The Library - Tumblr Posts
Don’t forget to return your library books!
Dungeons and Daddies fan art of the Library. I like the idea of a lil lanky old man growing and stretching into a more monstrous appearance when he’s in Late Fees mode :)
Enjoy! and remember the summer reading program!
So let's talk about Aang... He is established from episode one as a gentle, friendly boy. A "sweet little guy" as Katara later puts it. It is also established that Aang, though willing to fight if he has to, is not a confrontational person. Aang is also the Avatar, making him the single most powerful individual on the planet. On top of that, he was also able to completely master four distinct and complicated martial arts disciplines as a child, while on the run. Aang was raised to value life. "The monks always taught me that all life is sacred. Even the life of the tiniest spider - fly caught in it's own web." And he anguishes over having to possibly kill Fire Lord Ozai before he finds another way. However, Aang has killed before. In the episode 'The Library' Appa is kidnapped by sandbenders. Aang becomes the angriest we've ever seen him. In the following episode 'The Desert' the gaang are attacked by some sort of massive flying insects. Aang, angry and in pain over losing not only his friend, but also his last living tie to his people, lashes out. He chases down and kills one of the insects with a single and remorseless blow. When Toph identifies the sandbenders who took Appa, his anger boils over and triggers the Avatar State, putting everyone in danger until Katara is able to calm him down. If Aang had killed the bug while in the Avatar State, then you could argue that he had no control over his actions. But he didn't, he was completely aware and in control of all his choices. In his anger and grief he made a conscious choice to take a life. Now, taking the life of an insect might not seem like big deal to us, but it is to Aang. Remember, ALL LIFE IS SACRED. The very fact that something is alive, no matter what it is, should be considered holy. By taking the bug's life Aang is not only acting against his nature, he is committing an act of sacrilege according to the teachings of his people. I believe that this action had a huge impact on Aang when the time came for him to face the Fire Lord. He has more reason to hate Ozai than almost anyone. It was his ancestor who slaughtered his people, leaving Aang alone in the world. His actions led directly to personal injury or trauma for every single one of Aang's friends. And he is going to attempt to commit a second act of genocide. Everyone, even his own past lives, tell him to kill Ozai, that he would be in the right to do so. It would be much simpler, and much easier than trying to take him alive. Aang claims to a past incarnation that he's never taken a life, but I think that, like us, eventually he was able to forgive himself for killing the bug. Enough to pretend to forget about it, it seems. But he knows what it's like to take a life away now, and he knows that killing Ozai is a far bigger sin than killing a mindless insect. I think that's part of the reason why Aang is so desperate for an alternative course of action. He'd be completely justified, even praised for killing Ozai. It's what the world expects him to do. But he knows now that he's not a killer at heart. Taking a man's life is not something he can come back from. It goes against his nature, his beliefs, and his people's teachings. His entire world view is at risk if he does this. It's one of Aang's darkest points, but I believe that if he hadn't killed that insect in the desert he might have let himself be talked into killing Ozai. He would have been changed forever from the sweet and gentle character we love. Killing that insect, contrary though it may seem, probably saved him, and by extension, may have saved the world.
Imagine your OTP
Imagine your OTP going to the movie theatre, planetarium, the library, to a play and/or any museum for a date.
I have a Doctor Who headcannon where the doctor goes to Rory and Amy and saves them into the same computer that River Song is saved to so that he never has to say goodbye to any of them.
Sign Posts To Our Collective Imagination, The Library
Sign Posts To Our Collective Imagination, The Library
Sign Posts To Our Collective Imagination, The Library
fic recs
series will be put in italic and mature in bold ; I will trY to put the pairing in parentheses (well at least just which member this fic is about). Those are NOT organised by order of preference, all of the fics listed here are amazing <;3 [gif]
show me something by @yoonia (jungkook)
Tell me lies by @jimlingss
Boyfriend things//you feel like you belong by @holdinbacksecrets
Seven seas by @junghelioseok (Atlantis!taehyung)
beneath the water by @jungshookz (mermaid!jimin)
beauty & the bookworm by @jungshookz (librarian!namjoon)
Rigor mortis by @readyplayerhobi (policeofficer!jungkook)
Bloom by @hobidreams (florist!namjoon)
My time by @vanaera (cop!jungkook)
Song of the sea by @jamaisjoons (mermaid!namjoon)
A serpent's flower by @dovechim & @jimlingss (Hufflepuffteacher!jimin)
After I left you by @latetaektalk (jungkook)
Blood runs pure by @opaljm (death eater/pureblood/slytherin!jimin)
The whole entire balletteacher!jimin drabbles by @jungshookz (balletteacher!jimin, duh)
Punch drunk by @joonbird (boxer!yoongi)
stuck with you by @jungshookz (roommate!taehyung)
the ocean by @dovechim (mermaid!jimin)
the devil's own luck by @jimlingss (demon!jimin)
God of destruction by @jimlingss (namjoon)
hellish by @jungshookz (demon!yoongi)
baby you can drive my car by @jungshookz (mechanic!yoongi)
technologically in love by @jungshookz (android!yoongi)
a constellation of fires by @readyplayerhobi (Hephaestus!hoseok)
suncity by @jamaisjoons
i can’t wait to tell you, I told ya. by @moon-write (dad!jungkook)
clandestine by @mminttae (tattoo artist/mafia!jungkook)
into it by @xpeachesncream (jimin)
secrets by the shore by @chateautae (mermaid!jimin)
blanket of lavender scent by @mminttae (boyfriend!jimin)
drunk texting by @xpeachesncream (namjoon)
pretty price for a pretty heart by @moon-write (sugardaddy!hoseok)
all to myself by @/minflix (who sadly deactivated but still has their ao3 account up) (yoongi/jimin)
the hills by @/minflix (yoongi/hoseok)
zero percent by @taeyohonic (jimin)
you need to know. by @moon-write (yoongi)
promise me a future by @moon-write (idol boyfriend!jimin)
spin-off by @xpeachesncream (jimin)
recollections by @beingsuneone (yoongi)
last updated : 2022.6.12 (dec.)
I played the theme to the Redwall TV show on my cello (her name is Eleanor)! It made me excited and happy to play a song I know that's so special to me, this music is enriching... and so was filming it!
*crash* buh duh duh duh buh duh duh duh wahhhwooo
For all fellow musicians out there, here is the sheet music, transcribed by yours truly!
Do you remember when I played the beginning of the Redwall theme on cello? I was asked to play Laterose's song, as well! I had no written reference for this song, I just had to figure it out by ear. I'm quite proud, I do hope you like it!
And, of course, here is the sheet music if you would like to play what I wrote. Treble and bass clef, as always.
l apologise for the glare in the photos. I wrote in pencil, which is sometimes too shiny. If you want to use this, I suggest printing the photos out and filling in the quarter and eighth notes independently.)
Have a wonderful day!
This is my cello cover of Laterose's song, played over the scene from the show.
In putting this together, putting my hard work and care into it, I really felt this song. It is quite sad. I'm proud of my work, and I honor Rose's story <3
My dear friend you’re going to make me cry /pc, I appreciate that so much ❤️
Mouse Mummies
Anoxic bogs are most often found in northwestern Europe. What makes these bogs special is their lack of oxygen- thus “anoxic-“ and their content of chemicals called tannins. When living creatures happen to fall into a bog, their tissue is preserved because tannins keep it static and all the little mites that cause decomposition can’t live without oxygen. (Bones, however, are often dissolved if the peat is too acidic.) Not only are bodies preserved, but clothing and trinkets as well. This is how big bodies are made! You might have heard of the Tollund Man or the Yde Girl, both famous examples of European mummies, from Denmark and the Netherlands respectively. These mummies can be preserved for thousands of years.
This is the Tollund Man, probably the most famous bog body
Now, marshes and bogs aren’t exactly the same thing, but for the prevalence of marshland in Mossflower country I’m sure that some of that could be a peat bog.
Slegg, Dirig, Gruntan Kurdly, the victims of the wytes… countless named and unnamed woodlanders have found themselves sinking in the swamp. Countless bodies under the surface.
I recently discussed in this post that “the 22 [Redwall] books cover hundreds and hundreds of seasons, their stories spreading farther than memory can reach.”
That is all to say, imagine what tales are hidden inside Mossflower wood. Imagine what relics of long-gone eras are preserved in the bodies of those who wandered through Mossflower and found themselves an unfortunate end. Imagine (accounting for the fact that not all muggy water is a bog) what the Maudie, Barbowla, and Log-a-Log Luglug were blissfully unaware of when running from the Brownrats. Just one of the thousands of stories Redwall has to tell.
On “Eulalia:” me and my little etymology brain
“The term is supposedly derived from an ancient Norse, Viking, or Celtic word meaning ‘victory.’”1 “It comes from "Weialala leia", the lament of the Valkyries in Richard Wagner's opera Götterdämmerung, as quoted by T. S. Eliot in The Waste Land.”2
In The Waste Land, “modern (1920s) Europe has become an uncivilised place: not only in the fact that it has been the scene of a massively destructive war; but also in the sense that it has lost its way morally and spiritually.”3 In the poem, Eliot makes allusions to many older classic works of art. One of these, of course, is Götterdämmerung. The opera is German, but is written about the Valkyries of Norse stories, which is where “Norse, Viking, or Celtic” comes in. The Valkyries were mythical women who guided soldiers after their death. Apparently, they cried “Weialala leia” to mean victory, as far as Wagner transcribed it.
Or, at least, that’s as far as I can figure it. He must’ve been such a well-read man
Sources and Disclaimers
1: Redwall wiki, where we get “victory”
2: Wikipedia, where we get everything about Wagner and Eliot, but keep in mind that this is un-cited
3: An explanation of The Waste Land
Also see “Brian Jacques discuss the term 'Eulalia' on the Redwall TV Series” <3
A grand, whole Redwall map!
Always in the market for more merchandise, I recently discovered a handmade map of Mossflower and the surrounding country. It arrived earlier this week ☺️
I’m quite excited! As we know, there are many contradictions between the multiple books, so it’s nice to have a combined reference. And is it not gorgeous?!
I got it from Daniel Neill-Gubitz’s Etsy store, where it can be found under “Map of Redwall: Aged, Handmade, Hand drawn, Authentic Gift” Here, check out his shop!
Thank you Daniel, and much love to you all ♥️
Speaking of Redwall music, I want to make sure everyone knows about the best Redwall playlist of all that exist:
I’m still sad that there aren’t any recordings of the Reynard Chopsnout song, though 😞
The Redwall Universe through Redwall and The Rogue Crew
Hi friends! I'm graduating highschool in two days (TWO DAYS!! ISN'T THAT CRAZY!!), and as a final project during my senior year, I did a literary analysis of the Redwall series! My final essay studies the themes in the Redwall universe as observed through the lens of the first and last (published) book, as well as through my own knowledge, and also examines the differences therein. I wanted to give insight into the series while explaining the background of all my points just a little bit :).
To start the project, I reread Redwall (well, most of it, but then life got busy. No matter, though, I've read it countless times before.) Going into this year, I had finished twenty-one of the twenty-two Redwall books. So, as part of the material for my project, I read The Rogue Crew for the first time! You guys should see my annotations in the book. There are at least four notes on each page, it's insane but also so rich and lovely. I also focused some of my studies on the I-Am That Is poem as its own unit, seeing as it's one of the most famous poems in the series, and I came up with some really fascinating notes.
I'll add a photo of my notes to my blog after this post because I just find them so interesting and I hadn't thought of a lot of the things I wrote beforehand. That's something about this project- diving into the books like this and writing my own thoughts about them has helped me understand them so much more deeply. I'm very grateful and excited that I finished this project and created what I have. Anyway, I'll get back to business.
I can officially say that it took me about a decade to read all the Redwall books and that I finished them by the time I was eighteen. I'm sure that no one is surprised I chose to do this project while completing senior year, these books mean so much to me and I want to bring them into my future with me. Here it is: The Redwall Universe through Redwall and The Rogue Crew. To read my work, scroll on through the break!
(P.S., There's more rambling after the essay. I can't resist talking about my creations and my love and all the other stuff I wrote this semester. See ya!)
I have been loving the Redwall series by Brian Jacques for over a decade; the books have always drawn me in with their world-building and depth. Redwall, written in 1986, starts the series in a revered sandstone abbey, the center of this world. After another twenty books, The Rogue Crew continues to expand the land of Mossflower and the surrounding country. As the very first and last books in the series, they are glimpses into the vast and complex universe of woodlanders created by Jacques. A universe that started in the real world, and grew to be full of adventure, joy, and tragedy- grew to be full of culture, history, and community- a universe that always invites its readers in.
The Redwall world was based on Jacques’ own backyard, and continues to be influenced by our reality. The series was originally written for children, the author wanted to use his stories to guide them growing up. Therefore, his books reference the reality that those children lived in. He has stated that the Abbey was inspired by the ruins of a church he visited as a child and that his experiences with poverty and food insecurity influenced the description of bountiful feasts in his books. He used his writing to illustrate beautiful woodland, grassland, and seaside settings for readers to experience. Additionally, descriptions of human churches and horse-and-buggies were included in Redwall, but scrapped for the rest of the series. Even though those ideas were discarded, Brian Jacques continued Redwall’s connection to humanity through an emphasis on the natural world, a connection to his audience, and the lessons he wanted to teach.
Although it is a series written for children, Redwall is often very heavy. Jacques’ desire to teach about morality through his stories meant that the battles in Redwall are battles between “good” and “evil.” The antagonist is always defeated when goodbeasts triumph in the end, but still, so many innocent characters die. Heroes and villains alike are killed without warning, shocking their comrades and readers of the series. As part of his lessons on morals, Jacques writes with the idea that “good” characters belong to some species and “bad” ones belong to others. This helps him effectuate his lessons on morals. Although this is a theme that the author only strays from when he wants to convey growth or individuality, his characters often hold different opinions regarding ethics. The Abbot in Redwall accepts villains because he believes it is right to lead with trust and love. Sometimes he is right, and sometimes he is gravely mistaken. The Rogue Crew, though, leads encounters with violence in all cases to protect themselves and everybeast on the High North Coast. In the Redwall books, some characters will always be a threat to peaceful life, and some will always be good and kind to all.
Equally as often as the books are tragic, though, they are daring and joyful. Each book is split into three (or four, in the case of The Sable Quean) subsections, the first of which is the discovery of a quest, the second the adventure itself, and the last the final battle. Of the adventures, the most famous is in Redwall, when Matthias follows a riddle left for him by Martin the Warrior to unearth the dead hero’s iconic sword and shield. As the books progress, more groups travel farther through Mossflower and the story delves deeper into its history. Villains arrive from overseas and heroes come from Salamandastron and even farther in all directions, traveling through the beautiful and unpredictable world. New and unique settings are discovered, new alliances are made, and goodbeasts explore all of Mossflower country and the land beyond. Characters quest, guided by their ancestors and comrades, to learn about the world and enjoy its bounty.
The most important value in the Redwall world, the one that Brian Jacques and all his readers emphasize, is community. Mossflower is steeped in community, culture, history, and tradition. Redwall Abbey is ancient and universally known as a sanctuary to those of good heart. Its Abbeybeasts support each other and provide for all of Mossflower with feasts, celebrations, a well-run abbey, and sturdy sandstone walls. They love and guide each other, but as a culture, they look to Martin the Warrior. Martin helped create the Abbey and is tied to it intrinsically. The goodbeasts within trust his guidance and protection, as he is the image of their home. His spirit appears to Redwallers in dreams and with riddles, but he also appears to would-be enemies, terrifying them into abandoning their prospects of riches and conquered lands. As much as Martin protects the woodland community, Abbeybeasts work through him as well, by invoking his image to raise their own spirits and frighten their enemies. Abbey society values the culture of community and love in Redwall, an idea that Martin helped grow, but that has been true forever and always.
Redwall Abbey is the center of the Redwall world, but is by no means the only community of value or impact. Another ancient location, Salamandastron, has been standing since the beginning of time. The warriors within have long-established teachings and traditions. Its Badger Rulers are summoned there by their ancestors to command the coast. The Long Patrol have a professional duty to protect every goodbeast from danger and to spring to battle at a moment’s notice, but they do so with good spirits and comradery. GUOSIM shrews are known to all woodlanders and warriors as they traverse and rule the River Moss. Throughout the country, small communities add to the tapestry of Redwall characters. Their existences and relationships create the web that is Mossflower Wood and the surrounding countryside- they are all special and integral to their stories.
Redwall has been a big piece of my life for such a long time, which I have found to be true for many other readers- I have found real friends through talking about the books! Brian Jacques started writing for a small group of children, but the series has grown well past that in the last thirty-seven years. During his career, he shared twenty-two intricate, meaningful, and celebrated stories with the world. Jacques wrote fantasies about adventure, tragedy, morality, beauty, and joy. Although his works are fiction, he wanted his audience to find real values and a real home in them. Jacques loved his readers and welcomed them into the books. My friends like to say that Redwall lives on because of the community that has been brought together around it, that it will never really end. Brian Jacques likes to say that the gates of Redwall Abbey are always standing, always open to those of good will and a kind heart.
Thank you so much for reading! I always say this, but I'm quite proud of what I've done. I'm so happy to be able to use my own words to create what could vaguely be called literature or art, that comes from my own heart and from a series I love so much. I am also so glad to contribute to the community with something I'm proud of, something I think is valuable, and to have a community to contribute to in the first place! Love to you all, and thank you again for visiting.
I have a lot more resources I created during this whole big project, so let me know if anyone wants to see my write-ups and things on the books! In truth, I'll probably post things later if I decide they're cool.
Have a wonderful night! Signed, Sable Rose.
Works Cited
Jacques, Brian. Redwall. New York, Penguin Random House, 2010.
---. The Rogue Crew. New York, Philomel Books, 2011.
“Redwall.” Redwall Wiki | Brian Jacques and Redwall Information. https://redwall.fandom.com/wiki/Redwall.
Speaking of Cluny's characterization, did you know that four out of the twenty-two books have rats as their main villain?
Mariel of Redwall with Gabool the Wild, a searat
Redwall (of course) with Cluny the Scourge, a bilge rat
The Long Patrol with Damug Warfang, a greatrat (apparently)
and Loamhedge with Raga Bol, written in the wiki just as "rat."
Interesting, huh? That's 18%
Ooooooo do I have the mind to bring an old project backkkk!!