#desert rose industries

[turnwheelofthetwelve-if]

Back when the world was whole, it was presided over by the Celestial Twelve. Each held a Relic that bestowed abilities onto it's chosen Warden and provided life and magic through the land and for a while, there was peace. But greed and jealousy corrupted the people and wars broke out over the Relics. Then the Great Fracturing occurred, ripping the world into twelve shards, extinguishing the powers of the Twelve from the world completely, and the Relics were lost to time. Without the powers of the Twelve, the world was plunged into a centuries long Dark Age, suffering from famines, plagues, and wars. Until 500 years after the Fracturing, when all across the world, new Wardens began emerging from the shadows. But without their Relics, their abilities were useless. Enter the Guardians, people born with a connection to the Wardens who were tasked with protecting them as they searched the world for their Relics. For centuries, Wardens and Guardians worked in tandem to search for the Relics, but as they kept returning unsuccessful and the disasters got worse, tensions rose and bubbled over and the powers of the Twelve were once again lost. Now, 1000 years after the Fracturing, Wardens and their Guardians have started to appear again just in time as worse disasters have started to ravage the world. But with the world rife with danger and in such disarray, truly restoring the Twelve seems more like an impossible goal than reality.

The Turnwheel of the Twelve Saga is a WIP collection of 13 interactive CYOA stories all taking place in the fictional world of Astelle, a world that was once lush with life and magic, now relegated to dry empty deserts and dense industrial pollution. Each of the books follow different characters on their journeys to recover the respective Relic.

Note: Because this is still a WIP, some names of characters or places may change during development. Also, this blog serves mostly as a hub to reach all of the other planned books, so there won't be much original content added here and just reblogs.

Genre: Adventure, Romance, Fantasy Post-Apocalyptic

Rating: 18+

Tracked Tag: #turnwheel of the twelve

Current Book: Chalice of the Scales

Status: Writing Book 1

Current Book Demo || FAQ || Ask Guidelines || Tag Navigation || World Lore || Dev's Main Blog ||

Book 1: Chalice of the Scales ( @chaliceofthescales-if )

Book 2: Ballad of the Maiden ( @balladofthemaiden-if )

Book 3: Sword of the Lion ( @swordofthelion-if )

Book 4: Tome of the Moon ( @tomeofthemoon-if )

Book 5: Fruit of the Twins ( @fruitofthetwins-if )

Book 6: Ring of the Heavens ( @ringoftheheavens-if )

Book 7: Horn of the Ram ( @hornoftheram-if )

Book 8: Mirror of the Sea ( @mirrorofthesea-if )

Book 9: Vessel of the Waterbearer ( @vesselofthewaterbearer-if )

Book 10: Sickle of the Harvest ( @sickleoftheharvest-if )

Book 11: Key of the Archer ( @keyofthearcher-if )

Book 12: Crown of the Dark ( @crownofthedark-if )

Book 13: Return of the Twelve ( @returnofthetwelve-if )

[gizkasparadise]

So as someone newly into cdramas (I tried and failed to get into the untamed), I found your blog and ended up watching, in no particular order: the romance of tiger and rose, LBFAD, the story of Kunning palace, and a journey to love (which absolutely broke me, one, and two, was hilarious to watch right after Kunning palace, because mental stability). Do you have other recommendations specific to costume dramas?

yessss i love all of those!!! AND YEAH I GOT SOME RECS

if you're craving the more historical/non-fantasy side of things, check out:

monarch industry/the rebel princess. A+ characters, A+ plot, A+ production value. you'll have to suspend some disbelief with mid to late 30 year olds playing teenagers in the first handful of eps, but it's so so good and fun and addicting. if you're not feeling the male lead at first, dw he grows on you with a vengeance

love like the galaxy. if you loved the sort of gremlin x unhinged aristocrat kunning palace gave you, this one's worth a shot! the first 3ish eps were not the best, but once it gets going *chef's kiss*. the FL is the same as romance of tiger and rose if you liked her!

the sound of the desert is an older drama, but it's great if you (like me!) love a competent female lead, an old school/true-to-form slow burn love triangle, and for a second male lead upset in the romance department. there's some narm charm to this one (the FL was...kind of raised by wolves...) but i enjoy the hell out of it

goodbye my princess is a masochism tango of an experience where you spend a good 80% of it wishing the male lead would die in a ditch. but it's gorgeous and an excellent tragedy if you want something to just fuck you up for 50ish eps

if you want costume dramas with a side of CAMP, check out

the double is what im currently watching and it's so gd fun and extra. sort of like story of kunning palace and a telenovela and a shoujo academy manga had a love child in terms of vibes

familiar stranger is not good in a plot sense, but it's so off the rails and addicting and batshit it's a great watch if you wanna just turn off your brain and grab the popcorn for a couple hours

if you wanna swing some fantasy into your costume viewing..

lost you forever is fucking incredible. it's not as EXTRA as cdrama fantasy can get (the first act in particular is very grounded!!) so it might be a good drama to test the waters between historical costume and fantasy costume

love in redemption is my favorite cdrama of all time. camp! queer! feminist! i just love it i love it i love it

[emporium]

Brick Whartley: Escape From Clawland

After his short-lived stint as Chief Officer of Viral Marketing and Exponential Growth in April, Brick Whartley spent the last nine months banished relaxing on a remote, unnamed desert island 🏝️. 

But one thing about Brick, a career Businessman, is that he found it difficult to relax for long. His brain bubbled over with concepts and pitches and decks and strategies for Maximizing Engagement: he just couldn’t help it! He had ants in his pants and they were saying CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! 

So he gave in to the call of the business plan. 

First it started with a branding exercise: the island needed a name, didn’t it? He called it Carcinopolis, and, with the help of his crab buddies, began designing a brand identity. Unfortunately this brand identity was a total failure as people thought going to the island would give you cancer. But a nimble pivot to an alternative name—Clawland—saw the island make a big impact in the tourism industry, with people coming from all over to dance and party with the energetic inhabitants. 

Tanned and trustable, Brick’s cachet soared, and he moved quickly onto his next project. The problem was that the tourists coming to visit the crabs left when the sun rose, having danced themselves tired. Sure, they had already paid the fare to get onto the island, but as Brick saw them shuffle exhausted down the dock to the boat, his intuition said that there was another Engagement opportunity he was missing in the morning light. 

Then he saw a tourist scoop up a shell from the shore and put it in his pocket as he staggered away. Hey! Brick thought. You should be paying for that! 

And thus, Brick’s Crab Emporium was born. Crab and beach-themed merch for every taste: crab earrings, shell ties, palm tree tees. His operation, staffed entirely by diligent crabs 🦀, began churning out products by the hundred. 

Brick efficiently trained his employees to act as product managers, printers, and salescrabs. The Emporium was so successful that at a certain point it began running itself, and Brick once again grew bored. He wanted to expand once more beyond the bounds of his island. 

True, every time he had tried, he had failed… but as he gazed out over the horizon, he felt the call of Tumblr once more. The dashboard would never truly leave him. 

He took out his shellphone 🐚 and speed-dialed his secret but loyal connection on the inside. “Hey, buddy!” he said. “Listen, I’ve got a business proposal for you. Have you ever thought about taking your merch operation to the big-time? My man, I’ll cut you a deal: you bring me on as Chief Officer of Merchandising and Physical Object Engineering, and I’ll ship out a fleet of my elite craftscrabs and mailcrabs to help cut and glue and ship it all out 📦. At no additional cost! Now whaddya say to that??????”

[popbloganddropit]

Cowboy Carter - Beyoncé

1. AMERIICAN REQUIEM: Just light the CMAs on fire, B! An impeccable intro to this album with varied sounds throughout the song that is representative of the sonic journey this album is going to take you on. 4.5/5

2. BLACKBIIRD: Stunning. Knowing no background about the song, I think it would still stop you in your tracks to hear these women harmonize and deliver each line with the perfect performance, emotional but not overdone. With the addition of the knowledge that Paul McCartney wrote this song about black women in the civil rights movement adds to the feeling behind the song and the feeling this version should have always existed. 5/5

3. 16 CARRIAGES- I heard the first two singles described as Texas Hold ‘Em being for country fans that weren’t sure about Beyonce and 16 Carriages as being for Beyonce fans that weren’t sure about country music and that holds up. This song describes Beyoncé’s ascension in the industry, and while I do like it, it’s missing something that makes me NEED to return to it like some of the other tracks here and on RENNAISSANCE. The way the chorus builds up into the titular line is really striking, and does stick around in my head. 4/5

4. PROTECTOR- This song is so sweet, just the right amount of hymnal to feel it in your spirit. The protector into projector line is *chef’s kiss*. 4.5/5

5. MY ROSE- an interlude, but I really wish it were longer because it’s got some really gorgeous and touching moments. 3.5/5

6. SMOKE HOUR- again not rating this, just had to note how tickled I was to hear Willie Nelson say KNTRY radio.

7. TEXAS HOLD ‘EM- I think this song has been stuck in my head since the Super Bowl. It’s so fun and makes you want to learn how to line dance in a pair of Daisy Dukes. 4.5/5

8. BODYGUARD- so smooth and sexy. If I were figuring out what to do with the Bond franchise, I would build a movie fit to make this the theme song and it would be a for sure blockbuster. 5/5

9. JOLENE- there’s probably too much discourse around this song for how serious it is, the Creole banjee bitch is having fun, so we can ignore a few corny lyrics (don’t raise full grown men though, ladies). There’s some really fun stuff going on in the background too, which is keeps a familiar melody interesting. 3.5/5

10. DAUGHTER- MURDER AT THE OPERA, and it is me who has been slayed. 5/5

11. SPAGHETTII- Beyonce having rap as a little side hobby she keeps in her back pocket is so cunty, country, petty of her. This would be one notch better if the hook in the chorus did a touch more for me lyrically. Beyonce’s harmonies over Shaboozey’s verse is perfection, though, so I will overlook it. 4/5

12. ALLIGATOR TEARS- the driving beat in the background never lets you feel at ease with Beyonce’s soulful yet slick performance. 4.5/5

13. JUST FOR FUN- a souldul, heavenly performance. Bey and Willie Jones sound great together. Willie fits in so well, his voice adds a gravelly, twangy flair. This is the CHURCH GIRL of this album for me. It’s objectively good, but something about it just doesn’t go all the way for me. 4/5

14. II MOST WANTED - This so fun! Miley and Beyonce’s vocals sound great together. A music video for this song would be magnificent. Fringe and rhinestones everywhere, vintage cars speeding through the desert, and I can picture them singing together on an upright piano in an old-timey saloon. This song does remind me of Gaga’s “You and I” and some of Joanne. She would have been a great option for this duet too. This song was meant to be belted out your car window at sunset. 4.5/5

15. LEVII’S JEANS- It’s most notable how clean and smooth Post Malone sounds! Everyone cleans up their act for Beyonce! I prefer “II MOST WANTED” a bit more of these two duets, but this is a fun little number. 4/5

16. FLAMENCO- it’s giving mafia but make it country. I know it was noted that a lot of these songs were inspired by movie and I would love to know what movie this one was. FLAMENCO has a bit of a theatrical flair. 4/5

17. THE LINDA MARTELL SHOW- Again, not rating this, I just think it’s very important to the thesis of this album. Genres are limiting. More on this later.

18. YA YA- this song begins the best stretch of the record and is a highlight on an album chock full of great moments. “YA YA” really showcases so many things that Beyonce does well. The intro call and response showing her cheeky sense of humor, then takes off like a shotgun with killer vocals and some social commentary (“whole let of red in that white and blue”) and moves into a sickening Beach Boys interpolation and is ass-shakeable throughout the whole thing (plus some some wild guitar shredding). And it keeps the country line dance-y vibe the whole time. An instant Beyonce classic. 5/5

19. OH LOUISIANA- an excellent transition, because you honestly do need a minute after YA YA. Would love to eventually hear the unedited vocals and/or an explanation of how they made Beyonce sound like this??? Going to skip a rating because this is just a transitional moment; I think very few people are playing this intentionally on repeat as a solo track.

20. DESERT EAGLE- sexy with a hot bass line running through it. Beyoncé makes do-si-do sound cooler than it ever has. The only possible complaint is we need an extended version since it’s only ~70 seconds long. 5/5

21. RIIVERDANCE- only Beyoncé could get away with the combining “Folsom Prison Blues”-esque verses, The Gift esque “running through the river”’s, a hint of 2010’s folk-pop stomp claps, and a and cheeky twerk anthem, “bounce on that shit, no hands”and absolutely get away with it. 5/5

22. II HANDS II HEAVEN- love the “no hands” of the previous song moving into this. This wouldn’t be out of place on Renaissance, but belongs here lyrically and musically as well. It’s not a stand out track, but still very solid. 4/5

23. TYRANT- I really like the beginning and I wish there was a little more of it or it was its own song. I also really like the second part, so it’s not too sad. This is the tight black leather type of country song. That string in the background and the beat are doing some work, which really rides an interesting line between country and RnB. 4/5

24. SWEET/HONEY/BUCKIN- a JOURNEY of a song, I would take 5 minute cuts of any of these portions. It’s a mix of everything that’s on the rest of the album. SWEET starts off with Beyoncé’s soulful vocals and gets a verse from Shaboozey that balances a country and rap fusion significantly better than most garbage on country radio that sounds like rap for people who are afraid to leave their suburb. The claps that follow are scientifically designed to make you want to dance. Into a slower, sensual(but short) HONEY interlude that then takes off like horse into the BUCKIN section which is just a goddamn banger. Sickening how hype this gets. Does Beyonce say “Look at that horse” because you could lift a horse when it’s playing?? 5/5

25. AMEN- an AMERICAN REQUIEM reprise that is a nice bow on the end of this gift Beyonce has bestowed upon us. Works perfectly if you want to go ahead and start the album over again (and you might) or go right in to RENAISSANCE. 4/5

I overall do love so much of this album. If we were to compare to Act i, I would say Renaissance is better as it is, for me, a no skip, play front to back album that is so cohesive. I think the Linda Martell interlude is key to understanding Cowboy Carter, because what is genre and is it important? I think the thesis of this album is that genre is limiting. To the critics that will say xyz elements aren’t country enough, she’s got Willie, Dolly P, and Linda Martell’s co-sign. Country fans checking this out will find Beyonce playing with so many different genres but can hopefully see the country twist she has put on them. In the opposite direction, Beyonce fans who might limit themselves to modern pop and RnB might discover the original Blackbird or Jolene, or they might look at works by the interlude or featured artists and find something they love and relate to. How much of genre do we relate to who it is coming from? Can a Beatles cover by Beyonce be country? Does it matter if it’s “country” if you like it anyway? Beyoncé is exploring and pushing the boundaries of every genre here. Where Renaissance feels very tight and cohesive as a record, Cowboy Carter is the Wild West with a little something for everyone. There does seem to be a general consensus that it’s a little long, but there’s no agreement on what should be cut. I love the way the interludes divide the record up into cohesive segments and those segments would feel incomplete if you removed songs from them, so I must come to the conclusion that the more Beyonce, the better. There are rumors she might do a rock album next, but the real message to be found here is that she can do anything she wants.

This album gets an average of 4.4 and I do feel it is absolutely an album that works together from front to back, so we will round up to a 4.5/5.

Top 3: Bodyguard,Ya Ya, Sweet/Honey/Buckin

What’s Next:

A review straight from The Tortured Poets Department. Thinking I might split it up into a few pieces. This already took me a while and 31 songs is A LOT!

[omegaremix]

Summer 2021 Mixtape.

DMX ft. Griselda: “Hood Blues”

Mount Westmore: “Step Child”

Sal Dulu ft. Fly Anakin: “Zumo”

Prodigy ft. Knxwledge: “The Good Fight”

Ho99o9: “Prey Or Pray”

Pete Rosenberg ft. Method Man & Raekwon & Willie The Kid: “Next Chamber”

Cypress Hill: “Band Of Gypsies”

Nickelus F & Ohbliv:“Might As Well”

L’il Ugly Mane: “Addict”

B0nds: “Misty Dawn”

Benny The Butcher ft. Freddie Gibbs: “One Way Flight”

Conway The Machine ft. El Camino: “Forever Droppin’ Tears”

Dabrye ft. Clear Soul Forces: “Sysfo Ridin’”

Obnox: “Concrete Rose” (Stoneflower RMX)

Flatbush Zombies: “Dirty Elevator Music”

Bronze Nazareth & Recognize Ali: “Season Of The Seven”

Termanology & Shortfyuz: “T2”

JPEGMAFIA: “Baby I’m Bleeding”

Kyron: “Who Shot Rudy”

clipping.:“Say The Name”

Nnamdi Ogbonnaya: “Gimme Gimme”

Snowy ft. Jason Williamson: “Effed”

Dark Time Sunshine:“The Rite Kids”

Ho99o9: “Pray Or Prey”

Lungs ft. Olasegun: “Bowcasters”

Tyler The Creator: “Wilshire”

DMX ft. Jay Z & Nas: “Bath Salts”

Dabrye: “Nova”

Heavy Joker: “Rainy Day”

Freeway: “Abahambi”

Arena: Scrichell Cat

Asiko: “Lagos City”

Terry Callier: “You Don’t Care”

Joe Thomas: “Mr. Mumbles”

Steve Gray: “The Double Take”

Creative Funk: “Funk Power”

Sonny Fortune: “Come In Out Of The Rain”

Donald Byrd: “I Feel Like Loving You Today”

Breath Of Life: “Keep In Touch”

Michael Soward: “Standing On The Top”

Sengerema (Kagunga) S.D.A. Choir: “Simba Wa Yuda”

Awa Paulo: “Mido Yirima”

William Onyeabor: “Atomic Bomb”

Francis Bebey: “Di Saegi”

SK Kakraba (Lobi): “Darifu”

Charles A. Chepwonky: “Kas Imam O Pilista”

Hallo Dawe: “Neighbors”

Alhaja Queen Salawa Abeni & Her Waka Moderniser: “Mo Ti Goke”

Mahmoud Guinia: سَاسْتْ دِيمَانْيُو

Na Hawa Doumbia: “Abayetidu Ma”

Awalom Gebremariam: “Desdes”

Awa Paulo: ”Djara Wilam”

Knocked Loose: “Damned Earth”

Incendiary: “Silence Is A Sentence”

Body Count: “The Hate Is Real”

Sworn Enemy: “Integrity Defines Strength”

Harm’s Way: “Call My Name”

Knocked Loose: “D.T.A.H.”

Sanction: “sixhundredandthirtyone”

City Of Industry: “Your Rope, Europe”

Hangman: “Worthless”

False Maria: “L.A. Sucks”

Pleasure Corps: “Death And Love Can Both Be Bought”

Moonbeam Terror: “Revenant”

Valentina Artaud / Monochromatic: “Rigor Romance”

Lana Del Rabies: “The Ides Of March”

Chelsea Wolfe & Emma Ruth Rundle: “Anhedonia”

Sharon Van Etten & Angel Olsen: “Like I Used To”

Nicole Dollanganger: “Chapel”

Mrs. Piss: “Knelt”

Guerilla Toss: “Eraser Stargazer Forever”

cumgirl8: “Waffles”

Conditioner Disco Group: “(Don’t Gotta’) Raise A Family”

Child’s Pose: “L’il Snitch”

Buzzcocks, The: “Everybody’s Happy Nowadays”

Captain Sensible: “Wot”

Hum: “Desert Rambler”

Neurosis: “Takeanase”

Pill: “Sin Compromiso”

Tapes: “Tape V” + “Old Pan Sound”

[cleolinda]

Mitsouko (Guerlain, 1919)

Guerlain, 1919, Jacques Guerlain. Post-2014 formulation; eau de parfum concentration; 2002 decant from the Perfumed Court.

(To discuss: what it smells like, why it smells like that, and the struggle to describe this legendary heritage throwback.)

Trust me, these specifications make a difference. A year ago, I read reviews of different versions and took notes on what I wanted:

Do not get samples from 2007 - 2013, pre-2007 will have real oakmoss. Every concentration has different focus. EdP is mellower than EdT. Extrait is "truest."

You see, the International Fragrance Association (IFRA) restricted oakmoss in 2001, and then more tightly in 2009, from what I can tell. Mitsouko is considered a "reference chypre," a textbook example of the genre, and chypres are, by definition, citrus (usually bergamot), labdanum, and oakmoss. (The Perfume Society adds patchouli to this trio.) Like, you gotta have those for it to be a chypre. But Mitsouko is not THE chypre:

Bois de Jasmin: Guerlain Mitsouko : Fragrance Review (New and Vintage):

Created by Jacques Guerlain in 1919, Mitsouko was a variation on the avant-garde fragrance of the period–Coty Chypre. Chypre was based on the startling contrast among the bergamot top notes, the jasmine heart and the richness of oakmoss. Though undoubtedly beautiful, Chypre was brutal in its impact. […] Mitsouko is a kiss to Coty Chypre’s slap in the face, and for this reason, its popularity endures to this day.

So when oakmoss was restricted as an allergen in the 2000s, perfumers industry-wide scrambled to come up with a facsimile; for Guerlain, with a fragrance this storied, failure was not an option. Reformulations everybody hated were, though. Edouard Fléchier took a crack at it somewhere around 2007, and in 2013, Thierry Wasser reformulated the whole thing to recapture the scent everyone remembered. People seem to have been satisfied with that version since.

So I've worn that new Mitsouko on and off, when I feel fancy, for about a year now. I put a little on a card for my sister to smell the other week, and she said, "It smells old." (She'll be the first to tell you that she’s learning what individual notes smell like.) Being crushingly literal, I don't understand what "smells old" or "smells like old ladies" means. Powdery, she said, struggling to explain. "Old." Maybe I haven't smelled enough old ladies.

Mitsouko does smell… weird, by modern standards. Generally, people either love it or hate it, and Results May Vary in a big way; it's worth getting a sample just to take it for a spin (kind of like Not A Perfume or Glossier's You, in that one regard), and to see what a piece of history smells like. Expert-of-experts Luca Turin says it's the one perfume he'd take to that proverbial desert island, but I am but a gentle woodland creature, a basic vanilla bitch; I would be more likely to take something that cost $10 instead of $145. But I still kind of love Mitsouko. Users who review it positively often speak of not liking it at first, then going back to it again and again. They also speak of a "pissy" stage in the middle that might be civet or oakmoss (or whatever represents those notes now); I know what they're talking about, but it doesn't read as anything so unpleasant to me. It's not easy to wear like the simple scents I usually go for, but the drydown is absolutely gorgeous. That's one of the things that makes Mitsouko so interesting to me: it's like two completely separate perfumes were mingled, and the first gradually recedes to let the Guerlinade take center stage.

But what’s in it? “La Guerlinade,” for starters, is a complex foundation that the historical Guerlains have—a house accord. (You could buy it unto itself for a while.) The exact formula is super secret, of course, but it's said to (possibly) include bergamot, jasmine, rose, orange blossom, orris, vetiver, tonka bean, vanilla, and lilac. The lilac—a note I didn't even know I would like—is what shows up on me with both Mitsouko and Guerlain's L'Heure Bleue (1912); it's a soft light purple note that peeks through from the very beginning, and gradually becomes the glass slipper that Cinderella leaves behind.

Over on the official Guerlain site, they tell us a bit more about the reformulation:

A masterpiece in balance and originality, Mitsouko combines a fruity peach note with jasmine and rose centifolia (May rose) flowers. Its mysterious base combines spicy notes with notes of undergrowth and vetiver.

Warm spices such as black pepper mingle with cold spices like cardamom and pink [pink pepper?] berries.

Patchouli essence features many vegetal, woody and earthy olfactory facets. Combined with rose, moss, and bergamot, patchouli forms the base of the chypre accord.

Hilariously, Guerlain also straight up tells you what Thierry Wasser actually put in New Mitsouko:

ALCOHOL

PARFUM (FRAGRANCE)

AQUA (WATER)

LIMONENE

LINALOOL

EUGENOL

HYDROXYCITRONELLAL

EVERNIA FURFURACEA (TREEMOSS) EXTRACT

CITRAL

BENZYL BENZOATE

ALPHA-ISOMETHYL IONONE

CITRONELLOL

GERANIOL

BHT

HEXYL CINNAMAL

CINNAMYL ALCOHOL

ISOEUGENOL

BENZYL ALCOHOL

BENZYL SALICYLATE

TOCOPHEROL

CI 14700 (RED 4)

CI 19140 (YELLOW 5)

CI 60730 (EXT. VIOLET 2)

FARNESOL

Yeah. There's the famous Guerlinade… in there somewhere. They gave that secret away, hidden under a tiny link, because it means fuck-all without proportions or a way to separate it from the composition as a whole. Well played.

A Basenotes user posted a suggested Mitsouko formula that's somewhat more indicative of what those chemicals would smell like (deep breath): sweet orange, lemon, bergamot, elemi, celery seed, tarragon (a component of oakmoss reconstitution), coriander, chamomile, lavender, geranium, ylang, jasmine, clove, anise, castoreum, civet, labdanum, tonka, patchouli, cinnamon, peru balsam, benzoin, vanilla, violet, rose, costus, vetiver, musk, and the famous "aldehyde" C-14: a peach-scented lactone from 1908.

Logically, Mitsouko (1919) must not have been the first fragrance to use gamma-undecalactone, but I'm not sure any other has survived the ages like this one. Carter Burr (another top expert) writes that Jacques Guerlain most likely got it from the supplier Firmenich, via their Persicol peach base:

C-14 was a marvel, a fruity, aromatic, delicious scent that gave ripe peach skin. Guerlain plugged C-14 into the equation perfectly (the rumor is, actually, similar to Chanel 5, that he in fact accidentally overdosed the stuff; who knows), and Mitsouko became a thing of subtle opulence, strength and balance and silken twilight.

Sidebar: peach is one of my favorite fragrance notes. It's in Tamora, one of the first BPALs I ever tried twenty years ago; I don't know what the actual peach accord in that oil is, but it's still probably my favorite Black Phoenix. No matter how weird people said Mitsouko was, I was GOING to try it for that landmark peach lactone. And that's what shows up at first for me. I do get that Guerlinade lilac peeking through, but the opening as a whole is a spicy autumnal peach lying on the dead-leafed forest floor, more velvet than flesh, Octoberish and unseelie. That first sequence is intriguing, and then it warms up into that unpleasant stage; then that uneasy note fades and the Guerlinade comes fully out, a soft pale purple-blue siren song floating by on a powdery cloud. Those are the two perfumes that seem to be twined: bewitchingly different, each one blended so smoothly that I can't distinguish all the notes within them, yet not quite blended together.

And that's just my own reaction. Watching Fragrantica reviewers describe Mitsouko is a pastime unto itself. It smells like power, sex, domination, old money, "strangely nutty," depressing, elegant, fascinating, bitter, ripe, like oil paint, "an old medicine cabinet," pungent, tangy, moldy, intoxicating, alienating, feminine, masculine, unisex—to quote frugally:

User Aerides: "Mitsouko is gloomy Sundays, walks in the woods after it rains, and empty auction rooms. […] It's incense and burning candles, and waxy floor polish. It's cinnamon peach jam. It's a bouquet of lilacs on the dining room table. It lasts so long it's like a ghost in the room."

User Amararata: "There is something vampire-like about this fragrance. It's the sort of scent a woman leaves behind after she's conquered a man, or a kind of lascivious tryst in the middle of the day."

User querty988: "For some reason, those stinky little [camphor-clove] whiffs endeared it to me. It was like the baby from Eraserhead whispering in my ear, 'yes, I am the most revolting thing you've ever smelled, but I'm here with you in public today, and it's our little secret that I belong to you.'"

User KingRidesBy96: "Can't explain it. Don't want to. She's a witch, it's magic."

Mitsouko is weird as hell, and yet, thanks to the “waxy floor polish” review, and (I swear) a review someone wrote that I can't find now that mentioned linseed oil, furniture, paint, and his wife, I knew exactly what Mitsouko was going to smell like. And I was right. And I think that the mental preparation is incredibly important here. Not to be snooty about what it takes to "appreciate" a perfume like this, but to frame for you where this being of times past is, at least, coming from. Mitsouko is Aslan, present when the Deep Magic was written in 1919, whether the Deep Magic smells good on you or not.

Further reading linkspam

Bois de Jasmin: What Does The Word Mitsouko Mean?

It’s the French spelling of a female Japanese character’s name (Mitsuko, “child of light,” “shining child”) from the 1909 French novel La bataille (“The Battle”); Jacques Guerlain was friends with the author, Claude Farrère, so this is thought to be the most likely namesake. Wikipedia:

The novel is set in Japan during the 1905 Russo-Japanese War, and chronicles a fictional amour fou between a British Navy Officer and one "Mitsouko", the wife of Fleet Admiral Marquis Yorisaka. Both Yorisaka and the British officer sail to war, and Mitsouko awaits with reserve to see which of the two will return alive to her.

Maybe this is reflected in the duality I’m getting from the perfume, I don’t know.

Isn’t all this very orientalist? Why, yes! Our antique faves are as problematic as ever!

Ayala Moriel: Olfactory Orientalism

Arts of the Working Class: Journey with Mitsouko and Mitsuko

More technical discussion:

Persolaise Review: Mitsouko from Guerlain (Jacques Guerlain; 1919 [and Thierry Wasser; 2013/14]):

Suffice it to say that whether it’s because [Wasser] increased the dosage of vetivert in the base, or he revitalised the citruses at the top, or, most interestingly, he created a special ‘oakmoss-like’ accord to compensate for the shortcomings of synthetic substitutes, the result is that the current Mitsouko feels like it has just emerged from the fountain of youth.

The Empress of Moss: Mitsouko

A look at the current state of the chypre: IFRA, Oakmoss, Chypres & Perfume Houses (2022)

Late breaking news: right after I fell down the stairs and injured myself rather thoroughly yesterday, my vintage pre-oakmoss-ban Mitsouko sample arrived in the mail. I’ll update once I can smell it. I also have a 2022 decant of L'Heure Bleue and, uh, about three drops of Samsara from around 1989, so stay tuned for more Guerlain at some point.

[twig-tea]

People I wanna know better tag meme

Thanks for tagging me @my-rose-tinted-glasses and enabling my I-don't-wanna-deal-with-this Monday! 💕

Last song?

Perusing my Spotify recs between meetings this morning and this, Adiós by I Segreti, is an immediate new like (guess the payola worked):

Favorite color?

Anything blue-green. Teal, aquamarine, turquoise, cyan, robin's egg, etc etc. If I had to choose a specific single colour? #33b3cc. Most of my closet is that colour or the complimentary #cc3366.

Currently watching?

Ongoing watch list (in order of when they air in the week because I'm too lazy to reorder them from my spreadsheet; top 5 in blue + * in case that doesn't render for everyone):

Chaser Game W* (on GagaOOLala this week)

7 Days Before Valentine

Cherry Magic anime

Playboyy the series

For Him the series

Sahara Sensei to Tori Kun

Sukiyaken kedo dou yaroka?*

Last Twilight (ends this week)

PitBabe the series

Ossan's Love Returns*

Cherry Magic Thailand*

Dead Friend Forever

The Sign

Night Dream the Series (ends this week)

Cooking Crush*

My Universe (ends this week)

Love for Love's Sake (starts this week)

One-offs: Happy Ending (airs tomorrow)

Just finished: VIP Only, Twins the series, Rebel Princess/Monarch Industries [binge], Taskmaster Champion of Champions 3; Ossan's Love original 2016 short (had no idea GagaOOLala had gotten their hands on that one too, I'm so happy to have finally seen the original!)

Last movie?

Monster (2023). It was incredible. Watched it twice in the same week.

Sweet/Spicy/Savory?

Savoury all the way.

Relationship status?

I'm somewhere on the aromantic spectrum; happily single for over a decade. A little over a year ago I was on a deserted beach on the Atlantic ocean and found a wedding ring that perfectly fits my ring finger, so I consider myself married to the sea.

Current obsessions?

In addition to the obvious BL/GL/Queer media obsession I have going on, I sometimes throw on live dives of ocean exploration when they have them (fave is Schmidt Ocean Institute, they have a YouTube channel here). The scientists live stream and offer commentary, and it's such a cool way of seeing parts of the world never before seen while learning something about both our world and how they undergo the science to inform what we know about it. And the camera quality has gotten incredible. My favourite thing I've seen is baby octopuses born live on camera at ~9k feet below the surface! It's a little addicting even though there are hours of nothing between the cool moments.

Last thing you googled?

Whether there's a difference between mayak eggs [Korean] and ajitama eggs [Japanese] (slightly different recipes but very similar in essentials).

Selfie or another pic you took?

Have another photo of my parents' dog, the bud in my avatar, Princess Patch aka Patches:

Tagging but as always no pressure: @sorry-bonebag, @solitarywandering, @hyeoni-comb, @he-is-lightning-in-a-bottle, @imminentinertia also @lurkingshan you mentioned me in yours so tagging so that you see this even though you've done it already! And anyone else who feels like it please consider yourself tagged 💕

[hewantshisbrideback]

Modern AU Jonrya + Divorced!RhaeLya Snippet

Test-running this the same way I did NHAT's first chapter! Keep in mind, this is not specifically RhaeLya or anti-RhaeLya. That said, Rhaegar, by virtue of being raised as more of a 'boy prince' than actual prince, has a characterization you may not agree with! But I don't care, it's my fic lol. Not a lot happens in this first snippet, it's more to establish the home-life Jon is coming from, the dynamic between Rhaegar and Lyanna, and because I find writing from this perspective funny. There is not a lot of Jonrya and only the set up for conflict. Enjoy! Please, tell me what you think.

It’s an age-old story. A real crowd favorite. Boy meets girl. Girl meets boy. Boy sings a sad song. Girl cries. Boy gives her roses. Girl looks pretty with flowers in her hair. A classic love story, one for the books.

Things may have progressed a little quickly after. But, still, nothing truly out of the ordinary. Girl got pregnant. Boy proposed. Well… Boy had to get a divorce first. But it was a quick divorce.

Sure, maybe after the shotgun wedding, Boy and Girl had to hide out in the desert for a while, disappeared from the public without telling anyone where they went, resulting in a media-fuelled frenzy, a nation-wide search party involving everyone from paparazzi to armed police to private investigators…

Maybe her family had publicly accused him of kidnapping before the dust had settled. Acquitted of all charges, both in the legal court and that of public opinion.

Still, when Rhaegar looks back at how he and Lyanna first met, first fell in love, it really did feel that simple, that… uncomplicated, at the time. The politics, their respective family drama, the music scene and the industry bullshit, the age gap that was only a little less scandalous at the time…

He hadn’t cared about that. Neither had magazines, or newspapers. If anything, they’d eaten it all up. It only made them more sympathetic. For the most part. According to all the important publications, anyway.

Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen had been... the love story to end all love stories. Had been, as in, weren’t anymore, because, as anyone could tell you, they hadn’t been married for, say, like… a decade now? Somewhere between a decade, and thirteen years, four months, and twenty-one days.

And yet, it still smarts to think about it. Better not to, if he can help it.

Unfortunately, there’s nothing in the great, empty expanse of fucking woods he’s staring down to distract him. Why does Lyanna live out here again? Shouldn’t someone running a non-profit live somewhere with actual people around, in need of help?

Frankly, he never understood why they divorced in the first place. But I respected her wishes. Because I loved her.

Obviously. He wouldn’t be leaning against his car, waiting for his son to finally emerge from his aloof (second) ex-wife’s cabin in the woods if that wasn’t the case, all so he could spend a weekend enjoying the kid’s brooding company, pointedly not asking questions about how his mother was and what she was doing in her spare time when she wasn’t too busy saving the world and ignoring his calls.

Rhaegar taps his foot. Crosses his arms. Checks his hair in the passenger window. Uncrosses his arms. Checks his phone, again. Nothing. He texted Jon about his arrival three minutes ago.

Maybe, sometimes their conversation verged into discussion-of-Mom territory. But there was only so much for him and Jon to talk about. The kid was almost sixteen, permanently unimpressed with him, and he made no secret of the resentment he felt for him.

Rhaegar wanted to connect, he did, but he also had to acknowledge certain limitations to his position. The one thing they both shared was Lyanna. It made sense to fall back to common ground in lieu of any other options.

And he’s curious. Sue him. The woman is a bank vault when it comes to her personal life. Always was. Just ask the press. They'd tell you.

Rhaegar checks his phone. Four minutes. He thinks he can get away with ringing the doorbell. There’s literally ice on the ground. Even his openly embittered son doesn’t actually want him to freeze to death.

Well, he assumes. But the void of interest in Jon’s gaze as he opens the door and claps eyes on him might make him reconsider.

“Hey, champ.” Rhaegar forces out, and pretends like he isn’t internally grimacing at his own words. “Uh, I texted, but…”

Jon nods, already turning around, walking away and leaving the screen door to drift shut on his father. “I know.”

Rhaegar wedges a foot in before the heavy screen can shut him out completely, then shifts awkwardly in the doorway, propping it open. “You ready to head out?”

“Almost.”

He takes that as an invitation to step inside. Jon’s disappeared into a door beyond the stairs - the den, or the dining room? It’s been a while since Rhaegar got to really see the place. He’s never gotten an actual tour, technically, has maybe been in the kitchen twice, ever, let alone the rest of the place. Technically, it's a converted ranger station from back when the family held private ownership over the woods. For all he knows, it's an armory back there.

He glances around surreptitiously for a second, wondering if he has enough time to poke his head around - innocently, of course - only for Lyanna to skid into view before he can even move past the wet room. His pulse quickens, but before he can pull out a greeting as equally as cringeworthy as the first, she interrupts.

“Oh, good. You’re here. I’m heading out then.” She pushes an earring in with lethal precision and force, not even sparing a glance at the conveniently-placed hall mirror, calling back into the house, “Jon? I’m heading out! Did you hear me?”

Rhaegar almost has a heart attack when Jon pops his head in from the nearest room - he could’ve sworn the only way to the back was through the main hall, last time he was here - with a furrowed brow and a playful scowl on display. “Yeah, I’m right here. You don’t need to yell.”

Lyanna is doing her eyeliner, but she pauses to raise her own brows at him in warning. “Sometimes I think you could do with me yelling at you more, actually.”

He rolls his eyes. “Is that even possible?”

She smacks her hairbrush in his general direction in response, a fruitless gesture so familiar to Rhaegar it hurts. “Would you get out of here? With your… teenage… attitude? Ugh.” She fixes her lipstick then shoves her tools in her purse.

“Brutal, mom. Do you have my charger?”

“Our charger,” she insists. “It’s in the den. Go watch some dumb, scary movie, would you? Have a good time with your dad. And get out of my hair!”

Jon gives her a brisk salute as she hurries past.

“We will! Uh, have a good time,” Rhaegar assures her, but his eyes get caught on her cocktail dress, as she scoots past him, adjusts the skirt, and grabs her coat. “Where are you off to? Didn’t think you were even allowed to leave the woods.”

She gives him a slightly withering glance, then shrugs, smiles. “I have a thing.” By now Jon has joined them in the wet room, and she turns to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Lock up when you leave. I’ll see you two later.”

“Gross.” Jon waves from the door as she sidesteps the ice in her heels on her way to her truck. “Bye, mom. Be safe!”

“No worrying, kiddo! Have fun.”

“I know. But still.”

“Thanks, honey,” she clambers into the truck, blows a big, fat kiss from the window, intentionally over-the-top. “Mwah.”

Rhaegar follows her out, takes advantage of her patting around the front seat to plug her phone in. “Seriously, we never talk anymore. What’s the big occasion?”

She gives him a look he decides is indecipherable, then sighs. “Just meeting up with old friends of the family.” She finds the right chord to plug in her phone, then shoos him away from the window. “Okay. Really, this time - I’ll see you guys later.”

By the time she’s pulled out, and he’s shaken himself from his suspicious stupor, Jon is joining him out in the driveway. He shakes his head, then turns and gives him a fond, knowing look. “Where is she actually going?”

Jon, shrugging and hiking his backpack up his shoulder, returns the knowing look, if... decidedly less fond. “Some kind of double date.”

“What?” Rhaegar scoffs. “With who?”

“Uncle Ned and Aunt Catelyn.”

Interesting, but irrelevant. “No, who is she going with?”

“I don’t know. One of the Baratheons.” Jon is walking toward the car at this point.

“Shit!” Rhaegar jolts to follow, stops and curses as he almost slips on the ice, resumes his path with more caution. “Shit. Which one?”

“I don’t remember,” Jon says, popping open the trunk. He throws his luggage in the back.

Rhaegar rubs the back of his neck, exhaling a little in relief at just making it to the car without face-planting. “It can’t be Robert, is it? That’s insane.”

Jon pauses getting into the passenger seat to slip his backpack off his shoulder and spare his father a faintly exasperated look. “Dad…”

“Look, I - I know your uncle and him are friends, I’m sure he’s… fine, but… your mom hates him,” he rushes to clarify. Jon rolls his eyes and gets in the car, and Rhaegar scrambles to follow suit. “She always has.”

“I mean, it’s really none of your business.”

“Right, but… Right. I’m not saying she can’t. I’m just saying it would be stupid, and I hope your uncle hasn’t convinced her to give him another chance, when -”

“Are we going?” Jon interrupts, then sinks into his seat with a strange expression. “Arya and I have been waiting to see this for ages.”

“Uh…” Rhaegar blinks. Thinks. Starts to dig out his keys. “Yeah, we can go…” He starts the engine, but doesn’t take it out of park. “Just, let the engine warm up… How is Arya doing, lately, by the way? She wants to see this film?”

“Yeah,” Jon answers, slouching in his seat. “Has wanted to, for a while, now.”

“How’s she doing? You get to see her much, now she’s getting older?”

Jon turns to pretend to look at something out the window. Rhaegar knows he’s pretending. He was staring at the same goddamn woods waiting for a text for four minutes, so. “Not as much.”

Rhaegar takes this as an opportunity to change the address on his phone. “Is she busy tonight?”

“No.” No uncertainty. Not even a pause.

“You want to invite her along?”

“Seriously?” 

“Why not?” Rhaegar starts backing out of the driveway. “She’s allowed to watch scary movies, right?”

“Yeah, we watch them all the time.” Good. It was a fifty-fifty bet, considering what Catelyn and Ned are respectively like as parents.

“Why don’t you text her? We’re early anyway. We can start heading down that way, and if she says no, we’ll just… You know. Course-correct.”

“Okay. Yeah. I’ll text her.”

“Good. Great. We’ll just… head for your uncle Ned’s.”

And if they happened to run into Lyanna when they got there, well... that's a non-issue.

❦

Thanks so much for reading! Hope it piqued your interest, even though there wasn't a ton of Jonrya right away. It's partly written but not enough to share for feedback. I'm curious to get feedback on the Rhaegar and Lyanna dynamic - I know the characters have huge fans and huge antis and frankly I'm half curious and half worried as to how either party will be reacting to the situation, lol! Anyway, thanks again.

[bones-and-whatnot]

Worlds for a Hypothetical Mario Game

B’Rambling Fields

Grasslands + slight forest theme— Your standard world 1 grasslands, but with just a bit more of an edge. In the latter half of the world, thorn hazards start cropping up. This is foreshadowed by an abundance of roses and thistles in the first half.

Boss: Larry. When you defeat him, you cut through a final wall of thorns and move on to…

Sunset Shore

Beach/water theme— The sun is setting on this beach, giving everything a nice rosy (Wendy-like) color. The first half is a mixture of beach and underwater levels, and then in the second half you reach the place where the tide comes in and it’s all underwater from then on.

Boss: Wendy. When you defeat her, you swim onward and finally make it to the other side of this body of water, coming ashore in…

Beast Land

Forest/swamp + cave/mountain theme— A forest filled with dank caves, giant trees and craggy rock outcroppings. All the enemies here are animalistic; no Koopa Troopas, Lakitus, Shy Guys, or anything else that seems to have too much going on behind the eyes. It’s all Chain Chomps, Swoops, Spinies, Buzzy Beetles, Wigglers, etc. (Monty Moles are on thin ice.)

Boss: Iggy. You fight him at the base of a mountain on Beast Land’s edge, and continue up it to…

Quake Mountain

Desert + cave/mountain theme— The gimmick here is that you get no fire flowers or other “weaponizable” power-ups, and most of the enemies aren’t damaged by jumping (Thwomps, Bullys, that sort of thing), so you have to just evade them. In some instances, you must lead them off ledges, onto switches and scales, or into pits to be used as a platform. Shortcuts can be found in the secret cave system.

Boss: Morton. After defeating him, you climb higher and the air starts getting colder, until you find yourself in…

Sorbet Hill

Ice theme— A higher part of the mountain. Very whimsical, the snow is all multicolored and flavorful. There’s probably gimmick levels based around sledding, ice skating and snowball fights.

Boss: Lemmy. Fought at the mountain’s very peak. After defeating him, you stand there for a moment before suddenly being swept up by the…

Hurricanebow

Sky theme— Super stormy and gale-force, but with rainbow colors whipped up in some of the tornadoes and stuff. A lot of very fast paced and/or unforgiving levels.

Boss: Roy. When you defeat him, the storm dissipates, and out of the clouds comes…

Koop Deck City

Airship/technology theme— A giant, industrial-looking flying city built on a network of interconnected airships. Contains some maze-y and puzzle-y levels, as well as a lot of pipe and conveyor belt travel, some “riding” levels (a la DK mine-carts or NSMB spine coasters) and various Mechakoopas, Bob-Ombs and Bullet Bills.

Boss: Ludwig. After defeating him, you jump off the ship and plummet down into…

Smokeshadow Valley

Ghost/darkness + lava/fire theme— Smoke covers the sky, casting what isn’t on fire into darkness. Some smoggy, low-visibility levels, a few encounters with Boos and Bones, as well as fortresses, lava pits… everything you’d expect from the final world.

Boss: Bowser. When you defeat him, the smog clears from the sky and you go save/retrieve/thwart whatever needs saving/retrieving/thwarting. Thanks for playing!

[wolfy-hayashi]

A few weeks ago I finished watching Hazbin Hotel, and I loved it! And an idea occurred to me, think about which characters from Twisted Wonderland would go to heaven and which would go to hell, and of those who went to hell, what are their roles. I say that the boys who entered Overblot could be Overlords, imagining that they all go to hell which I doubt about characters like Kalim, Jack and Ortho, but putting the scenario that everyone is in hell, the leaders would be the overlords and the other followers, type:

-Riddle: the demon of the guillotine, a broken rule, and the offender will be publicly beheaded in the district of it, all would be full of roses with thorns and it would be a place that another the same hell is crazy

-Leona: the demon of beasts, most of her followers and inhabitants of her district are beast demons and everything looks like it's the African savanna, with bones of demons and animals native to hell sticking out of the sand

-Azul: the sea demon or maybe the octopus demon or the contract demon, in their district they are all sea demons and everything has a marine theme, and they also found the most popular and elegant bar/restaurant in pentagram city

Kalim: the party demon, the truth is I can't think of a good name for Kalim, but he is known for his parties and his "kindness", but don't get carried away by his sweet words, in his district you can find the best clubs to hang out at an unforgettable night, and the parties he throws are something you can't miss, his district reminds you of the Sahara Desert

- Vil: The demon of beauty, known for its beautiful appearance but its poisonous interior, does whatever it takes to achieve its goal "to be the most beautiful", it is also in charge of the poison industry, its poisons are so effective that they are very popular, even outside of pentagram city, its district is like going back in time to the German Middle Ages

-Idia: The demon of technology [accepted suggestions for other names ( •́ω•̩̥̀ )], he is the one who provides everything that has to do with technology to hell, he is a very capable inventor and it is said that he usually works with The "VVV" and with the arms dealer Carmelia, their district is like being in ancient Greece but, much more modern, it is the district with the most technology in all of hell

-Malleus: The dragon demon, very few have seen it, or if they have seen it, they don't live to tell about it, but those lucky ones who have, say that it is imposing and terrifying, that one look at it can leave you peeing in your pants, its district is like coming to the Victorian era, the place is full of dry trees with thorns

-Yuu/Mc: a sinner who came to hell because of her stupidity, has a pet that is a native demon of hell called Grimm, and is the youngest and most recent overlord, as Alastor is helping the princess of hell with her hotel, to that his followers have the opportunity to redeem themselves and have a better life in the future.

What do you think? I couldn't get that idea out of my head since the last episode of Hazbin Hotel was released. As you can see, I'm not replacing characters from the series, that's why I'm not giving them the roles of other characters from hell. And yes, I already know that the VVV represent technology and modernity, but they have specific roles like Vox as the demon of television, Idia is directly the technology itself, so I added those from twisted wonderland, I was of making the teachers natives of hell, but in a higher rank of sinners, like the Goetia of "helluva boss", he accepted suggestions to know what kind of demon the others would be, or if they have better ideas about this

¡See you!

[boxboysandotherwhump]

Sam signs up.

Taglist: @vickytokio @ashintheairlikesnow @thefancydoughnut @malcolmisthebrightestboy @redwingedwhump @whump-for-all-and-all-for-whump @finder-of-rings @orchidscript @hackles-up

It's three minutes after midnight and there is blood on Sam’s hands. 

It glimmers red under the neon shine of the streetlamps Sam hastes past.  His face is damp with tears and sweat. Tears that won’t dry even in the oppressive summer heat, they are falling too fast, too numerous. A well of pain flowing over. 

I can’t do this anymore.

Sam’s hand throbs. Sam’s head throbs

His heart throbs. 

I CAN’T DO THIS ANYMORE! 

Somewhere in the distance a car alarm goes off.

He stumbles on the crossing into the nice part of town. The great hall of the central station is enclosed in thick steel beams and looms over Sam like the industrial carcass of a whale. It’s silvery bones illuminated by floodlights. Behind it, the fashion shops and restaurants of the city's shopping district tower high into the sky. Technicolored neon lights sparkle in their glass facades. 

At the end of the currently deserted strip lies Sam’s goal. WRU. 

Old sneakers against pavement. His footsteps echo between the empty buildings, growing faster, faster, in his haunted desperation. 

If he slows down enough for the oxygen to catch up with his brain, long enough to think about this, to doubt this-

No!

He can’t chicken out. Not now. The blood on his hand has almost dried, color shifting from red to brown. It's too late to stop. All his dreams and aspirations, he smashed them up alongside his sewing machine. Ripped them apart as he shredded his midterm project to tiny pieces of golden fabric. Even if he had the money to re-buy the materials, replace his machine, there wasn’t enough time to re-do that dress from scratch. 

Good! I don’t want this shit anyway. I just want out! Let me get out!

He bursts into Wru’s reception hall, its glass doors opening with a quiet ‘ding’.

The receptionist startles awake from where she’d dozed off behind the counter. Perfectly rose painted lips curve into an apologetic smile. She brushes a lock of honey blond hair back behind her ear. 

“”How can I help you?” 

Sam’s ragged breathing fills the silence between them as he just stares, for a moment. Suddenly remembering where he is, Sam straightens, fumbles with his shirt to make himself look half decent, not sweaty and flushed with his old cat shirt stuck to his back.

“Good-” he gulps down a breath. “Good evening. I, uhm, I wanna sign up.” 

“Oh.” The receptionist musters him, eyes scanning him top to bottom. Sam’s face is burning from more than exertion now. 

“Am I wrong here?” 

“Oh, no no. It’s only- Are you of age?”

“Twentyone.” Sam mumbles, deflating with every second he stands in the shining emptiness of this fake marble hall. It had to be fake, right? 

The woman smiles, pleasant but empty. "Alright. I do need your ID information for our records nonetheless and-” she put a clipboard and pen on the pristine counter, “These are some additional information we need for your check in.”

Check in.

As if signing your very life away was as easy as simply checking into a hotel. Three nights as a pet please. Yes, with breakfast and room service, thank you.

Suppressing a snort Sam fumbles his wallet out of his pocket and plugs his ID from it with shaking fingers. He holds it out to her, arm straining over the counter and on his tiptoes.

“Here.” He says, short but polite, before snatching the clipboard and pen from the counter.  

“You can sit in our waiting area to fill this out.” She gestures to the right without looking up, already typing away one handed, eyes scanning his ID.

The area reminds Sam of a doctor's waiting room, only far more luxurious. Three leather couches stand around a low wooden table, dark and polished. Pet magazines are neatly laid atop it. The tv in the corner plays wru ads on mute. In the corner stands a water dispenser that looks more expensive than all of Sam’s possessions combined. If he would try to drink from it now, Sam knows he would throw up.

He sits down with a soft squeak of leather. The pen scratches over the paper with every word. 

Known allergies: None.

Known  pre-existing illnesses: None.

He is halfway through the first sheet, medical history,  when the dialing of a phone number catches his attention.

“Yes. We have a new acquisition, yes. I need a handler to pick him up, finish the check in. Quickly. Yes.” 

Why quickly? Sam finishes the first sheet in a scribbled hurry. 

“Samantha Higgens?” Sam cringes at his deadname. Whatever, soon it’ll be gone for good right? “Have you informed family or friends about your decision?”

Sam bristles. “How’s that your business?” 

She smiles, very patiently. “We offer a service to inform your bereaved about your choices and answer any questions they might have. Most people find it reassuring to know that no open questions remain for the people- that might have them.” 

 The people that might- worry about him. Miss him.

There is no oxygen left in Sam’s lungs, all of a sudden. The room is way too big and his hands are shrinking, skin too tight over his bones. His brain sloshes around inside his skull. 

“No.” He hears himself say, voice high and tight. “I- I’ll text her myself.” 

The elevator door dings and boots clip over the marble floor with each approaching step. Sam fumbles his phone out of his pocket, hands shaking so bad he nearly drops it. 

Warm fingers steady his own.  When Sam looks up he finds himself face to face with a man near his forties, smiling down at him. He grips his phone tighter. 

“There we go.” The man flops down next to him, eyes crinkling. “The last message, hm? I can’t imagine how brave you have to be to write those.” 

“Huh?” Sam’s face crumbles in confusion, his impending panic attack stopped dead in its tracks. “Who, who are you?” 

The man's brown eyes grow serious without losing their warmth. He is handsome in a way Sam rarely finds in a middle aged man. Dependable looking. Save. “I’m your primary handler. Call me Mister Wilson.”

Sam shakes his outstretched hand on instinct. “I’m- well that won’t really matter once this whole pet thing starts, right?” 

Mister Wilson hums, pleased. “A quick learner I see. I think we will have a great time together. The smart ones are my favorite.”

Heat floods Sam’s face and he drops his gaze, pressing the start button on his phone repeatedly to do something with his hands. 

Mister Wilson lets him fumble until his nervousness morphes back into despondency. He opens his messenger app, closes it again. Opens it. Closes it. Sam stalls for time and they both know it. 

“Little one,” Mister Willsons begins softly, “you’ve gotta be brave one last time now. And after that, I promise you, you won’t have to worry about a thing.”

With a big sigh and his heart beating against his throat so violently he wonders if Mr Wislon can see it, Sam pulls up his aunt's chat. There are at least five voicemails she must have sent after Sam stormed out the door, after their fight. And after demolishing the room, she never stopped complaining about giving up for him. 

Whatever is on there he won’t listen to it. They’re just gonna be a continuation of her never ending accusations anyway. Telling him what a burden he is. How he should give up his dreams of becoming a designer and get a proper job. Whenever she hits a bad mental health spot she turns into a broken record player of soul crushing bitchery!

But when she has a good streak she-

Sam shakes his head so abruptly Mister Wilson startles beside him. 

Fingers shaking with anger punch in the first word. 

Delete it. 

Type a new one.

Delete it.

Try a third.

His fingers aren’t shaking from anger when he finally hits send. His phone screen is slippery with tears. 

I’m sorry. 

I can’t do this anymore. 

I’m becoming a pet. 

I love you.

Forgive me.

[crescentblossom66]

Prompt 9 Alter

“If Hat Kid won't change this planet for the better, I will!” The rebellious red-hooded girl looked around the huge vault, the solution to all her problems with the Mafia now in her grasp. Hat Kid was a fool! Maybe not as dimwitted as the big, dumb idiots that occupied her island, but a fool nontheless. She had all this power at her disposal, enough to fix not only the island, but the entire planet. She could erase every corruption, every single instance where someone wrong others for their personal gain. A world without bad people in it, a world with only nice and good guys, that was a world worth fighting for!

Mu had seen what corruption, greed and power did to people it was disgusting! First the Mafia that took over her beloved Calcite City and named it Mafia Town of all things, banishing the former residents of the island and changing it in their unpleasant image. And it wasn't just Mafia Town, the main land was just as corrupted! The Great Dead Bird Desert, part of the area where most of the birds lived, had a studio run by two birds that made the whole of the movie industry about their feud, making life on their subordinates really stressful. They were just as bad as the Mafia! Even that creepy forest wasn't safe from evil, that ghost was taking the souls of every person that entered the forest and that wicked queen froze everyone that set foot in her manor. The only peaceful place that she had seen where the Alpines, the nomads there and the goats were maybe the only good guys she spotted. She guessed that the seals and the people on the cruise were alright too...even if those seals were dangerously clumsy, they didn't cause harm on purpose. That tall cat lady on the other hand was maybe the worst and most dangerous bad guy on the planet! She was basically ruining the whole Metor with her gang, getting rid of everyone who got in her way.

She started to take one of the time pieces, watching the sand slowly trickle down. Her expression turning serious as a smile spread on her face. To think that such a weird object even existed and had that much power. Surely, that little stalker wouldn't miss a few of them...or all the ones she collected so far. Someone had to do something to save this planet, someone had to rid it of all the terrible people that inhabited it, it clearly needed...A hero of justice! No one was more qualified than her for the task, she had a good eye for who was allowed to live, and who had to go to make the planet a better place.

The once blue planet turned red as lava poured to the surface, drowning all the land and all water in it. In the center of the mess, a huge castle rose, a castle created by one girl that had been wronged one to many times. A girl that didn't see that her own vengance was going to far, that she was turning into exactly what she was trying to get rid of, a bad guy.

[read-alert]

August TBR!!! 📚📖🍁 Full titles under the cut!

Lone Women by Victor Lavalle

Accessing the Future ed by Kathryn Allan and Djibril Al-Ayad

Dawn by Octavia Butler

Dragonflight by Anne McCaffery

The Reformatory by Tananarive Due

Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present by Harriet A Washington

Being Seen: One Deafblind Woman's Fight to End Ableism by Elsa Sjunneson

Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology ed by Shane Hawk and Theodore C Van Alst Jr

Light in Gaza: Writings Born of Fire ed by Jehad Abusalim, Jennifer Bing, and Mike Merryman-Lotze

A Little Kissing Between Friends by Chencia C Higgins

Four Minutes by Nataliya Deleva

Captive Genders: Trans Embodiment and the Prison Industrial Complex by Nat Smith, Eric A Stanley, and CeCe McDonald

Mislaid in Parts Half Known by Seanan McGuire

Show Me a Sign by Ann Clare LeZotte

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

Snuff by Terry Pratchett

Where's My Cow by Terry Pratchett

Miss Felicity Beedle's The World of Poo by Terry Pratchett

Mort by Terry Pratchett

Beyond the Wall by Micaiah Johnson

Greenland by David Santos Donaldson

The Gods of Tango by Carolina De Robertis

Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen by José Antonio Vargas

The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice

Each of Us a Desert by Mark Oshiro

A Dangerous Trade by Cassandra Rose Clarke

King of the Rising by Kacen Callender

An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed by Helene Tursten

Juliet Takes a Breath: The Graphic Novel by Gabby Rivera and Celia Moscote

Justice League International vol 4 by Keith Giffen et al

Teen Titans vol 2: Family Lost by Geoff Johns et al

The Old Guard Book Two: Force Multiplied by Greg Rucka et al

[gizkasparadise]

Favorite chinese drama female leads?

going to include taiwanese drama female leads as well!

top 5 cdrama/twdrama female leads!

chu xuanji, love and redemption. she doesnt understand any of the senses until she collects them in a mirror like shikon jewel shards. she's martial arts deadweight unless she's the god of war, in which case she gets her own ass-kicking theme song by the prince of mandopop. she wants a nap and snacks. she tried to fight heaven in a parking lot. she loves her man. she doesn't know what love is. she is a man. she is the moment.

-

huang yu xuan, someday or one day. she's grieving, but she'll kick your ass over it. timetraveler and transmigrator. her boyfriend has custom bobbleheads of them in his car because they're a certified One Of Those Couples. inspires soft pastel drawings of first loves running the rain. she'll tell you how to ask her out but you have to wait approximately 20 years and one other boyfriend for it to work

-

jin yu, sound of the desert

was literally raised by wolves? but that doesn't stop the #hustle. opens up a business empire through 100% cunning. manages to get both hu ge and eddie peng totally in love with her, nice work!

-

xiao qian/qianqian, the romance of tiger and rose

a writer who's lost the plot. agent of chaos under the guise of storyboarding. total shitstirrer who has a taste for the dramatic. knows the best way to poison herself is set to a string quartet and fireworks display. i love her.

-

feng zhi wei, the rise of phoenixes

i havent finished this drama because im a flop. but she's playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers. best dressed because her eternal not!boyfriend is a machiavellian weaver of secrets but also perhaps fabrics

honorable mentions:

li jianjian, go ahead. art bro who survived the worst mother in law ive ever seen

su "piggy" cancan, wait, my youth. a loveable dumbass who DIDNT CHOOSE THE SCIENCE TRACK IN A YOUTH DRAMA

awu/wang xuan, monarch industry. a respectable lady who is so, so tired of the men in her life (barring her husband)

xiao lanhua, love between fairy and devil. a little orchid fairy who's Doing Her Best

[takatsuki-division]

“Here’s to alcohol, the rose-colored glasses of life.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald

Yukiko “Yuki” Sakura is the final member of Fractured Eclipse- A former pornstar who’s currently on a break from the industry she now works as a bartender.

General Info

Name: Yukiko “Yuki” Sakura

Mc name: Radient Queen

Age: 29

Height: 5’7

Birthday: May 25th

Tattoos: A bunny tattoo on the small of her back

Scars:Several on her back, a few needle marks on her wrist

Likes:Cake, bunnies, orange juice, chocolate, video games, partying

Dislikes:Vegetables, knives, drugs, dealing with her mental health problems

Favorite food: Chocolate cake

Least favorite food: Peas

Va:TBA

Personality

She’s gentle and kind to everyone she meets- usually a soft spoken sweetheart who loves her friends to death. Always making sure you stay fed and hydrated.

Yet she does have a dark side that occasionally slips out- she picks her words carefully to lure the people who hurt her friends into a spiders web. She can draw out your deepest insecurities and whoops- suddenly she’s got no remorse in posting your drama on the internet. She’s only did this twice though- once in high school and once near the day she went on hiatus.

Backgroud

Yukiko lived in a poor family. Her father gone and her mother just trying to make ends meet. She was a happy child though- her mother and her were extremely close.

Somedays her mother would bring strange men home- the men would disappear with her mother for awhile into the bedroom and the men would come out later and leave. Some men didn’t return and some did- some even would wave goodbye to her whenever they left. Some men were not so nice and her mother always sobbed when they left. Whenever the worse men came around Yukiko would always try and be extra nice for her mom- she was working after all.

In school she met a girl named Ryoko- the two slowly managing to form a close friendship. Every day Ryoko would buy her food for lunch and everyday Yukiko would make the bullies leave Ryoko alone. A few years into middle school she would meet a boy named Aiko and by extension- a girl named Kirumi. She grew rather fond of Aiko- developing a crush on him. As for Kirumi…well she became rather overprotective of her.

Her and Aiko were dropping off papers to a different teacher when she heard Kirumi crying for help that fateful day. She remembers holding Kirumi close to her- taking off her jacket to cover the poor girl up as Aiko beat up the teacher who hurt her.

When Aiko was expelled and the teacher faced no punishment- Yukiko felt nothing but a burning rage. She had a plan- and she recruited Ryoko and a few other kids to help her enact it. Luring the teacher to a deserted location with the help of Ryoko- Yukiko (with the help of a few more stronger kids) jumped the man. Beating him and threatening him to force him to leave town.

The man never left though- he ran right into the arms of the police. If anyone believed him about being beat up they seemed to turn a blind eye to it.

At age 20 she managed to land a job…after a couch interview. Impressed with her…talent- she managed to take gig after gig after gig. Eventually she made her name in the adult film world under the moniker of “Snow queen”. Rubbing elbows with other stars like Aika Yumi.

At the age of 27 though a prominent adult film maker was exposed by Yukiko herself. She opted to leave the industry for awhile after that- wanting the drama to just die down before she even thought about returning.

Throughout the years she kept close contact with her three friends from highschool. The same year she left the adult film industry she finally got together with her longtime crush- Aiko Mayeda.

She never would have thought she would end up where she is now. Taking over as the third member of Takasuki division after the death of Ryoko Minamoto.

Mic/Speakers + Ability

Her mic is a somewhat simple one- a blue mic with a black rose wrapped around it. The vines of the rose seem to also wrap around her hand as well when she holds it.

Her speakers take the form of a sleeping bunny

Her ability is called bunny hop- The bunny “wakes up” and begins to hop around causing the ground to shake violently.

Triva

She’s left handed

Shes won many awards but is too ashamed to tell you what they’re for

Shes on good terms with Aika Yumi of Minato division- often saying that the woman in question was her favorite to work with.

She spoils Kirumi to this day- often buying the actress gifts whenever she lands a big role

She has a pet rabbit named snowball

Her and Kirumi are the only members of Fractured Eclipse that have went to college

She used to suffer from drug addiction issues but is about 5 years clean

Shes openly bi

Her and Aiko have slept with other people before but won’t do it without each other

[rockislandadultreads]

Nonfiction Thursday: Native American Heritage Month

A Mind Spread Out on the Ground by Alicia Elliott

In an urgent and visceral work that asks essential questions about the treatment of Native people in North America while drawing on intimate details of her own life and experience with intergenerational trauma, Alicia Elliott offers indispensable insight into the ongoing legacy of colonialism. She engages with such wide-ranging topics as race, parenthood, love, mental illness, poverty, sexual assault, gentrifcation, writing and representation, and in the process makes connections both large and small between the past and present, the personal and political - from overcoming a years-long battle with head lice to the way Native writers are treated within the Canadian literary industry; her unplanned teenage pregnancy to the history of dark matter and how it relates to racism in the court system; her childhood diet of Kraft Dinner to how systemic oppression is directly linked to health problems in Native communities.

With deep consideration and searing prose, Elliott provides a candid look at our past, an illuminating portrait of our present, and a powerful tool for a better future.

An Afro-Indigenous History of the United States by Kyle T. Mays

Beginning with pre-Revolutionary America and moving into the movement for Black lives and contemporary Indigenous activism, Afro-Indigenous historian, Kyle T. Mays argues that the foundations of the US are rooted in antiblackness and settler colonialism, and that these parallel oppressions continue into the present. He explores how Black and Indigenous peoples have always resisted and struggled for freedom, sometimes together, and sometimes apart. Whether to end African enslavement and Indigenous removal or eradicate capitalism and colonialism, Mays shows how the fervor of Black and Indigenous peoples calls for justice have consistently sought to uproot white supremacy.

Mays uses a wide-array of historical activists and pop culture icons, "sacred" texts, and foundational texts like the Declaration of Independence and Democracy in America. He covers the civil rights movement and freedom struggles of the 1960s and 1970s, and explores current debates around the use of Native American imagery and the cultural appropriation of Black culture. Mays compels us to rethink both our history, as well as contemporary debates, and to imagine the powerful possibilities of Afro-Indigenous solidarity.

Canyon Dreams by Michael Powell

Deep in the heart of northern Arizona, in a small and isolated patch of the vast 17.5-million-acre Navajo reservation, sits Chinle High School. Here, basketball is passion, passed from grandparent to parent to child. Rez Ball is a sport for winters where dark and cold descend fast and there is little else to do but roam mesa tops, work, and wonder what the future holds. The town has 4,500 residents and the high school arena seats 7,000. Fans drive thirty, fifty, even eighty miles to see the fast-paced and highly competitive matchups that are more than just games to players and fans.

Celebrated Times journalist Michael Powell brings us a narrative of triumph and hardship, a moving story about a basketball team on a Navajo reservation that shows how important sports can be to youths in struggling communities, and the transcendent magic and painful realities that confront Native Americans living on reservations. This book details his season-long immersion in the team, town, and culture, in which there were exhilarating wins, crushing losses, and conversations on long bus rides across the desert about dreams of leaving home and the fear of the same.

We Refuse to Forget by Caleb Gayle

In We Refuse to Forget, award-winning journalist Caleb Gayle tells the extraordinary story of the Creek Nation, a Native tribe that two centuries ago both owned slaves and accepted Black people as full citizens. Thanks to the efforts of Creek leaders like Cow Tom, a Black Creek citizen who rose to become chief, the U.S. government recognized Creek citizenship in 1866 for its Black members. Yet this equality was shredded in the 1970s when tribal leaders revoked the citizenship of Black Creeks, even those who could trace their history back generations - even to Cow Tom himself.

Why did this happen? How was the U.S. government involved? And what are Cow Tom's descendants and other Black Creeks doing to regain their citizenship? These are some of the questions that Gayle explores in this provocative examination of racial and ethnic identity. By delving into the history and interviewing Black Creeks who are fighting to have their citizenship reinstated, he lays bare the racism and greed at the heart of this story. We Refuse to Forget is an eye-opening account that challenges our preconceptions of identity as it shines new light on the long shadows of white supremacy and marginalization that continue to hamper progress for Black Americans.