#and NONE of this is to say you have to like sam smith's music

[myobsessionsspace]

Buckle up, this is a long one!

Hi Anon! 😊👋

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

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

With that out of the way...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

If you believe him to be heterosexual ok.

If I believe him to be queer ok.

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

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

What difference does it make?

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

That is also simple

💜

#Jikook #Anonymous Asks

[jmdbjk]

Man at work.

 Apparently working more than we thought he was...

Kookie bought a pack of 500 straws so he could exercise his vocal chords because he saw Sam Smith do it. But alas, he didn’t think it was working for him. Nevertheless! they won’t go to waste! because he can slurp down his highball much faster using a straw...

This cute goofball is the global spokesperson for Calvin Klein jeans... he mentioned that the Calvin Klein video was up and he acted bashful about it. He did say when doing these types of endorsements as a group is one thing, but doing them personally on his own, the product must be something he personally endorses. And he also said he will be embarrassed when people speak to him about his ad images. Perception vs reality. 

He tells us he’s cleaned out his closet recently and only kept all his black clothes, but now he says he will wear Calvins now. One thing to look forward to... Calvin Klein clothing silhouettes are typically cut close to the body. Meaning they are not the oversized baggy things that we normally see on JK. Just sayin’! Bring on the airport fashion! 

He asks to please show Calvin Klein a lot of support. Check! Marked off the list! I believe that company is scrambling to actually have any merchandise in stock this week, right? They weren’t prepared. Mission accomplished, JK. 

For a few moments he thought he spoiled Jimin’s episode of Suchwita because he couldn’t find it on Youtube. Sus, Youtube. 

Aside from the adorable heart eyes he had and the knowing grins and outright laughter while he watched, Jungkook nodded when Jimin said if he could go to any point in time, past or future, he would choose 2025 when they would all be together again. Kookie nodded vigorously again and let out a deep, wistful sigh while watching that brief segment. Was he getting a little lump in his throat too, just like I was?

Yoongi then says “we all have an idea of what things will be like when we come back” and Jimin agrees and when Yoongi asks Jimin what he thinks it will be like, Jimin says “we’d all be back together after we’re done.” I am assuming he means military service, and that he is curious to know how it will be and that’s why he wants to go to that point in time. 

Jimin, we all want to fast forward to that time. None of us want you all to have to take this mandatory break and we all want it to be over with as soon as possible. 

When it was over, Kookie fixed himself a fresh drink, took a potty break and then sat wordlessly on the couch for at least 15 minutes listening to music and pondering the universe (it seemed). Songs he queued up: “12:45″ by Etham; “thoughtboutu” by Karencici; “Another Day” by Gervs; “Adrenaline” by Lauv; “Where Does the Love Go” by by María Isabel and Yeek and “Honeymoon” by Johnny Stimson.

He sweetly sang along to “Honeymoon.” That song has a similar vibe to “10,000 Hours” and I wish to god Kookie would create a song with that ambience because it would become one of those all time greatest hits.

JK read a few comments (FINALLY?) he randomly says he was wanting to look up Jimin’s lyrics...? Jungkook and his never-ending fight with his Apple TV commands ensues. And he finally finds what he’s looking for... the BigHit intro.

He proceeded to fanboi during Set Me Free Pt 2 even being a tad slack-jawed and droolly when the 2nd verse started and Jimin’s cheat sheet tattoos were on full display, JUST LIKE US! 

Done satisfying his need to know the lyric was “maze” and watching the entire video anyway, he quickly found a Jimin compilation video. Are you shitting me? 

Now, we all know how insidious the Youtube algorithm is. If you watch ONE video of any genre/topic... what happens? YT serves up several more from the same creator or same topic or genre. Watch a reaction video? Then a dozen videos by various Youtube reactors will be summoned. Watch a Korean street food video? Then you will see a dozen videos about Korean street food. FACTS!

Every time you go to Youtube after that it’s like trying to get rid of cockroaches. You spend some time hitting the “not interested/don’t show me this shit ever again” option or else that will be all you ever see forever and ever amen. 

So my point is, that Jimin compilation video was not random. Youtube isn’t a random platform, it is very articulated to deliver cocaine in video form straight to your brain in order to get you addicted so you keep coming back. 

Anyway. Kookie again was like a kid watching cartoons and Army comments were totally forgotten while he watched this fan made video. 

The evening full of Jimin, laughing at a fan made compilation video and a song that was playing called, “up at night”, by Kehlani featuring Justin Bieber, stirred something inside him and the lightning bolt of inspiration hit him and that was it. Game over for the live broadcast.

I’m glad he’s working. I’m glad he’s doing well. He’s still our Kookie and he still loves his Jiminie and the rest of his hyungs. 

#nothing comes between jk and his calvins #except maybe jimin #jungkooks playlist plays songs with coincidental lyrics just sayin #i can't wait for the hyungs teasing JK over his giant CK ads all over Seoul #i looked for the Jimin compilation video on that YT account but couldnt find it #supporting his boyfie in front of our midnight snack salad #jikook #jungkook #suchwita #random goober #cute goofball

[ineffabildaddy]

@celestialcrowley tagged me in an in-depth bio thing (thank u!!!) so here's some stuff about me:

real name: samuel's my full first name so let's say that?

nickname & nickname origins: sam!!! the only people who call me samuel are a couple of my friends when they sort of pretend to scold me, ha. or if they're singing little freak by harry styles but the line is "little freak, samuel" instead of "little freak, jezebel" (i have a tattoo of the words 'little freak' because of how much i love that song. i also am one i guess)

a couple people i know who are lotr fans call me samwise but i haven't read or watched lotr yet so i'm reluctant to accept this as a nickname hehe

sammi is what my sister and my very closest friends call me. if someone i'm not close to calls me that, my sister vetoes lol

ao3: sinchester

social media/s: i have all of the big ones but they're all personal accounts so</3

state country: i'm from the uk. always lived in london, it's the one true love of my life (and it's a character in good omens in its own right, fight me). i will answer ur state question in another way by saying that i usually visit the us once a year (usually for gigs and to see friends) and my last trip was to ny

pets: none</333 my grandparents have two lovely german sheps and a black cat which are my most precious loves though

hobbies: i like reading (fantasy, romance, twentieth-century poetry and nineteenth-century fiction mostly), writing (prose, screenplay and very bad poetry), live music/following tours, vinyl records, tea, whiskey, sitcoms, romcoms, and american traditional tattoos, among other things

personality: i have the most warped and harsh sense of self so i asked my best friend amy to describe my personality. this is what she said:

brb gonna go cry now

favourite holiday: christmas because i love christmas music of the easy listening jazz persuasion, and also because i love a lot of christmas films

favourite food: mac and cheese, bao buns, strawberries

favourite dessert: potentially cheesecake?

favourite colour: baby blue<3

favourite quote/s: "i am an unspeakable of the oscar wilde sort" / "not a southern pansy, the southern pansy", and in the same vein... "i'm not a big fat panda, i'm the big fat panda" / "there are heroes in the seaweed, there are children in the morning, they are leaning out for love and they will lean that way forever"

favourite book/s: call me by your name (sue me), good omens, the fables series, pride and prejudice (cliched i know sorry, i have read all of austen's work but it's her most popular for a reason), the scott pilgrim series, the spud series, the princess bride

favourite tv shows: good omens, avatar: the last airbender, peep show, supernatural (reluctantly), bob's burgers, arrested development, ghosts, yonderland. it's only just come out of course but honorary mention goes to scott pilgrim takes off

favourite film/s: shrek is my favourite of all time. it's just got everything. trust me, i went to film school (i actually did tho). then we've also got the nightmare before christmas, ferris bueller's day off, scott pilgrim, submarine, clueless, deadpool, the princess bride

favourite character/s: sam winchester, aziraphale, crowley, katara, sokka, jack and sally, kitty (ghosts), lucille bluth, envy adams, wallace wells

favourite actor/s: i've always found this a really difficult one to answer but i'll just say mae whitman because she's been in 3 of my favourite things ever and slayed all of them (avatar: the last airbender, arrested development and scott pilgrim)

favourite song/s: my favourite songs of all time are probably...

a certain romance - arctic monkeys

happiness/the gondola man - elliott smith

i used to be someone - kevin devine

i need some sleep - eels (shrek 2 teehee)

the way i loved you - taylor swift

let's call the whole thing off - louis armstrong and ella fitzgerald

that old feeling - frank sinatra (prefer his earliest version of this song to any other versions but i like ella's rendition too)

favourite music genre/s: i listen to pockets of all different guitar music, some pop and some jazz

favourite podcast/s: braving the elements, which is the official podcast for avatar: the last airbender and the avatarverse in general (hosted by the actor of zuko and the actor of korra!!!)

have you ever met a celebrity: oh god, erm... i've met so many musicians and actors (mostly actors that are less well-known) but i'll just mention the most famous ones. on purpose (some of whom i now regret lol): dua lipa, halsey, frank iero, brendon urie, jared padalecki, jensen ackles, jinkx monsoon (and loads of other drag race queens, but she's my favourite). by accident as they've come into my work: matt berry (i died), rob delaney, a couple of actors from sex education, sharon rooney (i actually bumped into her on the way to work oops). people i see around my local area or my area of work but haven't met: graham coxon from blur, peter capaldi, olly alexander. i know i've forgotten people but they'll come back to me hah - living in north london and working in central london means you do tend to see famous people sometimes

have you ever been to a concert: not sure exactly how many but my estimate is 200+. one band i've seen 37 times alone... but yeah, i follow two tours a year on average and then i'll go to gigs as a one-off for artists i don't commit as hard to lmao

do you collect anything: vinyl and soft toys! i also like to have lots of different interesting teas in my cupboard

do you have any idols: not sure i could call anyone i like an idol of mine but i naturally want to be neil gaiman when i grow up. i also would absolutely love to be as good at words as leonard cohen was. i guess taylor swift because i love her more than almost any other musician and have done since i was 8 years old but... she's a person at the end of the day (and a billionaire which is questionable)

is there a real life friend you can be completely yourself with: i feel i can be entirely myself around @icanbeurangle, among a few other people from different parts of my life. the person who wrote my little personality bio above, along with our mutual friend, and then a couple of friends i've known since school. i've also got friends who started off as internet friends but are now irl friends (the uk is a small place) who come under this category uwu

where would you love to travel to: off the top of my head, new zealand and mexico. i'd also like to see more of wales (i only went once or twice as a small child)

random fact about yourself: i'm an identical twin? it doesn't feel random at all but yeah haha

if you made it this far without falling asleep, well done!!! thank u so much for reading, i hope u didn't bore u to tears<3 i've missed out a couple questions where i addressed them already in a previous answer

no pressure tags (but i want to read up on u all!!!): @raining-stars-somewhere-else @sad-chaos-goblin @crowleyslvt @indigovigilance @icanbeurangle @bowtiepastabitch @genderqueer-hippie

#personal #not good omens #ineffabildaddy

[greensparty]

My Hot Take on Jann Wenner

Over the last few days, Jann Wenner did an interview with New York Times about his new book of interviews The Masters: Conversations with Dylan, Lennon, Jagger, Townshend, Garcia, Bono, and Springsteen. As a result of his comments, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which he co-founded, removed him from their board of directors. The comments he made when NYT asked why there were no black artists or female artists in the book, included:

“The people had to meet a couple criteria, but it was just kind of my personal interest and love of them. Insofar as the women, just none of them were as articulate enough on this intellectual level.”

He continued, “Stevie Wonder, genius, right? I suppose when you use a word as broad as ‘masters,’ the fault is using that word. Maybe Marvin Gaye, or Curtis Mayfield? I mean, they just didn’t articulate at that level.”

The next day he issued an apology:

“‘The Masters’ is a collection of interviews I’ve done over the years,” he continued, “that seemed to me to best represent an idea of rock ’n’ roll’s impact on my world; they were not meant to represent the whole of music and its diverse and important originators but to reflect the high points of my career and interviews I felt illustrated the breadth and experience in that career. They don’t reflect my appreciation and admiration for myriad totemic, world-changing artists whose music and ideas I revere and will celebrate and promote as long as I live. I totally understand the inflammatory nature of badly chosen words and deeply apologize and accept the consequences.”

Let me begin my response to this by stating that from a young age of about 9, I was a big fan of Rolling Stone magazine. Over the years many readers have complained and said it's not what it once was, they are stuck in the 60s, yada yada yada. I always enjoyed reading it and I am still a subscriber of their print and digital magazine to this day. Which is why Wenner's interview is so disappointing, anger-inducing, and frustrating.

If Wenner just wanted to release a book of his personal favorite rock stars, just say that. But to call it The Masters and for one of the leaders of music journalism to call it that, it's implying that these musicians are the high standard of rock history. For him to respond to why there were no black or female musicians in his book by saying that they "don't articulate at that level" is false, racist, sexist, vile and ignorant for countless reasons. Off the top of my head:

Rock music as a genre was based on blues music, which was invented by black musicians. Therefore there would be no Rolling Stones, Beatles, etc without blues music and those musicians in his book would easily attest to that.

No black musicians could articulate at that level? Really? Did you really just say that Jann Wenner? Because Rolling Stone has often emphasized black musicians who were the architects of rock music like Chuck Berry, Bo Didley, Little Richard, Ray Charles, Fats Domino, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker and more, which is why I'm shocked you'd say that. To completely dismiss black musicians like Curtis Mayfield, Jimi Hendrix, Marvin Gaye, James Brown, Prince, Stevie Wonder, Al Green, George Clinton, Otis Redding, Sly and the Family Stone, Michael Jackson, Smokey Robinson, Sam Cooke, Bob Marley, Run D.M.C., Public Enemy, Living Colour, and the Bad Brains is denying rock history.

Female musicians were often in the background of the early days of rock music, i.e. songwriters, singing in a vocal group, or a back-up singer. But again, Rolling Stone often emphasized female musicians with their frequent Women In Rock issues, most notably their 1997 issue with Tina Turner, Madonna and Courtney Love on the cover. But to deny female musicians like Tina Turner, Dusty Springfield, Ronnie Spector, Aretha Franklin, Janis Joplin, Diana Ross, Joni Mitchell, Debbie Harry, Patti Smith, Stevie Nicks, Madonna, The Go-Go's, The Bangles, Courtney Love, Fiona Apple, Grace Slick, Kim Deal of The Pixies and The Breeders, The Runways, Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Aimee Mann, Liz Phair, Sinead O'Connor, Annie Lennox, Siouxsie Sioux, Beyonce, P.J. Harvey, Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth, Exene Cervenka of X, Tina Weymouth of Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club, Moe Tucker and Nico of The Velvet Underground, The Donnas, and their contribution to rock is irresponsible.

If he is just kissing up to his famous friends and trying to show off the people he's known in his life then that is separate from illustrating the "master of rock music." His apology was just plain egotistical, i.e. 'look at me, I've hung out with Lennon and Bono and I was trying to show that.'

In the last few years it actually seemed like Rolling Stone was trying really hard to prove they were not just covering white males and their coverage / artists on the cover has been very diverse.

In 2020 when they revised Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list, The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper was de-throned at #1 and replaced by Marvin Gaye's What's Going On. Whether you agree with this or not, it definitely seemed like RS was trying to prove it wasn't just a list of white males and the list as a whole emphasized many more hip hop and female artists than the previous iteration.

RS itself has been a very progressive publication in music history. A place where they report rock music and the culture around it, i.e. politics, film, art, TV, comedy, etc. They have brought in extremely talented writers like Kurt Loder, Lester Bangs, Ben Fong-Torres, Cameron Crowe, David Fricke, Rob Sheffield, Jancee Dunn, Kim Neely and more. And the magazine itself was a lifeline for music fans everywhere to get the chance to read about music news and musicians you might not be learning about in your regional press and radio (pre-internet era that is). It's too bad that Wenner, who founded this publication is unaware of how out-of-touch his statements are in contrast with what the magazine represents. It does need to be stated that Wenner has not been involved with RS since 2019 and the magazine tried to distance itself from him after his statements. As for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, there is a lot to criticize about it, but at its core they are an institution that celebrates the history of rock music and have inducted numerous black and female musicians. Personally, I am appreciative of the fact that they added my documentary Life on the V: The Story of V66 to their Library and Archives' Permanent Collection last year. But I digress. Wenner's opinions do not align with what the Rock Hall is and should be about. This is a clear example of someone who founded a magazine and co-founded a Hall of Fame that is about celebrating music past, present and future and all that encompasses, but yet the founder is completely misguided and ignorant.

In the end, we are all entitled to our own opinions and we can say whoever we want is the best. And yes, this could be a case of a grumpy old boomer looking at rock history through his very narrow tunnel vision. But I just expected way more out of him and less offensive rhetoric.

#jann wenner #rolling stone magazine #music journalism #in the news #rock and roll hall of fame #music nerd

[luuurien]

Sam Smith - Gloria

(Pop Soul, Contemporary R&B, Electropop)

Positioning itself as a daring, confident collection of pop songs but possessing none of the charm, lyrical depth, or musical enthusiasm to make that happen, Gloria is Sam Smith cosplaying as pop’s future while desperately appealing to current trends and anodyne pop formulas.

½

I’m not surprised I dislike virtually everything about Gloria, but the most shocking part is just how lifeless Sam Smith is throughout it all. In recent years, their unapologetic embrace of their non-binary identity and inclusion of more direct queer songwriting as opposed to the flat, androgynous love interests of their earliest hits (I’m Not the Only One, Too Good at Goodbyes) has made them one of the biggest names in LGBT representation in the mainstream, but the strength of Smith’s public persona hasn’t nearly kept up with their music, Smith too invested in pop ballad pastiche and appealing to the taste of Billboard charts rather than trying to do anything exciting with their music in step with how they act in the public sphere. And it’s fine if they were interested in simply being a by-the-books pop singer, but Smith has so desperately wanted to be the next Big Pop Statement, marketing themselves as daring new releases even when their songwriting and production remain strikingly indistinct and bland. With Gloria, that’s even more of the case: For all the Rupaul and Paris is Burning samples they include in their songs, Sam Smith is too afraid to actually try something new, sticking to gooey R&B ballads or trying to tap into current trends of afrobeat and hyperpop without any understanding of what’s brought those genres into the zeitgeist. Gloria wants to be everything - it wants to be a liberating statement of queer visibility, it wants to be an emotionally intimate R&B album, it wants to tap into current trends and prove Smith can do more than the standard pop song - and ends up doing virtually nothing as a result. There’s nothing particular Gloria stands for, and when the music is this middle-of-the-road, listening through the entire album becomes a test of patience and your willingness to go more than halfway for Smith’s awkward songwriting to even somewhat succeed. Perhaps the most frustrating thing about Gloria is Smith’s songwriting, with one foot in trite attempts to sing about queerness without saying anything new or personal to Smith (“We love who we love / …Holding hands in the street / No need do be discreet”, they sing in the entirely unrewarding finale Who We Love) and one foot in the same anonymous pop of their past (“Babe, I’m not ready to lose you yet / Yeah, I’ve tried but you know I can’t forget” is all they can muster for the chugging dance pop of Lose You), but what all their writing sits atop is the actual music, similarly lacking in anything unique to say even when it’s trying to make a bid for Smith in new genres. Unholy, a song that has now terrorized just about every retail worker and shopping mall sound system in the world, does an incredible job at running the industrial EDM and hyperpop sound of the late-2010s into the grave with ugly and dry saw synths and percussion that couldn’t even shake the weakest speakers (plus an impressively annoying feature from Kim Petras, whose continued work and defense of Dr. Luke along with a hilariously weak output the past few years have made her one of the least interesting rising stars in recent memory), while their attempt at afrobeat on Gimme through a Koffee feature and lifeless beat make it clear that white British people should stay far away from the genre as possible - I guess it’s appreciable Smith is trying new things, but it feels more like they're trying to appease Capitol records than anything else. The other threads of Gloria aren’t much more exciting - there’s their usual R&B jams like Love Me More and No God that are unremarkable if smoothly produced, folksy singer/songwriter cuts How to Cry and Who We Love that are unoriginal at best with their strummed acoustic guitars and overwrought performances, attempts at club oriented dance jams with Lose You and I’m Not Here to Make Friends that are more likely to soundtrack Target shopping aisles and wedding dancefloors - but by trying to make every moment a big one, Gloria never finds a sense of relief, Smith unable to take in the moment when they’re so focused on keeping an image up rather than doing what they want. I can hear the bustling energy of Lose You or the sensual, wah-guitar sexiness of Six Shots, but Smith never leans fully into it, too reserved and vanilla for the many ambitions Gloria wants to achieve it all at once. But on Smith’s writing, it’s not surprising that an album so boxed in with its sound doesn’t have the most engaging songwriting, but even when singing about their identity and personal struggles with queerness and self-acceptance Gloria comes up short. Ironically, the album’s two interludes - Hurting Interlude and Dorothy’s Interlude - have the most interesting things to say of anything here: the former a sound clip from the 1970 pride march in New York City where a man speaks on the inability to open up about heartbreak to family in fear of hatred and homophobia and the latter stuffing a quote from drag queen Divine, Judy Garland’s  Over the Rainbow and a Sylvia Rivera speech into eight seconds that encapsulates different perspectives into a brisk, eight second lead into I’m Not Here to Make Friends. Smith themselves sticks to what they know: the plain self-care platitudes of Love Me More (“Lately, I’ve been trying not to hate myself / …Maybe I am learning how to love me more”), the lonesome anguish of Six Shots that hints at sex more than saying anything about Smith’s relationship to it (“I know how to mix it up / Let your body go with the slow as we grow with the weekend”). It’s all just so boring, Smith achieving relatability by taking almost all personal weight out of the songwriting, singing of their recent growth without giving any deeper insight into it - it’s cool to hear they’re putting themselves first on Perfect, but a chorus like “I'm not perfect, but I'm worth it / I'm not perfect, but I'm workin' on it” has no staying power, nothing to make sharing your time with Smith’s music worth the effort. Sam Smith so clearly wants the same kind of expansive, boundary pushing power as those they idolizes, but they're not willing to be as visually and musically daring as Lady Gaga was back in the early 2010s nor cut as deep into themselves lyrically as someone like Amy Winehouse or Adele, Gloria distinctly lacking in that sharp edge when Smith is either too afraid or prevented by their label to dig deeper. Perhaps the RuPaul sample on I’m Not Here to Make Friends is the clearest explanation of why Gloria fails to be compelling: for many non-queer people, RuPaul’s Drag Race is often their only exposure to any sort of gay culture, the neon lighting and over the top presentation and reality show format appealing to all even it has very little in common with what you might find at your own local drag show, Drag Race so clean and dramatized that so much of the energy and raw power of live drag performance is cast away for broader audience engagement. Much is the same for Gloria, Smith’s stories too padded and production too hyperactive for you to connect with them in any meaningful way. Sam Smith knows what they want to say with Gloria, but they are shockingly afraid to tell those stories without the safety of faceless radio pop to protect them, just as it did for them way back at the beginning. Nothing has changed.

#sam smith #gloria #capitol #adult contemporary #contemporary r&b #dance pop #electropop #pop #pop soul #r&b #singer/songwriter #2023 #1/10 #album review #album reviews #music review #music reviews #2023 albums #luuurien

[ebiemidnightlibrarian]

Rules: Answer 30 questions and tag 20 blogs you are contractually obligated to get to know better.

Tagged By: @chronic-ghost my beloved, you are AMAZING!

Name: Eloah :3

Star Sign: Aries (no, I'm not the rl incarnation of 'anger' from Inside Out lol)

Height: last time I checked I was 5'6", so yeah, Father Paul would easily pin me to a wall.

Time: 22:01 pm

Birthday: March 24th

Favorite Bands/Favorite Solo Artists: Humm what a hard task, it changes sometimes, but I'll keep my all-time favourites; David Bowie, Bauhaus, The Smiths, Joy Divison, She Wants Revenge, Queen, Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Edith Piáf, Al Bowly, Vera Lynn, Chico Buarque, Elis Regina, Cauby Peixoto, IAMX, Florence + The Machine, Aurora, Queens of the Stone Age, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, The Weekend, The Lumineers, Cage The Elephant and Coldplay. (yeah, my music taste it's quite unusual, but like the olds would say; Call wine, wine.)

Last Movie: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness — Sam Raimi gave me a full meal of fun, horror, drama and dark humour.

Last Show: AHS: Hotel — revisiting one of my favourites gothic atmosphere and Lady Gaga was *chef's kiss* as the Countess. The soundtrack for that season is also fucking incredible.

When did I create this blog: Ahn, I'm sure of the year, but not of the exact date. It was around January 2017.

What I post: Mostly, moodboards and aesthetics, dark academia and gothic academia; LOTS of fandom stuff and since May of the last year I'm posting fanfiction for a couple of people. Writing keep me sane… well, mostly sane, lol.

Last thing I googled: the word "hermenêutica".

It's a feminine noun (in portuguese we have genre to words). It means science, technique whose object is the interpretation of religious or philosophical texts, especially the Holy Scriptures.

Lmao, this was a bit didactic, sorry.

Other Blogs: None, just this lil one =D

Do I Get Asks?: I DO!! Please, I get so excited when I receive one, it's like Christmas morning!

Why I chose my url: it used to be a quote from the 1976 film 'The Man Who Fell to Earth' — everything begins in eternity —, one of my favourites for a very long time. But I started to think the url was too long, so I decided to change to 'ebiemidnightlibrarian' — ebie because it's the first letter of each word from the quotation above;(and also my nickname here bc my real name sounds odd in english, lol); midnight bc Midnight Mass fucking changed my life as a huge cathartic experience, and librarian bc it's my profession lmao.

Following: 459

Followers: 220 

Average hours of sleep: 3-7 hours, usually, but on my day off maybe 12 straight hours. None of them are healthy, but I'm working to fix this.

Instruments: Ohh, if I had the money to pay for the classes, I would TOTALLY play the piano. (However, I love cello too.)

What am I wearing: a terribly old nightdress that used to be pink, sandals, my granny's old jumper and a pair of workout pants from high school, it's really cosy.

Dream job(s): own a small bookshop with a small café and whole lots of first editions, where my manager it's a cute English grandpa (very specific, but I always wondered how it would be to live in England); a research colleague of a really hot literature professor (stealing this one from taylor, bc with some luck this one will become true within the next five years, lol); a guide from an old history museum.

Favourite Food: TEA, LOTS AND LOTS OF TEA! If I can make tea of it, it's great to me. Summer rolls humm I LOOOVE summer rolls; lasagna from almost any type, and specifically my grandmother's wedding cake (she was a full hand baker, once you ate her cakes every other becomes instantly shit.)

Nationality: Brazilian (things are pretty shitty around here, but, hey, it's election year, there's still hope!)

Favorite Song(s): Holy moly, okay, these are all-time favourites from whom I never get sick of:

slow burn — david bowie

tempo perdido — legião urbana (en.: lost time - urban legion, i highly recommend)

blueberry hill — louis armstrong

marian — sisters of mercy

cool cat — queen

stardust — iamx

villains of the circumstance — queens of the stone age

Currently playing on repeat:

janitor of lunacy (demo) — nico

mary on a cross — ghost

heaven is here — florence + the machine

blood in the wine — aurora

young american — the vaccines

animal impulses — iamx

big bad wolf — in this moment

Last book I read: I have just finished reading A Roda de Deus (The Wheel of God) and O Criador da Morte (The Creator of Death). They're the two parts of O Evangelho do Exorcista (The Gospel of the Exorcist), both written by Leonel Caldela.

Those books are an expansion of a Call of Cthulhu RPG tabletop, inspired by various historical events that took place in Europe over the millennials. The first part follows a novice and a priest in 1989 divided Germany who are hunting the minions of the Messenger God of Cthulhu, Nyerlathotep. The second part follows the only surviving character from the original role-play table, he's living the WWII and ALSO another war, one for our souls! Following him gave me a lot of nostalgia, and have great easter eggs for anyone who followed the main campaign. The two parts range from Charlemagne's empire to a dystopian future full of horrors. A terrifying adventure filled with mysteries, exorcisms and extremely immersive historical fiction. (I better stop now or this is going to get GIANT.)

Top 3 fictional universes I'd like to live in: Uhh, I never really thought about that. I would probably try my luck into the Lord of the Rings universe, Crimson Peak's or in Maleficent's, I have a weakness for dark fantasy/gothic worlds lol. Although I ADORE the aesthetic of Wes Anderson's 'The French Dispatch' and 'The Grand Budapest Hotel'. Ugh hard choices.

tagging: @i-was-ok-then-i-saw-hamish @mutt-thingy @rothko-mirror @sallyragdoll @everythingbutresolved @jakegwyllinghall @pegplunkett @littleredwritingcat @hamishlinklaters @plainlo-inthemorning @turbulent-protagonist @fatherpaulsimp @choosekindly @johntylersgirl @girlwiththenegantattoo @raraenocteses @sleepswithvillains @aherdofbees @p-e-r-s-e-p-h-o-n-e @babelincolns @upstartgeek @supplanther @to-taste-your-beating-heart @the-redheaded-league @agirlinherhead @meownsignor @ashton-slashton @apbajs @mysoftboybensolo @mybisexualheartbeatsforzemo @norabrice1701 @jyngerpeach @johnspruitt @lovepollution

(definitely not 30 ppl here, but think if you saw this consider yourself tagged :)

(fun fact, I almost accidentally tagged neil gaiman on this, lol)

#tagged #tag game #thanks for the tag #nice people ♥ #ebie talks #this was really fun thank you sm for the tag hope you feel you know me better now :D

[asirensrage]

for the behind the scenes questions: 8, 10, 18, 25 (there’s a heaven above you), and 30?

Raith! I'm always happy to see you pop up into my ask box. Thanks for asking!

8. Do you listen to music while you write? If so, share a song that’s been inspiring you lately.

Absolutely! I always listen to music and usually have playlists for each of my fics that I listen to when I write. Umm...the last song I was inspired by was Palace by Dessa but it was for this gif set lol. Though, Unholy by Sam Smith was in my head when I was doing smut drabbles earlier today.

10. Do you enjoy writing dialogue, exposition, or plot the most?

Dialogue and plot! I love building up the scenes, especially when things are getting good. I like trying to get readers to react lol.

18. What is a line/scene you’re really proud of? Give us the DVD commentary for that scene.

“I’m not a kid!” “You look like one,” he shot back.  “What am I even going to tell them?” I sat up quickly and glared at him. “That I’m a grown ass woman who earned adult privileges by being an actual adult walking around in a Tammy suit? And that when they treat me like a kid, when they look at me and see her and not me, it makes me feel insane! Like I’m small and breathless and not actually here. How about that Hopper? How’s that sound?” I hissed, trying to not lash out. My hands were shaking. “I’m putting in all this effort every single fucking day for someone else’s life! I might never go back to my own! Or I could wake up there tomorrow and this was all for nothing! I could have ruined this girl’s life!” I suddenly burst into tears. I couldn’t stop myself. I bent over, trying to stop, to just calm down so they couldn’t hear me. It just made it all worse. Something deep in my chest ached at the reminder that I was stuck here and I wasn’t me.  Hopper’s arm went around me, pulling me into his side. “I know ki-Kate. I’m sorry.” He patted my back a couple times and I let out a broken laugh at the attempt. None of this felt worth it right now. “I try…I try so hard,” I said, wiping the tears off of my face even as they kept falling. “It doesn’t fix anything that matters. Why doesn’t it matter?” I cried harder.  Hopper remained silent, but he didn’t move. He just sat there, hand awkwardly on my back until he pulled it away. “It does,” he finally said. “Might not see it now, but it does.” “It doesn’t feel like it.” “I know, but you matter. The little things you do add up Kate and before long, you can see the impact it has on the people around you. Or sometimes you never find out how much something you did or said meant to someone. That’s life. You just gotta live it as best you can, no matter what comes your way.” He paused for a moment. “But I admit, body swap is pretty weird. Don’t suppose there’s any set of directions on how to do that right, but you do a good job, even if nobody tells you. You’ve done right by Tammy, her parents, her classmates and everyone else you stick up for and make friends with.”

This is from Tammy Thompson Takes on the Upside Down. I enjoyed writing this scene because it really gives insight into Kate and the pressure she feels playing Tammy. I wanted to show her how other people are seeing her and I think what Hopper says here is really important for anyone tbh. The little things you do add up and sometimes you can see the impact you have on others, sometimes you can't but that doesn't mean it isn't there.

25. Which idea came to you first in there's a heaven above you (Don't you cry)?

Honestly? It was the idea of time travel without control. I liked the idea that it happens without warning and you have no say where you go or when. Also the idea of waking up on a beach sounds awful and I couldn't resist.

30. Tell us an idea for a longfic you want to write in the future.

Oh god. Every fic idea has turns into a long fic. Okay, it's not new because I've talked about it, but Reality is Fictional is a cooperative fic between me and the readers about travelling the multiverse and the impact it has on someone (as well as playing with the mary-sue trope). It'll be a lot of fun...once I get to it lol.

Behind the Scenes of Fic Writing: 30 Questions for Authors

#thanks for asking! #asks #fic writer asks #raith way

[alsjeblieft-zeg]

019 of 2023

When was the last time you went out of state?

I’ve never been in any state, let’s start from that.

And where did you go?

Antwerp, it’s two provinces further from my province.

What does the 6th text in your inbox say?

Jesus, what a boring question.

Do you even like the person who sent you that text?

Well, my phone forms conversations instead of that outdated inbox/outbox thing, so I don’t even know.

Do you have more than one best friend?

Definitely.

In public restrooms, do you flush the toilet with your foot?

What? I’ve never heard of anyone doing this.

What song is stuck in your head at the moment?

Unholy by Sam Smith & Kim Petras. I quite like this song :P

Name one thing you worry about running out of:

Medication.

Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend?

I’m married.

Spell your first name without T, E, R, A, or L.

Nah it’s lame.

How old were you when you had your first kiss?

22 or something. Never felt much into such things.

Do you ever save Aim conversations?

I’ve never used it.

If you were a crayon what color would you be?

Transparent.

Do you wish your eyes were a different color? If so, what?

They’re a dark grey colour, like anthracite or something similar. I used to wish they were green, now I don’t care much. It is how it is.

What is the 4th digit in your phone number?

1.

Who was the last person to comment you on Myspace?

What, does Myspace still exist? Anyways, I’ve never used it.

Have you ever given someone a fake phone number?

No, I just don’t give a number at all.

Your phones ringing; who do you want it to be?

I just want it to stop.

Have you lied to get out of a date?

No, I don’t date strangers.

Was your mom a cheerleader in high school?

She has never been in high school.

Do you still have pictures of your ex?

My 2nd ex, yes. We’re still friends.

When was the last time you ate at McDonald’s?

Very long ago.

Do you think more about the past, present or future?

A mix of everything.

Are you more of a talker or a listener?

It depends, but I’m mostly a listener.

What do you wear to bed?

Nothing, or a t-shirt in winter.

Do you like ketchup or mustard better?

Frietsaus ftw, or if I really have to choose, then ketchup. Not a big fan of either, though.

Did you ever have a Furby when you were little?

No, thankfully.

Did you eat a cookie today?

No, I don’t eat cookies.

What do you and your parents fight about the most?

I don’t fight with my dad. But with my mum, we used to fight about my appearance.

How old will you be in 15 years?

47, oh my God.

Is summer your favorite season?

It is.

Chinese, Mexican, or Italian food?

Italian, but sure you Americans don’t know any other cuisines, eh?

How many states have you lived in?

None.

When is the last time you saw your mom?

Last year at Christmas.

Do you like the band Mayday Parade?

I barely recognise them.

What was the first thing you thought about when you woke up today?

Probably a swear word.

Do you think dance/techno music is annoying?

No, it’s not.

What year were you born?

1990.

Do you shop at Hollister?

We don’t have these in Europe.

Grab the nearest book and turn to page 17. What is the 4th word?

Nope.

What are you going to be for Halloween?

I don’t even celebrate it.

How many times have you seen your favorite movie?

I don’t like movies.

Do you own a Coach purse?

I’m a dude, why on Earth would I own a purse??

What’s your Myspace song right now?

Never used that shit.

Has a boyfriend/girlfriend ever given you a pet name?

My husband calls me schatje when he’s in a mood for it, or just being sarcastic XD otherwise no. We don’t like it.

#survey #random survey #q&a survey

[wordsandsound14]

Top 20 albums of 2023

So it was a tough year. I think a lot of people have said this and I’ll add to the noise on it. And the damage of the year continues into the next a little bit - it does sadden me that I will have to announce that I am unable to continue releasing music for a little bit because of financial reasons. If I want to campaign these songs and get them out into the world in a meaningful way that could increase my chances of them being heard, I’ll need to hold off since that takes money to accomplish. My last song, "Orion”, got so very little listens while “Yellow” was making headway with almost 1000. So my goal of releasing a song a month for a year will have to be held off until I start again. My hope is to start releasing in the summer when life is more consistent; it could happen sooner, it could happen later. I’ll just have to see how things are. I’ll continue making music in the background as always. I really do want to put these songs out and I can’t tell you how bummed I am that I have to wait longer. I just want to give my best shot at this and this is part of it.

With that said, I do have a list of albums for you to listen to and a list for my top 50 songs is to soon follow in a different post. The year started out a little rocky with releases but started to fill out by the end and this year had some great albums when things started actually picking up. Some honorable mentions first tho. This will included albums I discovered too late to be part of best of 2022 list, albums that I listened to in 2023 that don’t qualify but I liked, and ones that didn’t make the list but felt like I should mention: Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon / Pool Kids - Pool Kids / Gang of Youths - angel in realtime. / Arm’s Length - Never Before Seen, Never Again Found / Lizzy McAlpine - five seconds flat / JID - The Forever Story / Red Hot Chili Peppers - Unlimited Love / The Wonder Years - The Hum Goes on Forever / Michigander - It Will Never Be The Same / Big Thief - Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You / The Linda Lindas - Growing Up / Gregory Alan Isakov - This Empty Northern Hemisphere / Point Taken - Here / Various artists - Barbie the Album (Best Weekend Ever Edition) / Crown Lands - Fearless / My Kid Brother - Happy.Mad.Weird.Sad / The Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream / Eric B. & Rakim - Don’t Sweat the Technique / Arlie - BREAK THE CURSE / Vines - Birthday Party / Noah Kahan - Stick Season

20. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - The Silver Cord

From the lists I’ve seen so far, a lot of people preferred their other album to this one from this year. I thought Petrodragonic Apocolypse was alright but didn’t really click for me. However, this one feels super unique and captured my attention. There isn’t another album that I’ve heard like this one, which is what I love about King Gizzard in their genre bouncing journey. It chases the 70’s Sci-fi sound and has fun with the idea of making music within that context. I will say that I listened to the shorter version of the album. There are the “regular” versions of songs and the “extended” versions I didn’t get around to trying since they are substantially longer. I do think the regular versions could’ve been longer but none but one felt like it warranted a prog like “extended” length. Regardless, I enjoyed this album a lot and have a great time when listening to it. It’s a journey through space that you’ll never forget you’re on. (Fav songs: Set, Theia, Chang’e)

19. Sam Smith - Gloria

It feels really weird that Sam Smith ranked on my list, no offense to Sam. There were some artists that I was really anticipating their releases and their music didn’t make this list and Sam’s music quality has been inconsistent to me. Don’t get me wrong though, I think this album got slept on. There’s some really good pop songs on here and only two songs that I dislike (Gimme, Who We Love). In all honesty, this album would have placed higher if it weren’t for those two downers. But everything else feels like Sam reinventing themselves and solidifying themselves as a pop artist. They were still making some hits in the past 2 albums but nothing felt like it was really leaving impact. It felt like the songs from their first album were still carrying their success. But Gloria goes to prove that wrong. “Unholy” made records and the other songs here prove that Sam wants to make music. This album is why I still follow this artist. (Fav songs: I’m Not Here to Make Friends, Lose You, Love Me More)

18. The Front Bottoms - You Are Who You Hang Out With

I think what feels funny about this album is that I don’t feel like The Front Bottoms really nailed it here. I feel like they could’ve done better but I also haven’t really heard a lot from them to really compare it to. I stumbled upon this album since I was trying to get all my songs from my old computer hearted on Spotify (didn’t even finish doing that lol). I remembered The Front Bottoms and really liked the songs I did have by them. I gave them a follow and pretty soon there was an album to listen to. However, whenever I go back and listen to it, I enjoy the songs here. I think what happened is that this album isn’t what I expected. They’ve changed a lot, especially when the songs I listened from them are over a decade old. At the same time, I think that’s what I like about it. What I appreciate the most is that they didn’t try to push the envelope on making their music have the feeling that it once was. A lot of bands from the 2000’s will try to pull their former sound into their new sound with varying levels of success but they just let it be. It’s a fun and light hearted record that doesn’t take itself too seriously. They at least made the music they wanted and allowed it to happen in the form that they found it. Give this album a listen and just take it as it is. (Fav songs: Punching Bag, Paris, Not Joking)

17. Spanish Love Songs - No Joy

The funniest thing is that my spouse loves to make fun that Spanish Love Songs lead singer sings the same way for every single song. It’s really apparent when you pay attention to it. But that’s also kinda the pull to their music. Anyways, Spanish Love Songs comes out with follow up to the incredible “Brave Faces Everyone". While they fall a little short, they still manage to capture me on most the songs here. They experiment some and continue to make gut-wrenching lyrics. I do think this one needs time to ruminate; a quick listen doesn’t quite allow it to sink its teeth into you. It works best when you grow attached to each song individually (looks up the lyrics and all) and then put them together again. Then the project feels a lot more complete. What this album does signify to me is that there’s a lot left for this band and I’m really interested in what’s next for the band and how this album will place in their career in the future. I’m usually not a fan of saying I’m excited for next time cause I should be excited for this time but the hinting in this album does do that for me. (Fav songs: Haunted, Clean-up Crew, Here You Are)

16. Susto - My Entire Life

While Susto comes right out of the gate with “Rock On”, the rest of the album is less in your face and asks the listener to pay attention rather than demand it. This southern rock band is one I found in 2022 from Spotify’s discover weekly. I listened to their 2021 release “Time in the Sun” and fell in love with what sounded like southern Jack Johnson. In a way, I can still hear the interoperation but Susto has a bit more to them than just that descriptor. They are self described as “acid country & artisanal rock.” What I feel they achieve the most is that they make music that feels like being in Carolinas, their home being in Charleston. There’s a sunshine prevalent in their music, a local comfort, and a sense of community that all comes together to make an organic experience. Susto isn’t flashy but they make good songs and I’m excited to listen more from them and they have a decent backlog to check out. (Fav songs: My Entire Life, Mt. Caroline, Rooster)

15. Citizen - Calling the Dogs

Citizen also had the challenge of creating an album to follow up their last amazing album, “Life in Your Glass House". That album has the #1 spot on my list in 2021 so there was a lot of expectations on this album. “Calling the Dogs” does something that I was hoping they would do and that was not even try to attempt to create something like its predecessor. It keeps its identity and follows a branching route hinted at in the last record. While it’s not as a monumental album, it does a great job of making high energy short rock songs. Almost like bubble gum rock. It feels like these type of songs were just the songs that were coming out of the band when making this album and they made them instead of fighting it. They’re all memorable, catchy, and fun rock songs to listen to. There’s a driving energy to this album that’s infectious to listen to and they don’t waste a song slot while at it. (Fav songs: Can’t Take it Slow, When I Let You Down, Takes One to Know One)

14. Hannah Wyatt - hummingbird

This is one my classmates from school and I adored her first album and she came out sneaky with this release early in the year. “hummingbird” is a dark, Americana folk album that takes you into the forest during the early night. It almost feels like going back in time and living off the land. It’s a period piece almost. There’s a somber mystery that runs through this album. The violin and acoustic guitar are the backbone of this album and compliment each other terrifically. Hannah is amazing at making a folk album that is one that catches the itch I’m wanting from the genre since singer/songwriter get lumped into folk sometimes. While it’s little lower on my list, it is one of the fuller experiences here. Give her a listen and hopefully she can find her crowd for her endless talent. (Fav songs: Cincinnati, high-water, yakima two-step)

13. Gregory Alan Isakov - Appaloosa Bones

My spouse and I really fell in love with Gregory this year, even though it was just one song that we liked, “Big Black Car”. She told me about the new songs and that there was an album coming out later. We waited with anticipation and, much like Susto’s release, it didn’t stand out right off the bat. It felt underwhelming, especially since Gregory doesn’t release music often. But after I put him in my playlist of recent releases, it started to click and I fell in love with the album. When it was time to take the album off and I pick the songs I like so I can remember them for year end lists, I ended up wanting to pick majority of the songs to add. These are songs to live with and they grow with you the more you listen to them. Gregory made some beautiful music this year and, while it’s pretty on the outside, it is so much lovely on the inside. (Fav songs: Sweet Heat Lightning, The Fall, Mistakes)

12. Foo Fighters - But Here We Are

Every time I talk about the Foos with friends, we almost always state how we aren’t Foo album people and that we just grab the singles. And each time, about half the albums end up being our exceptions of full ones we listen to. In conclusion from those talks, I think what we mean is the Foos mostly make a collection of songs instead of an album and that their non-singles don’t really do much unless the album as a whole works. “But Here We Are” is probably their most cohesive album thematically. We all know about the struggles that Dave Grohl had to endure lately. And while I don’t think this is as lyrically nuanced that I would have hoped, that was never their thing. Dave still wrote some songs that say what they are wanting to say and still conveys the full meaning without having a complex vocabulary. This felt like one of the first Foo albums that it felt like the world was silently anticipating so there was a lot of pressure on this album. I believe the band delivered on making something that still felt like the Foos (even sounding the most Foo as of recently, calling back to early 2000’s sound) and speaking about the band’s sorrows. (Fav songs: Show Me How, Under You, The Teacher)

11. The Maine - The Maine

I actually missed this one when it came out and it was ARTV’s YouTube short that notified me that there was another album out. I honestly thought I was following the band on Spotify. Guess I wasn’t but I am now. Anyways, the comments on the short were all talking up the album as a return for the band and how they have gotten back to making good music. I hadn’t listened to them since 2017 since the previous albums didn’t get much praise. In this album, The Maine prove that they are masters of pop rock and really deliver on it. It is true that they sound like a boy band most of the time but the music is fun and upbeat that who really cares that they sound like One Direction. And I’ll address the elephant in the room for those who know the album. Yeah, “cars & caution signs” should have been the closer and “spiraling” is the worst song on the album and doesn’t really feel like a closer. But it’s not that bad to me. The album goes by quickly and having fun with the album way overtrumps this concern. (Fav songs: I think about you all the time, leave in five, the mood i’m in / jsyk)

10. Ed Sheeran - Autumn Variations

Ed put out two albums this year and the first (“-”) was just alright. There were some decent songs but the promo made it seem like it was an album that was hard to write and subtract was gonna be the “sad” album. It didn’t really deliver on that. Then he surprised released Autumn Variations and didn’t do any PR on it. Just said that he wanted to put these songs out and didn’t want to do the whole music label release stuff. To this day, I still think his first album is his best and there hasn’t really been anything close. This album breaks that for me. It doesn't dethrone “+” but it does feel like a call back to a more authentic Ed. I’m not sure if the two albums were written at the same time or not but these songs feel like the ones he wanted to put out more. I can feel that these are the ones that really speak to him and I hope future Ed can continue along this path of making music that feels this honest. Maybe he can experiment again with hip hop (like hist first single of 2023) but right now, he can be cozy in this album. (Fav songs: Plastic Bag, England, Page)

9. blink-182 - ONE MORE TIME…

blink came out and made of the best reunion records. It’s everything you’d expect a blink record to be as they pull from all the sounds of the career, there’s a song for every blink fan. The punk, to the pop punk, and with the short humorous songs. The more impressive thing is that they did it without it feeling like you already heard it or as a cheap version of their already existing sound. They really went all out and made sure they delivered on their reunion. Everyone seems to be playing at their best and I am pretty impressed with their musicianship here. I will say that I do think they bloated up the track list by having 17 songs and, while none of those songs are bad, they could have cut 2 or three songs (tracks 14-16 come to mind). But that’s the only thing keeping this record back. Give blink a listen, even if you are just here for the reunion since I’m sure it’ll get you to go listen back. (Fav songs: ONE MORE TIME…, MORE THAN YOU KNOW, CHILDHOOD)

8. Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors - Strangers No More

The title of this album comes from the love of music. Drew Holcomb was feeling very holed up after covid lockdown and that feeling was so overwhelming that he went on tour before releasing another record. They did come out with a record in 2019 so there were songs that didn’t much live attention but I think Drew wanted to make songs inspired by coming back to the road. There’s a few songs that were recorded and released during covid that make the track listing but it’s overall a new bunch. What I love most is that I feel the intention behind every song here. There’s not one that feels like it’s phoning it in or doesn’t work. It’s been a while since the band put out a record that is this complete. There’s no dull moment and they are slowly becoming more and more renown within their genre. Each record increases their clout as they continue to chase great songs and this album is another great step forward. (Fav songs: Find Your People, Fly, That’s on You, That’s on Me)

7. Movements - RUCKUS!

Movements is known for being an entry point within the post hardcore genre, making gut punching lyrics with a little softer of a hard rock. Lots of use of space and ambience to pull everything together. And their sophomore album was more of the same but with less hardcore in it. This is more like a straight up rock record. Even with two lead singles, it was a little weird to digest that they were going to change up their sound this much. It’s not even that dramatic of a genre change but it wasn’t something I was expecting them to do. But they nail it. There’s a pounding kick drum as a heart beat with crunching guitars throughout this record. And while the lyrics are toned down just a little bit, they aren’t worse because of it. They fit this style of music better and they still are pretty good. I think they were struggling to find the next direction to go given the singles released in between releases but this was a great direction and gets me excited to what Movements can do and how they will break their barriers. (Fav songs: Tightrope, Lead Pipe, Fail You)

6. Genesis Owusu - STRUGGLER

Hip-hop/rap and country are two genres that I’m slowly attempting to find my tastes in since the mainstream of either really don’t interest me that much. The trap beats all sound just as the same as another bro country song that’s about beer, Brad, and breasts. Both genres feel redundant so squeezing the bad stuff feels like energy better spent listening to genres that better suit me. But I still like the core idea of either genre and crave the creativity from them. Genesis Owes is a rapper who has broken into my interests with his first record “Smiling With No Teeth”. While that record didn’t blow me away, I was really intrigued by his sound and liked the way he was making music. I could tell that his next steps were going to be in my interest. I wasn’t prepared for the musical fest that he had waiting on “STRUGGLER". It’s rap, it’s rock, and it’s R&B. I’m not sure what else to call it other than a modern funk album but take the disco out. The bass lines in these songs are incredible and that doesn’t even take away from how central of a role the electric guitar plays. And then he raps on top of them too. It’s really an incredible album that has a great vibe to it and he explores his central theme well too. (Fav songs: Tied Up!, Leaving the Light, Survivor)

5. Benny Sings - Young Hearts

I found Benny Sings by one song “Here It Goes”. It was on my year end list of songs for 2021 and I followed him because of it. He was dropping songs at the end of 2022 but I wasn’t expecting an album, I honestly thought he was just a single and EP person but then “Young Hearts” came out and I fell in love. It’s a bedroom pop and easy to listen to but Benny Sings proves that he’s worth listening to with his comforting sound. His sound is so simply done that it really does sound so effortless. But the craftsmanship comes from within and the songwriting on the record is what holds it together as nothing is over the top. He has a way to create songs that have a sense of magic to them that only a songwriter could create even though they have the same tools as you. It’s a charming cute album that goes on repeat and is easy to loop. (Fav songs: Pyjamas, Take Your Time, The Only One)

4. Waterparks - INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Waterparks has a very interesting career so far… with an equally interesting fan base. There’s lots of opinions about the band but I usually try to stay away from all the noise to keep my mind at ease. They have, also, slowly become a band I keep up with but don’t wait for their releases. Something about their music stopped clicking and it felt like ego was getting in the way. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY changed that. It truly felt like Waterparks entered with an album ready to say the things they wanted to say and make the music to have the urgency to accompany it. It’s a record that represents what I wanted the band to do again. Except they surpassed the expectations. There’s rap, pop punk, hard rock, ballads, and pop rock. Waterparks wanted to get everything they could that’s under their umbrella and show that that they have it in them still. The added track added on the digital release that does kinda ruin the ending a little but I’ll ignore that because the music is just that good. (Fav songs: BRAINWASHED, CLOSER, FUNERAL GREY)

3. Zach Bryan - Zach Bryan

This was probably the biggest surprise of the year. I hadn’t even heard much of this guy before this year. I got some exposure when the song with Kacey Musgraves came out but I wasn’t sold until the song with Bon Iver was released on a follow up EP. By then, I had seen his album everywhere and being pushed on Spotify a lot. So I thought I would give it a listen. Zach created an album that is music at its core. These songs feel so alive and have so much heart in them. He made these songs without concern for if his numbers would go up and without any PR. And it completely changed the game for country music and, maybe, music overall. And these songs aren’t flashy. There’s not much hook to it and the he opens the album with a spoken word over some guitar. This isn’t even a country album in the modern sense but one that goes back to the more traditional country. It was just about writing songs and telling stories. Good songwriters making music that feels like it came from within. Zach has got my attention. (Fav songs: Hey Driver, Smaller Acts, Jake’s Piano - Long Island)

2. Teenage Wrist - Still Love

These top 3 had a huge battle for the number one spot, especially these top two. I’ll say that maybe “objectively” this album is what I consider the top one. But I have more of an emotional connection with the winning album and my gut told me that it didn’t belong in second. So I welcome you to the best rock album of the year. I first heard Teenage Wrist when listening to Spotify’s discover weekly. That one song (“Stella”) got me to listen to their last album (Earth is a Black Hole) the year after it got released. It got me to follow them and that ended up paying off really well. The band decided to go in the direction of a really solid post grunge sound in a year when I was really craving it. But none hit the spot quite like this one. The keen songwriting and fuzzy amps make for an exceptional album that’s enhanced by collaborations that only add to the project. I can’t explain how much I enjoyed listening to this album and how each song has stuck inside my memory. Give them a listen and give Teenage Wrist the audience they deserve. (Fav songs: Diorama, Sunshine, Still Love)

1. Glen Hansard - All That Was East is West of Me Now

Glen is one of my all time favorite songwriters. His lyrics are raw, ability to coordinate the song with the emotion, and passionate singing make for a folk artist at the core. He has also been experimenting with his sound for the past two albums, one being self produced with more horns and his other being a collaboration of friends live in studio. This was a callback to his career, even calling back to his days with The Frames on “The Feast of St. John”. It was a return to the form in which a lot of people had fallen in love with without retreading the same ground. He continues to write meaningful and beautiful songs that are precisely written. I always look forward to a Glen Hansard release but this one is the type that I live for. The album went under a lot of radars, especially for a veteran act. But my favorite album of the year has already woven itself into my soul. It’s a fine addition to my collection and will be placed along the other high achievements from this artist. (Fav songs: Sure as the Rain, There’s No Mountain, Down on Our Knees.)

[alephskoteinos]

There's a weird take I've seen today about the Sam Smith Grammy's performance. Obviously the usual suspects have taken the pantomime image of the Devil at face value as proof of Satanism or demon worship or whatever, but an especially peculiar take that some boomer-brained reactionaries have is "I'll stick to metal/classic rock, pop music today is more satanic than metal/classic rock will ever be".

It's ridiculous at face value but after a while it's obvious: they pretty much just think Sam Smith's performance of "Unholy" is more "satanic" than anything in metal/rock because Sam Smith is a queer person. That's literally the only reason.

Stop and remember the fact that in metal the "satanic" theme is played up to such an extent that sometimes there's actual Satanists in on it. Or the fact that Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page was literally inspired by Aleister Crowley and at one point even bought Crowley's Boleskine Manor, and I would have thought that usually gets the conspiracy theorists going! It seems like for whatever reason that doesn't always bother those reactionary types, but Sam Smith and Lil Nas X certainly do, and it's not solely because of the vague performance of diabolical imagery. They offend the reactionaries because they are queer artists who acquire any sort of popular visibility, and to them the Devil imagery just matters as proof that "the queers are turning your kids in Satanists" or worse.

The funny thing is that Sam Smith isn't a Satanist, or even non-religious, or even non-Christian. They were raised Catholic, and they've seemingly pretty much just been Catholic in some way throughout their life, but they also happen to be gay and genderqueer and they've sort of struggled with the Catholic Church's attitudes on people who don't conform to cisheteronormativity. They wrote a song back in 2017 called "HIM", in which Sam literally says "Don't you try and tell me that God doesn't care for us", as in gay and queer people like them. It's obvious that Sam sees themselves as a Catholic in a way that means they simply reject older traditionalist/conservative understandings of what it means to be a Catholic, or to believe in the Christian God more broadly. Not to mention that the song "Unholy" is called "Unholy" because it's about adultery and that's literally how the song's lyrics characterise adultery. Sam dressing up as a Devil and recalling diabolical imagery is probably just for the purpose of accentuating the "unholiness" of adultery, or at most just to recall the Devil as a figure of punishment: hardly a Satanic gesture. If indeed it is "satanic", then we might also consider medieval plays to be "satanic", since they also featured actors dressed as devils and demons in Hell, even though they also portrayed them as villains and losers who were going to be defeated by God and his son Jesus.

But again, the reason why none of that matters to reactionary queerphobes is because Sam Smith being a queer performer at the Grammy's is what matters to them. That's also the only reason they feel outraged at the perceived sexualisation of one of Sam's more recent music videos: because it's queer and because Sam owns it, as opposed to the sexualisation of woman as solely to service a male gaze, and at that a rather timid consumerist male gaze if I may say so.

#satanism #sam smith #queerphobia #conspiracy theorists #the devil #unholy

[hayashits]

Poetry and Music, a Timeless Relationship: A Reflection Paper on the Anthology, Lockdown Litanies: Countless Untold Stories

An Essay by Airi Hayashi

Poetry and music have a lot in common. They're both very personal, and the best poems and songs have one thing in common: they want to make you feel something specific. A good poem or song uses strong, accurate, and interesting words that allow the reader to feel the writer's emotion and intentions. People can connect with one another and with ideas through them. They can be full of exciting and emotional moments. We can open our eyes and hearts more fully through them.

Poetry and music are an art form that allows the writer to share experiences and real-world events with the reader through a succession of fictitious words; when correctly planned and executed, poetry has shown to be a powerful weapon. Every poem has a key element that engages the audience and makes people want to read and listen to them. Both of these art forms have many similarities while remaining distinct in their own way.

As I read the first poem, “Dear Diary,” it reminds me of the song “Stronger” by Kelly Clarkson. We can see that the author is going through a difficult time in his life and has made numerous mistakes. I found many relatable lines, but one in particular stood out to me the most is ”I wronged people and myself, but I regretted none. I own up my mistakes in finally choosing freedom.” We can grow stronger by overcoming our problems and accepting responsibility for our mistakes, as well as by choosing peace and refraining from revisiting our problems and punishing ourselves.

Onto the next poem, “The Tale of a Modern Sisyphus,” I noticed that the first and second parts of the poem convey different messages. I agree that "less talk, less mistake" is a good pageant strategy, but I believe it is better if you can justify your answer than simply answering the question. In the second part of the poem, it states that there is more to life than our struggles. If you focus on your problems, you will create negativity in your life, which will eventually lead to depression and anxiety. I can relate this poem to “Rise Up” by Andra Day. In the lines “I’ll rise up and I’ll do it a thousand times again,” like Sisyphus, he got punished by Zeus to roll a boulder up a hill only for it to be rolled back down. This teaches us to never try to escape failures, but rather to accept failures as we accept our accomplishments. No matter how much we lose, we must never give up until we reach our full potential.

For the third poem, “O’ Yayi (A Prose Poem),” it is about a married couple whose wife, Yayi, has a fallible memory and does not recognize her husband. However, in the lines “Dante? That cheerful but feeble voice. That spark in her eyes after saying his name.” Yayi mistakens her husband as Dante, her former lover who was killed by Nippon soldiers. As stated in the lines “If ever I run out of time here and reach the other side, whose arms would you run back again, mine or Dante’s?” You can see that the husband is hurt. This reminds me of Katy Perry’s song “Thinking of You,” which is about a girl being nostalgic for a previous lover while in a relationship with another man. I chose this song because their situations are similar. Both the singer’s and author’s former lovers died and are now missing them.

Moving along to the fourth poem, “Two Red Laces on the Wonderwall.” From what I understood is that the author of the poem dated several men before they met this guy, to which they stated “Had a dose of fun before I die and tried my luck with several men, but you felt like home, where I belong.” This reminds me of Sam Smith's song "Say It First," which is about the feelings you get when you're in love with someone, and one of those feelings is when you feel at home with them. In the beginning of the song, Smith describes how he used to feel empty and how strange it feels to fall in love. That, I believe, is why the poet has had many failed relationships. And when they met "the guy," it gave them hope and allowed them to escape their lonely hours.

Now, for the fifth poem, “Umbilical.” This poem is about a mother giving birth. The author wrote it from the perspective of the baby. It is aware that its mother is in pain and begs not to take her away, as stated in the lines "The pain she suffered just for me to see” and “Lilom, Lilom, I beg. Spare her for me.” As I read the fifth verse of the poem, the baby comforts its mother and assures her that her mother by telling her that all her sacrifices were worth it, that she has fulfilled her purpose in this world and can now rest. This reminds me of the song “A Mother’s Prayer” by Celine Dion. The lyrics sing about the only thing that all the mothers want, it's for God to watch over their child and to always keep them safe. But instead of the mother, it’s the baby who is praying for the mother.

For the sixth poem, “RE: Paper (I’m Red, IMRaD),” it says that the K–12 system is ineffective if the instructor fails to explain the lessons to the pupils in a way that they can comprehend. A great teacher can have a profound impact on a student's life, affecting everything from their success in the long run to their ability to learn in the classroom and can make a world of difference on a student from any age. I agree with the poem that it is not just the students and the quality of education that need to be improved, but also the teachers. I will associate this poem with the song, ‘They’ Schools by Dead Prez. In high school, we were always assigned a lot of schoolwork rather than to help us study. We were taught to take tests rather than learn the lessons, which adds stress to students transitioning from high school to college.

Now for the seventh poem, "3 A.M. Awakening." Harper appears to be committing suicide. She is tired of living and wishes to leave this world. She believes that if she commits suicide, she quoted “peace will be on its way.” This poem reminds me of the song "Adam's Song" by Blink-182. The song tells the story of Adam, a young man who is suicidal and depressed. He thinks back on all the times he screwed up, which may seem insignificant to others but are depressing and demotivating to him, and he has reached his breaking point. On the first verse of the song, we can see that this kid is truly depressed, and suicide feels like the only option to him, just as it does in the poem.

The eighth poem, “My Frail Lady,” is about Evelyn McHale, who died by jumping from the 86th floor of the Empire State Building. Her fiance, Barry Rhodes, did not notice any suicidal thoughts before she left. However, according to an article by CODEX 99, that she committed suicide due to depression, which she inherited from her mother, who suffered from undiagnosed and untreated depression. This reminds me of the song, “Listen before I go” by Billie Eilish. Like the poem, the song was very therapeutic. They are similar because both the singer and the author expressed their emotions through the song.

Finally, for the last poem, “Major Arcana,” getting from the title, it is about predicting your future using tarot cards and palm readings. In the first verse, someone walks into the tent and asks to have their palm read. After reading their client's palm, the fortune teller instructed them to draw six cards. The first card was "The Tower," which means they are afraid of change and refuse to let go. The next card, The Chariot, represents your ability to manifest your desires if you act with discipline and self-control. For the third card, "The Lovers," it represents making decisions and being unsure about them. If you want to go a certain route but are hesitant, put all your doubt aside. Regardless of the decision, make it carefully and proceed with confidence. The fourth card, “The Star,” brings hope, renewed strength, and the ability to move forward in life. Their wishes will be fulfilled. Onto the fifth card, The Hermit, advises taking some private time to connect with your inner wisdom. You typically find the answers you're looking for inside. But avoid being alone for too long. A balanced strategy in which you purposefully honor your spirit will be advantageous to you. Now for the last card, The Sun, indicates that you are entering a period of positivity, light, and joy. People are drawn to your positive energy, and you can now manifest anything you desire. This reminds me of the song “My Future” by Billie Eilish. The chorus goes “Cause I, I'm in love with my future. Can't wait to meet her and I, I'm in love. But not with anybody else. Just wanna get to know myself.” As Billie described it as having a positive outlook on the future. Despite the fact that the present appears to be bleak, it encourages everyone to look forward with hope and joy to the future.

In conclusion, poetry and music share many similarities. Both have been used for thousands of years to express emotions such as happiness, sadness, anger, or any other emotion, as well as various situations such as heartbreak or recovery from a breakup. Despite the fact that there are numerous types of music and poetry, the relationship between these art forms remains constant because they both allow for self-expression. I had a hard time trying to analyze these poems and find a song that goes along with it because there are so many songs to choose from. This essay has given me the chance to explore and discover different genres and has also given me a wider range of perspective in music.

#Song Association #Creative Nonfiction

[allegra-writes]

“Heartfelt”

Bar musician! Harry styles x Bartender!Reader

General audiences

Warnings: None

Just some Valentine's day fluff with our favorite green eyed boy. Dedicated to @gaycinnamonrollgirl for giving me the idea, and @tomsrebeleyebrow for patiently listening to me endlessly gush about Harry Styles and still being my friend. Happy belated Valentine's day 💖

"You don't have to say you love me

I just wanna tell you somethin'

Lately you've been on my mind..."

Adore you - Harry Styles

...Oh, she looks so good, oh, she looks so fine

And I got this crazy feeling that I'm gonna ah-ah…

"Bartender, my good friend! I'll have my usual and a plate of your finest chips, if you would be so kind"

It was closing time when Harry, the local musician, sat in front of you, elbows on the bar you were wiping down while humming to Patti Smith's "Gloria".

You raised an eyebrow at him, but the willowy man could see the slight tremble at the corner of your lips, a tell that you were suppressing a smile.

"I'm afraid the kitchen is closed, mister Styles. Sam left an hour ago."

"Yes yes, but I have it from a very good source he left you a big pile of leftover chips before he did," He accused, "you know, as he does every night..."

You frowned in confusion,

"I thought you hated cold fries. That you found them to be, and I quote, soggy and disgusting" 

"I guess you can say I acquired a taste for them" He shrugged, mischievous green eyes sparkling, "Just like you did for this lowlife songwriter in front of you and the heartfelt conversations you share with him" 

"Did you now?" There was an edge of scepticism in your voice, but you were already disappearing inside the kitchen. 

Harry's heart did a little jump as you didn't immediately deny liking him.

"Hey, Joe" he called out, "why don't you go home? I'll help Y/N close when we're done…" 

There was a deaf noise as a young waiter, the only person left in the bar beside the two of you, set the last chair on top of a table. 

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I got this" he reassured him, "did it dozens of times. Go home to your girl"

"Thanks, mate!" The second brit practically skipped on his way to the backroom, but turned around just before reaching the door. "Listen, you know I like you, but if you hurt y/n in any way…"

Harry smiled, genuinely. He could never get mad at anyone that protective of you.

"You know where I live. Pick my sister on the way, though. I think she would like to join you."

Joe rolled his baby blues,

"I know you're not a creep. I meant her heart"

"Yeah, me too…"

Whatever your friend saw inside Harry's eyes was enough to convince him. He nodded and left, as the musician got up to lock the front door and turn the "open" sign off. 

If you noticed Joe's absence at your return, you didn't comment on it, simply setting the giant pile of chips and two cans of cherry cola you were carrying, down in front of Harry, who had returned to his seat. 

"Ah, you always have the good stuff!" the sigh that left his lips as he took the first sip of the soda was not unlike the one any of your regulars made after the first taste of something strong after a hard day. 

"Rough night?" 

"Kind of. Good show though, so at least I have that going on for me…" 

"It really was, I'm actually impressed" You had to confess, "And surprised too, it was a bold choice going acoustic on a night like this, with such a big audience," So many people had gathered to see the show that the bouncer had to start rejecting people so you wouldn't have trouble with the fire department "but it definitely worked" 

There was a slight blush on the singer's cheeks when he replied, far more humble than you were used to,

"Well, you know, Valentine's day and all that. The band, all have boyfriends and girls they wanted to spend the evening with…"

You tilted your head,

"And you didn't?" It was hard to believe, when almost every night he played there you would see him leave with a different, always sculptural, painfully perfect girl. Or man. 

Harry didn't reply, choosing instead to stuff his face with stale fries.

"Alright then" You raised your shoulder in surrender, "keep your secrets…"

He squinted in disbelief,

"Did you just quoted The Lord of the Rings at me?"

"Did you just recognize my Lord of the rings quote?" You countered.

"You are such a nerd!"

"Look who's talking, chicken little!" You gestured at his powder blue sweater with a yellow baby chick at the front and herringbone pants. 

"Oi!" His manchester accent popped out, like it always did whenever he lost his cool "I'll have you know, this is Gucci"

You scoffed,

"That doesn't make it any better, it just means that you spent a shit load of money to look like my third grade teacher, mister Harrington!" 

"Ok, first of all," he countered, "your teacher sounds awesome and second-"

An inelegant snort escaped your mouth. Harry's emerald eyes pinned you down. 

"Second of all, you're no one to talk either, kitten hoodie" 

You could feel the heat creeping up your cheeks. Praying he couldn't see your blush in the dim light, you took a mouthful of soda to cool you down. 

For a moment, none of you said anything, the sweet notes of Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" the only thing filling the silence.

… Players only love you when they're playing

Women, they will come and they will go...

"Listen, y/n-"

"If I'm being honest-" 

He chuckled,

"I'm sorry, ladies first" 

"Now I'm not sure if I wanna tell you…"

"Come on" A grown ass man pouting should not be that cute, "I want to know"

You feigned a long suffering sigh,

"Fine, if you must know- If you must know, I actually like your new style. It's way better than that... rock and roll cliche... thing you had going on when we first met" You gestured vaguely in the direction of his body, "You know, the long hair, black clothes, doc boots…" 

He flinched, 

"Ugh, Don't remind me. I was trying too hard back then. And not only with my clothes, with my music too"

"Oh, yeah, I remember. All you used to sing about was" You chose your words carefully, "frisky girls and being horny…" 

"Well, to be fair, I still sing about being horny"

"Yeah, but now you're…"

You trailed off, unsure of how you could explain the difference, the change in your feelings towards his music, without explaining the change in your feelings towards the man that made it.

However, Harry would not let it go that easy. He was used to you being sharp, opinionated, guarded. Now there was a crack on that armour, and he wanted to see what was underneath it. 

You hadn't even realized how close you had leaned into each other until his hot breath fanned over your face.

"Now I'm what, y/n?"

More real. More mature. More emotional, as if he had finally found the link, made the connection between sex and love. 

"More open"

Harry smiled,

"Open. Yeah, I like that…"

So close. He was so close now, his malaquite eyes were out of focus. So close you could feel his magnetic field, the gravity of his atoms pulling in yours.

"Harry…" 

Never in his twenty seven years of life and over ten as a musician, had he heard a more beautiful sound than his name, breathlessly falling from your lips.

"Yes?" He murmured, lips ghosting over your soft, perfect ones.

"No"

"No?"

"No" You repeated, more firmly, taking a step back, putting as much space between the two of you as possible, "I know what this is"

"And what is this, y/n" To your surprise, he didn't sound mad, or demanding. He sounded confused and sad. Dissapointed but unsurprised, as if he had expected it to go south or… never had dared expect it would actually happen at all. 

"A bad idea" You explained, "with guys like you, is always the same: You have beautiful women throwing themselves at you every night. And you take them home with you cause why wouldn't you? You are young, and free and hot. There is nothing wrong with taking what's being offered" 

"Y/n-"

"I'm not saying it's your fault" You went on, ignoring him, "And I'm not saying you don't fall in love, sometimes. But that's the exception, not the rule, and I… I'm the kind of girl that's the rule. Not the exception"

Harry had always thought the worst that could happen to him was losing your friendship. Finally making a move, a real move, and getting rejected by you. He thought that was the definitive pain, the one that would obliterate him, if things were not to work out. And he was almost certain they would not work out. 

But sitting there, in front of you, separated by a wooden bar that might as well have been the great wall of china as you stood there, arms around yourself, small and defenseless as you explained to him all the reasons why you wouldn't allow yourself to love him… that was way worse. 

"What if you already were my exception?" He blurted out, before he could stop himself, "What if I was in love with you?"

You laughed, bitterly.

"Harry, I'm not even your type. I've seen you leave night after night with models and socialites and actors, each one more surreally stunning than the last one…" You didn't have a bad self esteem, you didn't. You considered yourself attractive, but the people Harry usually went for were on a whole different level.

"Yes, but that's only because the most absolutely perfect woman in the world for me, keeps me at arm's length!" He rubbed his face in frustration, "And it's so maddening, so fucked up, the way I can't even get away from her long enough to get over her, because even the pain of seeing her every night knowing I can't touch what I see, that I will never have her, is better than the pain of being away from her. 

So I keep on taking home the hottest people I can find hoping they will keep me distracted long enough to fill the hours until I can see her again… until I can-"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Never, in all the time you had known each other, had Harry given you a single signal indicating he had any kind of feelings for you. Your relationship had always consisted of friendly banter and quip battles. Sure, you could get flirty sometimes, but you were a bartender, flirting was pretty much your customer service voice, and he was a musician, he would flirt with his own shadow if he could.

Harry opened his mouth to explain, but a familiar melody started coming from the still working speakers.

Walk in your rainbow paradise

Strawberry lipstick state of mind…

"Hey, this is my song!" You didn't quite understand why he seemed so marveled, "You never added any of my songs to your playlist before!"

Oh. Oh.

"Yeah, well" Harry could now clearly see your darkened cheeks as you stumbled over your words, "I guessed I never liked one of your songs so much before" 

This time, he was the one blushing and avoiding your eyes.

"What would you say if I told you-... If I told you I wrote this one for you?"

"I'd say you're full of shit" You scoffed, "Didn't you tell me you only ever wrote about girls you had dated?"

"No," he corrected, "I said I only ever wrote about women that had broken my heart…"

"How did I break your heart?"

Harry sighed. Your walls were back up, higher than ever, and he didn't know how to break through them. It wasn't your fault -and had it been your fault, truth was he could never blame you either, there was something about you that made it physically impossible for him to get mad at you- you spoke from experience, he didn't need to unlock the secrets of your past, didn't need the details. It was obvious you had been burned before, and though he hated it, hated them for whatever they had done to you, he couldn't fault you for trying to protect yourself.

Not when he wanted to protect you too. 

"You didn't like me, back when we first met"

"Harry-"

"No, it's ok. You didn't like me, and you were right not to like me. I know you probably didn't realize it but, that first time you rejected me, when I flirted with you that very first night and you rolled your eyes at me… you changed my life"

"What? How??"

"You weren't wrong, I was a cliche. And I was trying way too hard, to be cool, act like a rockstar… but you took a look at that guy, at that though, playboy, sex, drugs and rock 'n roll guy… and you hated him" Harry snickered. You didn't understand what about all that was so funny, "I had created that guy so that everyone would like him, and you hated him. And the funny thing is-" He finally met your eye. No, he caught your eye and imprisoned them, "The funny thing is, you hating me for what I wasn't, somehow allowed me to start being myself a little bit more, because if you already disliked me… then I had nothing to lose" 

You didn't quite know what to say to that.

His bright green eyes were unable to face yours, choosing instead to focus on the palms he was picking at,

"Is that why you… uhm…" You pointed at his sweater.

"Yup" He admitted, "I showed up here one day, on laundry day, in one of my old nerdy sweater vests and you smiled, when you saw it"

"I remember that!" You chuckled, "It was the brown striped one, it almost looked like a crop top, cause it obviously didn't fit anymore"

Harry nodded,

"I may have had a couple grow spurts since I got that in high school" 

"Ok, but, you made it work somehow…" 

"Thank you. The point is…" he turned serious again, his deep, rich voice even more hypnotic than usual. Or maybe it was just you, for the first time allowing yourself to enjoy it without reservations. "The point is, you didn't like cool Harry, but you liked the real me. Even if just a little bit, and that meant the world to me. I… I adored you because of it. So I wrote a song for you, cause even if I couldn't say it to your face, I had to get it out. Just like I had to get this out tonight"

He opened his arms wide, in his typical ta-da gesture, sad, resigned smile on his face, before getting up from his stool, grabbing his jacket and guitar case.

"You don't have to say anything, I don't expect you to love me back" He declared, "I just- I thought I'd let you know. Valentine's day and all that."

He turned to leave, his own voice still signing in the background,

I'd walk through fire for you, just let me adore you

 Oh, honey…

"Harry, wait!" You almost fell on your face, trying to jump over the bar, but managing to stop him right before he reached the door. His poorly concealed smirk told you he might have seen your little show, but you didn't care.

"Did you mean it? That you'd do anything for me?" 

"I did" He confirmed, earnestly, "I still do. Anything you want, just say the word"

"Well then," you took a step towards him, that he mirrored without even noticing, "what about a date? A daytime date. At a public place." You clarified. Harry did smirk at that.

"What's the matter, afraid you won't be able to keep your hands off me?" He teased, leaning closer. 

"Don't ruin this, Styles" You warned, raising to your tiptoes to meet him eye to eye.

His smile faltered, replaced by the most sincere intensity you had ever seen on his handsome face,

"Wouldn't dream of it, bartender" He whispered, before capturing your lips with his.

#harry styles #adore you #harry styles x reader #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles imagine #valentines day special

[myassgoodbye]

I wanted to put my thoughts out there about Brian’s recent comments on the Brit Awards getting rid of the Male & Female categories. 

It’s important to go over exactly what he said, which I found in as complete a form as is easily accessible at ultimateclassicrock.com: 

“I’m sure… we would be forced to have people of different colours and different sexes and a trans [person] – but life doesn't have to be like that. We can be separate and different. Our generation made a lot of mistake, but not everybody in our generation was wrong and not everybody in this generation is right. A lot of people from our generation who are being called out have actually done a lot of good in their lives.”

Absolutely no one is saying the Foo Fighters shouldn’t win awards or perform unless they get a bandmate who’s a POC, woman, or trans person. He’s also being vague enough about “a lot of people from our generation” who were “called out” for... I guess not having those groups in their bands?? But who? 

“I worry about cancel culture. I think some of it is good but it also brings bad things and injustices. We think in different ways but they weren't necessarily worse ways. For instance, Freddie came from Zanzibar – he wasn’t British, he wasn’t white as such – nobody cared. Nobody ever, ever discussed it. He was a musician, he was our friend, he was our brother. We didn’t have to stop and think: ‘Oh, now, should we work with him? Is he the right colour? Is he the right sexual proclivity?’ None of that happened, and now I find it frightening that you have to be so calculating.”

Sure, there are bad aspects of cancel culture. But that’s not related to the issue at hand: removing the gendered categories. You’re not “canceling” men or women by doing this. I find it very telling that he says Freddie wasn’t white “as such.” That’s the entire reason no one or few people had issues with Freddie. Even today, I think the average person would say Freddie’s white. That’s why no one discussed it. That’s why he didn’t discuss it beyond some vague mentions in old interviews, which called him “exotic.” 

If you look at the 10 best-selling artists of all time, only 2 of them are POC: Michael Jackson and Rihanna. And Rihanna first started making music in 2005. As much as people love to say Freddie was “openly gay” while he was alive, the definition of “open” is very nebulous. Did he go to gay clubs and date men? Sure. Did he give any interviews to the public saying he dated men? No. He kept a distance from Jim when they were going out in public. Maybe the members of Queen didn’t care about his sexuality, but it’s unfair to act like no one would’ve cared if he were out. Many fans would not have been fans if he were entirely out. Maybe Brian and the others didn’t have to be calculating, but Freddie very much had to be calculated about what he did in public. And no one is demanding bands to have their members be in certain groups, so again, this is irrelevant, man.

“It’s a decision that has been made without enough thought. A lot of things work quite well and can be left alone. I get so sick of people trying to change things without thinking of the long-term consequences. Some of these things are an improvement – some of them are not.”

Again, define which “things” are an improvement and which aren’t. Clearly, he wouldn’t be saying this if he liked the removal of the Male & Female categories since that is the primary thing being changed, if not the only thing. In that case, what about that works well? How exactly is Sam Smith, Demi Lovato, or any other non-binary artist supposed to win in the Male or Female categories? They can’t. If certain people are ineligible to win due to their gender, that’s not working well IMO. I’m sure if they just added Non-binary categories, Brian & others would complain it makes it too easy for them to win awards because there are comparatively few non-binary artists. So if you think there’s some better way to handle this, suggest it before just saying the changes are bad. You know what’s a really bad “long-term consequence” of leaving things as is? Non-binary people can’t win awards.

I’m not calling Brian a conservative because he generally isn’t, but on this issue, he seems to be. And very often, conservatives argue the status quo shouldn’t be changed because “look, some things are working well and there could be consequences to changing things and let’s just leave things alone for now.” And for now ends up being forever because they repeat themselves. They don’t propose alternative changes; they just say to hold off for now. Because they don’t want it to change at all and they realize people don’t want to hear the status quo is actually great.

He went on to express hopes for “more understanding” between people with opposing attitudes, so that society could move on from what he described as an “atmosphere of fear” in which people were “afraid to say how they really think.” He continued: “I think so many people are feeling ‘hang on, this isn’t quite right.’ But they don’t dare say anything. Eventually there will be some kind of explosion.”

The thing about understanding is it can’t really exist when 1 side denies the rights of another. If the status quo stays, non-binary artists can’t win awards. If you think it “isn’t quite right” to allow them to be included and to put everyone on equal footing, I’m not sure where the middle ground is. If there is an “atmosphere of fear” around saying non-binary people don’t deserve to be included, good. That means a good number of people think we should be included. It’s like how people would fear publicly saying women shouldn’t work and should only raise kids. I’m glad you fear saying that because it’s bullshit. 

Besides, the UK is generally anti-trans, at least more than the US, and not even everyone who supports trans people supports non-binary people. Maybe he means he’s afraid to say that around his friends, since he’s generally pretty liberal on other issues. If so, maybe listen to your friends, Brian. 

I’ve seen some people here say what he’s saying really isn’t that bad. I’m not saying Brian is the worst transphobe in the land & he should hide in a hole or anything. Your connection to media and the people who make it is your own & it’s complicated. But at the bare minimum, if someone says bigoted shit, which is what this is, acknowledge it for what it is. He’s not trying to say it outright, but it doesn’t take much analysis to see what he means.

#brian may #i'm not going to engage with any replies/reblogs bc this is just me putting my thoughts out there #I mean if he says more shit I probably will respond to that but otherwise no

[rosereview]

Top 11 Albums of 2020

Much like my top EPs of 2020, this consists of all the albums that came out in 2020 that I really enjoyed. I just did a small description of my favourite things about these albums, and for all of them, I highly recommend them. 

11. Weird! by Yungblud

This one was a very big surprise for me because I generally don’t like the type of music Yungblud creates (a more punk/pop rock-ish sound), but many of the songs on this album made me fall in love with it. Yungblud knows how to use his voice to inflict raw emotion that gave me goosebumps particularly in his song “mars,” “teresa,” “love song,” “it’s quiet in beverly hills,” and “god save me, but don’t drown me out.” These are for sure my favourite songs on the album. He has such an interesting voice and even my least favourite songs, I can still listen to and enjoy because they evoke other types of emotions that really resonate with me. 

10. Rare by Selena Gomez

Next we have Selena Gomez’s new album after a five year hiatus, which now feels like it came out a million years ago, but it was just last January (a little more than a year ago). I also had quite a few songs that I liked on this album and the whole theme of mental health and finding yourself I really enjoyed. Not all of the songs were my favourite which is why it’s lower on my list, but many of the songs also grew on me more as time went on. Almost all of them are also really catchy so I found myself singing them in my head at random times, which also made me realize the genius of some of these songs.

9. Leave It Beautiful by Astrid S

Like Selena Gomez’s album, this new one by Astrid S had a lot of good singles that I fell in love with even before the album came out. But when the album came out, I wasn’t as impressed with the rest of the songs, even though some have really grown on me with time. I think I was just wishing for some more ballads and stripped down songs like from her Down Low EP. But besides that, this is Astrid S’ debut full length album, which in itself is really exciting since I’d been waiting for this forever. 

8. These Two Windows by Alec Benjamin

Next is Alec Benjamin’s new album, which definitely has some songs that make me pause and give me goosebumps. I really liked how on this new project, Alec Benjamin had some more interesting and different production styles in the songs, so they weren’t all the same, or very similar, styles like in his last album. By that I mean that he used his voice in different ways and there were cool sound effects in the background of the songs that added something extra to them. Although that being said, I think I have to say that the last album had superior storytelling skills than this one, and even though I really did like the lyrics in these songs, in the last album I felt like there was more of a variety of topics and stories that I missed in this album. 

7. Wonder by Shawn Mendes

And finally Shawn Mendes came out with a new album this year too, which was really exciting. I overall thought that this album was really good because it was so different from his older stuff. I know that some fans didn’t like this album for that reason, but for me I thought it just made it better. Shawn Mendes is still growing as an artist and I liked seeing him try out different styles of songs that he wouldn’t normally do in his other albums. When “Wonder,” the single, first came out I was sold on this album, and I liked how he did have a theme of wonderland and love and wonders about life throughout the album. It made it feel like a very complete project. (I also loved how there was a song called “Dreams” on this album and Camila Cabello also had a song called “Dream of You” on hers!)

6. Loves Goes by Sam Smith

Sam Smith’s new album was also long awaited, especially when I thought it was coming out in the first half of 2020 instead of the last half. But I can’t say that the wait wasn’t worth it. I was worried that Sam Smith was going to do a whole pop album, but instead I was very happy when they came out with many songs that are still slower ballad heart-wrenching pieces. Most of the songs I really loved, and I also kind of wished that they had an album with none of the bonus tracks from their original album since I felt that just the new songs made it feel more complete, if that makes sense. But even with the old songs that aren’t really my favourites still there, the new songs definitely make up for it.

5. Confetti by Little Mix

Little Mix’s new album is absolutely stellar. I loved so many of the songs on this album and I thought it was all done really well. They were all really fun and make you want to dance and sing along, while still being original and different from their older projects (although some songs take inspiration from older ones which I also liked). They did release a lot of the songs before the album even came out, and I got a little nervous because when that happens, I usually like the singles more than the other songs on the album, but that didn’t happen here. I loved the non-singles probably more than the singles, which I didn’t think possible. They also played around with different production sounds in this project, which I also thought was a very smart idea, and this album just makes me love Little Mix more and more.

4. Only Child by Sasha Sloan

Also a very anticipated release, I was almost in tears when Sasha Sloan said she was finally releasing his debut album this year. I have been obsessed with her EPs for a long time and now having a full length project is such a treat and she definitely did not disappoint. All of these songs on the album are amazing and so many of them are so relatable it almost scares me. I really don’t think there is a song on this album that I truly dislike, and every time I re-listen to the songs, I find a new love and appreciation for them. These songs just feel so personal like a diary entry, which also makes them feel so powerful, and even though Sasha Sloan is known for being a sad girl, this album also has a lot of happy songs when talking about love that made me smile. 

3. Heartbreak Weather by Niall Horan

I was very surprised with myself for putting this album in the top three, but I really have to say that I love it so much. I was not even expecting to have a Niall Horan album on this list, but this album took me by surprise in all of the best ways possible. This is the type of album you can just continuously listen to on repeat because all of the songs are different and so good that you just never get sick of them. I love singing along to all of them and I’m obsessed with almost every single song on the album (which usually doesn’t happen with long projects like this one). 

2. Folklore & Evermore by Taylor Swift

I put these two together because they do feel like one project and I needed to talk about them as one. First off, I’m just obsessed with the lyrics, the production, Taylor Swift’s voice… you name it, I love it. These albums are just perfection in every way, I can’t find any bad things to say about them. Also the fact that we were gifted with TWO albums instead of one is amazing, and the fact that they have different stories in them with literal characters is also superb. I don’t think there is anything negative or something I don’t like about these and I feel like you can just look at anything a Swifty says to know what I like about these albums. 

1. Manic by Halsey

And finally my favourite album of the year, and probably of all time, is Halsey’s Manic, which makes me smile just thinking about it. This was the exact project I dreamed of getting from Halsey and she delivered in every possible way. I loved all the different styles of music in here and every lyric that she wrote. Listening to the album all the way through on repeat makes me so happy that I can’t ever turn off the music until it’s run through all the way. And just having been on this journey with her for this long, makes it so much more special because you understand all of the little meanings in the lyrics and the story that she’s telling. This is definitely my favourite album from her and my favourite album ever!

And that concludes my top favourite albums of 2020, and I also have a top favourite list of EPs if anyone’s curious. 

Until next time!

~Rose Reviews

#Halsey #manic #manic album #taylor swift #folklore #evermore #folklovermore #heartbreak weather #niall horan #only child #sasha sloan #little mix #confetti #love goes #sam smith #wonder #shawn mendes #these two windows #alec benjamin #leave it beautiful #astrid s #rare #rare album #Selena Gomez #weird! #yungblud #favourite albums

[spn-supernatural-fanpage]

Adore You | Jack Kline x Reader

Imagine dancing with Jack to Adore You by Harry Styles

Songs featured in story:

Pairing: Jack x Reader

Summary: You're Dean's teenager daughter and you're dating Jack. You're reading and listening to music in the library with Jack when your song comes on and you two dance to it. Little did you know, Your dad, Sam, and Cas we're standing there the whole time.

Warning: None just fluff

Word count: 775

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For weeks you and Jack had been practicing the dip in your room and joking around about how you're going to be Dancing With The Stars. Even though you know that's never gonna happen, you can still joke around about it.

You and Jack sit in the library you had your playlist playing. Your taste in music is very different from your father's. He listens it classic rock, you listen to pop. You like rock music too but prefer pop, Dean on the other hand complains about your music. But you don't really care, you'll blast your music through a bluetooth speaker any day. Like right now, Sunday Best by Surfaces is currently playing. You lip sing to it as you read. He is reading lore and you're reading Percy Jackson for the seventh time.

The song ends and Sunflower by Post Malone starts playing. You glance up and Jack to see him nodding his head and lip singing to the song. You put your book down and look over at him until he notices that you're looking at him. Jack looks over at you and smiles. He leans forward and pecks your lips. Then the song ends and Adore You by Harry Styles comes on, your and Jack's song.

Jack grabs you hand and pulls you both to your feet. You wrap you arms around his neck and he places his hands on your hips. You sway a back and forth and Jack sings along to the song. "Walk in your rainbow paradise, strawberry lipstick state of mind. I get so lost inside your eyes, would you believe it? You don't have to say you love me, you don't have to say nothing, you don't have to say you're mine. Honey, I'd walk through fire for you, just let me adore you." He sings then underarm turns you. "Oh, honey, I'd walk through fire for you, just let me adore you." He turns you again with both hands. His arm are wrapped around your waist from behind he still sways back and forth. "Like it's the only thing I'll ever do, like it's the only thing I'll ever do." He turns you back around do you're facing him.

You wrap you arm back around his neck and his around your waist. Jack continues to sing along to the song, "Your wonder under summer skies, brown skin and lemon over ice, would you believe it? You don't have to say you love me, I just wanna tell you something, lately you've been on my mind. Honey, I'd walk through fire for you, just let me adore you." He picks you up and spins you both around. "Oh, honey, I'd walk through fire for you, just let me adore you." Jack picks you up again and walks forward then puts you down and turns you again. "Like it's the only thing I'll ever do, like it's the only thing I'll ever do."

At this point you're both singing along and dancing like your on Dancing With The Stars. "I'd walk through fire for you, just let me adore you. Oh, honey, I'd walk through fire for you, just let me adore you. Like it's the only thing I'll ever do. I'd walk through fire for you. Just let me adore you. Oh, honey, oh, honey, I'd walk through fire for you, just let me adore you. Oh, honey just let me adore you. Like it's the only thing I'll ever do." He ends it by dipping you. Jack holds you there and kisses you.

He pulls you back up, so you standing up right, without breaking the kiss. He pulls away and rests his forehead on yours. Dancing With A Stranger by Sam Smith starts playing but you ignore it. You hear clap coming from beside you. You both look over to see Cas and Sam clapping and you dad is holding up his phone recording you. "You doing great sweetie!" Dean says with a laugh.

"We're gonna be on Dancing With The Stars!" You shout and grab Jack hand and hold it up and bow. He follows suit and bows too. Then you both start laughing.

"Yeah, right." Dean says.

"Let the kid have a dream, Dean." Sam says and elbows Dean.

"Dream big, kiddo, dream big." Dean says and stops the video. Then him, Sam, and Cas walk away.

Jack grabs your hand and pulls you toward him and kisses you again. His arm snake around your torso and yours around him neck. He pulls away and presses his forehead to yours. "I love you, Y/n Winchester."

"I love you, too, Jack Kline."

#Youtube #jack kline x reader #jack kline #spn #castiel #dean winchester #supernatural #sam winchester #dancing

[ms-rampage]

New Dawn: New Horizons Chapter 2 - An Archangel’s Daughter

Warnings: Language

Word count: 2.6k

Summary: Gabriel confronts Lucifer to protect Daenerys from him. Cristina tells her parents about her encounter with Lucifer. 

Guest OCs: Thomas Winchester-Smith (FC: Colin Ford), Jeffrey Winchester-Smith (FC: Dylan Everett)

Guest characters: Carmina Rye, Gabriel [Supernatural], Lucifer [Supernatural]. Sam and Dean Winchester [mentioned]

Written by @athenalillystar and myself. Supernatural & Far Cry New Dawn crossover. Hope y'all enjoy! 💗💗

Taglist: @wargames94 @rabbitsoldier @mrsladydiana @vicki-the-sinner

The Winchester kids, and Carmina Rye sitting at Roughneck’s Crag. Laughing, having a great time, and enjoying the Montana night around the bonfire. 

Not far from them, Lucifer appears, tracking down Daenerys. Just to see how special this human child is to his brother. He walks through the tall grass, the lights from the hut lightning up the dark mountain, wooded area with dead trees, dirt roads and the loud rock music playing.

Lucifer sees the kids, figuring out which one of them is Daenerys. Clearly it’s not either of the two boys, it's not the tall brunette with the blue streaks because he met, and spoke to her hours earlier. 

So it’s either pink, purple hair (Daenerys), glasses (Bianca), or beanie (Carmina).

He listens in on their conversations from 25 feet away, hiding in the darkness. Underneath the water tower. So far he’s able to get their names.

Jeffrey, Thomas, Bianca, Carmina and Daenerys, but still doesn’t know who is who. The small pink, purple haired girl steps away from the others.

“Dae, where you going?!” Cristina asks.

“I’m getting a drink!!” she responds. 

“Get me one too!” the elder sibling responds. 

“So you’re the one who’s holding my brother back” Lucifer says to himself. 

He follows her, while remaining hidden. “Who would’ve known the small pink, purple haired one would be “fathered” by my brother” he tells himself, “It makes sense. She looks like a unicorn threw up on her hair, she looks like she eats a lot of candy, sugar, and yet has a petite figure”. 

He watches her go through the cupboards inside the hut. He’s about to approach her, when the sound of wings fluttering stops him.

“What are you doing here?!?” an angry whisper asks. He turns around, and sees a furious Gabriel with his arms crossed.

Lucifer smirks, “I see you’ve been working on your dad face. Keep it up, it looks good” giving him a thumbs up.

His arms still crossed, and still angry, “What are you doing here?!?” he asks again.

“I just wanted to see what was so special about “wittle” Daenerys” he says mockingly.

“Get out of here!” he demands him.

He scoffs, and crosses his arms “No, and if I don’t, what are you gonna do about it?!. With very little powers you have”.

He takes a few steps closer to him. “I’m not gonna need much to take you down Lucifer” Gabriel threatens him. He gives him a mocking look, and chuckles. 

“Really? Because I can kill you right now, and little Dany won’t know what happened to her “father”. Does she even know you’re an Archangel?!. Well half Archangel, but more on the human side”.

Not wanting to give his brother the satisfaction on telling him the truth. He continues to stare at him, not saying a word. His lack of response makes Lucifer’s mouth drop open in a dramatic fashion.

His hand covering his mouth, “Oh my dad, she doesn’t know you’re, or were, an Archangel!?!”.

Gabriel looks away for a moment, and back at Lucifer, shaking his head “No. No she doesn’t know, and I don’t want her to know. She doesn’t know I’m not her real father, and Kate wants it that way”.

Lucifer clenches his teeth, squinting his eyes and says mockingly, “It’s never a good thing to lie to your child. Well she’s not your child, so I guess it's okay to lie to her”.

He stares at him once more, telling his older brother in frustration “Lucifer, just leave. I have enough on my plate already”.

He immediately responds back, “And what is that Gabe?!. Not having your powers?. Dad not answering your calls?. Being a human?. It sucks doesn’t it?!?”.

He raises his hand, snapping his fingers, freezing time, and approaches the group of kids. Standing behind Daenerys.

“Lucifer!” Gabriel mutters angrily, marching towards him “Lucifer, get away from them!!”.

He glares at Daenerys in disgust, “What is so special about this small human?!?. I mean this color. It's so bleh” he gags in disgust.

“Lucifer, stay away from them!” he threatens him again.

“But this one!” he points to Cristina, “This one, I like. I spoke to her earlier”.

Gabriel looks at him in confusion, “You spoke to Cristina?!?”.

He nods his head, “Yep. We had a nice little chat. About how dad farted on humanity, tried to wipe them all out. How he spoke to Joseph Seed about the Collapse, and how he played him”.

“She knows you’re!?!” he asks, motioning his hand up, and down “Lucifer?!”.

“Yeah, she freaked out!. I don’t think mommy Paige told her about, our kind” he whispers the last few words.

He follows up, “Which makes sense because your pink headed daughter doesn’t know you’re an Archangel, and pretty much lied to her, her whole life. How old is she? 12? 14? 15?”. 

“She’s 16” he mutters, rolling his eyes. 

“16!” he says “ethusasically”, placing his hands on his cheeks, “Wow, she should be in high school. Talking about boys, getting her nails done, or something like that. I don’t know”.

Still fed up with his brother's antics and already annoyed that he decided to show himself to his human niece, and is threatening his daughter. 

“What are you trying to do here?!?” he asks, irritated with his brother's antics. 

“Seriously. What is so special about her?” he motions to Daenerys, “What’s so special about Kate Winchester, or the Winchesters in general?!?”, trying to somehow convince his brother.

Gabriel groans in annoyance, rolling his eyes, “Okay, fine. When I cast out of Heaven, and landed here, the only humans I knew were the Winchesters. I didn’t know Kate, and Paige were pregnant. With very little strength, and powers I had, I went to them and their family. I knew they would take me in. Yeah they didn’t really trust me at first, but then I explained to them what was happening in the world. They believed me. Now with Dany, when Kate was pregnant I took care of her, and she gave birth, I took care of the baby. I helped Kate raise her, and that's why she's so important to me. I watched her grow up, and she saw me as her father.”

Lucifer acts touched to what his little brother had said. He says, pretending to be tearful. 

“That was just so touching” he wipes a fake tear from his eye. “I can feel my heart growing with happiness”. 

Gabriel knows he’s faking it. It’s his thing.

“Yeah sure. You really think I’m gonna believe that crap” he tells him.

Gabriel looks at his temporarily frozen daughter, “Believe me or not, I don’t care. Whether she came from me or not. She’s still my daughter. I helped raise her, and if I have to protect her from you, or any other bag of dicks, I will. My lack of powers won’t stop me from protecting her”.

Lucifer shrugs, lifting his arms up, “Have it your way, but also remember I’m still not done with you”.

He snaps his fingers, disappearing, and unfreezing time. Gabriel quickly teleports back to the compound. 

Daenerys looks in the direction where her dad was standing. Thinking she saw him, just merely seconds ago.

“You okay Dae?” Bianca asks her. 

She looks around confused, “Yeah, I thought I saw my dad. That was weird” she laughs it off. 

They all stay there for another 15 minutes before getting up, heading back to their car, and going home.

***

Back at the compound Gabriel walks through the front door, and a worried Kate approaches him.

“Gabe!! Where have you been?!?” she asks, now relievedly.

He stammers a bit, “I-I uh”. He lets out a sharp exhale, and tells her the truth, “When I went out earlier to contact my dad, Lucifer”.

“Lucifer?!?!” Kate exclaims. It catches Paige, Kenneth, Adrian, Mandy, Mark and Nate's attention, making all of them turn around.

“What about Lucifer?!?” Paige asks from the kitchen.

He continues “Lucifer appeared to me, and he wanted me to go with him”.

“Go with him? Where?” Kate asks.

“He didn’t say. He saw you Kate in one of the windows, and he was like “You live with the Losechesters now?!” and I told him that I am. I told him that I couldn’t go with him because of her”.

“Daenerys?!” she whispers.

Nodding his head, “Yeah, he went to where they were at tonight, and I was able to confront him before she could see him”.

“Oh no, no, no” Kate mutters, shaking her head. 

The others, Cody, Martin, Barbara and everyone else hear the commotion and enter the living room. 

“He didn’t say anything to her, or he didn’t do anything to them?!?” she asks, about to start panicking. 

“No, no he didn’t do anything to them, or to her. But he did mention that he. Talked to Cristina earlier” he hesitates on the last part.

“What?!?!” Paige shouts, getting up from her seat “What did that asshole say to her?!?”.

“He knew she was your kid, and he also wanted to know why Daenerys is so special to me. I told him why, but he didn’t believe me. Which is typical of him".

Exhaling in frustration, “I can’t believe him. I can’t believe he would show himself to her, and all those years. I tried shielding our kids from that life and all that demon crap”.

“Well it doesn’t really help when we have an actual Archangel living with us” Mark informs Paige.

“I know, I know, but none of the kids know he’s an Archangel” she tells them, stress in hervoice.

Gabe sighs “That’s another thing Lucifer mentioned”. 

“What?!” Kate asks.

“He asked if Daenerys knew I’m an Archangel, and I told him “that I don’t want her to ever find out about it", and he tried to make me feel guilty for lying to her”.

They all stare at him, he continues “He also asked if she knows that I’m not her real dad”.

Kate looks at the floor in anger, her hands trembling, “I can’t believe him. I expected this from him, but him putting our daughter into it, that's crossing a major fucking line”.

They see headlights, a car pulling into the property, they all turn back and see the kids. 

“Okay, let's not say anything to them until we get all of this figured out” Paige tells them. 

They all agree, and go do their own thing. The kids enter the house, still talking and laughing.

Gabriel, who is still worried about his brother doing harm to Daenerys, stays quiet about the whole thing until he can figure out a way to get rid of him. Or somehow keep his ass quiet, and prevent him from showing himself to her, and the other kids.

****

Later that night, Cristina is unable to sleep, or prevent her mind from wandering because of Lucifer. She gets up out of bed, goes to her parents room. 

Paige and Kenneth look up at her.

“What’s wrong Cri?” Kenneth asks.

A look of worry and confusion on her face, “There’s something I need to tell you both” she says to them. 

“What is it?” Paige asks, already knowing what this is about. 

She sits at the edge of their bed, “Earlier today when Daenerys, Bianca and I went to scavenge for supplies. When I was alone in one of the houses looking for supplies. A man appeared, and he said his name was Lucifer”.

Paige and Kenneth look at each other, “What did he look like?!” she asks.

“He was tall, had blond hair, blue eyes. Had some facial hair. He was wearing a mustard color, beige jacket, white t-shirt, and dark blue jeans” she explains every detail of him, from what she can remember of the encounter.

Paige sighs, looks down at the floor. “That was indeed Lucifer.”

“He said he knew you, and aunt Kate” Cristina tells them. 

Paige nods her head, “Yeah, we have a long history with him. Kate killed Lilith all those years ago, and Kate happens to be Lilith’s true vessel. We thought killing her, for the 2nd time, would prevent Lucifer from rising, and getting out of his cage but it did the exact opposite. It freed Lucifer from his cage. She had me killed, and I died. I spent 20 years in Hell, which is 2 months Earth time. I was raised from perdition by the Archangel Michael. In total I’ve died 7 times”. 

Cristina looks at her mother with wide eyes and disbelief. Completely speechless. She looks over at her father Kenneth, and he nods his head. This better be all a dream. This can’t be real!.

“What? How? When? What?!!” she stammers, “Who else knows about this?!?”.

“I do, your grandmother, and your aunt” Kenneth answers, “No one else can know about this. Not your siblings, not Daenerys, not a soul can know about this sort of thing.”

Paige explains to her eldest, “I was 4 years old when my dad died. He died in a house fire that was started by a demon named Azazel. Your grandmother, aunt and I travel a lot, hunting down the demon that killed my father, and ruined our family. It’s a very long story, just to give you the short version. I never wanted you, and your siblings to live the life Kate and I lived growing up”. 

“We wanted a normal life for you guys” Kate jumps in, leaning against the doorframe, “I agree, no one else can know about this, and the man you saw today. Lucifer, the real Lucifer”.

“Okay so what about Sam and Dean Winchester?!?” she asks, "Who are they??".

Kate and Paige look at each other and nod their heads.

“They’re family. Were family. They were our 1st cousins, their dad John, and our dad Joel were cousins. Their dads Henry and Alfred were brothers” Paige tells her, holding back tears, "Your brothers are named after them. They were the best hunters we have ever known. They were very brave. They've saved the world so many times, and we've never forgotten about them. We always think about them." 

“We come from a long line of hunters. Not your typical hunters, but we hunted monsters. Ghosts, vampires, werewolves, demons, all that shit” Kate tells her. 

“I need to go lie down” Cristina says, getting up from the bed, going to her room. Feeling lightheaded.

“Don’t tell anyone. Please, we don't want anyone to freak out, or panic. So just don’t tell anyone” Paige pleads her. 

“Okay” Cristina mutters, nodding her head. Walking towards her bedroom. 

Going to her room, laying down on her bed, and trying to go to sleep. Only to wake up minutes later to the sound of rustling in the corner of her room. She sits up, turning on her light. Nothing. She lays back down, closing her eyes.

The rustling returns but she ignores it, turning on to her side, facing the wall. She hears very faint humming, thinking it's just her imagination. She ignores it. It grows slightly louder, and kind of obnoxious. 

She sits up, and turns on her light again. She sees the same man from that afternoon. Lucifer.

“Hello!” he greets with that same calm voice, and a slight smirk on his face.

She’s about to scream, but he covers her mouth immediately. Muffling her screams.

“Why do you humans always act this way to surprising visitors?!?!” he asks annoyed, shaking his head.  

#far cry new dawn #far cry new dawn ocs #New Dawn: New Horizons #paige winchester #kate winchester #cristina winchester smith #bianca winchester smith #daenerys winchester #thomas winchester smith #jeffrey winchester smith #supernatural x far cry new dawn #supernatural lucifer #supernatural gabriel #joseph seed #mickey and lou #fcnd ocs #supernatural references #my crossover shit #my crossovers #far cry new dawn series #writers on tumblr #my oc stuff #my writinga #my writing