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rays-of-fire-and-ice · 2 years

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You are the Snow

Hitsuhina Week 2022 - Day 1 : The First Snow / Garment

Rating: K+ / General

Setting: A month and a bit after Aizen’s defeat. Momo was in Twelfth Division for a month but two weeks ago was transferred to Fourth Division.

Synopsis: ‘It’s almost impossible to not be reminded of Toshiro when the first snow comes.’

AN: And so it begins! I have sort of tackled this idea already in The Snow at Dusk, but I wanted to try it again with something different (and more angsty and shmaltzy >:D). Actually, now that I think about it as I write this, you can think of this as a spiritual prequel to it. Also, I think they’re out of character here, but I still wanted to explore what would happen.

I was partly inspired by three things: 1) the title is a reference to the Endless Melancholy song ‘You Are the Moonlight’, 2) the basic idea for this one came from Fruits Basket, specifically Hatori’s monologue about Kana being ‘spring’ to him, and 3) the gif I included at the top.

If I had recommend any songs to listen to while reading this, it would be the song I mentioned above, but also the EP ‘Losing Today’ by The Living Sleep (it’s only four songs). For the latter, I would particularly recommend listening to it when Toshiro reads his own name (you'll know it when you see it).

Anyhow, hope you all enjoy this!

___________________________

Momo watches the first snow falls over the Seireitei form her window. It’s later than usual, normally happening sometime at the beginning of December – if it happens at all, as was the case for some years.

Those outside in the courtyard or leaving the Fourth Division stop for a moment to watch as well. Their breathes fog in the air, and despite the breeze that blows through, none shiver or are deterred to move. Most smile and appreciate the white specks that fall in lazy circles over them, others hold out their hands to catch a flake.

It’s almost impossible to not be reminded of Toshiro when the first snow comes.

The thought of him makes Momo press a hand to her chest, on top of her robe and the bandages secured over her wound. She knows the truth of what happened, but even so, she can’t stop the tightening sensation in her heart or the threat of tears in her eyes. She’d often hesitated to think about him, but with the snow falling, she can’t stop.

She remembers the horror in his eyes before she’d lost consciousness, it’s a moment that has stuck with her since waking up. It’s in remembering that, and in knowing that he’s always been critical of himself, that she is sure everything that happened is tearing at him. He’d likely blame himself for the whole thing, maybe even seek forgiveness when it is not needed.

A part of her wants to comfort him, to reassure him that everything is all right – especially since it will be his birthday tomorrow and this will be one of those years where she cannot celebrate with him – but it’s too much. She holds no ill-will or fear towards him, but the memories are still too raw, still too vivid. The cold of Hyourinmaru piercing through her chest, she can still feel an echo it in her wound.

What had happened between them, it's like a monolith, towering and unmovable, something that will always be with them going forward.

She isn’t ready to see him, but she can’t leave things as they are either. What can she do?

She tries to dismiss the thoughts, growing weary from focusing on them. She must rest now, and think of something she can do later. Rangiku is coming to visit her today, maybe she can discuss it with her.

Except now she can’t stop thinking that he is no longer the boy she grew up with may not be the same anymore, and neither will she.

But it’s in turning to go back to her bed that she glances at the sketchbook and novels piled up on her bedside table. As she sits on her bed, it occurs to her that she still likes to read and draw. Despite what she must still deal with, her reality was nothing but a fiction for decades in many regards, some things had not changed. Some things had been real and came to her long before she was a Shinigami, like her love for reading and drawing. By extension then, so were her friendships with those who had gifted her these books when they came to visit.

She shifts her gaze back to the snow. Her childhood friend was always in his element when winter came, even before he became a Shinigami. She remembers many winters in the Junrinan with him. He always seemed comfortable with the weather at that time, walking out with fewer layers on than most Souls, content to sit high one tree branches while it snowed, never slipping on ice or snow, and never bothered by how cold his hands got.

They aren’t the same, but some parts of them, so fundamental that they do not yield to change, will remain the unchanged. For as long as she has known him, he has been self-critical, cold, stubborn, kind, and loyal to the bitter end. For as long as she has known him, he is like the snow.

The idea that comes to mind makes her take up her sketchbook and pencil set and go back to the chair by the window. For the next hour she sketches, only pausing to look out the window, swap one pencil for another, or eraser a line. While she draws, she doesn’t focus on the tightness in her chest, or the fear that things are different now. There is only the snow and the thought of wanting to comfort him, of knowing who he is at his core.

She finishes by writing the ‘title’ of the sketch and tearing it out of the book. But now that her fervor is fading as she folds the drawing in half, she wonders if she should really give this to him. It is everything she wants to tell him that she can’t put into words, but will he understand or even remember? Will he take this as a sign to come visit her when she wasn’t ready?

By the time Rangiku appears half an hour later, she still isn’t sure.

__________________________________

“Happy birthday, Captain!”

Toshiro blinks at his desk, bewildered. Rather than respond to Rangiku’s birthday wishes, he asks, “Where did all the paperwork go?”

“Huh?! You didn’t even notice?!” she half shouts.

He whirls around, but what he sees only makes him more puzzled. “What’s it doing with you?”

Rangiku thumps a hand on her desk. “Is that how you think of me?! I do a lot for this division, you know!” She huffs. “And here I thought this would make a good birthday present.”

“…You completing all the paperwork is a birthday present?”

“I mean, you always do so much of it, the least I can do is complete every report stacked here on your birthday.”

“Or you could do half of it every day like you’re supposed to,” he says under his breath.

“What was that?”

“Nothing.” Still, that fact she was willing to complete a stack as tall as this one for the day; even if she didn’t get all the way through it, it’ll be a big help. “Thank you, Matsumoto.”

She smirks. “I expected a bit more graciousness, but you’re most welcome!”

He rolls his eyes. “I only came here to make a start on the reports, but that isn’t happening now.”

Rangiku pulls out her inkwell and writing brush from the drawer. Now that she’d announced her birthday gift, most of the cheeriness had left, but there’s still a small smile. “I’m guessing you’ll be going to train, then?”

He nods. She opens her mouth, as if to say something, but stops herself.

He chooses to ignore it; whatever it is, chances are she’ll tell him later. “I’ll be back before sunset.”

Thinking they’re done, he goes to leave the office. However, just as he reaches for the door handles, the scrape of her chair gives him pause.

“Sir.”

The hesitation in her voice make him turn back around. “What?”

She looks down pensively at her desk. Her shoulders rise with a large breath in, and after they fall, she speaks, “I went to visit Hinamori yesterday.”

The familiar vice around his heart emerges. He doesn’t dare speak, fearing his voice will give away what he truly feels, so he waits.

“I didn’t tell you sooner because of how late you came back to the division yesterday,” Rangiku continues. She offers that small smile again, but her eyes remain thoughtful. “She’s doing well, all things considered. Her wounds are almost completely healed She asked about you, and I told her you were focused on training.”

The rest is up to you, is the implication he takes from her tone of voice. He starts to thank her and plans to rush off, trying to use this update as fuel for his training, but then she digs her hand into her sleeve.

She pulls out a folded piece of paper. Her expression is soft with sympathy. “She…She also wanted you to have this.”

His heart thuds against his chest. Swallowing to steady his voice, he asks, “What is it?”

“It’s addressed to you, so I don’t know.” As if realizing he is stuck in place, Rangiku rounds her desk and slowly approaches him, as if one wrong move would set off something. “The truth is, she wasn’t sure about giving this to you, but after our chat, she went ahead with it." She holds it out to him. "She said you don’t have to look at it now, but that…she’d appreciate if you took it.”

If only she knew what those last six words did to him; now he has no choice. His hand floats out and takes the paper, and sure enough, her writing is on one of the folds: ‘To Hitsugaya Toshiro’.

He doesn’t look up from his name as Rangiku admits, “I wasn’t sure if I should give this to you now, but it didn’t feel right to have it one me for much longer.”

“I understand.” He summons what strength he has left to look her in the eye without an ounce of the emotions clawing at him. “Thank you, Matsumoto.”

The moment she nods back, he opens the door and walks out into the snowy day. When he goes around the corner, he bolts for his room. He’ll leave her sketch there and go to training. He repeats this decision over and over in his mind like an order to himself.

But then he gets to his quarters, and suddenly he can’t do it. No, for all his fear of facing without any progress being made to improve his bankai, he’s greatest fear is that she never wanted to speak or see him again. He’s been wanting a sign that she doesn’t hate him, and what he holds in his hands will tell him.

He cringes at his own weakness. He’d thought it didn’t matter whether or not she’d hate him, because he would commit to better protecting her no matter what, even it meant he could only do it from afar. But even then, some part of him knew she wouldn’t hate him, not when she has been his friend for decades.

He can’t leave his room until he knows what is on this paper, and so he unfolds it. More of her writing is on another fold: ‘Before we see each other again, please remember this.’

At first, he frowns at the rough sketch of a courtyard from the Fourth Division dusted in snow. It takes up most of the paper and is not up to her usual skill level, but even when out of practice she manages to draw so well. He can make out the bare Sakura tree, the individual plants dotted around the grassy areas, and a few Shinigami in the distance looking up at the falling snow. Why would she want him to remember a courtyard?

But then his breath catches in his throat when he reads the title below the drawing.

‘You are the snow’

“What?”

“Well, more accurately, you’re like the snow.”

“Is that meant to be an insult?”

“Wha?! No, of course not!”

“Then don’t say something so dumb.”

“It’s not dumb! I meant that you’re, uh…it’s hard to explain, but…snow is cold, but it’s also soft. It can be fun to watch or walk through or have snowball fights with it. If you melt it, it becomes water, which we need.

"And the snow can bring people together under the same roof, and then when it melts, it becomes spring, and the flowers come back. I think some people get too caught up in how cold it is, when really there’s other qualities it has…It’s not that bad.”

He lets out a choked gasp, almost losing the ability to breathe. That was several decades ago, when they were much younger. He had almost forgotten about it, but a part of him had obviously clung to it somewhere in the back of his mind. The part of him that kept memories of things he didn’t understand when he was a child.

He didn't understand her words, had dismissed them by claiming she was getting hypothermia from standing out in the cold for too long. He'd tried to ignore the sad smile she gave him afterwards as they walked back into the Junrinan, and now he can't get it out of his head.

Why did she have to be so cryptic? She only ever gets like this when she is lost for words, when she struggles to describe something. What is she trying to tell him?

That she still sees him as a child? That they haven’t changed? Surely she had to know things can’t be the same, that they are not the same as they were before. There are parts of him that haven’t changed, still as cold and unapproachable as…

Before we see each other again, please remember this.

No, if he so dared believed…

He holds the drawing tighter and bows his head. Why?

Back then, when she had told him he was like the snow, she was trying to make him see himself differently, to show him why she considered him a friend without outright saying it. She did what she always does: she sees the good in someone, casts the qualities in them in a new light. She believes in them, from the bottom of her heart, and she thought of him before herself.

How did she still believe in him? Why was she trying comfort him? He didn’t deserve it, not after what he did; but she thought he did anyway. And she even thought they would see each other some time. There isn’t a doubt in her, about him or about seeing him again.

He’s been focused on becoming stronger before he can see her, and that has not changed; but to know she would one day want to see him, and that she hoped for the same, that she had reached out to him like this, it brings with it a rush of relief.

The vice in his heart loosens a fraction, and he can breathe again.

____________________________________

It’s a week later when she receives the book from Rangiku and Nanao. The novel itself hadn’t been the first thing she’d noticed though; it was the fabric bookmark that peeked out one end. Rangiku said she'd 'helped pick it out' but nothing more on it. A few minutes after they left, Momo pulled it out of the pages it was wedged between.

She inspects it now, turning it over in her hands with a smile. She’ll have to ask Rangiku when she next visits, but she’s certain it’s meant to be from Toshiro. Because on one side is a branch of sakura, and on the other is more spring flowers.

#hitsuhina #hitsuhina week #toshiro hitsugaya #momo hinamori #rangiku matsumoto #fluff and sappiness #angst #fanfiction #bleach #the shmaltz is real with this one

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gingerpeachtae · 5 years

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FUNKYfriday! • The Real - N.Flying

^^^ Seunghyub you have my whole goddamn HEART

#LISTEN TO THEM #ESPECIALLY their Spring Memories EP #DO IT #if you like Day6. The Rose. or Onewe you NEED to check them out okay?#FUNKYfriday #n.flying #n.fia #nflying #nfia #n.flying seunghyub #lee seunghyub #n.flying hun #cha hoon #n.flying jaehyun #kim jaehyun #n.flying hweseung #yoo hoeseung

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dailytomlinson · 3 years

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The Away From Home festival that occurred over the bank holiday weekend was the first time One Direction veteran Louis Tomlinson had performed in front of a live audience since his debut solo tour was cut short in Spring 2020. Despite being the last of his band to embark on their solo careers, Tomlinson’s endeavours, including a stint as a judge on the X-Factor and a record-breaking charity livestream, have had remarkable success.

Almost two years since the release of his debut album Walls, headlining his own one-day festival event was a ballsy one, especially given that tickets were entirely free and given out on a lottery basis. I was lucky enough to receive tickets for myself and a plus one, and on that drizzly Monday afternoon, set off to the Crystal Palace Bowl for the event.

The South London venue affectionately nicknamed the ‘Rusty Laptop’ sits on a grassy knoll whose natural topography allows all, big or small, to see the stage in perfect clarity. It had hosted the likes of Bob Marley, Pink Floyd and Garden Party festivals in its heyday, and was revived by the City Council this year in an attempt to bring the venue to its former glory. With bars and food trucks lining the perimeter, small groups settling onto warm blankets on the soft grass, and fans with country and pride flags flocking to the front of the stage, all before the sun had begun to dip below the horizon- the atmosphere was electric.

According to Tomlinson, the festival had been in the works for the better part of the year. Not only did he commit to it being as affordable as possible for his fans, he also took the opportunity to spotlight British talent. The first live act to take to the stage was Essex natives BILK. Formed in 2015, the trio boasts rambling rap vocals to pop-punk riffs that make the mundane amusing. ‘CM2’ pays homage to their postcode, where ‘When boredom comes / It sticks like glue.’ Other songs on the setlist such as ‘Weed Song’ and ‘I Got Knocked out the Same Night England Did’ are quite self-explanatory. The band has a devil-may-care indie feel that envelops the crowd into the ambient angst of small-town England. BILK is going on a UK tour and has a new EP ALLOW IT out now.

In the lulls between acts, DJ Jess Iszatt played songs by artists such as Sam Fender, MGMT and Kaiser Chiefs, and of course crowd favourites like ‘Mr Brightside’ and ‘Wonderwall.’

The Snuts are an indie rock band hailing from West Lothian who had a stacked agenda this past month, playing at various festivals including Reading, Leeds, and Away From Home. Their sound is resonant in a way that makes your heart thump to the beat and body sway to the melody, made to be enjoyed live. Time and place are heavily referenced in their music and give it an aura of nostalgia and longing- in ‘Glasgow’ the chorus soars with ‘Jump on my back / And I will take you home / I’ll always love the way that you say Glasgow.’ This seems to be the common thread theme between all the artists’ performances- childhood, youth, home- the festival is named Away From Home after all. The Snuts’ debut album W.L. is out now.

Finally, when the sun is well and truly hidden, Tomlinson emerges to flashing lights to a drum-heavy rendition of his single ‘We Made It.’ A fitting opener- he has made it. ‘Underestimated / And always underrated’ no more, Tomlinson lit up the stage, confidence rolling off him in spades. ‘Drag Me Down’ was one of his few One Direction covers of the night, delivered with a gusto that comes from years of performing and a stage presence that makes clear that he is the star of the show.

He paid tribute to his late mother in ‘Two Of Us’, the audience lighting up the glade with torch lights. Tomlinson travelled closer to the audience for the more sombre numbers, including fan favourite ‘Only the Brave,’ queer fans waving pride flags to ‘It’s a church of burnt romances / And I’m too far gone to pray.’ ‘Fearless’ in particular was a cathartic embodiment of arena rock and allowed Tomlinson’s guitarist to show off his chops.

The production design really shone in ‘Copy of a Copy of a Copy,’ where black and white duplicates of the stage were projected instead in reference to the song, which itself debuted in his streaming event Live In London in December 2020. Tomlinson’s signature emotive vocals lament that ‘You won’t be the first or be the last to bleed,’ seeming to speak to younger self as a cog in the industry machine.

After throwing it back with a rockier version of his debut single ‘Just Hold On,’ Tomlinson remarked on getting to play a new song to an audience before launching into the never-before-heard ‘Change.’ The song draws parallels to many of his previous works, simple yet evocative lyrics that draw on an intangible sense of homesickness. The heavy use of minor-key plucks at your heartstrings, the hush of the crowd emphasising the hollow feeling of ‘Everything’s changed outside / But I feel the same inside’. As always, Tomlinson injects a positive spin with ‘If you need you can call on me / I’ll be the friend you need’. To fans’ delight, Tomlinson confirmed it and ‘Copy of a Copy of a Copy’’s place on his sophomore album.

His Kings of Leon Cover ‘Beautiful War’ was a moment of reprieve that let the audience appreciate his no-frills vocals. ‘For every question why / You were my because’ from his album’s title single ‘Walls’ had become an ask-and-answer bonding moment for Tomlinson and his fans over previous live performances and this time was no different. He did not let up on his affection at any point during his set, at one point exclaiming ‘I just f***ing love all of you. I love you. I love you.’ ‘Through The Dark,’ an underrated gem from One Direction’s Midnight Memories is given new life, Tomlinson declaring that ‘you guys make me feel f***ing invincible.’ The upbeat ‘Kill My Mind’ makes for an explosive finale complete with fireworks and confetti streamers.

Leaving Crystal Palace Bowl singing along to ‘Sweet Caroline,’ I felt a surge of love and community. For the performers, the crew, the caterers, my fellow attendees – the exact feeling you want after a festival before the eventual crash of realising you will never experience something quite the same again. The Away From Home Festival made me feel right at home. Like Tomlinson said at the show, ‘all I feel is excited about what’s to come.’

#redbrick music #louis tomlinson #press #170921

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orsuliya · 3 years

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What’s your headcanon on XQ and Awu first night after they reunited, do you think it goes hot ripping apart clothes of each other or soft tender love making ? Do u see Awu checking every new scars XQ had after ep.50 and maybe kiss all the boo-boo away ?

YES.

It is most unfortunate that the world does not stop even for the most dramatic of reunions. It certainly doesn’t do so for Awu and Xiao Qi, however dearly they might have wished for a moment to simply be, to breathe, to count treasured heartbeats and rediscover the meaning of safety in each other’s arms. Alas! Once inside the fortress, they both get swept into a whirlwind of pressing matters and urgent concerns. Someone has to take care of dispossessed civilians, someone has to instill a sense of purpose into his men, someone has to reassure the children, someone has to think of a plan on what to do next; the list of tasks to be done is never-ending. Even reorienting themselves in this new political reality – and much has changed in Cheng during their absence – takes time and energy both, especially as it turns out that the land they’ve finally stepped onto after long months of drifting in limbo might be less of a land and more of a quagmire.

Awu manages to complete her self-appointed duties first and experiences a moment of stark realization when it comes to her that until now she has never actually seen her husband’s bedroom in the closest thing he has to a real home. It’s startling to say the least, but our Awu is not a woman who would allow herself to wallow over lost opportunities; she throws off any vestiges of encroaching fugue and orders the maids – in a perfectly even voice, thank you – to lay out the bed and fill a bathtub, if there is one to be found anywhere in the whole province, that is. And you know what, there actually is one! Right there in Xiao Qi’s rooms and equal to any of those found in the capital. This causes some amount of confusion, but the maids are quick to explain that Dawang had ordered it right before he went to war against Prince Jianning. They also explain something that Awu hasn’t even wondered about – although Xiao Qi will, later on – namely how come the new commander hasn’t taken those rooms for himself. That one is actually easy: Tang Jing never moved in, thinking it a futile point with Dawang still alive somewhere out there and the new commander mistook Tang Jing’s bedroom for the lord’s, nobody finding it necessary to disabuse him of this notion.

As the maids flitter around, carrying out their lady’s commands, she pulls one of them aside to help her with all those tight Hulan braids. Hulan things and especially Hulan memories should stay in Hulan, you know. What about the dress, you’ll ask. Don’t worry, that blasted piece of wedding couture will get its due!

Xiao Qi was planning to take a moment to himself, perhaps change his clothes – should any of his things still be lying around - and then go join his wife. What he was definitely not expecting was to find his rooms full of laughter and light, his bright-eyed princess presiding over the commotion with her unbraided hair in a storm of tiny waves. If he was a lesser man, he would have needed to lean against the wall; and perhaps there is a reason why he puts his palm on a doorframe as he takes in the view, feeling the tension of the last six months drain from him with every passing second.

Let’s establish one thing: Ningshuo is home to some very astute maids. The moment the Princess notices the Prince, they make quick work of their remaining tasks and slither out in the most discreet manner possible. Which they needn’t have bothered with, because it’s not like either of the Yuzhangs would have minded… or even noticed.

It’s been the longest six months imaginable and perhaps there are words that need to be said, but some things matter more than words. The moment Awu moves, meaning to go to her husband, Xiao Qi springs into action, catching her hands in mid-air and pulling her up, up, but most importantly close to himself. He would be perfectly content just standing there with his lips pressed to the crown of her head and perhaps her crinkled hair smells nothing like the perfumed oils she used in the capital, but how could he mind that when she’s right in his arms, breathing, trembling and wondrously, miraculously alive. It’s Awu who moves away – which may or may not tear a quiet whine of protest from her husband’s throat – but she doesn’t go far; only as far as she needs to reach up and cradle Xiao Qi’s face in her narrow palms, slender fingers moving in tender exploration over those beloved features, reaffirming what she had already known. This is her husband, her mate in life and death, back in her arms once more. The grave cannot have him, nobody can but her! Every single laughter-line in the corner of his dark eyes, the painfully sharpened slope of his cheekbone, even this new beard of his – and that shall require careful examination, but later, later! - all of this is hers and only hers.

Soon she deems touch is not enough and goes in for a taste, the first touch of her lips breaking him out of his self-imposed stillness. There are hungry lips, teeth and tongues, shared breaths and perhaps a salty tear, nobody knows whose, desperate hands seeking anchor in loose hair and beneath it all an ember of passion suddenly bursts into an unquenchable flame.

Now, you need to remember one thing: Xiao Qi is a well-trained husband, one who never forgets a lesson his wife teaches him and once upon a time she taught him a lesson alright! A lesson on how, no matter the urgency, damaging her clothes in entirely out of question and it’s become so ingrained into him that he still refrains from taking any radical actions even now, when the unfamiliarity and unexpected complexity of her clothing poses a certain problem. Awu, getting progressively more frustrated over every second she has to spend entangled in fabric – Hulan fabric no less! - instead of her husband’s arms, tries to take the matters into her own hands. When that fails and how could it not, what with her so very distracted, she swiftly moves to plan B. At first Xiao Qi is not certain he heard her right as “Tear it off me!” is not something he’s ever heard from his wife, much less in such an insistent tone. It’s only after she assures him that she doesn’t mind, no, not at all, rip it to shreds for all that she cares, that he makes quick work of those confusing overlayers. Incidentally, come morning he will pick this tortured garment up from the floor, as if admiring his handiwork, and look askance at his half-conscious spouse, who will then mumble something about dreaming of destroying the blasted thing herself. It might or might not end up as a pile of ashes, who knows.

Awu shrugs off her top and then, as befits a great believer in marital equality, finds it only right to dive right beneath Xiao Qi’s hanfu with her increasingly insistent hands and itching fingers. Kissing is all good and well, but during the course of their marriage she has discovered many things, one of them being that skinship is even better. What Awu wants, Awu gets. And so in quick order they’re pressed against each other, bare skin to bare skin, so close that one could hardly fit a blade between their joined bodies.

And just like that, in a space between two breaths, Awu suddenly freezes, heart hammering wildly in her chest as her roaming hands still on Xiao Qi’s back. See, there are many things in which Princess Yuzhang takes pride: her birth, her name, her deeds, her husband and her household, but there is one particular point of pride she delights in most of all and that is her secret knowledge of Xiao Qi’s body. She has made a detailed study of every single mark on her husband’s skin, she had her fingers and lips on every single of his scars, she knows their stories, both those told in whispers late into the night and those shared amidst bouts of laughter, but here, beneath her hands are two scars she knows not. Even a fool could tell how close those wounds came to ending his life and Awu is no fool. It’s not like she didn’t expect it, exactly. After all there must have been a reason why he didn’t come for her for six whole months and there was no way he would have escaped unscathed from a battlefield that claimed so many of his dearest comrades. And yet…

And yet this is the straw that breaks her. After six months of being the bravest woman under the sun, of keeping her back unbent and head unbowed even as her heart kept bleeding into the dust of unfamiliar land, she finally cries. It’s not pretty. It’s not dignified. It’s ugly crying at its finest, the kind of crying when your every vein trembles uncontrollably and you throat clenches in pain as if encircled by a garrote of thorns. And so they stand there like two perfect fools, half-naked and crying. At first Xiao Qi tries to dam Awu’s tears in any way he knows how, with a gentle swipe of thumb, with soothing lips and words of love, yet nothing works and then, as the first inhuman wail tears free from her mouth, he breaks as well, unable to do anything but to clutch her desperately, his own hot tears soaking into her dark tresses.

When they calm down – and how could they not, finally together and safe in the heart of Ningshuo – there is little left from their previous fiery lust except for the smallest steady flame, safely banked behind an overwhelming tenderness of heart. Ever so gentle, they finish stripping each other and finally enter that bathtub, big enough for two. Limbs and hair get washed, fears soothed and scars most diligently inspected… before Xiao Qi experiences a startling realization of his own. Just as Awu knows his body in the smallest detail, he knows hers. It’s a husband’s right, nay, a husband’s duty to measure the swell of his wife’s breasts with his palms, to follow the slope of her belly with inquisitive lips and be ever mindful of the delicate skin on the inside of her thighs. Now this hard-won knowledge is like a knife to the heart as it allows him to read the story of those six long months from her body loud and clear; all that stress, fear and grief suddenly made tangible in the alarmingly sharp jut of her clavicles. He hates how fragile she feels in his arms, even as he loves feeling her in his arms at all. A stray impulse makes him try to turn it into a joke about her Aunt’s imminent anger. It doesn’t work, he’s way too emotional for that and so is she, but it disperses the silence, dislodging the last remains of tension born of old, ever-present fear.

There is no more silence as – after some very perfunctory towelling off – he carries her to bed, her too-thin thighs wrapped around his waist. The Princess can be very demanding when she chooses to be and right now she chooses to be very demanding indeed. So demanding that she’s not content to simply wait for her husband to join her in bed, oh no. Her shoulder-blades barely touch the linens before she rises back up on her knees and pulls Xiao Qi down to a sitting position. From there it takes only one expertly executed maneuver to straddle his knees; a god of war or not, he never stood a chance when faced with an opponent this determined.

It’s not like he minds following her orders, he never has, and certainly not when she communicates them in a series of delicious, breathy moans, stopping only to express her displeasure the moment he tries to unwind his arms from around her slender form. She needs to be held, dammit, and she will be held, and she will hold him in turn, never, ever letting him go again, that’s the command of Princess Yuzhang! Any other time he might have smiled at her commanding tone, but not now, not when it’s so deadly serious and when he would like nothing better than to comply and keep complying to the end of his days. Yet he knows his wife as only a husband who keeps to one bed can and there is no way she will be satisfied with simply rubbing off against him, especially when she still hasn’t come once and when in a night this heavy with tension she can easily get off two or three times more.

Awu cries out in protest when Xiao Qi bucks underneath her, somehow turning them around without ever letting her out of his arms and then presses her down onto the bed, effectively trapping her with his weight. She cries out again – for a very different reason – once he gets his hand between her invitingly open legs. But he’s not after her cries, oh no, he’s a much more discerning hunter than that. What he’s chasing are those gentle keens she tends to let out once she’s close to the edge but not yet on it. This time his fingers can’t quite do the trick fast enough for his liking; it’s not an exact science, pulling sweet whimpers out of your wife’s lovely lips, more of an art.

Even Awu can’t exactly protest – not that she doesn’t try – when her husband slithers down her body, much less when he gets his head between her thighs. She still holds him tight, just in case, only this time it’s by his hair. She can, however, protest, when in the aftermath he tries to take himself in hand, head pillowed on the inside of her knee – and isn’t it a marvel how good that beard feels on her skin? He’s hers, thank you very much, so she’ll take responsibility. Which she then proceeds to do to great effect and mutual satisfaction.

If after lying and breathing together for a few minutes he detects the tiniest shiver in her countenance, well, what are those handy white sleeping robes for. Surely, she won’t begrudge him a moment of separation, if it’s for the sake of her health. She does, by the way, she absolutely does and the frown that makes guest on her beautiful face never quite goes away as they resume their embrace, wordly concerns entering their bedchamber against their will. It’s been the longest six months imaginable, not only for them, but for the country as well, and there are words that need to be said.

Once all the necessary words are said, pressing matters of national importance dealt with, promises made and fears assuaged, there is little that will stop Awu from trying to chase away the shadow lying between Xiao Qi’s brows with determined, yet soft lips; and even less that would ban her from taking her due as Princess Yuzhang until the very dawn.

#ask and answer #the rebel princess #monarch industry #Awu and XQ headcanon time #so I wrote that oh dear oh dear #not sure how coherent it actually is #coherence was not my first concern as you might imagine #that dress needed to die #and this way it dies for a good cause #episode 60

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sinceileftyoublog · 3 years

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30 (Technically 34) Albums We Loved That Happened To Come Out in 2020

So much has already been said and written about this cursed past year, but a few good things came out of it, including the music. Album-wise, like many before it and many to come, it was an embarrassment of riches. But even with so much time on our hands to devour new tunes, it was often old favorites, songs of comfort or familiarity that garnered the heaviest rotation. For many artists, too, it was a year ripe for revisiting or reissues of old material, looking at existing songs with fresh and new perspectives. Simply put, with so much to listen to, new and old, the prospect of ranking a finite number of albums felt not only daunting, but frankly a bit stupid. Maybe we were late to the game, but 2020 taught us that music should and can be appreciated in multiple contexts, not limited to but including when it first came out and when it was heard again and again, even if years later. The records below--listed in alphabetical order--happened to be released in some form in 2020, whether never-before-heard or heard before but in a different format. And the only thing I know is that we’ll be listening to them in 2021 and beyond.

Autechre - SIGN & PLUS (Warp)

The legendary British electronic music duo surprise released SIGN a mere month and a half after its announcement and then PLUS 12 days later. The former was a beatific collection of soundscapes that belied the band’s usual harsh noise, while PLUS embraced that noise right back, drawing you in with the clattering chaotic burbles of opener “DekDre Scap B” and lurching forward. -Jordan Mainzer

Against All Logic - 2017-2019 (Other People)

The perennially chill ambient house artist Nicolas Jaar had a busy 2020, as usual, releasing two albums under his name, Cenizas and Telas. But it was 2017-2019, the follow-up to the debut album from his Against All Logic moniker, that came first and throughout the year helped to illustrate Jaar’s penchant for combining inspired samples with club beats and tape hiss. Take the way the lovelorn vocals of “Fantasy” or soulful coos of “If Loving You Is Wrong” war skittering, scratchy percussion and cool arpeggios, respectively: Jaar is coming into his own as a masterful producer almost a decade after he released his first full-length. Oh, and bonus points for including none other than Lydia Lunch on a banger so blunt it would make Death Grips blush. - JM

Bartees Strange - Live Forever (Memory Music)

Like many, my introduction to Bartees Strange was through Say Goodbye to Pretty Boy, his EP of The National covers. Creativity and shifting perspectives shine through each song’s reimaging, like flipping the coarse, almost manic “Mr. November” into something softer, more meditative. It felt like a mere peek into what was to come on Live Forever. Bartees Strange is a world-builder. Each track on his debut unfolds and welcomes you to a wildly engaging tableau, a fully constructed vision. “Jealousy” opens with soft vocals and birdsong. “In a Cab” is the slick soundtrack to racing through a cityscape in the rain, seeing the blurred lights of the high-rises above as you pass by. “Kelly Rowland” warps wistful pop song feelings. “Flagey God” takes you into a dark, pulsing club while only a few songs later, “Fallen For You” wraps you in echoed vocals and romantic, raw acoustic guitar.

It’s an accomplishment to craft an album of individual songs that stand strongly on their own but still feel cohesive. 2020 wasn’t all bad. It gave us Live Forever, a declaration of an artist’s arrival. - Lauren Lederman

Charli XCX - how i’m feeling now (Atlantic)

Back in the spring, many of us wondered who would put out something great in 2020’s quarantine. It was hard to imagine that the intensity of a global pandemic would really allow for artists to embrace creativity. That thought carries the same eye-roll inducing feeling of “We’ll get some great punk music out of a Trump presidency,” but of course, Charli XCX delivered. Through live workshops with fans and longstanding collaborators, she delivered songs to dance alone to in your bubble. Charli embraces the unknown of the moment but clutches onto what’s familiar. Under the glitch-pop veneer of the album, she digs into the anxieties of not just this moment of time but of the bigger questions we all confront: trajectories of relationships with friends, romantic partners, ourselves. Album standouts “forever” and “i finally understand” embrace that feeling of both looking for control and accepting the lack of it. Charli is a master at balancing this. - LL

Christine and the Queens - La Vita Nuova (Because Music)

Named after a Latin text by Dante Alighieri about missing a woman who has died, Chris’ La Vita Nuova is not about mourning a death but instead about loneliness and isolation, post-relationship or otherwise. It doesn’t bang quite like her previous two albums, but it hits harder than ever.

Read our full review here.

Dogleg - Melee (Triple Crown)

Released on March 13th, right as the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Melee was supposed to be supported by three cancelled tours–SXSW, an opening slot for Microwave, and an opening slot for Joyce Manor–and an appearance at this year’s cancelled Pitchfork Music Festival. Listening to the songs on the record, you can only imagine how they translate: the jerky momentum of “Bueno”, build-up of “Prom Hell”, gang vocals of “Fox”, clear-vocal anthem of “Wrist”, and odd groove of “Ender”.

Read “Buckle Up, Motherfucker”, our interview with Dogleg.

Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia & Dua Lipa/The Blessed Madonna: Club Future Nostalgia (Warner)

Where Dua Lipa’s much-anticipated second album Future Nostalgia succeeded was in its disco anthems and retro, club-ready beats, so who better to bring out the best of the record than The Blessed Madonna? The turntablist masterfully curates a mix of heavy hitters of the charts and the underground that not only offers an essential complement to Future Nostalgia but transcends it. Sending the tracks out to various producers and singers for features and then adding her own samples on top, she invites you to peel back the layers, enter a YouTube rabbit hole of sample searching as much as bopping along.

Read our full review here.

Emma Ruth Rundle & Thou - May Our Chambers Be Full (Sacred Bones)

Roadburn Festival has long been on my bucket list, and since the pandemic showed me how much live music can be taken away in a flash, when it’s safe again to travel and go to a festival, I may just pull the trigger and go--especially considering it’s the springboard for such fruitful and inspired collaborations as the one between Louisville singer-songwriter Emma Ruth Rundle and Baton Rouge sludge dwellers Thou. Rundle embraces the heavier opportunities on the follow-up to her incredible 2018 record On Dark Horses with the ever-flexible Thou backing her up vocally and instrumentally. Slow-burning opener “Killing Floor” offers a familiar introduction to fans of both--sort of what a Rundle/Thou song would sound like--before grunge chugger “Monolith” introduces huge, catchy riffs and “Out of Existence” a True Widow-esque dirge, newfound inspirations for both artists bringing the best out of each other. - JM

Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters (Epic)

What makes Fetch the Bolt Cutters stand out among Apple’s catalog and music in general is the clarity with which Apple seethes at those who have wronged her, whether ex-boyfriends or patriarchal oppressors, and looks to her relationships with other women for peace of mind.

Read our full review here.

HAIM - Women in Music Pt. III (Columbia)

For HAIM, the title Women in Music Pt. III is suggestive that, more than their previous two records, their third centers around the experiences of being an all-female band in a historically white cis male-dominated scene, at least one that wouldn’t call catchy riffs written by a man “simple” or call attention to the faces a man makes while playing. What it doesn’t let on to is how deeply personal the record is, how, by unabashedly embracing genres and styles of music that they love, HAIM have made far and away their best album. Co-produced by the usual suspects, Danielle Haim, Ariel Rechtshaid, and ex-Vampire Weekender Rostam Batmanglij, it’s instrumentally and aesthetically dynamic and diverse, consistently earnest without devolving into cheese.

Read our full review here.

Irreversible Entanglements - Who Sent You? (International Anthem)

I’ve been captivated by Irreversible Entanglements ever since I first saw them at Pitchfork Music Festival 2018. The radical poetry of Camae Ayewa (aka Moor Mother) is the perfect front for a ramshackle mix of Luke Stewart’s spidery bass, Tcheser Holmes’ weighty drums, and a horn section that concocts tones that range from hopeful to desperate. At their best, Who Sent You? is a shining example of celebratory Afrofuturism and metaphysics that makes the urgency of Ayewa’s more concrete and political words all the more necessary. “No Más”, composed by Panamanian-born trumpeter Aquiles Navarro, is a declaration against imperialist oppression, while the stunning title track flips the switch like a Kara Walker painting, as Ayewa’s the one interrogating the police officer terrorizing her community. “Who sent you?” she repeats, never spiraling, grabbing a hold of the power and never letting go. - JM

Jeff Parker - Suite for Max Brown (International Anthem/Nonesuch)

It’s Jeff Parker’s mom’s turn. After 2016′s The New Breed ended up being a tribute to the guitarist’s father, who passed away during the making of it, Parker decided to pay tribute to Maxine while she was still alive. Suite for Max Brown (Brown is his mother’s maiden name; Max is what people call her) is a genre-bending collection of tracks inspired by Parker’s DJing, juxtapositions of sequenced beats with improvisation that certainly sound like the brainchild of one individual. Indeed, Parker plays the majority of the instruments on it and engineered most of it at home or during his 2018 Headlands Center residency in Sausalito, CA; though all of the players and the vocalist (Jeff’s daughter Ruby Parker) on The New Breed show up, plus a couple trumpeters (piccolo player Rob Mazurek and Nate Walcott of Bright Eyes) and cellist Katinka Kleijn, Suite for Max Brown is a distinctly Jeff Parker record.

Read our preview of Jeff Parker & The New Breed’s set at Dorian’s last year.

Jeff Rosenstock - NO DREAM (Polyvinyl)

Jeff Rosenstock throws us right into the spinning, manic energy of NO DREAM, his latest release from a seemingly endless well of music that never lacks urgency. It’s a reminder that though it’s been a strange year, the issues Rosenstock tackles here aren’t new. There’s no interest in making you feel comfortable here. On the album’s title track, Rosenstock sings, lulling you into a false sense of security, “They were separating families carelessly / Under the guise of protecting you and me.” But reality sets in, and the hazy guitars spin out as he spits, “It’s not a dream!” and, “Fuck violence!”

My image of Jeff Rosenstock in the year 2020 is masked up with “Black Lives Matter” scrawled across the fabric of his mask in Sharpie, performing album highlight “Scram!” on Late Night with Seth Meyers as high energy as ever. It felt like watching someone send out a beacon, both a distress signal and a call to arms. - LL

Jessie Ware - What’s Your Pleasure? (PMR/Friends Keep Secrets/Interscope)

I am not someone who goes to clubs. I don’t “go out dancing,” preferring to let loose in the privacy of my own home or a trusted friend’s house party. But Jessie Ware’s What’s Your Pleasure? makes me think I could embrace a night out like that, once the world opens up again, of course. The album is filled with syncopated disco beats that feel fresh and classic all at once. The abundant horns and strings on “Step Into My Life” are decadent, like light bouncing off sequins in a dark room. Ware’s voice is slinky and velvety one moment, windswept like her album cover the next. It’s songs like “Save a Kiss” that embrace both, allowing her to show off her range. - LL

Laura Marling - Song for Our Daughter (Partisan)

With sparse production, mostly from her but with additions from Ethan Johns and Dom Monks, Marling foregoes the comparative maximalism of the Blake Mills-produced Semper Femina, her last proper full-length, and 2018′s LUMP collaboration. The songs aren’t simple, but they’re succinct, and every element, from Marling’s finger-picked guitars, the occasional slide guitar, and that unmistakably calm voice, sometimes alone and sometimes layered, fits. It’s her most universal set of songs yet, centering around the times when we’re apart from one another but reflecting on when we were together and when we might be together again, with no guarantees.

Read the rest of our review here.

Les Amazones d’Afrique - Amazones Power (Real World Records)

The groovy pan-African collective expands upon their debut Republique Amazone and then some with Amazones Power, a tour-de-force statement of female empowerment in the face of oppression against women throughout the African diaspora. Indeed, the album is more than just songs boldly decrying FGM, though those demands ring heavily. Instead, the group goes further, delving into gender power structures in marriage on “Queens” and selectively finding strength in tradition on “Dreams”. And this time, they include men to stand alongside with them. “Together we must stand / Together we must end this,” sings Guinean musician/dancer/artist Niariu on opener “Heavy” in solidarity with features Douranne (Boy) Fall and Magueye Diouk (Jon Grace) of Paris band Nyoko Bokbae. But perhaps it’s her kiss-off on “Smile” that hits hardest: “I shut up for no one.” - JM

Lianne La Havas - Lianne La Havas (Nonesuch)

The British singer-songwriter’s much anticipated follow-up to 2015′s Blood was better than I could have ever imagined. A song cycle about life cycles--of nature, of lives, of a relationship--inspired by an actual breakup, Lianne La Havas is a contemporary neo soul masterpiece. Overview opener “Bittersweet” is an instant earworm, La Havas’ coo-turned-belt filling the space between classic and increasingly emotive slabs of piano and guitar. Funky, lovestruck strut “Read My Mind” is the soundtrack for the unbridled confidence of finding new love. Yes, the doubts begin to sow on the fingerpicked melancholy of “Green Papaya” and “Can’t Fight”, and where the album goes from a simple narrative perspective may be predictable: They break up, they don’t get back together, La Havas enjoys her independence. But the depth of the arrangements and assuredness of La Havas’ singing is a product of an artist starting to really show us what she can do. And how many people can pull off a Radiohead cover like that? - JM

Lomelda - Hannah (Double Double Whammy)

What does it mean to title an album after yourself? Lomelda’s latest album is centered around discovering more about yourself while not always having the answers. Despite the lyrical content, the album is self-assured. Hannah Read’s voice feels as steady as ever as it navigates these twisting questions, like the way the world can shift after a kiss. She finds power in softness and reflection throughout the album, like when she explores the mantra-like words of “Wonder” or through a reminder to do no harm in “Hannah Sun”. In a year that allowed for perhaps more reflection than usual, Hannah makes space for the questions that arise out of figuring yourself out, of making sense of the messiness of it all, wrapped in warm guitar, balanced vocals, and steady drums. - LL

Moses Sumney - Grae (Jagjaguwar)

“Am I vital / If my heart is idle? / Am I doomed?” Moses Sumney famously sang on his stunning 2017 debut Aromanticism, an album that saw him developing his acceptance of being alone. grae, his two-part 2nd full-length, and his first since officially moving from L.A. to the Appalachian Mountains of Asheville, North Carolina, doubles down on themes of heartbreak, but instead of being sure in his seclusion, he embraces the unknown. The album teeters between interludes of platitudes about isolation and ruminations on failed human connection, and maximally arranged clutches of uncertainty. “When my mind’s clouded and filled with doubt / That’s when I feel the most alive,” Sumney coos over horns and piano on slinky soul song “Cut Me”; it’s an effective mantra for the album.

Read the rest of our review here.

Norah Jones - Pick Me Up Off The Floor (Blue Note)

At the time we previewed Norah Jones’ 7th studio album, she had only released a few tracks from it. Turns out the rest was just as powerful. From the blues stomp of “Flame Twin” to the rolling piano stylings of “Hurts to Be Alone”, Pick Me Up Off The Floor is an album full of jazzy orchestrations and soul and gospel-indebted arrangements, Jones’ silky, yearning voice tying together the simple, yet lush and deep instrumentation. And that other Tweedy feature, that closes the album? It’s a heartbreaking portrait of loneliness, one of many on a record that still manages to celebrate being alive all the while. - JM

Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher (Dead Oceans)

Phoebe Bridgers is a master of details. Her lyrics shine when they get specific. They range from the mundane to morbid: A superfan’s ghost-like wandering under a drugstore’s fluorescent lights, a skinhead likely buried under a blooming garden, reckoning with the you in “Moon Song”’s lines, “You are sick, and you’re married / And you might be dying.” Bridgers has always been able to set a scene meticulously, and Punisher arrived with 11 songs that expanded that skill, both lyrically and musically, with her dark humor intact and a fuller sound that includes her boygenuis collaborators’ harmonies. - LL

PJ Harvey - To Bring You My Love: The Demos & Dry - The Demos (Island)

Yes, revisiting Dry’s demos as a separate entity is still worthwhile. Harvey’s powerhouse vocal performance carries the acoustic strummed “Oh My Lover”, while the comparatively minimal arrangement of “Victory” highlights bluesy riffing, call-and-response harmonies, and layered guitar and vocals. The singles, the slinky and sharp “Dress” and propulsive anthem “Sheela-Na-Gig”, hold up to their ultimate studio versions, too. But it’s the To Bring You My Love material that provides novelty because it’s never been released and more so because it encompasses the greatest aesthetic contrast from the album. From the warbling hues and guitar lines of the title track to the tremolo haze of “Teclo” to the crisp snares of “Working With The Man”, the demos show a continuity and level of cohesiveness with the diversity of Dry and Rid of Me not shown on the studio version of Harvey’s more accessible commercial breakout. (Predictably, the album’s most well-known song, “Down by the Water”, is the closest to its eventual version.) “Long Snake Moan” is simultaneously more spacious and more noisy, its garage blues a total contrast to the lurking “I Think I’m A Mother” and swaying shanty “Send His Love To Me”. And “The Dancer” fully embraces its flamenco influences, hand claps and all.

Porridge Radio - Every Bad (Secretly Canadian)

Is there a better opening line than “I’m bored to death, let’s argue”? That kind of duality is found across all of Every Bad as it grapples with the frustrations and anxiety of trying to figure it all out, whatever that might mean for you. “Maybe I was born confused, but I’m not,” vocalist Dana Margolin repeats throughout the opening track, roping in listeners with the dizzying feeling of trying to make sense of yourself. The band’s guitar and synth sound coupled with Margolin’s howl makes for a dance party filled with dread, rendering Margolin’s already strong, repetitive lyrics even more spiraling. And yet, by the time we get to “Lilacs”, a glimmer of something else shines through as the music gets more manic and Margolin’s voice begins to soar: “I don’t want to get bitter / I want us to get better / I want us to be kinder / To ourselves and to each other.” - LL

Sault - Untitled (Rise) & Untitled (Black Is) (Forever Living Originals)

Yes, Black Is still pulls plenty of devastating punches. “Eternal Life”, a segue from the gospel boost of “US”, juxtaposes a deliberate drum beat with zooming synths, both ascending like a chorus of angels, as they sing, “I see sadness in your eye / ‘Cause I know you don’t wanna die,” presenting the oppression of Black life at the hands of white supremacy in inarguable terms. Ultimately, though, it’s the anthemic nature of the songs, resistant of platitudes, that shines through. “Nobody cared / This generation cares,” says Laurette Josiah on “This Generation”. Whether she’s talking about young people in general or the latest generation of young Black leaders, the sentiment is reflected on songs like “Black”, wherein over dynamic, sinewy instrumentation, the singers alternate between encouragement, support, and love of the self and others.

Read our full review here.

Shamir - Shamir (self-released)

Shamir’s voice is a bright beacon in a sea of conventional singers. Shamir captures the effervescence of pop music and weaves it together with elements of country, alt rock, and diary confessional lyrics all supported by the emotion and range of his vocals. There’s something for everyone across the album’s 11 shimmering tracks. Lead single and opener “On My Own” feels like a declaration of self and self-sufficiency, an anthem of a breakup song. The almost pop-punk bounce of “Pretty When I’m Sad”, paired perfectly with lines like the angst-ridden, “Let’s fuck around inside each other’s heads,” feels impossible to not bop along to. The twang of “Other Side” would put a country crooner to shame. That’s the power of Shamir. His voice has the ability to smoothly convey joy, resilience, and humor. He uses elements of several genres, not just the dance-pop of his debut, to build a unique album that gives listeners so much to sift through and, of course, dance to. - LL

Songhoy Blues - Optimisme (Fat Possum)

If Songhoy Blues’ second album Resistance lacked “the grit of its predecessor,” it’s clear from the hard rock stomp of the opening track of Malian band’s third album Optimisme that they rediscovered their mojo. More importantly, they couple this maximal brashness with tributes to those who make their world a better place: fighters for freedom, women, the young. It’s perhaps the first Songhoy Blues record to truly combine the celebratory nature of their desert blues with a balanced mixture of idealism and vigor. - JM

Spanish Love Songs - Brave Faces Everyone (Pure Noise)

How can you find hope in hopelessness, or optimism when every news story points to cruelty? Is it naïve to keep searching for light in the dark? I don’t think so, and I don’t think Spanish Love Songs does, either. I’d like to think we both believe that’s not naivety, but power. It’s the embers you need to really ignite a flame. After all, this is the band with a song titled “Optimism (As a Radical Life Choice)”. It’s a band whose crunching guitars and earnestness insist that despite death and depression and addiction, the instinct to survive shines brightly above all. That relentless hope resurfaces across Brave Faces Everyone’s 10 tracks even as it works through the bleakness of everyday life. - LL

Tashi Dorji - Stateless (Drag City)

The magnum opus from the Asheville-based picker is a group of evocatively titled, disorderly songs about the desolate hellscape of America for outsiders and immigrants. Enigmatic in its nature, not exactly narrative, Stateless combines Dorji’s urgent strumming with moody motifs, captured beautifully in a studio setting for maximum emotional wallop. - JM

Touche Amore - Lament (Epitaph)

Is this what an almost uplifting Touche Amore album sounds like? It’s cathartic in a newer way for the band, especially after the beautifully rendered grief of Stage Four. Lament loses none of the band’s aggression or urgency. “Come Heroine” thrusts listeners into that urgency and introduces a moment of warmth, Jeremy Bolm’s vocals still rasping and insistent: “You brought me in / You took to me / And reversed the atrophy.” The bounciness of “Reminders” may seem close to optimism, but a sharper look at the lyrics uncovers more than blindly looking to the things that bring joy. “I’ll Be Your Host” is reflective, a few years removed from Touche Amore’s previous album and the immediacy of loss, self-aware and growing, but still raw. The album closer, “A Forecast”, takes a turn, a lone voice and piano acting as a confessional before giving way to thrashing guitars and the realization that growth and reckoning with trauma doesn’t mean minimizing it. It means learning to keep moving forward and to stop for help when you may need it. - LL

Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud (Merge)

The best album yet from Katie Crutchfield is inspired by positive personal change (getting sober, dealing with codependency issues, her blossoming love with singer-songwriter Kevin Morby) and reflections on family and friends. Named after the suburb of Orlando where her father’s from, Saint Cloud is a genre-hopping collection of stories and feelings that doesn’t necessarily follow any semblance of narrative. On opener “Oxbow” and country-tinged ditty “Can’t Do Much”, Crutchfield’s increasingly aware of the need to pick your side and your battles, whether in the relationship between two people or between the allure of the bottle and the next-day hangover. Some of the best songs on the album see her finding commonalities with others as a means towards self-love. Gentle strummer “The Eye” refers to her natural creative relationships with Morby and her sister Allison. “War” she wrote for herself and best friend, who is also sober, the title a metaphor for one’s fight to remain substance-free. “Witches” is an ode to her best friends, including Allison and Snail Mail’s Lindsey Jordan, all equally frustrated by the toxic nature of the music industry and the world at large, ultimately lifting each other up because they simply have each other.

Read our full review here.

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anoiseofgloriousdisdain · 3 years

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8 SONGS, 8 TAGS

thanks so much @navigatrixloves :) love me a tag game, especially a music related one! ps i listened to your sisters EP... it's so good!

1. FAVORITE SONG OF THE MOMENT: Cinder and Smoke by Iron & Wine.

they've always been very hit and miss for me... but when they're good, they're excellent. this track will always be a derek hale (teen wolf) song in my mind.

2. A SONG YOU ASSOCIATE WITH A FAVORITE CHARACTER OR SHIP:

here, have a song for each of my top 3 ships...

DESTIEL (SPN) — Shut Up I Am Dreaming of Places Where Lovers Have Wings by Sunset Rubdown. just perfect for them.

STEREK (Teen Wolf) — Draw Your Swords by Angus & Julia Stone (which inspired my STEREK FIC of the same name)

PYNCH (TRC) — Only You by Yazoo. guys, just listen to it :')

3. A SONG THAT COULD BE ABOUT YOU:

Dead Man's Gun by Ashtar Command. Gotta keep on keepin' on, right?

4. AN OVERRATED SONG:

Anything by Taylor Swift. Sorry not sorry!

5. A GOOD SONG THAT REMINDS YOU OF A SPECIFIC MEMORY:

oh, man. so many—i'm no spring chicken, lol, so there's a few. but imma pick Neighbourhood #4 (7 Kettles) by Arcade Fire bc it reminds me of a time where I felt loved.

6. LAST SONG LISTENED TO:

The Night We Met by Lord Huron. so beautiful and sad.

7. A SONG THAT MAKES YOU LAUGH:

Star Trekkin' by The Firm bc it's a fucking ridiculously funny song. if you don't smile whilst listening, you are truly dead inside.

8. SONG YOU WANT YOUR MUTUALS TO LISTEN TO:

Looking From A Hilltop by Section 25, my family band i.e. it has been/is made up of some of my uncles and cousins etc (they've been going since the early 80s).

that was fun :)

imma tag, play or nay: @petrichoravellichor @rauko-is-a-free-elf @shealynn88 @sharkfish @slytherkins @novemberhush @jmeelee @har-graves plus anyone else who wants to join in!

#tag games #i got tagged #tag you're it #music #songs to live by

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lizacstuff · 3 years

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Liza that 3rd fragman 👀 "if I was born a 100 times I'd fall in love with you everytime" Eda saying this is their last obstacle and nothing can separate them, serkan's "I'll be right back, close your eyes I'm here" If this isn't all a red flag for shits about to hit the fan then I don't know what is LOL (but also how cute to Edser look and them telling each other they love each other very much 😭😭😭)

That fragman is both the SWEETEST and the MOST OMINOUS thing I’ve ever seen. ALL AT ONCE.

Friends... we’re gonna go through some things. That being said, everything is going to be great. These writers have been solid so far, and I have faith they have come up with something really interesting to increase the longevity of this show. And I don’t know about you, but I’m prepared to go through some things if it means keeping Eda and Serkan for longer. (I heart them)

This show is about Eda and Serkan and their love story, at it’s core it’s a comedy, it will all lead to happy things, but... yeah, buckle up!

I have a lot of asks both about the fragman and last ep, so I’m going to answer a bunch under the cut.

Anonymous said: The fandom theories about episode 28 have gotten so wild that I literally think the most shocking thing would be if they actually got married and were not separated (emotionally or physically). What if the earlier painful episodes were to make us believe that things couldn't possibly go right in 28 and it's a reverse psychology trick?

You could be right! I like your thinking. I checked on twitter and I had to back away slowly. The juvenile temper tantrums were too much for me today.

Look, I think it’s clear something big is coming. It has to, there has to be something that shakes up the show. Some of the theories are more upsetting and catastrophic than others, but the writers won’t do anything that dings either character or their love for one another. Whatever happens will showcase the connection between these two and the chemistry between the actors, that’s the point of everything, and anything that does those things is gonna be a-okay with me.

@jan31 Hi Liza. Do you think we are going to see the wedding in 28 or they will leave it on a cliffhanger for next week. Lots of theories going round mainly cos of Neslihan saying new dimensions coming in episode 29, which could just mean married life etc. I have seen suggestions of memory loss, it's all a dream since episode one. I would personally love Eda to wake up like in episode one but for it to be a total turn around and she is the boss and Serkan the employee. Eda being robot yildiz appeals to me!!! I know it will never happen but leave me here with my dreams!!

I started the day at 90% sure they’ll be married in 28/29, but now I’m down to like 30% that they’ll get married in these episodes. I really, really want them to get married before whatever happens happens, because every scenario I can think of for this reset or starting again, seems like it would be better if they were married.

However, the shooting spoilers from today, make me question that. Namely the videos where Hande appears to still be wearing the ring on her right hand. We shall see, that could be for many reasons.

Honestly, though, I wouldn’t hate a memory loss storyline. Seeing one of them (and Serkan’s line in the trailer makes it seem like it might be him) lose their memory and have to fall in love all over again? There are worse fates for a shipper than getting to experience that all again but in a different way.

Anonymous said: Your response to the fandom drama anon was so good, it's exactly how I feel. While I don't know what the old posts that were like are (that's shady as fuck) I did see all the other drama go down and wow. The actresses def need to stay in their lane and some of the fans, hoooo boy, it's obvious they're young based off their reactions alone. Had to unfollow some people once I realized what they were like. Also some of the IRL shipping reminded me of col*fer stuff, reading into everything and blowing it out of proportion (which then gets picked up by paps....). But you're right in that at least the show related drama is tame compared to OUAT. But still, people being too careless even while they know the paps see everything and harass Kerem and hande (omg did you see the video of hande the other day stopped in the van and she looked so overwhelmed 😔)

You’re referencing this post here about yesterday’s drama.

Today Neslihan made it worse by addressing everything and claiming she didn’t like all those Hande-bashing posts because... wait for it... she was HACKED. Oy. Hackers got in and went back two years to like gross posts about Hande? Sure, Jan. While I don’t believe that for a second, I guess that at least gives her cover with Hande so they can all pretend it’s true and move on so it’s not awkward on set. But, yikes, she needs to consult a publicist, she took a narrative that was circulating in certain circles in fandom and made sure all her followers were aware. Not very savvy.

As for the paps coming after Hande, yes I did see her in the car, she did look overwhelmed. Back off vultures!!! That’s why I think Kerem sometimes throws himself to the wolves so that doesn’t happen. She always handles them like a pro, but you can tell she’d rather be anywhere else on earth than talking to them.

The pap stuff is worse than I’ve seen before, they’re like vultures circling for any conjecture (sometimes made up out of thin air) they can turn into a question and blame fans. OUAT actors dealt with nothing like this. Also I can’t believe they never ask about the show. Like after last week? They could legit ask about the sex scene which probably would have given them some angle on the actors that they wanted, (especially since it was too hot for Turkish TV) but they let that pass them by, and instead asked the same questions about being together that they never answer. Dumbasses. They are not only awful people, they are awful at their jobs.

In Van, the paps pay off crew members for info, they always know more than fans. Also I don’t remember stars of my shows getting this level of tabloid attention before. Except for on Riverdale, Lili and Cole generated that level of interest, and while I didn’t pay terribly close attention to them, I feel like they rarely talked to the paps, were just photographed. Also I don’t suspected the CW of calling the paps on them, but I suspect either the network or production company of sometimes calling them on Hande and Kerem.

Anonymous said: Do you think it’s weird that they didn’t touch the kidnapping at all in either trailer? They might not have filmed it in time for the 1st one but certainly the 2nd. And I’m definitely not complaining about the ones we got because its like a fairytale but the kidnapping was the cliffhanger...? 🧐 I think they should’ve just left the princes storyline at “he went back to his country” but then they didn’t so......

If they’d left his story at just going back to his country, then the Prince really wouldn’t have served his purpose. He was brought on to cause some sort of trouble, so they probably need him to cause the trouble before he goes, lets hope it ends with this kidnapping!

And to answer your question, yes, I do think it’s weird that neither trailer touched on it. On any other show I’d think it was a huge red flag, but on this show maybe not as much because a) there’s obviously a lot of romance in this episode, it’s not crazy that they are focusing on that to draw people in with the promos b) this show likes to do cliffhangers that end up being no big deal, that happens a lot.

Who knows it could turn out to be a big deal that shapes the rest of the episode in some unexpected way (Eda’s captured the whole episode and she’s dreaming about wedding prep, or... who knows) but I think it’s more likely that they resolve in the first 5-10 minutes and then move on. Since we know from the summary (not that I trust those) that Serkan goes on the bachelor weekend, it feels like the Prince is taken care of prior to that. I don’t think he’d leave her alone for a second if there was a chance the Prince was still a threat. Perhaps Babaanne is pissed he tried to kidnap Eda and tells them she’ll handle it herself???

Anonymous said: Semiha not being in the promo is highkey suspicious. The actress is promoting the episode lol. She's about to Evil Queen this wedding ceremony but you know what, I'm fine with whatever she has planned if they end up married at the end of the day. What's funny is that since a lot of fans these days will assume that there will be shocking negative plot twists, not actually having one here would be a plot twist so I hope the writers keep them together for whatever's next haha

You’re not wrong, at this point, having this wedding take place would be a shocking twist for all of us! As for Semiha... hmmm... it will be interesting to see what her reaction is to Eda being kidnapped by her pick of suitor. Serkan Bolat might be the son of the man indirectly responsible for her parents death, but he would never hurt her. Take note, Grandbag!

Anonymous said: Do you mind sharing your speculative scenarios?

After the trailer today, I don’t know if I can even remember some of them.

Memory loss

Grandma forces Serkan to choose between Eda and his company/wealth, he chooses Eda and they start over from scratch with nothing

Time jump

AU starting over, showing a different path they might have taken together

Dream

These actors playing different characters in a new story

I don’t think the last three are likely, but they did spring to mind after some of Neslihan’s teases.

Anonymous said: So this show doesn't get like fantastic ratings (it actually seems to be on the lower end compared to all other dizis airing) but the social media engagement is off the charts. Why is that?!? Is the show just extraordinarily popular internationally? or that this is a "shipping" show? I'm floored by the numbers - its like no other show/fandom is even trying

The ratings were terrific during the summer. But to your point, it has a huge fandom both in Turkey and internationally, but it’s worth noting that most of those charts you see where it beats every other show in every imaginable social metric is just for Turkey.

It’s one of those lightning in a bottle situations where you get the right property and the right actors together at the right time and magic happens. And, for sure, the number one reason is the shipping. Shipping drives fandom engagement, and a fantastic ship with a juicy, fun, tropey love story is what this show offers. It also offers up two extremely attractive, talented, likeable leads with off-the-charts chemistry (plus the added speculation about an off-camera relationship that has intrigued more than a few fans, tabloids and gossip sites and fueled interest) who have done a good job of building the fanbase through their social media engagement. Plus the timing is part of it as well. I don’t know about you, but this show hit the spot during this pandemic and the horror of 2020. We all needed this escape.

Anonymous said:Do you think something happened in the writers room after the backlash of 25 and fan disappointment after Ayse's announcement? I feel like a switch flipped and now we're in fanficland with how much good content we've gotten in these last two episodes. Like I thought maybe they should wrap up the series soon before the characters got completely off the tracks but they may be finding their groove now and I'm interested to see what their next twist is after they can write out Balca/Seymen.

I don’t know about a switch flip, this show has been fanfic land since the first episode! The tropes! That is how I described it to multiple people when I first started watching: an AU fanfic come to life.

As for the writing changes, no, I don’t think backlash after 25 affected 26 or 27, because 26 was already 90% shot, and 27 already written. However, I assume they themselves could tell that 25 got just too dark and had strayed pretty far from the DNA of the series. While I didn’t think it was bad, it was not fun to watch and this show ought to be fun to watch.

Let’s hope, however, that the backlash affects future episodes in that they know what works... and what doesn’t. The last two episodes definitely felt reminiscent of the first batch of episodes. Light, funny, romantic. If they can keep that tone... I’ll be thrilled.

Anonymous said: i didn't realize how much i missed "together" edser until watching 27.. it's been so long since they were "officially" together and we also had such few episodes of it.. ppl have been comparing it to 12 and while in some ways i agree, edser are always so different here than they were there. 12 was them navigating their new relationship.. they were more shy and finding their footing.. here they are very much established, as they should be after knowing their love for so long in comparison to 12!

Yes, it was lovely. You know I’ve preached a lot about how even though Eda and Serkan were broken up, they’ve still been together all this time. And it’s true, but there is something about them truly being together that is magical. We never got enough of that the first time around (a writing mistake in my opinion) and they’re so good together it’s lovely to watch.

Anonymous said: Serkan not asking for help from Balca when asking his team for help with the marriage gifts preparations and refusing her offer of help when she asked made me so happy. Good job Serkan! He's learning! She's not trustworthy!

Yes, that was a good moment. And he was eyeing her very warily when she offered. The thing I don’t understand is how has no one caught on that she’s working with Babaanne? That entire office is filled with nosy people, has no one remarked on the number of times Balca has gone up to the office or they’ve disappeared for lunch at the same time? Come on Leyla! Come on Melo! Notice these things!

Anonymous said: Fingers crossed that we finally make progress towards getting rid of Seiman & Balca now that all the girls were drugged and Eda was put in the car in the last episode. Unless Seiman has a change of heart and takes Eda back inside before anyone wakes & the guys get there then the show has to address it. Although I do not think Balca is going to back down unless Serkan straight up tells her he has zero interest in her and never will. Totally fine if that happens in the next episode.

Will Balca backdown even if she’s humiliated like that? She’s so delusional I’m not sure. What I am sure is that she’s dangerous. This came in before we saw the other two fragmans that have no mention of the kidnapping. Hard to picture how that is so easily resolved. Unless she frees herself (which seems unlikely in her groggy state) or maybe Melo’s future boyfriend is able to stop it before they get far? Or I don’t know. I just know that I want to see Serkan lose his mind and all the other characters see Serkan lose his mind and then I want it to be over. LOL.

Anonymous said: As much as I am loving everything Edser, I cannot wait for Seiman, Balca and Grandma to be gone. And I am even more annoyed to think that the show might try to redeem all 3 characters. All 3 of them are truly awful people and no need to waste air time trying to make the audience think any different. Just my opinion...🤷🏻‍♀️. Show please finally expose those 3 for the psychos they are and get rid of them.

Bye bitches! I don’t think there’s any redemption for Balca and Seiman. They both have poisoned/dosed people, hard to come back from that. And there is no need to redeem them because neither is compelling enough to be a long-term character. But maybe Granny, we probably will see a redemption arc for her.

Anonymous said: i know you were worried a few weeks ago that with ayse leaving as writer, we probably wouldn't have the same sort of comedy as previous episodes... but istg the whole kiz isteme scene, especially with chef alex, had me almost crying with laughter. especially when serkan off the cuff just goes "well if that's an option..." to everyone misunderstanding alex "wanting" ayfer for 2 nights and then eda ready to beat him with the flowers he bought her... comedic gold lmao.

SO GOOD! I was thrilled to see that sort of comedy, the sort of comedy we’d come to expect, from these writers. I think it bodes very well indeed!

That scene was amazing. I know Neslihan said that much of it was improvised. Probably that line from Serkan (since Serkan is SO out-of-his-mind in love I’m not sure he could even joke about having Eda only two nights a week! LOL) was improv from Kerem, and Aydan asking about the other nights, and Seyfi bringing up the weekend. And Eda’s very Hande-esque “Ser-KAN.”

I just love rewatching that scene and checking out everyone who is breaking character and just losing it. Cagri most of all. He’s blurred aback there but you can see Ferit spends the whole time laughing or trying to stifle a laugh. Reminds me of Cagri in the scene in 18 when they’re watching the security footage he was losing it in that scene as well.

Anonymous said: i'm scared - I think they are really about to give us all of these happy EdSer scenes only to have something happen RIGHT before the wedding ceremony due to Babaanne. Based on the last episode, I don't think there's any chance of a breakup (knock on wood) but what if Serkan gets arrested, goes to jail for 2 years, and we get a time jump?

This was sent before the last two teasers, so yes I think something is gonna happen. We shall see! I don’t really think Serkan going to jail for 2 years is in the cards, at least I hope not! Besides if Babaanne did that she would have no hopes of ever reconciling with Eda, so that seems unlikely she’d follow through and leave him there for so long a time.

Anonymous said: With the last week's sex scene, they did a lot of fade outs but the scene was basically still there so it wasn't much wasted effort for the actors. But for what they're teasing in episode 28 - idk how they can get away with showing them in the shower at all if Serkan lifting Eda with her clothes on had required blurring? Is Eda dropping her robe even pushing it? It's intriguing indeed.

Great questions. We’re 36 hours from finding out (well I'm longer than that because I wait for the English subs, hee hee) All I know is I want to see these scenes.. one way or another!

#sen cal kapimi #edser #Sen Çal Kapımı #sck spoilers #sck specualtion #sckask #sck episode discussion #asklizac #Anonymous

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onestowatch · 3 years

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Samia Flaunts a Marked Evolution on ‘Scout’ [Q&A]

Like the majority of us, Samia’s pretty over 2020. One spring day, we were all living our lives until everything was brought to a halt. Jobs were paused, nightlife was turned off, social distancing was enforced, and songwriters lost inspiration. I mean, how much can one write about staying in on a Friday night and binging Tiger King? Because difficult times were so omnipresent, it was especially exciting when good news came around. Scout is one such piece of good news—a demonstration of how Samia used this time of uncertainty to search out positivity in unlikely places and show gratitude to her loved ones, peers, and themselves.

Scout is comprised of four songs that were written by Samia during a “period of growth and reflection,” showcasing “a less desperate” version of her debut album, The Baby. If her intimate lyrics weren’t enough, you will be blown away by her powerful vocals that will simultaneously bring both tears to your eyes and a smile to your face.

In the first single, “Show Up,” Samia’s lyrics can be taken quite literally. She reminisces on pastimes with friends and family and sings, “Nothing could ever stop my ass from showing up / to sing another song for the people I love.” This upbeat indie-rock single gives you a sneak peek into Samia’s mind. In the official music video, we see Samia rocking her wired headphones while dancing, like no one's watching, behind a flashing montage of her with her loved ones.

We had the pleasure of sitting down (virtually) with Samia to discuss her new EP, how she spent this past year, some insightful life advice, and what to expect from live shows.

youtube

Ones To Watch: For those who may not know, who is Samia?

Samia: Pathetic enneagram type 2, loves to dance, very excited about bodies of water, learning to coexist with bugs.

Being a New York native, how has the environment affected your music?

I got a lot of experience almost immediately when I moved to New York. There were so many opportunities to perform and learn from other songwriters. That community taught me everything and scared me into some level of confidence.

You stated that your new EP Scout is the older sister version of your debut, The Baby. What has changed from this EP compared to your debut and what messages do you want your listeners to take away from this new chapter?

I wrote Scout during a real period of growth and reflection. It’s definitely less desperate than The Baby because there was so much turmoil all around us last year that it felt senseless to dramatize my own pain. I was working on/thinking a lot about gratitude and trying to believe in positive ideas. I hope Scout can help support anyone who’s in a similar position.

Why did you choose “Show Up” as the first single?

It’s the most fun!!

What does your writing process look like and how did it differ during quarantine?

Songs came slowly last year. The songs on the EP are pretty much the only ones I wrote during 2020. It just felt like so much was happening immediately and no one had time to make sense of our reactions to it all, so I had to write differently. I generally write about my own experience and most often in periods of transition, so I had to work a little harder being stuck in the same place for so long.

Is there a piece of advice that has stuck with you?

My favorite quote/mantra is something Jim Carrey said in Jim & Andy. I used to get so nervous on stage about what people would think of me, but it was so liberating to start considering that being up there was my greatest opportunity to have a positive effect on someone else’s life. He said, “The purpose of my life has always been to free other people from concern.” If you appear to be accepting yourself at that moment, you’re liberating your audience and encouraging them to enjoy their time and accept whatever they’re feeling.

Are there any artists (or people in general) that have inspired your unique sound?

Angel Olsen, Father John Misty, Okay Kaya, Liz Phair, Wilco, Elliott Smith, Nirvana, Brittany Howard, my friends!

What was the funniest or craziest fan interaction you’ve encountered?

Someone came up to me the other day and just lifted up their sleeve to reveal the most beautiful triptych tattoo of vignettes from the whole album. It was so cool.

I see that you have acted in the past. Have you taken what you’ve learned from acting and incorporated it into your music?

The best thing I learned from acting was using sense memory exercises. It really helps bring me back to the feeling when I’m performing the same songs over and over again.

I love that you covered “The Promise” by When In Rome… is there a backstory on how you landed on that song?

It’s one of my favorite songs and I’ve always loved playing it for myself on piano, but I thought it would be funny to try and keep it as close to the original as possible. Selfishly, I also just wanted to hear Jelani sing it because I’m such a big fan.

You have a busy touring season coming up, how excited are you to get on the road after a year without live music? What can your fans expect from your live performances?

I’m so excited!!! I’m just so happy to be playing these songs for the first time and seeing faces! It’s gonna be fun!

Who are your Ones to Watch?

Gabe Goodman, Charlie Hickey, Jelani Aryeh, Jackie Hayes, Grace Ives, Rachael Jenkins, Annie DiRusso, and Miloe :)

Listen to Scout below:

#samia #interview #scout #album reviews #pop #indie pop

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dangermousie · 5 years

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2019 END OF YEAR KDrama Post

Wow, I haven’t made one in years. This is going to involve only dramas that came out in 2019 because I watched a hell of a lot dramas made prior to that and trying to figure out which ones will give me a headache.

DRAMAS WATCHED (In order of liking from most to least as opposed to pure quality; I am including if I’ve seen at least two eps AND feel it was enough to make up my mind; yes I realize that’s inaccurate, but that’s my list)

Extraordinary You - A philosophy and religion course AND a love story, and perfect at both.

My Country - a brutal, passionate, intense masterpiece of a sageuk. This is how they should be.

Crash Landing On You - the two eps that have aired brought my joy in watching kdramas back to me so vividly. This is everything.

Encounter - the perfect noona romance of the year for me. It seems to have little plot (powerful older woman, idealistic younger man) but the characters made me love them with an unhealthy amount of attachment and the mood is just perfect.

Haechi - smart traditional sageuk with a heart. This one will make you love it but also respect it in the morning :)

Queen: Love and War - Period, romance, mystery, helpless king and feisty heroine. It’s everything I love in one package.

Chocolate - if, like me, you like slow old-school melo with genuine grown-ups, this one is for you. Ha Ji Won and Yoon Kye Sang are both incandescent in this.

One Spring Night - a rare slice of life that worked for me so so much. I rooted for the main OTP like crazy (I did skip all the sister stuff though because boring to me.) It’s just a breath of fresh air.

The Tale of Nokdu - a rare funny youth sageuk that worked for me (except, ironically, for when they tried to be politics-heavy and serious about it.) Wonderful OTP, funny situations and just generally a delight.

Memories of the Alhambra - I can hear people screaming that I put this so high, but this is a faves ranking, not objective one, and I loved the unusual premise (it ultimately fell apart but it tried), and Hyun Bin’s performance was out of this world and the aaaaagnst and I enjoyed waiting for it each week until almost the end. That ending though!!!!!

Psychopath Diary - this is black comedy at its best and hysterical and smart and somehow got me invested in the hapless protagonist.

Hotel del Luna - clever and funny and smart. Hong Sisters largely back to form. I found the sageuk parts more engaging than modern ones, but what else is new.

Search WWW - some parts of it worked for me more than others, but it had solid writing and cool characters and some interesting OTP(s).

Love is Beautiful Life is Wonderful - has the weekend drama slowness but it lovely and fun.

When the Camellia Blooms - it was well made and the OTP was great and the acting top notch, I just don’t tend to go gaga for slice of life dramas, especially ones involving market ladies, much.

Flower Crew Joseon Marriage Agency - competently done, pretty period piece about nothing. It was enjoyable and forgettable at once.

Catch the Ghost - I put it as high as I did because the OTP really did have lovely chemistry but the story was a complete mess, the police work made no sense and the heroine’s character was like nails on a chalkboard for me.

Joseon Survival - I got about four episodes in and liked it a lot but then Kang Ji Hwan turned out to be a convicted rapist, they replaced the lead and I didn’t go back. I kind of want to because I liked what I saw and I am madly curious as to whether they changed the main character or just said he had a different face now, no explanation.

The Last Empress - pure inconsistent trash but so entertaining!

Vagabond - I made it eight episodes in before I realized that I would have as much fun staring at traffic. It’s a competently done actioner but without more, actioners never work for me, so this was a viewer/drama mismatch.

Arthdal Chronicles - incoherent, visually odd and boring, this is arguably the worst drama this year but I am giving it higher place because the cast really tries (even if it tends to fail because it has nothing to work with) and because it attempted something different even if it failed spectacularly. SO BAD.

Melting Me Softly - yes, my brain was fully melted by this soulless, charmless waste of Ji Chang Wook and my limited free time.

VIP - Any drama that makes the main mystery and thrust of the story who the husband cheated on his wife with is BORING. Seriously, this is not exactly Hercule Poirot. They wasted their cast - I have NO idea why Lee Sang Yoon agreed to be in this as a one note character and Jang Nara is playing a second scorned wife in a row but without even the entertainment value of her previous outing.

Abyss - aptly named. The best thing I can say about it is it didn’t offend me but oh boy was it dull.

Absolute Boyfriend - I loved the manga but it’s time to accept this can never be adapted well. They wasted the cast and that ending was just an insult on top of a trash heap.

The Lies Within - you cast that cast and deliberately have no romance. You are dead to me.

Woman of 9.9 Billion - competently made, but it’s everything I dislike - dour unpleasant bored people behaving as if they are in a particularly dreary art-house French movie but without any nuance or interest the latter came provide.

Love with Flaws - shrill, dumb, neither acted nor written by anyone trying at all.

Rookie Historian Goo Hae Ryung - objectively, it’s not the worst drama on the list, but it’s everything I hate in one package - willfully ahistorical but not cleverly so, male lead incapable of acting, the characters so one-dimensional they disappear, this purports to be a period drama but about as period as a space ship. God, I loathed this.

FAVORITE DRAMA

Extraordinary You - smart (so mind-bendingly smart) and moving and totally unpredictable and with so many things to say about free will and religion and self and nature of memory and narrative, this had an insane impossible premise and yet somehow managed to do it full justice and stick the landing.

WORST DRAMA

People with Flaws - this is different from least favorite because even if I loathed e.g., Rookie Historian or Woman of 9.9 Billion, I recognized some positive features; it’s just certain things really rubbed me the wrong way due to personal preferences. But this shrill hot mess of a drama is really everything that’s wrong with dramaworld.

FAVORITE MALE CHARACTER

Prince Yeoning, Haechi - fiercely smart, strong, tormented by the duality of his birth (royal father, servant mother) but not letting this distract him from his purpose, loyal to the bone, and with integrity nothing can shake but where you can feel that it’s not easy and that it costs him.

FAVORITE FEMALE CHARACTER

Eun Dan Oh, Extraordinary You - a go-getter who remakes the world (literally); smart, cheerful, strong, beautifully human. She feels so real and yet is larger than anything around her.

NEEDS TO BE MURDERED

Yi Seung Gye, My Country - a sociopath destroying lives in his quest for power and control, even the destruction of his own family barely gives him anything but momentary pause. He is the reason for the tragedy of MC.

FAVORITE SHIP

Eun Dan Oh x Haru, Extraordinary You - their love is literally universe and god-defying. They have loved each other as different people in three separate worlds (and counting), and have defied loss of memory and even loss of self as well as death, the end of worlds, and their god and the narrative and literally anything and everything, to be together.

Runner Up: Soo Hyun x Jin Hyuk, Encounter: tender and decent and his bringing her back to vivid life and the way they love and support and compliment each other.

Probably gonna be on list if doesn’t go haywire: Crash Landing on You: she is a SK heiress, he’s a NK officer, they have mad chemistry and so much potential.

NOTP:

Tae Mi x Morgan, Search WWW - love the actors, love the chemistry, love the characters in terms of the way they are written, but they are absolutely wrong for each other and there is no future of any sort but misery ahead. None of their issues are resolved but are swept under the rug. It’s a cautionary tale, not a romance. I did a long rant before so not repeating.

BEST SECONDARY OTP

Scarlett x Ji Hwan, Search WWW - they stole the shippiness in the drama for me. Cooky and adorable and noona romance done right.

FAVORITE SCENE

Haru’s final disappearance, Extraordinary You - the lights start to go out, the world literally dissolving, Eun Oh and Haru clinging to each other, with his telling her she was his beginning and the end. His name, the one she gave him, is the last thing he hears. In a drama full of amazing scenes the very gist of which was defying the very creator and universe and meaning of existence, this was the one that stayed with me the most.

BIGGEST CRUSH

Seo Hwi, My Country - I have a thing for deeply honorable, deeply tortured period badasses with long hair and a death wish (see Choi Young in Faith etc.)

BEST SCENE STEALER CHARACTER

Yi Bang Won, My Country - he started out as an antihero and ended up as arguably a tragic villain (or maybe still an anti-hero) but oh boy, was he magnetic and fascinating and sucking out all the oxygen whenever he was in the scene.

NEEDS A SEQUEL

Memories of the Alhambra - WTF ending was that?! All that misery and no real resolution?! Dammit!

TROPE THAT NEEDS TO DIE

Youth Sageuk - I hate most of them! They are anachronistic and dumb and honestly, what is the point of having fully modern people in period clothes? Just make a modern show and call it a day.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

Melting Me Softly - Ji Chang Wook’s first project back from the military was an unfunny, unmoving, pointless mess with not an ounce of genuine enjoyment despite the excellent pedigree of everyone involved in front and behind the camera.

Arthdal Chronicles - the makers made excellent Queen Seon Duk, Tree with Deep Roots and Six Flying Dragons. The cast was uniformly A grade. The result was an open-ended, boring, incoherent mess that looks like a bad sort of a drug trip and made about as much sense.

BIGGEST GOOD SURPRISE

Extraordinary You - I had zero interest in yet another high school drama with no actors I recognized. By the end, EY was an emotional brainy twister of a marvel that became my favorite drama of all time. I’ve been watching dramas for over 13 years so that’s saying something.

2019 DRAMAS I HAVEN’T SEEN THAT I MOST WANT TO WATCH

The Crowned Clown - I love sageuks and cast and it looks so smart and emotional

Angel’s Last Mission: Love - my next contemporary - I watched a little and loved what I saw

Fates and Furies - I saw a few eps and classic melo is so up my alley.

Clean with a Passion for Now - I like the cast and it’s a year of falling for hot weird bosses apparently.

Graceful Family - I love makjang and Im Soo Jung.

The Secret Life of My Secretary - downmarket Beauty Inside and I loved BI.

Love Affairs in the Afternoon - artsy adultery FTW

Item - I don’t like crime stuff but I am here for Joo Ji Hoon.

My Strange Hero - seems a little cooky but I am fond of Yoo Seung Ho.

MOST ANTICIPATED IN 2020

King: the Eternal Monarch - Lee Min Ho and Woo Do Hwan and parallel worlds and written by Kim Eun Suk. Yes Please.

I should probably make one for cdramas too though that one would be rather shorter.

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takatofan · 3 years

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20 Years of Digimon - for me.

I was introduced to Digimon late in the game. I was a pokemon fan first. My cousin twisted my arm to watch Digimon. I resisted for a long time. But sometime in the middle of summer 2001, I gave in. I very quickly became a bigger Digimon fan than even my cousin was. Even though I was just seeing random episodes of 02.

Just when I was getting familiar with everything, Tamers started. Tamers was such a different thing - in a good way. I understand why some didn’t like it, but I loved the slow build. Some of the eps in Tamers where nothing happened - or next to nothing happened - are some of my favorites. I related to - and still relate to Takato SO MUCH. I was just an average kid. (Though Takato had more friends than me.) Just the biggest fanboy making fan art. (I was writing fan fiction before I knew it had a name.)

Really, I see pieces of myself in all the Tamers cast. Except I guess Ryo and Suzie. (But I still like Ryo, even if I can’t relate).

I remember in September renting Digimon: The Movie for the first time. Loved every second of it, though the middle part, Our War Game, is by far the best. I also loved the soundtrack. Still listen to them all to this day, occasionally. (BTW If you are reading this and didn’t know, the dub version of Matt’s song from the TV show, “I Turn Around” that was used in the Christmas ep and one other, is on youtube in full!)

The next spring ABC family started showing reruns and that’s how I got to see Adventure and 02 from start to finish.

Once in early 2002, I got a Saturday detention, and missing Tamers was the worst punishment I could ever have!!! (Glad the VCR didn’t fail...)

Another Saturday I worked (Started working when I was 15) and I worked with my sister, who had her own house. So I recorded the two new eps, 28 and 29, at her house. When we came home, she went in the other room, and I watched the eps. Now, I had been trying to convince people Digimon wasn’t ‘just a kids show’ that it was deeper than you’d think. She could have came back in the room when they were talking about being lost... no. She could have came back in the room when Takato was reading the letter from his mom... no. She came back in the room, just as Calumon started to sing “I was having a yucky day but now WOO HOO I get to play! Other Digimon were so mean, the nastiest you’ve ever seen! .... “ I was SO embarrassed!!! Of all the scenes XD. I do love that scene but when you are trying to convince people it’s deeper than it seems, that’s NOT the scene you want them to see!

I did give Frontier a chance - and several chances since then - But I just can’t get into it. Ironically, “FIRE!!” and “Innocent” by Wada Kouji continue to be my favorite Japanese themes, and hearing them take me right back to the summer of 2002.

I could go on and talk in depth about every single experience I had with Digimon... (And I want to! I already skipped great memories.) But I figure no one wants to hear all that, but here’s the short version of the rest:

I never had a lot of friends, and Digimon made me so many friends. I made a great friend in another state that I would actually buy phone cards and CALL and talk to for hours! Shortly before we lost touch, I made another amazing friend and that friendship lasted 5 years or so. (Though we are still friends, not as close as we used to be.) A year later, I made another friend who is STILL my best friend! I have an amazing artist friend that I used to do art trades with, and I still feel so lucky that this amazing artist wanted to trade with me. :) (And we still are friends!) But in 2009, I met my boyfriend, which we are still together. He had his arm twisted to watch Digimon too. But we started talking and we got together. It’s been 12 years, and I am so happy with him. :) He lives in Germany (I’m in the US) and I’ve flown there to see him 4 times, and he’s flown here many more. Long distance is hard but we make it work, and it’s worth it for us. Never would have happened without Digimon.

So many more memories I feel bad not typing... okay here’s one anyway - I looked all over for a D-Ark when they came out and I only ever saw ONE in a store. THE ONE I BOUGHT!!!! :D. - But I dunno where I’d be without Digimon. I feel weird saying that because it’s “Just a TV show” but... Digimon got me to join message boards and write fan fiction. If I stayed with Pokemon I’m not sure I would have ever gotten into the fandom. I looked at fan sites and stuff with Pokemon but I never got involved. I don’t think that I would have even become an anime fan with Pokemon. - Especially since I didn’t get the WB where I was. I could only see Pokemon on the VHS tapes I bought cheaply at Odd Lots (Later Big Lots), or a local Fox station playing them at 6 AM (Which when I was in Junior High I got up earlier than I had to to watch it...). But watching Digimon on ABC family led to Beyblade, and talking to the friend I called led to Yu-Gi-Oh! (Which I also had to wait until Cartoon Network reran) which led to Megas XLR (I know that was US but it was anime style so that helped) Which led to Adult Swim, and before you know it, I’m an anime fan!

(And for the record since I didn’t mention: I do love Savers/Data Squad and LOVE Applimon! That was SO much better than expected!)

Thanks for the memories Digimon, and all the friends I’ve had along the way. :).

#Digimon #Digimon Tamers #Digimon Adventure #Digimon Adventure 02 #Writing Taishiro got me a boyfriend #hey digimon hey digimon #let's kick it up #You Run around #I run around #WE ALL DO A RUN RUN RUN AROUND

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doomedandstoned · 3 years

Text

Conclave Release The Beast with New Single “Haggard”

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

By Billy Goate

Album Art by The Rotting Mess

In hard times, the underground prospers. There's something about future uncertainty and economic despair that brings out both the blues and the beast in heavy music. This is especially true in doom. When I'm feeling depressed, I don't want to listen to G N'R, I want a good dose of Saint Vitus.

Everyone asked me when I was holding the first Doomed & Stoned Festival in Indianapolis, "Why there?" Because that's right in the middle of the grit of the underground, drawing in bands from all points to the hive of scum and villainy that was The 5th Quarter Lounge (RIP).

One of the bands I wished we'd booked (not that we had a whole lot of negotiating room with 24 bands on the bill) was Massachuets metallers CONCLAVE, featuring former members of Warhorse, Desolate, Benthic Realm, and PanzerBastard.

Comprised of Jerry Orne (bass/vocals), Jeremy Kibort (guitar), Chris Giguere (guitar), and Dan Blomquist (drums), Conclave first came to light in 2014 with an excellent EP called Breaking Ground which comes highly recommended, if for no better reason than that beauty of the track, "Walk The Earth (No Longer)" -- those tortured guitar leads are genuinely moving. Then came along Conclave's Sins of the Elders in 2016. Aside from a lonely single in '18, the band has been largely silent on the recording front, but that's all about to change.

'Dawn of Days' (2021) is the gritty doom quartet's new full-length. "Unbeknownst to us at the time," Conclave reflect, "these songs were being written with a global pandemic on the horizon. As the album was finished being penned, the US was in it's first phase of lockdowns and the possibility of recording in 2020 looked bleak. We waited until businesses were allowed to reopen thinking the worst was behind us and dove headfirst into getting the album recorded. We had no idea that it was only the first wave of the virus and that we were essentially recording with it in full swing."

A surprisingly balanced album, lyrically, the band notes: "These songs are our take on the world for all it's beauty and all its ugliness. When all is said and done and all is gone; it's time. Time for a new dawn. Dawn Of Days. A new beginning. A horrible, bleak, new beginning. Five songs for the devastated, the broken, the enraged."

I, for one, am ready! "Haggard" is the first single to be revealed. I'd pit Conclave's singer against just about any other in his class for Orne's roaring, bestial vox. Underneath, the rumbling drumbeat of impending doom, care of Blomquist's veteran rhythmic ire. Turn it up high and strike fear in the hearts of those who lurk nearby!

Regarding the music video before us, we're told:

Haggard is the first song that was written for the new album 'Dawn Of Days' so we felt it was fitting to release it as the first single. The song is about a woman being born into a life of oppression and pain with no hope of ever breaking the physical and mental shackles that her Masters bestowed upon her at birth. Living a lifetime of pain, void of any hope or peace.

Look for Dawn of Days to be released on April 23rd via Argonauta Records, with pre-orders announcing soon! And now, Doomed & Stoned presents the worldwide debut of "Haggard," with live footage shot by Dave "Quaggz" at Great Scott in Boston.

Give ear...

Conclave - Haggard

Lyrics

No hope remains, life led in chains. No respite from anger and pain. Delicate edges have burned away. Hardened veins leading to fragile decay. Fragile decay. Wasted life the heaviest weight. Servitude the curse of fate. No salvation peace or rest. Stiffened hands and broken back. Broken back. Swallowed fury of long ago. Misery the only thing known. Ever closer to going insane. Memories bring haunting, mocking disdain.

HAGGARD by Conclave

Some Buzz

Massachusetts heavy doom collective Conclave have signed with Italian record label Argonauta Records for the worldwide release of their sophomore album entitled, 'Dawn of Days,' to be released on colored and black vinyl, CD and digitally in the spring of 2021.

With a musical resume that includes such acts as WarHorse, Panzer Bastard, Desolate, Tenebrae, and Benthic Realm, along with several other bands and projects over the decades, this album is the crushing culmination of all the members' experience. Continuing to be anything but categorical in their song writing, combining melodic doom, pounding sludge and heavy grooves, their sound appeals to fans of all genres of heavy music.

'Dawn of Days' was recorded and engineered by Eric Sauter at Blackheart Sound in Manchester New Hampshire, and was mastered by Esben Williams at Berserk Audio (Monolord) in Gothenburg, Sweden during the Spring and Summer of Rona, 2020. With an endless supply of depressing uncertainty and rage coursing through the United States in 2020, Conclave used that energy to forge 5 new staggeringly heavy and atmospheric songs. There is no catering to trends or watering down the riffs with this band. It's pure and honest metal in an uncompromised form.

Follow The Band

Get Their Music

#D&S Debuts #Conclave #Worcester #Massachusetts #doom #metal #doom metal #sludge #Argonauta Records #music video #Doomed & Stoned

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prettytoxicrevolver · 4 years

Text

Damage | Jack Avery

Warnings? Angst? Idk this isn’t good I’m sorry

Requested? Yes! I hope you like it and if you want a part 2 pls let me know!

Summary: Jack and you have been best friends since kindergarten. You two grow up together and eventually you become the photographer for his band Why Don’t We. During your job, you and Jacks bandmate Daniel get together. After a long time of dating though, Daniel gets jealous when fans continue to ship you and Jack and Jack’s feelings can’t help but resurface.

Word Count: 2,308 (it’s a long one with a lot of exposition)

Part Two is here

Five Years Old

“Jack! Come downstairs for your playdate!” Jack comes barreling down the stairs, nearly ramming straight into his mom and she laughs lightly.

“Momma who's coming over?” He asks and she squats down to talk to him.

“Momma's best friend has a daughter your age and we think you guys will be best friends.'' Just as she finishes talking, the doorbell rings and Jack goes running again. His mom takes off after him to catch up just as he's opening the door.

"Hi Jack! Did you get taIIer?" (y/n)'s mom greets Jack warmly and he smiles.

Jack's mom greets (y/n)'s mom and the two get caught up just long enough for Jack to stare curiously at the other girl. Before the two can get too antsy and run off, (y/n)’s mom introduces (y/n).

“Jack, this is (y/n), (y/n), this is Jack,” The two wave shyly at each other and the two moms smile fondly at the sight.

“Why don’t you two go play outside while we catch up?”

Jack turns around and speeds off, (y/n) close in tow. He swings open the backdoor and straight for the giant play set in the back. The two run around, playing a sort of chase, up and down the slide, before getting tired and settling on the swings.

“What’s your favorite color?” Jack asks.

“Pink!” (y/n) exclaims. “What about you?”

“Green.”

The two go back and forth like this and by the end, they’ve decided they’re best friends. When (y/n)’s mom comes to get her a few hours later, she protests, insisting she never wants to leave. The two hug tightly and part with the promise that you'll be over again soon.

12 Years Old

"(y/n)! Jack is here!" (y/n)'s mom yells up the stairs.

Before she can respond, her childhood best friend comes barging into the room. He plops onto her bed, instantly relaxing and she turns from her spot at her desk to look at him.

"What's up?" She asks.

"How am I supposed to ask Anna to the dance?" He sighs dramatically and she smiles. She stands up and lays down next to Jack.

"Just ask her. She obviously likes you." She responds and he rolls his eyes.

The first school dance of the year was this friday and Jack had been freaking out about asking his crush to go with him for weeks. (y/n) had been trying to convince him forever but he insisted she was going to say no.

"What if she says no?"

"Then you're sad for a bit and then you get up and party at the dance with me." That cracks a smile and the two are back to their normal activities.

16 Years Old

“What do you think we'll be doing ten years from now?” (y/n) asks Jack as she rolls over on his bed to face him.

“I'll be a famous singer and you'll be a photographer. We'll travel the world together and live out our best lives.” She smiles, and Jack turns back around to continue working on his new song.

As he works, she takes a few Polaroids of him and judges which ones to keep, add to her portfolio and which ones to give to Jack. Just as she sits back down, Jack's mom comes in and knocks on the door.

“Dinners ready! (y/n) are you staying the night?” She asks and (y/n) looks over at Jack who nods and she copies the action.

“Sounds good,” His mom says before disappearing again.

Ever since Jack and (y/n) hit middle school years, they ended up sleeping over at each others houses. Their moms decided that they trusted the other enough for sleepovers, and soon they became a regularity.

"We'll always be friends right?" (y/n) asks once the two are settled for bed after dinner.

"Always." He smiles and it goes straight to her heart.

Present Day

"What do you guys have going on today?" (y/n) asks as the boys gather in the living room to leave.

"Meetings, interviews, more meetings." Daniel says while sitting down next to you and pecking your cheek. "You?"

"A photoshoot and that's it.'' She tells him and he nods.

"Have fun my love." He says kissing her and standing up again. Jack comes up and kisses the top of (y/n)'s head and tells her to have a good day before leaving with the rest of the guys.

3 years ago (y/n)'s best friend had joined a band and ever since they've taken off. Millions of followers, several eps, an album, and another tour coming up here you were. Her best friend had traveled the world and she fell in love with his band mate. Life seemed perfect.

Ever since Jack had taken off in his career (y/n) hasn't been far behind. At the beginning of the band's career she had taken all of their photos. Overtime other artists and influencers have reached out to her and asked her to take photos for their own profiles. She had begun to take off with Jack by her side.

That was also how she met Daniel. (y/n) first started staying with the band shortly after they all moved to LA and she picked up a few photography jobs. Daniel and her hit it off right away and three years later they were here. Taking on the world by storm.

The boys seemed to have never ending meeting that was starting to take a toll. Zach looked like he was going fall asleep, Daniel wouldn't stop tapping his pen on the table, Jonah was doodling, Corbyn was on his phone like he was still in high school, and Jack was daydreaming. They were usually better than this in meetings, but it felt like they had been going in circles for days.

"Last two things," The execs say and an audible sigh can be heard around the room. "Your opener and your photographer. Who do you want?"

"Wait, we can bring a photographer with us?" Daniel perks up and Jack does the same.

"Whoever you want."

The boys come home that day more excited than ever. (y/n) had just gotten home from her shoot and was flipping through the photos she had taken when they came practically crashing through the front door. The loud noise causes her to jump, and she spins around to see them bounding through the door.

“(y/n)!!” Jack and Daniel both yell at the same time and she sits up quickly.

“What’s up?” She asks confused as to what the big commotion has been about.

“You free for the next few months?” Jack asks.

Once the boys settle enough to explain that they would pay (y/n) to tour with them and take their pictures she practically has the same reaction as they did. She had been wanting to do a tour with an artist for as long as she could remember and now to have this opportunity especially with her best friends was a dream come true.

We work out the details and (y/n) leaves the house practically screaming inside and out. This was everything to her and she couldn’t believe this was actually going to happen. She was also so excited to travel with her best friends and essentially make great memories for months.

Two Months Later

“Do you have your laptop?” (y/n)’s mom asks, frantically turning around to look around her near empty apartment.

“In my backpack,” She tells her.

“Your chargers? Enough film? Your SD cards? Did you pack enough socks?” She asks and (y/n) sighs.

“Ma,” She says and her mom smiles. “I got it.”

“Okay baby I love you,” She says and (y/n) hugs her mom tight and promises to call as much as possible. Just as they let go, (y/n) hears the shrill beep from the boys car and grabs her bags.

She heads down to the car, where Daniel and Jack meet her. They grab her bags and put them into the trunk before climbing back into the car and diving head first into a summer they would never forget.

“Are you serious?” She asks.

“Dead. Come on!” Corbyn begs (y/n) and she rolls her eyes but holds her camera up regardless.

Her and the boys were stuck in the airport for at least another half an hour and came up with the brilliant idea to snap some photos while they waited for the plane. Corbyn grips his favorite pillow in his arms, offering a pleading look towards (y/n) as he insists it’ll be a perfect photo for his instagram. She relents finally, and kneels down, getting the perfect angle and snaps shot after shot.

“Flight 247 to Las Vegas now boarding,” The overhead speaker announces and Corbyn and (y/n) spring up.

Corbyn grabs his stuff and she follows, running over to where she left hers to find it gone. Her heart drops for a second before she hears a whistle. She snaps her head to the side, seeing Jack raising her backpack in his hand and she smiles gratefully before running over with Corbyn just behind her.

“Gonna need this to start the best summer ever,” Jack says, handing the backpack over with a wink and (y/n) sighs.

When we land in Las Vegas, we head to the hotel first, dropping off our suitcases and getting everything settled. While (y/n) would get her own room, the rest of the boys had to share one way or another. But they were always on the same floor and ran around to hang out with each other in one room.

“(y/n)! My beautiful!” Daniel yells walking into your room. “Wanna explore?”

“Would love to.”

Daniel and (y/n) head out together with a quick message to the groupchat where they would be. They decide to catch an Uber to the venue and dinner somewhere close considering they haven’t eaten since before they had taken off in Los angeles.

Just as they get to the venue, Daniel takes her hand, carefully intertwining their fingers and leads her around the place. She can’t help it, and takes out her phone and snaps a couple of photos as Daniel walks in front of her and when he hears the familiar click of a camera, he turns around.

“Oh come on,” Daniel jokes and (y/n) smiles sheepishly.

“I can’t help it! You look great and the lighting is unique.”

She gestures for Daniel to move and she plops down, snapping a few photos. When Daniel has had enough, he moves towards the girl and pretends to come at her like he’s gonna tackle her. She falls back and Daniel ends up hovering over her, a wide smile plastered across his perfect features.

He leans down, placing a light kiss on her lips and (y/n) reciprocates by leaning up to deepen it. Just as she goes to reach her arms around Daniels neck, someone clears their throat. The two separate and Daniel rolls over to sit down next to her.

“Am I interrupting?” Jack asks walking over.

“A little,” Daniel says and (y/n) rolls her eyes. She raises a hand and Jack helps her up.

“What were you guys doing?” He asks once she’s standing.

“Oh I was just taking some photos of Daniel,” (y/n) explains gesturing to the scene around her and Jack nods. Over the years he had gotten used to spontaneous photoshoots and could practically spot a perfect picture spot as well as she could.

“By the way, the fans are obsessed with our photos on instagram,” Jack mentions and Daniel tilts his head to the side. By now he’s moved so he has an arm around (y/n)’s waist and is staring curiously at the younger boy.

“Corbyn wanted to use my camera so I let him take a few photos of me and Jack,” (y/n) explains looking at Daniel. “How bad are the comments though?”

“Well,”

For the past three months, every time Jack and (y/n) posted a picture together on either one's social media the fans went nuts. They “shipped” Jack and (y/n) like crazy and blatantly ignored (y/n)’s current relationship with Daniel. Some fans really just had no boundaries and Daniel was honestly getting tired, (y/n) was hoping to do damage control, and Jack was hoping his secret crush of 13 years wouldn’t get out.

“Come on man, did you really have to post the photos? You know how bad the fans have been,” Daniel complains and you turn in his arms.

“Woah, it’s not Jack’s fault they have no boundaries,” (y/n) says defending her best friend.

“And you can’t tell me what I can and can’t post,” Jack snaps back.

“Jack chill,” (y/n) says fully stepping out of Daniels arms to get in between the two boys.

“What’s your damage?” Daniel asks and Jack takes a step forward causing you to take one back.

“I think you know exactly what my damage is. Don’t act like you didn’t ask for this.”

“You had your chance man. Don’t act all high and mighty now,” Daniel says and Jack rolls his eyes.

“You’re one to talk,” He declares and pushes past Daniel and storms off. (y/n) stares at where Jack walks off for a second, shocked at the random argument that occured before turning towards her boyfriend.

“What the hell was that?” She asks.

“Something you don’t want to get into,” He responds before walking away.

(y/n) stands there for a moment, unsure of what to do or even who to choose. What was that argument even about?

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kyogre-blue · 4 years

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Naruto Shippuden, ep 484-488

This filler is about Sasuke... in theory. It doesn’t really show that much about him and I wouldn’t say he develops in any way. It’s fairly dull.

It’s also incredibly annoying. There are two issues, both with the filler characters. The first is their powers. Fuushin’s unspecified kekkei genkai seems to be related to wind, but he is also able to make exploding knives. That’s... whatever, fine. But the Chinoike are just ridiculous. They’re first introduced as having a doujutsu, the Ketsuryugan, which allows them to use strong genjutsu. The Uchiha were hired specifically to deal with that. But ACTUALLY their power is over blood, which is far more versatile and notable, and has jackall to do with their doujustu. It’s all insanely annoying.

The second issue is Chino’s massive hypocrisy. You can view it as more “this villain might have a point, so we better make them super evil to make sure the audience doesn’t think too hard.” Alternatively, she’s pretty obviously clinging to ridiculous justifications for herself.

In either case, Chino presents the idea that, to the person suffering, the perpetrators and those who stand aside doing nothing as both cruel. She calls them equally bad, but either way, the point is that if you see something wrong and don’t act, you’re also in the wrong. That’s pretty interesting! And very applicable for shinobi, who don’t do anything if there isn’t money or their own village involved.

But Chino herself then kills dozens of completely unrelated bystanders and wants to kill all of Konoha (???) for no particular reason except that I guess it would make her feel connected to her ancestors. She also doesn’t bother targeting Oyashiro (who is still free at the end), or Kiri who actually killed half her gang, or the nasty as hell daimyos, or anyone actually doing evil that she is perfectly aware of. She picks the most unnecessary and ridiculous target.

And of course, this entire message is totally ridiculous when Orochimaru is right there.

484:

Aun Gate is how the subs render the gate name.

Former Anbu Tadaichi, a regular at Ino’s shop.

Chouji can now grow wings on one bag of potato chips.

Chino and Nowaki claim to be former shinobi who are now performers. Old man Iou and his daughter Amino. Fuushin and the Lighting Gang (Raikou-dan), who acted as robin hood types.

Sasuke can use his Sharingan to look into people’s memories.

485:

Orochimaru is just traveling around, doing whatever. Yamato is tailing him but...

En Oyashiro, an arms trader. We find out later that he’s been buying child slaves with kekkei genkai and training them to be shinobi. For... probably two decades and counting.

An unmarked island for the rich, with a Coliseum where their pet shinobi fight. Makibi Corporation, Himeyuri Company, Kusabi Real Estate Group, if you need some buddies for Gatou. (Although Gatou was apparently a small-fry, messing around with hired samurai thugs and missing nin. Raising your own child soldiers is where it’s at.)

486:

Sasuke already has eyebags around age 19 or so.

Fuushin was born in Mizu, but the villagers (including his own parents??) sold him for having a kekkei genkai. They blamed him for causing a typhoon.

Chinoike clan, with the Ketsuryugan. Their actual power is over blood. Previously from Lightning, they had a daughter marry the daimyo. When he died, another concubine framed her, so the entire clan was exiled to Hell Valley in Hot Spring. The Uchiha were hired to do so due to their Sharingan. This was before Konoha’s founding.

Orochimaru makes smart remarks about the oppressed Uchiha clan once oppressing others, but that’s... quite different.....

Sasuke wonders if Itachi knew. Probably not! Have you seen Konoha keep proper records of anything? Also, Itachi wiped out a clan of innocent people, he can deal with it.

To return to his real form, Fuushin slashes his wrists and momentarily swells up like the exploding people. I guess Chino injected some of her blood into him to transform him?

487:

Fighting the Ketsuryugan makes Sasuke’s Sharingan bleed. He also needs to use Mangekyou. So blood powers and also OP genjutsu, makes lots of sense...

Chino says the clan decided to stay in Hell Valley since they were tired of fighting. This sounds weird on multiple levels, but ok

Chino’s Ketsuryugan also bleeds when used.

The old man at the start actually asked for their help, so him turning on the Lightning Gang is especially nasty.

The gang were hired by Kiri to attack the Mizu daimyou (during Yagura’s era), but Kiri were actually setting them up. They could get rid of a free faction while also cozying up with the daimyo.

Their cloaks had lightning bolts on them, how cute.

488:

Chino, Fuushin and their buddy are taken to a Konoha prison. Unlike Orochimaru!

The Mizukage wants to take charge of them. Mei wants to work with them, given Kiri’s past betrayal.

Kakashi tells them they must atone for the rest of their lives. Unlike Orochimaru!!

Sasuke does go back to the Coliseum to free all the shinobi there according their rules. I’m not sure why he does this, since the entire gambling ring is broken up by A because the island is close to Kumo. He says that this is thus Kumo’s problem to deal with... but WHY. Shinobi are not law enforcers? Where and how does he have authority to take all these rich assholes into custody? Or shut down their business? It’s not even explained which part is illegal.

Final twist: Oyashiro is from the Chinoike. After his wife died, he killed his entire clan. Chino is his daughter, so her issues are especially something in retrospect. Orochimaru has the guts to call him a “doting parent” despite him messing her up so much that she ripped a kid’s ear off with her teeth in training. He, an arms dealer and a slave trader, is free to do whatever he wants at the end :)

SS continues to be... bad.

#now playing #watching naruto

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