#so well :)) Frankenstein lives rent free not just in my head but also on my shelves

[suddenly-frankenstein]

WELL

just decided to share with y'all my not-so-big but not-so-small Frankenstein editions collection 👁️👁️

I have 14 books for now! most of them are English-language editions, but I also have several books in Ukrainian, as well as one in German and one in French – really hope to find an opportunity to collect more editions in other languages in the future.

details are under the cut!

1. one of my latest thing! Frankenstein (Deluxe Edition) 2023, with absolutely stunning illustrations. Damn, it was quite expensive for me, but ahhhhh this is so beautiful I can't-

2. another beaty! Macmillan Collector's Library's edition, small but so pretty under the supercover, and THIS blue colour!! and inside design!!

3. this one is one of my ultimate faves ahhhhh. Signet Classics's edition, and I'm absolutely IN LOVE WITH THIS COVER, HEELLLL!! it also is very pleasant to touch

4-5. German and French (with McAvoy on the cover jkjdkdjdkd) editions! they were the gift from my friend and I really love to have them in collection – also really love the choice of colours in the German edition, just YES

6-8. three Ukrainian editions – first 2 in Ukrainian, the 3rd is in English and has a very silly cover :)

the first one is my favorite, because I really like this format, and I also leave notes in it during the process of re-reading the book

9. also my latest purchase – Frankenstein: Junji Ito Story Collection. I haven't read it yet, but heeeellll so gorgeous wtf

10. Usborn Young Reading's edition of Frankenstein. More like retelling for children, but oh, it has really cute illustrations on each page :3

11-13. few more editions in English!

first one – Penguin Clothbound Classics's edition, and of course I NEEDED to have it, because it's really looking and feeling so damn good. This also was the gift from my friend (the same one with the German and French editions) and god, SHE IS THE BEST.

second – Collins Classics's edition, I just like its cover – laconic, but kinda expressive??? idk. but well, this one has very small font of text just uhhh impossible to read.

third – idk what it really is lol, but the cover looks pretty but also kinda funny because of this photoshopped heart lol

14. my very first edition, it's in russian and I don't have much to say about it, but it was cheap and has some of my notes so I keep it.

[tvaccaro]

How do you make your magic system more unique besides pulling from various myths and folktales ? I used to sort of Frankenstein magic systems together based on what would work for the characters but over time that went from being extremely useful to very repetitive. All my magic systems felt like carbon copies of each other after a while

Oooo well firstly hi! The Vagus art still lives rent free in my head lmfao

Anyhow, it really depends on what you need from your story. The use of "Frankenstein" makes me think maybe your lens is a bit too focused on individual characters. That's not a bad thing inherently, especially for magical realism or a soft magic system. But generally, you also need to keep in mind the way your magic system interacts with the story itself and the world at large, as well as what magic can mean thematically. It's a process of making it feel cohesive as a whole so everything feels purposeful.

When I was making the magic system for De Cineribus, I decided to keep it relatively basic since it was my first attempt at a novel. And at the end, I was also really obsessed with Tales of Zestiria and Berseria, both of which use the same elemental system for their world.

And so fire, water, earth, and air it was. But a lot of the extra details I came up with wound up inadvertently creating themes I hadn't really anticipated. The eye color system, for example, which determines the number of elements you can learn and how much raw power you have access to. It provided a roadblock for Felix learning magic that made his story more engaging, while also creating this sort of magical class structure in the Medeian Empire.

I do wish I did more with the light and dark alignments in the first book, aside from the detail of how it changes the way your element is expressed (i.e. blue flames or red, water or ice, etc.). But I do have some ideas of where it can lead in future books, namely in the emotions and values the different alignments draw their powers from. Sorta like the differing philosophies of the elements in ATLA.

Now admittedly, I don't recall whether I knew Felix would have blue flames at the very beginning (like, back when I made him before deciding this animated slice of life would be a novel series), or if I figured that out after I'd ironed out the larger magic system. But a lot of this was learning to listen to what my gut was telling me on what worked for the story versus what didn't. So you can absolutely start with your characters' individual magic, then iron it out from there. But in your case I think trying it from the opposite approach might help.

My suggestion is start with the foundation of your magic system as a whole, and then over time, narrow in on your characters and where they fit into the larger picture. Reverse engineering (starting with individual characters) can work, but that seems to be where your carbon-copy problem might be originating from. It results in a messier broader picture that leaves it feeling unfocused and not cohesive. Same goes for pulling from myths and folklore. That's fine, but always be sure it's in service to your grander purpose, not just your characters.

Hope this helps! (also hope you enjoy the rest of the story - lowkey I have big plans for the De Cineribus series)

[cupstealer]

Re: your last ask.

I am also no longer into the fandom side of hockey anymore and hardly ever read fan fic anymore. (A senior thesis will do that to a person 😔) Buut I want you to know that I think about contact high on a regular basis. Once a week maybe type of regular, when I’m wishing I was reading something fun and not a science journal. Is that weird?! I mean I know that sounds a little crazy- but it might be the greatest fic I’ve ever read. While I was reading it I got the sense that it would be one of my favorites, but I had no idea how much it would still ruminate with me a year and a half later. I don’t think I can recall a single other rpf work like I can that one. You are such an amazing writer! And I hope you continue to write- whatever it may be that your writing about! 💕

(Sorry to keep putting these on y’all’s dash, but it’s the only way I can THANK these anons and they definitely need thanking.)

Your timing OP ;.; I really got this ask when I needed it most. 💕 Thank you thank you thank you! Sorry for the delayed response—it’s so hard to figure out how to thank somebody and explain how much words like this mean while not sounding like a flu patient or something.

To answer your question, it’s not weird! There are absolutely fics that live rent-free in my head to the degree that I’m basically sponsoring them on a permanent residency program [cut to footage of bring it if you really want it by staraflur]. And god, what an honor that Contact High is like that for you 🙏 Contact High is my favorite thing that I’ve written. A lot (pfff, all) of the content was so self-indulgent for me, just utter wish-fulfillment, which I usually try to dial back, but I wanted to see what might happen if I really leaned in instead. (The thing with toothpaste/walking in on someone actually happened to me when I was staying over at a friend’s house in high school... Sorry again to her brother, I promise I barely saw anything.) There isn’t a single element of that fic that I wasn’t excited about while I was writing it. And it’s that much more touching when the work that feels the most ‘me’ is someone’s favorite.

Anon, I hope you get some free time to read fun stuff soon! You deserve it. And good luck on your thesis! Defend that sumbitch like you’re Connor Murphy (no idea if it’s the kind of thesis you defend, but you get my meaning). Thank you again 💕

I am still writing, by the way! Just as slow as ever though, and for a very mixed bag of subjects! No hockey lately, though I have a few unpublished 1988 WIPs that I haven’t touched in a long stretch yet haven’t let go of either. Every fall, I pump myself up to roll up my sleeves and edit/finish this genre-confused frankenstein of a haunted house-type fic, and I haven’t given up hope yet! (Plus if I finish it, I can finally read jezziejay’s witch Jonny fic—which got posted while I was writing mine, and I made myself bookmark it for later so I wouldn’t be influenced or in my head about any overlap even though they’re almost certainly totally different in every way. I’m dying to read hers ;.;)

Hmm I hesitate to say this, but... If anyone is really interested regardless of fandom, there’s also an unorthodox fic I wrote as a Christmas present for my sister back in 2017 that she keeps telling me to post. (I know, and it gets weirder from there.) I think I want to but I’ve hesitated for several reasons. First: I need to re-do the ending now that I’m not scrambling to finish it on Christmas Eve. Second: It is a pairing that does not exist and kind of bananas. More info under the cut if you’re interested.

Basically, years ago, one of my sisters and I had a looong conversation about who was worthy of being shipped with Stacker Pentecost from Pacific Rim, and when none of the characters from the movie satisfied us, we reached out into the vast universe of basically anyone from any media to find him love, guess-and-check style. After literal hours, I brought up one of my favorite under-appreciated characters, Linus Caldwell from Ocean’s Eleven (Matt Damon). Which makes no sense, but doesn’t it a little? It became a running joke, and then a running a joke that I was gonna write it, and then not a joke. Ain’t that the way?

So yeah—Third: I’m hesitant to get somebody excited about a new hockey fic only to open the email and see it’s a batshit crossover that literally no one (except my sisters) is asking for. That being said, I started it as a joke/challenge, but ended up making something that I find quite a fun little ride because I was so loose with it (because, like, who’s ever gonna see this, right? Some real dance like nobody’s watching shit). I’ve written a bunch of stuff never meant to see daylight, but this fic in particular feels complete. It just has a lot going on (Hidden identities! Never Been Kissed-style fake student/professor tension! Chase scenes! Cameos! Close-up magic! Heist crew banter! Idris Elba’s North London accent! My total lack of military knowledge!). Also it’s over 30k words. (Yeah.)

Is there any interest in me posting this?? To be clear, I’m definitely not expecting it to be popular or anything, but taking the time to fix it up only makes sense if I know at least two people will lay eyes one it, lol. You don’t have to know both films really well for it to make sense, but familiarity with the Ocean’s trilogy and characters probably helps a lot for context since it takes place in between those movies. Goes without saying that no offense will be taken if there isn’t clamoring demand amongst hockey rpfers for 30k of Pacific Rim crossed over with a George Clooney movie franchise in a fic that has neither giant robots nor giant monsters (nor George Clooney, in any appreciable quantity)... Think I’m capable of taking that sentiment on the chin. 🤙

[bindi-the-skunk]

Night is day and day is night In a world that's lost its mind! Chapter 1

Summary: Jekyll always thought no one else could have something worse to keep a secret than he did but he will find out, others have things they choose to "hyde"

Oh, Robert was going to be so upset at him when they got back to his house!

Hyde ended up losing control Henry was able to wrench it back and return into his body, thankfully Edward had enough sense to rush into a motels bathroom before it got too bad, the visitors having been pissed off members of the black fog Bazaar who had been less than pleased to have their shows canceled early because the feds got led to their hiding spot and they nearly tore the blond to shreds before he ran for the nearest room with a lock and barricaded himself in and changed back.

Robert had managed to get the trio of Bazaar employees away from the door, using his alpha presence to force them out of his way, he despised using pheromones to get what he wanted, too much like an animal, he had confided in Henry one time, before they had chosen to become mates and he had never used them on the chemist once before or after.

Robert's father had not approved of them getting properly married, despite complimenting the omega on his work ethics, he still refused to bless a marriage between the two.

He had been the reason they bonded in secret, witnessed by a couple of trusted friends, even to this day he knew nothing, just assumed the two had managed to remain good friends.

If he only knew...

Henry still had to fight down giggles or a blush whenever the stern alpha ended up sitting on a chair or sofa they had...christened, and was sure Robert sat his father in said seats on purpose, the little subtle smirk he wore when the elder Lanyon sat down said it was intentional.

The omega had nearly bolted when the door opened and he saw his mate on the other end, staring with wide chocolate eyes before Robert had grabbed Henry's arm and pulled him out, not saying a word, somehow that was more frightening than if he had chosen to scream.

Couldn't he have just enjoyed getting one over on Hyde for ONCE!?

Sneaking out the back way proved easier than expected and not a word was said between the two, what could Henry possibly say to save his skin? Robert had obviously seen Hyde disappear into the bathroom and found just Jekyll inside with no available windows or any other methods of escape but the door, he was caught...what would ..could he say...

That he created Hyde in a poor attempt to cure the depression that nearly killed him back in school?

That the pest known as Edward Hyde lived rent-free in his brain till he drank a potion to change...and this same omega chose to unleash horrific monsters only the body-sharing omegas could see out of the said brain to torment him? All because he wanted to go to the mad scientist version of a mall?

He would be lucky if Robert did not demand a bond severance immediately! He knew those occurred over cases FAR less serious than this!

The alpha would no doubt survive the break, he was strong, but the chemist was sure he himself would come down with mating sickness...and die a slow and painful death of heartbreak.

Please forgive me, Robert...

The door opened and closed in a flash as soon as they made it to the porch of the Lanyon home and Henry noticed too late it was Roberts FATHERS house, and a chill ran down the omegas spine at the realization.

No...He couldn't possibly be about to...it was too cruel!!!

Robert was going to denounce him in front of his father and any servants who came looking...any way but this way! Henry knew his mate would be mad at him but he did not think he would be THIS mad!

The chemist found himself pulled inside and was gently sat on a sofa, Robert surprisingly sitting next to him, the other now facing Jekyll properly so his face was in view.

He was smiling

"This is amazing, why didn't you say anything? Wait...I know...you thought I would be mad" Robert still smiled as he looked sympathetic at the other man who just nodded dumbly confused "Don't worry father will certainly let us...make it official once I tell him you have your own ...little secret,"

Little secret?

"I will explain everything to my father and you go pick out a nice wine in the cellar, whatever you like, I'm certain he won't mind" Robert smiled wider and helped Henry to his feet and pointed towards the cellar and walked away when he heard the voice of the elder Lanyon in the other room and the split man found himself doing as he was asked and headed for the cellar.

'what are you doing?! We can get away now! He's faking being all happy about it so we won't escape well his pops calls the police!'

'Robert would not do that...he can't fake his emotions that well...I can tell by his eyes...he is happy...'

Edward went silent after that

Deeper and deeper into the cellar Jekyll went, where did they keep the wine? After the events of tonight he might have to bring up two bottles! And force himself not to drink one by himself...escaping three angry Bazaar benefactors by the skin of their teeth and finding out his mate had some dark secret of his own...

What could it possibly be? He always was a perfect alpha to him and others, charming, well-mannered, attentive, and handsome to boot, did he also dabble in dark science? He did co-own the society, but he never really seemed too interested in the goings about there.

Something wet squelched under his shoe, and looking down, the chemist went pale.

A bloodied severed hand lay on the stone floor, tools that had been previously ignored because of the chemist's thought process also hung on the walls, dark with rust or fresh blood that had not yet dried and Jekyll slapped a hand to his mouth to keep from screaming or throwing up.

Robert's voice drew his attention back to the enterance.

"Love? Did you grab the wine? I hope you did not trip down there, several items my father uses are sharp!"

This could not be...

This is a more modern AU so if you see references to up-to-date stuff that is why I can't write victorian to save my life and this will also be a dark comedy (with some grimmer stuff later on that I won't spoil ) so do not take any of this TOO seriously and let your own Hyde's take the forefront! Mine certainly is with this fic!

fun fact: an actor who played Jekyll on stage (back when the book was first published) act was apparently so convincing HE was a suspect for jack the ripper! (bet that was FUN for him...not)

PS: should Jekyll and Frankenstein be related here like they are in my "Son of Frankenstein" story?

[themidnightcircusshow]

Hello, my favorite multi fandom blog. How goes it in the land of academia? Any favorite books or ships you would like to share?

Why thank you :3 (In actual academia land, my analyst brain is screaming “write the damn paper!” at my burn out brain which is just screaming “No!” back. This war has been going since April. I am tired.)

Hmmm. I’m in a Gothic mood lately, so I’ve been thinking about Dorian Gray and Frankenstein again. They’re both short, good reads, and Dorian Gray has the bonus of being written by Oscar Wilde and therefore being filled to the brim with quips. But sometimes Victorian censorship can do your head in, you know? And you want something that can be unrestrained. I am still looking, sadly.

I did end up trying to catch up on Black Butler because that’s nice and Gothic, but it angered me so it’s back on the shelf for now lol. It did remind me how desperately I need to reread Godchild, the superior Victorian Gothic manga but it’s a bit older and didn’t get an anime so it’s less well known. Godchild is a lot (a loooooot) shorter than Black Butler so it’s far more even, and I’ve found it sticks with you a lot more. There are no literal demons, just an examination of how cruel humans can be to each other. 

Speaking of manga that didn’t get an anime (But Wait!!!!), as has been probably obvious Seisub are back to living in my mind rent free. Actually, no, every other ship lives rent free in the house that Seisub built. Like, almost all of my favourite ships are in some way due to Seisub. Hannigram. Henry/Dorian. Quinn/Rachel. Matt/Elektra. Steter. Heck, even Hartwin has elements. Seisub literally has it all: Underappreciated and overworked cinnamon roll being corrupted by a human dumpster fire who kills people (though I guess Seishirou isn’t the cannibal in this relationship...). Mentor/Mentee where the mentor turns the mentee into their copy. Coping with the loss of your lover by becoming them. And my favourite, which I think is the thing that has always hit me to my bones: the idea of your soulmate being the person who can (and does) hurt you the most. Like, Seishirou destroys Subaru. Just flat out does a strip tease on that boy’s life and psyche. But Seishirou also can only be killed by the person he loves.

Good stuff right there.

It’s a controversial ship for the same reasons Hannigram is. Like it is canonically, textually abusive. The text never pretends otherwise. But they are also explicitly soulmates. I’ve seen people argue that that’s only in X, and in TB it’s just Seishirou manipulating Subaru, but I think the difference lies in how much you think Seishirou is lying to Subaru. Because it isn’t actually that much? They have a very intellectual connection and Seishirou is almost always suggesting very nihilistic and Yikes opinions. But they are also said at the very start to be basically soul mates-- they are from opposing families who are “different sides of the same coin” and Subaru is stated to be the light to Seishirou’s dark from the get go. Subaru is a sweetheart who loves everyone but at the same time doesn’t really love anyone, while Seishirou loves no one. Mirrors, y’all, they’re mirrors. Also I think people forget that Seishirou was a vet long before Subaru came along. Sure, Subaru does it because he loves animals so much and Seishirou does it because he is The Worst, but the mutual interest is very much there.

Anyway, everyone should read Tokyo Babylon.

[beeshavethrees]

Thinkin’ on another AU

I’m not actually planning to do anything with this, but wanted to throw the idea out there so it can stop living rent-free in my brain haha

Hamilton/Frankenstein AU. Details and a doodle under the cut!

For the most part, the AU sticks closely to the original story; at the moment I’d say it’s still set in Europe, but honestly it doesn’t matter too much. It’s mostly running with the story of the novel, though there were some changes made in the musical that I quite enjoyed, so I peppered them in here and there.

(Shipping is mostly ambiguous for this since things could get pretty questionable real quick for a multitude of reasons.)

Alexander fits pretty naturally as Victor -- ambitious, obsessed with his ideas, and ends up dying to his own hubris. His early life in this AU is far more luxurious, though lonely; he spends much of his time with Eliza, or running about causing trouble with John. After his mother dies, he heads off to university to begin his studies, delving into the realm of medicine. He’s a star student, but is haunted by the death of his mother, and after a few years of classes abandons his continued study in favor of attempting to reanimate the dead. The biggest problem with casting Alexander as Victor is that after creating the Creature, Victor goes and spends most of the rest of the novel doing fuck-all, though we can assume Alexander is so obsessed with what people would think of him and so overwhelmed that he just breaks. And if you take into context the musical for Frankenstein alongside the original book, several of the songs easily match up to the ones in Hamilton -- The Chase has a lot of overlap with the workshop version of Hurricane, for example.

Speaking of John, he similarly fits well into the role of Henry Clerval. Something of a dreamer, he cares more for ideals and free-flowing words than hard sciences; he’s far more preoccupied with the flaws of their world and putting them to paper. He also dabbles in the arts, appreciating the natural world for all it is. Shame he gets fucking murdered.

As for Eliza, she takes over the role of Elizabeth in the original story. The daughter of a noble family adopted into the Hamilton household. I’m not really sure how Angelica and Peggy would fit into the story -- I don’t know who would be Justine (the housekeeper/nanny for the Hamiltons), but it feels kind of sloppy to try and shove one of the other sisters into the role.

As previously mentioned, Alexander’s mother and father take the place of Caroline and Alphonse; nothing much here changes.

To round out the rest of the Frankenstein family, I was originally considering James Jr. and Edward as Ernest and William Frankenstein, but neither of them would really fit the roles well. Other options would have Phillip as William, the sweet little boy who’s strangled to death -- he would fit naturally into the role, though that still leaves Ernest. Though, eh, Ernest doesn’t do much, haha. another option would be sneaking Angelica/Peggy in here.

I think Burr best fits as Robert Walton. Perhaps instead of writing to his sister, he instead sends poor Theodosia 200 pages about the random man idiot frozen man (Alexander) he finds out on the ice of the arctic.

Finally, as for the Creature, we have Jefferson. I wasn’t originally sure who to put here, and played with a few options, but I think he fits the best. Eloquent and intimidating. If you want to play with a happy-ending AU instead of “RIP Alexander, motherfucker deserved it,” I couldn’t ever see Alexander and Thomas falling into a father/son creator/creation relationship, but they could end up as equals, more or less.

Pulling from the plot of the musical some more -- specifically the Amen song -- here’s a doodle of the condemned man himself before Alexander claims his corpse in the name of “science.” RIP Thomas. Also, a Creature. Wonder who Alexander got those eyes from...Thomas’ eyes were dark brown in life.

Since Frankenstein takes place around the same time frame as Hamilton, I didn’t bother drawing much of the cast -- they’d be in the same clothes for the most part, anyways. But since Thomas gets the most changes, he gets to be drawn.

Bonus suggestion: Jekyll and Hyde AU, of which I have put exactly zero thought into, I just think having Burr as the collected gentlemen Dr. Henry Jekyll and Alexander as Mr. Spirit of London New York Idiocy at Night would be hilarious.

[isaacdian]

hope you don't mind me asking, do you have any Isaac and Miria headcanons? i'd love to read some from you. you appear to have a good grasp on the characters, and great love for them. :)

aw thank you so much for the ask, sure thing!

some of these will probably get into theory territory as well, because i’ve had the novels sitting in my mind for years now, and there are a few details i’d like to mention (beware of baccano light novel spoilers, just in case).

this could get a bit long, so you can read it below the cut:

i’ll write my headcanons/thoughts in no particular order. more people might have come to similar conclusions, but i don’t think i’ve seen any posts or had any discussions with anyone regarding these (at least in depth), so!

- i like to think that miria and isaac ran away from their then (seemingly) unhappy lives after they got to interact with each other for quite a while, and not spontaneously upon meeting for the first time.

there isn’t much evidence to back this up beyond some characters commenting that they “were probably runaways” or that “maybe they eloped”, so they might have escaped together on the spot, since we already know they can be very impulsive. however, i get this feeling that their bond took some time to develop, and i’d love to see some of their interactions as isaac dian —and— miria harvent before they ever became isaac & miria, if that makes sense.

i doubt they met too long before their string of robberies, though? this is such a weirdly specific and probably meaningless thing to pinpoint, but in 1935 miria asks isaac if he’s ever been to the circus, and he responds that he does remember animals, but he doesn’t remember if that was the circus or the zoo. this hardly means anything, but their circumstances overall don’t really make me think that they’ve known each other since they were too young.

- whatever optimism and general exhilaration regarding life isaac has is innate. on the other hand, miria has mostly acquired her own sense of hopefulness over time, with isaac’s help.

miria is a 100% confirmed literal ray of sunshine and this indisputable. it just hasn’t/doesn’t always come to her as effortlessly as it may seem. bloody to fair isaac and miria magic show color page.png

this is somewhat related to the next one (and also the last point i’ll mention at the end of this post):

- when isaac gets arrested and he and miria get separated in 1934, they’re both having an equally hard time dealing with this.

okay this one is like. obvious ksjksk. but i wanted to talk about how they deal with this situation, because at first glance it looks like miria got the shortest end of the stick here. and in a way, that might be true! i’ve already mentioned that miria herself has been shown thinking about how much isaac helped her to be happy, and narita has been deliberately vague regarding the nature of their silliness, on top of hinting at the possibility of their shenanigans being a kind of mechanism to escape the harsh realities of life from the rolling bootlegs (very first novel), if i recall correctly.

(btw:

i recall that somewhere in the 1935 arc, graham starts talking with the usual “let me tell you a sad, sad story” prelude. however, isaac and miria are upset by this, and they tell him that he shouldn’t tell sad stories, because if you do it, your happiness will run away. meanwhile, this part in cloudy to rainy living rent free in my head:

i have to laugh..........)

that being said, i couldn’t help but feel like isaac was having an equally bad time, even if he displayed it in a different and not so blatant way. while i was rereading the novels after i got to buy the official english release, i felt very strongly that something was definitely wrong about their separation, which, again, is obvious to us readers and to the characters who know isaac & miria. but it extends beyond that. there was this general feeling of knowing that whoever came across an unaccompanied isaac would magically feel like there was something missing. i don’t know how else to explain this. he’s still full of energy and optimism and he’s fueled by his desire to reunite with miria, but every time he’s shown hesitating or doesn’t reach a satisfying conclusion while thinking about a frivolous topic, it hits you like “oh... right” (firo didn’t help much on that last front, either, so miria and isaac must have had to discuss what exactly happens to fellas who don’t believe in fairies after their reunion... lol)

in short, he needs miria just as much as she needs him. this is something i’ve seen other people mention as well: isaac might be the “force” factor in their relationship, but that force won’t amount to much without miria’s “direction”, and viceversa. the lift each other up, and they keep each other grounded, too.

i’m also remembering isaac and sham’s conversation and just. there’s a self-esteem/confidence factor in there. Fun Game of Spot the Difference

and this is getting ridiculously long, so i’ll spare you from having to read my dumb thots about isaac’s (possibly real) fear of miria not liking him, as the narrator implies, which i subconsciously ended up linking to that one impossibly crack ending in the ds game, where you pick the option of him not knowing frankenstein’s monster’s real name, so miria leaves him after realizing how “cheap and uncool” he is LMAO

- isaac’s father might have been an academic of some sort, as well as a stern man who disapproved of his son’s flighty and childish tendencies.

???????? besides miria’s implied tragic backstory, the most we know about both of their pasts is that isaac comes from a wealthy family with whom he seems to have a bad relationship with, so even though i’ve tried to work out other details (his parents’ provenance for instance?) i can’t really elaborate on this. even if isaac’s knowledge on the topic is pretty scrambled (to put it nicely lol), he knows a lot about “the orient” as he puts it, and the “dian” surname is pretty unique so who knows!👀 i’ve only mentioned his father because isaac, too, has only mentioned his "old man” twice so far in the novels, if i’m not mistaken. in my opinion, it also speaks volumes how flustered isaac got when molsa apologized to him, because it was the first time someone older than him has done this. and this is pretty arbitrary, but if isaac started robbing and getting into trouble before he and miria even met and/or before he got kicked out/ran away from home, that whole deal about “being used to dealing with policemen” (in the unofficial translation i read back in the day it was something along the lines of “this isn’t my first time being interrogated by the police”) in 1934 would make sense, i guess, considering that miria didn’t realize what was going on at the moment even though she’s a fairly perceptive person.

anyways it’s too bad we don’t know that much about miria on this front, also!! i get the vague feeling that she might have also come from a wealthy family (probably not a good environment, though), since in 1935 it’s mentioned that the closest they’ve ever gotten to working/having a job was when they were digging for gold, apparently. that’s why i can’t really think of anything too specific regarding miria’s past and upbringing... i have a feeling that she might have felt alone, trapped and/or overwhelmed. let’s just hope that when she said her bruises would heal up fine with ice in 1935 it had nothing to do with this “i should have died” business :(((

- even though isaac and miria love their friends and would do anything for them, they aren’t particularly attached to anyone (or any place) besides each other.

this is more of an observation than a headcanon, but i find it really interesting: they would definitely do anything for their friends, and they do enjoy life very intensely, but that’s precisely why they don’t seem to be fixed in one singular spot? basically, i feel like they’re the personification of “home is where the heart is” taken to the extreme. they could go anywhere and do anything as long as they have each other, and they will never make any attempts to actively do things that make it easier to label their relationship, such as getting married, which is heavily implied by firo (i think) in 2002 bullet garden (i think!!). that’s also part of the reason why i’m sure they’d never find themselves commiting to things like taking care of a pet, or a child; it’s more like they instantly “adopt” everyone they run into, as if they’ve always been friends, even if they won’t meet again for months, years, or ever again. anyway, isaac and miria are extremely good and they are literally going to be happy together forever and ever! they don’t need to prove that.

that doesn’t mean they’re not sentimental, though! i like to think that they keep some meaningful objects that remind them of fond memories of their friends. and this is hardly canon because it shows up in the anime And in a background at that, but shoutout to the rocking toy horse in their california mine lol.

- miria knew about her own immortality (as well as isaac’s) before the 2000s.

THIS IS PROBABLY MY SPICIEST TAKE and i tried to back it up in the next point of this list. i still keep thinking i’m reading too much, into this but

i can’t stop thinking about the implications, folks

which brings us to:

- miria is smarter than isaac is and actually has a fairly good idea of when he’s making stuff up, but is happy to let him take the lead.

i won’t deny that isaac and miria dedicate a huge chunk of their day to doing moronic stuff, and they are pretty dumb, but i feel like people don’t give them enough credit for how perceptive they are. even though that’s true of the two of them, i feel like this mostly applies to miria.

among other things, we’ve learned that she knows ronny isn’t human and has supernatural powers (wow), which is why she comes to him for help after isaac’s arrest. she’s very good at paying attention to small details, such as the kind of programs ennis watches on tv, or chané’s feelings, when the two talk in 1934. miria also “really knows her way around japanese” and has been shown to --apparently?-- multiply large numbers in her head in 1935... while isaac was talking about how good of an idea it would be to use the martingale betting system. not to mention how isaac stated he “doesn’t know how to count money” earlier in this arc. my god ksdjgjks. i want to know what’s up with this, if anything.

so, yeah! there’s probably more stuff that i could mention, but i am exhausted lol. thank you for your patience anon, i have no idea how long this has been sitting in my inbox. always happy to get baccano questions <3 i apologize for any typos/errors and the like.

bonus headcanon: miria grabs ennis with one hand and chané with her other hand and they go out with their arms linked and excited and they learn more about having fun, as friends do. no printer just fax

[howrv]

Woodstock, 50 Years Later

Living in our HOW (Home on Wheels) for the past three years has been our ticket to amazing experiences. From rodeos to The Rose Parade, art museums to boat races, slot canyons to The Grand Canyon, we have done amazing things.  

A year into our journey we planned to attend Woodstock 50, wherever it was to be.  We reserved a spot for HOW at both Watkins Glen and the original location at Bethel Woods, knowing that eventually one would become the clear choice.  As the event approached, everything went wrong for the Watkins Glen event.  Michael Lang, who owned the Woodstock name, experienced withdrawals from promoters and artists, and never got ticket sales off the ground. Somehow, booking Jay Z, Chance the Rapper, Miley Cirus and hip-hop acts did not match our expectations of what a celebration of Woodstock should be.  Rolling Stone quoted David Crosby’s take on Lang, “it had nothing to do with anyone feeling good about each other.  It had to do with certain people making huge amounts of money.”

So, on the weekend marking the 50th anniversary of the greatest love-in music festival in history, we arrived at what seemed to be hallowed ground. The spot that was once Max Yasgur’s alfalfa field is now a beautiful venue for the arts and music, set in the pristine rolling meadows called Bethel Woods. Much has changed but the vibe was still there as an anticipated crowd of 100,000 passed through the gates in this four-day celebration, (far less than the 500,000 of ‘69.)  Arriving early, we tail-gated for a while, had some wine and cheese and talked to folks who were adorned with tie-dye, beaded headbands, bell bottoms and peace-sign jewelry. Some arrived in their original restored VW buses. We met old hippies who were there a half century ago, as well as first timers.  We were surprised how many young people there were. A blended mix of peace and love seekers of all ages. (pictures below)

The first night we rented lawn chairs and sat on the hillside right behind the covered amphitheater on immaculately manicured grass.  As the sun was sinking over the fields behind us, the stage lights illuminated Earth, Wind, and Fire as they took to the the stage playing: “You Made Me So Very Happy, Spinnin Wheel , And When I Die, and God Bless The Child. The band spanned all genres of pop, rock, featuring a new kid from American Idol, Bo Bice as frontman.  

Next to perform was the biggest surprise of the night. Edgar Winter Band rocked the planet (or at least Bethel Woods) playing Tobacco Road, Frankenstein, Free Ride, Rock-and-Roll Hoochie Koo, and Dying to Live. Winter is a multi-instrumentalist but is acclaimed as the first person ever to put a neck strap on a keyboard and dance the stage with a Moog Synthesizer.  The most remarkable performance was his vocal ability.  He mimicked complex riffs and was answered by the lead guitar, bass player, keyboards and drums to the amazement of everyone in attendance.

The stage fog increased, pounding bass notes vibrated and pulsed with intensity. Strobing, motion ellipsiodals, pars and dichroics traced through the sweet smelling, pot laced air, ushering in the headliner… Ringo Star and his All Star Band.  

An extremely fit and young-looking Ringo Star danced to downstage center and the crowd responded in thunderous unison.  Gobos painted peace symbols on the upstage scrims and familiar tunes echoed through the hills.  The setlist was epic: It Don’t Come Easy, Boys, Hold The Line , Act Naturally, Matchbox, Down Under, The Weight, Anthem, You’re Sixteen You’re Beautiful and You’re Mine , Pick Up The Pieces, Work to Do, The No No Song, Photograph,  and I Wanna Be Your Man.

Leaner and livelier than Ringo’s 79 years should allow, his message was peace and love, but his anthem was FUN.  He did jumping jacks to Yellow Submarine that frenzied the crowd who responded by singing every word.  

Ringo has surrounded himself with luminaries of Rock-and-Roll fame and his band reflects amazing talent.  Colin Hay, the Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist and actor was lead singer for Men at Work.  He displayed his talents on the keyboards, percussion, bass and lap steel.

Hamish Stuart of Average White Band has played with John Lennon, Chaka Khan, David Sanborn, Smokey Robinson and the list goes on.  He led The All Star band with his signature hit Pickin’ Up The Pieces.

Vocalist, drummer Gregg Bisonnette who hailed from Van Halen, Santana and later Toto, joined Ringo to duet on the drums.

Guitar legend Steve Lukather was the original guitarist and vocalist for Toto and served in that capacity for the band’s entire existence. Steve demonstrated unbelievable licks throughout the entire set.

The Hammond organ has always given that unmistakable “goin-to-church” feel to R&B, rock and jazz.  Keyboardist Gregg Rolie who sang for Santana and Journey made me want to yell hallelujah!

Warren Ham came to the All Star Band from the Maranatha Praise Band and toured with Promise Keepers.  He also toured with Kansas, Donna Summer, and Olivia Newton-John.

Ringo’s encore finale electrified the audience with A Little Help from My Friends. People held hands and waved their lit phones above their heads.  We left that night feeling a little more peace and love and ready for the next day’s events.

The next day was special as we were able to share it with our daughter, Kirby and Phillip. We had incredible preferred seating.  We arrived early and were able to enjoy the venders, people watch, and stand in line to buy Woodstock tee-shirts.

I had mild expectations for Santana’s opening band. The Doobie Brothers, surprised us with their tight, amazing sounds and vocals.  The band’s ability to evolve and remain connected to multi generations of audiences is a testament to their craft.  Only two originals remain, Patrick Simmons and Tom Johnston, but they have added young progressive talent to their roster to deliver their unmistakable style of pushing the beat. 

Dancing erupted and continued throughout the whole set as the Doobs belted What a Fool Believes, Listen to the Music, Takin’ It To the Street, China Grove, Black Water, Jesus is Just Alright, and possibly the most recognizable opening guitar riffs of all times, Long Train Runnin’.

But the headliner of all headliners was about to emerge from the green room.  Santana began his set with dramatic video of Woodstock ’69, a documentary set to music that took you back to the chaotic days of Vietnam, Martin Luther King, Bobby and John Kennedy and the emerging peace movement.  Santana, dressed in a black original Woodstock t-shirt and played his signature red guitar. Evil Ways, Black Magic Woman, Gypsy Queen,  Maria Maria, Oye Como Va, and of course, Smooth had the crowd memorized and dancing in the isles. Carlos paid tribute to Lennon, Caltrain and Hendrix. The stage production, set design, lighting and sound were masterful. The energy level peaked and stayed there for three-and-a-half hours resulting in sensory fatigue for most of us, but a high we will never forget.  

We left with the message of peace and love, sharing and caring which, I believe, has diminished in the past 50 years, when the sounds of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Grateful Dead, Joe Cocker, and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young echoed across the soggy fields known as Bethel Woods,  the real Woodstock.

[irltrexxx]

wwoof day 1

oof what a day! it is officially my first day as a wwoofer.

i am currently laying in the bed of a bedroom that looks like it hasn’t changed since 2002. there are stacks of burned metallica and slipknot cds next to me and behind me is a shelf full of scifi and adventure novels in italian. there are posters for independence day, lost world (forgot about that movie), scream 2, and armageddon. i’m in the middle of the woods an hour outside of siena. i tried to find myself on google maps but i just got an error saying “can not determine your location.”

i arrived at podere campliano at about 6 pm today. my hosts are maddalena e claudio, husband and wife who run a small cheese farm. here they make 8 kinds of cheeses, including a few different types of pecorino, tomino, ricotta, and stracchino. maddalena told me on the drive here that they have about 60-70 sardinian sheep, and claudio told me at dinner that they sell at local markets, in local stores, and even supply one local restaurant.

to flash back to the beginning of my journey today:

i did not sleep well at all last night! it was a combination of nerves (livin with strangers in such close quarters is definitely going to be the hardest part of the trip for me) and loud noises that were all over my florence apartment (loud clock ticks, heater clicks, everything). so i woke up pretty sleepy and cleaned and packed. i had leftover salami for breakfast and a cup of coffee from the moka pot. i left the apartment at 10, check out time, and walked to santa maria novella. i figured i would go ahead and get to siena even if mattias (maddalena e claudio’s oldest son) wasn’t set to pick me up until 5:30. my backpacks aren’t very fun to carry around, and there wasn’t anything i felt like i still needed to see in florence. so i took a 11:10 train to siena and arrived there at 12:30.

i spent from 12:30-5:15 in the mall. it was good people watching, plus free wifi and charging stations! the mall is directly across from the main entrance of the train station, and next to a university for foreigners in siena (literal translation of name). on the first floor there were some shitty women’s clothing stores and cellphone kiosks, as well as a pam local supermarket. second floor was a sporting goods store, men’s clothing store, jewelry store, and prefumeria. third floor was food court: sushi, old west steakhouse (second i have seen), and piadineria. four floor was a set of crazy escalators and walkways that led to the outskirts of siena. i wandered up there to take a peek—probably the oddest escalator experience i have ever had!

so after exploring the mall i decided my best option for passing time was to grab some snacks at the grocery store and camp out. i bought a bresola, mozzarella, valerian green sandwich. i’ve never seen valerian greens eaten until this trip. tastes like baby spinach to me! the sandwich was what you would expect from a refrigerator section grocery store sandwich. i also splurged on a coke (i’ll be sippin this baby all week at the rate i’m drinking) and a bar of dark chocolate. i ate my sandwich in the sun outside and then joined in on the group competition to find a comfortable chair somewhere warm with an outlet next to it. i tried a few separate spots before settling down on the second floor by the profumeria. oh, also there’s a salon. so i watched people get their hair cut, read man in the high castle, and watched students from the foreigners school. this mall is definitely the hang out. i was by far not the only person to sit in that lobby for five hours. when i left to wait for mattias at the station i saw the same table of old men sitting in the same spot as when i walked in.

so i got outside at the prearranged time, and mattias promptly picked me up at 5:15. mattias works as a general electrician at a pharmaceutical company that is in siena (actually located across the street from the mall). he used to work as an appliance repair man for electrolux but he said it wasn’t worth all of the physical labor and driving to continue in that field. now he works for okay money from 9-5. he told me that unemployment and under employment are huge problems for youth in italy and he feels lucky to have the job he does. he rents an apartment in a VERY small village ~20 minutes from siena with his girlfriend. i know mattias is in his late 30s...girlfriend looks maybe 22? she works as a receptionist at a hotel 8/12 months a year. mattias little brother (whose bed i’m in, can’t remember his name) is a jack of all trades and his girlfriend is a yoga teacher who makes the rounds through all the small towns outside of siena.

anywho first we hit up mattias apartment because his mom had gone there to meet me half way. we had some tea and cake prepared by girlfriend, who i will get to spend more time with on wednesday. then we headed to maddalena and claudio’s house, which was probably another 25 minutes out. the drive was DARK and half of it was on an unpaved road. the nearest town is 15km away (don’t think i’ll be doing that walk often) and nearest neighbor is 5km away. two families live at the farm, although i haven’t met the other family. maddalena said right now the forest is full of wild boar, deer, and wolves 🐺🐗🦌.

when i got to the house maddalena gave me some slippers and told me to rest, so i went through all this guys books and cds. at 7:30 she served dinner: lentil and black kale soup. i was also given a sampler plate of 3 cheeses claudio makes and asked to tell them which was my favorite. it felt like a test! i was served a fresh pecorino that tastes very grassy and almost tart like lemons, a hard pecorino that was salty, and a tomino that i just googled today—it’s a piemontese cheese that’s small, creamy, and spreadable. i voted #1 tomino, #2 fresca, #3 duro. not sure if i passed claudio’s test. to drink i got to try some wine that their neighbors make, a red. it was very nice!

then we talked about how trump is dumb and the environment is changing and how italy is used to embarrassing politicians. we cleaned up a bit post dinner. their sink is incredible! i will have to get a photo. i think i offended everyone a bit when they told me not to wash dishes because they had a dishwasher and i said “WOW!” like they are country bumpkins but we are in the deep deep country. they said they don’t have wifi because none of the companies service their area.

then we sat around the fireplace and listened to leonard cohen while maddalena knitted, i read, and claudio rolled and smoked a cigarette and did the crossword puzzle. italians seem to really like crossword puzzles. then i decided to hit the hay so i could post this.

had a minor freak out because none of my adapters fit into these wall plugs, but found a third adapter to plug into my frankenstein chain of adapters so i can charge phone and tablet. it’s probably not very safe.

as mentioned in gurls group, photos will have to wait until i get to better wifi as being in the sticks is eating up my data!

it sounds like tomorrow our day will start at 8 (leisurely) with breakfast and then i will clean the caseficio (dairy) to prepare for wednesday’s cheese making. i also get to meet the sheep tomorrow!

until then 👋🏼