#and my cousin also plays guitar and sings and stuff just not really for an audience

[pizzawrench]

it’s the fact that niall horan is my cousins doppelgänger …. really throws me off

[inflammatory]

if you don't mind sharing, what's yr process for recording yr music? i'm looking to record an album i'm going to burn on cd for some friends.

Hi and yes I would love to share!

For me it really depended on what instruments i had on hand. I don’t feed my guitar directly into my computer because 1) I can’t be bothered 2) im in favour of the ‘room sound’, I like that it sounds exactly like it was played in my bedroom because it was, so having a guitar and effects board/pedal with the tone I liked was important. I also got a bass specifically to record

So my gap was just drums -> I went on GarageBand and built the full drum line for the song (I say built but I also did use the genre drummers with the adjustable settings quite a lot, theyre good if you can configure them to what you want). Then export the rhythm track as .wav -> import into audacity (lol) (i say lol because audacity I think is generally agreed to be kind of shit for producing. More on this later. you should maybe get an FL studio crack instead) -> put guitar, vocs, bass on

The mic I use is a blue yeti USB mic which I’ve been overall pleased with. A good value for money, can recommend, probably easy to get secondhand (I used my friend’s and then my cousin’s). Guitar, voc, and bass tracks go on separately, so it helped for me to record a ‘sketch’, essentially a pre recording in time with the drum track, where I play guitar and sing, just so when I record the real guitar track I know where I am in the song. On the sketch either the vocals or the guitar will sound far off and faint but it’s enough to like orient yourself. Yknow.

Before you mix on audacity (if you’re using that) go and get the musefx/musehub plugins, musehub de-esser, reverb, eq, are all stuff I consistently use (this is mixing process though sorry im off track).

Guitar i use two tracks, preferably not duplicates of each other but you could do that if needed, panned far left and far right respectively for a full wraparound sound. (Effects: Compress, plate reverb). Recording set up wise I just put the mic on the ground far in front of my amp. Test a bit and then move the mic where you get the best results

Vocals go middle/no pan. I have no good advice for mixing vocals because im bad at it still . Bass pans to wherever your drums are, usually middle also but sometimes double tracked and like 10% right and left. But these aren’t hard and fast rules cause I break them sometimes depending on my whims and what sounds good unexpectedly. Recording and mixing has been a lot of trial and error mostly error but anything you record and make still feels valuable because you literally made something out of nothing. Godspeed

[cecilebutcher]

Twst characters headcanons

Just some headcanons for the twst boys. This time for heartslabyul.

This is just my headcanons and opinion!!

R.Rosehearts

British, and has an accent.

I darkened his eye color and gave him some beauty marks.

Has scars from the overbolt.

Demi-sexual. Not in a relationship.

Loves anything containing strawberries.

Has a heart hair pin that cater gave him.

^^he uses it to tie up his hair when he’s studying.

His favorite type of music is classic.

Really into mystery novels.

Also mystery games.

And mystery shows.

Basically love’s mystery and stuff like that.

When he’s feeling stressed he’ll go and hang out with the hedgehogs. Sometimes the flamingos as well.

His favorite housewarden to be around is Kalim.

After that is Vil.

While he hates Floyd’s guts, he still cares for his annoying classmate.

T.Clover

Also British. But his accent is less notable.

Gave him one brown eye one gold + some beauty marks.

Cater painted his nails for him.

Unlabeled. Dating Cater

Hums whenever he bakes.

His favorite thing to bake is cheesecake.

Cater makes him braid his hair.

Used to French braid his little sisters hair.

Speaking of sister, his siblings send him good morning and good night texts all the time.

Though usually they aren’t even in the morning or night.

Him and Rook study together from time to time.

He also helps the ADeuce duo when they’re having trouble.

Heartlabyul mom.

Goes on hikes with Jade a lot of the time.

Loves hearing Cater play the guitar.

C.Diamond

Scottish(don’t ask) but with no accent.

Since Cater is generally fucking perfect. I only gave him a bit of eye circles.

Also ✨freckles✨.

Bisexual. Dating Trey. Used to have the biggest crush on Vil that ever existed. 

Ok that crush might still be there.

But it’s very tiny, barely exists

Also dated Idia for like, a week.

His lock screen is of Trey baking.

Has a camera that he takes with him when going to new places.

Really fucking good at editing.

Plays the guitar, bass and ukulele.

Has a nice singing voice.

A.Trappola

Filipino. Again, no accent.

Speaks Filipino when he’s seriously angry.

Gave him some of scars from the overbolts.

I also gave him ✨freckles✨ and an earring.

Bisexual. Dating Deuce.

Tells his older brother almost anything.

Has two of the chillest parents ever.

Only Deuce has met his parents in person, But Riddle talked to them once on the phone.

When they got told ace almost got expelled on his first day they were like “yup, sounds about right”!

Always has playing cards on him.

His U.M is gonna have something to do with playing cards.

Is a lot smarter then he lets on

Is an average C+ and B- student.

Used to be an average A and B+ student but stopped trying when he entered nrc.

Can play the flute.

Knows how to drive but doesn’t have a license.

Little spoon.

Loves forehead and hand kisses.

Has a nice singing voice.

D.Spade

Half Latino half British.

Tons of scars from both overbolts and fights.

Homosexual/gay. Dating Ace.

Goes to the gym regularly with Sebek and Jack.

Has a small pocket knife.

Has both ADHD and Dyslexia.

Knows how to play the ukulele.

Sticks a bit of his tongue out when too focused.

Isn’t that good at cooking, But likes helping out in the kitchen.

Tons of piercings, and I mean TONS.

Has a small tattoo in his lower back (regrets getting it)

Had a small spade tattoo on his arm.

Likes having his hair played with/ run through.

Suddenly switches to Spanish when stressed.

Used to have a dog when he was a kid.

Has one friend that he knew from kindergarten that was in a gang with him.

^^ they still talk and Deuce considers him one of his closest friends.

Has three cousins and is close with all of them

One of said cousins goes to nrc

Favorite fruit is blueberry

Least favorite are bananas

Allergic to strawberries

Is surprisingly good at baking and cooking

When starting school he’d call his mom everyday, now he only calls her thrice a week.

His mom knows everyone’s names and looks because he keeps talking about them.

Remember these are my headcanons and opinions. Yours can differ and disagree with them.

[juliedrawz]

Guys! My heart! Yesterday evening something happened that I didn't expect AT ALL!

So it was my cousins birthday. No biggie. Just another small family get together at my aunts. Some cake, some really good dinner, boring chit chat. You name it.

And, of course, eventually, I sat ... and sat ... and got bored. So I took out my Ipad and started drawing Coco stuff, when all of the sudden I hear my Dad go in a whisper to my great cousin (She's almost 7, mind you) "Uh oh ... don't let Julie hear that!"

Too late! Sweet familiar melodies I've engraved in my heart reach my ears and I'm immersed in the movie I love more than anything! I hear Héctor talk to Miguel and that's it. I Turn my head, the child giggles and grins and boom, I scuttle closer next to her and before we know it, we are BOTH deeply in the movie. Dad shakes his head grinning, Mom beams from ear to ear as my great cousin showers me with a huricane of questions and facts.

"Did you know Ernesto's guitar is actually Héctor's"?

"Yes, sweety! I know 😂"

"Why is Imelda angry at Héctor?"

"Because she was very sad when he didn't come back."

My great cousin loudly - "But he wanted to come back!! Ernesto kept him from going!"

Me - 🫠 "Yes, sweety! I know!!" 💪😭 *so proud!!*

And she literally proceeded to ask me questions and I answered them all! Why do alebrijes look so colorful? Why does Pepita turn back into a cat? Why does Miguel turn a skeleton? Why did Ernesto snap?

She also wanted to know my top 3 and DUH, did I say, Héctor, Imelda, Ernesto! Héctor being nr 1. And she agress but says, "Héctor, Miguel, Ernesto!" And I'm just 🥹💘 (She said, Ernesto folks!! She's a clever one! She doesn't put the "Villain" stamp on him but understands (as far as child can at that age) that something went wrong with him. One day, when she's old enough, she'll get to read my book! That's for sure!

And further more, speaking of Héctor's guitar, her Dad comes around singing un poco loco and asks, "Why can't you play her un poco loco?"

Me - "Because I've only been playing for 10 months? I'm not that good yet! 🥲"

He - "Well then learn faster!" 😂

Me - 🥲 "I wish I could! Believe me ... it's not that easy!"

And great cousin asks when I will finish Héctor's guitar. OF COURSE, Dad had to tell her what I'm up to!

Me - "Soon, I hope!"

Fast forward, un poco loco comes on, we sing! My aunt comes, hears and you can see the sneer in her face 🤣 but I already have the multitude on my side! So we settle in an agreement to turn the music down slightly!

And then Imelda comes and sings, and my great cousin goes "Imelda sings sooooo good!"

And I 🥰 "Oh yes she does!"

We keep watching the movie, kid keeps asking stuff, I answer and feel like the greatest nerd ever 😆🤓 The movie ends, we clapp and cheer, and kid proceeds to ask me to draw the characters. I show her my works and she's in awe! "Wow! You can draw them like in the movie!" And I'm 🤧❤️‍🔥 (you guys know kids are darn honest, no?) It went down like oil! I felt SO good! 🤣

Anyway, we drew a little, had dinner and then she fell asleep.

Will I continue to turn my family into Coco-fans? Heck yes!

[sukiithedummii]

HI OWNER OF THE LAMPERT BLOG I NEED MORE INFO ON YOUR GOOBSTER !!! PLEASE!!!

HUH WH- YOU MEAN SAMANTHA OMG??

I’D LOVE TO SHARE SOME STUFF ABOUT HER!! x3

Samantha is best friends with H4NG who is my cousin’s/bestie’s oc!! (Photo of em below)

Samantha is quite a fashionista! ^_^

She’s bisexual and goes by she/they!

She used to be dating a girl at some point but the relationship didn’t go well…

She has mommy issues! Hurrayyyy!! :3

She plays the flute pretty well! She also sings and sometimes even preforms to herself with Infected playing the guitar!

She’s SUUUUPER gossipy! When H4NG told her he likes Pest, Samantha couldn’t keep her mouth shut so H4NG had to shut her up! Lolz!! Cx

Samantha has a big crush on infected but she doesn’t let it show, while Infected does let it show and he has an even BIGGER crush! heehee <3

Samantha has heterochromia! One blue eye, one green eye!

She almost NEVER takes off her glasses in front of anyone! She considers it to be a form of much respect/trust, so she only usually takes them off when she’s with H4NG or Infected! But it took a while for her to be close enough with Infected lalala :3

Thats all for now! Apologies for this post being so long I just really love my silly girl and am very excited that someone is interested!! ^_^

[b-sai-des]

A New Frontier: South Asian Fusion

In terms of any actual formal music knowledge, I come from the side of Carnatic music, the Indian classical music style, having been learning the mridangam for around ten years under my guru, Sri T.S Nandakumar. I am always eternally grateful for all that he has done for all of us students, and one of the many things I admire about sir is his willingness to explore unconventional avenues with the mridangam. The mridangam is a two-sided barrel drum usually played as an accompanying instrument in a Carnatic piece that may feature vocals or violin, and veena as well. Nandakumar sir is a renowned accompanying artist, but he’s also given his students many opportunities to perform like chamber concerts and arangetrams. One really unique thing he’s done is a large orchestra of mridangams and other Carnatic percussion instruments at the Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival, which he’s done for multiple years and encouraged even younger students to practice and perform there. It’s unusual for the mridangam to take such a center stage like that, where you have around 100 players playing together in an epic display alongside veena and violin. It was also cool to see Nandakumar sir bringing in western drums into those performances as well, along with drum pads there and in other performances. Having that exposure from a young age really opened my eyes to the potential of Carnatic music elements in contexts that you don’t normally see, and I got curious about what else is capable. Carnatic music for example utilizes many, many different talams (time signatures) apart from just 4:4 (Adi in Carnatic music), and it would be really interesting to see how that could be utilized more generally.

South Asian fusion is a huge, diverse space that’s hard to really pigeon-hole because of how many types of South Asian music there are (Carnatic is just one, there’s also Hindustani, Sufi music, folk music, Bhangra, etc.), along with different genres that they are mixed with like jazz, rock, pop, etc. You had mingling in the past, like Ravi Shankar and The Beatles. Later on it grew, definitely a more recent phenomenon and likely accelerated due to immigration and assimilation in the west. Younger generations are really at the forefront on it  – you see a ton of high school and college clubs doing Indian music or dance fusion. Rutgers has many, including RU Dhol for example. Some of these student clubs lean more on the side of Bollywood-oriented stuff, and there are times that can overshadow other ways to explore the genres – my sister sometimes talks about how the South Asian fusion club she’s part of really neglects classical dance forms like Bharatanatyam or Kathak. In that club it’s seen as the less hip thing, and people will say “it’s cool that you’re so confident to perform that” rather than actually having an interest in it and the people who want to share it. Then again, I'm talking about high-school pettiness here – it's not like this everywhere. RU Dhol combines South Asian instruments and styles of playing with western equivalents. This performance places electric guitars next to the Indian classical violin style in a really fun way.

One of my biggest experiences with South Asian fusion is with Brooklyn Raga Massive. My aunt is a Bharatanatyam teacher, and in 2018 or so she had collaborated with a theater director for a production of Jungle Book, where her students performed Bharatanatyam in a song. After the show, we had met some of the other musicians involved in the show, since my cousin learns Carnatic singing, my sister Bharatanatyam, and I mridangam, and we talked to a percussionist who was part of Brooklyn Raga Massive. He had told us about them – they do daily events at a Prospect Heights venue along with bigger events and performances, and he encouraged us to come on a Thursday where they hold an open mic jam session. We definitely got excited about this, and we went one evening.

The venue was a real hole in the wall type bar with a small stage and seating area in the back, and there was a decent and rather diverse crowd of people. Dim lights and creaky wooden floors, very aesthetic. It’s interesting because now they’ve grown immensely as an organization, and I don’t believe they still have events at this place. It was really cool to see the really different talents displayed there – one woman performed a really interesting singing performance which now I can’t pinpoint what style it was. You also had more traditional classical instruments like tabla and sitar. What’s really cool is that even though I was only in eight grade and my cousin was only in ninth grade, they gave both of us the opportunity to play with them, and they were super friendly and inviting, even despite any mistakes or hesitation I had. There were no judgments, just the spirit of experimenting and playing. I still look at that night with a lot of fondness. 

What I played that day, it was really incredible to get that opportunity and for it to be so low-key and welcoming. My cousin is also there on the stage (dressed in white), he’s an incredibly skilled Carnatic vocalist.

Recently I was inspired by all this and for my midterm assignment for the class I’m writing this for, I made a music track with mridangam and electronic effects in Ableton (free trial came clutch). I initially spent a lot of time worrying about doing it right and perfectly planning everything, but it only came together when I just let go of that and just messed around, re-arranging recordings of me playing and layering effects. Just doing it was fun, and I learned a lot from it.

shameless plug to my video

There’s a free-ness with something like this that’s a really different experience from traditional Carnatic music. At the same time, there’s a level of playfulness with Carnatic music too, as when you’re playing on stage you don’t practice with the other artist beforehand, and what happens there is often unexpected and exciting, and I’m reminded of that when I see jazz music too. To me says a lot about the inherent commonalities in what makes music so rewarding to make and experience.

[countessofravenclaw]

15 and 19 for any next gen kid/s of your choice

Wohooo! So since you didn't specify I am gonna answer for all the Roller Crew kind who I have a rounded idea about (All the Kids have names and birth years, but not everyone has a distinct personality in my mind yet).

So we'll be talking about the three Perida kids: Oscar, Aurora and Laura, plus Victoria Arias, Stella Balsano, and Ivory Alvarez who are the oldest children of Pelfi, Lutteo, and Simbar respectively.

How is their clothing style?

This was hard at first, but in the end, I ended up making some mood boards. Right now I am imagining the kids in the year 2047, so Victoria is 20, Oscar 18, Aurora and Stella 16, and Laura and Ivory 15

So lets to this from oldest to youngest

So, first Victoria. She is the daughter of Delfi and Jazmin is her godmother, so she obviously would be very stylish and probably little bit more daring clothing

Oscar was alos kind of hard, because well, I have never been a guy, so planning an outfit for him was harder. But in the end, I landed in, a casual but still put-together vibe. He is very well-raised, and a gentleman obviously, so that would b something he would wear. Not every guy wears just slacks. Also, the sports jackets that Gastón wore to not run in genetics. He abandoned them once he hit uni himself

Aurora has been another thought one, because I think she wouldn't be overflowingly girly, but definitely not a tomboy either. One thing about her that I know is the she would prominently wear golden jewelry

The way I imagine Stella is that she does resemble Luna in looks and spirit quite a lot. I don't this she dresses up quite as horrendously as Luna did, but she definitely would still prefer bright colors and some star imagery

The way I see bot Simbar's kid is that their personalities wise they are similar to Simon, while the girls really look like Ambar. And for Ivory, I really think her style would be very princessy, especially while she is younger.

And we have Laura. While I said that her sister isn't uberly girly, but Laura really is.

These flat lays are just examples of what they would wear

What are their main interests?

So lets tackle Oscar, Aurora and Laura first, since they are the Gastina kids.

They all are pretty big nerds, they love Star wars and Harry Potter etc. Obviously big readers all of them. None of them really get into writing passionately, but you bet they slay an essay at school.

Oscar is really into science, mainly biology and chemistry and wants to be a doctor (Influenced by one of Gastóns cousins). He also is into "Extreme" sports, in a safe way, meaning rock climbing and ropes courses (This does drive Nina crazy, just a little bit). Things to do with heights. Never says no to a Roller coaster. He also loves animals a lot..

Aurora really likes mysteries and solving them. Math and physics are her strong suit, and her literature class, especially argumentative pieces. She is also really interested in different languages and has a bit of a goal to be able to speak four languages before she graduates college

Laura is the artistic one. She skates, draws and has some interest in playing the guitar (Matteo gives her occasional lessons). She's also a hopeless romantic. She's straight A student like her siblings but isn't exactly passionate about any form of science.

Then the rest

Victoria really feels pretty similar to Delfi. She's into media and stuff like that. There is a little small feeling I have that maybe she could have an interest in screenwriting, which develops once Delfi transition more movie and Tv production. She also does contemporary dance

Stella is really like Luna, like I said above, so she obviousky loves to skate, but also is an avid reader. She also loves to bake, something she picked up from her grandma obviously

Ivory also skates and sings in a choir. She also loves dressing up, and sometimes plans her outfits days ahead

And there we go, obviously this whole post excluded Lucas, William and Olivia Arias, Milo Balsano and Esme Alvarez, but including them would have taken way too long and I don't have a rounded vision on them yet

[analtyranny]

let’s play gore screaming show, part 5

that got us a relationship point with...kiika?? huh??? maybe kiika also likes the hot nurse and we can bond over that down the road

or she'll just happen to show up that moment. that works too

let's not tell her about the insane brawl...yet?

"nope, don't care"

five guys: haha im stuff kyoji: omg five guys nooo

okay she figures out immediately it was a fight

but kiika already knows him from their old school, so. whew

hey akane's back WITH HOT NURSE

........she doesn't have a portrait. invisible nurse route NEVER

and now we're back home (yamiko is the hot older cousin he lives with now)

so the room's still kinda bare but has SOME personality. i just moved so i know how it is [author’s note: “just” = 10 months ago]

he's gonna sing wonderwall

kyoji just wants to rock the fuck out

[link]

THERE she is, we may not get hot nurse but there's still hot cousin

she's wearing a Denkishiki Karen Ongaku Shuudan (AKA DenKare) shirt. they sing the OP

she'll say this again during the yamiko route won't she

oh my god okay so she used to have a friend who also played guitar and collected monster figures. inch resting

it's digimon, they're all ugly

DREAM WOMAN also the pudding is meat pudding

honestly i get it. ive tried those weird coca-cola flavors for this reason too. space coke was really good. dream coke sucks

that's not a color name

also that makes her kyoji's uhhh first cousin once removed

FUCK YEAHHH yamiko also agrees they probably deserved it, and makes a cryptic comment about how "tomorrow's going to be a long day" but won't elaborate. hmm is...is she the clown

like, in a yuri way, or...

so kyoji's like "yeah everyone thinks kiika's gorgeous" and yamiko's like "oh so you LIKE like her"

m-maybe 😳

no. blue and/or red all the way

this game has a lot of choices, huh? this one’s a pretty blatant "do you want kiika's route yet" choice

[author’s note FROM THE FUTURE: it looks like kyoji brings up whoever you have the most points with? so yeah this scene is a general “just making sure but you DO want this route right” choice]

[captainmarsupial]

once again, i fail at this blog.

IT'S MID SEPTEMBER!

it's just now occurring to me that fall is in like, a week. which means i get to listen to stuff like phoebe bridgers & death cab for cutie & kyuhyun's "fall, once again" album & that one dj snake song about the end of summer. <3 i know it's gonna be hot for the next five weeks anyway, but i'm still in a good mood about it. the sun sets earlier & the mornings are a little colder! and i'm just about in the mood for warmer scents and using my oven!

summer was good. i guess i haven't updated since the first of july?! my week off kind of sucked since i was at home & there was a pretty vicious heatwave, but we got a new couch and it's such an upgrade from our old one. i went on a cousins trip to san diego which i would say was...overall successful, but i definitely learned who i would not travel with again. hahahah. but that's maybe not a story for the public blog. other than that, july was pretty laid back. i saw a soccer game with kristen & honor, celebrated john's bday, hosted a knitting night with tram & minnette & a new friend jenn... also ate hella bad & barely worked out, but that's ok. lol

august was buuuusy. went to outsidelands after swearing i'd retire, also went to a jazz festival (which was so much more lowkey), had a catch-up dinner with susan, took a yarn spinning class!, & had like a billion different birthday celebrations:

-dinner with toni at this popup thing her cousin was hosting. it was my first time doing one of those tasting menu type dinners & it felt hella fancy. there were some things we were confused on how to eat, & also there were ribs on the menu but we didn't know if we could use our hands?! LOL. i ended up using mine bc it was supposed to be a filipino fusion menu, & we use our HANDS! i also got a birthday shot on the house, &they gave me a fat ass shot of hennessy. -lunch with noel & josh! we got japanese curry, &then we went to the mall bc noel was buying a very expensive watch. i was already planning on buying myself a very expensive bag which is why i tagged along. my wallet was crying, but it was worth it & it was fun to hang out with the guys. :] -dinner with siblings & toni & everyone's SOs! we got kbbq. i was banned from helping plan this dinner because im the micromanager friend :[ embarrassing. but it was so awesome, they got me a cake that was covered in kyuhyun cake toppers bahah. &the restaurant staff wheeled it out which was definitely embarrassing but it's ok. -house party! not really. it was only like ten of us, but we did barbecue &drink hella &play beer pong &sing karaoke for the rest of the night. we cleaned up the yard & busted out all the seating and the umbrella, and had party favorites (filipino bbq + lumpia + little caesars LOL). oh & we even played GUITAR HERO! honestly, it was pretty healing. it was like all the best parts of family parties &no aunties there to call us fat or ask us why we weren't dating or going to med school. hahahah -dinner with parents! honestly, i've been too busy to go home and i feel super bad about it. so we met halfway and got sushi &did some shopping after. it made me happy, but i should definitely try & go back home sometime this month...

annndd now it's september!

i started playing tennis (technically again, but i haven't played since high school) & it's been a ton of fun. im so bad at sports, but i've definitely been getting the hang of it, which is shocking. i guess the only thing is im worried about getting injured so i tend not to go super hard. which i guess is fine, at my grown ass age lmao. but i do try and cross-train by doing cardio &strength training at the gym. i think it's helping more than i thought it would.

choir also started back up again! i was playing tennis last week with tram and rj and josh, & they were joking that i have the extracurricular schedule of a high school student. the only thing about choir is we're preparing for the christmas concert, so im already hearing christmas music this month. i've always been good about not listening to any christmas music until after thanksgiving, but not since i started singing in choir again. BAAHH. but im pretty excited for this concert because the repertoire isn't as challenging as last year's.

this week niki came & stayed for a few days since she was attending a conference in the area. it was actually rly fun to have a sleepover vibe going on, even if we did all sleep in separate rooms at the end of the evening LOL. we had a yummy dinner of korean corn dogs on her first night, &just caught up with...life. i haven't seen her in a couple of months since helping her move, &i worry about her sometimes bc i know she's going thru some life stresses.. so it was good to catch up, &have some reassurance that she's ok. on thursday night we were all busy, so we didn't see each other until the end of the evening, but on friday we spent the afternoon in the backyard drinking some vietnamese dessert drinks &playing genius star &cracking jokes. it was a nice start to the weekend. :]

i actually saw her yesterday too to check out her new place! she & meredith are living with a couple minnesotan friends now that i got to meet back in march. marissa came too so it was basically a mini reunion. we had a super yummy home cooked dinner & then talked shit about crappy guys at work & then played this game called in cahoots. i ended up going home first since i live the farthest :[ buut it was so nice to be all together again. i think march was the last time.. TT i've seen the rest of them on separate occasions since then, but being together as a group just hits different. sam & emily are so nice too :')) they live so far away, but hopefully i'll see them again soon.

next week im going camping! my sister was supposed to come, but she texted me today that she has covid :[ grrr. i should definitely be more careful since a lot of people i know have been getting it.. i slacked off on masking at work for sure, but people there sound hella nasty right now. so i packed a mask in my bag lol. anyway, camping should be fun. im excited to hike and cook! i started watching the kvar show spring camp today, &it really got me excited to camp. granted my gear is not that nice compared to theirs LOL. but still.

im hoping it won't be super hot at camping, especially now that the nights are cooling down significantly. i guess as long as we get the outdoor activities out of the way early, & then spend the rest of the day in the shade it should be fine. ahhhh...im excited :]

anyway, i guess ill go do some duolingo &then go to sleep.

[maximuswolf]

Am I meant to be a musician/ rockstar?

Am I meant to be a musician/ rockstar? I was around 7 years old ( this is kinda off topic but hear me out) I used to watch fnaf and I would admire Bonnie with his guitar I too wanted to play on stage. And I also used to sing a lot too. I wanted to play the guitar but didn’t have the brains for it. At 9 years old I discovered rock music and metal and loved it. It was the closest thing to my heart. I looked up the singers and guitarist most. And at the time my brother started to play guitar and I had really big jealously. But just continued on with my life and listeing to rockI was around 12 I finally got an electric guitar for Xmas. And being a rockstar was still fresh on my mind. Or at least starting a band having fun with my friends being famous doesn’t matter I don’t wanna please no one. I would practice everyday or at least every couple days since I would lose motivation. And was heavily stressed out for no reason at all. A couple months pass. And this guitar and the music it’s a big passion of mine I love it a lot. And I learned a few songs. Thunder struck acdc of course I didn’t just skip to high tier songs I started small. I learned like any normal person would. Guitar and rock seriously is one of the things that come from the heart and soul and is just so like humanly and beautful. Now a days it’s just ai social media and strict beauty standards and lots of truama dumping.. 😬 and serious very serious peopleBut the moral of the story is. Would I be meant or not.? I come from a family who wouldn’t except the band stuff. And I don’t have friends who enjoy these types of things I just deal with my cousins mostly. I’m 13 now btwThanks for your time reading this Submitted September 02, 2024 at 06:23AM by Waste_Experience5312 https://ift.tt/7TdzN4c via /r/Music

[ruminate88]

What Music Did You Grow Up With?

I wanna take a break from talking about the healing journey and talk about music cuz that’s my passion in life 🎶👏🏻

There’s musicians and song writers on both sides of my family. I have a HUGE family. 100 cousins on both sides of my family but I’m closer to my dad’s side. My aunt Becky use to be on local radio in the 80’s for gospel music. I grew up listening to an Uncle sing never knowing he wrote most of the songs he sang 😳 He just doesn’t brag about it but he’s so talented!! (I always thought the songs he sang came from gospel radio)

My dad can mess around for fun on the piano and guitar but doesn’t actually play. He can sing a little too but also doesn’t do it seriously… My MOM on the other hand though, she can chord on piano and guitar PLUS she’s the BEST singer I’ve ever heard in the whole world. She’s got soul and range but she’ll never ever brag about it 🥺🥰 and she never thinks she’s as good as she is. I’ve heard her sing all of my life and it has always intimated me LOL People always ask do I sing like my mom and it’s like “HAH, I wish…” 😅 My brother and my nieces also sing really well.

My dad always played pop music at home, soft rock and smooth jazz. My mom played gospel music and blue grass. My older brother always played heavy metal privately when I would ride in his mustang with him but played country music in front of our parents to cover up what he was actually listening to…. Hah I heard a range of music styles growing up.

For me, I listened to pop and r&b. My favorite was Craig David but I also loved Brian McKnight, Boyz ll Men and Ne-yo. I loved “The Year of a Gentleman” album. At 17, I thought I was a rapper LOL I use to listen to Bone, thugs and harmony plus DMX lol By the time I’m in my 20s, I fell in love with trance and EDM. I was depressed for 3 and a half years and trance music such as Jax Jones, Above & Beyond, got me through. By the time I’m 26, I’m in love with indie pop-rock music such as: The 1975, Bad Suns, Atlas, The Bleachers, etc… In my darkest moments, I leaned on Bad Suns the most. There songs just got me through where I was.

I have listened to music my whole life. Music is the only language I truly speak and relate to others and life situations. When I can’t get people to understand me, I put a song in its place 🎶👏🏻 I have never sang in front of family seriously or sang them a song I’ve written 😳 I’m shy haha but I’ve written songs on the piano I’ve played…. Maybe one day I’ll sing for my family. I’ve played in a few bands over the years but only playing the piano. I’ve also played the organ and the violin. Gospel music has mostly shaped my abilities but pop music drives my lyrics 👏🏻👏🏻

I’ve been noticed before by Jesse McCartney, Gareth Emery, Tritonal and a few others… Jesse McCartney actually in 2010 said my song “Be With You” was notable on his MySpace blog… Nothing came of it though. Was like my 10 seconds of fame LOL 😂. I had a lot of Jesse fan haters after that…. It’s all good though. I did not write the song for his fans to love me. It was a song I wrote for him out of love for him. (I don’t like to talk about Jesse anymore like I use to but I have mentioned him a couple times)

Concerts: My 1st real concert was in 2000, it was *NSYNC’s no strings attached Haha Got to sit in the nose bleed section. It made the band look like little stick figures hehe Funny stuff… but my favorite concert I’ve EVER been to believe it or not was in 2011, a Christmas band called “Mannheim Steamroller” Wow they are amaaaaaazing. If you love Christmas music, which I dooooooo, they bring nostalgia but have a whole orchestra behind them combined with synthasizers which incorporates my love for pop music too! Sooo good!!!! Another concert I loved was in 2019, Colton Dixon. He’s a Christian rock singer and he has a moment on the piano just of him singing solo and it was beautiful and intimate! It’s moments in music like those that you never forget ❤️👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🎶

When I make music, it’s always from my heart. I only write about what I can’t say out loud in a normal conversation. I always say the truth, even when it’s hurting me. Music is my escape and always has been. I remember when Jesse McCartney said that one time in like 2009 or something and that resonated with me beyond words. Music has the power to link people together!!!!

You can hear my music on the following platforms: Spotify, SoundCloud and Bandlab. My usernames are songwriter88 and songwriter1988 I was on TikTok but that’s currently a private account for obvious reasons. If you’re a musician like me, share your music with me below 👍🏻 I’m always looking for new songs to add to my faves list!!

A very personal song I wrote in 2021:

[hoodie-prince-kid]

i'll keep trying to learn after i eat

[stardew-mermaid]

im WEAK for my faves as parents and i know lots of y'all are too so here are

bachelors as dads vibes

(bachelorettes as moms will come soon too ❤️ under cut cause it got very long lol)

sebastian

a chill dad. when u were very little he'd let u sit in his lap while he codes and consequently u find heavy metal soothing cause he would be playing it while he works and u would always fall asleep against him

if he wasn't using his second computer u could play around on it while he works. 'existing in each other's company while u both do stuff' time becomes a regular thing even as u get older, u would do ur homework next to him at his desk and he'd help if u were confused

the first time u were deemed old enough to go for a ride on his motorcycle u were SO fucking hyped even if u had to be absolutely decked out in protective gear. sometimes while u were in high school he'd help you flex by picking you up/dropping you off on the bike

would bundle u up in his hoodies as a toddler and there's a few pics of u absolutely SWIMMING in them with the hood all the way over ur face pretending to be the grim reaper. he'd never been so proud

elliott

an eloquent dad, but still has goofy dadlike tendencies. he may be the picture of a dark academia dilf with his slacks and button ups sipping coffee in the morning over a manuscript, but he'll still make the jokes. calls u things like little one and taught u to play piano

he got u ur own little bookshelf for all ur baby books and he'd read to you every single night without fail. he'd make up stories too and u would help and make a collab tho it often got u more excited than relaxed for bed but it was worth it!!! when u were grown up u helped him compile the short stories u made up together and published it. he'd also share with u poems he wrote for you and about you over the years, lots of them to do with the wonder of watching a whole tiny person grow into a big person

would always take u on nature walks and play at the beach!!! u would find shells and rocks to give to him and he'd always look like u just handed him pure gold

u made a pact that u would sit still for him while he did ur hair if u could braid his hair in turn. u both looked very stylish

sam

cool dad!!! fun dad!!!! watches anime with u when u get into it and is forever ur player 2. if u had a skateboard or a scooter he'd always show u up by pulling off sick tricks and it became a friendly rivalry. taught u to stick it to the man at a very early age. teaches u to play guitar and took u to ur first rock concert when u were like 8

there are baby photos of u wearing sunglasses that cover half ur face and when asked about it he'd say 'u were just a rly cool baby!!!!' in some of them he's wearing matching sunglasses and carrying u in one of those front baby pouches. he'd also always sing to you as a baby and still does it idly sometimes and has written songs for u!!!!

ur #1 hypeman. praises u for everything and always makes sure u know how cool u are just for existing. he loses his mind at ur grade school talent show and at ur graduation he's there holding up his phone and crying like FUCK IT UP KENNETH!!!!! 😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️

tho alongside all the fun he teaches u to be very responsible and polite and above all extremely kind!!!!

shane

has the most potent typical dad energy. the socks with sandals, the jokes, the ac/dc, the funny hobby projects, the rivalry with other pta parents, all of it. calls u squirt and kiddo and the kind to ruffle ur hair. always gives u piggy back rides even as u get older, says it helps him stay in shape. when u were little you'd always bap ur baby hands against his stubble cause heehee funny scratchy face

u loved when he was in charge of dinner growing up cause it was often takeout pizza/burgers. 'hey im making a pot of kraft dinner should i double it for u' kind of guy, adds cut up hot dogs and after ur other parent voices a need for nutrition adds frozen veggies too. VERY good at cooking all kinds of eggs tho, would always feed u eggs from his own chickens and would accept nothing less!!!

teaches u a lot about chickens and some of ur fave memories with him are in the coop or chillin in a field in spring with him and the new chicks. some other faves include the regular tea parties with him and cousin jas, and even as u both get older u all sit down and have tea together sometimes and occasionally break out one of the old barbie movies for funsies

u learned how to say fuck from him when u were 3 and he died laughing. if called and told that u got into a fight at school would reply with 'did they win'

harvey

sweet, dorky doctor dad. would get SUPER worried whenever u got so much as a cold, made u stay home and rest and HYDRATE. taught u proper medical standard handwashing from when u first learned how to turn on the tap, also taught u a lot of basic first aid. when u were fussy he would read u his old textbooks from med school and it'd get you to sleep in minutes

refuses to let u leave the house without eating something first and would often get up early to make u a big breakfast before school (it's the most important meal of the day!!!!). yes it's ok if ur late ur english teacher can wait until you've had ur veggies. when u were a baby his standard of keeping u fed was 'if i had to change less than five diapers a day it wasn't enough'. encourages taking a snack and water everywhere

as u got older u realized how hardworking he is so u make sure he knows how much u love and appreciate him, goes all out for his bday and father's day like how he goes all out for u every day and it makes him cry. he cries at ur first birthday and ur graduation too, cried when u got him a #1 DAD mug specifically for his morning coffee, he just cries a lot and it's very endearing, dad taught u it's okay to be emotional. u also gift him funky socks to wear at work and he goes bananas for them

he taught u how to assemble model planes and u would sit with him while he tuned his old radio, u liked the bwee bwee sounds. he would play jazz and swing and dance with u standing on his feet. when u were little u liked to play with his moustache and occasionally he would fall asleep while watching u but the most u ever did was add a goatee to the stache with washable marker which he thought was pretty funny

alex

strong dad!!! jock dad!!!!! would flex and let u hang off his bicep, play wrestle (u would always win), sit u on his shoulders and run around making airplane noises, play sportsball in the yard and would come up with fun challenges for u if u got bored of catch. pretty much the master of keeping ur baby self entertained and was always there to tuck u in for a nap when u got tired out

makes an extra protein shake for u every morning and loads of scrambled eggs, will also sneak u a cookie tho

he's always super encouraging and positive and enthusiastic about everything u do which u pick up fast. u go to his games and even if sports turns out not to be ur thing the fact that ur there rooting for him makes him put in 1000% effort, calls u his good luck charm!!!! he will also throw u over his shoulders and use u for weightlifting while u shout encouragement directly into his ear. this continues until ur grown up (and sometimes even then so he can flex even as an 'old man')

gets really really worried about you whenever ur sick or get hurt and will lose sleep over it but stays upbeat for ur sake. he will cuddle u tho. sometimes you'll ask for stories about ur grandma and he'll tell u and it's so nice to him to talk about his mother and smile instead of being sad, you help him heal because it's so wonderful to think of her as a grandmother and how proud she'd be. he plays her music box for u to help u sleep when ur little and it still makes u feel sleepy and safe when ur older

[mrsbrookegillespie]

+Perfect Harmony+ (Part One) Luke x Reader

Description: For Y/N Molina, it never came easy for her. The hardest part not being able to do the one thing she loved, creating music. With her cousin Julie joining a ghost band that she’s been secretly admiring for years, her all time crush not returning the same feelings, and having many untold secrets, something is bound to go wrong.

Warnings: ANGST, swearing, mention of suicidal thoughts, Ray not being that nice (I’m sorry Ray, we love you), mention of slight sexual harassment, mentions of death (duh), terrible writing, typos, and probably more that my brain can’t think of at the moment. 

After Writing All Of That I’m Questioning This Story, But I Do Love It So... Many Songs Will Be Featured, Feel Free To Listen To Them When They Come Up.

+Perfect Harmony+

For Y/N Molina life wasn’t easy. Her parents, one being the sister of Ray Molina, dropped her off in front of the Molina household at the age of fourteen before going off to explore the world. At the time she was upset about the situation, but it wasn’t surprising. Her parents never wanted a kid, she practically raised herself while they were in Greece eating seafood, and sipping at the finest wine, no doubt. “How are you doing?” Rose, her cousin Julie’s mom, asks. 

Y/N shrugs. “They’re never coming back, so I guess I’m going to be stuck on this couch for a while.” She actually grew quite fond of the sofa that pulled out into a bed.

“We’ll make you a room up in the loft,” Rose assures.

“So, we agree, my parents are…” Her voice fades off, inhaling through her nose.

“You know, this used to be the studio of a band.” Y/N tilts her head, looking at the older woman. “A rock band, I met them when they were going to play at The Orpheum--”

“The Orpheum?!” Y/N exclaims. “That’s amazing!” 

“They were, but they died that night.” Rose stands up, walking to a box. “This is some of their stuff.” She picks it up. “I’ve heard the music you listen to, and I think you would like them.” Setting down the box in front of Y/N, she wastes no time searching through it.

“Sunset Curve?” she questions, staring down at the logo printed on the shirt. “Cool name,” she compliments with a wide smile, setting the article of clothing in her lap. She picks up a picture showing four boys. “Were these them?” 

“Yes, that one was Bobby, he’s a flirt, Reggie, sweetie, Alex, very sassy--” Y/N giggles, “And Luke, he was the lead singer.” 

“He’s… Quite decent looking,” Y/N observes sheepishly.

“I knew you’d think so.” Rose ruffles her hair. “Listen to the CD, you never know…” 

“I will.” Y/N clutches the photo to her chest as Rose leaves. Hastily she picks up the CD that had the band's logo plastered on the plastic case. She gently places it in the player, waiting for the music to come through the speakers. And then, there it was. “They’re amazing.” She grabs the box again, pulling out an orange beanie, placing it on her head. 

By the end of the night she had searched the entire studio for more stuff, gathering it, trying things on, she stayed up ‘til sunrise listening, and trying to learn each and every one of their songs, painting each of the members on canvases, writing songs about the guitarist that even though died years ago, she couldn’t help but feel connected to. A crush on a dead guy, what’s better than that?

“Boo!” Luke poofs in next to Y/N who’s currently getting her textbooks out of her locker.

“God!” she shrieks. “You need to stop doing that to me, gonna give me a heart attack,” she mutters as her fellow classmates, and random people she had never met give her weird glances. “Make people think I’m crazy.” Luke opens his mouth to reply, but Y/N beats him to it. “Yes, Luke, I know ‘we’re all a little crazy’.”

He pouts. “Someone’s grumpy today.” He crosses his arms, leaning against the locker next to hers. “But, anyways! Do you know where Julie is?” 

And there Y/N’s heart was punched. “I mean, she has to be around here somewhere,” she answers, slamming the locker door. “Now, if you’d excuse me, I have to go to class.” She takes her time to turn around on her heels.

“You’re gonna be at band rehearsal before our performance, right?” he asks, making her stop.

Turning only the upper half of her body to look at him. “I think you forget I live in the studio.”

He lets out an airy chuckle. “Right.” He playfully rolls his eyes.

Unlike Julie she didn’t care if people thought she was crazy, for the number one reason being that people already thought that. Wacky, coocoo, freak, those were just some of the words people called her before her favorite band suddenly popped out of nowhere because Julie played their CD.

That always confused Y/N, why is that when she played the CD all that time ago they didn’t show up, but when Julie did, they did? She never mentioned her already known infatuation with the band, even though it most likely answers the question of why Julie and her can see the ghosts. “But, I’m grounded so…” She carelessly shrugs. “I’m stuck on party duty for the time being, so probably won’t be there for that, but I’ll be there for the actual performance.” Even though she would’ve done it anyway, Ray wanted Y/N to be more ‘supportive’.

“Oh.” His smile falters a little. “Cool, I’ll catch you later then.”

An awkward tension fills the air. “Yep.” She salutes towards him, walking off. 

Grounded. No phone, only can drive her car to school, and home. Y/N wasn’t even allowed to listen to her records which she’s collected over the course of three years. And it was for the reason that she's failing multiple classes, but Ray didn’t understand the struggle she’s going through.

Let’s rewind… When Rose died it left the whole Molina family broken. But, it also left another part of Y/N broken when music became Julie’s thing at that moment, Ray not allowing Y/N to even have a guitar in her room. She loved music, all she wanted to do was sing, play every instrument, write every song with any word that popped into her mind. Julie couldn’t even touch a piano until recently, and yet, it had to only be Julie’s thing. So, now Y/N has to just secretly write songs in her red notebook knowing they’ll never be used, and secretly play in the school’s band room before any student takes a foot into the building, while she watches her cousin and the guys become ‘Julie and the Phantoms’.

What does hurt her everyday, is not being able to do something she loves because they’re afraid of how it might affect someone else. But, if Julie really cared for her family member then she’d be happy for her, right? Not to mention the way Luke looks at Julie hurts a little too, the chemistry. No one can deny it. It’s not like she’s had a crush on him before they even met him as a ghost. No, the biggest crush that she’s ever had is totally not a dead guy, and no, she’s never in the past thought about killing herself in hope to meet him if there were an afterlife, which she guesses there is now. She’s sure he loves Julie not being an absolute mess for him, and he probably knows that Y/N’s in love with him and is trying to show her he doesn’t like her in the worst way possible. “Y/N!” she internally screams, hearing the familiar voice.

“Josh…” she drags out his name. Maybe she should just give him a chance? He gives her plenty of attention. She giggles to herself when the thought crosses her mind. That wasn’t funny. An inner voice replies. 

“Hey, I just… Wanted to see how you were doing, you know--just friend to friend.” 

“I actually have to go to class, so we’ll talk later, ‘kay?” She tries to turn around to leave, but Josh grabs her arm to pull her back.

“Class doesn’t start for another fifteen minutes,” he counters.

“Y/N!” Luke exclaims, poofing right next to Josh. “I still haven’t found Julie, are you sure you don’t know where she is?” He almost didn’t even notice the other boy that had also been fighting for Y/N’s attention.

“I like to get to class early,” Y/N replies to Josh. “And you haven’t seen Julie around here, have you?”

“I think I saw her in the dance room.” She gives Luke a pointed look. “You know, practicing for that dance thing.”

“Yeah!” Y/N responds, not even an ounce interested in this conversation. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, she noticed Luke not leaving.

“Who’s this?” he asks.

“So, Josh, I really have to go,” she claims. “I’ll see ya around!” 

“Wait,” he starts. “Is this about when I tried to kiss you the other day?” Y/N tenses up, 

Luke’s jaw dropping slightly.

Followed by a wide smile. “Does Y/N have a boyfriend?!” he mocks. 

“No, well, yes, it is. We aren’t dating, Josh, it’s uncomfortable.” Josh huffs out. “That’s not a weird reason for why.” Y/N’s blood starts to boil.

“You should feel honored that someone would even want to kiss you, I mean your reputation here isn’t all too great, Y/N,” he states. 

“Goodbye, Josh.” She turns on her heels. 

Luke watches as she angrily walks away, glaring at Josh who obviously couldn’t see him. He turns slightly, glancing over his shoulder to see Julie by her locker. Giving Y/N one more glimpse he goes to do what he came here to do. 

Y/N sits at her desk, rereading over the words that she colorfully wrote in her journal. “You pretty thing, with pretty things inside,” she sings quietly. She slams the book closed when she finds herself getting annoyed by just how untalented she was. 

“I think that Nick guy has a crush on Julie,” Luke reports, once again magically appearing in front of her. He was taken aback when she didn’t react.

[mushroomjar]

Tagged by @genderpunk ! Thanks!!

Favorite band(s)?

God if I don't think about this question every single day... My Chemical Romance, Pierce The Veil, Against Me!, Kittie, Gouge Away, The Runaways and BABYMETAL are all up there, I'd say

Favorite musician?

I don't know. Is this referring to solo stuff or jkst whatever musician? Guess I'll go with Gerard Way, but Laura Jane Grace is also up there

Favorite song?

Heck if I know. Let me make a list lol I really don't know:

Brackish - Kittie

Kingslayer - Bring Me The Horizon feat. BABYMETAL

Wonderless - Pierce The Veil

To The End - My Chemical Romance

Ronin - Ibaraki feat. Gerard Way

Dead End Justice - The Runaways

Stop! - Against Me!

Currents Convulsive - Pierce The Veil

Jihadaggedon - The Muslims

21 Guns - Green Day

Jesus of Suburbia - Green Day

Rock the Casbah - The Clash

Fluorescent Adolescent - Arctic Monkeys

Duvet - boa

I'd Rather Die Than Be Famous - Pierce The Veil

Favorite genre?

I'm not sure. I don't typically focus much on the genres of the music (I say, you know, like a liar), but I guess I really do enjoy punk rock since it's one of my top genres and I'm always looking for more bands in that genre. Just punk rock in general, because I also like all the more specific genres inside that one

Favorite era of music?

The punk side of me wants to say 70s, but the emo side of me wants to say early 2010s

Favorite years of music?

Well that's even more complicated. Let's say 2001 because that was the year My Chemical Romance formed ksksksks

Least favorite genre?

I like a wide variety of music, but I guess... hyperpop. I've only ever liked one hyperpop song

Been to any concerts?

When I was little I went to a One Direction concert lol

Favourite broadcasted concert:

As in, on TV? I don't quite understand the question. Eh, my cousin and I watched A Day To Remember performing in Lollapalooza this year and it was cool

Favourite album:

I have like, so many, I can't pick just one, but lately I've been really hooked on Spit by Kittie. But I also need to give a shoutout to Transgender Dysphoria Blues, American Idiot, Conventional Weapons, Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge, Reinventing Axl Rose, and Favourite Worst Nightmare

Upcoming concert?

Why must you remind me how boring and unfortunate my life is /j But seriously Pierce The Veil will be touring in the UK and every time I remember that I scream

In a band?

Per my last answer, why must you remind me how boring and unfortunate my life is

Play any instruments?

These questions just like to see me suffer at this point lol I'd like to learn guitar, and maybe the drums too. Or the piano. Or singing lol

Tagging @grrrrl @lostlovepunk @thatqueerweirdo @nb-wei-ying and anyone else that wants to participate, just act like I tagged you lol And to the ones tagged, no pressure, you don't need to participate if you don't want to

[thedisguisedaltruism]

fond stares, vast place, loud heartbeats

genre: fluff, best friends to lovers, concert au

pairing: wonwoo/gn reader

summary: wonwoo hates the crowds, but he has to save up all his energy since you’re taking him as your concert buddy for taylor swift’s 1989 tour. little did he know, he will soon realize that he was actually in love with you, thanks to taylor and her wicked songwriting.

word count: 2,192

a/n: dumping this shit because too much feels for you are in love live :((

2015

“Wons, turn it up, turn it up!”

Wonwoo couldn’t help but snort from your excitement to see your longtime idol live. You worked hard to save enough so you could see Taylor Swift since then, and now you’re about to witness your turning point in life.

...together with your best friend, not to mention how he loathes crowds.

I Know Places is currently playing on the car stereo and you're warming up as you hit the high note in the chorus, dramatically pressing your chest with eyes shut. Wonwoo takes his final turn as you finally arrive at the stadium.

"Missed the note there, my friend." He teases. You could care less from his assed remarks because your mind's been in euphoria since you woke up from a power nap a few hours ago.

Outside the venue has already gathered a big crowd, and you patiently wait for your best friend who's double-checking the doors if they're surely closed.

Wonwoo has been your best friend for five years, and being grateful to have him is an understatement as he has witnessed your ups and downs in college. He knows that apart from your family and him, Taylor and her music has already played such a great role from adolescence until adulthood.

As a sucker for books, Wonwoo was undoubtedly impressed by Taylor's songwriting prowess since he listens to your discussions during the free time about the lyric analyses that you read across the internet, and you usually play her live performances whenever you pull off all-nighters that's why he agreed to be your concert buddy because he wants to see the person who could give rainbows to the person he likes.

Yes. The person he likes.

Wonwoo thought being in a Taylor Swift concert is not bad at all. It's like having a big crowd of best friends gathering in one huge place to have fun with their most talented best friend. Everyone's perfectly singing along to every lyric, breathing to each punctuation, and screaming at the top of their lungs.

Honestly speaking, he was having fun, and boy, he could sing along to a few songs while waving with his light-up bracelet. 

Aside from being fascinated by the live performances, he would sometimes steal glances at you, making him amused by your kaleidoscope of emotions you've shown from the past eight performances. Sometimes you'd turn to him just to sing while holding your chest, and go back to screaming how much you love Taylor Swift.

After the succeeding crowd-jumping performances, Taylor comes out with her black Gibson acoustic guitar to perform an acoustic version of her song just like the old days. The crowd has once again roared, and you scoot close to Wonwoo to whisper that Taylor's going to sing your favorite song from 1989.

He knows the story behind it. You told him on your graduating year at the rooftop of your college building while chugging an energy drink just to keep yourself awake from pulling off an all-nighter for your thesis, it was about Taylor’s known actress friend falling in love with her producer on this album—someone with the name Jack—if he could still guess correctly.

Taylor has already ascended for a clearer sight of crowds from the top seats, instructing everyone to sing back the specific words. Wonwoo watches you hugging yourself while craning your neck so you could see Taylor from above.

One look, dark room

Meant just for you

Time moved too fast

You play it back

Buttons on a coat

Light-hearted joke

No proof, not much

But you saw enough

  You and Wonwoo first met at the same elective during college freshman year. You were sitting near the door, sparing the next seat with your bag since someone from your class politely asked you to but unfortunately, she never came back and it was perfectly timed that Wonwoo immediately spotted the vacant seat beside you, exhausted from running before he gets late (yes, in a goddamn first day of class). 

  He learned that you’re taking up creative writing that’s why said elective was important for your course. He told you that he was taking up computer science, but he still needs to take the elective.

  ...and then, your friendship started.

  You have friends, but they’re few for your liking because socializing is exhausting. Wonwoo, on the other hand, despised being exhausted around people and that’s the reason why both of you became friends quickly. Reading was Wonwoo’s stress escape and yours was binge-watching k-dramas and reality shows.

  You can hear it in the silence, silence, you

You can feel it on the way home, way home, you

You can see it with the lights out, lights out

You are in love, true love

You are in love

  Since both of you chose to live in dormitories at college, sometimes you’d walk together around the university park late at night and talk about stuff happening in your life outside academics. One time, you told him how you’re pissed at your family’s insights about coming out since they happened to share once about how your cousin came out at a family gathering and the next moment, he was already in the hot seat. You told Wonwoo that you wished you were there to end all of your religious hypocrite relatives.

  Wonwoo, within the years of friendship, was never the type to initiate a conversation, but he’s an excellent listener. He could watch you talk about Taylor Swift, the perennial hate for your Major professor who’s academia-obsessed since she sets a standard too high for her liking while her class is on the brink of dropping out, and how you were fascinated about him staying up all night for computer games and still ace programming exams.

  Suddenly, the crowd started to roar out of the blue, making him shake his head from spacing out. Still standing, much to his surprise since he hates getting tired, he realized that he’s just watching you being helplessly in awe at Taylor Swift no matter how neck-stiffening it is, how your eyes sparkled with bliss just like the days when you talk with him about the things you love.

  And then he felt the pace of his heartbeat quickened.

  The crowd was already singing along with excitement—he has no idea what kind of reason it is—but he remains watching you like you were excruciatingly hard to reach, despite how you could hear his loud heartbeat if this was an empty place.

  One night he wakes

Strange look on his face

Pauses, then says “You're my best friend”

And you knew what it was

He is in love

  You screamed you’re my best friend at the top of your lungs together with other sixty thousand people at Taylor despite how your best friend, who’s silently watching beside you, couldn’t calm himself down unnoticed.

  You can hear it in the silence, silence, you

You can feel it on the way home, way home, you

You can see it with the lights out, lights out

You are in love, true love

  Suddenly, you turn to Wonwoo as Taylor does her guitar break before singing the bridge, and you were surprised to see him just staring at you instead of watching Taylor from up above and tell you how skilled she was at playing guitar. The way he’s looking at you wasn’t even judging, teasing, or the usual antics that he does.

  He’s just looking at you fondly and you thought maybe, he’s extremely happy that you get to see your longtime idol live after all these years and you deserved it so much.

  ...except that your tentative guess is incorrect.

  “She’s really good, isn’t she?” you yelled at him proudly while pointing at Taylor with emphasis.

  Your best friend could only nod and gesture at you to look back on your idol.

  And so it goes

You two are dancing in a snow globe, 'round and 'round

And he keeps the picture of you in his office downtown

And you understand now why they lost their minds and fought the wars

And why I've spent my whole life tryin' to put it into words

  That made Wonwoo look up to Taylor Swift in an instant and judged her as he could so. As Taylor stopped, the crowd screamed once again, but nothing is deafening as his heartbeat while watching you cheer in chorus.

  He didn’t know if he should feel betrayed, because you were his partner during graduation ball and you were just having the best time of your lives because fuck it, despite being anxious about what’s to come after the graduation, both of you were so happy to have been able to survive despite the shit hole life your university has given.

  He also happened to frame a picture of you in his office peacefully sitting beside the stacks of scratch papers for software development. He secretly requested for its original copy at the official student publication of your university during that one major event as he saw it on Facebook.

  He realized that he’s in love with you after all this time.

  Much to his misfortune, you suddenly looked at him again and your eyes met that he couldn’t look away, but this time it was replaced with worry. You caught him twice, and knowing Wonwoo, he’s not usually vocal when it comes to express his discomfort.

  You gently hold Wonwoo’s hand. “Are you having a bad feeling? We could go out if you want to,” you whispered just audible enough for him to hear.

  And that’s how he lost it. 

  It took him another deep breath to sink in that you chose his well-being over your once-in-a-lifetime moment with your idol.

  Like… holy shit, he was so lucky to have you in his life and he thought this time, he wants to step out of his shell and gather the courage to tell you how much you mean to his life. He’s had enough secretly pining over you for years.

  But first, he wants you to be happy and enjoy your time with Taylor. He shakes his head no and holds your shoulders to turn to Taylor who’s now descending for the next performance.

                      “I can’t believe she’s real, what the hell, she was fucking real, Wonwoo.” you sighed. “Oh my god.”

  You couldn’t stop wiping your face after spacing out which made Wonwoo chuckle. After the concert and almost a painful hour of waiting to get out of the stadium, you mutually agreed to stop by the nearest convenience store.

  Although you only bought a coffee and went back inside Wonwoo’s car.

  “Me too.” Wonwoo whispers. That made you remember what happened during You Are In Love performance. You looked at him and tapped his shoulder.

  “You looked unwell this evening. Were you honestly okay, Wons?” you ask.

  He only blinked in response.

  It took Wonwoo a few seconds to gather up his courage. Now that it’s only the two of you alone, he thought he must let it out.

  “Yeah, I was just overwhelmed. You don’t have to worry.” he jokes, his attention remained at the store. He could see from his peripherals how your eyebrows furrowed, obviously not convinced enough by his excuse.

  “What you told me about Taylor the first time you introduced her to me was...true,” he sighed deeply. “She sings what we couldn’t put into words.”

  For someone like Wonwoo whose eloquence is something to look up to, you were confused by what he meant.

  Wonwoo turns to face you and takes your icy palms to wrap them with his large, slender, and warm ones. 

  “I love you.” He says, straightly looking into your eyes.

  Your eyes widen in surprise.

  “Please don’t joke around!” You hit his shoulder, but all he does is let out a burst of breathy laughter.

  But honestly, your heart skipped a beat after hearing his sudden confession.

  Tracing circles on your hand, Wonwoo smiles at your bewildered expression. “You were wondering if I was having a bad time? No, it’s all Taylor’s fault for making me confess to you tonight. That took me a long time I guess.”

  “Wait, what?”

  “I love you and Taylor made me realize that I should confess before it gets too late.”

  You looked up at Wonwoo while pulling your hand from his gentle hold and laughed. It was unbelievable how both of you have been painfully oblivious despite being helplessly pining towards each other.

  It was your best friend’s turn to get puzzled so you took the time advantage to confess.

  “Idiot, I liked you too, ever since we first met.” sounding bashful, you looked away hoping that you didn’t sound like an idiot. So much irony for making fun of your best friend a few moments ago. “I have no idea that you felt deeper than I thought I have.”

  Even if you already knew how Wonwoo’s mind works for five years, he is always full of surprises.

  Or maybe he was so happy tonight that he kissed your hand and never let go of it as he started driving you home.