#also most church music (not necessarily classical) FUCKS

[youjustwaitsunshine]

i swear people who say classical music is boring have never listened to classical music

[kenobihater]

javert is WRONG: the thesis of les mis is that legality and morality aren't synonymous!

i just found the internet's most unbelieveably dogshit hottake that makes anything woobifying javert written by Die Girlies Auf Tumblr Und Twitter galaxy brained in comparison. rest is below a cut because i got Wordy in my goal of ripping this motherfucker a new one.

The point about “fault” is very important here. Following Rousseau, Hugo believes that the poor become criminals out of necessity. They “fall” (i.e., become poor) and then become morally “degraded.” Therefore, our response to crime should be “charity,” not punishment. This is a classic Romantic view that became the basis for modern liberalism. According to Rousseau, people are basically good and are corrupted by society, committing crime only out of ignorance and desperation; the solution to crime, then, is education and welfare. Christians obviously worry that this view has no place for the doctrine of original sin, and conservatives object to this view because it leaves out personal responsibility for crime.

i know this is a christian publication but the concept of original sin even factoring into criminality and criminal justice genuinely pisses me off. stop forcing your shitty worldview that everyone is popped outta the womb an evil sinner, i beg. the seperation of church and state is a vital part of democracy. also, you can believe people are shaped by society and driven to crime through desperation without taking away personal agency. those two things are not contradictory.

If I am right about the Rousseau subtext, then Javert is not necessarily a villain; he’s just a conservative, albeit a liberal caricature of a conservative. There are two good examples of a liberal bias in Les Mis. First, notice that Valjean’s position in his society is roughly analogous to an illegal immigrant in our society. When he leaves the prison, Valjean can’t get work because he doesn’t have the right papers. He’s an undocumented worker. In a scene from the musical cut from the film, a farmer allows Valjean to work for him, but then only pays him half as much as the other laborers. The farmer reasons, “You broke the law….Why should you get the same as honest men?”

i've never seen anyone, even javert fans, try and argue he isn't a villain. this is breaking new ground here, folks. it's a hell of an assertion, but it's demonstrably false. jean valjean is the main character. we root for him and wish to see him succeed. javert is hunting him for the entire narrative. thus, he is the antagonist. there may be some moral ambiguity on both their parts, but he structurally is the villain and that is a narrative fact.

next, as an american i am fucking BEGGING on my HANDS and KNEES for other americans to learn about the differing political terms for different countries and times if they are speaking about them with any supposed credibility. i'm not asking you to memorize every country's parties and political intricacies, but at least acknowledge that even if there is some overlap between 21st century american conservatism and 19th century french politics, that there is no one-to-one analogy!! modern american christian conservatism is a consequence of hundreds of years of unique geopolitics and religion stewing together, and you can say similar things about french politics of the time! you CANNOT just say shit like "javert is a liberal caricature of a conservative" without sounding like an utter clown because hugo was not an american liberal and javert is not an american conservative. now, if you were to alter your language a bit and say something like "javert is a leftist caricature of an arch-conservative," you'd sound less foolish (hugo's politics are hard to pin down but leftist is i believe the best label for him at the time of LM's publication. and to my understanding javert isn't really a fervent arch-conservative but it is at least a plausible reading bc he's a traditionalist, deeply religious cop and 19th century french arch-conservativism actually existed in 19th century france (shocker, i know!)). but that change in language would require actual intellect and effort to learn about other times, places, and worldviews on the part of the author, and judging by his ignorant politics, something tells me he's lacking that!

then there's the bit about illegal immigration. hoo BOY is this fucking stupid. jean valjean is a white, culturally catholic, working class french male citizen. he's an everyman of the time, his name and story of class struggle couldn't be more generic unless he was named john doe or jean dupont (the french equivalent) from nowheresville, france. hugo had a point here, and that is that as a member of the wretched poor, les misérables, valjean, representing a large swath of the french populace, is so removed from education and self reflection and truly living life that he's more akin to an animal or an object, that he's so beat down by the daily grind that he verges on inhuman. this is only magnified by his time in toulon. i'll stop there, but it is very important in jean valjean's story that he's impoverished, yes, but a french citizen. he is as french as the king, but treated like dirt because of his social status and criminal record. this sets up a dichotomy in the france of 1832 between the wretched poor and those with privilege, which is an important part of the novel.

the issue of "illegal immigration" both in france and america is a modern one. there was still bigotry and xenophobia, obviously, but the discourse around the intersections of border control, the nation state, and citizenship is a very modern one. to say "valjean's position in his society is roughly analogous to an illegal immigrant in our society" is ignorant. yes, both jean valjean and many undocumented immigrants are faced with similar abuses, but that does not mean it's intended by hugo to be a reading of the text or political commentary because let me restate this: 21ST CENTURY AMERICAN POLITICS DIDN'T EXIST IN 19TH CENTURY FRANCE!

also, valjean is the opposite of undocumented. he has his yellow papers, which are quite literally documents that are the root cause of the daily discrimination he faces, hence why him ripping them up is a radical act of freeing himself from the control of an unjust state. i don't even know how you miss this, it's stressed in the movie musical multiple times.

“Men like you can never change,” he tells Valjean. But Javert is not simply being prejudiced here. He knows from his own experience that it is possible for the poor to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. Javert, too, was born in poverty. He is “from the gutter,” as he puts it, but he embraced law and made something of himself.

oh, of course the bootstraps ideology rears its ugly head. not even gonna waste my breath on this one other than to call it stupid and wrong. all javert made himself was a class traitor and a bootlicker, and that's honestly tragic.

Consider a second example of liberal bias. The character of Fantine is designed to elicit the viewer’s sympathy for “welfare mothers.” Fantine, a young, unwed mother in Valjean’s factory, faces persecution from her coworkers. The factory foreman expresses a conservative attitude toward charity: “At the end of the day, you get nothing for nothing.”

this part. this part was so unbelievably cruel and so far removed from the empathy that this narrative bleeds that i had to step back from writing this and take a smoke break. firstly, fantine is NOT a stand in for "welfare mothers", which is, once again, a modern conservative strawman! the welfare state did not exist in 19th century france. there was little to no support for mothers in fantine's position, and to my knowledge, none stemming from the state. hugo was writing her character to bring to light the unfairness of her position. she had a lover who left her flat out, with a child to care for and no financial support. she was ostracized, eventually fired, and resorted to survival sex work.

Fantine shouldn’t expect special treatment, but rather should take responsibility for the consequences of her own sexual license.

fuck you, john. where in the text did she ask for "special treatment". where in the text did she do ANYTHING but take responsibility for her child. she sold her hair. she sold her teeth. she sold her body. she got sick because of her living conditions. she died. all out of love for her child. also, framing children as "a consequence" is disgusting, and you should be ashamed of yourself and reflect on why you think that's an alright way to view a living, breathing, human being. if you don't wanna take my word for it, psalm 127:3 clearly states "children are a gift from the lord; they are a reward from him," so your stance is decidedly unbiblical. children aren't punishment.

Likewise, when Fantine turns to prostitution to feed her child, Javert is unmoved by excuses. Valjean’s family was starving, and Fantine’s daughter was sick, but these facts don’t excuse them for breaking the law. Theft and prostitution are wrong, and it is Javert’s duty as police officer to arrest them.

how is theft to feed a starving child immoral. how is sex work to ensure your child lives immoral. give me ONE reason aside from your and javert's religious worldviews that either of those things is wrong. "but the bread didn't belong to valjean!" and would inaction, watching his nephew die simply because a windowpane and empty pockets separated him from a piece of bread be more moral? is watching a child die when you believe you can save them the better option? the whole point of this damn book is that legality is NOT synonymous with morality. javert may have the legal high ground, but he does NOT have the moral high ground, and when he realizes this, the thesis of the book, he fucking kills himself! for an example outside the text to perhaps get it through your thick skull: slavery was legal. biblical, even! does that mean it's morally right? no!

Thus Les Mis is designed to get us to see Javert’s conservatism as cruel and to elicit sympathy for Hugo’s liberal social policies. It should be noted, however, that Les Mis is a caricature of the conservative position. Conservatives agree that we ought to treat the poor with dignity and compassion. They think that compassion programs, however, should be administered by the church instead of the state, and they think true dignity requires personal responsibility and submission to the law.

how can javert both be an exaggerated, cruel conservative caricature and be right? i'd argue he's both an accurate portrayal of the inherent cruelty and misanthropy present in the politics of the political right, and that he's decidedly wrong as proven in the text. jean valjean is a good man, despite it all, but javert couldn't see that because of his worldview and chose to relentlessly hound him until he finally realized his mistake, a realization that overcame him so strongly that his only solution in his mind was to kill himself!

and do conservatives actually agree they should treat the poor with dignity and respect? it's in the bible, sure, which christian conservatives hold as the absolute truth, but in this very article you, a christian conservative, have expressed nothing but contempt and cruelty for undocumented immigrants, for unwed mothers, for thieves and sex workers. for les misérables - the wretched poor. and why shouldn't the state handle "compassion programs" as you call them? the gov't is electable and manageable (in theory), unlike the beast of untraceable wealth and power that is the church. we don't live in a theocracy, so the only reliable way to ensure people get the help they deserve is through the state, which can actually be held accountable for these expectations (again, in theory). that's more than you can say for the church.

The fact that Les Mis contradicts evangelical theology does not mean apologists shouldn’t use it—on the contrary. We can help non-Christian fans of the musical see how the vision that draws them toward the story can only be fulfilled in Christ.

his conculsion is LAUGHABLE. personally, the "vision that drew me to the story" at age twelve was my attraction to men. i'm a flaming homosexual, you see, and a transgender one at that. the overwhelming majority of musical theater fans i've encountered are some variety of queer. at age 22, ten years later, i'm drawn to the story still partially because i find these characters attractive and magnetic, but much more so for the literary and socialist political value i find in the narrative. i'm an unrepentant leftist as well, as are literally every other les mis fan i've ever met (besides yourself, of course). i've found more fulfillment through reading les misérables than i have in my exploration of the new testament, and i'm not even done with the book yet!

i don't really know how to conclude this other to point and laugh at john and his publictaion, because somehow i stumbled upon a conservative fan of les mis and the lack of self awareness is more baffling than i could have ever imagined it being

[confessionsofabargainbinaddict]

My Favorite Albums of 2022*

*not necessarily from 2022

Over the past 12 months, I've somehow acquired 260 CDs, so instead of doing a standard, "Top of 2022 list," I figured I'd share 10 favorite additions to my ever-growing collection, no matter if they were released in 2022 or not. I'll also do it in alphabetical order by album name for simplicity's sake (and 10 out of 260 is already subjective enough!). Here goes!

Tyler, the Creator - Call Me If You Get Lost

The brilliant wordplay more than warrants Tyler's oozing braggadocio but the fact that, in many cases, that same braggadocio is only thinly veiling deep insecurities elevates this to a truly astonishing level. "Drama, I need you. Can you turn the noise up?" isn't about getting the party hyped, it's about drowning out that critical voice in the back of your head. It's a call for help. It's a masterwork by an MC who's, somewhat surprisingly, coming for a Top 5 spot.

Soul Glo - Diaspora Problems

The CD came with liner notes and lyrics but you basically need a magnifying glass to read them. But you should get one. Because they're worth it. Verbose, brilliant, genre jumping hardcore.

The Beths - Expert in a Dying Field

Do you remember when "Mr. Brightside" came out and it basically was the "end-all, be-all" song about jealousy? "Expert in a Dying Field," is "Mr. Brightside" for breakups. The rest of the album is just icing on the cake. But the icing is also ridiculously good. Like nearly as good as the cake itself.

Origami Angel - Gami Gang

Dumb puns for song titles ("Neutrogina Spektor," "Tom Holland Oates," "Bed, Bath, and Batman Beyond,"), Pokémon, Game Boy, and Taco Bell references, and a smattering of sick riffs, anthemic choruses, and furious tapping. These 20(!!!) songs are more than just an album, they're a goddamn mission statement for a new generation of nerdy emo kids.

The Hotelier - Like No Place Is There

I can imagine Guy and Ian listening to this album and saying, "yeah, this is exactly where we imagined the genre ending up 30 years later." Devastating, cathartic, rough around the edges, but full of melody, and, most importantly, empathy.

Drug Church - Hygiene

Folks keep labeling this "hardcore," but its New Wave and 90's Alt-Rock influences are too abundant to keep it pinned down. Plus, it's catchy as fuck. An excellent 26 minutes that gets better with each listen.

Pusha T - It's Almost Dry

Focus on the latter half of Pusha's statement of purpose: "Cocaine's Dr. Seuss." It's not just that he raps about slinging coke, it's that he loves the words he uses to rap about slinging coke. That joy, that creativity, that fun is abundant on these 12 tracks. Hell, he even gets Jay to join in. (Hot take: Jay's verse on "Neck & Wrist," is better than his verse on "God DID.")

The Beatles - Magical Mystery Tour

A stone-cold-classic that I finally picked up on CD. Maybe my favorite from the fab four.

Denzel Curry - Melt My Eyez See Your Future

Stripping away the vocal acrobatics and spectacle that instantly hooked me, Denzel keeps his tone simple and direct and his lyrics powerful and personal, further highlighting his talent and chameleonic abilities.

Kendrick Lamar - Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers

Holding the controversial opinion that DAMN. was a clear step backwards, from the opening moments of "United in Grief," it was clear that K. Dot made a sharp turn back to the complexity and nuance of TPAB and GKMC. It's a deeply uncomfortable listen, giving us an in-depth view of a man struggling to find his true self and how that clashes with who others want (need?) him to be. It's messy and difficult and problematic and exactly the type of album only Kendrick can make.

Other assorted 2022 stuff

Favorite Albums NOT acquired in 2022:

mewithoutYou - Brother, Sister

Polar Bear Club - Clash Battle Guilt Pride

Broadway Calls - Comfort/Distraction

Iron Chic - The Constant Ones

The Beths - Future Me Hates Me

The Wonder Years - The Greatest Generation

Hot Water Music - Light It Up

Teenage Fanclub - Songs From Northern Britain

LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver

Queens of the Stone Age - Villains

Favorite Live Bands seen in 2022

Cursive (Irving Plaza - 1/26)

The Wonder Years (Webster Hall - 3/16)

Motion City Soundtrack (Terminal 5 - 6/19)

Less Than Jake (Saint Vitus - 12/12)

Favorite Movies watched in 2022

Terrifier 2

Nope

Don't Look Up

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors

Inside

Favorite TV Shows watched in 2022

Severance

Joe Pera Talks With You

The White Lotus

Abbot Elementary

The Rehearsal

Favorite Books read in 2022:

They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib

Sellout by Dan Ozzi

The Power Broker by Robert Caro

Favorite Podcasts listened to in 2022:

Love and Radio

The Secrets Hotline

Detoxicity

Will Be Wild

The Trojan Horse Affair

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #292

“dear god, let’s make this fucking clear: dear god, there’s nothing that i fear”

What internet browser do you use? Chrome. What brand water do you drink? (Smart Water, Dasani, etc) Mom just grabs the Great Value jugs. Do you have a job? No. Are you full-time or part-time? N/A Are you watching TV right now? No. Or are you listening to music? Yeah, "Mr. Crowley" by Ozzy. Such a great song. Would you go to jail for 3 years for $1,000,000? No. I would NOT survive in jail. When's your birthday? February 5th. I cannot fucking believe I'm almost 25. Thoughts on kids? Too impressionable for me. Even with my niece and nephew, I feel like every single word I say just like... stamps into their brains, and what if I say something that negatively affects them? I feel like it's my responsibility as an aunt to be a fountain of wisdom when I'm definitely not. I just get nervous around kids. Worst punishment you've ever received by your parents? I wouldn't call it a "punishment," but when I skinned the everliving fuck out of my knees and Mom was patching me up while I was just sobbing away, my dad literally roared "SHUT UP!" from my parents' bedroom, and it's stuck with me forever. Honestly, I think it may be a root in my extreme fear of men yelling. Worst punishment from Mom, probably this time where she smacked the shit outta my arm as a kid and left a clear handprint for a while. Are you the type who is completely against abortion? Why? No, I am firmly pro-choice, despite being pro-life most of my life. I don't feel like writing a moral essay, but basically, I absolutely cannot agree with forcing a woman to carry a human they don't want for whatever reason for nine fucking months, endure one of the most traumatically painful things known to man, and then properly and adequately care for that child. That is such a huge fucking responsibility that should be forced upon *nobody*. "But adoption!" Yeah, go tell that to the thousands of children waiting on you. This is leaning on exactly what I said I wouldn't do, so moving along. Have you ever read a book that actually changed your outlook on life? "I’ve read some books that were phenomenal, but I wouldn’t necessarily go so far as to say that they 'changed my outlook on life'." <<<< This was Johnny Got His Gun for me. Does your favorite flower hold any meaning to you? No. What would you do if your favorite animal became endangered? I would fucking freak. Have you ever owned an expensive eyeshadow palette? No, but I honestly do want at least one, primarily with a deep black and then some nice grays and neutral colors. Do you own a tripod for your camera? Yes. Are your nails always painted? Quite the opposite. What's one thing you've had a toxic reaction to? A breakup. Which holiday is your favorite to decorate for? I honestly don't really decorate because I just don't have the motivation, but Halloween is the best. Were you popular in school? Nope. Are there any foods that often give you heartburn or indigestion? BANANAS, dark sodas (like Coke or Dr. Pepper), peanut butter can... It's hard for me to tell much now because I have chronic heartburn and am medicated for it. Works great, so I don't experience this much. Is there something you intend to buy in the near future? Yes. Once my tattoo is done (I'm setting the appointment the next time we leave the house, AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH), what I have left is going towards Venus' new terrarium. She really needs a 40 gallon. Is anyone in your family artistically talented? What about musically? I was the art kid, and family still insist I should be an artist. What cute behaviors or characteristics does/do your pet(s) have? Omg, Roman has so many. He nuzzles me all the time, will collapse into my hand to pet him, he insists on being the little spoon at bedtime (no, really), he literally tries to groom me with his teeth, licks my face... He is just a doll. My little buddy for sure. Now onto Venus. She loves to chill next to me in bed or find a cozy place under the covers, and omgggg does she love to slither around the bed doing the periscope thing. So curious. What's the screensaver on your computer? I don't have one. What’s the sexiest thing about a guy? I am WEAK for nice shoulderblades/muscular shoulders ok. What’s the sexiest thing about a girl? I am an ass bitch and I will not hesitate to admit it ayyyyyeeeee. Who were you with at midnight on January 1, 2021? Nobody. Who was the last person to send you a message on social media? My sister Misty. She's planning to surprise Mom (her stepmom, anyway) by showing up in a few weeks with her fiance and all her kids she's never met but desperately wants to. My mom is the only "real mom" she's ever had, and she just feels so bad that she has a by now teenage daughter (among three other younger ones) that has never met her "grandmother." It's just an expensive and long trip, but Misty's finally called it enough and is just driving down here with everyone. Mom is going to fucking sob. ^ What qualities does this person have, that you appreciate? Nice timing for this, since her fiercely anti-mask bullshit is all I can focus on about her lately... but there are good things about her. She truly is a very loving, passionate woman that, just like me, feels deeply and expresses it. What was the last thing that caused you to scowl, or frown? Does grimacing count from a sudden bodily pain? Have you smiled at any point during the last hour? Yeah. I'm watching the VOD of Arin Hanson playing Kingdom Hearts 2 for charity, and he went on a total fucking laughing fit. His laugh is so precious, so I just couldn't stop grinning. What was the last thing you consulted Google for? Ensuring "grimace" was the right word for my former expression, even though I was pretty positive it was correct... I don't know if anyone's noticed, but my English skills are degrading, particularly in spelling. It's concerning me. I was an English whiz my whole life up to now. My only guess is it's related to how godawful my memory is also declining. So, did anyone send you a "Happy New Year" message when midnight hit? No. When was the last time you were on a carousel? Probably not since I was a teenager being goofy with Jason or somebody. What is the closest you have ever been to an elephant? I have a picture on my dA of a beautiful elephant walking RIGHT by its fence at the zoo. It was pretty amazing, considering just how incredibly immense their enclosure is. Have you ever played Halo? No, it's not my kinda game. Have you ever read a National Geographic magazine? Oh, I'm positive I've read sections while in waiting rooms of various places. When was the last time you had a pillow fight? I have no idea. Realistically it was probably w/ Jason since that sounds like some cute playfighting thing we'd do, but I don't remember a particular instance. Name somebody who you think deserves more respect: "Retail works. The horror stories my mom has on the daily is absolutely ridiculous. People can be so incredibly rude." <<<< I absolutely agree with this; what friends and strangers alike rant about is just depressing. Nobody, especially those working through a goddamn pandemic that's killing thousands, deserves the disrespect that comes their way. Have some goddamn decency and know half the issues you bring up to retail workers isn't even their damn fault. Ohhhh, I could rant about this. In your own words, define what the word sexy means. So you mean like, what I think is considered sexy, not just the general definition? If that's the case, uhhh. Self-confidence (but absolutely not arrogance) is very attractive to me as a bitch who lacks it entirely, as well as good manners, being outgoing, and just... charm. I don't quite know how to describe that "charm" other than I'm really drawn to people who are unique and happy with it and just seem to have an aura about them that feels good to be in. What is the most popular tourist attraction where you live? I'm going to look at this question as if you're asking about my state and not general location because 1.) there ain't shit here and 2.) I'd prefer to keep relatively where I live quiet on the Internet. Looked it up and apparently NC's biggest tourist bait is the Biltmore Estate. Never been there myself, but it'd be pretty dope. Without looking - do you know what brand your underwear is? I'm in my own home and pjs, who the fuck wears underwear with that criteria lmao. Are you any good at volleyball? NOOOOOOOOO. I went to a volleyball camp thing once when I was younger and that shit hurts the hell outta your hands. I didn't stay long. Have you ever had a water balloon fight? Why of course. Do you think some babies are ugly? Quite honestly, probably most, especially newborns. Don’t you miss Chuck E. Cheese? I do; going there was one of the most exciting possible things to me as a kiddo. Do you think Fall Out Boy is gonna be a classic band, like Queen or AC/DC? Possibly. I mean they sure are pretty successful and well-known. Do you love stuff-crusted pizza? Eh, it's not my preference, but I'll eat it. Do you apply lotion after you bathe? No, but I really should, given how dry my skin is. What’s your favorite color? Pastel pink. Who did you have your most amazing kiss with? I'd like to not think about this. Has a YouTube video of yours ever gotten over 10,000 views? Lol definitely not. I think at least one on my older channel hit 1k somehow???? It was a birthday gift I made for someone. Would you ever get a tattoo on your collar bone? lol I already have one there. At some point I'm getting it covered, though. Do you like Robert Frost poems? I do! Do you go to church every Sunday? I never do. Have you ever been in a relationship on-and-off for more than a year? No, I don't play that game. You want me or you don't, so I'm not wasting my time on your uncertainty or just our lack of stability for whatever reason. If you had to get famous for one of the following, which would you choose: music, acting, writing, modeling? Absolutely writing. What do you think of girls with huge boobs that don’t wear bras in public? ?????????????????? i don't?????????????? care???????????????? they're not my tits??????????????? What is the last thing you tried on in a store? I don't know. I avoid trying shit on like the plague. And then it ends up being too big/small. I wonder why. Is sleeping naked more comfortable than in clothes? I've only ever fallen asleep naked once, and accidentally at that, so I really don't remember how I felt about it? Consciously though, I would feel very, very vulnerable so don't have plans to when I have my own place. Have you ever had a dream in which you were making out, or more, with someone? HAHAHA Y'AAAAAALLLLLLL THIS WAS DEADASS THE ONLY LUCID DREAM I'VE EVER HAD LMAOOOOO Do you feel as though you have a good memory, or are you forgetful at times? Do you feel that your short-term memory or long-term memory is better? My short-term memory is absolutely atrocious, like to the point it seriously affects my ability to get shit done. You can give me something that needs to be done and I will forget in a heartbeat. Now, my long-term memory is astonishing. I can remember many things from my childhood in incredible detail. Have you ever had a concussion or some other sort of brain injury before? Did you need to have surgery for it? I've had a concussion or two. I can't remember which. I didn't need surgery. Do you have any sort of mental illnesses or disorders? What do they involve? Yeah: chronic depression, crippling social anxiety, generalized anxiety, avoidant personality disorder (AvPD), obsessive compulsive disorder, PTSD, bipolar II, and I think that's it. My head's a mess and a half. What’s the longest that your hair has ever been? How about the shortest? When is the last time that you got it cut? About to the small of my back; how it is now, which is pretty much shaved on the left and fades to near my chin on the right. I actually got it cut last month; we've gone to a family friend for years whose shop is just an extra building by her house and very rarely has more than two clients in it. We had masks on, of course. At what age did you start getting gray hairs, if you happen to have any? I don't have any. Somehow, given my stress level at all times, haha. What are some ways that you style your hair? Do you use any sorts of products in it? It's too short to style. I don't use any products in it but obviously shampoo. Who was the last person to truly get on your nerves? What do you think caused you to feel that way? Probably my mom. I think she was in a rotten mood for one reason or another and just being snappy and generally rude. Do you recycle? Is this through choice or do you live somewhere where it’s compulsory? We do; it's by choice, and it'd be immensely ignorant not to where we live considering it literally gets picked up with the other garbage. Do you prefer plain, carbonated, or flavored water? Do you think you drink enough water throughout the day? I've never tried carbonated water, and flavored water rarely works for me due to artificial sweeteners giving me beastly headaches. So I'll just take really cold, filtered water. Have you ever needed to call the police, ambulance, or fire department? I had to call the ambulance for my mom right before her cancer was discovered because she was literally immobile and in ungodly pain. When was the last time you visited the library? What was the purpose of your visit? At my old college, as the newspaper photographer, I took some artsy pics up there. I will probably forever worry that leaving school resulted in the biggest career opportunity slipping through my fingers through that newspaper. Do you see a lot of wild animals where you live? Are any of them dangerous? I guess about the normal amount you'd see in the country. Some dangerous animals live here, sure, that's probably everywhere, but you very rarely see any. Aside from when you were born, have you ever had to stay the night in the hospital? For suicidal thoughts and one attempt, yes. Have you ever experienced a panic attack? Ahhhh, do I know those well. Thankfully, it's been a long time since I had an all-out panic attack. Would you ever want to go into the medical profession? Was your answer different pre-COVID? Nope. Well, besides being a vet, which I haven't wanted to be since I was a kid. Where you live, are people paying attention to whatever restrictions are in place to help control COVID? Many? No. Because it's apparently a fuckin hoax or not as bad as the government wants us to think. Fucking cretins. Do you get a real or artificial Christmas tree? Artificial. Real ones aren't worth the money nor mess. What’s your favourite type/flavor of popcorn? Caramel corn. Do you drink oat milk? No, but I'm interested in at least trying it. The dairy industry is absolutely repulsive if you look into it, and I'd love to do what I can to take as little part in it as possible... even though I am a dairy fiend. I seriously wish I could go vegan, I am just WAY too picky for it. Do you love thrifting? Oh fuck yes. I've been very few times in my life, but I'mm all about it. Do you consider using only lowercase letters your aesthetic? I do find it visually appealing; I like the flow of similar letter height. I never do it for "serious" things, but on places where it's "for the aesthetic," it's likely that's how I'll write something. Do you say “mood?” Way too much lmao. Do you own fairy lights? No, though I would like them if it wouldn't look stupid in my room. Do you own glass straws because the metal ones kind of gross you out because you can’t tell if they are clean or not? ... I didn't know glass straws were a thing. I have a handful of metal ones though, but I always forget I have one in my purse when I go out... Have you made a TikTok? No. Do you own airpods? No. Are you afraid of Mercury in retrograde? I don't believe in a planet's position or whatever having any effect on people. Do you make life choices based on astrology? Definitely not, considering I don't believe in it to begin with. How many pairs of converse shoes do you own? Maybe like, five? Number of jeans in your closet: Zero. What accent do you have? Not really any, but sometimes I sound kinda southern with specific words. Do you have a big butt? Yo I got a Hank Hill ass, so no. Do you count how long you and your gf/bf have been together? In my past relationships, yes, I assigned our anniversary to memory. I don't really... know why, like it doesn't really matter how long you've been together, I just do. Have you graduated? From HS, yes. I dropped out of college three times lmao. Rihanna or Lady GaGa? Ohhh, not sure. Maybe GaGa, but both ladies have songs I love. "Disturbia" doess beat all of her songs, tho. The fuckin BEAT. Do you use fake eyelashes? Never tried 'em. Which was the last book that really captivated you? The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. What makeup brands do you use? I'm not loyal to any, really. I would be if I could afford expensive shit, but yeah, that ain't my life.

[adozentothedawn]

Saint Waidwen The Musical The Justification

This is an explanation for something I wrote in this fanfiction. Go read it maybe if you haven’t? :) But if you don’t have the time or interest, the relevant thing for this is that I mention a controversial musical adaption of the story of Saint Waidwen in Readceras.

Yeah, so first of all, I just really wanted this to be a thing because musicals about weird things are just my jam. I can however justify why this could totally be a thing! I’m aware that I don’t have to, but I just really want to write this, so I will. Now sit down and listen.

(Also you might know a lot of these things already, but I don’t know what they teach in your countries so I’ll just explain the basics.)

Let’s start off with why anyone would ever do this anyway. 

First of all, people make musicals about weird shit all the time in reality, so why not in Eora. Like look at Les Mis. Does that scream “musical” to you? And, yet it’s pretty cool! 

Second of all, Art moves in cycles. To explain this, I’ll use german literature, because that’s what I learnt in school and therefore know a few things about. Let’s begin at the era of the “Aufklärung” (enlightenment I guess? It’s an era of literature from about 1720 to 1790. Note also that eras can’t be distinctly seperated, they do go on simultaniously for a while). This was the time of logic and reason first and foremost. Art had to be practical, without actually having to serve a purpose. So after a while of this going on, there were a bunch of young people who decided, fuck that. We want emotion to be important again! Among those people were for example Ghoete and Schiller, two names you might know, because they’re kind of famous. So there were these young men (and they were almost exclusively men unfortunately) who started writing plays and poems which are based on extreme emotion and the idea of the natural genius (genius is a relative term here, the characters were still kinda dumb, but they were very poetic about it), instead of sticking nicely to the idea of reason. This era is called “Sturm und Drang” (roughly: storm and urge, these are really hard to translate. Also they’re names, so they’re not really supposed to be translated anyway). Now these young people weren’t young forever though, so they grew up at some point (or died, but you get the point). Both Goethe and Schiller decided at some point that that stuff they wrote was kinda cringy and started writing other things, more focused on harmony, beauty and (as in the Aufklärung) tolerance, as opposed to the more forceful and often tragic Sturm und Drang. This was then called the “Weimarer Klassik” (Weimar being the cultural centre of germany at the time and Klassik as in classic). And then after a while, a new generation of young people decided that that was dumb and started someting called the “Romantik” (romance, not necessarily as in love, but more as in romantifying things). In this time, people wrote about magic, myths and fairy tales, the less realism the better. So you see what’s happening here. One generation says: This is great! The next one says: Fuck that, I’ll make it as different as I can. That generation grows up and decides: eh, maybe let’s tune it down a bit. Then the next generation comes and says: Fuck no! again. Of course there are always some that stick to their style, but that’s the general idea.

Now, how does that apply to my musical idea? For that let’s look at Readceras for minute. Readceras was founded by a bunch of farmers, though there was a tiny elite, as we know because Waidwen managed to win some of them over, most people were pretty poor. Poor people usually don’t have the time or recourses for literature or painting, with music, especially singing, being the most accessable form of art. That’s not to say that farmers don’t make art, weaving and the painting of furniture was a thing for example, but the poorer the people, the less they have to use, even when it’s winter and they’d have time, and Readceras was just pisspoor. Singing doesn’t really need anything, and instruments are reusable if they somehow managed to get one. So chances are, Waidwen and his generation grew up with music as their main form of art. Then the Godhammer happened, which sucked big time for them, and they probably wanted to distance themselves as much as possible from the time before Waidwen and idealize him, which in all likelihood lead to art changing a lot as well. 

Because here’s the thing, art doesn’t just move in cycles, it is also heavily influenced be societal and political happenings (but you probably knew that). For example: the literature era that followed (roughly, it began a bit before the other one ended) the Romatik was the “Biedermaier” (which is a surname and not translatable, you might now it from a furniture style though, that’s pretty big in Austria, not sure how it is where you live), which is a style that was heavily aimed inwards. It was mostly, look how happy my little family is, everything is great, nothing is happening, nothing at all, and could be mostly described as idyllic and quiant. That was, because it was a time of political regression, with the empire getting more authoritarian again and literature being heavily censored. So when Waidwen took the throne art probably already started changing, though he likely didn’t notice much of that as he was kind of busy being king and GOD, and with another traumatic event it would’ve changed even more. So it’s completely feasible that 20 years later the youth would decide to fuck all of that over and go back to find their roots, while changing what they find to fit their style. Admittedly the existance of elves mucks up the timeline a bit, but since the largest group of people there are human anyway, I’ll ignore that. Also, in context with the fanifc I’m writing this for, the timeline is helped by the fact that my Watcher is an Eothas priestess. Might sound weird, but hear me out. Favaen came to the Dyrwood as a missionary, and though she got sidetracked a bit, that was still her end goal. So after everything was over and she was well established as Taynu of Caed Nua, she made it into a sanctuary for Eothasians started to spread the faith there again. Of course she didn’t achieve too much in 5 years, but she set a trend. With Adaryc spreading word about her in Readceras, that would’ve had an effect there too, at least insofar that the Dyrwood wasn’t completely off limits anymore and leading especially young people who hadn’t lived through the war to be more curious about it.

Now, why would the older people not like that? Well for one, it’s different, and different is bad in Readceras. Also, it reminds them of a time both worse and better. Worse, as in the Aedyran colonial times (because I refuse to belive that Waidwen didn’t change the economy at least a little for the better), and better when their god literally walked among them, which he doesn’t anymore, so it rubs salt into that wound.

Then how can they get away with putting it on at all? That I can answer with absolute certainty, because it is entirely rooted in canon. The Ladies of the Aviary. Worshippers of Hylea which work explicitly to help artists portray their art and avoid censoring. They convince higher up people, or if they cannot be convinced, help the artists avoid detection. They don’t discriminate between good and bad art, and only seek to spread it unchanged and as the artist intended.

And while we’re on worshippers of Hylea, the church of Hylea is known to comission plays and poems about Eothas and Waidwen, specifically as a way to mourn their dissapearance, which certainly had a hand in the musicals creation.

For the last point: why does Waidwen like it? Now, aside from a personal preference I just made up, we established that Waidwen grew up with music. While the rest of his generation may have distanced themselves from that sort of art, Waidwen never had the chance to grow up so to speak. His death was one of the factors in the changing of art and so he never got to experience that. Yes I had to end this post on a sad note.

Thank you for listening to my TED talk that I basically just did because I wanted to rant about literature for a bit.

Here the Soundtrack It’s on Youtube cause I don’t have Spotify. The last song was added after the events of Deadfire btw

[ofdianaes-blog]

DIANA  ARCHIBALD [ VIRGINIA GARDENER ] is a JUNIOR at Broadripple Academy. She is SEVENTEEN years old, from BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS and has been at Broadripple Academy for HALF A year.

hiya all ! i’m meredith, i’m 18 and i never learned how to fucking read i’m super excited to be here ! feel free to slide into my ims if you want to plot at all, i’m down for whatever and am super excited to get to plotting with you all, and i hope you love/hate my new baby, diana just as much as i do. i’ve included some stuff about her under the cut, as well as some plot ideas i’d like to see. y’all can also message me on discord if you want for easier plotting, i’m meredith#3445

okay, her bio is all the way at the end of this just in case it’s posted on the main by the time i post this and i don’t wanna make anyone suffer through it. if you haven’t seen it, just scroll on down and it should be there for you to learn all about my girl. now for wanted plots/plot ideas ( i’m like, zero percent limited to any of these ) 

BLACKMAIL OR SYMPATHY? THE WORLD IS YOUR OYSTER basically, this plot is someone knowing that diana is a big fat faker. maybe they went to middle school with her, or one of her many different personalities in high school before they both ended up at broadripple. with all the times she’s moved, as long as it was in state ... it might very well be a possibility she knows one person. maybe they read her diary, she keeps it under her mattress. maybe they just caught her mouthing the words to a billboard top 100 song and her cover is blown. who knows! we can sort all that out. this person can either hold this over diana’s head, or they’ll feel bad for her and attempt to show her the ropes of everything and keep her secret on the dl. the first is more fun for me, the second is more fun for diana. your pick. 

YOU’VE_GOT_A_FRIEND_IN_ME.mp3 someone that sees through that pretentious candy shell to the mediocre chocolate that’s beneath. i imagine most people have a low tolerance for when diana gets into one of her real cinema is dead, i was born in the wrong generation moods, but this is the person that sticks by her, reminds her she’s being obnoxious, and she can still listen to the smiths in 2019, no one is stopping her. did they meet in english class, sharing an illicit cigarette, bonding over how diana is always getting a coffee? it’s all up to you, but partners in not really crime is something i’d love to see for her. she gets lonely, y’all. 

RIVALS TO ENEMIES TO RIVALS (100k, F/?) i’m running out of creativity for these plot ideas, okay? anyone who dare insinuate (or outright say) diana is wrong about, ahem, anything, or has poor taste or whatever is bound to be at the receiving end of her wrath. and by wrath, i mean glares across the hallway and the angry writings in her journal. don’t call it a diary, even though it really is, she’ll get mad. if this person wants to share passive aggressive quips and feuds, then ooh boy, is diana the enemy for them. this can be someone who’s uninhibited by her desperation for the cool factor and is just themselves, or someone who thinks she isn’t cool enough. either one will make her skin crawl. 

FILM PROTEGE / HER YOUNG PADAWAN they don’t even necessarily have to be into the same shit she is, or film at all, though they could want her to teach them about shitty foreign films and 80s sadgirl music. if she sees anyone shy or meek or just not with big enough of a personality, she’ll ceaselessly volunteer to show them to the world of not knowing how to shut their damn mouth. god knows that’s the world she’s living in. while she isn’t necessarily a rebel (she always recycles and does her homework), she does partake in habits such as [ gasp ] swearing and the devil’s lettuce. whether this person is shy or just extraordinary strait-laced .... let diana ( holes voice ) fix that 

okay, now her bio is below this line. enjoy !

Though Diana Archibald is indisputably a firecracker, to say she came into the world with a bang would be a bold faced lie. She was born to the archetypical white picket fence, upper middle class family. She donned pink onesies and cooed alongside family pet golden retriever, a friendly, brown-eyed creature named Max — Diana would vomit at how the stereotypes seemed to stack so neatly. Tragedy and betrayal, however, can taint even the most normal of lives, and with her mother’s cancer diagnoses, her father was out the door before she could toddle. Hindered by the cost of medical bills, Elizabeth Archibald, Diana’s partial namesake, withered away into nothing. With her father unable to be located for child support or to take her in, who was once a perfect, porcelain blonde baby doll became red faced and tearful toddler — a ward of the state, sent on the pipeline from foster home to foster home.

Diana was raised on half rewound VHS tapes and scratchy, skipping DVDs that she was shoved in front of to keep her docile and occupied. Her obsession with stories didn’t stop there, as she stumbling through the minimal words in picture books turned into devouring novels with a wind up flashlight under the thick covers of her bunk bed. She saw herself in the pages of protagonists burned by tragic backstories, of boys and girls who rose from the ashes and became strong and willful and exactly who she wanted to be. She wanted nothing more than to satiate the hunger she felt to be like them: to be something. And so, the lies began: carefully crafted, always a new story wherever she went.

The first half of freshman year, she was a bubbly cheerleader in a tiny town on the Connecticut border, where she reeked of bubblegum and painted her nails bright pink in class, doodling the names of the cutest boys in school amongst her math notes. Second half, she was a band geek in Cambridge, with grades imbalanced to direct her towards the arts as she nervously learned to play the clarinet, swapping spit under the bleachers with pimple faced boys who played the drums and frizzy-braided girls in the brass section. The first half of sophomore year she lived in the suburbs of Boston, where she had heavy black eyeliner and a permanent scowl on her face, she recited poetry and wrote her own, deep and dark. She got a stick and poke on her ankle in her best friend’s garage, and shoplifted religiously. Once January hit and she was somewhere else, demanding she was referred to only by her last name. She wore flannel and beanies and refused to speak in class, passing a joint back and forth around in the basement of a senior who looked at her with leering eyes. The first half of her junior year, she was the perfect church girl, her hair always in neat braids and a smile on lightly glossed lips as she perfectly enunciated hymns and messages of peace be with you. A golden cross hung loosely around her neck, and she meticulously frosted cupcakes for the school bake sale and highlighted passages in her bible.

That’s how she supposes, she ended up at Broadripple. After she was shoved out of that town, that school, that family, her newfound love of religion was deemed of enough importance: Diana was a lovely candidate for the philanthropy of Broadripple Academy, and they would be so happy to have her attend. She was used to moving, but not into buildings with ivy covered walls and pleated skirts being added to her wardrobe. The sudden, abrupt change unlike any other had left her floundering for a new personality to latch onto, a new story to spin: until she came up with the best one yet. The perfect story was a story maker, pathological liar turned into filmmaker. Polaroid camera is always tucked into her backpack, and phone is always ready to film. She’s no longer a participant: she’s an observer. Her father was an important producer in Hollywood, she told everyone in her science class. Her mother was a retired soap opera star, but she was just as beautiful as she was in her haydey. No one cared enough to Google, and ambiguities and carefully placed anecdotes were her specialties — it worked. Now, she was the creative, wide eyed and quiet, journaling late into the night and always with a cup of coffee in hand, contraband cigarettes kept in her bottom dresser drawer. She reads classic literature and insists music sounds better on vinyl, carefully critiquing the film taste of her peers.

No matter how carefully crafted, aren’t all ruses bound to end?

and her personality section !

She’s black coffee and vinyl records, she’s the crunch of fall leaves under your shoes and absent sharpie doodles up and down your arm. She’s ballpoint pens and perfume that smells like vanilla, she’s the big glasses perched on her nose that she doesn’t really need, she’s cheeks carefully dusted with blush to make her look kissed by winter air. She’s cinnamon bubblegum and sitting cross legged in the grass, snapping photos of bunnies as they trot between trees.

DISHONEST: There’s an itch that can’t be scratched away, and it’s to tell another lie. One more won’t hurt. She tells herself, in fact, it might just help. She’s lived in Beverly Hills and Brooklyn, she tells them, twirling her hair nervously around her finger. She’s never even left the state.

ASTUTE: There’s no denying Diana is smart. One has to be, to stop themselves from getting tangled in a web of dishonesty. Math and science aren’t specialties of hers, but they still come easily, and her natural flair for artistry and the dramatics has made her an excellent writer and creative student. Good grades are easily achieved, and Diana easily takes notice of things other people try to hide.

SELF-IMPORTANT: Diana does everything better, she’s sure of it. After all, she’s had to put in the research into how exactly to do things right. This new personality of hers only amplifies the airs of betterness she seems to put on — though there’s no cracks shown in confidence, it certainly is a facade.

GREGARIOUS: Even in her quite states, it’s always been easy for Diana to make friends. She’s naturally empathetic, and has no issue molding herself to suit what the conversation needs. She’ll donate to charity or talk shit behind your back — whatever the conversation calls for. She’s a social butterfly that can never seem to settle on a hive, and that leaves most of her relationships at surface level.

[exwag]

top 5 christmas songs... not necessarily carols but songs

unpopular opinion: i don’t like “all i want for christmas you” that much.

with that said, I also prefer older christmas music to newer and sad songs to happy songs. nothing says the holidays like melancholic music baby!!!!

even though I’m an atheist and a cynic and really removed from my evangelical roots, i really fucking love christmas music, so you get an extra long list. sorry!

top 5 old/classic:

“O Holy Night” — I’m especially fond of the Ella Fitzgerald version, but really any version works. My grandpa had the most beautiful tenor voice and we’d drive around to several churches on Christmas Eve so he could sing it for the congregation. Easily one of my favorite childhood memories. 

“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” by Judy Garland

“Merry Christmas, Baby” by Otis Redding

“Cool Yule” by Louis Armstrong

“(Everybody’s Waitin’ For) The Man With The Bag” by Kay Starr

top 5 new (defining new as anything that’s come out in the last three decades or so):

“Last Christmas” — any version

“Christmas Makes Me Cry” by Kacey Musgraves (and really? any song off that album) 

“This Christmas” — any version

"December Is For Cynics” by The Matches — if i have to pick any song from my punk youth and from A Santa Cause: It's A Punk Rock Christmas, it’s gotta be this one

“Hard Candy Christmas” by Dolly Parton 

but ultimately, my top holiday song is:

“What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” — any version

Ask me my “TOP 5/TOP 10” anything!

[clodblogs]

Otherkin interview

I was able to have a chat with Luke and Rob from Otherkin before their Cardiff show, talking about writing songs, Idols, and Brittney Spears.

What inspired you to become a band and write music?

“I think we were all just really just musical when we were younger and all really into bands” Luke reminisced, “going to gig and going to concerts and it’s something that you gravitate towards and want to do because it looks like the funnest thing in the world and it is.”

“Yeah, I mean I played in bands since I was 11 years old and pretty much never stopped so. I guess it’s all I know really.” Rob was able to show off his music ability, “It’s either that or sports so and the football team didn’t want me so.”

“Star goal keeper” Luke added, not sure whether to tell more about his sporting past.

“I was actually quite a good goal keeper, but let’s not get into that” Rob was quick to boast.

What’s your favourite song you’ve ever written?

“I think, my personal favourite is a song that’s called “Yeah, I Know” I like that song a lot” Luke was quick to point out, with Rob agreeing with the answer.”Yeah, just because, I guess it’s a bit of a different sound from a lot of the other things we do, and I’m not gonna say it’s an unusual song, but it definitely works really weirdly. There’s no real chorus and there’s no verse” Luke explained the make-up of the song.

“Yeah, well we were drunk when we wrote it, but I can’t remember how we wrote it, ‘cause it’s a really weird song” agreed Rob. “And it seems to be a fan favourite too.”

“We always tend to leave it pretty late into the set so it, it tends to get pretty, pretty rowdy. Which is the way we like it.” So you know how to react when you hear this song.

What’s the meaning behind your band name, and where did it come from?

“This is actually a question for Connor, our guitarist, because we had been looking for a band name for I’d say about six months, and it was awful” Luke was quick to pass the blame. “Yeah, we tend to be really bad at naming things anyway. We have a song of ours, called Enabler, which we played for about a year and a half before it got released which we used to call ‘Slow and Heavy’ because it was, slow and heavy. That was the name for a year and a half.”

“It was actually when we went into record the album, we were forced to give it a real name.” Rob confessed.

“People actually wanted to keep the name ‘Slow and Heavy’” Luke didn’t sound too pleased at some members contribution.

Rob continued, telling the story of how Connor “found an article in a magazine basically, that said the word ‘Otherkin’ and we didn’t do any research into what it meant, and we were like yeah, that sounds great. Then found out it was this crazy online subculture, who constantly message us asking if we’re representing them. We’re not.”

“It’s a bunch of goth kids in America, basically, who are on twitter a lot. They are!” Luke added, to help us understand the youth culture they unknowingly represent.

“They all think they’re half animal and stuff. They’re not, they’re quite obviously humans.” Rob added.

“They’re actually quite nice. They’ll say stuff like, we like the music but what does this have to do with Otherkin. And we never really have a good answer.” So if you wanted to do some research yourself by contacting the band, Luke has warned you about their not-so-good answers.

“Yeah, we’ll take the piss and say that sometimes we are representing them.” Rob joked. “ People seem to hate that subculture, like they fucking hate it. If you look at twitter, they hate it. It’s always like fuck Otherkin, those guys are dickheads, so it’s never about us, I think.”

“Yeah, it’s hard to know. But we’ll always re-tweet it” Luke laughed, so if you ever give a bad review they won’t be 100% sure it’s for them.

What is a song that you wish you wrote?

“I love, ‘Tomorrow Knows’ by the Beatles, that’s a fucking dandy song, and that would have been a pretty cool feeling to have written that song.” Luke was quick to comment. “Toxic, Britney Spears.”

“Yeah” Rob was quick to agree.

“Yeah, actually I would have liked to have written that song.” At this point Luke looks regretful of his first answer.

“Yeah, made a lot of fucking money from that song” Rob agreed. “Final answer, Toxic,” Rob confirmed.

What style of clothing do you try to go for?

“I think like, well we quite obviously dress in a certain way, but I think it’s just, I don’t know, I think quite a lot of the bands that we look up to, like the Ramones and the Libertines (well I do anyway), it’s just sticking to classic leather jackets and we just kinda stick to that.” Rob answered, looking down at his own black jeans and leather jacket.

“It’s very easy to wear as well, you know” Luke added, also looking at his outfit choice today.

“If everything you own is black, then you don’t have to put much effort into it. Exactly” Rob laughs, pointing to my outfit of a black tshirt and black jeans. “The perks of it all.”

“I’d hate to be in the Vampire Weekend or something, where they have to have a new polo shirt every day, and a new cardigan. Whereas we can wear the same clothes every day.” Luke thought of the horror of owning more than two shirts.

“What, are you trying to start beef with the Vampire Weekend?” Rob warned.

How do you feel about the role that the internet plays in the music industry?

“It’s destroyed it, but it’s also kind of, opened up a lot of opportunities I guess.” Rob said after a few moments of thought.

“Yeah, it’s a double edged sword, in the way. As in, I guess the way it used to be in the 80s and 90s, where that you would have a very small minority of bands that would get elevated in a way that you could ever get to hear about them. Whereas, at least now you know, people in Argentina could have hared of us, whereas, if we hadn’t been elevated back in the 90s they would never of hared of us. It’s democratised.” Luke said, giving an insightful thought into the internet music industry.

“People in Japan and Jamaica. God bless the internet I guess.” Rob added.

“It’s really democratised the music industry in a way. And it is beneficial for bands, who don’t have a lot of main stream appeal, because they can get out and tour and make enough money by selling stuff through the internet, like merchandise, and what not, or promoting for themselves. Whereas those bands would not have stood a chance 20/30 years ago. So it’s cool from that perspective.” Luke added.

“But nobody pays for music anymore, so.” Rob was able to draw a negative from the internet. “ So that’s kinda shit. Just the reality of it I guess.”

Name a band or artist that you think are underrated

“Yak” Luke was very quick to suggest.

“Yeah, Yak is a good one.” Rob was quick to confirm. “They’re fucking amazing, we’ve seen them a few times. I get why they don’t get the main stream appeal, because it’s pretty heavy stuff. It’s amazing, but it wasn’t a very busy show, which is sad to see.”

“I feel like, they’re not really a band that are not necessarily underrated, because I’d say the reviews of their album are really strong so, they’re just underrated by the public I guess. And they deserve to be, deserve to be known.” Luke added.

“The band Idols. We actually met, the bassist last night.” Rob added to the list of underrated bands.

“Yeah, he’s pulling pints. Really nice guy, they’re off to play with the Progedy this week.” Luke pointed out, so they’re not that underrated then?

“They’re about to not be underrated, they’re playing huge gigs now.” Rob amended his previous statement.

What’s your favourite and least favourite venue to play at?

“It’s called Jimmy’s in Manchester” Rob pointed out with little hesitation.

“Yeah, it was pretty shit. It was only open and they were really unequipped. It would probably be a really nice venue to play in,” Luke added, just in case anyone who works there sees their bad review.

“It was a bar with a stage essentially,” Rob said, painting a more vivid picture of the venue.

“Yeah, I think they’ve improved it now” Luke added.

“That place was shite, the one in Sheffield. I mean, we’ve had a few exceptionally shit gigs,” Rob reminisced about their Sheffield gig.

“At The Rocking Chair, well that is not a good venue. And we’ve played two soul destroying gigs there. And we’re pretty used to like, playing to nobody, but these were extremely difficult gigs. It’s like literally no one at one of them.” Luke added,” So yeah, there are two answers for worst venue. Best venue.”

“Best venue. Paradise in Amsterdam, it’s pretty good. It’s an old church, that they’ve changed. That’s like what, 2,000 +” Rob suggested, pretty quickly.

“Yeah, we played a festival there,” Luke added, clearly remembering the amazing impression that the venue had for him.

“I’d say Europe as well, they just do everything.” So I can guess where Rob wants to spend more time touring.

“Any places in England that are pretty good?” Luke asked the question I was ready to know the answer for.

“We played the Deaf Institute the other night. I’d never been there before. Especially since we played a shit gig the night before in Manchester, so that was actually an amazing show. They had a fully vegan menu as well. That doesn’t happen very often.” So there you have it, any vegan Otherkin fans know the gig to go to.

Could you describe your process of writing songs?

“There isn’t really a process,” Rob shamefully admitted.

“Yeah, we just stand in a room with our instruments on us and play things and if it works it works, if not we just, bicker for a bit then hope something good comes along” Luke joins in, giving us an insight into the inner workings of Otherkin.

“Oh, you should see the fights” Rob jokes, and by the smirk on his face I guess he wins most of them.

“No, it’s very democratic.” Luke was quick to amend his band mate’s comment. “If someone has an idea they play it, if other people enjoy it then they join in.”

“If no one likes it, they don’t join in. They just won’t play along” Rob jokes, they both laugh, evidently enjoying the extremely democratic process.

“Maybe someday we’ll get fancy, and go to a studio and write songs there.” Luke dreams.

“But for now we’ll just thrash it out in a room together. Hopefully not forever, because there are definitely better ways of writing songs than how we currently do it. All of us just blasting music as each other, trying to decide what to do.” Rob joins in.

“We don’t really have the patience to sit down with acoustic guitars and write songs. We do that the odd time, but the majority of the songs that we do are done by just being in a room.” Luke remembers the evidently painful times he has actually attempted to write a song.

“I wish there was a formula; it would be a lot easier if there was.” Rob joins in on Luke’s dream. “We’re drunk sometimes, that helps. But sometimes we’ll just write the shittest songs. We’re just faking it basically. Sometimes songs just come out and you’re just like yeah cool.” Rob tells me.

“We’ll let you know when we have a proper answer.” Luke assures me (I still haven’t received one though)

What have been some of your biggest challenges as a band so far?

“I’d say cracking in was the start, because we’re Irish, it’s quite tough,” Rob admits. “We don’t get to tour here as often as English bands; because they can tour then just go home. Whereas we have to do a three week shift, which means we’re playing on a Monday night gig, when sane people play on the weekends. It’s a lot easier to sell out a Friday night show than a Monday night show. But, I think, luckily its started to change. We had an amazing Reading-Leeds, we played it last year.” Rob said, a little more positively than he started.

“Yeah, it seems to be getting better.” Luke agrees. “I know we’ve done some tours that have been really grim. It’s one of those things where the English bands we’ve played with, we toured with the Amazons a while back and they said they’d done the tent that we’d been in four times. That was our first time being there. So it’s quite difficult for us, because we’ve probably spent the same amount of time being in a band, but spent a fraction of the time in England which is where we try to be.”

“But, we’d sell pretty big shows in Ireland, but that’s because we play there often. Whereas, over here, this is our first time in Cardiff, especially since we’ve got an album out.” Rob continued.

“Which is mad, it’s mad considering we have an album out but it’s just the way it is.” Luke states.

“And especially when you’re in Ireland there’s essentially three cities you can play in. Whereas where, there are fucking like, 29 or something. Everyone is like, bigger than Dublin, which is the main city in Ireland.” Rob admits, not bothering to name all 29.

“So I think that’s been our biggest challenge, us trying to crack the UK.” Luke returns to the question after some consideration. “And even still trying to crack the UK, like we could do a show in a certain city in the country and get nobody and we want to be at the stage now where we want to be able to know where we’re going to draw a crowd. It’s just difficult to be, in Ireland. We just have to be expecting that things are happening over here when we’re not here. At least in Ireland we know how well we’re doing there because we live there, we can’t do that in the UK. That’s the biggest challenge.”

“There’s probably a way better answer, but I can’t think of one right now.” So I take it that Rob isn’t too keen on the answer that he gave.

“Song writing?” Luke suggests, laughing.

“Song writing! Yeah, Jesus. Playing instruments, that’s a good one.” Rob adds, maybe a little too enthusiastically.

What’s a popular music opinion you have?

“I don’t particularly like the Beatles.” Rob happily admits.

“ Yeah, that’s really unpopular” Luke is obviously still sore about this subject.

“No, I appreciate the fact, like I know that they’re a very influential band, but I was never a Beatles person. And I’ve met people who are the same, so I know it’s not just me.” Rob defends his opinion.

“He doesn’t really like Radiohead, which is bad.” Luke adds, still clearly appalled by his band mate’s music choices.