Tosca's Kiss

I love this aptly named vid so much - both the music, lyrics and images are so evocative. It's made by Brian Froud, one of my favourite artists, using art from his book, Brian Froud's World of Faerie and features Lousia John-Krol's song "And Which of These Worlds" from her Apple Pentacle CD.

Just watch - it's sure to lead your imagination down paths both dark and bright.

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Which of these Worlds?

and here's a world in which I can fly,
and here's a lake I skim like a mermaid,
here's a world where I'm imprisoned,
here's a pentagram of spells
that take a shape and burn like fire,
and here's a world where I beg for my life,
and here's a pleasure screamed with delight,
and here's a street I stalk as a vampire,
here's a world where I am a queen,
and here's a world where love reigns supreme,
and here's a world where I cannot walk.

And which of these worlds will I cry for?
And which of these worlds will I yearn for?
And which…. world did I choose?
And which of these was I thrown into?

and here's a lever lowering a bridge
that's leads to castles far in the wood,
and here's a carriage in which I ride
to my demise, my execution,
here I dance with daggers of steel
and here I run with wolves to the sea,
and here's a plate where poison is placed,
a gun to end the life of a rebel
here is snow where a life did expire,
and here's a banquet filled with mirth,
and here's an edict that would make
a billion people into slaves,
and here's a hole that leads to my freedom,
here's a shroud concealing a grail,
and here's a flag, and here's a sail
to take me to the next galaxy.

Happy New Year everyone! Hope 2012 is a good one for you. Here's a couple of Weiss Kreuz drabbles to break in the new year:


2012

Sally and the children come back to the hotel to find their bags packed. At Sally’s white-faced expression Jei flicks a look towards the twins, says,
“Crawford declares Ireland’s won all the medals we’re getting. Thought we’d go home early, visit your nana on the way.”
Sally nods in understanding.

------

The week before, Nagi receives an email:
“Rimouski meeting actually surprise birthday party. Blasting your minions through the walls would be ill-advised overreaction. Happy 30th.”

------

The television clicks off, amidst election-result hysteria.
“Told you so.”
Schuldig sneers.
“Brad, someone with the precognition of a lead brick could have called that one.”


================
1. London 2012 Olympics. Perfect terrorist attack target. eep.
2. Nagi turns 30 in 2012 according to canon. I doubt he’s pleased about it.
3. 2012 US Presidential elections.



Per Annum

New Year’s Eve they both have different traditions.

Crawford collects papers - brochures, catalogues, printouts - of upcoming important world events. He spends the day shuffling them hand-to-hand, slip-sliding them under his fingertips, casting his Talent further and further outward, a net to trap elusive fish. By daybreak and the dawn of a new annum, he knows the shape of his expectations for this next year.

Schuldig goes out to a random bar, fucks a random stranger, and gets completely hammered to celebrate surviving the year just past.

New Year’s Day however, they both share the misery of a debilitating headache.

*

Ironman: Pepper Potts + Tony Stark fanfiction = Pepperony

[falls off sofa laughing]

lucia_tanaka recently did a brilliant fanmix (with great graphics) for The Dresden Files called A Chicago Triptych, which has 10 songs for John Marcone, 10 for Harry Dresden, and 11 for the both of them.

I really like fanmixes, as they introduce me to bands I would otherwise probably never hear of, or sadly, would not bother listening to.

One of the songs from the fanmix I am totally in love with is this, The Wanting Comes in Waves / Repaid by The Decemberists. It's from the Harry album and she's chosen it as the theme for Harry and his Fairy Godmother. And it is perfect, perfect, perfect for his completely screwed-up relationship/deal with The Leanansidhe. Beautiful, passionate, haunting and really creepy.

Even if you don't know the Dresden Files, it's awesome all by itself as a storytelling song with amazing voices and melodies.

Hope you all down there and your family and friends are OK.

My relatives in Christchurch are fine, just without power ATM. An old school friend had a close call in the city centre but fortunately otherwise everyone seems to be good.

Christchurch is such a pretty city - very similar to Oxford - and the one time I visited I loved it. It's really heartbreaking to see the damage in addition to the deaths and casualties.

Thinking of you all. Be safe.

My Yuletide present this year was Information Received, a lovely little James Bond office story with Bond and Villiers, courtesy of girl_called_sun. Thank you again for my Yuletide gift.


My own contribution this year was for miss_elizabeth, in the The Mummy film series fandom, and was an afternoon of discoveries (danger, romance, etc) for Evie, Rick and Jonathan, set in the Carnavan's parents' attic back in England:

Past and Future
(The Mummy Series, Teen & Up, Rick/Evelyn, Jonathan)


I was having terrible trouble thinking up a name for the story that wasn't either a. misleading or b. giving the plot away entirely, so I just slapped the moniker "Past and Future" on it. It wasn't until the day after that I realized I'd committed a horrible scribal faux pas; my previous year's Yuletide story was called "Of Events Past and Future"! [blush]

Next year, expect to see a story entitled, "Future".

I have zero sympathy for dole bludgers, but it seems to me that:

New Universal Benefit (supposedly guaranteeing you will always be better off in work than on the dole; and penalising those who can work but refuse what they're offered)
+
Drastic Cuts to the Police Force
=
UK Crimewave in the 2010's


Or is that is just me being cynical?