all of which come courtesy of Hardfloor, a duo from Cologne, who, although they'd become more known for their techno prowess, applied their mastery of the Roland TB-303 bass synthesizer (the machine that yields electronic music's famed acid squelch) to some trance tracks, including "Trancescript" and "Into the Nature," both of which appear on their acclaimed 1993 debut album, TB Resuscitation. "Trancescript" is currently at under 85,000 plays and "Into the Nature" has over 130,000. And I also included an excellent remix that they did of Chicago native Robert Armani's "Circus Bells" as well, which currently has over 146,000 plays.

This playlist is ordered as chronologically as possible.

Barbarella - "My Name Is Barbarella" Metal Master - "Spectrum" Hardfloor - "Trancescript" Hardfloor - "Into the Nature" Robert Armani - "Circus Bells (Remixed by Hardfloor)" Marco Zaffarano - "For My Love" Progressive Attack - "Hypnoticharmony (Part II)" Paul van Dyk - "Words (PvD's Words for Love Mix)" Pitchrider - "I Know" Brainchild - "Symmetry C (Lange Breakbeat remix)"

And this playlist is also on YouTube Music too.

So with this opening shot, we start with ten songs that clock in at a total of 75 minutes; a bunch of classic, historic tunes along with some that have lower play counts too.

And next week will not be nearly as much of a cohesive history lesson, but I'm planning on revisiting these German 90s with a slate of favorite techno bangers 👀.

Enjoy!

More to come, eventually. Stay tuned!

Like what you hear? Follow me on Spotify and YouTube for more cool playlists and uploads!

#trance #dance #dance music #electronic #electronic music #music #90s #90s music #90's #90's music #youtube #youtube playlist #youtube playlists #youtube music #youtube music playlist #youtube music playlists

[honeyviscera]

over a year ago i went to my local art gallery, and i saw a sculpture there that i adored. i spent so long staring at it, taking it in.... i even returned to the exhibit a few days later to see it again. there was a submission box to tell the artist your comments, so I wrote a card and put my name and email address down. i talked about how deeply the sculpture touched me, how deeply i admired it. i've never been contacted by the artist, i don't even know if they received my message. i sort of regret not buying it, but it would have been thousands of dollars.......

the sculpture was a torso carved in marble. from afar, it appears to be a very classic Greek-style sculpture. however on closer inspection, the torso is deformed. bolts and ridges protrude from the skin, and one half of the chest appears to have a metal plate bolted over it, giving the torso an androgynous quality. all carved into the marble- no mixed media. the bolts were made to be a part of the flesh. it was a sculpture that presented something unusual, jarring, in a very elegant way..... the combination of body horror and such a classic style of sculpture was endlessly intriguing to me, and reminded me a lot of my own art. the way i try and present body horror through poetry. the way i try and make it gorgeous. this sculpture made something horrifying deeply gorgeous.

i saw this sculpture and felt understood, in a way that not many pieces of art have made me feel. i still think of that sculpture. i miss her. i hope the artist read my comment. i hope my love for it was not lost in the shuffle of comment cards. i hope they know how much it meant to me. all i can do is hope my love reached them.

#ocean.mp3 #jeez i hope this doesn't somehow doxx me..... lol

[sleepboysummer]

jane doe week day 1!!! :3

@janedoeweek your own janey

so i have 2 main jane concepts (but so so many more) i call them pigtails jane and raggedy jane and u probably know that if u have seen my posts b4!! they have very different vibes but i love both of them so much

so pigtails jane is kind of a combination of citadel jane, roxys jane, ofc jane, and jungle jane i feel. does prayer hands a lot bc i love the religious aspects of her character and want to turn that up a lot.. looks very cutesy but the way she moves is terrifying, moves a lot like roxys jane because i like the idea that jane does Not know how to walk because she is basically learning how to be a person.. a higher, echoey voice, very very sad with big eyes and always reaching out at things

costume would have intricate detailed mary janes, knee high lacy socks, white ribbon bloomers, a wig similar to this but only half up, with black ribbons tied into the pigtails. makeup includes long pointed/manhua lashes, painted sad eyebrows, big lips, sort of circle blush, black sclera contacts (not covering the whole eye, just making eyes look bigger)

a super over-the-top white lacy blouse with a little black bow and baggy sleeves. the dress idea changes a lot but right now its something along these lines, but purely grey (not greenish like the picture). also rosary-style earrings

and then raggedy jane is much much freakier, with barely any control over her limbs, also sort of like roxys jane but without the "robotic" sort of aspect. stumbles and trips over herself a lot and stands up one limb at a time... carries her doll around by one leg and is so so scared of everything. dont get me wrong though she DOES bite

costume includes red mary janes, white ankle socks (or depending on the full costume, blue striped ones), bandaids on her knees, white bloomers, and a brushed out curly bubble braid/pigtail wig like this. makeup is freckles, lots and lots and lots of blush, reddish lipstick with an elongated smile, super chunky lashes and black eyes.

still stumped abt her uniform, but here are a couple concepts. i know i want it to have some sort of blue in it, as well as baggyish long sleeves. i loveee this first one for her because i think its very doll-ish. i would also really love her to have some sort of apron, since thats a classic raggedy ann style, but idk if that would work bc of the whole uniform thing.. HOWEVER it would be cool if everyone wore a blue uniform and she wore the same but with an apron on top.. would b cute i think

#rtc #ride the cyclone #jane doe rtc #jane rtc #jane doe ride the cyclone #ride the cyclone jane #jane doe week #rtc jane #i love her #every version of her #jane doe concepts #raggedy ann

[princessasmosprincess]

Lisette Beaufort

I wanted to introduce my OC Lisette. She pops up a couple of times in Charmed, I'm Sure as a side character. The first picture is from 1909 (I did my best) and the second is modern times.

Lisette is a witch and a former high society socialite and heiress. She originally summoned Kallios to help her get out of her engagement to her fiancé whom she didn’t love (he sucked, he only wanted her for her money and how many babies she could give him). She refused to give Kallios her soul in return for their pact, leaving him to figure out some other sort of payment. Along the way she and Kallios fell in love, and she married him and moved to the Devildom where she was able to pursue her dream as a fashion designer. She currently owns and runs Majolish and Devil Style magazine, and has done so for the past 100 years. She's a partier and is good friends with Asmo and Mammon (Mams says she's the only witch he can tolerate, probably because she pays him and not the other way around). She’s not exactly immortal, but her skill in magic combined with her bond with Kallios froze her at the age of 30 and extended her life. She is gifted in divination (mostly through tarot) and she receives prophetic dreams but she can’t control what she sees or when they happen. Kallios's death devastated her and she was only able to get through it because of her dear friends, she cherishes each and every one deeply but she hasn't ever loved anyone else the way she did Kallios.

For her character design I wanted her to be almost "perfect" but just off. She's slim and tall, and always fits the fashionable silhouette. But her hair is light, which wasn't the popular hair color when she was younger, and she has unique amber eyes some might find off putting.

I answered some Get to Know My OC questions too:

1. She likes champagne and overly sweet, fruity cocktails. For non alcoholic drinks, Coca Cola is very nostalgic to her, something that hasn’t changed that much in all the years she’s been alive. She also likes tea.

2. Favorite flavor: Sweet, mostly.

3. Favorite food: She likes food in general so she doesn’t have one set favorite but if you asked her she’d probably say chocolate ice cream.

4. Dinner is her favorite because it’s the best time to dine with her beloved and friends, and after dinner comes dessert.

5. Once again, she’s not too picky about food but she doesn’t like meat that’s too bloody or fish that’s overcooked or too fishy.

6. At first she had difficulty tolerating spicy foods but living in the Devildom for over 100 years has raised her tolerance.

7. Favorite animal: Birds, specifically parrots. Kallios gifted her a hell cockatoo that she named Adonis.

8. She wears a nightgown to bed, usually something silky.

9. She sleeps on her back but sometimes she’ll sleep on her side, clutching a pillow (she really misses sleeping next to Kallios).

10. She’s more of a night owl because she loves to party but once she’s woken up in the morning she becomes alert rather quickly.

11. She’s usually an average sleeper, but on nights she gets prophetic dreams, she sleeps heavy.

12. She likes to sew on rainy days, there’s just something so cozy about the sound of the rain mixed with the clicking of the sewing machine.

13. She loves the smell of white florals and vanilla, also fresh herbs

14. What does she smell like: In the past she would have worn Jicky by Guerlain. Now she still keeps it very classic, she wears Chanel No. 5.

15. If she had the time she would take a leisurely bath every day.

16. Her cooking skills are pretty decent. Not gourmet but she can follow a recipe. She loved cooking together with her husband, it was quality time for them.

17. She loves fall, the weather is perfect.

18. Halloween, but she also loves Jill’s day because that was the first time she visited the Devildom.

19. She prefers making gifts for her loved ones. Usually it’s in the form of clothing she designed just for them, with love in every stitch.

20. She’s 5’7/170 cm

#obey me #omswd #obey me shall we date #obey me oc #charmed i'm sure

[sholiofic]

@cuppatealove asked:

I've been sort of wanting to ask you something similar, but I can't quite frame it. I've been devouring a lot of writing advice, because I'd like to grow as a writer, but get torn between the urge to streamline my writing, have good pacing, trim the fat and make the story really pull the reader along, and the fandom urge to shun the rules and shamelessly dwell on all the moments that conventional storytelling doesn't have time for! (1/2)

(2/2) I guess if I were to try and turn that into a question, it would be: do you find you can let yourself indulge with fic a little in taking a bit more time over things, or do you think the trained writer in you is always going to pace stories the way you (forgive me) "should"?

Oh, no, you can absolutely indulge!

I’m not going to say it’s always true that readers will like what you’ll like, or that nothing should ever be cut. But actually, the one thing that I think has made me a better writer than anything else is a thing fanfic has taught me, which is to lean wholeheartedly into whatever it is that I’m writing. If there’s an emotion, go for all the emotion; if there’s a setup that could lead to [fun thing happening], then write the fun thing.

Romance (what I mostly write outside of fanfic) is particularly good for this because readers absolutely *love* long scenes of characters interacting with each other. You can have them spend all the time in the world going for walks and shopping and making out. Non-romance readers might be bored, but who cares? They’re not who the book is for.

Now, analytically speaking, every scene should do *something*. But where I think a lot of classic writing advice is wrong is that it doesn’t have to be strictly related to the plot, or doing 10 different things at once to be valid. “Being fun” is a perfectly good reason for a scene to exist all on its own. So is “showing the character’s personal life” and “delivering more interaction between two characters who are fun to write together” or “revealing that this character is afraid of snakes.”

Now, if you want to go for a stripped-down, lean, “every word counts” writing style, that is perfectly fine and valid, and in some genres (e.g. thriller) or for writing some kinds of scenes (e.g. an action scene in a fanfic) it’s practically obligatory. And at some point in the writing or editing process you’ll ideally end up looking at your fiction analytically and deciding if you really need three scenes of the character shopping, or twelve different aunts, and deciding to eliminate or combine some.

But you know what? Sometimes you DO need all those shopping scenes, and all those aunts because the chaos of the protagonist’s home life is part of the fun. You can always eliminate something because it doesn’t work for the story you’re trying to tell, but you should never eliminate something you want to write because it goes against some axiomatic piece of writing advice.

My fanfic is indulgent to the max, and I have consciously tried to teach myself to bring some of that indulgent attitude to my original writing as well, because I feel that it makes it better. I do certainly look at other advice as well - I read tons of writing books and articles, it’s not like I’m just “welp, I already know everything there is to know about writing!” I learn new things and practice them all the time. But I assess each new piece of advice based on whether it works for me, keep what’s useful, and discard a lot of it because it doesn’t work for the kind of books I like to write.

Frankly, since I write romance and a lot of professional writing advice is actively antithetical to writing the sort of slow, lush, detail-rich books that romance readers like, I throw out a LOT of writing advice because it’s actively anti-useful for me.

So basically I would say, if you find that following a piece of writing advice feels like it’s making your writing better and tighter and stronger, then keep doing it; if it feels like it’s pushing you away from the stories you want to write, then ignore it. Absolutely no advice works for everybody all of the time, and absolutely no writing advice applies to every instance of writing even if it sound like it.

EDIT: Oh yeah, and you know what’s great about throwing in all the extra stuff? Sometimes four books later, or six chapters down the line in a chaptered WIP, you’ll realize that there’s an absolutely GREAT way that you can make use of an otherwise irrelevant scene that you put in earlier, and make yourself look smart and prepared. 😂 If you went and wrote that scene making a character afraid of snakes, and now you can put a snake in, then everyone will go “Ooooh, she’s so brilliant, look at that foreshadowing!” when actually it’s just that you saw an opportunity and already had the earlier scene written to allow you to jump on it.

#chat #writing

[bluberimufim]

Hi, and happy WBW to you! (as usual I am @writeblr-of-my-own) Sorry that I missed last Saturday ask, but it was a busy week and stuff happened!

So, for today's question something a bit easier and relaxing: tell me a piece of worldbuilding you are extremely proud of! Go on, blabber about it as much as you like!

Happy (late) WBW!!!

I'm sorry I took so long to answer! I got distracted. For 2 days.

You are about to read one of the nerdiest things you've ever seen.

The dystopia WIP (bc of course this is about the dystopia WIP) is set in a world very different from our own in terms of general philosophy. My inicial concept for it was basically "Hey remember the period in between the two World Wars where people were weirdly obsessed with industry and thought machines were the Best Thing Ever? What if it just never stopped being like that?". If you're thinking "wtf?? I don't remember that???", allow me to exemplify by mentioning that Le Corbusier, the architect poster-boy (man??) of modernism, referred to houses as "Machines for Living" (as in, the house is a machine designed for you to live in it).

But I digress.

And from this idea, I developed a sort of... mainstream art movement, I guess, for the world of the dystopia WIP. It's kind of a mix between two real-life art movements: Futurism and Baroque.

Futurism is all about striving for improvement and technological progress above all else, and actively eliminating all history behind you. The quote that basically became Futurism's slogan is, I think, "a car is sexier than any woman", meaning that industry and progress is the most important thing in the world. The futurists were also obsessed with war and thought that countries should constatntly be at war because it breeds inovation. There were fascist undertones, as you might guess. 'Twas pre-WW2 Italy, after all.

Baroque is all about taking the canons of classical tradition and altering them to fit your style, while displaying mastery over them. It's basically about innovating and expanding on Renaissance-era art. The general idea most people have of Baroque art is the drama and pathos of it all, with oblique compositions and tons of light-dark contrast. It technically started off as catholic propaganda and is regarded by many as the origin/prototype of totalitarian architecture (think Nazi Germany or Soviet Union government buildings).

What would the combination of these two be called? Baroque-Futurism? Futuristic-Baroque? I don't know. And I honestly don't think I will ever need to name it in the story, so I just leave it.

In terms of how this would manifest visually, I've kinda drawn some ideas but nothing too final. I remember making a prototype of a variation on the solomonic column, a staple of the Baroque period.

And this shapes the way the characters see the world. There's a scene (the only scene I wrote, I don't even know where it would be set in the timeline) where two characters are discussing the night sky and they say that a starless sky is beautiful because it means humanity's power (expressed through light pollution in this case) is so great that they can blot out the cosmos itself. There's even a city in this world, called the Humming City, that is considered beautiful and awe-inspiring because there are so many machines and technological equipments running at the same time that they create an audible hum, like the one you hear from home appliances at night when everyone is asleep, but much, much louder.

I literally sound insane. But I had a lot of fun!

#i think this may be getting out of hand #i need to start actually writing the wip #wdym i'm using this ask as an excuse to delay the make me write tag #nooooooo this is 100% normal #this is the type of stuff that makes me want to turn the dystopia WIP into a graphic novel #but I know i'd never get it done if that was the case #writing #writeblr #my wips #the dystopia wip #wbw #wbw asks #asks

[mystech-master]

Hero Artifact: Luz Noceda

Full Hero Artifact explanation here

With Luz, I went through a few revisions. My initial idea was a key/talisman that had a lot more skull/owl imagery, with horns referencing King and Papa Titan. But I wanted to lean away from that a bit to keep it more in-line with Luz. As Eda said "You gotta be your own witch".

Then as I was looking through stuff about her, I got to A. her backup dream of being a writer and her Glyph drawing, so I thought "Magic Pen".

This artifact allows Luz to tap back into the full power of her glyphs, and SO much more. The "Ink" of this pen (shown as the part that looks like space) is pure magical essence that can be molded however its user likes. In a way, it is an external bile sac which will allow Luz to use all the other Boiling Isles magics, making it sort of like Amity's training wand from Adventures in the Elements. It can also draw the glyphs in mid-air, sort of making it an in-between of the classic witch style of magic and glyph/titan magic. Also, the ink can be removed and be replaced with normal ink so Luz can use it s a normal pen if she wanted.

She can use it to access her titan form once again, but unlocking that feature kind of involves replicating the circumstance upon which she originally obtained that power, aka she has to stab herself in the heart with the Pen. It'll hurt like hell the first time, but afterward, it'll be far less painful and essentially treated as a super mode for her. She will then proceed to train her "transformation sequence posing" in private for a while.

While it does grant access to the other Boiling Isles magics, when it comes to the Nine Tracks/Covens there was a slight hiccup when it was created. Yes, Luz wanted to learn all the magics at Hexside, but these are also the nine magics of the Covens made by Emperor Belos, and we all know how much angst Luz feels about him. During the forging of this artifact that turmoil did risk limiting its ability to perform those magics, but luckily Luz's bonds with friends who are from those Covens/Trakcs managed to bypass them, but there are some issues when it comes to Construction Magic (Luz has no close friends who specialize in that), and Oracle Magic (the only two people connected to Luz with this type are Barcus, who she isn't very close to, and Odalia, her super awesome GF's evil mom). However if she can overcome these blocks she can access the ability to create new sigils that, instead of restricting what kinds of magic someone can use, can expand their ability, even granting those who couldn't use magic the ability to use it similar to how the Titan showed Luz the Glyphs, thus allowing her to learn magic.

The Pen can of course extend to act as a staff/perch for Stringbean.

The real fun part though, comes from what happens when Luz encounters other magics from other worlds. As Luz travels to various other worlds, she can create a spell circle that absorbs other types of magics and adds them to her ink reservoir/barrel. This will then allow Luz to access that new unique type of magic. Allowing her to greatly expand her magical abilities. She can only do this with magic though, it won't work on stuff like Ki/Chi. Luz will of course be excited to explore various other worlds and learn all these new types of magic and see how she can combine them. Luz's sigils could also work on these new magics, allowing other people to use magics from worlds not their own.

One risky path Luz could end up taking is messing around with biological manipulation magic, learning how to alter her own biology to use the other magics more naturally as some worlds have magic be a bloodline thing. Using it to give herself a natural bile sac and be a Boiling Isle's witch, not too bad. But if she starts altering biology and handing out magical talent in worlds where you got snobish mage nobility who may not take to kindly to some random plebeian handing out power that should be reserved for people of proper blood, then she might risk making some enemies.

For the design I kept with purple as a main color since that seems to be a color well associated with Luz, I wanted to try and do a bisexual flag color scheme but I can't find the right shade of pink right now. Yellowish-gold as a secondary color to reference the Light glyphs, and stars in the ink reservoir as Luz has a bit of a star motif sometimes. The classic Owl House eye goes well with her association with snakes and the moon behind it and its pink/lavender color scheme is meant to reference Amity. A bit of King horns on top and The feather on the end is meant to invoke imagery of a fantasy quill for her nerdy self and reference Eda, I looked up "Owl Feathers" and got a kind of a stripy look from some of them, so I tried to mix browns and a bit of a red based on Owlbert/Hooty and Eda's Owl Beast/Harpy form (specifically her red dress and the more brownish-orange her hair would naturally be w/o the curse).

#toh #the owl house #luz noceda #hero artifacts #crossover stuff #hero artifact

[wroteclassicaly]

Tag Game

If you were in Stranger Things, what would your style be, how did you get involved in The Upside Down, and what's your weapon of choice?

Thanks for the tag, my love! @dr-aculaaa ❤️🖤

My style…

Honestly, it would vary. I could be into the leather jackets with studs and fishnets (I’d put my own spin on whatever I wear, even combining styles), but I could also be wearing band shirts and converse with some jeans. Mostly, though… I would be wearing stuff like the pictures above. I love me some neons and pastels, so the bangle bracelets and glitter would be the tits, and I would eat up the neon trend — especially with the leggings!

Put a cute crop/off the shoulder, add a belt, then add the slouch boots or some high tops, a lot of flats, then that’s pretty much my style! You’d know my presence, because my outfits would be loud, hehe!

How did I get involved in the Upside Down?

Probably by accident? I either saw something, was attacked by a creature, or I was so depressed I was 🪦 by Vecna (and maybe I lived? Idk). I’d say it was purely accidental, but that I knew of weird shit going on, and because I would’ve been a nerdy loner, I would’ve been scared to say anything in fear of furthering my isolated status. I most likely would’ve been a neighbor of one of the younger kids or the Wheelers, so I might’ve been able to bond with Nancy, find out about everything through her. I could see me having been in her friend group with Barb, also getting involved that way as well.

Weapon of choice…

A straight up classic. If I can’t have a nail bat, I’d go for something I can swing. So it would most likely be an axe or a sword of some sorts. Or a really sharp knife with a bedazzled handle (yes, I’d be that bitch that pretties up her weapons).

This was so much fun, babes! Thank you for the tag! ☺️

Tagging: @corrodedcorpses @groubee @fobwatchedtimelady @littledemondani @andvys @eddiemunsons-missingnipple @corrodedcoffinchrissy @emmyshortcake @screammunson @loveshotzz @newlips @carolmunson @big-ope-vibes @munson-blurbs @prettyboyeddiemunson @lesservillain @stevenose @inkluvs @ghostlyfleur @ghost-proofbaby @ajokeformur-ray @munsons-maiden @hellfiremunsonn @hard-candy-writing @spicysix @queenimmadolla @myosotisa @roanniom @eddiemunsonspantschain (and anyone else that wants to do this! I don’t know who all is tagged)

[calchexxis]

Go read ‘TheHomelyBadger’s -- Run At The Cup

First a synoposis: This fic takes place within a modern version of Runeterra where all of our favorite champions are hockey players within the Runeterra Hockey League (RHL), with Caitlyn and Vi being veterans with about a dozen years each in their respective clubs. Their rivalry is legendary within the RHL and they’re popular figures, but like in most sports, young blood is often more valuable than experience on the actual field, and both of them are left unprotected during an expansion draft, and are picked up by the brand new Zaunite club, the Sumprats, headed by Mel Medarda and coached by Sevika.

So right here, this is a really interesting premise. More than just being a premise, though, the combination of hockey lingo (which strikes a strong note at being both dense and perfectly understandable) and focus on the nit and grit of putting together a team makes this an incredibly immersive experience. Narratively it’s the most classic of classic sports-team underdog stories, and that is absolutely to its credit. This is a fired-up, feel-good novel quality piece of work, with different writing styles peppered through the prose to make the whole thing feel fun and exciting to read-through. Most chapters begin with a flash-forward or flash-back in the form of interviews, articles, and such. A couple of times we get a piece from ‘Steady Teddy’s blog regarding the game that reads like the best sort of armchair quarterback review of player picks and their histories.

And then there’s the character work. Run At The Cup has got a wildly weird and diverse cast of League characters, all playing different hockey positions and frankly speaking they are all characterized really well. It takes a lot of skill and talent at writing to maintain a strong ensemble cast and give them all really distinct voices and personalities, but Badger does it with aplomb. Not only are Caitlyn and Vi given realistic and sympathetic character portrayals that are both faithful enough to the source to be recognizable, and unique enough not to feel like a boilerplate rehash, their supporting cast is absolutely phenomenal.

Personally, my favorite supporting character has to be Graves as the weird old veteran Goalie, with Claggor and surprisingly Mylo being a close second and third. Mylo is given a sympathetically personable characterization as a young player hungry for success and insecure about his own future being paid to play the sport he loves, and it’s very relatable. Claggor by comparison is the stolid, reliable defender, and a very ‘never the bride’ sort of character who has accepted where his skillset lies.

The prosework is fantastic, and Badger keeps the story moving at a consistent clip, dangling plot threads for you to follow, leading them out, and then neatly tying them up with strong conclusions, and the whole of it is kept together by the running thread of desperately wanting to see the Zaunite Sumprats score their victories over the bigger, more successful, and more entrenched Piltovan Lone Stars or the Noxian War Horses with their ragtag team of misfit toys.

All in all, this is a story that is both worth reading and following for the longterm, and I can’t wait for the next chapter, I hope you all give it a chance.

You can find the fic at the link blow, give it a read, I promise you won’t be disappointed. Be aware that it is NSFW, has explicit sex scenes (not that I would assume that would deter any of you) but also know that it is probably the best CaitVi fic I’ve ever read, and I’ve read quite a few.

Run At The Cup

I sincere hope you all enjoy this story as much as I did, thank you for reading, and, as always,

Cheers.

#CaitVi #caitlyn kiramman #Vi #Arcane #vi x caitlyn