#I love genre-mashing country | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

blues824 · 8 months

Note

I love the way you write the headcanons about the First Years + Ortho going to the reader's world! Could you do the same with the Second Years, please?

Riddle Rosehearts

Favorite Country/City: He would love to go visit Stratford-Upon-Avon in England, as he is one to enjoy being in the city of one of the most famous playwrights and authors in history: William Shakespeare. Also, there is tea available at most shops, so he will still be able to follow the Queen of Hearts’ rules.

Favorite Cuisine/Dish: Again, his favorite dish is strawberry tarts, and they apparently originate in France as tarts were used to showcase the seasonal not-berries. That aside, he also does appreciate French cuisine as a whole.

Favorite Drink: Again, he enjoys tea, but I think he would like strawberry lemonade. More specifically, the strawberry lemonade from those restaurants that put those slices of strawberries into the drink.

Favorite Souvenir: A small Shakespeare bust that he can place on a bookshelf as a book holder.

Favorite Singers/Songs: He absolutely loves classical music, specifically from the Classical Era. He prefers the classics: Bach, Beethoven, Marianna Martines, etc. Favorite song would be Für Elise, by Ludwig van Beethoven.

Favorite Movie: The Phantom of the Opera, but the 1927 silent film version.

Ruggie Bucchi

Favorite Country/City: I originally was going to say that he would have liked Luxembourg because it’s one of the richest countries in the world, but I decided that would be too easy. I feel like he would love to go to Cairo in Egypt. It’s very rich in history and culture, and I’ve heard they have good food (someone confirm, plz).

Favorite Cuisine/Dish: His favorite food is donuts, and I looked it up and they apparently originate from either Ancient Greece/Rome or Medieval Arab chefs. That being said, either cuisines (Greek, Italian, or Middle Eastern) would be his favorite. He has a very diverse palate.

Favorite Drink: Depending on if he prefers coffee or tea, he would like either Mazboot or even Zjada coffee, or karkade (please correct me on any of this, I am not from the Middle East and have never been so if it’s incorrect you can tell me. Got this info from online).

Favorite Souvenir: A small, handmade pot that he found at one of the markets. He thought it looked interesting and thus purchased it. The vendor was really kind as well.

Favorite Singers/Songs: This is kind of hard, but AMERICAN HORROR SHOW by SNOW WIFE would be his favorite, meaning hyperpop would be his favorite genre. He gives me TikTok boy vibes for some reason, and he would also like most songs that popped up on his FYP.

Favorite Movie: Lion King, and I’m not trying to be funny. He just likes the “It’s not funny, Ed”, where Ed erupts even more into laughter. It makes him snicker a bit as well. Maybe I was trying to be funny.

Azul Ashengrotto

Favorite Country/City: He would love the township of Cavendish in Prince Edward Island, Canada. It’s got the ocean, it’s got the small town vibes, and it inspired L.M. Montgomery’s fictional town of Avonlea in Anne of Green Gables. Speaking of, he would totally resonate with Anne because they both entered a society that they weren’t knowledgeable of the norms of.

Favorite Cuisine/Dish: Because he loves fried chicken, I would say his favorite cuisine is that of the Southern United States. You can’t go wrong with coleslaw, cornbread, green beans, mashed potatoes, and Southern hospitality.

Favorite Drink: Iced Tea, specifically from the Southern states as well. If we’re talking about cocktails, then Long Island Iced Tea would be his go-to. However, he prefers to drink at home because he doesn’t have to call anyone to pick him up.

Favorite Souvenir: It’s stated that he likes collecting coins, so yeah.

Favorite Singers/Songs: This man loves Elvis Presley’s music, and no one can fight me on this. He’s a bit of a hopeless romantic, so he loves either Heartbreak Hotel or Can’t Help Falling in Love is his favorite song.

Favorite Movie: Romeo and Juliet, the one starring Leonardo DiCaprio. The movie’s great, the actor not so much. He’s a bit of a hopeless romantic, as I stated before, so he would very much like a Romeo to his Juliet. Mans wants to be in a tower with a window sill and he wants someone to be standing below to talk to in a romantic way.

Jade Leech

Favorite Country/City: He loved going scuba diving in the Mariana Trench, and since the Trench is located between Hawaii and the Philippines, I think he would love staying in the Philippines. The city he favors would be Boracay, even though it’s in the middle of the Philippine Islands and a bit further from the East.

Favorite Cuisine/Dish: His favorite dish is octopus carpaccio, and it’s kind of obvious that it’s Italian. He does enjoy Italian cuisine as a whole as well. However, if we are taking the octopus components of the dish, then I believe he would also be a lover of Japanese cuisine.

Favorite Drink: It is recommended that with octopus carpaccio, you should have a Pinot noir, and he agrees. However, if he’s just going to a bar, he would order a limoncello spritz. It’s typically a post-dinner drink, and he likes the lemon flavor along with the kind-of-like-soda, kind-of-like-wine game that the drink offers him.

Favorite Souvenir: He loves smaller, easily portable trinkets, so as basic as it is he loves collecting keychains and magnets. His favorite keychain is a shell that had a hole in it, and a small child actually handed it to him out of nowhere. He got a ring and attached it to his backpack.

Favorite Singers/Songs: His favorite song is 24 / 7 / 365, by Surfaces. It’s laidback, it’s chill, and he likes it. Songs that remind him of the beach are ones that he likes. He plays it when he’s attending to his terrariums.

Favorite Movie: Jaws, and none of the sequels. All the sequels suck. He has watched the first Jaws so many times that he sings along with Quint when he starts singing “Farewell and Adieu You Fair Spanish Ladies”.

Floyd Leech

Favorite Country/City: He wants to go places where he can do things whenever it strikes him. He would also want to go somewhere with clear water. Thus, I believe he would love to go to Tahiti. There’s a market, he can go scuba diving with whales and sharks, he can go surfing, he can go to the museum, and if he wants to stay in his hotel room then he can.

Favorite Cuisine/Dish: His favorite dish is Takoyaki, so I think it’s safe to assume that he likes Japanese cuisine. However, it is stated that shiitake mushrooms come from mountainous regions in China, Japan, Indonesia, and Taiwan, so he likes any dishes without the mentioned mushrooms.

Favorite Drink: As funny as it is, Sex on the Beach, as it’s a summer drink that he loves to enjoy on the beach. Also, he has the emotional maturity of a 7th grade boy, and the name was hilarious to him.

Favorite Souvenir: Two little figurines of a guy and a girl dancing with each other. They fit together in a way that was complex, making it a puzzle of sorts.

Favorite Singers/Songs: Either Laffy Taffy or Sneaky Link 2.0 are his favorite songs. This man is searching for his Mrs. Bubblegum. He is looking to be somebody’s sneaky link. He lives for drama, and no one can tell me otherwise.

Favorite Movie: The Meg, because who doesn’t love a giant, prehistoric shark that escapes from the gaseous layer at the bottom of the Mariana Trench? He has sharp teeth like the megalodon, and he likes the jumpscare where the shark jumps up.

Kalim Al-Asim

Favorite Country/City: He loves tropical areas, but he loved the Bahamas and the capital of Nassau the most. The resort there was great, and the people were very friendly. It was a laid back time, and it was not even a five minute walk to the beach. Plus, coconuts grow there apparently (correct me if I’m wrong), and coconut juice is his favorite food.

Favorite Cuisine/Dish: A lot of Thai food, specifically the desserts, use the flesh of the coconut, so I think I have substantial evidence to say that he does like Thai food. He would be very hesitant to try Thai curry, though… unless he had somebody to try it with him.

Favorite Drink: Piña Colada, doesn’t matter if it’s virgin or not. He loves the song that accompanies it as well. Anyways, the drink is a very fruit-filled drink. He thinks it’s the right amount of sweetness, so he loves to enjoy it.

Favorite Souvenir: A singular photograph, as he somehow found himself involved in a volunteer program and he took a picture with children from one of the villages he was volunteering at.

Favorite Singers/Songs: He also likes songs that remind him of the beach, and I stated that he probably likes the song Escape (The Piña Colada Song), but it’s not his favorite. His favorite song would be Celebration, by Maffio, Farruko, and Akon (feat. Ky-Mani Marley).

Favorite Movie: I have a feeling that he would love the movie Shrek. It’s funny, a lot of memes have been made from all the movies, all the sequels are great. What’s not to love about the movie(s)?

Jamil Viper

Favorite Country/City: He gives me a vibe that I resonate with on the historical front, so I would think he would like to visit somewhere in the Middle East, as that is where ancient Mesopotamia was. Specifically, he would love to visit Ur, in Iraq. Not only is it located in a desert (familiar territory), but it’s one of (if not the) first cities in the world.

Favorite Cuisine/Dish: Unlike Kalim, he loves curry, so that gives me reason to believe that he would enjoy Indian cuisine the most. Syrian food comes in second for him (I spend a lot of time at my friend’s Syrian house and they make good food… I’m hungry now).

Favorite Drink: This was difficult, but I feel like he would move towards margaritas, and not just because of the song. Because curry can be spicy, I would say he likes a spicy margarita as well. His favorite non-alcoholic drink would be a mangonada.

Favorite Souvenir: All the books he picked up to learn different languages. He learned along the way as well, and all of the books have annotations within them so he has them for future reference.

Favorite Singers/Songs: He likes breakdancing, so he likes any song he can breakdance to. I am not very involved within this genre of music, so after doing some research I have come to the conclusion that he would love the song The Witch, by the Bamboos.

Favorite Movie: Footloose, as it’s a movie about dancing and rock music being banned. He saw it because it looked interesting, and he learned the Footloose dance. Also, the song Holdin’ Out For a Hero makes him feel like he wants to be someone’s hero.

Silver

Favorite Country/City: Carrickfergus, as it holds the Carrickfergus Castle. It may be a Norman castle, but it’s because of the history (and the fact that he may be based off of both the Princess and the Prince and thus deserves a castle {personal opinion}) that he enjoys his time in the town.

Favorite Cuisine/Dish: This is the first time I’ve actually dove into investigating Silver’s likes and dislikes, and apparently he likes mushroom risotto, which is thought to originate from the Italian region of Lombardy.

Favorite Drink: He strikes me as the type to like wine, and not the bitter stuff. He likes sweeter wines, especially white wines as they pair nicely with the risotto he loves.

Favorite Souvenir: A journal, in which he writes about his many journeys around the world.

Favorite Singers/Songs: I think he is a Swiftie. That being said, his favorite song would be Love Story, as he is looking for his Juliet. However, he is not one of those over-excited fans who will tear someone up for saying they don’t like Taylor Swift’s songs. He will just judge them quietly.

Favorite Movie: Gladiator, partially for the plot, partially for Russel Crowe. It reminds him of the training he had to go through as a knight.

234 notes · View notes

kafkaguy · 24 days

Note

ethan. i chose whatever music asks you haven’t done yet.

hi kieren im kind of obsessed with u. there are a lot that i havent done but some of them i cant be bothered to answer/genuinely cannot answer or the answer is just no so here's the ones i like <3

Do you listen to more oldies or more current stuff? A mix of both but leaning more to oldies, the majority of my favourite songs and artists are either from the 60s & 70s era, or the 90s & 00s era <3

Would you wear a t-shirt of a band you're not into? Probably not, even if the design is cool i only wear band tshirts if i care abt the band. But if someone gave me an artist tshirt as a gift, i’d wear it AND listen to the artist it depicts 👍

Is there an artist or song that you like, despite being of a genre you don't usually like? I like all genres i don't discriminate. i’m bisexual

A song or album from the 50s or earlier: this compilation album of old japanese pop 1950-1951… discovered through mash playlists

A song or album from the 60s: 1-800-are-you-experienced by jimi hendrix 1967 :)

A song or album from the 70s: Born to run by BRUCIE 1975 raaaagghhhhhh

A song or album from the 80s: King of rock by run-dmc 1985 💪💥

A song or album from the 90s Call the doctor by sleater-kinney 1996

A song or album from the 2000s: Cheap pop for the elite by kore. ydro., 2006

A song or album from the 2010s: TRANSANGELIC EXODUS BY EZRA FURMAN 2018. GOAT

Do you and your partner/best friend share a special song? One you’d call “our song”? unfortunately for my boyfriend and i it is the predatory wasp of the palisades is out to get us by sufjan stevens which is indicative of how normal we both are

Do you play any instruments? I’ve been “learning” the bass for about 2 years but havent made much progress but i can do basic riffs and improvise a little

Who’s your favorite fictional band or artist? Marceline The Vampire

When was the last time you cried when listening to a song, if ever? I couldn’t tell you the last time a song made me properly cry but i sort of cried listening to come on in yesterday because i was having a category 5 peter tork moment

Your favorite artist from your city/state/country? At the moment its marina spanou and based on her lyrics i think she is literally from the same area of athens as me <3

A song you like in a language you don’t speak:

A song you like with lyrics in two or more languages:

songs that are symbolic of a time when i was literally and without exaggeration in the trenches. korean & english

Do you enjoy musicals? If so, what’s your favorite? Top 5: fiddler on the roof, jesus christ superstar, newsies, les miserables, hadestown.

Have you watched any musician’s biopics? Do you have a favorite? I’M NOT THERE DIRECTED BY TODD HAYNES MY NUMBER 1 ☝️ even if i am not the biggest bob dylan girl out there i fucking love that movie so much

Do you listen to music when it's raining or do you stop to hear the sound of the rain? Im answerin this question cos i like it. If its raining really hard i take out my headphones and turn my music up so i can hear it out loud blended with the sound of the rain <3

Do you prefer live recordings or studio recordings? LIVE RECORDINGS ARE MY BEST FRIENDS. I dont know if i prefer them but theres something so comcorting and beautiful of hearing live stuff so yeah <3

Okay these were the questions i cared about. thank you i love you . heheheheh

#YAAYYYY MUSIC :)#kip 🕸️#📬

7 notes · View notes

mako-neexu · 11 months

Note

If they let Kadoc in the summer event this year the Barbie meme is exactly how it would go down. Actually the Barbie meme, is basically also Goredolf and the rest of Chaldea.

Oh and not related to the Barbie meme, but an Au where Kadoc also survives the explosion in the beginning. The angst/hijink potential of that in a Kadoguda would be amazing. Kadoc self esteem getting worse because here is this nobody being the best master while he struggles. Ritsuka and her imposter syndrome because yes the servants love her but she feels like she stole Kadoc's place. Kadoc slowly falling for her but not saying anything when he notices her crush on Romani. Kadoc getting hunted down by every servant because they're jealous because one day they'll get unsummoned but he'll stay by her side. Kadoc nearly combusts with the Halloween/summer/Christmas events and by the lostbelts he still thinks he's the only sane man but Goredolf tells him he is very much not, because what you mean you tried to convince Liz to become a Rock idol instead.

how did you manage to include all my interests in one AU WHO ARE YOU WHO ARE YOU

BUT youre so CORRECT WTH please send papa goredolf to the spa to the relax XD XD but enma tei can still be a very chaotic place sakjfnskjdbkjdb

THAT AU!!! I WANT TO WRITE IT SOMEDAY!!!! ive been really thinking about an Au like that and i saw there is kirsch version with gudako in ao3. its interesting!

i think kadoc would be crippled for a few months...almost a year? but physical therapy with the medical team can help! and yes, i think in-singularity events would most likely be the same, ONLY!!!

ritsuka has kadoc's advices and tips.

at first, of course he doesnt like it, he feels useless already. he's bedridden for a few months, for some unknown reason his circuits wont work, his faily crest is still there though, his sirius light is there but it doesnt feel like its really there, so he feels hopeless with nothing but da vinci, dr roman, mash to visit him and treat him like glass... and the newbie who suddenly rose to the top all because she managed to avoid the explosion. what luck.

fujimaru calls him "senpai" as mash always did to the girl. as hes stingy, he refuses, constantly guilt trips this happy go lucky idiot, hes constantly envious of their position, he watches the records of the singularity, how clumsy and stupid she is, and why the hell does she keep befriending sentient weapons capable of annhilating half a country. hes pretty surprised fujimaru hasnt died yet in the first singularity...

but then-

he hears his favorite rock music blasting loudly in fujimaru's earphones while excitedly talking to nightingale, who was in charge of the infirmary.

"oi, shitty kouhai," he parts the curtain to catch the red-haired girl's attention. like lanterns in the night, her eyes brightened, "ah! senpai! what's up?"

ugh. he needs to hear that song again and see the last update his second favorite band made. after all, they released a song on the day of the explosion. just when he planned to privately see their livestream after the rayshift test was over. it was seriously unfortunate that he was out cold for almost a month.

soon enough, just as he asked to hear what fujimaru was listening to, she lit up at the prospect of him being a rock music fan. and yes, he begrudgingly admitted it but at least it got him her phone (which she gladly lent. jesus christ she really is an overly trusting idiot) which was nothing but hundreds of songs in different genres, which surprisingly had some of his favorites in it. and unable to help himself, he took a look at her gallery, and again, had nothign but pictures of her bonding with the servants, and mostly mash, da vinci and then...

huh, in all of the doctor's pictures, all of her shots are taken at really good angles.... he skips all that and huffs, opting to enjoy listening to the music as he studies and recovers in bed, half-hoping that the idiot would come back soon so he could merely ask her about the true names of the servants in her gallery and why she doesnt have any pictures of her family friends or siblings and relatives prior to her life her at chaldea

wait I HAVE TO STOP i will ramble about the idea at this point!!!!!!! thank you so much for kadoguda AU idea T-T its so good!!!!

and i love to give kadoc a stroke and maybe some tumor so he will witness a lot of Bullshit in many events that he will become incrasingly tired instead of building of immunity. his peaks of stress is visibly seen, as you said, in halloween, christmas, and summer, all of which he intends to lock himself in his room but gets dragged along with ritsuka becase he certainly is Not Weak when it comes to her

i think i wanna have kadoc also summon anastasia though! he deservves to see her again no matter the AU imo TvT

i think kadoc would be a tiny bit jealous with romaguda! especially if its requited! kadoc would maybe call gudako from afar while shes talking and laughing with romani, or maybe theres also a hint of reverse...? now i want to see jealous romani lmao

if that happens, i think maybe it would be in a scenario where kadoc and ritsuka are having their moment, and romani suddenly appears out of nowhere and says, "Would you mind if I talked to Ritsuka for a little while?"

MAYBE just MAYBE he emphasizes how he is on first name basis with her while kadoc refers to her on last name basis.... so ahHHHH my feels!!!! jealous romani is seriously good if you put him in a certain situation!!!

anyways, thank you for ask! i didnt expect it but it made me happy!! someday i will write kadoguda with romaguda in it!!!

#kadoguda #romaguda #ask #anon #its sudden to me but its really welcome!#fgo

36 notes · View notes

hellkeepers-if · 4 months

Note

Random thought.. you are probably used to these from Me.. sorry 🙈

But your post made me really think about how excited I am to get into the IF. I love learning about different cultures as I come from a verryyy diverse African country. We really are a mix mash of everything and everyone. And I have both Korean and Japanese friends so I know like the barest of basic knowledge but I think both cultures are equally beautiful.

I am however obsessed with boths fantasy genres. More so any anime that's Yōkai related is like a treat to me.

So my question finally lol is how much is the culture gonna be present in the story? Or is gonna be more focused on a mix of myths from all over?

And will you touch on cultural pressures too? Cuz again african child here unrealistic pressure to be successful and also have a family from random aunties is real here too 🤣

Also would be happy to learn more about other asian cultures and their own creatures that scare lil kids. I don't know much about Taiwanese or Filipino cultures at all.

Haha no worries, I love answering questions!

A large portion of Hellkeepers will be based in the chinese underworld, so chinese mythology will take center stage in the worldbuilding.

However, I am also Southeast-Asian, and a Singaporean raised by Malaysian Chinese folks. Southeast-Asians are already underrepresented in fantasy, be in it culture or it's people. I would be remissed if I could not write about them in a story that's so fitting for it.

There will be the opportunity to learn about other asian cultures in the story, be it through the RO's, mythological folktales, and other spoilery stuff I can't quite mention yet 😜

The overarching theme of Hellkeepers is about family, hence you will definitely get to see the influence of an MC that is raised in an asian household 😂

#hellkeepers if #hellkeepers #hkpasks

12 notes · View notes

queerstuffonscreen · 5 months

Text

Glee (2009-2015) [I]

Episode length: 40-58 min.

Country: USA

Genre: Music, Comedy, Drama

Language: English

In this musical comedy, optimistic high school teacher Will Schuester tries to refuel his own passion while reinventing the high school's glee club and challenging a group of outcasts to realize their star potential as they strive to outshine their singing competition while navigating the cruel halls of McKinley High.

Season 1

Episode 1: Pilot

Episode 2: Showmance

Episode 3: Acafellas

Episode 4: Preggers

Episode 5: The Rhodes Not Taken

Episode 6: Vitamin D

Episode 7: Throwdown

Episode 8: Mash-Up

Episode 9: Wheels

Episode 10: Ballad

Episode 11: Hairography

Episode 12: Mattress

Episode 13: Sectionals

Episode 14: Hell-O

Episode 15: The Power of Madonna

Episode 16: Home

Episode 17: Bad Reputation

Episode 18: Laryngitis

Episode 19: Dream On

Episode 20: Theatricality

Episode 21: Funk

Episode 22: Journey to Regionals

Season 2

Episode 1: Audition

Episode 2: Britney/Brittany

Episode 3: Grilled Cheesus

Episode 4: Duets

Episode 5: The Rocky Horror Glee Show

Episode 6: Never Been Kissed

Episode 7: The Substitute

Episode 8: Furt

Episode 9: Special Education

Episode 10: A Very Glee Christmas

Episode 11: The Sue Sylvester Shuffle

Episode 12: Silly Love Songs

Episode 13: Comeback

Episode 14: Blame It on the Alcohol

Episode 15: Sexy

Episode 16: Original Song

Episode 17: A Night of Neglect

Episode 18: Born This Way

Episode 19: Rumours

Episode 20: Prom Queen

Episode 21: Funeral

Episode 22: New York

Season 3

Episode 1: The Purple Piano Project

Episode 2: I Am Unicorn

Episode 3: Asian F

Episode 4: Pot o' Gold

Episode 5: The First Time

Episode 6: Mash Off

Episode 7: I Kissed a Girl

Episode 8: Hold On to Sixteen

Episode 9: Extraordinary Merry Christmas

Episode 10: Yes/No

Episode 11: Michael

Episode 12: The Spanish Teacher

Episode 13: Heart

Episode 14: On My Way

Episode 15: Big Brother

Episode 16: Saturday Night Glee-ver

Episode 17: Dance with Somebody

Episode 18: Choke

Episode 19: Prom-asaurus

Episode 20: Props

Episode 21: Nationals

Episode 22: Goodbye

Season 4

Episode 1: The New Rachel

Episode 2: Britney 2.0

Episode 3: Makeover

Episode 4: The Break Up

Episode 5: The Role You Were Born to Play

Episode 6: Glease

Episode 7: Dynamic Duets

Episode 8: Thanksgiving

Episode 9: Swan Song

Episode 10: Glee, Actually

Episode 11: Sadie Hawkins

Episode 12: Naked

Episode 13: Diva

Episode 14: I Do

Episode 15: Girls (and Boys) On Film

Episode 16: Feud

Episode 17: Guilty Pleasures

Episode 18: Shooting Star

Episode 19: Sweet Dreams

Episode 20: Lights Out

Episode 21: Wonder-ful

Episode 22: All or Nothing

Watch on Disney+

See Glee post II season 5-6

4 notes · View notes

halleyuhm · 1 year

Note

I saw you were looking how to get into the writeblr community.

And I was wondering, what are your current WIP’s or blorbos? Rambles welcome! (No seriously if you look at my blog I am nothing without rambling)

I don’t really know you, but I too want to get in the community more and know more people! Writeblr can be a struggle!

Hi, thank you for the ask and the kind words! I've been working on the answer for a while because tbh I have so many wips (ENFP issues with finishing stuff) that I had to choose those that do have a chance to be completed someday haha

So these are my more advanced wips:

Route LXVI. Status: Fixing plotholes, reducing the number of words, and editing in general. It's my only slice of life so far. I began writing it because I wanted to practice my English and use a real-life setting. I got hooked haha. It tells the story of Liv (Olivia), whose past has affected the way she approaches relationships. The story follows her character development throughout the events that take place around her. I actually wrote a synopsis, soo copy-paste:

Living with her sister in Orlando, with an exhausting job and trying to finish her studies, Olivia has no interest nor time for distracting stuff. But after her online friends suggest she should start taking her gaming channel more seriously, her life changes. Quite literally. Behind anonymity, Liv can have whichever life she wants, away from her most hidden secrets. The new hobby allows her to turn into LXVI, a joyous and bubbly girl with a perfect life. And maybe that's what Liv needs to feel happy again. But, she also has to deal with real life as well, including bad choices, faulty relationships, and the hot new problem called Damien. And, when real and virtual life mix, how many lies are too many lies? How much can you trust someone on the other side? And, what happens if you fall in love with a boy on the other coast of the country?

Lunática. Status: writing. Genre: fantasy. The idea is to have the story set in the current modern world but with magic creatures aka Beasts (werewolves, vampires, witches, and the like), and Hunters of those. It's a mash-up of some different blorbos I previously had and couldn't manage to finish, so I'm still working out how they fit together. In the basic storyline, the main character's family (code name: Lex) belongs to the Hunters faction, but she doesn't know anything about this. Until she saves a "wolf" and later finds a human with the same wound markings, so she adds two + two. As a bonus, she develops water powers that change according to the Moon phase... and she wears hearing aids, which sometimes pick up voices that shouldn't be there... I want to play around with synesthesia, portals, clans, and abilities for this one.

Ichor. Status: planning and world-building. Just like the previous wip, this is a mash-up of ideas, but now in a High Fantasy medieval-like setting where different realms come into play. In this world, the only creatures that are magical by nature are the inhabitants of the other realms (which in layman's terms are shapeshifter angels and demons). Humans have discovered that they can also cast spells if they use the blood of the first group, and this leads to the expected wars, refugees, famine, closed realms, and prejudices. The main character's story is still a mess of imagery I'm yet to put together, but the main idea is for her to be a shapeshifter affiliated with the human military who slowly discovers the plotting going on behind closed doors, as well as the truth about her past.

By the stars foretold. Status: writer's block. This is a High Fantasy set-up where I have 4 different narrators whose stories are alternatively told through the chapters. Each one belongs to a different background, culture, ideology, classical nature element... Their code names are Ruby, Zak, Silva, and Enzo. They intertwine and separate along the story while they all pursue their own goals, which slowly converge into the same one, in a sort of "tangled destinies" story, and I plan for at least one of them to become a 'villain'. There are dragons and other magic creatures, different countries in war, magic academies, royalty plots, tournaments, and bustling city life. The issue? I started writing with no plan in mind because I just wanted to enjoy the characters, and now I've reached a point where I should already know what the end game is. Besides, some ideas overlap with the previous wip! I still have a long way to go but at least I like where it is going.

So these are the most advanced, but I have more blorbos around there which are just a basic idea and some scenes, names or even endings: I have a wip about a magic (called Modulation) Academy where everyone has their own ability, and I have the beginning and the end but not the middle xd.

Anyways! Thanks for letting me ramble! Writeblr is indeed a struggle and this has immensely helped me start expressing myself (and I really like your blog, btw!).

See you around!

#writeblr #writing #writblr #my wips #writers of tumblr #writeblr community #writerscommunity #writers #wip stuff #blorbo #halleywips #halleyask #halleylxvi #halleyluna

6 notes · View notes

solarpunkpresentspodcast · 6 months

Text

Mashing Solarpunk and Cyberpunk to Wage War Against War in The Creator

I saw the movie The Creator last night, which turned out to be a brooding love child of cyberpunk and solarpunk. I think we need a name for that genre mashup because there’s some interesting threads there to mine. The Creator also made me wonder, when did films get so beautiful. Every last frame of this film is a work of art of exceptional composition and clarity. And the sound... just wow, from the stirring yet perfectly integrated musical score to the map of sounds happening around you as the action progresses. If nothing else (and yet much more), The Creator is exactly why we should be fighting for the lives of our movie theaters. It breaks my heart to think of all the young’uns out there who are going to watch this film on their phone and will never have any idea what they’re missing by not having seen it on a big screen with a top–notch sound system. Even watching a film like this on the best HD TV you could hang on your living room wall would be like looking at a print of a Picasso instead of seeing its power in person.

The Creator takes place in an alternate timeline where we dove into AI and robotics with such gusto so early on, there were AI robots in spacesuits in space missions on NASA’s Space Shuttles (circa early 80s to early 2010s), not to mention acting as mother’s little helpers in the kitchens of the 1950s (if my memory is accurate of the “news reel” that rolled for the rocket ride that is the film’s opening montage). In short, The Terminator films clearly not existing in this timeline, humanity made the mistake of leaving the AIs in charge of defense systems and Los Angeles got nuked. And that’s just the first 75 seconds of the film (more or less).

Despite the fact that hardly anyone one who doesn’t live in Los Angeles cares a whit about the place—in fact,lots of folks actively fantasize about its demise (I’m thinking, most recently, of Kim Stanley Robinson's meanly gleeful and scientifically inaccurate drowning of the LA basin within about the space of a day via atmospheric river storms in The Ministry for the Future)—the USA goes full post-9/11 and declares war on AI. This means hunting down and mercilessly exterminating hotbeds of AI development in “New Asia.” Cue violent raids into New Asian countries by squads of American commandos with mind–bogglingly mighty tanks; a permanently airborne war station that locates targets, coordinates attacks, and launches savage missile attacks; and the most arrogant, single-minded, and cruel military characters imaginable.

That is, except for the protagonist. Sure, he’s an elite commando, but (SLEDGEHAMMER OF A METAPHOR) he’s a little bit robot himself, with all those bionics to replace limbs lost (in combat, presumably, given that his more innocent explanation sounds like an evasive lie). He fell in love with and married a New Asian woman while infiltrating her “terrorist” troupe of AI developers. This splits his sympathies. Considerably. Still, the top brass puts him in charge of re–infiltrating New Asia to seek and destroy the AI “weapon” the “terrorists” have developed. But this “weapon to end all weapons” turns out to be the AI equivalent of a human child who holds the key to the protagonist reuniting with the protagonist’s seemingly terrorist wife. As well as maybe also holding the key to world peace. Meanwhile, the child AI needs the love, protection, and guidance of a parent to survive and develop deeply human emotions. (Because, you know, emotions. They’re what make people do good things, right?)

Movies being movies, a lot of people and seemingly sentient machines are going to have to die in splatters of gunfire and spectacular explosions before we can find out who wins: the US military meanies or the AI robots and their friends, who just want to live free in peace and harmony.

Thematically, there’s a lot going on in The Creator. It’s very anti-colonialism, for instance. It also wonders how sentient robots will feel about being, essentially, slaves. It wants to tell us that maybe AI will be good for us. Instead of wanting to exterminate us—we who are actually the violent ones who refuse to see the humanity in others—maybe AI will want to be our friends and partners. Maybe AI will help us to develop the humanity lurking somewhere within ourselves and make us better human beings.

But for me, the overarching theme of The Creator is rage at America’s arrogantly militaristic habit of seeing things in black and white (US vs them, good guys vs terrorists, humans vs AI) and of annihilating the enemy at all cost, including that of the lives, livelihoods, housing, and villages of the civilians we don’t see as mattering. Watching this bitter rebuke to “shock and awe” was especially moving right now, on the brink (at least at the time of this writing) of Israel’s potential offensive into Gaza that will be Israel making the same mistake America made after 9/11. We could have taken the world’s sympathy and support (for we had it!) and used it to make the world a better, more equitable, more peaceful, much less impoverished, and more just place. Instead, we spent decades extracting bloody, violent revenge for a single terrorist act. Yes, our pride was wounded, and yes, nearly 3,000 people died as a result of the 9/11 terrorist attack, but the damage and death we caused in response with our mighty military machinery and soldiers gained us nothing, not even satisfaction. All it did, besides kill people and destroy their homes, was take the world into a dark, unstable place where there are now so many sides (within societies and between them) and they all hate each other. We all hate each other and this is ripping the fabric of our societies apart and making life more horrible for everyone. Rampaging like a million Godzillas on methamphetamine might feel as good as smashing glass when you’re mad, but it’s not right. It’s what evil empires do and it has terrible geopolitical repercussions. Especially when you wrap up your claim in the mantle of morality that you don’t actually have.

Of course, few movies are without their flaws. A lot happened in this movie that strained all credibility... and for the most part, it wasn’t the speculative elements. If the plot consisted of a lot of interlocking threads, every last one of them went full circle and tied itself into a tidy little bow by the end, which was ridiculous. Related to this, foreshadowing struck often and always like a sledgehammer. And there were far too many implausible events... characters who just happened to stumble in the right direction to end up in the right place at literally exactly the right time to make exactly the connection (that had gotten set up in another implausible and convoluted set of circumstances) that was totally unexpected (but that you saw coming 30 minutes previously because of the sledgehammer foreshadowing), etc. The AI child has extraordinary powers over machines when the plot needs it to but doesn’t have those powers when the plot needs it not to. The US military people are all such hardcore, single-minded, murder–all–the–AIs–at–all–cost lunkheads that the tragic backstory they give at least one of them to excuse it just comes across as laughable. Also, come on. Los Angeles gets nuked and only a couple of million people die? Does the alternate timeline not know that nearly 20 million people live in the Los Angeles megalopolitan area? Also, why barrage AI hot spots with bombs and missiles, doing so much collateral damage, when a great bit electromagnetic pulse would be far more effective while simultaneously sparing human beings and their homes?

Despite this, the movie is a moving spectacle. And it felt new. Which is not easy to do, as anyone who has sat down to try to write sci–fi could tell you. Sci–fi is so far beyond the first flush of its youth, unless you're really good, that just about any story you come up with has been written several times before. Despite the clunkier aspects of the plot, whoever wrote The Creator is really good. This sci–fi movie broke ground.

These days, I rarely stay for the credits of movies, but I felt compelled to for The Creator. It was so magnificently made, I’d found myself wondering how you would even go about writing a prospectus for a film like this. It was filmed at so many different places around the world and it had so much excellent CGI, there was only one moment in the movie where I was like, oh, that’s totally obviously CGI (and normally I scoff all the time at CGI). How would you even begin to figure out how many people you’d need to make a film this epic and detailed, much less how to coordinate their efforts. How could you begin to calculate how long it would take to make a movie this ambitious or how much it would cost so that the end result was excellent? (Turns out, the cost is $80 million, which is between a quarter and a third of the cost of a typical Marvel movie.)

My best guess—before and after watching the extensive credits—is that it took at least a thousand person-years to get this film made. There were so many animators. And they all seem to have done a painstaking job.

So, kudos to The Creator, the art with which it was made, and the themes that it tackled. Now get thee to a proper movie theater. In fact, the shiniest, newest, most up–to–date movie theater you can find. Movie theaters need our help to survive in this world of streaming, and spectacles like The Creator need to be seen on a big screen.

1 note · View note

pargolettasworld · 11 months

Video

youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZV7cS9BHHs

L’dor vador. From generation to generation. One of the venerable genres of American Jewish music is the popular song parody -- take that great song and make it Jewish! You had Mickey “Borscht Riders In The Sky” Katz, he of the Yinglish song genre. You had Allan “Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah” Sherman, whom we heard yesterday, bringing American Jews into the upwardly mobile mainstream.* Now, you have Country Yossi. Composer Yossi Toiv works very much in the vein of Katz and Sherman, though he is much more performatively Orthodox than either of them.

He was born in 1949 in Brooklyn, which goes toward explaining some of the great Golden Oldies that he likes to send up. In this case, he answers the question that I’m completely sure was at the absolute forefront of everyone’s mind. What would Bobby Pickett’s 1962 novelty hit “Monster Mash” sound like if it were Jewish? It turns out that it’s a fun little ditty, though there’s a spark in both Katz and Sherman’s work that I don’t quite hear in Yossi’s. Still, it’s amusing, and there are some lovely creative moments in it.

*I’m not including the Barry Sisters here, since they didn’t really do parodies; they often did popular songs just straight-up translated into Yiddish.

#jewish music

2 notes · View notes

photogirl894 · 2 years

Note

Headcanon:

Hunter listens to country music and rap/rock. No in-between, no mash ups. Those two genres exclusively.

Wrecker listens to Dad rock and jazz music.

Echo listens to alternative rock, cause that's what Fives always had playing on their private com channel.

Tech listens to the filthiest hip-hop/pop music he can find. He got in trouble with Echo when he blasted it on the ship's speakers the first day Omega was with them. He keeps in his helmet now.

Crosshair listens to alternative rock and rap/rock.

What do you headcanon the Batch's favorite music genres are?

I like your thoughts, Deathy!! 💜

I think I'm kind of inclined to agree with your Hunter thoughts. I feel like I lean more towards rock for him over country, like maybe 80's rock. (I think it's the hair 😜 haha) Though I can see him listening still to a little country here and there, too. I can see him also liking a little bit of classical music to help calm him after having his senses overwhelmed too much.

Wrecker would like jazz, like you said, which is kinda funny considering his love for explosions, so you think he'd like music with a little more flair, but it still fits him!

I think Echo would like a bit more pop than alternative rock. Something upbeat and uplifting. I think he'd be the one that (not so) secretly likes more boy band stuff, like Jonas Brothers, Backstreet Boys or One Direction.

I personally don't really agree with Tech being into hardcore hip-hop. To me, I think he'd prefer something like lofi; something more calming and soothing that he can just have playing in the background while he does his research or fixes up the Marauder for the umpteenth time.

Crosshair, just for funsies, I like to think listens to showtunes 😜 Though personally, I would definitely peg him as the hip-hop type!

#star wars the bad batch #bad batch headcanons #bad batch thoughts

23 notes · View notes

mejomonster · 2 years

Text

One day I'll rewatch and finish Ice Fantasy

It has sooooo many of the tropes I love in fantasy storiessss

It has one of my fave korean actresses playing one of the Ice Kings wives

It has a "evil" princess who's in charge, a main character, actually quite brave, who so very Fairy Tale sees a hot boy and thinks "ohhh? I should? Make a move -3-"

Said hot boy is actually the sworn enemy Kings son, spying, and will betray her own country (but still help her- and I swoon, I love that fucking trope)

The main girl is like Zhao Yunlan/Kunlun, Guardian of the realm, I love this particular archetype on girl characters. It's very progonist-of-Once Upon a Time Swan but without the traditional femininity getting shoved in regularly. She's street smart, chivalrous, brave, outgoing, she teaches the Ice Prince how to eat and drink and he falls for her (oh immortal falling for a human LOVE THAT TROPE), She saves him, they're from different backgrounds (another trope i LOVE particularly that not just are they immortal/mortal, but him being a prince means even if she were immortal they'd be unlikely to be allowed to marry due to her not being politically beneficial)

And then just. I could write pages on why I love everyone else. I absolutely adore the main 2 brothers, and the main 2 girls. (Also I love siblings who are close who do have angst, and Shen Wei and Ye Zun give me similar vibes to the brothers in Ice Fantasy - except Ice Fantasy goes way longer with it and more angsty)

Also the sets, costumes, while cheaper looking than newer stuff still have such a DISTINCT identity, it makes Ice Fantasy really stand out compared to other xianxia and other Fantasy genre stuff (it has some very western elf Fantasy influences, some clear xianxia influences, some different regional clothing influences, also some very Mix and Mash standard Fantasy style clothes you might see in games or cosplay that would realistically not exist in a "past" setting, but it's Fantasy so who am I to say they don't have modern clothes production there sjjdf. Also the white hair choice for Ice Immortals, Red black hair choice for Fire Immortals, and other particular design choices for immortals - the guy with purple streaks, the mermaids curls - all are interesting visual choices to make each region feel distinctly its own thing and different. Which I always really appreciate in shows, when its so easy to just make region's have the same clothing/hair for the most part etc)

I miss Ice Fantasyyy

(Oh and, to top it all off, I'm trash for a good sci fi/fantasy set in normal mundane present day - which I realize isn't everyone's preference but I absolutely eat it up. And the sequel, Ice Fantasy Destiny, is exactly that setup which you know... is just the cherry on top for me)

#rant #ice fantasy #i miss youuuu

5 notes · View notes

slow-burn-sally · 2 years

Text

I know literally no one else will care about what I have to say, but sometimes, there’s a thing inside you that just needs to get out, and that thing is my minor analysis of Phil Collins’ song, ‘That’s All’.

The song is... sort of a genre mish mash. Part early 80s synth, part corny country western, but with a bitter flavor of rejected love. It’s bouncy, but there’s pain beneath the bounce. Still, it’s a pretty goofy song, at least by today’s edgy standards. It goes through the chorus, then verse, then chorus, then verse, and then, right around 1:39 in, it hits the first instance of the bridge, and the song just goes into full on fanfiction pining mode.

It’s glorious. It’s six cylinders of unrequited yearning. It almost brings me to tears sometimes.

Then, right back to the corny, weirdly bitter country song. You only get two instances of the Dramatic Fanfic Pining Bridge, but it is *so* worth it. I love the entire song, but the bridge just kills me.

(correction! it’s a Genesis song apparently. Screengrab courtesy of this youtuber:)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ydgt06gYiyk

#phil collins #genesis #that's all

8 notes · View notes

semitransparent-glob · 2 years

Note

hiiiiii hieeee so. danganronpa was my special interest for a solid six years and i still have a Lot of that knowledge locked in my brain. and i wanna talk about it again, you starting this blog may have rekindled my hyperfixation. please. tell me all ur music headcanons. i have singing headcanons for the sdr2 cast that i still think fit pretty well

👀!!!!!

teehee... a lot of my music taste hcs are either me projecting or for funnies but i feel like most of them fit pretty well...

anyway here they are in alphabetical order (under a cut bc this will be a long ass post otherwise):

Akane - she like the kind of dubstep and edm that was popular in the early 2010s. skrillex and similar. bangarang in particular gives me akane vibes

Chiaki - in true Gamer fashion, Chiaki likes a lot of game soundtracks, but in addition to that, she likes hyperpop, a plethora of vocaloid artists, and crystal castles

Fuyuhiko - he's very secretive about his music tastes but only because he doesn't want anyone to know he likes the music he does. i haven't decided if he likes disco or ska (or both), but it's one of those two for sure. I think at this point i'm leaning more towards ska...

Gundham - Gundham likes the wizard-esque doom metal. The stuff about necromancers and shit. Slow tempo music is usually his go-to. He also likes some new romantic bands like the cure and others, and listens to type o negative as well. Another band that appears often in his mixes is muse.

Hajime - despite his 'everyman' appearance he likes 'weird' music. He enjoys breakcore and bands that defy genre. At the top of his list is Machine Girl, this song (and album) in particular reminding me of him. He also listens to a lot of death grips.

Hiyoko - she doesn't listen to a lot of music outside of practicing for her dance routines, but when she does it's the most disgusting (complimentary) death metal you've ever heard.

Ibuki - NU METAL. and some other metal of course. Korn, Disturbed, Kittie, Slipknot.... she also likes three days grace and mcr. and death metal as well and she actively seeks out death metal bands with women vocalists.

Imposter - as Byakuya, he says he listens to classical music to sound refined and stuff, but in reality they love bubblegum pop and boy bands

Izuru - he's the only person on earth who says they listen to 'all genres' and actually does. It's a new genre every week with Izuru. His favs are usually the genre mash-ups, and also music that just plain sounds bad <3

Kazuichi - pop punk. a tiny bit of grunge in the mix too. green day

Mahiru - Spice Girls and 80s pop bands with women vocalists.

Mikan - Lana Del Rey and similar 'indie' women singers that were popular mid 2010s

Nagito - he says he 'doesn't listen to music', but then if you push it he'll say he listens to a bit of emo stuff and some pop punk. blink 182 and similar. but THEN he'll say he was lying and actually only listens to news podcasts. in reality it's just the pop punk.

Nekomaru - dad rock. AC/DC :^)

Peko - babymetal, nine inch nails, a perfect circle, and a lot of things in-between

Sonia - true to her name and country of origin, she listens to nirvana, but they AREN'T her fav grunge band. Her fav grunge band is Alice in Chains. She also dips into nu metal every once in a while, particularly deftones.

Thank you for coming to my ted talk... <3

6 notes · View notes

soupbabe · 2 years

Note

hellloooo<3

soo i’ve never done/hand a mash up before and im curious on who’d i get! you can do any slasher franchise i’m familiar with most if not all of them i guess. I am an adult (19) I’m genderfluid, and pansexual!

i’ll tell you a bit about myself! I reallllly like soft aesthetic stuff, like pastels, florals, cute animals the whole works. and my personality is kind of like a cats it a cat was 90% cuddly and nice and 10% bitchy a mean (and some are). I like coloring (suck at drawing tho unless flowers count) singing(i pride myself in being good at singing)

I can literally listen to any type of music, i have playlists basically for every genre (except country music but i could make an exception) aaaand idk really what else to put??? that’s it i think?

i LOOOVE your work btw <3

I match you with,,,

Rob Zombie! Michael Myers ♡

I'm definitely going with my gut and my love for the dynamic of big scary murder man and the softer, sweet s/o. But I think Michael finds you so endearing !! He loves how sweet you can be while still being able to be mean or stand your ground at times.

And also?? I can see him being comforted by your singing. Even if it's just a gentle hum, he feels less tense. Literally if you decide to make masks together, he'd love you forever !! While he mostly does the crafting, he'd bring you over to paint with him and he'd have your finished product with him everywhere he goes <33

#i literally got so hyped seeing this sjsvjss #i just went 'omg mutual :0' and hope i did you right #match up #rob zombie michael myers #rob zombie halloween #slashers

5 notes · View notes

filthforfriends · 2 years

Note

Max Martin used to be in a metal band and comes from that background. Yes he can do pop but he can also do their stuff. It would be virtually impossible for them to continue writing every tiny beat of every song while touring and such. I am sure they wrote the majority and these guys lended a beat or phrase here and there. Why decide you are already going to dislike something before you even have it?

Because I’m a Capricorn with more opinions than anyone you’ve met in your life

So far in 2022 he’s wrote or produced

Lizzo (beloved, but still pop)

6 songs on The Weekend’s new album (really shitty pop)

In 2021:

Can I Get It, which reduced Adele’s soulful ballads to pop and ripped off Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers

FLETCHER (mind numbing pop)

Taylor’s Versions (singer-songwriter pop)

Jonas Brothers (pop)

Therapy by Anne-Marie which I couldn’t discern from any random pop song on the radio with a gun to my head

Pretty much all of Coldplay’s last album (pop sell outs)

Stick With You by Zara Larson (pop)

In 2020:

Stupid Love by Lady Gaga (pop icon)

5 song off Afterhours album by The Weekend (would rather stab myself than listen to it pop)

The fucking Trolls soundtrack including SZA, Anna Kendrick, Kelly Clarkson, Justin Timberlake (pop)

Mattel and Equally Lost featuring Doja Cat by Tove Lo (pop)

One More Try by Jessie J (pop)

4 songs on Charlie’s Angels soundtrack including Ariana, Miley, Lana Del Ray, Normani, Nicki Minaj (pop)

Motivation by Normani (pop)

How Do You Sleep? by Sam Smith (pop)

In 2019:

Ed Sheeran’s collabs with Stormzy, 50 cent, Bieber, Eminem, Khalid (pop/mainstream rap)

Finished What We Started by Zac Brown Band and Brandy Carlile Finally, something that’s not pop! WRONG. More pop that country and not in a good way.

The last time Max Martin worked with a rock band was 2011. Band and album titled Cervello and it was the last album they ever made. The album flopped, the band flopped, their career ended.

Finished What We Started is off of a Zac Brown Band album called The Owl, which did very poorly. Here is a review:

“The Owl has just as many producers as it does tracks. that would be eleven. One of those producers is Max Martin…who is personally responsible for the wholesale reprehensible direction of popular music in the past 10 to 15 years… Busy, disjointed, manic, mutt of a mono-genre effort withabsolutely no compass, direction or general purpose. The Owl is the vomiting out of any and all popular music influences mashed together like peanut butter and poodle shit. Forget all the high talk of how combining genre can be a gateway to vibrant creativity and musical evolution through the blending of influences and art forms. this record is like putting gummy bears in a lasagna.”

4 notes · View notes

rhetoricandlogic · 2 months

Text

‘Our Share of Night’ is a masterpiece of supernatural horror

Mariana Enriquez’s novel, her first published in English, uses otherworldly elements to consider Argentina’s violent history

Review by Hamilton Cain

February 5, 2023 at 8:00 a.m. EST

As political partisanship boiled over in the aughts, showrunner Alan Ball rolled out HBO’s “True Blood,” adapting Charlaine Harris’s pulp series about a coven of vampires — and the humans who love them — for the small screen, tapping horror tropes to plumb deeper truths surrounding xenophobia and desire. Excessive gore, spiritual angst, sexy bodies: They were all there for the audience, no holds barred. Moody yet hilarious, the show won an Emmy and a Golden Globe.

I frequently thought of “True Blood” as I read Mariana Enriquez’s masterpiece of genre mash-up, “Our Share of Night,” the Argentine writer’s first novel published in English. Lauded for her short fiction, Enriquez here slathers on supernatural conceits: How better to respond to that country’s violent history than with a shadowy sect teeming with wraiths and demons, a haunted house, a dynastic family that would sacrifice its own to maintain power? Make no mistake, though: “Our Share of Night” is a literary achievement, gorgeous and exacting in its execution.

Tall, blond and 30-something, Juan Peterson resides with his only child, Gaspar, in a spooky Buenos Aires mansion. “Our Share of Night” opens in January 1981, as the persecution of citizens has ebbed. Both man and boy are grieving the accidental death of Rosario, wife, mother and daughter of Mercedes, the stone-cold matriarch who shepherds a mystical, murderous cult known as the Order.

Born with a severe heart defect, Juan’s living on borrowed time. He’s volatile and sexually omnivorous, seducing everyone in his path, such as Rosario’s empathic half sister, Tali; his best friend, Stephen; and casual hookups. He’s also the sole medium between the Order and its deity, a ravenous Darkness that feeds on Argentines much as the fascistic government did in the 1970s. The cult has amassed a fortune, and Juan is a pawn in its game.

At the height of summer, he drives Gaspar to Puerto Reyes, near the Paraguay border, for the annual Ceremonial, a grisly ritual that mirrors the recent reign of terror. In a dazzling array of scenes, Enriquez dabbles in occult motifs, as when Tali, who reads tarot cards, is approached by a woman inquiring about her missing daughter: “Tali had seen her dead, drowned, and she’d said so. One of the many girls the military had murdered and thrown into rivers, their eyes eaten by fish, their feet tangled in vegetation: dead mermaids with bellies full of lead. Tali didn’t lie, she wouldn’t give false hope. The fathers and mothers of young people who had been disappeared by the dictatorship sought her out; they wanted, at least, to know how their children died, if their bodies were in a pit of bones or underwater or in a secret cemetery.”

Juan recognizes that Gaspar has inherited his gift, and he’s desperate to turn the boy over to the safekeeping of his brother, Luis, who had fled Argentina to escape the crackdowns. He cobbles together a network to protect Gaspar while occasionally surrendering to his inner sadist, beating and berating his son (and others) to salve the torment of the monster within. Scarred torsos, amputated limbs, wrists cut to the bone: These are the signatures of a man caught between genocide and the burdens of his fate. Juan’s a morally treacherous triumph of Enriquez’s towering imagination.

Gaspar thinks his father’s crazy. “I hope Dad dies once and for all and puts an end to all this and I can live with my uncle,” he notes, “and I don’t ever have to think again about locked rooms, voices in my head, dreams of hallways and dead people, ghost families, boxes full of eyelids. … I wish I could stop loving him, forget him.” Enriquez toggles between decades, between South America and Europe, filling in lacunae amid her characters’ biographies — Rosario narrates a lavish sequence from beyond the grave — while blurring lines that divide our world from adjacent realms. Her cinematic technique spans the globe: There’s a go-go, Carnaby Street vibe to her London flashbacks, for example.

The novel’s translator, Megan McDowell, won the National Book Award in translated literature last year for “Seven Empty Houses,” by Samanta Schweblin, a fellow Argentine whose themes dovetail with those of Enriquez. An American based in Santiago, Chile, McDowell has grasped the torch passed by luminaries such as Edith Grossman; translation, to invoke Grossman’s famous metaphor, isn’t merely copying one language over another, like tracing paper, but rather an act of creation unto itself. “Our Share of Night” teases out the nuances of Enriquez’s spirited, in-your-face style, political epic masquerading as satanic farce.

As Gaspar navigates adolescence, he feels the stir of attraction, his father’s son. “The girl let him light her cigarette,” Enriquez writes. “Gaspar looked at her legs. She had visible muscles. The lighter had illuminated her very dark eyes, lined in blue like a punk Cleopatra. … She said she thought Gaspar was a great name. One of the Magi.”

By novel’s end, Gaspar’s a Wise Man, weaving gingerly toward selfhood, fending off forces hellbent on his destruction. As the millennium approaches, he confronts his country’s brutal legacy and his affluent family’s role, the havoc colonialism has wrought in the Americas. “Our Share of Night” is not only a bloody valentine to the bonds between parent and child, but also an inspired evisceration of how the powerful prey on the powerless, often beneath the guise of democracy and freedom. As Mercedes opines: “Money … is a nation in itself.”

#Mariana Enriquez #Out Share of the Night #mahreviews #long post

0 notes