#AND HE’S JUST JAMMING OUT BUT THE AUDIO IS MUTED???
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yet another fanfic for the cat dad au. hotguy admits his feelings for ariana griande on live tv. it all works out in the end
A crash sounds through the flat, followed by quick steps and the slamming of a door.
Sitting on the floor assembling a jigsaw, Ariana sees Kitten's ears perk up. A moment later, the eyes follow, snapping upwards, pupils dilating. She knows what it means. Scar is home, and Kitten is excited.
And so is she.
She walks out into the hall, ready to greet her friend, but there’s no one to greet. Instead, shoes are strewn on the floor, a jacket thrown haphazardly beside them, and Scar is nowhere to be seen.
Confused, she looks over to her left—and the door to Scar’s room is closed. That’s a thing that doesn’t happen often, so she’s immediately worried.
Peeking out from behind her legs, Kitten asks, “Where’s Scar?”
He sounds disappointed. Ariana crouches down to his level and curls her fingers around his head. Kitten immediately leans into her touch, closing his eyes.
“Why don’t you go and work on that puzzle, huh, kitty?” she says, gently scratching behind his ear. “Scar will come back and be amazed by the progress you’ve made.”
Nodding eagerly, Kitten brushes up against her a couple of times and races back to his jigsaw.
Standing up, Ariana smiles fondly before pausing to check her phone. She hasn’t touched it all day, too busy hanging out with Kitten to care about the usual stream of notifications, but clearly something happened at Scar’s work and it would be a good idea to try and find out what before she actually talks to him—
The smile slips.
As a public figure, she always has her notifications muted. Right now, she doesn't know whether that's a blessing or a curse, because her phone is blowing up.
Fumbling with her pockets, she fishes her earphones out and unties them as fast as possible, jamming an earbud into her ear and clicking on the first clip she can find.
She's met with the sight of flashing lights and gathering crowds, and immediately Ariana feels her heart skip a beat when Scar comes into view. Dressed as Hotguy, he's radiant as ever, and no amount of seeing him can stop every look from feeling as if it's the first one.
Shaking herself out of her lovesick thoughts, she tunes into the audio—just in time to hear a reporter ask, "Hotguy, what can you say about your relationship with Ariana Griande?"
Oh. Oh stars.
"M-my what?"
"Well, you're together, aren't you?"
A step back.
"I—I don't know what you're talking about."
"Come on,” the reporters smile. “It's clear from the way you look at her. You love her, don't you?"
"No, I—"
"Hotguy, your feelings towards Ariana have never been a secret. So come on, the public wants to know—who asked who out?"
Hotguy takes another step back, looking uncomfortable.
"Uh—no one asked anyone out. She doesn't—we're just friends."
"Friends don't look at each other the way you look at her. There's no way you two aren't dating."
Lights flash and Hotguy shrinks in on himself, hands coming up to fiddle with his necklace.
"No, we aren't—we're not dating. We're not."
"It's obvious you are, though. You can keep your secrets, Hotguy, but the fans know—"
"Look, you can say what you want about me, but don't touch her, okay?” he finally snaps. “It doesn't matter if I'm in love with her, she doesn't feel the same, and I'm not going to stand for you all spreading lies about her."
"So you do love her?"
"I—I—"
The clip ends there.
Despite her composed nature, a stutter goes through her chest.
She knew that Scar had a crush on her—it's hard not to pick up some things, with how flustered he acts around her—but this is different. Hearing Scar admit it, especially like that—and he said he loved her. The word he used was love.
Ariana doesn't think anyone's ever used that word for her and meant it.
Putting her phone away, she takes a breath to calm herself and walks up to Scar's door. Her emotions are all over the place, but she knows above everything that she has to talk to him—now.
Unsurprisingly, a knock yields no reaction, and after taking another deep breath, she spreads her fingers and pushes the door open.
Inside, it's empty, save for a Scar-shaped lump of blankets that makes warmth grow in her chest as she approaches it. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Ariana places a hand on the lump and it jerks, making a weak attempt to scoot away.
"Scar," she says softly, rubbing his arm.
For a moment, the lump is silent. Then a tiny voice mumbles, "I'm gonna drown myself."
Amused but also concerned, she asks, "Why would you do that?"
Scar doesn't answer. Instead, he burrows deeper into the blankets. Ariana gets the sense that he's trying to make himself look like he's not there.
If so, he's failing miserably. He'll never stop being there for her.
"Scar."
There is a long moment of silence, in which Ariana can feel her concern growing. Being forced to reveal a secret is never fun (even if it was only ever a secret to one person), and especially on live TV—
She tries her best to ignore the butterflies fluttering about her stomach. Looking at the man before her, she thinks she still fails.
Finally, the silence is broken, "Just go away."
"Why?"
Scar sits up, swivels around to face her and starts to explain, hands thrusting up and down, "Because I'm pathetic. And I know you agree, and so do I, I think so too, and it's okay if you leave."
Listening to his frenzied stammering, Ariana feels a tentative, trembling kind of elation start to blossom in her throat.
"I'd prefer that, in fact," Scar continues, unaware as her fingers start to shake, "it would be better than this, than pretending that you don't hate me when I know you do, why wouldn't you, after what you just found out—"
"Scar," she cuts him off. "I'm not leaving."
"But—"
Ariana grabs his face with both her hands and kisses him.
Scar freezes. Slowly, his hands come up to weakly grapple at her arms and she feels his entire body shudder in her hold. He doesn’t make an attempt to pull away, however, and so she stays as she is, mouth pressed to his, joy growing in her lungs.
The kiss lasts for only a few moments, but it might as well be eons before they break apart. Inhaling, tasting Scar’s breath on her tongue, she opens her eyes and looks.
Scar’s face is soft, eyelashes still half-lowered, previously unseen freckles standing out on his cheeks—by the stars, Ariana has never been more in love. Tucking a strand of hair behind his ear, she finally says, a tinge of humour entering her voice, “Maybe the reporters were right after all.”
Breaking out of the love-induced trance, Scar giggles softly, “You can’t say that.”
“I’m Ariana Griande, I can say whatever I want.”
“Yeah,” he breathes, staring unabashedly at her lips. “You can.”
Ariana goes to kiss him again, but he catches her wrists in his hands.
“You’re sure?” he asks, and suddenly he looks painfully uncertain. She knows that Scar doesn’t think he deserves anything good, and it’s clear that he’s having trouble believing that this is real.
She’ll do whatever it takes to disprove him of that notion until it may as well have never existed.
“I’m sure.”
Scar relaxes and presses his forehead to hers. She wants to feel his lips on hers again, but she leans closer to him and contents herself with the heat of his breath against her open mouth, the pressure of his hands that come to settle on her waist.
A soft purring reaches her ears and she smiles. Kitten must be delighted.
And stars, so is she.
#my first time writing romance#also i was miserable for half of this so if it's not as good as my other works then yeah#two reasons#my writing#gtws#gtwscar#goodtimeswithscar#grian#ariana griande#hotguy#hotguy scar#i adore hotguy on another level#scarian#desert duo#scariana#hermitshipping#cat dad au#scariande
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I was the sound guy for a Megachurch via /r/atheism
I was the sound guy for a Megachurch
A lovely chap on Reddit asked me to tell a story of my time as the sound guy for my old church. I thought ya'll might appreciate my work 🙂
When I was 14 I started learning how to mix at youth church. After the live band, we’d often put on background music, to create a “holy atmosphere”. I put together a playlist of suitable songs – bass, beat, minimal lyrics. Turn down the treble and Childish Gambino is just perfect. Got away with playing songs about drugs and sex for years :P
By 18 I was promoted to main service. State of the art digital mixer. Small church, ~500 people on an average Sunday. I did my job well, but sure had my share of fucking around. There was one terrible BV who’d often be slightly out of time or off pitch – his volume goes up 😊 The annoying “faith healer” scam artist gets a ton of sibilance. One time an annoying preacher was yelling, screaming, then went to mic drop – I muted it, but only after maxing out the volume for a good second, blowing everyone’s eardrums out. I got a couple thanks for muting it.
At 18, I was only there because I had a community around me. I didn't believe a word of it. I went to a sort of Charismatic, Evangelical, Pentecostal church, part of a global Megachurch. In other words, they had a lot of stupid fucking beliefs; not to mention your typical scandals with fraud and sexual abuse. Most notably, they claim to be progressive and inclusive, and are smart enough to publicly keep quiet on any 'controversial' issues (social issues, science, etc), as in my country (New Zealand) openly sharing such these beliefs would be disillusioning to most of your audience (unless that's what you built your audience around...). They spread these beliefs in a far more insidious manner, for example through youth leaders, or panels "debating" these topics.
There was one particular junior pastor at my church. Let's call him Jack. Jack's in his late twenties, influential, sometimes MC'ing or preaching in service. Jack was also my youth group leader - we'd meet with others on a Wednesday and 'hang out', with some time dedicated to talking about God. Through this I came to dislike him and his strong intolerant, anti-scientific beliefs. It's also worth noting, having been born overseas, Jack has a rather unmistakable accent.
One of my good friends was in the same boat as me - disillusioned, and in too deep. Let's call him Mike. Mike often played guitar on band (actually, he's the BV I previously described) and occasionally worked the camera, which would feed the projectors, and record the church service. Mike and I would often hang out, smoke and jam together. One evening, high off our balls, we devised a plan to fuck with Jack.
Over about a month, I recorded Jack's isolated voices whenever he was speaking - at main church and youth church. Most notably, I'd record all of the Wednesday youth group sessions on my phone, and we'd lead him to discuss complex, controversial and explicit topics. I think I had an Iphone 6s. The audio quality was decent - but I'd pop it in Reaper, extract the juicy bits, equalize, compress, etc, to make the quality sound 'perfect'. We had a few hours' worth of recordings, but by the end we cut it down to just a handful of phrases. I remember just the one.
People on stage typically wear monitors, which are basically a wireless pack that receives the audio I transmit, and plays it in their in-ears. They can mute and adjust volume, but we sound-check beforehand to make sure they're happy, and I have full control over the mix. Jack's mix consists of his own mic, secondary speaker mic, with a little live band and audience. (Sidenote - churches use ambient crowd mics to amplify the sound of the audience.) Now, you might think I'm going to play some juicy audio in Jack's in-ears. Kinda.
We'd probably never be allowed alone in the church - but over that month, Mike and I would stay to dabble after most people had left, pretending to test and troubleshoot. With my phone plugged into the digital mixer, effectively I had created a soundboard. We devised how we could play phrases without raising suspicion, and tested it all to ensure the day would be flawless.
Jack was the MC for the busy morning service. Mike kicked back as Cameraman. The Service Coordinator and Technical Director sit in the control booth too, oblivious to our mischief. We wait patiently.
MC intro, 5 minutes. Live band worship, 15 minutes. Continue live background music. MC short sermon, 10 minutes. Guest speaker/offering, 10 minutes minimum. The offering pot is passed around, and Jack gets back up on stage. The kids have been sitting/standing on the floor in the front on the auditorium. MC to send the kids up to kids church, 30 seconds. He says, "Give us an applause for your awesome kids who have been up front with us today. It's time for our kids to head up to kids church!" Mike pans the camera to the cute kids waving toward the audience. The ambient crowd mics pick up the cheers and applause, and Jack visibly recoils as I blast applause in his ears. I cut his mic from the main speakers, and he stares at me, as his lips start moving. Calmly, he says; "Lord, please help me with my masturbation."
The applause quickly stops, and the camera pans back to Jack. He looks down and fiddles with his monitor pack, and resumes by introducing our senior pastor to a stunned audience. He heads back off stage.
Everyone heard it other than himself, and the recordings show it happened. I flew under the radar - nobody ever confronted me about the incident (other than Mike, of course!). I like to think Jack made a bumbling fool of himself, denying what happened and blaming the in-ears. I'd like to think he got in trouble... but he was back on schedule, MC'ing two weeks later.
Tl;dr: Made my pastor say he needed help from God with masturbation while talking about the audience's kids.
Submitted December 19, 2022 at 07:40AM by kaurib
(From Reddit https://ift.tt/zM4lSkJ)
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JUNGKOOK WENT LIVE FOR 3 MINUTES ON YOUTUBE WHATDBJDBB
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Sapnap’s alt stream on February 04, 2021 (for those who missed it or can’t watch the entire stream. It’s more informational and random facts than anything)
sapnap is letting sylvee help ministate his karl’s and quackity’s marriage ‘cause she wants a license LOL (ty anon for fixing my mistake)
sapnap called “bullshit” on the height guy who got 5′9″ for George’s height (he live reacted to the tik-tok)
sylvee and sapnap argue about whose cat is better for a while. After a bit, Dream comes in coincidentally and Patches follows and they start praising Patches and how she’s the best cat.
patches doesn’t shed that much, she likes her fountain water, she has very soft meows. Patches will meow at you if you look at her and talk to her
sapnap chugged some hot sauce out of fucking nowhere when dream pointed out how nice and organized his set up was but then there’s just a random bottle of hot sauce. he then eats celery with hot sauce and likes it...? (dream judges him hard in the bg LOL)
sapnap and dream wants to do a just chatting while eating spicy hot wings on monday night (no facecam) (dream can’t even handle spice)
Dream said that it’s likely Sapnap and George are just the same height and that he’s for sure the tallest
sapnap wants to eat the chicken soup dream’s mom made for dream because dream was saying it was the best cs ever LOL
dream sits crisscross on sapnap’s floor when he goes into his room
dream likes peanut butter - has not had it for 3-4 years now
“dream vs sapnap who would win? if I had a gun, I would win” -sapnap
dream loves takis over hot cheetos- but he only eats very little b/c he can’t eat spicy for the life of him (he needs melk otherwise) sapnap does not like takis as much though
sapnap and george were being “annoying” and wanted to do a adlib for dream’s song - like a “hey” in the bg or something lmao
sapnap and dream plan to live together for the rest of 2021
if you could only have one food for the rest of your life-- sapnap answered with burger and dream got real analytical with his answer: pizza
dream was praising Moe’s queso
DREAM TEAM WILL RELEASE COLLAB MERCH. the podcast is not priority, they’re sort of taking their time with it but it will come out! and sapnap has a facecam video possibly coming out in March
apparently dream does not wear his own merch and does not own any gnf and sapnap merch smh
dream has pictures of patches in a reindeer outfit >:(
the original plan was supposed to just drop roadtrip completely out of nowhere at 12 am EST but fans found out LOL
Drista is apparently pretty tall-- up to Sapnap’s shoulders (holy crap)
sapnap: “what’s bts?” - Dream said that Sapnap would like Dynamite because it’s like a good entry into kpop since normally, people would not listen to it since it’s in Korean
sap and dream can see themselves getting their ears pierced
sapnap has the biggest dumptruck
sap and dream agree that strawberry milk slaps. dream also likes banana milk
george joins the stream and before he could even speak, dream correctly predicts what he’s going to talk about, then george immediately talks about the height tik tok -> sapnap mutes him right after
sapnap was afraid of leaking Dream’s song before it dropped LOL
Sapnap’s Very Important PSA “I want a reassessment [of his height], Kentai_Haven. This is a message from Sapnap. That water bottle you used was incorrect. I would like a reassessment. If you want, I can find the right water bottle for you. I’m formally asking for a reassessment.”
SAPNAP WANTED TO MEASURE PATCHES INSTEAD OF HIS HEIGHT
Sapnap and Dream are strictly obeying COVID guidelines by not going out at all :]
dono: “what do you think of gnf?”
sapnap: “gnf is okay.”
dream: “oh that gogy guy?”
sapnap: “yeah that weirdo.”
dream hasn’t had melk on its own in a while (but he’s had drank it on its own in the past)
Sapnap misses Texas :( He says Texas is better than Florida. But Dream is saying that Florida has a lot more to do, it’s just COVID making it uninteresting. They will do a lot of stuff together when lockdown is over.
Dream’s PSA: “Stay inside and wear a mask”
HHN - Halloween Horror Night !! Dream wants to take sapnap there :D
Sapnap doesn’t remember anything from Spanish class
Dream took 3 years of Italian (or French) mf doesn’t remember anything either
sap plays chess against randoms with the help of dream + george who helps sapnap get check (btw dream does not hear sap’s audio)
sapnap knows Nothing about kpop but Dream Does :D
Nothing is messy in the house thanks to Dream’s mom LOL
sapnap calls patches patchie sometimes
sapnap watches subbed anime
bbh joins and compliments chat and helps sapnap out with chess too
dream leaves and says to “stream roadtrip”
sapnap jams out to roadtrip so much <3
sapnap stalemate in bullet chess against a rando and finally plays against george -- sap wins b/c george wasn’t properly trying. They go again, George wins this time. for the third game, george won but sapnap didn’t let the chat see his defeat (anon mentioned that george won 1st round. i’m not sure tho)
george tried singing the chorus lmfao but he doesn’t know the lyrics to dream’s song
I might’ve misheard or missed out on some info so apologies in advanced for that!
#sapnap#dreamwastaken#georgenotfound#sapnap's alt#long post#it's good to know dream is feeling better#dream team#hi don't forget my disclaimer <3#sapnap alt#sap v gog height arc
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Queen live at Seibu Lions Stadium in Tokorozawa, Japan - November 3, 1982
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This is the final concert of the year. Although the show is traditionally attributed to Tokyo, Seibu Lions Stadium is in the suburb "Tokorozawa."
Although the song would never be performed on stage, during soundcheck the band run Football Fight from the Flash Gordon soundtrack.
They perform the full version of Teo Torriatte once again, but in the encore, which makes room for Save Me one last time.
Queen's first live video was released in Japan in 1983 on VHS, simply entitled "Live In Japan", comprised of about an hour of material from this concert. No songs were edited (except for Brian May's solo spot), and no overdubs were done. Besides standard mixing, the only alterations done were in Put Out The Fire, where a bit of Freddie's vocal improv at the beginning of the song was muted (he can be seen singing in the distant shot on the video), and in We Are The Champions, where Freddie's lead vocal was brought down in the mix to obscure a voice crack in the second chorus.
Around the time of its release, in December 1983, about a thousand lucky Japanese fan club members had the privilege of seing the complete show on video over five screenings in Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya. It hasn't been seen since.
The edited video was later re-released on laserdisc, and about half of the footage (the italicized tracks) found its way onto disc 2 of the "Queen On Fire - Live At The Bowl" DVD release:
Flash (tape), The Hero, Now I'm Here, Put Out The Fire, Dragon Attack, Now I'm Here (reprise), Love Of My Life, Save Me, guitar solo [cut], Under Pressure, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Bohemian Rhapsody, Tie Your Mother Down, Teo Torriatte, We Will Rock You, We Are The Champions, God Save The Queen
Brian's solo includes the only known footage of him playing the traditional Japanese song "Sakura."
Freddie's voice, although still strong at many points, just couldn't remain stable for the entire evening after 7 months of touring. His voice cracks badly on the first line of Play The Game, and several times in Body Language. But there are plenty of great Freddie moments tonight as well, like his excellent ending of Action This Day, something which he never executed the same way twice.
After an exhausting year of touring, there is no doubt that the band were looking forward to some time off. The tempos of many songs are very fast, and many nuances in songs like Save Me and Get Down Make Love aren't there like they were on previous tours. Still, the band are clearly having fun on stage at many points during this last show (as seen on the video), particularly during Crazy Little Thing Called Love. Freddie even stops playing his guitar for a couple bars to have a quick swig of beer. It is perhaps the definitive version of the song, with a long jam at the end, prominently highlighting Fred Mandel on the piano. This would be Mandel's last show with the band. He would go on to play with artists like Supertramp and Sir Elton John, one of his idols.
The band jam for a while in the middle section of Another One Bites The Dust. Freddie queues the snare fill to bring them into the breakdown thus: "I'm ready for you, Rog."
Bearing in mind that this was an outdoor stadium show, it must have been a cold November night in central Japan, as their breath can often be seen on the video. Instruments managed to stay in tune.
In a 1984 interview John Deacon says they didn't enjoy the larger stadium shows in Japan, and says the band would prefer to remain in venues like the Budokan.
Here is a very detailed account of the official video release (among many other things): http://www.ultimatequeen.co.uk
The audio of the great version of Calling All Girls from this show can be heard on disc 2 of the Live At The Bowl DVD as the picture gallery is shown. It was also released a bonus track (with a bit of compression added) on the 2011 remaster of Hot Space, along with Action This Day from this show (also included on this track is Freddie's vocal exchange with the audience, which actually happened after Play The Game). The fast version of We Will Rock You was also released as a bonus track on the 2011 News Of The World remaster. All but five tracks from this show have now been officially released in one form or another.
The pictures were snapped by Peter "Ratty" Hince, the head of the Queen crew.
Tonight would be Queen's final performances of The Hero, the fast We Will Rock You, Action This Day, Play The Game, Calling All Girls, Put Out The Fire, Save Me, Get Down Make Love, Body Language, Fat Bottomed Girls, and Teo Torriatte. They wouldn't play another concert for nearly two years.
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i am going to try to obtain the pearl- nevermind you can’t replay her game right away i guess
just had an epic battle with JJ. Chica died. I asked questions that I will never have answers for. WHEN BB THO.
gimme my bb please he is my- he is my boi i need him-
also fxck it i got a chip and i’m gonna use it
DEE DEE’S BACK SHE MUST’VE BEEN SUMMONED BY ME CELEBRATING HER SISTER’S(?) BIRTHDAY TWICE I THINK-
i failed again :’3
love how mic toss is just yeeting a microphone at the enemy
can headcanons/fics be made out of the movesets though like why does Toy Chica have Waterhose what logical reason is there-
staring at our dog asleep on a chair. he’s so cute.
aight time to play with Dee Dee again. sorry Fredbear but screw you.
i missed the fishing plunger i am terrible at this
oh she doesn’t disappear if you miss ok
blue fish
getting down to business
why is bash jam so loud though
neon bee sure
hmmm might shove JJ on a team lemme see
love how one of the candidates for deletion on the Five Nights at Freddy’s World Wiki is “Slut bitch” like who added that and why
ok so JJ has a 30% insta-kill move should i use her? I’m gonna shove her on an experimental party
aight sorry chica
love how the loading screens of mangle-related characters change pronouns whenever you see them. mangle is a bigender icon.
also from now on i will only refer to william as purple guy just because. i think we need to bring that back.
aight fredbear now we can interact.
for some reason i can like only either mute my computer’s volume or turn it down where’s the audio settings why is bash jam so loud
ok bathroom break brb
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November 30th - Dream SMP
Timing the streams
Little rules to make it easier for me to timestamp
^_^ after a quote - a joke conversation.
:| after a quote - a serious/lore important conversation.
|_| - banter on top of something plot relevant/Something plot relevant in banter form.
Usually if I write *someone* logs on, that means that there's either a little interaction or something that happens when they log in. If something isn't that important, or doesn't relate to any of the SMP lore/drama, I'll usually just leave it out.
Hope that these help get a better picture of all the drama!
The streams that I chose to take timestamps from:
Fundy - Dream SMP - THE CHESS CLUB
CaptainPuffy - DreamSMP - WHO DO I SIDE WITH?!
Philza - Dream SMP - Let's get more stacked :D
Btw Puffy streams end up really weird for me. Apparently the stream starts before midnight and ends after it, which makes the date on Twitch slightly off. So while this stream of hers actually started like half a minute after midnight here and is showing as December 1st, I’m labeling it as November 30th because my timezone is so fucked that LITERALLY EVERYONE starts their streams about AN HOUR before I have to go to sleep at a reasonable hour. Fuckin hell... That’s why it takes me 10-15 hours to get these timestamps out you’re better off reading recaps honestly.
<_><_><_><_><_>
Fundy’s stream
0:09:40 Fundy starts playing Minecraft, but gets distracted by chat asking him to sing a bit of his song.
00:10:48 He wants to meet up with Ranboo to do a deal.
00:12:03 They get into a vc. (Fundy tries to scam Ranboo)
00:16:42 Fundy deafens.
00:17:31 He undeafens. (To scam more)
Fundy and Ranboo vibes are absolutely incredible. Please watch this.
00:30:10 Fundy leaves the vc and starts work on the Chess Board.
00:31:25 "Did Tommy report today?" ^_^
00:33:37 "Here's the plan!" ^_^
00:39:32 A donation pops up that starts the long conversation about character!Fundy's age.
00:39:52 Thunder1408 joins the game.
00:48:00 CaptainPuffy spotted.
00:57:30 "PTSD" ^_^
01:04:48 "You guys wanna hear me rap?" ^_^
01:14:55 Strider spotted.
01:23:51 "Are you ready to fly?" ^_^
01:31:37 "There he is- OH" ^_^
01:40:50 "Disaster strikes" ^_^
01:44:41 "It's all fine!" ^_^
01:53:50 Wilbur joins the game.
01:56:12 Ghostbur spotted.
02:13:32 "Uh oh" ^_^
<_><_><_><_><_>
CaptainPuffy’s stream
00:02:55 Puffy starts playing Minecaft and immediately starts explaining about her options.
00:10:17 "Who owns Schlatt's body parts?" :|
00:14:30 "Allegiance to Nikki" :|
00:18:27 Fundy spotted.
00:23:27 "Shovel" ^_^
00:29:40 "Chess Board!" (And Puffy helping out Fundy) ^_^
Fundy and Puffy vibes are great as well! (Is it just Fundy + anyone = great vibes? Is it just because I like Fundy? What.)
00:34:30 Dronebur!
00:42:10 "Uh oh" ^_^
00:46:11 Puffy leaves Fundy and goes to show off her house. But Fundy follows her.
00:54:39 She tries to go to Gogy's house.
00:55:34 On the way, Three Cosplaying Idiots spotted.
00:57:33 She returns to her house.
00:59:45 She starts work on the underground.
01:44:20 "Uh oh Nikki" |_|
01:49:48 "It is animatic time!" ^_^
Sadly, from 01:54:00 to 02:06:00 the audio is muted :(
02:06:00 The ending of Sad-ist's [Dream SMP War] | Animatic
02:07:34 Sad-ist's Dream vs Technoblade Animation
02:10:42 Sad-ist's "The Fall" | Dream SMP Animatic
02:15:00 Sad-ist's Dre SMP
02:15:53 Squiddo's Centuries | Dream SMP (animatic)
But that animatic isn't watched in full. Audio mute from 02:18:00 to 02:24:00
02:24:00 Amanda Fagan's Please Don't Make Me Choose - Tommy's Song (Dream SMP)
02:27:10 Bowl Bear's Captain Puffy The Janitor (Dream SMP animatic)
02:29:11 nice's Seventeen | Dream SMP Animatic
02:33:16 tamato jam's Epic III [Dream SMP Animatic]
02:40:00 Kanaya's Your Unfinished Symphony - Fundy's Theme [Dream SMP]
02:42:13 Kanaya's Marionettes - Dream's Theme [Dream SMP]
I BEG OF YOU PLEASE WATCH KANAYA'S STUFF IT IS SUCH A VIBE
02:49:28 "Oh I just remembered something" :|
02:52:34 "Blow something up" :|
After this, the stream ends soon.
<_><_><_><_><_>
Philza’s stream
00:08:15 Phil logs on and immediately goes to steal food from Purpled.
00:14:12 "Did somebody just request to go fishing?"
00:16:42 Phil goes to enchant a fishing rod.
00:21:18 Puffy's under-construction house.
00:23:34 Fishing!
00:37:35 Ranboo spotted.
00:41:15 Philza choppy boi goes to work.
00:46:00 The stream audio starts lagging and eventually gets taken down.
<_><_><_>
00:11:34 Phil returns home and gets ready to head into the Nether to mine debris.
00:14:45 Blend W
00:27:16 A Donation about people headcanon'ing Wilbur and Techno as twins.
00:42:10 The Angst-Fest start.
00:46:25 Wilbur and Tubbo appear in stream chat.
PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DO NOT SKIP ANY BIT UNTIL I TELL YOU THAT YOU CAN SKIP BECAUSE HOLY FUCK PHIL WHY
OK OK AFTER 01:05:55 IT SEEMS TO CALM DOWN AS PHIL STARTS TALKING ABOUT RANBOO.
NOPE AT 01:28:03 PHIL MAKES OUR EYES BLEED OUT BY SHOWING FANARTS ON STREAM.
WILBUR RETURNS AT 01:30:10
(OK SO FAR PEOPLE HAVE QUESTIONED HOW TOMMY WAS MADE, HOW OBVIOUS IT WAS THAT KRISTEN IS A FRIDGE, WILLBUR HAVING WAY TOO MUCH POWER OVER MAKING THINGS CURSED AND PHIL SCREAMING AT CHAT TO STOP ALLOWING HIM TO GET MORE POWERFUL, PHIL HAS QUESTIONED HIS MARRIAGE OVER ICE CHEWING, CHAT HAS QUESTIONED WHO THEIR MOTHER ACTUALLY IS AND WE WERE ALL FORCED TO LOOK AT CURSED FANFICTION OF THIS NEW LORE. I LOVE THIS TIMELINE)
01:31:56 Phil shows chat "Sharky and George" and then everything seems to calm down just a bit. (Oh you can start skipping by bits if you want now)
01:41:54 Strider spotted. Commence search for Warped Fungus.
01:52:40 Lagza
01:57:15 Fundy spotted.
01:58:16 Phil returns home. The search for Warped Fungus does not end.
02:00:09 Phil's attention is on Ranboo for a bit, then returned to the striders.
02:25:13 "Uh oh"
02:37:39 "Killza wants revenge"
02:44:00 "Phil struggles with a villager"
02:55:40 "Oh god why are they still on this topic"
02:58:20 "What do I need to save Ranboo?"
03:01:45 Ranboo joins the vc.
03:03:12 HBomb joins the vc.
03:15:40 Phil decides to help Ranboo mine.
Phil really is the dad of the server <3
03:26:08 "Oh did you hear..."
03:35:35 "Secret"
03:49:00 Phil leaves the vc and the stream ends soon after.
#timed streams#timing the streams#dream smp#dream smp timestamps#dream smp streams#dream smp recap#recap#captainpuffy#fundy#ghostbur#animatics#ranboo#dronebur go brr#swearing
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Lord Rodimus tortures and tries to break Thunderclash in front of the whole Lost Light crew, but Thunderclash refuses to break: the robot that send the mean message to Rodimus confesses and apologizes, but Rodimus kicks him and laughs: "Do you think that changes anything? Everyone treated me like unfairly even before they misunderstood my words about Thunderclash and nobody was there for me when I needed them most! Tarn may be horrible, but at least he sees my potential and not just my flaws!"💔
Sorry this took awhile, been worn out with everything! But I hope you enjoy it!
Rodimus jammed the shock probe in the colorful side of the the Captain, watching the colorful frame buck and groan, but not a sound escaped those golden lip plates. The wires stretched but didn’t break, Tarn was getting better with his knots, he made another mental note, making sure that the purple tank was never behind him.
His spark shriveled, somehow the new and improved Captain didn’t even groan, where was the scream, the howl of pain, the fat tears? Rodimus pulled the probe back and watched as another ribbon of energon leaked from the Captain’s intake. Then he did something, something that made Rodimus’ spark burn, the fragger grinned and winked as his paint started to dull.
“What are you doing?” Rodimus hissed grabbing the Captain’s chin and pulling his helm up.
“What?” He wheezed a bubble of energon slipped past his denta. “Can’t I smile?”
Rodimus moved his servo down to the base of his neck. “I shouldn’t expect anything less from you, Greatest Autobot of All Time.”
“That’s enough Rodimus!” Ratchet yelled, flinging his famous ratchet.
Rodimus caught it, not even turning away from the dulling red optics, he crushed the tool in his servo and spared Ratchet a glance. The medic was covered in energon, Drift was under him, still awake but his chassis was open. “Ratchet, do you not understand the basic concept of slow death?”
“Maybe you don’t understand that you just attacked your captain, and your amica,” Ratchet glared at him. “I know that hurt, that hurt because I felt it too.” He hissed, welding up a crack. Drift whined and Ratchet hushed him with soft words, mumbling sayings of ‘everything will be okay, just hang on’.
“So you know everything now don’t you?” Rodimus snapped, turning away from his replacement and glaring down at the doctor. “What are you going to do Ratchet? You’re surrounded, the Lost Light is in pieces, and the DJD is here. Maybe you should think this through, and you might not lose another patient?”
Ratchet snapped his intake shut, his optics twitching, taking in Rodimus’ features. “Why’d you leave the Lost Light?”
“Why would I stay? Why the frag would I stay? Everyone said it, I was a horrible captain, even Optimus thought I was, setting me up with a babysitter. Then Thunderclash joined,” His throat tightened just saying his name out loud. “Who gladly showed all of my flaws, the crew favored him and...Getaway was right, I was a horrible captain.” He grit his denta, his helm burned, absently he reached behind his neck and rubbed a sore spot.
The Captain’s engine stalled behind him.
Rodimus glanced back, the leaking smile was gone, his optics finally held a certain fear, the fear Rodimus was looking for. “You were right Ratchet.”
“What are you going on about?” Ratchet snapped, placing wires back and closing up Drift’s chassis with a patch.
“I didn’t stop Megatron, or Overlord, and I couldn’t save Nyon.”
“What?” The grumpy medic frowned. “What are you going on about?”
“That message you sent me.”
“I didn’t send you squat.”
Atomizer of all the mechs stepped out, his digits fidgeted. “Uh, Rod-Lord Rodimus, so that wasn’t Ratchet, that was Getaway, and well I helped.”
Rodimus’ engine rumbled and in a flash he shot off Atomizer’s helm, what left was a smoldering stump. “Figures, still doesn’t fix anything, not like it can be fixed.” He huffed rubbing the back of his helm. “Doesn’t change anything. The whole crew treated me unfairly, even before the incident, before Thunderclash even joined. No one understood, or made an effort to. Then they found me, funny that they found use of me, and overlooked my flaws.” He sighed, his spark ached, he felt it, Drift was pulling on their bond, begging for Rodimus to come back.
“Found use?” The Captain croaked and laughed. “Really Rodimus, they found use?”
He spun around, staching the probe and slamming it into his replacement’s side, the Captain grinned through the pain, staring right at Rodimus, optics flickering. Rodimus pulled back.
The Captain laughed. “Use? I’m sorry Rodimus, I think you just need to face it, there’s no use for you.”
“I’m sure I can kill you.”
“Then why haven’t you done it yet?” More energon leaked out of his intake. “You couldn’t kill Megatron, or Drift, so what makes you think you can kill me?”
“Thunderclash, you moron shut up!” Velocity snapped.
Tarn stomped over to Rodimus, towering over him. “My lord-”
“Take him to the ship, we have more...toys there.” Rodimus cut off Tarn. “Let the rest of them wait.” He shifted into his alt-mode and raced off, his spark burning, helm hurting and his tanks twisting. “Stupid replacement, stupid Ratchet and Drift and…” He trailed off, creating a trail of dust in his wake.
________________________
Thunderclash hissed as he was carried off, he only spared a glance at Velocity and Riptide, meeting his closest friend’s horrified faces. He offered a small sad smile, knowing that if this plan failed, he would die, horribly. But at least Megatron would get the crew out, somehow. And maybe, if this plan worked out, just maybe Thunderclash might reach Rodimus.
They carried him to the ship, his helm filled with static and system errors but he held on, just a little longer. They stopped, and Thunderclash felt Tesarus flinch, he lifted his helm a bit and saw Tarn and Rodimus, they were close, servos balled into fists. One of his audio inputs was somewhat working, he focused on it, on what they were saying.
“You said you would kill him off!”
“Well I’m going to.”
“When are we going to finish off Megatron?”
“You will, I’m not satisfied yet!
“They were right there, he was right there, I could’ve made your whole crew’s sparks fade!”
Did Rodimus winch at that? “You’ll get your chance, not like I’m going to let them escape.”
Tran rumbled. “Rod-”
Rodimus burst into flames. “Enough! That’s the end of it! Thunderclash dies, the Lost Light is gone, and you can have Megatron’s helm!” He roared, turning to Tesarus. “Bring him to my hab.” He snarled, still in flames and stomping off.
Thunderclash groaned, he stared at the floor, counting the steps, the markings, anything from minor dents to scuffs, anything to keep his processor off the pain. He was carried to a hab, a large one, huge compared to anything the Lost Light had. His frame was hooked up to a couple of dangling wires, Tesarus checked his work and left.
Thunderclash hissed, there was an upside to energon loss, the numbing, he would’ve been in unimaginable pain, but now, as his frame leaked, there was just the steady feeling of cold creeping up.
Rodimus stormed in, prying off the rifle on his back and tossing it aside. “Fragging Tarn, he’s obsessed over Megatron, so-” He stopped and turned to Thunderclash. “So driven to get revenge.” Rodimus’ shoulder eased and he fell on his berth, helm in his servos. “I’m just as bad as him aren’t I?”
There he was, that’s his captain, there’s the Rodimus Thunderclash knew! “No, you’re not.”
“Ugh, shut up.” Rodimus flopped back.
“Rodimus-”
“It’s Lord Rodimus.”
“You know how stupid that sounds right?”
“Why won’t you shut up?”
“Because, you told me to keep that crew alive, and that’s what I’m doing.” He smiled. “Rodimus I wanted to tell you something, or well a few things.”
“Can’t it wait?”
“Swerve's, that’s where we met, twice a month we’d meet there, the crew, try to plan out a way to track you down. Megatron, Ratchet, Drift, Whirl, Cyclonus, Tailgate, Riptide, Velocity, First Aid-”
“Shut up!”
“I can keep listing if you want. They all came, they all realized their mistake, and wanted to find you.”
Rodimus jumped up, grabbing a blaster and started to take it apart, cleaning it bit by bit.
“Drift became mute, you know? He hardly spoke to anyone, even Ratchet.”
Rodimus started to whistle.
“It’s my fault, I should’ve gone after you, talked to you when you needed it.”
“What are you trying to do?”
He vented. “I wanted you to know that they missed you, and that well you’re the better captain.”
“Whatever this act is, this aft kissing is? It needs to stop.” he rubbed the back of his neck, flinching.
“You would’ve gone after me if I left, you learned that when Drift left.”
Rodimus flared, rushing over, his servo wrapped around the base of Thunderclash’s neck “Shut! Up!”
His optics watered, there was so much pain in Rodimus, so much hurt, and loneliness. What did Tarn do to him? Thunderclash smirked, he had to keep playing along, he had to. “You’ll have to kill me then.”
Rodimus shoved the cool barrel of his blaster against Thunderclash’s chassis, his optics narrowed and his fangs flashed.
“You can’t do it can you?”
“Why won’t you shut up?”
“You can’t kill me, I know you can’t, because you’re not Rodimus.” His helm spun as Rodimus slammed the butt of his blaster down on Thunderclash’s helm, denting his helm brim. “Rodimus wouldn’t have let me die slowly, if anything it would’ve been quick. Just like Nyon.” He pulled his helm up and stared at his once great captain.
Rodimus was crumbling apart, his optics watered, his frame shivered. “Why won’t you just shut up?” He spun around, once more flashing the 5 tiny welds on the base of his neck and he fell onto his berth, curling up and sobbing.
#ask#Ask Me#angst#sweet jesus#yea that's how this one ends#maccadams#rodimus#mtmte rodimus#Thunderclash#thunderrod#pain#i have no control
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Mute
Pairing: Soundwave (Transformers Prime) X Gender Neutral!Reader - Part 1
Warnings: None
The breath entering your lungs was cold and harsh, moving too fast to really breathe as you sprinted down a quiet street. Quiet meaning there was less of the bustling city life, not that it was silent. No, it was quite loud actually. Heavy metal clashing against itself, hot ammunition whizzing through the air, and your heartbeat in your ears.
This was supposed to be a recon mission, but something went wrong. Communications went offline as soon as the groundbridge closed and your small group were left with a less than welcoming group of cons. The fighting had started immediately, and you’d ducked behind a large rock for cover while you scouted escape routes. None. This was an ambush they’d planned well.
A futile attempt at contacting Ratchet for backup had you a little more than anxious. You’d never seen the bots in battle and you weren’t entirely sure what to do. Should you help? Would you just get in the way? You figured a tiny human against even a single Decepticon was laughable, and you focused on trying to get away to find actual help. Your only real option was to book it, so that’s where you found yourself.
The area wasn’t too familiar to you, but you followed the roads in hope they’d take you to a building far enough away from whatever was jamming the comms. If you could just get your coordinates to the computers at base, you were sure someone would take the hint. Your legs weren’t going to last much longer, and you knew that, but you continued. Quitting wasn’t an option.
However, through your blind running, you missed the large figure further up the street you were on. It was difficult to make out when you did end up noticing, so you blew it off as an awkward street light. ‘Perfect!’ you thought, ‘Lights mean I should be getting close to something.’ But, as you got closer, you realized your mistake. You barely had time to let out a wheeze of surprise before the slender, faceless ‘con noticed you as well.
At first, neither of you moved. You had skid to a stop, your legs freezing up and refusing to move. From fear or overuse, you couldn’t tell. Soundwave seemed to be analyzing the situation; probably trying to see if you were even worth the hassle. He’d apparently decided so as he took a large step towards you, leaning just a little with the intent to grab you.
Still not able to run, you threw yourself down and rolled away from the servo. Managing to push yourself onto your haunches, you got ready to leap from another attempt. One that never came. Instead, he crouched, holding out his hand similar to how one would do for an animal. You could only give him a confused and cautious look as he pressed closer.
The both of you stayed like that for a little bit, and it was only until he played a small clip asking you to come that you dropped your guard. The audio sounded familiar, like it came from an older children’s movie.
“Can I say no?”
The Cybertronian was still for a moment, seeming to mull the idea over. With a nod he slightly withdrew his hand, keeping the offer open but giving you a window to decline. Hesitantly, you pulled yourself up, and genuinely considered the idea. Maybe you could get intel you originally came out here for. The Decepticon eyes and ears wasn’t completely predictable, so you questioned his authenticity here.
“Where are you going to take me?”
The bot pointed up, referring to the Nemesis, although it wasn’t visible to you now.
Pursing your lips you tried again, “What are you going to do with me if i go?” You wanted his word for it so you had someone other than yourself to blame if this went south.
Obviously struggling to communicate his intentions, Soundwave impatiently pushed his hand forward, insisting you just comply. Which, surprising even yourself, you did. Part of you argued it was for information, but deep down you were curious. If you left now, you’d wonder your whole life what the mute ‘con had wanted - if it wasn’t to kill you.
Awkwardly clambering into his steady servo, he pulled you up to rest on his shoulder before seemingly changing his mind, opening a cavity in his chest and placing you there. You had almost objected, but it seemed comfortable enough. A little cramped, but there was a seat you imagined came from his alt mode, and you sat yourself down. The sway of his body as he walked was disturbingly comforting, but he transformed suddenly and startled you. Kicking the nearest ‘wall’, he took the hint and gave an apologetic whir.
✦
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I’ve spent the course of COVID lockdown cycling through hyperfixations while also trying to engage in some much needed therapy (lolsob), and I’ve been essentially encouraging myself to try and do more things I can enjoy without feeling shame. Anyway, that’s a short way of saying I decided to blog about all the music videos of Depeche Mode for reasons of science.
The science is that my basic premise is that most of the videos are pretty bad in ways that I find to be pretty strange. Full disclosure is that I spent my teen years being a huge Cure fan and there’s an overlap there? Of songs with very niche high-concept ideas that don’t necessarily map onto a model of popular music but found mainstream success in the rise of new wave music in the wake of the collapse of first wave punk and amplified by the creation of music videos and music video TV. And I owned all the Cure music videos and played them on my iPod Nano because I was a very strange child. But to get back to my central thesis, many of The Cure’s videos are very stylised and fun and memorable in ways that are good. And yet, despite existing in the same sphere and having an overlap of fans, the music videos for Depeche Mode mostly stay bad until the end of the eighties, a fact I will prove by watching them all.
Can you tell that I am bored because i have lost my job and my mental health is making me fixate on strange shit currently because that is absolutely the case right now
Speak & Spell
Dreaming of Me (Feb 1981)
The single art is really lovely - the red/yellow contrast is very striking against the white, and I really love the design. Hey remember when people used to go out and buy singles and you would appreciate them and the work that went into them? I don’t think I’ve bought a physical single since I was about sixteen. I used to buy them from the Woolworths music department because it was cheap and all my friends worked there, so they had a pretty lenient attitude about what exactly constituted paying for things. Woolworths policy of only hiring teenagers is probably what destroyed their business.
Anyway, Dreaming of Me did not chart super well, getting to number 57 and having no official music video - or actually getting onto the album. It wasn’t included on Speak & Spell in the UK until the 2006 re-release. So, there was no music video for me to look at…
Apart from this video I found from local TV in 1981 to promote the song. It’s a maybe-music video. Because music videos had only been around for about six years and MTV didn’t exist until later in the same year, my guess is that Mute Records were pretty cautious about putting money into a medium that might cost more than they would get in publicity. That’s only a guess. I don’t have a crystal ball for forty years ago.
Anyway, here are some children recording music.
If i was 19 and someone offered me a recording contract I would have taken it without thinking (like i took on all those student loans without thinking through any consequences wompwomp) but now I am nearly thirty I watch this and think, ‘These children shouldn’t be outside unaccompanied’. The passage of time has made a fool of me.
They go bowling and play Space Invaders which, hey, still sounds like a great night out to me, but I’m guessing that because this is very clearly aimed at teenagers the TV producers didn’t want to encourage teen drinking by showing them performing a gig at a club night.
I call it high fashion. The all-grey really sells it.
This reminds me so much of a advice column in teen magazines - when they’d have problems set out in a little faux-comic strip of still photos? ‘My best friend stole and read my diary’ ‘My crush found out about how I feel and now he’s going out with my best friend’, that sort of thing. That is also a classic carpet pattern. I think my grandma’s living room had that carpet.
The video is very naive! It’s the sort of thing we would all see now on Youtube from bands just starting out and it is wild to me that this went out on TV. It’s very un-glossy and normal, the stuff that bands put out on YouTube now because of DIYness.
New Life (June 1981)
This is also a really great piece of single art. It’s very bold and striking - it would definitely be the standout record in a sea of other 7’’ released the same week. It also doesn’t particularly match the tone of the single but eh, it looks pretty cool. New Life did much better than Dreaming of Me and got up to number 11 in the UK singles chart. Still no official music video, but the charting meant that the band got onto Top of The Pops! ToTP was cancelled when I was a wee baby teen, because the BBC decided to stop caring about yoof viewership and promoting music was circling the drain everywhere as streaming hit, but it was the place to promote music so was definitely a sign that You Had Made It.
So, last video was silly and made by children, but now they’re wearing see-through mesh shirts, leather trousers, and leather hats with a design that I am a little bit dubious about. I grew up on the oi/punk scene and let me tell you about how many first wave punks wear iconography of bad regimes for faux edginess reasons because I met a LOT of them in my time.
Oh boy do i have thoughts about that hat. It also looks like a Leather Daddy hat which, well, let’s leave that thought to one side. Most ToTP performances were lipsynced. Playing things live would sound weird in the studio, be picked up strangely by the audio equipment and the cameras, so 99% of performances were mimed to the single. Now, some acts would deliberately play up to the pretence and refuse to act like they were doing anything that corresponded to the song - The Jam, The Communards, and The Cure are literally the first examples that come to mind who would just… not do anything close to pretending it was real.
This is not that. It is very earnest and awkward and serious, which sort of makes it very sweet.
Just Can’t Get Enough (September 1981)
Right, that is shibari, isn’t it? I’m not blind, am I? It’s a very striking image that 99.9% of people would not recognise other than being a striking black and white image.
I don’t think I can overstate how… innocent, in a way, this point of time was? As in the general level of knowledge about non-conventional stuff in the wider public at large. As in my mother, an almost teen at this point, saw George Michael walking with his boyfriend in central London and had no idea he was gay until he came out. It’s actually the widest cultural gulf I can think of between her teen years and my teen years because I was very aware of queer people from a young age.
Anyway, moving on, I feel like it bears repeating that this song fucking slaps. It’s the last single to be written by Vince Clarke and the last single until 2006 to be written by someone other than Martin Gore. This is one of those songs that just works on every level. Can you imagine coming up with this for the first album of your band? That blows my mind. It’s so overpoweringly good that it was probably for the best that it was saved for last - coming out the gate with a guaranteed fucking banger was been the nail in the coffin for a lot of other eighties synth/electronica bands. They scored a huge hit and then nothing after that managed to be as good or meet the hype. Depeche Mode had built up a far bit of radio play and interest before dropping this which turned out to be very good in the long run!
This got to number 8 on the UK charts and the first to get a music video! It is the only one with Vince Clarke. Full disclosure in that I had this song on my iPod through downloading the video to my computer (that’s how we got songs without using stuff that would give us viruses because i got a ton using bearshare for rare cure demos) and I remember watching the video, all of sixteen years old, and thinking, ‘Man, all these people look so grown up, compared to me, I can’t wait to be an adult!’.
Twelve years have changed my view, somewhat.
Look at this little baby man. Were you in one of my A Level classes - as in, ones that I have taught, not ones that I have been in.
Vince Clarke, however, has had a significant glow up in the six months and now looks like he is the bouncer in a leather bar. This is the One Adult in the room.
Ahh, I see it’s Open Mic Night at the local leather bar. You know what I was saying about how teens in the eighties tended to be significantly more naive about what we might call certain signifiers? Because what this outfit says to me, a queer woman in 2020, is susbstanitally different than to my mum and her friends watching this when it first came out. She would read this as ‘This is totally rebellious and cool!’ while I go ‘Someone just joined the university kink club and spent all their bursary’.
I don’t remember the member of Blazin’ Squad that wore a slave harness. (Now, there’s a reference that shows my age. A Blazin’ Squad reference in the year of Our Lord 2020. Hoooo boy.)
I read somewhere (that I can’t find now because, of course I can’t) that these are the band’s girlfriends and I always remembered that because it made me think, lol, same. One of my closest friends is the Head of London, so she’s in every band in London and if she’s not in yours yet give her time, and my partner was in a locally successful metal/hardcore band for about a decade and being connected with any sort of band means you will be helping out hugely behind the scene constantly. I have held lights, moved speakers, picked up instruments, been in music videos, and have bought tearaway trousers and glowsticks for gigs. You get called in to help all the time which is a lot of fun, so that fact always just stuck with me. It also makes sense financially because then you don’t have to hire any professional backing dancers, you can rely on people who will happily do it for free (while looking pretty rad while doing it!).
Anyway, the band look like those generic raiders that you run into when randomly walking across the map in a Fallout game.
I love awkward choreography in music videos. It feeds me.
Filming a night out provides A) Great footage and B) Can be done for limited overheads, leaving more money to be put into promotion.
I always like seeing this sort of footage in music videos. I tend to see a lot of it, given the DIY punk scene, and it always charms me. I am easy to please. And all those women have the most amazing eye makeup that makes me super jealous because it all looks so good.
That hat is on point. This looks like a still image for some sort of cyberpunk big band style swing revival that, sadly, lives only in my dreams.
It took me so goddamn long to screenshot this shot probably because i was also blasting dream nails whoops
Anyway those are my reactions to Speak & Spell’s one solitary music video with some other things thrown in and this took me way too long. I make myself laugh though, that’s the main thing. I will do A Broken Frame… at some point. I think I have a bunch of vinyl for A Broken Frame? My mum actually bought all the singles for that album and I stole most of her collection years ago. I will have to search and see what I can find.
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🎶 top 10 kpop songs 🎵
i was tagged by @stolenjendeukie @ditzymax and @serenililly and i think @red-exo to do this. thank you angels! i hate it!
this is impossible. i've been thinking about this from the moment i got tagged the first time and i'm so stressed. i can barely pick fave music in any order let alone ONLY TEN. yikes. ok well here we go!
going under a cut to not clog dashes!p because i talked a lot!
EXO - White Noise ~ when i was getting back into kpop i found this song after listening to monster and i...lost my mind. i'm pretty sure white noise is the reason i'm an exo stan. i listened only this song for a solid three months. i couldn't get enough of it. still can't. when i tell you it's a perfect song in every way, i mean that with every fiber of my spirit
BTS - Cypher 4 ~ i once broke a couch at karaoke to this song. i really don't think any more needs to be said about this other than the fact that i am deeply, deeply embittered i will never see this song live.
SHINee - Sherlock (Clue + Note) ~ barring taemins unfortunate hair in this video, there are few things that really set me off the way this song does. shinee were my first kpop band ever, and taemin was my first bias before i even know that was a term or a thing. when i heard this song i was confident pop music was saved. i still think shinee saved pop music and i will fight that point to the death.
f(x) - Nu Abo ~ literally this song is nine fucking years old and sounds like it was produced yesterday. its centuries ahead of its time and i'm perpetually in a stampede every time i listen to it. there will never be a decade where this song is not good or impressive and you can stamp that on my fucking grave.
CL - Hello Bitches ~ this is one of those songs that if you said ‘sing a kpop song or this is IT’ i'd bust this out and get free shots in the process. i once nearly broke an elliptical listening to this. who would we become if CL was in our mirrors every morning amping us up by aggressively giving precisely -300 fucks? idk but i think that's my next pokémon evolution.
Zico - Bermuda Triangle ~ talk about an experience. this song makes me feel like i'm strapped time a comet ready to break the planet by the sheer force of my hype. another karaoke jam, i have to listen to this at least once a week or the fabric of my reality collapses.
SEVENTEEN - Habit ~ the first time i heard this song i was on a train and when the chorus hit and that muted timpani clash in the back exploded i was so overcome with emotion i could barely process my existence up until that moment. this is the audio personification of ‘i showed you my heart, please respond’ for me. like this immediately gets me so deep in my feels it's like i'm drowning.
Sister - Touch My Body ~ my party jam. i'd done so many shots to this song, so many drunken nights to this song like what a jam? i love ladies who demand the love they deserve and party while doing it. it's such pure, unashamed pop that you cannot help but adore it.
Chen - Love Words ~ this song moves me, truly. it speaks for itself literally always and i have such special memories of walking through a rainy street in tokyo listening to it feeling so love sick and heart touched. it's a g i f t. i am showing you my heart and soul sir please respond
Taemin - Want ~ i love sin.
honorable mentions:
NCT 127 - Firetruck
Girl’s Day - Something
Red Velvet - Kingdom Come
EXID - Up & Down
BEG - Abracadabra
Super Junior - Sorry Sorry
EXO - Sweet Lies (i love more sin)
EXO-SC - Daydreamin (this could and should be number one but it's way too personal to actually talk about so just know there are few things in this universe i love as much as this song)
BTS - Outro: House Of Cards
GOT7 - My Swagger ~ my FIRST cease and desist notice to yugyeom which he promptly ignored
G.Soul - Circles
tagging: @yehet-me-up @gingersaysjump @kyungseokie @queenoftheimpala @baekwell--tart @baekphia @imdifferentshadesofpurple @x-exo @ninibears-erigom @fairyyeols @iq-biased @taestfully @taetaetrashhh @readyplayerhobi @seoulmap @chengf and anyone who wants to do this! but as always please only do it if you want to 💗
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Calling Home
(Happy Mother’s Day!)
https://zaheela.tumblr.com/post/184836905126/part-two-of-the-commissions-from-ezmodo-for-a
Summer Rose lay propped up against the base of a tree and studied the faces of her family.
Tai smiled up at her even as their daughter Yang shoved a palm painfully into his cheek. He was the rock of their family, switching from active field huntsman to teacher at Signal so he could be home for the girls while Summer went on missions for Ozpin. He did it all, from cooking to cleaning to training to pigtail fixing, and he did it all happily on top of teaching full-time. Summer had worries aplenty while out on missions but, thanks to Tai, her daughters were never one of them.
Yang, her sunshine, pushed unceremoniously off of her father’s face as she smiled back at the camera. Summer only met Yang after Raven had left and she couldn’t understand how anyone could leave such a perfect little girl behind. After moving in, she was worried - could she really be Yang’s mother? Would she ever be good enough? But the first time Summer heard ‘mama’ all those fears melted away, replaced by a warmth that threatened to overwhelm her. That time and every time since, hearing Yang call her that made Summer’s heart swell. She would forever be proud to call herself Yang’s mother.
And finally her precious Ruby, so excited to be taking a picture that she couldn’t settle herself in the frame. Summer thought Yang was an endless bundle of energy but Ruby could run even her ragged. She followed her sister everywhere - if Yang was doing something, Ruby needed to be doing it too. Even down to the pigtails, though Ruby’s hair was too short for them. Otherwise, she was definitely her mother’s child. She was growing so fast and guilt gnawed at Summer everytime she came home to see her little girl suddenly so much bigger, so different. She looked into Ruby’s eyes, bright and silver, so much like her own.
Summer’s eyelids began to sink as she felt herself slipping, torn cloak bunching up against her neck as she slid further down the tree. It would be so easy to let herself slide the rest of the way down until her head rested on the grass. Just a moment to rest her eyes, to give her the strength to…
She bit the inside of her cheek hard enough to draw blood as she forced herself up. Her left arm lay uselessly at her side, broken in more places than one. Her right arm burned as she pushed and clawed her way back into a sitting position. The attempt felt like it drained what little strength she had left. The pain in her tattered right arm began to feel muted and far away. It was a warm spring day and yet Summer felt the cold settle in, the chill creeping up her limbs.
She pawed blindly for her scroll, panic flaring briefly before her hand brushed against it. She thumbed through the menus until she found where she needed to be. The faces of her family smiled up at her again, though smaller and surrounded by various buttons and options. The contact name was simply Home. Where she should be. Summer paused, thumb trembling over the call button.
You’ll hurt them.
They deserve to know.
You’ll break his heart.
He’s strong. He’ll be strong for them.
Is this the last memory you want to leave them?
I’m scared.
The tears were coming but Summer couldn’t lift her arm high enough to wipe them away. Some big bad huntress you are, she thought bitterly as she wept. Finally stifling her crying, she found the option she wanted - audio only - and hit call. She grimaced as she lifted the scroll and rested it on the bloody ruin of her stomach, trying to steady her breathing while she waited for the call to connect.
---
“Daaaaaaaaad! Your scroll is going off!”
“Bring it here!” Tai shouted back as he tried to wrangle his youngest daughter. “Stay still, missy. You wanted a cool cloak, right?”
Ruby vibrated in place as her father finished fixing her ‘cloak’, a large white pillow case pinned to the girl’s shoulders. As small as she was the pillow case reached down past her knees, though it looked more like a cape a superhero would wear than a proper cloak.
“Okay darling, I think the huntress is ready for action.”
Ruby jumped forward and spun on her heel, striking her best hero pose. “Am I cool?!” she asked excitedly. The effect was mostly lost as the girl struggled to stay still, sock-covered feet slipping on the hardwood.
“Super cool,” Tai agreed, giving his daughter a thumbs up. “Just like Mom. Take your socks off if you guys are playing inside, okay? You’ll hurt yourself.”
“Kay!” she shouted happily before dashing off, slipping and sliding in her socks down the hall to her room. Tai heaved a sigh from the couch as he watched her go.
“Hello, Mama? Helllloooooo?”
His eldest came in from the kitchen with his scroll pressed to her ear and he couldn’t help but snort at her getup. Yang would be playing the terrifying Grimm to Ruby’s huntress, it seemed, and Yang did her best to look the part. A black trash bag was pulled down over her head, holes cut out of the sides for her arms to stick through. A pair of pink heart sunglasses completed her transformation into the dreaded Grimm Yang.
Yang held the scroll out to him. “It says it’s Mama but no one’s saying anything.”
“Maybe she butt dialed,” he said, rolling his eyes when Yang snorted at him saying ‘butt’. “Or the reception’s bad. Lemme see.”
Audio only? Probably poor signal. “Summer? You there babe?”
Yang made a gagging noise and he swatted playfully at the girl. “The huntress is ready,” he whispered to his daughter. “Better go ambush her.”
Yang gave a big nod and snuck off down the hall as quietly as the trash bag would let her. He waited for Yang’s roar and Ruby’s happy squeal before turning his attention back to his scroll.
“Summer?” he asked again, listening. The line wasn’t entirely silent. He could hear breathing on the other end, definitely Summer’s. Maybe she couldn’t talk? He waited, listening as her breathing finally slowed and she forcefully cleared her throat.
“I-I’m here,” she said with a sniffle. “Sorry. Think the pollen’s really bad or something.”
“Mission already wrapped up? Wasn’t expecting you to call until tomorrow morning. You done on your end?”
There was a brief pause before she responded. “Yup...I’m done here.”
“Sweet!” Tai said, rising from the couch. “Think you’ll be back by tomorrow? I’ve been dying to see you. The girls have been too.”
“Not tomorrow,” she said, quietly. “How are the girls doing?”
“Terrors as always. They’re playing huntress now, a miniature Summer Rose vs a...Beringel, I think?” he laughed. “It was kind of hard to tell. Here, let me get them.”
Tai held the scroll away from his face as to not shout in his wife’s ear. “Giiiiiiirrrrrllllllsss! Come talk to your mother!”
Yang barreled into him as he made his way to the girls’ shared room, jumping to snatch the scroll from his hands.
“Hey Mama!” the girl shouted. Noticing her father’s wince, she lowered her voice apologetically. “Sorry. Hey, Mama. You win?”
There was a short pause before Yang responded. “Yup! Me and Ruby are playing. I’m a Grimm and-”
Tai smiled as he watched his daughter pace up and down the hall, rambling excitedly at her mother. Tai was terrified for Yang when Raven left. No mother and a half-assed dad wasn’t what she deserved. But then Summer came. Summer was more than Raven could ever dare to be, becoming the wife he would never be worthy of and the mother Yang deserved.
“-and I told him if he pulled my hair I’d punch him right in the face and he went and pulled my hair so I kinda HAD to punch him in the face and-”
Tai nodded proudly. Summer might not approve, and the principal definitely didn’t, but the sooner boys learned to keep their hands off his daughter the better. Besides, Yang could get away with punching boys her age. The police might have words if Tai was the one who had to do it.
Yang paused to catch her breath but Tai caught her before she could start a new barrage on Summer. “Okay okay, you can tell her the rest when she gets home. Get your sister.”
“Fiiiiiine. Love you Mama, bye!” Yang said, handing the scroll back to Tai before skipping down to her room and poking her head inside. “Mama’s calling!”
Ruby dashed out of the room covered from head to toe in weapons. She had no less than three plastic swords jammed down the front of her pants, a bow strung across her chest, and a squirt pistol in each hand. Tai offered the scroll to her but she just stood on her tiptoes instead, bringing her mouth close to the receiver.
“Busy fighting monsters Mama, can’t talk, byyyyeeeeeee!”
She dashed past him into the living room, turning to fire pretend shots at her Grimm sister. Yang roared in response and gave chase.
“Ruby!” he shouted angrily after the brat.
“Looooooovvvvveeeeeee yooooooooouuuuuuu!” she called back, voice fading as she pounded her way up the stairs.
Tai grunted as he lifted the scroll back to his ear. “I swear, that girl. So, how’d the mission go? If not tomorrow, when do you think you’ll be back?”
At first there was no response. And then he heard sniffles quickly give way to heaving sobs as Summer broke down.
“Summer? Summer!” he shouted. Looking to the girls’ room, he blocked his mouth and whispered urgently. “What’s wrong? What happened? Talk to me.”
She either didn’t hear him or just couldn’t respond as she sobbed into his ear. Panic was starting to gnaw at his stomach. Summer could be emotional when it came to the girls, but never like this, never while still out in the field.
She went on for some time, Tai muttering what comfort he could to her. It didn’t seem to help as she continued to cry, occasionally gasping as she tried to catch her breath. Finally she started to settle, her long shaky breaths filling him with dread.
“Summer,” he repeated. “What happened?”
“I…I...” she stuttered, “I-I’m sorry. I messed up. I won’t...I’m…”
Tai felt an icy fist grip his heart. “I need to run next door!” he yelled up the stairs, already tearing the front door open. “Stay inside and lock the door after me!”
He didn’t wait for his daughters to reply before he was out the door, leaping down the front steps, and tearing down the dirt path towards the next house down the road. Their nearest neighbors were over a mile away, not far at all for him. The fist around his heart squeezed down harder and he dug in, pushing as hard as he could.
“Tai,” she whispered in his ear, “don’t, there’s nothing-”
“Where are you?” he panted, cutting her off.
“I-I don’t know. I was lured away from the village and got lo- lost,” she moaned. “I think it was a semblance. They got me turned around and-”
“They?”
“Huntsmen. S-six. I got them Tai, but…” she gave a forced laugh that tore at his gut. “But they got me too.”
“Where’s Qrow?” he asked, mind racing. Anytime she teamed up with anyone it was with Qrow. He’d be closest, he’d be able to do something.
“Different mission,” she replied, voice strained. “Different continent.”
“Raven! She can-”
“She won’t,” Summer answered, voice thick as she started to cry again. “You know she won’t. I stole her family from her, she won’t-”
“The only reason we have a family is because of you!”
His vision swam with unshed tears as he continued to sprint down the dirt path. Halfway there, just a bit more. He’d call Ozpin, he’d call Raven, anyone that would bring Summer back home again.
“Tai.”
His stomach twisted as he ignored her. One arm pumping, he ran harder.
“Tai, please. Please.”
He wouldn’t lose her. He wouldn’t let their children lose her.
“Tai!” she shouted, and the anguish in her voice caused him to slow. “Please, say something.”
“Keep fighting,” he choked out as he stumbled to a stop. “I can’t lose you. The girls need you.”
He was crying now, ugly sobs that rooted him to the spot. He could hear his wife doing the same.
“Tai,” she finally managed. “I-”
“I love you, Summer,” he interrupted. “I love you so damn much.”
“I love you too,” she whispered, voice thick with emotion. “You’ll tell the girls, won’t you? Tell them how much I love them.”
“They know, they know,” he said, fresh tears pouring down his face.
“Ruby’s so little,” she cried. “She’ll forget me.”
“She won’t,” he argued. “You’re her mom. She loves you. She’ll never forget you.”
“You have to tell them,” Summer begged. “Everyday. Tell them.”
“I will,” he promised. “Every single day. They’ll know how much their mama loves them.”
“Thank you,” she whispered over and over again as she wept.
“We’ll be alright,” he lied. The girls took after their mother. They were strong. He wasn’t. “Don’t you worry.”
He stumbled off the path and found a tree. Letting the rough bark scrape his back, he sunk down to the ground. Summer’s cries slowed and eventually she let out a long, shaky breath.
“Tai…?” she asked quietly.
“I’m here, love.”
“Will you stay with me?”
“I’m not going anywhere,” he promised.
He told her stories from school, about the garden he was finally going to start, and their plans for the following weekend. But mostly he talked about their daughters. He kept talking late into the afternoon as the sun began to set and he continued on, long after Summer Rose fell silent.
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I have no legitimate sleep schedule, so take my list of my Top 20 favorite Gorillaz tracks
20: Momentz - In the same league as Feel Good Inc., don't at me.
19: Stylo - Mos Def and Bobby Womack absolutely devastating on the bridges. Hearing Jeremih perform this live was gorgeous.
18: Humility - Gorillaz made a summer jam, and it sure sounds like it. Damon's getting old, man. Just wants to retire, wants to have a few beers by the beach.
17: Sleeping Powder - iwasgone I M B A C K ASDKJHAJSDHGSKDJHFGKJHASGLDKJAGSD
16: Feel Good Inc. - A legendary song in my formative years, and a soundtrack to the Bush administration as important as “American Idiot”. Only so low on the list because of oversaturation.
15: Rhinestone Eyes - This song is the embellished production of Plastic Beach in a moment. I once made a mashup with this song and "Kangaroo Court" by Capital Cities.
14: Re-Hash - First song on the first album, and it slaps.
13: Ascension - Vince Staples is such a brilliant voice in the latter half of the decade, and I'm pleased to see Damon Albarn recognize this.
12: DARE - Hot damn, this song is a jam.
11: M1 A1 - Hearing this song kick off a Gorillaz concert feels like getting shot by a cannon. It's the "most like the sound the pilliows exuded on the FLCL soundtrack" song in the Gorillaz discography, and for that, I like it.
10: Fire Coming Out Of The Monkey's Head - When Gorillaz want to tell a horror story, they double down and get Dennis Hopper to tell a story of apocalypse. Demon Days is such an immortal album, and this song will live on as a ubiquitous reminder of one's mortality at the hands of greed. Good one for the pessimistic crowds of both 2005 and 2019.
9: Rock the House - BETTER THAN CLINT EASTWOOD. FIGHT ME. When Gorillaz sample audio, they make sure to make the most of it. The ten second sample of John Dankworth's "Modesty Blaise" carries Del the Funky Homosapien's bragging boogie rap through to another level with the tight bass riffs the self-titled album is known for. Echo effects, horn stabs, a fucking recorder. This tracks fucks me up.
8: Souk Eye - I think a track off of The Now Now is one of the best works in the Gorillaz discography. Primarily because following Humanz and The Now Now, Albarn and Hewlett are in a strange time of their lives. Both are now 50 years old, and Gorillaz has lasted 20 years. The concept has run its course for now. To hear this song close this chapter of the Gorillaz story feels fitting. A love song to the many miles taken, only to realize one must leave their current circumstances in order to survive.
7: Last Living Souls - It's a cliche to say a song builds, but when the track starts with little more than a drum machine, and leads to an acoustic breakdown and string section breakdown back-to-back, you can agree this song builds. A lush atmosphere of tiny bleeps and bloops coming together to become greater than the sum of all parts. The song sounds so down and muted on the album, but hearing it live, it feels like a war cry. Both interpretations fit the themes of Demon Days, and it's a good one to start off the album following the Dawn of the Dead sampled "Intro".
6: El Mañana - Hearing this song follow "Busted and Blue" accompanied by visuals of Noodle during the Humanz Tour is the closest I've come to a religious experience at a concert. The sudden immediacy of the situation following "Feel Good Inc" is made aware from sirens and Damon delivering a ragged vocal delivery. The track ebbs and flows in and out of deep bass and washed out highs. It feels like a sigh. It feels like crying. And if you're a Gorillaz lore sucker like I am, this track accompanies the death of Noodle, the single most important event in the canon. Also, the acoustic version reminds one how good Damon is at evoking very quiet emotion.
5: Tomorrow Comes Today - When those drums come in, man, you get teleported to the turn of the millennium. Dirty trip-hop was coming out of the UK en masse, Fatboy Slim released one of my favorites albums of all time "Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars", and Daft Punk's "Discovery" was still a year off. In between some of the most important music of my life being dropped, Gorillaz dropped their first single "Tomorrow Comes Today" at the end of the year and solidified their place for years to come. Slinking and sly, velvety and smoky. This is Gorillaz sending up a culture of basement shows and turntablism. If Think Tank is the first "Gorillaz album", this is when the transition was made manifest.
4: On Melancholy Hill - Ugh, this song. This song is pretty. Full stop. It's one of Gorillaz' very few love songs, and it still manages to capture the plasticine sadness of Plastic Beach. Plastic Beach was my first real and honest introduction to Gorillaz in college, as I only remember hearing about Demon Days from advertising in 2005, when I was 12. This track was just a treat to hear in spring/summer, and a reason I made so many (see: too many) of my finals about Gorillaz. Around the time Humanz was teased, I went back and realized this song had held up so well. It's just a universal sentiment about how the world we know is falling apart, but let's have this moment together. The acoustic version is an honest to God lullaby. Something I can play my future children. Not bad for only 16 lines of lyric.
3: Empire Ants - If "On Melancholy Hill" is about finding the beauty in ruin, "Empire Ants" holds a magnifying glass up to ruin, wondering how it came to be. Listening to the album, "Superfast Jellyfish" came just before. A satirical take on consumeristic meals leading into a song about how we are personified as ants, marching in tandem to complete our tasks and build ever outward, never truly satisfied until death. It is a reminder to look upon the greater picture that is our world and see the moments of tranquility for what they are. Sadly, these moments do not last, and Little Dragon's part reminds us we are part of a machine, ever moving, ever crumbling. It is beauty interrupted by obligation, and for a kid who was in college when this album dropped, and who is now 26 and facing a lifetime of having to make my own decisions, it's an anthem.
2: Hong Kong - I remember loading the entirety of Plastic Beach onto my iPod Nano, and having an iTunes gift card left to spend from Christmas/birthday/etc. Having seen the Demon Days Live concert, I knew this track had to be on my beautiful iPod Nano. That, and for some reason, "Dirty Harry (Schtung Chinese New Year Remix). I remember long car rides staring out the window, listening to this track as the scenery blew by. I remember reading up on this track's history, how it was released in-between Demon Days and Plastic Beach and it shows, how it's a tale of neo-industrial China and Hong Kong's place in both Chinese and British history. This is both a love letter and warning to the nation of the apocryphal train ride that inspired Demon Days. In a world where China seems to be ever rising, "Hong Kong" is a song that asks questions of how this will affect the world as a whole, using Hong Kong as a metaphor. That's nothing to say of the wondrous instrumentation, the piano part in particular on my wishlist of "Songs I Should Learn on Piano Before I Die". Many call it Gorillaz' most underrated track, and I agree full stop.
1: DoYaThing - I'M THE SHIT. I SAID I'M THE SHIT. Above all else, Gorillaz is a collaborative effort of hundreds of musicians from all walks of life. When you throw James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem, a band that rose in the same timeframe as Gorillaz, and Andre 3000, my personal pick for the G.O.A.T., magic happens. Uncut, unedited, 13 minute magic happens. Is it a bit of a meme? Sure. It is a shitpost disguised as a legitimate song? Why not. But sometimes, the goofy aspect of Gorillaz can craft audio gold. And aren't we all about memes on this blog? Albarn's at his most snotty white boy. Murphy's production and vocals are a reminder he was every music nerd's wet dream in the 2000s. Andre 3000 is just laying into every line with a confidence not heard since Stankonia. Everything about this song is designed and manufactured to sound like it it running off the rails in a fit of confidence. It is both wildly powerful and mournfully unaware. In short, to quote the great music critic Todd in the Shadows on the subject of LCD Soundsystem’s song “Losing My Edge”, "(It is) a critical darling... This was tailor made for critics. It is perfect music nerd bait, total pandering." DoYaThing, my favorite Gorillaz song of all time.
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⋮ ❄ ї𝐜𝐲 𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐨: COACHELLA REVIEW AWKWARD MOMENTS, THE HIGHS AND LOWS, AND MORE !!
My first issue with Coachella was the apparent sound issues and set times not being respected. Now I don’t know who else did this but Khalid going over his set really blew me. Because not only did it take it longer for H.E.R to get on stage and do her thing, it also pushed Ariana Grande set back. Khalid performance to me was a snooze, I loved when he brought out Halsey and Taiji to perform but sadly enough their mics weren’t even working for me to enjoy it. But they weren’t the only ones to have sound issues which so let’s get into this I wanted to get that off my chest.
Here are the 12 awkward moments:
For starters, Solange had to cancel her set, due to "production delays"
Nicki Minaj's earpiece didn't work during her performance with Ariana Grande
Kacey Musgraves tried to get the crowd to yeehaw, and the crowd messed up
Non-ethnic people unashamedly shouting nigga during Virgil set.
Billie Eilish forgot the words to "all the good girls go to hell".
Vince Staples' mic went out during his performance with Billie,
Lizzo's audio went out (but at least she kept dancing).
Diddy's audio was messed up, which made the performance sound not ideal.
The Coachella crowd's audio was muted for all performances for the livestream, leading many to believe people weren't into it.
Calypso Rose fell on stage.
H.E.R. played 20 minutes too late for their set because of khalid, upsetting a lot of Arianators.
The lighting was so dark that people had trouble seeing Ariana during her set!
WHOA, HIGH, AND LOW.
HIGH: Musicianship was out in full force. A lot of artists showed off their bands this year. See first Anderson .Paak, who conducted an army of brilliant players while also running between a raised drum kit and the front of the stage to rap to the masses. Musgraves, too, had a band of next-level rockers who jammed the bejesus out of something like a modern-day “The Chain” by Fleetwood Mac so she could take a brief respite from being everyone’s favorite new superstar. Meanwhile, artists like Childish Gambino and Khalid brought out full choirs for showstopping vocal moments (a preview of Kanye’s church service to come next week, perhaps?).
LOW: The Sonora tent had wack sound. First the name. Try being fried in the Californian desert for a weekend and not constantly misnaming this the Sonoma tent. Sonoma makes sense. Anyway, the sound in here was abysmal for two out of three sets I witnessed. The problems with alternative pop act Still Woozy spanned beyond just bad sound though. (The part where he humped an inflatable unicorn comes to mind.) A shame, in general, considering that this is the spot for many bands and indie acts who, you know, are primarily all about sound.
WHOA: Janelle Monáe was Coachella’s biggest fan. It’s quite possible that Janelle Monáe saw more sets than anyone this weekend, in addition to performing her own. She was filmed side-of-stage on Friday night when Childish Gambino came back briefly before the encore of his headlining set. She was seen running down the middle of the crowd at Unknown Mortal Orchestra on Sunday. She hot-footed it to Lizzo straight after. Who even are you if Janelle Monáe didn’t come to your set?
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QISE Review - Tokyo Edition - Day 10
Back to last night-- somehow, there's THREE semifinals for the Women's 100m Dash. Maybe rename it Tri-Final? Then final runs for swimming--I'm definitely done with that sport until 2024. They made a big deal about Caeleb Dressel winning five golds in a single games. While it is incredibly impressive, there are more swimming events than ever to compete in, and Phelps normalized the idea of hitting a lot of them.
As prime time ends, the announcement goes out that Biles will not compete on the floor. Since that seems to be the safest event, I doubt she will do balance beam.
We got some shotput in late night--I wish they showed more of the field events on broadcast TV (I know, I can watch it on NBCQISE). BMX finals followed (mute the audio and make up your own trick names!), and golf was jammed in to fill time.
And onto daytime. Cross-Country Equestrian? It looks like a supersized mini-golf course. We then got some fencing, which was far more interesting than the volleyball match that followed it. Then tennis (I thought they had a separate channel for this). Then more beach volleyball, a rerun of last night's BMX, yet more golf, and a rerun of women's diving--and just like that, I fast forwarded over 4 hours.
NBC keeps showing the winning attempt (and only that attempt) of the field events. With nothing to compare it to, you have no real idea how far they jumped/threw something. Meanwhile, they show endless track heats on broadcast.
Men's Gymnastics Individual competition was buried on Sunday late afternoon, I assume because very few US gymnasts are involved (of course, the ladies are in prime time tonight). Jimmy Roberts went back to the 1964 Tokyo games, and Billy Mills' historic 10,000m race, for his daily report.
Moving to prime time coverage (brought to you by VISA), with Tirico reporting from a Japanese street market. Guess he got bored of the dock. More track semis, then onto the women's individual gymnastics events. Cue the dramatic story lines. McKayla Skinner and her COVID scare, Jade Carey and her dad coaching her, the video check-in with the families (brought to you by Microsoft Teams--when you're contractually obligated not to use Zoom).
More beach volleyball? Ugh. Enough for one day--more tomorrow.
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Yes, I’m on a LotR kick lately, (I’m overwhelmingly stressed, my anxiety’s back full force and my depression’s not far behind, and those movies/books are my one surefire way to at least get some temporary relief, so sue me) but can I bring up three things I’ve always deeply admired about the films?
First, the sound design. Yeah, the soundtrack is amazing, but I’m talking about the non-music sounds, specifically the audio cues for when the Ring is tempting someone. There’s a subtle jingle of the chain that cuts through the audio whenever it’s being implied that someone is getting affected by the ring. Sometimes they back it up with deep, ominous music, but other times they don’t. Those times in particular are a lovely bit of design for me because they’ve set it up previously with ominous music, so when they don’t have that being obvious, but still have the established jingle, you get the idea subconsciously and it raises the tension. And it’s not something that’s there constantly, it’s only when they need to show the ring really working at someone. There are plenty of times you can see the chain moving and it should be jingling, but you don’t hear it coming through. Listen for it next time you watch; I believe the first time you hear it is when Frodo trips on the mountain and Boromir picks up the ring on the chain, tho you can hear a similar sound before the chain is introduced whenever the ring is picked up or set down--a sort of tinkling sound, but deeper than the jingle with the chain.
Second, Elijah Wood’s acting, and/or the direction he received. Specifically the fact that after the end of TT (arguably after the middle of TT), anytime Frodo smiles, his eyes are still completely dead. He smiles a lot in Fellowship, and it’s genuine happiness. His whole face lights up, and he’s clearly feeling it. But after Osgiliath, if he smiles (which is rare til near the end), it’s a half smile that looks painfully forced, or else it’s a face-only smile. His eyes aren’t in it. They might crinkle a little, but he’s got a blank stare going on, looking like he’s kind of not-present. In fact, as the movies progress you can watch him go from being expressive, albeit reserved, to completely blank in most of RotK. After they destroy the ring, he gets some expression back, but it’s still muted, and his eyes are dull. I think you can see it most in his eyes when he smiles, because it’s a contrast. He’s just going through the motions, and he may be genuinely feeling happiness, but he’s still touched by that emptiness and hurt. It makes sense, but it’s such a powerful touch that shows what he’s been through has really changed him. He endured more than anyone should have to, and had all the strength, joy, and hope sucked out of him, came home with serious PTSD and (I argue) depression. He’s still haunted by everything, and it colors even the happy moments; it’s a very subtle bit of acting, but very poignant. That, I think, is why him turning around and smiling at the hobbits at the end of RotK is so impactful, because for the first time since early TT, that was a genuine, heartfelt smile, showing he’d finally found peace.
Third, and I touched on this a bit in the second one, the depression-coding for Frodo. Literally everything about this child screams Major Depressive Episode (and it’s all the dang ring’s fault). We see him for who he was before all this nonsense in Fellowship, but after he makes the decision to go on his own, you see more of the visual depression symptoms set in. There are hints in Fellowship; he starts spending more time alone, he is visibly sadder than he was, and his expression is drawn and worried. But this isn’t unusual, given everything he went through and having just lost Gandalf. But come Two Towers, he’s showing more signs. Outbursts of aggression toward friends, mood swings, insomnia at night, excessive daytime sleepiness, loss of appetite, fatigues easily, withdrawing vocally and socially as he quits talking to his social support, expresses feelings of being alone, and he smiles rarely. He starts getting more of a static, blank look on his face that rarely changes, even when he should be expressing strong emotions like panic, fear, or anger--a visual representation of the numbness he is feeling. In Fellowship he cries, screams, laughs, shows his terror, and has a wide range of emotion on his face; starting in TT, that all begins to disappear with only a few exceptions. He also slows down visibly; his speech and movement get slower by a wide margin, which is literally one of the things on a depression screening. All of these things are, but that’s such a specific one that I couldn’t help but notice it. And these symptoms don’t really go away after the ring is destroyed, they just retreat a bit and are more easily masked, but that blank expression and slow speech/movement are still there. This was also seen in the books, and I love that they kept it for the films, because it was one of the things that really connected me with Frodo; I see SO much of my own experiences with MDD in the way Frodo acts and reacts to things, and I don’t think it was accidental, either. But either way, there’s no denying that Frodo exhibits classic symptoms of major depression (as well as PTSD, and that is 100% blatant and obvious especially in the books). I just really appreciate all the work that went into it, and honestly it helps me a lot to have someone I can hardcore relate to and project onto, which is probably why LotR is my go-to when I’m in a down-swing.
Anyway, sorry for all my ramblings lately, it’s just that analysis and these films are both My Jam, and I’m super excited to get to see the Extendeds for the first time soon! (May have to do a liveblog for that, or just a massive reaction after the fact. We’ll see)
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