#and making the most specific playlist ever to encapsulate the day

[bongo-clash]

Procrastinating Writing So I Made an Ask Game

🐙/1 - If you're into poetry, what are your favourite poems?

🦑/2 - What song(s) do you listen to while writing (if you listen to anything)?

🦐/3 - Do you have a song that's been stuck in your head?

🦞/4 - Last sentence you wrote for a WIP

🦀/5 - Trope you'll never get tired of? (General or fandom-specific)

🐡/6 - Do you do anything to inspire yourself for writing? (e.g., moodboard, playlist, etc.)

🐠/7 - If you could make any one thing canon for any one piece of media, what would it be?

🐟/8 - What's the most productive time of day for you, writing-wise?

🐬/9 - Any cool/interesting things you had to research for a story?

🐳/10 - Funniest joke/bit you think you've ever written

🐋/11 - Saddest thing you think you've ever written

🦈/12 - Any stories you didn't expect to get the response that they did?

🦭/13 - Which of your stories do you think best encapsulates you as a writer?

#I crave engagement and making one of these seemed fun so!!! Here lmao!! Ask me something if you feel like it!! #Feel free to reblog this and use it for yourself too!! #not dp #Bongo's Ask Games!!!

[preciouslandmermaid]

playlist anon here! Cornelia street ALMOST made it on the playlist, it just didn’t because I wanted more angst!!! I hope you enjoy it and i wanna know your thoughts if you’re willing to share when you finish your listen☺️

I'm actually gonna put all my thoughts on this reply, lmao. And I'm typing these up as I listen so uhh this might be a rambled mess LMAO.

Track 1: IMPECCABLE CHOICE. we really cannot have a playlist without the star of the show ;) ~ i love cigarettes after sex lol they're so moody and sensual. show stopping. incredible. iconic. Track 2: TAYLOR!!! SWIFT!!! God, I love gold rush so much. esp the line; "I don't like anticipating my face in a red flush" because i think it perfectly encapsulates how the reader feels about carmy. her desire for distance, her uneasiness about her affection/fondness, the vulnerability that he unknowingly teases from her. Track 3: I've never heard this song before. I know of HAIM. But, wow this song really gave me like BUTTERFLIES. Especially these two lines: "We're watching the sunrise from the kitchen counter // When you're lyin' between my legs it doesn't matter." like 👀👀👀 HELLO?

Track 4: Yeah, this one - like - taylor swift is so good at writing songs about yearning LMAO. Just. * Chef kiss.* Track 5: MITSKI. MITSKI. MITSKI!!!! Is it really a playlist if we don't have mitski? answer: no it is not! ugh. "baby will u kiss me arleady?" LIKE DAMN, TRUE. MISTKI!!! WILL HE?? Track 6: Okay, I need my girl by the national. is. the most yearning-of-songs to ever yearn. this song really captures what it feels to be like "outside" - not relating to peers, or family, and feeling like you have this connection to a specific person who even when you feel small/insecure/weak/etc---this person is who can pull you out of it, who softens the edges of the world, :.) i love them sfm. Track 7: hi taylor. This song is so carmy-coded. "And it's hard to be at a party when I feel like an open wound" and this one too: "And my words shoot to kill when I'm mad" -- carmy knows EXACTLY what to say to cut someone deep. ha ha. this line, especially, feels very carmy/mikey to me: "I didn't know if you'd care if I came back I have a lot of regrets about that" COOL, COOL, NOW IM FUCKING CRYING.

Track 8: emotional damage. emotional damage. how dare u put phoebe bridgers on this playlist. i weep. this song perfectly captures the grief that they (reader and carmy) share. 😭

Track 9: I've never heard this song but it got me with the FIRST LINE. "in the car in the backseat" HELLO?? fucking IMMACULATE. also, like yes reader IS a fucking mess. they're both messy. and yet "I believe that you see me for who I am" [SCREAMING INTO MY PILLOW AND WALKS INTO THE OCEAN]

Track 10: wow this song is also so THEM. "All the skeletons you hide. Show me yours, and I'll show you mine." hi, i will need 7-10 business days to process this, thnx. goodbye. u really weren't lying when you said you wanted angst. u know that meme of the stick-figure guy lying on the ground in a puddle of his own tears? That's me.

Track 11: Hoax by Tswift is so Carmy-coded. I think Taylor wrote all these songs for him, actually. but, also the references to shades of blue, make me think of reader looking to Carmy's eyes. both romantic and lowkey fucking SAD. are u trying to fucking kill me??

Track 12: it's about the yearning. i just love the concept that this song implies that like no matter how much you try to push someone out, they can still get under ur skin. HAHA WALKING INTO THE OCEAN AGAIN.

Track 13: i made the mistake of looking up the lyrics to this song so i could include my favorite line and then the internet told me that the meaning of this song could be interpreted as "pouring love into someone and they only give a fraction back in return." wow that hurts bestie. but also the ending of this song, the way it picks up, and the crescendo of music (im not a musician) its giving ~crying while sliding down the wall in the golden light of pre-sunset and clutching ur phone to ur chest.~

Track 14: wow this song fucking slaps? Also screaming at the chrous: "Is it insensitive for me to say - Get your shit together? - So I can love you" LOSING IT. I feel like it could be taken both ways, Reader's view to Carmy and his view to her. Like. Hmmm. besties. I'm feeling like these two might be grenades thrown at each other. hahahah.

Track 15: WE GOT HOZIER?? damn!! I feel like you went into the cosmos and found all the bangers I had forgotten about or simply never heard. God, I love his folky, gentle vibe. I feel like this would be the perfect song to have played during the wedding scene when they're both sitting in front of Lake Michigan, talking about loss, and their budding friendship.

Track 16: "The devil's in the details but you've got a friend in me." Again, are you TRYING to kill me?? Honestly, all of these songs could apply to SOME part, some scene of this fic, and I want to THROW MYSELF INTO THE SUN!! also like the line....."Give you the silence that only comes when two people understand each other". that's it. I'm listening to the rest of these from beyond the grave. also like ugh the way this song embodies being THERE for someone but not being able to u know fix the shit they're going thru or heal it and just having to accept that.

Track 17: daddy hozier is back! this song is just ugh so romantic. i feel like hozier is the only Man to Ever Exsist, imo, and get it. He gets it! Also, this song makes me feel like being "brought to life" by love and uguuugghh. I know ur going for an angst angle but this song makes me feel so warm and cozy x)

Track 18: WOW THIS SONG IS SOOO READER. This is her song. You've done it. You've cracked the code. I think this song could be interpreted as her feelings for Carmy, but also, on a larger scale--The Bakery--when it came into her life, everything changed, and she now has something to prove, something to work for. I'm in AWE of ur mind, anon.

Track 19: oh ok we're back to being sad, I GUESS. GOSH. EVERMORE?? Pls!!!! The way this song describes a story of grief and how it feels like it's going to last forever, but it doesn't. Time actually does heal wounds. You just have to make it through the months, through the cold, and into safety and warmth. What a PERFECT ending song choice.

how i feel about this playlist (affectionate)

#fic: nghb feedback #long post #this is so incoherent im sorry lsdjfdslkfjsdl (not sorry) #i have the biggest grin on my face LMAO

[monster-noises]

Top, slump, red lights, your eyes ~~

Answered for both my WIPS: Flesh and Hot Iron and Haggarty v-v; Top - The song that would be a theme song for your wip. FaHI: Villanous Thing - Schafer James It's where it is on the playlist for a reason. ("You'll find no ever after here; it's clear that isn't what you came for" "waste no worry for the world, let it be a tragedy of love and glory; while they wait by gates of pearls, we'll be building palaces in purgatory" Like are you Kidding me....) HatWW: The Sky and the Dawn and the Sun - Celtic Woman I think there are better songs if you want a Tonal theme for Haggarty, and tracking down a tune that encapsulates both the mood and the narrative is.. surprisingly challenging, but This is the song I can most picture as playing over like.. a Trailer. Slump - song that would play at the end credits of your wip FaHI: Life Eternal - Ghost or Ashes - The Longest Johns Though Ashes is Specifically the end of Lazarus's playlist/story, (A lament directed at Karl as Lazarus dies, mutated and burning, in the ruins of is home/studio: making the "I'll tend to the flame, you can worship the ashes" a bit of sourly tinged tounge-in-cheek joke. It's not a perfect overall match lyrically but I like the idea and tone enough) I think it's a contender.. Life Eternal is the Real Shit though, I'm so so happy it works so well for FaHI, it's just one of my favourite Ghost songs overall.

HatWW: Les Bal Des Chats - Cecile Corbel A fun, playful little song with lyrics that pertain to absoluuuuutely nothing but I can see it clear as day playing over the credits of Haggarty. Red lights - sexy song you could imagine people would do thirst traps of your oc FaHI: Laplace's Angel (hurt people? hurt people!) - Will Wood I way overthought this one.. I know what I would pick to do like.. a Sexy Thirst Trap Edit of Laz (for the record it's This. And This for a more ~jazzy vibe~) But What Would The General Public Choose???? so after a small out-reach for consensus, someone suggested this ^^ old chestnut.. Which is actually a very pivotal song on Laz's Playlist and honestly Yeah, I Can See It. I'm into it. That's the One. HatWW: Fairytale - Alexander Rybak Being honest I've not until very recently thought about the way people may read/ choose to consume Haggarty beyond "oh look at this darling little fairytale story with whimsical character/creature design! A fun, charming, and touching little read!" (It was originally developed while I was still in my non-fandom period so I had kind of... forgotten people don't always read comics/ engage with media the way I do/did dfkjghdjfg) But if I really think about it the most likely character to get a Thirst Trap is Paug (the funny little lad on the right), and I think one set to the chorus of Fairytale would be rather funny and delightful! Your eyes - song you could imagine a ship edit for your ocs FaHI: I Know you Know - Charming Disaster or Hell and You - Amigo The Devil This time we are not polling the audience. This time it is being Dictated. These are the Big Two. Only acceptable options. (okay and also Home to Me - Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, if you want to get Extremely Mushy but it's not even on the main FaHI playlist so it doesn't count. ... FUCK also Curses -The Crane Wives... There's so many good ones... ) HatWW: Once again, I hadn't really.. Considered... this idea yet.. for Haggarty particularly.. and after scouring my music collection have come up sadly empty handed for a song that suits the story and mood of HatWW.. especially not for the main pair of Haggarty/Paug (or any potential couples for that matter).. I feel bad to leave a question unanswered but also FaHI got like.. Four songs. So. That should hopefully make up for it...

#monster noises #meat husband #metal husband #HatWW #tuneage #let myself have the littelest tiniest of tastes of doing that full-length FaHI-playlist explainer post with this one #I still wanna do it so bad #but I chicken out everytime #and I know I would get tired So Fast so I'd have to spread it out over days.. #HatWW also has a playlist #but it's not really super curated like FaHI or Laz's #it's more of a peronsal-use Mood Board #for when I'm working on it

[macaulaytwins]

my hobbies include dressing up to go get a coffee, dressing up to go thrifting, pretending I’m good at school, writing little gay notes about the little gay people in my books, and gazing at the moon

#and making the most specific playlist ever to encapsulate the day #dark academia #romanticize #dark academia aesthetic #coffee shop #coffee #books #academia #light academia #thrifting #antiquing #book #annotating #my hobbies include #aesthetic #textpost #txt #dark academia outfit

[strawberryastrohealing]

Jupiter Neptune Conjunction April 2022 (and rest of 2022) Manifestation Routine

Jupiter and Neptune meet in the mystical sign of Pisces April 12th, with its energy being present for a week before the exact conjunction. This is a super exciting transit that sparkles our dreams and speeds up our manifestations! 

It will be a much needed retreat from the heavy, gloomy energy lingering around us, especially with all the dark and scary things going on in the world today. Keeping that in mind, I made a little routine to follow in the weeks leading up to and following this rare transit, to keep my vibration as high as possible and make the most of this beautiful transit. Jupiter remains in a close dreamy love dance with Neptune for the rest of 2022, so we have plenty of time to make all our dreams come true! Don’t be stressed if you’re not sure exactly what you’d like to manifest next month :) 

I think it is more important then ever to put in the energy and time into positive thinking and manifestation. Jupiter is all about spirituality, faith and optimism. Neptune is all about dreams, illusions, compassion, inspiration, goals, universal love, imagination, and creativity. Jupiter elevates all that Neptune is about - that means big dreams, an expansive imagination, big love and lots of gifts when we simply follow our intuition and dreams!     

𝙳𝚊𝚒𝚕𝚢 𝙷𝚊𝚋𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝙶𝚎𝚝 𝙸𝚗𝚝𝚘  

10 mins Meditation 

Any form of meditation to clear the mind and raise your vibes would be a wonderful daily practice to get into. Lighting up some incense, diffusing some essential oils (Water Lily would be perfect, it’s very beautiful, soothing and Piscean), and playing some calming transcendental music. 

If you are religious or spiritual, dedicate more time to following your faith or connecting to the Divine - through prayer, writing a letter to Spirit, tarot or divination, etc.  

10 mins Gratitude time 

Spend at least 10 minutes a day just soaking up gratitude for anything and everything, big gratitude is very Jupiter! Just being grateful to be alive, for getting to be a spiritual being living a human experience, for any religion or faith you may follow - everything Jupiter in Pisces is especially expansive! Throughout your day, think about all the little things that give you big joy and make you smile... just feeling beautiful, big gratitude for all the beauty in the world will bring you more of those good vibes!     

Like this cat for example: 

Or just a warming, comforting cup of tea! :) 

10 minutes Self Love time       

Dedicate 10 minutes just coming back home to yourself and nourishing your spirit with self acceptance, unconditional love and care. Stand in front of the mirror and tell yourself how much you love you, say 5 things you love about yourself physically, 5 things you love about your personality, and 5 things you’re proud of yourself for!      

Affirmations for Self Love: 

I feel so grateful, blessed and lucky to be me!   

I am so beautiful!     

I am the dream girl, I love being my dream self! 

I cherish, honour, and adore myself completely! 

I love myself unconditionally. I send unconditional care and compassion to myself. 

I forgive my self and am compassionate with my flaws and mistakes.  

I am so excited and grateful to be young, alive, and healthy!     

Spend time sitting with the feeling of self love and compassion, this will bring more self love and love into your life!! 

10 Minutes Visualising Specific Goals

Spend 10 mins just visualising your goals and sitting in the feeling you’ll have when you reach those goals or dreams. Make a playlist full of positive, optimistic music that puts you in the same vibe of that feeling. Music is a magic manifestor!! Focus on songs with lyrics that are focused on, and really emanate and encapsulate that feeling. Really dreamy or otherworldly songs that give out those whimsical, Neptunian fantasy vibes earn double points! Or just that big, happy Jupiter optimism! Sing along and vibe to those songs and sit in that beautiful feeling of having your dreams come true.            

Some of my favourite songs for:  

Dream Love:   

🦋 Cloud 9 - Beach Bunny

🦋 Today Was A Fairytale - Taylor Swift   

🦋 Enchanted - Taylor Swift 

🦋 Love Story - Taylor Swift 

🦋 Fantasy - Mariah Carey 

🦋 Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel - Tavares - this song is very big Jupiter in Pisces love lol I love it!! P.S. the Sonny & Cher cover is super cute too 

🦋 Everywhere - Fleetwood Mac 

🦋 Pink Skies - LANY 

🦋 Electric Love - Borns

🦋 I Really Like You - Carly Rae Jepsen       

🦋 Can’t Take My Eyes off You - Frankie Valli 

🦋 My Girl - The Temptations

🦋 I Can’t Help Myself - The Temptations / the Jessica Mauboy cover 

🦋 Heaven is a Place on Earth - Berlinda Carlisle  

🦋 Sunshine, Lollipops And Rainbows - Lesley Gore 

🦋 I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time - Mariah Carey

🦋 Super Bass - Nicki Minaj 

🦋 Love Drunk - Little Mix .. Lying, underneath the stars, Jupiter hits on Mars! 

🦋 Geronimo - Sheppard 

🦋 Trumpets - Jason Derulo 

🦋 Moonlight - Ariana Grande 

🦋 Imagine - Ariana Grande 

🦋 Butterflies - Kacey Musgrave 

🦋 Golden Hour - Kacey Musgrave 

🦋 Venus - Bananarama 

🦋 Best of My Love - Samantha Jade 

🦋 This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) - Natalie Cole 

🦋 LOVE - Nat King Cole   

🦋 Beyond the Sea - Robbie Williams 

🦋 Something Stupid - Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman 

🦋 La Vie en Rose  

🦋 Adorn - Miguel 

🦋 Salt-N-Pepa - Whatta Man 

🦋 Love Sex Magic - Ciara ft. Justin Timberlake

🦋 Stereo Hearts Gym Class Heroes ft. Adam Levine

🦋 Everytime We Touch - Cascada 

🦋 Angel - Shaggy ft. Rayvon

Career Success and High Achievement 

🦋 Successful - Ariana Grande 

🦋 Just like Magic - Ariana Grande

🦋 Upgrade U - Beyonce 

🦋 Miss Independent - NeYo

🦋 David Guetta - Play Hard ft. Ne-Yo, Akon

🦋 Sheena Easton - 9 to 5

🦋 Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger - Daft Punk

🦋 7 Rings - Ariana Grande 

🦋 This Girl is On Fire - Alicia Keys 

🦋 Confident - Demi Lovato 

🦋 Hollaback Girl - Gwen Stefani

🦋 Follow Your Arrow - Kacey Musgrave  

🦋 Independent Women - Destiny's Child

🦋 Dreams are Made Of - Lizzie McGuire 

🦋 I Can Transform Ya - Chris Brown 

🦋 I'm Coming Out - Diana Ross 

🦋 Just Fine - Mary J. Blige

🦋 You Gotta Be ('99 Mix) -  Des'ree 

Fun and Friends:

Some happy songs to listen to, especially if you want to attract more positive and fun friendships into your life :) 

🦋 Come on Eileen - Dexys Midnight Runners 

🦋 Shake it - Metro Station 

🦋 Dancing Queen - ABBA 

🦋 Here Comes the Sun - The Beatles   

🦋 Connected - Sara Paxton 

🦋 Better When I’m Dancing - Meghan Trainor 

🦋 Island in the Sun - Weezer 

Scripting 

Scripting would be a gorgeous practice to do while listening to uplifting music!  

Grab a cup of tea, immerse yourself in visualisation and write a journal entry from the point of view as if you were living in your dream reality, in present tense.     

Spreading Beautiful, Piscean Unconditional Love 

Make a goal everyday of spreading love and optimism in some way during your day, no matter how small. 

Make a kind gesture for someone, or give someone a heartfelt compliment - it doesn’t even have to be out loud! Even just in your head, you’re spreading beautiful love and appreciation in the world! :)    

Affirmations for Dreamy Manifesting 

🔮 All my dreams have come true! 

💎 I am a Powerful and Effortless Manifestor! 

🔮 I am the Creator of My Own Universe! 

💎I am living my Dream Life!! 

🔮 I Have Everything I Could Ever Want! 

💎 I am the Dream Girl for my Perfect Guy/Girl! 

🔮 I am the Dream Candidate for my Perfect Job!   

💎 The Universe Always Has My Back, I Trust that Everything Meant for me is Mine! 

Stop Thinking About Past Loves or Failures 

I know how difficult it is, but in order to accept in a new reality this is so important! Make the commitment to catch yourself every time you start thinking about loves you know aren’t good for you, and who don’t give you the love or respect you deserve, or anyone who makes you feel sad or confused. Stop thinking of love as hard, confusing, or exhausting - and catch yourself whenever you’re thinking this way.     

Instead think about the Dream Guy you have and the easy flow of love between you - the Universe is sending you them when you’re ready! If you’re in a job you don’t like and are in the process of manifesting your dream job, avoid sitting in those negative feelings as much as you can - be as positive as you can about the job you have (again, this is hard but will help you get that dream job faster!).

Be Gentle and Compassionate With Yourself, and Stop Negative Thinking  

Make the conscious decision to pay attention to what you say and think, especially what you say to yourself on repeat. 

If you notice any negative thinking, take a pause and gently let yourself know ‘I don’t accept this as my reality’ and ‘this is not true’ and simply let those thoughts drift away like clouds in the sky. Slowly, over the next few weeks you’ll gradually weed out the negative thoughts on repeat, instead accepting a dreamy, brilliant new future and way of thinking!    

That’s my routine at the moment, if you guys have any tips or extra advice in prepping for this awesome transit, let me know!

Some extra tips to level up your manifestations: 

✨ To get even better at manifesting, read some great books on manifesting like:

- Make it Happen by Jordanna Levin 

- Understanding Human Design by Karen Sheppard: great way to understand your best way to bring your dreams into reality! 

- You are Enough by Cassie Mendoza-Jones

✨ To help raise your vibes, try to stay away from low vibes people or toxic friends, media and foods. Avoid gossip or talking about toxic friends or exes an unhealthy amount. Eat high vibe foods - fruits and veg, lots of water. Make crystal water. Spend more time out in nature. Exercise to help get rid of stagnant energy in the body. Improve your posture and hold yourself high. Put more attention and care into your appearance, wear clothes or makeup that make you feel great in your own skin.  

✨Listen to affirmation videos (Leeor Alexandra and Isabel Palacio on YouTube make amazing ones). These are my faves: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QPxV2YBZ3E

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUj2uIYrhFw&t=75s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UC6YlAIaCZE  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25A9qQSfXyM&t=499s  

#jupiter conjunct neptune #neptune conjunct jupiter #2022 transits #astrology 2022 #april 2022 #manifesting #manifesting routine #pisces #jupiter in pisces #neptune in pisces #pisces transits

[iovevrse]

film credits, timothée chalamet ꜜ

summary: the oscars with timmy

(no warnings mostly just fluff)

To say the least I don’t think a day like this could ever possibly be topped. Timothée and I were attending the Oscars, one of the most prestigious and nerve-racking events to ever exist. Ever. And what I was going to wear had been my topic of worry ever since Timmy informed me he wanted me to be his plus one. To make it worse he even refused to let me see what his outfit would be like until the day of.

All I had known, much to my surprise, was that Timmy and I had both gotten our pieces from Louis Vuitton. Upon hearing this I was even more excited to see what it was he would be pulling off this time. Luckily it came fast and today was finally the day I could stop endlessly biting away my nails at the thought. At least until our makeup was done.

“Hal hurry up. I wanna see it!” I said giddily. Since being secretive about our outfits was his idea, we decided him being the first to show his was only fair. To me specifically.

“Stop rushing me!” He laughed back in a failed attempt to sound somewhat serious.

“Ok ok yes come out now.” I sighed.

And so he did. To say I was shocked would be a mass understatement. The man looked so good I could hardly even remember how to breathe. Timmy was a man of taste for sure and the cropped blazer with black sequin all over from there to his pants was just perfect. I almost even felt insecure about how good he looked in comparison to what I had chosen to worn.

“TIMOTHÉE! Oh my god! Like actually, wow! You’re so pretty.” I said amazed

Even a year into our relationship we were both still easily flustered at compliments from each other, and seeing Timothée flustered was the cutest thing ever.

“Enough about me, it’s your turn now.” He said to divert attention

I just gave him a knowing alright kind of look and made my way to change. I had three choices initially and to say the least it was difficult but I felt as though the dress I had chosen was simple yet still encapsulated me. The detailing between the silky silver and black parts of the dress were by far what had drawn me to it the most. I knew immediately to pair it with a simple black bralette and heels. Accessories-wise, as a final touch, I had wanted lots of silver bracelets and rings. Though I had loved my look, after seeing Timmy’s I was actually feeling extremely insecure. The man was so pretty, how could I not?

“[Y/n]…. come out! It’s your turn!” Timothée said teasingly. I almost didn’t want to but whether I liked it or not the man would eventually drag me out if he had to.

And so I made my way back into the brightly lit hotel room. To say I was personally shocked at the surprise and admiration on Timmy’s face would be a mass understatement.

“Mon amour, you look absolutely stunning! Jeez!” he smiled.

It was now my turn to be flustered. I suddenly began to feel less bad about what I had chosen and ten times more comfortable as I did so.

“Thank you, thank you very much,” I said jokingly as I quoted Elvis

Following getting dressed we had about two hours until our limo would arrive and it was spent taking pictures with and of each other whilst listening to one of Timmy’s playlists. His music taste was top tier, maybe even better than mine, though I would never, ever, admit it to his face.

Hours later as we arrived at the Oscars. I began to take note of all of the people and cameras and most importantly people there. I began to feel my social anxiety take the wheel and it didn’t help that of all people, I was dating Timothée Chalamet. Not that it was a bad thing. Simply how big he had become over the years we’d known each other was astonishing. I’d known lots of people and cameras would be focused on us the moment we’d get out of the limo.

I didn’t know it at the moment but Timothée was silently taking note of this, and in turn, took hold of my hand and began caressing it.

“It’ll be fine [y/n]. It’ll be like a one-and-done thing. Kinda. Pictures, interviews, more pictures, more interviews. It’ll go by fast I swear!”

Somehow these words put me at ease and as we made a full stop I was just about ready to get out. Timothée began to step out first and I followed as a multitude of cameras began to flash and the loudness of the area intensified. I grabbed onto his hand firmly as we began to make our way through the velvet carpet and as soon as I knew it, just as Timmy said, we were seated for awards.

Timothée and I were left in shock as Dune won six well-deserved awards. From Best Visual Effects to Best Original Score, Best Cinematography, Costume and Production Design, Film Editing, and Sound. Seeing Timmy so happy was amazing and the night had yet to get better.

Me and Timothée watched as Chris Rock made a joke about Jada Smith resulting in him being slapped on live television by Will Smith. Timmy and I couldn’t help but laugh as we looked at each other in shock. Amongst the surprised gasps were Timothée and I in a fit of laughter as we clapped for Will. Experiencing live television in person was literally the best.

“Bro what! Timmy, what the fuck!” I said in utter shock as the commotion died down.

As the awards wound down we’d begun to get ready to change clothes for the after-party. This time what I’d chosen had reminded me of a more loose version of what I’d worn to the awards which was exactly what I wanted. It was almost like a continuation. The shimmery silky grey and black detailing was the best way to attend this after-party and upon seeing Timmy’s outfit they almost matched. Or at least slightly coordinated in some sense.

Soon It was just about time to leave and I had met so many people I’d never in a million years thought I’d even breathe the same air as. I mean Zendaya was the best woman I’ve ever met, I was prepared to drop to my knees in an instant.

“I had a great time y’know,” I said as I looked at Timmy admiringly

“I’m glad you did, I did too. I had a great date and everything after all.” he giggled lightly

At this moment I had felt like we’d been isolated from everything as if we were inside of this bubble. We’d continued to stare at each other until we both simultaneously leaned in for a kiss. I could lie and say it was just a simple kiss but in all reality, it was more of a soft make-out kind of thing. Before we knew it our limo was here and we were making our way back to our hotel to end the night.

#timothee chalamet x reader #timothée chalamet x reader #timothee chalamet #timothée chalamet #xreader #fanfiction #fanfic #timmy #dune #oscars2022

[duchesschameleon]

codependent idiots

an ajf playlist for @winterscaptain

hello tali! and everyone else reading this.

music is something incredibly important to me, as a musician and as someone who hates existing in silence. I always need something in the background. so, what better way to celebrate 100 ajf fics than with a playlist? tali, I am so incredibly proud of you for 100 ajf fics and so honored to have been part of the journey. and to be your friend. seeing the hard work that goes into this universe and how much you love it is just incredible. I cannot wait for what comes next and to see you continue to create and grow this universe that I love so, so much. you are amazing and wonderful and I love you to bits and pieces darling.

so without further ado, here’s the playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0RpXkdEbsdMqX6l5daBdaL?si=bae62e4556674c84

These songs make me think of ajf or just fit the universe - it’s not about one specific moment or one specific relationship, it’s ajf as whole. So I’ve included a little explanation for each song, considering there isn’t a cohesive sound.

paper rings - taylor swift

this one is pretty self explanatory. it’s a song about loving someone so much you don’t care how, when, or why you marry them. considering meraki, I think we can all agree this fits.

I will follow you into the dark - death cab for cutie

this is a song that screams going to the end of the line for someone. and we’ve seen time and time again (and I’ve referenced it in many a commentary) that aaron & mom lean on each other for everything. they are so reliant on each other for everything and I feel like this song captures it. 

be my baby - the ronettes 

another classic love song. and just the right amount of sweetness for aaron & mom I think. their love, to me, is a deep and everlasting love that endures and as we’ve seen in the fic, is filled with sweet moments between each other. and there’s a lot in this song about knowing you love someone from the start.

can’t keep on loving you from a distance - elliot yamin

this fits into berry hill/mean it ajf I think. it’s the yearning guys. it’s the not being able to love someone from afar anymore and wanting to do something about it. yeah I threw in a little angst, but this is one of my favorite songs. it’s good and it fits. it’s a crossroads.

die a happy man - thomas rhett

pretty self explanatory, listen to the lyrics. it's all about needing just the love of the person you love the most in this world. that is aaron and mom to a t. 

unforgettable - thomas rhett

okay an upbeat song! this one is not forgetting any detail from when you met the person you love. again, aaron and mom. also it’s one of my favorite thomas rhett songs. it’s about inevitability, knowing that you’ve found your person, and not forgetting a single thing about them. 

this will be (an everlasting love) - natalie cole

aaron always gives me classic song vibes, he likes the oldies and what he was raised on. this song is...it is happiness personified. it is happiness and joy in a song and you cannot convince me it wasn’t played at the wedding. 

make a life, not a living - brett kissel

okay so first off: brett kissel is an amazing canadian country artist whom I love dearly. this is his newest song and it was released just in time for this. this ENCAPSULATES ajf for me - this aaron that allows himself to live and love again, to have this happiness and joy. it’s all about making a life, and making a good one. this is ajf for me. 

between you and me - brett kissel

and this one is for all the 18+/nsfw moments. listen to the song and it's pretty self-explanatory. 

at last - etta james

it took them like 6 years (? I think) to get together and another 2.5 to get married. someone played this at the wedding and you cannot convince me otherwise. again, it goes to inevitability and how everyone was waiting for this to happen. we knew it was gonna happen, it was just a matter of when. so when it does happen, everyone’s screaming “AT LAST!”

kiss me - ed sheeran

okay this album came out in 2011, mean it happened in 2011...it fits. and this song screams mean it to me. that’s really all I have to say

give me love - ed sheeran

same reasoning as kiss me. I just couldn’t decide which one fit more. but they both work.

growin’ up - bruce springsteen

this song is less mom & aaron and more ajf in general. it’s rebellion and doing what you want - hello bau - and it’s just a great song about learning and growing up and doing things your way. also it’s me, there had to be springsteen on here somewhere

mary’s place - bruce springsteen

run with me on this one: you’re driving in the car with your family, people you love, and this song comes on. you can’t help but smile and sing along and it is happiness personified. this one is all about the vibes, not the lyrics or meaning of the song. this to me is a bit of a party starter and something that could play at every bau party. familiar faces, laughter, gathering people together….this is all about having a good time with people you love. 

we take care of our own - bruce springsteen

last springsteen song I promise. this one is similar to above, it’s all about a family and being there for one another. looking out for your own, looking out for each other. 

some day one day - queen

this is a great soft, sweet song talking about hope for mom & aaron. much like this is early in queen’s discography, it fits into the early years of ajf. 

you’re my best friend - queen

self explanatory. they are codependent, they rely on each other so much, they are best friends and lovers. it fits so well. and this song will always put a smile on my face.

another one bites the dust - queen

another unsub bites the dust because the bau is great at their jobs. and, this screams hotchner’s dancing around the kitchen or the living room. they seem like the kind of family to dance around and film each other for….no ulterior motive whatsoever (/sarcasm)

my wish - rascal flatts 

so this fits for the wedding vows BUT ALSO - during enough when aaron is thinking about how he’ll fit into reader’s life. he just wants them to have a good life, to find happiness. that is his wish for them. 

danger zone - kenny loggins

we all know the hotchner’s love top gun. they absolutely, unabashedly love this song and blast it for a dance party. 

landslide - fleetwood mac

maybe it’s because we sang this at my camp as a last night campfire song, but I can see this being a song sung to the littles to get them to settle down. the lyrics might not make total sense but it’s a bit of a vibe. 

this is it - scotty mccreery

it’s a great love song and I love it. it gives me ajf vibes for many reasons and many moments in the series

not alone - mcfly

OH ITS TIME FOR MY MCFLY SOAPBOX. mcfly is a band that yes, I mostly know because of the close geography of the internet and early 2010s british youtubers. they are a big band in the uk and they were in an early 2000s movie called just my luck with chris pine and lindsay lohan. I love the movie, I love mcfly. seriously, they are one of my favorite bands ever. not alone is a great song and one I think can be the background for many ajf scenes. and yes this is about to start a few mcfly songs on the playlist

I wanna hold you - mcfly

it’s just about being close and wanting to hold the person you love. how many times during ajf do we see mom & aaron with a hand on each other and reaching for one another? 

it’s all about you - mcfly

I tend to find this is the most well known mcfly song. it was written for one of the band members’ wife and it’s so good. and yes, again, it encapsulates the love aaron and mom have.

being alive - company

I kinda had the realization that this song screams aaron to me. that for so long he fought against his feelings and was almost content with being alone, with not having anyone. he sort of holds himself at arms length, like bobby does throughout company. and then at some point, there’s a switch. and he realizes that being alone is not the same as being alive and he wants to have someone to hold and someone to be alive with. and that’s what this song is about. 

louder than words - tick, tick, boom

there are so many times where aaron and mom just look at each other. they use their actions, their body language, and their eyes to communicate and forgo words. they don’t need words. and it’s not just with one another. it’s with jack and the littles and the whole team. actions truly do speak louder than words in this universe. 

always will - bright star 

it’s a mean it & mistletoe song. “we’re supposed to be/together it’s true/I’ve had my doubts/but not about you.” these lyrics SCREAM ajf and this is one of my favorite songs from bright star - WHICH IS AN UNDERRATED MUSICAL.

dirty little secret - all american rejects

okay so it’s never a dirty secret, but this fits in during the mean it arc. they’re so secretive and sneaking around. we needed one unhinged song here okay???

the power of love - huey lewis & the news

this is a song that fits the relationship, but is also something that could play in the hotchner house and get everyone singing and jamming. or could be played at dinner at uncle dave’s house to get everyone up and dancing on the flagstones.

sharp dressed man - zz top

it’s aaron hotchner. also, this is a song I can see aaron making his kids listen to (yes my dad made me listen to this a lot growing up)

I want to hold your hand - the beatles

yes we need a beatles song on here and yes this is one that always makes me think of ajf. there’s always some way people are touching - linking pinkies, holding hands, a finger through a belt loop, hands on the top of someone’s chair - touch and contact are important here so yes this is the requisite beatles song.

the heart never lies - mcfly

one more mcfly song. just listen to the lyrics and you’ll know why it’s one of my favorites. for as long as these two fought their feelings and denied them, the heart never lies. and their eyes can give it away.

#ajf 100 #fic stuff #ajf stuff #tali is masterful #music #lets not talk about how long putting together the playlist and writing the commentary took #and then the formatting #oh the formatting #BUT ITS DONE #it doesn't have fancy cover art #yet #that might change #but i hope you all like it!

[hella1975]

Way Down We Go - KALEO

Hey fuckers guess who remembered they promised to do lyric analyses that’s right ME. to that one anon in my inbox most days asking after these, i am literally so sorry. But I’m here now. Okay so as ever, some of these songs are only on the playlist because their Vibe fits the Scene and the lyrics are irrelevant, so keep that in mind. Let’s get crackalackin.

Initially, Way Down We Go was going to be on there just because I could so vividly hear it playing during the whole scene with Tovah breaking Zuko and Zi Se out, from Zuko and Chan’s interaction to Spider’s death to specifically going up the stairs out of the main cell. I didn’t give much thought to the lyrics past that, but recently, I’ve realised they’re actually very accurate to that specific part of the story:

Oh, Father tell me, do we get what we deserve? Whoa, we get what we deserve

And way down we go Way down we go Say way down we go Way down we go

So this first verse starts off with the question that makes every Zuko-centric fic writer lose their collective shit, and it really strikes me because it seems, word for word, the exact kind of thing Zuko would say in brackets (or parenthesis or whatever the fuck) during those first few chapters. He’s asking Ozai somewhat mockingly if, when his father said ‘suffering will be your teacher’, this was what he meant, asking if this was what he deserved. And it’s really important to note that, while Zuko has finally realised enough about his father that he asks this question ironically, he is still asking it. Like we saw in ch26, there are still those lingering loyalties to Ozai and the Fire Nation. And then there’s the ‘way down we go’ segment, which just furthers the irony of this, because in the scene, they are actually going up. But that’s besides the point. The symbolism of down being where the cells are and therefore where the pain is shows that to go down is, to Zuko, to accommodate all the dark thoughts. With every step, he’s realising just how much pain he’s in, how much damage was done, and he’s realising he was a whole lot further down than he realised, and he’s going deeper. This might be a metaphor I have in use right now but I’m saying nothing.

You let your feet run wild Time has come as we all, oh, go down Yeah but for the fall, ooh, my Do you dare to look him right in the eyes? 

This strikes me as the scene with Chan and Zuko. There’s the theme of time, a sense of confusion, and the words are almost purposely hard to pin down and find their meaning, right until the last question, which is clear as day. Chan kept staring at Zuko, and he realised right at the end that it wasn’t actually a challenge, but rather an understanding. Meanwhile, neither of them dared to look at Spider unless they absolutely had to. I think this verse really captures the power dynamics at work in the cell and the disorientation of it.

The rest of the song is very repetitive, hammering home the point of going down while the instrumental gets more and more aggressive, and this is exactly the same vibe as Zuko being pulled along by Tovah. He’s completely out of it, hyperfocusing on the things he views as dangerous (the cell, the torches etc) and missing everything else in a blur. The arc Zuko’s on that’s seen him land on the decision to kill Fong, to do what he himself deemed the ‘unforgivable’, starts properly here, with this acknowledgement of all the pain and damage and how far down he’s truly been this entire time without quite realising the extent of it.

All in all, this song resonates with me as a background for those last few moments of Zuko’s time in the cell, perfectly encapsulating both the rawness of it and also the deafening confusion of it.

#yeah boy we're back i'm gonna churn out like 2 more of these tonight #because i'm Behind With Them #i love doing these so idm and again there's been a couple people asking about these and i've sort of been like 'i pretend i do not see it' #im SORRY #music tings #taob analysis

[paris-geller-was-straightwashed]

do you have songs you specifically associate with gellmore (or rory & paris individually)? for me it’s eternal flame by the bangles obviously, and gorgeous by ts, especially chilton era when rory is dating dean or jess ahaha

DUDE (if that’s okay to call you!) I was jUST going to say how my first pick would probably be gorgeous! it’s got MAJOR early chilton era vibes in paris’s feelings via rory, and, honestly, explains everything behind the gay-panic-anger she had towards her (’you're so gorgeous I can't say anything to your face, and I'm so furious at you for making me feel this way’/‘there's nothing I hate more than what I can't have, you are so gorgeous it makes me so mad’/‘ocean blue eyes looking in mine, I feel like I might sink and drown and die’ - hello???!!!). it’s such a good one, and everytime I listen to it I cannot not think of paris.

so that’s probably at the top of the list, but I also love dress and new years day. dress for me, perfectly encapsulates that exciting nervousness of friends-lingering-into-more feeling (‘I don't want you like a best friend’/‘flashback to my mistakes, my rebounds my earthquakes, even in my worst times you could see the best of me’/‘my one and only, my lifeline’) where paris and rory have moved passed the ‘enemies’ thing and starting to call each other friends, leaning on each other and becoming closer (think around s4).

and new years day shows when they’ve really become friends (late seasons), how they’ve cemented their friendship and grown to deeply care and love the other, supporting each other for all their fallouts and bizzare ways (’I'll be there if you're the toast of the town babe, or if you strike out and you're crawling home’/‘please don't ever become a stranger whose laugh I could recognize anywhere’/‘hold on to the memories, they will hold on to you, and I will hold on to you’) god just the soFTNESS of this song and it’s ‘the strongest love is between two friends who’re so deeply entwined with the other and care about each other more then anything’ ~essence~ put to gellmore truly makes me squeal like a child. honestly, I could write a whole meta on tswift vs gellmore (and I have, but lets be real, no one wants that besides me probably).

that’s really most of it, I feel. the playlist I made forever ago has some others I love for them on it, that I really think show the gellmore Vibe (esp ‘she’s a lady’, ‘shut up & kiss me’, ‘mess is mine’, and also ‘she’s so mean’ by matchbox twenty but I didn’t get to include that one).

but I love the question for which songs fit them individually! for paris, pink’s please don’t leave me is a big one - the lyrics are spot on, of being (unintentionally) cruel and seeming like you don’t need anyone, but underneath it all, you’re scared and frightened that you’re going to be alone/the person who matters most (rory) is going to pack up and leave one day and you’re going to be the cause of it. also, just like fire, which may be a little...obnoxious in it’s ‘girl power!’ message, but I can’t help but love it for paris. and blink 182′s misery, while doesn’t have perfect lyrics - except the ‘misery loves company (I don’t need anyone)’ - that fit, but just has this vibe of...angry misery in it, that I feel really correlates to the lonely sadness paris holds (wow this got dark, sorry I don’t have more happy songs). and for rory alone I don’t really have any, but for her feelings towards paris, I just got into this song does somebody love you by hardcastle, that has this v gentle energy that I really associate with rory’s potential hidden feelings for paris who feels like she’ll always be unlovable (’does somebody love you, ‘cause baby I want to’/‘can you think for just a moment, what we’d be if you would only let me in for just a moment tonight’/‘get out of your head, get into my arms, there’s so much more to love’).

thanks for the question and allowing me to blab! and this is an open invitation, if anyone else has any other songs that remind them of rory and paris (individually/together) to add on bc this is something I’m really interested in!

#as one can see I have a lot of thoughts on this #I also love tswift’s ‘you are in love’ simply bc of the line #‘pauses then says ‘you are my best friend’ and you knew what it was he is in love’ #bc it’s along the same ~vibe~ as new years day #bad sadly with all the ‘hes’ is too heteronormative to count #gilmore girls #rory x paris #paris geller #rory gilmore #gellmore

[themoonstarwarrior]

PLAYLIST SHUFFLE TAG!

Okay, so @viterbofangirl tagged me in this and I need to start learning to post my own shit, so what the hell, why not?

Rules: you can usually tell a lot about a person by the type of music they listen to! put your favorite playlist on shuffle and list the first 10 15 songs, then tag 10 people. no skipping!

(I couldn’t stop at 10 so I added 5 more, sue me)

I have very random music taste and I listen to my music on shuffle alot, so I made a playlist of the ones I like the most (that way I don’t hafta skip 150 songs to get to the one I feel like) so I’m gonna use that one.

1) History of Violence - Theory of a Deadman

Hoo boy starting off light huh?.... Yeah so, I was in the drive thru at Sonic when I first heard this on the radio and was immediately like “holy shit”. Instead of like metaphors and poetic subtlety, it’s just straight up like “here’s a poor abused woman who resorted to murdering her shitty boyfriend/husband cuz she couldn’t take it dum dum dum”. Even though the actual situation is not the same, this song is perfect for getting across the internal issues and turmoil of my character Mikey. Its so perfect I’m even planning to animate something for it...... if I ever get around to learning animation that is.....     

2) The Vengeful One - Disturbed

Two songs in and I look kinda emo.... But hey this song is soooooo cathartic! I love me a good heavy rock song, and the drums and electric guitar are perfect for my ears to absorb. This song gives off a feeling of overwhelming power mixed with a coldness and disdain for the bad in the world. Obviously, thats not my usual temperment, but its an interesting one to explore! Especially when I’m trying to get into the head of characters that exude that like my OCs Spark or Ryu. Plus its fun to sing in the car X)

3) Enter Sandman - Metallica

Okay this one is just a classic! Same thing with the drums and guitar they both slap SOOOOO GOOD. I don’t really associate this song with any of my characters or fandom favorites, but it DOES give me a super strong urge to learn the drums. EXXXXXXXXIT LIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT! OFF TO NEVER NEVERLAND!!

4) We Are Giants - Lindsey Stirling ft. Dia Frampton

I don’t really to listen to music by band or artist, but I LOVE Lindsey Stirling!!! She’s probably my favorite musician! This is such a good song, especially for someone like me. Its a positive song that talks about feeling alone in a crowd and unimportant to the world, but how you really do matter and shouldn’t be afraid to dream big and shoot for the stars. It really speaks to me and the vocalization is so good (especially for singing), not to mention the official music video is animated and AMAZING!

5) Cetus - Lensko NCS

I dunno if anyone knows this song, but damn its good. Its one of those Royalty-Free songs that people look up for their channels, which is how I found it in the first place, but I loved it immediately. Its a peppy 8-bit electronic bop that turns a little Irish jig at the end and honestly I think if I ever start an animation channel I’m totally gonna use it! (Also go support Lensko he make good beats!)

6) Sanctuary - Utada Hikaru

I did not grow up with Kingdom Hearts, and only played KH2 within the past year n’ a half. But good God, the moment that Cinematic Opening came on and this song started playing I swear I astral projected into a daze of feelings without names. I know that “Simple and Clean” is the quintessential Kingdom Heart song that gives everyone feelings, but IMHO Sanctuary blows it out of the water. As beautiful as the animation was, or how curious the occasional backwards lyrics are, or how weird it is having high-res Goofy and Donald in what is essentially an anime opening, I really can’t be distracted from this song when I play.

7) Chemical Plant Zone (Rock Remix) - Zerobadniks

Chemical Plant Song is like, one of the TOP Sonic songs by popular vote (and we know how awesome the Sonic series is musically so thats saying something!), but I could never quite vibe with the normal 8-bit version. I think I first heard this as someone’s ringtone and was immediately like “THATS PERFECT THATS EXACTLY HOW I NEED IT!”. The rock makes the song soooo much better and honestly gives the song the perfect vibe. Unfortunately, it took FOREVER to find cuz none of the Rock Covers of this song were the right one. In fact, tbh, I’m not even sure whether Zerobadniks is the correct artist..... that’s just who everybody was crediting when I found it. 

(imma include the link i found since its a little hard to find: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqJiZEM6aPI )

8) The Wolf - SIAMES

YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT ANIMATED MUSIC VIDEOS???? THIS IS A GOD-TIER ANIMATED MUSIC VIDEO. I found the video first, and seriously, if you haven’t seen it YOU NEED TO!!! The beat works perfectly with the images on screen and the story being portrayed is really intriguing, with the lyrics adding to atmosphere without necessarily describing the visuals shown. Even without the animation, the song itself is a banger. It bring to mind the feeling of intense motion forward, but unable to decide whether its movement TOWARD something or AWAY from something. I love listening to this on a nighttime drive.

9) Burn the House Down - AJR

If you ask me, the best way to make a pop song better is to add either violins or trumpets. For this song, it was definitely the trumpets that first caught my attention, and the rest of the song kept me listening. I don’t really know how to describe the vibe of this song, and I don’t have a specific character or story in mind when I listen to it, so its a little hard for me to talk about it. I think the best way I can describe this song and what draws me to it is a feeling of nonchalant go-with-the-flow attitude to shenaniganry. Almost an undertone of “We’re hooligans in a situation that we probably should get out of, but hey we’ve got life and each other so why worry?” At least that’s the closest I can get to a verbal description heh...

10) Slim Pickens Does the Right Thing and Rides the Bomb to Hell - The Offspring 

DANCE, FUCKER, DANCE, LET THE MOTHERFUCKER BURN!!!

So this also has a KICKASS animated music video, but its technically combined with the song “Dividing by Zero”. Now the video works SO well with both, and the shifting artstyles reflect the differing tones of the songs PERFECTLY. However, I have a preference for both the animation and the song on the Slim Pickens half. Its fun to listen to and sing at the top of your lungs and its SO CATHARTIC. Again I cant really describe what my head does when I hear it, but I think you can probably feel a similar vibe if you watch the music video. 

11) No Heaven - DJ Champion

The first time I finished the original Borderlands, I had been playing for days on end, had just finished a long battle with the Destroyer, and sitting back relieved to have beaten it and reflecting on how much I had enjoyed the adventure. Then this song started playing. For what I believe was forty minutes this song looped on my TV while the credits rolled. By the time the credits finished I was pulling up the song to listen to again! What an absolutely PERFECT cherry to add to this experience. This song perfectly encapsulated the chaotic, trigger-happy, morally ambiguous craziness that I had enjoyed and absorbed in this game. Every time I hear it now, I imagine myself in the wastelands of Pandora, driving haphazardly across the sandy dunes as my companions and I shoot and blow up everything in sight. You know, living the dream.......     

12) Hit & Run (Wolfgang Lohr Remix) -  The Electric Swing Circus

I fucking LOVE electro-swing! The electronic beats and rhythm blend so well with the wild and energetic freedom of swing. A lot of electro-swing gives me a vibe of wild movement, reckless abandon, and freedom from constraint. I think this song melds all of these feelings the best! As the last song might have indicated, despite my general nice and sweet temperament, there is a part of me deep down that is an absolute gremlin secretly enamored with chaos, insanity, and a general disdain for law and authority X). But whereas anything Borderlands related has a more “morality is an illusion blowing shit up is real” air about it, this song is far more peppy. More of a “good-hearted but insane” type of chaos, like an 100mph car chase where you end up sailing over the train tracks JUST as the train passes.

.... I may have gotten a bit off track lol 

13) Kickstart my Heart - Motley Crue

I love this song, but I have to be VERY careful when and where I listen to this. I love songs that make me feel like I’m going a million miles per hour, like I’m gotdam Sonic the Hedgehog. Unfortunately, I may or may not have had multiple instances of listening to this song in the car and abruptly realizing that I’m going like 15mph above the speed limit...... So yeah, regardless of absolutely perfect it feels to play this song while speeding down a nearly empty highway, please be careful and drive responsibly!!!

14) I’m Born to Run - American Authors

Imma just up and say it. This song is a Sonic song; like not like actually from the series but a song for the character. This song encapsulates Sonic as a character better than some of his ACTUAL THEMES (and remember Sonic music are bangers!). Its a song about freedom, living life as it comes, and not letting anything slow you down. Frankly I’m surprised they didn’t make this song FOR the Sonic series, or even the movie! Speaking of which, ironically I heard this song right after watching the Sonic movie in theaters, so yeah there’s no way I can associate it with anything else. 

15) Opa Opa - Antique

Oh, what a PERFECT way to end this list! This may be one of my absolute favorite songs of all time! I don’t remember exactly how I found this song... I think I had just relistened to Dalar Mehndi’s “Tunak Tunak Tun” and was looking for other catchy non-english songs and BOY HOWDY I found one! I know nothing about the band or what the song’s about (its in greek and i dont speak it), but this song is just a masterpiece of retro, pop, and dance sounds. This song feels like the musical and lyrical manifestation of dance and movement. I really REALLY wish I could dance JUST so I can express how happy and free this song makes me feel! This is the BEST song for me to end this list with!

***********************************************************************************

JESUS, this got long..... Sorry about that XD. It was fun though, and hopefully somebody was vaguely interested in my ramblings.

Guess I need to tag people now? How about @tharkflark1, @rockmilkshake, @neonbuck, @drawingsdrawingseverywhere, @birthgiverofbirds, @puccafangirl, @kalcat, @biblestudybussybopsbabey, @monstrous-milktea, and @memecage! I think there are a couple of people here I haven’t talked to though soooooo..... hi, I hope you don’t mind the tag X)

 Anyway hope you enjoyed and/or want to do this too! This took for-fucking-EVER to type, so imma go fuck off and watch youtube or something now...

#music and remixes #viterbo i was gonna add you to the bottom list and then i was like SHIT SHE TAGGED ME XD so oh well #i may or may not have cheated just a bit but shut up these are the songs i had something to say about #moonstar wont shut up

[liugeaux]

Greatest Songs Ever - Part 11 (Self Actualization)

self-actualization [self-ak-choo-uh-luh-zey-shuh]

the achievement of one's full potential through creativity, independence, spontaneity, and a grasp of the real world.

It's been 3 years since I’ve done a “Greatest Songs Ever” list.  At that time I was trying to dip into retro music and find songs I connected with that were released before I was even born. That whole process was stressful, migraine-inducing and worst of all, it felt forced. For the next set of songs, I’ve chosen the theme of “Self Actualization”.  

I am not able to properly formulate an opinion about music I wasn’t there for, I know this now. Instead, I’ll continue to pull songs I am intimately familiar with to create a quality product on this blog. That’s not me shitting on older generations of music, it's just me finally achieving my full potential when it comes to building a playlist. Let’s get started.  

2006 “Tears Don’t Fall”  - Bullet For My Valentine

If I were to list the genres of music I love, Metal would be number like 4 or 5.  However, every once in a while a song peers it’s head out of the wreckage and catches my ear. From the first guitar chords “Tears Don’t Fall” grabbed me. I’m gonna call it a ballad because it feels like a song that should make me sad. Most screamy emo songs don’t carry the emotional weight they are designed to, but BFMV hits a nerve with “Tears Don’t Fall” that most bands aren’t even able to dream of.  Hell, BFMV has yet to release a song that even scratches the surface of “Tears Don’t Falls’” guttural impact.

2006 “The Sharpest Lives” - My Chemical Romance

I know, I know, this nearly forgotten MCR track wasn’t even a stand out when the seminal The Black Parade album was released, but somehow it has stood the test of time in my library. No MCR song more perfectly encapsulates both the aggression and awkwardness of the band’s entire catalog. “If it looks like I’m laughing, I’m really just asking to leave” is just one of the dozen perfect MCR lyrics on this track. I love “Welcome to The Black Parade”, “This Is How I Disappear”, “Mama”, “Teenagers” and the rest of the 100% classic Black Parade, but “The Sharpest Lives” hits harder both sonically and emotionally than most of the songs released in its decade.  

2006 “Stop This Train” - John Mayer

Ok, let’s slow it down a bit. This isn't this first time I’ve talked about John Mayer in this blog and not even the first time he’s made this list, but its a crime that “Stop This Train” has never been mentioned with the proper respect on it’s name. Written as a touching anthem about the existential nature of growing old, “Train” is the perfect John Mayer song. It combines his knack for simple and honest guitar parts with lightly metaphoric lyrics that cut directly into the segments of our psyche that make us human. The older I get the more this song makes me cry...and that can’t be unestimated.    

2004 “All Downhill From Here”  - New Found Glory

NFG has always been a stealthy favorite band of mine. “All Downhill From Here” is NFG at the height of their power. Once upon a time, I was ashamed to “like” any pop-punk outside of Green Day because of the perceived social implications. Jordan Pundik’s voice is just punky enough to turn most people off at first listen, but through the storm and the years, I’ve realized that NFG is kinda my spirit animal when it comes to pop-punk music. As for the song, it's endlessly singable and has a strong bridge, the two most important parts of any song I wish to immortalize on this dumb list.  

2003 “How About You”  - Staind

This is an admittedly weird one. As the forgotten 3rd single from Staind’s 4th album “How About You” is a song not many people know, however, when I dig into the archives it always floats to the top. Even with its vaguely religious lyrics and somewhat self-righteous delivery, “How About You” is sung with an earnestness not found in nu-metal. Sometimes when I listen to this song I wonder if Aaron Lewis realizes how unique it is to his chosen genre.  

2002 “Harder to Breathe” - Maroon 5

This one is a softball. Everyone knows "Harder to Breathe”, everyone loves "Harder to Breathe”. Its become a go-to karaoke knock-out. So much so that people ask me to sing it all the time. Equal parts pure song-writing talent, and light cultural appropriation, “Harder to Breathe” is funky for white-people-music and that’s really all it needs to succeed. All of Maroon 5′s tracks following that first album have a self-aware calculated feel to them, but “Harder To Breathe” is the best that first album has to offer and is a talented first stab at making a name out of something.  

2011 “Little Black Submarines” - The Black Keys

Most of The Black Keys tracks have an air of pretentiousness to them that’s hard to get past. I like tracks like “Lonely Boy” and “Howlin’ For You” but neither of them sound genuine. They sound like 2 dorky white dudes playing the part of ironic rock stars, which ultimately leads to them making songs for frat guys who are too cool to listen to typical frat guy music. “Little Balck Submarines” is a HUGE exception to your typical Black Keys song, and its the only time I’ve felt real emotion from the duo. 

2007 “Watch Over You” - Alter Bridge

I’ve always liked this song, but it wasn’t until I saw Alter Bridge at the fair a few years ago that I LOVED this song. Alter Bridge gets a lot of shit for being the offspring of Creed, but it's really unwarranted. They are one of the only bands still around carrying the torch for normal-ass rock music. Some may turn their nose up at it, but Alter Bridge has some bangers. “Watch Over You” is your stereotypical, pull out your lighters, ballad, that’s written vaguely enough for it to cover several different relationship dynamics. Its real strength comes from Myles Kennedy’s vocals. He might be the best singer in rock music today.  

1997 “My Own Summer (Shove It)” - Deftones 

In 1997 I was transitioning from being a hard-core Garth Brooks fan, into rock music in a big way. Bands like Nirvana, STP, Pearl Jam, Bush, and Live had a back catalog that I was swimming in the deep end of. The Deftones, and more specifically “My Own Summer” represented a “cooler” and more edgy version of this new found love of Rock music. Chino Mareno’s vocals during the chorus singing “Shove It!” might have been the most aggressive vocals I had ever heard to that point. I still get the occasional goosebump when jamming this track.  I can’t say I was ever cool enough to truly understand why the Deftones were great, but “My Own Summer” is a cornerstone of the musical taste of my formative years.  

2015  “Here to Mars” - Coheed and Cambria

13 years and 7 albums in, I was sure I had heard the best Coheed and Cambria had to offer. “Gravemakers & Gunslingers” was even included in this dumb series of blogs. I wasn’t a huge fan of The Aftermath and I assumed C&C were on their way out creatively. Then they released The Color Before the Sun and I was impressed. That album was their first outside of the silly sci-fi narrative they’ve been weaving for 15 years now. Track 4, “Here To Mars” is a surprisingly straight forward love song that has grown into one of my favorite songs of this decade. Seriously, it’s probably a top 5 from the teens for me. It’s as big as older Coheed songs, but still carries a touching sentiment that I just don’t get from the rest of their library. Of all the songs on this list, I recommend this one the most.  

Ok, that wasn’t so hard...maybe I’ll bang another one of these out soon. Who knows? 

#here to mars #coheed and cambria #the deftones #my own summer #watch over you #alter bridge #john mayer #stop this train #the black keys #little black submarines #maroon 5 #harder to breathe #staind #how about you #bullet for my valentine #tears don't fall #new found glory #all downhill from here #My chemical romance #the sharpest lives

[kimabutch]

TIME FOR NOTT AND CALEB SONGS BABY :D - for your consideration, Birdsong by Regina Spektor, My Blood by Twenty One Pilots and All I've Ever Known from Hadestown are good general ones. From Nott's POV specifically; Cliffy by Matt Maeson, This is Home by Cavetown, ilomilo by Billie Eilish and I Am Not a Robot by Marina. From Caleb's; Take Yours, I'll Take Mine (acoustic) by Matthew Mole, Smithereens by Twenty One Pilots, Carry You Home by James Blunt and Dancing After Death by Matt Maeson.

I can already tell this is going to make me emotional :D For the future — if you have more than one song, it’s easiest for me if you put them each in separate asks, because it makes it easier to pause in the middle of answering!

Birdsong strikes me as wonderful for two people healing together:

“Out of the sirens/ Might come the birdsong/ Out of the silence/ Might come the love song/ After the love song/ Might come the sunrise/ After the sunrise/ Might come the silence” 

Additionally, “Waters are rising/ Forests are burning” fits Nott and Caleb’s fear of water and fire respectively.

My Blood really encapsulates how much Nott and Caleb protect each other!!

“Surrounded and up against a wall/ I'll shred 'em all and go with you/ When choices end, you must defend/ I'll grab my bat” 

The chorus of “I'll go with you” reminds me especially of Caleb, in e18, asking Nott if she’d run away with him, and her response.

Man, Hadestown is really phenomenal, eh? I need to listen to the full thing, cause everything from it has blown my mind. All I’ve Ever Known gets me in the feelings for Caleb and Nott being these two lonely, lost people running from the whole world:

“I was alone so long/ I didn’t even know that I was lonely/ Out in the cold so long/ I didn’t even know that I was cold” 

And then finding a friend in the most surprising place, and finding warmth in long nights alone together:

“You take me in your arms/ And suddenly there’s sunlight all around me/ Everything bright and warm/ And shining like it never did before” 

Matt Maeson is my #1 weakness and Cliffy makes me think of Nott, early on in their friendship, knowing acutely that Caleb has been through shit, but having no idea why:

“Oh, so just tell me, are you still hurting?/ And where did you come by all of those burdens?” 

And fuck, “You ain't drowning me out with that alcohol” fits so much for Nott — no matter how much she drinks, she’s not getting any better. 

This is Home captures Nott’s protective instinct: “I'll figure out a way to get us out of here.” I can’t tell whether this verse fits Nott talking about herself or Caleb:

“Get a load of this monster/ He doesn't know how to communicate/ His mind is in a different place/ Will everybody please give him a little bit of space?” 

But either way, I think it works. 

(This Is Home was also sent in for Percy!)

ilomilo is absolutely spot-on for their dynamic — and specifically the way that Nott’s protective of Caleb, but lets him take a big-brother role sometimes.

“I tried not to upset you/ Let you rescue me the day I met you/ I just wanted to protect you” 

I’m Not a Robot has all of Nott’s tenderness for Caleb:

“You're vulnerable, you're vulnerable/ You are not a robot/ You're loveable, so loveable/ But you're just troubled” 

I also think “Can you teach me how to feel real?” fits how their friendship helps Nott feel stable among the chaos of her new body and everything she’s been through. 

(I’m Not a Robot was also sent in for Cassandra!)

Take Yours, I’ll Take Mine captures one aspect of their dynamic, which is Caleb sort of being Nott’s... side kick? I think he’s happy to be her right hand man: “And I'll find mine on the right of your side.”

Whereas Smithereens gets Caleb’s protectiveness, despite him being, uh, weeny:

“For you, I’d go/ Step to a dude much bigger than me [...] For you/ I would get beat to smithereens” 

Also, “I'll be in the corner taking notes” has huge Widogast energy.

Carry You Home is making me cry at the thought of Nott dying and Caleb’s reaction and him bringing her back to Yeza:

“As strong as you were, tender you go/ I'm watching you breathing for the last time/ A song for your heart, but when it is quiet/ I know what it means and I'll carry you home” 

Oh god oh fuck please please please don’t ever let this happen outside of fanfiction.

Are you trying to kill me with Matt Maeson songs? Because it’s working. Dancing After Death has been sent in for Caleb before, but especially for Caleb & Nott, it’s heartbreaking... “Will you fold, or will you remain?” 

Come yell at me about songs that remind you of Critical Role! (Playlist | song masterlist & spreadsheet by disasterhumans | CR music tag)

#critical role #cr music #i-mean-nevermind

[pikapeppa]

Writer’s Interview

Tagged by @galadrieljones! Her interview was fascinating and really informative; I would recommend you all check it out. 

Tagging forward to @iarollane @charlatron @wardsarefunctioning @aban-asaara @thevikingwoman @athenril-of-kirkwall @fourletterepithet @oops-gingermoment @thunderheadfred @loquaciousquark @obvidalous@barddoc1992 and anyone else who wants to respond! 

Q: What is your coffee order?

I don’t drink coffee. Tea for me, please!

Q: What is the coolest thing you’ve ever done?

The first thing that comes to mind is going to Iceland in 2016. Driving all around the island and seeing the fucking glacier lagoon Jökulsárlón was just.... breathtaking. I’ve never seen a place like that in my life.

Maybe another cool thing I did was finally find the balls to do a cosplay (a casual, lazy one, but a cosplay nonetheless) last year when I went to DragonCon in Atlanta.

Q: Who has been your biggest mentor?

Uhh, I don’t have any? But in terms of people who encourage me and help me keep my chin up in those moments of self-doubt (YA’LL KNOW THOSE MOMENTS), I would have to give thanks to @schoute, @viktuuri-fluff-saved-my-life @emileoutofit and @lylypuceonarchive, either for listening to my whining, leaving the most lovely comments and encouraging words, or both!

Q: What has been your most memorable writing project?

Stormbirds and Stalkers, my Aloy/Nil Horizon Zero Dawn fic, was probably the most memorable. I was OBSESSED with writing that thing to the point of putting out a chapter almost every day for the month it took to write. When I hear songs from the playlist I was listening to at the time of writing that fic, it takes me straight back to the feeling of loving that ship so much and being so into the writing that I was ignoring almost everything else (INCLUDING MY EXTREMELY PATIENT FIANCE). To this day, it’s my most popular fic. 

In more recent memory, Damned Spot (the Fenris/Rynne Hawke bartender modern AU) is memorable because it has been incredible and inspiring to build the world with @schoute and to collaborate together with the fic and art. I’ve never worked together with someone on a project this way and it’s been so much fun. 

Note, also, that I have a Master’s thesis and two published scientific articles under my belt, and those don’t even get an honourable mention in terms of memorable-ness. Fanfic writing defines who I am as a writer.

Q: What does your writing path look like, from the earliest days until now?

Uhh... Well, I guess I wanted to be a storyteller in some sense since I was a kid. I really used to love drawing, and the first thing I ever wanted to be was a comic strip artist. I used to make comic strips for myself from as early as I can remember until I was in high school. They largely revolved around stuff I wanted to happen in my real life (vacations I was looking forward to, boys I had crushes on in high school, etc.). REAL SCINTILLATING STUFF.

In terms of writing specifically, I’ve always been comfortable with writing. It was always just something I could do pretty easily without thinking much about it, but it was never really a creative thing or a thing I saw as a special talent. Friends in high school would ask me to edit their work, and I wrote an essay in grade 11 that a teacher said was “university level”. (I wish I still had that essay, actually. The thesis was that Sigmund Freud was a feminist. He really wasn’t, but I quite successfully argued that he was HAHAHAH.) 

In university (undergrad and Master’s degrees), academic writing was just part of the work, so I just did it - again, without thinking much about it. Then I started working full-time and didn’t write anything really except for clinical notes and healthcare stuff for a couple years.

It wasn’t until I started writing fanfic in 2017 that writing became an actual creative process for me and something I recognized as a talent. It became a way that I could actually use my imagination - something I don’t feel like I had done since I was a kid. Fanfic has been the best and only way to express myself creatively; I never considered myself a creative person until I started doing this. So, I mean, I guess I’ve written things to some degree or another throughout my life, but I didn’t see myself as a writer until I started writing fanfic, and now it’s one of the skills I cherish most. 

Q: What is your favourite part about writing?

Getting that perfect turn of phrase or dialogue between characters that encapsulates what I’m feeling or imagining for the scene. And when people comment and pick out those things that I was so proud of writing, that is just the cherry on the sundae.

Q: What does a typical day look like for you?

Wake up at 6:50am, eat breakfast, go to work and spend the day wishing I was at home writing. Go home, do a quick yoga session in my living room, WRITE WRITE WRITE until dinnertime which is anywhere between 8-10pm because my fiance and I are both Creative™ and thus Not Adherent To Regular Mealtimes™. Cook (or order in), eat dinner and watch a movie/show with the fiance, WRITE some more depending on the time, shower and bed around 1:30am. Rinse and repeat. 

On weekends: wake up around 9-9:30am, yoga, breakfast, WRITE WRITE WRITE WRITE WRITE WRITE, with occasional irregular food breaks and poking around with the fiance to see what he’s up to (he’s a digital artist and filmmaker). Sometime around 8-10pm, cook (or order in), eat dinner and watch a movie/show with the fiance, WRITE some more depending on the time, shower and bed around 2-3am. 

If we go out and do something during the day, or if I’m actively playing a video game, then obviously the writing time gets eaten into lol. Oh, I guess we clean sometimes too. Sometimes.

Q: What does your writing process look like?

I like to outline before I start a longfic; I like to know all the main points of the story and how it’s going to end before I get started. For individual chapters or oneshots, I also tend to outline the main points or main pieces of dialogue before getting into the meat of writing the chapter. 

I listen to music CONSTANTLY. I actually can’t think unless there is music playing. I have playlists for all my ships. I often will pick one song that illustrates the feel of the chapter and listen to it on loop until the chapter is done.

Q: What’s the best advice you’ve gotten?

I’ve never really gotten any advice, so I’m going to paraphrase @galadrieljones‘ advice, since I naturally follow it and find it to be totally true: “Stay in the room. Once you’ve made the decision to write, don’t leave the room. If you leave the room, you’ll lose your momentum.” This is also the idea behind writing sprints - to force yourself to do nothing else but write for a set period of time, just to get those words out and stay in the moment of the writing. Yes, this might sometime mean I have spent 6 straight hours writing with only bathroom breaks, but those are often the days when I stop and feel like I’M THE MOST AMAZING HUMAN BEING IN THE WORLD because I got the damned chapter done.  

Q: What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned?

Similar to @galadrieljones‘ response, I would say that the most important thing for me has been to keep the writing for the pleasure of it and not to monetize it. I have been asked before if I would consider writing fiction professionally, and my answer is a resounding ‘no’. If I wrote professionally, I couldn’t write exactly what I want to write on my own timeline, and I wouldn’t be able to share it immediately and garner the kinds of interactions and socializing with my readers that I really enjoy. Fanfic is the perfect medium that lets me write exactly what I want and to hang out with fun like-minded people while doing so. 

Q: What advice would you give someone who wants to start writing?

DO IT! DO IT DO IT DO IT!! I have so many friends who have said they want to write and don’t have the time or think they would be shitty at it - and I always say to JUST DO IT!! This also calls back also to some of the questions from earlier: if you really want to write, you may have to carve out time for it. MAKE time for it if it’s something you really want to do. Force yourself to find an hour or two and to fill it with writing instead of some other activity. If you really want to do it, you can and will find time for it. 

#tag meme #tumblr game #fanfic writer's life #thank you for the tag! #this was a fun one to fill out! #pikapeppa reflects #ask me anything

[homesteadchronicles]

Ten Songs Tag

Tagged by my fellow muso, @lady-redshield-writes! Thank you so much for the tag, my friend! I am always up for discussing music. Plus, your answers were super insightful, and I found some new music to jam out to!

Any of my fellow musicians, instrumentalists, vocalists, or appreciator of the arts are hereby tagged, if they find themselves so inclined to participate!

RULES: Post ten songs you are currently obsessed with and explain what caused or created this obsession!

1. “New Rules” - Dua Lipa I’ve been obsessed with this song since I first heard it on my family vacation to Walt Disney World this past December and I still listen to it consistently. Dua Lipa’s voice could only be called angelic, with a falsetto rivaling that of Allen Stone - and from a female, such a feat is almost unheard of. It’s rare to find a song on the radio that actually rejects sleeping around with the wrong person and instead solidifying healthier habits, denying toxic lifestyles and emphasizing the importance of oneself instead. Way to go, Dua Lipa!

2. “In Shallow Seas We Sail” - Emery Emery holds a special place in my heart as a band that can encapsulate the angst plaguing young adults. Most artists resonate with middle/high schoolers, but Emery speaks to me more now as an adult than they would have when I was younger. Plus, that voice? Gorgeous. This specific song has so many layers to get lost within. To me, it truly portrays that feeling of drowning in the midst of waves.

3. “Isn’t He (This Jesus)” - Natalie Grant This song really grew on me. I’ve always loved Natalie Grant, but this didn’t click with me at first. My mom sent me a link to this, overly excited to see that she had released new music after the surgery on her throat. Thankfully, she didn’t pull a Julie Andrews and came out all the stronger because of it. At first, I thought the song was decent, but it never hit home with me. Even still, I kept putting it on repeat while I wrote and I soon found myself worshipping in the midst of writing sessions instead. There’s something so...pure about this song. It’s raw, it’s honest, it’s simple. It doesn’t feel the need to be flashy, which I admire.

4. “Skyfall” - Our Last Night (OPB. Adele) I thought I liked Skyfall when it first came out - and then I heard this rendition. HOO BOY, was I in for a surprise! One of my friends, who apparently knows OLN, has been telling me to listen to them forever now and I never did. I turned this on while out on a walk and jammed to their music the rest of the night home. If you like pop-punk covers of already-phenomenal music, you might need to give this a listen...and then to their “Shape of You” cover, too.

5. “Party Tattoos” - Dodie This song goes against everything I normally listen to and I still am unsure why I like it so much. My friend included it in their character playlist and I just kept it on loop for days. It’s this wonderfully peppy, easygoing song with a slightly morbid undertone to its meaning. Maybe the mystery intrigues me so much? If you’re into indie music, give it a listen.

6. “Let the Flames Begin (Live)” - Paramore Paramore formed one part of my musical holy trinity throughout my childhood (along with Fall Out Boy and Panic at the Disco), and even though I no longer connect to their newer music, they still hold a special place in my heart. I’m not normally a fan of live performances, beyond worship songs, but this specific song adds SO much more live than it does in the studio. Williams adds an extended outtro, starting with an epic instrumental solo, and then ending with a bang. That bang? A special song snippet named “Oh Father”. I belt it out every time without question or hesitation. This may or may not be a Kingdom Come character’s theme...for a future book. 

7. “Nighttime Hunger” - Overcoats Believe it or not, @khymnal showed me this song and I cannot get it out of my head. The Overcoats have the most seamless, unified harmonies I may have ever heard. They blend together so effortlessly. Their voices are almost like sirens...the mermaid kind, not the police kind. I think a lot of people can relate to temptation lurking in the longer night comes, and this makes it both eerie and gorgeous instead of disturbing. And let’s be honest - isn’t temptation as enticing as it is unsettling? They captured the feeling perfectly.

8. “Birth of a Wish (Become as Gods)” - NieR: Automata I needed to include an instrumental game song on this list, and what better than what I play on repeat whenever I write a battle sequence for Kingdom Come? This idea that men want to become deities ties in perfectly with the themes of KC, and especially its central characters. The epicness of this music, and the way it makes me want to wield a sword and slay a dragon and save a princess in space all at once, only enhances its amazingness.

9. “Never Enough” - The Greatest Showman If you haven’t seen this movie yet, I don’t know what you’re doing with your life. I cannot tell you how emotional I got as soon as this song came on the first time. I still listen to it all of the time, and am dying to hear my mom sing it (side-note: my mom is a ridiculously talented singer and she will never admit it). The power of the lyrics matches the power in her voice and it combines to form the most dynamic musical number I’ve ever heard in a theatrical film - and the best part? They didn’t even need choreography to enhance it.

10. “Where’s My Love (Alternate Version)” - SYML Did anyone else fall in love with this song during the Figure Skating portion of the Winter Olympics? As soon as I heard this, I downloaded the song. It’s this haunting melody accompanied by a gorgeous piano player and it just works. Listen to it if you feel like you want to cry about a lost lover you probably never actually knew.

Bonus: “Hang It Up (Abacus & Vargas ‘Predator’ Remix)” - The Ting Tings So, I only heard this after I’d already written up this post...but it’s the best. I freaking love this style, the likes of which I have only heard rivaled by the Shiny Toy Guns. My best friend and I listen to it every week while we prepare for our Monster of the Week podcast recording session and it fires us up every time.

#tag #tagged #tag game #song #music #adele #paramore #nier #nier automata #the greatest showman #dua lipa #emery #our last night #overcoats #syml #the ting tings #dodie

[airadam]

Episode 140 : ...in his land, a ruler.

"Either unmarked or engraved - hey, who's to say?"

- MF DOOM

Wow, January has been a long year (!)

On the very last day of 2020, the Hip-Hop world was stunned to hear of the passing of Daniel Dumile, later known as Zev Love X, and eventually as the legendary MF DOOM. It had actually happened some time before but his family wanted to maintain some privacy, which is absolutely to be respected. In his memory, we play some tracks from the DOOM catalogue, plus some throwback favourites and a few recent releases. The bulk of the show is pretty uptempo, so one for the runners out there!

Twitter : @airadam13

Twitch : @airadam13

Playlist/Notes

MF DOOM ft. Pebbles : Doomsday

We start things off with the smoothness, the first full track on DOOM's debut LP "Operation : Doomsday" - which is still my favourite. A chunk of the album sounds like he just went right to the 80s soul crate and loaded the whole thing into the sampler, and this sets it off right. It certainly hits you differently now hearing him speak about his grave, and reuniting with his brother, the much missed DJ Subroc. This track gives you a window into some of the path DOOM walked on the way back to the industry after a traumatic set of personal circumstances, and is packed with references if you understand what you're hearing.

Dela : Dizzy

Quality production from "The Robert Glasper Beat Tape", doing great work with a piano sample and really changing the vibe. Check how he reinforces it with that fuzzy bass that plays along with parts of the main riff.

Tall Black Guy & Ozay Moore ft. Ohmega Watts : Har Hanz

A celebration of Hip-Hop here, with Ozay Moore and Ohmega Watts taking the mic atop the production skills of Tall Black Guy that is still getting regular headphone time from me three months after release. The sample at the start is discussing the late Latin jazz percussionist "Hard Hands" Ray Barretto, and is taken from the essential Hip-Hop documentary "Style Wars". Essential.

Edgar Allen Floe : State Of The Art

Taking it back to the early days of 9th Wonder and the Justus League crew, we have a track from the "WJLR Radio, Volume 2" mixtape, which you'll be lucky to find these days. EAF is a very skilled MC and, very characteristically of the time this was recorded, the topic here is the state of Hip-Hop and respect for artistry. 

Busta Rhymes ft. Q-Tip : Don't Go

Bringing it back to a recent release, the new "Extinction Level Event 2 : The Wrath Of God"  from the tail end of 2020 - unlike the first "ELE" release in 1998, the title seems to fit the age this time around... Anyway, this is a highlight, with the classic pairing of Busta and Q-Tip over a great Focus beat. The bar layout is a bit unusual, so it made the mixes on either side a little weird, but worth it to share this track.

Doc Ish ft. Joe Budden, Talib Kweli, Sean Price, and Angelica C : Is It A Dream

Dallas stand up! Texas producer Doc Ish brings in a trailerload of vocal talent to grace this beat, one that bumps along and still envelops you. I can't find any info on Angelica C, who does the business on the hook and outro, but she comes correct, and while all the MCs put in solid verses, Sean P is - as almost always - the star. Get this one on the 2010 "The First Treatment" album.

Grap Luva : Rocking With Elegance (One For Damu)

Hitting the SP-1200 here with a nice beat from Mount Vernon's Grap Luva from the "Neva Done" release. Drums and piano on a nice head-nod vibe with some little accents to make the beat complete - it's a great demonstration of not overdoing things when you have a groove that works!

Whodini : Five Minutes Of Funk

Not the whole track, so roughly three minutes and fourteen seconds of this specific funk. I wasn't able to get any Whodini onto the last episode, so it's this month that we pay tribute to the late John "Ecstasy" Fletcher. This track is taken from their sophomore album "Escape", and Ecstasy and Jalil kick their vintage-styled rhymes over the familiar instrumental courtesy of Larry Smith. You may recognise the beat as the theme for Ralph McDaniels' "Video Music Box", or any number of break/turntablist tapes! RIP Ecstasy.

KMD ft. Brand Nubian : Nitty Gritty

When I realised I could work this transition, it had to be done! This was the first KMD track I ever heard, and possibly the first Brand Nubian as well, after it was played on Pete Tong's Rap Selection show on Radio 1 back in the day. The lead MC of KMD was Daniel Dumile, then going by Zev Love X, and later becoming MF DOOM. All the MCs are dropping references from their respective religious organisations on this one, and this self-produced track from the debut KMD album "Mr Hood" is an absolute winner thirty years after its release! 

Eric B & Rakim : Pass The Hand Grenade

This is one of my favourite cuts from the excellent 1992 "Don't Sweat The Technique" album, the final release from Eric B & Rakim as a duo. As per usual, it's a microphone clinic from Rakim, with the density of the lyrics smoothed out by his vocal control and easily keeping up with the break-driven production.

Ice-T : New Jack Hustler

Never mind all the swing on the soundtrack for "New Jack City", this was the highlight, which also stood up strongly next to anything else on Ice-T's crowning "OG : Original Gangster" LP, on which this also appears. An encapsulation of the speed, violence, and chaos of the streets as they were then, and as always with Ice, an acknowledgement that it all comes to a sticky end. The hectic production from Ice and legendary LA turntablist DJ Aladdin creates the perfect dense high-octane menace to go along with the iconic lyrics.

[DJ Premier] Gang Starr : Bless The Mic (Instrumental)

At the tail end of last year we got an instrumental release of the "One Of The Best Yet", which itself was the surprise release of 2019. I didn't realise how much I missed the combination of Guru and Preemo, but the beats even stand as good listens by themselves!

Jeep Beat Collective : The Bomb Drops

A gem here from mid-nineties Manchester, and the brainchild of scene veteran Dave the Ruf, who you might know from JBC, Mindbomb, or if you're local, the Scratch Jam sessions he and DJ Rasp put together! This is uptempo, sample-packed, and topped with very serious cuts, which made it a worth inclusion on Bomb Records' original "Return Of The DJ" album.

Donald D : Rage Of The Rap Renegade

Staying with the 90s vibe, we wind it back to 1991 and the second album ("Let The Horns Blow") from Donald D out of the Rhyme Syndicate crew. No frills, just skills, with the Syndicate Sniper busting off lyrical shots over Bilal Bashir's heavy drums and sampling of a well-known bassline. 

Motion Man : Come On Y'all

This track from "Clearing The Field" is an excellent tribute to/take on "My Part Of Town" by Philadelphia's Tuff Crew. KutMasta Kurt on production creates a 2002 version of the beat for Motion to get busy on. Definitely check the video - it's definitely one of the more original ones I've ever seen!

Mega Ran & Storyville : React

Teacher, MC, and now published author Mega Ran is definitely a man to check in at least one of his chosen disciplines! While he may be in Phoenix now, he's a Philadelphia native who combines here with his hometown compadre Storyville - both of them were former members of the RAHM Nation crew. The "Soul Veggies" album from 2015 is just solid, nourishing quality (part of the reason for the title), and so I thought we'd come back to it - I last dropped a track from this four years ago! Uptempo double bass action drives this one, the mic work is on point as always, and the cuts in the hook season it up lovely.

DJ Spinna : Rock

There have been many versions of this track, but this is the original from the Brooklyn don Spinna! You can find this one on 12" with "Watch Dees" (not the DJ!) on the flip.

MF Doom : I Hear Voices

The last full track on "Operation : Doomsday" is the last track for this month's show as well, and it's one of my personal favourites from the album. It's just flavour, pure MC talent and writing skills, no hook, and a beat that isn't weird, but is somehow pretty unique. I could maybe have heard Ghostface doing something with a track like this, but DOOM stamps this one indelibly.

Please remember to support the artists you like! The purpose of putting the podcast out and providing the full tracklist is to try and give some light, so do use the songs on each episode as a starting point to search out more material. If you have Spotify in your country it's a great way to explore, but otherwise there's always Youtube and the like. Seeing your favourite artists live is the best way to put money in their pockets, and buy the vinyl/CDs/downloads of the stuff you like the most!

  Check out this episode!

[phoenixagent003]

The Character Playlist Challenge

Making playlists for your characters is, at worst, a really fun way to procrastinate actually writing. But, at its best, it’s a fun way to explore characters in a way you probably wouldn’t be able to with your standard character profile, and the tl;dr of this post is that you should totally try it and I came up with some rules to help make sure you get something out of the experience.

If that sounds like fun, and you don't want to read about my own personal nonsense, just skip down the “The Rules of Engagement.”

I was first exposed to character playlists by Critical Role back in the ye olden days of 2016, when the cast was putting out Spotify playlists for their characters, and I basically immediately fell in love with the concept for a dozen reasons. I loved getting insights into how the players saw their characters, I loved getting exposed to all kinds of music I’d never heard before, and I immediately wanted to do it myself.

Eventually, the well of personal D&D characters I was invested enough in to justify the effort sort of dried up, and I retired the process for a while. But then, through a series of chance events, I ended up listening to the song "Don't Threaten Me with a Good Time" by Panic! At the Disco, and almost immediately, I had a character in my head. That character reminded me of another song, and another, and before I knew it I had another character playlist for a character I hadn't even played yet.

Eventually, that character spun himself into his own book, and that's how both Brass and They Met in a Tavern were born.

Since then, I've started making more playlists for all the characters in the book, and it has been equal parts fun and educational. Not just in exposing myself to new music to find songs to fit the characters, but in learning more about the characters as I built the playlists.

And let me tell you, that magic of hearing a song and thinking to yourself, "Oh my God. I know who this is for," is something else. And once you start doing this, I don't think you'll ever listen to music the same way again. I certainly don't.

The Rules of Engagement

Now, I don’t know what process the cast of Critical Role used to pick their playlist songs, but I devised my own rules for doing so which helped me get a lot out of the experience. That said, if you don’t like mine, ignore them or make your own. I’m not your dad.

CR’s cast used Spotify for their playlists, but I’ve used both Spotify and YouTube, and quite frankly, use whatever you want to actually compile the songs to suit whatever your music consuming/sharing habits are.

1. One song per artist.

This was the very first rule I nailed down, and I think it’s the most important. If you only follow one rule in this challenge, make it this one. It’s here principally to encourage variety, especially if you’re like me and before trying to make a playlist you only really listened to the same three bands on repeat.

But it can also help you really drill down into what makes a character tick. Me personally, if I didn’t follow this rule, Brass’s playlist would be 90% Panic!, since he was born from one of their songs and basically everything they put out reminds me at least a little of him. But because I can only pick one song from them, I had to really drill down on which specific song fit him the strongest, and to do that, I had to understand who Brass was.

2. One song per character aspect/event/relationship.

When you’re putting together the playlist, you’re going to find some songs that really sell a part of the character’s personality, and others that perfectly fit an experience they had. But it’s very easy to start just filling the playlist with songs treading the same ground. Especially if they’ve got a romantic subplot.

Trust me, with the sheer volume of songs that have been written about love, you will find dozens of songs that make you think of the character and their own romantic entanglements. People can and do fill entire playlists just with songs that make them think of their favorite ship.

The playlist is supposed to encapsulate the character. Don’t let them be defined by one relationship! Or one anything for that matter.

3. Minimum of eight songs.

This ties nicely into rule two. Since you can only have one song for each aspect of your character, the song minimum ensures that you have to think of at least eight different things that define the character. Their relationships with other characters. Their happiest memories. How they feel when their angry. Their thoughts on the future.

Find songs for all that stuff.

Annnd… that’s it. Those are the rules. Go. Make playlists for your protagonists, your D&D characters, your DeviantArt OCs. Go forth, and be creative.

Extras

…but I mean, if you wanna have some more fun with it.

4. Bump that minimum up to 10.

My original minimum for a finished playlist was ten, but that was kind of hard sometimes, and finding those last one or two songs sometimes felt like pulling teeth. But if you want the extra challenge, go for it. And why stop at ten? Make this thing as long as you want.

5. Include at least one instrumental song.

I feel relatively confident that the major of the people reading this primarily consume lyrical music. So if you want to really be forced to look outside your comfort zone.

6. Ignore all the rules

At the opposite end the spectrum, ignore literally every rule I’ve laid out and all semblence of structured challenge, and just go make playlists for your characters because its fun, it helps you learn about them, and its much easier than actually sitting down and hashing out that next draft.

Happy curating.