#I'm working on a presentation and I wanted to present this album and artist that has changed my life and how I go about some things but

[sschmendrick]

Sometimes I truly feel really dumb seeing all the people here and on the internet on general make amazing analysis of characters, of events, of parallels in books, movies, songs and whatnot. I feel very poor mentally when all I can see is cool images, amazing stories, and the best songs I get to listen to. I feel like I'm missing on so much, and always beein fed the analysis by other people because I just cannot do it on my own can be very tiring and sink the self-esteem. Especially as someone who's gonna end up working with artists I feel so out of place, like I shouldn't be there talking to them since I do not have the right tool to understand them.

What I hate most of all is that even the stuff that I adore I cannot dig into in a proper way. It's all feelings and it's not good enough.

#I'm working on a presentation and I wanted to present this album and artist that has changed my life and how I go about some things but #it's not good enough for a presentation. I should analyse the album to make it worthwhile yet I cannot make it in a way that is *good* #that is relelvant to what I should be able to produce as someone studying music. For me it's the gut wrenching feeling of the rage that #got me out of some places. it's the themes of death applied to being trans and to feeling lost in life that got me out of some places. #but it's just how I feel about it and it's not analysis. I'm not going into great enough details about how it was written. I'm applying too #much of myself on it when I listened to it in a totally different context than most of its audience did. I'm years late and not part of the #movement that was birthed during that period. It feels self obsessed to make it about how I feel about it #so here I am just looking at how other people feel about it...and that's how I do it all the time it feels like. I cannot interpret #correctly what i like and what touches my soul and it's so crushing mentally #makes me hate trying to dig into what's inside my mind :(

[txttletale]

NOT asking this as a gotcha, I'm 100% sincere, can you point to pieces of AI art that you feel are interesting uses of the medium? Because I'm not philosophically opposed to it, but at the same time I've never seen anything that wasn't naked bandwagon shilling by the same people who pushed NFTs

sure! i think a classic of the medium is secret horses

(i sadly don't know who made it, but i've seen it around and fallen in love). this is everything AI art should be, imo, taking advantage of the liminal dreamlike quality of the medium and using titling and framing to say something about the piece that wouldn't exist if it was presented on its own. secret horses...

my favourite band, everything everything, released an album last year that made use of AI generation, both for the album's art and for small portions of the lyrics (interestingly, they've refused to say which lyrics are AI written and which are human written, which adds another layer of intrigue to me -- the only lyric that they've confirmed is AI generated is the title of 'software greatman', which forms the haunting, powerful chorus of the song that gets deconstructed into electronic incoherence. other highlights include the album art, part burning skyscape, part incomprehensible machine. what is the machine? is it a camera? a monitor? a train? does it matter?

and finally from this album cycle i adore the hallucinogenic exuberance of their video for i want a love like this:

in terms of dedicated artists working primarily within the AI medium, i'm a huge fan of @reachartwork, a really innovative artist who keeps blowing me away with evocative and interesting pieces and pioneer in ethical and cooperative AI art techniques. i'm an especially big fan of their grotesque and uncomfortable 'tooth machine' series:

as well as their desolate, bleak, alien landscapes:

(hole in the sky / river lethe )

and their project, the @infiniteartmachine, a model that produces art based upon algorithmically generated prompots -- effectively a long-term art piece.

finally, i'm a very very big fan of @roborosewater-masters, a bot that makes AI-created magic the gathering cards. this might not parse as 'art' to some people, or be interesting to analyze as such, but to me, someone obsessed with games and game studies, i think that the mix of synctactically correct magic the gathering rules text and abrupt non sequitur makes for really striking and funny pieces that prompt me to think about what the limits of games and gaming are

these are just the artists and pieces i can name off the top of my head, but i hope that they're representative of what generative art has to offer when it's not being done by grifters chasing the lowest common denominator.

#ask #yiffmaster

[taylorswiftstyle]

Chiefs vs Bills | Orchard Park, NY | January 21, 2024

Gant ‘Blank Canvas Project x Kilo Kish Bouclé Varsity Jacket’ - $1,800.00 (sold out)

Rather than opt for actual Chiefs merchandise, Taylor opted for one of her go-to outerwear brands in Chiefs-approved colours that also included some stars (do u like dem?). I’ve found that on a number of occasions opting for Chiefs colours in otherwise normal street style garments has been her strategy for away games.

This particular jacket was part of a trio of designs Gant executed in collaboration with artistic talents as part of their “Blank Canvas Project” campaign. The concept being to “[transform] the quintessential symbol of American Sportswear into wearable works of art.” The artist in question, Kilo Kish, said the “inspiration behind [her] design was Ivy League culture” - an extension on the themes she explored on her album American Gurl. As with much of Gant’s ethos, the brand’s objective to create modern pieces that are not only heirloom quality but that riff on Americana athletics is such a natural integration into Taylor’s game day style. The added bonus is that each of the Blank Canvas designs had 100% of its sale proceeds go towards a charity of the artist's choosing - something I'm sure Taylor could get behind having done her own share of philanthropic donations on each of the stops on the Eras Tour.

Kilo added when designing the jacket, “When people see the jacket, I want them to feel the playfulness and I want them to feel like it’s personalized and almost homemade looking.” That homemade feeling has been a personal touch also present through Taylor’s game day fashion. Where, in a world of seemingly endless options, Taylor has shown a level of care and intention to opt for small businesses (local to KC or women-owned) or items that are handmade (Kristin Juszczyk’s jacket and Kut the Knit’s crocheted beanie as just two examples).

As for the ‘CTFL’ on the jacket - my best guess (as confirmed by the artist themselves) is the FL is a reference to Kilo’s home state of Florida and the CT to Gant's headquarters in Connecticut. Which is also paid homage to in Gant’s FW 2023 collection with varsity jackets honouring New Haven, Connecticut and its Ivy League school Yale that Kilo also wore in campaign imagery for Gant.

#taylor swift #candid #outerwear #gant #january 2024 #kc chiefs

[agentstarkid]

SAUDADE ✦ DR3

“Saudade” is a Portuguese word that carries a profound and complex meaning, often described as a deep emotional state of longing or nostalgia. It transcends mere language; it's a state of being, an emotion that seeps into the soul and lingers like an echo in the heart. It encompasses a mix of emotions, including melancholy, yearning, and a sense of emptiness, often accompanied by fond memories of past experiences or relationships. In the context of love, "saudade" captures the bittersweet essence of missing someone deeply, even when they are physically present or long after they are gone. It is the ache of the heart that comes from loving and losing, a poignant reminder of the depth of connection and the enduring power of love's impact on our lives.

✦ pairing: daniel ricciardo x famous!latina!reader

✦ type: social media au

✦ fc: becky g

✦ warnings: female!reader, latina!reader, age gap, language, lots of angst, heartbreak, drama, internet meanies, mentions of mental health struggles, assholes.

✦ pit wall live: uh holi, loves 👀 sorry for the delay, but I hope you guys enjoy this chapter 👀 it's a little short but as present for not posting in March, I present to you: a bonus chapter hehe okay, byeeee *runs away as fast as she can*

─── The Joker & The Queen (Masterlist)

JANUARY 1, 2022

yourinstagram

📍 Latinoamérica

liked by danielricciardo, badbunnypr, rubendias and 2,145,873 others

yourinstagram Starting the New Year on a bright note! ✨ Wearing yellow to channel optimism and positive energy as we dive into this new year. 💛 I'm so so so grateful for all the love and support you've shown me throughout the past year and I'm excited to continue this journey together in 2022. Here's to another year of growth, laughter, and cherished memories! Siempre para adelante, mi gente! 🎉

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danielricciardo Mi reina ❤️‍🔥

user1 I wanted to take this space to thank you for the happiness you have brought me over the years. Your music or your works of art have been a constant company in moments of joy, sadness and everything in between. Your talent is enormous, but so is your ability to connect with your fans in a unique way. Your humility and gratitude show that, despite the success, you are still a close and authentic person. Thanks for all that you do!

camila_cabello Good god woman have mercy

kylieminogue you are sensationally exquisite 💛✨

xtina my angel ❤️

user2 jawline could cut a diamond 🥶

user3 muy buena artista pero sobrevalorada respecto a su belleza, y no digo que no sea guapa sino sobrevalorada

user4 you could wear the rainbow if you wanted and that would still not make you relevant or give you any talent

user5 she always tries too hard

user6 watch out for Regina George in sheep's clothing

anitta Feliz ano novo para você Rainha 😘

diplo 💛

user7 the fact that they spent new year's day apart and on different sides of the world speaks volumes

user what? that they both wanted to see their families? grow up

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yourinstagram has added to their story!

⥂ translation: Everything I do and comes out of me it's because I'm feeling it, it's okay if no one else feels the same way. Two people can never ever feel the same at the same time.

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JANUARY 16, 2022

danielricciardo

📍 Perth, Australia

liked by yourinstagram, heidiberger_, natalie_pinkham and 1,562 others

danielricciardo Back seat baby seat bangers 🎶

tagged: yourinstagram

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yourinstagram this is all anyone needs to have a great day ❤️ please send me his manager's contact, I've been looking for a male backing vocal for my next album and I think he can be the perfect choice 😌

danielricciardo yourinstagram ah, you see, he's a really sought-after artist so he's super busy. But I know his uncle and he's interested on the job, only thing is that he likes to be paid with kisses 💋😏 yourinstagram danielricciardo tell him to contact me, I think we will be able to work out the payment details soon 😌

yourinstagram btw how is it possible that he's that big now if I saw him like yesterday and he was this 🤏🏽 small 🥺❤️

user1 is the copying the hand movements for me 😂❤️

user2 so this is how Y/N's future is gonna look like 👀

userA all that's missing is the ring 👀 userB yeah danielricciardo stop being lazy my friend 👀

user3 you're gonna be a great dad one day ❤️🥺

♥ yourinstagram has liked this comment

user4 siempre dije que no quiero ser mamá, pero después de ver esto... yourinstagram mi reina quién pudiera ser vos 😮‍💨

user5 coisa mais linda! ❤️

user6 Daniel really sang his heart out to that song lmao

user7 you have really shit taste in music mate

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FEBRUARY 4, 2022

yourinstagram

liked by danielricciardo, keleighteller, natalie_pinkham and 1,238,562 others

yourinstagram Te amo con el alma, porque el alma nunca muere ❤️ happy 2 years, mi Danielito 🥰

⥂ translation: I love you with my whole soul, because the soul never dies ❤️

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danielricciardo My forever partner in crime ❤️

user1 cuide a ese hombre yourinstagram, que tu y yo no somos amigas 🫡

user2 oh God I'm so single 😩

mileycyrus so much love and happiness for you both ❤️❤️❤️

user3 THAT LAST PHOTO IT'S GIVING I'D MARRY YOU WITH PAPER RINGS 😭 SO 1 + 1 = THEY ARE GETTING ENGAGED‼️‼️

userA I'm so calling it, it is happening 🤩

user4 LIL BLAKE SIGHTING 😍😍😍

hermusicofficial favs

user5 she was talking seriously when she recorded A mi me gustan mayores 😅

userA será que aplica el "A mí me gustan más grandes. Que no me quepa en la boca..." con él?? 👀👀👀 yourinstagram userA los besos que quiera darme? 👀 sí, aplica 🤭😈 userB OMFG Y/N???!!! LMAOOO iamdannaschwarz yourinstagram that's enough internet for you today 🙅🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

chloestroll did he really cook? 😂

yourinstagram chloestroll he did! and it was really good actually 🥰 I felt ✨spoiled✨

oliviarodrigo mom and dad 💜

user6 the first pic is making me feel something. i don't know how to put that something into words though 🥵 *bi panics*

userA JUST A BIG FUCKING OOF I GUESS 🥵 userB they served cunt as per usual userC I grunted and groaned and moaned 🫠😩

user7 I'm so tired of them omg yeah, you're "in love", we see you, now stop shoving it at our faces every chance you have 🙄

fioamato congrats Sandy and Danny 😜💖

iamdannaschwarz Baby and Danny 😜💖 itsvittoriasousa nah, more like Troy and Gabriella landonorris Belle and the Beast 😜 yourinstagram landonorris aww did littol landow nowis just called me beautiful? 👀😊 landonorris nvm I take it back. Fiona and Shrek* 😌 yourinstagram landonorris well that makes you the donkey 😂

user8 every time I remember that there's a 9 year gap between them I wanna puke 🤮

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danielricciardo

liked by yourinstagram, martingarrix, landonorris and 1,562 others

danielricciardo happy 2 years mi vida ❤️

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user "mi vida" brb gonna go chew on a live wire 😭

yourinstagram let's do this for a lifetime ❤️♾️

danielricciardo you have yourself a deal, Chip ❤️

user2 hey God, it's me again...

martingarrix ❤️❤️❤️

user3 these adorable videos ending with daniel squeezing y/n's butt is so dan-y/n core 🥹😝

marcusstoinis congrats, lovebirds ❤️

user4 did they leave their own love lock on the fence? 🥹😭

userA I don't think we'll ever find it, but I'm sure they did 😭

landonorris congrats on putting up with him this long yourinstagram ❤️

joshallenqb 🍾❤️

user5 somethin something "find a beautiful love, make sure they know they are your morning light" playing while the sunset iluminates her and cutting to "and that you'll never let go till the day that you die" while he has his arms around her 😭😭😭

userA THIS HERE IS LOVE 😭 THIS HERE IS LIFE 😭 userB something something he's got a tattoo of that song's title 😭 userC somebody get me a fucking doctor I feel like my heart is about to burst

scottyjames31 my favorite celebrity couple 😌

caamp we love you guys ❤️

user5 grandpa copping a feel 🤢

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FEBRUARY 22, 2022

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MARCH 8, 2022

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MARCH 9, 2022

danielricciardo

liked by mclaren, georgerussell63, heidi_berger and 584,981 others

danielricciardo Better this week than next… Unfortunate to miss the test, but I’m starting to feel better. I’ll stay isolated and just focus on next weekend. Big thanks to Lando & McLaren for the heavy lifting, I owe you some beers (milk for Lando). Appreciate the well wishes from everyone as well.

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landonorris get well soon mate!

georgerussell63 speedy recovery danny ric 💪🏻

user did you and Y/N broke up??? please tell me it's a lie

user2 Y/N hasn't liked nor comment yet and it's been 2 whole days since he posted this

userA why whould she? they are quarantining together, she doesn't need to comment or liked every single post he makes. They are probably sitting side by side right now userB userA there's actually rumours that she was seen leaving the hotel in a rush yesterday and fans are already speculating if they broke up

user3 I hope you feel better soon Dan! I know we all wish to see you in action next weekend!!

user4 "milk for Lando" lmaooo i love them your honor <3

user5 this is your year mate don't let any setbacks bring you down 💪🏻

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MARCH 18, 2022

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MARCH 25, 2022

f1wags

liked by 3,474 others

f1wags It seems Danny Ricc has moved on quickly 👀 Just after a week since the confirmation of his break up with Y/N, a few fans have reported sightings of the driver with actress Heidi Berger —who has been linked to him a few times these past months— around Monaco.

The blonde is the daughter of former Austrian F1 driver Gerhard Berger and former Portuguese model Ana Corvo.

This love triangle drama just keeps getting juicier and more complicated! 🔥 What are you thoughts, did the Aussie cheated on his ex-girlfriend as some people say? Did he moved on too fast? or did he do the right thing? Let us know in the comments!

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user I actually feel bad for Y/N, not a fan of hers at all but it must be hard to see the man you were talking of marriage with a month ago, move on from your relationship so quickly and easily. if it were me in her shoes, I know it'd really mess my head up 😕

user2 idc if he'd not been with Heidi physically while being with Y/N, it's still treason to be emotionally involved with someone else while you're in a relationship. I believe he already had feelings for Heidi while still being with Y/N because how the fuck can you move on from a whole 2-year relationship in two weeks?? I only hope Y/N is doing okay and that she gets to heal and find someone better for her 😞

user3 you can try to defend him with all the arguments you can think of but at the end of the day, he is still just a rich man. It's funny how you've been all pointing fingers at the innocent while playing lawyer to the guilty.

user4 I'm a Danny Ricc fan but I think this was too fast too soon, at least have some respect for your ex who stood by your side through the highs and lows of the past years, smh so disappointed

user5 Get over it already! He moved on to someone better, as he should. Let the poor man alone! He's been single for weeks! He's allowed to see anyone he wants! Stop whining about it, Y/N just wasn't enough, as simple as that 🤷🏽‍♀️

user6 I'm actually super worried for him, he's not himself lately. Just a few weeks ago he was calling Y/N the love of his life and now this? All jokes aside, I think he's self-sabotaging. He looks like a shell of his old-self, he is not smiling as bright as before, he's super quiet now and if you pay attention to him during interviews, he fidgets a lot and sounds so insecure when asked about his driving. GO TO THERAPY BABE!!!

userA you are reaching, babe! lmaoooo he's fine, he just got tired of that snake 🤪

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APRIL 4, 2022

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APRIL 22, 2022

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MAY 3, 2022

danielricciardo

liked by corey_wilson, michaelitaliano, mclaren and 269,852 others

danielricciardo Miami. We made it.

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user i guess this is the confirmation we've been waiting for

user2 how can you move on from a 2 year relationship so fast??

user3 ugh men are so fucking unbelievable

userA jokes on all those whiny fangirls of his, turns out it wasn't he who deserved better, it was HER.

user4 he is a joke just like his driving lmao

user5 Heidi is so much better than that wannabe singer, she was just a plaything for him 🤣

user6 I'm so glad you opened up your eyes daniel

user7 so all those rumours have been true smh y'all were attacking Y/N nonestop for the smallest interactions with the opposite sex, and none of those rumours proved to be true but I'm not seeing the same energy directed towards him now that the rumours about him were actually true!

user8 I just know that the break up album is gonna be a banger 🔥🤪

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MAY 10, 2022

yourinstagram has added to their story!

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JUNE 19, 2022

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⇥ youtube search: falling (harry & y/n's duet version) - love on tour, london night 1

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JUNE 22, 2022

yourinstagram

liked by markhoppus, phoebebridgers, rubendias and 2,145,873 others

yourinstagram burned other memories just to make room for these ones 🎞️❤️‍🔥

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user HI MOTHER!! WELCOME BACK WE MISSED YOU ❤️❤️❤️

user1 we love to see you living your best life!!! 🥰

user2 Can't wait to listen to the full version of the song she plays on the last slide 🤩

userA Daniel Ricciardo is shaking in his boots right now 🤪

machinegunkelly 🖤🥀🤘🏼

user3 🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍

markhoppus kid what are you holding on your lap and why it isn't on my liquor shelf yet? 🤨

yourintagram sorry dad 😔 it's on its way to your doorstep right now 🤪 skyehoppus yourintagram make sure you are also included on the package arriving at our door, it's been too long honey ❤️ userA “dad”??? she knows mark hoppus?? what did i miss?? 😳 userB userA they have an on-going joke that mark found her wandering around and adopted her as one of the few blink-182's children along alex gaskarth and jack barakat from all time low 😂 she's super close with his family, too! I remember she collab on a song with him, but they didn't released it and then it got leaked, she did play it at a couple of concerts tho userC userB is it 'thank you & goodnight'? 👀 userB userC YES! I miss her pop-punk era 😔 that version she did of 'little lion man' was soooo good!!

user4 Baby Iza is on her way to hit a bitch (Daniel)

alexalbon I like pizza too 👀🍕

lilymhe sorry baby, bad bitches only 💅🏻

user5 OMG OMG WE'VE GOT HARRY, TAYLOR AND Y/N IN ONE POST?! THE HOLY TRINITY RIGHT THERE 😍

harrystyles ❤️

user6 I've got my two mothers in one photo 😭❤️

taylorswift Ms. Falls-a-lot 👻❤️

yourinstagram I swear I'm gonna scare you too next time 🙄😂

lilymhe walking among legends on this post 🙇🏻‍♀️ #blessed 🙏🏻

user6 I'm so happy that she's finally back ❤️ we need to flood her comment section with love 🥰

user7 Drama queen of this generation. Always playing the victim & tricking people into thinking that she's a mental health advocate. You're way too far from that. Cancel her 👍🏻🐍

user8 the caption: ICONIC 🔥

userA the taxi driver is twisting on his grave 😂🤪

user9 the old Y/N can't come to the phone right now, why? Oh 'cause she's DEAD! 😎

user10 most untalented celeb ever

fioamato where was my invitation? 🤨 yourinstagram iamdannaschwarz

iamdannaschwarz you got one, you just decided to ditch us for mr. i-have-an-art-gallery 🤨 yourinstagram iamdannaschwarz yessss expose her, dannita! 🤭 No te hagas de la víctima, mi corazón. We've got the receipts 😎🧾 fioamato I hate you both 🙄

user11 you should be ashamed to post a photo holding a tequila bottle when so many young people follow you. You should be a role model to them, not another alcoholic celebrity 🙄

user12 babygirl I hope you are doing better and feeling great! You deserve so much more ❤️

userA she's as fabulous as ever while he's floping big time, I call that karma 💅 userB not many people know how to truly appreciate the unique sazón and sabor of a Latina 🔥 homeboy couldn't handle the heat 🤭

user13 I know that album is gonna be 🔥🔥🔥

user14 attention seeker no wonder you always get dump for someone better

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JUNE 30, 2022

Video — CLEAN SHEET KINGS | STONES & DIAS

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─── Please don't forget to reblog and/or comment! ♡

#the joker and the queen fic #daniel ricciardo x reader #daniel ricciardo x you #daniel ricciardo social media au #daniel ricciardo instagram au #daniel ricciardo imagine #f1 x reader #f1 imagine #f1 social media au #f1 instagram au #latina!reader #daniel ricciardo x female reader #( agentstarkid's works )

[crplpunkklavier]

idk. i read an article the other day about how the structure of pop songs is changing. how producers advise artists now to put the best part--choruses, hooks--right at the beginning, or at least within the first 30 seconds of the song, because otherwise people will scroll right past on tiktok and instagram.

idk. the same article explained that songs are getting shorter and shorter because you need people to loop you on spotify to make any money at all, and of course a 2 minute song is looped more than a 5 minute song, just sort of due to how time works.

idk. can i fault artists for wanting to make a living? but how dreadful to make art like this.

idk. i've always been a defender of pop music despite feeling at home in punk, because i don't think there's anything bad in humans sometimes wanting something simple, something easy to listen to, something immediately relatable. it's an idea that dates back all the way to romanticism. sometimes all we want is to dance and sing along and know that everyone everywhere feels heartbreak.

but idk! that's the consumer end of it. do we really want to be catered to like this? do we want to be presented with music that is cut and rearranged and bastardized and bastardized and bastardized all so it can catch our constantly waning attention? who needs to change first? one of us will have to.

and idk! the article somewhat nonchalantly ended by saying that "of course," there are some genres where people will still appreciate longer songs, "like rock and techno," as if rock artists aren't struggling to pay bills all the same.

idk, man. i'm old enough to remember hearing a song on the radio, or even fucking mtv, and going out the next day to buy the full album with my pocket money, just hoping it'll be as good as that one song. and if it wasn't, was that really so bad? i'd rip my favorites off the cd to burn my own mixtape, and then i'd sell the cd to someone else, for them to enjoy. but those were different times. sometimes i find artists that don't offer cds anymore at all.

idk. idk. i'm going to uninstall every app and handwrite a letter to sony to demand all songs be a minimum of 8 minutes long. figure it out.

#idk! #this was supposed to be shorter and funnier but. idk. #i remember being in advanced music in grade 13 with all my punk boys and violin girls and we all vowed to each other to #never write ad jingles for a living. because that seemed like the worst possible thing to do with our talent #selling your soul to profit #now it seems like all popular music is that #so idk #oh yeah article sourced but its german because im german. tschuldigung

[teacupcollector]

Perennial Lovers (Simon 'Ghost' Riley x Reader) (Tattoo Artist AU)

Modern Warfare II Masterlist

A/N: This is my longest fic 4.4k words... A/N: This is a birthday present for my mutual @sant-riley please check them out!

A/N: MDNI Summary: Getting a tattoo was something you have always wanted to do. So when you saw that 'The 141 Cowboys Tattoo Shop' was open to walk in you immediately made your way there. You meet a tattoo artist who picks up on your nervousness and his relaxation methods are interesting, but you like them all the same.

Never have you been so nervous. Not only were you getting your first tattoo, it is also a very big piece. You saved about two-thousand dollars just in case. Now as for finding tattoo parlors, that was a different story. You don't mean to be a snob, but it is going on your body so you have a right to be picky. When you went searching online for any websites the only one that stood out to you was linked to a Facebook.

It only had eight reviews, but all were five stars. Some reviews went into detail work, cleanliness, as well as customer service. It was called 'The 141 Cowboys Tattoo Shop' when you scrolled through their albums you liked a particular artists style. He was proficient in black and gray realism work, but as you looked through it he did add splashes of color where it was needed. You decided to give them a call to set up an appointment. Fortunately they were doing walk-ins this weekend and told you to come on down.

So here you are standing in front a little hole in the wall trying and willing yourself to go in. You step in and there is a little jingle at the door.

"Be there in a minute!" You hear a deep Scottish accent reverberate from behind a wall.

You stand by the door for a moment before you hear a jogging of footsteps come around the corner.

"Hello Lass what can I do for you?" A man with a Mohawk, tight blue jeans and an Army green shirt that is a bit tight on the chest asks.

"I-I am here for a tattoo? Uh... I called on the phone..."  His face lights up in recognition.

"Ah yeah! Rudy mentioned you would be coming. Come over here and we can start a consultation." He says with a smile as he guides you to a small seating area.

It has a book case with different books. Such as religious symbols and what they mean, a couple comic books, a few books on the history of tattoos and where the different art styles come from, etc. There is a big flat screen TV on an entertainment center with an assortment of movies underneath for you to watch. The seats in question was a long leather couch that looked slightly worn, but in a good away, and in front of it was a small coffee table that was made out of red wood, and when you get closer to it you can actually see there is a bullet lodged inside. You sit down and he rushes to the book case to grab so binders off of the bookcase and set it down in front of you, before sitting next you on the couch.

"So whatcha lookin' ta get? I'm Soap by the way." He says as he holds out his hand.

You shake it with a smile. "I uh... I am wanting a black and gray tattoo? Kind of realistic? Oh! Here I'll pull up what I want."

Soap get's a strained look on his face, but it relaxes once he sees what you pull up. "I'd kind of like a rendition of 'The Hasanlu Lovers?' I am willing to work with you on it. It doesn't have to be exact..." You say as your voice slowly dwindles.

"Sorry Lass, but I am more of a new school artist. I can get someone who could do this justice." He says as he stands up.

"I'll be right back." He walks around the table and into the studio area.

You hear some murmuring before you hear two sets of foot steps come your away. When you look up you see a big hunk of a man. He is tall with broad shoulders. Wearing a black t-shirt that are a bit tight on the arms and chest 'What is it with these men and not wearing the right size shirt?' He was wearing black jeans as well. His arms were veiny his left one has a partial sleeve on his forearm. The most noticeable feature was the mask he was wearing.

"Shit is there a mask mandate? I can go ge-" "No No! It's fine. He wears it just because." Soap says and he gets a scoff from the man beside him.

"This is Ghost he does Black and Gray as well as realism. I think he will be a better fit for you." Soap says before handing you the binder that says "Ghost."

You flip through really quick before smiling. "Yeah I saw these on Facebook! I really like your work!" You say with a smile.

There is a grunt in response as he sits down next to you, but a little farther then you deem necessary. because you want him on top of you You hand over your phone so he can look.

"Anythin' you want to add to it?" He asks you and you draw a blank all you could think of was his eyes. He looked at you like he wanted to eat you alive, but you couldn't tell if that intimidated you, or turned you on... Or both.

"I uh... I'm not really sure..." You mumble shyly.

"I'll draw somethin' up real quick and see what you like." He says and you smile and nod.

He stands up and goes into the studio portion and grabs a tablet, before coming back and sitting down. "Might take me a bit... You're my first customer of the day.... So you might want to go grab something to eat." He says not looking up from  his work.

"Go sign a paper at the front and we'll call you." He says as he gestures to the desk near the entrance of the shop.

You nod before walking up to the desk. Soap happened to be working back there and his face brightens when he notices you.

"Hello! Did you change your mind?" He jokes and you shake your head.

"No Ghost said he will be a bit so he told me to come to the front and sign a paper with my phone number on it!" You say excited.

Soap smiles back at you before pulling out a clip board. "He normally doesn't take clients that fast. He is very picky on who he tattoos."

You looked at him confused before beginning to sign the sheet. There were three sections. one for your name, two for your phone number, and three for the artist you want. You quickly fill out the sheet before setting it on the counter. Soap gives you a nod before going back and filling the snacks that were underneath the counter. You walk out and decide to get something to eat as well as bring back some food for Ghost. You hope he likes what you chose.

It's been about an hour when you get a call.

"Hello?" You answer.

"Hey, just want to say I am finished with the concept art, I forgot to talk to you about where you want to put it." Who you now know as Ghost responds.

"Oh Yeah I'll head right down!" You say.

You hear a grunt in response before the line goes dead. You quickly get the rest of your food as well as his and get it 'to go' then you make your way to the tattoo parlor. As you walk in you notice that there is more people in the shop. Customers getting consultations, Someone working behind the counter, people watching the TV, and finally people getting to work on Tattoos.

You notice Ghost standing in the threshold of the sitting area and the studio. He motions for you to come over.

"Alright I have three sketches." He says as he opens his tablet.

"One is just normal, because you said you weren't sure if you wanted anything. The second is of them in a coffin, and the third is what I assume to me the masculine skeleton putting a rose in the female skeletons "hair" I will add a pop of color in the flower if you don't want a full black and gray piece. I didn't know if you wanted to go morbid with this or not."

You stare at it for a moment and hum to yourself. "They all look so good... I am torn between these two." You say pointing back and forth between the flower and the coffin one.

"I... I don't mean to be pushy or anything, but could I suggest something?" You ask.

"'s your body. You choose what goes on it." He says.

"I was wondering if we could maybe mix these two together? Maybe instead of an actual coffin it could be a uh... A picture frame in the shape of a coffin?" Ghost is silent for a moment.

"Where would you wan' it?" He asks.

"I was going to say my hip, but now I am thinking on the front of my thigh." You say.

"It's a pretty big piece... This your first tattoo?" He asks and you nod your head.

"Pretty bold you are." His voice has a more gravelly undertone as his Manchester accent comes out.

"Well. I will put us in a room instead of the studio... You wore a skirt. Don't need you flashin' all the customers." He says as he leads you to a small room.

It has a tattoo chair, a TV, some speakers and a computer, for what you assume would be for music and finally a printer.

"I'm gonna get drawn' you can stay in here. Need let the boys know that I'm using this room." He says as he walks out.

You hear more murmuring before he enters again. this time with some equipment like inks, a bag with what you can assume is his tattoo gun, and some needles. He sits down at the desk and begins drawing.

"Turn on the TV or browse your phone if ya wan'..." He says.

"Thank you..." You say as you begin to browse on your phone.

About thirty minutes later he gestures for you to come look. "This look good?" He asks.

As you look at it you see a coffin shaped picture frame that was all black. It had a dark gray border on the inside of it. Then there is another cut out where the lovers are laying. There is a mixture of black and many shades of grey all mixed through out this piece. You noticed that there are tears falling down their cheeks as well. Finally the flower which was a beautiful light blue.

"I didn't want a cliche red rose so I went with a Perennial Blue Flax flower. An' don't take my word for it, but I think it would go with the theme because Perennial flowers last longer and come back even after they die... Thought it could go with the "Love lasts beyond death." Which I assume is what you wanted..." He says.

You are in absolute awe. "This... This is absolutely beautiful! This is exactly what I want!" You say and you couldn't tell but his left eye crinkled slightly so you can assume that he was giving a half smile under his mask.

"Alright then. Lets get started." He says as he gestures to the chair. "Stand there so I can put the stencil on you okay?

You nod and walk over to the chair. He begins to wrap the handle of his tattoo gun while the stencil begins to print. He then looks at you.

"I need you to lift your skirt for me." He rasps and you immediately turn red.

You move your skirt up the leg you want to tattoo. He takes the stencil out of the printer and moves next to you. He sits down on a rolley chair and he looks at your thigh. He then takes out a shaving razor.

"Shit sorry! I should have shaved be-" "Doesn't bother me, don't worry 'bout it..." He says before taking a wipe and wiping away any of the loose hairs. He takes care in wiping your thigh a little longer then appropriate, but then again it wasn't like you were enjoying it.

He places the stencil on your thigh before motioning to a mirror. "That look right to you?" He asks and you smile and nod.

"Then lay down for me?" He says his tone seeming more rough then before.

You lay down and lift your  skirt again and make sure to try your best in covering your other leg to at least have some form of protection.

"You ready?" He asks. "I am gonna be putting my hands on you, if you get uncomfortable at any time let me know. It is important that you stay relaxed and not move. You got that?"

You nod with an audible "yes" before he turns on the tattoo gun and gets to work.

You would think you would notice the pain of the needle penetrating your skin first, but in reality you notice the vibration. At least where the vibration was place.

"Gonna start with your inner thigh okay? Have a couple of stretch marks that I want to be gentle with." He says as he rotates your leg to have your knee facing outward.

His arm and hand are placed in between your legs and you feel the vibration of his hand against your mound. You let out a short gasp which causes him to look up but then he continues his work. Luckily he starts working his way down your thigh so you get a moment to compose yourself.  It is about fifteen minutes before he is back at your inner thigh.

"Gotta do some shading now." He says as he ads water to some of the inks to get a variety of gray coloring.

He dips the needles in before he begins to move his hand back and forth. It goes from his knuckles to the handle that is protruding from his grip that rub against your core. You try your best not to jerk but the pain of the needle with his movements are so addicting you can't help but squirm around. The hand that was placed on your outer thigh begins to caress the skin underneath it.

"Gotta stay still for me okay?" He grunts as he continues.

You nod, but bite your lip. Each stroke of the needle causes his hand to move against you in just the right way. You are hoping your underwear aren't soaked through, because you were sure he would be able to feel your wetness if it was. On occasion you would catch him glimpsing at the crease where your leg meets your body. You were hoping he wasn't uncomfortable. You were especially worried about the puddle that will be left after you get up from this chair.

He begins to move his hand up your thigh and to the crease of your leg. He then slides his middle and ring finger underneath the band of your underwear.

"Need to move this a bit 'cause it is in the way." He says.

His pointer finger and thumb begin to slowly massage the crease of your leg which makes you sigh with delight.

"Actually gorgeous I think it might be best if you remove your panties all together." He says, his voice dropping impossibly lower as he removes the tattoo gun from your leg and turning around. "If your comfortable..."

"No it's okay don't worry about it!" You say as you shimmy your underwear down. You his in pain when you accidentally rub the cloth against your raw leg.

You flip your skirt down half way and use your hand to cup your core over your skirt so you wouldn't accidentally flash him after putting your underwear behind your back since your purse is on the other side of the room. "You can turn around now." You says. You are trying your best to sound confident in yourself.

He turns back around and rolls back over to where he was previously. He places his left hand on your outer thigh and begins to work again. The vibrations seem to be more intense now that your hand is there. You bite your lip in an attempt to quiet you whimpers of pleasure.

"Come on love... You need to relax..." He says as he begins to massage your thigh in an effort to relax you. But unfortunately that does the complete opposite.

"Need ya to spread your legs for me..." He says.

You can't tell if you were imagining it or if he said it in a suggestive way, but his left had creeps down your thigh and to the crease of your knee.

"What can I do to relax you? You were being such a good girl before you started squirming around..." He says.

The look in his eyes were lustful. Like he was taking you apart and putting you back together in his mind.

"You can't help..." You mumble.

"Is it something to do with the mess you made on my chair?" He asks with what you assume to be a smirk.

You cover your face which makes him chuckle. You hear the machine turn off and the sound of him setting the gun down on the table before his left hand returns to the inside of your knee.

"C'mon baby... Spread 'em for me." He says as he guides your legs open.

Now that your hand isn't on your skirt to hold it down your cunt was on full display. You shiver at the cool air hitting it. He uses his right hand to flip the skirt all the way up.

"She's just drippin' isn't she?" He asks and you squeak in embarrassment.

"Gotta be quiet gorgeous, that's how relaxing works. Bein' nice and quiet..." He says as he scoots forward in his chair, propping your leg against his shoulder.

He moves your hands from your face only to put them over your eyes.

"Keep 'em closed..." He says as he slides his face mask down and kisses the inside of your knee.

"You don't need to see to relax..." He murmurs against your skin.

"Tell me what to you like more?" He grunts as he kisses up your thigh.

"The pain..." He says as he grips the outside of your thigh just bellow the tattoo. He uses his hand to stretch the skin slightly to put the emphases of what he means by pain. "Or the vibrations against your pussy?" He asks as he is about midway up your thigh.

You try your best to keep your eyes shut, but you refuse to open your mouth in fear that you wouldn't have control of what comes out. You feel his teeth sink into your inner thigh and you yelp.

"Gonna need you to answer me gorgeous..." He whispers and you whine.

"Both... I like both!" "Gotta be quieter then that... Don't need anybody else to hear." He says as he continues to kiss up your thigh.

You want to look down and see his face, but you were worried that if you did he would stop. He finally get the the crease of your leg next to your mound, but instead of going to where you need him most he moves up your V-line and bites down there. You let out a soft moan.

"So if I were to turn my machine back on... And press the handle of my tattoo gun against your pretty cunt... 'nd maybe nibble on you a bit... You'd like that?" He asks as his mouth travels back down to the crease of your leg.

You nod your head with a small "Mhm!"

He leans over and kisses your clit. "Now that wouldn't be sanitary... So you are going to have to deal with my fingers..." He says and before giving your clit an open mouth kiss.

It is as if the moment he tasted you he wanted more, because he immediately stood up from his chair and buried his face in your pussy. You muffled your moan by biting down on your palm as he put your leg over his shoulder. He pulls back for a moment and begins to nibble on your outer labia. No man has ever done that before, but now you are pretty sure you have a biting kink. He nibbles downwards before nestling himself in your cunt. His tongue probes your slit as he moves his head back and forth. The feeling of his nose against your clit makes you jump.

"Taste so good..." He murmurs into you before he massages his tongue into your slit. You feel your walls clamp down on his tongue.

He continues to shake his head back and forth slowly, his nose brushing your clit almost perfectly.

"Faster... P-Please!" You try your best to keep your voice down by putting pauses in between words.

He seems to follow your instructions as his head moves faster. The sounds that he was making into your pussy was almost enough to make you cum on the spot.

You remove one of your hands and lace it into his hair. It was soft and short, almost perfect grabbing length. "Keep your eyes closed." You hear him say.

You follow his order and begin to arch your hips up and grind against his face. You groan in frustration when he uses his right arm to pin your hips to the now very wet chair. So you take to clamping your thighs around his head instead. You hear him hum in delight.

He takes his left hand and pries your leg from his head and moves his hand in between your legs. He pulls away from your core. A small pop coming from your slit as he removes his tongue. He inhales quickly before latching his mouth onto your clit.

"Oh god!" You say as you feel the small gentle flicks of his tongue against your nub.

You feel him slip a finger into you only to add another a second later. He starts off by spreading his fingers in a scissoring motion before actually moving them. He times the flicks of his tongue with the thrusts of his fingers. You hear your pants getting louder and louder, Your eyes hurt from how hard your are closing them, and you are so close to your release.

"Please, please, please, please! Ghost please!" You cry before smacking a hand over your mouth.

Your chest is heaving and your shirt that you were today is clinging against your body due to sweat. The room smells of sex. All you want to do is look down and see what he looks like between your legs, but again you know he will stop if you do. As this is going through your head he curls his fingers upwards and your yelp again.

"There it is..." He grunts before clamping down on your clit again.

He thrusts his fingers One. Two. Three times before you come apart. Your core tightens around his fingers ad your entire body tenses up. The curling of your toes are painful. You taste blood in your mouth from biting your lip so hard. You hear him release your clit with a pop.

"That's a good girl... Come on... Let it all out." He says as he helps you through your release.

You let out a small sob as your body begins to relax. You hear the sound of a water bottle opening and the sound of a paper towel being torn before you feel a cold rag against your cunt You shiver and try to keep your eyes closed to the best of your ability. You hear silence for a few more minutes before he speaks.

"You can open your eyes now." You open your eyes to see a now disheveled haired and masked Ghost.

"Can you stand up for me pretty girl?" He asks and you nod slowly.

He helps you stand up before he kneels on the ground and wipes your tattooed thigh. "I'm gonna need you to come in for a second session... You alright with that?" He asks softly.

Now that you think of it you look down to see only the shading of the coffin is done and inside the line work of the skeletons are empty.

"Y-Yeah that's good... Uh what do I owe you for this session?" You ask out of breath.

He wraps your leg and stands up. "$400." He says as moved to the other side of the chair and begins wiping it down.

"Only $400? T-This is a 1.5K tattoo at least!" You exclaim, but it only comes out as a small wheeze.

"Deal with it. The total for this session is $400... The next might be worth more due to the small details." He grunts.

He walks over to some cabinet and gets out some disinfectant before spraying and wiping it down a second time. You stand there for a moment dumbfounded.

"Come on..." He says as he tosses the used paper towels away and opens the door to the room.

When you walk out you can hear the sound of loud bagpipes echoing across the studio. Ghost leads you to the counter where he puts in the total of $400 into the register. You pull out that and an extra $50 but he immediately pushes that back toward you.

"No tip..." He says before glancing down to your skirt and back up again.

You feel your face flush. He reaches over the counter to a card holder and he grabs a card that has a skull and his name plastered in graffiti letters.

"My number's on here. Call me when your free." He grunts.

"For the tattoo?" You ask as you take the card.

"Or somethin' else if you're interested." He says before shutting the register and reaching under the counter and grabbing you a water bottle.

"Drive safe Gorgeous." he says as he walks away and back into the room.

You quickly take your card and your water bottle and thankfully you grabbed your purse and dash out of the shop. You get your keys out and get in your car before taking off down the road. You then realize once you are halfway home that you left your underwear at the shop...

#tattoo artist au #modern warfare 2 #mw2 2022 #simon riley x reader #tattoo artist simon riley #x reader smut #simon ghost riley #simon 'ghost' riley #simon riley smut #mw2 smut #soap mctavish #modern warefare 2 fanfic #simon 'ghost' riley x reader smut #x reader #x fem reader #lord forgive my sins

[kierongillen]

i have to know - as a disco elysium fan who didnt do disco, what would you say is essential disco listening for me?

I'm hugely behind on the asks, but I have to answer this one, because I'm going to answer a connected but completely different question, and then maybe then loop back to you. I'm just looking for an excuse to ramble, and do the writer equivalent of a warm-up sketch (i.e. waste time).

My apologies.

If you wake up and decide that you want to get into a whole genre of music, there's basically two tactics.

(There's also the "Why would anyone care to get into something they don't care about", which is one of the few things I have a "There's two sorts of people..." response to - those who when presented by something unknown either think "why should I know about that?" or "why don't I know about that?" I'm the latter, and it's served me well.)

The first tactic is simple.

Jump on a genre with Best Of in the title and follow your pleasure response. Here's a Spotify one. What interests you? What excited you? What makes you laugh? Probably explore more of that. If not, indulge widely, and see what sticks. At a glance, Disco playlists seem to have the problem of most playlists, in that strictly not everything on it is disco per se. For example, Dancing Queen strictly speaking isn't a disco song - but it's a song about disco, in every way. But if anything has found its way on a playlist, it's found its way on for a reason.

In your case, you're interested in what Disco resonates with Disco Elysium. Which I've bought for C, but not played, but I'm aware of in a "if I was still a games journalist, this is clearly one I would write a lot about." I spent years writing about Planescape Torment, and I know a spiritual successor when I see one.

This makes me think the area you want is basically the classier end - the big bleak emotions, the chilliness, the control, lonely on a dancefloor, lonely everywhere, oh-so-much cocaine, and - to steal Paul Lester's line - glass mountains on fire.

Which leads back to the second way of getting into a genre of music - which is to hit a major artist, and hit them hard.

When asked about "how shall I get into a band" my advice is actually the opposite of what I'm about to give. If you just want to get into a band, get Best Of, see what tracks you like, then go to the albums they're from. But if you're trying to get into a whole genre of music, that's a more serious endeavour, and may reward the opposite approach.

Basically pick a key album from a key band, and get into it, and grow from there. Read about the band - you don't need much, but a little helps. Learn how to listen to what their tracks do. And then you use that band as the single point of knowledge you have to orientate yourself to everything else you listen afterwarads.

There's a huge danger to this - basically, no-one is more ignorant than someone with a little knowledge. You have to be aware that you are the person who knows a bit about Boss Baby, and using that to get into things other than Boss Baby.

The strength is that it's a more holistic, lived in knowledge than just skimming the surface. You understand the music better as an artifact of their times, made by people, responding to their specific situation - which adds different flavours to your appreciation of it. Sure, your own response and how it finds a place in your life is always the thing which over-rules anything else - but the more you can listen for, the more you can hear, the more you can get from a work of art.

Anyway - I'm telling you to go and listen to Risque by Chic.

Chic are basically fucking awesome. If you don't know Disco at all, the opening Good Times chilly ironic take on American late-seventies culture is a great and (I suspect) Disco Elysium relevant intro. You'll know it as a sample, if nothing else, and the eight minutes version that opens Risque is a great way to think about it as both music for dancing (it is endless) and music for listening (it is boundless).

I got Risque as Paul Lester went to bat for it so hard in the Unknown Pleasures book the Maker stuck on the cover in 1995 (it was covering 20 albums that had fell out of the critical conversation, and it absolutely changed the dirction of my listening in the period). Here's Lester writing about Risque more recently for a taste, as the original piece doesn't appear to be online. I just read it in my copy, and it's a burst of love, describing it Disco as music about love - never sex, only love, and mainly love that is denied. That seems solid, at least for the best of chic.

Risque is the Chic album that Lloyd from Phonogram would have been listening to, certainly. I know I did.

(Plus At Last I Am Free from C'est Chic, obv)

There's a lot of Chic to listen to - their own work, especially in the period, and all their productions. Their work with Sister Sledge is of particular import - Lost In Music was one of the working title for Phonogram, and you can see and hear why. They're also the Disco band whose influence is perhaps most obvious in other bands. Everyone liked Chic. No Chic, no Orange Juice, no Orange Juice, no Smiths, etc.

Sister Sledge was the first live band I was at. My mum went to see them when she was eight and a half months pregnant. The temptration to say I'd have heard Lost in Music then and sold is tempting, but ahistorical - it's well before their work with Chic.

Anyway - get into Chic. It'll make your life better - and when your life isn't better, it's a superior context to lose yourself.

However, to go back to your question, as a Disco Elysium fan, I'm not sure it's actually THIS Disco you're looking for.

How about Disco Inferno?

Not Disco at all, but most like itself than anything else, which sounds like what I understand about Disco Elysium. right?

(DI Goes Pop is the starting place)

#Chic #Disco #disco elysium

[luvhughes43]

say yes to heaven (track one) | tz11 x reader

cruel world [masterlist]🕊

word count: 2.1k

Rolling Stone

Date: June 28th, 2023

Growing up, Yn Ln always dreamt that she would become a singer. Her inspirations were figures well beyond her years, taking inspiration from the likes of great artists from decades past. Her melancholic style became instantly notable when she first hit the scene a few short weeks ago with her debut single, video games. Of course, none of her earlier works can be found on streaming services anymore, but her style has remained consistent over the years as she now releases her debut album in 2023. 

interviewer: Yn, your album “Cruel World” has become an instant cult classic for music reviewers and fans alike. But what everyone really wants to know is what, and who, inspired you?

Yn laughs lightly, rubbing her palms on her jeans before she starts talking.

Yn Ln: It was [pause].. it was a long process. I was inspired by my real life [another pause] and my friends' lives. A lot of things went into creating the album. I’ve spent years working on it. 

interviewer: Are you aware of the rumours surrounding the album? That every song is about an ex of yours? Trevor I think his name is?

Yn tenses briefly at the mention of her ex and swipes her palms against her jeans once more.  

Yn Ln: Like I said, the album was inspired by things I've gone through. I don’t feel the need to put names to songs.

She laughs lightly trying to ease the tension of the room.

Interviewer: Well, regardless, Cruel World is an amazing album.

Yn smiled politely, taking a sip of her coffee.

when yn hughes first laid her eyes on trevor zegras, she felt a spark. when she went to bed that night she didn’t dream about her favourite characters, or books, she didn’t even create perfect little scenarios. no, she fell asleep to thoughts of her brothers best friend. his soft hair, the way he glided the puck across the ice, his smile and enthusiasm when his team did well… yn hughes was doomed from the start. 

‘cause ive got my mind on you

i’ve got my mind on you

you didn't actually meet trevor face to face till a week after first seeing him. your twin, Jack, had invited him and a few other friends over to the house for the day. you laid in bed, eyes closed listening to all the commotion below before you decided to go downstairs and greet everyone. 

when you finally made your way to the group, you stood awkwardly at the bottom of the stairs. the wood chilly as you watched your brother and his friends play fight. 

“I’m trevor!” one of the boys beamed as he stepped away from the group of rowdy boys. 

you smiled softly in response as trevor ruffled his hair. “i’m yn-”

“jacks twin! right, i've heard so much about you! you know, i always wondered if it was true that twins had like, intuition? Is that a thing?” trevor rambled, his words fast and inquisitive, a habit which presented itself quite frequently. 

you laughed, nodding in the small breaks of trevors words as he kept talking about twins and their behaviours he had apparently heard about. 

when he finally stopped his speech, yn answered his first of many questions. “i mean i dont know about intuition but…” 

“trev!” jack called, “get over here, stop talking to yn!”. he was shaking an xbox controller, gesturing for trevor to come join their group of friends who were lounging on the sofa ready to play. 

“but he always seems to pick up on when i'm having a good time” you smiled cheekily. 

trevors face burned red and he rubbed at his neck absentmindedly as he looked you up and down. you watched his eyes trail, and you had never felt so giddy in all of your life. butterflies fluttered in your stomach until trevor broke away from you. 

“Ill uh- ill.. i’ll see you around,” trevor finished lamely, clearly feeling the same giddiness you felt as he sharply turned away from you and sat next to your brother. you stood in your spot for another second, watching as trevor tried to hide his smile from your brother. 

the house was quiet as you made your way into your kitchen for a glass of water. you had fallen after working on some music and you woke up dazed and a little confused.

you open the fridge, the little light partially illuminating the kitchen. a figure moves out of the darkness causing you to jump and let out a little shriek. 

your breathing speeds up, one of your hand coming to rest over your mouth as trevor steps into the light of the fridge. 

“Its just me!” trevor says, voice hoarse with sleep. he lays a had on your shoulder, watching you with wide eyes as you try to calm yourself down.

“what are you doing here?” you asked breathlessly as your breathing started to slow. “uh your parents let me and a few other guys stay over tonight” trevor explained, hand still resting on your shoulder.

“what? when?” trevors hand falls from your shoulders and moves to brush through his hair. 

“after dinner. you were up in your room playing… the guitar was it? It sounded really nice”

“thanks…” your face heated and you were so glad that you hadn't decided to turn the kitchen light on. 

“what were you working on anyway?” trevor changed the subject as he opened the fridge and pulled out a jug of milk.

your nose crinkled as he grabbed his discarded cup and poured himself a glass. “oh you know,” you shrugged your shoulders. you didn’t know why you did it but you never wanted to talk about your music. with all your brother's talents and successes, you felt that you choosing music was an embarrassment to your family even though you knew at heart that it wasn’t true. 

trevor must have picked up on your hesitancy so he shrugged, bringing his glass of milk to his lips as he took another swig. 

“milk?” you questioned, and trevor held the glass out for you to take.

“want some?” he asked, tilting the glass towards you.

“definitely not”

“it makes your bones strong and stuff, you should try it” 

“Trevor i've drank milk before,” you say sarcastically.  

“well yeah but like, you know what i mean” 

you rolled your eyes playfully, “okay fine give me the glass,” you reached your hand out and trevor passed his cup to you. you peered into the cup.

“its just milk it's not gonna hurt you” trevor laughed as he leaned back against the kitchen counter. 

you tentatively took a sip and when you finished you passed the glass back to trevor. 

“how was it?” “gross”

“yeah okay,” trevor rolled his eyes, leaning his head back as he finished the rest of the glass. 

you reached past trevors shoulder, grabbing a glass to fill with water. 

“well, im going to go to bed,” trevor nods to you as he sets his now empty glass in the sink. 

“goodnight,” you respond as you fill your glass.

“yah night,” trevor walks out of the kitchen and you watch him leave.

what the hell was that? you whisper to yourself, downing the rest of your water before heading to bed yourself. 

the next few weeks followed similarly. you and trevor would have these weird random moments, and you would both awkwardly smile at each other and move on with your days. that was until the boys decided to have a bonfire now that your parents were out of town to celebrate the start of the summer. 

you felt the warm heat of the fire on your legs as you sat near the pit with your friend. you watched absentmindedly as trevor talked to his friends before you felt the weight of your friend's hand on your shoulder. 

“you know yn, if you want him that badly then…” you whipped your head around at your friends words.

“what?” your eyes were wide in shock. you hadn’t told anybody about your growing feelings for trevor. 

“I’m just saying you’re not being really secretive…”

“he's my brother's best friend” you shrugged, your eyes drifting from your friend and back to the boy in question. He was nursing a beer he had somehow managed to sneak past his own parents.

“okay… what does that have to do with anything? hes hot” your friend shrugs. 

“hes also jacks teammate it just, it wouldn't work out the way i’d want it to” you expressed your reasons on why you couldn't date trevor and it sounded more ridiculous each time. you knew you wanted to be with him, and honestly, jack wasn't what you were worried about. you were more worried of the possible rejection. sure you and trevor had spent time together and talked. but majority of that time was when the two of you were alone. what if trevor doesn't want anything more than the private meetups? 

“how do you want it to work out?”

you fiddled with your hands, ignoring your friends question.

“he clearly likes you though, if that's what you're worried about” you hummed in response, lazily turning your head to look at trevor again. He smiled at you when he caught you looking. you didn't have the energy to look away. you knew then that you'd rather be rejected then not with him at all. 

let the fear you have fall way

i’ve got my eye on you

i’ve got my eye on you

say yes to heaven

say yes to me

“trev!” you hear jack call from across the fire pit, “can you go get us more marshmallows?” the boy easily agrees as he stands up from his lawn chair and begins to make his way inside. 

“Yn im thirsty!” your friend quickly says, pushing you up and off your seat. “can you get me a root beer?” she pleads, causing your brothers and his friends to shift their attention to the two of you. you quickly catch on to what she's doing, and you nod with enthusiasm. 

“does anyone else want something?” you ask the group as you slowly back away. Jack asks for water, and you nod before following Trevor into your house. 

the house was silent as the two of you worked your way around the kitchen. just as trevor was about to make his way back outside again, you stopped him. your hand tugged on his wrist and he was turning back to face you.

“trevor,” you breathed out, a little shocked at your sudden courage.

“yn,” he whispered back. you could hear the faint sound of the fire crackling and everyone's laughter out in the backyard.

it felt magnetic, the pull that brought your lips up to meet his. the kiss was soft and innocent. something that could easily be explained away as a spur of the moment thing. you refused to let it.

“yn,” trevor whispered again, this time painfully.

“trevor,” you were hopeful. 

he kissed you again, one of his hands coming down to settle on your waist as your arm wrapped itself around his neck. 

when you both pulled apart, trevor rested his forehead against yours, his breath slowing down as you both relaxed. 

“we cant do this,” trevor said almost regretfully as his head turned at the sound of your brothers loud voice teasing cole. 

“we can do whatever we want” you replied, ignoring all the background noise.

“jacks your twin. he's my teammate. my best friend. i can't just-”

“say yes to me” you blurted and your face heated up instantly. 

“It's not that easy-”

“yes it is. trevor just say yes to me and we can figure out what to do with jack later,” 

trevor seemed unsure of what to say for the first time. 

“What's taking you so long! damn!” jacks voice pops the bubble you and trevor had built not even a minute earlier. 

“sorry i couldn't find the marshmallows,” trevor mumbles, stepping away from you and towards your brother. 

“why didn’t you help hin y/n? don't be rude” your brothers voice seemed to pierce the quiet of the kitchen.

“he didn’t want me to help,” you replied quietly, reaching behind you for the water bottle jack had asked for earlier. 

“well that was stupid. she literally lives here z she knows where everything is,” jack responded cluelessly.

“Yeah, right, my bad” trevor nodded along with his words as he watched jack reach into a corner cabinet to retrieve a bag of marshmallows. 

I’ll put my red dress on, get it on

and if you fight, i’ll fight

it doesn’t matter, now its all gone

i got my mind on you

ynhughes

liked by jackhughes, trevorzegras, yourbff, and others

ynhughes ❤️

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yourbff hottest bff ever🤤

ynhughes love u

jackhughes “❤️”

ynhughes if u dont leave me alone…

[insta dms]

trevorzegras: I’m sorry about that night

trevorzegras: I just don't want jack mad at me yk? I do really like you and I shouldn't have just left things like that

ynhughes: what are you trying to say?

trevorzegras: That i'm saying yes to you

trevorzegras: and that i’m sorry

present day

ynhughes

liked by lhughes_06, colecaufield, yourbff, and others

ynhughes say yes to heaven, mv out now❤️ i love u all so much

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yourbff im crying real tears i love you so so much

ynhughes i love u more forever

fan01 just listened to say yes to heaven for the first time and it's soo beautiful

fan02 love you so much yn

liked by ynhughes

lhughes_06 very cool

#cruel world au #trevor zegras x reader #trevor zegras fic #trevor zegras imagine #jack hughes x reader #nhl fanfiction #nhl imagine #nhl blurb #nhl fic #luke hughes x reader #quinn hughes x reader

[jisunghannie]

Choose Me

PAIRING: Hyunjin x fem!reader

WARNING: Swearing is used in this story. Lots of angst. Fluff to Angst in this story.

SUMMARY: You and Hyunjin are dating. You were originally his makeup artist and quit because you wanted to be with him. That was your sacrifice. However he betrayed you and cheated on you, or so you thought anyway.

WORD COUNT: 2,458

A/N:

.°•○>><<○•°. = POV switch

.°• ✿ •°. = Flashback/Present time

Part 2 is up!

You were a fan of Hyunjin's just like any other girl. Except for the difference was you were his actual girlfriend. As time went on. You and him had less time together even though you lived in the same house together. You worked with him on his pieces and loved every bit of it. However, what you hated was him spending more time with other girls. He was constantly doing dance challenges with other girl groups. You weren't mad at him. If you were being honest, you were jealous that they got to spend more time with him. That's what made you upset to your core.

It has been a week since Hyunjin has came home. He was in Japan for a few weeks to vlog videos and perform concerts. You missed him a lot. You didn't know what else to do so you just rewatched old videos of you guys together which brought a smile to your face. You wanted to know if you could ever restore the love you had experienced with him.

2 weeks without Hyunjin. You guys had called twice the whole 2 weeks he had been gone. It didn't feel the same. You had started to get desperate and started to sleep with his clothes on. You wanted some type of comfort because he wasn't with you. It made you so sad at night knowing Hyunjin wasn't with you. You watched his live performances and smiled softly knowing he was doing his best to live his life.

3 weeks without Hyunjin. He was still in Japan. He wasn't able to text you because of his tight schedule. You didn't mind however. You just wanted him back. And you did that as you watched him perform and sing his heart out. He even danced and collaborated with other groups for their newest album. You were so proud of him. At this point, it was a part of the norm.

You were going crazy. You kept calling Hyunjin, hoping for him to pick up. You knew he wouldn't, though. After the 3rd declined call, you put your phone down.

You knew that this was the struggle of dating an idol, yet it didn't realize it would be this lonely and sad. You'd think that you guys would have more time and be happier. You were happy with Hyunjin, even the little times. As you replayed the memories in your head. From when you first met because you were his makeup artist. To when he brought you home because you were out of it when you were sick. To when you sobbed because you were broken up with. To when you realized you loved him. To when he asked you out and all the memories after that.

It hurt but you knew that it was going to be like this the minute you quit working as his makeup artist in order to be with him.

.°•○>><<○•°.

Hyunjin finally came home. He was exhausted after a long month. He couldn't wait to be reunited with his lover. As he placed his bags down he unlocked the door of his shared home.

Once he entered inside, he saw you sleeping quietly on the sofa. He looked at you. You looked more tired and hungry than ever. It broke his heart. Your eye circles were so dark it looked like you were punched in the face or crying your mascara off. Your cheeks didn't look as squishy anymore. Of course, it was a small, subtle difference, but Hyunjin could tell. It hurt him to see you like this. He kissed you on the cheek and wrapped you up in a blanket as he went to sleep alongside you.

"I'm sorry I made you wait so long..."

When he woke up he made sure to tidy up and cook you a delicious meal so you wouldn't be hungry and tired.

.°•○>><<○•°.

The next morning you awoke to the smell of a good meal. You slowly opened your eyes and saw that the slightly unorganized living room was organized and put back together. You looked at the door and noticed all the shoes were gone, which means they were cleaned up.

"Morning beautiful" Someone said at the kitchen doorframe. As you turned. You saw your boyfriend and ran to hug him. "Easy now... I'm not going anywhere..." He said struggling. Once you got close to him you realized that he didn't smell like he usually does. He smells like... another girl.

You pushed him away. Tears pricking your eyes. "I didn't see you for a month and you were with another girl so much you have her scent on you..." Now you were hurt. You trusted him but you then realized the lipstick mark. A kiss mark on his cheek. "Hwang Hyunjin. What is actually wrong with you." You said as you looked at him with eyes of digust.

"Wh-What... do I have something on my face..?" He asked nervously. Almost as if he was guilty of something. "D-Do you have... ha! You're funny Hyunnie. Really fucking funny!" You were hysterical now. "What do you mean do you have something on your face! Of course you do! It's literally a kiss mark from someone. I know its not from any of your members because they wear liptints and not lipstick! So you have some serious explaining to do!" You said raising your voice louder than expected. But you didn't care. You waited weeks for him. A month. He has been going off for his business trips for so long this might've not been a first for him.

"God. Hyunnie. You're killing me you know that?! You're actually going to be the death of me. I love you with every ounce of my soul and I wait for you. Hell! I quit my job for you! And.. And this is what you do?! Are you kidding me?!" You were crying at this point. You didn't care anymore. You didn't want to be quiet any longer for who knows how has this affair been going on for.

"Hyunjin. I... I can't even look at you." You said looking down at the ground. "I'm going to Minho's place." You said. Walking upstairs as Hyunjin grabbed your arm. "Don't go... please beautiful..." He pleaded but you flicked away his hand. "Just stop Hyunnie!" You yelled at him. For the first time in your whole relationship. He even flinched as he let go. He watched you go.

.°•○>><<○•°.

As he let go he saw you grab all your stuff. He's never heard you yell at him. Not once. Usually you are the sweetest person and keep him close but this time. He made you cry. That's what hurt him. As he heard the door close, he fell to the floor crying.

You didn't once give him a chance to explain. If only he butted in quick enough he would've been able to prevent you from leaving. His legs weren't strong enough to pick him up and take him to chase after you. His heart hurt and was heavy. As he cried, he felt his heart sever, knowing he might've lost the one he really loved.

.°•○>><<○•°.

You knocked on Minho's door as I.N and Jisung were running to the door trying to see who would get there the fastest. But once they saw you crying. Jisung hugged you close. "Come in y/n-ssi..." Jisung said as I.N and him took you inside to a cooking Minho.

"Who was at the door?" Minho asked as he turned around to see you crying being comforted by the two Maknaes. "Woah, woah, what happened y/n-ah..?" Minho asked gently taking off his oven mitts and throwing them as he gently caressed your face.

Between sobs, you explain to them what you witnessed and what happened between you and Hyunjin. As I.N heard the story he texted Seungmin.

I.Nnie: Oi, Seungmin.

Minnie: Yes Jeongin?

I.Nnie: Not the full name lol, anyway go take Felix and both of you go check up on Hyunjin

Minnie: Why?

I.Nnie: y/n is at Minho's, she came crying which means something happened

Minnie: Oh goodness we just got back...

I.Nnie: Thanks!

Minnie: Omw to get Felix. I'll lyk when we get there

I.Nnie: 👍🏻

Minho hugged you closely. He thought of you like his younger sister. But what didn't add up was the kiss mark. He was usually with Hyunjin and if not him it was Han or Felix. He tried to recover his memories as quickly as possible.

"Could it be possible that it was that Maknae?" Jisung said as I.N and Minho looked at him confused. "You know, that Maknae from that new group, at JYP Entertainment." Minho shook his head as I.N jumped. "Oh! That girl group that just came up that JYP wanted us to work with!" I.N exclaimed. "Yes! That one!" Jisung said.

Minho was still confused. Until it clicked. The Maknae. He remembered now.

.°• ✿ •°.

During their last week, they all had to help the new trainees of a soon debuted group of girl idols. Minho and Bangchan were in charge of choreo. I.N, Felix and Seungmin were in charge of vocals. Han and Changbin were in charge of rap. Hyunjin was charge of center.

This one Maknae had the perfect face for a center and so she was sent to work with Hyunjin. The last day of their work she gave Hyunjin a "parting gift" and that was her number and a kiss on the cheek. Hyunjin was uncomfortable with it but was so exhausted from the girl's effortless attempts of flirting, effortless attempts of getting his attention, and effortless attempts of spending more time with him.

Minho felt bad for Hyunjin because she had taken a liking to Hyunjin and being the kind Hyung he was, he couldn't be rude and push her away because she was a Maknae. Minho noticed she was a little close and personal but Hyunjin made sure to keep his distance. However no one was aware that she had given him a kiss on his cheek. Apparently so was Hyunjin.

.°• ✿ •°.

Minho sighed as he looked at you into your eyes. "Listen y/n-ah." He said grabbing your shoulder gently. "Hyunjin isn't cheating. It's actually the opposite." He said, explaining the situation to you of what had happened.

You had felt horrible for not letting Hyunjin explain. He missed you just as much as you missed him and you were so mean to him. Mean was an understatement. It was more like you were just attacking him. You didn't once give him a chance to explain.

His heartbroken face, the face that you thought was guilty was just his scared face, the thought of losing him would be the exact same face you would've had as he did in that moment.

You started to sob in Minho's arms.

Just then I.N got a message from Seungmin.

Minnie: We just got here, going inside now.

I.Nnie: Took you a while

Minnie: Sorry, we had to get his favorite food

I.Nnie: Fair

.°•○>><<○•°.

Hyunjin had just showered and washed his clothes to get rid of the smell and kiss mark on his cheek. He couldn't believe that he made you cry. Everytime he replayed what you said and how your face looked like as you screamed at him made him understand how genuine you were. You were genuinely upset and it hurt him.

He would've cried again until he heard knocking. He walked near the door.

"Its Seungmin."

"And Felix!"

Hyunjin opened the door. As his eyes looked puffy, Seungmin knew that he had been crying as he exchanged a quick glance with Felix.

"Sorry, uh, y/n just went to-" He was cut off by Felix's deep voice. "We know. We think we know why." Felix said and just then Hyunjin fell to his knees.

"Its all my fault..." He sobbed out, "If...If only.." He hiccupped, "only if I had been..." Seungmin rubbed his back. "Don't beat yourself up, it's okay." Seungmin said. "You don't get it!" He shouted, surprising the Maknaes.

"You should've seen her face... heard her.." He hiccupped. "Her voice... was so-so... genuinely angry..." He sobbed out. "It was because of... me..." He said gently this time, his voice cracking at the end.

This hurt Seungmin and Felix to see. Felix joined Hyunjin on the floor as they comforted him.

"Hyunjin. We get it, you feel responsible, but it wasn't your fault." Felix said gently. "But it was! She... I..." He sniffled. "She was everything to me... she quit being... our personal makeup artist... MY personal makeup artist... all because she wanted to be with me..." Hyunjin said between hiccups.

"Could you control that? If she wanted to be with you then she knew to quit. That's why she's with you. She's committed to you. Don't you see." Seungmin said loud enough for Hyunjin to realize.

"Think about it Hyunnie. If y/n-ssi really didn't care about you or loved you would she have quit a job she loved?" Seungmin said, trying to reason with the crying Hyunjin.

"Or get jealous or mad enough to walk out because she saw another woman's kiss mark on your cheek and smelled another woman's perfume on you?" Felix added on.

Hyunjin knew he messed up but he just wanted to be with you at the moment. That's all that mattered.

"I love her so much... and I just can't believe... that I... I hurt her... so much..." He said between hiccups. "I didn't want to make her cry... let alone hurt her..." He sobbed out as Seungmin and Felix rubbed his back.

"Give her time, she'll come back..." Felix said. "Yeah, she loves you. She will come back." Seungmin replied as Hyunjin just nodded gently.

.°•○>><<○•°.

You had calmed down and were sleeping as I.N called Seungmin.

"Hey Seungmin, how did everything go?" I.N called as he put him on speaker so Minho and Jisung could hear.

"It went well, we had to call reinforcements though, we had to get the Hyungs here to calm down poor Hyunjin over here. So currently its Me, Felix, Chan, and Changbin here with Hyunjin. He just fell asleep." Seungmin said as they could hear the others conversating in the background.

"So did y/n-ssi. She's sleeping peacefully. So now we wait until they go back to each other I guess." I.N said scratching his head.

"Yeah, I guess..." Seungmin said sighing after.

"Until then, I'll call you after."

"Yep, talk to you then."

Once the call ended. They watched over you carefully to make sure you would recover all the energy you had lost.

#skz angst #hyunjin #hyunjin hwang #hwang hyunjin #hwang hyujin imagines #skz x reader #hwang hyunjin x reader #hyunjin x reader #skz hyunjin #skz hwang hyunjin #skz fluff #skz fanfic #skz imagines #skz fandom #skz stay

[taylortruther]

Rae, we actually have the same favorite (The Black Dog) and least favorite (thanK you aIMee) songs lol. I subjectively really love the album and have resonated a lot with it, although objectively I do recognize that as an art product, it's not as excellently curated and of the technical quality (cohesion, thematic continuity, etc) as say folklore or Midnights, but that's not the point of this album. Imo she really needed to put out this entire album as it is, completely raw, bloated, and unedited, in all of its glorious messiness. As a fellow pathological people pleaser, I find it very admirable that for once she decided to not cater to anyone's demands and expectations when in the past she has very obviously curated her work to be what the Recording Academy looked for (1989), what the public outside of her fans wanted from her (folkmore), or just to prove herself against critics (og Speak Now). She said "fuck that, I'm doing this for me because I need an exorcism from this" and not only do I really respect that but I also love it as personal character growth for her. I think this body of work is a very natural evolution of her artistry. I made a post about this but basically something that stood out to me a lot from this album is the intentional de-personalization of extremely personal feelings and stories. She seems to have decided for this project that in order to be free to be completely honest in her art, she needs to visualize herself, and thus her stories, as a third party, an external entity on which she's conducting a post-mortem examination. Consequently, the characters in her life are, too, bestowed upon fictional characters (Cassandra, Peter Pan, Ken, Sarahs and Hannahs, etc) from stories that have been told before and/or are familiar in some way to the listener. Then, the 4th wall is delightfully broken in Clara Bow, where she refers to Clara Bow and Stevie Nicks as the inherent precedents to Taylor Swift. But what's even more brilliant about this is that in this way, she is making Taylor Swift into a character in and of itself. She is actually attempting to externalize Taylor Swift from Taylor the real-life woman. By narrating her stories through tangible entities presented as completely external to herself, she is inhibited by the safety of this fictional/allegorical lense through which she's allowing her stories to be consumed, and as a result, she has unlimited freedom to be more personal than she has ever been in her art before. I'm really fascinated by this with this album and it's much more interesting to me personall than the muse discourse although I do find that fun and important too, but yeah right now ttps is my second favorite after folklore lol

yesss and i especially love that both closers - clara bow and the manuscript - have her externalizing these things. clara bow separates Taylor Swift, Commodity from taylor swift, flawed human being, and the manuscript separates the legacy of all too well, and the relationship that sparked it, from who she is now. it feels like a huge turning point in her work as an artist and a human tbh.

#clara bow #the manuscript

[myobsessionsspace]

Buckle up, this is a long one!

Hi Anon! 😊👋

I cut off the link because, that is not what I’m about. I’m a positive person, I don’t like conflict or ‘coming at people’ none of that. I don’t believe in putting anyone against anyone else on this app. Everyone can do or say what they want on their blog and if someone doesn’t like it, they don’t have to follow them. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and everyone else is entitled to follow or block. I definitely don’t believe in pitting jikookers against each other at all.

I’m a chatter box with a lot in my head and don’t know when to stop a lot of the time, so sorry in advance!

With that out of the way...

I'm someone who believes in Jikook. You know this if you look at my posts, I believe you know this to bring a Jikook related ask.

I believe they have a long term exclusive relationship and that they are still together to this day. In believing that I must believe that they are queer, be them gay, bi, pan or anything under the umbrella that has them sexually and romantically attracted to each other and not concerned with their biological assignment and gender presentation.

Because I believe this, I therefore can see the issues behind a couple who for all intents and purposes are both men in a country that vilifies homosexuals.

YouTubers who take to the streets and speak to everyday people in Korea about their experiences being gay in Korea as natives and also foreigners.

I think I’ll do a post one day on some, but feel free to dm me if you want some links before then.

l also have some links of short docs done on homosexuality in Korea and conservatism.

I can also direct you to some articles on the laws that have been upheld just recently to uphold discrimination against gay people in Korea.

“In the comments every US army saying they nor locals care about artist's sexuality and queer concept they put out.”

I’m English, so I guess I’m part of that ‘West.’

I’m not gonna lie to you, no shade to anyone that believes otherwise, but I have personally only seen that when a celeb is known to be openly queer, not just alluding to it, but out and proud, the media bring it up EVERYTIME they mention anything to do with the artist.

The artist can do a food drive and the media will find a way to mention about when they came out, even though it has nothing to do with the music. It’s like when an artist dates someone famous, the media STILL find a way to bring their past relationships into things that have nothing to do with it. It may or may not make an impact on an artists fandom buying their albums, singles etc but it can unfortunately affect their growth with the general public.

Artists don’t just make music in a vacuum, they have brand deals, shows they go on, festivals, collaborations etc. though you may think in this day and age, being queer shouldn’t make a difference, unfortunately it does. Some brands may not want to associate themselves with an out and proud artist, some producers may not want to work with them, some festivals may not think they match the vibe and don’t want a crowd of queer fans turning up, even in the West.

“Make sense as there are multiple queer artists who are so successful in west. Whole world was singing 'unholy' by a non binary person lol.”

Who are these multiple out and proud queer artists? I’m not trying to be obtuse, I don’t know all the artists right now. I know like Troye Sivan, Lil’ Nas X, Demi Lovato, Sam Smith whose song you mentioned. Please forgive me if there are loads more big western out queer artists I’m missing, I’m just thinking about young big pop artists.

Lil’ Nas X is an amazingly strong person, he deals with a lot but he has such a strength of character, he gives as good as he gets and he gets A LOT! So make no mistake he faces a lot of challenges and fights for where he is and to be unapologetically him.

Demi I can’t say much on because I haven’t taken the time to understand where they are in their journey and their musical career now, but they also came out with a non-heterosexual label for themselves well into their established career.

Jungkook is not Sam Smith. He is not a white man from England who gained success FIRST before coming out as non-binary SEVERAL albums and accolades into their career. Jungkook is not an artist under the same circles as western artists who can rely on the same connections that western artists do.

Big western out queer artists who after coming out of the closet, do not live in a country that still has outdated practices such as mandatory military service, such as terrible women's rights to the point that women feel the only way to take back any control is to abstain from relationships, marriage and children.

This is the country Jungkook is from, the country of his family, friends and loved ones. Though he may make statements that jikookers can see for what they are, that those closely tapped into bangtan and all the fandom intricacies may know about. That’s not on the same scale as a GLOBAL solo debut. The spotlight being solely on him and NOT spread amongst 7 members. That will carve out how the general public, not just ARMY, see him from solo debut and always.

I funnily enough just did a post on Jungkook himself talking about wanting to do music about imaginary scenarios and stories. He said this in 2021. It's my inference (as you want my opinion) that these songs for his solo is that. Is it a reach then to say the music videos do not reflect him?

Also none of these artists are from a group. They are responsible for their career and their career only. They aren’t going to go back to their group work and have deals that don’t just affect them but 6 other people. They don’t live in a country where freedom of speech means something completely different.

“If it's catchy enough not even conservative country fans gives af about artist sexuality or gender imo.”

Your opinion. I don’t believe this to be the case.

Yes one or two catchy songs may get them fame if they’re out from the very beginning, but if they fail to sustain that momentum for any reason they quickly become ‘niche’ confined and limited to their own fandom, not given the platforms again to make a bigger and wider impact, falling to obscurity and only those that were with them from the beginning keep up with their newer projects past those one or two catchy songs.

Unless you come from a conservative country you can’t say with full confidence. Real conservative countries, like Korea have no problem with celebrities calling homosexuality a mental illness and calling queer people depraved, deviants etc. many Korean celebrities have said as much and more to the press and public with no consequence to their fame or career, the same cannot be said for if a western celebrity said as much.

“So how this narrative of JK chose het image to enter western market make sense ? He could get exactly the same results by staying to his authentic self isn't it ? Isn't it just a narrative made by shippers to convince themselves that he's still queer even if he's doing het songs to keep their ship floating? ( I really don't have a problem if he was queer but any excuses given doesn't make sense regarding his choices. Atp the only sensible explanation I can think of is that he's het, it's his choice to portray himself in this concept, it's him choosing to sing about het sex back to back, he agreed to having female lead actress in all his chapter 2 mvs. He kinda confirmed it by saying it wants to show different sides of HIMSELF. So maybe that's what it is.. simple 🤷‍♀️”

Sensible *to you.* with the information and opinions that *you* have.

Again I believe Jikook are together so of course that's my train of thought and with the information that I have what is sensible to *me* is not the same as you.

However to be completely 100. It doesn't matter what I think.

My thoughts do not change who Jungkook dates nor does it change his sexuality.

If you believe him to be heterosexual ok.

If I believe him to be queer ok.

He'll still be with who he wants to be with, he'll still identify as what he wants to identify as.

If I interpret his music videos to not be a reflection of him and you do interpret his music videos to be a reflection of him, ok.

What difference does it make?

I can see Jikook as real and believe there to be deep meaning behind their years and years of words and actions. I can also see his music videos as 4 minute fictional films with actresses and musical background that once the filming ends, so does his dealings with them.

That is also simple

💜

#Jikook #Anonymous Asks

[dlstmxkakwldrlarchive]

SHINee ANNIVERSARY D-DAY Q&A

How do you feel about the 15th anniversary?

ONEW: It's amazing to think that 15 years went by really quickly, and I'm proud that I've experienced and challenged so many things while working as SHINee.

KEY: The 15th anniversary of our debut, this day has really come. It feels really new.

MINHO: It might sound a little obvious, but it really doesn't feel real. I am just thankful and happy that my dream that started when I was a high school student continues.

TAEMIN: I'm really looking forward to our comeback after a long time. When did time go by like this...I'm surprised whenever I hear that it's our 15th anniversary!(laughs)

What was the most memorable activity or the most memorable moment with the fans?

ONEW: The time when I lived in the dorm with the members. And the performances that received your support are always in my heart.

KEY: Since our debut, all the anniversaries, fan meetings, concerts, etc. are precious and vivid.

MINHO: It's hard to pick one because I have so many memories, but if I have to pick one, it's a concert.

I remember all the concerts. Each and every performance that I made as one with SHINee World is precious and I feel overwhelmed and excited just by thinking about it.

TAEMIN: Every performance is precious, but what comes to mind immediately reminds me of the first Tokyo Dome stage in 2015, the largest of our solo concerts.

Why is SHINee loved since long time?

ONEW: I think it's sincerity. All the members always work hard!

KEY: There's an expectation given by the name "SHINee," and I think they're looking forward to seeing us all working hard to meet that expectation.

MINHO: You always think of me as doing my best, so I'm always thankful. Of course, it's the same for all artists, but SHINee is a team that puts everything into the stage. I think our fans are very loyal. There are a lot of people who have seen our growth period, so I think they will keep SHINee in their hearts like memories from their school days.

What do you think is "SHINee-like"?

ONEW: I think it's different. I'm always thankful that many people say, "It's different if SHINee does it."

KEY: I think it's 'Always looking for something new = SHINee'

MINHO: The word 'contemporary band' has a lot of power.

I think it's the most SHINee-like part that always presents new things and challenges.

TAEMIN: Members with strong personality like rainbows are united but harmonious. That's SHINee.

You're holding a fan meeting to celebrate your 15th debut anniversary. What are you looking forward to the most?

ONEW: Since it's been a while since we've met our fans as SHINee, I'm most curious and looking forward to what we're going to talk about.

KEY: It's been a while since SHINee and SHINee World got together!Just imagining it makes my heart flutter.I can't wait for that day.

MINHO: I'm really looking forward to making another memory with SHINee World.It's been a while since we've been together, so I'm looking forward to your support.I heard there's a Q&A session with the fans, so I'm curious about what you're curious about. (laughs)

TAEMIN: I'm really looking forward to meeting the fans, and I want to show you all the performances that I haven't shown you in person for the past few years.

If you could give a spoiler about your new album this year in one word or sentence?

ONEW: A new chapter.

KEY: Be nervous!

MINHO: Strong and firm SHINee.

TAEMIN: New SHINee.

SHINee's dream, SHINee's goal ?

Onew: To be together.With the members and SHINee World.

Key: SHINee won't be complacent and will continue to move forward.

MINHO: I want to achieve more things with the members and SHINee World in the future.I think SHINee just started.I want to talk more with each other and make a better stage.

Taemin: Always healthy and repaying the fans with gratitude. That's my goal

Please say something to SHINee World who has been with us for 15 years.

ONEW: Thank you for always being with us.I hope we can continue to make happy and beautiful memories for each other. I love you.

Key: I don't know how to thank you.Thank you for believing in me, I believe in you, and I'll work harder.Thank you very much.Time is always fast and sometimes slow, but I want to always be with you, whether it's a good day or a bad day.

Minho: Thank you so much, it's not enough to express it in any words. We'll repay you for that gratitude.Once again, thank you so much and I love you.

TAEMIN: Thank you so much SHINee World for making us special.

×

#230525 #shinee #ot5 #onew #lee jinki #jinki #kim kibum #kibum #key #choi minho #minho #lee taemin #taemin #shinee 8th album #shinee spoilers #interviews

[aquilacalvitium]

who is this Nate?

Oh.

Oh, buddy.

Oh I get to talk about Natewantstobattle and you will regret this.

So! I'm not a NWTB expert so don't expect a full bulletpoint presentation BUT I can share my experience!

Natewantstobattle is a nerdcore turned original artist who made songs about video games, anime and cartoons for years and only recently (last year I think) decided to leave nerdcore behind and focus entirely on original music.

He's made some BANGER songs, has the voice of an angel and seems to have the same enthusiasm about dark/demonic fictional imagery as myself ^_^

He's made a lot of FNAF songs which is how I found him. His music got him noticed by Random Encounters (RE) who make small-budget indie musicals based on video games and decided to make a five-part special musical based on FNAF for which they reached out to get Nate involved. He appeared and sang as a prominent character in that musical as well as plenty of others that they made. Markiplier was also in that musical.

Nate is popular with a lot of Jacksepticeye and Markiplier fans as his content focuses on similar games, leading to the same people finding him. Because of that, the fans' habit of making characters or "egos" for youtubers from their videos also extended to Nate and honestly while I still listen to his music I haven't been active in the fandom for a while so I have no idea how many egos there are now, but I'm desperate to rejoin the fandom space and catch up!

Anyway, the egos I'm very well aware of are Natemare and Phantom.

Haha yeah, he kidnapped Matpat for that music video.

The video in question is for Mangled, a 2~ minute song based on FNAF 2. The character he portrayed was an instant hit with the fans and was subsequently dubbed "Natemare" as a play on nightmare.

Also in 2018 Nate released a limited edition Natemare shirt thus confirming the name as canon and also I have that shirt so cough cough.

Secondly, Phantom!

MAN I LOVE PHANTOM!

From a music video for a song of the same name.

As far as I'm aware there's practically no canonically confirmed information about him other than he makes deals and steals people's souls. That lead to a lot of fans calling him a demon, including myself.

It took me five years to put together a cosplay for Phantom because I couldn't find one part! You'd think it would be the staff, right? Impossible to find an exact replica, right? No. It was the bloody shirt. I couldn't find a single freaking long sleeve red button up shirt for YEARS. I've got it now, though.

His original albums so far include Sandcastle Kingdoms, Paid in Exposure and To Let Go. That one is actually currently coming out one song at a time on his YouTube channel and music streaming platforms. There's only two songs out at the moment and I think the plan was to release them slowly until they were all released by the time the album itself dropped, but it was announced last month that it's been brought forwards to the 18th! That's in FOUR DAYS!!!! The last song to come out was Forgotten on Tuesday which is the one you saw me blogging about. It slaps so fucking hard you have no idea.

If you want any personal recommendations for his music, my favourites of his original work are Phantom, Forgotten, All I See, Perfect by Design and Branded.

PIf you look up Phantom you may see it titled as a Hazbin Hotel song but actually it came out a good while before Hazbin Hotel did, he just realised how well the character of Phantom matched with Alastor from HH and released a remastered version with some of Alastor's voice lines over it.

My favourites of his nerdcore songs are Mangled, No More, Stay the Course, Time to Move on and Ask for More. That last one is about Food Wars. I don't even watch that show, that's just how good the song is.

Oh! As an addition that I almost forgot to talk about, he's also a voice actor! He's appeared in Attack on Titan, Fairy Tail, he plays the main character in Luck and Logic and has appeared in multiple video games like Dream Daddy, Yandere Simulator and Monster Prom.

#nwtb #natewantstobattle #nathan sharp #aquila answers #aquila infodumps

[slavghoul]

Phantomime is the band's third album of covers, after If You Have Ghosts and Popestar. Cover songs are usually the preserve of young, inexperienced bands. Is doing covers a way to maintain a link with your formative years and not forget where you come from?

Tobias Forge: Absolutely. I think it does that. It serves as a return to the roots, in the same way as for... I don't know, let's say someone who practices martial arts, who starts in a certain dojo and ends up changing it. If you want to become a good fighter, you have to move and train with different people. It's the same for a footballer: if you play with the same team all the time, your team might be very good, but you always have to play against others. I think the same logic applies with covers: it can help to go back. You don't necessarily have to release them. We chose to do a real album, but in parallel I worked on other songs - not only Impera music, but other covers. We selected the best ones, and said, "Let's put these out; this looks coherent and presentable".

How much did learning to play other artists' songs contribute to your formation as a musician? What were the most formative songs in your youth?

The answer to the first question is yes. Listening and playing at the same time is very formative. I've never really been... A lot of guitarists, especially, take the time to read tablature and learn how to play something very precisely, and in my opinion, theorise the music too much. I can't say that I'm not theoretical; I just don't follow the rules or the classic terminology. I try to categorise and understand the logic, but I do it in my own way, based on what I have learned over time. I never spent much time with tablature; I just played to the music. I would put the music on and play. I wasn't trying to learn how to play the song in the same way as the band. I would play as if I were invited to play with them. So my style is very free, because I played The Doors as well as Kiss, Slayer and DJ Bobo! It could be anything. Whatever I heard, whatever I listened to, whatever song I could get my hands on, I would play it. I think the chaos of it all made it... When you understand that, you understand the way I write, the way I do things, and why I sometimes seem to be a bit scattered.

That's what may surprise you when you listen to the EP: you can find Iron Maiden as well as Tina Turner...

Yes, I grew up with both, so it's not strange to me. But of course, in order to go from just wanting to do something to a homogeneous work that is supposed to have some commercial appeal, you have to make decisions. One of those decisions was, "If we're going to do this Tina Turner song, it really needs to be punchy." It's supposed to be a rock EP, it's got to be set to 10. I think that's what sets this cover apart from the moose. By the way, thematically, I didn't think of it as 'a Tina Turner cover', but as 'the Mad Max song'. It fits with the times we're living in.

Phantomime features a cover of Iron Maiden's "Phantom Of The Opera". Two years ago, you also recorded a version of Metallica's "Enter Sandman" for the Blacklist compilation. In rock, people like to pit the Rolling Stones against the Beatles, and I think the metal world tends to do the same thing with Metallica and Iron Maiden. Do you feel more affinity with Metallica or with Maiden?

[He thinks] Good question. I'm trying to formulate a coherent answer. I think... It's so fifty-fifty. Both. Not just in terms of inspiration, but in terms of their whole careers, especially when I was a kid. In many ways, like many fans of both bands, there's a cut-off date where my interest in new music started to wane. But I have such a love for everything they did before that it doesn't really matter. The limit is basically the Black Album and Fear Of The Dark. I mean, I like The X Factor, and Brave New World was an absolutely great comeback album. But as a kid and a teenager, settling down with Live After Death was such an inspiration - not just for what I was hearing, but for the tour dates and everything to do with that. Same with Metallica and the Black Album. That was the first time I saw them, and it was the first time I was confronted with commercial greatness in metal, when a band is on top. It's happening now, they're the biggest band of all time. They're playing in such and such an arena, but when they come back next year, they'll be doing such and such a stadium. Even back then, I had a hunch that not only were they great, but they were doing well in life. These guys are getting richer by the hour [laughs]. That's the kind of thing that matters when you're twelve. "And imagine all the girls they get!" That kind of nonsense.

And of course, these bands inspired me musically and professionally and brought me a lot of joy, but they also became mentors in my professional life. I have so much gratitude and respect for those two bands. If I were to be super picky and specific, I would say that since we are a more melodic band, we are probably closer to Maiden. Metallica is more of a "speed" band, I think. To be honest, what I've always liked most about Metallica, and especially on my favourite albums, which are a lot of people's favourites, is not the speed. The speed and the violence on those albums are just added value. The reason their music was so great in the 80s was because it was so melodic. It's the melodies. What changed in the 90s was that they stopped the melodies. They became a blues band, and all of a sudden all the movements were different. It wasn't neoclassical like in the 80s or on the Black Album. I'm very neoclassical myself, that's why I feel so close to the melodic side of Metallica. On the other hand, I spent my teenage years listening to death and black metal, so I love big riffs and speed and stuff like that, but that's not what we do with Ghost.

For a long time, fans have been asking who could be the Maiden or Metallica of tomorrow. Considering the impressive success of Ghost, do you think you have an answer to that question?

Obviously, I know that George Lucas and Steven Spielberg will die one day, but I don't think Wes Anderson or Quentin Tarantino can be considered as a replacement. These directors don't have that much in common, but you know what I mean, I hope. I don't see us as taking their place. You know, I try to be as transparent as possible. What I do is very much inspired by those two bands. I try to do it in a different way, and with respect. But of course, from a practical point of view, when the day comes when there's no more Iron Maiden and you want to see a rock concert with staging and solos, you can come and see us. It's a very curious concept, but it's obviously relevant, because we live in a time when the previous generation is disappearing one after the other. I think Lars [Ulrich] and James [Hetfield] have spoken about how the physicality of their music is not the same as the Rolling Stones. Charlie [Watts] playing the way he played when he was seventy-nine or eighty, it's nothing like what's expected of Lars. And what is expected of James is also very different from what is expected of Keith Richards, with his very open chord style. The meticulousness of James' riffs and Kirk's solos can be difficult to achieve at eighty - and they're approaching sixty. Kirk already has them, by the way. So, as much as I don't want to think about it or remind people, nothing lasts forever. Sooner or later, fans are going to have to decide which bands they want to go see, because a lot of the people they grew up with won't be around anymore.

Your cover of "Enter Sandman" was very "ghostified", while "Phantom Of The Opera" is more faithful to the original in comparison. How do you decide how to approach a cover? Are there songs that offer more latitude in terms of arrangement and appropriation, and others less?

There are several factors, which differ from song to song, and the result can therefore be different. If you go back in time and take "Waiting For The Night", for example, I always thought that song in its original form... Obviously it's cool, but I thought there was a bigger song underneath. In the original, it's diffuse, vague, underlying. The chords are just hinted at, and the vocals suggest that you can build something bigger around it. When I did the cover with Dave Grohl, he asked me, "Can we do a really slow version of it like Trouble?" I said, "Yeah, that sounds cool." And of course, working with Dave Grohl, it seemed like a good idea at the time. In the end, we thought it was too slow, too heavy and too long. It was a good idea, but the result was not very convincing.

Enter Sandman' and 'Phantom Of The Opera' were conceived in two different ways. If someone had asked me to do a Metallica tribute, I would have accepted, but I would never have chosen 'Enter Sandman', in the same way that few people would choose 'Paranoid' or 'Smoke On The Water'. You automatically try not to pick the biggest hit. But in this case, it was Swedish television that asked me to play. It was for a music award, and they said: "Since Ghost and Metallica are close, you are seen as friends, so you should open the show. And we want you to play their biggest song, 'Enter Sandman'." I asked, "Do I have a choice?" And they said, "Not really! We want you to do it, otherwise we have to rethink the whole show. Could you think about it?" OK, I'll think about it and see what I can do. So I started to play the song and see what I could get out of it. The original structure of the song is very simple, and the melody, like "Waiting For The Night", suggests chords that they don't play. All I had to do was see which chord suggested the melody and fill in the gaps. I ended up with a five-minute arrangement. If I sing the melody with a guitar, this is what chords it suggests. That's the somewhat academic version of the song. I was at the stage where I had a completely different version of the song, and I recorded it and thought, "Fuck, I hope James doesn't hate it..." Because I don't want to disappoint anyone. It's supposed to be a tribute. My version was like, "You guys have all my love, but I was forced to do this! And in the end, the result was great.

"Phantom Of The Opera' was a bit different. I knew I wanted to cover a Maiden song, but not just anything, of course. I wasn't going to do 'The Number Of The Beast'. I've had fun with 'Phantom' in the past, because it's a long song and quite complicated. As a musician, it's quite common to sit on the couch and try to figure out a riff. What are they doing there? [What's the rhythm? How are they counting? Because I couldn't hear the beat. And suddenly, once I understood how the beat works in this song [he sings the riff while snapping his fingers], I thought: "Wow, you can't hear that at all on the record. You can't hear anything, it's just a controlled mess." I managed to figure out how to play other elements of the song, and I was like, "Now I have a reason to record it. Not because I want to improve it, but to come up with a different version where you can clearly hear the different parts." First of all, it was a personal experiment in the studio. I wanted to record it to see what it sounded like, and suddenly, after working on it for a few hours, doubling the guitars, adding the drums and playing everything perfectly with metronomic precision, the track was different and a bit updated, so to speak. So I said to myself, "I'm going to take the gamble of covering this song, and see what happens. It seemed like a good reason. I'm not saying my version is better, I'm just saying it's different. There's a bit more contrast and fluidity, you can hear the different elements better. It underlines how good the song is.

Phantomime's covers also include Genesis' 'Jesus He Knows Me'. Genesis is a rather peculiar band, which started out in progressive rock and ended up with huge radio hits. Do you find yourself in this ambiguity, in this duality?

Yes, I do. The other band on that level that did something similar is Pink Floyd. In the beginning, their music was really strange, really eccentric, and then they became more and more pop as the albums went on. People still mistakenly think they're a prog band, whereas 'Wish You Were Here' is really just a series of four pop songs stretched to the max. Not only am I very inspired by that, but I also feel an affinity with that kind of thing. You try to come up with variations of the traditional, if you like. You try to change the form, to present elements that people know in a different way. It's a bit like running a fusion restaurant and offering an Asian-inspired onion soup and adding coriander to the dish. It's still recognisable, but you try to make the recipe different. Another analogy is Stanley Kubrick, who told stories that weren't very complicated, but presented them in an epic way because of their façade - literally. It was the choice of set and costume and the attention to detail that made the difference. That's why, as a composer, I always try to go back to the simplicity of the writing; the simplicity of 'Another Brick In The Wall'; the simplicity of 'Comfortably Numb'. It sounds like a huge, epic song, but it's not complicated at all. They have a lot of songs like that. For a lot of songs in the Genesis catalogue, especially in the later part of their career, the only thing that makes it a bit weird is the middle part. In "Jesus He Knows Me", that's one of the things that made me want to... Not only have I always loved that song, but there are three factors that made me want to do my own thing with it. One: it's a very upbeat rhythm. The way they play it is so quiet that it literally sounds like they're playing on the table [he beats the rhythm on the table] with an acoustic guitar. There's a real metal track in there.

Do something with those guitars! [Laughs]

Yeah, but I'm glad they didn't, because that means we can! I'm really surprised that a band like Metallica never covered this song, because it sounds like a song from Garage Days. It has the same atmosphere. So I thought, "I'm gonna make it sound like a Garage Days song by Metallica. And I fucking hate the bridge of the original, when they go into white boy raggae. I like reggae, but this is the whitest reggae in the world! And it totally destroys the song. As much as I've always loved the song as a whole, I've always hated that part. So getting rid of that section and making it very heavy was also on the to-do list. I had to go into Trouble mode on this. And of course, that goes without saying, but the lyrics were also perfect. It's meant as a tribute, even though I spit on that bridge a lot. But they've done a lot of these kind of prog bridges, like "Let's do anything here", and they'll throw in a rumba or something like that. Some people might find that really interesting, but in most of their songs, I don't think it adds anything. But yes, Genesis has a lot of... I like a lot of their older prog music, with Peter Gabriel, although I think they almost became even better after they split up. Peter Gabriel did his own music, and he did it very well - very epic music. And Phil [Collins] came in on vocals and they did their own thing. To me, it was the best of both worlds, even if it sounds sacrilegious to say that. I'd love to see Peter Gabriel come back and sing with them, that would be cool, but their separation brought so much to the music, between Peter Gabriel's career, Genesis' career and Phil's career. That amount of work, man!

It's one of the few cases where the split was a real success for everyone, and the result is as good as the original band.

Absolutely, I think so. The most amazing thing they could do now, especially now that Phil is not in good shape... What I wish they had done, or could have done, or would do one day, is a triple tour. For example, Phil and [Peter] could do a solo show each to start with, maybe just five or ten songs, and then get together with Genesis. That way we could have 'Here Come The Flood', 'Another Day In Paradise' and 'In The Air Tonight', and then a bunch of Genesis. I think everyone would love to see that. It would be the perfect concert. For me, it would be one of the best experiences possible.

You see, that's the kind of idea that made Ghost into Ghost. If you can come up with a plan like that for other bands...

[Laughs] You can always call me before it's too late, guys!

Another band that has come up with sophisticated yet super catchy music is Def Leppard, especially on their multi-platinum album Hysteria. Speaking of which, this year you released a new version of "Spillways" with Joe Elliott on vocals. When you hear him on this track, the link is obvious, especially with the very elaborate backing vocals. Would you draw a parallel between your approach to songwriting and arranging and that of Def Leppard?

On this album, yes, because I tried to emulate elements of... It's something that's been done throughout their career, but especially on their two biggest albums, Pyromania and Hysteria, the length of the songs is remarkable. It's very common these days, especially in pop, to be very fussy about the three-minute limit. In the pop world, there's this need to always get to the chorus very quickly. You have to start with the chorus, go straight to the point all the time. In the 80s, there was more courage in songwriting - a more adventurous side. Songs like 'The Riddle', for example, were very strange, very proggy. There were weird chord progressions and stuff that nobody does anymore. The pop world has been so chicken for so long. Of course, I've always had an ear for pop; I'm not exactly impressed with what I hear today, but in my life I've always listened to the radio and liked a lot of what I heard, especially the 80s super hits. That's totally my thing. And I love Eurodisco from the early 90s. There are a lot of great composers in that scene. Max Martin started in Eurodisco, at least professionally, but before that he was in metal. What makes him such a great composer is his metal ear. He was writing Eurodisco songs, and then all of a sudden he started writing huge pop songs for the Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears. This whole school of Swedish songwriters is made up of former metalheads, former rockers, former guitarists.

So I wanted to challenge myself in my own songwriting, because sometimes I keep it too short. Even though "Square Hammer" is a good example of a well-written song, it was almost frustrating, because I thought, "OK, that's one more song like that. Now I have to stop doing that, because it was almost too simple." It was a very intuitive song; I literally wrote it in ten minutes. I had the melody, I played it, and the song wrote itself very quickly. There's almost no finesse in that song, and I thought I should avoid doing the same thing again, because it would be too easy. I wanted to see if I could write in a Def Leppard way. On Hysteria, there are six, seven, eight singles, a good half of which were huge hits. In 1987 or 1988, they were on a par with Coldplay at the height of their career, that's for sure. How could they write five-minute songs, with like five distinct parts? It wasn't conventional, verse-chorus-verse-chorus writing. It was verse, another verse, pre-chorus, bridge, and then finally, after two minutes, you'd get to the chorus. And it was so rewarding, because it was such a long way to get there. I thought, "This is what I have to work towards. I want to dare to add another part, dare not to follow the path. That was a mental exercise I did on Impera, and I'll try to do better in the future. It's an interesting way to challenge yourself.

When people talk about the length of songs on the radio, I always think of the story of "Bohemian Rhapsody": "This is going to be a disaster, it's never going to be played on the radio!" That's it, yes...

For a long time they called that song "Freddie's thing". It's such an anomaly in the middle of what we've just been talking about. Of course, I don't recommend... For a young band that's just got a contract, it's best to avoid the six-minute "Rhapsody". But if you can find a compromise between 'The Passenger' and 'Bohemian Rhapsody', I think you've got something.

On that subject, how did Joe Elliott end up on "Spillways"?

The story is very simple. I talked about Def Leppard a lot before Impera came out because of the mental exercise I mentioned, and both Phil and Joe had been talking about Ghost for a few years. It got to the point where our respective managements wanted us to do something together. In the modern world, that often means collaborating, as hip-hop artists do. I explained that I was willing to explore the idea, but that for me, a collaboration is a trendy but outdated concept. We do it all the time. In hip-hop, it's almost ridiculous to see... If an artist is hot this week and you go look at the American top 40, it's just "this artist feat. this other artist". I totally understand that one plus one can sometimes be three, but it gets very cynical. I don't want to do things cynically. I sing cynical things, I'm a cynical person, but I don't want to be cynical about my fans or my career. So I said yes, I would discuss it with Joe, but we'd have to see if we could agree on something, if there was romance in the air.

Joe and I sent a lot of messages to each other to try and arrange a meeting. He lives in Ireland, but also in LA. I live in Sweden, but I also spend a lot of time in LA, so we tried to find time to see each other. He was getting ready for his tour, I was getting ready for my tour, and we were just hanging out. And then out of the blue, he wanted to experiment; he went into the studio, recorded some vocal lines and sent them to me. I thought it sounded really cool and I said, "Look, I have nothing but good things to say about what you did. It sounds great. I'm not surprised by your voice, but by the fact that we sound so good together. I like that very drawling vocal, you really added something. But I have no desire to throw this on Spotify and say to people, 'Here's another thing you can buy.'" I asked him, "You know we do little skits to communicate with our fans in a funny way? Instead of posting on Instagram saying we'll be in such and such a city, we come up with little episodes." He had seen a few and said, "Yeah, that's funny. Let's do something funny with that." The gag is the important part, and the end result is a bonus.

It's like what we did with 'Kiss The Go-Goat' and 'Mary On A Cross'. The idea for the episode came first, and then we said, "OK, but we need a song. So I came up with the idea for this 60s-style sketch that was "Kiss The Go-Goat". Then, as I was writing and recording 'Kiss The Go-Goat', 'Mary On A Cross' came up in the process, and I thought, "Great, now we have a B-side! It'll be a physical single." So I put that in the script: "Let's start showing the single, now that it's official." Things work in tandem. Looking back, we now know that the end result was different. It was meant as a joke. There was 'Kiss The Go-Goat', which was the joke itself and was very successful. And then it turned out that "Mary On A Cross" was completely different. That's also what I told Joe: we do this to mess around with the band. My job is to write records and entertain people, but apparently I also have to communicate with my fans, and do all this promotion that I'm not really interested in. I have no problem doing this interview, but I don't want a fucking Instagram account where I post pictures of myself. I don't want to be that person. So, I'm doing this so that people... They're diversions, and sometimes those diversions become cool. "What do you say, Joe?" In the end, we found this way to spend time together and do something fun. Instead of turning our creativity into songs, we turned our creativity into episodes. It became something fruitful and fun, and I think it was a great success.

The title of the EP is clever, as it mixes the terms 'ghost' and 'pantomime'. The latter term is defined as "a type of musical for the entertainment of the whole family". Is this your goal with Ghost? Do you see the band as "a musical for the whole family's entertainment"?

Broadly speaking, yes. Of course, that suggests that the more adult elements and innuendos in our show are suitable for children, which I don't claim. But I would also like to stress that I have never asked people to bring children to our shows. So if the children in question are exposed to jokes involving penises, farts and copulation, that's their problem. I grew up in a very liberal family, where there were very few barriers and no censorship. I think it's possible to have a conversation, if others are open to it. I have no problem with whole families coming to us, as long as no one suffers. So, for me, it is indeed entertainment for the whole family. But I wouldn't sell it as such to most people, because there are still elements that are not suitable for all children.

I remember a Rammstein concert where I noticed children in the audience. I thought it wasn't really a good idea... Ghost seemed a bit more appropriate, but for young children, some things can still be a bit biased.

It's hard for me to have a clear line on this, because I'm not just speaking as a musician, but also as a parent. There's a constant debate about the right age to talk about certain things. Now, with two teenagers, things are more open. But that's one of the weird things about being a semi-public figure, talking openly and publicly about your life and what you do and sharing your opinions. My kids read that, too. They are aware of it. As soon as I say something, especially nowadays, where everything becomes a meme or a clip... People may think what I say is funny, which I don't mind, but my son and daughter, now fourteen, heard it when they were eight or ten. It's hard for me to be a parent and say, 'Go to school! Don't do that", when they know perfectly well that I didn't follow any of these precepts. I'm not trying to lie to them at all. I tell them: "I did this, I don't recommend it. I did this; I totally neglected this other thing. But I was lucky and I got there. My career isn't over, so I don't know if I've really "arrived", but for now, I'm here. It was a bit silly of me to be so confident, to think I could burn all the bridges, burn all the ships and throw the oars. I was lucky enough to make it to land, but I don't recommend this technique. Don't do the same thing! [Laughs]

#the band ghost #Tobias Forge #interview

[bybdolan]

quick ttpd thoughts

ok so. i did listen to a leak so I had time to sit with the OG album for a while. I have not yet listened to all the Anthology tracks, but this not-doing of something is part of my album reaction. Bear with me.

First of all: I am insanely impressed with Taylor for being this raw and messy on record. More distinguished haters have said that this album once again feels like self-mythologizing, but I personally do not agree. User dancefloors had an excellent take on this: the album is emotional and messy to a degree where you feel like you should not be listening to it. At least that's how I felt.

However, that also has a downside. I find many of the lyrics, especially on the standard edition, to be unpolished or downright cringe. This rambl-y first draft type of writing might work for other artists, but I never feel like it works for Taylor. The second line of Fortnight is so awful that I was CONVINCED the leak I heard was AI, and people have talked at length about the tattooed Golden Retriever. Girl. Almost every song had an insane clunker or two hidden in it. This is not helped by what I personally (!) perceive to be a bit of a rehashing of imagery and themes that have been prominent in songwriting trends for the past few years. Killing the woman you are jealous of, Cassandra, religious imagery .... Don't get me wrong, I think the call for "originality" at al costs can be detrimental to art, but frequently with this album i felt as if lines were haparzadly chosen to fit a certain "aesthetic" that didn't mesh well with the rest of the song. Like. Nothing about "my husband's cheating. I wanna kill him." communicates any deeper emotion. (Compared to e.g. Samia's "I hope you marry the girl from your hometown and I'll fucking kill her and I'll fucking freak out.")

The introductory poem is one of the worst things i have ever read.

The thing is. I don't always do well with new releases, they are overwhelming, etc., but I listened to the first four tracks and was like "how can anybody think this is good". Which IS a hater take, and there is much I do enjoy about the album, and I am happy others like it.But with the already present repetition PLUS 15 Tracks .... it is a bit too much. I could go on and on about the repetition of words and themes that feels a bit trite (smalltown stuff, "starry-eyed", "precocious"), but I don't wanna. I wish there had been more editing, and I think I have talked at length before about how I do not like this new era of just putting out everything.

Alas. I did not click with this album and there are very few tracks i want to go back to. So Long, London is a favorite because of the concise lyrics and beautiful production, I can bop to Down Bad, but daddy I love him is fun imagery-wise, Clara/Sam/Sophia/Marcus is sad and also. A Lot., So High School, and I dig "You're not Dylan Thomas, I'm not Patti Smith, this ain't the Chelsea Hotel, we're modern idiots". The 2am tracks need more attention, but I already like Looking Into Windows (?) much more than a lot of other tracks - generally, I enjoy the more genuinely sad Joe tracks about the slow demise of a relationship much more than the fast paced high strung ones.

anything else .... well. I don't know.

#spoiler: i did not like this #i had so many thoughts in my head but they are gone

[nescaveckwriter]

Smoky Old Barrooms, Saving Grace & Guitars - Chapter Three

A/N: … Y'all this one is just so Awwww we find out what's the matter with Grace, we meet her sister Kelly and her fiancé Benny, and then we see what Dean is feeling and the rest is just beautiful but sad moments. I hope y'all like it, also just a little side note, the song/poem that was used was written by me. Okayz that's it for now my bugs, I hope you enjoy, let me know okay. Love y'all, bye-bye Warnings: 18+ Only Mentions of a medical condition, bit swearing, heartache, Characters: Dean Winchester, Bobby Singer, Benny Lafitte, Grace Tucker, Kelly Tucker Words: 1474 Cover & Pictures: Pinterest, Canva, Google Side Note: Please check out my Masterlist for more, epic stories

Also song is: Charles Esten "Out of the blue" - Yes I am struggling with my Signal, some stuff works the rest doesn't. Xo but anywayz love y'all.

There's melodies playing over the radio station as the Chevy Impala roars down the road, Dean hums with the Led Zeppelin song, as he takes in the early sunrise, he always tries to drive out to the spot where he clears his mind, sometimes with some black coffee, other times with some beer or bourbon, it just really depends on the mood. But this morning he feels lighter, after the last couple of weeks, he met that beautiful woman again, turns out she was the other artist Bobby wanted him to sing with, not that he's complaining, there's something about her, he just can't explain, but her light is so contagious, she seems so carefree so happy. Oh damn and her voice, she sounds like an southern angel. The Radio presenter breaks his deep thoughts.  "And now, what we all have been waiting for, Ladies and Gents, Cowboys and Cowgirls, the one and only Grace Tucker" Dean immediately turns the radio up, what are the odds.

Her sweet voice comes over the speaker, "Howdy Rick," she let's out a soft giggle "I'm so honored to be here with y'all, thank you for having me"

"So tell me Grace, how did you manage it to bring out two albums in a year?"

"I've got a great manager and producer, Kelly, my sister, and if the creativity has a hold of you, you got to run with it"

Laughing now, "It must be fun working with your sister?"

"Yes, she is amazing, she keeps me in line and helps me remember the important stuff, I love her so much, and wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for her, and all of you of course"

"You don't see family working so closely together anymore, so tell me Grace, do you think your new album with reach platinum status?"

Laughing, "I'm not sure, I guess it depends if the listeners will like it"

"Tell us a bit more about your song's please"

 "Well Rick I draw inspiration from everyday situations and experiences, it's mostly about things about the heart you know, we all take it for granted sometimes, but its one of the most complex parts of our human existence"

"I have no words Grace, that is enough to make some of our listeners cry so early in the morning"

Grasping "Oh my, I'm sorry, not my intention, but I love it when it awakens everyone's emotions"

"Miss Tucker, that's the one thing all of your songs, does, so without further due, would you please sing us a little something"

"Oh I would love to, thank you, y'all will be the first that hear my new single" Picking up the guitar, adjusting the microphone, smiling "this one's called, 'No Good No More' I hope y'all enjoy it"

I heard the news today

No use for any further delay

My heart's no good no more What else could I ask for

A few more years Without all the heartaches and tears

A few more memories A few more stories

Could someone please tell me why Why I should leave And say goodbye Help me to believe

In something more than just me Leaving behind what I know, how can this be

I've gotten the news today And there's no other way to say

My heart's no good no more It will never be the same as before

So with one last wave I ask you to keep this memories save.

I will walk away right about now Before this heartache starts to show

The moment her sweet voice stopped, the were hands clapping over the radio, Dean sat there, looking out over the city on that hilltop, he felt mesmerized, that felt so personal, so real and authentic, the question is who would break her heart.

As she walked out of the studio, to the parking space, that's when she felt the old familiar wooziness, heart beating rapidly it feels like a drummer's trying to figure, if he's playing a rock or a love song, dryness in her mouth, croakiness in her throat,  the ground and sky is spinning in front of her eyes, a total blur in front her eyes, trying to get something to hold onto, to steady her in place, but nothing it didn't take long for her body to plunge towards the ground, she just sat there in the middle of the road, trying to find her balance, find strength to get up, but the exhaustion took over, placing her hand over her chest, trying to calm it down, she used the other hand to pull out her phone, pressing down '1' she's got her sister on speed dial, it felt like the phone was ringing forever, her voice friendly "Hey Gracie, what's up? Done at the studio?"

She can barely form audible words, "Kelly, help" is all she could get out, before her world turned dark.

"Grace, Gracie, come on, open your eyes for me please sweetie" Kelly pleaded 

Her eyes started to open slowly, glancing into her sister's brown watery eyes, her voice hoarse "Hey sis, you came" 

Overjoyed "Of course, I came you called, you scared the hell out of me, you know that?"

Coming up to her elbows, realizing she's in her sisters bedroom, the only noticing Kelly's fiancé, "Oh hey Benny!, didn't see you there" looking in her sisters direction again, "I'm sorry Sis, I didn't mean too"

Benny just nodded, when she said hello, but he stays quiet for most of this, he struggles to find the right words, how does he comfort the love of his life, when they all know the inevitable, its  only a matter of time, before Grace says goodbye forever. It broke Kelly when Grace told her, she's in her final stage of heart failure, the doctors said she had a year left, maybe! He's the one who hold's his bride to be, sobbing in his arms every night. This is supposed to be a joyful time for him and Kelly, but instead their heartbroken, he's known Grace for ten years and she's like a little sister to him. He can't deny it, the moments when he's not around Kelly or working he would occasionally break down as well, due to the fact of how unfair life is. No one deserves it, especially not her. Kelly's voice shook him out of his deep thoughts. "Baby, could you please grab a glass of water" nodding "On it darling" Benny said with a small smile curving on his handsome features.

"Grace, you need too take it slower, please, you need to get enough rest"

She just faintly nods, her voice brittle "I'm sorry, I will I promise" Kelly sits down on the bed, wrapping her arms over her sister's fragile body, kissing the top of her head, saying softly "I love you Sis"

Tears streaming over her cheeks "I love you too!" trying too clear her throat she breaths "I'm scared" 

Kelly thumbs away the tears, trying to cover the pain in her voice, "Me too sis, me too" 

Seeing the old man, with his ball cap sitting at the table busy with the contract that was sent him, for Dean's and Grace's duet. 

"Hey Bobby, how's things looking, when can we start with the tour?"

Irritation clear on the old features, "I am not sure if this is going to work boy, Grace's manager has stipulated that the two of you can do the show together, but there will be no touring"

Confused "But why? I thought the whole point of this, was to release an album and do a country wide tour, maybe even world wide!"

"Exactly, I will get on the phone and set up a meeting with her immediately" 

"Thank you Bobby, I really want to make this album with her, I've even started working on a couple of new songs"

Bobby just smiled and nodded.

"Speaking of songs, do you know if everything is alright with Benny, he just ran out, after he had a call from his fiancé and I haven't heard a word from him yet, we are supposed to work on that new song?"

Bobby just shook his head and went on with reading the contract further, making notes about what he wanted to remember. 

Dean just walked out of the office, humming Grace's new song to himself, it's stuck in his head but he doesn't really mind, everything about her is burned into his memory, her sweet angel voice, the stage lights dancing around in her eyes, her strawberry hair flowing in the night sky, and then her lips, wondering what it tasted like, knowing he probably shouldn't , but he's falling in love with her, he felt alive for the first time in so long, new music is running through his veins, as for his heart, it was somewhere between beating rapidly and coming to a stand still. Wondering if she might feel the same.

#smoky_old_barrooms_saving_grace-guitars #nescveckwriter #dean winchester fanfiction #dean winchester x reader #spotify #benny lafitte