#Edwin gets my surprise song

[deadboyquotes]

Dead Boy Detectives as Taylor Swift Songs Debut Edition

Crystal - Cold as You

“Oh, every smile you fake is so condescending

Countin' all the scars you've made

Now that I'm sittin' here thinkin' it through

I've never been anywhere cold as you”

Edwin - Teardrops on My Guitar

“I'll bet she's beautiful, that girl he talks about

And she's got everything that I have to live without

…

He says he's so in love, he's finally got it right

I wonder if he knows he's all I think about at night”

Charles - Mary’s Song (Oh My My My)

“I'll be eighty-seven; you'll be eighty-nine

I'll still look at you like the stars that shine

In the sky, oh my my my”

Niko - A Place in This World

“I'm alone, on my own, And that's all I know

I'll be strong, I'll be wrong, Oh, but life goes on

Oh, I'm just a girl, Trying to find a place, in this world”

Jenny - Picture To Burn

“There's no time for tears

I'm just sitting here planning my revenge

‘Cause coming back around here would be bad for your health”

Cat King - Invisible

“And I just wanna show you

She don't even know you

She's never gonna love you like I want to”

Monty - The Outside

“How can I ever try to be better?

Nobody ever let's me in

And I can still see you, this ain't the best view

On the outside looking in”

[pippin-katz]

Random Satisfying & Clever Moments Of Audio From Dead Boy Detectives - Part 3

There's a few moments in DBD that utilize audio really well, or use sounds that always stick out to me while watching, and these are some of those moments!

This is another really fast fun one, but I can't help but grin whenever I see it!

Ep. 8 - The Case of the Hungry Snake: Charles and Edwin turning their heads to look at each other, then back at the box in sync with the background music.

It's come to my attention over the last year that there is a massive amount of casual viewers of television and film that don't actually notice or recognize stuff like this. The music goes right over their heads.

I played the violin for years, have a deep love for musicals, and get chills from listening to certain film scores (How To Train Your Dragon, I'm looking at you). To me, I can't not notice it. I think this is an obvious example, but then again, it always seems "obvious" to me.

The opening sequence of Puss In Boots: The Last Wish is an absolutely astounding example of coordination between music and movement that goes on for basically the entire first five minutes of the film. The blades clashing and playing the notes of the song playing in the background is subtle, but I didn't think it was so subtle that it was hard to notice. But when I showed other people and asked if they noticed, they all looked at me blankly until I explained it to them. Then they get it and think it's really cool, but it always surprises me whenever I encounter people who genuinely don't register the music as part of the experience.

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4

(ko-fi)

[sasakisyndrome]

theres something so special about charles and edwins Songᵗᵐ being welcome to the black parade because it just feels so distinctly them. like dead boy detectives and the black parade have similar thesis statements so its not super surprising but man do they go together well.

the song starts with a simple, elegant, and recognisable piano melody all on its own with relatively untouched vocals. that piano stays the prominent focus of the first half of the intros instrumental but is soon joined soon with the more parade-like rythyms, almost militant sounding drums and the piano (likely) mimicking a xylophone.

the use of these much more classical feels like it should juxtapose with the gradually crescendoing drums and the focus shifting from the piano melody being the most prominent to the electric guitar, a much modern instrument then the piano during the reprise of the first stanza of the song into the latter half, but the drums (representing the parade of death) keep the melody grounded together.

and the thing is somehow that combination of the piano into the guitar works it sounds awesome. the transition from gerards relatively gentle singing over the piano into the belting over the much more traditionally “rock emo” sound. the album is a rock opera which in itself should be an oxymoron but somehow WORKS.

and isnt that just such a perfect parallel to the prim and proper shy edwardian boy who died in 1916 (and missed 70 years of earth history) and the boy from the 80s who wears punk patches, and jewelery who is self declared “aces with other people.”

and that just the insturmentals, don’t even get me started on the lyrics like holy guacamole !!!!!!!!! there’s just such an inherint teenage angst to it that you can just get why it’s resonated with so many young people.

He said, "Son, when you grow up, would you be, the savior of the broken, the beaten, and the damned?"

though the boys never did get to grow up, they spend their time helping other ghosts with unfinished business be able to move on to their afterlives, helping the broken, the beaten, and ocassionally, the damned. that’s a basic breakdown of the show!!!! and the bridge omg…

Do or die, you'll never make me, Because the world will never take my heart Go and try, you'll never break me We want it all, we wanna play this part I won't explain or say I'm sorry I'm unashamed, I'm gonna show my scar And give a cheer for all the broken Listen here, because it's who we are Just a man, I'm not a hero Just a boy who had to sing this song Just a man, I'm not a hero I don’t care

charles and edwin never wanted to be “the dead boy heros” thats a horrible name. they just wanted to be detectives and to solve mysteries that no one else would. and they do it in exchange for top hats, and taffy, and cursed objects from people who needed help.

two boys who were both hatecrimed, whos deaths got covered up, who saw humanity at its absolute lowest, still choose to believe there is good in the world and want to help others. and they’re gonna be themselves while doing it! they’re gonna be bitchy, and loud, and forget things, and act like teenage boys, and if you don’t like that then go find other detectives.

when talking about the song gerard way spoke about how he liked that “a parade could either be for a funeral or for a celebration.” and for the album, and for the show, it’s both. and i’m very glad he and the rest of the band let them use the song in the trailer. because though the boys are dead and gone, but that doesn’t change the fact that they will carry on.

[aletterinthenameofsanity]

Dead Boy Detectives Victor AU: Surprise Charles' POV!

so. i had thoughts. about charles in the scene where his father's propos drop and he is trapped in the room while edwin is having a bad day and he can't do anything and then monty comes in and gets sick and charles can finally do something, anything, to help someone and then monty straightens up and tells him that he'd faked it (but he didn't *fake it*, he did genuinely make himself sick even if he can't see that) just to get charles and edwin out of that situation. and the bug crawled in my ear and now i can't stop thinking about this right here.

so. have this. *splats the fic down in front of you* bye.

Charles Rowland’s life has always been an avalanche burying him whole. He was never able to pause the falling rocks long enough to get a chance to breathe, much less how to live, until he woke up from the Arena and into the soft song of Edwin Payne’s voice.

Edwin Payne was a kindness. Meeting him was like feeling the breeze after emerging from under the mountain. How could the swing of hammers and the oppressive heat of the tunnels ever compare?

Charles never thought he could love anyone as much as he loves Edwin until he met Monty Finch.

The thing about Monty Finch is that he lives up to his namesake. Back in Two, finches were creatures of grace and wonder despite being as ordinary as any mouse or dog, beautiful in their freedom.

Charles always thought that birds were the only sort of animal that he would like to be. They couldn’t be buried by rock slides. They could fly away when their father’s belt ripped into their back.

But then, as he grew older, Charles understood that he couldn’t be a bird. He couldn’t fly away. Not when so many other people had to be protected more than he did.

(Aka: Charles' backstory and POV on the propos scene in "there's nothing sweeter than my baby.")

@deadboy-edwin @anything-thats-rock-and-roll @icecreambrownies @anonymousbooknerd-universe @magpiemarten

@hartigays @tragedy-machine @just-existing-as-you-do-blog @orpheusetude @mj-irvine-selby

@pappelsiin @itsbitmxdinhere @rexrevri

@the-ipre @sunnylemonss @days-light @agentearthling @helltechnicality

[jewishrizahawkeye]

hello! welcome back to my FMA Characters as Taylor Swift albums!!! previous albums are here:

debut, fearless (taylor’s version), speak now (taylor’s version), RED (taylor’s version), 1989 (taylor’s version)

now, let’s talk about the old taylor- oh no, she can’t come to the phone right now. why? oh… CAUSE SHES DEAD:

𝔯𝔢𝔭𝔲𝔱𝔞𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫

Edward Elric

- time for THE comeback album bitches

- taylor has described this album as her most metal album (she was going through it and LYING), but while i disagree with that regard i still think there is something to that idea. taylor initially described it as finding love in the darkest of times, which is true. the album focuses more on the idea and fears of a relationship based on past loves and her world as a whole. and while that relationship is no longer happening, the message of the album still holds true.

- "my world is uninhabitable for most, no one can stay. but you're staying?"

- there is though, still a hint of venom or anger at times in the album. mainly towards the media or certain people who tried to destroy her career by lying through there teeth and putting her through years of media abuse, BUT WERE NOT HERE FOR THAT RANT BY KELLY SO ILL SHUT UP, but it's also anger towards her circumstances about the life she had chosen and didn't fully realize what she was getting into

- as when she signed on to be a country singer at 16 being a celebrity was a very different experience and meaning than our current idea of it as social media was no where near as prevalent

- it's those ideas why i think reputation is ed.

- ed is someone who made a decision years ago and is now forever facing the consequences and blaming himself not only for it but all the aftershocks it's caused in the beobles he's loves lives

- and here's to my real friends, they don't care about the HE SAID SHE SAID! and here's to my baaaaaaby, HE AINT READING WHAT THEY CALL ME LATELY! and here's to my mammmmma, HAD TO LISTEN TO ALL THIS DRAMA! *the other shoe drops*

- that's not even metaphorical SHE ACTUALLY THROWS A SHOE ON THE GROUND AT THAT POINT. LIKE SHE IS EMPHASIZING HOW THE STRAIN IT PUT ON HER AND HER FAMILY + WHILE HER MOTHER WAS DEALING WITH HER CANCER WAS ONE OF THE FINAL STRAWS FOR HER!!!!!!)

- i'm sorry, i'm not, i just fucking love this song

- and though the people in his life don't blame him, as neither do the ones in taylor's that we can tell through her songs, he knows he doesn't make it easier to know it be around him. (even before he discovers the conspiracy). he is angry and upset about what has happened to him but also knows that he got himself into this situation. so while he doesn't necessarily fight it he is annoyed by it.

- he also feels very indebted to making things right and is going out of his way to help and save everyone which is a lot for anyone to take on ESPECIALLY at his young age, which is something that has been seen in taylor's past albums and echos of defeat in this one

- i think in general edward deserves a LWYMMD moment as only hot people get those and ed's been through enough shit in life he deserves it.

- also the love songs on this album feel very shocked and surprised, blushing and unable to speak. which is how we often see ed reacting to winry (cause he's 14 and has a crush on a girl ohhhhhhhhhhhh).

- they're unsure and exciting, the narrator doesn't know how to deal with it. it goes from being excited to being upset and confused to admitting guilt over situations but also not regretting it as it freed them.

- the love songs are all about finding a love that's new and exciting a real. not just the idea of love to go off of but a real love between two people. which is what edwin can be seen with as childhood friends to lovers. as both are almost blindsided by their feelings and even propose to each other in the most awkward way imaginable and both get flustered.

[tickle-bugs]

@ticklishraspberries tagged me in this a billion years ago and bc i'm literally the worst im doing it late. thank u for the tag lovely!!!

❤️ Newest obsession: no obsessions really!! probably healthy overall lol but i strangely haven't been like consumed by a fandom in a very very long time. i've been enjoying my adventures with superman s2, critical role (surprising no one), dead boy detectives, and dungeon meshi lately tho!!

🎥 Last three movies I watched and what I thought of them:

as much as it physically pains me, i'm gonna skip this one. im a big film nerd and all my friends know what movies i'm gonna see when so i'm nervous they'll ID me on this blog thru my letterboxd LMAO

🎶 Three songs I’ve discovered recently and loved: trying to be original and not talk about anything super popular rn lmfao

Killer Shangri-Lah by Pshychotic Beats (found this through killing eve hehe)

Run Your Mouth - The Marias

Slowly Spilling Out - Saint Motel

💘 Newest Fav Ships: none atm really? eve/villanelle from killing eve comes to mind since i just finished the show. any combination of charles, edwin, and monty from dead boy detectives (and crystal/niko BIG TIME) come to mind. not much in the way of new tho. just my usual bullshit.

📺 Currently Watching: critical role c2 (still lol). i finished most of the shows i was watching atm. might start house of the dragon or the acolyte soon tho!

📖 Currently Reading: haven't read anything in a while :( i JUST redid my bookshelf today tho so hopefully i can change that

🎮 Currently Playing: baldur's gate 3 has my soul and will not return it

😍 Currently Looking Forward To: getting back into writing (hopefully. fingers fucking crossed)

✅ Recently finished: not -technically- done yet but deep cleaning my room! it's done so much for my mental health to redo my space from the ground up :)

💌 Something to share: for the first time in almost a decade im working on a lego set and when i tell you i am healed? whew

tagging @thebest-medicine @fickle-tiction @kourtniwritesagain but absolutely no pressure!!!

[aquadestinyswriting]

📖❤️

Hi friend, thank you for the asks. Going to place the answers under a cut to save peoples' dashes since I will probably ramble for both of these.

📖"What has surprised you about your WIPs?"

I'll admit that, while I know the overall plot of the story and how it ends, I've been surprised by quite a lot while writing the various stories that make up this series. The biggest one was when I finally figured out how to marry the plot of the story I wanted to tell to the original 'canon' of the campaign the story is set within.

When I first came up with Fangthane's Folly and The Wizard's Tale, the various villains were all fairly disparate, with only some of them having any real connection to one another. I was fine with this as the antagonists of the story were, originally, just going to be the various issues in Fangthane and the villains almost entirely dwarves for Fangthane's Folly, and the Council of Toreguarde and the Cabal for The Wizard's Tale.

However, once I started re-reading the notes of the sessions leading up to why Meredith had to leave her party, I realised that, under the surface, all the various story threads could be connected. The minute I figured out how they all fit together, I was completely surprised by how consistent the whole thing was. One event lead into another, lead into another in a huge, messy yarn ball of political b.s between two city-states that should, by all rights, be allies. Credit does need to go to Dru for getting that political b.s ball rolling, though. I might not have noticed it if she didn't point it out first.

That surprise has lead to a much more consistent story across both the 'The Wizard's Tale' and 'The Troubles of Meredith Gruksdottir' (of which Fangthane's Folly and the Anvil's Fall' is a part) series.

❤️"What are your favorite scenes from your WIPs?"

For Fangthane's Folly, I think my favourite scene is definitely the nightmare Meredith has once she's stuck in a cell by Grimbeard. I adore the imagery and the overall message of the nightmare. The utter panic and confusion that Meredith feels in that moment is pretty palpable. For a story based on the song 'I See Fire' by Ed Sheeran, I'm pretty dang proud of it. And it foreshadows events that take place much later down the line, which doesn't hurt.

For The Wizard's Tale, this question is quite a lot harder. I have so many, but there is a scene quite late into the story 'To Heal a Broken Soul' that I love and adore because of how intense it feels:

It's the one where Edwin is trying, to save Selene's life and is casting Heal after Heal after Heal after Heal, only to have every last one rebuffed. And, since Edwin is a Cleric of a nature deity, all he's succeeding in doing is growing an almost literal jungle in Selene's bedroom. It took several edits to get it to the level of intensity that I wanted, but I think the current version is just the right level of frustration, grief, anger, exhaustion and desperation that I wanted.

As you can see, I like it when scenes are emotionally intense and I can get into the nitty-gritty of the characters' feelings. The poetic imagery of these kinds of scenes also helps.

[scotianostra]

Happy Birthday Scots Indie singer Edwyn Collins.

Best known for his tenure fronting the Scottish group Orange Juice as well as his international solo hit A Girl Like You, singer Edwyn Collins was born in Edinburgh on August 23rd 1959.

The family later moved to Dundee, where the lived from the age of six to 14 after his father got a job as a lecturer at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design. He attended the now-defunct Demonstration School in Park Place, where new educational ideas were tried out by students and teachers from the adjacent teacher training college, before moving to the secondary school, Morgan Academy

In 1976, he formed the Nu-Sonics, who resurfaced three years later as Orange Juice; the leading proponent of the Glasgow neo-pop scene, the band earned a devoted cult following but little commercial success, and by the early ‘80s Collins was the only remaining founding member, the group hit the charts with the catchy Rip it Up but after a self-titled 1984 release album failed to chart, Orange Juice disbanded, and Collins was freed from his contract with the group’s label, Polydor.

He has since pursued a solo career as a musician, in addition to work as an illustrator, television actor and producer, and as a record producer, he had a worldwide hit in 1995 with A girl like you, which must have set him up for life. In 2005, Collins was rushed to the hospital after suffering a severe cerebral haemorrhage; he would eventually spend six months recovering from brain surgery he has since returned to the studio and recorded again, with the help of many of his musician friends.

I would say he has a cult following, I wouldn’t be surprised if came up with another hit one day, possibly as a lyricist rather than a performer. He won an Ivor Novello Award, the Ivor Inspiration Award, in 2009 and a documentary film about Collins recovery, entitled The Possibilities Are Endless, birth by James Hall and Edward Lovelace, was released in November 2014. Edwin’s 2019 album Badbea, is named after a clearance village just north of Helmsdale, it was nominated for Scottish Album of the Year Award

On 21st August 2010 Collins attended the Helmsdale Highland Games as the chieftain, an honour also previously bestowed on his grandfather.

In ant interview in 1021 he was asked how he was coping during the pandemic, he said “ “taking it easy, relaxing, enjoying the countryside in the car, chilling out, shopping in Inverness, getting my hair cut…”

Last year Edwin was invited onto stae at Hampden park by Coldplay, where he performed his solo hit A girl like you. “The guys were so nice to me,” Edwyn recalled, clearly relishing the memories of that moment.

Though ever the perfectionist, he was quick to put singer Chris Martin in his place when his version wasn’t quite up to Edwyn’s standards!

“Chris Martin sings a few words and then I said, ‘give me that guitar Chris. That’s wrong!’

Eighteen years on from his stroke, Edwyn is recording a new album and working on perfecting his live performance skills, which he admits can still go awry.

UI was going to play footage of the Hampden gig with Coldplay, but the fan filmed visdeos are poor quality, so here's the offiicial vid of the song.

[purpleplaid17]

Jess Watches // Sun 31 Dec // Day 100 Synopses & Favourite Scenes & Poll

Orphan Black (rw with mum) 5x05 Ease for Idle Millionaires

While Sarah and Kira spend time at home bonding, Cosima unlocks the island's biggest secret, discovering a link between the village's so-called creature and the science around Kira.

“The privacy we got to have in that scene, where the camera is swirling around us… it just felt so right. It was internal, it was private, and it was felt as opposed to looked at. Felt very empowering to explore the love of these two women this way.” - Tatiana Maslany

“It was really just Tatiana and I connecting, and every take was different, but it was the- the fiction making reality. The scene, it- it felt… real. There was something- our connection as actors and as characters just sort of… [pause] yeah, just, on fire. And so, that was one of the most beautiful, and intense, and magical moments of my career.” - Evelyne Brochu

"A marvelous moment happened early on, maybe the second take… Evelyne lifted Tatiana up so that she was holding her, which made Tatiana taller than her. That sort of shift in the physical dynamic is so evocative for the viewer — to go from Cosima looking up to Delphine, to being level and finally above. If we had cut to a wide shot you would have seen Cosima’s legs wrapped around Evelyne’s waist. Evelyne literally lifted Tatiana up, and it was just a breathtaking moment. And while I let each scene evolve in its own way, I said, ‘Make sure you lift her up because that’s fantastic. " - Helen Shaver

Unprisoned (with mum) 1x03 Are You My Mother Wound?

With Edwin back in her life, Paige must confront her "mother wound" - leading to a housewarming dinner that turns into a competition for her love.

Little Paige stealing every scene she's in. She is so talented. And her actually interacting with Adult Paige was a fun addition to their dynamic. Paige's family is dysfunctional af but they really do seem to love her which is really nice. I also noticed Shiri Appleby directed this ep and last 👀.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (rw) 3x10 Amends

As the Christmas holiday approaches, Angel is tormented by evil apparitions who want him to eliminate Buffy.

The 5-episode hot streak had to end some time I guess. An episode of Angel moping about pathetically. Bored now. When Buffy and Faith making peace and potentially having a genuine connection was right there. It was literally written like she invited her girlfriend home for the holidays, and we barely go to see any of it.

Heartbreak High 1x01 Renaissance Titties

Amerie, the new outcast, receives a party invitation that gives her butterflies. But when she manages to show up, a bitter surprise awaits.

Why was the photo of her and Harper nearly kissing the one Amerie zoomed in on? And to help Quinni get Sasha's attention why was Amerie's solution to try and kiss Quinni? And why did Harper not play a love song outside Amerie's window to try and win her back?

[dycefic]

Ocean Burial: A History!

Howdy! My name is Olivine! I’ve been a big fan for a hot minute now, but I just wanted to let you know how much I loved your newest story about Bone Beach. Now, I am an aspiring ethnomusicologist, and imagine my surprise when I first saw one of my favorite songs in the story! I just wanted to share some information about its deep and storied history. 

Our story tonight begins many, many years ago, with a young man from New York. Edwin Hubbell Chapin was a teenager when he wrote his poem Ocean Burial, also known as Bury Me Not, while training to become a priest. Shortly after its publication (by Edgar Allen Poe’s poetry journal!), a popular sheet music writer named George N. Allen set it to music, and thusly, one of the most tragic songs of the age was born.

But its growth did not halt there. But first, I have to take a step back and give y'all a tad bit of context. I am a Southern gal, born and raised (Southern US, that is),  and I never did know any “Ocean Burial”. However, when I was just a young child, I fell in love with the mysterious, haunting ballad that my father sung to us all as a lullaby. It told the tale of a young cowpoke who laid in the prairie brush at sunset, breathing his final prayer to his companions.

“Bury me not, on the lone prairie." 

You see, Chapin’s song had grown wings and took flight far over the lands, took the leather and the iron of the cowpokes. Through the oral tradition and the ancient magic of stories among travelers, this sailing song had become a tragedy of the American cowboy. 

First published by John Lomax, sources at the time claimed that it came from the Uvalde region. Some believe that it was originally the Lohn Prairie, the name for the vast grasslands around the region. It was first recorded in the most popular version (most similar to the original, too) by Charles Sprauge, a boy hailing from Manvel, Texas, not too far from Houston. He grew up as a ranch-hand on his family’s farm, learning songs from his uncles, as well as the transient cowboys and ranch-hands who made their way on through. 

After his service in the first World War, he came home and recorded ”The Dyin’ Cowboy“ in 1925, and would go on to produce a few albums with Victor records. Tragically, his career was cut short but the Great Depression. But ultimately, he shaped American music, especially country, into what we see today. He was the original "Singin’ Cowboy”, giving rise to most every country star from Willie Nelson to Johnny Cash himself. He also had a massive influence on the rise of rock, being one of those oft-touted folk singers who “paved the road for rock n’ roll”.

Now-a-days, it still lives on. Covered by popular artists such as Colter Wall, it still lies in the heart of American folk music. However, it lives on in the spiritual sense. You see, it holds a poignance and timelessness that forever holds the grief of a life cut short. Truth be told, I do believe that Chapin, Lomax, and Sprauge would be glad that their songs have lived on in the minds of so many others, that their dying youth may forever be remembered.

Thanks for your time! I know I have a tendency to ramble, so I apologize if I went on for too long, or ended up getting too philosophical. But my words have been spoken and my tongue’s all sore, so this is it for me tonight. Have a good day, and thank you for your patience!

Check out this amazing little glimpse into the history of ‘The Ocean Burial’! I am delighted to know that I accidentally chose a song for my story with such a rich history!

[ipegchangbin]

hi z <333

sorry I was gone for so long but i had school stuff to take care of </3 I was really surprised that people were open to my prompts...it made me very happy

the reason I like bully reader and loser channie is that its rare to be loved unconditionally especially when this person knows of all your flaws

loser channie sees readers "bad side" yet he still loves them and idk....that just seems so nice

this dynamic reminds me of that of san and ashitaka in princess monopole. idk if u ever watched it but it was made in the 90s by studio Ghibli

SPOILER FOR MOVIE san has a knife to ashitakas neck and she's threatening him but he just tells her to keep living and that she's beautiful

another scene she stabs him and he just hugs her

HEAD IN HANDS.....

I also have a song rec for this dynamic ( its German lol ) its called leichter//kälter by Edwin Rosen

basically the song is about how the singers love interest/partner/ex??? says its easier to stand barefoot in the snow than being with him because he is so much colder than the snow

and that made me think.....what if channie is basically at his wits end??and just breaks down and asks reader what he did for her to act so cold towards him ( very angsty im sorry 😔)

now smut maybe I will give it my best 👍

channie and reader watching tiktoks and they come across one with the caption "<<<<<<<when he moans and whimpers" with whatever sound is popular that week and channie looks curiously at reader and asks "are you into that too?? like everyone in the comments???" and they're like "duhhh!!! wait, have you been holding back 🤨🤨🤨" and he admits that yes, he has been holding back because he's embarrassed and scared of readers reaction

so reader starts out by pulling his hand back which makes channie yelp from the sudden pain. reader is grinning now "so that's what it sounds like, huh?" what follows is them groping and pinching channie until he gets hard ( which doesn't take much tbh ) ( Inspo for this is the members groping him on stage during the concert lmao ) maybe they're pinching his nipples and lightly scratching their nails over his arms and torso until they reach his dick. reader then harshly grabs his dick and asks "this is mine, right?" their grip gets tighter the longer he takes to answer. he stammers out "ye-yes, its yours and i-im yours" , "if its mine and you're mine why are you keeping those cute noises to yourself?"

after that channie can't really talk and for the first time he has sex without holding himself back <333 congrats channie on this milestone 🥳🥳🥳

other head canons / scenarios

channie working out more and reader noticing his efforts<33

this strokes his ego on an insane level

will not stop thinking about readers comments even if its smth simple like "you've gotten bigger" or just them feeling him up and staring at him

reader wants to join a session

reader thinks they can get into some gym hijinks and that maybe they can mess with him there ( either touching him or wearing short clothing )

what they do not expect is channie working out topless and lifting so effortlessly

channie seems to come alive in the gym and this new found confidence is simply just magnetic/attractive

he confidently talks to all the guys there and jokes around with them

shows them how to lift

introduces reader as his gf/bf <3333

channie notices them getting flustered and shy but doesn't mention it but makes the effort to invite them more often to the gym

reader def grovels during the post workout meal

reader being the big spoon because they're just more comfy that way

or channie cuddling into readers chest/pecs and being held close by them

reader remembering channies fave breakfast food and making it for him almost every time he stays over ( according to them its because its quick and easy and not because channie likes it even though it creates extra dishes )

reader using their expensive skincare on him and including him in their selfcare days ( think face and hair masks , mani pedis at home and eating expensive snacks )

reader buying channie sunflowers every time they see some because they remind them of him but they don't tell him that

what channie gets to hear is that they "found them on the side of the road", "they were on sale", "the flower shop wanted to throw them away", "my friend had extra" etc. they come up with a new excuse each time, very creative of them 👏👏👏

ANYWAYS...sorry this is so long but my brain was backed up with thoughts

BTW...did u read CB97percents pic of chan !!!!!! its called wolf by the tail i think , I am so deeply in love with simp chan its insane

if there was a tier list of loser chan it would be like this

simp chan

loser chan

crybaby chan

sensitive Yandere chan

ok now fr ,, talk to u soon <3

with love,

your bully anon

BULLY ANON I LOVE YOU. AND HAPPY CHAN DAY!!! welcome back and thank you as always for indulging and bestowing us with your beautiful thoughts

first question: when will you make this a fic. HDJSJD I JUST LOVE THE WAY YOURE GOING ABOUT THIS!!! bully anon youre really creative and your concepts are amusing. if anything id love to write a fic for this but im waiting on YOU!!

second question: may i indulge in some headcanons for this loser boy? i hope your answer was yes, because i present to you a point-per-point series of

— sub ! loser ! chan headcanons 💭

long post, so im continuing under the cut ^_^

— princess mononoke parallels:

I SEE WHAT YOURE TALKING ABT WITH PRINCESS MONONOKE OMG the parallels between san & bully reader + ashitaka & chan :(( after everything they’ve been through together, they still love each other almost unconditionally, much like ashitaka’s drive to protect san even if it isn’t the wisest idea. bully!y/n may not be the kindest to chan and their own feelings, but chan’s confident that they’ll figure their love out: he loves them nonetheless, no matter their state. ;_;

— parallels to leichter//kälter by edwin rosen

while its a banger track, i cant help but feel like the lyrics relate to them a ton. even through translations it’s still easy to read the song as something chan would sing to y/n, asking and telling them at the same time that they’re so cold. there’s a lyric that goes “your lips are purple like the flowers i’ll never buy you” (apologies if that’s mistranslated) and honestly? chan would definitely still buy those flowers for them, but maybe a part of him hesitates still considering y/n’s antics. he doesn’t know if they’ll be extra mean to him about it. your scenario hurts, too: chan would finally muster up the courage to ask them why they treat him this way even if he knows they’re confused with their feelings for him, but…maybe it leads to them opening up to each other, them navigating through their own feelings out of mean sex for once, and ends with a confession from the reader, who knows :D

— a “<<<when he moans and whimpers” tiktok

EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS SCENARIO IS BEAUTIFUL just chan giving up and shamelessly letting y/n do anything to him after they stumble upon the tiktok. yk how in the same concerts, chan just puts his hands up and shuts his eyes as the members go ham on teasing his body? i think he would do the same, whimpering and squirming like a needy puppy, babbling y/n’s name over and over as they tease him. y/n probably even lets chan use his words less, preferring him to be noisy instead, spanking him ever so slightly by his thighs when he dares to bite his lips to hold back the groans again <33 congrats channie indeed!!!

— loser!chan being less of a loser at the gym

this. maybe it’s my gym rat agenda, but gym boy channie has my heart!!! i love the thought of y/n seeing him transition from being the timid boy in class to being a confident muscleman. he acts as if the gym is his second home, giggling when he notices y/n watching him be himself with wide confused eyes. chan only ever gets shy again when y/n does their reps in an undeniably sexy way. it doesn’t matter if their form is perfect, them popping hidden muscles out is making chan go crazy. y/n probably gets him off in the locker rooms when they’re alone; i love to think that y/n praises his body instead of being too mean, and it’s so new for the both of them. reader being Actually Nice about him and his body, worshipping him, teasing him for calling them “his s/o” in front of his gym friends, saying “your s/o definitely loves it when you’re confident, my channie” ^^ it actually makes him smile even if they’re getting him off!! they still call him a pathetic whiny baby in the middle of it, but there’s much more well deserved praising here.

— domesticity with loser!chan

y/n taking care of chan is EVERYTHING. imagine slow mornings with the both of them. let’s face it, they’ve probably have the roughest sex the night prior: while chan loves getting degraded by y/n, he loves it more when they pamper him the day after. y/n never always denies that they’re practically spoiling him at that point, but chan finds it cute when they’re cooing at him and asking him if the spank marks sting as they cuddle. they smear moisturizer all over his face and neck after breakfast and chan notices how delicate their touch is all of a sudden. they run their fingers over the hickeys and love bites on chan’s neck and lips with a featherlike touch. y/n, on the other hand, notices how chan leans into their touch with longing and love in his eyes. they’re so whipped for each other :((

— bully!reader being less of a bully and giving chan flowers

there’s something about this scenario that just clicks: even if there’s literally no special occasion, y/n still leaves him a very specific set of sunflowers that can’t possibly just pop in their hands by coincidence. chan’s favorite excuse is “a suitor gave this to me, but i dumped him because his breath stank, so just have this.” what softens y/n’s heart, though, is when they came over to see chan taking good care of the sunflowers by his apartment’s balcony for the first time. he smiled at them, watering can in hand, excitedly pointing at the flowers. “look! the flowers you gave me last week! they’re staring at the sun.” y/n can’t resist smooching him on the cheek because he shines brighter than the yellow petals.

— general loser!chan thoughts

honestly bully anon? you’ve bumped loser chan to SSS tier on my personal channie au tier list, but i honestly can’t agree more with you! something about this au with him fits him so well. i guess he kind of is a simp and a loser at the same time, at least that’s how i perceive it. the one common thing that i love about these channie aus is that he just has this sort of undying and passionate love that’s almost unconditional. it really suits him considering and it mirrors his dedicated self really well, but these characters taking the persona to these extremes is honestly so amusing. y/n can do anything to him, like be mean or kind, and loser chan would eat it up even if it makes him look pathetic. his unwavering love is just so attractive ^^

thank you as ALWAYS for sending your thoughts in, i love these so much and i’d love to see more from you! and hope others chime in and enjoy this as much as we did <3

p.s. im sorry for responding so late!! there was a lot on my plate but this entire message marinated in my head for the longest time. i cant stress enough how many times ive read this over and over. its just so lovely and im happy to share it right on chans birthday !

p.p.s. OMG YES I HAVE READ WOLF BY THE TAIL (shoutout my favorite minho hunter, ren) im just as obsessed with their simp!chan. ^^

[whatevertheweather]

Tag Game

Thanks for the tags @captain-aralias @cutestkilla @fatalfangirl I love reading all these little things ❤

Three ships: Snowbaz, obviously, and recently added Robin/Edwin from A Marvellous Light (WHICH everyone and especially anyone who can draw should read because that fandom needs and deserves a lot more art), and the third rotates...I glanced at my bookshelf and saw Six of Crows so we’re gonna go with Jesper/Wylan.

First ship: My first ship that I gave any real thought to was (surprise, surprise) Drarry. I vaguely recall having given it no thought at all when I read the books, and then I joined tumblr back in the day and was like...hm.

Last movie: I just watched Moulin Rouge for the first time the other night. For some reason I was always under the impression it was a super serious movie, but you learn something new every day.

Currently watching: Lately every time I think about watching a whole series I’m like “but then I’ll run out of time for reading! and writing! and then what! then I die without having read these things or written this silly little idea!” So I’ve pretty much just been doing comfort TV, which is Bob’s Burgers.

Currently reading: The Overstory by Richard Powers, which is really good and makes me want to go give a tree a big big hug.

Currently consuming: Hazelnut coffee with ice cream flavored creamer.

Currently craving: I just ate, so nothing yet. Although I do have plans to make an apple pie today.

Favourite colour: Looking around my room, I would have to guess red. I also like most shades of green. And the darker shades of purple. And a few shades of yellow, but definitely not on any of my clothes, and most often on doors. (There’s something special about yellow doors. They always go somewhere fun.)

Last song I listened to: Hello Killer Queen by Nina Tribus, from my WLM (Women Loving Murder) playlist.

Sweet, savoury or spicy: Sweet almost always. Occasionally a strong craving for salty instead, but I can generally rely on wanting something with unreasonable sugar contents. (Ice cream creamer, apple pie, the brownies I made last night...)

Currently working on: Oof, like, everything. Gonna try to get my latest thing posted today (y’know, the thing I worked on instead of all the other things), and I also have two WIPs that I like a lot but am struggling with, and I have the first chapter of my COBB done but need to do a little more than daydream about the rest of it, and I have a non-fandom thing I’m trying to write but the last time I tried to focus on it I got the idea for the aforementioned fic I’m posting today, and, and, and....

Let’s go with @bookish-bogwitch (’cause that Size You Up fic is still on my mind) @you-remind-me-of-the-babe and @mostlymaudlin for tags, hi, tell me things if���n you’d like <3

[yespolkadotkitty]

I’ll Be by Edwin McCain came on the other day and instantly got me into my Zach feels. Something about it was so him - the mood, the 90s, the flannel. The line “rain falls angry on the tin roof as we lie awake in my bed” in particular sticks with me. If you have time, can I get a little nugget of Zach? Fluff or smut, or fluff with a wee kernel or smut? I love your writing.

Right so as discussed you didn’t ask for a multichapter fic but as I’ve got 4 chapters so far  LET’S DO THIS

So many shoutouts for this so here goes:

THANKYOU @kindablackenedsuperhero for this STUNNING BANNER.

THANKYOU @thestrawberry-thief for US library advice

THANKYOU @heatherbel for the beta and UK library advice

THANKYOU @knittingqueen13 for the encouragement

THANKYOU @pedropascallion  for the library clerk advice!

THANKYOU @disgruntledspacedad and @alienprincesspoop for screaming with me about this fic.

Chapter One

Warnings: Scenes of assault, attempted sexual assault  ~ Words: 1380

Pairing: Zach Wellison x OFC Martha Song

Walk with your keys in your hand and keep a key between each finger.

Watch your shadows and reflections - a split second’s notice is better than none.

If they take you and put you in the trunk, kick out the headlights.

These are all things girls are taught from a young age. Things I knew, almost unconsciously. Things that were smart.

But did knowing these things stop me from taking a shortcut through the park after the sun had set?

No, they did not.

I had my hand in my pocket, around the keys. I did not have headphones on - needed to hear if someone was approaching.

Usually, I did all the safe things at night. Walked in the road if it was appropriate, so someone would have to come out from the pavements and buildings to grab me. Stuck to well lit areas.

But, well, I was tired, and hungry for the Chinese takeout leftovers in my fridge, could already taste the sticky pork ribs in my mind, and I took the lazy, unsafe shortcut.

I’m sure the media would have blamed me for what happened next.

I heard them before I saw them. I turned slightly. Two guys, one wearing a beanie, another with his hood up.

It wasn’t even seven pm, but in January the sun set earlier, and darkness had descended, filling up all the corners that daylight usually illuminated.

I quickened my pace. I’m sure they’re just coming off shift.

“Hey, babe,” one of them called.

I glanced around. No one else in the vicinity, and the park spread flat enough for me to see. A single streetlight ahead beckoned and I headed for it, the bag of books from work on my back slowing me down.

I thought about ditching it, but: books. I value books more than anything. I couldn’t sacrifice them even for my own benefit.

“Not gonna stop and talk?” the other one called.

They’re just cat-callers, nothing to worry about.

It was just shy of seven in the evening - where the fuck was everyone? LA should have been busy, was always bustling, but I had somehow chosen the one time where this section of the popular park was empty.

“Come on baby, spare a little sugar?” the first one called. Their steps got closer. The second one was snickering and I felt the little mouse of fear skitter down my spine.

I clenched my keys tighter. Shouldn’t have taken the shortcut.

The streetlight got closer, and I watched it, saw the first guy’s shadow with a hair’s breadth of notice. I spun as he reached me, the keys poking out between my fingers, but I was scared and all my punch did was piss him off.

“Pretty girl,” he half wheezed as he grabbed for me. “Don’t pretend you don’t want it.”

I struggled. Under the streetlamp I caught a glimpse of the first guy’s face, straggly mousy brown beard, cold eyes. The pit of my stomach fell.

“Let me.” Guy two was at my back, hands on my waist. He smelled of alcohol and something like old food, and bile rose up in my throat. “Loosen up, baby, we only wanna make you feel good.”

I tried to shout, but the noise died on my tongue. Fear had clutched itself around my body and the muscles weren’t responding. My keys fell from my fist.

Help, I thought. My tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth as the first guy slid his hand down my body.

No, no, no.

Then suddenly a rush of adrenaline hit my veins - come on, what would Katniss Everdeen do? - and I shoved my knee up into guy one’s groin. Not as hard as I wanted to, but he cried out, a litany of swear words falling from his lips. I kicked out, but guy two was stronger, and had an arm around my throat before I could move.

“Come on now. Don’t be like that,” he cajoled, his sour breath licking at my cheek.

By then guy one had recovered, his face caught in a snarl, white skin pasty under the streetlight. I felt like I was in a sort of backwards ballet, a dystopian dance where there was no way I could make the right moves.

“Hey, assholes.”

The new voice, deep, with a bit of Texas drawl, made me turn. 

A man, mostly in shadow, a large duffel bag by his feet, wielded what looked like a big section of industrial metal pipe.

Guy two huffed out a laugh. “Oh look, it’s the little soldier boy and he brought a new toy with him.”

“Let her go, man,” the stranger called out, taking a step closer.

Guy one had recovered from my knee to his dick. “Or you’ll do what?” He grabbed for me again, but he was distracted by my would-be rescuer, so I took the opportunity to knee him again, but this time, like I meant it, like my life depended on it.

He buckled, and the release meant I could drive my elbow back into guy two’s kidneys. He was stronger, through, and he tightened his arm around my throat. I grabbed for his wrist, scrabbling, barely noticing the stranger moving out of my sight.

“Duck!” He yelled, and I summoned all my strength to yank my head down.

In a moment, a loud thunk confirmed my suspicions, the sound of metal on flesh and bone, and guy two toppled like a tree.

Breathless, I turned to scoop up my keys, and stared at my knight in - dirty jeans. He was panting, his arms still holding the pipe up.

“You okay?” he asked, and I saw him clearly under the streetlamp, the glow picking out the gold in his brown-sugar hair. A patchy beard, more stubble than anything, hugged his well defined jaw. His eyes were soft, kind, the deep brown of hot cocoa.

“I am thanks to you.”

Below him, guy one writhed on the floor and, feeling too angry to think, I stomped on the part of him closest to me, his hand.

He cried out and I couldn’t have cared less.

“You wanna call the cops?” the stranger asked, but his tone was wary. As if I might have been just as likely to call the law about him as the attackers.

I thought it over. I’d likely be raked over the coals for having the audacity to walk alone at night (as if anytime after sundown could be counted as night) and my attackers would get a wrist slap. If that.

“Nah.” But I stomped on guy one’s wrist again for good measure.

He whined.

“C’mon,” Brown Eyes said. “I’ll walk you to the edge of the park.” He set the pipe on his shoulder and crossed over to the waiting duffle bag. It was the size of his torso. I took in his weathered, unshaven appearance, and wondered if the canvas fabric contained his every worldly possession.

I checked behind me, but the stranger was quick to reassure. “They won’t be back for a couple days.”

“You’ve… seen them before?”

He ducked his head, and in the glow from a nearby streetlamp I saw a faint flush of rose on his cheeks. “I’m... here a lot.”

He’s homeless. But of course I didn’t say it out loud.

We reached the edge of the park. People milled about, some queueing outside a deli popular for its pizza sold by the cheesy, greasy slice.

I didn’t miss the way the stranger’s head jerked up towards the scent of pizza.

How long since he’d eaten?

“Want some pizza?” I asked.

Something unreadable passed over his face. “I’m not a charity case.”

“Oh, but I am?”

His head whipped around. “What?”

“Did you come to my defence just now because you felt sorry for me? Oh look, there’s a woman of colour being attacked, gosh I feel sorry for her-”

“No, of course not, what the-” then he huffed out a laugh. “Touchė.”

“It’s just pizza. And a thank-you. I’m Martha.” I held out a hand.

He looked down at my outstretched palm for a second, as if surprised that I wanted to touch him. Then he shook my hand, his own large, warm, callused. “Zach.”

***********

Tagging: @thegreenkid @reluctantlyresponsibleadult @littlemissthistle @havenforafrazzledmind @myheart-pedro @john-in-the-sky-with-paul @idreamofboobear @rae-gar-targaryen @miulola @abuttoncalledsmalls @buttercup-bee @strangelittlenobody @qseomilk @jazzelsaur @songsformonkeys @mourningbirds1 @pajamasecrets @myoxisbroken @just-the-hiddles @skdubbs @nelba @badassbaker @nelba @f0rever15elf @synystersilenceinblacknwhite @mylittlelonelyappreciation @theravenreads @filthybookworm @aeryntheofficial @toomanystoriessolittletime @lannister-slings-and-arrows (Zach Pit) and @absurdthirst might like this <3

please ask to be added or released from the tags!!

[jewishrizahawkeye]

HELLO!

i totally did not forget about this post and when i remembered had to do 75 searches on my blog to find it… anyway let’s talk about reputation and snakes

reputation

Edward Elric

- time for THE comeback album bitches

- taylor has described this album as her most metal album (she was going through it and LYING), but while i disagree with that regard i still think there is something to that idea. taylor initially described it as finding love in the darkest of times, which is true. the album focuses more on the idea and fears of a relationship based on past loves and her world as a whole. and while that relationship is no longer happening, the message of the album still holds true.

- “my world is uninhabitable for most, no one can stay. but you’re staying?”

- there is though, still a hint of venom or anger at times in the album. mainly towards the media or certain people who tried to destroy her career by lying through there teeth and putting her through years of media abuse, BUT WERE NOT HERE FOR THAT RANT BY KELLY SO ILL SHUT UP, but it’s also anger towards her circumstances about the life she had chosen and didn’t fully realize what she was getting into

- as when she signed on to be a country singer at 16 being a celebrity was a very different experience and meaning than our current idea of it as social media was no where near as prevalent

- it’s those ideas why i think reputation is ed.

- ed is someone who made a decision years ago and is now forever facing the consequences and blaming himself not only for it but all the aftershocks it’s caused in the peoples he’s loves lives

- and here’s to my real friends, they don’t care about the HE SAID SHE SAID! and here’s to my baaaaaaby, HE AINT READING WHAT THEY CALL ME LATELY! and here’s to my mammmmma, HAD TO LISTEN TO ALL THIS DRAMA! *the other shoe drops*

- that’s not even metaphorical SHE ACTUALLY THROWS A SHOE ON THE GROUND AT THAT POINT. LIKE SHE IS EMPHASIZING HOW THE STRAIN IT PUT ON HER AND HER FAMILY + WHILE HER MOTHER WAS DEALING WITH HER CANCER WAS ONE OF THE FINAL STRAWS FOR HER!!!!!!

- i’m sorry, i’m not, i just fucking love this song

- and though the people in his life don’t blame him, as neither do the ones in taylor’s that we can tell through her songs, he knows he doesn’t make it easier to know it be around him. (even before he discovers the conspiracy). he is angry and upset about what has happened to him but also knows that he got himself into this situation. so while he doesn’t necessarily fight it he is annoyed by it.

- he also feels very indebted to making things right and is going out of his way to help and save everyone which is a lot for anyone to take on ESPECIALLY at his young age, which is something that has been seen in taylor’s past albums and echos of defeat in this one

- i think in general edward deserves a LWYMMD moment as only hot people get those and ed’s been through enough shit in life he deserves it.

- also the love songs on this album feel very shocked and surprised, blushing and unable to speak. which is how we often see ed reacting to winry (cause he’s 14 and has a crush on a girl ohhhhhhhhhhhh).

- they’re unsure and exciting, the narrator doesn’t know how to deal with it. it goes from being excited to being upset and confused to admitting guilt over situations but also not regretting it as it freed them.

- the love songs are all about finding a love that’s new and exciting a real. not just the idea of love to go off of but a real love between two people. which is what edwin can be seen with as childhood friends to lovers. as both are almost blindsided by their feelings and even propose to each other in the most awkward way imaginable and both get flustered.

alright hello!

a month or so back i was sent these asks in september telling me about a series that @megthemighty did on what taylor swift albums are fullmetal alchemist characters! and the anon wanted to hear my opinions since my brand is just liking taylor swift and enjoying fullmetal alchemist a completely normal amount (you can trust me, i promise). and i thought the idea was very cool and wanted to share my thoughts on each album! so after working on this for two months (don’t ask) i finally finished the list!!

i also went off on this at times because i would either word vomit about an album/song or a character and ended up making something that’s INCREDIBLY long. so i decided it would be best to post it one at a time in a chain post style (so i don’t like overwhelm myself or others). so i’m going to slowly chain post over the ne t few days this with each album and character! so without further ado:

Taylor Swift (Bonus Track Version):

Winry Rockbell

- debut has some of taylor’s best lyrics to date and can cut glass (cold as you still gives me chills)

- the primary theme of the album is about who will i become and first loves while also having a common theme of radio and music being used to describe love. which is important to taylor’s character as she was obsessed (and still is) with country music, so her saying “his smiles like the radio” is her evoking a specific feeling of her listening to music on the radio and sharing that to the audience that when her boyfriend smiles it makes her feel like she’s listening to her favorite songs on the radio. i definitely over explained it but it’s a very sweet and beautiful line to describe how in love you are with a person and how they feel to you

- this idea, while drastically different from winrys loves and goals, radiates her character though

- both winry and taylor had big dreams ever since they were young and went out into the world to make it a reality still at a young age. for taylor, she was able to release her first album at 16 and would later win album of the year on her second album (which i don’t think people realize is FUCKING INSANE TO DO ON YOUR SOPHMORE ALBUM AND IT BEING A COUNTRY ALBUM). similarly though, winry starts working at her family’s automail shop when she’s young, already being ed’s full time mechanic at the age of 14, and later takes up an apprenticeship in rush valley and gains a loyal customer base very quickly for her time there. for a girl that young to achieve something like that is INSANE. she’s already got her dreams met at the age of 15 and it can only go up from there for her

- but tying back into the primary theme of the album being “who am i and who will i become” and how that resonates with winrys character. winry is trying to not only find herself in her youth but also how to help ed and al after their accident. her life was shaken after it and she’s doing everything she can to help them. if y’all would let me quote a song here, she’s “just a girl trying to find a place in this world”

- also songs like TDOMG, Tim McGraw, Invisible, Mary’s Song and so many others can be read as edwin coded as they’re about a young love that sticks around but not always seeing the other as a potential option until it’s to late… or maybe it isn’t, you’ll never know until you tell them

- at its core debut is just a young girl getting to follow her dreams and do what she loves while not knowing what the future will hold for her. which fits winry going to rush valley and her story arc. she doesn’t know what will come but gets to chase her dream very young and only grow from there. especially in the wake of ed and al since her world was shaken and she didn’t know what would or could happen to them or her. she doesn’t know what will come but gets to chase her dream very young and only grow from there.

[pidge-poetry]

Foals’ Yannis Philippakis: ‘We were broke, we were having fun, you could smoke 40 cigarettes and not have a cough the next day’

Roisin O'Connor shares a pint with the frontman as he talks about escaping the pandemic through nostalgia, swapping dysfunctional angst for jubilant optimism, and why Partygate does matter

Foals L-R: Jimmy Smith, Yannis Philippakis and Jack Bevan (Alex Knowles)

Interviews with Foals often read like a local’s guide to south London watering holes. This is mostly thanks to frontman Yannis Philippakis, who has lived in the area since the rock band’s early, hedonistic days in a Peckham squat dubbed “Squallyoaks”. Pubs are where the 36-year-old seems most at home, and boy, did he miss them during lockdown. He’s even written a song about it.

“I was starting to go out of my mind, with the pubs not being open,” he tells me, nursing the first of a few lunchtime pints on a sun-dappled street outside a tavern in Camberwell. He’s dressed casually in a loose shirt and jeans, sporting his usual forest-thick beard and shock of jet-black hair. We’re speaking the day before the band – whittled down from a five-piece to a trio over the past few years – head out on the road for a string of pre-Glastonbury shows around Europe. Philippakis is joyous at the prospect of live music and a new album, Life is Yours, which is out next week. The beginning of lockdown was “fairly wholesome”, he says. “I was a healthier version of myself than on tour – I enjoyed being domestic.” Then, when it became clear the pandemic wasn’t going anywhere soon, he grew restless, and the band started to write.

“You write yourself out of the situation,” he says. Working in a sparse room in London in the depths of a particularly bleak winter, he found himself thinking back to the band’s inception at Oxford University in 2005, then moving with drummer Jack Bevan, guitarist Jimmy Smith, and former members Walter Gervers (bass) and Edwin Congreave (keys) to a shared house in Brighton. It was there that they developed their reputation for smart, agitated indie-rock, with singles such as “Cassius” from their 2008 debut Antidotes setting Philippakis’s anxious yelp against a danceable soundtrack. “It’s a transportive mechanism,” he says of songwriting. “[It helped me pretend] I’m not 36 and living in the middle of a pandemic, I’m 25 and…” He trails off, lost in memories of those notorious house party gigs, reflecting on lyrics about “Brighton Rock!” and “blue tongues in summer rain”. I tell him I’m surprised to hear him talk like this, mostly because in early band interviews, 25-year-old Yannis sounded like a bundle of neuroses compared to the man sitting opposite me now.

‘I was ridden with angst and anger’: Yannis Philippakis performing with Foals at Glastonbury Festival, 2013

“Around [2010 album] Total Life Forever, I was f***ing miserable,” he says. “In the early stages of the band I was just ridden with angst and anger.” Promoting that second album, he described himself in interviews as “dysfunctional” when it came to relationships and admitted he had trouble getting close to people. “We were living in this house together, we were broke, we were having fun, you could smoke 40 cigarettes and not have a cough the next day… but we probably had an insecurity about the music we were writing,” he says. “But I look back now and it was awesome. I’m glad we did it like that.” New songs such as single “2001”, a squelchy, jangly funk-pop jam where Philippakis cha-cha-slides over shimmering guitar riffs, are attempts to “rewrite the past” a bit. “It adds this veneer, a layer of positivity that removes the hangover of the big night.” Others, like “Flutter” – about “domestic abandonment without explanation” – address it in a more impressionistic manner, against a backdrop of Tony Allen-indebted jazz grooves. Philippakis was actually working on a collaborative project with Allen before the Nigerian Afrobeat pioneer’s death in 2020; he plans on completing it in the future.

Life is Yours is celebratory, darting between an optimistic present and a nostalgic past. It’s arguably the first of Foals’ seven albums where Philippakis isn’t preoccupied by his concerns for the future. The son of a South African academic mother and a Greek architect father, who divorced when he was five, he’s prone to deep ruminations on technology, social behaviours and the nature of human beings. This is a man who, in 2017, chose to spend several weeks post-tour in the fortress-like monasteries of Mount Athos, in north-eastern Greece. Yet there’s also a bristling physicality about him, simmering behind the brooding facial features and stocky build, which translates into a volcanic stage presence at the band’s live shows, and to their music’s propulsive, muscular rhythms. On 2019’s twin albums, Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost Part 1 and 2, the band tapped into the tumult of a post-Brexit Britain and the ever-increasing threat of the climate crisis. The first part earned the band their third Mercury Prize nomination; the second was the last record featuring Congreave, who left amicably to pursue a postgraduate degree in economics from Cambridge University, with the aim of tackling the “imminent climate catastrophe”.

“His departure did change things,” Philippakis says of Congreave, pausing to glance wistfully at the next table, where a man is chain-smoking his way through a pack of Marlboro Lights (his days of 40 cigarettes a night are long gone). “We had to recalibrate, especially after doing the double album which was so broad, because [otherwise] it was gonna become some prog parody. There was definitely an idea that we reached the end of a road.” Foals have never worked with the same producer twice (with the exception of Brett Shaw on both parts of ENSWBL), and for Life is Yours they enlisted three: AK Paul (Jessie Ware, Sam Smith), John Hill (Cage the Elephant, Shakira) and Dan Carey (Bloc Party, Fontaines DC).

“We almost always do the opposite of the album before,” Philippakis says. “It doesn’t surprise me that this is the most concise, the most light, the most direct.” The record makes him feel good in a way their other records haven’t: “We didn’t want to write songs that would add to people’s emotional burden.” Its buoyant energy – all bright ripples of electric guitar, taut percussion and shuffling Afrobeat rhythms – is nothing like the moroseness that permeated the previous two records, which now feels disturbingly prescient. “In some ways the last record was tapping into an anxiety about catastrophes, and then we had one,” he says with a shrug. Yet the songwriting on Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost steered clear of anything too literal: “It’s always gonna be slightly abstract, more poetically mangled.”

The people in power have made a mockery of the rules they made

The band were wary that the new album’s title could be construed as glib. What it does, though, is speak to a generation sick of having their lives put on hold or threatened by the selfishness of the ones who came before. The ones who, having made so many sacrifices during lockdown, came out of it to learn the rulemakers had been breaking the rules the whole time. “I find it bewildering,” he says. “The people in power made a mockery of the rules they made. And people do care [contrary to what Boris Johnson claims]. It’s actually disgusting.” Philippakis, who was born in Greece, speaks the language fluently and still visits. He contrasts the “deep but out in the open” problems of his birthplace with the “disappointing and hypocritical” idea of sportsmanship and fair play in British politics.

He managed to make a trip out to Karpathos, where his dad still lives, during the pandemic, and has started to delve deeper into his love of Greek folk music. His interest in visiting the country developed around the same time as his relationship with his dad – who makes Greek folk instruments himself – improved. “There’s some music there that I absolutely love, especially from the island my dad’s from, but I wonder how it’d land here,” he says. “Or do I do it for the Greeks?” I tell him he should do Eurovision, prompting him to recall a recent “weird email” from someone in Greece that was actually related to the annual song contest. He grins, seemingly envisioning himself among the sequins, glitter and general insanity of that world. “Can you imagine?”

‘Life is Yours’ is out on Friday.

Read the interview on independent.co.uk.

[sinceileftyoublog]

Summer of Soul (...Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised): Original Soundtrack Review

(Legacy)

BY JORDAN MAINZER

The existence of Summer of Soul (...Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised), Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s Academy Award-nominated documentary about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, is nothing short of a miracle. Culled from never-before-seen footage of the summer concert series in Mount Morris Park, the film positions the the monumental event organized by singer and activist Tony Lawrence as just as important of a cultural shift as Woodstock, sans the white boomer heroification. For six weeks, the most brilliant Black artists of eras old and new graced the stage, and Summer of Soul sports many jaw-dropping highlights. Mahalia Jackson and Mavis Staples singing “Precious Lord, Take My Hand” in dedication to the murdered Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. A drum solo from a 19-year-old Stevie Wonder. Nina Simone asking the crowd, “Are you ready, Black people...to smash white things, to burn buildings,” launching into a David Nelson poem, foreshadowing the decades to follow of violent institutional racism and an ignorant white populace. It’s at once a relic of the past and fresh and raw.

How does the Summer of Soul soundtrack, then, stand as a separate experience from the film, one that lacks not only the sociohistorical context of the performances and the faces and of the performers themselves, but Wonder’s drum solo and Hugh Masekela’s trumpet blares? For one, though the festival took place over weeks and the film does have some talking heads, the soundtrack is truly structured like an album, or at least like one amazing concert. Lawrence introduces the Chambers Brothers and occasionally pops in like an emcee, to explain how special it is to have St. Louis’s The 5th Dimension in Harlem for the first time, reveal a surprise performance from The Temptations’ David Ruffin, and sarcastically and nonchalantly refer to Gladys Knight & The Pips as “some folks.” For the most part, like the film, the music does the talking. “I’m goin’ uptown to Harlem / To let my hair down in Harlem / If a taxi won’t take me, I’ll catch a train / I’ll go underground, I’ll get there just the same,” sings Lester Chambers on the opening track. In a sense, that sentiment hovers throughout Summer of Soul: Black folks, even Black artists that could cross over into predominantly white rooms, finally found a space of true acceptance, at least for a few weeks at Mount Morris Park.

The mood throughout the Summer of Soul soundtrack is varied, highlighting the layered complexity of the festival itself. From “Uptown” goes B.B. King’s “Why I Sing The Blues”, a song about the history of mistreatment of Black folks in America, to The 5th Dimension, the countercultural “Black group with the white sound,” a label Marilyn McCoo laments in the present day in the documentary. As much as The 5th Dimension wanted to spread love, as do The Edwin Hawkins Singers with “Oh Happy Day”, one of gospel’s first forays into the mainstream charts, it’s The Staple Singers and Nina Simone that linger. We’re used to hearing Mavis Staples’ guttural prayers at music festivals these days, but for many at the Harlem Cultural Festival, they were witnessing a master for the first time.

The crossovers are also surefire hits here, and not just Sly & The Family Stone, the only band to appear at both the Harlem Cultural Festival and Woodstock. As much as you hear about Carlos Santana performing at the latter, Mount Morris Park was a true fusion of Latin, African, and Black American influence, a sense of solidarity among the oppressed from which white musicians stole. “The blood of mankind flows in me,” sings Ray Barretto on “Together”, in between Mongo Santamaria’s “Watermelon Man” and Herbie Mann’s version of “Hold On, I’m Coming”, the latter replete with an all-star band of screechy rippers. The time period also represented an increasing interest in Afrocentric art and modes of thought; Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach’s “Africa” offers a sense of hope before Simone’s realism.

If Questlove’s documentary is one of the best and arguably the most important concert film ever made, you could argue that its soundtrack is a worthwhile bonus. But as an accessible introduction to a once forgotten moment in cultural history, its widespread potential is nothing short of powerful, its aura nothing short of awe-inducing.