#also the music for this is so good the choral | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

otsanda · 8 months

Text

So @sayuri-of-the-valley and I were talking about the music in Good Omens 2 and particularly the similarities and differences in the music that happens 'Before the Beginning' (that's the song title) and at The Kiss (that's not the song title) and I have accidentally developed Theories and had Thoughts, so I’m gonna share them in case anyone else wants to weigh in.

First of all, the general musical structure is similar. They are both dramatic moments that start quietly, grow to a powerful crescendo at the Big Moment, and then resolve more quietly again, but with subtle changes that make them feel very different. Without actually going through and checking it, they sound to be at roughly the same tempo (around 140 BPM) and comparable time signatures.

Now, I'm treating these two dramatic moments and the surrounding music as two songs, although in the soundtrack the music surrounding The Kiss is actually divided into two songs itself: I Forgive You and Don't Bother, so that's. Fine. I'm normal about that. I'm sure dividing that in half doesn't Mean Anything at all. I'm NORMAL about it!!! Ah... anyways.

The instrumentation for both Before the Beginning and The Kiss is also very similar. Both songs start with orchestral winds and strings and add a powerful choral part (on the same pure round vowel sound, no less!) on the big crescendo. Both add orchestral chimes (bells) for that epic religious feel. Both the nebula creation and the kiss were a revelation. Something like a religious experience.

And then both songs resolve featuring wind and strings again, among other instruments. The "after" part of both songs also features more pitched percussion (harp, maybe a celesta, glockenspiel, possibly a dulcimer or some other fun, ethereal pitched percussion in Before the Beginning, but interestingly a piano in Don't Bother). Ouch. That hurts.

Now, to me: the piano is possibly representing the nightingale, Crowley and Aziraphale's love of Earth and humanity, whereas the glockenspiel and etc. may be more representative of heaven. Just a guess. I would have to do more careful listening for a more solid theory.

I don’t have perfect pitch so it’s hard to tell without getting out my instruments or transcribing the piece, but I’m willing to bet ‘I Forgive You’ is in the relative minor key to Before the Beginning’s mostly major key (I *think* ‘Before the Beginning’ might be mostly in the key of C major and ‘I Forgive You’ in A minor, but I could be wrong). Regardless, the former is major and the latter is more minor, but otherwise a lot of the chord structures, especially at the big moment, sound very similar.

More on instrumentation: ‘Before the Beginning’ uses more (ethereal?) flutes in the wind sections and The Kiss uses more reed-based, (earthy?) winds like clarinet, bassoon, oboe, etc. Different feel, but the same kind of structure. Both moments heavily feature a big string section for the nice full orchestral sound.

Before the Beginning has a lot going on musically before the crescendo and it intentionally feels kind of chaotic and unformed bc each instrument family is doing something a little different, building anticipation, etc. and then at the big crescendo, they all come together. Very powerful. Then after the crescendo, we get a subtle, playful reprise/variation of the Good Omens Main Theme. The strings and the winds are no longer entirely together at this point. They’re sort of playing off one another, leaving space. Having a conversation.

By comparison, in ‘I Forgive You’ the wind/strings start off playing together, in a sad version of unison before the crescendo (they both knew the conversation they were having wasn’t going to end well but they fundamentally *understand* one another now; they’ve been talking for millions of years). And AFTER the crescendo of The Kiss, the song ‘Don’t Bother’ DROPS the majority of the string section and gives the melody to a solo violin (alone!!!!). Even worse (better) the strings and the woodwinds and pitched percussion are no longer playing together. This time, they aren’t even having a conversation. They’re musically doing a separate lines. It feels extremely lonely (because it is). The violin is very exposed. The piano is very exposed. Even the chorus sounds exposed (smaller group of singers?). This ALSO includes a reprise/variation on the main GO theme, but instead of being playful it’s extremely sad (as though you didn't notice). The rest of the orchestra is still there, providing background, but it's not the same.

The Biggest Decision (the song after Don't Bother) has a lot more of those ethereally coded instruments again. Harp, pitched percussion. Full string section. Angelic chorus. Aziraphale is making the hardest/worst decision to return to heaven.

And to round it out, once we get to "The End?" we are back to piano. Our duo is separated. Now in place of the solo violin we have solo cello and piano. Gutting. We get notes of the ethereal celesta (I think). The piano keeps us grounded, but cello is a big focus. We also get more of that haunting chorus and violin runs. And then we end with solo piano playing the same 5-note run three times. Alone. After every other instrument has dropped out. Very lonely.

Just for fun, (and to end on a slightly more positive note), I went back and listened to the ox rib music as well, which was surprisingly consistent with some of my theories from up above and also not on the soundtrack so although I'm sure it has a name, I certainly don't know it.

In the ox rib section, there are more instruments before the first big moment (when Aziraphale tries the food) that are going back and forth. Again it sounds to me like they’re having a conversation… tempting and being tempted. Winds and strings (strings are tremoloing like at the kiss for that sweet, sweet tension), but also brass instruments. We have some more ethereal sounding pitched percussion, especially *before* he tries the food but afterwards it... switches to piano! Like I said: Earth!!!

The choir is on a different vowel altogether for this part (more aggressive and ominous, a taller Ah instead of a round Oh/Aw like the first two musical moments). The choir is also much more rhythmic. Again, increasing tension. And, of course, after he tries the food the music supports the tension of the scene by gradually building, getting louder and bigger after the key moment has already passed. It's super interesting that Aziraphale trying the food is actually quite quiet, but the music grows quickly afterwards. Sort of the inverse of how the other two scenes play out musically! Fascinating!!

Anyways, let me know what you think I got wrong and what I missed and if I thought something was a celesta when it was actually a glockenspiel or something. I am thrilled and devastated by this incredible music.

#Good Omens #Good Omens 2 #Good Omens Soundtrack #Good Omens music #David Arnold #Neil Gaiman #Good Omens meta #I have so much more I could say #but believe it or not this was the condensed version #also the strings used two types of tremolo which is neat #did I detect some col legno in there as well?#god I love orchestral music #Also I think there was mandolin or some other kind of picked tremolo in Before the Beginning #I love to see it... or hear it I guess

472 notes · View notes

leftduck9986 · 4 months

Text

Picture This (What's in the Cardboard Box? A Meta/Theory/Watsit Featuring Mary Poppins)

Happy New Year!

A fun theory for you, told with accompanying picture collages from the Good Omens series, spoilers for Disney's Mary Poppins and occasional quotes transcribed from the Good Omens audio book.

As unbelievably silly this theory is, please remember, DO NOT ASK OR TAG NEIL GAIMAN ON FAN THEORY, thank you kindly.

After Armageddon is averted at the airbase, Aziraphale and Crowley are worried about what will happen to them:

"Is is over do you think?" Crowley shrugged. "Not for us, I'm afraid."

"I don't think you need to go worrying. I know all about you two. Don't you worry."

Adam knows all about Aziraphale and Crowley, ooOOOOooo!

He ALSO knows:

that Crowley had seen Mary Poppins on television one Christmas (...) and while he toyed with the idea of a hurricane as an effective and incredibly stylish way of disposing of the queue of nannies (...) outside the Cultural Attaché's Regents Park residence, he opted for a tube strike instead. And when the day came, only one nanny turned up;

that Aziraphale is extremely intelligent - And it was an angelic intelligence, which, while not being particularly higher than human intelligence, is much broader and has the advantage of having thousands of years of practice. - and what took Agnes Nutter's descendants centuries to decipher, he did in next-to-no-time, and;

that Anathema Device received Agnes Nutter's Further Nice and Accurate Prophecies and chose not to continue her life as a descendant.

He stopped halfway across the field. Someone was burning something. He looked at the plume of white smoke above the chimney of Jasmine Cottage and he paused. And he listened. He could hear laughter. It wasn't a witch's cackle - it was the low and earthy guffaw of someone who knew a great deal more than could possibly be good for them.

The white smoke writhed and curled above the cottage chimney. For a fraction of an instant, Adam saw outlined in the smoke a handsome female face. A face that hadn't been seen on Earth for over three hundred years. Agnes Nutter winked at him.

And if Adam knows what Agnes knows, there's no need to go messing anybody about. No need to worry ...

In the 1964 Disney film, Mary Poppins, Jane and Michael's letter advertising for a new nanny is torn up by their father Mr Banks and thrown into the fireplace. The shredded pieces of paper fly up and out of the chimney.

After a sudden and rather focused hurricane blows the queue of other nannies away, in blows the Practically-Perfect-in-Every-Way Mary Poppins. During her "interview" she reads from Jane and Michael's advertisement, MIRACULOUSLY intact.

∢ ∢ ∢ ∢ ∢ ∢ ∢

Musical interlude: when Aziraphale arrives in Edinburgh, the show music makes me want to sing "Chim Chim Cher-ee" (hmm, same style and minor in tonality, with the visual of all those chimney rooftops in-scene - that's gotta be on purpose, no?)

∢ ∢ ∢ ∢ ∢ ∢ ∢

The heavenly miracle sound - there are 2 parts to it. First, a descending bass, Vvvvvvmmm, second, a choral "ah" layered with shimmering. So, if attempting to sing it A Cappella: "Vvvvvvmmm-AH-shh"

At the end of Gabriel's trial: "I'll just need a-" He hears (edit, Sunday 7th Jan 2024: initiates the miracle with his eyes and we hear) the bass drop, Vvvvvvmmm, looks up in time to catch the cardboard box on the latter miracle sound, AH-shh, then looks inside the box and smiles in recognition. He now has a mission, and whomever has just sent him the box - and what's inside it (edit, Sunday 7th Jan 2024: the cardboard box) - is going to help.

At the very beginning of Heaven's overhead CCTV footage, the cardboard box can be seen with a very dark something inside (zooming in is required at this stage as the image begins small). Being able to see clearly to the bottom of the box's interior, in relatively natural light at the bookshop, one would think the intensely bright light in Heaven would also allow for a clear view, especially from above ...

While the Further Prophecies were only loose pages - Agnes would have known that they were going to be burnt anyway, so why go to the trouble of having them published and bound? - they could have been miracle-d into something modern and fancy, perhaps in the style of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?

Gabriel places the matchbox in with it (I know I'd be worried about the fly escaping, as well as it being jostled about with the matchbox once Gabriel turns the cardboard box up-side-down, but after seeing the fly crawl back into the cardboard box just before Aziraphale brings it inside the bookshop, I'm trusting in the fly's ability to be controlled by will of thought and that the fly knows to stay close to its master). He closes just 2 flaps of the box and then a bass whoosh sounds in the right speaker (not part of the soundtrack). The "book" has entered the fly! Has it stayed in the fly?

Then, on Earth, Gabriel approaches the bookshop. The only Whickber Street person seen to be using their phone AS A PHONE and not a camera, [placeholder name "Mary"] is listening intently. Perhaps the voice on the other end of the call says something like, "how goes operation Escort the Queen to the Hive?" and perhaps she answers, "we have the package safely surrounded, it has almost arrived, standby ..."

Then, she and hand-on-face-guy have front row 'seats' (standing room only) to the show, behind Gabriel; beginning to lift her phone when it looks like Gabriel has been rejected entry, before Aziraphale finally agrees to let him in. She is the very first to leave the scene when the mission is complete, signalling for everyone to resume their usual buzzing about, as if to say, "He's in. Aaaaaand we out!"

(These last two paragraphs were a summary of my first Tumblr post, The Whickber Street Bees and Their Queen.)

∢ ∢ ∢ ∢ ∢ ∢ ∢

When Jim explains that he feels like an empty house, he justifies remembering "how it all began" by looking where the furniture isn't (the gaps!) and it seems that every other instance - lavender eyes activated or not - is covered here with this statement, what with recalling more about where his memory is, as well as Metatron's "institutional problem" line from the trial. The only instance unaccounted for with his explanation, especially because of the trance-like state of delivery followed with Jim in distress (not quite the same as his first memory in episode 2) - the tempest prophecy from episode 3.

Perhaps Gabriel was in part control about what thoughts needed to remain in his head, or it's simply because they were the last ones in use, kept at the forefront by will and repetition, in order to get himself to the bookshop. Though, he was given an ineffable assist, which perhaps included re-configuring the 4 box flaps to collapse, interlocking pin-wheel style?

So, the Whickber Street "bees" have provided an escort for getting the Queen to the hive or if you prefer, the book delivered to the librarian/historian. However, if the book was the first thing to enter the fly and then say, was accidentally swapped into Gabriel for his memories, the Tempest prophecy came forth when Crowley accessed it, by means of a keyword. An INDEX!!!

Agnes has heard you Crowley, and Agnes says, "N-gotchya."

∢ ∢ ∢ ∢ ∢ ∢ ∢

According to a previous meta/theory, the event this prophecy is referring to has already happened, so it would make sense that, as Anathema's mother says in S1E2, "The answers are always in the book, it's just sometimes you don't see them 'til afterwards."

Or rather, as Anathema says to Newt in the book: "[Agnes] managed to come up with the kind of prediction that you can only understand after the thing has happened ... she just picked up one little fragment of information ... most of the time she comes up with such an oblique reference that you can't work it out until it's gone past and then it all slots into place."

It would have been only too obvious to hear Jim speak this prophecy in the English style of the 1600s! But if the echoed voice we're hearing is Anathema's - did she ever pronounce the extra "e"s and "a"s at the ends of words, in the show?

∢ ∢ ∢ ∢ ∢ ∢ ∢

When Gabriel has his memories returned to him, has the book re-entered the fly?

When he and Beelzebub are reprising Everyday, is Gabriel, with his left finger, releasing the fly into the room, for Crowley to capture shortly afterward once 'alone' (the chair facing the staircase)?

WITH. HIS. TONGUE???

Just after Aziraphale touches his fingers to his lips, is he repositioning the fly for safe-keeping, as with The Bullet Catch?

Finally, in the lift during the closing credits, Aziraphale is trying so hard NOT to smile before giving in. It's as if ...

As If ...

AS IF HE IS READING THE BOOK!!! Discovering and reading the book, turning the pages with his eyes right before the big smile!

AAAAAAAHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And now Aziraphale knows what Agnes knows.

From experience, he can trust that any prediction made by Agnes Nutter will always be "on the money."

#good omens #good omens 2 #good omens meta #good omens theory #still haven't grasped the difference between meta and theory #really NOT liking how the Metatron's use of the phrase “Spit-spot” hit me just now with a pang

89 notes · View notes

stuffforthestash · 1 month

Text

Modern Academic AU pt2

Originally started because Professor Raphael got stuck in my head and I had (foolishly) hoped if I wrote down some thoughts, that would be the end of it 🫠

Part 1 and Part 3 ------------------------------ Minthara - School of Law. Used to be a high profile defense lawyer but was barred from practice under questionable circumstances, so now she teaches courses on criminal procedure and domestic violence litigation. Male students are actively warned against taking any of her classes. Elminster - Liberal Arts Dean. Has been in the position forever and is something of a legend at this point. He's Gale's mentor and long time family friend, and he delights in showing up unannounced to Prof. Dekarios's lectures. The two of them have a longstanding tradition of leaving surprise pranks in each others offices. Rolan - English department. Newly upgraded from adjunct instructor to junior full time staff, he's been assigned the special hell of having to teach the general ed. introductory writing courses that none of the other faculty want to deal with. He hates it and thinks it's a complete waste of his talents, but is determined to stick through it long enough to get that research grant. Alfira - School of Theater & Music. Teaches vocal technique and musicality at every level. She's also the faculty coordinator for multiple on-campus performance groups, directs the university chorale and composes all their arrangements, is herself in a local acapella group, AND does community arts & outreach programs for kids.

Gortash - Newly appointed Dean of Information Studies. He's brilliant, he talks big about new frontiers in infosec and grand designs in the future potential of AI... and is already under investigation by the ethics board for misappropriation of university funds. Ketheric - VP of Alumni and he's been with the university longer than Elminster. Nobody knows why he hasn't just retired yet, despite how much he seems to hate his job. Orin - School of Fine Art. She "teaches" a course on performative art. It's weird and extremely uncomfortable for everyone involved, but for some reason people keep enrolling. Durge - Fine Art Dep't Chair. The deeply disturbing nature of his personal art aside, he's actually good at his job as both the chair and an instructor. Mostly teaches anatomy and live model studio courses. Ulder - VP of Public Affairs. He's a great public face for the university, everybody loves him... except the son he refuses to acknowledge after a falling out years ago. Mizora - Human resources admin. Loves her job because it gives her power over other people. Is more likely to be the source of an HR complaint than the one who actually solves the problem. Thaniel (as requested!) - Also HR. He's the one you hope gets assigned to whatever you need because he's great at it. Is also the only one who can reliably get in touch with Halsin; it's not well known that he can, so he'll usually agree to help those who figure out to ask him.

------------------------------

This started going long, so it looks like I'll be doing a third (and probably final?) installment to cover Dammon, Zevlor, Wulbren, Aylin & Isobel, and any other requests!

#bg3 #baldurs gate 3 #minthara #elminster #rolan #alfira #enver gortash #ketheric thorm #orin the red #durge #mizora #ulder ravengard #thaniel

48 notes · View notes

spacelazarwolf · 2 years

Text

i will never forgive the choral world for getting its hands on “i believe in the sun”, a poem scratched on the wall in a concentration camp by a jewish prisoner during the holocaust, and turning it into a feel-good “credo” (yes, one composer literally called it a fucking CREDO, which is a CHRISTIAN prayer/declaration of faith). i’m singing it with a choir i’m in and this is the first time i have ever sung it on a concert that also programmed a jewish composer. this is in fact the second concert ever in my entire academic and professional career where i’ve sung jewish music by a jewish composer, but you bet your ass i’ve sung and heard “even when he is silent” dozens of times in multiple settings and never once do they mention that it was a jew who wrote this poem or what the words truly mean. never once do people discuss the context of this poem and the horrors the author endured.

the line that sticks out to me is “i believe in love, even when i feel it not” because so many people claim to relate to that line or want to believe that it’s about the treatment the people who were tortured and murdered in the holocaust endured, but something i would like to very aggressively and unkindly remind y’all is that the rest of the world knew what was happening and was complicit or actively helped the nazis. that line “even when i feel it not” to me isn’t just about the nazis. it’s about the people who turned their backs on their jewish friends and neighbors when the time came to take a stand. it’s about the millions of people who watched while millions of jews, romani, queer, and disabled people were systematically murdered and did absolutely nothing. that line isn’t fucking about when you’re feeling kinda lonely.

anyway i am so so so SO fucking tired of non jews programming this fucking piece. please, if you are a director or choir teacher of any kind, please stop programming this piece. or if you absolutely must, you should also be programming pieces by jewish composers as well, and you should be talking extensively with your choir and the audience about the context of this piece. stop only consuming art by and about dead jews and start appreciating and respecting us while we’re alive.

#jewish #jumblr #choir #choral music

642 notes · View notes

boltlightning · 5 months

Text

hey gamers. the dead man’s chest soundtrack has been rolling around my head a lot lately; the extended soundtrack from this playlist has been a godsend. specifically i want to gush about the instrumentation.

the potc soundtracks use a standard orchestra composition, focusing on strings and brass and less on woodwinds. DMC introduces the kraken and davy jones, who are associated with davy jones’ organ (of course) and — well. hans zimmer went nuts and recorded the orchestra, then piped that recording back over the music through a guitar amp. it sounds uncannily like an electric bass (and yes, a guitar now and then), so for our purposes i am going to say it sounds like electric bass with CRUNCHY reverb. it seems a little counterintuitive to associate ancient and cursed beings with more modern, experimental sounds, but altogether it creates this delightful, otherworldly, primordial rock band feel.

let’s take the track from when we first meet davy jones, dutchman arrival, for instance. it gives us a touch of that electric bass underneath jones’ theme when the sailors first show up, then pivots to normal orchestration as will is fighting. HE doesn’t know who they are, only that they’re odd — and when jones shows up finally, you get the bass holding that melody all on its own, this terrifying, growling refrain that sounds like it’s seething just under the surface. an undercurrent…a heartbeat, perhaps.

hold onto that thought. let’s move on. davy jones and his organ. jones having something as dramatic, expensive, and dominating as an organ on his ship speaks to how authoritative his character is — he’s playing his self-pitying music while his crew is breaking their backs to keep this awful ship sailing. he plays it solo, then the entire orchestra joins in, and beneath it all…the thrum of a heart. the melody of jones’ theme fits lock-and-key with the beat of a heart. here, everything is orchestral, but we’ve added the warm tones of choral voices under it all, like this is a horrible waltz that everyone aboard is doomed to keep dancing. and then it spirals into discordant chaos.

as a bonus: pipe organs have the countermelody playing with foot pedals, usually. imagine jones and his peg leg playing this kind of shit while the squid beard tickles the keys

i also L O V E the chorus humming in the back half of the whipping scene. it makes my skin crawl.

this all builds to the second kraken attack, the attack that introduces the viewer to the kraken in person. just…the constant buzz of the bass under these insane, warning low brass flourishes. the guitar-alike sound is in full force here and drapes this growly, eerie echo over the entire score. just when you hit the natural apex of the song, when you think you might reach some sort of musical resolution, it cuts out for a caesura — and bursts back in with the organ melody, huge and overwhelming over it all, as the kraken FULLY CRACKS A SHIP IN HALF. just in case you forgot who made this all happen. this is the EXACT way a heroic theme would triumphantly emerge in any classical piece of work. eat your heart out, holst.

the way jones’ theme is reprised with horns in the ship to ship score is so chilling too. it’s played in will's instrument after all! it's this teeny little bit of hope, a sign the pearl might get away — yet it’s getting lost in all the tenor voices just to really remind you how hopeless this all is. and then everything drops away and jones’ theme fully emerges in the low bass; it’s raunchy and nasty and so, so scary. god. what a score.

they do such a good job with the themes, even without visuals it’s so easy to tell who is on screen doing what in any of the tracks from the wheel of fortune section (specifically heart madness on the extended soundtrack). if there’s soaring brass and string stings, you know local romance heroes will and norrington are trying to kill each other on the wheel. if it’s quiet with a plucky little string soli, low reeds, and snare accents, you know jack is doing some shenanigans off to the side. if there’s deep and growling bass and organ swells, it’s elizabeth and pintel and ragetti racing against the crew of the dutchman for the heart.

in particular there’s this delightful bit in the track immediately preceding it, 3-way sword fight, where the melody starts and stops as all three dudes with swords are getting their footing on the various precarious places they take their fight. it builds and builds, and soon the melody is getting juggled by three different groups of instruments as elizabeth gets drawn into the fight too. talk about chaos.

on a related, but more lowkey character note: i ADORE that beckett’s associated instrument is the harpsichord. you only hear it a little bit in the track when will is bargaining with beckett. the harpsichord immediately puts you in the mind of aristocratic england; it was a household instrument back then, it’s plausibly an instrument beckett could play himself! it’s particular, but at the same time it’s subtle. it’s not dominating. he’s a new player in the game with a unique position, and damn does he know how to play the game.

and FINALLY. to compare beckett to someone ostentatious in a much different way: jack is associated with two themes, summed up perfectly in this track. this big, great, sweeping, seafaring melody we know and love, with regimented snare drum and timpani, the whole nine yards. it invokes jack’s reputation, the captain in his title…and then it fades to that stupid little soli, the gremlin trickster we all know and love.

yet compare that track with this demo of the same themes — it’s the exact same music, just with a solo piano, and it sounds so moody, even when the key and tempo pick up. THAT’S the power of instrumence baby! the texture, timbre, and context of any given melody changes the weight and impact, even if the notes are exactly the same.

finally finally: i hope the timpani player finds a million dollars every day in the street.

ok. phew. this soundtrack makes me want to go learn cello and i needed to get that out of my system. thanks for coming to my tedtalk.

#bolt watches potc #pirates of the caribbean #dead man's chest #music #(i worked hard on this i'm putting it in the tag)#hey also. if anyone knows which orchestras recorded the soundtracks i'd be forever grateful!! want to make sure they're credited

51 notes · View notes

stone-stars · 2 months

Note

Illuminate me on music!, I'm not good at it but I like hearing people talking things I don't know. So idk, start anywhere I wanna learn. Gimme music faces from emily's work

lol there's SO many places i could start. first, let me say that i get so in the weeds with this. you don't need to be me. however, murph and emily are really deliberate with their music placement so even if you don't go super deep, you can start to notice patterns, especially with the super frequently used songs.

when it comes to frequent songs, alli operationslipperypuppet also did a very helpful "hey how concerned should you be" breakdown of some common songs, which i'll link here. i would say if you want to start paying attention, some easy ones to check out and start listening for are the purge, unknown tome, kingshammer, valiant ol' cobb, mee maw's burden, a fate refused, the campaign themes, twinkling lights of galaderon, and a friend for life. all of these are available on spotify, with the exception of kingshammer, and have very consistent uses. (the bahumia theme isn't by emily, but is on spotify). if you want to hear kingshammer, a good use of it is around 50 minutes into c1e80, during hardwon's flashback (ad free, so you might have to go later for ads)

another thing to note is certain songs get very specific meanings when applied to given characters. mee maw's burden and unknown tome are used incredibly consistently throughout bev sr's hell arc. twinkling lights of galaderon and a bastard no more/hardwon takes the wheel (both names have been used) are used throughout hardwon's.

emily also tends to write a lot of location-based music. a lot of cities have their own themes and their own instrumentation. a great example of this is the tsunaire interlude from c3, which has a very unique sound. also for example, the crick tends to have a lot of similar instrumentation. if you listen through the crick album on spotify, you can start to hear it. there's a lot of strings/piano, drums, and a lot of notes are drawn out in a very specific way.

it's very consistent. there are also like 200+ songs written for this podcast at this point, and so knowing every one of them is insane. but if you start to be like "i've heard this song before, where did i hear it" chances are it's in a moment that connects thematically. i can go into a lot more detail about any of this, this kinda became a "hey here's how to start tracking naddpod music" post more than anything and not really about the themes/uses of songs, but! yeah!

some fun little bonus notes of songs that are only used a few times but that i am insane about the repetition of:

a song called "torn apart" is used when moonshine opens the rift to the feywild during the tarrasque fight, and also when the world is breaking apart after the thiala fight and the boobs heal it

"i just want to know you're taken care of" is the song that is played when moonshine tells paw paw to write up her will. it's also played when lydia tells her that she deserves to be heard by her friends and she should tell them about her plans in hell. it's also used in c3 when callie tells foster that she's sorry for not giving him love.

"a memory" is introduced in episode 100 as thiala shows everyone the failed past adventurers and the "wheel of sorrow". it has recently been used in c3 for both references to the boobs and to melora's adventuring party (melora/telaine/aryox)

there is a specific royalty free (i think) choral song that plays when gemma appears at the party, when gemma dies, when jaina almost kills hardwon, and then later when hardwon dies at scarlet montgomery's hands. do with this what you will.

this isn't about a reuse but the song that plays in ep 70 when moonshine and lucanus are talking is called "a miracle child" and i need more people to know that.

i am insane about "a glittering reunion" (from melora and telaine's in 97) on so many levels. telaine is the piano. melora is the strings. i need to lay down.

#naddmusic tag #hanbles #naddplog #going insane about music on this friday #ask #i hope this is. at all helpful lol

28 notes · View notes

transboysoprano · 2 months

Text

In other news, I sang tenor for the first time last night. I talked to my choir director about it, and she agreed to let me try it out for our next concert. There are two choirs I'm in, the treble and mixed choirs, so I still get to get my fill of singing soprano in the treble while stretching my low range in the mixed.

I immediately fell in love. I bottom out around F3 right now (pre-T, still), but the pieces we're doing almost never go lower than that. I thought I wouldn't be able to sight-read as easily or it wouldn't be as satisfying as singing soprano but I am SO happy to be wrong. I LOVED singing in the middle of chords and feeling my voice rumbling in my chest. It's exciting and novel and it made me feel like I was falling in love with choral singing all over again.

My best trans girl friend also sings tenor in that choir, and my fiancé sings baritone, so I was grateful to get to sit between them. I'm usually pretty quiet and serious in choral rehearsals but we had so much fun sitting together. Even just being on the other side of the room for once felt like my whole world was different.

It's silly sometimes how big the small things are and how small the big things are. I thought I could only ever be a soprano. That was my lot. I was good at it and I'd never done anything else so I could never be anything else. Then one day I try something new and I realize it's not that different. I still know how to read music, I still know how to sing, it still feels good. Even better in some ways. But what felt momentously different was how much I felt like I belonged there. My voice didn't stick out nearly as much as I thought it would. I still know how to blend to the voices around me. Even just responding to "tenors" or "tenors and basses" rather than to "sopranos" or "sopranos and altos" felt like I finally was where I always wanted to be. Being surrounded by my loved ones helped of course, but I just felt... welcome there.

I am filled with hope today. I really think I can do this. I think I'm ready for whatever happens come May. Testosterone, please let me be a tenor. I found where I want to be.

#trans #transgender #ftm #trans man #ftm trans #lgbt #choir #choral music #choir music #choirs #singing #trans singers #transgender singers #queer #lgbtq #lgbtqia #queer pride #trans pride

26 notes · View notes

broflovski-brah · 2 days

Text

okay okay okay but consider

sheila as a vocal coach

i’m not just saying this cus she slayed in dreidel song, but like-just imagine.

she wanted to become a music teacher. she got a music education degree to become a choral teacher. she taught for a little bit before she got pregnant with Kyle. She was having a hard enough time getting pregnant with ih already took a toll on her. But when she finally got pregnant with Kyle she started getting really sick. It was a rough pregnancy for her. (She doesn’t tell Kyle this until he’s well into his adult years; she doesn’t want him to blame himself for anything) and she ends up having to quit so she can stay at home because of how tough the pregnancy was on her. She never got to go back into teaching because she fell hard into postpartum depression and couldn’t find the motivation and by the time she got back on her feet she thought it was too late. So she kinda just gave up.

BUT. She’s on the school board. And she mentioned that she used to work for the school and she starts doing vocal lessons with the kids who wanna learn how to sing. She’s real good with younger kids but teenagers too. She tried to get Kyle in on it-he got into it for a bit but eventually got busy. He still likes to do it with her. Ike is REALLY into it though. He begs Sheila almost daily to sing with him. So not only is it bonding for her and her kids but it’s also kind of a way for her to persue her dreams in a different way.

idk. I’ve been thinking about this for a bit. Idk if anything was confirmed but I like this headcanon so fuck it

#south park #skipper speaks #kyle broflovski #sheila broflovski #sheila broflovski headcanon #south park headcanon

16 notes · View notes

burins · 5 days

Text

song meme

tagged by @vinelark and have been picking away at this as typing allows! I suspect this is going to look very silly because I haven't been listening to very much music lately (or when I have it's mostly been on han's Spotify in the car) mostly audiobooks

shuffle your on repeat playlist and list the first 10 songs, then tag 10 people

good luck babe by chappell roan - has anyone not been listening to this song? I'm so happy she's blowing up on a song that's I think legitimately one of her best. also this is a dinahbabs song if I ever heard one. which one is which? great question it's both

be the wheel by theo katzman - I think this showed up on my discover weekly? I'm actually not entirely sure. it's a bop! like most of theo katzman / vulfpeck's stuff the lyrics don't really make much sense, but it's a fun summery tune

where you lead by carole king - so the other reason that I thought this playlist might be a little bit all over the place is because I had my library program playlist on repeat for like two and a half hours on Wednesday. this is from that

what'd i say by ray charles - another one from the library program playlist! Ray Charles is making so many different sounds with his voice in the song and it's a delight

1612 by vulfpeck - This is an oldie! I put it on my crush playlist when I first started dating my spouse :)

masseduction by st vincent - I just relistened to this whole album and it's still so so good. sugarboy is another dinahbabs song

make some room by the suffers - This is a song for cooking brunch.

butterfly by jon batiste - jon batiste has such a beautiful voice

springtime by alison russell - holding you by the shoulders. listen to Alison Russell right now. Do you like harmonies? Do you like incredible vocal performances? Do you like beautiful and hard-hitting lyrics? This album got four Grammy noms and it deserved every single one of them

ameriican requiem by beyoncé - so this song did make me tear up when I first heard it omw to work. The chorus is a little... milk toast, but I am such a sucker for a big choral inflected song. also after listening to so many two-minute 45-second little tidbits of songs it is really nice to sink my teeth into something that is nearly 6 minutes long and actually grows and changes over that duration

tagging (no pressure) @timetoboldlygo @luckydicekirby @uhuraisgay @suedeuxnim @mengyao @blotthis @dancy-nrew @misspickman and anyone else who'd like to do this! if you don't use Spotify just tell me about 10 songs you've been listening to recently

#tag game

13 notes · View notes

symphonybracket · 6 months

Text

YouTube links: Mahler 2, Beethoven 9

Comments:

Mahler 2

Have you ever wanted to feel like you're going to shake apart into a billion pieces if someone so much as looks at you. That's how I feel after listening to this beast. This symphony changed my life for real. It's famous for it's ending and for good reason!! It truly feels like your soul is getting blown up and steamrolled. Listening to it live was like getting peeled by god. It calls for 10 horns which is how you know it's going to fuck severely. It comes in 5 movements: good lord oh my god, hehe teehee, oh so that's why they call it the death shriek, crying on the floor for 5 minutes, and I Have Died. The part known as the "Death Shriek" is shown below! And if you're interested in learning more about the symphony, here's my favorite analysis website!

It's an everything in the universe piece and when I sang in the choir for it I think I actually ascended to a higher plane of existence for 15 minutes

I came across (imo) a good video giving a summarised background of Mahler 2, it’s called ‘Gustav Mahler - Symphony No. 2: Explained in 3 Minutes’ by orchestra of the music makers on YouTube

There is also a piano arrangement!

Beethoven 9

It's a groundbreaking symphony for its time, both for its large scale and its inclusion of a chorus in the final movement. It's known across the world as a celebration of joy and togetherness. And not to mention, the beautiful music in each and every one of its four movements.

#mahler #beethoven #round 3 #Spotify

32 notes · View notes

spaceoddball1969 · 1 year

Text

Teach Me - Part 2 (18+)

Hey there all! It has been a minute and I apologize. I had a really fucked up end of my semester and did not have the brain capacity to work on this fic. I will be trying to update this a bit more often from now on but honestly no promises. Also happy holidays! Whatever you celebrate this time of year, I hope you have had a good holiday season and enjoy this little gift of mine to you! Also

PLOT SUMMARY: The reader and Eddie begin to develop their relationship. The reader has a choir concert coming up with her students and Eddie might just feel the need to go to it??? Also like some seriously sexy things may or may not happen in this chapter. They most definitely are going to happen so if you’re under 18 you gotta get the heck out of here. Sorry, but please leave. This is going to be fluffy and smutty and just sappy because damn after the shit I experienced these last few weeks I really need something sappy to restore my faith in humanity. Also please excuse any typos - it’s late.

WARNINGS: Smut, penetrative sex, nipple play, aftercare, fluff, making out. 18+

It had been three weeks since I had stayed at Eddie’s after the Hellfire Club meeting. We had been casually seeing each other in that time, but it had mostly been quick coffees or rushed lunches during my break at the school. My work was keeping me busy as we were getting ready for our first choir concert at the high school. It was a musical theater cabaret show and I eager to show off how talented my students were to the school community. I was honestly doing fine in terms of anxiety until I was having lunch with Eddie in my office one day and he happened to notice the promotional poster I had made for the concert sitting on my desk.

“What’s this?” he asked, picking it up.

“The poster for the choir concert next week,” I said, shoveling a bite of my sandwich into my mouth.

“You have a choir concert next week?” he asked, setting the poster down.

“Yeah, it’s Thursday,” I said.

“And you didn’t tell me about it?” Eddie asked, picking at the chips in the bag he had bought from the vending machine.

“I didn’t think you’d want to come,” I said. “It’s just a high school choir concert,”

“But it’s your high school choir concert,” Eddie said, crunching on a chip.

“You really want to come?” I asked, feeling the heat creep into my cheeks.

“Yeah,” Eddie said. “Besides, isn’t Henderson in your choir?”

“Yeah,” I said.

“So I’ll come support him. But really, I’d love to see you up there directing those little knuckleheads,” Eddie smirked.

“Ok,” I said, “it’s at seven next Thursday,”

“I’ll be there,” he said.

That was when the real anxiety set in. Even though I knew Eddie didn’t know the first thing about choral conducting, I still felt self conscious about being up there on stage for him to observe for an entire concert. I spent all of Thursday afternoon after school running through the set in my head, practicing the conducting patterns to myself, and working on the piano accompaniment for the student’s solo performances. I spent far too much time re-thinking through my outfit. I knew that I would not have the time to go to my apartment to change between when school ended and when I needed to be back for the concert, so I had packed my concert clothes that morning. I had decided on a black turtle neck with a black pencil skirt and patent leather heals with sheer black tights. I hoped it would look ok but now I was not so certain.

Once I had finished my planning for my other classes, I double checked the stage to make sure all of our equipment was in the right place and then I went to hide in my office until the students showed up.

They arrived at six and we walked through some of the staging and then I led them through vocal warm-ups. Once we were finished, I set them loose to get water and go to the bathroom before they got in their places on stage. As I stood from the piano, Dustin Henderson approached me with a wild grin on his face. He looked sharp, dressed in all black with a green bow tie. The kid was very quickly becoming my favorite student.

“Eddie’s gonna come tonight,” he said to me with a toothy grin. “Did he tell you?’

“Yeah,” I said. “He let me know last week that he’d be here tonight,”

“He wouldn’t stop talking about it,” Dustin said. “I think he was really excited about it,”

“That’s sweet,” I said. “I’m glad he’s excited,”

Despite having spent time outside of school with Dustin I still did not totally know how I should be interacting with him. He was one of my best students and I definitely favored him, but I couldn’t let the others know that. I also wasn’t too keen to be discussing my love life with a seventeen year old boy.

“Ok, go get some water and get in place,” I said. “I’ll see you out there,”

Dustin nodded and then strode off to get settled for the concert. I gathered my music folder from my office and then followed my students out to the auditorium. Just as I was about to step through the doorway to the backstage area of the auditorium, I saw a tall figure rushing down the hallway. I turned to get a better look at who it was and saw Eddie Munson wearing dark blue jeans and a worn out red button down. He looked flustered but he froze when he saw me standing there.

“Wow,” he said. “You look incredible,”

“I have to go conduct a concert,” I said, awkwardly.

“I better go find a seat,” he said.

I watched him rush into the auditorium before I stepped backstage. My students were already in their places for their first song on the risers. I took one long look at them before stepping on stage and I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed with how much I loved them.

The concert went off without a hitch. The ensemble numbers sounded better than I had ever heard them. The soloists ate it up as their friends and families cheered them on. By the end of the show I felt like I was floating on air.

I let the students and the audience clear out first and then I followed them into the choir room. My students and I started cheering in excitement. A few of them even hugged me and I couldn’t help but squeeze them back. After a few minutes of congratulations, I retreated to my office to collect my things and to have a minute to myself. Most of the students had cleared out once they had gathered their things. There was only one or two stragglers.

“Eddie’s out there,” I heard a voice call into my office. I looked up and saw Dustin standing in my doorway. “I already saw him, he said he was going to wait out there for you,”

“Send him in when you step out,” I said.

“Will do,” Dustin said, saluting me.

As the last few students left, Eddie stepped into the choir room. He peaked his head into my office with a wicked grin on his face.

“Ok so you’re awesome yeah?” he said as he stepped into my office.

“It’s the students,” I said. “They did so well tonight.”

“Yeah but they’re only able to do so well because of what you teach them,” he said, stepping closer to me. Eddie wrapped his arms tightly around my waist and pulled me against him. “Seriously, you’re amazing,”

“Thank you,” I smiled.

Eddie returned my smile and dipped his head lower to press a soft kiss to my lips. We hadn’t been very physical since our first night together and it took everything in me not to completely lose myself in this kiss.

“Wanna go out and celebrate?” he asked.

“Oh, I’d love to but I am so drained,” I said, resting my forehead on his chest.

“Then let’s go back to my place,” he said. “We can have a drink, you could stay over if you want.”

“I guess I could do that,” I said. “Yeah that sounds great. Can we get food or something though? I didn’t eat dinner and I am starving,”

“I will get you anything that you want,” Eddie smiled.

“Pizza?” I asked.

“Absolutely,” Eddie said, pressing another kiss to my lips.

“Let’s go,” I said.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eddie gave me his key to the store so I could let myself in while he got the pizza for us. I wandered up to his apartment and set my things down before I made my way back down to the store. I awkwardly looked around the store as I waited for Eddie to get back. I had just started looking through a stack of used vinyls behind the counter when I heard the bell go off and saw Eddie walking through the door.

“Food has arrived,” Eddie smiled as he locked the door behind him. “You can bring some of those upstairs if you want to. I’ve been meaning to give them a listen to make sure they aren’t too beat up to sell,”

I picked out a couple records and followed Eddie up the stairs to his apartment. While Eddie got out plates for our pizza and beer for each of us, I sorted through the stack of albums I had brought up. At the bottom of the stack there was a record I had not realized I had picked up. It was a greatest hits collection of Elvis Presley tunes. I smiled happily at the record and hoped to God that it wasn’t too scratched up by its previous owner.

When the lyrics of “Heartbreak Hotel” popped out of the speaker, I heard Eddie call my name from the kitchen.

“Did you really just put on Elvis?” he asked.

“Yes?” I asked as I walked into the kitchen. “Is that a problem?”

“No,” Eddie said, handing me a plate. “I just didn’t expect it,”

“I was raised on Elvis,” I said. “My dad loves him,”

“Yeah my mom was a big fan,” Eddie said, leading me to the living room. “God, I haven’t listened to his music in ages,”

“I didn’t realize I had grabbed the record from downstairs,” I said. “It was in the bottom of the stack,”

“Well, I’m glad you grabbed it,” Eddie said as he sat down.

I sat down with him and within seconds was devouring my pizza. I relished in the taste of the food. I also was very much enjoying the heat that I could feel radiating off of Eddie next to me. He looked remarkably handsome in his black jeans and red button down. His hair was absolutely wild tonight and there seemed to be a gleam to his eye.

I was content to sit and talk and eat pizza and listen to Elvis for the rest of the night, but then a particular song came on the speaker. The opening horns of “Trouble” blared through the room and Eddie jumped up from the couch. He immediately launched into a full on performance of the song. I couldn’t help but laugh as Eddie tossed himself around the room, using his beer bottle as a microphone. By the second verse, Eddie was pulling me up by my hands and dragging me into his performance. He held me close as I laughed at his silliness.

But then that gleam reappeared in Eddie’s eyes and I felt my heart start to beat faster. I let Eddie pull me tight against him and wrapped my arms around his neck. His eyes were locked on mine as he pressed a firm kiss to my lips. Eddie wrapped his arms tightly around my waist, holding close to him as he deepened the kiss. I was getting lost in it just as the beat picked up in the song.

The change in the music shocked me and I jumped away from Eddie. We both stared at each other for a moment and then I started collecting our empty plates.

“We better get these cleaned up,” I said and rushed into the kitchen.

By the time I had the plug in the sink and the soap bubbling up, the next song on the record had started playing.

I heard him before I felt him. Soft footsteps approached me and then I felt one of his arms gently wrap around my waist from behind me. He used his other hand to brush the hair away from my neck and then placed a soft kiss agaisnt my sensitive skin.

“I didn’t mean to overwhelm you,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry if that was too much,”

I sighed and rested my hand over his on my waist. “It’s ok,” I said. “I didn’t mean to run away. I don’t want you to think that I don’t want to be with you. I just don’t want to rush into anything and I don’t always feel like I am in control of myself when I’m with you,”

“Would that be so bad?” Eddie asked, kissing my neck again. “Would it be all that bad if you let yourself go a little?”

“The last time I did that I got screwed over,” I said. “I let him have every part of me and he left without even looking back,”

“Can you turn around?” Eddie asked. I did as I was asked. Eddie stroked both sides of my face gently with his hands and then rested them on either side of me on the counter so that I was caged within his arms. “I’m not going to do that to you,”

“How can you possibly know that?” I asked.

“Because I would have to be crazy to even think about leaving you,” Eddie said. “I know we haven’t known each other all that long, but I feel a real connection with you. And I want to work on it. I want to build it. I want you to trust me,”

“I do trust you,” I said.

“Ok,” Eddie said. And then he looked back at the record player in the living room.”Don’t” had started playing. “Then dance with me,”

“What?” I asked.

“Dance with me,” Eddie repeated. “Come here,”

I let Eddie intertwine our fingers and wrap an arm around my waist. He pulled me away from the counter and we began to sway around the kitchen.

“I know you don’t believe me when I say that I’m not going to hurt you,” Eddie said, “but I really mean it. I’m sorry that your last boyfriend ran off, but I’m not going to do that. I’m here to stay and you’re going to have to live with that,”

I looked up at Eddie and locked my eyes on his. He didn’t look away. He didn’t even think about it. I felt a sensation that I couldn’t explain taking over me. I didn’t know if I wanted to laugh or cry, maybe both. All I knew was I was standing in the arms of an incredible man who was telling me everything that I needed to hear. And better yet, I believed him.

I pushed myself up onto my tip toes and pressed my lips to Eddie’s, letting myself get caught up in the feeling of our connection. He pulled me against him and kissed me over and over. I couldn’t stop kissing him back. It was an overwhelming feeling that I didn’t want to let go of.

I heard the record stop playing and figured me we must be at the end of the first side. Eddie pulled away from me and hurried off to take the record off the stereo.

“So, uh,” Eddie stumbled. “Uh, that was really nice,”

“Yeah it was,” I said, feeling the heat creep into my cheeks.

He looked down at the floor for a moment and fiddled with his hair.

“Eddie?” I asked.

“Yeah?” he said, lifting his head up.

“Would you please come back over here?” I asked.

Eddie smiled and within seconds I was back in his arms. He began to kiss me again, wrapping his arms around my waist and picking me up just a few inches off the floor. I giggled and held on tightly to him. “Can we take this out of the kitchen?” I asked.

“Uh yeah,” Eddie said and then started to stutter. “Where were you thinking?”

“Well the best option would probably be your room,” I said.

“Oh, uh yeah,” Eddie said. He let me go and then wrapped his hand around mine. “Let’s go,”

Eddie led me to his room and then closed the door behind us. He left the light off and approached me slowly in the dim light. Eddie’s hands snaked around my waist again as he began to kiss my neck. I couldn’t help but sigh at the feeling of his lips against my skin.

“Do you like that?” he asked.

“Yes,” I nearly moaned.

Eddie’s hands squeezed my hips as he kissed my neck over and over again. He kept fidgeting with my turtle neck, trying to find a way for his lips to reach my skin.

“Eddie,” I said. “You can take it off,”

“Hmm?” he asked, busying with his work.

“Take off my shirt,” I said.

Eddie’s head lifted and his eyes met mine. “Are you sure?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said.

Eddie nodded and then gripped the hem of my shirt. He lifted it over my head, exposing my black bra. Eddie tossed my shirt on the floor and turned back to look at me. I saw his mouth go a little slack and he let out a short breath.

“You’re beautiful,” he said with a soft smile and then paused. “Can I - is it ok if - I mean - can I touch you?”

“Yes,” I said, smiling slightly at his cautiousness. “I didn’t think you’d be so polite,” I added with a giggle.

“I want you to be comfortable,” Eddie said, lifting his eyes to mine. “I want you to feel safe. And we don’t have to do everything tonight if you don’t want,”

“Let’s start here and I’ll let you know if I want to stop,” I said.

Eddie nodded slowly and then rested his hands on my waist. Eddie pressed a kiss to my lips and then began kissing all over my face. He moved down to my jaw line and then my neck. Now that it was exposed, he didn’t hold anything back. I moaned as he trailed kisses over my throat and nipped at the soft skin. Eddie’s hands started to travel upward over my torso. I felt a chill run up my spine as his rough skin brushed against mine.

“Is this ok?” Eddie asked against my neck. His hands started creeping closer to my breasts.

“Yes,” I said, pulling him closer. “Don’t stop, Eddie,”

That was all the encouragement he needed. Eddie held me by my waist with one hand while the other slipped over the silky fabric of my bra. I gasped at the feeling. He gently squeezed my chest as his lips returned to mine.

I wanted to feel Eddie in the same ways that he was feeling me. I could hardly think about what I was doing before my hands were reaching forward to unbutton the front of his shirt and pushing it off his shoulders. I let my hands run over his skin, feeling every groove and crevice of his torso. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed our bodies together, aching to feel his skin on mine. When our bare torsos met I almost drowned in the feeling.

“Eddie,” I said. “I want more,”

“What?” he asked, pulling away.

I clung to him, scared that he would pull away entirely. “I want more,” I said again. “I want you. All of you,”

Eddie looked me in the eye for a moment, trying to get a read on what I was thinking. I didn’t dare to break his glance. He leaned forward and kissed me slowly and deeply. I felt a rush of heat pulse through my body. It was most apparent in my core and slowly was creeping between my legs.

Eddie began to push us towards the bed. He sat down on the edge of the mattress and pulled me closer until I stood between his legs. He eventually broke away from our kiss and began to kiss down my torso until he reached the hem of my skirt. His fingers fiddled with the zipper on the side.

“Can I?” he asked and I nodded. Eddie slowly unzipped the skirt and pulled it down my legs. He slipped his fingers into the waistband of my tights and pulled them down until I could step out of them.

I felt cold suddenly and quite bare standing in front of him in nothing but my underwear. Eddie’s hands found their place on my waist again and he pulled me closer until I had to climb into his lap. I straddled him, holding onto his shoulders for balance. Eddie began to kiss me again and I soon found myself lost in the feeling again. Swiftly and gently he flipped us over so that I was lying on my back on the bed and he was hovering over my body.

“You are so gorgeous,” he said between kisses.

“I want to see more of you,” I said kissing him desperately.

“Whoa we’re bold now,” Eddie chuckled.

“Hey it’s only fair,” I said. “I’m over here in my underwear and you still have a whole pair of pants on,”

“I guess that makes sense,” Eddie said with a smile. “Do you want to do the honors?”

“No, I’d rather watch you do it,” I said with a smirk.

Eddie grinned and kissed me one more time before he stood up. I pushed myself up onto my elbows and watched as he unbuckled his belt and undid the zipper on his jeans. I felt a new rush of heat between my thighs when he pulled his pants down to his ankles. He was truly beautiful and I didn’t know how to handle it.

“Like what you see?” Eddie asked shyly.

“Yeah,” I said, crawling towards the edge of the bed. I sat up on my knees and reached out for him. “Come here,” I said as he stepped closer to me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him over and over. Eddie’s hands traveled down my torso to my hips. I felt his hands glide over my ass and then grip the backs of my thighs. Suddenly he pulled against them, sending me flying back on the bed. I shrieked with the sudden movement but then Eddie was over me again, holding me still.

“Sorry,” Eddie giggled. “Didn’t mean to scare you,”

“It’s ok,” I said, giggling with him. “Just come here,”

We were wrapped in each other’s arms for longer than I could comprehend. It kept getting better by the moment and I never wanted it to end. Eddie finally reached behind me and unhooked my bra. It was tossed to the floor and Eddie quickly attached his mouth to one of my nipples. I moaned at the sensation. Eddie looked up at me as my moans got louder.

“God,” Eddie said. “Please don’t ever stop making those sounds,”

I giggled at his remark but when I felt his teeth graze the skin of my nipple, my giggle became a moan once more. “Oh God, Eddie,” I said, burrying my hands into his hair. “That’s so good,” I said.

“Yeah?” he asked. “You like that?”

“Yes,” I gasped. “Don’t stop,”

“Anything for you,” he said.

I felt a pulse strengthening between my legs. With Eddie slotted between my thighs, I started to grind up against him. I gasped when I felt his hard-on through his boxers. My hands slid down my his sides until I was grasping at his hips. I pulled at his body, desperately trying to bring him closer to me. Eddie started to groan as our bodies started to rub against each other in just the right way.

“You’re gonna make me cum if you keep doing that,” Eddie groaned as he kissed my throat.

“I want you, Eddie,” I said. “I need you,”

“Are you sure?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said. “I think I’d lose my mind if we stopped now,”

Eddie chuckled and kissed me quickly on the mouth before climbing off the bed. He searched through his dresser drawer and pulled out a box of condoms. I felt my heart rate pick up slightly as I watched him take out one of the condoms and tear open the package. Eddie slipped his boxers off and if I thought his body was beautiful before, it was perfect now. He rolled the condom on and then walked over to the bed. It was hard not to stare at his body as Eddie leaned over me. I felt his fingers slip under the waistband of my panties and then they were off and discarded on the floor.

Eddie climbed back over me and began kissing me gently. I let my hands explore his body and I began to pull him closer to me again. “Eddie,” I said. “I’m ready. I want this. Just go slow,”

“Ok,” Eddie said with one final kiss.

He reached down to line himself with my entrance. Anticipation filled my entire body and then he was pushing into me. I gasped at the feeling and my body quickly began adjusting itself to his size. Eddie and I both groaned as he bottomed out inside of me.

“Oh my God,” Eddie moaned in the most filthy tone I had ever heard. “Are you ok?”

“Yes,” I gasped. “It feels incredible,”

“Yeah, it does,” Eddie said.

He slowly started to pump in and out of me, eliciting even more pornographic moans from the both of us. It had never felt like this before. I had never experienced anything like this. For a moment I wondered if this is what it always should have felt like and I had just been missing out for most of my adult life.

“More, Eddie,” I gasped. “Go harder,”

“Yeah?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said firmly. “I want it,”

He didn’t hesitate. Eddie started to pick up his pace and I knew I wouldn’t last much longer. Eddie seemed close as well. I held onto him and pushed myself up to meet his motions. Eddie’s arms faultered just slightly over me, pressing his chest against mine.

“You’re gonna make me cum,” Eddie said.

“Cum for me,” I said. “Please, cum for me, Eddie,”

“Only if you cum too,” Eddie groaned.

His words sent me over the edge. I nearly screamed as my orgasm tore through me. As my body spasmed beneath him, Eddie let out one final moan and his body began to shudder. He collapsed over me and I clung onto him. We held each other for what felt like an eternity. As we both caught our breath, Eddie began kissing every inch of my body. He finally made it back up to my lips and then brushed the hair out of my face.

“That was amazing,” Eddie said.

I smiled and kissed him. “That was amazing,” I repeated.

“Come on,” Eddie said. “I’ll clean you up,”

He picked me up from the bed and then took me to the bathroom. He pealed the condom off his body once he had set me down and tossed it in the trash. Then he turned the sink faucet on and ran a wash cloth under the warm water. He cleaned himself off and once the cloth was rinsed, he walked over to me. Eddie knelt in front of me and kissed my thighs. He ran the cloth over my skin and washed away any lube left on my skin from the condom.

Once we were both clean, I pulled on one of his old T-shirts and my earlier discarded panties and crawled into bed. Eddie crawled in beside me and pulled me close. He pressed a soft kiss to my lips then rested his head on the pillow. I rested my head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat.

“Goodnight, Y/N,” Eddie whispered.

“Goodnight, Eddie,” I said contentedly.

I fell asleep quickly and slept better than I had in a long, long time.

#Eddie munson #Eddie Munson fanfic #Eddie Munson Fluff #Eddie Munson Smut #Eddie Munson x reader #Eddie Munson x you #Female reader #Joseph Quinn #Stranger Things #Teach Me Part 2 #I know it's late #I'm sorry

109 notes · View notes

technician-the · 4 months

Text

The grammatical metaphor of music is popular in compositional instruction, and it likely has some utility, however, I believe that it is more limiting then helpful.

choral music can be a good example of this, so here is an excerpt from carol of the bells (with the original Ukrainian lyrics)

the contrast between the melodic movement and the lyric movement should be obvious.

this entire piece is constructed around that single bar repeated lic, which repeats, exactly the same, for 42 of 54 bars. in those remaining 12 bars the lic is passed to a less prominent register, but It's still there.

(Note also; this lic doesn't resolve, in the grammatical metaphor it isn't a full sentence, it's a fragment.)

it would be nonsensical to write a poem with a structure this repetitive, and we can see that in the lyrics, which contain much less repetition.

However, it is this repetition that makes the piece work, it ties sections together and gives the music a clear and catchy structure.

Fundamentally, speech is a symbolic medium, but melody is abstract. So I, personally, have never seen why there should be any conceptual overlap between the two.

#music theory #music #musicians on tumblr #carol of the bells #choir #classical music #composition #music criticism

16 notes · View notes

obaewankenope · 1 year

Text

"WELCOME TO HELL."

A loud, booming voice bellows across the flaming planes of despair and misery that make up, well, Hell. Maybe if I'd been born a medieval peasant or, I don't know, suitably Christian, I'd probably have been more concerned with the literal reality of Hell but, honestly, I'm a millennial. I focus on weird shit to the exclusion of all else because hey, that's more sane than watching the news and seeing the 21st century being the end-of-humanity century via war, climate change, and ecological destruction the likes of which humanity has never before known! Cheery things to focus on, not.

Anyway; loud, booming voice bellowing a greeting to the newly dead and Judged™ (I guess) me.

"Who got the job to welcome new souls to Hell and didn't think to be original with it?" I asked out loud because sometimes internal thoughts become external sentences that my brain and I do not agree on and thus happen without my informed consent.

ADHD is... Something and even dead, I've still got it apparently. Kind of feels like a problem for everyone else really. I'm used to my brand of chaos. Double RIP to the souls that aren't.

"Or did they get the job like millenia ago and got real bored trying to be original every time a soul showed up? Or is the voice automated? It's probably automated. Everything is nowadays." I rolled my eyes. "Good luck finding an actual human to talk to before the automated voice lists twelve million options and gives you way more advice and 'warnings' than you need to hear with anxiety and a hyperactive mind."

I rant, I admit that. I've already ranted. Rambled. Digressed along a seventeen year path. Waxed lyrical about Parisian sewers, so to speak. It's just what I do. ADHD brain, as we say.

Now, I don't think I did anything wrong, personally, but apparently ranting when you get dropped off to Hell and let your inner thoughts become a slew of outer words is... Grounds for direct intervention.

No, I don't know why, and no, I'm also not going to ask why. I'm banned from having contact with The Devil™ for eternity. There's an actual court document stating it. Yeah, the afterlife has a court system, I know.

Anyway, direct intervention.

"CEASE YOUR PRATTLE!"

Big, booming voice on The Devil™. A mix between very loud choral music and a heavy metal rock band concert that's figured out how to make their entire set louder than human ears can safely hear. And they're pretty close to that limit normally.

"Uh, okay," I slowly said in response to the very loud demand from a literal Fallen Angel because, well, you kind of would, wouldn't you. Except I'm not normal. Like I said, I'm a millennial and we've never been known to stay quiet when we probably should.

I blame the internet.

"But seriously, it's a valid question," I continued after a moment where The Devil™ probably thought I was cowed or terrified or something. Jokes on them, I have no self-preservation instincts to speak of and have literally not reacted to almost being ran over before.

Which... Might be how I died, actually. Hmm. Something to think about!

"Just, this is meant to be the place for damned souls and all that jazz, you'd expect the initial experience to really set up the whole thing to be more... Well, more impressive than a loud voice shouting 'Welcome to Hell'," I kept going because, again, I have the self-preservation instincts of a mantaree.

I may have done a little dramatic voice change for the 'welcome to hell' bit of my sentence but that's not really important to this story .The Devil™ wasn't impressed by it though.

"YOU ARE TRAPPED IN HELL, CAST OUT AND JUDGED BY GOD—" a lot of vitriol on that word there "—AND WILL FOREVER BE DENIED PARADISE AND YOUR FOCUS IS NOT ON YOUR SUFFERING BUT ON THE GREETING YOU RECEIVE WHEN YOU ENTER THIS PLACE?"

Okay, so, I don't think The Devil™ can sound confused the way we humans do, honestly I don't, but at the moment The Devil™ definitely sounded pretty confused to me.

"Well, yeah," I replied. I'm still confused about how The Devil™ didn't seem to understand my perspective here but, well, I can rant like the best of them and I'm very good at it when I need to explain something. "It's the principle of the matter really. You've got the whole damned-ness going on; the fire and the brimstone and the vibes are very despair-y. That's all great! Top marks there. But," I pause to make that sound where you pull air in through your teeth to sort of hiss but not hiss. You know what I mean.

"The voice isn't intimidating, it doesn't really give you anything when you show up confused or whatever. It's just loud and not even demonic or anything. Honestly, it sounds like how a greetings sign to some random town feels. Kind of just... There. It's a bit underwhelming." I paused. "A lot underwhelming."

Maybe it was the way I talked or how fast I am when I speak aloud but The Devil™ seemed more bothered by my critique than by me actually not being scared of them. Which, well, I figure us millennials can't be the only ones who focus on weird shit when there's more 'reasonable' stuff to focus on at times. Kind of figures The Devil™ would do the same. Though, in The Devil's™ defense, I guess their entire getup inspires fear and terror so they just take it as their due, so to speak.

"YOU DARE INSULT MY DOMAIN!!"

Where The Devil™ got that from, I don't know but I was not there for it. At all.

"I AM THE RULER AND ABSOLUTE OF THIS DOMAIN AND I SHALL-"

"Woah, wait a minute, I'm not insulting your domain! I'm giving a critique that you asked for tacitly by asking me so don't forget about that!"

I cut The Devil™ off mid-sentence. I literally cut The Devil™ off because, honestly, listen, I've survived a lot of shit online in my life. I have had enough of being accused of insulting something or someone when I've been giving an actual critique or criticism that was constructive. If I didn't take it off BootLickerTrumpLover99 then I sure as hell wasn't going to take it off The Devil™.

Even if The Devil™ could reduce me to metaphysical mulch.

"Like, it feels superfluous to have that voice when, I don't know, a sign would work just as well. And even if you wanted to keep the voice greeting, which, yeah works for anyone with a visual impairment, it's not creepy or demon-y or even scary sounding. It's just generic." I looked up at The Devil™ then and maybe they realised I wasn't being an ass or something. Like, honestly I wasn't. I actually really was kind of invested in this now.

Mainly because they sort of offended me by thinking I was insulting their greeting voice without at least having some constructive criticism for them.

"AND WHAT WOULD YOU SUGGEST?" The Devil™, the actual fucking Devil, asked me and they didn't even sound pissed.

I literally got asked my opinion by The OG Fallen Angel. This is probably why I ended up in Hell. For this reason alone. Or because I may have caused some uh… Questionable things to occur in my lifetime.

I hummed in thought, tapping my chin because I thought it'd look cool. It probably didn't. "Well, I guess you could change the pitch of the voice if you want to keep that particular greeting so it's less corporate American mall and more... The batteries have run down but the speakers are still working enough to transmit so enjoy the distortion and the accompanying nightmares it'll give you. That would work better," I said and the Devil™ actually nodded at me.

Nodded!

"You could change it to something more childish sounding complete with giggle or laughter or something equally disconcerting because of the dissonance of a child's voice announcing that you're in Hell; that'd get some people good, I think," I continued, really in the swing of it now because this, this is my jam really.

Belting out ideas whether they be for cursed fics, crack pairs or the kind of voice you could use to welcome people to Hell, it doesn't matter the context, I am very good at thinking things.

"I guess a really distorted, demonic sounding—like you hear in movies and stuff all the time because hey, being original is something Hollywood is allergic to I swear—that could work too. I don't know if it'd work for everyone or if they'd not be able to make out what was said." I blinked. "Though, that might scare some people more if it's on a loop and they have to listen to it over and over to figure out it's welcoming them to Hell. Oh, that'd be kind of evil actually." I looked at The Devil™ sort of delighted with myself for that little realisation.

"REPETITION DOES TEND TO TERRIFY MORTALS MORE THAN SINGULAR OCCURENCES, YES." The Devil™ actually agreed with me.

"Yeah, it's because our brains are wired for pattern recognition. When something is just not normal to our perception but we listen or watch it over and over, we notice the discrepancies more and more until they're all we can see and they freak us the fuck out," I explained because, well, this is also my wheelhouse.

I have a lot of jams and wheelhouses, okay.

"YOU HAVE GIVEN ME MUCH TO CONSIDER," The Devil™ said in what was probably the closest to a conversational tone they could manage. It still sounded like it'd obliterate my eardrums if I wasn't a metaphysical representation of my human form and was made of flesh and bone still.

"Oh, you're welcome then," I said because, well, what else are you meant to say to that? "If you ever want to throw some ideas or things to critique my way I'm—"

I got cut off then by a very, very loud sound that was sort of like a thousand echoes all sounding at the same time and also an orchestra and choir at full volume. It was really loud, okay, and I definitely blanked for a second or two on the metaphysical plane of existence because of it.

"RELEASE THE SOUL YOU TOOK BEFORE ITS TIME OR YOU SHALL BE CAST FURTHER FROM WHERE YOU ALREADY FELL!"

I don't know if you've ever seen The Devil™, you probably haven't, but they had that look a toddler does when they've been naughty and got caught at the last second. You know the look? Yeah, you know it. Well, that's the expression The Devil™ had on their huge form that was vaguely humanoid.

Actually, thinking about it, they probably only looked humanoid to me because I perceived them that way. Huh, that's something to think about again at 3am.

Back to that loud voice and what clearly seemed to be a kid caught being naughty.

Most people, most sane people, probably would have stayed silent there but well, we've already established I am not most people.

"Uh, what's happening right now and does it really require violence to resolve?" I asked because, well, you gotta ask that really. "Because I really don't think violence is the answer, unless it is the answer in which case can I please vacate the area before the fighting because I am definitely out-classed here?"

"COME AWAY MORTAL, YOU DO NOT BELONG IN THIS PLACE!" That very loud, clearly not The Devil™ voice said to me and, okay, I'm not stupid but I can be slow on the uptake sometimes.

Besides, no one is stupid. That's ableist as fuck and I'm not here for that.

"Wait, I thought I died? And got judged, or whatever it is that happens to assign souls where they belong or whatever," I said because I'd kind of assumed that. Though, I didn't actually remember any Judgement™ happening.

"YOU WERE STOLEN BEFORE YOU COULD BE JUDGED MORTALS FOR THE FALLEN ANGEL KNEW WELL YOU DID NOT BELONG IN THEIR REALM OF DESPAIR!"

"THEY BELONG HERE MORE THAN THEY DO IN HEAVEN!" The Devil™ argued back with the… Angel, I guess. "ALREADY THEY SPEAK OF THE SUFFERING OF OTHERS WITH GLEE!"

"Hey hey hey, we don't kinkshame okay!" I blurted out and definitely got Looks for that. Fair. "You can enjoy something just fine but if you actively use what you enjoy to hurt others without their consent, then you're an asshole. Having ideas is not the same as acting on those ideas!"

"THE MORTAL SPEAKS TRUE AND YOU KNOW IT FALLEN, LET THEM LEAVE!"

I never knew The Devil™ could look sad but, well, they kind of looked sad at that order. Rebellious but that's expected of the literal first rebel ever to rebel. Sad though…

"Hey, it's not like you can't still ask my opinion on stuff, or for some concrit, you know," I said to The Devil™ trying to literally cheer up The Devil™. Yeah, I actually did that.

"THE FALLEN WILL HAVE NO CONTACT WITH YOU MORTALS FOR THEY DO NOT BELONG IN ANY PLACE THAT HAS THE LIGHT OF THE CREATOR IN IT!"

"Isn't there a Skype or, I don't know, Spiritual MSN or something to at least send a message though?" You'd think there would be something like that in the afterlife.

Apparently not though.

"NO."

I looked at The Devil™ and, honestly, I felt pretty bad. I hadn't been judged yet so maybe I'd end up back in Hell anyway but just up and disappearing, possibly forever, when The Devil™ seemed to actually enjoy someone having some constructive criticism for them… I'll admit, I'm a sucker for that. Blame my Livejournal and Ff.net days for that.

"Well, what if I just don't go then?" I asked, "you said I'm not judged yet so why don't I just judge myself, say I belong in Hell and then we all just go on our way like nothing happened?"

"HELL IS FOR THOSE WHO DESERVE PUNISHMENT, MORTAL!" The Angel reminded me like I didn't know that already.

I might have been a shitty Catholic but I still got raised on that stuff, I know what Hell is for.

And purgatory.

"It's also for a variety of people who didn't really do anything wrong but got the short end of the religious diatribe anyway," I pointed out. The Devil™ looked strangely delighted with me. "Unless Dante was wrong about the structure of Hell in his Comedies."

"HE WAS NOT," The Devil™ helpfully added.

"ENOUGH!" The Angel bellowed. "YOU WILL COME WITH ME MORTAL, NOW!"

Okay, so, bit of advice for you. Never, I repeat, never tell someone with ADHD to do something. If you're lucky, they'll grumble and do it but, usually, you're not lucky. Because most people with ADHD also have this thing where they get really oppositional to commands. It's called Oppositional Defiance Disorder. And, well, guess what I have?

"No."

"NO!"

"NO?"

"No." I repeated. "You don't get to tell me what to do just because you're all big and Angelic and stuff."

Now, I never knew this but The Devil™ is actually capable of the exact same shit-eating-grin you read about in stories and see on TV that is absolutely the grin someone has when chaos is happening and they are here for it.

"YOU CANNOT REFUSE!"

"I just did," I retorted. "And since Free Will is a thing, you can't make me."

Now, apparently a single Angel can't, so I'm right there. And Free Will is also a thing, so another right there. But…

Well, Free Will can be superseded by The Creator if and when they feel like it. And, apparently, death can be overruled too by The Creator when you're being stubborn.

"THEN THE CREATOR SHALL TAKE YOU MORTAL, FOR YOU DO NOT BELONG HERE!"

"Consent is sexy and I am not okay with this!" I exclaimed.

"GOODBYE MORTAL," The Devil™ said to me and in the next moment, I was here.

So yeah, that's how I've ended up alive again, and yeah, I'll take a straw with my drink, thanks.

#Writing #Satan #Devil #Fiction #Fic #Fanfic #Kat writes #Idk #I saw a writing prompts and thought of this...#Doesn't fit any I've seen so yeah

51 notes · View notes