#this was about 'the garden' by the crane wives today but I do this with some regularity lmfao

[essektheylyss]

One of my favorite hobbies is opening the Genius annotations of lyrics I'm checking purely to roast the absolutely ATROCIOUS "analysis" some people throw up with full confidence on that site, oh my god.

[the-knights-who-say-book]

the beast in the belly // an El/Orion playlist

reposting playlist because i made some updates for AO3 posting, but have to take it down from AO3 now as it’s too much quotation

I. a wall up round my dignity

Natural - Imagine Dragons That’s the price you pay Leave behind your heart and cast away Just another product of today Rather be the hunter than the prey

Need Nothing - VÉRITÉ Oh, I’m sorry I’m so condescending The pride on my shoulder, it keeps me standing And I’d call out an ending If you’d hold it against me

Daffodil - Florence + the Machine There is no bad, there is no good I drank every scar that I could Made myself mythical, tried to be real Saw the future in the face of a Daffodil

Icarus - Bastille Look who’s digging their own grave That is what they all say; you’ll drink yourself to death Look who makes their own bed, lies right down within it And what will you have left?

II. they were saving me, and i was going to save them

Machine - Imagine Dragons I’m not scared of what you’re gonna tell me No, I’m not scared of the beast in the belly Fill my cup with endless ambition And paint this town with my very own vision

For Good - Wicked And now whatever way our stories end I know you have re-written mine By being my friend

You Cannot - Erin McKeown You love me, because of this This wildness, this tenderness With every bite of my teeth, I’m showing you best How I love you back, without bitterness

I’m Not Your Hero - Tegan And Sara Sometimes it feels like the side that I’m on Plays the toughest hand, holds the longest stand Sometimes it feels like I’m all that they’ve got It’s so hard to know I’m not what they want

III. the only right thing i’ve ever wanted

Tongues & Teeth - The Crane Wives Abandon all your stupid dreams About the girl I could have been, my dear ‘Cause in the night I know you burn with feelings I cannot return, my dear

F.N.T. - Semisonic I’m surprised that you’ve never been told before That you’re lovely And you’re perfect And that somebody wants you

As Long as You’re Mine - Wicked Just for this moment As long as you’re mine Come be how you want to And see how bright we shine

No Light, No Light - Florence + the Machine You want a revelation You want to get right But it’s a conversation I just can’t have tonight You want a revelation Some kind of resolution

Kiss Me - Dermot Kennedy So kiss me the way that you would If we died tonight Hold me the way that you would For the final time

IV. you're dead, but stay anyway

No Good Deed - Wicked My road of good intentions Led where such roads always lead No good deed Goes unpunished

Hunger - Florence + the Machine At seventeen, I started to starve myself I thought that love was a kind of emptiness And at least I understood then, the hunger I felt And I didn't have to call it loneliness

Rotten - Missouri Surf Club So when you gonna tell him? That nothing grows in corpses, There's nothing he or anyone can do When you gonna tell him? Your skin can't hide black insides, Oh, there's nothing left There's nothing left of you

Innocence and Sadness - Dermot Kennedy I would have waited for you all night to talk for a minute I'll sing into the cold dark night 'til you listen People spend their life heads down, souls hidden I'm trying to be who you need me to be

The Great War - Taylor Swift We can plant a memory garden Say a solemn prayer, place a poppy in my hair There's no morning glory, it was war, it wasn't fair And we will never go back

[big-cheesy-productions]

10 Songs, 10 People

I was tagged by @dragonologist-phd for this awhile ago, and since I’m home sick I’m finally doing it! I’m going to put Ren’s playlist on shuffle because that’s the OC on the mind at the moment!

1. It’s Alright - Mother Mother

You’re not a monster, just a human/ and you made a few mistakes/

2. The Wolf - PHILDEL

The wishes I’ve made are too vicious to tell/ Everyone Knows I am going to Hell/ And if it’s true/ I’ll go there with you/

3. Achilles Come Down - Gang of Youths

Hurt and grieve but don’t suffer alone/ engage with the pain as a motive/ Today of all days/ See/ How the most dangerous thing is to love/ How you will heal and you’ll rise above/

4. The Garden - The Crane Wives

Put your ear to my heart or set your teeth against my throat/ Give me something pretty to wear beneath my blood-stained clothes/ My darling, the devil knows my name/

5. Who Are You, Really? - Mikky Ekko

Who, who are you really?/ And where are you going?/ I have nothing left to prove/ ‘Cause I have nothing left to lose/

6. Forest Fires - Lauren Aquilina

The people on this train/ Already made up their minds about me/ I can already feel their hate/ The stranger, his sorrow/ Must be fault of my own/

7. We Have It All - Pim Stones

I’ve been heading for hell/ But never had I thought/ I’d drag you down as well/

8. Beautiful Crime - Tamer

We fight every night for something/ When the sun sets, we’re both the same/ Half in the shadows/ Half burned in flames/

9. I’d Like to Walk Around in Your Mind - Vashti Bunyan

I’d like to walk around in your mind someday/ I’d like to walk all over the things you say to me/

10. Witchcraft - Vian Izak

It’s such an ancient pitch/ But one I wouldn’t switch/ ‘Cause there’s no nicer witch than you/

Thank you for the tag! I’m not sure who to tag, so if you see this and wanna do it, go for it and tag me!

[sollucets]

@shesaboozle tagged me for '4 albums i've been listening to lately'

this is difficult criteria for me because i am. historically not really an Album Person (i favor making playlists with as many artists as there are songs, usually, or bouncing around discographies) so i'm going to count 'at least 2 songs from the album' as 'listening to an album' or else i couldn't answer this at all. yeah i even do this with the cds in my car, i'm unfixable

i also disqualified short little albums / singles or else 'eat your young' & jisoo's 'flower' both also belong here

svt fml is really good (sans fire which i do not like i'm so sorry). the linked song is my favorite b-side... i really like the beat and especially the prechorus. fml itself is my favorite of the 2 title tracks even though super does fuck really hard. i do wish they'd let seventeen actually say uncensored fuck though lmao

yes, yes, i know, predictable. this link is the only friends trailer music, aka my favorite song of theirs, and my second favorite is 'baggage'.

i listen to crane wives literally all the time, so this is kind of a copout, but like i said i was thinking about the garden x akkaye So Much today. my other favorites from this album are 'curses' & 'ribs' & 'can't go back'

known purity ring fan has been listening to purity ring again.... shocker..... i love watersong's instrumental so so much the meter is so funky. unlucky is my secondary favorite

i am going to brave the inexplicable physical anxiety that always beats me up when i get to this part of being tagged in things and try. to tag @petrichoraline and.... @troubled-mind if u 2 would like

[bosooka]

tagged by @revanchxst, gonna do this before i forget lol. no tags bc i have anxiety let's gooo

relationship status: @projectorthus's boytoy

favorite color: i like all cool colors :)

favorite food: mac and cheese, specifically how my mom makes it. no other mac will do

song stuck in your head: the garden - the crane wives

last thing you googled: "shutter", a fucked up horror movie from 2008 that my dad was telling me about. it has a 9% on rotten tomatoes.

time: 9:43am

dream trip: a trip to eretz israel, of course. i also DESPERATELY want to visit greece

last book you read: full book, thrawn ascendancy: greater good, but i read an excerpt of i kissed shara wheeler while debating buying it earlier today.

last book you enjoyed reading: greater good had me whispering "fuck fuck fuck" for the last 50 pages. timothy zahn can Write(tm)

last book you hated reading: red rising's nasty chauvinism and fridging made me quit 50 pages in. i've been told this is actually a bait and switch but idk if i can handle picking it up again lol

bonus:

favorite thing to cook/bake: arepas!

favorite craft to do in your spare time: writing. i am trying to teach myself to sew and failing, lol

most niche dislike: pirate shows specifically because the characters are unwashed and that is disgusting to me. no i have not watched ofmd. no amount of queerness will make me forgive a lack of deodorant OR taika waititi making fun of his overworked vfx artists on love & thunder. i wish him a very happy Die.

opinion on circuses now and in history: reading steven king's IT and watching that netflix documentary gave me an unshakable revulsion against clowns, and i hate animal abuse. i suppose acrobats are cool? but i'd rather go to a concert lol

do you have a sense of direction and if not what is the worst way you ever got lost: @scribhneoir-sidhe and i once took the metro in the wrong direction while going to see leigh bardugo. before that, i was left behind by my entire family walking through DC at age 7 bc i stopped to look at a pretty flower. i have a vague sense of direction but my attention deficit is stronger

[kazuakiapologist]

because @uzuneapologist posted about their blorbo's playlist i'll also link the one for my respective bird

and the king said... - a kazuaki-kun/the king playlist

君が死んでも許してあげるよ - kikuo

on the roof of the last train / fragments of me were forgotten about / picked up, baked, and eaten, you / could be seen from the sky

あなぐらぐらし - kikuo

you and me, forever and always / the same, the same, the same, are we not? / it's wrong. so wrong. but we're lonely. so lonely

くた��ろうぜ - neru

like this or like that / there's no other way, i think / in the end, some sort / of talent is essential / what's the cause of my defeat? / honestly, i know / but it's simply obvious / we're the weak

keep you safe - the crane wives

time is not your friend / time is not your remedy / no amount of waiting will make you / make you brave / no amount of fear will keep you / no amount of fear will keep you safe

い〜やい〜やい〜や - neru

the night together with sentimentality shoot rockets with suicidal thoughts / to the poem with one hundred and forty letters / this is for sure going to be BAD, then why don’t I just sulk in my bed?

a complete list of fears ages 5-28 (Aprox) - the yellow dress

domesticated mice and rats / not all of them, just their feet / or that my whole life could be sleep / ferris wheels and certain blues / oh, but mainly losing you / these days mainly losing you

アフターペイン - MILGRAM Project, Deco*27

メンヘラじゃないもん - isana

let’s meet up inside the pain, a place just for me / postmortem makeup to hide my heart, how to solve it is a secret / the stabbing of the little devil’s voice, counterattack being a suicide note / “I love YOU”

hard sell - the crane wives

god, i can’t do this anymore! i wish life would update / so i could get login bonuses just for existing / ain’t life too damn hard already? ORA ORA ORA ORA / dear god, i swear i won’t be lazy anymore / so please just give me 5,000,000,000,000,000 yen for free without tax

is it me? is it really just me? / does everybody have it together or are we all pretending? / is it me? is it really just me? / holding it together with one loose string / that i can't stop, i can't stop / i can't stop pulling

あめだま - pepoyo

the god watching above got very angry / and sent down a rain of poison / the two of us will never see the sun again / seems like this is the end of humanity's rainy days

suckers prayer - the decemberists

i wanna love somebody but i don't know how / i've been so long lonely and it's getting me down / i wanna throw my body in the river and drown / i wanna love somebody but I don't know how

なにやってもうまくいかない - meiyo

nothing's working out / it's a war in my head, though i stand tall / nothing's working out / love me, love me / nothing's working out / "this is a mess lol", "we've heard this before" / nothing's working out / nothing's working out

hansel - sodikken

a whole garden of flowers / and my name etched on a rock / all this could have been avoided / all i wanted was to talk / now i've been appointed / as your new king i decree / that it's too late to start caring about me!

ナンセンス文学 - eve

let’s dance ’til it’s light, let’s heat up the night / so we can give tears the heave-ho and not sleep / to the me that isn’t me, rat-tat-tat / even on the days when i feel the most melancholy / i want to try revealing my secrets, as long as it’s you i’m revealing them to

mrs. bluebeard - they might be giants

i want to say i learned / something valuable today / alas, my murdered remains are incapable of learning anything / trusted you / i should have never trusted you

天国へ行こう - kikuo

this is heaven, with one person as zero people / because zero people are the same as everyone, the same / with you as you, and me as me, because we're somewhere / let's go to heaven, let's go to heaven / me and you languidly mix together above the sky

end of the rope - they might be giants

where did the end of the rope go? / i forget now, did i let go? / once upon a time you left me hanging from your words / which hung down in the ether like a rope from the sky / where did the end of it go? / no one can ever know

ナミダ - maretu

how many times will we regret / the future that they ended? / you had just one pure wish, / but you couldn't protect it, and it was stolen from you

[stickstone]

leafpool or squilf for the ask thing? :3 hi haw

hi!

leafpool

favorite thing about them: i think she’s a way more complex and interesting character than a lot of people give her credit for. she never really got a chance to be a mother to her kids, so watching her struggle to connect with them all while trying to keep her distance is just very tragic and compelling

least favorite thing about them: the erins occasionally using her as a mouthpiece for ableism

favorite line: ok not good with specific lines, so i’ll just go with moments for this. i love the prologue of sunrise where she figures out that hollyleaf killed ashfur, it’s just such a good moment

brOTP: i love her and squirrelflight’s dynamic, definitely the one of the best sibling duos in the series

OTP: i’m predictable, but yes i do like mothpool

nOTP: never understood shipping her with hawkfrost. nothing extremely wrong with it ig, it’s just a bit too “nice girl falls in love with edgy bad boy” for my taste

random headcanon: i think she would frequently stop by the nursery when the three were growing up and show off cool flowers she’d found and let all the kits pick one for their nest. she kept doing it even after the three became apprentices. after she died, all the cats who grew up getting flowers from her went out of their way to find a flower for her vigil.

unpopular opinion: it’s ridiculous to me how many people call her selfish, like her entire story is about giving up literally everything for the sake of her clan and responsibilities

song i associate them with: i heard a crane wives song (curses i think?) earlier today and uh yeah leafpool vibes

favorite picture of them: the one where she’s sleeping next to the moonpool. it’s the Standard leafpool official art but i really like it’s energy it’s very soothing

squirrelflight

favorite thing about them: she has so much personality i don’t know what else to say, she’s just so fun and full of life

least favorite thing about them: the fact that she is not divorced yet

favorite line: “these kits aren’t mine” or let’s be real the entire fire scene. it’s a very good scene lol

brOTP: already mentioned leafpool, but i also really like her interactions with leafstar

OTP: none (will explain in unpopular opinions)

nOTP: [gestures wildly at bramblestar]

random headcanon: i cannot read her dialogue without hearing moonkitti. she sounds like moonkitti to me.

unpopular opinion: i don’t think squirrelflight needs to be shipped with anyone. she can just divorce (or kill, which is just ultra divorce really) bramblestar and live in peace with her friends and family

song i associate them with: the over the garden wall theme song??? WAIT THIS IS JUST BRIAR MUSIC OMG

favorite picture of them: the one where she is playing with the leaves :)

[morska-trava]

What your favorite The Crane Wives song says about you

or I should really be doing schoolwork, but did this instead :))) 

The Garden: you see yourself as very edgy and morally grey, but you're not really. You had a vampire phase in high school (and it never quite ended tbh)

Not the ghost: you are very tired and you have many a regret in life. You are probably crushing on someone you really shouldn't be. Go take a nap.

Tongues & Teeth:  you get told you are super nice all the time and frankly, you're getting tired of it. You probably have the kind of receipts on people that could ruin their whole career, but you won't do it. But you could. But you won't (probably). About three seconds away from snapping at all times.

The Hand That Feeds: FUCK CAPITALISM. Also, some unresolved family trauma that you inherited from your parents. You've probably worked in costumer service before and you did not care for it.

Curses: you are really into cryptids. Probably a horror podcast fan. Don't seem like it, but extremely feral. Your one goal in life is to become one with the moss and maybe commit arson along the way.

Turn Out the Lights: a mom friend and seemingly a beacon of positivity, but you are also very, very depressed and you use your overt cheerfulness as a coping mechanism. You randomly start crying sometimes, but it’s fine you guys, nothing to worry about :)))

Metaphor: You think you are unknowable, but you’re actually very easy to read. Extremely melodramatic. You just want people to see you for “who you are” but at the same time you are too committed to the mysterious-tortured-romantic persona you created in your head and you can’t let go of it. Major trust issues.

Pretty Little Things: Also major trust issues, but it’s due to your traumatic past, so you think it’s quite justified. Probably still not over your ex.  You are not the best at keeping your plants alive, but you don’t let that stop you from buying new ones.

Back to the Ground: you were probably in love with your close friend at some point and you never quite let go of it, even though you know it’s never going to happen. Tired of trying, but not tired enough to stop. You don’t really stand up for yourself, but it’s ~obviously~ only because you can’t be bothered to.

Know How: You hate making decisions (and sticking to them). You are going through some very confusing times, and you have been for a while. You really ARE going to get your life together soon, but not today, obviously. Maybe like... next weekend.

Sleeping giants: You have entirely too much restless energy for your own good. Probably had a hipster phase. Pretty unhinged. You probably like some really weird food combinations. Reckless and hotheaded, but  also likeable and charming, so you usually manage to get off the hook if you mess up.

Easier: You really like to complain but don’t do much about it. Persistently optimistic to the point where it’s probably damaging. Constantly thinking about leaving everything behind and running away, but you won’t actually do it.

Allies or Enemies: you accidentally offend people. You are very hot-headed and can and will hold grudges until the day you die. You think you deserve a sword and you are right, you do. Angery but it is mostly contained, until it isn’t.

Down the River: a friend in elementary school betrayed you and you never healed form it, consequently losing trust in humanity in general. Angery. You get really pissed off when someone is being inconsiderate of others, even if it doesn’t affect you at all.

Hard Sell: you’re doing the best you can but it never seems enough. Hello, impostor syndrome my old friend. Just trying to get through the week, honestly. About 30 seconds (or one deep breath) away from a mental breakdown at all times.

Hole in the Silver Lining: you’re afraid of being happy, so you ruin things on purpose. Very disillusioned with your reality. Life may be hard, but at least you have scrumptiously delicious spite pushing you forward.

[letheforgot]

My top 100 songs, in order:

Everything Stays- Adventure Time

Coffee- beabadoobee

Wanderer's Lullaby- Adriana Figueroa

Sweet Hibiscus Tea- Penelope Scott

Hello, World- Louie Zong

Sleepsong- Secret Garden, Fiobnuala Gill

Lullaby of Woe- Ashley Serena

UWU- Chevy

Home (Music Box)- Toby Fox

Mr Loverman- Ricky Montgomery

Anxiety Song- Human Petting Zoo

remember me- Christina Perri

Daughter Of The Moon- Adriana Figueroa

Fly Me to the Moon- Annapantsu

Strawberry Blond- Mitski

Bloom- Bonus Track (it's by The Paper Kites)

Undertale (Music Box)- Jayn

Soldier, Poet, King- Jacob Cook

Party Tattoos- dodie

The Monster Underneath Your Bed- Madame Macabre

Memory- Toby Fox

Ghosting- Mother Mother

The Wolven Storm- Karilene

Monster- Besomorph

Like Real People Do- Hozier

Today (I'm Not Okay)- Jess

Escapist- Veebunni

Calling All the Monsters- China Anne McClain

Sex with a Ghost- Teddy Hyde

Featherstone- Dave Volpe

Dragon Lullaby- Dave Volpe

Ready Now- dodie

Must Have Been The Wind- Alec Benjamin

For the Dancing and the Dreaming- Erutan

Song of the Witches- S. J. Tucker

To Be Human- Sia, Labrinth

Pleaser- Wallows

Lemon Boy- Cavetown

Little Lion Man- Mumford & Sons

STAY- BLACKPINK

She- dodie

This Is Home- Cavetiwn

Witch's Rune- S. J. Tucker

Mind Is A Prison- Alec Benjamin

Monster- dodie

Smike- Avril Lavigne

Love Like You (From "Steven Universe")- Lizz Robinett, FFMelodie

The Dragonborn Comes- Skyrim (sung by Erutan)

Sinners- Lauren Aquilina

Coffee Breath- Sofia Mills

White Winter Hymnal- Pentatonix

Candy- Robbie Williams

Circles- Kira, Rachie

Paint- The Paper Kites

Bubbly- Colbie Caillat

you are my sunshine- Christina Perri

King- Lauren Aquilina

To Be Human- MARINA

Welcome to My Life- Simple Plan

Tell Me a Story- Skylar Kergil

Message Man- Twenty One Pilots

Seven Nation Army- Zella Day

Six Feet Apart- Alec Benjamin

Don't Forget- Video Game Music Box

Welcome to Wonderland- Anson Seabra

Would You Be So Kind- dodie

Home- Edith Whiskers

Halcyon- The Paper Kites

Sirens- Hop Along, Queen Ansleis, Frances Quinlan

I'm something Else- SomeThingElseyt

Winter Moon- Erutan

Please Don't Say You Love Me- Gabrielle Aplin

Angel of Small Death and the Codeine Scene- Hozier

To Build A Home- The Cinematic Orchestra, Patrick Watson

A Shitty Gay Song About You- Smoothboi Ezra

The Valley- The Oh Hellos

Constants- Spectral Heart

Talk to Me- Cavetown

Little Game- Benny

Soldier, Poet, King- The Oh Hellos

Curses- The Crane Wives

I Wouldn't Mind- He Is We

Happy Halloween- Junky, Rin Kagamine

Take Me to Church- Jasmine Thompson

Adiemus- Karl Jenkins, Mike Ratledge, Adiemus, Jody K. Jenkins, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Mary Carewe

Falling for U- Peachy!, mxmtoon

Youth- Daughter

Boys Will Be Bugs- Cavetown

The Willow Maid- Erutan

Homeward Bound- Peter Hollens

Everyone Is Gay- A Great Big World

Do It Like A Dude- Jessie J

Daughter- Ryan Cassata

Something That I Want- Grace Potter

Devil Town- Cavetown

I Lived- OneRepublic

The Village- Wrabel

Bruno is Orange- Hop Along, Queen Ansleis, Frances Quinlan

Crazy = Genius- Panic! At The Disco

Truce- Twenty One Pilots

Holy fucking shit this took forever-

[ravennawritesfanfiction]

The Raven and Her Wolf- Chapter 11: Fit For A Princess

Rose’s discussion had left her with more to think about than answers to her questions. She knew that Frigga was probably right about not thinking about what she had seen, however, she still wanted to know for sure what she had seen. What if she could prevent it by knowing?

Loki found her the next morning, though he was in high spirits, she couldn’t bring herself to share the feeling. At breakfast, Thor tried to get a rise out of her, just to be ignored. Loki grew worried about her and asked Frigga what had been said. He agreed with his mother, that Rose should just pretend that it never happened.

A week went by and after trying and failing multiple times to find the Oracle, Rose finally admitted defeat and went back to her life as it had been. Loki was overcome with relief.

~

There had been several conversations between Loki, Thor, and Odin about the matter of Loki’s right to wed. Thor was oldest and should marry before Loki, however, Thor maintained that he couldn’t be happier about how everything worked out.

Loki found you in the garden the morning after the final discussion. He wasn’t wearing his usual wardrobe and it was a pleasant change. He looked so nervous; perhaps Odin had decided to kick her out after all.

“Good morning, Rose. How are you today?”

“Loki, Dear, I am fine, but why are you being so formal?”

“I have a matter that is most important to discuss with you. Oh, nevermind being formal. It feels wrong. Rose Crane, will you do me the honor of ruling by my side as my Queen?”

“Are you asking me to marry you?”

“Please say that you will.”

“Of course, Loki. I would want nothing more than to be your Queen!”

~

It wasn’t the proposal that she would have expected, but he was royalty and there were probably guidelines on how one is to propose to their future spouse. The Asgardian culture never ceased to confuse and amaze her.

Since she had agreed, the wedding wouldn’t have to wait for long. Unlike in Midgardian culture, where you can be engaged for however long it took to plan and arrange the perfect wedding, everything here moved fairly quickly and it didn’t leave a lot of time for cold feet. 

The Palace transformed before her eyes; in a matter of days, it was completely ready to house the most ornate wedding imaginable. Flowers were free to climb every pillar and red carpets lined the way Rose was to walk in less than two days. White benches were set out and Frigga diligently sent out invitations. Thor disappeared a few days before the wedding, and no one knew or would say where he had gone.

Rose was beyond nervous. Frigga and Lady Sif set out to pick the best dress, and they couldn’t seem to come to an agreement. In the end, Rose agreed with Lady Sif’s choice of a slightly loser fitting dress that allowed her to breathe better. Frigga’s choice had been equally as stunning but was a little tighter that Rose would have liked for such an exciting day where breathing was important. 

When Thor finally turned up again, he wasn’t alone. It had been over a decade since Rose had seen them, but she knew it was them before she even saw their faces. The man was very stiff and clearly didn’t want to be there. The woman kept shifting about, taking in all of the scenery around her. Loki was talking to them, although he was mostly talking to the man. 

Loki would make a good diplomat. Rose knew it wasn’t easy to speak to this man, but Loki was making a good show. She was secretly proud of Loki for putting in the effort. Thor found her watching and gave her a hug. When she asked what that had been for, all Thor could say was “That man is terrifying. You are so brave.” Rose let out a laugh, Loki had heard her and bowed as she left the visitors to look about. 

“You should talk to them.”

“I didn’t want to interrupt. What did he have to say?”

“A lot along the lines of ‘Why am I here? Who are you? and Where are we?’”

“Dear Lord, what did you say?”

“’You are here because you were invited and I am Loki, Prince of Asgard. As for where you are, you are in Asgard.’“

“He won’t want to speak to me.”

“You’re probably right, but she will.”

~

At this point, Rose wasn’t sure whether if she was nervous about getting married or talking to two close strangers.

“Hello, Mother, Father.”

“Rose! Look at you! You look so gorgeous!”

Her mother was over to her and holding her in a matter of minutes and was quietly sobbing on her shoulder. Her father hadn’t moved or acknowledged her in any way. She had expected nothing less. 

“I missed you so much, Sweetheart. Where have you been? I heard you were fighting in Washington’s Army.”

“I was, Mother. I missed you too.”

“And that is precisely why I don’t want to be here. You are a traitor to the Crown.”

Your father had always had a way of crushing nice moments. It made you so mad, but now you were in a position to do something about it.

“Perhaps, but now I am wearing a crown, so it was all worth it.”

“Why are we here? He wouldn’t answer the question.”

“He answered it just fine. You are here because you were invited.”

“Why?”

“That man is my Fiance and you are here for my wedding. Don’t worry, you won’t be walking me down the aisle. His brother is.”

“You ungrateful little brat!”

“I am grateful to many people for many things, you aren’t one of them. Now if you’ll excuse me, I must go speak with the Queen; my future mother in law. Mother, it was lovely seeing you. Father.”

Rose turned and left, Thor and Loki were hot on her heels and it took them both a few paces to actually catch her. Thor had gone pale. Loki had that look of pride on his face again. Neither of them could believe that Rose had told him off like that. Though Loki had to admit that he had wanted to say something himself, though he had thought better of it.

The day before the wedding had Rose too busy to really spend time with Loki, and she wasn’t going to see him at all that night. Frigga had invited Rose’s mother to help with the final touches and both women seemed to get along quite well. They hadn’t heard Rose come back from running an errand and she could hear Frigga talking with her mother.

“She is a brave girl, Rose. The risk she took saving Loki in the woods was great, but she knew she couldn’t stand back and watch it happen. I mean no disrespect, but I noticed how your husband speaks to you and others he deems below him. Why do you let him? I imagine Rose had to get her bravery somewhere.”

“Honestly, Your Highness, it is not my place to speak to him in the manner required to stand up to him. Wives are property in our culture. He treats me accordingly. Rose is a creature of her own making. She didn’t like being ignored and she did something about it. She was deemed too strong-willed to find a spouse back home. The man she loved was promised to another. I drove her to fight and then he died. I’m not sure it is bravery rather than being too proud to say she can’t. She borders on stupid and reckless. So did her brother. They call it honor because it sounds better.”

“Well, as a mother. I am immeasurably grateful to her for her actions and sacrifice. My sons would not be alive without her recklessness.”

“Sorry it took me so long, Lady Sif wanted to show me something. What were you talking about?”

“You, Sweetheart. I am so proud of you. Do you know that? You have grown so much. I remember when you would pick a fight just to prove you were better than someone else. No, you are more reserved and there is an air of elegance about you; I had all but given up on you ever being a lady. I am sorry I didn’t do more to make you stay.”

“I’m glad you didn’t. I made a difference. I lead my men with dignity, I fought alongside Ichabod, and I did something that mattered without even knowing the implications of my actions. I am glad I left because I grew. I would have stayed the same if I hadn’t left Dover.”

Frigga’s smile was that of motherly pride. Rose’s mother, teared up and pulled her daughter into a hug. She had never received this much affection from her mother in her entire life. It was the closure she needed. 

~

Thor looked so handsome in his ceremonial attire. Rose was definitely happy she picked this dress over the other. As it was, she was hyperventilating. She could see her parents sitting in the front row. Her mother had on the prettiest dress she had ever seen. It suited her and she deserved to have something nice.

From between the curtains, she could see Loki standing up front with Odin and Frigga. He had never looked better and it made Rose melt just looking at him. Loki turned to face her and she knew Loki was taking advantage of the connection.

“That’s not fair. You can see me while I am left using my imagination. You’ll pay for that. Look into a mirror and your punishment will be swift.”

If she couldn’t feel the teasing behind his words, she would have been worried. She remained planted where she was out of spite. 

“Very well. Slowly it is.”

She could see his smile from where she stood, hidden.

Before she thought something else, they were given the signal and Thor held out his arm. She took it and the curtain was pulled aside. Everyone was on their feet and a little Asgardian girl was throwing white rose petals down in front of her and Thor. They started walking and there were awes coming from all directions. Loki was tearing up and smiling. He was barely able to stand still. He would have blown it had Frigga not placed a hand on his arm, steadying him.

When Rose reached her mother, she paused long enough to give her a kiss. Her father, the stern man that he was, was tearing up and Rose gave him a kiss too. Then went back to Thor to continue the rest of her trip to Loki’s side.

When they were to Loki, Thor did the handoff and whispered in Loki’s ear.

“Take care of her brother.”

Thor gave you a kiss on the cheek and then moved to your other side. Odin began the ceremony.

“We are gathered here today as witnesses to the marriage of Prince Loki and Lady Rose. Any who object, speak now or forever hold your peace.”

There was a deadly silence in the hall as everyone was afraid that they would ruin the day.

“The Prince and Lady will now share their vows to each other. Loki.”

“Rose, I vow before all who witness, that for as long as there is still breath in my body, I will defend you and fight along your side. Ruling as equals until the end of our days. You have saved my life and this is a debt I will pay back to you for all of eternity.”

“Rose.”

“Loki, you have saved me from evils so dark, I couldn’t fight them myself. You have helped me grow as a person and been my rock when I felt as though I might drown. I will honor you until my dying breath.”

“Loki, do you take Rose to be your lawfully wedded wife, to rule by your side in sickness and in health, for the better or poorer of this kingdom as long as you both shall live?”

“I do”

“Rose, do you take Loki to be your lawfully wedded husband, to rule by your side in sickness and in health, for the better or poorer of this kingdom as long as you both shall live?”

“I do”

“I, Odin, the All-Father, pronounce you husband and wife, Prince and Princess of Asgard. Turn and face your subjects.”

The wedding wasn’t to be sealed with a kiss, as intimacy and affection were to be kept behind closed doors. It wasn’t a weakness, it just wasn’t proper. Instead, they turned to face the entire population of Asgard as they kneeled before their future Queen and King.

The walk out of the hall was long and many of the citizens threw roses down as they passed by. Her parents followed out next with Frigga and Thor behind them. Odin was next and everyone else followed him.

The night passed in a blur as alcohol was served and Rose never did find her parents in the crowd of people. Still, it was a night fit for a Princess.

Odin had one final order of business, as the Princess, it would be in the best interest of the kingdom if she didn’t grow old and die before Loki. So as his gift, he gave her the Golden fruit and granted her with a semi-immortality. She was now like them, extended lifespan and strength.

[aion-rsa]

Charles Addams Biographer Defends Addams Family Values

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The Addams Family, Barry Sonnenfeld’s 1991 comedy classic, will celebrate its 30th Anniversary this month. The Addams Family 2 recently resurrected the classic characters for a cross-country holiday, and the classic TV series The Addams Family can still be seen on syndication, streaming, and in memes and dreams.

The malevolently mischievous artist Chas Addams is as mysterious as his comic The Addams Family is iconic. Addams was the only cartoonist at The New Yorker magazine whose mental facilities were questioned. He was rumored to sleep in a coffin, to keep eyeballs in martini glasses, and show up in a full suit of armor at non-costume parties. The only biography written about Addams is Charles Addams: A Cartoonist’s Life, which was rereleased by Turner Publishing on Oct. 19. The book doesn’t dispel the myths so much as confirm the vast eccentricities of the social butterfly with bat-wings.

Charles Addams loved fast cars and beautiful women. All three of his wives projected the essence of his most iconic muse, Morticia Addams, and he dated the actress Joan Fontaine and the presidential widow Jackie Kennedy. But he also drew black and white cartoons so off-color they offended Nazis. The real Addams passed around sex drawings to his classmates in English class, was arrested for breaking and entering, studied at the Grand Central School of Art, and lived in a townhouse with a leaky water tower on the roof.

Linda H. Davis is the author of Charles Addams: A Cartoonist’s Life, which initially came out at Random House in 2006. She is also the author of the biographies Badge of Courage: The Life of Stephen Crane, and Onward and Upward: A Biography of Katharine S. White. Davis spoke with Den of Geek about the many misconceptions of a man who thrived on mystique.

Den of Geek: What drew you to Charles Addams as a subject?

Linda H. Davis: It’s the strangest thing. I don’t know why he came into my head. But I had this file I never looked at, into which I put obituaries, because that’s a great source of ideas for biographies. And I found that I’d clipped two of his, including from The New York Times, which started on the front page with a photograph and was wonderful. I looked into it, and it turned out nobody had done it. But honestly, I can’t tell you. I think he was a repressed memory. He was there, buried inside. I just didn’t know it.

Do you think he would’ve liked the idea that you had a box of obituaries?

He would’ve loved it. Absolutely. He would’ve said, “That’s the biographer for me.”

People today don’t know that his contemporaries saw him as an off-kilter public figure. Tell me about the man about town.

The man about town. I mean, he was just the most charming man you could expect to meet. He was on the top of everybody’s dinner party invitation list in New York, and knew everyone. He socialized a lot and had an incredible love life, but he never let socializing or his love life get in the way of his work. He was very serious about it from the time he was young. But yeah, he was out and about. He owned a couple of tuxedos, because he needed them. He couldn’t have rented them, because he needed them too often. And well-traveled.

But he also would wear pajamas to parties.

Well, there was just that one time. Someone had given him some red pajamas, so he wore them kind of as a joke. But he didn’t usually do that.

Abraham Lincoln at a non-costume party?

Yes. That was one. And when he went to a costume party, he wore a real medieval suit of armor. I mean, he did that at least a couple of times.

I know he didn’t sleep in a coffin, but his decor in his home, even in New York City, was like the Addams Family mansion. So how was it like that?

Well, of course, it wasn’t a big gold house. He’d always wanted to live in a house, like in a big Victorian, but somehow it had never happened. This was the apartment in New York, at the back of which overlooked the sculpture garden of the Museum of Modern Art, was the top two floors and not connected by an inside stairway. You had to go outside to the stairs to get up, which was very inconvenient. If it was raining, and you were wearing your red silk pajamas, but it also leaked. It was under the water tower there. He had a lot of drawings and papers and things stored under his bed and maybe in the closet that got wrecked. I mean he had a very, very nice set of medieval arms and armament, along with the Maximilian suit of armor.

There was a papier-mâché, anatomical figure that had been used in a medical school, and you could take the organs out. But maybe the most sensational thing was his coffee table, which was made from a Civil War embalming table and still had the headrest at one end. Then he had a lot of things that people gave him, bats. And there was a bat door-knocker on the front and things like that. Some of it was just having fun. And some of it was that he really did love these things. He thought the crossbows and longbows, which he knew how to use by the way, were beautiful. And they were, I mean they were hand-decorated and etched and really marvelous. And his widow sold them at Sotheby’s for a pretty penny after he died.

Would he have been surprised at the continued success of the Addams Family?

I think he would have been very disappointed that he missed out on all the really big money. Yeah.

Did he get screwed from the TV show? Is his family getting any of the money coming out of the movies? Did they ever fix that?

I want to be clear that he didn’t get screwed by the people who did the TV show. He got screwed by his second wife, and that’s a whole dark section of the book in which she managed to wrest the rights from him. His second wife Barbara, Barb as she was known then, became Lady Colyton. It was a very brief marriage, extremely complicated. And she walked away with all of that and with a number of cartoons. He did not have any children. There are no more residuals from that, but the films things that go on are continuing to make money for the Addams Foundation, which Tee [Addams third and last wife] set up before she died, along with the help of Kevin Miserocchi, who’s running it.

Was his first wife, Barbara Jean Day, the basis for the character Morticia Addams?

No. I mean, they liked to play that up, because she had dark hair. She’s a prettier, softer version of Morticia, but I will say that all three of them did bear a resemblance to Morticia. And he liked to draw them as Morticia, particularly Tee. And I think I’ve got one of those drawings in the book. They were just playing that up, and she did grow her hair long to please him and play along with it and would dress in black for photographs.

What do you think the films get wrong?

I think what they get wrong is they’re not nearly as dark as the original cartoons. And one thing, they’ve never passed anybody who looks like, well, Gomez in particular is a really revolting-looking man. He was inspired by Thomas E. Dewey, though there was a little bit of Peter Lorre. Addams never said that, but I could see that. But crossed with a pig, a very unattractive man. And I think that Hollywood just can’t bring themselves to cast somebody who looks like that.

And Morticia, of course, has always been made prettier. Although he said, “She was just my idea of a pretty girl,” Morticia. He did like that type. And all three wives had dark hair and were that certain type, though he did date blondes and redheads too. But I think there are so few Addams Family cartoons that I wish that somebody would look at his other cartoons and add them to the script, because there are a lot of other dark cartoons that could work.

The cartoons are really more sinister and don’t rely on pratfalls. So, it seems to me, first of all, it’s very difficult to create a good script based on the Addams Family, because there are so few of them, but it seems to me that the knowledge of Addams’ cartoons isn’t deep enough.

What cartoons do you think would lend themselves cinematically?

I’m thinking of one cartoon for instance, from the 1930s, which shows a woman entering the gates of a rest home. I think she’s wearing mink or fur as women in those days did. And there are vultures sitting on the post. And she’s sort of doing a double take.

There are a lot of cartoons about husbands and wives doing away with each other or trying to. He illustrates the idea, of course, not the act, which wouldn’t be funny. One of them, a very early cartoon, I think it’s from the ’50s, shows a man. He is opening the door of his car. It’s overlooking a really steep cliff. “Darling, will you step out for a moment?” I’m not a screenwriter. These are just my thoughts.

What was the most surprising thing about him that you did find?

I don’t want to give the story away, because it’s kind of a shock when you find out how far it went. But the story about his second marriage and just how far things went and his inability to just put his foot down with her and fight back. It took me a long time to understand, and that really surprised me. That was a shocker for me. It was really difficult to understand and write about.

Did his work actually get darker after that?

No. No, it was always there. It was always there; from the time he was a kid.

Tell me about how breaking and entering informed his life as an artist.

He had to break and enter to get into The New Yorker, I guess. That was just a childish prank, but I think those things tend to get overplayed also. And when people write about Addams, they want him to be so literally like his cartoons, and he wasn’t.

He used to describe himself as just a normal American boy. And he was, except he had medieval crossbows and an embalming table in his apartment and some rather sinister taste. But he was sophisticated and urbane and charming and witty. One of the things that most pleased me is that he was just as funny and interesting a man as he was a cartoonist.

He said his experience at True Detective magazine didn’t open his imagination, but what do you think it did besides give him a steady check?

He learned some things technically from it, because his job was to lighten the blood stains to make them look less horrible, I think, to readers, and mark the X where the body was found. I mean, he found it a bore, I think, very quickly and then quit to be a full-time artist after he’d sold a few cartoons to The New Yorker, which was a brave decision in 1935. But I think just some technical things about working for a magazine were helpful to him, but that was it. It had no effect on his imagination. He was really born with that imagination.

I’d like to hear about his friendship with Alfred Hitchcock, his relationship with Joan Fontaine, and how he was seen by Hollywood.

I don’t know any details about his friendship with Hitchcock unfortunately. He became very close to Burgess Meredith. He and John Astin became friendly when Astin got the part of Gomez in The Addams Family on TV.

I did talk to Patricia Neal about him. I mean, everybody just adored him. That was another thing that’s so unusual in biography, frankly, or in learning anything about anybody, that not anybody, that not one, even an ex-wife, had anything bad to say about him. Barbara Colyton, when her back was against the wall, but even she didn’t enjoy it.

Everybody liked him. And Carolyn Jones had a party for him at her very swanky house in Beverly Hills. She had a wonderful party for him when the Addams Family was on TV. Everybody just wanted to know him and felt better for having known him.

Other than those few things, I don’t have any specific information except that Burgess Meredith and John Astin wrote a song about Addams, which they performed at the wonderful memorial party, celebration of a life event, that Tee had for him at the New York Public Library. This was a couple of months after he died. Just an incredible party.

And yet he expected people would be disappointed to meet him.

He was just kidding. I mean, he told one of his lady friends, “Tell them I have a scent of formaldehyde or something.”

I wanted you to talk a little bit about his love of cars, the Aston Martin and the poor man’s Bentley.

He started collecting cars early, I think when he started making money, and he got the Bugatti. And he had a Mercedes at one point, kind of an old Mercedes. I can’t remember. The kind of the classic I think was the 1960s Bentley sedan. And he would squire girlfriends, including Jackie Kennedy, in that car, drive off to Pennsylvania at 80 miles-an-hour and take them to a nice restaurant after going antiquing. He loved classic cars. He was an amateur car racer. Good driver, very fast.

Can you expand on his relationship with Jackie Kennedy?

Well, he had a little romance with her, and I write about it in the chapter called “The Addams Family.” Part of what I think is kind of funny is that he was seeing Jackie, when The Addams Family came on TV. He was also seeing a number of other women, and she was seeing other men. But this was just a few months after the assassination.

What was the relationship like? Was it photographed and chronicled at the time at all?

People did get some pictures. The paparazzi were always stalking her, but I don’t think the romance was really known until I wrote about it in my book. She, I think, liked him very much. He wasn’t somebody she was going to get that serious about, because he didn’t have enough money. But I think she was quite charmed by him and enjoyed him. And they remained friends too, but there are a few anecdotes in there that are, I think, pretty funny and revealing about the two of them.

There’s a story about them at Bunny Mellon’s house in Virginia. There was a big house party, and they were assigned separate bedrooms, all looked very proper, but somebody walked into Jackie’s room by mistake. And Charles Addams was sitting on the bed, in a robe or something. She was in bed, and they were talking. When the door closed, Jackie said, “Well, I’ll be invited back again, but you won’t be.”

I should ask about the Nazi cartoon. Why were they so offended? And has it been seen?

Oh, yeah. It was published. I’m trying to remember where it was originally published. It might have been a German publication. Oh gosh, now I’m going to forget exactly which one that was. I think I would have to check this. I think it was a Boy Scout cartoon. He loved to draw Boy Scouts. He’d been a scout himself and could, by the way, recite the entire Boy Scouts code his whole life, which he’d love to do for girlfriends.

He loved drawing scouts in their little uniforms and everything. And I think it’s the one where a Boy Scout opens the door to a room in his house, where his father is trying to hang himself. And one arm is kind of caught and the scout says, “Hey, pop, that’s not a hangman’s knot.” And the Nazis were offended by it. And I’m sure that made his day. 

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Charles Addams: A Cartoonist’s Life will be re-released by Turner Publishing on Oct. 19, the same day the newly restored cut of Barry Sonnenfeld’s The Addams Family arrives on Digital 4K Ultra HD.

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