#listening to arabesque and was thinking about this

[risingsunresistance]

hearing techno curse in videos and hearing chris martin curse in songs have the same effect on me. ppl say "who cares that they cursed, tons of people do, it's nothing special" yeah but they usually dont so hearing it makes it seem more special in the context of who it comes from!! the Power they suddenly have when they curse is really funny jhdjdh. like yeah anyone could have said that but he said it, he cursed with very specific intent. for chris it's about sending a message, techno it's all for the bit 😌

[hyperactively-me]

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO PLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASE LISTEN TO ME PLEASE

141 Task Force + Ale and Kö with a ballerina civilian wife. THEN!!! (NO PLEASE THIS IS SO CUTE LISTEN) They came back from a mission without warning and they go to a presentation bcse they never actually saw one AND!!!! Their wife almost pass out in the middle of the stage by seeing them there (they look at her all in love and proud UGHHH).

THIS IS HELLA CUTE BYE-

BESTIE I'M LISTENING. LOUD AND CLEAR. this is so cute omg!!! also, i've never written for anyone other than ghost, and i don't have the confidence to write for anyone other than simon, so please don't be upset but i will be writing this only for ghost. (although, i genuinely want to get some practice in writing for all the other COD men, which i am trying to somewhat do through my king!ghost au, i just don't wanna fuck up their characters too badly haha. if at any point i decide to write for the others, i will totally come back to this prompt!). also, i wanted to make this more into a oneshot rather than blurb/headcanons soooo! yeah!

As the soft notes of The Sleeping Beauty Suite filled the dimly lit theater, you stood backstage, your heart racing. You sat on a spare box, fastening your pointe shoes on securely. The spotlight beckoned, the hushed whispers of the audience creating a palpable tension in the stiff air. The curtains were about to rise, and you were the prima ballerina. As you finished fastening your pointe shoes, you stood, brushing out your tutu. The weight of anticipation bore down on you, but you stood tall, chin up, back straight. You had practiced this routine a hundred times. It was just another night, another ballet. Nothing you weren’t used to. 

Except it wasn’t. 

You didn’t know your husband had just slipped in through the doors. He was still in his uniform, except for his mask and tactical gear. He never wore the mask around you. 

You had no idea that tonight would be different. All you knew was that Simon was not supposed to come back home for another three weeks. He had been deployed for three long months now. Your heart ached just thinking about how long you’ve been without him, the loneliness and longing that came with being a military spouse weighing heavy on you. 

The sudden sound of the orchestra snapped you out of your daydream, and the curtain began its ascent. Your delicate tutu billowed around you as you took your first step onto the stage, your body moving with the grace and precision that only years of training could produce.

But then, in the midst of your pirouettes and arabesques, something caught your eye in the sea of dimly lit faces. A figure, tall and strong, standing in the back of the theater. The world around you blurred as your heart leapt into your throat. It couldn't be.

Simon.

The shock of seeing him in the audience was enough to make you falter, to disrupt the airy balance of your performance. You stumble over your feet slightly, your knees shaky from the sudden interruption. 

You recover as best you can, continuing to dance. Your eyes locked onto his, you wanted to cry. He was home early. And he was here to watch you. His expression was one of awe and pride, like a lovesick puppy gazing at his beautiful wife.

You pranced and twirled, lost in the music and the whirlwind of emotions coursing through you. It was as if the two of you were the only people in the world, the stage your sanctuary.

As the final notes of the music filled the theater, you struck your final pose, your breath ragged, your body trembling. The audience erupted into applause, their adoration washing over you like a warm embrace. But your eyes remained locked with Simon's, who was clapping with ferocious fever. His eyes never left yours. You flash him a teary, wet smile.

As soon as the curtains closed, you fell from your pose, taking in a ragged breath. 

Your fellow ballerinas had come up to congratulate you on a beautiful performance, but all you could do was say a rushed “thank you” before you were running through the backstage area. The backstage was a labyrinth of bustling dancers, stagehands, and dimly lit corridors. Your heart raced as you rushed to find a way out into the audience to reach Simon. The echoes of applause still reverberated through the walls, but all that mattered now was him.

Finally, you burst through a side door that led to the theater’s lobby. And there he was, waiting for you, his eyes shining with unbridled love and pride. His dark uniform was a stark contrast to the delicate pink of your ballet attire.

Without a word, you threw yourself into his arms, and he caught you, lifting you off your feet. The world around you ceased to exist as you held each other, tears of joy streaming down your face. His calloused hands wrap around you, squeezing you tight against him. 

“I can’t believe you’re here,” you whisper into his ear, your watery voice filled with pure happiness. 

“I missed you so much, love.” Simon placed you gently back on your feet, his hands cradling your face with care, wiping away your tears. 

“I missed you, Si,” you take in a shaky breath. “So much.”

“I– I can’t believe you’re here, how did you know?”

“I would never miss my wife’s performance, now would I?” 

A mixture of laughter and tears escaped your lips as you leaned in to kiss him, a deep and passionate kiss. It felt like a dream come true that he was here, watching you perform. It had been ages since he was last able to come to one of your performances, and his support meant the world and more to you. You pull away from the kiss, shoving your face into his neck.

“I’m so proud of you,” he whispered, his voice reverberating in your eardrums. “You looked beautiful, look beautiful.” 

You pull back, looking at him with a huge smile, rubbing his back gently. "Thank you, Si."

He pulls you back into a tight embrace, wrapping you in his warmth and burly arms. More tears welled up in your eyes, and you clung to him, feeling the weight of the months apart melt away.

His words warmed your heart. You rested your head against his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. The two of you held each other close, savoring the moment as long as you could.

[starrywangxian]

link click ost - where does it play?

i'm a little diseased so i went through the whole of link click season 1 so that i could make a list of where each song on the ost plays. i thought i'd share it in case anyone else is curious too~!

some things to note first:

be aware of spoilers!!

if you'd prefer to listen to it in a playlist, here's a spotify version :)

here's a youtube version too :) - be aware that the songs won't repeat so they'll only be in order of the first time they're played bc youtube won't let me add the same song more than once :(

if you notice any mistakes or errors then please let me know!

feel free to add things in the reblogs/comments/tags <3

i'll be using the chinese versions of the songs!

i'm working on doing season 2, episode 5.5, the extras and daily life in lightime but i did this to procastinate studying for my exams so i'll do those soon? (i recently finished season 2 so i need to emotionally recover before i rewatch it again bc damn it did a number on me)

episode 1: EMMA

countdown by yuma yamaguchi - the opening where cxs goes into a picture

dive back in time by 白鲨JAWS - the opening ofc

tense by yuma yamaguchi - qiao ling explaining the first mission

arabesque by av4ln & yuma yamaguchi - cxs as emma talking to mr. zhu

pray by 天門 - cxs as emma talking to her parents on the phone

overcome by 天門 - cxs as emma thinking of her parents cooking spring rolls

sign by yuma yamaguchi - cxs as emma in the meeting

dear candy by the cheers cheers - emma riding on her bike home thinking of her parents, reading the message that cxs sent to her parents, on the phone to her parents

overthink by 饭卡 - the ending ofc

episode 2: 秘方 (secret recipe)

tense by yuma yamaguchi - qiao ling explaining the second mission

dive back in time by 白鲨JAWS - the opening

relaxation by 天門 - cxs and lg looking at the photos on their sofa

hazy by av4ln - cxs as yu xia and talking with lin zhen

memories by 天門 - cxs as yu xia as she eats noodles with lin zhen

invigorate by 天門 - cxs as yu xia trying to get lin zhen to tell her the secret ingredient

pray by 天門- cxs as lin zhen taking the picture with yu xia

overcome by 天門 - cxs as lin zhen in the taxi looking through her bag

与你有关 by 泠鸢yousa - the noodle lesbians <3 "林贞" "欢迎回来" T^T

overthink by 饭卡 - the closing theme

episode 3: 只许输，不准赢 (to lose, not to win)

news by 天門 - ql listening to the radio on her run as a man watches and follows her

calm by 天門 - chen xiao calling ql an old witch!

dive back in time by 白鲨JAWS - dancey dance time

countdown by yuma yamaguchi - lg and cxs talking about the photo and chen xiao explaining his case, cxs going into the photo!

turbulence by av4ln - boooo the other basketball team are bullies, cxs in the basketball court and complaining about his glasses, the boys are basketballing and getting their asses handed to them, lg dusting the bookshelves like an unbothered king, cxs as chen xiao taking a photo with flash and the big bad bully basketball player injuring lu hongbin (the captain)

silence by 天門 - lu hongbin has to sit out and cxs subs in for him

power by 天門 - cxs as chen xiao subs in an kicks their asses! yeahhh go sports! (i really love how this part is animated, it looks so good and flows so well) also cxs thinks about his and lg's "first meeting" confirming that sports are gay.

alright by av4ln - cxs as chen xiao is playing "bad" basketball bc lg said he can't win :(

decision by 天門 - the chemistry teacher (mr. ma?) explains to cxs as chen xiao that the school will get rid of the basketball court so this will be the basketball team's last game :( "what exactly does basketball mean to you?" again cxs is thinking about his "first meeting" with lg over a basketball game.

hero by 天門 - lu hongbin hurts his bad knee and cxs as chen xiao subs in again and slays the court! big baddy basketball bully number 2 slaps chen xiao and big baddy basketball bully number 1 steps on his glasses :( (again i know nothing about basketball and have no interest in it but this part slaps, the music paired with the fluid animation is so good)

power by 天門 - cxs as chen xiao says 谢谢 to the big baddy basketball bully who stepped on his glasses and gets a three-pointer so now the basketball teams are tied. lg tells cxs to leave the score at that but cxs as chen xiao passes the ball and... scores!

overthink by 饭卡 - intense basketball cliffhanger outro

episode 4: 告白 (confess)

sprint by 天門 - intense basketball recap from last episode, as lg explains that you can't change key moments in the past (everyone point and cry at the hypocrit)

dive back in time by 白鲨JAWS - dancey dance break from the intense basketball gaming

irritation by 天門 - cxs having a breakdown bc he changed the past by winning the game :( lg's face is blurred during the flashback of his and cxs's "first meeting"??? double meaning??? lg is not there thinking that this basketball game meant that lg doesn't exist or that cxs and lg don't meet hmmm

silence by 天門 - the chemistry teacher explains that the basketball court will still be torn down despite them winning :(

memories by 天門 - cxs as chen xiao giving lu hongbin a ride home on his bike as he delivers the message :)

wind by 天門 - chen xiao's first love and lu hongbin's half-sister liu meng :) cxs as chen xiao takes pictures of the siblings <3 then lu hongbin takes a picture of the love birds <3

peaceful by 天門 - liu meng walking home cxs as chen xiao, cxs delivers chen xiao's message to liu meng <3

pray by 天門 - cxs as chen xiao eating food with his mum :) but lg says that they still have to argue :( so cxs delivers the message to chen xiao's mum <3

sign by yuma yamaguchi - cxs realises that it's 12th may 2008... :(

overthink by 饭卡 - intense and sad outro :( what will cxs do?

episode 5: 告别 (farewell)

decision by 天門 - again lg is telling cxs not to change key moments in the past huh sure hope that doesn't bite him in the ass in the future, cxs thinking about the villagers and the earthquake/landslides :(

dive back in time by 白鲨JAWS - dance break as if your heart isn't about to be ripped from your chest

silence by 天門 - mumma cheng singing to her son cxs :(

sign by yuma yamaguchi - cxs as chen xiao trying to warn lu hongbin and liu meng about the earthquake but the family are all arguing :(

turbulence by av4ln - lg guiding cxs, liu meng and lu hongbin talking, mumma chen packing things and then hiding under the table

beginning by 天門 - mumma chen talking to chen xiao then singing the same song that mumma cheng sang to cxs to her son chen xiao as cxs as chen xiao cries :( xcs experiencing chen xiao's memories of chen xiao's mum and his own mum :(

silence by 天門 - mumma chen saying goodbye to her son and husband :(

时光教会我的 by 邹俊健 - chen xiao and his dad at his mum's grave :( hearing chen xiao's messages :( flashbacks of chen xiao taking pictures of his mum :(

pray by 天門 - adult chen xiao singing the same song that his mum sang to him (and cxs's mum sang to cxs) to his child as he thinks of his mum :(

overthink by 饭卡 - policeman jumpscare and cliffhanger ;0

episode 6: 寻子 (search of the child)

news by 天門 - dou dou asking his mum to play with him

irritation by 天門 - dou dou's mum noticing that he's gone :(

dive back in time by 白鲨JAWS - sad and intense dancey dance :(

decision by 天門 - flashback of lg comforting cxs about chen xiao's case, "don't ask questions as the past will always change because of us" :(

turbulence by av4ln - policeman jumpscare take 2, ql shooing xiao li (the policeman) away (as she should), dou dou's dad asking for help

silence by 天門 - cxs giving harsh advice to dou dou's dad :(

dear candy by the cheers cheers - ql explaining how she saw dou dou being taken away :( scenes of dou dou's parents and flashbacks of dou dou and his family :( dou dou's dad putting up missing posters of dou dou :(

news by 天門 - xiao li looking through files and noticing that page seven isn't there hmmm

countdown by yuma yamaguchi - lg looking at the surveillance footage as dou dou's dad recounts what happened that day

chase by 天門 - cxs chasing dou dou and the kidnapper as lg guides him

overthink by 饭卡 - oops cxs bumps into people who recognise him ;0 cliffhanger once again >:(

episode 7: 梅姨 (aunt may)

sprint by 天門 - "you must keep a low profile as if you were never there" whoops, cxs sprints away from his problems, mission failed, we'll get 'em next time

dive back in time by 白鲨JAWS - recover for a minute with some dancey dances

(idk but it's when ql breaks the news to dou dou's dad that they couldn't find anything and confesses that she saw dou dou being taken away)

mission by 天門 - cxs finding a picture taken by dou dou the day he went missing! lg taking a look at the picture

turbulence by av4ln - cxs as dou dou picking up the marble, looking at the trafficker's face, xcs sniffing the ball and getting drugged then taken away, walking past ql and xu shanshan

(i'm not sure but it plays when we see dou dou's memories of his dad giving him the triple star warrior toys)

ominous by 天門 - cxs as dou dou looking around the hotel room, looking through the trafficker's bag

power by 天門 - cxs as dou dou beats the shit out of the trafficker (mei piyan) both physically and emotionally using the move master siwen taught him

hope by 天門 - dou dou reunites with his family :) dou dou's dad was finding the triple star warriors :') mei piyan is caught yippee >:)

overthink by 饭卡 - run the cases by lu guang first so that cxs won't see the photo of emma :')

episode 8: 错失的讯号 (lost signal)

turbulence by av4ln - lg looking at the photos

dive back in time by 白鲨JAWS - anywayyyy let's not think about the implications

wind by 天門 - "xu shanshan" arguing with cxs, ql talking about their college days and explaining xu shanshan's case

memories by 天門 - flashback of ql and xu shanshan talking about dong yi, flashbacks of what happened that night

(idk but it's when cxs as xu shanshan picks her nose to reject that one guy, ouch)

(idk but it's when xu shanshan and dong yi take the picture together)

入海 by 毛不易 - the song that xu shanshan sings in karaoke!

ominous by 天門 - cxs as xu shanshan recognises the serial killer from the photos and follows him

peaceful by 天門 - what dong yi said to xu shanshan :)

overthink by 饭卡 - that's not xu shanshan...

episode 9: 善意的恶果 (consequence of goodwill)

turbulence by av4ln - phone call with mystery man

dive back in time by 白鲨JAWS - dancey dance

ominous by 天門 - ql taking cxs's phone away and lg explaining the situation to xiao li, lg looking at the surveillance footage of the serial killer and telling the police his liscense number then seeing cxs in the footage

mission by 天門 - cxs going into the footage on his own without lg ;0

(idk but it's when the police go to liu min's house)

(idk but it's when emma is telling her plans with her parents to liu min in the car)

(idk but it's when emma is struggling in the car with liu min and cxs is in the boot)

sign by yuma yamaguchi - emma's mum ringing her but she can't answer... :( emma thinking of her parents, cxs thinking about what he's done and screaming in the boot of the car

decision by 天門 - cxs revealing that he knows what he's done :( and telling ql that he can enter photos

overthink by 饭卡 - cliffhanger ;0

episode 10: 圈套 (trap)

ominous by 天門 - recap of last episode: the police telling lg that liu min wasn't the killer and that emma was walking alone

dive back in time by 白鲨JAWS - distract you with dancey dance

silence by 天門 - cxs remembering what happened to emma in the photo

strain by 天門 - lg checking the selfie of xu shanshan and seeing xu shanshan in her apartment getting attacked

pray by 天門 - cxs deciding if he's going to go into the photo, cxs putting photos in the red room, the police in a meeting, chen bin telling lg that he hasn't found xu shanshan in her apartment, cxs entering the photo

(idk but it's when cxs as xu shanshan yells at himself)

news by 天門 - liu min is his house drinking and reading the news/checking social media

overcome by 天門 - ql telling cxs as xu shanshan about cxs, cxs thinking about his childhood with ql (they're so sibling-coded :') <3)

peaceful by 天門 - flashbacks to lg helping ql and cxs paint the shop :')

turbulence by av4ln - cxs asking to take the lead (let him cook!), the killer outside the shop, cxs as xu shanshan confronting the killer

power by 天門 - lg slaying!!! running to trap the killer in the red room, cxs as xu shanshan slaying the killer!! (i really love this part okay)

overthink by 饭卡 - "now then, this game... is over!" AND THE CROWD GOES WILD

episode 11: 帶着光的人 (pinnacle of light)

countdown by yuma yamaguchi - cxs starts the process that prevails in season 2 where they will explain things after you've already seen them happen so he's explaining his plan to capture the killer with a recap of what happened last episode

dive back in time by 白鲨JAWS - last dancey dance :(

power by 天門 - the slay confrontation from last episode but now with the added context of cxs's slay plan (this part is really cool too)

sign by yuma yamaguchi - the confrontation, cxs going into the photos of the victims as we see their memories and their deaths :(

ominous by 天門 - "liu min" being arrested, chen bin saying that lg is mature for his age hmmm

turbulence by av4ln - "liu min" explaining what happened with emma

clouded by cled - flashbacks of emma's life: with her parents, at her job, her parents texting her as she stands on the bridge

keep in mind by 白鲨JAWS - cxs talking to emma on the bridge as we see flashbacks of emma and flashbacks of cxs going through the photos, xu shanshan seeing dong yi :') "eventually, we will meet people who will shine their light on us" :')

(idk i was too busy crying but it's the part where lg says "death is a major node that cannot be changed" and ql cuts an apple...)

overthink by 饭卡 - "now the game has been reset" WORST CLIFFHANGGER OF ALL TIME, WHEN I GET YOU DIRECTOR LI WHEN I GET YOU!!!

songs that are in the album ost but that i couldn't place:

(maybe they were unused or were used in other stuff that wasn't the main donghua like pvs or smth)

joke by 天門

ordinary by yuma yamaguchi

afternoon by 天門

luminous by av4ln, yuma yamaguchi

struggle by 天門

nostalgic by 天門

[patricedumonde]

Deep Dive: Daria Kulikova’s Debut as Princess Florine

23 November 2023 — Daria Kulikova's debut as Princess Florine was perhaps my favorite debut of hers from this season. Daria graduated from the Vaganova Ballet Academy in 2023 from Yulia Kasenkova's class and throughout this piece, all I can think of was how she embodies the best qualities of Kasenkova's students. Alyona Kovalyova and Maria Ilyushkina are one of my favorite dancers from this generation. As early as now, I can tell that Daria also shares the poise and dainty nature of her academic sisters.

In fact, "academic" is the term I would use the most when describing this interpretation. With the music being already excruciatingly slow, this arabesque became even more challenging than it already is. I think Daria executed this in such a a picturesque manner and she landed ever so softly on the ground while also being more liberal with her lean as she listens to the bluebird.

Just for fun, I have included a short clip of a young Svetlana Zakharova in the role. Both dancers were breathtaking in the first few seconds of the dance. Even I, as a watcher, wanted to lean in to hear where the sound is coming from.

Nikita Korneyev was also a very attentive partner here. This is what I am looking for from male dancers when partnering first year company members. Since he's anticipating her every step, Daria only gets to worry about striking her poses. You can even tell from how their looks linger that they are absolutely comfortable as partners and are not just going through the motions of the choreography.

There was just so much clarity (I am not used to) in this interpretation. It is almost an oxymoron for me how slow this piece is but also how crisp they make the movements look. Especially during the coda, we all got to appreciate their chemistry and how in sync they are with each other and by extension, with the music!

Princess Florine's variation. At first I thought, "oh maybe she just has very dainty arms" but there's actually quite a bit of difference between her arms here and in her Queen of Dryads. In my mind, there's seemingly a race in who's got more expressive arms. It's either Alexandra Khiteyeva or Daria Kulikova. I just throughly enjoyed how Daria started this dance. You can almost feel the music emanating even from her fingers.

This wouldn't be a deep dive of mine without an obscure fixation on something small. Daria's choices on where to look, how to tilt her head, and how much farther to lean, were all correct here. It is very rare for me to see such grace and ease from a young dancer.

Perhaps my only two asks from this already glowing performance is to show a bit more clarity with the pas de bourrée. I think the English dancers are really good about this but that is also due to their tempo being faster. There's, naturally, a highlight on the quick step. With this slower version, I understand that the pas de bourrée could get lost but it would make for a nice treat for the diagonal.

The other is in the coda, I already think Daria does a wonderful job, especially with her expressive arms. I think a more pronounced lean towards the standing leg will help bring the other leg higher and help prolong the extension.

In the coda, I think Daria does a wonderful job in being dynamic with her movements. Slowing down, and seemingly stopping time, before quickly closing in for her turns. It was just an absolute delight to watch.

Overall, this debut was my favorite of the new graduates this year. Happy holidays to all!

(Credits to Ma Iru for the video)

[oonajaeadira]

wip last line game

Okay, listen up. @ezrasbirdie tagged me in this like a week ago. But since then, Birdie barked at my Pero idea and @perotovar got me thinking more about it and I was in a mood this morning and this is what I'm working on tonight and it's more than a last line it's the opening paragraphs and you're gonna have to blame these two Perohoors and I ain't taggin' nobody

.

It’s absolutely fascinating. One, two little taps of the hammer, and then a smooth and steady strike that drives the nail home every time with precision, the nailhead perfectly flush with the wood without even a trace of the hammer head. And then every three or four nails, he switches hands in a perfect, bewildering display of ambidextrousness, gripping the hammer shaft with a relaxed but steady hand laced with veins that arabesque along his forearm, healthy and fading before the skin disappears beneath the cuff of a paint-stained t-shirt that stretches around his bicep. 

He's a manual laborer, clearly, but there’s more there. Years of running the martial arts studio with Lin has taught you how a human body tones with constant training and discipline, how the muscles gently curve and follow the path of the skeletal structure rather than hang underused or bulge with overwork. There’s something in the grip of the hand, the straightness of his back, the shoulders open, broad, the jaw set but relaxed below a scar running through one eye that’s now fixed on you–

“Is there something you need, bosslady?”

Oh hell. You’ve been staring.

[evablueblanket]

what kind of music do YOU listen to

I’ve kind of realized that i’m mildly picky about what I listen to? Either that or it’s just bc I am extremely dependent on what kind of vibes I’m in the mood for + if whatever song fits said vibe

According to spotify my top genre was broadway, which I don’t completely agree with bc I have a friend who would 100% say ‘no you loser you aren’t that into broadway’ but also she’s just into show tunes way more than anything else. Ig it’s a vibes thing more than an actual ‘this has been shown on broadway’

Though I do love musicals, i’m kind of basic since I’ve only ‘watched’ hamilton (disney+ version when it was turned into a movie). But i’ve listened to some of the more popular songs from Dear Evan Hanson, Heathers, Be More Chill, Legally Blonde, and others that are just popular songs. A few years ago I watched a TON of animatics so I think that’s kind of where it came from.

Another thing that’s not as vibe specific is orchestra/band stuff. I love love LOVE when a live orchestra and/or wind ensemble gets incorporated into music. Cody Fry was my top artist this year, and basically all his songs have an orchestra in it minus his older albums and ITS SO COOL. I play clarinet (and bass clarinet) so that’s where that appreciation comes from. I also just like, wind ensemble music. Gustav Holst (second suite in f major) is a piece I played last year and I absolute fell in love with it. Samuel Hazo is also a super good composer and he has a gigantic roster. I played two pieces of his last year, ‘Arabesque’ and ‘Solas Annes (Yesterday’s Joy)’ Going back to Holst I can 100% appreciate his planets suite.

For that kind of music though, it helps if i’ve played the piece cause then I’m like ‘hehe I know this and THIS SPOT WAS SUPER HARD ARGHHHH’ but music is super fun.

OH ALSO I’m a choir kid (basically just a fine arts kid in general) so i’ve listened to some choral pieces too just cause I like how they were performed and I like how they sound. I’m a band kid first and foremost though.

Also I listen to a lot of game soundtracks, bc instrumentals are just peak, and they vibe pretty easy since I mostly listen to soundtracks that i’ve played before. (Minecraft, Omori, Stardew Valley, Breath of the Wild, Undertale, Deltarune, etc)

OKAY I’VE EXPLAINED MY VIBES I’ll give you some stats tehe

Top Artists:

1. Cody Fry (this man has such an array of songs, he goes from funk to pop to overture-esque songs and he’s just kinda epic)

2. Omori (video game that has my entire heart, the story is so AHXISJJXD and the music is awesome. Nowadays I listen more to the breakcore side of the soundtrack but all of it is peak)

3. Bluey (LMAO I forgot about this one. Like the albums on spotify? Crazy good. Taxi is just super fun bc there’s a lot of saxaphone where there’s a GROWL solo and I love that stuff fr)

4. Coyote Theory (vibes, that’s pretty much the only reason. Yeah ‘This Side of Paradise’ is good but THERES MORE THAN THAT.)

5. Toby Fox (Video gAmes. Fun fact I think it was last year or two years ago that I was in his top 0.01% of listeners xD)

RANDOM FUN FACT: Choir kid = I know my range, and my best range is alto/contralto range and the two artists that actually do the lyrics part of music are in that so it’s also bc they’re super singable for me. (ofc I can go higher than that, but I don’t like the sound of my head voice :’) )

Top Songs.

1. Snakes (Arcane)

2. Flying (Cody Fry)

3. You Only Live Once (Yuri on Ice)

4. Fix You (Cody Fry’s cover of Coldplay)

5. Before I Met You (Cody Fry)

Snakes is just super angry, which is fun for me cause I get to go AHHH with it. Everything else kind of fits what i’ve already said.

[miss-mollys-ballet-blog]

Hi, Molly! Just wanted to say sorry for spamming your notifications! But also wanted to let you know that I’m hoping to do some adult beginner ballet classes soon! I took some ballet and tap when I was really, really little, but I stopped because… I don’t remember why. But honestly, I think I just want to dance for the hell of it! And seeing your journey has kind of given me hope, since right now, I can’t go en pointe. I’m a little nervous about the inevitable injury but like I said, I’m doing this because I just want to dance! I got flat canvas shoes last Friday, but I do still need a proper leotard and tights. Still, I’m really excited about this new adventure I’m going to take! ❤️❤️❤️❤️ Hope your class at Royal Ballet goes well!

Ahhh hi and it's SO COOL that you're starting your ballet journey!!! It is so rewarding to dance as an adult because you are there for you and because you want to be there. Every adult dancer is so inspiring because it takes a lot of courage to put yourself out there and start, I'm really proud of you for doing this!

When it comes to injury, it's definitely possible to not get injured. I injured myself because I'm an idiot and didn't listen to my body lol, but if you're smart you should be fine. Just focus on technique and placement. It's better to have a lower arabesque with perfect positioning than a high arabesque that's turned in and sickled!

Keep us all updated on how your classes go and I'm sending you so many good thoughts!

[an-odd-idea]

On this episode of “I Can Fix Him” : music and a little bit of choreography thoughts for Ilia Malinin

I dunno, he’s just fascinating to me, I’m like annoyed about him sometimes but also very fond of him, and I would like him to earn those PCS

I’m not a choreographer, and I don’t skate, but I watch enough figure skating to enjoy making up imaginary choreography in my head, so this is what I’m doing. Just vibes, basically, so don’t take it very seriously lol

If he wants to continue his streak of skating to music from shows that he’s only technically old enough to watch (well, he’s older now though) I think he should skate to music from House of the Dragon, if he’s seen it. If he hasn’t, then no, but let’s go with it for now

The music is his vibe, but it’s a little bit bigger than what he’s used in the past, to push him a bit but nothing too wildly different. He doesn’t need to do Swan Lake or anything (in fact, Ilia, please do not)

Overall, I’d like to see less crazy arm choreo than the Succession program, more defined, decisive movements, especially in the opening of the program, before and between the first couple of jumps. Sort of like, do you remember Junhwan Cha’s 21/22 short program where he’d do some moves, then stop (not actually come to a stop, but be traveling quickly but not moving his body for a moment)? Kind of that vibe- goes with the music and keeps it interesting without lots of arms all over the place

(Also maybe that would sort of force him to work a lot on his skating skills, which would be nice. Sometimes really good crossovers and nice changes of direction to cool music really are nicer to watch than all the arm-waving someone can muster)

Now here’s where we get crazy, though- make that boy do a spiral. Not a 0.5-second arabesque- a real, honest-to-God spiral and HOLD it. He has long legs, it would look really impressive if he did it well. It can be a Kerrigan spiral if it must, but he HAS to straighten his knee. Maybe Kerrigan spiral actually is best because he has more to do and only really one arm to contend with so he doesn’t feel so awkward holding one position for a while. I’m thinking maybe free arm in front of him and he sort of grabs something in the air, that’s skating choreography basics lol

(This is my thought process: I was listening to “Reign of the Targaryens” and that moment at 0:28 just sounds like the start of a spiral. I would do a spiral there, and I can’t even do a spiral. Also the people love spirals, and it’s extra rare and exciting when a man does a spiral, so he could get some good will from a lot of skating fans who are currently kinda “meh” about him except for the quad Axel)

Thing is, I doubt Ilia would want to do a spiral, and if he doesn’t want to, it will probably not be a very good spiral, so backup plan is a spread eagle, but he needs to HOLD that, too. Whatever it is, it has to be a sustained gliding type move and he has to hold it for a good long time, this is non-negotiable

Moving on from spiral fantasies, thing is, I haven’t seen the show myself, so I’m not sure which pieces of music you’d need to include to focus on a particular aspect of the story or a particular character, so I’m just throwing sort of general stuff at the wall

If- IF- it makes narrative sense, “Rhaenyra’s Welcome” sounds like decent music to start on. It’s interesting, but it still starts out slow, so there’s room to build, and he doesn’t have to use up a ton of energy trying to match it. It’s dramatic and slow-building, so he can take his time setting up his jumps and the music will help sell it anyway because it’s suspenseful but there’s still quite a lot going on underneath. Also these phrases with the long strings and then moments with just drums and something that sounds like maybe a hammer dulcimer in between are just so good for that kind of thing. Like picture, and we can cut music or have something repeat or whatever so he has enough to time to get ready for it but not too much time because he only has four minutes to do everything, quad Axel at 0:20 in the original music, right on the end of that phrase, everybody loses their mind, you know the drill, but the music keeps going slowly but relentlessly on, oh boy! what’s going to happen next?

We’d really need to do some music cutting and pasting magic to get him into maybe quad Lutz at what’s originally 0:29 because if you just play the song that’s not enough time, especially between the hardest jumps anyone’s ever done, so let’s pretend we have the Music Cut Fairy on our side because it’s a perfect moment, and the contrast will be good because the end of this phrase is up while the last one was down, and it has a sharper feel with the drum (Lutz is the sharpest jump, it’s fitting)

Or if that isn’t feasible or if we just like it better, 0:35 is also a really good spot, and the drum right before would be really cool

And so on and so forth. The point is, this kind of music will make things seem really big and cool and kind of gives the skater a little boost in the performance aspect (by sort of tricking your brain into thinking things are cooler than they are, but hey, all program music does that in some way or another- might as well choose music that does it in the way most advantageous to you)

Those are my thoughts, I could figure out some more, but it’s all just vibes and a few sort of snapshot moments anyway, so I’ll leave it there

[codegeassfacts]

Code Geass Lelouch of the Rebellion R2 Sound Episode 2 // Not Canon (Crack)

For More information about the Sound Drama, check the post for the First Sound episode of R2 over there

Track List :

1 - ARABESQUE (Rolo's character song) 2 - Short Drama "Village of Kururugi, Hotel of Evil Spirits, Geass That's Really Really Scary" 3 - Short Drama "Naked Lelouch" 4 - ARABESQUE (Instrumental)

Arabesque, Rolo's character song, sung by Takahiro Mizushima

Audio Drama "The Village of Kururugi, Dwelling of Evil Spirits, A Really Scary Geass"

The Drama begins as Suzaku happens to be back at the Kururugi temple, musing about nostalgic memories of his past there, with Nunnally and Lelouch;

Lelouch, Gino, Anya, Rolo and C.C. have come to the Kururugi temple, seemingly to everyone's belief, to enjoy a festival, but it turns out they mistook Lelouch because he meant a matsuri (offering to the God living in the temple) and they understood omatsuri (festival) As Anya and C.C. are bored by the perspective, Gino wonders what Suzaku plans to do there, to which Lelouch replies he doesn't know but that the Kururugi temples isn't the same as most temple in Japan. Anya is seemingly wearing a miko garb, while Lelouch keeps on explaining things about how some stuff about this temple is weird, Gino and Anya are all about doing some cliche tourist stuff and Lelouch gets pissed at them not even trying to listen.

Suzaku then interrupts them, noticing how they have followed him only to discover what he planneds to do by coming over there; He also notices how Anya's miko isn't very miko like as she wears a very shot skirt; C.C. then mentions she once cosplayed with a similar miniskirt and Lelouch and Suzaku tried to imagine that before C.C. calls them back to reality.

Eventually Suzaku get his stuff ready to perform the ritual (which has nothing in common with usual shintoist ritual) as it involved the blood of a behaded chicken, a cursed straw doll and a sword which was drown in criminal's blood. Suzaku wants to seal demonic spirit for it is the role of the Kururugi temple, and the seal has weakened so it needs to be renewed.

Suzaku then begins to say basic stuff like "disappear evil spirit" to everyone's delusion as it is very simple and an evil spirit with emperor Charles's voice eventually appear; As Suzaku can't defeat the evil spirit he decides to use Lancelot but gets defeated anyway; Gino then uses tristan but gets killed, just like Rolo when he tries to use both his geass and his Vincent;

Lelouch then decides to step up and use an all time technique to defeat the spirit, which is to simply deny it's existence (okay this one was good, that is so Lelouch) before calling him out on his lack of closed relatives and him being an illusion. He also tries to use geass but it doesn't work; The spirit gets super angry at that and threatens to eat them all. Xing-ke and Tianzi suddenly intereferes, with Kaguya as well, Xing ke mentions that his family mastered several art like the ones of Feng Shui (…) and that he can defeat the spirit.

He then motivates everyone to yell a nonsensical formula to destroy the spirit, but after several trials it doesn't work and the spirit take out Xing-ke. The spirit then propose to avoid destroying them all if the most beautiful woman around is willing to give herself as a sacrifice; Upon hearing that, Girls begin to fight in order to decide who should be the sacrifice cause they all think they are the prettiest. Eventually C.C. decides to use the power of…Ichirou Okouchi in order to defeat the evil spirit which …works, since he is the creator of Code Geass. As all the survivors leave carefree and hungry we get a glimpse of all the defeated who have been left behind and ask for rescue.

Audio Drama "Naked Lelouch" You can listen to the original audio drama right here

This Drama is about the art week festival which happens in Ashford, and really begins when Rolo enters the student council room, visibly tired; Surprised, Milly wonders what's wrong and Rolo tells her it's because of the Art sessions, Shirley sighs and understands; Milly doesn't understand and they explain that Rolo is tired because he had to be a model for the other students because of the Art festival; as Milly is super disappointed to not know about it, Shirley summarizes the event and end up mentionning Lelouch was the model last year, to Milly and Rolo's surprise; She then imitates how people asked him to not move and to not change his expression ; Rolo gets all dere dere thinking about how it's similar to him; Milly on her side is very unhappy that she didn't knew and didn't witness Lelouch's demise; We then skip to Lelouch entrance, seemingly looking for Rolo to talk about cooking, when Milly welcomes him with a very well done Charles's imitation of his "RuRushuuu" before they switch to the topic of the art week; Milly wants Lelouch to get naked so they can draw him and of course, Lelouch doesn't want to; He begins to think of all the reasons why he doesn't want that, such as they might draw him poorly before he gets back on his feet and reminds Milly that if she forces him to be a nude model, she'd have his fans who'd blame her and she might lose her seat as president. Milly is shocked at his idea to use women against him but Lelouch is very satisfied with himself. Lelouch then proposes Rivalz as model, Rivalz seems ready to sacrifice himself for Milly's happiness but Milly…doesn't want him.

Meanwhile, Rolo is all admirative of his big brother being able to get out of it of his own before the attention shifts to him, Indeed if neither Lelouch or Rivalz can do it, Rolo will have to do it; Milly then compliments his look and makes him feel quite uncomfortable before Lelouch reminds him it's an order from the president of the student council, to which Rolo is like "Brother ?!" Rolo then begins to think about ways to get out of this mess without endangering Lelouch but suddenly Lelouch intervenes and reminds Milly that she can't have his little rother be naked in front of a crowd, to Rolo's relief; He then implies that to protect Rolo he'd be willing to do it but Rolo intervenes and says he'll do it if it's for Lelouch's sake; As they are in their very brother moment Milly realizes she is the mean one there while Rolo is all happy in his thoughts because Lelouch wanted to protect him; Suzaku eventually arrives, all cheerful as usual and as Milly begins to try and bribe him for her project with her super sweet voice he rejects her offer without even leaving her the chance to say it; Gino comes in after him shortly and the evil mind of Milly and Lelouch combined decide to have him be the prey, by talking about how Lelouch is the only one who can do what they need for the next event; Suzaku tries to warn him but is shut down by the others, and Gino falls into the trap because if Lelouch can do it, he can also do it; They manage to have everyone "agreeing", leading Gino to agree and he ends up in the position that you can imagine, much to Milly's satisfaction.

That's about it for This audio Drama, The second one could very well have happened as it's not pure crack, like the first one and last one of the R2 sound drama but it's a mess so it's up to you how you want to consider it; Hope you enjoyed ~

[daffodil--lament]

idk why I'm so emotional about people recently like I'm at the company Christmas party watching the slideshow of all these sophomores be like oh I don't like that picture of me, oh we look so dumb lol and I'm like do you not see it. they can't even see how beautiful they are. oh my lord. I don't CARE that your leg was turned in in that arabesque shot KH I love it because it's YOU! I love YOU! I'll treasure the identical arabesque shot of JW and I as long as I live because she's darling i don't even know these kids that well and im obsessed with them because we've spent so much time together and it was good happy time

I spent so many years when I was in middle school and high school feeling so isolated at the studio because i was autistic and curvy and shy and depressed and terribly anxious and I was convinced everyone hated me. I needed attention in fundamentally 14yo ways. I didn't feel at home and I needed mentors to reach out to me and I didn't get that in healthy ways.

and now I'm trying to love these people first without worrying if it's reciprocated. I thought AW probably hated me this year and then I decided I didn't care and I was going to be the best Fritz to her Clara ever. and she probably thinks I'm strange but that's fine because I am and I was so insanely proud of her when we watched the Sunday show back at the cast party

idk. loving people is so scary but it's getting easier! I never fit into any of the cliques and I think that was because I needed to be what I'm becoming which is an unstoppable force of good hope. I want to see and love all these unique little dancers because I didn't feel seen when I was them.

it's getting easier I can say I love you I can say I need your hug because I'm happy to see you can I hug you just because. I can listen and I can talk better too. it's for all my friends not just the kids at the studio. and for people I barely know. idk. I'm a highly emotional person who's been masquerading as a robot

[navysealt4t]

ok hold on im here with my band thoughts about riptide the musical. full disclosure this may not make sense i tried to be coherent.

i think that in the dunjon the orchestra would get real spooky during this. I ALSO REALLY WOULD LIKE SOMETHING CHOIR GOING ON IN THE BACKGROUND. what im thinking is like op 32 - 7 neptune, the mystique by gustav holst. they have an all female choir that sings this really nice chord and adds a lot to the song. this would mainly play while gillion stands before the elders and i think it would be interesting to play with the idea of the key and melody instrument changing between trials. i ALSO think it would add to the whole "this isnt real. but you dont know that" idea if the song stayed the same. no matter the scene.

assigning characters certain instrument melodies like how they do how to train your dragon is SUCH a cool idea to me. i think gillions motif would be played by a french horn. not too sure on the notes but definitely something with those typical heroic tones. chips would be played by a bassoon. hear me out on this. i actually dont have any reasoning. its just vibes alone. jay tripped me up for a bit due to her more complex character, but i think she would be played by bell chimes

going back to arrangements matching certain scenes i can TOTALLY imagine the island of zero scenes with movement three of west highlands sojourn as it is primarily navy based. (this is totally a bias since i play this piece for my competition this year. but i just generally really like west highlands sojourn)

i think it would be SUPER cool to have band involvement on stage. im not sure if this goes across for all productions, but i once saw a high school production of Catch Me if you can in which the jazz band was directly on stage in certain scenes. in certain scenes like the casino arc, anytime they enter a tavern, or just a place where there's street performers. having just soloist or a small ensemble on stage would be SO incredible. i think it would be so cool if the whole band was up there during the noctis like fancy party all dressed up. god id go insane.

i think anytime theres a navy related topic/scene there'd be this BRASS HEAVY melody (id say led by low trombones) if you've ever listened to arabesque. its a little something like the saucy lick they have going in that. i also think that whenever marshall john shows up the brass thing still plays but it sounds like a circus march.

SPEAKING OF CIRCUS MARCHES. i think that the entire time they are in Kas' Karnival (or however you spell it) a different strain of a circus march plays. specifically here im thinking Grand Galop by Johnnie Vinson because it has such wiggle room for tempo that you can play around with the mood of the carnival. in the pixieland and other peaceful areas the trio (a clarinet and euphonium led part. very soft and silly. most of the band rests during this.) plays. in the big top extravaganza the final strain plays (thats basically a rebalanced version of the trio to include the full band) i think the break strain would play anytime things got stressful. the other two strains could be anywhere really as they are pretty general.

those are the thoughts ive had so far abt it but if i have anymore ill let u know ^_^

HOLY SHIT ROSEMARY I AM SHAKING U I LOVE THIS SOOOOO MUCH….. I KNOW LIKE. VERY LITTLE ABOUT ORCHESTRA AND INSTRUMENTS BUT HOLY SHIT KM IN LOVE WITH THIS ALL OF IT!!!!!

i so so agree with u for the dunjon scene . i imagine during either the trials or gillion’s speech to the elders the choir would be BEAUTIFULL like singing rlly high notes and there’d be a lot a dissonance. like man <333

i listened to all the songs u mentioned and !!!! they are so cool i love all ur thoughts :3

AND I AGREE assigning characters a specific instrument is sooo cool <333 each character would have a little theme/motif (? idk which one is the right word) that would play in the background if a scene or song is specifically focused on them… ough man <333

i was thinking like for jay it could be something like a violin or viola. like it’s usually a fancy and elegant instrument but it can go CRAZYY when you want it to <3 and in scenes like the block i imagine jayson would have a strong cello playing for him and jay’s violin would be echoing his notes… ough. wind chimes are a really good idea though it plays a lot into some of her wind imagery (THIS IS THERE I KNOW IT IS OK<3)

and !!!! brass instruments for the navy are so really actually they are very loud and strong and generally inspiring :3 also something like a french horn for gill’s theme???? mwah mwah in love

HAVJNG THE BAND ON STAGE SOUNDS SO COOL?????? in taverns and big islands it makes so much sense. i feel like it would tie the roots back to dnd a little and it would make the town feel more real!! i love it <3

i am soosooo in love with all of this <33 gillion’s theme would be very strong and powerful like you can feel it in your bones, but through out the musical it dies down. it’s not as loud and intimidating or out there.

jays theme would be very subtle. it would be as loud but it is definitely there. the song wouldn’t sound the same without it. OH MY GOD. her theme plays in the block when she walks to her fathers side but it doesn’t have her specific instrument and it just isn’t the same. then a few measures in it gets replaced with a big cello and her instrument echoes the cello <333

chips theme would be very sudden and sharp. like it’s always on the verge of growing into something HUGE but it never really does. like ouugh. <333 sorry i’m having so many thoughts. his theme would have a harmonica ive just decided <3333

tyty rosemary for these amazing thoughts i’m going feral actually ily <33333

[shieldagentnatasharomanoff]

A dance for life

October 4th, 2022

Prompt: Dead on your feet (Hidden Injury / can’t pass out)

Summary: Ballet is a daily routine for the students of the Red Room. Imperfection is something they can’t afford, but when Natalia is hurt shortly before the session a simple dance becomes a battle for her life.

Readers: @strxngemxgick @cherryfinolahobbes @supremestrangeness  @muffinmiri

The piano music played in the background, a steady staccato of tones, usually soothing, now they made her ears ring. A cool lower-case tune encased her like a prison when the higher pitched, main melody came crashing through, ending in a c-accord, only shortly accented, until it started again, from the top. Steady it went on, pacing round and round in a never-ending circle.

Twenty-six girls of varying ages stood next to a bar hooked to a mirrored wall, wearing black skirts and pointed shoes. They used to be twenty-eight. The youngest noticed. Bright red hair sticking out from the brunettes and blondes. She was one of them, yet didn’t exactly belong. Twelve years of age, most of the others at least two years her elder.

Assemblé

Natalia Romanova moved her feet inwards, toes pointed out, a perfect parallel, but her legs shook slightly as she bent downwards, her arm following an elegant bow, lifting her up gracefully onto the points of her shoes.

She could still see the glint of steel in the mirror behind her, but she had been distracted, too slow. It was her own fault. Inessa and Ekatherina had talked about it during the night when Natalia willed her breath to still and simply listened as she lay under her too thin sheet in the too cold sleeping hall they shared.

“Madame favors her.” They had said. “She’s a runt, shouldn’t even be here with us… She thinks she is better than us.” They were wrong. Natalia didn’t think she was better than them. The simple fact was that they were inferior to her skill. And yet. The two older girls had cornered her. One of them left with a broken nose, the other one with a dislocated shoulder and Natalia bore a stab wound in her side.

Arabesque

She touches her feet back to the ground just as the melody picks back up again only to lift herself onto one tip, stretching her other leg upwards in a curved position, one arm reaching up as well, the other holding on to the bar for support. A short flinch as pain shot through her side.

After her fight Natalia sat on the bathroom floor, bleeding. Crimson collected against her side and slowly pooled down, staining her top and leggings and, eventually, the marbled floor below. There was no time. She couldn’t be late…

So, she pressed tissue paper into clumps, pressing them to the wound in hope of stopping the bleeding, secured it as best as she could with tape. The young girl hissed as the paper touched the cut, soaking the red liquid successfully. The bell rang. Her sign to go. She was late. More tape, more paper, until the wound was covered by an ugly clump. The work wasn’t great, but it had to do. Tardiness was not permitted under any circumstance.

Echappé

Her feet hit the ground, hard, and she hissed painfully, bringing them back into a parallel stance, the fifth position, then pushed herself up onto the tips of her toes bending her feet into a round shape only to set them back down, harder than she should. Another jolt of muscle to push back up. The melody became a rush in her ear, bleeding together into a distorted mess. Another hiss left her lungs as pain pulsed outward from the stab.

“Natalia! Hold form, you’re lacking behind.”

“Yes, Madame!”

She had barely made it to the ballet session in time, as the last, but at least there was no punishment waiting for her today. Not more then there had already been.

Emboité

Her feet hit the ground again and dark spots started dancing in front of her eyes. Cold sweat started to break out on her forehead as the red haired girl pushed her right leg into a point, rotating her left one outwards, leaning her torso slightly into the opposite direction and angling the lifted leg into a triangle, tip of her shoe touching her knee, as her arms lifted into a parallel, one arm raising higher while the other dipped down, finger softly spread.

Her form was off. She could feel it. Feel the people looking at her, less then perfect. Her hand brushed against her side as she tried to gracefully release her position, but only ended stumbling into the girl beside her, who pushed her back. Natalia’s vision blurred too much as to see who was pushing her away.

Madame Helena’s gaze bore into her side. She could feel it… It terrified her. Another deep breath and Natalia regathered her composure. Warm liquid sticking to her fingers. She was bleeding through her bandages and her leotard.

Pirouette

There was no time left. Fear occupied her mind and made her heart beat faster. She could feel the warm liquid sticking the fabric to her side. Her body operated on autopilot, years of repetition, one routine after the other, practiced until tendrils of dawn set the room aglow.

Natalia folded her arms against her chest, then whipped them out to gain momentum, turning, spinning, her head too slow too follow. It made her dizzy, even dizzier then she had been before. She could taste copper on her tongue. Darkness starting to rim into her vision as she spun once, twice, thrice around herself, only to heavily lean against the beam.

She had to hide, to stay awake, only a little longer. Her heart fluttered against her ribcage like a bird terrified it would never see the sky again. The last girl who collapsed had been number twenty-seven. They used to be twenty- eight, now they were only twenty-six. Natalia couldn’t, wouldn’t be the next.

Ciseaux

The command sent panic crashing through the darkness. Her breath and heart working overtime. It felt like hyperventilating. Her gaze flickered in and out between her own mind and a dissaciotive stare into the distance. She could do this, had to do this. The thud next to her signaled that it was her turn.

Natalia moved two quick steps, then jumped, stretching one leg forward, lifting the other into the air. Crimson droplets fell from her side, followed her through the air and impacted on the floor. Her legs buckled as blood streamed down her leg now, coloring the cream colored tights red, then caved, tossing her to the ground.

She looked up, head lolling to the side, hard eyes meeting hers as Madame Helena pulled her lips into an unhappy frown. “Again, Natalia.” Was all she ever said.

And Natalia complied, rising to her feet. They were looking for perfection, anything less would get you killed.

And she was made of marble. She wouldn’t break here.

[invisibleraven]

It's already perfect, you are enough

Carrie x Reggie

Carrie huffed as she twirled and spun around the floor, going through her paces to ensure the routine was flawless. She only stopped to chug back more water, then went at it again and again. She could barely feel the sweat cooling on her skin or hear the rumbling of her stomach, too focused on tightening up her arabesque or landing correctly with her jetes.

Only she kept falling a measure behind, or straining when she should be gliding. She let out a groan of frustration, tearing the hair from her long ago decimated bun, the waves falling in front of her watery eyes.

"Hey doll, I figured it was time for a break, so I brought Thai...whoa Carrie, what's wrong?"

She looked up through bleary eyes to see Reggie, his face awash with concern. She sniffled, pushing her hair back, trying to look composed. Or some attempt at it anyways. "Oh, it's the routine. It needs to be perfect. If it's perfect that means I'm good enough to get accepted into Julliard. You know the scouts will be in the audience tomorrow."

"I do know, yeah," Reggie said, thumbing away a stray tear. "You've been working your cute little buns off all month. So why the waterworks?"

"Because it's not perfect," Carrie lamented. "I'm not perfect. And Julliard only accepts perfect." She broke down into tears at that, collapsing into his waiting arms. "What if it's not enough Reggie? I've dreamed my whole life about getting into this school. What if they take one look at me and decide that I'm not good enough for them? What am I supposed to do then?"

Reggie tilted her head up at that, expression serious. "Now you listen here Carrie Wilson, I've seen this routine a million times. It's already perfect-just like you. And you are enough. But if the idiots at that hoity-toity school can't recognize that, then screw 'em! They wouldn't know talent if it bit them in the behind."

Carrie couldn't help but giggle at that, Reggie's steadfast belief in her causing him to decry Julliard of all places. It was like the epicenter of recognizing talent! "You're ridiculous," she said, her voice still wet with tears.

"So are you if you don't think they'll be begging you to join them after seeing you dance," Reggie replied.

"But what if they don't?" Carrie asked meekly.

"Then you go somewhere else. I know you have back up schools. Or you take some time off. To study or travel, or goddamn live your life outside your tutu! You can always apply again later."

"You love the tutu," Carrie grumbled, but her smile betrayed her, as Reggie's vibrant blush did him. "It's just... I've wanted this for so long. I don't know how to want anything else."

"And you'll get it doll, believe me," Reggie whispered, bringing her in for a gentle smooch. Pulling back and pressing a wet kiss to her chin, blowing a raspberry against her neck to make her squirm and giggle once more. He loved the sound of her laughter. Especially when she was unfettered by what others thought, snorting and chuckling with abandon.

She pushed him away playfully, making a comment about him being gross, but that didn't stop her from pulling him in for another small kiss before easing herself up. She stretched out her limbs, and turned to him as she fixed her hair. "Can you let me run through it one more time and then I promise that we'll eat?"

Reggie waved at the stage, sitting back to watch her dance. She was a wonder, poetry in motion as she did. He hummed a tune that had been stuck in his head for days now, and pulled out his phone to quickly jot down some lyrics. A lilting love song about his ballerina, a literal masterpiece in human form.

He just wished that she could see that, and hoped against hoped that the people from Julliard would to.

Turns out they did, and when a ecstatically happy Carrie leap into his arms with her acceptance letter clutched in her hand, Reggie whispered his assurances into her hair.

"Never doubted you for a second doll."

Carrie beamed up at him, and she only had one question for him. "So how do you feel about New York in the fall?"

"Absolutely perfect," he replied, kissing the tip of her nose. "Just like you."

[werewolvesandaccordions]

Brahms – Symphony no. 3 in F Major (1884) Despite how often people say Brahms was a conservative (which is true to a point), I think a lot of people underestimate his intensity of expression. The volume, bombast, and sometimes theatrical or operatic drama, are all underscored by the more traditional minded attitude toward structure and making sure the musical components are “functioning” in a logical way. Take the old form, and make something new out of it. Brahms had preferred that view to the newer Romantic school of thought favoring free-form and new forms created by the musical ideas themselves. Because of that, Brahms will always be the old scruffy severe German looking down at you from his wizened beard. Tangential, but I’ve talked with people who don’t like Brahms and they seem to come from this popular image: “Old fashioned”, dull, too theoretical, no good melodies, and (one extreme opinion) not truly “artistic”. But if we ignore the baggage of academicism and the symphony as a serious genre for developing complex musical thoughts, we should be thrown at the edge of our seats from the sound of the orchestra, and the long emotional melodies that people say aren’t there. I’ll take a moment to be more personal: I was surprised to find out that I’d made blog posts about the other three Brahms symphonies, but not this one. It was the first one that I fell in love with way back in high school. I remember listening to it and imagining knights in armor and large gothic castles. Brahms would turn in his grave. I got the idea from the bold and majestic opening movement. It begins with a statement of F-Ab-F, standing for Brahms motto “Frie aber froh”, Free but Happy. Somewhat leaning toward the 19th century trend of cyclical works, this symphony’s opening idea comes back in later movements as well. The motto of free but happy seems to radiate strongest in this opening movement. My favorite moment here is when the music quiets down a bit and teh flutes and bassoons play a an arabesque-like wavy melody over the strings fragmenting the same material, growing into a loud and stormy proclamation with chromatic lines (a very “Romantic” sound from a ‘Classicist”). The andante builds out of a chorale theme introduced in the winds. This more pastoral sound reminds us that this was a “vacation” work written while he was staying by the Rheine in Wiesbaden. The next movement, despite the unassuming title ‘poco allegretto’, has one of the more gorgeous melodies Brahms had written. It sings out of the cello and is punctuated by longing harmonies. Typical of Brahms, these harmonies are written out through counterpoint of fragments based off the contour of the melody. The last movement brings back the heaviness of the opening through a modified sonata. In the minor, it opens with a long and somewhat bouncy melody that could be like a Bach fugue subject. The music builds up energy into more drama, before shifting right into the “happy” counter melody. You could imagine this theme coming back with golden brass chorales. Instead, despite the dizzying effects done with the themes, and the noisy development that doesn’t let up in tension, the piece starts to sizzle up in agitated strings. A soft chorale brings back the opening motif, and then the symphony sighs away into a soft F major chord. Movements: Allegro con brio Andante Poco allegretto Allegro – Un poco sostenuto

mikrokosmos: Brahms – Symphony no. 3 in F Major (1884) Despite how often people say Brahms was a conservative (which is true to a point), I think a lot of people underestimate his intensity of expression. The volume, bombast, and sometimes theatrical or operatic drama, are all underscored by the more traditional minded attitude toward…

[irezumishibari]

Listening to Lily Chou Chou’s Glide & Arabesque at 12:30 A.M.

all alone thinking about how I just

want to runway without any trace & restart my life.. Just living alone, living for good days & bad days. Just living to watch the sunset or make milk tea,

or to sing while no one’s watching.

Just to live so delicately, and to be soft.

[hospitalterrorizer]

diary226

4/28-29/2024

sunday - monday

still have to work tomorrow.

and then...the next day too. but then i'll have 2 days off, and i'll be okay i guess.

i just finished discipline and punish, kept forgetting to get thru the last 4 pages. a nice summation and pointing of the book, in this last bit, towards the present, the immediate facts of society/socialization and the fact that the penal is not simply a negating / negative force of repression but productive in that it produces the disciplined body, that sciences of a particular type fed into and were spat back out of the penal (an early feedback-loop of knowledge, where data collection, reading, and charting is imagined, perhaps), and there are tiny allowances, rewards, given to those caught inside (all of us). very interesting to ponder the ways in which it is not a negating force but instead the ways in which is makes itself so necessary, how at the root of many things, very importantly, the prison is an outcome, part of that cybernetic structure/set of cybernetic assumptions. foucault also points at the ways sex is reformatted in recent times, away from prostitution's fuzzy illegalities and towards pornography and so on, and what may guide those pulses. this plays into the idea that the carceral is not repressive necessarily, but instead that it locks one into a particular range, of normalization, of how to move one's body and what to do with the various pieces.

i did not read agua viva today really, i got to work a little, not late but way too close to the time of starting to read, and i could not get to my break cuzzz, lol,,, bad scheduling and too many freaks on the floor.

i did listen to some of the album a bit ago, shocked by how much i like it, some songs i am thinking, guitars need to be higher, some lower, it's a thing i could probably fool with forever but it really is getting better, little by little. i think here, about 'the little things' that would not escape napoleon's vision in discipline and punish, and the horror of that, to map it all out. terrible. i wonder if i am complicity in my desire to make things better bit by bit, if i am reproducing the normalizing functions and processes, the methods which suggest a 'normal' or listenable sound. but i want it to be good. to whom am i seeking to make myself good to? i don't know. anyone. i think, ultimately though, these little things i am wrapped up in, i think i am lost, this is not a little thing of the vision of someone going astray, these are pulses in my nerves, micro-fireworks, compulsions and aches, little crises in mud, reprehensible currents of an oozing and terrible wound, its little birth and guiding that tiny shimmer out, into wherever, where i may see/not see it. i cannot tell. i do not think, at the end of this, this will please anyone but myself. that is at least the other half of my attenuation and frustration. how do i make it what it is, what is it, what are its details, and are its details there, the arabesques of this horrible thing, are they sculpted in the vision of the good or are they its awkward, stuttering, hideous, shadow.

i should hope they are though i do not know.

through attention to the little things, all i know better, as i do not come to know my sins and how i may make myself better to god, is that i am limping and odd. there are things my hands will get wrong for anyone else and my ears tell me, that sound does not speak wrong with grace.

this is the hope. maybe i should do away with hope in the first place, do away with expecting too, what in its place, perhaps in lispector's words, the terrible howl of joy and isolation, the cavern, an image comes to mind, the trilobite, all early examples of what would come to be insects. they all come off as accidents. but that only happens if you think of god, and i do not believe, but there's the error of him still in life.

anyway, clearly, i am just crazyyy or something.

now my gf is asking me to look into old digital video cams for something she wants to do, i'll get more into that over my time off i think, looking at listings, things that came out at certain times.

i'm thinking i may also get one, looking at all this. i'm maybe going to end up with a dumb collection of old photography things. it would be nice though. i don't want a dv tape thing but these dvd-r ones are kind of interesting,,, hummm. i'm telling her she should get a canon fs-100 but i am not totally sure yet really. there's lots of things out there the different kinds of toshiba gigashot are kind of interesting, gsc-r60 + r30 (cheaper, probably older, looking crazier maybee), and the sanyo xacti vpc-hd1a looks cool too. they look like they may be weird to shoot with though.

panasonic vdr-100 + the hitachi cdr hybrid hdd camcorder is also interesting but i hear the hitachi might be a little weird.

i think it's funny that my olympus point and shoot can take video, though it's super rough.

i'm also interested in making sure i get ccd sensors but it's probably not a huge deal, but i figure it's part of why i like the photos taken by the olympus i have so much.

anyway, i really do have to sleep now.

so,

byebye!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!