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your-talos-is-problematic · 28 days

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WIP Wednesday (pronounced wed-ness-day)

Hello! Thank you to the wonderful @skyrim-forever and @thequeenofthewinter for the tags! I’ll pass it on to @throughtrialbyfire and @trickstarbrave :D

I’ve taken to writing during class so I’ve got quite a bit to share! This is the progress on chapter 3 of I Won’t Ask You to Wait, Afonya and Brelyna’s 3rd Era AU. Enjoy the exposed bones of my writing process (those bullet points) and some cuteness between Brelyna’s parents. This one’s getting long so it might have to be split into two chapters, honestly.

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Not much happened for the rest of the day. I walked back to Bal Ouada, earning some strange looks from its residents. Guron was, as I expected, both happy for me and annoyingly pleased with himself. I picked up my few possessions, said goodbye to the four mercenaries who had been the closest thing to friends I’d had for months, had a drink for good measure, and prayed to the Tribunal that Brelyna and I would keep getting along.

Breakfast with Linjard, recieve tanto + armor

Describe room

The sound of approaching footsteps cued me to look up. A pale hand drew back the curtain- Linjard. I’d gone to bed early the night before, so we hadn’t officially met. He stepped into the room, holding two stacked bowls in one hand. He was still the typical Nord I’d seen the other day: long blond hair, gray eyes, skin closer to the color of snow than of ash. He set down both bowls on his nightstand. “Morning, Afonya.” He gave his greeting in the Tamrielic language.

“Good morning,” I responded. He turned away from me to unstack the bowls. My best guess was that one was for him and one was for myself, so I settled onto the floor to eat. Giving up on finding a polite way to frame the question, I asked, “Do you speak Dunmeri, Linjard?”

He turned to me. “Oh. Yes, but apologies for any mispronunciation.” He sat across from me and set down the food.

I laughed. “Same goes for me in Tamrielic. I know I have a thicker accent than most.”

“You’re fine. In work-related matters, Ulvin brought Brelyna’s breakfast to her today, but that should be your responsibility from now on. Six in the morning.”

“Got it,” I said, before taking a bite of the food. It was good- a traditional noodle topped with a thin meat.

He gestured toward his own bowl. “The food’s not bad, right? Ulvin’s good at what he does. When I first started working here, I was worried they wouldn’t give us meat.”

“Why?” I asked.

“Whole family’s vegetarian. Whole House, actually.”

“Oh. Can’t believe a Nord knew that and I didn’t.” I paused. “Sorry.”

He waved it off. “You’re fine. I’ve gotten a lot of that.”

I nodded, searching for another subject. “How long have you worked here?”

“About twenty-five years, I think. My first and last job since leaving Skyrim.”

“That’s a lot.”

“Yeah,” he said.

I looked around. “So I’ll probably die in this tower.”

He laughed. “With your job, probably not in it. Near it, likely.” I don’t think either of us knew what to say after that. “Sorry. That was dark. On to lighter matters. Do you play a string instrument?”

I was taken aback. “I do, actually. How did you know?”

He leaned forward to tap the fingers of my right hand. “Callouses. And not in the place a fighter’d have them,” he observed. I smiled. “Can I see it?”

“Sure,” I said. I’d placed the silk-wrapped violin against the wall, next to my makeshift bed. It was an import from the Summerset Isles, made of dark, expertly-cut wood and accompanied by a bow I’d re-haired myself a few times. A well-loved instrument, and for good reason; its tone was unlike anything I’d ever heard. I gently tilted it towards Linjard. “I’ve had it since I was fourteen. Most expensive thing I own, actually.”

“Not since you’ve held that,” he said, gesturing to the tanto, which I’d placed next to me. “Lord Maryon spares no expense for his daughter’s safety.”

I picked it up and lightly traced the blade with my finger. “Or for symbols of his social status.”

He laughed. “It’s probably both. Your armor’s good bugplate, too. Traditional Telvanni make. Sorry if any part doesn’t fit.”

Aular lesson

I turned. A tall woman stood behind me, hands on the doorway. Given her distressed brown robe, tangled black hair, and wrinkled face, this was probably Brelyna’s mother. I bowed.

Serjo Maryon didn’t look that upset at being interrupted. “Talmia,” he said with a smile. “Are you joining us?”

She frowned. “I have a lesson with my daughter.”

“At five, love. It’s three.”

“I thought I had her at three.” Both of them talked as if Brelyna wasn’t in the room. I made eye contact with her; she looked slightly uncomfortable but not nervous.

“Do you need her now?” he asked.

“I can wait,” she said. It was only then that she seemed to notice I was in the room. She jumped. “Who’s this?”

Serjo Maryon set down his notes and stood up to meet his wife. Next to her, he looked a lot less intimidating, in both height and demeanor. He placed a hand on her forearm as if he actually enjoyed her company. It was strange. “This is Brelyna’s sword and shield. Afonya, remember? I’ve explained her to you.” He fully turned his head towards her, something I realized he hadn’t done with anyone else.

She stared at me for a few seconds; not in the judgmental way her husband did, but like it was just her way of looking at people. She nodded and turned to leave.

“Eat something, love,” Serjo Maryon called after her.

The rest of the lesson continued in a way that I assumed was standard, for the two of them.

lunchtime

lessons with talmia

Master Maryon was definitely closer to the stereotypical Telvanni mage than her husband.

#running out of creative titles for these posts lol #tes #tes fanfic #wip wednesday

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melodyswishes · 1 month

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Alright here comes cringe Lego drawings.

by the way this is gonna make you feel all the way more different about my lore skills.

First oc design

this thing. (I didn’t know the properties of Lego. 😒) She was supposed to be a tiger.

This is her in her ‘GoDdEsS’ form. (It’s lame.) Basically the goddess of the stars or what not but I think it looked weird by now. Besides this is not related to Lego monkie kid Chinese mythology related and stuff.

I updated her design later on of her having the same pose as her older sister, (right) which pretty sucks btw.

This design pretty much made me rethink what I was doing 7 months ago. Yet her playing the violin is just… Smh. Seeing how I come so far with my designs are pretty cool. Despite how much I change it daily. WOW.

The side characters. Her sister and EX friend. Her ex friend is right and sister left. Basically what I was thinking is that her ex friend who is really upset at Ruby because very oc has a tragic backstory. Not that it matters anyway, Her ex friend was under the guidance of macaque, Explaining her ‘friend(s)’ little new gained powers. Her sister was a replacement of her mom and dad because basically abandoned them.

This girl right here is minty. Just an assistant of chang’e (moon goddess.) May or may not come into my lore.

Just pfps I made. if you actually use these flops as pfps it’s fine. No credit needed.

This oc was a redesign (again) to which I could do better but no. You don’t know how much I hate this UGHHH-

A new era of Shincho and Mel. We don’t talk about the lost causes of them in my last au. This explains it all.

Mel. Mel you’re dead to me. 👉🚪

This is also Mel getting possessed by LBD for some reason. This felt very random and out of nowhere and this is art I haven’t even shown you guys before and still drew it. (Probably forgot..)

And here’s our final product. Lina/Yueyang.

Wait what’s this—? CHILDREN? (Btw I might change Lyria’s symbol because it seems too basic.)

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fandomsandflyingstingrays · 1 year

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Raine learned the hard way that the Collector was more powerful at night. He had ways of seeing and moving that witches didn’t, and after the third person those that escaped the head of the Titan lost to a nighttime raid, Raine decided to keep the rest in the tunnels beneath the Owl House after the sun went down. Those were, by far, the worst times of the day. When the sun was out, they could have a taste of fresh air and warmth, and they could pretend that they were making a difference. When it disappeared, they were trapped in darkness and silence, and it was all too easy for them to slip into the quicksand of thoughts and fears.

Everyone had their own way of dealing with this. Lilith and Hooty began an epic tournament of Hexas Hold ‘Em, their alternating shouts of dismay and triumph echoing long into the night. Darius made face masks out of abomination goo and a sort of makeshift spa out of the canal, where he retreated each evening with strict orders that he was not to be disturbed. Alador worked feverishly on Eda’s new arm, adding modification after modification that were sure to make her equal parts powerful and insufferable whenever it was complete.

But while the others used the evenings to distract themselves as much as possible, Eda seemed to use it for the opposite. She found a corner away from everyone else and wrapped herself in Luz’s cloak, staring at nothing. Lilith tried to talk to her the first few days, but after being answered only with indistinct murmurs or single words, she gave up. Raine got the feeling they wouldn’t fare much better— but they also couldn’t stand to see brilliant, vibrant Eda so empty, so haunted, so silent, night after night.

So night after night, they sat next to her, pulled out their violin, and played anything that came to their mind. Raine’s Rhapsody to start, of course, which managed to coax a tiny smile out of her, but then the song they played at their last concert before Head Witch Crane retired, the song they played at their first Hexside recital, the songs they had been supposed to play the days they’d snuck away to meet Eda instead… everything and anything they could think of to fill the silence. And every time they won the slightest twitch of Eda’s lips, they considered it a victory.

But those smiles became less and less frequent as weeks turned into a month, and Raine’s desperation grew. The night after their third failed rescue attempt for King, she didn’t even raise her head to look at them. Tears stung their eyes as they put down their violin, and they quickly blinked them away as they took her hand in theirs.

“Eda,” they whispered. “You know we’re not giving up on him.”

“I know,” Eda replied, but her voice was flat and defeated. “I just don’t know how many more plans we have left to try. What if this is it, Raine? What if we keep fighting and fighting and it never amounts to anything?”

“It will. It has to.”

“Maybe.” Eda swallowed hard, blinking quickly enough that Raine knew she was fighting back tears of her own, and looked away from them again. “Just… keep playing.”

“Okay,” they said softly. They returned their hands to the violin, thoughtfully stroking the wood. Keep playing. Eda needed the music, they knew, just like they did. Needed something to coax her away from getting lost in her own mind. But the music wasn’t enough anymore. At least— not what they’d been playing.

They’d thought almost every day about playing this one, but had never gone through with it. Even though they and Eda were together almost every day, even though the Isles as they knew it had crumbled and the complications of their past weren’t nearly as important, they still felt like it was crossing a line.

But maybe, just this once, it would be worth it.

It only took a few notes for Eda to look up, the vacancy briefly receding from her widened eyes to make room for surprise. Raine grinned. “Recognize it?”

“The song from our first dance at grom.”

“That’s right.” Raine drew a small circle in the air with their fingertip, and their violin continued to play on its own as they stood up and bowed, flourishing a phantom of the skirt they’d worn that night with one hand as they offered the other to Eda. A mirror, an acknowledgement, an apology. They felt their younger self’s voice overlap with their own as they asked, “may I have this dance?”

And finally Eda smiled, an echo of the brilliant redhead in the shining burgundy suit speaking with her as she replied, “I thought you’d never ask.”

They couldn’t waltz as they had back then, with Raine still weak from the draining spell and Eda missing an arm, but they made do with her remaining hand in theirs and their arm around her waist. Raine didn’t know what to make of the fact that she still knew every step, every movement— or that they did, too. They just let themself feel the warmth of her hand in his, of their bodies moving together— and then, when they dipped her, they let themself feel the shooting, glimmering euphoria in every part of themself as she laughed.

Her laughter was still contagious, even after all these years, and they found themself giggling with her as they pranced around the room, stepping and twirling as the music reached its crescendo, and when they dipped her again as the song came to a close, both of them were still breathless with laughter, eyes glimmering with it as they looked at each other.

In the pause, in the silence, Eda’s cheeks flushed, and Raine felt heat flaming through their own face. This was the part where they should let her go, step back, allow the moment to dissipate— but instead, she reached up, and used their closeness to draw them into a hug.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “For not giving up.”

“Thank you. For coming back.”

There were a thousand layers in the words, levels of meaning beneath the surface, that they could entangle when all was said and done. For now, Raine was content to take in Eda’s closeness, to etch the joy of their shared memories and the echo of their shared laughter into their mind, and to remember that neither of them had to face the darkness alone.

#the owl house #toh #raeda #raine whispers #eda clawthorne #edalyn clawthorne #lilith clawthorne #king clawthorne #luz noceda #darius daemonne #alador blight #toh hooty #ray rambles #ray writes

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musicprincess1990 · 1 year

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Sherlolly Appreciation Week - Day 5

Sorry I'm late (again), but here's the promised Musician AU!

~*~

In Perfect Harmony

Very few people knew of Molly’s musical talent, let alone that it had made her a local celebrity. Her name and her eight-year-old face had been on every tabloid and newspaper in England for a solid six months, as she toured alongside the London Philharmonic. Child prodigy Margaret Hooper was on track to become a world-famous violinist, among the ranks of Heifetz, Kreisler, and Perlman. The violin was her life, her purpose, her first true love.

Until the pain started, and she was diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome.

Molly didn’t touch her violin for years, even after she had healed. Eventually, though, she picked it back up, but she only played for herself (and perhaps a few nosy neighbours who might have been listening). Never in public, nor even in front of her family. Her once legendary talent had all but slipped away, and though she was still good (as far as she knew), she certainly wasn’t as good. But the joy of simply playing again was all she needed.

She never told a soul. Not her uni mates, none of her boyfriends, not even Sherlock Holmes (although expected he knew just by looking at her). It was somehow comforting to have that secret, and to have music as an escape when she needed it.

Today, she most definitely needed it.

Molly sighed and rolled her shoulders backward in an effort to relax. She couldn’t precisely say why she was in such a foul mood, nothing bad had happened (for her, that is, no doubt the families of her post-mortems would disagree). By all accounts, it had been a perfectly normal day, and yet she felt somehow on edge… restless. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but it felt like something was about to happen.

At that point, Molly was tired of thinking, and more than ready to lose herself in music. She pulled her violin out from her closet and brought it to the sitting room. After applying rosin to the bowstrings, she adjusted the tuning, then tucked the instrument beneath her chin and began to play. The effect was instantaneous. As she coaxed the melody from the strings, all that tension at her back and shoulders washed away, and she let out another sigh. Her eyes fell closed as she slipped into a sort of trance-like state, and all but the music fell away.

As she drew out the final note of the piece, she returned to the here and now, smiling softly and feeling infinitely more at peace. She lowered bow and violin, turning to put them back into their case when—

“SODDING HELL!!”

Molly barely managed to keep from unceremoniously dropping her violin, though the bow was not so lucky, and shot across the room, clattering against a wall, then the floor. Her free hand then flew to her mouth on a reflex, due to the shock of realizing she wasn’t alone.

There stood none other than Sherlock bloody Holmes, staring at her like she’d sprouted an extra head.

Well. So much for the secret.

Molly heaved her third sigh of the night and went to retrieve her bow. “Sherlock, how many times have I asked you not to barge in unannounced?”

He didn’t answer immediately, and she could almost feel his eyes boring a hole into her skull while she put her violin and bow back in the case. When she finally faced him again, he said, “I called twice. You didn’t answer.”

Frowning in confusion, Molly slid a hand into her pocket, only to find her phone wasn’t there, and she realized she’d left it in her room. “Oh,” she said lamely. “Sorry, I… forgot I didn’t have my phone on me.”

Sherlock said nothing, just stared.

“Erm…” she began awkwardly, “so… what do you need?”

Another few moments of uncomfortable staring, and finally, he spoke, but instead of answering her question, he asked one of his own. “Why did you never tell me you played the violin?”

Not particularly wanting to discuss the whole complicated truth, Molly simply shrugged and said, “I thought you knew.”

“How would I have known?” he shot back irritably.

“The same way you know everything about everybody else,” she shrugged again. “I thought you would have deduced it.”

“Well, I didn’t,” he snapped, and it all became clear. He had missed something. By his own admission, he always missed something, but no matter how true that statement might be, it still bothered him when he did. Especially when it was something important, and this, she supposed, was important to him. And judging by the way he still stared at her, he wasn’t happy with the answer she gave him.

“I don’t tell anyone,” she finally continued. “No one outside of my family knows… except you, now.”

“Why?”

Molly had lost count of how many times she’d sighed in the last fifteen minutes, but she let out yet another. “If I’m going to have this conversation with you, I’m going to need wine.”

He rolled his eyes, but left the sitting room and made his way to her kitchen. Molly followed and went straight for the cupboard, where she opened a new bottle of merlot. She pulled out two glasses, raised her eyebrows at him in a wordless question, and at his nod, set one of them in front of him and filled both. His eyes never left her as she took a gratuitous sip, nor as he took a much smaller one from his own glass. Molly took another few swigs before setting hers down, finally ready to talk.

“I started playing the violin at two. My mum and dad told me I’d always loved watching characters and performers on telly who played, and they bought me a toy violin one Christmas. Apparently, I never let it out of my sight, and was constantly playing. At first, I expect it was just random noise, but then I started copying what I heard on telly… and I was good. Within a few years, I was old enough to start lessons, and I excelled. By the time I was eight years old, I was considered a prodigy, and was invited to play with the Philharmonic. I had a good six months as their featured artist.

Here, Molly paused, taking another rather large swallow of her wine. “Then I started having pain in my wrist.” She lifted her left hand and pointed to the spot in question, just on the underside of her wrist.

“Carpal tunnel,” he guessed, and she nodded.

“My parents tried to get me to stop playing, but I didn’t listen. I couldn’t imagine not playing the violin, it was everything to me. But one night, while on stage, it got so bad that I couldn’t play. I tried—God, I tried so hard—but I just couldn’t.”

She bit her lip as the bitter memories flashed through her mind, and finally forced out, “Within a week, the Philharmonic had found a replacement violinist. I was utterly destroyed, depressed for months, and my parents were worried I would harm myself. I didn’t… but I thought about it,” she admitted in a small voice. “It took several weeks of physiotherapy, and years of counselling, for me to heal. And it took even longer before I could even think of playing again. In fact it… it took my father asking me to play at his funeral. I had to rent out a violin that fit me, I’d long since outgrown the one I played as a girl, but I played ‘Danny Boy’ for him, one of his favourite songs. I expect he knew that would reawaken my love for music, and for the violin. And it did… but I still haven’t had the courage to perform.”

Having finished her tale, Molly downed the remaining contents of her glass, then poured another generous helping.

Sherlock, who had hardly touched his wine, took a thoughtful sip. “I suppose I understand why you kept it a secret in general… but why didn’t you tell me?”

Molly shrank back a bit, wrapping her arms around her middle. For a moment, she considered lying to him, telling him that the thought simply hadn’t occurred to her. But lying had never been her strong suit, and even if it were, he would still have seen through it. Still, she knew the words she was about to say would hurt him… almost as much as they would hurt her.

“You already criticise my jokes, my appearance, my taste in men—ironic, that,” she interjected. “I just couldn’t bear to have you criticise this, too.”

Sherlock was silent for a long time, and Molly kept her gaze firmly fixed on her hands, not wanting to see the pity and derision she was sure would be written all over his face. But then she saw him move from the corner of her eye, and she couldn’t help but look up as he stepped closer to her. And in his eyes, she found no trace of pity, not an ounce of derision… but an ocean’s worth of remorse.

“I am sorry, Molly,” he said in a low, serious voice. “I have never wanted to hurt you.”

She smiled sadly at him. “I know.”

His eyes flicked back and forth between hers before he spoke again. “Let me be clear on a few things. First of all, your jokes are ridiculous and groan-worthy, but nevertheless, they’ve always made me smile. Your taste in clothing is… curious, but in fact it suits you, and believe me, you have no reason to be at all insecure about your figure. As to your taste in men…” He took another step toward her, coming within arm’s reach, and forcing her to tip her head back to meet his eye. “To own the truth… the only real problem I’ve ever had with the men in your life is that none of them were me.”

Molly’s mouth fell open. “I… you… what?”

Sherlock’s lips twitched as he fought a smile. “Perhaps I haven’t been clear enough.”

And then those lips were on hers, and his hands bunched the fabric of her jumper as they curled into fists at her back. Molly heard a breathless moan as she buried her fingers in his curls, and only belatedly realized it had come from her. His tongue poked out and sought entrance, which she most happily obliged and moaned yet again as he tasted her. She gave as good as she got, and soon he was moaning right along with her.

It wasn’t until he hoisted her up onto the worktop that they broke apart, and Molly put a hand on his chest to stop him. Beneath the layers of clothing, she could feel his heart racing in rhythm with her own, and his eyes, wide and hungry and unfocused, found hers in an unspoken question.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” she asked.

Sherlock looked down bashfully—something she never thought she would see him do. “I don’t think I realized it until tonight… when I heard you playing. I had no idea, not in the slightest, and it irked me to think I had missed it, but even more so that you hadn’t even told me.” He sighed, bowing his head. “Not good, I know… but it’s the truth. And the thought that you’d been keeping this secret from me, while the likes of Tim—”

“Tom,” she corrected him.

“—Irrelevant,” he waved her off, “or even dear ‘Jim from IT’ knew about it—”

“They didn’t, I never told them either.”

“Well, I know that now,” he huffed.

Molly let out a giggle and brushed her hands over the lapels of his jacket. “You’re adorable when you’re jealous.”

His eyes narrowed. “I am neither adorable nor jealous.” “Yes, you are,” she grinned, and before he could argue, she yanked on his lapels and kissed him again, and he responded in kind. No more words were needed as they fumbled their way to her bedroom. They were as they had been so often before: in perfect harmony.

#sherlolly appreciation week 2023 #sherlollyweek2023 #sherlolly #musician au #molly plays the violin #sherlock is dumbstruck #the ending is sappy as hell #may change it later #but for now this is what you get

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vahalia-cress-ffxiv · 1 year

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In Volumes

The Cello.

The Violin.

Both were a choice that Vahlia had been willing to make but at only five, who could make such a hard decision between the two? Her father wanted her to learn the piano and for some time she did, until it ended as soon as it began, the interest just wasn’t there. Flute? She tried that too.

Odessa crouched beside her young daughter, holding lovingly to her shoulder, “You need not make a decision today, love. These will be here a little while longer I suspect until you have come to a decision.” The woman with a long white streak through her bangs smiled to one of her daughters and the little one held tight to the violin within her embrace, almost refusing to part with it.

“Papa says they sound awful.”

“The violin? Well…it does at first when you do not know how to play it but once you learn to read music it will make the most wonderful sounds.”

“He says it’s squeaky.”

“Yes. In time if you practice it will get better and better and you won’t even notice the old sounds it used to make. Sometimes things don’t seem pretty and polished at first but if you put enough time and heart into it, you can make it sing the most harmonious of tunes.” smiling, Odessa turned Vahalia to face her and she instantly plucked some of the young girls hair from her eyes. A familiar pair of honeyed eyes stared back at her – a gene Vahalia had inherited from her mother over her father’s green eyes.

She was silent and almost pouting as she looked at the violin cradled in her small arms. It wasn’t as if she could pluck it off the shelf and have a go at it when she was bored only for it to find the back of a closet later. Her mother had made it very clear that it was a hobby she would have to dedicate herself to, a skill she would have to acquire. It was a scary thing for a small child to consider, dedicating time and practice to.

“Some day then.” Vahalia’s small voice finally gave in and she handed the violin back to her mother who merely smiled and placed the instrument back in front of the window, “Apologies Mr. Harper, It seems we haven’t fully committed ourselves yet. Perhaps when she is a little older." the woman stood and placed her hand to Vahalia’s head while she hugged into her mother's side.

The boisterous laugh was charming and the heavy-set, Midlander gentleman with rosy cheeks and a full, red beard turned towards the two with his hands on his hips, “Fear not. My shop is always open should you come in another day and give it a go. It might not be the right time yet. You’ll know it in your gut when you find something that is meant for you.” he gave a playful wink at the pair and Odessa smiled.

Her hand stroked down the back of Vahalia’s hair as the girl remained shy at her side, “Fine craftsmanship as always Mr. Harper, we’ll call again soon if she makes up her mind.”

As clear as day the shop bell rang out and it caught Vahalia’s attention as she walked down the road toward the Pillars. Her attention drifted to the old store a man had walked into carrying a few canvases in hand. The old store she remembered to be Mr. Harper’s, the Blue Sound is what it had been called. The windows were long since papered over and there had been construction within for several months now which – from what she heard – was to be built into a studio for a painter. Replacing one art for another it seemed.

Every time she had passed by the store in the street when she was little, she stopped, admiring the new pieces in the windows he had on display and while Mr. Harper had made quite a bit of money for himself and the shop thrived, it was only a few years later after Vahalia had her heart set on playing the Violin, did Mr. Harper pass away.

His shop always smelled of wood shavings from pieces he had handcrafted himself and the lingering smell of tobacco leaves. Perhaps the one smell Vahalia could never truly escape since many men throughout her life had such a vice.

A low hum escaped her and a faint smile as she drew the hood of her cloak along her ear and cheek, making her way home once more.

Fond memories often came in form of hauntings. Or so that is what Vahalia considered them. The past forever chasing her in some light or another and here in Ishgard, such reminders were everywhere. Not quite painful reminders but simply a nod in the direction of the path she had taken to where she was now.

Her hand curled along the spine of the book she carried with her all the way to the Cress estate. It was quite the walk for her to be left with her thoughts but a walk she intended to take nonetheless. With book in hand, she crossed the gate and bridge, threshold, and into the bountiful warmth of the Cress foyer when Marion met her to take her things; the book in hand being the only item she refused to part with.

Silently the lady of the house made her way to the main study and closed the doors behind her if only to keep her privacy since the manor was bustling with Marion and Annette along with Hakan in his off time or Valeria not too far off.

For some time she had been considering Osric’s words but she hadn’t forgotten Hakan’s either since their last meet-up. In truth, Vahalia could do just about whatever she wanted and no one could tell her otherwise. She could lean into her stubbornness and take no spouse throughout the remainder of her days and foster children through bastardization if she wanted to continue her name but it would only be a matter of time before issues could arise from that. Inner squabbles within the House later down the line and to have all of her work undone.

She could have went the more favorable route which was more traditional and would demand some dedication and patience on her part which -- if all worked out -- things could be favorable for the family and name. Foundations and a solid start for future generations.

That's all she wanted. The only threat to her now was herself and she knew at times she could be her own worst enemy. She wasn’t bound to sabotage everything she worked hard to obtain and build up to this point and she certainly wasn't about to let others obstruct her path either. One misstep, one poor decision and she could put the Cress name into the butt of social jokes or worse, make them targets.

Slipping the book she carried to the desk by the window, Vahalia’s attention cut to the violin on the shelf by the corner of the room. Strings broken and frayed, the bow long since gone and there was even a thin layer of dust upon the instrument.

She played once.

Oh, did she ever play.

Passionately even and she wasn’t sure when that passion ceased. For years she took to the violin and played and played until her fingers were sore, a gift from her mother many weeks after their final visit to Mr.Harper’s. Vahalia had never shut up about the violin since that day and eventually, Odessa gave in. It was worth the investment and Vahalia took to playing it religiously and most often on days she needed an emotional outlet to keep her mind from broiling.

Once she had set her mind to something it was hard to sway Vahalia from anything else -- even though at the beginning it was difficult and hard to wade through, but she did it and she had even mastered it. Such beautiful things came from that instrument and all because of time and dedication.

A sharp exhale came and eventually she pried her attention from the other side of the room, moving her hand from the embossed writing at the face of the large book in front of her. She had spent nearly two days tracking down this one item which had been passed between several hands for nearly six years. Bookkeepers bought it, traded and sold it from one to the next until one man she had come across held it within his attic, looking to eventually repurpose the leather bindings.

Ancestral Tree I

The second of its make had already been within the Cress Estate, which had brought Vahalia to believe another had existed at some point in time. Several months ago she had been flicking through its pages while having brunch with Valeria, only to find that the Volume itself had a predecessor; the entire Cress lineage. Another task of hers would simply be to write a Volume III – all of which would be a fresh slate to the Cress name and other familial branches.

A few hundred gil and half a days venture through the city is all it had cost her once she had finally located it. Finnigan wasn’t a hard man to please despite being an old man, gruff and deaf in one ear; Vahalia had all the patience she needed to convince the gentleman of a favorable outcome.

Her digits brushed the dust from the nooks of the leather and away from the title, cracking open the front of the book and its beginning pages, bibliosmia still clung to its old pages and at the front, she saw a very familiar handwriting, of which belonged to Baron Cress; her grandfather.

Lacquered nails began to divvy through the pages, feeling the texture and age within the old book, it seemed by the date and structure that her grandfather had finished it not long after the births of herself and her sister Valeria, not long before his death.

And here was the point in which the past ended and the present began if only to continue on and write for the future, on the last page and scrawled along the middle in dark ink was:

𝔏𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱 𝔶𝔬𝔲𝔯 𝔠𝔞𝔫𝔡𝔩𝔢𝔰

Mention(s): @belgravexiv - @valeria-cress - @osric-slater-ffxiv

#Stories #Blurbs #•• Witches Gambit ••

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vampacidic · 2 years

Note

hi sage!!!! pls talk about rei sakuma. thank you (say whatever!!! i would like to hear about your blorbo ♡)

oh good lord have you opened the flood gates of hell

hm. well i first got attached to rei circa mid july of 2020 (sage how do you remember the date so specifically? fuck if i know dude). i had originally been really attached to kanata (i still am. i love her) and roughly put: i was struggling with realizing i'm autistic (i thought it was adhd and that every autist in the world was being dramatic because "everyone does that" as it turns out, they don't) at the time and rei just kinda fuckin. i don't know. made it fall into place if that makes sense.

like rei just hit me as a character who just so strongly reminded me of myself. there's a lot of personal stuff there i could get into but to give the spark notes of it: i have always largely been attached as a "gifted kid who had so much going for them!" that i'd be treated as an adult and expected to just. solve adult problems. and to see a character who had also been levied with that and had just kinda fucking given up entirely really echoed the shit i was going through. so like. that's kinda what drew me to him i think. also i thought he was silly

well here's my favorite lore tidbits in ties to me at least. rei is inadvertently what got me to study japanese (1: enstars TLs are hard to find and i'm incredibly lazy and hate asking for help so about a year ago i was like fuck it! and now i'm learning it and 2: i liked his use of multiple 1st person pronouns in easter). my girlfriend and i actually bonded over enstars (rei + kaoru in particular) so he inadvertently got us together. the fact he can play violin got me really impassioned about my music studies for about a month

my favorite lore bits in general? i looove his dynamic with 2wink. i adore sad grandpa and his overactive kids (+ brother dynamics here. how the aois look completely just like. get along fine get along great!! from the outside when in actuality they have a dynamic not. horribly far from the sakumas. less overtly violent but still very 'younger brother feels overshadowed by the older, and older brother is sometimes kind of a prick'). i absolutely adoreeeee his dynamic with kaoru in crossroads. i love the dichotomy between rei, as someone who's spent his entire life as being "gifted" and bearing the ugly burden of it, getting told off by kaoru, someone's who's "normal." like i love how they're both opposites of each other yet both just as disillusioned with the world in 2nd year. i could go crazy talking about kaorei Ok anyway. i love how ultimately rei is still kind despite what he says about himself. he might whine and insist he's a "dark demon of the night" or something but i feel like that comes from his guilt of feeling like he's unable to just. solve everyone's problems. that's how he lost the war!! he tried so hard to save everyone that he ultimately couldn't save anyone + destroyed his own relationships in the process. i love how the way he's "selfish" is by standing up for himself and saying he's not going to just fix everyone's problems for them anymore. and i like how his conflict with koga reflects this; it's not that koga is dumb or anything, but that he's staring at rei with rose tinted glasses. he sees rei as an idol (arguably, he's just as bad as those who demand rei fix their problems) first and foremost and can't understand why rei would just stop being his idol. god. undead dynamic. i feel like his dynamic with ritsu is also fucking crazy. and i think ritsu is right not to just point blank forgive him tbh. enstars is great cause you can see how both of them are just hurting the other by acting the way they do but how they're both so similar + stubborn they'll refuse to admit it. and how rei says that even if ritsu hates him he's still his big brother?? good lord. i'm a sucker for older siblings in media (checks out! i am an older sibling)

outside of the serious stuff, rei is also great cause he looooves acting like he's stupid. he loves to pretend he doesn't have 8 different master plans rotating in his brain at any given time. he loved pulling the "ohh i wouldn't know i'm just stupid 🥺" card and it's fucking crazy. there's something wrong with his brain. he genuinely knows how to help people form his past experiences but doesn't want to become so over relied on again that he constantly plays the "ohhh i am just so old and my bones are so creaky :( my genuinely helpful advice was just a fluke!" card ALL THE TIME. i think it's funny how he loves to tease people. act all haughty and then be like "haha wouldn't it be funny if you sucked on my boob." it's fun because he's just like. still a Guy beneath his 8 levels of demon hell. he's just very silly. i like that he skips class all the time to sleep, too.

and like (slaps the top of oddballs) these guys can fit SO much found family. you're telling me 5 guys who have consistently been outed from their peer groups for "weird" interests/abilities/family shenanigans finally meet up in high school, get stuck in a weird trauma hell for a year, and they're NOT going to have a weirdly strong bond of trust that it's something to fear? good lord. they make me feel crazy. i love that they ultimately end up making a home for themselves and they remain close friends after the fact (hell, if i remember right they were friends even before eichi did eichi things. he's just kinda what cemented them and really knit them together). i love natsume and his 2 sets of parents

good lord. i could probably say more but i've been typing this for an hour and a half! whoops! thank you for asking me about him though :) i have many thoughts. as you can tell. also look at this funny video i have

#sage talks #like i REALLY really talk guys. boy do i #i haven't had an autism dump like this in AGES this was great. thank you leo #god. tired now though #ask #leo ask #sorry for the unprompted sage lore dump at the beginning #i like to keep information on myself sparse here but rei is one of those characters i uh. tied myself heavily too. whoops #so like. it's kind of a package deal #if that. makes sense. oops #hm. not tagging this with enstars. i don't want people to find it it's embarrassing #if this gets rbs you guys can tag it with whatever idc

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rainestormes · 2 years

Text

Grom Queen

Chapter 2/5: Can't Seem to Try and Ask for Help

Eda had warned her that Raine could be a brutal opponent, but Lilith didn’t take it as seriously as she should have.

It was the following day to the announcement and the whole school was hyping up the spectacle. She wanted to train hard to make sure she could live up to hype, and Raine promptly offered to be her training partner.

She soon found out her sister wasn’t exaggerating. Raine hadn’t brought their violin to the school, and so they chose a flute instead. They apologized in case they were bad, said they’d only been playing it for a few months, and proceeded to destroy Lilith in their first match. It was strange how a simple melody could be so powerful. She’d make sure to never get on a Bard’s bad side.

Three matches later and their scores were even. It was now the fifth, and she could tell they were both exhausted. Raine was panting, a big disadvantage for a wind instrument player, and Lilith took advantage of it. She drew a spell circle and shot it at them. “What? Can you not keep up with me, Whispers?”

Raine laughed, out of breath, and dodged it. Their hair kept falling over their eyes, but their hearing skills made up for it. “I’ve fought your sister before. I think I can survive you.”

They played a few notes and a wind blew Lilith across the room. Her mood instantly changed. She grit her teeth and forced out a laugh. Of course. My sister is the best, isn’t she? Her next movements were rougher, more erratic. She drew a spell circle as big as Raine’s head, and aimed right at it. She gasped, ready to cast a counterspell, but Raine threw themself on the ground and it hit the wall instead.

Eda chose that moment to walk into the gym. “Wow, Lily, harsh!”

Lilith’s ears flattened against her skull. “Sorry.”

“She’s just kidding,” Raine stood up and reached for their fallen flute, breathing ragged. “That last spell was amazing, by the way! Faust couldn't have picked a better Grom Queen. Though, you do owe me a rematch now.”

“Just so I can beat you again?,” Lilith said, grinning. “Anytime, Whispers.”

Raine stuck their tongue out at her.

Giggling at the two of them, Eda walked closer. “Hey, Lilith, do you mind if I steal your training partner for a minute?” The sisters locked eyes and a silent conversation took place:

Do you want me to leave?

No, don’t abandon me, please. Stay in your lane, though.

Lilith huffed before Eda spoke up.

“So, Raine! I know this is your first Grom and I sort of wanted to ask you something?” It sounded more like a question than a statement.

Raine turned to her, blowing their hair out of their face. “Yeah, what is it?”

Eda took a big breath, looking anywhere but at them. “Would you like to go…” she drags the last syllable for way longer than necessary. “G-go to my house later? My parents have been complaining that you haven’t visited lately. I think they like you more than they like me,” she snorted. Nice save, Edalyn.

“Oh! Oh, yeah, sure!” Raine replied with hesitance, as if expecting Eda to continue. Lilith raised her eyebrows at the interaction. She couldn’t help but think they wanted a different invitation.

#this chapter was p short but the next one will make up for it #it should come out later today!#the owl house #toh #lilith clawthorne #eda clawthorne #raine whispers #raeda #grom queen

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inkystaarart · 11 months

Text

the lineups of my daydreamer au aka my highschool au i drew while watching yhs

these are just the sketches of the first few profiles i had written in my notes. i did a few sketches like 2 months ago basically introducing the sibling pairs but i’ll explain the characters drawn here better.

keep in mind these are all pretty much headcannons. i built this kind of like TommyInnit Changed the Chat to GENDER SMP

(this is a very long post)

Grian Xequla Dreamslayer

he/they/star/chirp pronouns

bisexual (i might change this later?)

student council. basically boatem and a few others are on the student council with mumbo as president (at first)

avian/watcher. he has an improved eyesight and he can occasionally see through walls.

flock: mumbo, scar, pearl, etho, timmy, martyn, big b, and joel (joel is not official yet)

orchetra kid. he plays the viola.

Pearl Moon Dreamslayer

she/void/star

queer

student council

dating gem.

avian/watcher. can see through walls some days. or see people’s skulls. it’s funny. sometime she just says “you have a nice skull” to someone without context and scars them for life. (basically context for that one obscure pearl post i made a few months ago)

genderfae!

flock: grian, gem, impulse, jimmy, martyn, big b

Jimmy Solidarity Dreamslayer

he/it/feather

bisexual

he’s an avian/watcher. although he got mostly avian genes. sometimes he has improved eyesight but usually he doesn’t. depends on the day. he’s the least watcher out of all of them.

flock, pearl, grian, joel (not official), scott, martyn, big b

on the school’s swim team. based on empires s1 since he was a cod boy? idk i didn’t watch that season from his pov

he looks up to grian. i actually can’t mention a lot of what i put in this paragraph on my notes app because it reveals a shit ton about grian’s backstory and i’d rather hurt you on ao3 in a few months. if you do read.

Mumbo K. Jumbo

he/it/gear/zero

unlabeled

student council president! he was sick when everyone voted for president so he was president

etho’s twin.

likes to study end crystals!

Etho Slab Jumbo

they/echo/daze

aceflux

mumbo’s twin

really good friends with grian because i love their dynamic. mumbo sometimes gets jealous

dated joel in middle school

orchestra kid. he plays the cello

in the sparring club at school. practically the best sparring person there.

Scar Goodtimes Smajor

he/it/meow/fizz

omnisexual

student council. he’s in charge of designing school merch

fey

scott and scar are irish twins. they’re in different school years for story purposes.

favorite sport is archery. if you know you know

orchestra kid. plays the violin.

Scott Chromia Smajor

he/color/lucid/ve

gay

does not have a favorite color. loves them all equally.

collects crystals

Bdubs Smajor

he/moss/thorn

questioning. or unlabeled queer.

clings to etho and cleo a lot. calls them dad and mom.

Fail Whip “Fwhip” Tay

he/it/gold

demisexual

he’s adopted into gem’s family. and also random headcannon: gem and fwhip have two moms. they’re cool like that.

Gemini “Gem” Tay

she/they/daisy/thorn

bisexual

dating pearl

band kid. plays the trombone.

False Symmetry Shadow

she/they/it/wing

pansexual, polyamorous

dating cleo and stress

in the sparring club at school. wins a lot. except against etho.

shapeshifter. she can change what hybrid or species she appears as, just not her physical humanoid details (if that makes sense) she usually appears as an avian but without the wings.

Lizzie Shadow

she/xe/meow

bisexual

dating joel

shapeshifter. she switches between a fish lady (for when she swims) and a cat hybrid. someday i’ll better explain how the shadow family’s shape shifting powers work

joel acts tough and like he can protect her but lizzie defends him in fights and everyone is scared of lizzie but not joel because joel is short

dyed her hair pink. joel helped her and then lizzie convinced him to do a green streak in his hair

on the school swim team

orchestra kid. plays either the bass or the viola. depends.

Tango Tek Shadow

he/ve/sun

polysexual

most of my notes on him are for his future relationship

shapeshifter. takes the form of a demon/netherborn

Impulse SV Daemonium

he/they/demon

gay

skizz’ twin

skizz calls him piss demon because his horns, the tips of his ears, and his tail are colored yellow

Skizz MC Daemonium

he/him

straight

i legit wrote “single. not ready to mingle. never will be” in his notes.

this concludes part one.

#my art #digital art #fanart #not finished #daydreamer (highschool au)#bowie’s au: daydreamer #bowie speaks

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scotianostra · 2 years

Video

youtube

Happy Birthday Scottish classical violinist, Nicola Benedetti, born July 20th 1987 in West Kilbride.

Nicola started learning to play the violin at the age of four, by age eight she was the leader of the National Children’s Orchestra, at nine, she had already passed the eight grades of musical examinations while attending the independent Wellington School, Ayr, a year later she was studying at the Yehudi Menuhin School for young musicians under Menuhin himself and Natasha Boyarskaya in rural Surrey.

After an education like that she was destined for stardom.

When Benedetti was 14, she won a Prodigy of the Year contest on England’s Carlton Television network. A hint of her potential crossover appeal came when she drew a crowd of 10,000 at the rock-oriented Glastonbury Festival’s “classical extravaganza” in the summer of 2003. She told London’s Independent newspaper, however, that “I have not ruled out different types of music but I was trained as a classical musician. I don’t want to compromise what I do and what I love.” She’s not your typical Scot either, in another interview she said that “I’m not really into clubbing and I’ve never smoked or drunk much…”

Benedetti took a big step toward mainstream classical stardom when she won the BBC’s Young Musician of the Year award in May 2004, the first Scot to take home the BBC prize.

Nicola did have a healthy streak of that quintessential Scottish trait – prudence. This led her to eventually slow down her performance schedule so that she could further her musical studies and her technique, confident that she would be a better overall musician for it, and determined to play what she loves.

By the following decade, Benedetti’s schedule was as full as ever, taking in a 2010 debut at the BBC Proms; chamber music recitals at European festivals; chamber and concerto performances in North America and Europe in 2011

Honours were inevitable she was awarded doctorates from Glasgow Caledonian University in November 2007, and from Heriot-Watt University in 2010

In 2019, Benedetti formalised her commitment to music in education when she established The Benedetti Foundation, the same year she was also given the annual Royal Medal award by the Royal Society of Edinburgh for improving the lives of deprived Scottish children through Sistema Scotland and the Big Noise Orchestras. In 2020, she won the Grammy for best classical instrumental solo for Marsalis: Violin Concerto; Fiddle Dance Suite.[27][28]

With three of her album releases topping the Classical charts and another reached number 2, Benedetti’s has cemented her position as one of the most popular violinists of her generation.

The video from the Glasgow Commonwealth games is great, the crowd just can’t help but joining in at parts of Loch Lomond, is it just me or does anyone else get a wee tear in their eye on occasions like this?

Just last month Nicola Benedetti was appointed Honorary President of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, she is also Director Designate of the Edinburgh International Festival, and will become Festival Director on 1st October 2022.

#Scotland #scottish #musician #violinist #classical music #happy birhtday

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peony-pearl · 2 years

Text

I really wish I could go back and experience Avatar with fresh eyes. But I’m also glad I was exposed to it when it first aired.

I vaguely remember some advertising for it’s premiere and, at the time, I know I was in deep with my Kingdom Hearts hyperfixation. The first Avatar episode I saw was the day after prom in my Junior year when a girl in the friend group I was in turned on a rerun in April or May 2005. For some reason my mind is convinced the episode was Cave of Two Lovers, but it hadn’t aired yet. I’m not surprised I can’t remember the episode because at the time I was eyeballs deep in heavy OCD symptoms and kind of in the early stages of a huge mental breakdown haha. I’d had visible OCD symptoms for years but had no idea I had it; then barely a month later I was hospitalized and diagnosed because of my intrusive thoughts and ruminations. It kinda sucked lmao.

Over the next couple of years I was exposed to Avatar mostly because of my Uncle. He adored the series. He was an avid cartoon fan who loved art and comics and drawing and had the bones of one of his own comics but became ill and passed away before he could finish it. I appreciated Avatar for what it was, but didn’t really have the heart to get invested. There was a point that I did make an oc and drew some art and wrote a bit but it lasted like maybe 2 weeks tops. 2005-late 2007 was a minefield period of time that was mixed with me trying to reconfigure my whole personality (right around the time I turned 18 so THAT was good timing) and trying to enjoy the things I loved before my breakdown. I was desperate to be who I was before everything happened.

However, I did keep up with the series after moving to another state and the third season began airing. I remember watching Day of Black Sun and then the finale. I just kept up with it out of interest. Then years went by and I finally started moving forward. I found new interests that helped me become creative again, all while making the painful realization that my mental health was a permanent thing after believing I had ‘conquered’ my OCD. I also unknowingly had ADHD, which I was finally diagnosed with this year, which exacerbates my OCD and intrusive thoughts and ruminating.

Years went by, I went through college, I’ve had so many different jobs, I paid off my student loans late 2020 and then in 2021 my mental health got so bad again I finally sought out therapy for the first time in ten years. I started taking medicine for depression and mood swings. Almost all I was doing was working. I lived with my parents, which wasn’t a bad thing; but the strict schedule and my night shift meant I had little chances of doing much, and I gained weight from stress eating for dopamine.

Then almost a year ago I moved out for the first time; hence my DBZ hyperfixation. I wanted some nostalgia, and I’d had a 2 year period where that series was my bread and butter in 2002-2004. However, I moved again earlier this year, and at first it was all about adjustment; but I was beginning to realize I just didn’t do anything. I still have that issue. But in trying to wonder what it was exactly that I wanted or didn’t want, I started to realize if I’m going to live, I may as well start seeking out things to do.

I was tired of just existing, so I finally set up violin lessons, and I’ve been attending them weekly (save missing one here or there) since April. I’ve learned what I have the power to do, even if I often lack the motivation and drive. I’m becoming more and more content, even if there are the off-times when things are iffy.

I was absolutely not expecting my re-introduction to Avatar to be a gifset of Iroh threatening Zhao in the Spirit Oasis; a scene I was unfamiliar with. I think I had watched the series on Netflix some years ago, but again, I’ve lacked the commitment to it. The punch of that scene with a character I had associated with benevolence after being lukewarm towards the series intrigued me, and I fell down the rabbit hole lol

And I’ve realized that, after getting older, the show is actually a lot more meaningful; and after stumbling upon a gifset of Iroh’s quote ‘Life happens wherever you are, whether you make it or not’; that hit me. That was exactly what I’d started trying to live by over the past couple of months. Zuko’s strive to figure out who he wants to be hits home too, as I often struggle, even at 34, with what I want or who I want to be. (granted, I need to find a new therapist but that’s another story lmao)

After seeing all this merch pop up and be like ‘oh yeah Avatar that’s a good show’ and being disconnected, I now adore it. I know the bones of it but I’m still learning all of the smaller details and worldbuilding and lore. I’m a newbie but at the same time I know what it is and watched the premieres of The Awakening, The Day of Black Sun, and Sozin’s Comet.

I’ve always appreciated the series for it’s creativity and how it avoided talking down to it’s audience (yeah it had kid moments but it was a Nickelodeon show). And even as an adult so many messages ring true. I definitely put it on the same page as Gargoyles (because 1. I’m biased and 2. both are intricately woven stories that treat it’s audience as adults; I wish Gargoyles had gotten the same closure Avatar did, but for what it is it’s still an amazing show and I’ll always adore it and I’m so glad a show like Avatar did get it’s story completed for the most part)

And yet it’s Iroh’s line ‘whatever you do to that spirit, I’ll unleash on you tenfold’ is the one that kind of brings tears to my eyes; because it rings of conviction and fortitude to do the right thing, and is what brought me back to a little piece of fandom that, even if I already know all of the twists and turns and spoilers, was there for me to pick back up on when I needed it and to help me continue to move forward.

#atla #this is sentimental and cheesy but #at times I wish I could go back to truly feel all of those huge moments in the show #and yet #sometimes I know that if I wasn't already familiar with it it would take me FOREVER to watch it #because I'm horrible at getting into new things #so I am grateful for my familiarity with it #back when it premiered #I watched Crossroads of Destiny without seeing the whole series leading up to that moment so yeah #I missed out on that crucial emotional moment #but ah well #it's still very well written and doesn't miss the mark

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maeve-is-annoying-about-books · 9 months

Text

Light From Uncommon Stars, March

I have this sort of sense lately that the hardest point of practice, in any craft, is the strange twilight period shortly after you get your first teacher or mentor. It's really hard to reconcile the joy of being noticed for your skill and the subsequent clash of ideals. The way your two personalities battle one another, the way you attempt to hold onto your own spark and how the mentor must impart technique. It's why the best teachers are the ones who can put their ego aside. To avoid the temptation to make a stone statue of legacy and instead nurture a flower. That is, to bring out their student's best self.

This book really brings out a lot of personal feelings, pardon me.

This is why I like this month of chapters, though. It avoids the pitfall of a teacher honing their student into the perfect weapon and instead focuses on trying to get Katrina to bloom. But there's a hurdle, there's a key miscommunication so far where both violinists hear the same song, but they have to get through the barrier of language and preconception to get there.

Poor Lan is having nightmares. I wonder if this is her first time having to deal with them or if her species also has them. If she knows that this extended torment isn't natural and is a symptom of the pains she won't speak to anyone about. How could she? She's the captain. She's Mom. I see more of that thing, the inherent disconnect between Shizuka and Lan, that even though they comfort each other they also grate on the topic of music. Once again, Lan's world is too large for something as silly as sounds. And yet the thing that drew her to Shizuka in the first place was a voice. But for right now she's scrambling so hard to live that she hasn't listened to what's around her. Or Shizuka's order for Hainan chicken. Once again Lan has seemed to confuse perfection of form over personal taste without realizing. After all, why care about sounds from a wooden box when there's a-

I'm sorry is this thing she's fleeing called the Endplague?? That sounds... ominous.

Let's talk about Lucy Matía the luthier taking care of Katrina's violin. I never even knew there was a word for someone who works on stringed instruments, but it's a fun one. We did meet her last month, but we get the bulk of her now, this young woman who had to secret herself just to overhear gasps about violin-making. It's so interesting to hear about the little ways she's changing Katrina's violin. To put so much effort into what the music world would call a trinket. What another luthier already called junk. It's a microcosm of the story itself though, isn't it? Putting effort into something someone says is silly because it has meaning to you. I really love that about this story, an idea so close to my heart is represented in full here. And in these scenes, with Lucy making the violin the best one it can be, reading bits of Katrina in it and tuning everything to make her shine. All under the weight of a legacy that was denied to her because she happens to be a daughter and not a son.

Legacy. That thing that keeps the beloved traditions is also the thing that can stifle new passion. Exactly like mentorship when it's ill-used.

Speaking of that mentorship, by chapter's end Katrina as been brought in about Lan's secret and provided a studio for her passions. It seems Shizuka has figured out the first steps into making her blossom. So what if it's Youtube and game music when that's what speaks to her at the moment? As for the events that led up to this...

I do want to talk about this more in an aside. The scene of Katrina being caught while camming. Prescient once again, this one. I can appreciate Katrina picking out her viewers by username, the ones with Bible verses or likely cops, or any number of clues that they're probably someone who would, "beat her in a bathroom." Another distressingly common queer truth is that the same people who will jerk off to you each and every night are also the ones who despise your existence the most. Their lust is your sin to bear. It's why the scene of sex work is so similarly hard-hitting to me, I can feel the... anxious-yet-bored kind of danger from it. Peril glossed over as though it were an inconvenience because it's so common. And yet with that despite also comes some small satisfaction at being desired. That yes you are beautiful in at least one of the ways people can be. It's simultaneously an ego boost and a detriment, affirming and reductionist. I suppose in this sense, it really is like a one-night stand.

It's probably why I like Shizuka's advice on the matter. There are many ways to fuck on camera, or on a stage. The goal is to go beyond that one-night stand and become larger than life. It encapsulates a kind of feeling I would probably disservice by putting into other words, but the sense that you... are worthwhile enough, beautiful enough in so many ways that your passions are worth more than a handful of dollars and a few less tissues in the world. Worthy of being a lover instead of a fuck.

Again, probably a disservice to explain, please excuse me again. You can come back now if you skipped around a bit.

What I want to end on is this line, from Shizuka's perspective:

"It hurts to lose one's music. However, it is far worse to play a music that one can never share."

This is the line that hit me like a sack of bricks. It's what I've been feeling over this half-a-novel of mine I can never get right. I understand better than ever what Shizuka sees in Katrina, I'd kill for someone who could hear that same story that's rattling in my head. Who might have a different way to say it but could help me define what it is I need to move forward. If nothing else just to know I wasn't alone in hearing it.

This book's too personal already, shit.

#live reading #light from uncommon stars #maeve's light from uncommon stars readalong

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musicaespansiva · 1 year

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My first NY Philharmonic concert in the new hall. It only took 6 months to get in the hall -- mostly because of timing, though the more expensive prices didn't help!

The screen is down for Adès's Piano Concerto "In Seven Days" with it's accompanying video. I saw this years ago in SF w/ Phil -- from then, I remembered it as being fine, though not as impressive as his Violin Concerto or his two main operas (Tempest & Exterminating Angel). And that's still my impression. The more densely orchestrated inner parts remind me or Rochberg or W. Schuman. The more delicate ones remind me of something else -- maybe what tintinnabulation music would sound like, but not like Schnittke (mostly not, at least). Parts of the video so literally follow the piano soloist's or the orchestra's parts that it feels like a high class version, if far more straight line angular, of parts of Fantasia. The best is perhaps the Trees Movement which is less literal and has striking growing green elements of branches. I'd see this again, but it's still not his best to me.

The opener was Grażyna Bacewicz's "Concerto For Orchestra" -- another fantastic piece of hers. Every time I hear her orchestral music I love it's spikiness and it's natural driving explosive momentum. This is short, and hasn't been heard since an 'all-female' concert in the 70's conducted by Sarah Caldwell (sigh!).

The second half was Dvořák's 5th Symphony. Which I would have sworn I have never heard in concert (and haven't listened to in years), but the first and especially the third movements were instantly recognizable. The third especially is a thrilling 'furiant' movement that is impressive enough that it drew some applause even though everyone knows it's not the end of the piece. The fourth movement is a fine summation, but for me it doesn't have that originality that those other moments do. Which is the answer to why this symphony doesn't get played as much as 7 - 9.

18 February 2023, NY Philharmonic, Ruth Reinhardt conducting, Kirill Gerstein piano. (I think he did the SF performance also.)

#NYPhilharmonic #Bacewicz #Adès #Dvořák

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audrabalion · 2 years

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Did you know that September 2022 marks 10 YEARS since I drew my first picture of Andromache, spawning my silent graphic novel Flight Nineteen? In honour of that anniversary, this month's goodie pack features the old school print (colour version) that started it all. And, since we're doing a throwback with that, here's some pieces that I have discontinued as well: - an art nouveau piece called "Sheltered," drawn in ink and coloured digitally. I think this drawing might have been related to my BFA show sculpture "Shelter." - a chalk pastel drawing of my black violin (that I still have, but still can't play) - you'll get one of two "doodle" designs. I had a series of these, which I mostly drew back when I worked at the parking booth. The Lotus one features a poem which I recited in a high school play I was in, also called Lotus. The play was based on the movie Water. Not sure if the poem was from the movie, too, or just our play. . ————————————————————— If you want to join in on the fun: www.patreon.com/audrabalionart ————————————————————— . https://www.instagram.com/p/CjKN3WmO8u1/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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angelamajiki · 3 years

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PARINGS: Brother! Tamaki Amajiki x Female! Sister! Reader

CW: yandere, incest, stealthing, con to noncon, quirk play, riding, manipulation, possessiveness, slight angst, implied kidnapping

AN: thank you to @suzuki-violin-school for beta reading!! @sightoru @bonesoftheimpala come get y’all juice

You always had a strange relationship with your big brother, seeming to be just a touch close for your parent’s liking. But the pair of you never paid too much mind to it. Something about it just felt natural and right. You were thick as thieves, always confiding and comforting each other when no-one else seemed well enough to do the job.

When you ran to your brother’s house the second your first boyfriend broke up with you for a completely arbitrary reason, leaving you to cry on your nii-san’s shoulder to deal with your heartache.

“I told you he was no good for you, bunny. I knew from the start that something was wrong with him. There’s no one that’s good enough for my baby sister.”

Then it happened again. And again. And again, until it seemed like every partner you’ve ever had lost interest after the first few months of your relationship. It was devastating to feel unloved and unwanted, but at least you had your big brother to make everything better. Tamaki always reminded you how much he loved you, how smart and intelligent you were, how anyone would be lucky to have you, and the people who have dumped you were complete fools to not see what a gem you were.

And anyone would be lucky to have your big brother; you reminded him as well. The number seven pro hero who had finally blossomed into a confident, top-tier hero with a heart of gold. He was so strong, not to mention a heartthrob. Maybe it felt wrong to be jealous of the attention he gets from the media for his work along with his looks. Still, maybe it was because you knew better than anyone else that one day, the devotion he showed towards you would be the devotion he showed towards his own partner.

Not that you ever planned to tell him you didn’t want his undivided attention to be cast elsewhere, but just like everything else about your relationship, it flowed out naturally when you were crying about your recent first date that had ghosted you after dinner.

“Tama-nii, I’m never going to find someone! Why does no one want me?”

You sobbed into his chest, clinging to him like you did when you were a child, searching for the lost innocence of your youth in his arms. His strong hands embraced you without question, without judgment, as he kissed the top of your head tenderly while shushing you gently.

“Oh, bunny. That’s not true at all-”

What could he know about your struggle? The media treats him like the very man who hung the stars in the sky, and how could you blame them? He was the moon, the very embodiment of tenderness that waxes and wanes with a gentle, shimmering brilliance that you can’t help but hide in the shadows of.

“Yes, it is! What could you possibly know of not being wanted when you’re just going to end up leaving me like everyone else does?” His silence spoke louder than your own sobbing. “One day, you’ll find someone and leave me to be alone again because no one wants me!”

His hand, that touch you’ve become so familiar with, gently strokes your lower back.

“Who said I don't want you? You're making assumptions, little bunny.”

His words tickled your ear, got your heart racing as he quelled your cries of anguish. “Because I certainly do.”

Nimble fingers tilted your chin up to meet his soft gaze, lust clouding his eye like the calm before the storm.

“B-But not like that-”

“Exactly like that.”

His words lit a fire in your core, but forced ice to run through your veins. Your brother could never have you in the way you wanted him to, the way you needed him to.

“It's not that simple.” You choked out, straining to contain yourself from your fleeting desires. This fleeting feeling of weakness can't let you risk your relationship with your brother, or worse, let him be your everything for just a moment and watch him walk away when he's done. “We can't.”

“And why is that? Isn't it obvious that I'm not going anywhere unless I'm with you?”

His face inched closer to yours, a blush splattering his pale skin up to his ears.

“It’s wrong-”

Your eyes flicked to his lips for a brief moment as you found yourself frozen.

“Not if I love you.”

Plush lips sealed over yours, enveloping you in the tenderness you'd had always envied him for. The love, the obsession he had for you had come crashing down in waves over you as you kissed him back, eager to feed off his affection and attention.

Teeth and tongue clashed together in a messy display of the taboo; hips pushed flush against each other as you whined into his mouth, sobbing in the relief of finally feeling yearned for.

The question of whether or not it was right wasn't plaguing you anymore, not like it did you when you scorned yourself for the infectious desires that coiled in your core late at night. His love cleansed you, cured you of your ailment as his tongue and lips made their way to your neck.

Sweet nothings tickled your ear as he nibbled and kissed along your tender flesh, leaving bright pink spots in his loving wake. The tears from your eyes dripped onto his hair, but neither of you seemed to care.

“Don't cry, my love.”

His words were like a symphony, enthralling you with the melody that he carried in his voice and the song he sung to soothe your overwhelmed state. “Let your big brother take care of you, okay?”

Clothes were discarded in a flurry, tossed somewhere beyond the couch the two of you were grinding on. His hands were so strong, yet so gentle as you were carried like a princess, his princess, to his bed where he no doubt intended to indulge in every one of your desires.

Your knight in shining armor kissed you breathless under the moonlight that trickled through the window, casting his shadow over you. Even now, he stole the limelight but you couldn't find it in yourself to care this time, not when he touched you so lovingly.

Nimble fingers kneaded and pulled at your plump flesh, making their ways down to the wetness between your legs. Shame flushed your face as he throatily chuckled. “Wet for me already, imouto? You're flattering your nii-san.”

The pad of his thumb circled your clit gently, sharp eyes watching as your body jolted and twitched at the sensation. “You’re acting as though you've never been touched before.”

You hear the smile in his voice without even seeing it. It only served to flush your shame even further, avoiding the eyes that were fucking you with everything they had.

“Don’t take those pretty eyes off of me.”

His middle finger prodded gently at your hole, teasing the twitching thing with circles of his forefingers. Shyly, your eyes turned to him, begging, pleading for him to stop teasing already!

And how could he deny such an unspoken request from the love of his life? Tamaki already knew what you wanted before you even did, he always did. He’s been able to read you like a book, already knowing what would be on the next page before it was written.

Still, he liked to tease, or more so needed to. It would fuel him like no other to finally hear you beg for him, beg for the love only he knew how to give you. Not that he would be so selfish to deny you of all that you wanted, he was more than prepared to spoil his lovely princess.

But, the man couldn't deny the inklings of his insecurities coming back to bite him. There was a chance that you could regret this later, that you would run far from his reach the second the realization that you slept with your brother donned on you. Tamaki wouldn't have it, now or ever.

Your moans drew him back to the present as his finger pumped in and out of you, dragging along your spongy, wet walls that gripped him oh so nicely. He could hardly handle the anticipation of getting to feel you around his cock.

“N-Nii-san! I can't wait, want you inside!”

Your broken cry sent a shudder down his spine and a jump to his cock. Such a desperate little thing you were, but you were his desperate little thing.

Maneuvering the both of you, he sat you in his lap while holding your ass flush to his hips.

“You know what to do, pretty girl.”

Swallowing thickly, you pulled his cock out of his boxers and positioned yourself to sink down on it.

“Y-You’ll pull out, right?”

“Of course, imouto.”

That was all you needed. Determined to please him, you pushed just the tip in before sitting all the way down on it. A choked gasp filled the space as you felt the fullness of your brother’s cock inside of you.

“S-So full, nii-san!” He stretched you perfectly, letting any pain fade comfortably into pleasure.

It was then that Tamaki decided he would ruin you, not only for himself but for anyone else who dared to think they would be able to please you.

As you ground your hips down into his, you couldn't help but start to feel him grow inside you. Was this normal for sex?

“Ah! Hold on, it's really starting to hurt nii-san.”

Your hips lifted off of his, only to be slammed back down by those strong hands you've come to love.

“Just relax, princess. I'm doing this because I love you.”

Admittedly, this was his first time to try to manifest this part of his body, but he had to try for you, didn't he? Your future with him depended on it. The kiss he pressed to your temple was to soothe himself more than you, focusing on the horse meat he had eaten early that day just after you called him.

He shushed your struggles, hugging you close and stroking the ever-growing bulge in your stomach as he completed his manifestation.

“There we go.” He kissed your cries of the pain away. “It’s okay, you’re okay, princess.”

You had to understand that he was doing this for both of you. He’d ruin that cunt of yours, make it so no man other than Tamaki and his quirk could ever satisfy you.

“You were made to my cock, and mine alone, princess. I'll make you see that.”

The pain was nearly unbearable as he began to thrust up into you, hitting your cervix with the strange cock head he had produced. His hand stayed flush to the bulge on your stomach, stroking it gently as he pounded into you from below.

Your cries and moans meshed together in a perfect melody, one that was always destined to be sung by the both of you, together as one.

Neither of you were going to last long, not with his quirk in play.

“Oh God, I'm gonna cum, princess!” His thrusts became erratic, pounding into you with a new vigor.

“Y-You promised to pull out!” You cried in frustration, feeling his cum fill you up to the brim and dripping out of even with his cock still inside. Tamaki thumbed at your clit to help push you over the edge as he shrunk his cock back down, feeling you cum around him with a cry and shaky legs.

He pulled out, looking at the bulge his cum inside you left behind as he pushed on it gently, watching it gush out of you.

“Now no one else will ever want you.”

#yandere tamaki amajiki x reader #yandere tamaki amajiki #tamaki amajiki x you #tamaki amajiki x y/n #tamaki amajiki x reader #yandere my hero academia #my hero x reader #yandere boku no hero academia #yandere x reader #yandere

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