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#now that I remember it I hyped myself up before at least one performance by thinking about different brands of Frozen cheesecake
sparkrls · 2 months
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set a love alight
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MASTERLIST
part of the bandmates! harry x yn au
Summary: in which Y/N makes mistakes and Harry remind her she’s only human
Author’s Note: just needed some emotional Y/N with sweetheart Harry. remember to like and reblog because i crave validation. love ya <3
Word Count: 1.3k
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“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Y/N cursed, pushing past the mess of wires and equipment backstage and pushing through the door of the emergency exit. The door swung open, slamming against the brick wall before clicking shut again.
Kicking at a small rock in the gravel, Y/N tried to release her fury. A choked sob escaped her raw throat, the burning reminding her of the fatal mistake she’d made that night.
Ambition had been her downfall. She’d let herself be overly confident in her abilities and had reached too high, her wings scorched by the sun.
Y/N fell to the ground. She didn’t bother to sit down gently, simply just letting her knees give out beneath her. She curled her knees up to her chest, hugging them and linking her hands together.
The hem of her skirt rode up, reaching her upper thigh. Usually, she might tug it down, but she was a bit too busy crying to even think about something so trivial like her skirt.
A pair of hands settled on her shoulders. Y/N was startled at the sudden touch. She could’ve sworn she was alone.
Eyeliner and makeup smudged from crying, Y/N looked up to find that Harry was crouched in front of her, his gaze soft and warm. She quickly tried to wipe her tears away, but he caught her wrists and pulled them down to her sides.
Harry’s voice was soft, barely a whisper, “Baby. It’s okay.” He was handling her like shattered glass, doing his best to not slit his hand while picking up the sharp fragments. “I’m here.”
Y/N didn’t like for people to see her cry. Not only was she an ugly crier, but she hated when people saw her so vulnerable. It felt wrong. And she didn’t cry often anyways. But when she did, it was messy and wild.
“I screwed up,” Y/N whispered, hating how her voice broke when she was barely audible. A pool of shame gathered in her stomach, weighing her down and suffocating her.
Harry sat down next to her, his arm wrapping around her shoulder. He leaned forward to meet her eyes. “Yeah. You did. And?”
“And?” She said, her voice raising a bit. “And I humiliated myself. I was so fucking bad.”
“You were nervous and you made a mistake,” Harry said steadily, his voice never raising. “It happens to the best of us.”
“I shouldn’t have taken that solo,” Y/N said with the shake of her head, another tear spilling against her will.
They had decided to perform their new song, ‘Set A Love Alight’. Y/N and Harry had written it just three weeks ago, and they decided to play it at this gig they’d booked at the bar they regularly played at, 17 Black.
After a long time of reluctance and hesitation, Y/N had decided to do the song as a solo. Up until now, Harry was always the one singing. Occasionally, Sarah or Mitch would sing a verse or two, but for the most part, Harry was the vocal powerhouse. Everyone liked it that way, everyone felt comfortable.
And Y/N had never dared to sing anything except backing vocals. And for the last few months, Harry had been trying to convince her to sing at least one verse of a song. He’d hyped her up, encouraging her to do so and telling her how amazing her voice was about a million times.
After a long time of pleading, Harry’d gotten what he wanted and more. Y/N took on the burden of an entire song. And tonight was not only the debut of the new song, but also of her voice.
Weeks of rehearsals had fallen down the drain when Y/N started singing and her voice came out shaky with nerves. Her hands were shaking and she didn’t hit the right chords on the guitar. And her lungs started constricting, making it hard for her to complete the lines without gasping for air. And all of this combined into the messiest performance the band had ever performed.
At the end of the song, Y/N was holding back tears and the small amount of people paying attention to the band clapped politely, but she heard the whispers of judgement. And when she turned to look at the band, the three of them were looking at her with pity in their eyes.
That was how she’d rushed off stage, thrusting her guitar into the hands of someone she passed by, possibly even a bystander just walking by. She didn’t even look at their face before walking out in tears.
“Love, you’re a good singer,” Harry said with a small sigh, caressing her cheek with his thumb. Her eyes fluttered shut. “You got nervous. It happens to everyone. You just have to learn how to control those nerves, that’s all.”
Y/N took a shaky breath, holding back a sob. “I made everyone look bad.”
Harry let out a small laugh. Y/N opened her eyes to glare at him. He rushed to say, “Baby, I wasn’t making fun of you, I swear. I just… I’ve made countless mistakes on stage. My voice has cracked, I’ve missed high notes, I’ve mixed up verses, I’ve sung off-key. But my mistakes don’t take away from my talent.” He pulled her forward to hug her. “Not to toot my own horn, but I’m a good singer. Because I was persistent and a hard worker. I didn’t give up even when I had moments where I sounded like shit and thought I had humiliated myself to a degree no other human being ever had.”
Y/N took a deep breath. “I don’t know how you do it.”
“Which part?” Harry asked, curiously. He was ever as bright as always, but so soft and gentle. He was a sweetheart above anything else.
“Getting on stage and giving an amazing as fuck performance each time,” Y/N said. She shook her head. “You’re amazing, H.”
Harry shrugged. “It’s what I know how to do. I’ve done it my entire life. The same way you always play the guitar ‘amazing as fuck’.” He scrunched his nose up at her as he mocked her words. She let out a small chuckle. He smiled, pleased at himself. He always pulled a smile out of her. “It takes time and experience. I promise next time you get on stage to sing you’ll be better. Not perfect, just better. And someday, you won’t even remember tonight as anything more than just another story to tell and laugh at.”
Y/N pursed her lips, silent for a moment in thought. He was right. He always was.
Somehow, Harry always managed to make the tears seem like just another silly hurdle to jump over. The world seemed so much easier to face when he spoke about it so simply.
And with Harry holding her in his arms, who wouldn’t be ready to take on anything the universe threw her way?
Harry let out a small sigh, running his fingers through her hair. “You’ll be okay, love.” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
Harry always took care of her with love. Not as if she were fractured sharp glass, but as if she were a bouquet of flowers you settled into a vase with care as to not let a single petal drop.
And Y/N wished she were as sweet as him. She wished she could be as good and pure as he was, to give him the affection he needed. The care he gave her was the kind he should be receiving.
“I love you,” Y/N whispered, starting off with something small to remind him of her love.
Harry smiled, as if she’d made some grand declaration of love and hung a star in the night sky for him. “I love you too.”
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numetalpuppygirl · 2 years
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what i'm listening to 10/5/2022 (song notes under cut)
spot. link//yt link
Laura Les - Haunted: haunted. by laura les
Nirvana - Something In The Way (Live at the BBC): when listening through last month's album ranking, this performance caught me. something in the way is one of the more underrated tracks from nevermind (or at least it was before the new batman movie lol). truthfully there's nothing too out of the ordinary with this performance but i like how kurt's voice sounds on the chorus especially <3
Umphrey's McGee - National Loser Anthem: i LOVE mashups that are actually recorded by someone else instead of sticking the tracks together (both kinds are good but this type is underappreciated). this is the opener to this album and it introduces the mastercraft on display so well...
Papa Roach - Scars: i don't even have anything nice to say about this song other than that it's super catchy. i actually got it in my head bc i had been listening to the laura les remix lol
Europe - The Final Countdown: okay everyone SHUT UP. i know this is a fucking sports stadium anthem but i dont give a shit about that!! when i was 11 years old and only just starting to listen to music, this was one of the only songs i knew. everyone only knows the chorus (which is really good) but if you actually listen to the lyrics it's this heartwrenching power pop track about leaving earth and dealing with the complicated emotions that would come with that...... you wouldn't get it................
Luscious Jackson - Naked Eye: heard it on the radio. struck me as a very genre-bending band, with rock and hip hop and a bunch of other shit mixed in. cool stuff! apparently the drummer was the original drummer for the beastie boys?? crazy
Vanilla Ice - Hooked-Live/1991: i've been writing a ranking of all of vanilla's albums, which led me to relisten to some significant tracks. hooked was one of the stronger tracks from his debut album (the original release of which was even named after it) but it always fell a little short for me. the live version, on the other hand, has a lot more energy and hype
They Might Be Giants - Hide Away Folk Family: tmbg was one of the first bands i ever listened to (explains a lot tbh) but i only knew a little bit of their stuff from like the 90s and 00s, so i wanted to go back and check out some old school material. i liked this album a lot, and the chorus to HAFF stuck in my head big time
Jethro Tull - Aqualung: i've been getting into some more prog rock recently for no. particular... reason...... and i already kinda knew i would like this album. my dad had recommended "up to me" a while back, which i really liked, so i had high hopes. they were met! good fucking album! the title track is really only a standout bc of my love for opening tracks
ANGEL_TECH - whats up with u??: new angel_tech album out now!! once again, the opening track thing is big for me. i love an album that makes a good first impression. it was unfortunate that i couldn't make the release party but oh freaking well!
Huey Lewis & The News - I Want A New Drug: i think i've properly memed myself into enjoying huey lewis lmaooo i found sports in those old cassettes i mentioned i've been going through and was like "lol i should listen to this bc funney american psycho reference" and then an hour later i was adding a bunch of huey songs to my playlist...
Mind-Body Problem - Flesh and Blood (Ephesians 6:12): found this band through their hand crushed by a mallet cover, but honestly i think i might like this original track better. metalcore and hardcore and all that are severely lacking some fresh faces and new takes on the genre, so i'll be keeping an eye on what else this band has to offer!
August is Falling - August Is Falling: really great new ep from an absolute classic pop punk emo band. definitely not tied to any kind of internet inside joke bullshit. remember seeing them on warped tour
Girls Rituals - Idiot punk tetratogenic perma-decline (at the end of your bed): i've been enjoying all devi's new singles but this one's the one i keep coming back to. nothing much more to say it's just good tunes
Spin Doctors - Little Miss Can't Be Wrong: i've been just ever so slightly abnormal about these guys since the trainwreckords episode, but this one is not really that interesting? it's just a really good pop song 👍
Cry Baby - Singing For You: y2k throwback pop rock recommended by skatune network. i've become such a pop girlie and this one has a big catchy chorus. great stuff :)
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lemayday · 5 months
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ever since my future wife and my then unhealthy obsession tries convincing me to listen to real artsy music like swans and i refused cause i'm cool and i always do what i want and there's a bug inside me that tells me i need to eat ass and that being dominative is how you get dominated anyways i got sidetracked ever since that happened and i got boring of finding new underground grunge bands like the gits also known as i'm glad they got him after ten fucking years toon those corrupt fucking coppos long enough fucking pigs incompetent bastards anyways ye after that and even before i've been obsessed with after i was first transgressed by bleepy bloopy sounds in rock music and with my taste getting heavier and heavier as did my steadily increasing then decreasing muscle mass i started searching for all the more experimental and heavy examples of electronic and industrial instrumentation in rock music and at some point i realized that i can't fucking find anything that'll sound like what i'm looking for i have to make it myself but it's really hard when you've never really done heavier music intentionally and so i've done countless songs over the last year just trying to figure out when the fuck will i be satisfied with my own performance a year ago o couldn't understand how one could waste their own songwriting assuming they were satisfied with it and back then it made sense but now i've stepped up my game in production and having a finished product takes longer and suddenly my songwriting shifts towards a new style and i dunno if i wanna scrap my previous things in favor of the stuff i made more recently that i'm more satisfied with and like it's a nightmare okay ever since self insert released i've been working on 3 fucking albums at once and made at least 150 songs o feel like fucking kendrick i finally understand what he said I understand why you would forsake 150 masterpieces of songwriting in favor of 20 or so good ones but god damn it's straining no one even remembers my album anymore mostly because no one even liked it on release i hyped it up whenever and wherever i could but i guess that just wasn't an opportune time to release it i should like finish an album then release it in like 2-3 weeks of a wait so that there's any sort of hype some of my final material so far is like 9 months old but fuck off it's good and i picked it out of literally over a hundred others so yeah you're gay i'm gayer i'm an autistic transfemme lesbian my wife is a beautiful princess angel and i have 3 albums in the fucking works and they're gonna be awesome and people are gonna finally like me even if none of them are as conceptually deep as self insert which i honestly let myself down with on the production side but j left it as is because aidsgame creator liked it and someone who is actually good at making jungle music liked it and also my best friend liked it and also my girlfriend liked the one song she heard from it okay i'm done goodnight
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Maybe one day we will find out the reason behind this strange timing, if there even is one. Until then, I still kinda have to laugh at the irony that we were all expecting a world tour while they announced an indefinite hiatus. This is my personal super villain story haha. Well, it’s whatever now but I just wish they would have at least mentioned that they’re considering solo careers a couple of times before instead of bringing that down on us just like that. Then it would have been easier to handle for some people, I’m sure. Would have been way easier for me that’s for sure. Now it just feels like my dad went to buy cigarettes again.
So there hasn’t been an announcement regarding the length of the break yet that’s good to know. I personally blocked everything that has to do with bts on reddit and twitter as soon as I became a fan, for these exact reasons. My brain is already doing an excellent job in making me anxious all by itself lmao. Let's just hope they all start their military service as soon as possible because I don't think it would be strategically wise not to. After all, just like the members, the fans are getting older too. In 5 years, I will be 30 and even if the outlook is not perfect, I still hope that by then I will have more meaning in life than I have now. Shoutout to the last anon: I also am a part of the “no life” club.
The problem you have with the vlives, I have with run bts. There are still so many of the newer episodes I've never seen because I missed them and then somehow never caught up. Now there are so many that it gives me anxiety when I think about it haha. By the way, I'm really glad you understood me correctly when I talked about how I feel about solo projects and the members in particular. Many people on here seem to take every little criticism as hate, and that's really the last thing I want. I wish each of them only the best even if I may not be as interested in their projects.
And I agree with what you said earlier, bts will undoubtedly not be the same after the break and that’s actually the main reason all of this makes me so sad. I just hate change and it's very hard for me to get used to new things. I have been trying to overcome this for a long long time but maybe this is just me and I have to learn to live with it.
So… I think I’ve talked enough now. I feel like I‘m just repeating myself anyway and I’m so sorry but you know what? Sending you way too long messages does help me adapt to these news haha. Big hug for you too!🤍
Hi! I definitely agree with your first paragraph! I said that too. I also agree that, if they want to build up on the momentum they have now, it's best to get their mandatory service out of the way... I think they can take the group to another level in terms of popularity if they successfully establish themselves individually as artists now (by collabing with famous artists, performing at big festivals, going on variety shows, etc.). If they're seven solo artists, the GP can find out about BTS through any of the members and that can attract fans too. Also, there will be so much hype when they return as a group. If they wait too long, they will find it harder to become mainstream, I guess. Plus, they're a boy group, and dancing is a part of it, but in a few years it'll be harder on them to dance. If they want to enjoy their remaining dancing years they shouldn't drag on the enlistment situation too much. Of course, they don't have to dance and can have their big comeback as a whole new group in their 30s.
It's funny you mentioned Run BTS. I was the exact same way. It was only last week that I got caught up on all the episodes I missed. Once I started watching them I remembered I enjoyed them so there was less reason to be anxious. But I couldn't commit to watching them for a long time. Same with their vlives. Tbh, I couldn't decide on a show to watch but needed to watch something. I used to watch music shows while I ate but now they're not entertaining enough for me.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me! You can DM me any time (really). I know how you feel :)
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Fun fact about me, an aro: in high school theatre I got cast to play the equivalent of Prince Charming, just a character whose entire personality was lovestruck, and most people thought I did a pretty good job. most people however were not aware that I spent my entire performance thinking about bread, in order to simulate the enthusiasm and passion of True Love
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charlie-rulerofhell · 3 years
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An interview with Måneskin: “It's not about out bodies, it's about our music”
Heyo, I'm back with another translation. This time the article is from the German Rolling Stone website who met with Måneskin after their TikTok performance at the Schwuz, Berlin, and posted the interview yesterday. Again there were some interesting questions asked (and the pictures they added to the article are quite nice, though severely lacking some Ethan content, but check it out!).
Again, I hope that no one has already gone through the effort and translated it or is currently working on a translation. Also this is an official invitation, if you stumble across any articles or video interviews in German that you would like to have translated just message me and I'll get to it! (or if you just wanna chat about Måneskin, my inbox is always open :))
Have a great day everyone!
Full article under the cut.
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An interview with Måneskin: “It's not about out bodies, it's about our music”
Jose-Luis Amsler
July 6, 2021
Måneskin are just what this generation has been missing. Passionate, corny, and full-on honest. In an interview with Rolling Stones, the ESC winners explain to us why they would never work in a normal job and why the hype for their appearance is sometimes going too far.
Damiano, Victoria, Thomas and Ethan are entering the nearly deserted dance hall, before they wait on stage in a red-blue spotlight. They are wearing glittering fish net tops, black tape across their nipples, leather pants, heels and make up. The camera men who are filming in portrait format (9:16) suitable for TikTok are whirling up the haze of the fog machine.
Måneskin are [in] Berlin to give a TikTok concert. A TikTok livestream of this scale has not been done often – tension is in the air. The four Italians don't know at this point that due to the stream the few people present are not allowed to clap or cheer. In complete silence and with slight uncertainty the four are crossing Neukölln's club Schwuz. A few puzzled glances are exchanged. Finally,  Måneskin are striking the first chord.
Then the rich sound of Ethan's bass drum is tearing through the silence. It's almost as if someone has flicked a switch somewhere. There it is, the rock star presence that is hovering over everything they do, with an ounce of arrogance (in the best sense of the word). Singer Damiano is dancing lasciviously on his heels, and during an especially ecstatic solo guitarist Thomas is throwing himself down on the floor in a way it can only be done by a passionate 20-year-old musician who had never had to worry about the looming doom of an artificial knee joint [for 'passionate' the interview is using the term 'besessen' which means 'possessed', and although I think it's rather supposed to describe the way Thomas is 'possessed / obsessed' with the music, thus passionate for the music, you never know if they didn't mean to say that the way he dances looks 'possessed' … I mean, they might be on to something here ;)]. Around half an hour and about 120 decibel later, Damiano says their goodbyes with an almost shy-sounding “Okay, bye.” After the performance, we do our interview in the Schwuz.
Rolling Stone: It was a little bit weird, right, when you went on stage today?
Damiano: Yeah, that was really strange (laughs). They only told us after the performance that the audience was instructed to stay silent for the stream.
Vic: But at least they weren't silent because we were shit (all laughing). We are slowly getting used to playing without a live audience. I mean we are doing this now for more than a year.
RS: What do you think about these new kinds of concerts such as the TikTok livestream today?
Damiano: Well, at the moment it is the only option to perform anyway, so it's alright. But of course you cannot compare this to a proper concert.
Thomas: But it's pretty cool that so many people can experience our concert live.
Vic: Also we're gonna start touring again soon. Right now we are arranging some festival and gigs. In December we will be touring Italy and afterwards we are planning to go on tour through Europe. But we don't have anything fixed yet, there is just a lot going on at the moment.
“A lot going on”. Quite an understatement considering the recent journey Måneskin has made through the past weeks after their ESC win. Their singles “Beggin'” and “I Wanna Be Your Slave” went through the roof (also thanks to Social Media) and are currently dominating the international charts – lately they were also number one in Germany. There is barely a radio station that isn't playing the band on heavy rotation [would love to know what stations they listen to, have never heard Måneskin played in German radio tbh :( ], and everyone opening Instagram or TikTok these days is flooded by Måneskin content. Every second a new fanpage with the name of 'maneskin_obsession' or 'damianos_slut' is springing up like a (virtual) mushroom. It sounds like a cliche, but Damiano, Vic, Thomas and Ethan became international stars over night.
“Of course it's nice to get compliments. But sometimes they definitely cross a line.” – Damiano David
RS: How has your life as a band changed since your win at the ESC in Rotterdam?
Vic: I think we don't even notice a lot of what's happening. Right after the ESC we went to a studio in the countryside where we made music the whole day long. So at first we didn't realise that so many things were happening all around us – and that we had so many new fans. We're just now beginning to learn what's going on. We were at Sony yesterday, there were so many fans waiting for us. That was crazy.
RS: A large part of the attention you are getting now is about your outer appearance, your style, your attractiveness. Is that getting a little too much sometimes?
Damiano: Of course it's nice to get compliments (laughs). But sometimes they definitely cross a line. Especially when we just talk about our music or about a social or political topic that we care about. In those moments it's just completely inappropriate to reduce us to our appearance. Sure – when I'm posting a half-naked picture of myself on Instagram I know that I will get these kind of comments. And then it's totally fine, I mean in the end I'm posting the picture to show myself. But sometimes it's not the right place for it.
RS: And also you should be allowed to wear what you want without being sexualised, right?
Vic: Yes, absolutely. We are wearing these outfits because we feel good in them, not to put the focus on our bodies. And in general it shouldn't always only be about how you dress. We are musicians – so first and foremost it should be about our music. But I think it will still be a long way until we will reach that point.
“That the boys are wearing make up does not tell you what gender they are attracted to. Those things should never be equated with each other.” – Victoria De Angelis
RS: But still you are sending a message with your style against stereotypical gender roles. I guess it's also not only coincidence that we are in the Schwuz today, which is normally a party location and safe space for the LGBTQ community.
Vic: Yes, that is all part of the positive message that we try to send. We want to give our audience the feeling that they are free. Free to wear whatever they want to wear, be how they want to be and love whom they want to love. It's unbelievable that there is still so much intolerance in our times. That has always been really important to us so we try to talk about these topics. We also believe that the narrow-mindedness of society is an educational problem. When you grow up with people all around you telling you how you should be, you will never feel completely free. The more people are talking about it, the sooner things will change.
RS: Some artists who are advocating for these topics are accused of 'queerbaiting', that they are only pretending to be a certain way to gain more support from the queer community. Have you also been faced with those allegations?
Vic: Yes, a few times. But of course we never pretended to be anything. Some people accuse of us queerbaiting because we look and act the way we do. But that's flawed thinking. We don't believe that clothes are connected to a person's sexuality. That the boys are wearing make up does not tell you what gender they are attracted to. Those two things should never be equated with each other.
RS: This courage for free self expression that you are conveying is mainly lived by our (young) generation through Instagram and the like. What is your relationship to social media?
Damiano: For me it was almost scary at first. The more we grew, the more people were trying to twist all of my words. But over time you start to understand that with more fame you also get more criticism. The happier you look the more hate you will get. It's not only like that for celebrities. If you are brave enough to show the things that make you happy there will always be people that support you, but they are also those that envy you. Of course, this should never lead anyone to not express themselves openly but that's easier said than done.
Vic: We are also trying not to spend too much time on social media. In the end we just try to be honest with our fans and to avoid negativity.
[caption under the picture of Damiano: 'Is already being compared to icons such as David Bowie']
It's actually surprising how little power a win at the ESC holds in most cases. Almost 200 million people are watching this shining spectacle every year – and still, a few months afterwards it is hard to remember who those people were that got covered in confetti during the award ceremony. It's the well-known curse of a casting show that rests on the winning bands. When just next year a new sensation will come to marvel at, how much impact does a win have then? There are exceptions of course, like Lena who is until this day, 10 years after her win in Oslo, a part of the more famous music scene of German pop music. With their charisma, their unusual sound at least for our modern standards, and their contemporary message Måneskin could become such an exception, too.
It's likely also helpful that the band already had a standing in the Italian music scene prior to their ESC participation. Their first album 'Il ballo della vita' already achieved platinum in 2018, three years prior to Sanremo and the ESC. And then there is also the long way that led the four schoolmates to this point that helped them gain the necessary persistence. Because contrary to what some people might want to believe Måneskin are not a phenomenon that has just been deliberately bred to be this way by the entertainment industry for Eurovision.
“I have worked [in a 'normal' job] for a whole month in my entire life – it didn't really end well.” – Damiano David
RS: You were all raised in Rome, the capital of the catholic church. What was it like to start as a young progressive band in such a conservative environment?
Damiano: In the beginning, when we started as buskers, no one gave a damn about us anyways (all laughing). But of course … Once we got a bit bigger there were a few people who had a problem with us. For example when we went to Sanremo, there were quite many people who thought that the way we looked and acted we shouldn't be allowed to represent Italy. They didn't even want to listen to our music first.
Vic: Especially when it comes to appearance and sexuality, Italy is a little more backward than other countries. The church probably also has an influence there. They are often quite conservative of course, so many people grew up with such a [conservative] mindset.
RS: You once said that the song 'In Nome Del Padre' is an answer to exactly those people. What does the song mean to you?
Damiano: Back in the beginning [of our career] we had to deal with a lot of problems. They didn't want to let us play in clubs because we would take too much space as a band or because they didn't like our (fashion) style or because they didn't want to pay us. Italy isn't a good place for bands. Our musical style was also criticised a lot. Many people were telling us: Don't do that [rock music], you won't get popular with that in Italy, you will never achieve anything with it. Of course those comments were hurtful but they were also a good reason for us to continue with what we did. And we turned our sadness into anger. With that song we wanted to tell those people from back then: Fuck off and look at us, we did it!
RS: Did you ever consider working in a nine-to-five job and live a 'normal' life?
Damiano: Nah, not really. For one month in my life I worked [in a 'normal' job] – it didn't end well (all laughing).
Vic: We all made music since we were kids. It's a huge part of us, that we couldn't just ignore. And the most important thing is that you do something that makes you happy. At least that's what we believe. So we started from a young age to put all our time and energy into music.
Thomas: Yeah, exactly. Ever since we were in school together we always made music. That has always been our main focus and it is until today. We play and play and play because it is the only thing that …  
Ethan: … we live for.
Damiano: Music has also something very therapeutic for us. Even when we are in a bad mood or fight with each other – yeah, that happens, too – then all of that is gone the moment we enter the stage. Maybe that's the beautiful thing about music – that it allows you to forget everything else. You're just standing on stage, having fun with your friends.
From most bands you wouldn't buy such a corny love letter to music. Mostly it just sounds like an empty phrase, a well-practiced quotable line. But when there is something that defines Måneskin and that becomes more and more evident during our conversation it's their uncompromising honesty. The four of them are definitely not lacking a sense of humour but they take their music very seriously. Which should not be taken for granted in a generation that has mainly produced sarcastic cloud rappers and has made cynical twitter comedy a national sport. And maybe Måneskin are exactly what this generation was lacking all along.
Still, the four musicians, all in the age of 20 to 22, are also prone to the constant need for self-expression, that has become an intrinsic part of today's life. This does not only reflect in the outfits of the band (always 'on fleek') and their Instagram profiles, but also in their lyrics. Their latest record 'Teatra D'Ira – Vol. 1' shows a clear theme: The album is an ode to individuality, accentuated by fast and hard sounds.
Sometimes this message fitting for a Disney movie [really? guess I have been watching the wrong Disney movies my whole life …] is wrapped in a contrasting loud and forceful packaging, but never so much that it becomes inauthentic or self-caricaturing [note: I'm honestly not entirely sure what they wanted to say with this sentence since it uses a lot of rhetorical devices that could be interpreted in different ways, but I'd say this sounds the most plausible]. And in the end, the thing that makes Måneskin so interesting is their unification of the spirit of this time – between TikTok hedonism and an omnipresent political statement – with the music of past generations.
“When you are twenty, you start to think about what the future will hold.” – Damiano David
RS: Your musical style is often described as classical 70s rock, but in fact there are many different influences in your music. Sometimes you groove almost into funk, sometimes it's more rapping than singing. How did this mixture come to be?
Thomas: It's just that we all have our own individual influences and then we meet somewhere in the middle. And we always try to stay open for experiments.
Ethan: Yes, we are very experimental in our song writing process.
Vic: We also don't want to limit ourselves to what is regarded as typical rock music. If rap fits better at some point then we just add that in. It just happens naturally without us thinking too much about it.
RS: So why was it still rock music in the end?
Vic: Because it's the style that we feel most represented by. But actually we just play the music that we enjoy playing. That's really important to us so that we can show something real on stage. We don't want to pretend to be something that we aren't or mock those people that really enjoy our music. You should always be proud of what you're doing and never fake anything just to sell more records.
RS: Is there something like an Italian rock music scene?
Vic: There are quite a lot of bands – but the most of them are much older than us or they are more going in the direction Indie rock. There isn't really a young rock scene, which we think is a pity. But ever since we got more famous people are telling us that they started listening to rock music because of us or that they bought their first guitar and such. That's incredibly nice!
RS: So you're saying that you also want to show this style of music to a younger generation. And you capture this contrast quite well in the song 'Vent'anni', which is a typical rock ballad but lyrically portrays the thoughts of today's youth. Where did the motivation come from to write that song?
Damiano: With the song I wanted to show that I'm just a normal guy, a really typical 20-year-old. I experience the same things that other people in my age are experiencing, I'm just doing another job than them. Also I wanted to describe this age as a whole because I think it's a really special age. At 20 you start to think about what the future will hold. I think it's one of the most important stages of your life. Since we (the four of us) are all in the same age, I then started to mix our experiences together. In the end the song shows what it means to us to be 20. There is a lot of good things – you are quite carefree and are looking at life enthusiastically. But on the other hand you're too young to do certain things and too old to do others. Some people are treating you like a full-grown adult, but …
Vic: … not entirely.
Damiano: Exactly. It can get pretty frustrating at times. We wanted to show our audience: Hey, we're also just 20 years old, and we're going through the same things as you. We understand you.
RS: Except that you are the ones who are becoming a world-wide phenomenon right now. How do you want to maintain this honesty?
Damiano: I think that we could just reach this point because we have always been authentic – for better or for worse. Also we are just trying to have fun with what we're doing together. That's something special that we don't want to lose. In the end we're just four friends who started to live their dream. It's actually pretty simple. Of course – we go on stage, we get a lot of attention, we give interviews – but when we come back home we're just four friends.
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arhvste · 4 years
Note
Okay bear with me but may I request scenarios where kuroo, bokuto, and atsumu are doing the “He got all the drugs and I got all the guns” tik tok trend with their s/o (separately) and like they are wearing the whole shebang heels, dresses, crop tops, makeup, wigs ,etc that’s only if you want to of course n e ways have an awesome day🤩
OMG ARE U A MIND READER I’VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THIS AND SPECIFICALLY THESE BOYS DOING THIS TREND FOR WEEKS 🤯
just in case you didn’t know i’m referencing this trend 😼
KUROO, BOKUTO AND ATSUMU DOING THE FAMOUS (I’M THE ONE) TIKTOK TREND WITH THEIR S/O
-
KUROO
when you first show him the trend on tiktok he just laughs 
then you suggest the two of you doing it and he goes quiet
he’s really thinking about it 
he secretly is more than happy to do it with you 
but he’ll find out how far he can tease you first
“and what do i get out of doing this?”
“spending quality time with the love of your life duh”
“it’s gonna take a bigger reward than that for the expense of me making a fool of myself online princess”
“PS5?”
then he’s like 👀
he wasn't expecting an actual good reward but if that’s what you’re willing to do for it 
he won’t actually make you buy one for him don't worry
he’s just amused that you’re that adamant about doing it 
he will absolutely let you pick out what clothes of his you want to wear
you’ll pick out what he wears from your wardrobe though because he is not about to stretch your cute clothes with his big body
you end up giving him an elasticated crop top and some loose baggy sweatpants
he will 100% let you do his make up and hold accessories
he is stunning with a natural make up look
a pretty highlight to his cheekbones, bridge and tip of his nose, inner corners of the eye and brow bone
light pink blush on his cheeks and nose
slim eyeliner and a light pink natural lip colour
he actually suggested wearing super obnoxious fake eyelashes 
“i am NOT having you look like a tacky abg kuroo”
“but then we can say you’re a kevin nguyen, it fits”
‘nO!!” 
to finish the look he’s holding a white clutch bag of yours 
he almost looks seductive 👁👅👁
he actually looks so good in your outfit
“i think i pull this off better than you”
you’re wearing some training shorts, one of his favourite t shirts and a black nike cap 
so you set your phone up and the music starts to play
immediately you two are in fits of giggles though 
it takes you two approximately 8 attempts to finally get it right 
and when you watch it back you’re in for a shock
kuroo can throw it BACK
he doesn’t even have a particularly noticeable ass 
like he has one but it’s nothing like bokuto’s
but when he throws it back his ass is thicccccc
even he’s surprised at how well he pulls it off
he pulls the whole routine off
from the way his hips seductively sway, the pure sass in his walk as he struts into the camera frame and the way he rolls his body
honestly you think he makes a better girl than you
“good aren’t i? god i could almost date myself”
“yeah if you’re into 6″2 hairy girls with a hyena laugh” 
he’s looking down at his very manly and unshaven legs
“let me shave it and i’d date myself”
you guys upload it and you’re a hit 
“let’s move to LA right now tell the hype house they’ve got two new members joining”
“kuroo, i am NOT joining the hype house and neither are you. 😐”
overall i really think you guys would have fun with this trend and kuroo makes sure to send the video to both of your families who enjoy watching it as much as you guys enjoyed making it 
“the roles have reversed i’m your pretty girl now y/n~”
-
BOKUTO
he’s the one who brings it up to you
“babe look at this we HAVE to try it please please please!”
you laugh at him and agree to it 
he is so excited he already knows what choreography he is doing
you guys go to get changed and he lets you pick whatever you want out of his wardrobe 
this boy is pure muscle he is huge 
anything of his you wear will be like a dress on you
regardless you still take your time deciding what you want to wear
PLEASE pick his volleyball jersey and shorts he will literally cry from happiness
it would make his whole year 
so you do just that 
he is literally melting at the sight of you in his volleyball uniform
“BABY YOU HAVE TO WEAR THAT TO ALL MY MATCHES”
“-but you’ll be wearing it... at your matches... when you play 👁👄👁”
so bokuto will not be fitting into your tight fitting clothes that's for sure
but he will happen to fit into one of your cute flirty sundresses where the top half is made to be able to adjust the size
he is twirling around and flicking the skirt about once you manage to wrangle him in it 
he’s like a giddy school girl
again, he will definitely be up for you to apply make up on him
nothing too heavy but just enough so you can tell he’s wearing some
pretty light yellow eyeshadow, highlighted features and faded eyeliner
you pull his hair into two tight little buns
he’s really feeling the part now
so you guys go to film the tiktok and he is jumping around like an excited kid
you manage to film your parts pretty well first try but he isnt too happy with his performance
“i don't know i just feel like i could’ve thrown it back a bit more”
so you refilm until he is content with his part
which by the way is after 14 tries so thank the lords you are patient when it comes to him
it is so worth it though
the practices paid tf off because bokuto is throwing his cake about like nobodies business
he be serving a piece for everyone fr 
immediately after you film it he wants to show akaashi 
to which akaashi isn't surprised when he watches it 
he does snicker at his phone when he does watch it though
neither you or bokuto really care about views etc 
this was all just for fun after all but you upload it anyway not giving it much thought
and just like that the two of you are an overnight sensation
comments are flooding the notifications 
“his ass routine? drop it noW!!”
“what's his work out routine i need cake like his 😩😩”
“my boyfriend said he has a fatter ass than me so im currently crying 😔🤚🏽”
the nekoma, fukurodani and karasuno boys are BUGGIN tf out 
they're all calling you and sending you the video for confirmation that it is actually you two 
it’s not like bokuto is hard to tell apart but they still want your confirmation 
“REMEMBER ME WHEN YOU’RE FAMOUS BOKUTO-SAN!!”
“OF COURSE HINATA WHEN WE’RE RICH WE’LL ADOPT YOU CAN LET YOU MOVE INTO OUR TIKTOK MANSION!”
he is SUCH a child but he’s the man child you fell in love with
needless to say this video will be played at the wedding and anniversaries to come 
-
ATSUMU
atsumu is constantly irritating you to be one of those tiktok couples with him
he’s convinced the two of you were made for the tiktok lifestyle 
everytime you roll your eyes and decline 
but you decide to give him the opportunity when a certain trend catches your eye 
“baby, when i said i wanted to be tiktok famous i meant like the dances n cute videos where people compliment us n call us hot. this aint it chief”
“fine then, guess i’ll ask samu”
he doesn't even give u the chance to get up after you say that
“no nO I”LL DO IT 😠”
he is reluctant at first 
ideally he wanted to make the tiktoks where you’re the one throwing it back on him not vice versa
anything to make you happy though i guess
he will pick out both of your outfits
if he’s going to do this tiktok, the least he’s going to make sure of is that you both fit his aesthetic 
so you’re wearing typical clothes he’d wear to the gym
his gym clothes are actually stylish though
you will NOT catch atsumu wearing anything ugly that includes gym clothes
unlike a certain other setter who thought wearing plaid shorts was acceptable cough cough oikawa
he chooses to wear a tight dress 
it’s stretchy though so don’t worry he isn't stretching out and ruining your clothes 
“why are you wearing that? you can see a little too much there ratsumu”
“uh so people can see you have a boyfriend that's obviously packin heat 🙄”
“i hate you 😀”
he is hesitant about wearing make up
but you explain to him since you’re doing it you might aswell go all out so he finally gives in
you won’t put a lot on him though just to compromise with him slightly 
light highlight, blended out eyeliner, natural lip colour 
he’s surprisingly impressed and pulls out his phone to take a few selfies before getting ready to film the ‘stupid’ video with you
he insists he doesn't need to practice
“im good at everythin’ i do and everyone is gonna see that when we film this shit”
surprisingly it does only take you guys one attempt to get it right
atsumu is good at body rolls periodt  
he can throw it back 
but his body rolls chileee
he looks flexible asf 
he is serving absolute attitude 
you also did take notice of him using one hand to slyly cover his private area out of modesty though
because he found you were in fact right about how that dress really did show everything 
he incorporates it well into his choreography though nobody would be able to tell he was trying to cover himself 
“baby we look so fuckin hot. im talkin more bout me but you’re still sexy too”
he adds so many hashtags to the caption
#couple #hot #imhotter #fyp #foryoupage #tiktokcouple #couplegoals #hotboy #sexyboy #hotathlete #attractivemale #eboy #trending #makeusfamous
you just roll your eyes and let him get on with it 
im so sorry but you guys don’t get many views
atsumu is pissed
“we put so much effort in why’s it not gettin attention?!”
“calm down babe we only posted it 2 minutes ago”
give it a few days and you guys do blow up though 
im talking 867K likes
and to atsumu’s delight the comments are mostly complimenting you both 
“told ya this was a good idea”
“it was my idea?? 😐”
-
requests are open!!
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beauty-and-passion · 3 years
Note
Heya!
So I remember reading your post about Eurovision a while ago, and since I'm now hooked on a certain collection of songs, I was thinking...
Would you think 'Zitti E Buoni' by Måneskin could be a Remus song, and 'Voilà' by Barbara Pravi a Roman song? Or do you have some ideas on any other Eurovision songs that would fit the Sides?
Just wondering whether you'd like to share some thoughts on this, but no pressure of course! As always, I absolutely love your theories and posts, it always brightens up my day to read :D
This will be a very self indulgent post.
First of all: “no pressure”?! I am HYPED to share my thoughts on this! And this is why it took me so long to reply to this ask: I’ve spent the whole time thinking about which song could fit which Side, going through the last editions, reading the lyrics, searching among my favourites...
So yes, this post will be a bit long. But hey, there is also good music and maybe, by listening to it, you will find something you haven’t heard before! :D
(Of course, in order to make this post understandable, I will translate all lyrics, but the songs aren’t all in English. In any case, every song has a link, so you can hear it on Youtube.)
And yes, I know there are billions of other Eurovision songs, but for the sake of “not making this post endless” (as if it won’t be already), I will stop at Eurovision 2014. If you all have other songs to propose for a Side, please feel free to add them and explain why! :D
And now...
Which Eurovision songs would fit the Sides
_____________________________
EUROVISION 2021
Måneskin - Zitti e buoni
(Here the Eurovision performance because it’s just this good)
This song is PERFECT for Remus and I was a fool for not realizing it sooner. It's all about showing how different you are, embracing your uniqueness despite what others may think. Everything about this song screams “REMUS” so thank you, my dear, for opening my eyes and making me realize it.
They don't know what I'm talking about You are dirty, bruh, of mud Cig's yellow in between the fingers I'm walking with a cig Pardon me, but I really do believe That I can make this jump And even if the street is uphill I'm training for this now
The first line is already 200% Remus: they (aka the other Sides) don’t know what Remus is talking about. Remus is impossible to understand. Remus is weird, strange, dangerous - according to moral standards.
However, despite the other people’s thoughts, Remus still shows a high self-esteem - just like in his playlist. The others may not have faith in him, there could be obstacles on his way, but he still believes he will achieve his goals.
And good evening, ladies and gentlemen Bring out the actors You better hold on to your balls You better keep quiet and be good Here people are weird, like drug dealers Too many nights I've spent locked outside Now I'm kicking these doorways Staring up like climbers So sorry mum if I'm always out, but
“You better hold on to your balls” is a translation of the original italian line “Vi conviene toccarvi i coglioni”. This sentence is a more vulgar form of the English expression “knocking on wood”, something you preventively do to un-jinx stuff.
However, “knocking on wood” isn’t as strong as the italian expression, so I chose this translation that is more literal, but also more vulgar. It kept the original vibe more, it fits Remus more and it gives a stronger meaning to the whole thing. The singer isn’t just saying “beware of what you’re doing”, but he’s saying “get ready, shit if about to hit the fan”. It’s more powerful - and well, Remus would love this. It’s his time now, so the audience (the other Sides/Thomas) should "keep quiet and be good”.
I also really like the “Here people are weird, like drug dealers”, because it can refer to the dark sides in general. This is Remus’ show, so the Core Sides and Thomas should shut up. They are now in the Dark Sides’ territory, full of weird, sketchy people, morally gray villains. All things he loves, enjoys and that he definitely considers as compliments. 
“Too many nights I've spent locked outside / Now I'm kicking these doorways” is another great line, because “being locked outside” is the perfect metaphor for Remus’ situation. He IS locked outside, he has been kept far away from Thomas, stifled by him, unable to fully express himself. And so he releases his frustration by kicking the doors that are shutting him down. That’s just so Remus I. LOVE. IT.
I am out of my mind, but I'm not like the others And you are out of your mind, but you're not like the others We are out of our minds, but we're not like the others We are out of our minds, but we're not like the others
This chorus is PERFECT! First of all: “I am out of my mind” is basically just like this line from DWIT:
[Patton]: Imaginative sure is a- a kind word for him. [Duke]: I agree! How about... DEMENTED?
But also: Remus doesn’t give a damn. He’s not like the others and he’s SO DAMN PROUD of it. Just like he is in canon and in his playlist.
He goes even further, by saying that “you” are also out of your mind. And who this “you” might be, if not the big man himself?
[Duke]: If I am awful... then so is Thomas.
Just like in DWIT, Remus welcomes Thomas’ weirdness with open arms. If he and Thomas are both insane and different, why hiding it and not embracing this difference? They are unique.
I've written pages and pages I've seen salt, then tears These men in cars Don't climb the rapids I've written on a tombstone "In my house there's no God" But if you find time's meaning You'll climb back up from your oblivion And there's no wind stopping The natural power From the right point of view You feel the intoxication of the wind With wax wings on your back I'll go look for that high If you wanna stop me try again Try cutting my head off Because
Woah, this part has a lot. There is:
Remus' creativity as a flow ("I've written pages and pages")
Remus seeing how different he is compared to others ("These men in cars / Don't climb the rapids" while he was ready to “make this jump” despite the obstacles on his way)
Religion because of course - and especially Remus rejecting it ("I've written on a tombstone / "In my house there's no God".")
And, most importantly, there is a nice reference to Icarus' myth. According to myth, Icarus escaped from the Labyrinth of the Minotaur, by flying on wax wings. But he flew too close to the sun, his wings melted and he fell to his death.
This has multiple meanings. First of all, it shows how stubborn Remus is: he could use simpler, more stable ways to reach his goals. But he's Remus, he's creative and he's different, he would rather use wax wings (aka more complex, unordinary means) to reach his goal. Also, it's a proof of his resolution: just like Icarus, his wax wings could melt and he could fail. And yet, he's so set in his decision, he's ready to do anything to succeed.
This last point is particularly evident in the following lines: "If you wanna stop me try again / Try cutting my head off". It's impossible to stop him, just like it was impossible to send him away or stop him from talking in canon.
Everything in this song is just HIM.
Unfortunately people talk They talk, they don't know what they talk about Bring me where I float Cause I lack air here
Once again, the people are the Core Sides: they talk about how he's evil and dangerous and useless. But they don't know what they're talking about. They're (metaphorically) suffocating him with their prejudices, that's why he asks "bring me where I float": he wants to express himself freely, to escape these biases.
Also: water. And with the whole octopus as his animal, it’s just even more fitting.
Moral of the story: this song is perfect for him, Remus should know Italian just to sing it - and he would love the glam rock style of Maneskin as well.
_____________________________
Barbara Pravi - Voilà
I don’t know how you did it, dear, but these two songs are PERFECT. Zitti e buoni is perfectly Remus, Voilà is perfectly Roman. I feel blessed.
Listen to me, me, the half singer Talk about me, to your loved ones, to your friends Tell them about this little girl with black eyes and crazy dreams What I want is to write stories that you will hear about That's all
Roman, is that you? Because this is you. This is ALL you.
Roman is a "half singer": he cannot sing like he want, he cannot express himself in full. He has rules, laws, morals that forces him to quiet down and bent his creativity.
And, just like a tragic hero, Roman asks that his story will not be forgotten, that others will know about him, his unfortunate life, his "crazy dreams" and especially his passion: writing stories "that you will hear about".
This line in particular reminds me of this part from Recipe for Me:
And still, I continue to write because I have more dreams to fulfill Tales I hoped to tell when I was younger Ideas that I haven't made yet, but I will I'll find my way with my will
The concept is the same in Voilà. Roman is a "controlled" Creativity, surrounded by rules and morals that shut him, but he wants to be heard, he wants to tell stories.
And that’s just it. This is what creativity is all about: talking, puring out its ideas, as loud and freely as possible.
Voilà, voilà, voilà, here is who I am Here I am, even if I'm scared as I'm naked, yes Here I am in the noise and in silence
I love how this song is a way for Roman to express himself, to show himself despite everything. He's like this, he's a "half Creativity", he's scared, he's not perfect. But here he is, "in the noise and in silence". Because your creativity is always here with you, no matter where you are or what you are doing: it will never leave you and it will never stop asking to be heard.
Look at me, or at least what's left of it Look at me, before I hate myself What can I say that another hasn't already said? I don't have much, but I place here what I do have Voilà
Aaaah, yes, I like to wake up with the strong smell of Roman's angst in the morning.
Roman seeing himself as something broken? Perfect. We want more of the angsty boi. Even the fans of King Creativity may read this line as Roman seeing himself as “half of a whole”!
And, again I love how despite feeling broken and hating it, he’s still ready to give everything he has. This is the true essence of the concept of creativity.
Also, why not adding a little more angst?
I want to be loved, because I don't know myself how to like the shape of me
This is perfect, because it reconnects to the first episode, when Roman said his goal would be to love himself first. He never reached this goal after almost 30 episodes - and this line might offer an answer on why: because Roman doesn’t know how. He hates himself so much, he doesn’t know how to love himself.
And that’s probably why he needs another person to love: because it’s easier to love someone else, rather than himself.
Voilà, voilà, voilà, here is who I am Here I am, even if it's the end as I'm naked Here I am in the noise and in rage too Finally, look at me and my eyes and my hands All I have is here, it's my face, it's my scream Here I am, here I am, here I am
This last chorus is awesome: the quintessential of Roman’s desperation, of showing himself, of screaming hoping to be heard by anyone. Unlike Remus who is unstoppable and doesn't care about others, Roman cares. He needs a public, he needs to be heard, otherwise he would lose himself.
And I seriously love how these two songs both have the same idea (embrace yourself and your uniqueness), but talk aboout this theme in such different ways - and yet so fitting for the twins... they are just GREAT.
(On a side note: this song is so dramatically French Roman would love it and sing it with the same passion Barbara used and I would love to see that.)
_____________________________
EUROVISION 2019
Bilal Hassani - Roi
Come on... Roi. Roi. Considering that "roi" means "king" in French, who could possibly be the Side I would associate this song with? Maybe the Side who already has a King in his playlist?
Nope, this song is for Remus.
Why Remus? The reason is very simple and you can just notice by reading the first verses:
I am me And I know I will always be I am free Sure I am inventing my life Don't ask me who I am
I am The same since I was very little And in spite of looks, opinions I cry, I go out and I laugh
You put me in a box Want me to be like you I don't follow the codes People are disturbed a lot At the end of the day You canno change me, boo! So, let me fly
This song overflows with confidence, the lines talk about someone who is free to be whoever he wants, who has always been the same since he was a child, who is rejected by others and doesn't give a damn, who doesn't "follow the codes" and refuses to be changed by them.
This isn't Roman, but this is the quintessential of Remus. This song is everything about him, from his confidence to his desire to be free.
And the chorus is even clearer:
I'm not rich but i'm shining bright I can't see my kingdom now When I dream, I am a king And I know o-o-ow Even now o-o-ow You try to take me down You cannot break me nah nah
That's him, that's Remus.
On a side note, if Remus also has his "King song", that would strengthen the connection with Roman, since they both would have a song about "being/feeling like a king".
And this song is Roi, king in French. Since I think Remus would definitely know French, this makes Roi an even more fitting choice, doesn’t it?
Who are we ? When we hide, when we fight for free Only god can judge you and me We did not choose what we are
Not only there is a nice religious reference, but these lines are a also a reference to the LGBT community: they hide, they fight, they didn't choose to be like that (no matter what idiots might think) and only God can judge them, not other, very flawled (and, honestly, very pathetic too) humans.
So, if we consider it, there is also a hidden "fuck society" and a "I am gay and proud to be" and those are both very Remus things.
_____________________________
EUROVISION 2018
Saara Aalto - Monster
I would associate this song with Thomas. And, specifically, to Thomas at the end of the series. Why?
Here's why:
So tonight I'm making friends with all the creatures That are hiding there under my bed
I ain't gonna hold on to these monsters anymore Now I'm gonna let in all the light Tear down the walls At my worst, I found my army strong All the demons are gone You can try and scare me now But I ain't scared no more I ain't scared no more
At the end of the series, Thomas would have befriended all the Sides, especially the "monsters hiding under his bed", the dark bois.
The "final Thomas" will tear down every wall between him and his Sides and will stop hiding/rejecting them. This will make him stronger, because the Sides will be his helpers, parts of him, his friends. He won't be scared anymore by Remus, suspicious towards Janus, afraid of Virgil or terrified by Orange.
"All the demons are gone": the dark sides won't be villains anymore, but friends. And they would help him be stronger.
It's my life I'm ready to lead it I'm gonna roll the dice You better believe it
This part is great as well, because it proves another interesting detail: that Thomas is growing up. He's taking life into his own hands, he's leading it. No more "Oh no, I don't know what to choose between callback and wedding!". He's more confident, he's stronger, he's more mature.
_____________________________
Hovig - Gravity
Honestly, I think this song can be something all Sides might sing to Thomas. It's basically a testament of how much they care about him:
Let me be your heart and your company I'll let you be the one who can lean on me I'll catch you when you fall When you're falling free Let me be, be your gravity
But the imagery just screams "ROMAN" so much, I can't help but think that yes, this is a great Roman song and it's all from Roman to Thomas.
I mean...
I can be your hero I can be your fantasy Oh, I can be the cure Yeah, let me be Your remedy
He IS Thomas' hero, so how can I ignore this? And he's also the embodiment of Thomas' fantasies, he's the wings that make Thomas fly.
Let me be your wings When you're flying high I'm gonna raise you up 'til you touch the sky I'll catch you when you fall When you're falling free Let me be, be your gravity
It's just pure love for Thomas and it begs me to being a Roman song, so... here it is. A Roman song dedicated to Thomas.
_____________________________
Eleni Foureira - Fuego
Listen, not only Roman would rock this song, but also dance like a maniac while singing it just like Eleni and no, you can't change my mind.
Just look at how this woman sings and dnaces without never losing a beat until the end. And please consider that on the Eurovision stage there is no autotune: this was her voice and he delivered a great performance without cracks.
So yes, I want Roman singing this.
But the lines are great for him as well! I mean...
Take a dive Into my eyes Yeah the eyes of lioness Feel the power They ain’t lying.
and
Coz I’m way up and I ain’t comin’ down, keep taking me higher Ah yeah ah yeah ah yeah yeah ah yeah ah yeah Coz I’m burning up and I ain’t coolin’ down, yeah I got the the fire Ah yeah ah yeah ah yeah yeah ah yeah ah yeah
Fuego
Someone fiery and passionate, powerful eyes, pride... yep, this is definitely something Roman would sing. Especially because of the fire. Roman is a fiery guy, so fire is very him.
______________________ 
Yianna Terzi - Oniro Mou
I actually already talked about this song in an old post and I still haven't changed my mind: this song is all about Janus telling Thomas how much he cares about him.
If you look into the depth of me You revive my dream And if you look into my heart I will take you into my arms   How would you like me to say this I would die for you I would give my life for you End and beginning, you are everything
Not only the "take you into my arms" reminds me of Change (" I’ll be able to be honest, capable / Of holding you in my arms without letting you fall"), but the last three lines are so incredibly loving and honest I can't think of anyone else but Janus while reading them. Thomas is his end and beginning, Janus would literally die for Thomas and give his life for him.
So, well, it's just very fitting. And I love how dramatic this song is. It doesn't have the jazzy vibe Janus loves, but the drama is all here.
______________
Francesco Gabbani - Occidentali’s Karma
Do you remember how hard it was to analyze Algorhythm from Logan's playlist? Every line has a meaning and explaining every single one of them took me an eternity.
Well, this song is basically like Algorhythm, but with more philosophy and billions to references. You see the performance on the stage and ahahah, there's a funny dancing gorilla, what a cute song. Then you read the lyrics and BOOM.
I will not analyze this song here, because every line would require at least two paragraphs to explain it. And this post is already long enough as it is, but please, search the meaning of this song: there are references to Shakespeare, Heraclitus, buddhism, Andy Warhol, Desmond Morris and his book "The Naked Ape", Marx, Nietzsche and so on. Basically every line is a reference, a play on words or both at the same time.
What about the main theme? The main theme is the human and especially the contemporary human. In fact, "Occidentali" (Westerners) does not refer to the geographical place, aka Europeans/Americans, but to the western cultural model.
So the title “Occidentali’s Karma” (Westerners Karma) is an insight on contemporary society, on our values and on how, despite how many things changed, we are not so different from our ancestors after all.
This song might seem a perfect choice for Janus. There's a critique of society, there are philosophers and plays on words.
But I’m not too convinced, because even if Janus likes all those things, the number of references is just SO HUGE only a real nerd can find, recognize and appreciate them all.
So yes, this is a Logan song. A song he would probably listen and analyze, enjoying the whole process of knowing more things, finding out all the hidden meanings, the plays on words (we all know you like puns, ya big nerd) and the critical insight. After all, Algorhythm WAS a critique of society, so Logan should appreciate it.
_______________
EUROVISION 2014
Twin Twin - Moustache
Not only the band is called Twin Twin but, as if this wasn't screaming "Creativitwins" enough, the title of the song is "Moustache".
Come on, you know who is the Side perfect for this song.
Psyche! It's both Roman and Remus.
Something is missing, but what? I want this, I want that When I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming in dollars, every day I'm wearing a different suit.
This is very Roman: Roman wants everything (let's not forget Primadonna from his playlist), Roman’s dreams are big. And Roman is Creativity, so he "wears a different suit" every day - aka he directs his creative flow in different stories/songs.
I want this, I want that there's never enough for me it's like this, it's like that there's always something I don't have
This part strongly reminds me of Primadonna. Roman wants everything, every day. He's never satisfied.
And then, Remus busts in and...
I wanted a moustache, a moustache
So my headcanon is that this starts as a Roman's song, all about wanting everything because "there's always something I don't have", until Remus pops out during the chorus and says all he wants is his gorgeous moustache.
*chef’s kiss* Perfection.
But I know what you want, dear audience. You want some angst, don't you?
Fine, so what if the "I want a moustache" line is Roman's subtle way to say that he wants the same freedom his brother has? After all, Roman has "everything one could ever dream of", "I have friends too / even some who like me". All he needs is more creative freedom and  the moustache is a subtle way to say that.
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Aarzemnieki - Cake to Bake
This is the ultimate song for all Patton's fans, because it combines Patton's love for baking to Patton being an absolute disaster at it.
Also, it's an incredibly cute song.
I melted the ice of the polar caps Found the raiders of the lost ark Solved a case for the genius from Baker Street Helped to clean the Central Park I created the plan for the Chinese wall Went to desert, made it rain Swam through a shark tank bloodily Found Atlantis, by the way But today
The first verse is already awesome: Patton did a lot of great stuff, even impossible stuff ("solved a case for the genius from Baker Street" is a very nice reference to the Losing My Motivation episode).
But today, he has to face the most difficult task of them all:
I’ve got a cake to bake, and got no clue at all I’ve got a cake to bake, and haven’t done that before Don’t be proud, mate, please, don’t bother Go, come on and ask your mother How to bake, how to bake, bake that cake
Not only this makes me smile every time, but I can perfectly imagine Patton in a kitchen, with all the ingredients in front of him, everything ready and set... and he’s just absolutely lost. Should he use a spoon to stir the flour? And how can he open the vanilla beans? He doesn’t even know how to turn the stove on.
And so, he decides it’s time to ask someone else to help him. Bonus points if the mother is Janus. Also because he is a mom AND a witch, so
Also, this line:
Mix some dough, add some love, let it bake, wait for it
It's SO Patton, because the main ingredient of his recipes IS love! And cumin. And sometimes spit, depending on what he's making: pasta for Roman or some toasts for his angsty teen son.
_____________________________
Carl Espen - Silent Storm
At first, I thought this was a Logan song: someone who feels empty and alone, who has a storm inside but it's a silent storm, because Logan would never express his feelings in any way.
But there are these lines:
And there’s a silent storm inside me Looking for a home I hope that someone’s gonna find me And say that I belong I’ll wait forever and a lifetime To find I’m not alone There’s a silent storm inside me And someday I’ll be calm Someday I’ll be calm
And maybe it's just me, but this reminds me so much of Virgil. He has a storm inside, his own symbol is a storm. He's searching for a home, after leaving the dark sides. And he hopes someone will say he belongs - Thomas will say he belongs, that Virgil is part of him and of the famILY.
And he's willing to wait all the time, just to get that tiny bit of recognition and acceptance. And, who knows, maybe when he'll get it, the storm inside him will calm down and he will finally be at peace.
____________________
Tinkara Kovač - Round and Round
I don't know if I'm insane (or just extremely self indulgent), but this song is basically Janus during the wedding/callback saga.
Uncertain between worlds Circle after circle, we're trapped in time When you're already familiar with every storm You're playful, and yet you're alone
The first verse sets the time and situation. Thomas is living an uncertain life (just like every actor), trapped in the same cycle, with nothing new coming: same job, same opportunities, no big chances, nothing stable. He's "familiar with every storm", aka Virgil has been accepted. Thomas is happy, but he's alone. No one is actually on his side, not even the Sides themselves. He's not taking care of himself enough, he's too ready to drop everything for his friends, he's spreading himself too thin.
And now I'm gonna show you how to breathe I'm gonna show you how to live I'm gonna hold your heart in hand I'm gonna make you understand
This can be a declaration from Janus: he's tired of working in the shadows, he wants to step up and help Thomas in person. And these lines make me think of him, because of how "firm" (and kinda villain-y) they sound.
He wants to show Thomas how to live, aka what are the best decisions to make). He's going to "hold your heart in hand", aka to have Thomas wrapped around his fingers, to take control and steer him with a strong, confident grip, away from the decisions he considers bad, into making him a lot stronger than before.
And, finally, he wants to make him understand. So if the lines before sounded more like a villain’s plan, this last line adds something more. Janus wants to explain to Thomas why he's doing this, why his decisions are better, why Thomas should trust him.
If we think about it, this is everything Janus tried to do since CLBG: he wrapped Thomas (and the other Sides) around his fingers and made them play the courtroom scenario he built, he tried to steer Thomas away from the selfless decision of going to the wedding. And he tried to make him understand why, with the pinata metaphor.
You don't know you don't know Is it love is it hate What are we changing (What are we doing) You don't know you don't but Can you feel it inside Feel the roses Feel the pride (Can you believe it)
Thomas doesn't know a lot of things. Does he really know what love is? Or hate? Or what he's actually doing, by listening to his Morality? What is Janus doing?
[Deceit]: What am I doing here right now, Thomas? Am I the snake come to trick you into sinning, or have you had your mind made up since the moment you received the news about the callback? (SvS)
Thomas doesn't know a lot of things. But deep down, he knows what he wants to do. He should "feel the roses / feel the pride", both things associated with Roman. He is the one Thomas should listen to. And Janus is hinting it.
Is a moment just a circle Just a song you play on repeat? If we can't change how we're living Isn't life just a lie that we feed
Janus is expressing his frustration here: is Thomas' life doomed to always be the same, a cycle, a "song you play on repeat"? Can't he really change his life because of his selflessness? Will he really miss all the opportunities life offers him, in order to always be a good person?
What's the point of living, then? This wouldn't be life, but "a lie that we feed": instead of living his own life, Thomas would submit it to what others want/need, in order to always be present for them.
This is basically a huge warning from Janus: don't fall into this cycle, break free, I can make you free, listen to me and I will make you understand what is wrong about it.
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artificialqueens · 3 years
Text
A Call Away (Rosnali) - Athena2
Summary: Sick and stressed about missing the drive n drag tour, Rosé calls Denali and gets a surprise the next day.
A/N: I just really love hurt/comfort, and I just had to write this. Thank you so much to Writ for beta-ing and hyping me up and encouraging me to post this, because I didn't think it was anything special. I hope you enjoy, and please leave feedback if you'd like!
Rosé has been in bed for an hour before he gets restless, and his restless hands quickly start a FaceTime call with Denali. Denali knows he’s been missing shows, but he doesn’t know yet that Rosé is almost certainly out of the rest of the tour, and maybe Rosé wants to add to his misery, because he decides now is as good a time as any to tell him.
“Hi, Rosie.” Denali smiles on screen, and Rosé feels some part of his misery recede just by seeing him.
“Hi, baby.”
“How are you feeling?”
“Like shit,” Rosé says honestly, heart tugging when Denali winces in sympathy. “I don’t know if you know, but I—I’m pretty much out of the tour.” He didn’t want to say it out loud, because that only made it real, but it’s good to have it out in the open, one less thing stressing him out right now.
“I kinda figured,” Denali says quietly. “I know you haven’t been doing well.”
“I don’t even know what’s wrong,” Rosé admits fearfully, blinking back the tears that spring in his eyes. “I’m always so tired and everything just hurts, for weeks now. I’ve been working through it but I went to urgent care this week and they kind of said I can’t anymore.”
Their words had been a lot clearer and firmer than that, and it had landed him out of the tour and back in New York. There’s a small chance that his doctor will let him back on the tour, but Rosé knows she won’t. Management knows too, because they’re already working on replacing him. It hurts, knowing he’s that easily replaceable. He should’ve fought harder to stay, to cling to a tour people would kill for, because who knows if he’ll get this chance again? But deep down he knows the doctors are right, that he really can’t be on stage every night in his condition.
“I’m so sorry, Rosie,” Denali says, the love and sadness in his eyes coming through even on screen. “I know how much you wanted this.”
“Yeah. And now I’m just stuck in bed like a baby for the rest of my life, watching everyone’s videos when I should be there myself.”
He knows he’s being ridiculous and childish, but he can’t help it. He hates it. Hates being powerless and stuck in bed when he should be with the other queens, traveling or getting ready to perform, not struggling to lift his arm and reach for his water bottle. Even if he probably couldn’t get himself out of bed right now, he still hates it. He’s not one for sitting still, always moving around, singing or fixing wigs or working on makeup, and he’s never had to back out of something like this. He’s done shows with colds and even the flu before. He pushed through the finale when he was a total mess. He’s always managed to keep going even when he probably shouldn’t, and now it’s caught up to him, and he can’t push through it anymore.
“Rosie—“
“I’m fine. Just being dramatic.”
Denali still looks at him with love and concern, and Rosé swallows the lump in his throat at Denali loving him even when he’s being ridiculous. “It’s okay if you’re not fine, you know. This is a lot, and I know it sucks. But I also know you’re probably burning yourself out. You need to rest.”
You need to rest. It’s all Rosé has heard, from the other queens, from the physical trainer, from everyone in the urgent care he visited this week. But he doesn’t want to rest. He wants to perform. He wants to be on stage, making people scream night after night, functioning on the bare minimum of terrible airplane sleep in between shows. That’s what everyone else is doing, so why can’t he do it anymore? Why does he feel weak, like an asshole for dropping out of the tour when he’s just a little under the weather? Why is he trapped in bed with a body so achy it’s like a five-ton elephant has parked itself on top of him?
“You’re right,” Rosé says reluctantly. Maybe if he stays in bed all weekend like he’s supposed to, it’ll fix whatever is wrong, and by Monday the doctor will let him back on the tour. He can hope, anyway.
“I’m gonna let you go, okay?” Denali says softly. “You look pretty tired, you should get some sleep.”
“Okay,” Rosé says. His eyes flutter as the exhaustion hits suddenly, like it doesn’t have to hide anymore now that Denali has mentioned it. “Love you,” he says around a yawn.
“Love you too.”
—-
Rosé is in and out for most of the day, and has no idea what day it is when he fully wakes to the door closing. He fumbles for his phone, wincing at the bright screen that tells him it’s Sunday morning. What about the noise, though? Should he get up and see who it is?
“Oh, Rosie.”
Rosé rubs his eyes, finally grasping that he’s not dreaming and Denali really is here, in his doorway. Denali really came here just to see him. Rosé's still trying to figure out how Denali got in when he remembers that he gave him an extra key, just in case. This wasn’t the kind of just in case Rosé had in mind, but maybe it was a good thing, in hindsight.
He tries to sit up, wanting nothing more than to run to Denali and hug him, but Denali’s hands gently ease him back down.
“No, don’t you dare get out of this bed, Rosie. I’m coming to you.”
He slides into the other side of the bed, immediately pulling Rosé close to him, letting him rest his head on his chest. Rosé sighs in content as Denali strokes his back. It’s the most comfortable he’s been all weekend, and he feels some of his stress and nerves settle down, soothed by Denali’s presence.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” he says.
“I knew you were having a rough time. I figured I could make it a little better.”
“You did.”
He feels Denali take a breath. “How are you feeling? Honestly.”
“I—I’m scared, Nali,” he admits. It’s the first time he’s let himself show anyone his fear, instead of his annoyance at missing shows or his determination to get back. But he never has to hide around Denali. “I don’t know what’s wrong, why I’ve felt so awful for weeks now, and it might be something bad, and I’m gonna miss the tour and let so many people down…” The tears are spilling over onto Denali’s shirt and Rosé doesn’t try to stop them. He’s been holding everything back for weeks now, his worry as he just felt worse and worse over time, his fear of something being wrong, his guilt of missing the shows and disappointing everyone, and he lets it all go on Denali’s chest.
“Hey, hey, it’s okay, Rosie,” Denali soothes. “It’s okay. I know you don’t want to let people down, honey. I know. But you have to take care of yourself first. They should understand that, and if they don’t, that’s their problem.”
Rosé sniffles.
“I’m sure you’re gonna be fine. You probably just need to take some time off and really rest, let yourself fully recover from everything.”
“Yeah. You’re probably right.” It’s easier to hear it from Denali, from someone he loves, rather than from a host of doctors and nurses. He knows they mean well, knows he should listen to them, but Denali’s soft voice makes it easier to listen, makes the knowledge less distressing somehow.
“When’s your appointment?” Denali asks.
“Tomorrow morning.” Rosé sighs. “Fuck, I’m so sick of doctors and needles and tests and all the waiting.”
“I’ll come with you,” Denali says.
“What?” Rosé asks in disbelief, hope bursting in him at the thought of waking up tomorrow with Denali still here.
Denali nods. “You said it’s in the morning, and I don’t leave until tomorrow night. I can come with you.”
“Thank you," he whispers, not caring how small he feels for wanting someone to go to the doctor with him.
“Of course. I’ve been to about a million doctors in my day, Rosie. I know how much it can suck. At least I can keep you company.”
Rosé forces his head up in search of a kiss, one Denali leans down to give him. It’s soft and warm and everything Rosé needs, and he whines in protest when Denali pulls away.
“You can have more kisses later, but you need to rest now,” he says.
Rosé pouts, but he settles back down against Denali’s chest, letting the warmth and safety send him off to sleep.
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Text
finally got around to listening to sketches 3d today and man! man! oh boy! liveblog under the cut!
-piano. exactly what i was expecting
-vibrato huh
-ayyy that's some. funky percussion
-this is like the fullerenes or something. a song about an Interesting Lady
-and there's that one grainy string synth/sample that andrew uses a lot & also appears in hawaii part ii
-more percussion. this is so cool
-i wasn't expecting this to be quite so minor key
-man if that was courtney on the flute there i think that'd be sick
-sing it andrew!
-i'm already having a more cheery time than i did with nat
-zubin???
-i will absolutely have to review that voice
-wait what the fuck is happening to her
-darling you good?
-anyway. classic andrew horowitz funky out-of-tune synths
-rattle rattle
-more out of tune piano. what song is this
-oh shit!!! this is the song my friends like
-tambourine <3
-you & me? sides of a coin? good & evil?
-so weird hearing all these lyrics i've seen in the song channel sung aloud for real
-andrew is doing some good singing here. he's good at carrying the melody on his own even though i've not heard much of that from him in the past save fate of the stars maybe
-he's always been good at that percussion
-all different types of percussion. tinny little gong like it's the whole world & you acoustic
-tambourine <3 <3
-so incredibly weird knowing what the lyrics are going to be without knowing what the song sounds like. i know how these words go in order but don't know how the melody carries them
-interesting thing about sketches so far. it's very strong & powerful but it doesn't block out the world like other new songs will. i'm not being taken somewhere else it's more like the whole rest of the world is being highlighted
-alright what's next?
-7/4 hummingbird????? or is this 6/4???
-no no no it's 5/4 and doing funky things with the onbeat i love this
-asking questions to a little creature is the best kind of pasttime and i mean that
-man andrew mixed this really well he's just. incredible at that
-he's making each song distnict while also giving sketches a clear theme
-a minor turn. i like that
-now what could this be?
-not lemons & pears yet?
-daisy fingers hell yes
-another song about a lady
-spoke mostly harmony oh you clever man
-thank you andrew for doing more with time signatures than tally hall ever did. first 5/4 and now 6/8
-the combination of very out of tune & rough percussions and incredibly beep bloopy synths is so cool
-conversations with a lady. this feels like a story of andrew visiting another world and being like "might as well write some songs about the fellows and stories round here"
-the whole album, i mean
-i am inspired by you, andrew
-this whole album is everything i could've hoped for and more
-the interesting thing about it is how few questions i find myself asking. i'm just looking at this stuff i have and being like wow! &, cool! not what i usually do with new albums
-divine inspiration bay be
-that's like. the opposite of an 80s fadeout
-oh that is absolutely the little sfx from the beginning of perfect at the end
-wait speaking of at the end
-no this is have a nice day interludinal
-is this a polyrhythm? there's a 4/4 type thing in the background and the foreground is. not on the onbeat i can say that much
-man i am going to have a nice day
-he's a good musician, able to make so much music out of a single interval
-lemons & pears!!!!
-toy orchestra my beloved that's the fuckin toy piano bay be wooooo
-but man oh boy does this sound absolutely different with only a one single guy singing
-ukulele in the bg? toy orchestra <3
-interesting being able to actually hear like. all of the lyrics for real
-some of the little riffs are gone and there are quite a many more
-hello?
-oh okay
-yeah i heard about the fucking gunshots that doesn't mean i was prepared for them
-the chorus sounds so nice i love this
-guest vocals?????????? whomst????????????
-who is this lady i'm so curious is she from the old toy orchestra? that'd be amazing
-breakdown time and it sounds so similar to the toy orchestra one. man
-at the end is. not the end of the album
-i think the thing that's getting me and not prompting as many questions is the fact that like. i hear these songs and hear tally hall songs. andrew's singing & i could hear this on a tally hall album with ease. it's strange
-i think the hi-hat and other little bits in this song, for example, reminds me of ross
-andrew's always tried hard at rock, and percussion is a massive part of that-wait he's scat singing i can finish that thought later i love this
-his songs are also very easy to sing along to without meaning to. first time hearing them and here i go
-anyway percussion is a massive part of rock, andy's always had an affinity for percussion, i think that's what's making me think of tally hall so much, or at least be. comfortably experiencing this in the same way i would a tally hall album
-i can't say the same of hawaii part ii
-if there's anywhere that lists the credits somewhere i'd like to see if ross worked on this at all but. i'm pretty sure he didn't
-where am i-oh shit a crowd
-nowhere else this is a song i think i know nothing about
-all that shit i was saying about rock percussion and now there's a whole entire drumkit going here
-alrighty
-that is not only andrew singing! again! who are you
-.....casey shea?????
-you sound like casey shea sir??????
-you are either casey shea or someone else who sounds like a beatle (affectionate, instead of derogatory)
-good guitar shit
-is that a third voice or does andrew just sound like that?
-madi diaz???
-i'm probably just guessing her because of the rendezvous but. there's gotta be someone more
-a whole lot of love going on here and i do appreciate it
-is it 80's fadeout time now? hell yeah
-oh yes the rainbow connection! a cover and the final song of the album (not counting the bonus tracks, which i will be listening to)
-i think i may have heard this before? or at least the minor rendition
-stylophone?
-humming. classic move
-theremin??
-music box is also cool. i swear i won't just be commentating on the instrumence alright
-what on earth is this sample in the background. steadily getting louder
-man andrew is a great singer. the consistent double vocals/heavy vibrato suits him well
-i will assume these are samples from like. the muppets movie
-does sketches (3d or otherwise) have a pdf like hwptii & nat? i sure hope so because i will enjoy looking at it
-vocalizing again let's a go
-more gong wahoo
-bonus track time <3
-tomorrow & today is a song i know pretty damn well i hope he's more legible now
-mostly the same as the 2011 version but it certainly is updated i can tell. more echo on these beginning lines
-piano is stronger. there may or may not be some added flairs. not a whole lot blatantly changed but i can say. i'll remove the 2011 version and replace it with this one for charlie
-there's a riff in my right ear that i don't remember and i like it
-this bit right here is more legible in general thank god it was incomprehensible originally
-the stomping percussion is Goin places
-and to end the whole song- you know yesterday fueled by a listen of nat i came up with an abundance of thoughts on writing styles in tally hall and especially how andrew's songs go places and what the journey's like and while that essay really won't fit into this liveblog i really enjoy how tomorrow & today has no destination in mind and it's a gradual trip but you never look back
-such strong g&e vibes
-misfortune bay be! time to replace the other misfortune charlie has with this
-sheet music???? jenny where did you find this? [referring to the image used in the video she uploaded i listened to] also this is still not the whole song i know the original misfortune wasn't but it feels strange to start this far into the song
-chords my beloved i could fucking play this song i'm so hyped about that
-toy orchestra solid soda real <3
-the one and only studio recording toy orchestra did. this is some of the best evidence for steve gallagher's voice we have
-also the audio is higher quality than the yt upload i think
-oh a casio organ not a real organ. okay i can't complain
-i like the sound of the piano at least. also this is horrendously gorey i like it
-andrew horowitz horror writer extraordinaire
-these sound like the sorts of drum synths my electric organ has
-i actually can't tell if that one's a guest vocal or andrew just being a very very good singer
-this sounds like some sort of recording you'd take of your kid's music school performance
-oh it's over
-fuck that was good
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radramblog · 2 years
Text
BDSP glitched Any% hype?
The internet is at present inundated with videos of how Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are #brokengames. This is a fair criticism, and it’s very likely that a lot of bugs went unchecked due to a pushed release date from TPCi- they definitely wanted enough space between this game and Legends: Arceus.
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However, it’s also very interesting from the perspective of speedrunning, as well as general glitch hunting shenangians.
People hunt for glitches in games all the time, for various reasons. However, a lot of the time, it’s made pretty redundant by how clearly broken a game is at launch. This is why we have things like closed/open beta phases now- both to generate hype and to use the playerbase as a playtesterbase.
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Not every game goes through this process, though, and it’s pretty clear that BDSP didn’t. I was going to put a bit here about how “it’s not every day we get a AAA release that doesn’t need glitch hunting”, but then I remembered all the broken garbage games released by the Mainstream Industry TM and decided no, this does happen fairly often. However, it hasn’t happened to Pokemon in a very long time.
I might be wrong, because I haven’t played literally every spinoff- for all I know, the Ranger sequels could be buggy piles of shit, but the main series of Pokemon at the very least has been absent of utterly game-breaking bugs since it’s very first generation, with that understandable considering how much Red/Blue/Green/Yellow pushed the Game Boy to its very limits.
I suppose “game-breaking” isn’t actually that useful a term here, as there have been literal iterations of such a phrase before still. For a while after X and Y released in 2013, there was a bug that killed your save file if you saved and quit in certain parts of the game’s biggest city, which without knowing about the bug is pretty likely to happen. I believe that was the first time that a Pokemon game ever had a hot-patch, and it might not be the last.
What I think is fascinating about the bugs in BDSP is that they are the first in ages to be actually interesting. The early history of Pokemon is riddled with funky bugs, but as time progressed and programming got better, we just didn’t see things like the Gen III Pomeg Glitch or the “Acid Rain” bug in Gen IV since around that time. There were little bugs here and there, but nothing with the flash of completely rending the game asunder, or nothing as useful as the tweaking of Gen IV.
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Tweaking, for the unititated, is a remarkably easy to pull off trick in the Gen IV Pokemon games that allows you to walk through walls and distort the map. It’s performed by rapidly switching between loadzones in the game’s overworld (using the Bike, typically, though it can be performed carefully with running) until the game fails to properly load one of the areas, and it gets all fucky. This is the key glitch to the Any% speedruns in Generation IV, which are the last games to have a separation between Any% and Any% Glitchless.
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It’s somewhat poetic, then, that the Gen IV remakes are the ones likely to bring the category back. Which technically is Any% Glitchless, seeing as between Gen 5 and 8 there’s no point in the distinction. And I say “likely to” because the leaderboards are on embargo for another few days, but there’s pretty much no way it doesn’t happen. Pokemon is a franchise so dead-set in its speedrun methodology that there’s going to be some people who want to play the game “normally” and also as fast as possible. But once that leaderboard goes up? I’m going to be very interested in seeing what it looks like.
Generations I and II had memory corruption, Generation III had the Pomeg Glitch, and Generation IV had tweaking. Now, BDSP brings clipping through things and wrong-saving to the table, and I’m happy to see it there. As long as I can still play the game myself normally, at some point.
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Just don’t get softlocked like this guy apparently did.
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razorblade180 · 3 years
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Twin Snowflakes 26: Preparation
[part 2 of 2]
Another day, another classroom bell. As far as Monday’s go, today was pretty harmless for Summer. Classes went by fast, Veronica only nagged her about what to eat for lunch, and P.E. was used for tournament announcements so she didn’t have to change. In a few minutes she’ll be able to walk out of the student council meeting and go home to escape-
“We’re all staying after school today, all of us.” Eliza said, filing papers.
Summer planted her head on the table. “Why do you hate me!? I’m nothing but kind to you.” She whined.
“Stop crying! Did you expect to go into the tournament performance cold turkey? This isn’t one of your concerts. Multiple things need to work at once. Which is why Harriet was kind enough to keep a platform up to act as a stage in the gym. You and your brother will have the band’s support.
Nick’s face turned to terror. He could see Summer’s face begin to get excited. “Summer, I know that look. Please remember that neither the band nor I are as skilled as you. Don’t go full dictator on us.”
She could only laugh and smile energetically. “That won’t be a problem if you hit the notes.”
“Not what I wanted to hear, Summer!”
Veronica got up from the table and packed her things. “You all have fun. I’m gonna get started on that outfit. The materials should be at your house by now.”
“Not so fast.” Eliza interjected, “Did you forget that you’re filling in on the cheer team? Their practice starts in fifteen minutes.”
“B-But my fabrics!” She gasped.
Eliza folded her arms confidently. “Sorry, tough luck. Harriet saw your moves and she gets what she wants. If only Amber didn’t twist her leg.”
Nick let out a snicker before hiding his smile from Veronica. Karma is a cruel mistress.
“I myself will oversee everything as best as I can while leading my own rehearsal. Don’t think twice to come find me, or the President, who should really be the one leading this meeting.”
“Nah you’re on a roll.”He smiled.
She gave him a glare before continuing. “Anyways, I also need somebody to let Valerie know the water heater is screwed up again and also that she should at least help with hauling supplies to Amity Arena; since she so rudely skipped this meeting.”
All of the council and other student body members turned to Nick instinctively. It was warranted but man did it blow. Summer glady stood up to take the bullet.
“I will tell her everything she needs to know, after rehearsals.”
“Works for me. Let’s move people! Time is ticking.” Eliza gathered her belongings and went out the door with the rest of the staff. Summer and Veronica gave him a nudge as they walked by. “You two still have enough time to do the outfit?”
“I fixed your sister’s uniforms in no time at all. I already have all her measurements I need so the annoying part is over.”
“What she said.” Summer added. “At this point I guess I’m being moved to wherever I’m supposed to be. Eugh, after school, even the name hurts my throat.”
“Think of it like this. We get to spend all day with Eliza!” Nick yelled out the door cheekily.
“I will answer none of your questions!” She yelled back, knowing she basically has to spend the entire day around Nick. She hadn’t told him yet but she was going to accept his offer. Her curiosity about his plan was too strong. The tournament was quickly approaching. Every step forward counts. Time to kick things into high gear.
Nick found the strength to leave the table and face judgment. “Alright, let’s get this pain over with.”
“Quit exaggerating! I will be a humble singing instructor.”
xxxxx
“COME ON NICK! YOU CALLED THAT A HARMONY!?” Summer was not humble, or quiet for that matter. “I know you can do better!”
Nick endured the criticism as he sipped his water. He was prepared for this but obviously the band wasn’t. Summer had everyone in their group scared stiff and onlookers watching in awe. This might be the first time they’ve heard her speak in school, let alone emote.
Her fiery nature was on full display and it’s intensity was higher than her ponytail. Free from uniform constraints, she wore compression tights and a thin long sleeved shirt that hugged her frame. Summer looked more sporty right now than she has in her entire school life.
The many eyes on the twins' practice didn’t seem to bother her. “Let’s take it from the top.” She grabbed her guitar and began to play immediately. A quick glare to the drummer snapped him out of his trance and got him to play, making the rest fall in line. Live practice was never a thing she did often. People ceased the opportunity all around the gym to watch magic be created before their ears.
Some legends are told, some turn to dust or to gold.
But you will remember me~
Remember me for centuries~
She nodded to Nick and he gripped his mic.
And just one mistake... is all it will take.
We’ll go down in history~
Their breathing synced up.
REMEMBER ME FOR CENTURIES~
Summer raised her fist, silencing the band. The performer turned towards her brother and band. A fraction of a smile crept onto her face. “Better. Not perfect, but much better.” She took a sip of water. “Not to be tyrant-”
“Yet here we are.” Nick said, earning a few laughs from the band and a glare from his sis. “What!? I’m boosting morale!”
“I know. It’s the only reason I’m not chewing your head off. Here I was about to compliment you too.”
“The biggest compliment you can give me is letting us finish the song completely. We’ve only gone about a fourth through it. Everyone knows this song.”
“Anybody can know a song but few feel it. I know you know this. The crowd at the tournament is gonna want hype and they’ll most likely sing along. Our job is to cultivate it to its peak. We are the opening of the event. I picked this song for a reason. If we come out firing on all cylinders then I know we can ride the wave through the whole song! Let me feel your hype, your energy!”
Nick pursed his lips. “If you want energy, then you let these guys have fun! Ice breaker time!” Nick spun around and pointed to the band. “Give me a funky beat!”
The members looked at one another, shrugging before kicking in a fun, funky classic; Billie Jean!
Nick let out the biggest “Yeah~” then started moonwalking around Summer. “Come on Summer, you can’t resist the beat!”
“Really? Of all the songs you think I’m just gonna-” She kicked her leg out and then twirled to the microphone.
She was more like a beauty queen from a movie scene…!
Nick hopped with joy before chiming in as the band jammed out. Eliza watched the two from off stage with her color guard troop in disbelief, joined by Veronica seconds later in her cheerleader uniform. Eliza waved her hand to her group. “Guys, take ten. I guess it’s break time.”
“Those two seem to be having a ball. They always like this with council stuff?”
“Hardly. It’s the only reason why I’m not yelling at them right now. Can’t remember the last time they looked happy to participate. They can laugh their lungs out as long as the work gets done. Might motivate the others. Anyways, how are you holding up?”
“Oh you know, as much as a newbie could be in this situation.” Veronica shook her pom-poms for dramatic effect. “Feels nice to do something like this again though. It’s like wearing an old glove.”
“History with cheerleading?”
“Gymnastics, my ribbon work doesn’t stop with a needle. That was some time ago but I digress.”
“I see. Well...you move like a pro.” Eliza said, a little stuttery. She played with her hands a bit while focusing on the twins.
Her elevated heart rate rang like a bell while her movements reminded Veronica of herself whenever she first met Coco Axel. “So...a little birdy told me I got a fan of my work here? Got any clue who?” She teased, enjoying Eliza's jump a little. Poor girl's cheeks went red.
Eliza felt a crushing betrayal. “Which twin opened their big mouth?”
“Is the ‘who’ that important?”
“Ah so it’s both?”
Veronica tucked her lips in. “Uhhh I won’t confirm or deny that. To think I’d have a fan all the way up in Atlas?”
“Please, we don’t have to discuss .”
“Why not? No reason to hide it. I’m honestly flattered by it. Civil rights movements don’t attract the right kind of like-minded individuals typically. Then there’s the obvious regional differences.”
“Huh? Regional differences?” Eliza tilted her head. “Have faunus here been giving you a hard time?”
“No, but that’s because I’m making zero effort to approach them. Faunus here as a whole are treated crueler than other places. An outsider like me coming in and trying to ‘relate’ never goes over smoothly.”
Eliza was surprised. She had never heard of that before. “Oh, I guess I was being a bit presumptuous. Apologies.”
“No it’s fine. It’s just one of those annoying little things. A lot of the preach about wanting a voice and equality but sing a different tune when those voices start speaking because they aren’t the ones those people had in their heads. Sigh, we faunus are fickle creatures.”
“Boy, sounds like you hate your job?”
Veronica laughed, “Haha! I wouldn’t go that far. Maybe it’s my unique circumstance but as far as my personal beliefs go, Faunus and Humans are basically the same. They both hate and judge others far too viciously due to bias. I may advocate for our rights, but I’m not above calling ourselves out. It’s probably why the elders especially don’t care for my efforts.”
Veronica turned to Eliza and smiled. “Sorry, rambled for a bit there. Hope I’m ruining your hero perception of me. That is if I am a hero to you?”
“No. Wait! I mean it’s not ruined! You’re definitely inspiring to me. So much in fact that I got a cool magazine cover of you!” It took a minute, but Eliza’s brain registered what she had just said. “I…why did I tell you that?” Eliza facepalmed.
Vee was in shock. Her jaw slowly fell open. “Wow, you are a total fangirl right now. I didn’t think you could look embarrassed. Ha, you’re adorable blushing!”
“Please don’t talk about it…”
“Can I see the magazine cover? I’ll be honest. I rarely pay attention to those puff pieces. My mom handles all that.”
“Really?” Eliza patted her pockets before pulling out her scroll. “It’s from your rally in Vale.”
Veronica had a peek. “Oh I remember this!” The picture was from a year ago. Vale’s rally was pretty huge and loud. The photo was taken right when she had stood proudly on top of a car with a megaphone, protesters following her to city hall. “Not to toot my own horn but look so cool in this.”
“It’s surprising you’ve never seen it.”
“My eyes are usually glued to my sketchbook or a threaded needle. If I’m looking at myself then it’s in the mirror to see how fabric falls onto me or someone else. Speaking of clothes, maybe I can make you an outfit? First one is free. Just wear it to an event; tell your friends about it.”
Eliza lit up, but then immediately started to cringe. “An event is no problem. However...uhhh, yeah, rain check in the whole friend part. A social butterfly, I am not. Don’t have friends.”
“Uh Nick and Summer?”
“Gross.”
Veronica could barely stop herself from laughing out loud. The speed in which Eliza answered was swift to say the least. “Wow, and I thought the twin’s aunt was blunt? Are you sure that message is clear to them, because I’m positive they think you’re a friend.”
“I’m friendly, but not a friend.”
“Do you have their number?”
“Yes.”
“Sad to say you’re their friend. Don’t fight it.”
“What!? That’s not how- what!? From what I understand you and Summer aren’t friends, but I’m positive you have her number.”
Veronica nodded. “Yeah, but that’s necessary for multiple reasons. Besides, we actively shit talk one another. I reckon you don’t. I’m not saying you three are tightly knit. Just that you’re close enough.”
Eliza folded her arms and huffed. “I suppose so. That’s...annoying.”
“Look on the bright side.” Veronica grabbed Eliza’s scroll to put her number in. “Now you aren’t alone. We can complain about their antics together.”
The grin Veronica gave Eliza made her Eliza sheepish. The abrasive girl took her scroll back. “That...sounds nice.” She laughed under her breath.
Veronica couldn’t stop examining Eliza. This girl was all over the place! It was a little funny, awkward, and yet flattering. “Is this how the twins feel meeting fans?” The young lady could get used to this.
“Your last name is Marigold right? I’m so used to such a fierce expression that seeing you like this feels a bit unusual.”
“Used to? I take it you’ve spoken to my aunt then?” Eliza lit up.
“Not really. She’s been at events my mom dragged me to before. Didn’t speak with her directly but she looked pretty interesting. Her and my mom worked together before. You both and your father have some strong genes. I bet the mom must be jealous.”
“I...doubt it.” Eliza said, her tone drifting. The smile on her face faded back to neutrality. A silent breath escaped her lips while her eyes gazed into distance. Her change in attitude didn’t go unnoticed. Veronica’s ears fell watching her.
“Shit, did I...bring up something touchy?”
“It’s okay, honestly. I just wouldn’t know how my mom feels since...I’ve never had one.”
“Oh. I had no idea. Do you wanna talk about it or…?”
“Not really. It’s really not that big of a deal. You just caught me off guard since I’m used to people knowing that part of my life.” Eliza raised both her hands and gave her face a light slap to get out of her funk. Moping about nothing is pointless. Right now she was talking to Veronica, a person she admires! This was supposed to be exciting! “Phew! That’s better. Let’s change the subject. I don’t know much when it comes to fashion, but I have read about some of your involvement in contests.”
For a moment it felt like Veronica’s body had been hit by a truck. The muscles in her body constricted at once and her stomach felt queasy. “Have you now?”
“Just a little bit. It came up from time to time when I learned about your work with your mother. I gotta say your outfits definitely have your personality. More so than some of your contestants.”
“Heh, that’s not what judges think.” Vee uttered. “Not a first place prize to my name.”
“That may be true but that doesn’t make your designs less interesting in my opinion, but I know how you feel. It stings entering contests and sometimes not even making it to the end. Still, I really thought one dress in particular had it in the bag but…” Eliza silenced herself suddenly. She had forgotten the topic of this particular contest may not be light at all. “You...got disqualified?” She finished, cringing at her own stupidity.
“Yep. I got disqualified. No medal at all for that one.”
The air felt dead. Eliza clicked her tongue. “I had forgotten that part. The article never said why though, so it stuck out to me. If..if you don’t mind-”
“I actually do, a lot.” Veronica’s sharp response made Eliza jump a little. A few people passing by took notice of the aggressive tone, making Veronica mentally kick herself. “Shit, that wasn’t supposed to be so...I’m touchy about that day.”
Eliza waved off the comment like she was the one in the wrong. “It’s fine! I should’ve known better.”
“I guess we’re both even now huh?”
“Even!? I wasn’t trying to get back at-”
“Haha, relax before your heart explodes. It was just a tease.”
Eliza’s for got red. “Oh...of course.”
“You weren’t kidding about not having friends. I thought I was bad at small talk.”
Eliza held her head down. “I’m like a dumpster fire…”
“Ha, I can see that. I guess I’m fortunate to do speeches often. Easily the savior of my social skills. My parents are great but I wouldn’t say they aren’t the most elegant people in conversations. At least not ones that aren’t in front of a camera where they have to be. In a regular conversation they are as uncoordinated as they come.”
“I can see that. Yang’s sister does live here after all. She definitely has her own way of holding a conversation.”
“Pfft, that’s one way to put it. Just shake it off. We’re all kinda tone dead I guess.” Veronica laughed. This was fun. This was actually fun. Talking casually, who would’ve thought? She grabbed her water bottle to drink.
Eliza was also having a pleasant time. She was running low on conversation starters though. There had to be something that shouldn’t go horribly wrong. That’s when it came to her…
“So your head over heels for Nick right?”
Water sprayed out of Veronica’s mouth. How did each question keep getting her!? It shouldn’t even have been that bad yet here she was, choking over the most basic thing that everyone knew! Normally she hated being touched but feeling Eliza pat her back was gladly welcomed.
If Eliza didn’t feel bad before, then she definitely did now. “I am so sorry!” her voice was so spastic it would make Summer look calm. “I told you I’m terrible at this!”
“No, agh, no… this one is me!” Veronica coughed. “Damn, that really hurt my chest. It’s like the entire gulp went down the wrong pipe!” A few more coughs and another sip of water cured the promise. Veronica rubbed her chest and tearfully looked at Eliza. “Yeah I’m into him. Why do you ask?” Her desire to act like she didn’t nearly die was strong. “Wait, don’t tell me you like him too!?”
Water wasn't the only thing that was gonna be on the floor with questions like that. Eliza made a face that looked like she may have gagged out of spite. “Ugh, not a chance.” She folded both her arms aggressively.
“Cool, that would’ve been weird.” Veronica thought. Then Eliza began rubbing her chin. That was never a good sign.
“Weeeeeell…” Eliza said.
Veronica deflated like a balloon. “Here we go…”
“Huh? No! It’s not what you think. I don’t like him like that, or much at all really. However, I can’t deny he is...charming to put mildly. I can recognize that. As a whole, I don’t like Nick that much. There’s too much that grinds my gears. That said, there is a side to him I deeply appreciate. Don’t tell him that or I’ll deny it.”
Her tidbit made Vee’s cat ears wiggle. “You gonna leave me hanging like that? Elaborate a little.”
“Really? I didn’t want to diss him in front of you or anything.”
“Tah! Nick doesn’t need anyone coming to his defense and I’m not gonna bite your head off over an opinion, most likely.” She had to add that last part. Veronica doubted Eliza was going to say something that would be unapologetically mean but you can never know what a person could say. “Speak your mind.”
Eliza looked towards the stage to watch the council president in question adjust some light equipment to put on his sister. “That boy is...selfish in the wrong way.”
That sure was an answer. Veronica tilted her head. “I...don’t follow.”
“Nicholas Schnee is a people pleaser, yet he goes out of his way to do things on his own and inefficiently. He has the qualities of a great leader but doesn’t truly lead anyone. Instead he bends over backwards. This entire concert was his idea yet he chose not to fill anybody in on this for weeks; leaving us in the dark when we could’ve been further along. All that money, trust, and influence, yet I fail to see him use it with the care I know he knows how to do. It’s so annoying! Agh, I wish I had a fraction of what his name has.”
“Sounds like to me you’re a little envious?”
“A bit, but that doesn’t change my view of him. You know him. Am I wrong?”
“I’m the last person to judge right or wrong here, but I see what you mean. Nick definitely has his faults, no argument there. I told him the other day he was a bit pushy at times and overbearing. Still, I wouldn’t say those qualities are bad. Nick is… a man on a mission.”
The administration in Veronica’s eyes was clearer than air to Eliza. “Opinions aside, his heart is good. The love he has for family and friends is undeniably. I respect that.”
“Is that the part you deeply appreciate?”
Eliza shook her head. “No, that quality is a given. The side I like is one few people see. I witnessed it for the first time at a red carpet event several years ago. It was our first time actually speaking. I stubbornly declared I’d beat him in a tournament and show everyone how beneath me he was.”
“Wow, your social skills really are rough.”
“Cut me some slack. I was fourteen and cocky. Anyways, I expected him to laugh it off and give that fake smile he gives to the public. Instead, he gave this smug smirk at me and said ‘I can’t wait.’ It was actually chilling. I could tell from his eyes that he was threatening, no, intimidating me. He had no problem letting me know he wanted to take me down, and that’s exactly what he did on tournament day. However, right before our match, Nick took me to the side to chat. It was my first tournament. The anxiety I had was a plan on my face. Instead of using that weakness, he gave me tips to calm down. Having him focus solely on me in that ring was thrilling, different from his usual self. There’s an honesty about it I like. No way somebody can be nice all the time.”
It was for that very reason Eliza knew she had to hear Nick’s offer out. Whenever that look comes out, it spells trouble for who caused it. To think the plan involved beating Valerie? What could he possibly be up to?
Veronica rubbed her chin, intrigued. “So that’s your reasoning. Hmm.” She snapped her fingers and smirked. “Masochistic.”
Eliza bugged out. Her jaw dropped and she was seconds away from protest, until the snickering from Veronica let her know she was teasing again. A smile slowly formed and Eliza playfully elbowed Vee. “Shut up.” She laughed. “Talk about a mood killer.”
Veronica stuck her tongue out before breaking out into laughter when Eliza. Hard to believe the key to being social was being kinda bad at it? It was nice making a friend. Veronica didn’t say it but they were glad to be here.
Across the room, the gym door opened. “Well look who’s having fun!?” A voice bellowe, the condescending echo gaining everyone’s attention. To many’s displeasure, it was Darren sauntering in with his silent partner Max behind him. “Sounds like a real party here. Care if I join? Maybe shake things up a little?”
The upperclassman paced like he owned the place, watching. “Hard at work for my big day?” His eyes go to the stage. “Well if it isn’t the Jester of the School!”
Nick rolled his eyes. “Very original. I’d love to hear more of this comedy act but unfortunately the gym is closed for regular students. Please take your friend and your clown makeup somewhere else.”
“Pfft, you diss like a child.”
“Said the man who called me a jester.” Be it a deity or the universe itself, people should count themselves lucky Nick had high tolerance for stupidity. Darren’s presence was grinding it down however. Punches and nearly getting a friend hit by an asshole’s car did that to an individual.
Summer could see the sparks fly between the two. Grabbing the microphone from Nick with no hesitation, Summer took the lead. Unfortunately for Darren she didn’t have her brother’s tolerance, and she was on her favorite spot in the whole world. “You’re interrupting our practice and wasting my time. Beat it.”
The gym went silent. Did everyone hear that right? Summer Schnee...was rude!? Darren blinked twice, stunned. “Excuse me but, nobody was talking to you.”
“And nobody invited you. Scram.” She shooed him away as if he was a bug.
“Now is that anyone to talk to a superior? I don’t care how famous you are or what your last name is, you little princess. You just keep singing like a little songbird; it’ll be the only good press you get that day before losing to yours truly!”
Summer out of this expression of confusion. “And your name is…? Sorry, I just have a really hard time with faces when they don’t even rank in the top five.” Multiple ‘oooos’ and chatter started going. “Is Dean? Dunce? …..Dumb and Dumber?”
Max let out a simple “Hmph” while Darren got pissed. “So you got jokes huh?” He said through his teeth. It only took one step closer before Nick immediately stepped in front of his sister. Before either could give the audience a glimpse of tournament match l, Eliza flicked the lights off and on to gain everyone’s attention.
“HEY! Knock it off, all of you.” She demanded. Darren’s gaze came her way and towards Veronica by extension. Eliza took a step between the two, stopping a problem before it could start. “Na uh, eyes on me. One word to her and I might let Principal Coal know. May I remind you that after recent behavior it would behoove you to act like a respectable upperclassman, or else-”
“Hey hey hey there, little one, I just came in here to mingle a little; shoot the breeze and all. I’m not the one who got all bent out of shape and started insulting people. Ain’t that right Max?”
Unbothered, Max put his hands behind his head. “That is what happened; dumb jokes or not.”
“Yeah that’s- hey! You aren’t talking about my jokes are you!?”
Eliza took a deep breath. “Consider the breeze shot to hell. Now if you would kindly be on your way so-”
“Uuuugh, you’re so boring, acting like a lifeless doll and shit. Even her frail and tone deaf highness behind me showed some backbone for once.”
“Tone deaf!?” Summer yelled. She would’ve thrown her microphone if Nick didn’t take it from her. “Oh I really hope your bite is at least half as good as your bite. This ‘Princess’ thinks you deserve a public beat down for the world to see, personally delivered!”
“See you at the tournament!” Nick added.
Darren pointed behind himself. “See? At least they’re interesting.”
“If getting egged on by your limp insults is what you want then why should I even bother?” Eliza stepped to the side. “Best be on your way. You can earn my wrath whenever you feel man enough to enter a solo tournament instead of hiding behind your partner.”
“Oh yeah?” Darren glared. “Tough talk from a-” The back of his shirt was pulled by Max.
“Time to go. You’ve had your fun, and I’m getting a headache. No use talking. Let the tournament do all the bragging.” Max began dragging Darren to the exit until Darren brushed him off to walk himself. He gave Eliza one last pissed off look before giving a smug face as he walked away. “Tsk, drug baby.” He mumbles.
Loud footsteps and the sound of metal clanged behind him. Darren quickly turned around, ready for a fight. “Well I guess you can get ma-”He didn’t move. What he thought was Eliza losing her cool was actually her defending him with her baton from a very pissed heir with an Arma Gigas.
“He’s quicker than he looks.” Max grabbed Darren again and all but tossed him out the gym before any actions became an incident.
“Care to tell me why you wanna fight my battles?” Eliza complained.
“I’m not fighting your battles. My patience just got a little restless.” Nick unsummoned his blade and walked away. Thoughts of last night suddenly came to mind, making him sigh. “Sorry. Overstepped a bit. I’m gonna cool off.” He groaned.
Eliza rubbed the back of her head. That was...off. Nick must’ve been more ticked off by Darren than she was aware of. “Just don’t get so jumpy. The last thing I need is you not being able to kick his ass because you got suspended.”
“Haha yes ma’am.”
Eliza clapped her hands loudly. “Okay everyone! Get back to business!” She shouted, returning everything to normal. Thank the gods for at least giving Eliza cooperative staff members. Her body slumped over. Why can’t any event be peaceful! Damn that Darren! Now she wished he was in the solo bracket. Her head lifted to look at Veronica. “I take it if Nick heard that then so did you?”
“Little bit. I can pretend I didn’t. Makes no difference to me.”
“Don’t sweat it. Who likes beading around the bush anyways? You asked about my mom earlier. Now you basically know. To make a long story short, my dad in his younger years spent his money in...less than responsible ways. Who needs love when there’s plenty of clubs and corners with people looking to make a quick buck? My mother just so happened to get a little more than just lien.”
Veronica’s face scrunched up. “Yikes. That’s a lot to unpack.”
“Not really. Never had a mom so it’s not like I’m yearning for a connection when there never was one to start with. One day my dad noticed her pregnant and like you said before, I have strong features. A woman parading around with no home, every drug under the sun, and a potential baby that looked like the CEO of a company one kingdom above is a recipe for ruin. Many board members thought it best for my father to deny anything and everything. Apparently a few of them along with some kind individuals thought it best to move my mother in with him. This way the baby, me, would at the very least be healthy.”
“What about your mother?”
“Ultimatum. Fall in line with this new society and learn to act like a high class citizen, or take a generous amount of money to keep quiet. I don’t look like her so spinning a story wouldn’t do her well, and high class society didn’t mean she could get high any hour of the day. Took the money and never looked back. Tabs were kept on her for a while but she eventually became white noise among the gutter trash of Mantle. A druggie with tons of cash is never good. Most likely ended up in a gutter from overdose or somebody who caught wind of her spending habits.”
“Eliza that’s...I’m sorry that happened.”
“Eh, I’m not losing sleep over it. Not like I got a bad deal either. Contrary to what people might say about my name, my father is a decent man and cares for me as well. He’s by no means perfect but who is? Aunt May told me once that if nothing else, my dad doesn’t make problems bigger than what they have to be. I didn’t ask to be born, so resenting me would be shallow. We get along and that’s all that matters family wise. Though...it’s not like he got a raw deal out of it.” Eliza conjured a small flame in her hand. “He took the high road and learned he got Remnant’s first magical daughter in ages. Talk about good karma.”
“Way to look at the positives.” Veronica said.
Eliza put out the flame. “It’s just the facts. Unfortunately rumors floated and not all people were happy with the decision, so little tidbits here and there got learned. As you can see with Darren’s mouth almost getting him into trouble. The only thing bigger than his mouth is his ego.”
“Yeah, I’m familiar with his type.” Veronica said with annoyance. She was too familiar with it.
“Anywho, I should get back to practice. Thanks for chit chatting. And people say it’s bad to meet your heroes and stuff. I guess they’re meeting the wrong ones.”
“I wouldn’t go that far. I mean I’m pretty rad but you know...modesty and all that. I’m no Blake Belladonna or Yang Xiao Long. Just little ol’ me.” Veronica chuckled. “See ya around?”
“Sooner than you might think.” Eliza twirled her baton and went on her way.
Veronica watched the girl leave. No wonder Nick chose Eliza to be the one to keep an eye on her. She was tough as nails; with or without the uniform! A shame Darren outed her like that. Veronica felt a little dirty learning something Eliza didn’t want to tell her. Veronica was surprised that Eliza didn’t ask for her to return the favor. Then again, it would’ve been pointless. Veronica knew herself. She wouldn’t say a word regardless of fairness. She might have even lied. The girl let out a sigh, taking a moment to look down at herself before heading back to practice. Some things are just better left unsaid.
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Ive never really understood the hype surrounding Taylor Swift - I mean, I like some of her songs, but im not big on modern pop music so generally she just doesn’t really click for me. But I find it interesting that theres quite a few of Beatles/Swift blogs - like, they should have very little in common given that they’re from completely different eras and all, but somehow people seem to find a lot of semblance between the two. << and thats not me shitting on any of these blogs btw! Hope I don’t come off as rude or condescending there <3
Anyway, I was just wondering what got you into Taylor Swift? (I think ive read your post on how you got into the Beatles)
Hi, anon! Don't worry, I don't think you're rude or condescending! I agree they don't have too much in common and I don't really like their music for the same reasons.* I do have a playlist of Paul songs that have similar vibes to Taylor songs but it's mostly lyric-based. (Also the Beatles For Sale songs actually have quite the Taylor-tinge because Paul and John were not immune to Country Music)
I saw @stewy say once that a possible reason there are a good handful of us Swiftie-Beatle People on here is the appeal of a vast discography, which I agree with. If you have an artist/group with 200ish songs, it's just really fun to really dive into their work and explore all the facets. I also think: we're talking about the most popular band of all time and one of the highest-selling artists of the 21st century. They have a lot of fans so there's bound to be overlap, regardless of musical differences.
Moving on to your question: Getting into Taylor was an extremely personal experience for me and so my explanation is probably going to be kind of long so I'll put it under a read more.
It was spring-summer 2014, I was 15. I had heard the more popular songs of hers starting with Love Story and enjoyed pretty much all of them (I always found her hopelessly romantic point of view fascinating) but before I got a Spotify account in 2013 it was difficult in general for me to really get into an artists' entire discography so most of her songs had flown under my radar.
At the time, I was in this very weird sort of codependent online friendship with this girl who was basically my first real best friend and my first more or less crush. She was very depressed and I was very much in an I Could Fix Her™ mood, except that I obviously couldn't fix her and it made me feel like I wasn't enough and she had begun pulling more and more away from me and not replying to my messages and it was simply driving me insane. I consider it the saddest period in my life.
at some point during this period, I started trying to connect with other people (all online, I didn't know how to talk seriously to anyone IRL) and explaining the issues I'd been having, and one of the people who brought me joy and whom I actually felt not drained talking to was a huge swiftie. And IDK the fact that she loved Taylor and the fact that talking to her made my life better (and also the fact that I liked all the Taylor songs I knew at that point) just made me decide to give her a listen. And I think that whole "large discography discovery" phenomenon really helped me at the time (funny, because her discography has doubled since then). It gave me something new to focus on; there were just so many songs to discover, all telling such rich stories. I also have always loved bridges, they are almost always my favourite part of a song. And Taylor, god-bless her, loves them too and always puts her ALL in them. Like pretty much every bridge of hers brings the song to the next level, and even a lot of her songs I don't adore tend to have great bridges (Stay Stay Stay and Paper Rings come to mind). I think one of her most underrated qualities is how good she is at song structure and really building up an entire musical journey with a song. She also almost always adds cool ad-libs in her second and third choruses to keep the songs interesting and dynamic (or at least since she's gone pop). Anyways, back to the story: Then Taylor announced 1989 as her next album and released Shake It Off, and it was just like this great happy thing for me to look forward to, when I had very little keeping me going. The era was promoting a lot of happiness which in hindsight was slightly fabricated and it was just a really great thing for me to latch onto.
At the same time I was coming to realize that I was gonna have to pull away completely from my friend and all those break-up songs just… Hit, y'know? Like, some people seem to think Taylor's a one-trick pony because she likes to write break-up songs but to me, break-ups are just like this moment where you as a human can potentially feel every single emotion, and Taylor's songs have covered every facet of the concept. Here are some songs I remember from that period, that all meant a lot to me at the time because they explained my own pain to me so well:
Haunted, for the absolute terror you feel in the first moments you realize someone is probably gonna leave you. Come on, come on / Don't leave me like this / I thought I had you figured out / Something's gone terribly wrong / You're all I wanted.
I Almost Do, for the inner turmoil you feel when you know you have to stay away from someone for your own good but you really, really have to resist just running back to that person. We've made quite a mess, Babe / It's probably better off this way / And I confess, Babe / In my dreams you're touching my face / And asking me if I wanna try again / With you / And I almost do.
Last Kiss, for that absolute sadness that comes simply with remembering everything that was good and not comprehending how it could've possibly ended. I still remember / The look on your face / Lit through the darkness / At 1:58 / Words that you whispered / For just us to know / You told me you loved me / So why did you go / Away?
Forever and Always, for that feeling of desperately wanting to hold on to what you still have but at the same time realizing it probably isn't going to last and having no idea how to fix it, plus feeling like the other person doesn't even care. So here's to everything / Coming down to nothing / Here's to silence / That cuts me to the core / Where is this going? / Thought I knew for a minute / But I don't anymore.
Dear John, my all-time favourite song, for that moment you find clarity and realize that you deserved better and that you were headed in an extremely dark direction because of this other person. [DISCLAIMER: my friend did NOT abuse me nor did we have some inappropriate age difference. But the way she would ignore me and her general moodiness really affected my own mental health and self-worth problems] You paint me a blue sky / And go back and turn it to rain / And I lived in your chess games / But you changed the rules every day / Wondering which version of you I might get on the phone / Tonight / Well I stopped picking up / And this song is to let you know why.
(She's covered more aspects of break-ups in other songs [cheating, divorce, feeling awkward around your ex amongst others], these are just the ones I remember being really important to me when I was first getting into her)
She really helped me feel a lot less alone during one of my loneliest periods and I really can't thank her enough for that. Soon after this, I started crushing on a girl in my class and Taylor's love songs started to take on a new meaning for me as well.
What's crazy to me is, when she went on hiatus for a few years, a part of me thought maybe I'd grown out of her and no longer had much in common with her, but when reputation came out I was pulled right back into my love for her as a person and musician and then when Lover came out I found that she was still explaining feelings to me better than I ever could (specifically with the songs The Archer and Cornelia Street). And now with folklore and evermore she's simply absolutely perfected her story-telling and I find myself deeply moved even by the songs I don't directly relate to. I feel like she has this amazing ability to find the absolute truth in the specific. I've never had a summer romance with someone who already had a girlfriend and mostly wanted to go back to her, and yet the bridge of august feels so real to me, y'know?
Back when we were still changin' for the better Wanting was enough For me, it was enough To live for the hope of it all Cancel plans just in case you'd call And say, "Meet me behind the mall" So much for summer love and saying "us" 'Cause you weren't mine to lose
It's hard to explain but looking at this, like it's so much more than the story it's telling. It's talking about how when you're young you really need so little to feel satisfied; how sometimes the idea of someone maybe spending time with you is better than actually doing things with other people; and how if someone using you without much thought can make you feel like you're not even entitled to grieve what you lost. Sorry. I'll stop. Don't want to go insane.
So, all of this is very personal and unique to me, but I think really the main thing that draws me to her is how vulnerable and honest she is about emotions, how eloquently she can explain the pain of being alive to me. Some people think she isn't the strongest singer, but I think, much like John actually, one of her greatest assets is how good she is at projecting emotion. The song happiness is a song I think has some lyrically weak moments but her vocal performance on it is so raw and devastating that every single line works even when, looking at it on paper, it feels like it shouldn't.
Hope this rambling made sense to you, lmao?? I love talking about Taylor though so thanks for the ask! Also very open to giving song recs if you do want to check her out more but I won't unless solicited to lmao *Sort of off-topic but I do think there's a relation between my fascination with the Beatles' history and my love for a great break-up song. I like pain I guess :)
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beeprblog · 3 years
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Beepr Goes To Shows: Governor’s Ball 2021.
In this first installment of Beepr Goes To Shows, I spent all 3-days at this years Governor’s Ball to give you crowd coverage you deserve and concert recaps/reviews you want. Stay tuned for more show write-ups and other updates!
Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist
What happens when you put two legends on the same stage? You get one hell of a fucking show. Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist were on another level that Friday afternoon, delivering classics from Madlib collaborative albums (Crime Pays, Fake Names, Palm Olive, Thuggin), recent singles from Freddie (Big Boss Rabbit, Gang Signs), and all your favorite offerings from Alfredo (Baby $Hit, Scottie Beam, Something To Rap About). The braggadocious swagger Freddie brings to the stage is tempered by Alchemist’s suave production and generally reserved demeanor, making them a very balanced performance. Despite being an acclaimed producer, you get the sense that The Alchemist is there to support Freddie rather than make the performance about himself. Freddie’s natural humor shines through in between songs, cracking jokes while taking tokes and hitting a bottle of Hennessy. Chants of “Fuck police,” cheers for the Alchemist, and concert-goers belting choruses created a deafening atmosphere, rivaling some sold out indoor venues I’ve visited. To call Freddie a cult artist would be disrespectful of all the mainstream achievements (Grammy nominations, cracking Billboard Top 25s, etc), and yet for some reason, he remains on the fringes of superstardom. Part of what people love about Freddie Gibbs is his larger than life personality, as he has an authenticity about him that’s naturally charismatic. If there’s anything I can be certain about after that set, it’s that Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist have undeniable chemistry and I hope they have more on the way.
Phoebe Bridgers
In January of 2018, a report from Nielsen Music identified that rap had surpassed rock in terms of overall music consumption. But Phoebe Bridgers will not allow her genre to go quietly into the night. She very well may be the next iteration of a rockstar. From her band all being in uniform, to the stage production, and most importantly, her diehard fans: Phoebe Bridgers is killing it in all aspects of the game. Apparently, I had been living under rock for quite some time as I only did a deep dive into her music when I saw her on the Governor’s Ball lineup announcement. How foolish was I? Phoebe has an incredible catalogue despite being only 27 (bolstered by her work with groups like Boygenius and Better Oblivion Community Center). Songs like Motion Sickness, Garden Song, and ICU feel more like Phoebe hosting a singalong, as the entire crowd is belting back each and every lyric at the top of their lungs with emphatic energy. Tracks like Kyoto also fall into that category, but there’s an immense rush of excitement as the brilliance of Bridger’s music blares through over the speakers for the chorus. Ballads like I Know The End are blissful moments of serenity, as I found myself swaying with my eyes closed in my little spot in the crowd. Her nonchalance in between songs is intoxicating, as it’s a beautiful contrast to her immensely emotive and personal performance. It’s so endearing to see past what’s on the outside and find an individual who profoundly cares about their work. What perhaps is most endearing about Phoebe’s performance is how she’s unabashedly herself: quips like “Fuck nihilism, too” are interjected in between songs, her outfit a glamorized rendition of the classic skeleton t-shirts. While I might have been late to the party in terms of the Phoebe Bridgers hype train, you can bet I’m going to be early to every one of her shows from here on out.  
A$AP Rocky
As Saturday night of Governor’s Ball was drawing near to an end, there were millions of individual conversations buzzing around in the crowd. But almost all of them were centered around one question: When will A$AP Rocky start? At 9:12pm EST, our question was answered, with a bang. Crowd surfing around in an inflatable car, bullhorn in hand, Rocky showed off some new sounds as unreleased tracks (Grim Freestyle amongst the slew of unreleased tracks) boomed over speakers. Mosh pits opened up left and right as the concert slowly evolved into a beautiful, New York block party-esque chaos. Hearing recent work like his features on Slowthai’s MAZZA and Famous Dex’s PICK IT UP were unexpected yet gratifying moments. But what really amplified the crowd was hearing some of the “older” radio hits. I can’t remember a time in recent memory when I’ve been as excited as when the first synths on LPFJ2 and Telephone Calls hit. Classics like Praise Da Lord and Yamborghini High ensured that there were no lapses in energy or excitement. Babushka Boi set the crowd ablaze, as the off-key notes intermingled in the beat acted as cues for the rowdy meter to kick it up a notch. Rocky even gave up some of his set to ensure the rest of the Mob was represented, as he had the DJ play Plane Jane by A$AP Ferg. The softer side of Rocky’s discography was met with equal anticipation as Sundress and A$AP Forever were met with exuberant cheers. Fully embracing his trippy side, after asking us if we liked hallucinogens, Rocky performed L$D to a roaring crowd (he also teased us with the unreleased Mushroom Clouds after asking us if we fucked with mushrooms too). During what felt like a showcase of the Harlem rappers’ ability to generate raucous ovation, the time had the crew informed Rocky his set had to be wrapped up. An earnest plea to keep it going was made, begging to at least get off Peso, but the euphoria was always going to be finite. It’s safe to say, anyone saying Rocky fell off is full of it.
Burna Boy
From start to finish, Burna Boy kept it hot. Bringing plenty of Nigerian flair to the CitiField air, I can safely say that Burna Boy’s set was one of the most enjoyable of the weekend. Even before he appeared, loud chants imploring him to take the stage could be heard ringing throughout the grounds. As his band and mom (who doubles as his manager) patiently waited, you could see them grinning and laughing as they knew we were in for a great show. Burna Boy then graced the stage and we were transported to another world, filled with laid back vibes, political protest, and triumph. Opening up with Gbona, it was apparent that the entire show was going to be electric. Hitting dance moves, grinning from ear to ear, it was obvious that Burna Boy planned on making a stellar first impression at the Governor’s Ball (he also earned major New York brownie points by giving us an animated performance of his velvety feature on Enjoy Yourself by Pop Smoke). Hearing some of my favorite songs live cemented them even further in the favorites category, as his performance adds another level of fun and personality. Collateral Damage, a beautifully subverted political protest anthem, felt truly harmonious as the entire crowd chanted the chorus with their fists in the air. As much as I love my AirPods, the heartfelt energy of both the crowd and Burna Boy I felt in the crowd during Anybody and Dangote could never be matched by speakers. Even the less upbeat songs (such as Wetin Man Go Do) he performed were met with incredibly cheerful reactions as. Live riffs from the band during some of his most popular singles added great spice for those who are familiar but equally exciting for new listeners. It’s apparent that there’s a great sense of camaraderie amongst the whole crew, that their main goal is to put on a memorable and joyous show. I can only hope that Burna Boy and the band make trips to the states more frequently.
Ellie Goulding
Have you ever felt the urge to forget everything that’s worrying you and just live in the here and now? Then you should go to as many Ellie Goulding shows as humanly possible. There’s a good chance you’re already familiar with some of her work (I’ll get to that in a bit), but it’s an entirely other thing to see her bring them to life. Hidden under the surface of a soft-spoken, singer-songwriter is a powerhouse performer, ready to give the show and attendees her everything. Watching her confidence grow during the set, seeing her come out of a shell that had likely developed as a result of not touring, was a beautiful sight to behold. In between comments about how grateful she was to be performing, quips about her outfit, you really got to watch her conviction begin to grow and take root. Anthemic at every instance, the crowd was equally ready to return the same energy Goulding graced us with. The only thing that was all over the place about her refined and poised performance was the eclectic mix of work she pulled from. From Lights (and yes, if you’re curious, that shit slapped) all the way up to her latest album, Brightest Blue, we got treated to the Ellie Goulding evolution set. Intermingling a solid slate of collaborations like Diplo’s Close To Me (I don’t know if I’ve ever sung along as fervently as I did for that one), Calvin Harris’ I Need Your Love (okay, I lied, this is the one where I lost my voice), and Major Lazer’s Powerful, there was a reference point regarding how they discovered Goulding for everyone in the audience. Hearing oldies like Aftertaste, Anything Could Happen, and Only You instantly transported me to simpler times, back when bills and deadlines seemed like an abstract concept. In another edition of music star leads a sing-a-long, the crowd could have taken over for Lights and Love Me Like You Do. Thankfully, we got to hear Ellie too. It’s a magical moment when a few hundred (maybe a full thousand) are all united by one common goal: to embrace the present and shower the performer with adoration in the form of knowing every lyric. Harmony amongst total strangers, tied together through a common love of music. Ellie Goulding gave us more than one of the best sets from the weekend, she gave us a sense of unity and togetherness unlike any other I’ve experienced.
Post Malone
When you find a superstar, with millions of fans and millions in the bank, that you feel like you can still crack open a crispy Bud Light, you’ve found something special. And we all know that Post Malone loves a cold one. The final chapter of Governor’s Ball 2021 ended with Post Malone’s Sunday night set, a perfect way to wind down the weekend. Opening up the set with an inquisitive “Hello?” to test out the mic, this show was one of the most authentic and down-to-earth concerts I’ve been to in quite some time. It almost feels like you’re just hanging out hearing some song ideas from your friend Austin Post, wearing some regular denim shorts and a “Where’s Waldo” style striped shirt, until the audible roars from the crowd of “Posty” remind you you’re at a headliner. Arguably the most larger-than-life aspect of Post’s set was his entrance on the stage, via a smoke-cloud suspended platform adorned with metal chains. With a healthy mix of beerbongs & bentley’s, Hollywood’s Bleeding, recent singles and old hits, Post Malone was showing us all of his repertoire. Chugging beers at the request of the crowd, checking in with all of us in between songs, calling for celebration and happiness, Post goes to great lengths to ensure that the crowd is with it and that everyone is having a good time. Tracks like Psycho were somehow both relaxing and energizing at the same time, as the chorus transformed the venue into an incredible echo-chamber. We also got to see how many friends Post has, as we got guest appearances from Young Thug (performing Goodbyes), Roddy Rich (gracing us with Every Season and The Box), and 21 Savage (to perform Rockstar, which Post Malone did his best to embody all night). With each feature, the crowd seemed to kick into another fear of excitement, but that’s not to say people didn’t lose it for some of Post’s solo work. Stay, which Post performed seated strumming an acoustic guitar, was as heartfelt as it could get in its stripped down state. Despite previously admitting to not being able to sing without autotune, you could see how much he cared about capping off the weekend right while performing that song (without autotune in an effort to be as real as possible). White Iverson and Congratulations were both barn-burners, as the whole festival grounds were chanting lyrics and bouncing along. After a very long weekend of raging and raving, Post Malone’s set managed to run through the whole gambit of festival emotions: joy, excitement, surprise, and relief. It’d be disingenuous to say anything other than Austin Post has mastered the art of headlining.
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ziracona · 3 years
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How can I get people to read my DbD fanfic? It's getting devastating not getting feedback, and you seem to have found some nifty trick.
I...really wish I knew how to answer this and give you good advice. But I don’t. When I started ILM, I was a few chapters in before I got a single comment, if I remember correctly, maybe chapter 4? And after, I averaged about four comments a chapter, which was exhilarating to me, because it was the most I’d gotten so far on a fic. I just kept going. I was lucky enough to have a sister and an IRL friend who read my stuff too, when I emailed segments, and would hype with me about it. But I actually started writing ILM to take a break from my performance depression over another thing I was writing. It was kind of meant just to be for me to experiment with doing whatever the fuck I wanted to say and read, without worrying at all what a reader would want, so I did before I got readers. And after, I was still just telling the same story, so I stuck to it, just while working to do so a little more polished. It took a long time though. Some people would read and be obsessed, would have so much to comment that they’d send three comments a chapter to have character space, and it was amazing, and I’d be really happy, and then they’d just vanish and never come back again out of the blue one day, and it would hit like a ton of bricks. But I kept going. And eventually, after, god, about 200,000 words? Around The Wraith or Shrouded, I got a bigger number of readers. And the same stuff would happen. Sometimes people would vanish, sometimes a chapter wouldn’t get so much response. But I kept going. And more people showed up. And I finished ILM with a bunch of readers, and more people have found it since, and some of them decided they like my voice and the way I tell stories for these people, so they stuck around and checked out other stuff I went to next.
Honestly, I don’t know what made that all happen. Readership has always seemed very arbitrary and confusing for fanfiction, and I have no idea how to do it “right,” or get more readers. I never have. I just was lucky enough that some found me. I’ve no idea if it’s becuase my fic was long, and that sparked curiosity, or if it was word of mouth, becuase I know a couple readers said they showed up because a friend recommended it. But it took a long time, a couple months. Shit, maybe a half a year or so? Before I actually got very many readers. Or at least, readers I knew of. You never know who reads and lurks if there is no outward sign, haha, but there often are people. So, I guess the best advice I have to offer, since if there is a trick to it, it’s not one I’ve ever known, it’s the following: keep writing.
Which I know fucking sucks as advice, because nothing feels worse than working hard and pouring out your heart into a project, only for no one to look at it or leave an imprint to show it effected them even in a brief passing way, right? It’s not fun advice. It’s not. And it probably won’t make you feel better. But as far as I have found myself, it’s sadly true.
Honestly, I didn’t expect to ever get very well read in fanfic circles, which I guess at least ILM kind of is now? because I don’t write romances, and that’s what almost everyone seems to go to fanfic for. Not that I don’t ever include them, I do, and pretty often, but it’s never the plotline. I just write stories I want to tell—like, book books. And because of that, I felt pretty sure I was a little doomed to be consigned to oblivion out there, but I guess the people who liked found family epics found me. And it was a lot of Ace people and Germans, the latter of which I am still confused about although I have less than no problem with that it’s just wild and fun. And a lot of other people too—I think that’s just my /biggest/ two demographics. (Someone I thought was cool did rate the handjobs in one chapter as the most realistic sex take they’d ever read though, so 👈👈😎—I hold onto that as one of my most proud comments to have received). So I’m as surprised as anybody else, although thrilled and very happy.
Unfortunately though, the best advice I have which, I know, is not going to be fun, is to just write. The more you update, the more times people will see your fic on the search pages and the higher the chances they’ll click it. Nobody told me no one answers comments on AO3, and it was my first year using AO3, so I did, and honestly I got no idea if the personal interaction has an effect, but it’s really fun to talk to people, and it definitely doesn’t hurt anything. And as much as it sucks to read or think about this, much less deal with it in reality, when it comes to fanfic, you have to write what you want to read, and that has to be your reason for writing it. Or write it for a friend! That works too. But your reason for writing it has to be one you can and will be able to fulfil, because if your motive is the hope of people you don’t know reading it, it’s way too easy for that to fall through and leave you hopelessly depressed. And I get it, I’m a writer, it’s my vocation. You write because you have a story you want people to see. But it can’t start that way, or you’ll despair. There’s nothing wrong with the goal—it’s sweet to have a story you love so much you want other people to get to enjoy it too—but it’s got to be sustainable. If you can’t write for yourself, then find a loved one, and write them the story. Let them be the one who gives you feedback, and who loves it, and who you are telling the tale to in the first place. The person the story is for. Then, even if it takes a long time, or only a few people ever read it, you’ll be okay. Because the thing you wrote it for happened—the person it was meant for read and enjoyed it. It’s the most useful writing goal I have found. And if it’s content you genuinely like yourself and would be excited to read if someone else wrote it? Then there are going to be other people. It just might take them a while to find you. So, regrettably, “Keep going” is really the best advice I have. The more you do, the higher your odds go of being found and read. I know it sucks, and I’m sorry. I truly, deeply, from the bottom of my soul get how you feel. ILM was my I believe fourth fanfic on AO3? And the most comments I had ever received in a chapter before it was 4. But I was writing ILM for somebody I loved, and so I kept going until other people that the story appealed to found it too. Genuinely, for me, self motivation is /really/ hard. Because like, if it’s for me, why the fuck write it? I can watch it in 3D with stereo surround sound in my head with 0 work, right? So writing for a loved one is the way to go. If you don’t have a sibling or friend who can do this for you, I guess my best advice is try to make one? Even a writing partner with similar interests could work.
But again, I don’t really know the answer to this question and I never have. I don’t know why at least 87% of the people who read my stuff picked it up in the first place, because they don’t usually tell me. I’m just really glad they’re around. So. There is my best guess, and best advice, and I hope it helps? I’m sorry I don’t have better advice to give. I know “Perservere” has never been the most hope-granting advice to be giving, and it’s daunting and rough, but you /can/ do it. And I truly wish you the best of luck finding what you’re hoping for while you write out there.
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zuholymama · 4 years
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In The Same Boat
Pair: Zuho x reader (female)
Warnings: Profanities, mentions of alcohol
Here I am again. Chugging down my sadness away with my favorite poison. It's been a fucking month, why can't I get a grip yet? Why is it so hard to forget the things he had done?
"Damn you, Taeyang..." I cursed under my shaky breath. I bet the bartender is looking at me with sorry eyes. Yeah, that's right, hate to admit it but I do need some sympathy right now. Where my girl friends you ask? I came alone today. Nobody's accompanying me.
And honestly, I'm hoping someone would take me home tonight. Help me forget about the bitter things.
But being here with my sadness, honestly I don't feel that awful. The music that's been blasting off behind me actually sounds dope. I don't hate it. Before I realized, I find my head bopping along with the beat. I leave my table with the cash, walking to the dance floor to mingle with the other strangers. I let myself go, enjoying the vibe that platinum haired DJ's offering us. Ah, it's him again. If I remember correctly, his name's Zuho. Right?
As I dance my heart out with his music, I couldn't care less about my troubles. I couldn't care less about my friends. I'm here, just here to sooth myself out of my bad mood. The night is young and Zuho's music is my company.
Before I know it, 30 minutes already passed by.
"What? No way..." I whined. During this month I've only came thrice. Every time I visit, Zuho would be the DJ for the night. I guess Saturday is his schedule. I've never paid attention to him before but how could I not now that I've listened and danced to his performance three times? And with that slicked back platinum hair? His visual always catches my eyes.
"Thanks, guys. Have a good night!" That Zuho shouted before he left the stage. I screamed in return, hyping his departure. Maybe it's the alcohol's that running in my system but I feel really hyped, my chest's still beating rapidly from all the fun before.
But I'm still sane enough to go back to my seat. My whole body is sweating. In a small attempt to cool myself down, I pull my collar repeatedly to fan myself. It helps a little, I guess. But I bet it's better if I just go home and then take this dress off.
"You need a drink?"
A sudden deep voice came uninvited from beside of me, almost making me jump from my stool.
Holy. Fuck. That's the hot DJ from before. What is he doing in front of me, holding a full bottle of water...?
"Uhm... Y-yeah, thank you." I managed to reply albeit sheepish. My hand takes the water from him, opening it and immediately gulps it down. Okay, this cold water helps calming me down in this sudden turn of events.
The DJ grins. He leans back by the bar with his elbows on top of it, looking at the people passing by as he waits for me to finish drinking. I can see his side profile from here, and I gotta say... His nose is so sharp and cute. It's like his defining feature. And that square jaw and small lips... Some beads of sweat forming on his visible forehead. Okay, wow, he's this handsome up close? Fuck. He's making me nervous.
"Is it fun staring at me?"
I spitted out my drink. God damn it.
"I-I'm not staring at you." I muttered, definitely not selling it.
"Whatever you say." He smirked. Dammit. His hand then takes the bottle I was holding. He doesn't hesitate to bring it to his lips, drinking the rest of the water to quench his thirst. His bopping adam apple manages to keep my focus on it, staring at him like an idiot. Again.
After he's done drinking it empty, Zuho crushes the plastic bottle and then puts it on the table behind him, letting the bartender does the job to pick it up. His attention goes back to me, looking down on me with his slanted eyes for the longest time tonight, holding me captive on my stool.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Zuho." He introduced himself whilst offering a handshake. "And you are?"
"I'm y/n. Nice to meet you too, mister DJ." I excitedly answered as I firmly shake that hand back. "You were amazing. I really like your songs." I added my compliments. He deserves it, I've always wanted to say that to him.
"Thanks, y/n. I already know you do, though. You always gave your all on the dance floor everytime I performed." He pointed out. His eyes seemingly glint in amusement.
Has he always paid that much attention on me? Amongst many people on there? Oh God this is embarrassing. Why do I feel so self-conscious!?
"Am I that obvious?" I laughed nervously, "I'm just one among many other drunktards who danced to your songs, why approach me?"
"Hm... I wonder?" He raised an eyebrow, teasing me with a vague answer, "Take a guess." He smiled as he looked down at me again, his head resting on his palm.
I'm starting to believe that it's definitely the alcohol's acting up in my veins. I somehow find the courage to act bold against his teasing.
"Am I cute?" I smirked. "My colored hair hooked your interest?" I twirled my hair around my fingers.
"Hahaha," The tall guy laughed, cute. What's up with his deep voice and cute laugh? You can't do this to me. "I can't deny that. You are pretty cute, and that color suits you." After shamelessly admitting that in front of me, he then shakes his head off to tell me that I'm wrong, "But that's not why, y/n."
"Then I have no idea." I quickly gave up. My curiosity gets the best of me.
Smiling for a while, he shifted his body to face me properly. I can see his face's feature even better, such as the hint of sympathy within his eyes. "I know your ex."
My eyes immediately widened in disbelieve. Did I hear that right?
"No way? Yoo Taeyang?"
"The girl he kept while he was dating you? She was my girlfriend."
"...What the fuck?"
"I know. Pretty fucked up, huh?" He chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief. "She didn't stay that long in my life, only 5 months. But still, getting cheated on sucks."
I'm speechless. I have that kind of connection with him? His girlfriend, I mean, EX-girlfriend, was the one who snatched Taeyang away from me? Or it's the other way around I don't fucking know. Doesn't fucking matter anymore. How could she leave this man behind? I mean, look at this guy. Zuho, a DJ, I bet he makes lotsa money. I've seen his name in many night club brochures. I bet his IG followers are at least 100k.
Me? Taeyang left me would make sense. I'm no one. A klutz. Doesn't have a stable job. Busy eating chips under my blanket, binge-watching shounen animes that have 100+ episodes. A year with me should've shown him plenty enough that I'm not the best woman out there.
"...How do you know me?" I questioned him. My throat feels dry from the tension despite of the water I just chugged down.
"I have my connections. Saw your IG since weeks ago," Zuho replies nonchalantly, "in your story I saw you hanging out here. I realized you're a usual patron of this club. It's a good coincidence to have because I'll lit this place up on weekends until next month."
"...So you've paid attention to me for some time now, huh?" I scoffed, amused with all the coincidence happening. At the same time, I'm happy to know someone who shares the same fate as me. "Well, should I order some drinks for both of us? To celebrate our failed love life?" I grinned, somehow finding a fraction of saving grace from his company here. Tonight might be different.
"Hm... I've had enough of my fair share in griefing. I'm more interested in something else."
"What's that?"
Suddenly, Zuho walks to my front, leaning down closely to my ear as his arm cages me by the bar. His face is so close on me that I could feel the heat that's radiating off his skin. I don't understand why he's doing this, but why can't I find the strength to fight him away?
"I know you've tried to drown your sadness away here. Either with the alcohol or dancing to my musics." He whispers lowly, giving me shudders down my spine. "How about I help you instead? As a fellow victim of those two."
Oh my God. Is this what I think it is...?
"What do you mean...?" I breathed out.
"You know what I mean, y/n." Even though I can't see his face, I know he's smirking again, "Your place or mine. Up to you."
Fuck me. I'm definitely sober to hear that clearly.
Also sober enough to make a choice.
"...Mine."
Fin.
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