#cwss15

[violaeading]

todd hewitt and viola eade instagram!au (viola’s bio is insp by this post)

sorry that this is so late but merry xmas/happy holidays @worldsokayestblog !!! hope you had a lovely holiday season and i wish you luck in 2016!! <333

[oneiromancy]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

@chaos-reading this is ur christams gift!! sorry this is super late and short, i hope u like it anway??

[nerdy-is-super-cool]

CWSS15

Happy holidays @chaoswalks​! as you know I’m your Secret Santa this year, and this is your gift! Sorry again that this is a few days late, I was with family (ie. away from my laptop) so I wasn’t able to post this from where it was saved.

So I started out with the intention of making a playlist that goes through each of the books picking a few moments from each one. However, I quickly realised I had far too many ideas to force upon you so I’ve narrowed it down to a few songs that very strongly remind me of particular moments from the trilogy. Even then it ended up longer than anticipated. The song links are all to YouTube because I feel that’s the easiest way to go about things, and I’ve included an explanation for each of the songs I chose. I have no idea how to talk about music, so there’ll be a good bit about “vibes” in here and equally vague terms.

I hope you like it!

Not In Nottingham - Mumford and Sons (lyrics):

This song really reminds me of Prentisstown at the start of KONLG. It’s pretty self explanatory if you look at the lyrics: Every town Has its ups and downs Sometimes the ups Outnumber the downs Not in Nottingham That's just Prentisstown in a nutshell. The bit - If we weren't so down, we'd up and leave - fits so well too because obviously the town is banished so to speak, but also because everybody just goes along with the Mayor, none of them try to go against him (that we're told about), people spend their days wallowing in the Noise. Even the mood of the song suits the town - the song feels really stagnant and monotonous to me (don't get me wrong I love it), much like Prentisstown because there's no future there, there's nothing the town can do except die off or take over the rest of The New World.

Bad Moon Rising - Mourning Ritual ft. Peter Dreimanis (lyrics):

Right so this is the version of the song that was on Teen Wolf like two years ago back before that show went to shit, because the original version is really peppy and just doesn't really suit what I'm going for here. So - there's a bad moon on the rise - is again about Prentisstown before Todd leaves but more specifically about Ben and Cillian (also I still read that as "Sillian" and will continue to do so until my dying day). I mean the whole song is really indicative of this time if you give it a listen, not even just the lyrics but the guy’s voice. Whenever I listen to it I always imagine this malevolent deity or spirit looking over some place he’s about to attack or ruin, which works in this sense if you imagine the Mayor surveying Prentisstown readying itself to invade The New World. But there's one line in particular that makes it more specific to Ben and Cillian: I know the end is coming soon. Like they know their relationship with Todd, their time with each other is coming to an end and they just have to watch the end get closer.  They're spending their time preparing for him to leave, preparing his bag and the map and everything, slowly watching all the boys in the village become men in such a horrific manner. They're watching this all happen with the knowledge that Todd is getting closer and closer to that day and there's this feeling of a build up, of the moon rising so to speak.

Chocolate - The 1975 (lyrics):

Now we’re flashing forward to AaTA because this song is about The Answer. The vibe of this is a little too cheerful but give it a listen anyway because the lyrics work so well. This one is pretty straightforward, it's about as subtle as planting a bomb then tagging the wall beside it (oooooh). We go where nobody knows We got guns hidden under our petticoats No, we're never gonna quit it, No, we're never gonna quit it, no We're dressed in black from head to toe We've got guns hidden under our petticoats The lyrics really capture the whole guerilla facet to The Answer and the way they don’t give up. They’re sneaking around planting bombs, tagging them then running out, they surprise attack the prison, the communications tower, they’re smuggled in and out of New Prentisstown in Wilf’s cart, ‘under his petticoats’ so to speak.

Goodnight Sweet Ladies - Emilie Autumn (lyrics):

This song is about Corinne. Right so I didn't think of her immediately when I heard this song but as I was putting this gift together it just crashed into my mind and tbh it may be the most appropriate one. This is a song I randomly heard on tumblr a few years ago now and every time I listen to it I get really into it and contemplative and I just want to lie on my bed in the dark and think. However, aside from that it's also perfect for Corinne. So the whole idea of the song is that yes, you're dead, but you will be mourned and you will sure as hell not be forgotten. I'm actually going to give you most of the lyrics here because they're all relevant. With rosemary green and bright You're not forgotten, eternal night Can't fade your memory, dim your light You've made a difference, you've won your fight We lift our branches and though we weep No death could conquer you, only sleep Goodnight, sweet ladies Goodnight, sweet friends You lie but sleeping Someday we will meet again. It works to me on two (I mean probably more) levels. There's two specific lines, that are... ironic, I guess, and that makes them seem really suitable to me: Let no voice falter and Let songs be sung 'til our throats are dry. After Corinne dies Viola has this moment of silence even though the world around her is this chaotic, pain-filled cacophony. She says of Corinne: “She just falls quiet, a certain type of quiet you know is endless as soon as you hear it, a quiet that muffles everything around it, turning off the volume of the world.” (pg 299 in my copy) But of course The Answer doesn't sing for Corinne, they fight for her, indeed it's Corinne's death that pushes Viola over the edge of doing what Coyle wants. That's where the irony comes in, that is Corinne was so focused on healing, on saving people ever since her mam died in front of her, and now she's part of the reason for this violence, this killing; she is the catalyst that causes Viola to throw herself into it all. However, then of course the song is all about mourning and death, like the thumping in the background reminds me of the lead up to someone being hanged, which I guess sort of lines up with Corinne staying behind when Viola left. Corinne knew she wasn't going to be treated well; I see that goodbye between Viola and Corinne much like the lead up to a hanging, it's the lead up to Corinne's end so to speak. The actual act of mourning in this song is about remembering and to an extent celebrating the person in question, and that’s what The Answer do. They celebrate, or at least appreciate Corinne's resistance; she didn't crack, she didn't tell the Mayor's forces anything, she held strong and kept her mouth shut. 

Okay so now for MoM, I have two songs that actually remind me of the same portion of the book, the bit just before the climax on the beach, so the Mayor taking Todd, the fire, the water putting it all out, Viola and Angharrad sprinting to the sea, Angharrad literally pushing herself to death to save "Boy Colt" etc. Soul Wars - AWOLNATION (lyrics):

The beat in the background of this is so chaotic and urgent (especially at the start) it perfectly captures the chaos of these scenes. Now the lyrics are apt too, there's a bit about fire in there and tasting the smoke. There's one line that's just so perfect for the specific situation that's going on with the Mayor that it actually made me laugh when I copped it: Now I'm the pilot of this spaceship.

White Wedding - Billy Idol (lyrics):

Oddly enough this actually reminds me of this part as well, because again it's fairly urgent, but more importantly it feels like it's building up to something, everybody getting into place for a big finale which is perfect for everyone getting to that goddamn beach. The lyrics talk about it being - a nice day to start again - too which is rather apt, like it’s the end of the war, it’s all decided, the large conflict is over, it’s only Todd and the Mayor who are left fighting (and then Viola when she gets there).

Then there’s a bit near the end of the song that kind of changes in tone which really brings to mind Viola’s sprint to the sea. She’s going as fast as she can, Angharrad is literally killing herself, however, they still don’t know if they’ll make it to the sea in time, if they’ll be able to help. There is nothin' fair in this world There is nothin' safe in this world And there's nothin' sure in this world And there's nothin' pure in this world Look for something left in this world Start again As well as the lyrics, the rhythm to what he’s singing at this portion of the song is urgent but kind of repetitive in the sense that the start of each line is the same and that especially evokes the feeling of sprinting on a horse to me (which is so oddly specific but there you go).

So that’s that! I hope you find this as interesting as I do

[todds-one-in-particular]

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to @discordanddarkness I hope you have an awesome day! Here is your Secret Santa gift:

Todd’s best Christmas

The sun seemed to take forever to rise this Christmas for Todd, even longer than the Christmas before. He lays on his side staring out the window, watching as the snowflakes hit his window and instantly melt and trickle down. He takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly in awe of the beauty and also to not cause his still healing chest much harm. Todd had hoped that his wound would have been fully healed by Christmas but it is still on the mend. He brings his eyes to the bandages, still sensation through his body, he grimaces and turns his gaze back to the sunrise. The glowing sun has almost fully risen and Todd can feel his excitement growing. He sits up carefully and pulls out the drawer next to his bed and gently touches the not so neatly wrapped presents that he has safely stored for Ben and Viola. He pushes the ribbon of one of them over slightly, so that it’s just right. Ben and Viola have done so much for him over his slow healing process and much before then so he endeavours to make this Christmas as special for them as he can. He even had one of the healers bring him a daisy to slip under the ribbon of Viola’s gift. Suddenly there is a knock on the door. Todd freezes momentarily and then begins to lower himself down in his bed. He struggles to pull his quilt over himself as fast as he can because he was told by Ben to not ‘sit up all night and wait for the morning as he has to give his body time to mend’. Todd almost has his quilt pulled over his torso when Ben swings open the door. “I know you’re not asleep, don’t bother hurting yourself trying to fool me” Ben says with a chortle. Todd squeezes his eyes shut, just in case Ben doesn’t really know he’s awake. “Todd. You do this every Christmas, why would this one be an exception?” Ben says, walking over to Todd’s bedside and pulling up a chair. “I wasn’t up all night, I only just woke up” Todd says rolling his eyes at being caught. He begins to sit himself up but Ben rushes to his aid and packs pillows behind him. “Yeah, of course you weren’t up all night” Ben says sarcastically, making Todd’s eyes roll again. “Merry Christmas, Ben” Todd says, almost begrudgingly for being caught out. “Merry Christmas, son” Ben says, leaning over and planting a kiss on Todd’s forehead, giving his hair a ruffle too. The floorboards from outside Todd’s room begin to creek as Viola appears in Todd’s doorway. “Damn it Ben, you beat me to him” Viola playfully exclaims. Ben laughs and Todd’s cheeks go bright red. Viola, dressed in the prettiest dress that Todd has ever seen, traipses over to Todd. “Merry Christmas!” She says, pressing her lips against Todd’s cheek, sending them an even brighter red. Todd’s mind goes blank for a moment as his heart beats what seems to be 1000 times faster than ever before. She’s like an Angel, Todd thinks to himself. Viola pulls up a chair on the other side of Todd. “Presents?” Todd queries. “Yes!” Ben and Viola say in unison. Todd reaches over to his drawer and pulls out the gifts, handing one to Ben and one to Viola. They both tear into their presents after thanking him. “Oh, Todd, you shouldn’t have” says Ben holding up a bottle of Ale. “One of the healers makes it at home, she said I could give you as many as I like but she just gave me the one for now so that I could stash it in my drawer” Todd says, chuffed with himself. “Thankyou Todd. I will enjoy this” Ben says with a chuckle. Viola studies her present. It’s a leather bound book with handwritten text in only the first couple of pages. “Todd”, Viola states, “Did you write these poems?” “Poems?” Ben questions, astounded. “Yes…I did. They aren’t the best, I’m sorry it’s not a very good present but I couldn’t go out to get anything” Todd says, looking into his lap, embarrassed. “Todd, they are beautiful. I can’t believe you wrote them. This is the best Christmas gift ever!” Viola says with the beginnings of a tear in her eye. “Really?” Todd says. He looks up but before he can meet her eyes she has thrown her arms around him and pulled him into a tight embrace. “I….can’t…..breathe” Todd chokes out. “Oh, I’m sorry” She says, wiping a tear from her eye as soon as it dares to emerge.

“Don’t suppose you would like a gift now Todd?” Ben says. “I wouldn’t say ‘no’ to a present” Todd says, intrigued.  Ben pulls a small box out from his pocket and hands it to Todd. Todd eagerly opens it to find a ring. “Are you proposing?” Todd says with a laugh. “No” Ben says, rolling his eyes “Cillian gave that to me when we adopted you. As a sort of symbol of our love and our love for you…..all that fuzzy stuff that makes you blush”. Todd’s piercing eyes start to well up even though he fights the tears with all his strength. “So why are you giving it to me?” Todd says looking closely at the ring. “I think that Cillian would have wanted you to have it, since he isn’t here” Ben says with a weak and also joyous note in his voice. “Thankyou” Todd says wearing the ring and giving the biggest grin in the world. “Time for my present to you!” Viola cries. She walks over to the large window beside Todd and shoves it open. She sticks her head out the window and whistles. Todd and Ben exchange confused glances and then turn back to the window. Suddenly what seems to be an overgrown ball of fluff comes into sight out of the window. Viola runs her fingers through the fluff and then turns to Todd and shouts “Merry Christmas, Todd!”. She moves to the side of the window and her gift comes fully into view. It’s a baby Battlemore, covered in a super layer of fluff. About the size of a large horse, with the energy of a puppy. The Battlemore bounces up and down in delights and leans its head through the window and gives Todd a sloppy lick that covers all of his face. “Well, merry Christmas to you too buddy” coughs Todd. The three all laugh together and the Battlemore continues to give surprise kisses.

[layaart]

cwss15 gift for @jeankartra!  This is technically part 1 but I’m posting it after to let people know the post below is a bit spoilery for the ask and the answer!

queerplatonic ace!Todd and bi!Viola which are v good a+ headcanons! Also I drew them like your headcanons because a) I like them like this and b) I haven’t drawn them in years so I don’t really have a solid design for either of them anyway. I hope you like them! happy holidays!

[layaart]

cwss15 gift for @jeankartra!

A kind of condensed version of that scene in book 2! (p.s. click on the image)

[e-a-d-e]

CWSS15: Social Media AU

Todd and Viola lead the world of activism and discussion against the new ‘President’ Prentiss and his xenophobic bigotry. 

For @differentbutinagoodway :)

[e-a-d-e]

Merry Christmas @differentbutinagoodway ! Tumblr is bein a bitch and not letting me tag you, but anyway, here is the first of two gifts for the CWSS15! The premise here is basically a His Dark Materials AU of when Todd and Viola’s daemon’s first settle. I guess it’s also a character analysis. 2 in 1 you’re welcome.

If you’re unfamiliar with the story, it’s basically that our souls exist outside of our bodies in an animal form called a ‘daemon’. We’re connected to our souls by an invisible string. When we get to a certain age (read: puberty), our daemon’s settle onto an animal that fully encapsulates our personality, morals, beliefs, etc; basically a physical manifestation of our souls.

Fun trivia: Yann and Sido are the main characters from Sally Gardner’s ‘The Red Necklace’ and were super in love. Cicero is the name of a famous Roman orator who fought against monarchy and vehemently supported a republic and peace up until his death. Artemis is the greek goddess of the hunt, famously hot headed and self-reliant.

When Viola turns 13 there’s an odd finality in the air. There had never been much chance of Cicero changing often in the confines of the space ship; birds never had the company of blue skies to fly. Dogs, especially large dogs, had too much energy and girth for the small space they had. Anything larger than a modestly sized cat was frowned upon. But even so he’d started to slow down. Moving at an almost languid pace from the small mouse she held as she slept at night to the cautious, wide eyed barn owl that settled beside her as she went over her papers. Her parents daemons, a lumbering golden retriever for her father and a clever, darting monkey for her mother, had started to regard Cicero with a wary distance.

“I think Cicero’s settling,” Viola had set on the eve of her birthday. Cicero hadn’t moved from his position from a coiling tree snake for more than a day. She pet his head and he looked up at her, sending as much reproach for the patronising affection as a snake properly could.

“Oh, your soul is not a tree snake,” her mother had dismissed. Yann, the spider monkey, peeked out curiously from behind the long dark strands of her mothers hair. It seemed to watch Cicero with renewed interest. After all, once Cicero had settled, she would officially be a woman. Or at least, properly on her way to it. Yann and Sido had always mostly ignored Cicero except when to berate him or offer him advice. 

“My soul might be a tree snake,” Viola had said, just because she could. She didn’t think her soul was a tree snake either. She longed for adventure, to taste the different fruits from hundreds of fields. She could never be shackled to just one place, content to glide from branch to branch.

Her mother had rolled her eyes and returned to her paper. Viola had adjusted Cicero as he curled around her neck.

“What’ll you be?” She murmured, automatically flipping through all the animals that they had been taught about in their lessons. 

The next morning she wakes to find not a mouse in her hands (Cicero had forced himself to change last night, as Viola refused to sleep with a cold, scaled snake the day before her birthday) but mounds of fur bunched up in her hands instead. It was white, snowy white, and warm and soft; pleasant to be touched but more for survival than vanity.

Cicero, her wolf, her soul, arched his back and awoke with her. His fangs glinted brilliantly in the light from the LED bulbs swinging over her head. She grinned, fearless. A wolf runs, a wolf protects, and bares its teeth at the slightest hint of danger. A wolf howls to be heard.

Her mother cries when she tells her; it’s significant, your soul no longer being one of an infants. They take photos. Cicero flaunts his fine pelt, his glossy eyes, his sharp claws. They’ll make a formidable team one day.

Todd’s Artemis changes too early. Far too early. The town thinks that something must have gone wrong.

All the boys’ daemon’s turned before the usual 13, but not to the extent of 9. As the youngest, perhaps Todd was highlighting a precedent that the women-less town would never fully realize. Perhaps there was something in the water. In the way they were raising their children.

The boys of Prentisstown were never kind to each other. And this contempt extended to souls. They dared each other to walk as far away from their daemon’s as possible. Davy Prentiss always supervised but never joined in. His settled daemon, a comical sort of looking platypus, sat at his shoulder as he jeered at the boys who’d cry after walking too far. Todd only ever joined in from time to time, and only ever joined in to prove that he could. He never aspired for the record, and always held Artemis especially close that night.

He’d take her down to the swamp and she’d erupt into dog form. He’d meet the rough end of Aaron’s fist and she’d whine or wheeze under the claws of his hawk. She’d turn into a wolf to help chase the sheep. She’d turn into a snake to spite Aaron whenever they entered church. Todd, always worried, begged that she wouldn’t. 

“It ain’t right,” he’d always say. And she’d just look at him, and make an animal’s assumption at a shrug and Todd would smile a small, proud, savage smile. He was only 8. He felt the cogs of the world and knew that the didn’t lean in his direction. 

When he’s 9 and a half, coming out of the worst of his fever, with Ben and Ben’s Anika, a huski dog with the softest coat Todd had ever known watching carefully from the side of his bed, Artemis doesn’t change.

For purposes of the small size of their bed, and for the small boy who wanted to hold his daemon close to his chest, she’d turned into a scrappy tabby cat. The fur was not perfect, but neither was she an unattractive cat. There was something scruffy about her, something lost. Like she had been living on the streets, fighting tooth and nail for survival. Barely evading disfigurement.

Todd holds her, Artemis purring as Ben and Cillian pace in front of him, white faced with worry. 

“Was it the fever?” Ben asks, mouth a straight line of concern. Todd just holds Artemis. He feels her tiny heart pounding in fear, in worry. 

“Plenty of other boys had it, remember?” Cillian reminds Ben, placing a hand on Ben’s arm. “I think--” He looks to Todd and Tod stares right back. “I think she’s just settled. I think Artemis is...”

“A cat,” Todd finishes. 

Artemis looks down at herself with faintly veiled disgust. A cat could not help with the sheep, could not run like a dog could in the fields outside the town. It could not perch on branches like a bird, or swim through the swamp chasing apples and birds. 

Perhaps it was in Todd’s nature to be perpetually disappointed with himself. Soon he’d see Artemis as she was; someone who didn’t easily give in to trust, but who felt a fierce loyalty. Someone who would proudly stand against much larger foes and still win. His soul.