#and his cello/piano version of the song sounds so pretty! :)

[hughiecampbelle]

Baby Roy Becoming A Singer Would Include:

Requested: i know you’ve been having a rough time lately, so get to this whenever you can!!! no worries or rush my dear ❤️❤️ i’ve been thinking about your version of baby!roy and how much i love them, but what if they never joined the waystar company? like the version of baby!roy that lives in my head never joined in & instead became a very sad and angry indie singer who used their music as a way to vent out their anger lol. idk i just think the idea of the youngest roy kid being an edgy little indie singer all the gay teens run to is funny & cute to me - anon

A/N: I know this wasn't a request but omg the more I kept thinking about it, the more I fell in love!!!! I hope you don't mind!!! I love this Baby Roy with my whole entire heart!!! Feedback is always appreciated 💜💜💜

Succession Masterlist

You're a classically trained musician. Not just with your voice, but piano, violin, cello, and flute. If you were going to be interested in music, it was going to be Logan's way

He made you play every party, every gala, putting the money he invested to work. It was your party trick. You could play some of the toughest pieces of music with your eyes closed and your hands tied behind your back, but this wasn't your type of music. You liked it more indie, more grungey and grimey

You had band posters all over your walls, records and CDs and all your storage on your computer filled up by songs. You had a notebook you were constantly writing in for song lyrics

"What a cute diary!"

"Fuck off Rome."

Instead of sneaking out to go to parties or see partners, which you do too, you mostly snuck out to go to concerts. You bought the tickets without anyone knowing, seeing your favorite artists

All your clothes were band shirts from said concerts

You definitely have your hair dyed with tons of piercings, all of them diy just to spite your father. You got into it when you were a young tween and it just escalated from there

"Is that a tongue piercing?"

"Don't say anything, Shiv, please."

You always have your headphones on playing as loud as it can. Your father hates it. He's stopped telling you to take them off during mealtimes, but it used to be one of his biggest triggers

Your fights were brutal. Where Connor tried to disappear and Rome shrank, you only grew more fiery, more stubborn and passionate. Kendall and Shiv knew it would get you into deep trouble. Ever since you were little you'd decided every battle was a good enough one of to pick. It was like having two Logan's in the room

You sing often, all the time. You have a beautiful voice. Logan has even called it angelic, ever since you could sing you have been

But you use to to scream and sing all these horrible songs he would never let you listen to if he had that power. He calls it a waste of talent, you a waste of talent

When you're home alone, the place shakes from the speakers, your music playing so loud. Then you really feel like yourself, like you can belt it out

You start your own band when you're a teenager. You find the equally gifted musicians stunted by their parents and make your own beautiful music

The bands name changes so often, but eventually you find one both catchy and to the point

You have an artist friend make t-shirts for all of you and then a few extra, knowing Connor will proudly show it off

"This is amazing, kiddo. You should be really proud."

You use one of your fathers many garages, moving the car out for practice. It's angry and sad and your drummer wears too much eyeliner and your bassist needs a haircut, but you sound good. Really good

You get the word out at school talent shows and battle of the bands and play at people's parties basically for free. It's all about exposure

You become pretty popular. Everyone knows you for your music, not for your name or blood or even your siblings who went to the same school. It feels good, really good

When you're not practicing in the garage late into the night or playing at parties, you're singing at open mics and trying to get out there

Years you spend lugging your equipment and instruments and playing for a bunch of drunk teenagers/college students. It's what you love, even if Logan outwardly disapproves of it

Finally someone picks up on your sound, someone in the business, and it gets your career started

You get a manager and a record deal and suddenly you have tons of fans. Your social medias have never had so many followers, Connor being the first follower for all of them

Your shows are massive. Your fans love you, adore you, and you're sent in huge amounts of letters and art

You open for some of your favorite artists, artists you've looked up forever

You become a household name under a stage name, though everyone knows you're really a Roy. It can't not come up

As far as Logan's concerned, he only has four children. Because you're not fighting for his affections like the others, you don't really matter to him. Connor tries to make up for it, but it's not the same

When you sign up to go on tour you don't tell them, instead going out one day and not coming back for a few weeks/months. It's not like they'd notice

All of this hurt and anger is just fuel for your career, your songs

It's silly, to still want his approval, but you thought the fame and recognition would spark some sort of respect or love or something, but it doesn't. As far as Logan's concerned, your silly music is just a waste of time. It's a hobby, nothing more

You definitely have a song called Fuck Logan Roy. You have songs dedicated to all your siblings. Fall of Rome. Daddy's Favorite. Big Brother Always Watching. Sister, Sister. Even a few about Tom and Greg, though they don't know it and the titles are awfully mean lol

Connor tries to go to as many of your shows as possible. All your siblings have seen you perform live at one point or another. They all have different reactions

Connor couldn't be prouder. Truly, you are the light of his life, his little pop star

Shiv can understand the anger and hurt, but she doesn't love that you're airing out all their dirty laundry for all your fans to hear

Kendall definitely listens to your songs secretly. You're always blaring through his headphones. Only a Roy would ever understand what it's like to be him, summing up the situation perfectly. No other artist could ever get it more right. He pretends not to know, though

Roman goes once and decides it's too loud, leaving halfway through. He loves you, but he still remains skeptical, that this is one massive phase or tantrum that you'll grow out of. It's one big fuck you to Dad and that's all fun and games, but you'll have to grow up eventually

You don't care what they think. You've got what you've always wanted. It still feels totally surreal. Your fans are the nicest people alive. They're so kind and supportive and v against your father, even when you dedicate shows to him

The song writing and adapting never stops. You're always trying to get out the next best thing

It's never been about money or fame, though those are nice perks. It's about reaching an audience and proving them all wrong. It's not a fantasy, it's not something you should give up on

Going back to those coffee shops and all those nooks and crannies you used to play in, playing for them again, singing for them again

No matter what you do you know you will never have the respect of your father or his peers. The more your siblings fight, the more they become him, the more you lose

I definitely hear them sounding something like ANIMALS by PVRIS / Worms by Ashnikko / Black Sheep by Metric / anything by Grimes all mixed together lol. I only listen to female musicians sorry abt that!!!

[sapphirepastries]

Octopath Dorm Leader Themes + Yuu

i am not a composer and i dont play any instruments so this is all just headcanons. and also i'm not an expert on music x'D you know how each traveler has their own theme? well, the dorm leaders would also have their own themes

yuu's theme would be the ramshackle theme but more like the guest room version. like, it's lighter. it'll probably have melodies from various disney princess songs. main instrument is the flute and sounds like ophilia's theme

riddle's theme would be the heartsabyul theme with melodies from "painting the roses red". main instrument would maybe be the flute too? not sure. but his theme sounds like a fantasy alice in wonderland song

leona's would be the savanaclaw theme with melodies from "be prepared". main instrument would be cello? i was listening to osvald's them and thought that the cello would be good to fit leona's story here. would sound vengeful like osvald's theme but also hopeful like hikari's theme

azul's theme would be the octavinelle theme with melodies from "poor unfortunate souls". main instrument would be piano and sound jazzy

kalim's theme would be the scarabia dorm theme with melodies from either "a whole new world" or "prince ali". maybe both. main instrument would be violin probably? and it'll sound desert-y like primrose's theme

vil's theme would be the pomefiore theme, but i dont think any song from snow white would fit as cameo melodies...i took a look at the scene where the evil queen turns into the old hag, but i dont think the music that plays during it is a good fit. maybe melodies from "i'm wishing" or "someday my prince will come" but like...darker??? unsure. main instrument would be harpsichord and sound like a waltz

idia's theme would be the ignihyde theme with melodies from "the gospel truth ii", since hades himself doesn't have a villain song. main instrument would be electric guitar and sound like a tech song turned fantasy

malleus' theme would be the diasomnia theme with melodies from "once upon a dream" because of course uwu. you'd think it'd sound dark, but it actually sounds pretty hopeful since his story is about seeing the world. think agnea and tressa's themes

and of course all these themes would be remixed for the themes that play before the boss battles xD

[whatgaviiformes]

✨️ When you get this ask you should put 5 songs you listen to, post it, then send this ask to other blogs (because positive vibes are cool) 🎶

Sorry this took me so long! I've had this on my list, but there's so much I *do* listen to that narrowing it down to 5 is easier said than done. I've tried to provide a few songs that either give a peek into fic, the brain of Gavii, or that you may not have heard about yet from my playlists :) I've threw a few links in for good measure on the lesser known ones, but all of these should be fairly searchable.

"Zombie" - any version out there, but obviously I adore the original as well as the Bad Wolves cover. I was listening to a piano cover when I wrote Muted/Unmuted - when Virgil finally starts playing what's in his heart. So a lot of the frustration and anger that bled through was from this song.

"Safe and Sound" Capital Cities. This is the one that my husband and I call "ours" as it was the first one we ended up singing together in the car on a long drive. That's not usually his thing, but this song is an exception to that rule.

3. "Royals" -Cover by the Dirty Grass Players - Spotify has a great Bluegrass Covers playlist that I started to get into after writing TSOF. It has such the vibes, and I'm a big fan of catchy songs I love being reinvented. So, if you are good with some Southern twang and banjos... you're welcome. Playlist Here

4. "Mother Nature" The HU ft. LP @the-original-sineater introduced me to the HU, and pretty soon after that they released this song with LP, and I already adored their sound. LP's got a rawness in their music (also is a great writer too). The HU is a Mongolian folkband. Together, I think this song makes magic, and I can't help but to stop and listen.

5. I wanted to include at least one instrumental. So "Suite No. 1 in Major - Prelude" by Audiomachine. It's *that* Cello song, but it's Audiomachine, so you know it's going to make you experience all the things. This is a song that builds up before it breaks you down. That kind of music ticks all the boxes for me, and listening to those songs is often what helps me channel some of those intense little one-shots I'll throw out now and again.

[asiandra-dash]

Do you have any headcanons about Genshin characters with instruments or just music in general?

↪ Characters: Alhaitham, Ayaka, Ayato, Childe, Kazuha

↪ Warnings: None,,, Except swearing and maybe a bit of violence (Childe) if those count lol

↪ Notes: Ohoho anon as a violinist, person who keeps saying they can't sing but everyone else says they can, and slaps on music the second they wake up, you bet I have some. I have many many MANY more hcs with more Genshin characters but I don't wanna make this too long even though it's pretty long already so I'm just keeping this to five characters for now but feel free to send another ask about this :>

Kazuha

He plays the guitar

But he plays the flute too

A flute is more portable than a guitar lol

The leaf is a substitute when he doesn't have his flute

He usually borrows a guitar if he wants to play it

If he's wandering and the region he's in happens to have something going on with a little bit of music he might stop by

It's nice to know about the local music, maybe he could try and play it a bit or write a haiku about it

He's not really good at singing

But his humming is quite soothing and comforting

Sometimes he'll find himself humming a small tune he heard or made up while traveling

Alhaitham

He doesn't care

Mostly

He won't admit that some of it sounds good

Kaveh annoys him about it sir please go get a dose of music

If he wanted to he could try to play something

He's okay at most instruments though he doesn't find much of a reason to play them

He sucks ass at air instruments

He'd touch a piano for the first time and once he figured out the basics he'd ace easy and medium level songs and never touch one again

Kaveh always annoys him about it because he wants to know how he does it

Alhaitham would brush him off he doesn't care let him read and do his job

But Kaveh will not let go of this until he find how how he does it

He can't sing

Not well anyways

Also don't tell anyone but he sometimes plays the cello

Childe

Mmmmmm music is amazing

Especially if it's good music for thinking about murder /hj

No but really he enjoys any music

He is absolutely a violin player

But be careful when he has the bow in his hand

He might stab you with it

Probably replaced his bow a few times doing that lol

Either you DO NOT let him pick up a bow when he's having even a little bit of murderous thoughts or BACK UP WITH PROTECTION

He might stab someone with the bow, you never know, and if it snaps oh boy the splinters...

Stabby stabby stabby

Someone stop him

He will not break the violin though it's hard to find a really good quality instrument

He's trying guitar

He sounds okay but it still sucks

As a person who has literally every Childe cover in their playlist he can absolutely sing

It's SO GOOD SHFSUHFUIOSDJGFIUWABFVJDFIHDGYESBF

Ayato

He's fucking tone deaf

He can't sing or play shit

This part is only here because I thought it would be funny

How nice it would be to hear Ayaka's playing and singing...

BUT in another version where he ISN'T tone deaf

He still doesn't play any instrument

He really likes Ayaka's playing and singing

If she ever says she is bad he will not let her live with that and try and find a way to make her think she's good

Most of the time it works

He prefers humming over singing, especially when he's working

When he sings it's literally the best fucking thing you have ever heard he sounds so perfect

And he'll deny every compliment saying that it's not that good and others can do better

Sir no you sound like a fucking angel shut up

No one not even himself knows how he can sing that well I guess he was just born like that

Ayaka

Absolute opposite of Ayato (The first part)

She got all the music genes

She loves music

She plays quite a few instruments but her favorites are the Koto, Kokyu, and Shamisen

Ayaka can sing

Mostly

Kind of

It's not the best but at least it's passable

She wishes she could sing and/or play for her brother but she can't :(

Even if he couldn't play an instrument anyways why couldn't he at least have not be tone deaf

Anyways in the other one where Ayato is NOT tone deaf

Sometimes Ayato will listen to Ayaka playing or singing when he has the time

Which isn't often considering the loads of work he has

Sometimes she hears her brother humming/singing and wishes she could be as good

Why did he get the good singing genes :( oh well she can play instruments so it's fair enough

She's asked multiple times if he ever has free time if he wanted to sing something while she played but he always finds some kind of excuse to say no

Ayaka has started suspecting that but hey, he's a busy man

And the excuses are mostly true so

[streetlights-all-turn-blue]

About the things Paul writes feeling true - that was what I meant, you put in into better words. It's relatable. My dad had the Sounds of Silence album too! I remember going through his records and seeing that one. I might have listened to it, but it's been so long since I've been able to listen to any vinyl. (And the marrying thing ... I might not have honestly thought I would marry him but my friend and I were still super into The Monkees and dreamed about being with Peter and Mike, so ... I feel that, haha.) As far as Beatles albums ... my favorites are Revolver, Magical Mystery Tour, Abbey Road & Let It Be. I have good memories of all of them. Abbey Road & Let It Be were on the same tape someone made for our family when I was growing up, and we played it a lot when we were doing chores, so whenever I hear those albums I feel like I want to clean up ... do you have any music like that? Albums or songs that make you feel like you have to do something in particular?

Do you have any favorite holiday albums/songs or films? My mom was obsessed with Christmas stuff growing up so I'm kind of burnt out on a lot of it. I like chill instrumental holiday music for the most part, but I also like some of the rock/oldies songs. My stepmom used to do a thing where everyone in the house picked a movie that would get packed away with the Christmas decorations, so we could only watch it at that time of year. She and my dad even put their own movies in there. Mine was Yellow Submarine! They even put a yellow sub ornament on their tree for me every year.

Hope you've had a good Thursday! 🌼

I love that your family had Sounds of Silence on vinyl when you were growing up! Do you feel like your musical taste was very influenced by your parents? I feel like there are threads of my parents’ preferences in my taste, like my dad loves The Who and The Beach Boys and we had the soundtrack to American Graffiti playing on the record player constantly. My mom is a big classical/classical adjacent fan and I still listen to that music a lot and grew up doing violin and piano and singing in chorus.

Abbey Road and Rubber Soul i think are my favorite Beatles albums but I also really love A Hard Day’s Night and Help! I definitely have albums that remind me of doing specific things - when one of my friends from growing up got her drivers license we drove around blasting REM and so I always feel like i should go on a drive when i hear them.

I like holiday music a lot and particularly holiday music that’s on the more classical side. Pop holiday music is fun but i don’t really choose to listen to it - do the holiday songs that Simon & Garfunkel did count here? I really love listening to them and their songs Comfort and Joy and Star Carol, and their Silent Night layered over the news clips. My favorite holiday album is probably one called Songs of Joy and Peace by Yo-Yo Ma. He plays the cello with some popular artists like James Taylor and does several versions of Dona Nobis Pacem with the various instrumentalists that are all unique and pretty. I also like listening to Vivaldi’s Four Seasons a lot during the holidays for some reason! I like your holiday movie tradition! I think we watched The Sound of Music a lot at the holidays while growing up? I am not sure if it was just playing or whether my parents picked this!

Thanks for chatting - hope you had a good weekend!

[britishchick09]

i discovered a song called ‘beau soir’, which is about an evening where rivers turn rose colored by the sunset and a warm breeze ruffles wheat fields. it’s french, was made in 1891... and is perfect for rewrite eristine to learn in ‘fun in ‘91′! ;D

but there’s a little connection in the song... ;)

does the underlined name look familiar? it should...

that’s the name of alw’s brother! :o

[setzappersto-pew]

StarKid and Musical Score #2

Pop culture parodies tread fine lines to avoid copyright violations, especially when it comes to music. Some go for a certain mood or genre to evoke the source. Holy Musical B@man! is a great example. Nick Gage and Scott Lamps used strictly synthesizer and an electronic drum kit. They made great use of the standard synthesizer sound, calling to mind ‘80s new wave electronic music; a darker electric guitar sound to capture the gritty Batman from The Dark Knight or The Killing Joke; and light and playful bell tones, representing the innocence of Robin or perhaps the campy silliness of the ‘60s Batman TV show.

When it’s a parody musical of a musical, the challenge is even greater. Enter Twisted: The Untold Story of a Royal Vizier.

There’s not a lot of interstitial music to set the scenes, but what little there is excels with capturing the mood, like the eerie strings and woodwinds coupled with sporadic percussion during Aladdin’s breakdown near the end. Instead, Twisted features a large number of songs to fill its 2.25 hour runtime, so I’m going to focus on the instrumentals of those for this post. The instrumentation for this show includes keyboard, drums, guitar/bass, violin, cello, flute, clarinet, and alto/tenor saxophone. It’s a much bigger and more varied band than any StarKid show had before or since.

The endeavor that composer A.J. Holmes, accompanied by incredible lyricist Kaley McMahon, set out on was to evoke not only the source material, Disney’s Aladdin, but also other Disney movies of the same era and the Broadway musical Wicked. The Disney references are all over the place, including the Disney-fied StarKid logo. The latter was accomplished via the title (Twisted: The Untold Story of a Royal Vizier vs. Wicked: The Untold Story of a Wicked Witch), the album cover, the method of role reversal (a villain posed as the hero of their own story), and even a direct reference to the book. But A.J., along with orchestrator Andrew Fox and music director Justin Fischer, took it a step further with several songs to give the audience a truly immersive and magical experience.

To keep it simple, I’m going to link each song--or most, as some I can’t quite figure out--to another Disney or Wicked song that A.J. was likely, or even obviously, taking influence from. The similarities are often in the instrumentation and tempo; chord progressions and adjacent melodies; or lyrics and character situations.

Not a song, but the opening music evokes the haunting strings and bells in the opening of Beauty and the Beast to a tee. Like...it’s a dead ringer, obviously in purpose.

“Dream a Little Harder”: An opening ensemble number like “Belle” from Beauty and The Beast. Introduces the protagonist and the surrounding characters with a sweet and tremulous flute at the beginning and bouncy strings throughout. Lyrics mirror each other, i.e. “Fuck you” = “Bonjour”...Nick’s favorite line, “Marie! The baguettes! Hurry up!”...they all hate Ja’far vs. they all think Belle is weird. Belle is even part of the ensemble, telling Ja’far to keep his “fat face out of the mother fucking book”! It’s a pretty obvious comparison. 

“I Steal Everything”: “One Jump Ahead” from Aladdin is the obvious parallel in orchestration, melody, tempo, lyrics, character situation...everything.

“Everything and More”: Again, an obvious parody of “Part of Your World” from The Little Mermaid. Same gentle yet sweeping melody, same lilting tempo paired with vocals timid one moment and powerful the next, lyrics exploring desire for more.

“A Thousand and One Nights”: This one was a little harder, as really none of the Disney princesses have duets with their princes. But I think it pairs well with “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” from The Lion King, at least after Timon and Pumbaa have their moment! The back and forth between lovers talking to themselves about the other has a similar feel. Honestly, this song is pretty original and yet manages to evoke Disney love song perfectly without copying any. The gentle melody, sweeping yet sweet orchestration, and the dialogue really sell it. They knew it was the love song because they went ahead and parodied the cheesy pop covers that ‘90s Disney movies are known for with a true bop performed by Britney Coleman and Carlos Valdes.

“Orphaned at 33″: Perhaps the reprise of “One Jump Ahead”? It’s slower and more melancholy and has similar chord progression and crooning vocals. Maybe “Go the Distance” from Hercules? Both are songs of sadness and longing, but StarKid’s Aladdin is far more pathetic and creepy than Hercules. EDIT: “Proud of Your Boy”, which was cut from Aladdin and put in the stage show, is absolutely the reference here! Again, a song of sadness and longing and self-pity and lamentation of a bad childhood...and StarKid’s Aladdin is still more pathetic. Musical parallels: similar chord progressions, embellishments, instrumentation, time signature, tempo, etc.; starts with delicate notes and Aladdin just talking (this starts at 46 seconds in “Orphaned at 33″, after a prelude); lilting and tiptoeing melody in the middle (1:56 for “Orphaned”, 1:08 for “Proud”); powerful sustained vocals and sweeping winds and strings to finish. I know this song was in the back of my mind, but it just wasn’t coming to me. Thank you @hatchetfieldtheories and @melchron for helping me out! 

“Happy Ending”: The last half, at 1:50, really reminds me of “Defying Gravity” from Wicked, specifically at 5:15. The quiet and tense music make way for powerful vocals and are just waiting to burst forth for a showstopping ending. Both songs are also Act 1 closers. I can’t really place the rest of “Happy Ending”, but it all reminds me of Wicked with the powerful rock guitar and drums paired with cinematic strings. Plus, I always love when multiple melodies come together as reprises, most often as Act 1 closers!

“No One Remembers Achmed”: A sillier version of “Gaston” from Beauty and The Beast. The spurned villain’s cohorts are pumping him up and singing his praises! Both melodies are jaunty, though with different instrumentation...Twisted’s featuring sillier sound effects and goofy xylophone.

“Take Off Your Clothes”: A sexier version of “A Whole New World” from Aladdin. Slightly modified melody, and obviously the lyrics, but it’s exactly the same.

“The Power in Me”: A solemn and sweet farewell duet between friends like “For Good” from Wicked. The delicate woodwinds and strings sound similar to the gentle synth in “For Good”. Vocal performances are cautious and tender at first but quickly become strong and confident. “You are the power in me” and “I have been changed for good” follow almost the exact same rhythm.

The titular song has many facets, so I’ll detail them here:

Opening to 1:03 and 5:55 to the end = “No Good Deed” from Wicked, with the same intense strings and percussion. The whole situation and lyrics match, with both Ja’far and Elphaba deciding to just be antiheroes because no one sees them as heroes anyway. “I’ll be twisted, it’s my turn” matches “No good deed will I do ever again” and “I’m wicked through and through”.

1:10-2:06 = “Poor Unfortunate Souls” from The Little Mermaid...it’s Ursula, so of course...but also, the woodwinds and keyboard mimicking brass evoke the same bouncy yet menacing rhythm, akin to an evil polka.

2:07-2:50 = “Be Prepared” from The Lion King. Obviously, it’s Scar’s moment...but also, they have similar deep and primitive drums and woodwinds.

The rest of the songs (”Sands of Time”, “Golden Rule”, and “If I Believed”) I couldn’t really place, but they still evoke the source materials. “Golden Rule” has a classic musical theatre ensemble number feel, with fun strings and woodwinds and delightful choruses; the reprise turns it on its head with menacing piano and bass. “If I Believed” is another take on an “I want” song; the flute and cello pair very nicely together to support Dylan’s soulful voice.

My next post in this series will likely be about the Hatchetfield series: The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals, Black Friday, and Nightmare Time. There’s a lot in between, like the AVP Trilogy, ANI, and Starship, but the music for those stands out less to me. They’re great, don’t get me wrong, but I think that the score is not what makes them special. The Hatchetfield stuff, however...is intense.

Thanks for reading!

[thedistrictsleepsalonetonight]

Folk Songs (Weiss Schnee builds a home in the aftermath)

She asks Winter if she ever wonders why Atlas is named the way it is. Surely, naming a floating city after someone who was almost always pinned to the ground by the weight of the world would have been a mistake. Icarus, she muses, if it were up to her, she would have named it Icarus.

(Icarus flew and Icarus fell. Icarus, a slave to his own ambitions)

“Is that who you feel like?” Winter asks. “Atlas?”

It’s an honest question put to someone who has spent significant time carrying the family name around, by someone who handed it over when she grew too tall for it. Weiss shrugs.

“It’s not that deep,” she says.

Winter responds to that by patting her back. “Isn’t it, though?” she says, pushing a hand so Weiss straightens her posture. Weiss is sure the movement is unconscious, instinctual. Then Winter moves her hand to adjust the collar of the shirt she’s wearing, and lets her hand rest on Weiss’ shoulder for the rest of the conversation. Neither of them mentions it.

*****

She’s sitting at the piano when Ruby plops down next to her. “Teach me,” Ruby says, hitting a couple of disjointed notes.

Weiss, who is prone to losing her bearings when Ruby is near, plays a couple of notes in response. It’s supposed to be a tiny jingle, but she messes it up.

“I can’t play very well,” she, who has been trained to play the piano, the cello, and the violin since the age of five, says without a pause. Then she balls up her fists, because what she meant to say instead is — I can’t play very well when you’re around. Actually, I can’t do a lot of things very well when you’re around, Ruby.

(Blake and Yang need to come up with their combined manual on love soon. And when they do, she hopes there will be a section titled How to talk to girls you’ve kissed and sworn eternal devotion to but because there was a war going on neither of you ever sat down to define your relationship and now you don’t know what to do with your hands when she’s near. It can be a long section; she doesn’t mind as long as it gives her clear instructions.)

Ruby presses at a note. “What’s this?”

“An F.”

Another one. “This?”

“Either a C sharp or a D flat.”

Ruby stares hard at the piano, and Weiss entertains the crazy thought of kissing her frown away. She’s done it before — on sleepless nights, on ravaged battlefields, as a mark of comfort and of quiet, painful adoration. It’s damning how easy it is to bend to Ruby; every cell in her body calls out a primordial cry for her. How could she, mountain of carefully sculpted indifference, bow this effortlessly to fire?

(Her father, if she deigned to give him the time of day, would probably mutter something about how she’s a disgrace to the Schnee name, and she would disagree. What she feels in her heart for Ruby is nothing short of a miracle.)

“Here,” she says, pressing the notes in order, slowly so she’s sure Ruby can follow. “If you want to play a basic chord, you could just hold down C, E, and G notes together. That’s C major.”

“Like this?”

“No, that’s….to the right. No, not that,” she pauses, brings up her own hand to press over Ruby’s and guide her. It isn’t until Weiss glances up once and sees the mischievous smile on her face that she realizes.

“Oh!” she says, her hands retreating to her lap.

“I’m sorry if I—“, Ruby starts, sounding guilty, and Weiss turns to her, quick as a whip.

“No!” she says, then realizes they’re both almost nose to nose. “Don’t — don’t be sorry, please.”

“Did you not like that?” Ruby asks, her voice soft.

Weiss laughs, and the sound seems nervous to her own ears. “No, I,” she says, “I liked it.”

Ruby’s answering smile is sunlight through her windows in the morning, gradual in its brightness until it’s too much to bear. Weiss shifts, rests her forehead on Ruby’s shirt clad shoulder. The fabric smells a little like detergent and a lot like Ruby’s fruity perfume.

“You know,” she says, her voice half muffled by the shirt. She knows Ruby can hear her though. “I can never look you right in the eye when I talk to you. It feels — feels too much like burning up.”

Ruby shakes: Weiss can almost see her laughing. “Do you know how you can never look me right in the eye when you talk to me? That’s when I get to stare at you. You talk and talk and I just keep looking at your pretty face.”

The sound that comes out of her throat at Ruby’s halting admission is a mixture of acute embarrassment, disbelief, and delight.

“I used to wait two hours for you to come back from your missions with Blake and Nora so we could eat together.”

She feels Ruby press a kiss to her temple. “I used to stay up until 2 am because that was the only time I could be alone with you.”

“I can’t sit next to you,” Weiss tells her, “it’s like there’s this thing between our arms — this—”

“—electricity,” Ruby completes, and slides her fingers through Weiss. Weiss closes her eyes from her very comfortable position and feels Ruby’s lips on her knuckles, soft, careful. When Ruby removes her hand, she feels the loss as acutely as something has been ripped out of her soul. Another random note rings out in the silence.

“Go out on a date with me.” Nowhere in the statement is a demand, or a presumption, just quiet assurance. “Weiss,” Ruby says, when she still doesn’t answer. “Go out on a date with me, please.”

Weiss nudges aside the collar of her shirt and kisses her neck. Then she leans back to look at Ruby.

“What if you don’t like me after we go on the date?”

The question is delivered with just enough amusement, but behind it lies real distress. What if this only works because we’ve been thrown together all these years fighting a weary battle? What if you only think you like me because you haven’t seen the rest of me yet? What if, when you see the rest of the world and start spending time with other people, you realize I’m not up to all that you’ve built up in your head?

“If I don’t like you after we go on that date, then you have my blessing to blast me into space with your Arma Gigas.”

“Ruby—”

“In what world,” Ruby cuts in smoothly, “do you imagine I wouldn’t like you back? In what world does my stomach not twist when you walk into the room, or my breathing not falter when you talk? I have heard a million voices in my lifetime, Weiss, but in what world is yours not the only one I want my heart to cut itself on?”

“Stop,” she says, face burning, eyes closed, “Ruby, you — just, stop talking, I’m going to—”

“Weiss,” Ruby says. “Go out on a date with me.”

Not that the answer is needed, but Weiss nods anyways.

*****

Whitley is equal parts familiar and foreign. There’s the same bristling stance, the Schnee stamp prominent upon his features, his hair, still parted the same side as she would see back when they were children running around in their estate. What’s different is the thinly veiled animosity in his eyes, the angry twist to his mouth.

“You can’t just come in here,” he starts, waving a hand to wipe away the holographic design for SDC office headquarters Weiss has just pulled up, “and start ordering me around.”

“Whit,” she says, watching as he flinches at the old nickname. “I’m not ordering you around. I couldn’t. You’re the expert here—”

“—yeah, I am. The heir who stayed, remember?”

She is reminded, of a game of hide and seek on a Sunday a long time ago. Whitley had hidden himself so well that Weiss couldn’t find him even after wandering all around the estate. And then when Winter had come back from training, she’d abandoned the pursuit, running off to interrogate her sister instead.

You didn’t find me, Whitley had come running, crying after ten minutes, distraught. You and Winter, and — he’d paused to take in a wet shuddering breath too big for his ten-year-old body — you and Winter forgot about me. And she’d known, even then, that what he was protesting was being left alone when they were together.

“I do know a little bit of this, Whit,” she says, mildly. “I can help.”

“I don’t need your help!” he tells her, sharply.

“I’m sure you don’t,” Weiss says, “but we’re the last of Schnees, if you don’t count mom, and we should stick together. I’m not saying I know everything, but I have been training half my life for this, so I could contribute.”

“I’d rather,” he starts, then cuts off abruptly. I’d rather die, she completes in her head, and waits patiently for him to continue. He looks away. “So much for sticking together.”

She reaches out and pats the top of his head. He swivels away violently.

“You — stop, you, you don’t get to do that.”

“Actually, I do,” she replies smoothly, “I happen to be one of your sisters. Not historically a very good one, but I’m what you’ve got, so you’re going to have to make do.”

When Whitley speaks, every time Whitley speaks, all she hears is his ten-year-old version screaming You left me at her, upset and sulking. While Winter made sure Weiss was able to defend herself if she wasn’t around to do that for her, when opportunity to leave Atlas had arisen, Weiss herself had run off, too relieved about the freedom to worry too much about her brother.

He glares at her. “I’m guessing you’ll want something?” he says, flippantly. “The position of the CFO? A seat in the Board of Directors, maybe?”

“Not exactly,” she says, smiling as she messes up his hair one last time before she exits the room. “Dinner every Tuesday and Saturday evening. 7 pm. I’ll see you in two days.”

“Wha — what?” she hears him ask from behind. “What are you — no! I’m not doing…. Weiss!”

*****

When Weiss goes to pick Ruby up for their date, she’s greeted by the entirety of Mantle and Atlas instead.

“We’re not that many people, please,” Blake says, before she joins Yang at the door. “Oh. Oh wow.”

“Do I — does this look, okay?” Weiss asks, smoothing the front of her dress nervously. She didn’t quite trust Jaune’s choice in dresses, but this was what Oscar, Robyn and Winter had collectively agreed on: a midnight blue slinky…. thing that didn’t quite reach her knees and was making her feel very awkward.

Yang’s jaw is still open, her head moving back and forth between Blake and her. Blake closes it for her.

“Okay?” Nora calls out, as Weiss enters the house further. “Girl, if Ruby doesn’t get down on her knees at the end of the night, I’ll give away all of my wealth to the good children of Mantle.”

“Nora!” you say, scandalized, the same time that Yang screams Ew.

“What? I didn’t mean it that way,” she says. “But don’t you think it’s interesting how both of you jumped to….”

Ren covers her mouth with his hand, smiles wryly at the rest of them.

“Also,” Emerald points out, poking her head out from behind the fridge. “Doesn’t Nora have like, five lien to her name?”

And that will not go to the good children of Mantle tonight, comes through in the muffled voice of a still incapacitated Nora. Weiss walks around the room, trying to calm her nerves. She doesn’t want to walk too fast and sweat through, or rip something, but there’s this electric charge festering under her skin everywhere, and no amount of balling up and releasing her own fists seems to help. She tries to take a deep breath, discovers her lungs aren’t ready for it yet.

“Hey,” Blake’s already at her side, one hand gently resting on her abdomen, the other on her back. “Breathe. Breathe with me, Weiss.”

She focuses on Blake’s steady voice, on the numbers she counts out, and slowly her breathing evens out. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I’m such a mess.”

“Please,” Yang says easily, “you should’ve seen Blake after I kissed her the first time. She nearly passed out.”

“That’s because you weren’t wearing clothes!” Blake shoots back, defensively.

“Oh yeah,” Yang says, staring off into space. “Wait, why wasn’t I wearing clothes?”

“Can I just say,” Ren said, looking pained, “how much I do not want to hear this story.”

“I’m okay now,” Weiss says. “Also, why aren’t you guys helping Ruby get ready?”

“You think I need help getting ready?” Ruby’s voice rings out from behind her, and Weiss turns, and

(Had she just thought that she was okay? Because she’d never been more wrong in her life.)

The sight of Ruby, standing near the door rips the breath from her lungs so fast she’s left reeling. It imprints itself upon her memory, a postcard polaroid for the end of all her days, and Weiss wonders where to look. Surely she’s not allowed to look at Ruby directly — isn’t it illegal to look upon angels? She wants to shield her eye, hide her face, wants to turn and run away because she’s sure there’s a world out there where she’s worthy of holding Ruby’s hand and walk beside her, but this can’t be it.

“What?” she says, stupidly, when she realizes Ruby had asked her something but for the life of her can’t remember what it was.

“I — nothing,” Ruby says, walking forward. “Weiss. You look….”

She trails off into silence, until Emerald says — Yo, can I get in on that bet you were talking about earlier — and gets shushed loudly.

(Weiss wants to warn her against it. She’s convinced she’s going to be the one getting down on her knees and proposing marriage at the end of the evening)

*****

Life moves on. Weiss holds Ruby’s hands in hers, and watches autumn turn to winter. Whitley smiles at her on their fifth dinner date, and then, to make up for it, turns down all her proposals for the next two. Sun and Neptune come to visit, and Yang spends the entire time doing pushups ominously in full view of both Blake and Sun, to the former’s amusement and the latter’s bemusement. Oscar goes on his first date with a girl from Mantle, and discovers at the end of the night that Jaune, Ren, Nora and Emerald had been following them the entire time. Qrow makes a half-hearted attempt at warning her of the consequences of breaking Ruby’s heart, and when Whitley and Winter discover that, they kidnap Ruby for half a day. Ruby refuses to tell her what happened, but she also refuses to kiss her in public the whole next week.

Weiss decides to move out of the Schnee estate when she finds a tiny apartment in Mantle, a building over from where Blake, Yang and Ruby have theirs. There’s a lot of light and her favorite spot in the entire place is a corner where the previous family had marked the heights of their three children, apparently named Lee, August and Celia. Ruby draws a line next to it, names it Weiss’ patience level for the day and marks it at random points, depending on her mood. Her mother gifts her flower plants, and subsequently, vases, when Jaune breaks the few that Weiss already had.

The first night, when they’re all exhausted from the multiple trips up and down the stairs and are all crashed in the living room, Ruby finds her outside on the balcony. Weiss knows as soon as she enters through the door — Ruby’s presence carries trough the air — but she only looks back when there’s a red cloak wrapped around her from behind. She feels familiar arms wrap across her stomach and leans back.

“Miss home?”

“This is home now,” Weiss replies, and is surprised to find that the thought does make her a little sad, regardless. “But yes, I do.”

She’s going to miss living with Whitley and her mother, will miss sleepovers when Winter comes down to visit. All the loneliness in the world wrapped up in one large house, and it still stings to leave it behind.

“You know, I heard Robyn’s place isn’t too far from here,” Ruby says. “And if Robyn isn’t far, then—”

“—Winter isn’t too far.”

“—and Whitley and Oscar are already planning a video game session here next Friday.”

Weiss arches back, and kisses Ruby on the cheek. “Thank you.”

“Whatever for, my darling?”

“For,” she flounders for an explanation that sounds normal. Thank you for loving me, while accurate, isn’t a very healthy sentiment to express, “for keeping me warm, always.”

Ruby chuckles against her cheek. “Okay.”

“And Ruby?” she asks. “I know this is the first time I’ve moved out on my own, and I need to build my own life here, and I will. But. In a while — maybe….”

Ruby hums to let her know she’s waiting.

“I’m just saying, that there’s. I mean — I’ve left half my closet empty. So, if, in a while, you ever want to. I just want you to know that I want to build a life with you.”

“Weiss Schnee,” Ruby says, and even with her eyes closed Weiss can hear the smile in her words. “If in a while, you want to share your closet space with me, then it would be my greatest honor.”

*****

She knows Ruby’s up even before she’s completely conscious.

It’s the little things — the fact that Ruby’s arm isn’t weighing on her shoulder, that her leg isn’t slung over her thighs. Weiss blinks, and turns over in bed, concerned.

Ruby stares back at her, wide-eyed.

“Can’t sleep?” Weiss whispers.

Ruby shakes her head slowly. There’s something in her expression that has Weiss worried. It’s not that she thinks they’re in any danger at the moment, but there’s some unsettling thought going on behind those beautiful eyes.

“I knew I shouldn’t have let you watch that movie,” she says, but Ruby shakes her head once again. “What? No ghosts scaring you?”

Ruby opens her mouth, clears her throat once. “Only the human kind,” she says.

“Hey,” Weiss asks, bringing up a hand to brush the hair off her forehead, “sweetheart, what’s wrong?”

“Does this still bother you?” Ruby asks her in return, her hand sliding under Weiss’ shirt to expose the scar Cinder had left behind when she had impaled her. Weiss looks down, struggles to make out the tiny line in the dark. She wants to ask another question, but at this rate they’ll be stuck in an eternal loop and she does want Ruby to get some sleep, because she tends to lose her appetite if she doesn’t.

“Sometimes,” she says. Then she smoothens out a tiny crease that’s formed between Ruby’s eyebrows. “You want to tell me what you’re thinking?

“I didn’t see her do it,” Ruby starts, after a while. “Cinder, I mean. I only turned when you fell and I. Weiss.”

“Ruby,” she says, pressing her forehead against Ruby, kissing her once. “Stop.”

“—no, I. And then I left to fight. I left you with Jaune and Ren and Nora, but I still left, and every day I think about it, every single day, I think about you lying on the ground, the blood spreading on your dress, and if Jaune hadn’t been there—”

“—but Jaune was there!” Weiss tells her, not knowing what to say to make it better. Ruby is in so much distress; her voice is in shreds, and there’s a tear making its way across her face. “I’m fine. I’m safe.”

“I’d have killed her,” Ruby says, simply, her voice raw. “I would have killed her. I should have.”

“Ruby, no.”

“If you’d — if something had happened to you,” Ruby says, pausing, frustrated. Her eyes are closed tight, more tears squeezing out of them by the second, and Weiss tips forward to kiss one away. I’m safe, she says. You’re safe. We’re all safe. Ruby, Ruby, Ruby. We’re safe, she says, as she kisses her temple, her rumpled up hair, the bridge of her nose, and she has no idea how or when her words turn into I love yous in her mouth. I love you, Ruby, she repeats over and over, wanting to imprint the words on Ruby’s skin, wanting to tattoo her kisses on her cheek so the mark never fades, so she’ll never forget, I love you so much. And it’s easy in the thin light of the moon, to pull out the words from where she’s been hiding them, keeping them safe her entire life. There’s a moon in the sky and Weiss loves Ruby. There’s a garden blooming in the balcony and Weiss loves Ruby. For as much as love threatens to bring about her end, Weiss loves Ruby, and that love is both the beginning and the never-ending middle to her story.

*****

Tell me about what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object, Ruby asks her, laughing, one morning over breakfast, and Weiss tells her there is destruction, but also that love is born in the carnage.

“Our hearts are but collateral damage, my love,” Weiss says. “But my heart, regardless of the damage it bears, is yours to do with as you please.”

*****

Robyn builds a school in Mantle.

No, that comes later. This comes first: Weiss grows tired of sitting in an office. She loves Whitley, but if she has to design one more plan, or take one more call talking to people about dust, she will kill herself.

Actually, wait. That comes second. This is what comes first.

Weiss grows tired of fighting.

*****

“My name,” she says, knowing from the whispering going on in the rows, that the information she is about to share is redundant anyway, but formalities are important, “is Weiss Schnee, and in this class we will be learning Grimm Studies.”

She’s pretty sure she hears someone whisper Hero of Mantle somewhere in the back rows, but ignores it, in favor of writing a couple things on the board. She jots down the curriculum and a brief lesson plan, acutely conscious of whether the clothes she’d had Ruby pick out for her this morning were appropriate class attire. The tie with dogs on it wasn’t something she could have helped, anyway, since she’d lost a bet with Emerald a while back. After she’s done, she turns around and asks the class if they have any questions.

“I have one,” comes a voice from the door, and Weiss closes her eyes. Of course. Of course they would come. “Miss. Schnee,” Yang continues, jumping on top of a desk in front of what seems to be a very impressed student, “when will the kids be divided into teams?”

There’s a lot more pointing, whispering and an abundance of awed looks going on in the class now.  

“That is not something the students need to be worried about right now,” she answers, evenly.

“Actually, jumping off of Yang’s very astute question,” Jaune chimes in, “will each team also have a leader?”

She’s going to kill them she’s going to kill them she’s going to kill them

“Yes,” she says, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“Awesome!” Blake adds, brightly. “But, in the event that they do not like their leader, and think their leader is an incompetent idiot, what can they do?”

Nora and Ren titter from their place at the very back. And from where she’s sitting between them, feet kicked up onto her desk, as casual as she had been all those years ago at Beacon, Ruby smiles, and raises her hand.

“I’d like to know the answer to that myself,” Ruby says.

She takes in a deep breath, summons the Arma Gigas. Has him sit just behind her.

“Now,” she says in what’s her best attempt at authority, “not only will I not be answering any of those questions, but also, unfortunately, question time is over for the entire class. If that thing I have summoned behind me is scaring you, please do not worry, I will make sure it only stands up when one of the six idiots sitting amongst you say something stupid.”

“Okay so,” she says, then takes it all in. Thinks back to years and years ago, when she’d been one of the students sitting in a similar classroom in an academy, miles away, next to people who’d end up meaning more to her than she ever imagined. After all the years of fighting and bleeding, here they were, trying to do something to make the world a better place.

This is not a tale that ends in tragedy, she thinks, and starts talking.

[mikutastic]

haikyuu orchestra au, karasuno version. let’s go!

daichi: he gives off cellist vibes, definitely section leader. probably has a cello that isn’t polished but it looks so neat and pretty, y’know? he knows how to use the copier machine and makes extra copies of his music. a very responsible player. stops nishinoya and tanaka from annoying the band kids.

suga: first violinist, section leader until kageyama showed up and prodigy-d his way to the top. rents a violin. it’s polished. he’s the type to name it. (it’s named “haku” because the violin is a nice shade of amber.) will make extra copies of the sheet music but leaves it everywhere. the next class comes in and his leftover sheet music is on the stand. hypes up bow sword fights.

asahi: he’s a violist because he felt bad that there weren’t enough. the section is sandwiched in the middle of the orchestra and no one really cares for violas so he likes being there. gets sad over viola jokes. the type who’s pretty shy about his talent, but he’s the section leader for a reason. his playing is so smooth and pretty that it makes people cry. paranoid of tuning because oh my god the string might snap and hit my eye, so he asks kiyoko to do it. once dropped his rosin and almost cried.

kiyoko: she gives off cellist vibes. used to play saxaphone but moved to orchestra. before ukai became conductor, suga was supposed to conduct but he can’t stop cracking stupid jokes in between so she did it. everyone worships her at her feet. no one knew she was in orchestra until one day when she just appeared with a “gigantic guitar.” probably befriended a lot of theatre kids.

nishinoya: he saw a bass and saw a challenge. (the bass is twice his size; he can’t take it.) the type to sword fight with his bow. a literal prodigy, but he’s shit at being section leader so he’s second chair now. when the lower chairs ask how to play something no one can understand him. he forgets to bring everything he needs and is woefully unprepared. used his shoe as a rockstop several times. he named his bass “chad” for no reason other than “it sounded funny.” he once played during a sight-reading practice and it cracked everyone up. he rides on those bass buggies like they’re hoverboards and screams “ROLLINGU THUNDAAAAA”, knocking out like three band kids on the way. tried to snort rosin.

tanaka: definitely chose a mainstream instrument, most likely cello because “violins are too screechy! EEEEEEEEEEE!!!!” he calls it a knockoff guitar. people are always surpised when he says he’s in orchestra, he seems more of a band kid. maybe even a delinquint. he and nishinoya sword fight with their bows. he def makes viola jokes, which makes asahi sad :’(. he plays too loud during the soft parts. a good and dedicated second chair, but he puts the stand so c l o s e to him when he practices. daichi either wrestles for the stand or gets another. memorized meme songs and plays rick astley’s “never gonna give you up” in the hallway and a saxaphonist joined in before a teacher told them to knock it off. actually snorted rosin.

ennoshita: this boy is a second violinist: practically forgotten. he’s definitely section leader, because WHERE ARE MY CAPTAINS AT??? he’s a responsible senpai and stops nishinoya and tanaka’s bow sword fights. also knows how to use the copier machine and makes extra copies for his kohais. a god at shifting.

kinoshita: bassist, section leader. he brings extra things because of nishinoya. used to take piano lessons and sometimes uses the one in the choir room if no one’s looking. his playing is very neat and tidy and he’s better at explaining than nishinoya.

narita: violist, third chair. likes to turn around and talk to kinnoshita and nishinoya. uses the copier machine for other classes. he gets along with band kids and tried to learn the flute. (it was a mistake.)

hinata: he saw little miss ling ling play a violin solo and wanted to do that himself. he’s barely a beginner so he’s last chair but he’s! so!! enthusiastic!!! he picks up things pretty quickly and he’s pretty good but he has no sense of rhythm. you know that one violin in the back who sounds kinda off? yeah that’s him. he loses his place in the music pretty easily and his stand partner has to help him out. wanted to sword fight with tanaka and nishinoya but ennoshita stopped him. (suga: “fight! fight! fight!”) visited the band room and got his head stuck in a tuba. his hands are small and can’t reach some harmonics; he cries over that at night.

kageyama: this prodigy can play all instruments, but he specializes in the violin. took suga’s spot as section leader, but he’s shit at leading so suga does it anyway. always out-plays hinata because he’s got the melody and harder music. a sight-reading god. he memorizes the music, the entire thing, even if it’s five or four pages long. no one knows how he does it, not even himself. he definitely plays all-region and played nationally.

tsukishima: he was tall so he just got put in as a bass and never got out. he definitely makes viola jokes, especially when asahi’s around. he makes fun of nishinoya for being half the size of a bass. goes in empty practice rooms and just... does his phone. someone comes in, probably hinata, and he stares at them until they leave. he memorized the melody of the jurassic park theme song (it’s not that hard).

yamaguchi: viola bby!! he and tsukki talk a lot. ukai almost moved the two to last chair so that they’d shut up. he has his own viola with a nice green case and he puts stickers on it. he was a pretty average player until he started to learn all-region music. he practices a lot and wants to do his best!

yachi: i feel like she’d like low notes, but not super deep, so she’s a cellist. she was, unfortunately, tanaka’s stand partner, but kiyoko switched places with him to calm her down. used to be in art but wanted to play an instrument. almost chose band, but she saw hinata’s head stuck in a tuba and decided not to. always ready for anything, even has extra rockstops. a very quiet and nervous player. ukai keeps telling her to play closer to the bridge. she’s good at sight-reading.

takeda: he’s that substitute teacher that has no idea what’s supposed to be happening but he’s interested. at least the students help out. he gets all the things they need and has them on him at all times. nishinoya accidentally dropped his rosin again? he’s got one. the band kids broke the copier machine again? he’s got another copier machine at home, he’ll copy their sheet music for them. what a guy.

ukai: a bassist. once tried to play violin to give the violinists “a visual representation” and he sounded terrible. the type to not care what’s happening: the band teacher once reported tanaka for cursing but ukai lets him off with a “don’t do it in front of teachers.” his desk is a mess but takeda tries his best to organize it. (the longest it’s stayed clean was thirty minutes because ukai suddenly lost his lighter.) a very agressive conductor. when the orchestra can’t play on beat, he yells over the screeching and S L A M S that motherfucking baton on the stand. he’s broken at least three. (one split in half and flew past yamaguchi’s face, almost missing his eye. it was scarring.) takeda has twenty more batons in his pockets.

saeko: she used to be a band kid and has no idea what’s happening, but she’s so excited! her little brother’s up there! oh, you can’t see him? LOOK HARDER. claps the loudest after performances. everyone looks at her weird.

michimiya: second violinist, second chair. she and ennoshita talk about the other players, primarily daichi because why is the man so ripped he’s only in orchestra. she helps hinata a lot.

akiteru: cellist, used to be last chair. tried his best, but some people will always be prodigies. supports kei no matter what.

udai: ling ling. he’s that kid who knew how to play the violin since he was six because his parents wanted him to play an instrument and pushed him a lot to succeed with it. once he was out of high school, he dropped the violin and became an artist. he plays sometimes, like for birthdays and shit, but he’s happier without the pressure.

[hana-bean]

#ayumix2020

I spent half of yesterday trying to get all my favorite YouTube rips of #ayumix2020 songs on some of my Spotify playlists. Why it took so long is because I have a MacBook from 2010 and it runs on coal. These missing songs were a bunch of my top favs so I decided to put in the time yesterday to re-rip them from YouTube and re-add them to Spotify.

I had already added these songs a couple of months ago, but then I dared to move some into other playlists and then boom, they disappeared from my phone. They played and showed up on my laptop, but for whatever reason, would not on my phone. Of course, as a lot of Spotify FAQ answers go, I was screwed. Thanks for nothing, Spotify Desktop.

I know I’m like a year late on this but some of these remixes are so freaking creative and amazing. Like you can tell when people have such an ear for music and it feeds the soul.

It was also super refreshing to hear some of Ayu’s songs with a more modern sound. While ayu-mi-x 7 aged pretty well, if you listen to any of her old ayu-mi-xes, you can really pick up on that early 2000s sound. And then some of them (especially the ones released on singles) sound like absolute noise; it makes me wonder if we even had ears back then. For some old remixes, the sound is super nostalgic and still vibe-able, but when that’s all we had for 10+ years, it’s SO NICE to hear some new takes.

I realized I tend to be partial to the remixes that aren’t techno in nature but of course I always appreciate a good house/trance/EDM remix! Below are some of my favorites, and you just might understand why I worked for 12 hours trying so hard to make these songs accessible ;)

1. LOVE ~Destiny~ (Alonso Montero Remix) - Alonso Montero This remix turns this sleeper into a cute and simple techno track, and not in a bad way at all! 

2. SEASONS (Aura Qualic Remix) [Uplifting Trance] - Aura Qualic I’ll admit, I would groan anytime I saw any song from Duty or I am... show up in the hashtag, only because there are already 8294739 remixes of those songs, and I’m craving some remixes of her more obscure and overlooked albums/tracks. But this one of SEASONS is pretty damn good and well-produced.

3. kanariya - beamgame a.k.a. 8LY [éitli] This version gives this song a sultry touch. kanariya is already sexy in its OG form, but this is a different sexy.

4. evolution (PHUNKSTAR Remix) - Bentley Jones Modern, well-produced, and just plain good :)

5. HANABI ~episode II~ (REMIX) - DJ cha-p I might be biased because HANABI ~episode II~ is my most favorite Ayu song ever, but damn this remix slaps.

Real Me (80′s lover remix) - DJ cha-p I’m DJ cha-p’s number-one fan, I swear. I did notice the ‘80s sound was a trend among a lot of the remixes in general.

6. HANABI (Orchestra Version) - DJ 秀吉 That beginning piano is just so haunting and gives me chills. So beautiful T_T

7. SEASONS - DODOWAKA This version is so fresh and summery and such a bop!

8. Moments (Dominant Space Future House Remix) - Dominant Space I go so hard to this remix, I wish it was 7 minutes long. 

9. INSPIRE (Rockabilly remix) - Hidetaka Suga OMG like I love how much this works!!!! I kind of hate it too but I LOVE IT!!!! He has a bunch of other good bluesy rock remixes, but INSPIRE is my most favorite.

teddy bear (Rock Ballad Remix)

ANGEL’S SONG (Rockabilly remix)

10. INSPIRE "KAZUKI's 90's Inspired Remix" - Kazuki Shintaku This seriously takes me back to LA Gears and Zubaz pants.

11. LyxKP

Just.... just listen.

blossom (Nostalgic 80′s Italo Disco)

I am... (Flute, Piano, Strings)

Duty (Bass, String Section & Guitar)

Pride (piano sonata + choir)

vogue (Acoustic Mood)

HANABI ~episode II~ (Cello, Guitar & Piano Trio)

12. kanariya 〜おしゃれピアノリミックス 〜 - Michisuke-P Another slow and sexy version.

13. BLUE BIRD (Otak’s Flashback Remix) - otak11 Out of all the throwback remixes of this song, this one is the best. I love the beginning.

14. Terminal (Orchestra) Demo - S W This version is so fucking evocative and beautiful, it works too well and drives you crazy. Ayu needs to re-record this song just like this. 

15. Sean North Hearing stuff like this makes me so impressed with people. I love how someone can hear Ayu and be like, this needs Celtic flutes. It’s so creative and brings a sound to Ayu you never would hear officially.

BLUE BIRD [Celtic arrange]

fairyland [Celtic arrange]

16. M -takamatt remix- - takamatt Again: simple, modern... something nice to bob your head to.

17. is this LOVE? (Terusik Piano Remix) - Terusik I’m just happy to see this song get some love.

18. M (TTSYa REMIX) - TTSYa This was one of the first remixes I heard right after Ayu announced the campaign. It reminds me of the first part of quarantine when it was fun. So good!

19. vogue (Xelakad 20th Anniversary Remix) - Xelakad The strings part reminds me of the music on the sand levels on Super Mario Bros. for the Wii. I love it :) I also am partial to Xelakad remixes; I love his Reggaeton remix of ourselves and his Ambient mix to Two of us—oldies but such goodies!!!

20. evolution 〜祭〜 (和風 EPIC TAIKO REMIX) - 김대석SAMSARIDER This remix is just plain cool!

21. Voyage - 林勇太郎 I read on AHS someone saying this sounds like an anime opening and now I can only imagine it opening to some coming-of-age epic journey anime, like Demon Slayer or something.

22. Days (Lo-Fi Reggae.Ver) - 音楽学校バンブースタジオ It’s just so sweet!

Honestly there are more I love, and everyone who participated did such a great job, but I’m tired LOL. I hope Ayu blesses us with ayu-mi-x 8 soon and we see some of these awesome tracks.

[whitleyschn33]

RWBY7 Soundtrack

Should I be reviewing/giving my thoughts on the OST when I have plenty of asks in my inbox to answer and have no musical authority at all? No, probably not. Am I doing it anyway? Yes.

This is just going to be in what (I assume) is the track order. Let me know if I miss any; I’m going off a YouTube playlist.

1. Trust Love

Initial thoughts: Eh.

It’s okay. It’s not my favorite opening, that honor goes to When It Falls, but it’s competent. Very optimistic, which is a trend for this volume’s soundtrack despite how dire the tone of the latter half is, so I don’t think it fully fits the volume it opens for, but it’s by no means a bad song. It’s easy to sing along and bop to, just doesn’t seem as impressive as the other opening songs. It feels like a different sort of sound than what RWBY songs have been in the past, which is also a running theme for the OST this volume - new artists singing, a lot of experimentation in the style. That’s not a bad thing; the tracks I like the most on this album are the different sounding ones, but it’s very.... noticeable, and didn’t go in the direction you would think for Atlas. 

2. Touch the Sky

Initial Thoughts: Why is the best part of this song the ending?

No, but seriously, that outro is a very different sound to the proceeding song and it’s so good. Other than that, I’ve got questions. Like, whose song is this? I’m leaning towards Team RWBY as a whole, but I’ve seen people suggest it’s Weiss’s, it’s Blake’s, I could see an argument for Yang - it’s very unclear. Also, why is the POV character(s) so happy? Their situation isn’t all that much better in terms of Salem and the Relic and all that; they should still be weighed down with that knowledge, shouldn’t they? They don’t trust Ironwood to help make things all better, they still have to carry the Relic (for plot reasons), the only thing that’s changed is that they’re going out on missions. Well, fresh clothes and a distraction are always nice, and it is a chance to put all that stuff on the back burner. I’ll give them that, then.

3. Brand New Day

Initial Thoughts: From the writers that make every Blake song a duet, here’s her volume 7 song; a duet with.... Qrow?

Have Blake and Qrow ever even spoken to each other? And, is there actually no solo Blake song, or am I beating on a dead meme? Actually, to be completely serious, these two actually work well in a song together. Their character directions compliment each other in this volume - both trying to reinvent themselves some and become better (Blake with her new hair and outfits, Qrow with a new outfit and a resolve to recover from alcoholism), it’s just a shame that, you know, this kind of talk or relationship never happens in the show. At all.

Someone in the YouTube comment section said this song sounds like a 90′s sitcom opening, and I have to agree. It really does, mixed with a bit of 50′s doo-wap. It’s not bad, I actually like the doo-wap, but it also has bits of the usual RWBY style rock, and they don’t mix as coherently as I would like in some places. The guitar bridge after Qrow’s verse is pretty nice, though.

Overall, it’s another good song to bop along to, but like the songs before it, I’m not sure it’s one I’ll be listening to over and over.

4. Let’s Get Real

Initial Thoughts: So, even the song thinks they should talk - why didn’t they?

Here’s something you may not know about me. I don’t romantically ship Renora. I’ve always preferred them as a brother/sister pair - probably in part because I’m a sucker for found family. I’ve never really had anything against romantic Renora, though... but this volume definitely made me go from neutral to dislike. Ren’s confused, he’s worried, he’s having doubts about their relationship that he’s not sure how to vocalize. He admits as much. And instead of, I don’t know, respecting that and letting it be for the moment, or pulling him aside to try and help him talk it through, she... kisses him. Instead of stopping to let them work through where their relationship is at the present (which would be nice, to clue the audience in on what exactly their status is), she pushes their relationship to the next level, presumably. It leaves a very bad taste in my mouth, that Ren’s emotions about his relationship with Nora are just shoved aside and aren’t brought up again. Hopefully it does in the next volume (Nora and Ren are notably split for, like, the first time ever in the Volume 8 preview), but still - I thought Tumblr had decided that “guy shuts a girl up by kissing her” trope was sexist or something - shouldn’t this be similarly scrutinized?

Putting that aside, I actually really really like this. It’s very reminiscent of Shine, but a Renora version; it’s got a great beat, the lyrics do a great job in character insight (something I love from RWBY songs, which are probably why Touch the Sky doesn’t do a lot for me), and it’s just a very fun, peppy song. It also feels very at home in Atlas with it’s more techno-leanings. The ending chorus chant of “Is it love?” is also a nice touch.

5. Celebrate

Initial Thoughts: The better Brand New Day (musically speaking).

And by that I mean, it leans all the way into this different style than the half/half approach Brand New Day did, and it’s all the better for it. Once again, another good dancing song, easy to listen and bop to, but it feels... oddly generic. For one thing, there’s no character tied to it, no character insight - I guess you could make an argument for Robin or the Happy Huntresses, but... not really? For another, while as a song I really enjoy the genre of music, it also makes it feel very much not like a RWBY song (something not helped by name-dropping Vegas). It’s fun, but it doesn’t feel like it adds much to the show.

6. War

Initial Thoughts: Wow, I didn’t think you could make me hate the AceOps fight more, but look at that.

Probably the first RWBY song I just flat out hate, and that’s a crying shame considering the excellent music and vocal performances. Those lyrics, though.  Just - I hate them. I hate them so damn much. I refuse to give this song more than that.

7. Hero

Initial thoughts: Hell yeah hell yeah hell yeah HELL YEAH - 

Best song on the album probably. It has all the usual RWBY flare, gives us a great insight into Ironwood’s thoughts and motivations, and is a fantastic performance by Caleb Hyles. The operatic section at the beginning is wonderfully chilling, and the rock section is very epic. 10/10 song even though I’m not rating these.

8. Until the End

Initial thoughts: Time to play “Who does this gorgeous song belong to?”

Actually, I really, really enjoy this song. It’s creepy in its melancholy, but I love it for that. The piano and subtle strings are beautiful, and the way Casey’s voice echoes gives the illusion of solitude in an empty place, perfect for the tone this song conveys.

Now, the matter of whose song it is. The consensus seems to be Ruby and/or Summer, and that’s pretty likely (and letting Ruby actually have a song would be nice). However, I heard a rumor before the album dropped that this was an Ozpin song, and going through it with that lens makes a whole lot of sense - the repeated “I’ll be here until the end”, the constant use of “we”, “our” and other plurals, the lines “ In waves of shame, we’re desperate to make amends / But through a simple soul, we lie complacent” could refer to him lying dormant in Oscar or other souls in the past instead of actively working to defeat Salem, and in the lines “ As light fills my eyes / I’ll picture me beside her / And pray that I’ll inspire”, it could be him thinking of Salem when he dies, and then praying that he’ll be able to inspire others to fight for humanity, for the light. 

I could see it either way, honestly, but no matter which it is, I love this song.

9. Fear

Initial thoughts: Fire whoever was in charge of sound mixing, otherwise, not as preachy as I was fearing.

This is actually the first time I’ve listened to this. I was pretty pissed at the ending of the finale so I didn’t stick around for the credits, and hearing that it was called “Fear”, I was not in the mood for more Ironwood bashing or “You’re just as bad as she is if you act in fear” or whatever BS Oscar said. So, yeah, wasn’t looking forward to this track.

Thankfully, though, it was not another War. I actually enjoyed the lyrics, and the music was top-notch. Don’t really have much more to say about it other than it was difficult to hear the lyrics over the music in some places, but that could be a factor of the video I was listening to. All in all, pleasantly surprised.

10. I May Fall (Acoustic)

Initial Thoughts: Can someone tell the Williams that “acoustic” doesn’t always mean “depressing?”

Like, acoustic doesn’t have to be a super slow, piano/strings, somber rendition, right? It’s just the instruments and the singer without any added computer editing/layering/whatever, if I’m not mistaken. That style of acoustic works alright with songs like Time to Say Goodbye, but not so well with more upbeat songs. This version isn’t bad, per se, but I’d like to see an acoustic version more in line with the original. 

That aside - the original I May Fall is my favorite RWBY song, bar none. This rendition was always going to be something I liked, and I do appreciate a lot about it. The strings are absolutely beautiful, particularly the cello(? I think, again, I’m not much of a music person, just have a sister that plays violin), and I love the way the violin/viola picks up for the second verse and gives the song a second wind, implying more strength and resolve. I love the music cutting out completely to let Casey sing, with the instruments slowly coming in to join as she gets louder and stronger, as if standing with her - beautiful, it’s all insanely beautiful, and this is one I will probably buy.

Closing Thoughts

This album was... average, to me. Only a couple songs really jumped out at me, while most were good, but not something I was dying to listen to again, or were dragged down by the context.

What’re your thoughts on this volume’s songs? I’d love to hear them! Until then, have a good evening, and stay safe!

[erekuri]

OK BIG BRAIN TIME! Joker Game x BABYMETAL AU

For anyone who may not know who BABYMETAL is, they are a Japanese idol group/metal band with 2 (formerly 3) members. They are popular for the way they combine Japanese idol cuteness with heavy metal, and some have dubbed their style “kawaii metal.” Their music is amazing for real please check it out! 

BABYMETAL are loved in Japan and around the world, and they’ve met many big names in metal/rock such as Metallica, Judas Priest, and Dragonforce. They have choreography in their songs and their performances are really fun to watch :D

So, I was in the shower when this idea came to me. Since originally they had 3 members, I was thinking that the 160 cm trio of Miyoshi, Hatano, and Jitsui would be well-suited for this. BABYMETAL also consists of a band, so the other 5 spies would be in said band, and Yuuki would be the manager. So it’ll look like this:

IDOLS:

Miyoshi (center/lead vocalist)

Hatano (vocalist/rapper)

Jitsui (main vocalist)

BAND:

Kaminaga (drums/waidako)

Tazaki (keyboard/piano)

Fukumoto (lead guitar/violin)

Odagiri (bass guitar/cello/harp/acoustic)

Amari (secondary guitar/trumpet/saxophone) 

IDOLS:

By center, I mean that Miyoshi will almost always be at the center of their photos and is deemed as the ‘main member.’ (In K-pop terms, think of visuals and centers such as Yoona from Girls’ Generation or Kai from EXO.) He’s the member who will usually take the lead in interviews because he’s the oldest, though all 3 seem to have drunk from the fountain of youth lol. Jitsui is the main vocalist, so he gets the most lines as well as the high notes if the song has one. Hatano gets the least, but generally the line distribution is even enough that there are little complaints. He will also rap on occasion (think Linkin Park or Hollywood Undead) but most of their songs are singing-based. Hatano and Miyoshi will also do adlibs while Jitsui is known for his stunning vocal runs. Even though Jitsui is their main vocalist, Miyoshi is the one who gets put in the center of their dance formations more often. 

Ah right, their voices. (Since I am more familiar with K-pop rather than J-pop vocalists, they’ll be my main references here. My apologies in advance.)

Jitsui is the main vocalist. He needs a sweet voice to compliment his sweet face, but it’s also gotta be powerful. Ryeowook from Super Junior would be the perfect fit here, because it’s got this sweet tone to it but also nice and clear and the high notes would sound like a literal choir of angels. 

Miyoshi’s vocal color would be like Suho from EXO. Clear and sweet and comforting. His falsettos are the most flawless thing you’ve ever heard, and the emotion he puts into his singing is on another level. His voice is, in a word, PRETTY.

Since Hatano does both vocals and rap, I’m thinking his vocal color would be like Key from SHINee. With that higher tone he has, it suits Hatano’s appearance and personality wonderfully. Both his singing and rapping are amazing and he likes to scream sometimes to hype up the crowd lol.

(All vocalists mentioned are from SM Entertainment groups,,, damn, I really said SINGERS ONLY and I really like all 3 choices I made omg. MY MIND.)

(In the real BABYMETAL, member Su-metal sings the majority but I am not deep enough in the fandom to know how fans feel about it. I don’t mind too much since the songs slap either way lmao. And I think the balance is nice but that’s just me. However, for the 160cm trio, I had to even it up because I am someone who typically prefers more even line distributions when it comes to idol groups.)

As for their dancing, BABYMETAL’s choreography is a unique one where 1 is center and the other 2 are backup. For my AU, however, I’d make the choreo more like EXO-CBX in that it’s suited for 3 people, while also taking notes from Super Junior (for their earlier metal songs) or Dreamcatcher (for their famous ‘anime-style’ music.) 

BAND:

Because they’re a metal group, Kaminaga will almost always be on the drum kit, and by God he is good at it. The drum kit he uses is one you’ll see in most metal bands, but he also uses an auxiliary drum kit (which is electrical and has sensors and stuff) for the group’s more experimental tracks. When they want to go something more traditional or epic, he’ll bring out his wadaiko (traditional Japanese drum) and go at it. He’s also the unofficial leader of the band. 

Tazaki plays the keyboard. I personally envision Tuomas from Nightwish when I think of this position, but there are other keyboard players in metal bands out there that are fun to watch. Tazaki is generally a calm person, but when he plays he headbangs like crazy. He’ll play the piano when they do softer songs, and his pretty fingers are mesmerizing to watch. Oh yeah, and the keyboard he uses is a synthesizer due to the underlying ‘pop’ aspect in their music, considering it’s for an idol group.

Fukumoto would be the main/lead guitarist. He’d get pretty much all the solos (though Amari might join in as the secondary guitarist). He’s hailed as one of the best guitarists of all time, and he plays a major role in the musical arrangements of the songs. He’s also a prodigy when it comes to the violin, which he’ll sometimes use instead of his guitar for a more ‘symphonic’ sound. In reality, he’ll switch between them as he sees fit. 

Odagiri is the reliable bass guitar; underrated, but without them, the song just isn’t the same. As the bass player, he helps to balance out the guitars. He plays the cello when they want a jazzier theme or an orchestra kind of sound, and when they go the traditional route, in comes the harp. When the boys want to sing an acoustic version of their songs to show off their vocals, Odagiri will be the one to play the acoustic guitar to accompany them.

Amari is the secondary guitarist, and arguably the most versatile player in the band. He can not only play the electric guitar, but he can also play the trumpet and the saxophone. Their jazz songs would require them to be in the same song, but he can switch between the two easily enough, provided he’s given enough time to transition (otherwise he’ll simply use a pre-recording of one while playing the other live.) When a song requires both violin and guitar, Amari will take the role of the lead guitar while Fukumoto plays violin.

(The instruments mentioned are their main ones, though I’m sure they could all play more if they wanted to. I just don’t have the brain cells to spare for this lol. Maybe some other time I can give more thought to the band, but I’m ok with what I have for now. Besides, most metal bands will have 1 person per instrument or will bring in a whole orchestra, so what I have is farfetched ngl, and yet I like it because the D-Agency boys are just so talented at anything they try hehe)

OTHERS:

As stated earlier, Yuuki would be their manager. He is known to all as just “Yuuki.” He is the one who brought the group together, as the trio were originally part of an idol group but were mostly in the back, while the others were notable musicians who had no band to belong to. In his prime, he was an acclaimed songwriter and producer, but he’s also super happy doing what he does as a manager/producer for the 160cm trio and the band. He fought tooth and nail for the formation of this group and is more than satisfied with their explosive popularity. He will often clash with the CEO of their label, IG Productions, because he refuses to let them hold back the band’s growth. 

Now, y’all may be wondering… where is Sakuma??? 

Sakuma, Gamo Jirou, Yuriko Nogami, and Miyoko Yasuhara are all well-respected actors under the same agency (not IG but another one lol.) 

Yuriko and Miyoko are mostly in theatre, but Yuriko is a recurring favorite in J-dramas while Miyoko is popular in movies. 

Jirou is super versatile, and he’d be kinda like Robert Pattinson in the sense that he will often make fun of the stuff he’s been in. He likes to take on bizarre roles that test his limits as an actor, and his range is pretty much unmatched. He’s recognizable but people will still lose themselves in his brilliant acting. He is more often seen in movies, but sometimes he’ll star in a drama, especially one where he plays a villain/antagonist or a second-lead.

Sakuma is another J-drama favorite, and he has a legion of fangirls; as of late, those fangirls include aunties who love his clean and respectable image. He made headlines once when he shaved his head for a role as a soldier because it was such a shock that he looked as handsome as ever. He loves being in movies with a lot of angst/sad endings, and don’t get me started on how sad some of the dramas he’s in can be. And as a bonus, his characters almost always die and oof it really breaks people’s hearts. Occasionally, he’ll take on a more light-hearted role such as a friendly teacher. 

Sakuma and Gamo are both openly gay, and many fangirls will wish for them to find boyfriends because they want these actors to be happy. They have starred in movies together and their friendship off-screen can be considered ‘iconic.’ Fans ship them platonically. 

Sakuma would also be a major fanboy of the D-Agency band, and Miyoshi is easily his favorite member. He attends their concerts in disguise because he has a reputation, damn it. One time he dragged his actor friends along, and Gamo fell for Jitsui HARD. Meanwhile, Yuriko eventually starts a romance with the bassist, Odagiri, when she wanders backstage by accident on her way to the restroom. (Sakuma is jealous as fuck that she managed to get backstage but he won’t admit it.)

Alain, Marie, Jean, and Johann are all foreign celebrities, who are all wildly popular in Japan. Marie would be a popular actress who travels to Japan to participate in a film (directed by Jean, a highly-respected director) that takes place there. It’d be a collaboration project between a French studio and a Japanese one. Alain would be a famous pop artist in France, and his songs can be meaningful and uplifting or super raunchy and inappropriate as hell, no in-between. He goes to Japan because he’s interested in their newest idol/heavy metal fusion group. Johann is a talented lyricist/producer and he prefers to write songs for other people and avoid the drama that comes with being a celebrity. Alain drags him to Japan because why not?

END:

Back to the band, their debut song would be ‘Reason Triangle’. ‘Double’ would be for a J-drama collab in which Sakuma finally gets to meet his favorite group (???) idk but their discography would also include songs like:

Taking Off - ONE OK ROCK

Fukagyaku Replace - My First Story

Take Off - 2PM

Cosmic Railway - EXO

CORE PRIDE - UVERworld

Signal- TK from Ling tosite sigure

FEED THE FIRE - coldrain

Kyouran Hey Kids!! - THE ORAL CIGARETTES

And that’s all I can think of for this AU. I can’t believe I wrote so much but this idea just wouldn’t leave my head so I had to write it all down. I hope y’all enjoy my ramblings lol. 

[flakandforay]

MMA and MAMA 2019 Theory

welcome back loves to another theory with me!!! so it really has been a while since I have done any theory, mainly because homegirl is stuck in uni and is dying in it with useless group mates but anyway, i finally got back to doing another ever since I watched the MMA and MAMA 2019 ones and wow, there is so much to unpack. 

also, a huge congratulations to our 4-Daesang winners aka BTS who not only swept all of the Daesangs in MAMA but MMA in 2019. honestly, still shocking considering how we all know how the industry is like lmao. but anyway, let’s begin.

if you want to support my ko-fi, feel free to do so

⇝ theory masterlist 

theory: if I were to compare their MMA and MAMA VCRs, I believe there’s more to analyse for the MAMA ones because of the length and also because MMA’s one, I believe the hints are more centred around the individual performances and set ups. 

So starting off with MMA, looking at the VCR. I am putting it out there is literally I Need U all over again. The camera pans out to Namjoon, Seokjin, Jimin, Yoongi, Hoseok, Taehyung and lastly Jungkook. For some reason, this has me thinking of the HYYH the Notes pairings that I keep mentioning throughout the theories about them. (read here) These were similar to that of Wings, but I guess Namjoon and Seokjin’s pairing was the one of the BST JP and instead of Taehyung being that Omelas boy, though some may say it’s Jungkook (because of how he is the youngest and he is affected by all and in this theory, Taehyung is the trigger), maybe could explain why the camera pans out to Jungkook last. 

do you not think that the setting reminds me of of HYYH? the whole light, couches thing etc 

But moving on, if you see at 0:49, you see the shadows of the boys walking behind them at the back but somehow settling behind each respective member which I find extremely creepy and somehow reinforces that the next instalment is Shadow but at 1:05 it shows the lighter. 

One could recall it being one of Yoongi’s key charcateristics as he smokes and across the HYYH the Reel, or in the I Need U MV, but at the same time, common with Jungkook’s Little Matchstick Girl story and of course not to forget, just like here In the VCR, how Namjoon worked at the gas station and somehow dropped the lollipop on a cash but it caught fire etc which somehow related to his death in one of the theories.

We had Namjoon’s strong Persona intro and you could see at the back, the words ‘shadow’, ‘ego’, ‘what am I to you’ etc, scribbled behind though repeatedly. The words ‘shadow’ and ‘ego’ should be signifying the next two releases for bangtan’s map of the soul trilogy series based on jung’s map of the soul book which focused heavily on persona, shadow and ego along with many other theorists who believed that the other two instalments of the series to be called ‘shadow’ and ‘ego’. Other identified scribbles include ‘Im Not What’ ‘Happen to Me’, ‘No More Dream’, ‘Who are you, Who Am I’, ‘Dream, Love, Happiness’ etc. But anyway, after the Persona stage, the intro of ‘What am I to you’ is played and I swear it was Dark and Wild all over again before it went on to ‘Boy in Luv’ and parallelly, they moved on to ‘Boy With Luv’ such a stark contrast but shows their diversity. Afterwards, a short VCR with the truth untold instrumentals playing in the background before somehow they decided to crush my heart and played mikrokosmos and hearing Namjoon’s words is making me feel things.

Anyway, moving on, after that stage ended, the VCR played again with how Jungkook woke up and this idea of trying to figure out who he is, as he watches various screens of himself across the years with eg Save Me, No More Dream , fake love playing, danger, the lines ‘I’m still looking for who I used to be, who I am now., before Namjoon hugs him (note the Wings pairing) before the rest comes together in this formation. Yoongi, Jimin, Namjoon, Jungkook, Jin, Hoseok and Taehyung; Taehyung was the last one. 

similar to this 

this reminds me of this open room in fake love as well for Seokjin.

Then somehow in the midst of this, they show how the boys ‘appearing’, Jungkook forming from the clouds, Namjoon from the leaves, Jimin from smoke, Hoseok from the ‘fake love coloured setup’, Taehyung from ‘the spray can’ (he even had the sound effect of the spray can, Yoongi from fire and Jin from what seems to be in a room full of mirrors..? it seems oddly familiar but I can’t pinpoint as to where this is from. And yet after all this, as they all gaze into the screens, somehow only Taehyung is the one looking unsettled, at most a really really small smile, not sure if it was on purpose or just coincidental, 

Jungkook’s ment cntinues ‘who I will be in the future’. At 18L47, it focused on Jungkok’s eyes to expand and show the milky way galaxy.  Then it moved on to the start of the Dionysus stage but somehow we are surprised to find 7 individual stages.

But moving on, apart form bangtan’s group stages, there is a need to pay close attention to the individual stages of each member. i bet bangtan’s main goal for these year end shows is to somehow showcase their humble beginnings with their underrated songs hence why they performed n.o., we are bulletproof pt.2 and boy in luv at both year end shows across, asides from promoting their later songs such as mikrokosmos, or boy with luv.

Notice the transitions among each individual stages. It’s literally their whole discography, more focus was on here rather than showing a vcr ,though the vcr they played was of the I need u feels and you cannot tell me otherwise once I placed the references here. One for their similar outfits and the I need u sofa cut scene in the MV with this MMA VCR. Not to mention it kind of reminds me of the HYH Epilogue VCR when they were taking a family portrait.

Anyway, the individual stages started off with Taehyung, with no more dream but the level of sophistication and performance was amazing but also quite heavy considering the no. of back dancers yet somehow they’re in this gladiator outfit/warrior outfits with the skirts. Also, the 4 people hanging from the hoops at the top, it casually reminded of te Olympics but that’s just my opinion and in no relation to this. Do take note of how altered the sound is to sound more like it’s fit for a battle scene, those loud hits of the drums etc and the resounding ‘la la la’ a sa battle cry or possibly an anthem. Note the scenes at the back to be mostly of the Greek/Roman kind of architecture. 

Next, it transitioned to Seokjin whose song was Danger and interestingly, this kind of Greek/Roman concept continued on, as now they leveraged more on Seokjin’s looks for this stage with lesser dancing in comparison and made him stand on top of this makeshift Trojan horse. Take note of how the music for Danger instead of the hard hitting kind of song, it becomes a little bit more majestic, royal even but with power. Though Seokjin relatively dances way lesser, his stage presence and looks was enough to dominate the stage, like my god, just look at him??? Also, the back up dancers outfits seem to continue on with this. And when he really took the reins and let it whip to have this yellow horse run as though he whipped it, it ran across the screens (satisfying really), it changed to something more melodic.

Here, you hear the acoustic version of I Need U which was actually played before unlike the other 2 versions of the songs (and actually the rest of the members’ as well), it was played at one of the year end show sin 2015 in which Yoongi actually played the piano and Jungkook was dancing, they were promoting Run at that time. But oh how this is so befitting for Jimin and his contemporary movies, it’s really so graceful, ethereal and wow. But they made this I Need U version more melodramatic with the use of strings such as violins and cello, listen to that rendition and melodies as well as the triangle I think (I literally forgot the name of that instrument) but then it moved on to Fire with Yoongi. 

Honestly, I don’t think anyone knew it was Fire until it started because of the really really hard hitting bass that really became outright rock and loud cries of ‘La, La, La’ and what sounded like ‘Jin’ although I am pretty sure it’s not but you get my point here. Honestly, thought the fire in the screens looked like a dead giveaway but with how hard the beat is hitting that became rock, it almost sounded like a mantra not to mention how loud and how great the drums sound here. Also note how Yoongi isn’t doing much, just minimal dance moves  like a body roll.

I must say the transition from Yoongi to Jungkook is quite abrupt because of the sharp contrast in the transition between their stages; from rock to something more pop? It’s a bit hard to adjust to, also the version for Save Me is so so different but yet so nice, it’s much more synthesized here and the choreography is centred to how the beats are in the music. To think this was done by Jungkook as well.

At 25:54, we are seeing 7 lights to represent 7 stars, which apparently, this constellation represents Corona Borealis. It represents the crown the Princess wore on her wedding day when she married Dionysus. (see where we are going with this). You could see that throughout all of the stages, an additional light to represent a star was added after each performance and at the end with Namjoon, the Corona Borealis was completed. 

Now, going back to Hoseok’s part with Fake Love but a much more EDM version to showcase his popping and then finally, we have this version of Dionysus, but look at that intro with the chorus singing and it showcases Namjoon. Although he is walking, it reminds me when he changed his jacket in 2017 for another year-end performance as he walked across the stage but now it’s for the staff. Literally, Namjoon is not doing anything but walking, but look at his stage presence????? 

And this was how Dionysus began but again with the 7 constellations, they really brought the 2 tiger balloons that they used at the concerts with them here at the MMA, with the foreign women throwing flowers which coincidentally was a Greek tradition.

Yet again, before they start their performance, we have the same guy sounding the horn. But now we have guys in fedora hats which I am still confused as to why they are there. Well I did some research and turns out the use of fedora hats originated from a popular Russian play but the word originated from the Greeks themselves.  

The name Fedora is derived from the Greek word theodoros, which literally means "gift of God."  -History of Fedora

I will like to sidetrack now to talk about the guy in the veil. so someone speculated on Twitter about the use of the veil in Greek culture and so this is how i went down to do my research etc and reading a paper on it. I have highlighted the necessary parts. 

after reading this, one could say that the veil is a form of expression for anger. but mainly anger, then emotional pain and lastly grief. it can also be seen as ‘a form of retaliation, the victim’s way of punishing the offender’s breach of the rules of interaction’. you may consider seeing it as being petty, in a way of giving the silent treatment or just not giving one’s full attention but again, this goes deeper than on surface value. kinda interested to see how this would pan out in the future. 

However, enough of the hat and veil talk and its history, now going back to the performance. They even brought out the horses so honestly tell me what is going on. So doing more research, I dug out some. The reason why I am focused on the symbolism of these things inn Greece is due to the consistent Greek culture that is being cultivated, perhaps prior to the Dionysus one but it seems to be well incorporated in the various stages as well such as the Trojan horse  in Jin’s stage which was used to invade and win the war in Troy. But going back to the history of the horses, they symbolize wealth and status. The horse was often affiliated with heroes and Gods hence seeming to be far ‘important’ to the native Greeks. Not to mention the gladiators as well. Though gladiators were common with the Romans, the Greeks had them too but not as prevalent as the Romans. Interestingly, the Greeks refer them as ‘barbarians’.

For the Greeks, the gladiators were more of sacrifices to the Gods and those who emerged victorious during the Olympic games were blessed by Zeus and offered Zeus praise. In a way, if I were to put it in a different context, Zeus could be seen as a power play figure in terms of Big Brother (read 1984 theory here). Not entirely the same, but similarities are present. 

What is the link of Dionysus in all of this? Well apart from the song of Dionysus by the boys, as well as inclusion of the iconic grapes for wine-making and thyrsus, I found something interesting that could explain the use of Dionysus in all of this.

As we all know, Dionysus was the god of wine, grape harvest and in some others fertility as well. He was known later on to be ‘androgynous youth’; not exactly a man but a ‘man-womanish’. With his long history, ‘Dionysus had crossed boundary between life and death, and he was often portrayed as the god who crossed the boundary between the civilized and uncivilized and the known and the unknown.’. Somehow this makes me think that perhaps Seokjin is Dionysus, the idea that he is the one conscious enough throughout the HYYH universe that time is rewinding itself back to the fateful day where one by one, the boys kill themselves and he is the one trying to save them all. Not to mention, I still think the theory still holds that somehow Seokjin could also be seen in purgatory where he tries to give them back their innocence through using the lilies (read I Need U JP theory here). 

Interesting fact was that Dionysus was ‘born of fire and nursed by rain’. Opposites that link Yoongi and Jimin as well.

Based on here, apart from the fact that Dionysus was actually half mortal, he had the power to raise people from the dead, which was how he raised his mortal mother, Semele, from the dead.

Some others speculated about the whole Gods concept in which they claim BTS to represent of the 12 and basing it on their performance. This is what they came up with.

RM – Dionysus Jin – Athena Yoongi – Hephaestus Jimin – Artemis Taehyung – Apollo Hoseok – Zeus Jungkook – Poisedon

If we based it on this now, this could explain the certain dance breaks together here. Hoseok and Jungkook, Namjoon and Jin, Jimin and Taehyung then lastly Yoongi by himself. Yoongi is the only one being independent in a way. I guess also why they did the N.O. break was because they did not perform anything from that era (that + YNWA, BST, DNA and Answer) but then again, we are blessed by their whole discography. 

so first of all, their VCR especially for MAMA was heavily reliant on time periods.

Basically, what was relayed in the video is as such. The calling; future.

It started with the damn hourglass again, when will it stop??

They showed in the VCR these 7 white-veiled guys who I assumed would be them and is them but is also a carry over from the MMA scene in which during Tae’s stage and before Jin’s one, you see the white veiled guy next to the horses.

The VCR had very interesting transitions which reminded me of the Wings short stories with the various symbols, not to mention the fact it was heavily focused on Hoseok’s eyes which was similar to his short film of MAMA. The transition in and out of it. Past meets future. I will bet that this was Hoseok’s eye just by seeing the shape and also here’s a reference from MAMA. 

The VCR had very interesting transitions and glitches, literally throwback to the 2017 MAMA VCR. That barren one person scene reminded me of DNA. 

DNA

MAMA VCR Screenshots 

The last picture reminds me a bit of BST, like the part where Yoongi plays the organ. Here’s a reference photo. 

More VCR screenshots just giving me the vibes of BST. 

MAMA VCR Screenshots

BST MV screenshots 

Then the VCR stopped and BTS performed N.O. a really throwback song followed by We are Bulletproof Pt. 2. Notice how the VCR changed to intro them performing N.O. the whole scratches reminds me of MAMA for some reason, MAMA being Hoseok’s short film. Honestly, I thought it was great because they showed everyone that this was their origins to their success and they never forgot about it despite being how big they are and how they got their popularity through other genres and not the original Hip-Hop kind that they were promoting back then. They had the iconic hands again.

After this, VCR continued to show the past meets the present. They showed the boys during backstage of the concert, during it and think about it as the way it was edited to be like Burn the Stage and Bring the Soul movies. Those kinds. They showed the Mnet debut showcase. ‘We doubted ourselves all the time, we tried to overcome the fear we encountered. They showed their first win on the music show with ‘I Need U’. ‘Dreams are our realities from now on.’  This was said by Namjoon. Now showing all of the Daesangs that they achieved throughout the years starting with 2016 and how Yoongi cried. ‘We are no longer sad or pain’.

Past meets present: World.

The Vcr showed the 7-veiled guys and this was their arrangement, Tae, Suga, Jin, Jungkook, Namjoon, Jimin and Hoseok.

Do you not think this positioning of the veiled guys remind you of the fake love cloak stands. So from a clothes stand to a veiled person. 

They then performed Boy with Luv and Mikrokosmos. During Mikrokosmos, they had stairs shown behind them before they pan out to the VCR again that started off with an hourglass. For some reason those veiled guys appear again and to be exact there are 7 of them. Not to mention the hourglass glitching giving me the BST JP. Vibes. When the phrase ‘all our time’ came out, they really had some collisions much like DNA.

cue the fake love MV with the smeraldo flower. 

Look at the stairs behind them. I went to check and do some research etc. Based on this, the ladder is most commonly known to be the connection between heaven and earth. Notice how it’s heaven and not hell. There is no mention of the underworld or hell. But if we were to look at this, I did some more research about the symbolism of stairs in Greek mythology. 

A lot of the references is that the ladders/stairs are to be the connector between heaven and earth; there was no mention again of the underworld. But another closer research showed this. 

In the temples that have them, it seems likely that one stair was intended for ascending, the other for descending.

Here it talks about well, it’s a one-way kind of stairs, it’s not one where you can use the stairs for both up and down but rather a separate one. Also, these stairs were commonly found in temples of Zeus, Apollo, Aphrodite, Athena, Hera etc which if referred on top, are some of the Gods that the boys were speculating to be. 

Yet, looking inside the article, they talked about ‘epiphany windows’ and my brain suddenly malfunctioned because epiphany windows????? E P I P H A N Y???

Epiphany provided an inherent sacredness and enhanced the-role of the temple in expressing sanctity.36 Even without actual "windows" forrestaging or framing events, epiphanies could be expected in and around temples.

An epiphany (from the ancient Greek ἐπιφάνεια, epiphanea, "manifestation, striking appearance") is an experience of a sudden and striking realization.

Reference

so again i did more research, epiphany in Greece is like the ‘festival of light’. 

On Epiphany, the Greek Orthodox Church performs

 the ‘Great Blessing of the Waters’.
 This ceremony is usually performed twice, once on the eve of Epiphany which is performed in the church, and then again on the actual day outdoors with priests blessing large bodies of water, sea, rivers, lakes etc.

This reminded me of Jungkook with his performance with the water. But anywa, about epiphanies, I might just do another theory for that sometime later. 

Now moving on, 

Future meets present: Calling

Past meets present: World

They reiterated these two concepts back again at the end of the VCR.

Present meets future: Eternal Journey

Eventually they were all of the veiled guys but particularly Jimin was the first one.

All our time.

The VCR then showed the boys with props/items.

Hoseok -> Frame Yoongi -> Hourglass Jimin -> Polaroid Camera (Retro) Namjoon -> Mic Jungkook -> Recording Camera (Retro) Taehyung -> Violin Jin -> Opera spectacles

Interestingly, these items as seen from this Twitter are considered to be retro, they still remain relevant despite them looking old. However, if you were to think of it in relation to the HYYH universe, Hoseok’s frame that he held reminds me of the MAMA portrait that was shown in the short film of his called MAMA but at the same time it reminds me the link between Hoseok and Jimin as they both stare at the same picture

Yoongi’s hourglass does not hit much of resemblance upfront but if you were to consider the meaning of the hourglass which is to tell time, specifically how much time left. You would think of the pairing between Yoongi and Jungkook; in a way Jungkook was running out of time to save Yoongi. In some alternate universe, Jungkook failed to save Yoongi hence the I Need  MV, and if you read based on the notes, the incidents between Yoongi and Jungkook do not happen all on the same day, but relatively near to each other. However in the Euphoria MV, it could be seen that Jungkook managed to save Yoongi, even in the webtoon series, Jin managed to save Yoongi as he found out what time was he going to die and which motel, but though Yoongi did not want to be alive.

Jimin’s retro polaroid camera, similar to Jungkook’s retro recording camera, they do not have much resemblance to the HYYH universe but rather their true personalities in which both Jimin and Jungkook engage in these kind of hobbies. Rather these things, coincidentally are more prominently found with Jin throughout the HYYH universe. In the HYYH Prologue and later on, Jin was the one known to have both a polaroid camera and a recording camera that he uses to capture the moments with the boys hence the idea of whether or not Seokjin was reliving the moments or not. (read Prologue theory here).

Before their last stage of Dionysus, the camera panned out and you see various animals as constellations eg goat, dolphin, lion, cheetah, goblet etc. Interestingly, if you look at here and here, it seemed as though Dionysus had the power to also transform into a lion or a bull and the latter shows that his symbols were leopard skin, panther and cheetah. 

But the main one was the snake eg anaconda but the backup dancers were the ones in fedoras just like in MMA. thought that was an interesting edition. 

anyway, throughout these 2 award shows, one could say they are riding on the whole Greek theology and concepts without ever culture appropriating it. i am sure they have been doing their own research and I can’t wait to see what else is in store for them. 

References

JOURNAL ARTICLEINTERIOR STAIRCASES IN WESTERN GREEK TEMPLESMargaret M. MilesMemoirs of the American Academy in RomeVol. 43/44 (1998/1999), pp. 1-26Published by: University of Michigan Press for the American Academy in RomeDOI: 10.2307/4238755https://www.jstor.org/stable/4238755Page Count: 26 JOURNAL ARTICLEAnger and the Veil in Ancient Greek CultureD. L. CairnsGreece & RomeVol. 48, No. 1 (Apr., 2001), pp. 18-32Published by: Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Classical Associationhttps://www.jstor.org/stable/826867Page Count: 15

[Photo Source] Bighit Entertainment  Credits: maxine ☕️ DO NOT REPOST ©

[danielxrk]

           ✞ IN THE SUSPENSION *      FIND ME THERE

he calls haknyeon first.

 it’s a proper celebration, and a reminder why he’s his best friend. on the phone with him, he can forget about the difficult side of this news. he can forget about all of the people he’ll effectively be leaving behind, and just focus on the fact that finally, he got what he wanted: for one of the entertainment companies that turned him down twice on live television to finally want him.

 in the past, he would’ve waffled. he would’ve held that contract in his hands and wondered if it was worth the sacrifice. but my band, but my friends, but my parents. now, all that remains is the second, and they’re all people he knows will understand the decision he already knows he’ll make. even daniel in all of his usual optimism can’t deny this will be painful, though: the loss of time with the people he loves and the hours of dance practice he’s set himself up for.

 somehow, it seems like it’ll be worth it, and next, he texts the reason he believes it’s so, because woojin doesn’t seem like the type for phone calls, and daniel isn’t the type for phonecalls with woojin. he doesn’t know what to say, but with woojin, he knows he doesn’t need any padding or beating around the bush. it’s why he settles on a simple “hey, i got in.” there’s one more important detail he needs to add, though: “ i’m not signing until i release all of my music that i want to, though.”

 that’s the plan. if there’s anything he learned from the aftermath of the mgas, it’s that companies don’t want you uploading anything that suggests you have a mind of your own, and daniel’s music is too important to him to keep locked in a vault, never to see the light of day. he’ll write more in sphere, certainly, but it'll be different, and he knows. he has so much ready now that just hasn't made it to his soundcloud or youtube. that changes today, and maybe tomorrow if he needs it, and maybe the day after that--

 next, he calls songhee. he breaks the news to her, and he knows her well enough to detect her forced happiness. he doesn't blame her, and there's no use in him acknowledging it or dwelling on it. she tries to be happy for him, and he's grateful for that much. "hey, so...do you have time to record our song?

        ⊰ ✞ CACTUS IN THE VALLEY ; written, composed and sang by daniel & songhee                ☇ if my yesterday is a disgrace, tell me that you still recall my name ⊱

 here's an original song, and the first of a few you'll see over the course of the weekend! thank you to songhee for writing and singing this with me, and playing it with me the past few weeks, and to sophie for helping learn the cello.

 this song grew really close to my heart while we recorded it, and i hope you like it even if it's a little different from what you're used to.

 matthew 18:12

 before the end of the mgas, he prayed. he prayed for everything to happen as it should, but somehow, only had two options in mind: empty enigma stays together, or he gets a contract. of course, neither of those things happened in the end. after all the pain, daniel can understand why. daniel's job as a christian is supposed to be to reflect jesus, and cameo didn't really do that, aside from one song that made it on their album. this way, he didn't have to worry about how to glorify him as a trainee, because he wasn't one.

 now, he's still not really sure how god's plan or mission or what have you will benefit from him signing to sphere, but there's not that possibility of turning down a contract anymore. as always, god knew what he was doing.

 in that prayer before the finale, he said that he would write a ton of songs about him, regardless of what happened. he hasn't done as good of a job at that as he should've, but at least there's this.

 daniel and songhee wrote cactus in the valley together after the green ribbon festival. they decided after their performance there that they made a pretty good duo, and decided to make it official-- or semi-official. if they lasted longer, maybe they would've come up with a name. they got so far as writing a song together and playing shows every weekend, and it sated something in daniel's soul-- an unaddressed unrest dwelling there following the mgas and empty enigma's demise. they wrote it as an acoustic arrangement, with songhee on the piano, and daniel on the cello-- a relatively new instrument for him, basics learned thanks to sophie and polished now for the sake of an original version that would never make it to the stage because daniel's cello skills weren't that good.

 on stage, it's different-- songhee with a guitar and daniel on bass, mainly because it would be hard for daniel to sing while on cello, aside from the fact that he plays instruments he still isn't entirely comfortable with better with several takes. live, he doesn't have that luxury. in the recording studio, however, it's different, and he hopes people won't be disappointed by the song in its original form.

 (he thinks both the cello and piano are beautiful, and he's glad he took the challenge of writing a song for them. he wants to get better.)

 songhee sings the second verse, and one of his favorite lines of the song, and one he can only aspire to: if this whole world goes up in arms all i do is can stand, and i won't fight for anyone until you move my hand.

 ultimately, it's a song about god. it's about all of daniel's struggles to stand and all of his drifting-- all of his attempts to survive on his own and his world crashing down. it's all of the change, and the fact that that's not god, and there is a consistency that he never realized before, or never relied on. there's a love he'll always have and that he too often takes for granted, and the least he can do is write this song and release it to anyone that will listen. it's up to them how to interpret it, but for daniel, it is a i'm sorry you always need to remind me how much you love me, but thank you. i know i'll never deserve it, but i get it anyway.

                        ⊰ ✞ AUTOMATIC ; lyrics by yuzu, composed and sung by daniel                        ☇ i'm lost, out of place, i'm hooked on every single word you say ⊱

these lyrics were written by choi yena! i had a demo of this instrumental not so long after the mgas, and she had lyrics already written that ended up matching to it well. a little bit of rehashing the instrumental (or a lot) and here it is! enjoy ^_^

 automatic is a little experimental for him. it's a step out of his comfort zone of band-oriented or acoustic sound, with a little more touch of pop and edm. of course, he wrote in a heavy bass line too, and it drives the entire song. it's what he wrote it all around, too.

 he hasn't uploaded the song yet because he sang it, then mastered it, and hated how it turned out. he didn't even bother to share it with yuzu, and instead, left it to rot to eventually return to with a refreshed mind and different perspective. it was neglected in favor of other unfinished songs that his fans may never hear, so he dusts automatic off because it's near finished, and he'd be doing yuzu a disservice to not release the song they wrote together.

 he goes back to the studio, and plays more with the instrumental, stripping it down to just the bass line again, seeing what it'll sound like if he starts over.

 he thinks the lyrics are something most people can relate to. it's the attraction to a person when the relationship may be ending, or when it's already over-- the lack of direction without them, and why they still want to follow them. daniel didn't ask yuzu what she wrote the song about. he could assume enough, and for daniel, the meanings behind songs were always personal. when he wrote lyrics for his songs on his own, he didn't even share the meanings of some of them with empty enigma, and they were (still are) his closest friends.

 plus, these lyrics are pretty straightforward.

 he overhauls the instrumental, and feels a little guilty because it'll sound so different from what yuzu heard from him before. it's probably better like this though: an instrumental built around the lyrics instead of two separate pieces coming together. he likes it better.

 "finally have automatic mastered. check it out and see what you think. it ended up pretty different '^^" he sends in a message, song file attached.

 yuzu shares her liking of it with great enthusiasm, and daniel is relieved. he uploads it with satisfaction in finally having a finished product.

                           ⊰ ✞ SUSPENSION ; written, composed and sung by daniel                      ☇ this sky feeling i get when you're near, i'd give up gravity to feel ⊱

here's another original, and this one's all mine. i wrote it a while ago, actually, but i think now is the perfect time for it to find its way to you.

 suspension still feels too personal to upload, but that's precisely why he needs to. it's an important song to him-- too much so to keep to himself.

 he wrote suspension in the week following empty enigma's final show, when sungwoon ran off to japan. it was what he did instead of getting mad, and to cope with the ridiculous feeling of how much he missed him, and wished he was with him. it was what he did while waiting for him to come home so he could tell him how much he loved him (and in the end, he still couldn't wait until then.)

 he's held back from posting it anywhere because he's embarrassed. sometimes, it's still hard to admit he even has these feelings, and he thinks it would be for anyone. he's only been writing songs for a year and a half, and he never wrote a song for someone before. then again, suspension isn't for sungwoon-- it's about him, but it's for daniel. it's not the first song he wrote about sungwoon either, but this one feels different. maybe it's because it's the first song he wrote about sungwoon knowing he loves him.

 he hasn't even played it for anyone else, he's so self-conscious of it. it's not because he thinks the lyrics or melody are bad, just because...it's a part of his heart that he hasn't shared with anyone. it's a look into him that he doesn't show. kenta knows the guitar part; he played it for him when he got home from training one day to daniel camped out on their sofa, playing through chords. minhyun probably caught a lot of it from daniel singing over the lyrics absently.

 soon, everyone will know it. he tries to steel himself in advance, but he knows he'll always be a little nervous.

 it's just him and his acoustic guitar in the studio for this one, recording it for the first time despite the months it's been completed, and there's something cathartic about finally doing it.

 now, knowing he'll become a trainee and feel so distant from his previous life, it hits a little closer to home. daniel didn't know it was possible.

 there is so much more he wants to do. there's a panic-- a preemptive mourning of all the songs no one will ever hear. surely there's more he can finish up and upload without taking too long. there comes a point where he'll feel like he's taking advantage of baek jiyoung's grace in offering him a contract for his own self-serving reasons.

 he can't help but think of all of those empty enigma songs that didn't make between fear and faith-- the other 30 he wrote in preparation for it. they talked of polishing them and including some on their next album, and some of them he doesn't like anymore, but others...losing empty enigma was painful enough, but so was losing all of their unreleased songs to the void of their main composers becoming trainees with contracts that forbade the release of original music.

 there's one song in particular: daniel's favorite song he wrote in the build up to between fear and faith, actually. it's the one he had his mind set on to perform if the mga finale had solo rounds. how can he not share it on his youtube and soundcloud if he was willing to perform it in front of a live audience, on live television?

 the only problem: kenta and woojin helped him compose this song.

                    ⊰ ✞ NO ORDINARY LOVE ; written, composed and sung by daniel                       ☇ come back to me love, i forgive you, oh how i've missed you ⊱

i originally wrote this to be on the between fear and faith album, but we ultimately decided other songs fit better. it's still one of my favorites i've ever written, and since you won't get to hear it on an album, why not hear it like this? it's different than it would be played by an awesome band, but i did my best. this is a cameo only zone.

 he does the natural thing, and pulls a vanilla ice, slightly altering the song's composition just enough that it isn't quite the same song anymore, but could be accused of plagiarism. he would say it wouldn't matter, he could just upload it even though kenta and woojin took part in writing it, but he now knows sphere watches his youtube channel, and he doesn't want to risk it.

 so he reigns things in, changes the screaming originally written in for a rap, and without woojin to record a drum part, it's already essentially a different song. daniel can barely play the drums at all, let alone to woojin's level, so he doesn't even bother, and leaves that to his trusty drum machine to do the best work of its life. the rest, however, daniel can do: bass part, two guitar parts, vocals. squall who?

 more than an empty enigma song, it's another song about god. he wrote this one significantly earlier than cactus in the valley, of course-- not so long after he moved out of his mom's house and into his own apartment, when he started growing into his own skin and his own person for the first time. away from her, he could finally disassociate church from her iron fist and constant criticisms. until then, he thought god saw him the same way: as someone that always fell short, disappointing, worthy of endless rebuke, impatient and unforgiving.

 he learned better, and it was an eye-opening and...emotional process for him. he wrote no ordinary love about that process, and what he discovered: god waited for him to come to him, and greeted him with love and mercy even though it took him so long to, and to mean it. he didn't deserve it, but he got it anyway.

 this feels like the perfect ending to daniel the singer-songwriter online. it's a callback to empty enigma, and a song for god after he told him he would write more about him. he started on one and he'll end on one, and maybe it's this song that is the truest reflection of his heart.

 it's then, putting the final finishing touches up on the recording, that he realizes this is the real end of cameo. he doubts sphere will want him to return, and it's bittersweet, because with this, he realizes, like he did in his sphere audition, that he doesn't need him anymore. he doesn't have to create a cooler alter ego-- doesn't need to create a separate identity to enjoy music or be able to perform. he doesn't need to pretend to be someone he isn't to be liked; he doesn't need him to be brave and to be bold. maybe daniel has learned to take all of those qualities for himself without hanging onto a mask.

 it's still hard to let go. when he finishes, and starts the upload, his chest feels tight and his heart is in his throat. empty enigma was over before, but somehow, knowing he's about to sign a sphere contract makes it realer than ever.

 with the song he's releasing, a moment like this calls for prayer, however quick it may be. thank you. i wouldn't be me without them, and without cameo, and i finally like who that is. because of them, and because of you, i'm finally ready to face whatever comes next.

NOTES:

* all songs in korean; reference songs are only references ** songs are all uploaded to both youtube and soundcloud (un: kameo), sometimes with a live version on youtube and studio version on soundcloud, and that’s how everything he uploads goes

[huahsu]

YEAR OF THE GHOST DOG

[TL;DR version for the New Yorker -- I loved many great short songs and became obsessed with (1) a very old, much longer one (2) and YouTube comments this year.]  [links to previous year’s lists at the bottom]

A while back, I found myself in an extended funk. The reasons are uninteresting and honestly a bit dumb, a mix of everyday bummers and more existential stuff, all of which manifested in a kind of 360º sluggishness. I couldn’t really figure my way out of it but I believed that I would eventually stop feeling this way.

One night, I saw that someone online was selling a copy of the Emulations “These Are the Things,” a magnificent soul ballad 7″ out of Oakland. I wasn’t exactly homesick for the Bay Area, but something about the song’s roots, as well as its overwhelming feeling of optimistic yearning, resonated with (through?) me. There’s a moment when the singer’s falsetto peaks, and the piano starts cascading, and things feel like they’re going to work out after all. The copy for sale wasn’t in great shape, and it cost $100, an extravagant amount of money to spend on a piece of music. But I convinced myself that I’d feel better at some point, weeks, months, or years later, and I’d listen to my Emulations single, and recall that weird summer/fall.

As often happened with independently produced records of the sixties and seventies, “These Are the Things” was pressed on styrene, rather than vinyl. Styrene is a kind of plastic that’s lighter, cheaper and much more fragile than vinyl, and you can tell the difference by a kind of hollow plink when you put it on a turntable. Styrene also means that it has a limited life, and that each time the needle drags across its grooves, the record degrades a little bit. Over time, styrene records that get played a lot no longer sound as crisp or clear (or so it seems). I listened to it once it arrived, feeling a bit of regret at this wild expenditure, but also imagining my future self’s gratitude. I imagined entering into communion with everyone who had played this copy before me. I decided to only listen to the song once a year, if that--after all, each time I listened to the record, the song was changing, slightly.

A few months later, I felt normal (whatever that means) again, and the record became a marker of...I’m not sure what--maybe a kind of blind, stubborn optimism. Someone years later uploaded the song onto YouTube, which means I can listen to it whenever I want. This fall, I was trying and failing to spend less time on the Internet. But I decided that, instead of going on Twitter and Facebook, I would just read comments fans left on YouTube. I became obsessed with reading all the intimate histories people shared with one another--the chance encounters, the teenage dates and breakups, the seventies shop owners who recalled the days when stocking the right hit single could cover an entire month’s rent. I was listening to the Emulations when I noticed this comment, from Deric Jackson, who was apparently one of the group’s members: “I sung this song when I was 19yrs old. It was a pleasure to record and send this messageout into the airways. I have been with the women that God had given me to marry when I was 22yrs old. I did not understand at that time I was singing about my own life and the women who I had not met, but how wonderful it is to be with my wife fo 35yrs and life is still a breath of fresh air and wonderful. I would like to say to all real men love your wife, never worship her only one to worship is God alone.“ I’m pretty agnostic about most things relating to providence. But I felt as though I had been living in these words: “I did not understand at that time...” Jackson’s song was a prophecy, maybe even a conjuring, of his own path, and I wonder what he hears when he listens to it now. Sometimes you don’t know what’s coming next. But there’s always another song, and it doesn’t always sound the same as the last time.

(LATE 2017 BUT I REALLY DOUBT ANYONE NOTICED AKA THE FRENCH “MO BAMBA”) Junior Bvndo, “T’as ça #3 (Kylian Mbappe)”

I WILL LISTEN TO ANYTHING THAT USES DISTORTION Sheck Wes, “Wanted” OR OLD SCHOOL STABS Santi feat. Shane Eagle and Amaarae, “Rapid Fire” EVEN MORE THAN THAT, I LIKE THINGS THAT SOUND MESSY AND SLOPPY BUT ARE ACTUALLY PERFECT Caleb Giles featuring Cleo Reed, “Name” WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN AS GOOD AS IF IT HAD BEEN PERFECT, THE WARPED AND SMUDGED BEAUTY IS WHAT MAKES IT BEAUTIFUL Tirzah, Devotion Niagara, Apologia SAME, BUT SLIGHTLY OFF-STEP Blood Orange, “Charcoal Baby” THE BEST GENRE OF MUSIC REMAINS “SADE” Sade, “Flower of the Universe” and “The Big Unknown” Amber Mark, “Love is Stronger Than Pride” Bon Iver and Moses Sumney, “By Your Side” Kelela, “Like a Tattoo” 808s AND HEARTBREAK AND NEAR-OCTOGENERIANS Swamp Dogg, “She’s All Mind All Mind” I WASN’T AS ENAMORED WITH A LOT OF “NEW JAZZ” BUT DID LIKE Sam Wilkes, Wilkes Sam Gendel and Sam Wilkes, Music for Saxofone & Bass Guitar …WHICH REMINDED ME A BIT OF THIS FACEMELTING REISSUE (RIYL: ALICE COLTRANE, DON CHERRY, ETC ETC) John Tchicai, With Strings SPEAKING OF TERRIFIC JAZZ-ADJACENT STUFF Dos Santos, “Manos Anjenas” THE ORIGINAL “BIG MOOD” Okonkolo, Cantos THE YEAR I REALLY REKINDLED MY LOVE OF THE CELLO Clarice Jensen, For This From That Will Be Filled Oliver Coates, “A Church” …WHICH I DEFINITELY PREFER TO VIOLIN--ESP PIZZICATO--THOUGH THIS WAS QUITE GOOD Sudan Archives, “Nont for Sale” HARPS ALWAYS SOUND GOOD Leya, The Fool Meg Baird and Mary Lattimore, Ghost Forests ALWAYS HAVE TIME FOR WOODBLOCKS AND VIBES Kate NV, для FOR AS WELL AS MIAMI BASS SIGNIFIERS (KICKSTARTER FOR CITY GIRLS TO RAP OVER DJ BATTLECAT IN 2019) City Girls, “Act Up” AND BANJO DRONE...WHY NOT Nathan Bowles, Plainly Mistaken ALBUMS THAT I LIKED IN 2018, AND THAT I SENSE I WILL LIKE EVEN MORE BY THIS TIME NEXT YEAR Ben LaMarr Gay, Downtown Castles Can Never Block the Sun Neneh Cherry, Broken Politics AN ALBUM THAT I WISH WAS TEN ALBUMS Tierra Whack, Whack World AN ALBUM I WISH WAS JUST A LITTLE BIT LONGER Pusha-T, Daytona OF THE MANY REASONS I MOURN THE DEATH OF “THE ALBUM,” ONE IS THAT I ALWAYS LIKE TO HEAR WHAT PEOPLE DO WITH THAT LAST SONG YG, “Bomptown Finest” OR HOW ALBUMS, FULL OF SIGNS, ANGLES, FLEETING MOMENTS, CIRCULATE AND RE-CIRCULATE Angelique Kidjo, Remain in Light AND HOW THEY ARE LIKE WHAT NOVELS REPRESENTED IN THE AGE OF POETRY—OPPORTUNITIES TO LIVE INSIDE COMPLEXITY, SPACE, A DEMOS U.S. Girls, In a Poem Unlimited ONE OF THE BEST ALBUMS OF THE YEAR WAS A SOUNDTRACK... Kendrick Lamar et al, Black Panther AND TEASER FOR  Jay Rock, Redemption AND ANOTHER WAS JUST SOME RAP SONGS Earl Sweatshirt, Some Rap Songs WHICH ISN’T TO SAY ARTISTS DON’T STILL VALUE AND HAVE FUN WITH THE FORMAT Vince Staples, FM A TWENTY-FIVE TRACK ADVENTURE INTO VIBES Pink Siifu, ensley AND SOMETIMES TWENTY MINUTES OR SO IS ENOUGH boygenius, boygenius ONE MORE ALBUM THING – FIRST SONGS HAVE ALWAYS FELT LIKE THESIS STATEMENTS, AND STREAMING HAS ONLY APPLIED MORE PRESSURE TO THE SOOTHING, BEWITCHING, PERFECT WELCOME Mac Miller, “Come Back to Earth” MAC MILLER AND THUNDERCAT LOOK SO HAPPY HERE whole thing, but esp six minutes in, and even more so about nine minutes in THE BEST VIBES Show Dem Camp feat. Boj and Ajebutter 22, “Damiloun” Koffee, “Toast” HAPPY-GO-LUCKY B/W DEVIL-MAY-CARE Shoreline Mafia, “Nun Major” I LIKE NEF AND EPs PERFECTLY SUIT HIM Nef the Pharaoh and 03 Greedo, Porter 2 Grape 

RAPPING AS FAST AS YOU CAN OVER FREESTYLE/HI-NRG WILL NEVER SOUND BAD TO ME… SOB X RBE, “Paid in Full” SOB X RBE, “Carpoolin’” …ALTHOUGH THEY ALSO SOUND SICK OVER FAKE GHOST DOG BEATS, TOO, THIS WAS ONE OF MY SONGS OF THE YEAR SOB X RBE, “Paramedic!” SAME WITH MEDHANE Medhane, “The Garden” TRIPPIE REDD PUTS OUT A LOT OF MUSIC FILLED WITH TRANSCENDENT MOMENTS, BUT RARELY MAKES TRANSCENDENT SONGS, AND IT PAINS ME A BIT THAT MY FAVORITE SONG OF HIS THIS YEAR WAS Diplo featuring Trippie Redd, “Wish” TRIPPY-ASS DOO-WOP Cuco, “Sunnyside” A STRONG HARMONY IS A VISION OF WHAT LIFE COULD BE Ben Pirani, “How Do I Talk to My Brother?” WHERE WERE U IN 94 Young Echo, Young Echo SWEAR I'VE NEVER HEARD MUSIC THIS “GREY” ManOnMars, ManOnMars IF YOU ARE GOING TO MAKE A FAKE D’ANGELO SONG, IT SHOULD BE THIS GOOD Patrick Paige III, “Voodoo” LIKED THIS, BUT IT’S ALSO POSSIBLE TO BE A BIT TOO FAITHFUL TO THE PAST Teyana Taylor, “Hold On” NOT QUITE FAYE WONG DOING THE CRANBERRIES (RIP DOLORES O’RIORDAN) BUT STILL MEMORABLE Katherine Ho, “Yellow” LIKE THE BEST PARTS OF FEELS-ERA ANIMAL COLLECTIVE, BUT TAIWANESE Prairie WWWW

NEVER THOUGHT TO VISIT THE LOUVRE UNTIL The Carters, “Apeshit” video BROWN EXCELLENCE Humeysha, Departures "BROWN BEATS” FOREVER RIP Cameron Paul

MY FAVORITE DISCOVERY OF THE YEAR Pharoah Sanders playing “Kazuko” in a tunnel near the Marin Headlands LIKE NONE OF ITS INFLUENCES (FOOTWORK, AMBIENT), LIKE NOTHING ELSE OUT THERE, REALLY Foodman, Aru Otoko No Densetsu DARESAY SKI MASK WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN BOOED OUT OF THE CIPHER Ski Mask the Slump God, Beware the Book of Eli THE MOST FAMOUS PERSON I’VE SEEN ON THE BIG SCREEN AT THE PAST THREE YEARS’ NETS GAMES IS Young M.A., “PettyWap” DEMOS FROM A GROUP I HAVE ALWAYS ADORED, BEFORE THEY FOUND THE SOUND THAT I ADORE The Nonce, 1990 EXTREMELY GOOD AND LARGELY OVERLOOKED REISSUE Suzanne Menzel, Goodbyes and Beginnings FOUR TET IS GOING THROUGH HIS LIVE ARCHIVES, AND IT’S A TREAT TO STUDY HIS ARC/EVOLUTION  Live at Hultsfred Festival, 18th June 2004 Live at LPR New York, 17th February 2010 Live in Tokyo, 1st December 2013 Live at Funkhaus Berlin, 10th May 2018 STRANGE TO LIVE IN A MOMENT WHERE BEING WEIRD SEEMS A BIT DERIVATIVE. STILL, THIS IS BLISSFUL SahBabii, “Anime World” HAPPY FACE Smino, “Klink” SAD FACE Drake, “In My Feelings” (especially this version) “JIM FROM THE OFFICE” FACE Pusha-T, “The Story of Adidon” STOLE YOUR FACE Sophie, “Faceshopping” FACE/OFF YG and Mozzy, “Too Brazy” Sammy Bananas feat Antony and Cleopatra, “Slow Down” Kode 9 and Burial, Fabriclive 100 GASSED FACE E-40 and B-Legit, “Whooped" ABSOLUTELY FACEMELTING Todd Barton and Ursula K. Le Guin, Music and Poetry of the Kesh VACATION AWAY MESSAGE SiR, “D’Evils” Bad Bunny x PJ Sin Suela x Nejo, “Cual Es Tu Plan” BEST OPENING DISCLAIMER TO A VIDEO 808INK, “Come Down” “TAGS: LATIN CHORAL CUMBIA GOTH LOS ANGELES” San Cha, “Cosmic Ways”

BEST USE OF “OOCHIE WALLY,” STILL ONE OF MY FAVORITE BEATS EVER Stefflon Don, “Oochie Wally freestyle” BEST USE OF “SUPERTHUG” Rico Nasty, “Countin’ Up” EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS--THE HEADBANG MINIMALISM, THE LAS VEGAS WALGREENS--BUT ESPECIALLY THE LINE ABOUT WELLS FARGO Rico Nasty, “Trust Issues” “ORGASM ADDICT” (RIP PETE SHELLEY) Victor Oladipo, “One Day” “I JUST TOOK A FLIGHT TO FRANCE TO COP CARDIGANS” Black Thought and Styles P, “Making a Murderer” “AT THE EMIRATES I MILLY ROCK” Manzo and Malachi Amour, “Lingard” DOPE TUNE, AND UNEXPECTED KELLYANNE CONWAY REFERENCE JPEGMAFIA, “1539 N. Calvert” YEAH YEAH YEAH (RIP MARK E SMITH) Travis Scott and Drake, “Sicko Mode” R-E-S-P-E-C-T (RIP ARETHA FRANKLIN) Rosalia, El Mal Querer REEL DEAL, “DRIPPIN’ DOPE (SAXAPELLA)” (1989) Gunna, “Top Off” WAMP WAMP (WHAT IT DO) B/W WAIT (THE WHISPER SONG) Vallee feat. Jeremih, “Womp Womp” SAD REGGAETON IS NOT BAD Bad Bunny, “Solo De Mi” SOUNDS GOOD TO ME, 2002-PRESENT Temani, “Power” Westerman, “Confirmation” REAL LIES, POET LAUREATS OF “YOUNG PEOPLE THINKING ABOUT BEING OLD” Tom Demac and Real Lies, “White Flowers” A SONG DESIGNED TO SOUND LIKE IT CAME OUT THIRTY YEARS AGO, WHICH ALSO FEELS LIKE IT CAME OUT A MILLION YEARS AGO (IT WAS JUST JANUARY) Bruno Mars feat. Cardi B, “Finesse (remix)” TAY-K WAS JUST A YEAR AGO Comethazine, “Highriser” FAVORITE 2 BRIDGES MUSIC ARTS “MIGHT AS WELL” RANDOM PURCHASE OF THE YEAR  Kizaki Ondo Preservation Society and Clark Naito, 木崎音頭 Kizaki Ondo FEELS LIKE IT CAME OUT TEN YEARS AGO (IT WAS JUST JAN/FEB) BUT I NEVER GREW TIRED OF IT Rich the Kid, “Plug Walk” ODDLY REASSURING THAT PEOPLE STILL JANGLE Massage, “Oh Boy” Earth Dad, “Walter” ...AND DISCOVER WORLDS FROM WITHIN THEIR BEDROOMS Soccer Mommy, Clean ...AND EXPLORE THE CONTOURS OF GROWLING AND NAGGING Sada Baby and Drego, “Bloxk Party” ...AND CAN USE THE PAST TO MAKE SOMETHING SO VISIONARY AND FORWARD-THINKING Virginia Wing, Ecstatic Arrow Mitski, Be A Cowboy ...AND LOOKING FOR FOURTH WORLDS Arp, Zebra ...AND MAKE IMPOSSIBLE RHYTHMS Heavee, WFM ...AND THAT ARTISTS I HAD NEVER HEARD OF, WORKING IN IDIOMS I HAD NEVER HEARD OF, MIGHT STILL BLOW MY MIND Odunsi (the Engine), rare. JUNGLE LIVES X-Altera, “Blowing Up the Workshop” mix TOP THREE TIMES I SAW STANDING ON THE CORNER THIS YEAR 3 - The Merciful Allah Black Hole Theatre 2 - The Time it All Ended with Fireworks on Grand St. 1 - An Empty Storefront During a Blizzard

{HONORABLE MENTIONS -The Time They Brought a Monolith -THEME DE YE-YO [Respect to the Gods]} SONG OF THE SPRING, SUMMER, WINTER, YEAR,  STILL UNDEFEATED ### A CHURCH AND JOHN LENNON’S “IMAGINE” :: 2017 SIKH DEVOTIONAL MUSIC :: 2016 SPOOKY BLACK :: 2015

[oadara]

Jordi Maquiavello: THE END of Game of Thrones - Analysis of the theme of Jon and Daenerys - Translated to English

Hey - so I was looking at this video the other day and didn’t see an English translation for it. Thankfully, the video wasn’t very long and so I decided to translated for the non-Spanish speakers.

In the video Jordi discusses the version of “Truth” that Ramin Djawadi presented during his appearance in KCRW. As those of you who have heard the version know, it’s quite different from the original version that appeared in season 7. Jordi believes it contains clues about the fate of Jon and Daenerys in season 8.

TRANSLATION  TO ENGLISH

1:00     The truth is that this composition as well as Jon and Daenerys’ romance gives us pause as to how it [their relationship] will affect the war against the Wight Walkers. Especially if when we were to examine the past romances of the series. However, the question I was asked the most when I analyzed and explored the theme was if it sounded too dramatic or if things would end badly because of the tone of the song because it was to sad or melancholy. Honestly, I’ve never felt it to have a tinge of sadness, it was simply romanticist.  No theme in the series has happy sound to it, exactly.

1:28     This takes us to the second question, well, what is so special about Ramin Djawadi’s radio version of the song. Simple, not only does it turn the [original] composition of the song upside down and add bits of other themes, it also gives us some serious spoilers for season 8. I repeat, this is a theory, based on music analysis, but it’s well grounded.

1:46     However, we need to review past materials. The theme of “Truth” fussed together the romantic themes of Jon and Ygritte and Dany and Drogo. The composition did this because Jon like Daenerys had not fallen in love again since those two previous romances. Thus, the theme established a point of melancholy in the use of its influences. Additionally, the theme includes a third part, that would be considered their actual theme, which is not influenced by anything else. Therefore, the last thing we had in the series of this theme was this:

[Plays soundtrack version of a Truth.]

2:10     -First Part of the theme (Dany and Drogo)-

2:20     -Second Part of the theme. (Jon and Ygritte)-

2:30     -Third Part of the theme (both themes combined)-

2:40     -Fourth Part of the theme (their own theme)-

3:08     -Fifth Part of the theme (final crescendo)

3:35     Well, after the final look on Tyrion’s face and the Jonerys haters many asked themselves, is this [romance] the right thing?  Will this turn out well? Will love be the death of duty once again? Well, I’ve already done a video explaining why Jon and Dany’s theme is unlike any other themes/ It’s because it makes use of the cello, in a way in which the other romantic themes of the series never do, and because both represent fire and ice, A Song of Ice and Fire, like the original title of the series of novels in which the show Game of Thrones s based on. 

4:00     Additionally, throughout the series these two words are referenced together. This is [the reason] why I believe this is the definitive romance of the series. And Ramin Djawadi makes this even clearer with his interpretation [of the song during his appearance] at KCRW. The filming of the 8th season of Game of Thrones began on October 2017.  So, by then all the cast and crew should have had access to the script for season 8. This tells us that by that time Ramin Djawadi’s obtained a copy of the script by that time and began working on the soundtrack for the season 8.

4:29     So, by now he should have made good progress. This interpretation of “Truth” [that appears] in the US radio station was prompted by Ramin Djawadi’s and his trusted team of musicians on the 13 of December of 2017, two months after the start of filing of season 8. So, what this Ramin do, this is a theory, he presented the world with what the version of “Truth” will be during season 8.

4:51     Let me tell you all, it disappoints me. Not as a composition, Ramin Djawadi’s is a genius, and all his compositions are a pleasure to listen to. I’m disappointed me from discussion level. You all know that I’m pro Jonerys and all that but my preferred endings for Game of Thrones were Littlefinger or the Wight Walkers on the throne. Why, what can I say, I love chaos.

5:10     Seriously, Game of Thrones is not a Disney movie where everything will end well, as we’ve seen in multiple instances. 

[Montage of GoT deaths]

5:34     But no, George RR Martin has talked about the ending of a Game of Thrones on many occasions and has said that the ending will be bittersweet like the ending of Lord of the Rings.

[Interview with GRRM]

6:04 This sounds familiar to me…

[Scenes from the end of LotR “The Return of the King]

6:07     -King’s Landing-

6:14     -Jon-

6:19     -Daenerys-

6:25     -This is a bittersweet ending? -

6:45     The Lord of the Rings, as a trilogy is the best thing that has been made in the history of cinema and no one doubts it, but it has a happy ending. Despite Frodo and Gandalf’s departure, which could make it a bittersweet ending, the rest end up happy as clams. Will the same thing happen on Game of Thrones?

7:00     Well, let’s analyze the version of “Truth” the Ramin Djawadi plays on KRCW which will be [the version] that will appear in season 8. The las evolution of Jon and Daenerys theme.

7:10     Many have said [asked] if the fact that there is a vocalist means anything, as the royal themes of Game of Thrones usually use vocal. To clear this up, no. In the final version of “Truth” there will not be any vocals and if Ramin introduced vocals here it’s because the singer is a trusted collaborator who accompanies him to all the concerts and sings many themes that don’t have vocals. For example, the main theme.

[Shows video of the main theme with vocals]

7:38     Unlike in the series, where he uses an orchestra, in this version Ramin uses a piano to substitute the violins and this is an important detail. As I’ve already explained what the instruments mean to the composer. Ramin wouldn’t have had any issues bringing 3 or 4 violins to the radio recoding but instead he chose to bring a piano because it was more comfortable, and this means the violins won’t important to the final version of “Truth”. 

8:01     What does this tell us? Total freedom for the cello which eliminates the conflict between love and duty that had us so worried.  For which the last evolution of “Truth” proposes a pure love, without worries about duty or anything else, simply love. Let’s look at how the cello ends in the first part of the theme. 

[Cello being played]

8:28     Contrary to how it ends in the original theme, this [version] ends in a major note. If we remember, the original theme ended in a minor note because we see Tyrion preoccupied.

[Plays scene showing Tyrion preoccupied]

8:42     Once again, we eliminate another problem.  And now, another part of the theme begins with an accelerated tempo, contrary/ strangely different to the originally theme, which had opted for a, let’s say, more bittersweet sound and over major chords. Perhaps this is foreshadowing something, I don’t was to give spoilers, but this sounds to me to be like...

9:03     [Plays that section of “Truth”]

-Preparations for an event? –

[Scenes from the coronation in “The Return of the King]

9:26     Now we get into the special part of the song, the theme of Game of Thrones. We’ve already studied this theme thoroughly and it’s clear it represents power, it represents victory. But why introduce the opening theme of Game of Thrones in a romantic theme song? Because it’s [the romance] the one destined to happen, it’s the one that represents the Song of Ice and Fire. It’s the culmination [where it has brought us] after so many seasons. The victory over the Wight Walkers represented in Jon and Daenerys.

9:52     [Plays section in “Truth” where the main theme plays]

-“Truth” movement major + the theme of Game of Thrones [played] in an acceding scale-

[Scenes from the coronation in “The Return of the King]

10:10   Once again, there is a pause over sharp chords, which can represent something else ...

10:18   [Continues to play music]

-This melody so soft and playful in Doric mode could be in reference to the son or daughter of Jon and Daenerys-

10:32 The theme begins to grow, once again over major chords, joined by once again the theme of Game of Thrones is added and song ends in a climax that combines both compositions. 

10:40   [Continues to play music]

-Will this be the theme that plays during Jon and Daenerys coronation? –

11:08   -I BET YOU ANYTHING YOU WANT-

11:56   I am one hundred percent sure that this is the theme that will play during Jon and Daenerys coronation after their victory over the Wight Walkers. This composition is revealing to us the ending of Game of Thrones. Truthfully, I really didn’t want it to end this way, but seeing the evidences and the proofs that the music gives us, which are many as we’ve already seen, I think it’s pretty clear what this means. I repeat, this is a theory, but well-grounded and not conjured from thin air. I’ve based this on proof and sources that you all can easily corroborate but in the end it’s still a theory. There is still a long way to go until 2019 and the last result of the composition of “Truth” but we have a clue of what it will be.

12:34   I hope you’ve liked this.