#shoemaker of dreams

[cancmbyn]

So as faithful fiction readers know, I haven’t written anything in a long time…

To get out of this drought, I decided to write a movie review. Not exactly fiction, but still writing. In my book that counts as progress!

If you are interested, please check out Bones and All and Salvatore: A queer perspective on the latest from Luca Guadagnino.

There ARE spoilers from both films in my review, so don’t read if you haven’t seen BAA.

Thanks, in advance, for your support! 💜

[brian-in-finance]

Podcast 🎧 Listen

In the early 20th century, impoverished teenage Italian cobbler Salvatore Ferragamo sailed from Naples to America to seek a better life. He settled in Southern California, and became Hollywood's go-to shoemaker during the silent era. In 1927, he returned to Italy and founded in Florence his namesake luxury brand. This feature-length documentary recounts his adventures. IMDb

Remember… Shoemaker of Dreams premiered at the Venice Film Festival on 5 September 2020. Sony Pictures Classics acquired worldwide distribution rights to the film (excluding Italy) and released the film in the United States on 4 November 2022.

[fashionbyf]

What fashion makes the heritage cut? What Shoemaker of Dreams and even the Walter Albini relaunch indicates…

The Salvatore Ferragamo documentary Shoemaker of Dreams directed by Luca Guadagnino is finally available on AppleTV and, if you missed it in theaters or at other screenings in Italy since its first premieres in 2021, this is the time to watch it. Mix yourself an Aperol Spritz, imagine you’re at Procacci or Obika on Via Tornabuoni (unfortunately the former Anglo-American haunt featured in Tea with Mussolini, Doney’s, closed years ago…) and immerse yourself in the story of this Southern Italian immigrant to the United States who revolutionized shoes and shoe-making for Florentines and the wider world. Full of personal insights, the documentary also features Salvatore Ferragamo’s own voice taken from 1955 recordings of his Memoirs and interviews with Australian TV outlets in 1958. This is an especially moving part of the documentary because Salvatore Ferragamo’s voice, in some ways, perfectly encapsulates the context of the cultural moments in which he participated beyond fashion. Heritage, we might say, before heritage. These moments include Italians coming to the United States in the early 20th century with the requisite $20 entrance fee to create new lives and new identities for themselves, the beginnings of the movie industry in Santa Barbara in all its creativity and its decampment to Hollywood, and the determination of entrepreneurs to succeed against all odds and Florentine expectations, even in a complex early 20th century Italy facing economic sanctions.

But, even more than that, the documentary is a testament to one man’s vision of shoes, from how they should be made, to the creativity they can embody and the messages they can impart. And this vision, on display more than 100 years later, is perhaps the most striking thing about the documentary because the vision highlights how we can project the present into the future and extend a role to the past in our visions of the present. Speaking after the bankruptcy of his business in 1933, Ferragamo is quoted in the documentary

For the first time in my life, I started to look back over the shoulder of my past. As a flash, it all seemed to see many things which I had, until then, never seen before. I looked forward to my future.

Looking to our past, even as we craft our personal narratives, and spotting what matters and what doesn’t, and how to use that for the benefit of our present and our future, is a central question at the heart of heritage.

In fashion, a field defined by its timeliness (as Saviolo and Corbellini in particular describe it), spotting what will matter over time is an endeavor. But, as time passes, time acts almost as a sieve, filtering out what matters and what doesn’t, what is timeless and what is timely for present generations. The results of the application of time can be unexpected (would you have thought that thinly rectangular sunglasses, low rise pants and other silhouettes from the late nineties and early noughties would be back in fashion?). The results can also be unexpected but somewhat pre-identifiable, driven by marketing, important brand anniversaries, and brand mythmaking as much as by nostalgia and/or individual and collective tastes (Exhibit A: the resurgence of the Fendi Baguette bag). Designers often play an important role in the curation of the past, as Maximilian Davis is doing at Ferragamo now- citing to Ferragamo’s gold sandal and building on the F heel, among other design details.

The pull between the past and the present, what we might term a battle for the future of fashion- heritage- also depends on the law. And this is also on display in Shoemaker of Dreams. One of the primary pieces of evidence shown during the documentary as a testament to Ferragamo’s vision are the multitude of patents he had on the procedures for his shoe designs, the processes to make them, and their look (the Ferragamo Museum also staged an insightful exhibit on these patents in 2004).  What we can take from the past and what we can re-use often depends on whether someone has a right to control a production, the use of a design, its reproduction and even the associations we make and have with that design. Some of the most insightful of Ferragamo’s creations (many reproduced ingeniously as part of the Ferragamo’s Creations line) are the fruit of others’ control of raw materials (or lack thereof), his own patents which reserved control over specific parts to Ferragamo himself for a time, the matching of tradition and innovation, and the inspiration that came from themes, recalling, and remembering.  While the documentary uses the Invisible Sandal (one of the most evocative examples I’ve explored extensively in other work) and the caged heel, the facts surrounding Ferragamo’s wedge made with cork are particularly evocative of the numerous threads that make up the design of one of his shoes. In his Memoirs, Ferragamo details how, after designing them years before, he discovered that a version of wedge soles had been worn centuries before thanks to an archeological excavation at Villa di Boccaccio outside Florence in 1950. As Ferragamo shares in another part of the documentary

I have not followed any master. I have not followed any school. Where have I learned all that I know? I had a clear vision that my work had never been done before. I have done it. Where? I do not know. But everything that I have done since my boyhood time, it has been work which came back to me. All I have to do while I work is to sit down and recall what I know about this work and do it again.

Knowing what fashion heritage is years later, what heritage makes the cut, is often a product of vision and, as Ferragamo’s work shows, of the tools and instruments that support that vision, from patents to trademarks, and even a robust public domain and other doctrines that allow for re-mixing, re-use, and commentary. As time goes on, curation and preservation, saving the vision and the tools and instruments that support that vision, are also central to identifying what is fashion heritage and how it can impact our fashion today. This is why archives themselves are also important for making the heritage cut.

And the acquiring of rights and archives to support a contemporary vision is what we see happening today with the revival of heritage brands, like that of the incredibly prescient Walter Albini, who, as a designer, preceded Giorgio Armani in his impact on Italian ready-to-wear and the concept of Milanese fashion. The announcement of the revival of the Walter Albini brand noted that the investment company that is relaunching it acquired the designer’s “intellectual property and archives”, including the acquisition of a large tangible archive of “garments, costume jewellery, drawings, photographs, and other memorabilia” from Dr. Barbara Curti, who is listed as Chief Memory Officer of the Walter Albini Archive. While we will have to see what the vision for a 21st century Walter Albini line is, the acquisition of the previous brand’s intellectual property and archives are fundamental first steps to identifying what fashion heritage has made the cut for our present times.

References and Further Readings

https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/gen-z-y2k-millennial-90s-fashion-nostalgia

https://tv.apple.com/ca/movie/salvatore-ferragamo-the-shoemaker-of-dreams/umc.cmc.13bohnm0ogsk0g6wdwlftjqud

https://www.wsj.com/articles/its-happening-again-the-return-of-low-rise-jeans-d8efc3f0

The Shoemaker of Dreams by Salvatore Ferragamo (in the Italian version, pages 131-35 for the story of the cork wedge)

https://academic.oup.com/jiplp/article/17/11/891/6852707

https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2023-ready-to-wear/salvatore-ferragamo

https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-2023-ready-to-wear/salvatore-ferragamo

https://artsandculture.google.com/story/UQWRSqxpWZsfIg?hl=it

https://cardozoaelj.com/fashions-brand-heritage-cultural-heritage-and-the-piracy-paradox/

https://repository.law.umich.edu/articles/222/

https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/luxury/walter-albini-relaunch-confirmed/

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/09/24/the-piracy-paradox

https://www.nyulawreview.org/issues/volume-97-number-2/memes-on-memes-and-the-new-creativity/

https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/history-of-intellectual-property-in-50-objects/0737F2B342A61E0E90B0A98288E412C3

https://www.skira.net/books/le-leggi-della-moda/

https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/paris-capital-of-fashion-9781350102965/

https://www.unesco.org/en/legal-affairs/convention-safeguarding-intangible-cultural-heritage

https://www.instagram.com/walteralbini_officialarchive/

https://scholarworks.uark.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1027&context=alr

https://scholarship.law.tamu.edu/facscholar/480/

Images from 

https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-2023-ready-to-wear/salvatore-ferragamo/slideshow/details#77

https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2023-ready-to-wear/salvatore-ferragamo/slideshow/details#57

https://mostra1972.unipr.it/s/1972_mostra_en/page/designer_albini

https://www.ferragamo.com/creations/en/eur

[joanofarc]

shrug [trina shoemaker mix], ida (2002).

could be the door, could be the phone for any intent or purpose you're not home you're up against the wall a real impression like breath on glass

[seat-safety-switch]

You've heard of the shoemaker's elves. Little creatures from another plane of existence who manifested in ours. They help this poor dude make shoes while he sleeps so he can hit a big contract. Well, there definitely aren't any shitbox elves. I gotta stay up until three in the morning if I want this thing to get me to work the next day. Or so I thought.

What happened to me was the age-old story. I fell asleep, and in my dreams was transported to a beautiful mountaintop temple, inside which I knew something horrible was trapped. It was not my place to free it, but there was temptation. A deal was made. A force was unleashed upon this earth. And when I awoke, that bullshit pivot bolt on the back of the corroded old water pump was finally out.

Must have been a fluke, I thought. I probably was so tired that I fell asleep but my body continued to turn wrenches. That would explain all the new cuts on my arms. This sort of thing had happened before, but never so productively. Usually, I just woke up with my head wedged in an awkward spot, or having stuck my shoe into the oil drain pan.

I got the rest of the job done in record time, congratulating my unconscious self for being so prudent. Smugly, I went to bed at a reasonable time, and then spent several hours in that bed, looking for cheap eBay listings. That's when I heard it – something out in the garage.

On my new water pump, I saw a succession of horrible demons emerging from the weep hole. They were small, but I knew inherently that they would soon grow and exercise their domination over the Earth. It was all my fault, something which filled me with guilt.

Still, removing the little fuckers would mean that I'd have to bleed the cooling system all over again, and nobody has that kind of time. I added "do doughnuts in a church parking lot sometime" to my to-do list, and then returned to bed, where I then scored a front sway bar. The clueless seller had mis-listed it as being for a different car, so I got it for a really good price. You know what they say: the devil is in the details.

[sundove88]

Introducing Anime Ever After!!

Ever wanted to experience classic fairytales but through the lens of legendary and lesser known anime?

Well, Anime Ever After is for you!!

Synopsis: An anthropology of famous stories from around the world retold through the lens of legendary and lesser known anime, with modern twists, turns, and lessons about. From the depths of the sea in DBZ: Waves of Freedom (The Little Mermaid) to the realm beyond the clouds in One Piece: Beyond The Sky (Jack and The Beanstalk), this ever expanding treasury of tales has something for everyone.

Framing Device: An anime loving teenager is telling classic fairytales to the kids they babysit as bedtime stories- with a twist!

Side Note: Nursery Rhymes being adapted is more for Shrek. So they won’t be here- sorry about that. But they do a good job at it. This anthology is meant for readers 12 and up, due to some of the themes in some of the stories.

Btw, look for the posts that have anime ever after on them as one of their tags. Here’s the list of tales (So Far):

Dragon Ball Z: Waves of Freedom (The Little Mermaid)

My Hero Academia: Heart of Glass (Cinderella)

Attack on Titan: Red Hood (Little Red Riding Hood)

One Piece: Beyond The Sky (Jack and The Beanstalk)

Naruto: Sleeping Shadow (Sleeping Beauty)

Sword Art Online: The Match Player (The Little Match Girl)

FullMetal Alchemist: Iron Wolves (The 3 Little Pigs)

Fairy Tail: Mirrors of Deceit (Snow White)

Inuyasha: Soul of The Beast (Beauty and The Beast)

Bleach: Brushes of Fate (The Magic Paintbrush)

Fruits Basket: The 12 Dancing Zodiacs (12 Dancing Princesses)

Black Clover: The Frog Knight (The Frog Prince)

Hunter X Hunter: Spreading Your Wings (The Ugly Duckling)

Demon Slayer: Demon of The Northern Wind (The Snow Queen)

Black Butler: Beyond The Tower (Rapunzel)

Yu Yu Hakusho: Sweet Temptation (Hansel and Gretel)

Doraemon; Fearless Feline (Puss in Boots)

Gintama: Peachy Keen (Momotaro)

Sailor Moon: Lady of The Waxing Moon (Princess Kaguya)

Haikyuu: Bear-ly Faltering (Snow White and Rose Red)

Railgun: Little Warriors, Big Impacts (Thumbelina)

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All That Glitters (Rumplestiltskin)

Yu Gi Oh: Diamond in The Rough (Aladdin)

Konosuba: The Royal Test (The Princess and The Pea)

Tokyo Ghoul: The Crimson Amulet (The Red Shoes)

Akame Ga Kill: Fashion Gambit (The Emperor’s New Clothes)

Ouran High School Host Club: Wings of Perseverance (The Wild Swans)

Rurouni Kenshin: The Ronin’s Trials (The Steadfast Tin Soldier)

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagan: Cage of Steel, Heart of Platinum (The Nightingale)

Cowboy Bebop: Written in The Stars (The Weaver Girl and The Cowherd)

Death Note: The Golden Pen (King Midas)

Neon Genesis Evangelion: No Strings Attached (Pinocchio)

Fate: The Chosen Sword (King Arthur)

BanG Dream!: Melody of Deceit (The Pied Piper)

Code Geass: The Princess and The Pig Man (The Swineherd)

Jujitsu Kaisen: The Light Within (The Buried Moon)

Blue Exorcist: Blazing Bonds (The Firebird)

Spy X Family: Secret of The Statue (The Happy Prince)

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic: The Enchanted Key (Alibaba and The 40 Thieves)

Re:Zero: Gilded Feathers (The Golden Goose)

Saint Seiya: Divine Trials and Godly Tribulations (The 12 Labors of Hercules)

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya: Claws of Gold, Hearts of Gold (Goldilocks and The 3 Bears)

One Punch Man: A Hero’s Humility (King Thrushbeard)

Future Diary: Wishful Obsession (The Fisherman and His Wife)

Sket Dance: A Tale of Three Tricksters (The 3 Billy Goats Gruff)

Precure (All seasons): The Sweetest Holiday Ever (The Nutcracker)

Food Wars: A Recipe For Courage (The Brave Little Tailor)

Spice and Wolf: Against All Odds (The Princess on The Glass Hill)

Noragami: Stolen Sun (Amaterasu and The Cave)

Monogatari: Secret Confidants (The Elves and The Shoemaker)

Steins;Gate: Azure Secrets (Bluebeard)

Tokyo Revengers: Neverlanding, Never Faltering (Peter Pan)

The Promised Neverland: Emerald Truths (The Wizard of Oz)

Toriko: Sweet Pursuit (The Gingerbread Man)

Kill La Kill: A Royal Mix Up (The Prince and The Pauper)

World Trigger: The Silent Springtime (The Selfish Giant)

The Seven Deadly Sins: Curse of Shade and Malice (The Shadow)

Cardcaptor Sakura: Salt and Sugar (The Salt Princess/Cap O Rushes)

Assassination Classroom: Honeyed Words (Diamonds and Toads)

Way of The House Husband: Out of The Cage (Jorinda and Joringel)

Danganronpa The Animation (It covers all the games): Makoto in Wonderland (Alice in Wonderland)

D Gray Man: Song of The Sparkling Swan (Swan Lake)

Persona 5 The Animation: Way Down We Go (Hades and Persephone)

Soul Eater: United We Stand (The Six Who Went Far)

Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The 5 Magical Musketeers (The 3 Musketeers)

Aggretsuko: Four Man Band (The Bremen Town Musicians)

Tokyo Godfathers: A Holiday Journey (A Christmas Carol)

Revolutionary Girl Utena: Emotions Set Free (The Princess Who Never Smiled)

Sonic X: True, Blue, and Noble (Hans The Hedgehog)

Magiknight Rayearth: Noble Flame, Changing Tide, and Guiding Wind (The 3 Princesses of Whiteland)

A Silent Voice: Beyond All Boundaries (East of The Sun, West of The Moon)

A Whisker Away: A Feline Fairytale (The White Cat)

Your Name: A Little Bird Told Me (The Singing, Springing, Lark)

Love Live: A Fateful Adventure (Journey to The West)

Captain Tsubasa: Winging It (The Seven Ravens)

The Ancient Magus Bride: Entrapped Beauty (The Lindworm)

Overlord: Seeds of Trust (The Juniper Tree)

Delicious in Dungeon: Cooking Up Trouble (The Magic Porridge Pot)

Medaka Box: The Truth Above All (The Goose Girl)

Chainsaw Man: Demonic Assistance (The Golden Bird)

Taikobo: Legend of The Lost Kingdom (Urashima Taro)

Revue Starlight: Masked Secrets (Phantom of The Opera)

Ginga: Nagareboshi Gin: Path of The Canine (The Boy Who Cried Wolf)

Dr. Stone: Into The Wilderness (The Jungle Book)

Fire Force: The Flames of Charity (Robin Hood)

Shaman King: Mystery of The Marsh (The Marsh King’s Daughter)

Rave Master: Cloak of Secrets (Donkeyskin/Many Furs)

Ranma 1/2: Loyal, Brave, and True (Mulan)

Karakuri Circus: The House Within The Woods (Vasilisa The Brave and Beautiful)

Devilman Crybaby: Three Hairs of Gold (The Devil With 3 Golden Hairs)

The Irregular at Magic High School: Ring of Enchantments (The Bronze Ring)

Bobobo: One Hairy Tale (Prince Hyacinth)

Shakugan No Shana: Three Dogs, Three Heroes (The Tinderbox)

Nisekoi: Yellow With Affection (The Yellow Dwarf)

Kaiju No. 8: Don’t Get Salty (Why The Sea is Salty)

Kinnikuman: A Mission in Patience (The Tortoise and The Hare)

Oshi No Ko: The Price of Stardom (Little Brother and Little Sister)

Case Closed: Stolen Hearts and Stolen Fortunes (The Master Thief)

Pokemon The Series: An Electrifying Rescue (The Lion and The Mouse)

Hyperdimension Neptunia: The Animation: A Tale of a Thousand and One Nights (1,001 Arabian Nights)

Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai: A Ribbiting Adventure (The Frog Princess)

Dr. Slump: A Quacktastic Journey (Drakestail)

Katekyo Hitman Reborn: Windows to The Soul (One Eyes, Two Eyes, Three Eyes)

Kochikame: From Faux to Genuine (Don Quixote)

Yo-Kai Watch: Cat Artist Unknown (The Boy Who Drew Cats)

Kaguya-Sama: Love is War: To Love and To Be Loved (Turandot)

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: Feathers of Joy (The Blue Bird)

DanMachi: Forgotten Evil Unleashed (Pandora’s Box)

Hellsing Ultimate: Blood Ties (Dracula)

Claymore: The Monster Unleashed (Frankenstein)

Thanks to @sam-rexian and @crystallinedreamsfinelypowdered for helping with some of these!

[rowanisawriter]

patrochilles / fairy tale AU / complete (40k words)

There is a curse. A destiny, as his mother loves to remind him. A war. An unknown future, somewhere out there in the fighting and killing. But here, there is only the sun and the grass and Achilles’s swift feet. Here, there is Patroclus sitting in the shade. Here, Achilles pulls him closer and puts his arms around him, staining their clothes with charcoal dust from sketched out dreams. Patroclus sinks into him heavily. The sound of their breathing is the only thing they can hear, as though the clearing—their clearing— is a shield hiding them from the rest of the world. “Take me with you,” Patroclus tells him at the same time that Achilles says, “Please come with me.”

In the tiny kingdom of Phthia, a golden prince is cursed with invulnerability except for a vulnerable heel. An exile apprenticed to a shoemaker is commissioned by the palace to create a shoe the prince can fight in.

A fairy tale about a curse, a magical shoe, a war, a doomed hero, an exile, destiny, and love despite everything.

[kikker-oma]

short fanfic? Yes!

Christmas theme? Yes!

“Wake your a**es up losers!” Wind’s voice rang through the ranch, “It’s Christmas!!”

Time rubbed his eyes and gazed at the clock. “4:00am? Seriously Wind?” He groaned and sat up. Even his wife, Malon, the strongest girl he could ever know, was still asleep.

“Wind, let’s settle down. It’s still early you know.” Warriors tried to coax the teen back to bed. Less for Wind but more for the ever waning patience.

“Nah, I want presents.”

“…Of course you do.”

Surprisingly, Four was the first one to open up his present. Beneath the red rapping paper, a beautifully crafted iron hammer, with faint beautiful markings throughout the tool, stood in his possession. “I needed a new one for quite some time… thanks guys!”

“that’s for work?? I thought it’s used to smash pots!”

“LEGEND.”

Wind was next. He basically stripped the present raw in… two seconds flat. “MONEH! I’M RICH!” The pirate yelled.

“But those are seashells?”

“I can sell seashells by the seashore.”

Twilight carefully unwrapped his gift. His fingers curled around a saddle, worn down and scratched on the edges, but filled with love.

“You know, it used to be our old girls,” Malon looked through the window to the barn ahead, “But it’s not much use to us now that she’s settling down, it’ll be much more use to you.”

That is when the couple learned great-great-great-great-great grandsons give the best hugs.

Hyrule gazed at the new pair of boots in his arms. “Woah… these are wonderful. Are you sure they are for me?”

“Knew a shoemaker once, trust me, they’ll make you run faster than ever before.” Four winked.

Hyrule gave at LEAST 20 continuous thank yous for the rest of the evening.

Legend tried to keep a stoic demeanor as he unwrapped his gift. “Romeo and Juliet? Isn’t that romance?”

“Come on, we all know you’re all for it.” Warriors smirked.

“Shut up… but thanks I guess.”

Wild ran his fingers through the embroidery scarf. “This looks stunning, who made this?”

“I did! Skyloft was pretty cold, from being in the sky and stuff, so I decided to pick one of our most famous fabrics. The embroidery was all mine though, and I’m sure it will help keep you warm for the winter months.” Sky smiled kindly.

“Will you fix it if I tear it?”

“Already have 17 backups.”

Warriors, surprisingly clad in actual clothes (not to mention his hair is perfectly brushed? Did he even go to bed?) unwrapped his gift with precision.

“A mirror? You know me so well!” He smiled, knowing the captain, this will sure come to great use.

“That’s not all,” Time smiled, “Crafted straight from the lava of Death Mountain, its sturdy for the road.”

“You really put in that much thought for me?”

“Of course son, you deserve it.”

“Careful, this one’s fragile.” Malon smiled as she handed Sky a gift wrapped in cloth.

Sky carefully unraveled the cloth to reveal a tiny, but familiar bird. He heard its name before. Clucko? No… right! It was a cucco.

“I love it! It’s so cute!”

“We are letting you keep it as long as it doesn’t come in contact with anybody in any way.” Legend grumbled.

“Darling, this one’s for you.” Malon handed Time a carefully wrapped present. Time’s fingers slowly pealed away the wrapping paper, and softness immediately enveloped his finger.

9 crochet squares, all sewn together.

A deception of a forge, intense yet pulling things together.

A vast ocean, and a red boat riding the waves.

A goat, with beautiful horns resembling Ordon.

A map, holding a sense of adventure.

A flower, holding a sort of dream like resemblance.

A sheikah crest, holding symbolism and order.

Swords and shields, crashing together yet have some sense of balance to them.

Islands floating in a vast open sky, with giant loft wings circling around.

In the middle of it all,

Home. The ranch. In the center stood a beautifully crocheted deception of Time and Malon, yet they weren’t the only people in this art. 8 other boys stood around, holding a resemblance of courage.

“Merry Christmas, old man!” The eight boys smiled in unison.

This would be a Christmas Time could never forget.

Yeah this didn’t turn out short LOL

🥹🥹🥹

Awwee this was so CUTE!!!

Each of those gifts is precious (even winds pun with the seashells lol) and Times blanket with all of the squares representing the boys is

Thank you for writing this and Merry Christmas!!!

[shawty-writes-a-little]

No other remorse

Aemond Targaryen x fem!reader

Word count: 2k

Summary: Aemond helps the reader through grief—hurt comfort (1/3)

An: The reader is not a targ but the house is not specified so it’s up to you x

Warnings: Hotd type violence, ANGST, arranged marriages, death of a parent

—

Time seemed trivial as it passed these days. All it ever does it pass if only it happened quicker. Awaiting what exactly? Y/n wasn’t sure but as she spirit broken, stared outside the window of her chambers into nothingness every advise ever given to her had something to do with passage of time. Time mends everything.

For a while it does, makes the suffering seem grey within the situation being less of a horror than her expectations it makes one forget the whims and remorse in the first place. Y/n thinks back to her time back at home wild and free as ever when she was told about her marriage fixed with Aemond it was much resented by her “You can’t be serious! Aemond? Of all people you could marry me off to?” She remembers saying it to her father.

“I don’t intend to marry you off-you’re my only daughter but there’s some things I can’t escape myself from.” even with y/n sneering at her father he had been calm and reasoning to her. You would expect that from a father to a motherless child who had to marry her to someone she didn’t know of at all.

“Do not lecture me about duty again this certainly has something to do with your seat at the council doesn’t it father?” with no burden to ever serve or bend to anyone but herself marriage was far off y/n’s list. It was very so expected of her, she was aware. Running away wouldn’t last her by herself much and however angry she was at the time she couldn’t have done that to her father. Her only family.

“I would disregard a thousand council seats for you and as much as it pains me to say this…I don’t have a say in this marriage either.” For a father who never wanted y/n to lack for anything her entire life he didn’t have the authority to disobey the royal order. A match the king saw fit said the hand, Otto Hightower well aware with the politics y/n’s father knew it was the other way around.

So Aemond it was, Lord husband. Wedding ceremonies that went on for a week felt like attending her own funeral to y/n. She didn’t speak much to Aemond the entire time neither did he. Until their wedding night or as y/n called it ‘the dread’. Surprisingly enough Aemond’s understanding shocked her. He refused to touch her until she willed for it. Sharing the bed that night as an accustomed necessity and the following nights Aemond didn’t join their shared bed at the red keep.

It was melancholy at first, y/n never had any dreams any simple reader of knightly stories of the warrior who fell in love with the princess wouldn’t have. She wanted the romance of a marriage, one that she didn’t see after her mother passing. She wanted a love she chose herself with a prince or a knight or a shoemaker she chose. But someone she chose herself. The sparks of knowing someone like the back of your hand that you would be overcome with surety of spending the rest of your living days with them.

Well those naive girlhood dreams were behind here. A marriage forced upon her with someone she barely knew. However with time, Aemond wasn’t a horror of a husband. She was adjusting to her new family besides all along her father was there with her. A sense of familiarity only listening to him going over council matters with her and sense the worry and remorse in his voice everytime Aemond was brought up. Y/n always told her father about being content with her marriage now, however she was not she didn’t want her father to carry the weight of a situation that was unavoidable for him.

At public gatherings he stood by her, a presentable match they made. Other than that he never really bothered her much, there were some encounters some comments shared but not many milestones for a marriage of half a year. It takes time.

—

It felt like a betrayal. To think of all those times, people who were her family in name to say did that to her father. Three nights ago the council meeting seemed to have a dispute of sort y/n hadn’t seen her father till then and never did, again. Y/f/n, traitor to the realm was executed by the order of acting king the hand. For all y/n knew her father was anything but a traitor. People respected him his honour knew no bounds how could he? He was executed with the first sun ray of that morrow.

She didn’t even get to say goodbye. A court session was called upon and among a very few officials and the hand her father was executed, she wasn’t even allowed to attend it. The queen herself was the one to break the news to Y/n. She felt paralysed to move and the words didn’t come out of her throat. Father is actually dead? Executed?

Alicent held her hand, talked to her, consoled her in every way a mother could but y/n was far from processing anything else. She felt her whole world collapse. Alicent saw herself in y/n her father being the only person she knew in a red keep could never see her again. Alicent knew Otto conspired with other council members behind her back in the council meetings that happened late at night. Y/n’s father must’ve had a massive disagreement to one of Otto’s plots-Alicent had been in this ugly politics for a long while to know. Years of honour and duty soiled just like that. Alicent couldn’t say anything to y/n that would make her feel better, part of her wished she could have prevented what happened to y/n’s father.

—

Y/n spent the rest of the day alone keeping herself locked in her chambers. Refused the servants, meals untouched. Y/n wished to dwell into her misery alone in her chambers for the rest of her life. She was all alone now either ways. As much as she would want or succumb into her grief all alone she heard the giant doors to her chambers open. The maids, again she thought not looking to see who it was. It didn’t matter.

“Y/n” a voice called from behind. Raspy and familiar. Aemond.

Still she didn’t look back only a tear shredded from her eyes again, she wiped it off her face quickly gathering herself and turned to him. “My prince.” She replied in a voice silent as whispers, tired and monotone.

The redness in her eyes and her face drenched of grief was easily inferable to Aemond. He hated to see her this way, the idea that she had to present herself gathered in front of him, hide her sadness in front of him pained him. They weren’t the ideal pair but he resented that she felt she couldn’t rely on him “I’m deeply sorry for your loss.” He spoke walking towards her as she nodded in reply.

What was she to say? The loss was only hers to bare. Frankly she was afraid of what to do from here…with no one left. Aemond on the other hand felt lost at words. What do you say to someone whose world has fallen apart? For as much as he’d known of y/n she was as joyous as it gets, she shared jokes with Halena and proved to her best companion, Alicent adored her as well, got along with the servants and maids if only from afar she had always been as lovely as daylight moon to him. Shining all the time.

“Your father was a good man-“ Aemond began not wanting to leave y/n alone.

“Honourable.” Y/n’s voice lighter than before interrupted him as she looked down at her hands, attempting to avoid his gaze. “He was an honourable man.” She finished her sentence.

“Truly. He was an honourable-“

“And he wasn’t a traitor.” This time she gathered the courage she had to speak at the normal pitch. It felt like she was speaking up against Aemond in some way. She just wanted to speak up against the false allegations. Perhaps Aemond would be the only person she could ever say be courageous enough to say it to.

“Y/n listen” Aemond gently held her hands in his as she quickly yanked them away from his fingers. Aemond being here at all felt like a mocking.

“D-don’t touch me!” She announced as tears threatened to spill. It hurt to see her be this resistive of his touch, when things had been better between them for a while. “Had it not been for marrying you my father would still be alive!”

“Trust me y/n if I knew anything about the execution I would have tried to prevent it!” Aemond reasoned to her still collected but a bit of himself hurt to see his lady wife this way. He carried the weight of the relationship they could be, he had become rather fearful of the longing and love he held for her.

Y/n stepped closer to him for the first time since he entered her room she looked up at him, into his eyes “Why didn’t you?” She tugged at the collar of his shirt weakly, “Why didn’t you, Aemond?” Aemond. This was the first time she had called him by his first name.

Her teary lost eyes started into his seeking justification, someone to take a fall for her. She pulls away again. She didn’t want to be calm. She couldn’t be collected with herself when in truth she felt like more in blame “If I had just told my father I was truly content with you-asked him to leave the council—all this treachery, go back home..do you think it would’ve been different? I would’ve prevented it?” How could she ask him if something she couldn’t accomplish herself. If not for her sake everything could’ve been prevented. She sobbed as the blame took a toll on her it felt like she had a hole in herself. Everything felt shallow.

This time Aemond stepped further wrapping his arms around her, she resisted him at first as she cried. Slightly pushing him away with weak tugs, which had nothing to do with Aemond. It was that he was the only one there she felt undeserving of his sympathy for something she felt like she caused herself. Aemond understood that, unmoved he rubbed his hand on her back trying to calm her down. “You are not to blame here my love, you couldn’t have known.” He said as y/n finally gave in, melting in his arms continuing to sob. “I should have.” she muttered between her sobs as he held her.

“It wouldn’t have helped, to die is easier than to watch someone die I assure you none of it is your fault. Men in power tend to play ugly games.” He consoled her as she buried her face into his embrace. Aemond held her in his arms as if the world would end if he let go off her. He slowly sank both of them to the ground and held her just as close as she cried until tiring herself to sleep. He held her through it all as she fell asleep in his arms.

—

Part 2

HIIIIIII I’ve some ideas to do a part two of this (not a series) let me know what you think of this or if you want to be tagged :)

Drink water <33

Tags: @softieekayy @stuckinaf4nfiction

[a-silent-symphony]

The 4 songs Nightwish have only performed live once

They’ve been around for two-and-a-half decades and played nearly 1,000 shows, and through it all symphonic metal’s superstars have only performed these songs one time

You can’t talk about symphonic metal without mentioning Nightwish. Not long after forming in the mid-1990s, Tuomas Holopainen’s majestic mavens became the measuring stick for the genre. They scored regular chart success in their native Finland while at the same time earning critical acclaim, thanks to their unencumbered, all-instruments-blaring vision.

Nightwish have written upwards of 100 songs since they started, and most of them have serenaded fans during their litany of live shows in that time. Hammer’s already listed the tracks that these maximalists have never once performed, but an even more exclusive club is that of the ones they brought out once then immediately scrapped. Below are the four songs Nightwish have only played live on a solitary occasion, according to setlist database setlist.fm.

Moondance (Oceanborn, 1998)

Nightwish’s debut, 1997’s Angels Fall First, was written and recorded with the intention of it being a demo, not a fully fledged studio album. As a result, it’s far more raw, rough and ready than anything else the Finns have ever unfurled. Followup Oceanborn swiftly chartered them down more grandiose avenues, and the instrumental Moondance is indicative of the more heroic sound the band craved: keyboardist Tuomas busts out a bombastic melody as his fellow musicians gallop along.

However, maybe because it would leave Nightwish’s vocalist with nothing to do for a bit, this segue’s only ever made the set once. It was at Club Feeniks in Turku, Finland, on February 13, 1999, performed as part of a broader instrumental suite towards the end of the night.

Sleepwalker (2000)

Oceanborn marked Nightwish’s commercial coming out party. Its lead single, Sacrament Of Wilderness, was the band’s first song to top the Finnish charts, then the album’s cover of Walking In The Air repeated that feat in 1999. Because of such success, the maestros decided to battle for a spot at the 2000 Eurovision Song Contest, hoping to represent their home nation with a newly written piece, Sleepwalker.

Sleepwalker won the public vote when Nightwish made their case on national TV to stand for Finland, but the scores of a judging panel brought them down to third place overall. The bid was disappointingly dashed, meaning that the sole performance of this song was to those stuffy judges in Helsinki on February 12, 2000.

Meadows Of Heaven (Dark Passion Play, 2007)

Nightwish brought the tour for 2007’s Dark Passion Play to an end in poetic fashion. Meadows Of Heaven is the final song on album six (the first to feature Anette Olzen behind the mic), and it ends 75 minutes of cinematic metal in appropriately operatic form. Its live debut was saved for the very last show the band played before retreating into the writing room to dream up Imaginaerum, aptly closing the main set.

Nightwish didn’t return to the stage until 2012, by which point they had 75 more minutes and 13 more songs in their arsenal. Unsurprisingly, then, Meadows Of Heaven became a one-and-done, but it served its role beautifully the one time it did rear its head.

Pan (Human :||: Nature, 2020)

Like many, many other metal bands, Nightwish saw the pandemic through by replacing the touring they should have done for 2020’s Human :||: Nature with a livestream. Actually, strike that: they hosted two. The band played a two-night set, dubbed An Evening With Nightwish In A Virtual World, which marked the debut of numerous songs from the preceding album, including Shoemaker, Tribal and Noise.

The only one that didn’t make it onto real-life stages was Pan. It’s a shame, as not only does the song continue Nightwish’s overblown ways unabated, but it flaunts some pretty gnarly riffs to boot. Sadly, though, the fact remains: this anthem was dispatched following its livestream debut. And, given that Nightwish are currently gearing up to release Human :||: Nature’s successor, it’s unlikely it’ll get its time in the sun.

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Hi, I don't know if you take requests for updates of already existing lists, but I wondered if you'd have any new recommendations of fics dealing with John's internalised homophobia? I particularly enjoy agirlsname's work. Thanks !

Hey Nonny!

I'm ALWAYS taking requests for lists!! Thank you for this one, it's been sitting for awhile awaiting a prompt!!

Cheers!

INTERNALIZED HOMOPHOBIA Pt. 2

See also:

John’s Internalized Homophobia

Homophobia / Sexuality / Pride (Updated Aug 2023)

A Better Fate Than Wisdom by flawedamythyst (G, 1,339 w., 1 Ch. || First Kiss, John’s Sexuality Crisis, Pining Sherlock, Happy Ending, Fluff) – Nearly four hours pass between their first kiss and their second.

London Gods by a_different_equation (E, 11,092 w., 5 Ch. || American Gods Fusion || Magical Realism, Sex Magic, True Love, PTSD John, First Kiss/Time, Marathon Sex, Sensuality, Genie Sherlock, Human John, Internalized Homophobia, Star-Crossed Lovers, Soul Mates) – Sherlock Holmes is a jinn who does not grant wishes. However, when Dr. John H. Watson, recently returned from the war in Afghanistan, gets into his cab by "accident", it might not even need magic to grant both men their deepest wish: love.

A Gossamer Dream by CarmillaCarmine (E, 15,985 w., 4 Ch. || Writer/Teacher AU || First Meetings, Friends to Lovers, Writer John / Teacher Sherlock, Fluff, London, Holding Hands, Online Friendship / Romance, Phone Sex, Anal Sex, Happy Ending, Alternating POV, Scottish John, Online Relationship, Internalized Homophobia, Hand Holding, Forehead Touching, First Kiss/Time, Texting/Sexting, Rimming, Toplock, Sherlock Speaks French) – Sherlock had never realised one could care so much about someone they'd never met in person. Now he is about to meet the friend with whom he's been chatting online for months and his anticipation is reaching a crescendo. 

Rupert Street by WritingOutLoud (M, 27,262 w., 9 Ch. || Alternate First Meeting || Case Fic, Sexuality, Demisexual Sherlock, Drugging, Smart John, Sherlock Has Internalized Biphobia, Fluff, Angst with Happy Ending, Gay Bar, Flirting, John Manipulates Sherlock to Eat, John Deduces, Arguments, Kidnapping/Torture, Hospitalization, John Whump) – Discharged from the war with nothing but the clothes on his back and a realisation of his bisexuality, John Watson has to learn who he’s become. He can’t afford London on an army pension, but the city is the only friend he has. In an effort to understand his newfound queer identity, he heads to a bar one night, where he stumbles across a mysterious stranger who turns his life upside down. ‘I dug around inside myself, and I'm not quite sure what I found, but it was beautiful and terrifying all at the same time.’

Domestic Matters by ohlooktheresabee (M, 29,404 w., 6 Ch. || Fantasy AU || First Meetings, Developing Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Domestic Fluff, BAMF Sherlock, BAMF John, Idiots in Love, Misunderstandings, Supernatural Elements, Implied / Referenced Child Abuse, Elf Sherlock, Human/Elf Politics, Emotional Abuse, Possessive Sherlock, Anxious Sherlock, Buddy Greg) – All flatmates need to work out domestic matters between them - who does the dishes, who takes out the rubbish, how often does the carpet need to be vacuumed - these are part and parcel of sharing a living space together. However, when you’re an elf and your flatmate is going to be a human you just met, this rather complicates things…Very loosely inspired by 'The Elves and The Shoemaker' by The Brothers Grimm.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse by SilentAuror (E, 50,635 w., 1 Ch. || Post-S4/S4 Divergence, Case Fic, For a Case / Reverse Fake-Relationship, Conferences, Marriage Equality, Travelling / New York, Pride, Homophobia, Bottomlock, Marriage Proposal, John POV, Sexuality, Love Confessions, Emotional Love Making, Public Hand Jobs, Blow Jobs, Passionate Kissing, Needy/Clingy Sherlock, Virgin Sherlock, Touching / Hand Holding, Bed Sharing, Little Spoon Sherlock, Intense Orgasms) – John and Sherlock go to New York to attend a conference run by the National Defence of Traditional Marriage Coalition in order to investigate the potential bombing of the annual Manhattan Pride parade. As the conference unfolds, John finds himself repulsed by the toxic ideology being presented, which becomes relevent to his own unacknowledged issues and his friendship with Sherlock...

A Goose Quill Dipped in Venom by Polyphony (M, 52,748 w., 16 Ch. || Celebrity John AU || Alternate First Meeting, TV Host John, Supermodel Mary, Character Death, Mystery, Romance, Case Fic, First Kiss/Time, Meddling Mycroft, Drug Abuse, Doctor John, PDA, Deductions, POV Sherlock, Toplock, Sexual Tension, Angry/Rough Sex, Hopeful Ending, Asperger’s Sherlock) – Sherlock Holmes, consulting detective, is called in to a very ordinary although brutal murder. Something is badly out of tune with the whole scenario and Sherlock finds himself becoming more and more obsessed with the crime - and also with the victim.

Points by lifeonmars (E, 53,791 w., 42 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || HLV Rewrite / Canon Divergence, Married Life, Pregnancy / Baby Watson, Drinking to Cope, Boxing / Fisticuffs, Clueless John, Angst, Minor Medical Drama, Tattoos, Christmas, First Kiss/Time, Eventual Happy Ending, Love Confessions, Doctor John, Sexuality Crisis, Slow Burn, Case Fic, Drugging, Blow/Hand Job, Emotional Love Making, Parenthood, Passage of Time) – What if His Last Vow never happened? This fic picks up a few months after John and Mary's wedding, in an alternate universe where Magnussen doesn't exist, but Mary is still pregnant. Life continues -- just in a different direction. And slowly, Sherlock and John find their way to each other.

Swallow the Night by ArwaMachine (E, 87,873 w., 15 Ch. || TSo3/Stag Night Fix It, TAB/S4 Divergence, Toplock, Mutual Pining, PWP, Drunk / Public Sex, Anal Fingering/Sex, Alcohol-Induced Amnesia, Everyone Knows Except Them, Emotional Love Confession, Demisexual Sherlock, Internalized Homophobia [John], Parentlock with Rosie, First Kiss, Drug Relapse, Infidelity, Texting, Masturbation, Oblivious John, Emotional Love Making, Angst with Happy Ending, Dreams and Nightmares) – “Do you know how long,” John panted, his cheek scraping against the wall, looking back at Sherlock through half-closed eyes, “I’ve wanted this?” Sherlock pressed himself against John’s back, biting at John’s ear. “Not nearly as long as I have,” he whispered.

Kintsukuroi by sussexbound (E, 91,823 w., 20 Ch. || S4 Compliant / Post-TLD, Grief / Mourning, PTSD, Internalized Homophobia, Therapy, Past Abuse, Alcohol Abuse, Nightmares, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Depression, Anxiety, Bed Sharing, Love Confessions, Cuddling, Suicidal Ideation, Masturbation, Minor Character Death, Sexting, Frottage, Inexperienced Sherlock, Rimming / Anal / BJ’s, Emotional Turmoil, Finding Each Other) – “I love you.” Sherlock sees the words hit John with almost physical force. He reels back a little, jaw twitching and eyes filling. “I love you,” he repeats, a little softer, a little more gentle, as earnest as he possibly can. Because they’ve been teetering on the brink of this thing for years, and it had become painfully obvious over the last few months that they were at a tipping point. This had to happen. Now it has. Now they can see where they end up. The tears in John’s eyes spill over, and he wipes at them angrily. “Do you even know what that means?”  

[gatabella]

"…as we left the salon at the conclusion of her visit, crowds surged forward around her car and cameramen rushed to take pictures. I was annoyed at the intrusion, but not Miss Garbo. She is a princess at heart. She merely bent her head to indicate that she did not desire to be photographed and climbed into her car. "

-Salvatore Ferragamo, Shoemaker of Dreams, 1957

[tinycoded360]

G/T favorite/rec list from Deviantart part 1

So I made a favorite list of all the g/t-themed stories I have found and enjoyed over the years. I've been meaning to organize it into a list for some time now, so it's easier for me to find them again. (they get lost in my favorite folder, just a pain to go through it all.) So below is a list of all the stories written by different authors, I hope someone finds one they haven't read before and gives the writer some love.

(I tried to put a description with each one because not all of them came with summaries, so I apologize if the story is poorly described, I'm pretty bad at making summaries.)

The scalpel chapter 1 by gtypewriter

it’s about a borrower named Hanna baker, she is apart of an organization that pairs borrowers with human agents. The organization is called Cloak and Dagger, an organization dedicated to the continued secrecy of borrowers and the neutralization of those who go against that directive.

Found (New earth saga) by Ladymadonna99. (they are also on wattpad)

This story’s main character is a human teenager named River; she has to navigate being human in her new family of giants. (She found out that her human mother had kidnapped/illegally adopted her, her giant family is her legal family) There are other stories in this universe, which can be found in the author's gallery.

Silver Ash by Bittykimmy13

Summary: Raiden is this year’s Offering to the forest, but he’s not going down without a fight. He searches desperately for a way to free himself from his binds, but time is not on his side. Something in the forest is looking for him. Something that towers higher than any beast he could dream of.

also on ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/43396059/chapters/109089948

Do No Harm by gtypewriter

Some scifi g/t fiction. A giant alien crash lands on earth.

Little Captive by GT-Kathryn

This is supernatural and borrower fiction. This story is about a borrower girl who gets picked up by a human child, and she gets help from a surprising source.

Detective Dad by prodigywithapen

This story is about a teenager that is shrunk by a mad man, and she is found by a detective that is on the case, she is put in his protective care.

(This one is one of my top favorites, I re-read it a lot, one of my comfort reads.)

Thrown together by littlelorraine

"Shoemaker and the Elves" fairy tale, but with a bit of a twist. Bisnymph are small, tailed humanoid beings that live alongside humans (Clerks or Customers to them), but only in businesses, not homes. Their way of life is similarly built around their trades, which are the lifeblood of their communities. ( I just took some of the authors summary to describe this one, it’s a good read!)

The demon of talbot woods by thebrideedawrites

A human girl finds herself in a giant world and is caught by a giant man, they mistake her at first for a little demon. (this is one of my top favorites and a comfort read for me and it is complete!)

The flower petals did not fade by batterysavermode

This is a sherlock g/t work of fiction with a borrower girl and another small species that the author created.

[heliosphere-underthesky]

Some phone doodles of comets! I decided I'd do more of these because they're a fun way to draw without feeling too pressured about perfection

Anyway here are comets Encke, Shoemaker-Levy 9, and ISON!

Some short descriptions of each under the cut!

Comet Encke

A short term comet that hangs out in the inner solar system, doing various odd jobs. He claims it feels more at home there, he loves hanging out with asteroids, he's familiar with the planets (good friends with Earth, but maybe not as close as Halley and Earth) and seems to have a crush on Sun. He did not mind at all when the Sun sneezed a nasty CME on him (not knowing he was in the vicinity) and was able to regain his scarf's energy.

Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 (Levi)

A comet who was captured by Jupiter. He used to be a traveling shoemaker by trade, but upon capture, was forced to live by Jovian standards. He did not like this. He spent years fighting for his freedom, but he knew it was probably all too late for him. He died fighting Jupiter even if he stood no chance, even devising a way to damage Jupiter well after his death.

Comet ISON

A comet with the heart of a daredevil and a dreamer. He was believed to have come from the distant Oort Cloud, where he dreamt of being able to perform for the Sun someday. He finally made it and sought to perform a daring stunt, but something went wrong at the last moment and he was believed to have died from the accident. Those who know him know that he wouldn't have regretted it, as he was able to live out his dreams, even if it didn't turn out as expected.

[kindafooey]

Käärijä - Menestynyt yksilö (eng. successful individual), full English translation (by meeeeee)

Aight here's another one, also requested by @verminetroglodyte! I know someone else got to this one first and a translation already exists, but I really enjoy working with Käärijä's lyrics so I thought, what the heck, two cakes amiright? As with Aikuinen, I took some minor artistic liberties in order to stay as faithful to the original vibes as possible. I also added some annotations this time around, you can find those at the bottom of the post.

musta piti tulla jotain / I was s'posed to be something (x2)

haaveet kaatuu / dreams collapse

27-vuotiaana piti olla omakotitalo / at age 27 I was s'posed to have a house

oma piha, vaimo ja sopivasti kaks lasta koiran kera alla saman katon / my own yard, wife, two kids and a dog all under the same roof

se ei menny nii, ei / didn't work out like that, no

nyt poden etukäteen kolmenkybän kriisii / now I'm going through my 30's crisis in advance

tilaan tuopin ja heitän hynät tiskiin / I order a pint and toss my money at the counter

vittu mikä fiilis / my mood's all fucked

kulkuri laulava, kullan kimalluksesta kaukana / a singing drifter, far from the glint of gold

ei pahemmin naurata / ain't got much to laugh about

nuoren pojan mielikuvitus alko unelmist laukata, jotka voi nyt haudata / guess it's time to bury all those dreams that sent a young boy's imagination galloping

kiristää kaulasta, tuntuu et tukehdun, taisin liian ison palan haukata / my throat closes up, feels like I'm choking, I may have bitten more than I can chew

posin kautta / I try to stay pos

en oo toinen jalka haudassa (viel) / at least I ain't got my other foot in the grave (yet)

Chorus:

ku mä huudan "musta" / when I go "I was"

te huudatte "piti tulla" / you go "s'posed to be"

MUSTA PITI TULLA / I WAS S'POSED TO BE

(x2)

kullanhohtonen menestynyt yksilö / a gold-coated successful individual

eikä mikään hiton kummajainen yksiös / and not some damn freak stuck in a studio apt

taloyhtiön humalainen hylkiö / not a drunk outcast shunned by the housing cooperative

vaan kullanhohtonen menestynyt yksilö / but a gold-coated successful individual

Kela sano meistä tuli muurareita, taksikuskeja ja suutareita / Kela* said we grew up to be masons, taxi drivers and shoemakers

mut osast meist tuli pelkkii tunareita / but some of us grew up to be mere losers

turhakkeita joilla vesi tulee läpi kupareista (nou) / good-for-nothings falling apart from the seams (no)

jos sä tunnistat tästä ittes ni huuda jou / if you're feeling this, holler yo

MITÄ? JOU! okei, hyvä, lets go! / WHAT? YO! Okay, good, let's go!

oli tavotteita jotka piti naulata / had goals I was s'posed to nail

menestyä ja oma taverna aukasta / make it big and open my own tavern

mutta piti omat viikset kaupata / but instead I had to put my stache up for sale**

jotta sais punasta marlia kaupasta / just to afford red marli*** from the store

kiristää kaulasta, tuntuu et tukehdun, taisin liian ison palan haukata / my throat closes up, feels like I'm choking, I may have bitten more than I can chew

posin kautta / I try to stay pos

en ole toinen jalka haudassa (viel) / at least I ain't got my other foot in the grave (yet)

[Chorus]

no menikö sulla hommat niinku luulit? (ei) / so how about you, did things work out just as planned? (no)

oisko tänä vuonna parempi tuuri (ei) / maybe this year you'll luck out? (no)

entäpä ensi vuonna mitä tuumit (ei ei) / how 'bout next year, whadya think? (no no)

no sitä minäki, ollaa samas venees / Yeah that's what I thought, we're in the same boat

tän piti olla mun vuos / this was s'posed to be my year

niinku mä sanon joka hiton vuos / like I say every damn year

uudet kujeet, uus minä / new tricks, new me

mut mä oon edelleen sama hiton minä / and yet I'm still the same freakin' me

[Chorus]

musta piti tulla jotain suurta ja isoo / I was s'posed to be something huge and great

musta piti tulla jotain, mut ei lompakko liho / I was s'posed to be something, but my wallet remains lean

musta piti tulla jotain, piti tulla jotain / I was s'posed to be something, s'posed to be something

ees jotain, ees jotain / at least something, at least something

*This is a reference to a song by Anssi Kela that was popular in the early 2000's. It's generally considered an upbeat (overly so to some) and folksy song that makes fun of social class, but here Käärijä recontextualizes it as a song about privilege, which is interesting considering how poverty, unemployment and severe mental health issues among young adults have reached an all-time high in the past decade. Just throwing in some extra context here because I genuinely think most of Käärijä's lyrics have a subtext of exceptionally sharp-sighted social/societal commentary that deserves more attention.

**He actually did this a couple of years ago, he sold his mustache for 52 euros lol. The buyer showed up ag one of his recent gigs with the mustache in a ziplock bag. There's a hilarious video of it somewhere, I'll see if I can find it after posting

***"Red Marli" refers to a specific cheap juice that basically tastes like sweet non-alcoholic mulled wine. It's a popular winter drink and apparently Käärijä's vodka mixer of choice. He's made a super fun song about this weird spiced juice simply called Punainen Marli, I'm actually thinking of translating that one next hehe. (There's another intertextual cross-reference between these two songs, since at the beginning of Punainen Marli the listener is warmly welcomed to Käärijä's tavern, the one he mentions having dreamed of in this song.)

[dontletyourguarddown]

30 DAYS MUSIC CHALLENGE: 2024 edition Day 3: A favorite song with a person’s name in the title Shoemaker by Nightwish

I want to sing with you You`re home now, outward urge As with every dreaming creature We want to come with you