#anthem of the heart wallpaper

[ohnoitstbskyen]

let's spend an hour and a half enjoying the Heartsteel himbos | PARANOIA animation analysis

I have decidedly mixed feelings on the Heartsteel band splash art, which are intensified by the degree to which their 3 minute music video was able to near-instantly endear me to every one of these idiot himboyband doofuses.

Heartsteel is a project that suffers a lot in being compared to True Damage and K/DA, which are the most obvious points of comparison to draw, especially since Riot seems (at least to me) to have committed rather fewer resources to their virtual band project this go around. Wisely, thus, the Hearsteel project decided to attempt a very different narrative and emotional vibe with its characters from previous efforts. Where K/DA and True Damage both presented their characters as untouchable pop-gods at the top of their game, bragging about their accomplishments, Heartsteel comes from almost exactly the opposite place.

PARANOIA is a fearful, defensive, defiant song composed and performed like a triumphal power-anthem, coming from the perspective of a group of industry outsiders who have all been devalued or burned by the mainstream.

Ezreal is a one-hit-wonder whose image got run into the ground by controlling management, Yone a legendary producer burned out on industry conformity. Kayn is a pop music bad boy whose spiteful arrogance broke up his last band, K'Sante an ambitious vocal powerhouse who could never find creative partners, and Sett a disgraced rapper who lost his contract for punching a paparazzo.

These, then, are not pop-gods gracing the mortal realm with images of their brilliance, but a bunch of down-and-out losers and untapped talents trying to claw back their careers with nothing but found-family dynamics, the power of friendship, and Jackass-style promotional stunts in their arsenal. The music video depicts them running a night-time raid on a film studio, stealing props and causing god knows how much property damage trying to film their own comeback music video.

It doesn't.... quite nail the grunge independent vibe that it seems to want to go for, it has a rather inconsistent diegesis, and trying to cram character moments for six characters into a three minute song compresses the pace of the video to an almost manic emotional experience. I found that most of its setpieces and ideas did not land with me at all until a third or fourth re-watch, and going through the video frame-by-frame so I could actually take in what the video was trying to say.

Once I did, I enjoyed it a LOT. The character animation is expressive, dynamic and immensely charming. There's a ton of great texture work going on, interesting lighting, extremely creative effects, and the emotional heart of the video - the genuine affection between the band members as expressed through boyish shenanigans - hits brilliantly... once you slow the video down enough to really see it. There is also a truly astonishing amount of work put into flash frames and scribbly visual effects, and an absolute embarrassment of screenshots that could be wallpapers.

Anyway, I spent an hour and a half talking about a three-minute music video because I am the world's easiest sucker for charming character animation. Care to join me?

[traffic-was-a-b1tch]

anthem of the heart

(jake kiszka x reader) 18+

summary: you and your best friend move into a new apartment after college, wanting a fresh start in nashville. however, you come to find that your neighbors are musicians. very loud musicians who like to keep you up at night. especially one, who likes to bother you on purpose. you would hate him… if he wasn’t so hot.

warnings for overall series: eventual SMUT!!!, angst, mentions of past abuse (not jake), abuse (not jake), mentions of past sexual assault (not jake), sexual assault (not jake), enemies to lovers, cursing, let me know if I missed any. (i’m still making this series up as I go along so it might change)

warnings for this chapter: bitchy jake (iykyk), slight arguing, let me know if I missed any.

author’s note: heyyy guys! this is my first ever series! i’m super excited to write it and I think its gonna be a fun one lolz. please feel free to give me feedback, requests, comments, etc. enjoy!!!!

• • •

Chapter One:

your pulse beat rapidly. you couldn’t believe you were actually doing this.

you put the last of the moving boxes on the couch and looked at kaylee. your smiles radiated as you took in your new place. the two bedroom, one bath apartment stared back at you.

the walls were painfully white and bare, but the dark blue couch added much needed color to the middle of the living room.

“it’s not much to look at right now”, she started, “but I think we can work with it.”

“let’s hope”, you laughed.

of course you both could work with it. y’all could turn a dumpster fire into a trendy café. you distinctly remembered that your dorm was in a similar condition y’all’s freshman year of college. and let’s just say you had to fix a few nail holes and tear off so much wallpaper when y’all moved out.

“I got it!”, kaylee gasped, “dark blue and white chevron!”

“chevron? are we in 2014?”, you gave her a look.

“oh please, you know I know best. here”, she positioned you to where she was standing by your shoulders, “look now.”

after a few head tilts, you hated to admit it but, you were starting to see her vision.

“hmmm ok fine. but the couch would have to go there”, you pointed, “and the lamp there against the wall.”

she gave your shoulders a squeeze and rested her head in the crook of your neck, “awe you finally trust my artistic eye.”

you shrugged her off with a laugh.

“you know things will be better, right? he’s not here to bother you, and you get a nice fresh start.”, she added hesitantly.

right. one of the main reasons you left your home state after college, your ex. you tried to push him out of your mind, nodding at kaylee.

you tried to focus on the room before you. your mind was starting to race with ideas and approaches, and the place was slowly piecing itself together.

the rising excitement was going to keep you up all night.

or so you thought.

you would have a different enemy tonight.

after hours of planning with kaylee, you finally started to get tired. the long hours of the day suddenly hit you and all you could think about was your mattress. it was on the floor as of now, but it never looked more comfortable.

after doing your skincare, getting in pjs, and brushing your teeth and hair, you laid down on the bare mattress. your eyes were slowly drooping as you started to slip into sleep.

just then you were startled awake with the sound of a guitar.

what in the world?

you waited for a second, thinking it was just your mind playing tricks. then, a second strum of an electric guitar echoed through the wall.

it was followed by a riff, cool and sharp, ripping through the quiet night. then came drums, pounding a dull beat that the guitar followed.

the music was good, great even, but it was too late for it.

you sat up, annoyed and tired, and looked over at kaylee, who had woken up from the same sounds.

“ugh. your first roommate duty.”, she grunted, pointing at the wall the music was coming from.

“no way, kaylee. are you kidding?”

she pointed again at the wall, strictly.

you rolled your eyes, standing up to stretch.

“ooohhh mama”, a man’s raspy voice came in with the music.

you cursed as you walked out into the hallway, not wanting the confrontation but needing sleep. the neighbor’s door reverberated with the vibration of music, making it obvious where the musicians were stationed.

you sighed and knocked at the door.

no response. just music.

“la di da di da oooohhh”, the singer’s voice was clear and distinct, mocking the guitar’s strums.

you knocked louder, growing frustrated.

suddenly, a voice interrupted the flowing sound and one by one the instruments stopped. the music ceased, and you could hear footsteps growing closer.

the door opened slightly, giving you a view of half a man’s face. his dark brown eyes sweeped you up and down, and you abruptly became aware that you were at their door in a big t-shirt and sleep shorts. a little embarrassed, you crossed your arms in front of you.

“can I help you?”, he asked, annoyance dripped from his husky voice.

“um- hi. sorry, me and my best friend just moved in next door.”, you pointed to your door.

his neck craned to see, opening the door a little more. you took in his appearance. the brown hair draped over his shoulders, reaching his upper back, was flowy and dark. he had on a black button up only buttoned to the middle of his torso, exposing his tan chest.

damn. he was attractive.

your eyes traveled further down, spotting an electric guitar hanging on him.

so this was the guitarist.

he looked back at you expectingly, waiting for an explanation.

“anyway, we were just going to come ask if y’all could quiet down just a little bit. it late and we have long days tomorrow and we would just really appreciate it.” you smiled sweetly, sort of wishing he found you attractive the way you found him attractive.

he raised his eyebrows, looked you up and down again, and turned to face some other men in the room. you could only see their heads, but you saw three men standing around instruments in the cramped apartment.

“what do ya say, boys? should we keep it down?”, he murmured, his voice mysterious and yet sweet. the other men laughed half-heartedly from inside, causing the man at the door to chuckle.

he looked back at you.

“look, sweetie. we are a professional band and we need our practice. now, we only can get together at night. so, what do you suppose we do, hm? stop our productive, important practice for you and your little friend to get beauty sleep? I don’t think so. we haven’t gotten any complaints yet, so I think that you just need to go back to your apartment and invest in some earplugs if it bothers you that much.”

you were taken aback, mouth slightly open in shock. you’d have never guessed such rude words would fall out of his beautiful mouth. he looked like a dream, but acted like a nightmare.

“well”, you started, unsure of how to respond, “I guess i’ll be the first to complain.” you lifted your chin up defiantly, not letting him see how much he disappointed you by being rude.

his eyebrows dropped, his face forming a deep glare.

“now then, let’s not be rude here.” he was testing you, seeing how confrontational you would get.

“yes”, you smiled sarcastically, “let’s not. so, practice is cancelled tonight?” you looked behind the man and into the room to see three slightly shocked faces.

one of them, with a seafoam green bass in his hand, broke out into a smile, “well i’m free tomorrow at noon.”

“shut up, sam.”, the man at the door barked, looking back at him.

“oh, give it a rest, jake. you know we can postpone and be fine.”, sam added.

oh, jake was the man at the door.

“yes, jake”, you cooed, “let’s postpone, hm?”

his eyes found yours, surprised and slightly impressed at your tone. his hard mouth slowly let up.

he scoffed, “you playing with fire, baby. be careful.”

your eyebrows raised, testing him to try you. you backed away, eyes never leaving his, and walked the four feet to your door.

the last thing you saw was a glimpse of his eyes following you into your apartment.

the intensity of the encounter haunted you, playing back in your head over and over. you leaned your head back onto the door, waiting for the music to resume. waiting to see if he had the gall to keep playing. still after a minute or two, there was nothing but silence. you sighed, sluggishly walking back to your bed.

then you collapsed, sleep slowly enveloping you into its warm arms.

good, that’s the end of that, you thought.

until you woke up at 3 am, to the sound of a guitar riff.

• • •

eeeeeeeekkkk!!! so excited to start a seriessss. (also please excuse my use of y’all. i’m from the south and it just comes naturally lmao). PLEASE let me know what you would like me to write next, give suggestions, feedback, anything!

[francesderwent]

ok ok first impressions:

The Good Witch: ok we vibing

Coming of Age: ANTHEM put it in a teen film baby!!

Watch: makes me want to commit violence (affectionate)

Body Better: even shinier in its proper context

Want You Back: screaming crying raking my fingernails down the wallpaper

The Band and I: hand on my heart hand on my stupid fucking heart

You’re Just a Boy: I thought you did but you DON’T understand (weird production)

Lost the Breakup: maybe next to Watch it IS a revelation?????

Wendy: what about my wings????????????

Run: I am in a happy committed relationship but I unironically think this is the shit

Two Weeks Ago: this one has its good lines (now this song’s for you and it’s all we have) but I don’t think it works super great as a whole song or in the context of the album

BSC: I love so much that this song exists in the world. we all owe maisie our lifelong fealty for this one

Therapy: not computing for me but 🤷🏻‍♀️

There It Goes: shut the fuck up. the image of sending a love home. a heartbreak in remission the universe is shifting and it’s all for me!!! I’m all choked up babes

History of Man: fucking chills.

[aesthetic-anime-locks]

Jun Naruse wallpaper

Anime : Anthem of the heart

Icons : @gabies-posts

Plz like/ reblog if saved or used

[velvety-world]

Heya!!!!!

I just watched the movie

The anthem of the heart

And it's such a great movie

I'm still crying

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Wow

So I just made thik kinda pic edit...and I dunno if it's that aesthetic or not....

Just wanted to post it here

[karelysse]

listened to ‘ruin’ one more time after this revelation and oh boy… (warning: long post ahead)

“I will bring you ruin in everything I do / It's never my intention, but it happens all the same / It starts with love and comfort, becomes a strength of will / But all that strength made rubble of the towers we built” — is this not… is this not an encapsulation of their rivalry. ‘we’re better because of each other’ but also you’re still direct competitors fighting for the same medals. 2014, when yuzuru wins in sochi. 2015, when javi wins at worlds.

“Cause brick by brick, you built us and I'd fill in the cracks / Nothing quite prepares you for when they don't come back / I wish I'd done things different, I wish that I'd been brave / I wish I'd known these stones were something I could save” — the 2016 season. yuzuru’s injury. boston (that last line… yeah it’s boston). javi winning again. the distance and the no-longer-training-together. fast forward to 2019 ‘i wish i [could compete] with javi too’.

“Our mortar was your laughter / And you hurled curses at the land / We didn't talk, we made universes / Out of bitten lips and broken hands” — we both speak english as a second language, but you still manage to make me laugh. when words fail, just hug me close until our hearts fall into synch.

“You said, "I love you less than when it all began" / And I said fewer 'cause I make jokes to show how broken I really am / And in the wreck of all we burnt, stands our piano like a wound / I play our song to see if it's in tune (I'll sing silence)” — deviating from theme for a second. isn’t this the epigraph for their potential FaOI reunion?

(skipped the next line because i think you covered it well!)

“"We can rest," you say, "in the pieces of what's left / Or what what we've found" / I wish I'd done things different, oh, I wish I'd made it right / But we'll burn a hundred theatres / If it means we get the wallpaper right” — 2017 worlds. ‘i told you last year, right? you work hard, you can get it’. yuzuru putting his medal on javi, because the passing of the world crown is never easy.

“I'll, brick by brick, rebuild us / Out of how's and why's, not when's / Nothing quite prepared me for when that piano sang again / Tomorrow I'll do things different / Tomorrow I'll be brave / (You'll make me brave)” — 2018 pyeongchang. javi redeeming himself after sochi. yuzuru winning his second Olympic gold when he had only started retraining quads two weeks prior. yuzuru breaking character during seimei when he realized he had done it. ‘i think i owe what i won to him’, ‘i’m glad we could share a podium at the olympics’. the tears and the hugs and the joy and the smash-cut to ‘i can’t do it without you’. maybe this is it. maybe this is the best shot the two of you will ever get at a happy ending.

…this is so long and completely ridiculous. but i hope it was fun to read! as always thank you for your input, it’s great to hear your thoughts 💞

Song title : Ruin by The Amazing Devil 🎼

ahhhhhh my fave anon strikes again!!! 💞 this was a RIDE and I loved every second of it. contender for possibly the angstiest yzvr anthem ever? adore this.

The part that hit me the most at my first listen (apart from the first line ugH) was really the mortar/laughter part you summed up so well. I really have an ESL fascination. that whole verse just!!! hits so hard for them!!!! the whole song!!!!!!! Thank you so much!!!

I was a bit sad at the « tomorrow I’ll be brave » part at first listen because I picture both Javi & Yuzu as very brave people, as high leveled as they are and with all the achievements behind them, but imagining the line as pre-olympics 2018 really hits the spot. Guess even them needed courage at some point (and still do!!! I believe it’s a conscious choice you have to keep making & making, not a permanent character trait).

Well oh my! Thank you again so much for this lovely message 💞 sharing so everyone can benefit and cry about it like I am ✌️

[beansonweetabix]

Through the haze and evening light of the living room floated the first hints of a song which held a warbling familiarity, needle-scratched and worn into the fuzzy warmth of unborn nostalgia. From somewhere in the cacophony of noise and movement swelled a chorus, a hundred voices clamoring not to be heard, but to be seen. Maybe it was the music of another generation, a well-loved record recovered from its plastic cover behind the sofa. A song they all knew but never remembered. Or, more likely, it was an anthem of teenage rebellion - the sound of dissent relished only ever in secret. Only ever on nights like these.

In either case, as it played, a heady sort of dream-smoke fell over the room. It tasted of bitter liquor and that same anticipation that flowed through the pulsing veins of the dancing figures that filled the room. Behind heavy eyelids swam its melody as idle bodies swayed to the blurring rhythm. An imperceptible heat flowed between their gliding hips and twirling wrists. Swallowed under the music were the sounds of shy defiance: the clinking of earrings; the squeaking of leather; the sparking of a lighter. And, above it all, lay an absolutely delicious absence of any sort of guilt or remorse.

The room was crowded, all low popcorn ceilings and yellowing wallpaper. Any light that managed to squeeze through the mass of people was dim, choked by the smoke and sweat that seemed almost an extension of the self, a cloud of warm humanity. Hearts, thumping and light, beat erratically in time with the pounding music. In their corduroy and wrinkled button-downs, the crowd of nearly-strangers felt morbidly, grotesquely alive, and every second of it was beautiful.

From some hidden cabinet or another, bottles of cheap vodka and ale were produced for sloshing over into plastic cups. The bottles surfed their way through the crowd until they were spent, leaving some poor sod to explain away the absence to his parents. As the alcohol worked its way beneath the skin, the evening grew louder, and the music increased in volume and ferocity. There was a new, liquid quality to the air, and the yellowing light hung drunk in it. Boys with quicksilver smiles glanced towards each other in victorious liking, and girls with messy hair squeezed hands in the euphoric distraction of dance. They all knew what waited in the early hours, but none were so stupid as to dwell on what the future held, at least for now.

If it was a morning of regret and a life of memories they wanted, it was exactly that they would get.

[jackdawyt]

We’ve finally reached the moment my channel was created for, BioWare officially revealed a brand-new behind the scenes trailer that showcased many gameplay prototypes, concept artwork pieces and next-gen footage that each demonstrate Dragon Age 4’s current production stages, building an overall mood of the game’s vision and direction. And it’s just the best thing to come out of this year.  

Saria and myself have already broken down the trailer’s concept art, and gameplay shots in an incredible 45-minute video, that you need to check out if you’re remotely interested in the next Dragon Age game.

However, today I’m delving into every single piece of information that surrounds this new trailer, as we’ve got plenty of news, tweets and tidbits to delve into!  

First up though, before the trailer’s release we had a few related tweets from the team regarding the current production of the game.  

Production Updates:

In late July, Mark Darrah tweeted some updates about Dragon Age 4’s development. He said: “I realize that most of you are here for Dragon Age news and there hasn't been a lot of that lately...

Let me just run down some things I can say:

1. We are working on the next Dragon Age

2. Yes we are working from home

3. Working from home is harder  

4. We are making progress”

Continuing from that, John Epler retweeted Darrah’s post and said: “WFH is hard! But we're figuring it out, a little better every day. I miss lunches with my team, though.”

And, Patrick Weekes tweeted: “An exhausting but productive week, with a bunch of folks across the Narrative team coming together for Writer Voltron to look at some stuff and figure out how to make it better. Harder over Zoom, but worth it nevertheless.”

@stoner_gordon asked Patrick: “Writer Voltron? Maybe I’m slow today but what do you mean by that?”

Patrick Weekes replied: “There are things writers can work on for awhile by ourselves. Followers, or individual quests. But some stuff is owned by multiple writers, so we set aside time for all of us (plus non-writers involved with Narrative) to get together and hash things out. That’s Writer Voltron.

It is mostly a TON of meetings. We go over content and see what works and what doesn’t. It’s also the time where we make big narrative decisions as a team (or make big proposals we then bring to other affected departments).

Examples of stuff we decide at things like this:

- Hey, this big story element doesn’t work

- How should we do romances?

- Hey, this big huge thing is unclear

- Does it feel like we’re all making the same game?

We have a great team. It’s positive. We’re all exhausted by Friday.”

This was a very interesting look at how the writing team are pushing forward during the current world situation, ensuring that each writer can push on with individual work, while tasks that are assigned to many writers are slightly trickier, the team are working it out, while staying as safe as possible. And, I’m always eager to hear how certain things like individual quests, followers and romances are being developed.

Dragon Age Website Update:  

With the new trailer’s release, the Dragon Age website was updated. The trailer itself ended on the notion of visiting DragonAge.com.  

Upon impact to the site, there’s a red lyrium wallpaper with a slogan that says:

The world needs a new hero. Will you answer the call?

“Journey into the world of Thedas in Dragon Age™. Discover new adventures full of striking characters, powerful magic, and rich storytelling. Meet an incredible number of Humans, Elves, Dwarves, and Qunari in a realm where every decision you make echoes across history.”

New protagonist, new adventures, striking characters, powerful magic, rich storytelling, a roster of races with every decision having rippling effects in the world. Each quality that truly define a Dragon Age game. Very exciting to see this!  

Behind The Scenes Trailer:

Onwards to the trailer, we have many of the amazing developers sharing plenty of insights into the next Dragon Age game’s vision and development.

Casey Hudson stated their using next generation technology, which will be Anthem’s codebase and tools of the Frostbite engine, to bring the world and characters of Dragon Age to life. And the team are still in early production, I’ve estimated that they’ve been in production stages for around 15 months, since May 2019.  

Casey Hudson (General Manager): “We’ve been using next generation technology to bring the world and characters of Dragon Age to life. We’re still in early production.”  

Gameplay Designer Melissa Janowicz spoke about creating bosses and how she helps with many of the creature designs, mostly doing the big threats we’ll go up against. This trailer’s concept art certainly paints a picture of many dark, evil monsters to defeat.  

Melissa Janowicz (Gameplay Designer): “We’re very experimental here at BioWare, so we’re always coming up with new stuff.”  

“I actually design bosses; I help with the creature design team as well. So, I do all of the big threats you have to go up against.”  

The Creative Director, and previous Art Director, Matthew Goldman shared that Dragon Age is all about mystery, and hard-boiled detective stories, which is an egg-cellent pun. All wrapped up in a fantasy setting, with an original world.

Matthew Goldman (Creative Director): “The world of Dragon Age has really got it all, it’s got frontier stories, it’s got mystery, it’s got hard-boiled detective stories. And of course, it’s all wrapped up in kind of a fantasy setting.”

“This is an original world, original flora, original wildlife, original architecture, that makes it fun to explore and discover.”

Executive Producer, and proficient teaser, Mark Darrah shared that in the next Dragon Age, we get an opportunity to see new things, new places, and interact with people who lived and grew up in these spaces as well.  

There’s a huge emphasis on characters we haven’t met yet, because of course, the Inquisition declared it would look for new people to deal with Solas. We’re going to Northern Thedas, we should expect brand new characters to fall in love with.  

Mark Darrah (Executive Producer): “In the next Dragon Age, we get an opportunity to see new things, new places, and interact with people who lived and grew up in these spaces as well.”  

Mastermind, and Lead Writer Patrick Weekes shared about the game that currently working on, and how they want to tell a very different story about what happens when you don’t have power, what happens when the people in charge aren’t willing to address the issues.  

This time around, we’re playing as a new hero, with not nearly as enough power like the Inquisitor, but instead someone who most likely comes from humble tidings, at a guess, someone like a spy, Antivan Crow, or Lord of Fortune.  

No matter the role, our main character will have many conflicts with the predominate people in charge, as they aren’t willing to tackle the issues at stake. I can assume many ideas of course, perhaps the Tevinter Magisterium, The Qunari Invasion, or the Dread Wolf’s scheme.  

Whatever powerful force that may ignore the ongoing issues, there’s going to be a lot of conflict from what can assume is going forward thanks to Tevinter Nights. 

Patrick Weekes (Lead Writer): “For the game we’re working on now, we want to tell a story – what happens when you don’t have power, what happens when the people in charge aren’t willing to address the issues.”

Arby’s Enthusiast, and Narrative Director John Epler spoke on the things we can expect in the next instalment, there are going to be stories that focus on the people around you, and the friends and family you make.  

Every Dragon Age game is about the family we create along the way, expecting more of that, lightens my heart!  

John Epler (Narrative Director): “The things you can expect in the next instalment are going to be stories that focus on the people around you, and the friends and family you make.”

“I just love the possibilities that Dragon Age offers us, and I’m excited to explore a lot more of them.”

Associate Producer Jen Cheverie shared that something we’ll be able to look forward to in the next Dragon Age are really close relationships with game characters who really become real for you. I’m so excited to see how relationships and friendships develop in the next game.  

Jen Cheverie (Assoc. Producer): “Something we’ll be able to look forward to in Dragon Age is a really close relationship with game characters who really become real for you.”

Foundation Technical Director, Jon Renish, with an amazing beard, spoke on how BioWare want characters to either be loved or hated, the best examples of that is Solas. Half of the community wants to kill him, half the people want to marry him, then another part want to do both.

The fact that the devs can stir these reactions, proves that BioWare can and will create characters that move, and shape us.  

If they can make you love or hate a character, they’ve successfully made you care for this world, even if hate is that motivator. However, if you felt nothing for a character, then you wouldn’t have these strong reactions, and wouldn’t feel as connected to the world, or that character.  

Jon Renish (Foundation Technical Director): “We want characters to either be loved or hated, one of the best examples of that is Solas. Half of the community wants to kill him, half the people want to marry him, then another part want to do both.”

Lead Creature Animator, Esther Ko confirmed that Dragon Age 4 is being created using motion-matching technology, that will ensure characters will be as realistic as possible, from the way they walk, move and interact.  

We saw a sneak peak of Solas’s facial animations, and we can already see the improvement of graphical fidelity and animation quality.  

Esther Ko (Lead Creature Animator): “BioWare and EA have been one of the forerunners in using motion matching technology, and that makes it way more realistic for when you're looking at the characters, the way the walk and move, and interact in the world.”

Writer Slyvia Feketekuty spoke on how players want suspension of their disbelief, to believe that the bunch of pixels that make up these characters are actually a living, breathing soul.  

Slyvia Feketekuty (Writer): “Players want that suspension of disbelief that this wonderful collection of digital pixels is actually a living breathing soul.”

Gameplay Director Andre Garcia said that choice is a big part of what Dragon Age is as a franchise, the decisions you make can affect change in the world. Reiterating that the next Dragon Age will most certainly surround our choices, with consequences for each.

Andre Garcia (Gameplay Director): “Choice is a big part of what Dragon Age is as a franchise, the decisions you make can affect change in the world.”

Adding more fuel to the fire for choices and consequences, RPG Programmer Katrina Barkwell spoke on decision-making meaning that a party member lives, or a party member dies. Ultimately, choice making means owning your outcome and reactivity to the choices that you do make.

Katrina Barkwell (RPG Programmer): “Decision-making can mean that a party member lives, or a party member dies. And it means owning your outcome and reactivity to the choices that you do make.”

I said in my breakdown, and I’ll say it again here, it was very nice to see a few of the developers that we love and support in this trailer, sharing vital information on the next game. The story about Dragon Age 4’s development is all about the people creating it, and I am so glad that BioWare have an amazing, tremendously talented bunch of people who know what Dragon Age is.

Adding to that, it was so wholesome to see many of the other developers on a zoom call, showing how despite the current world situation, they’re doing all they can to push the development of the next Dragon Age.  

Key Trailer Features:

Moving on, throughout the trailer, we had many key features highlighted.  

The in-engine shots showcase the next-gen improved fidelity and quality of the Frostbite engine. The reveal of Solas’s facial animations indicate more realistic and life-like animations and scenes, just look at his pearly white teeth, and how his face folds.

And the Gameplay shots reveal a character playing as a warrior, with a sword and shield, wearing Grey Warden armour. Most certainly, the character is a champion specialization, indicated by the “Line in the Sand” ability.  

We see them evading, blocking, shield bashing, and preparing to strike. The camera placement is solid, I really like the angle it currently has, I’m hoping it stays like this.  

The spider with hands is incredibly frightening, however, beautifully animated. I just hope it’s not going to grab items like the barrel, and throw them at us, when approaching combat.  

Two brand-new voice actors were revealed: Jee Young Han & Ike Amadi

Jee Young Han previously appeared in Anthem, as the character Sentinel Dax. In Dragon Age 4, conceptually, she’s playing a character called “Bellara”, whom I’d suspect is a dwarf, given that Qunari and Dwarves generally have American voice actors. Not to mention her dialogue line of something being “the good kind of rumble.”

Ike Amadi, also appeared in a previous BioWare title, being Mass Effect 3, as he played Javik! It seems he’s playing a character by the name of Davrin. Who is most certainly a Grey Warden, indicated by his dialogue? Perhaps he’s the Grey Warden in Tevinter Nights’ cover, considering none of the characters on the book’s cover appeared in the actual book?

Concept Art:

Moving on, the majority of the trailer features amazing conceptual artwork that reflects the mood, tone, story threads and narrative beats that the developers would like the final game to take inspiration from.  

Equally, that means the concepts may or may not appear in the finished project, it’s too early to tell. However, that doesn’t mean we shouldn't pass on dissecting and inspecting the art pieces, because we get a sense of BioWare’s vision, scope and direction for Dragon Age 4.  

Adding to this, Patrick Weekes tweeted about how concept art is used to create a mood, not to outrightly confirm things, but for a framework. While some concepts may excite you, like “Harley Qun”, don’t get attached just yet because they may, and will change.  

To quote Weekes: “We can't answer questions right now about who is or isn't a follower or what story choices we're making. Beyond giving away too much too early, we could also give you the wrong impression and leave you disappointed later. Or we might need to change things between now and ship.  

What I can say is that I personally am proud and excited about the game we're making. I hope that came through in the video. I also hope you have fun speculating, even if we can't answer questions right now. You all made a lot of devs' days yesterday. Thanks.”

So, while it’s absolutely fun, and amazing to speculate about what these concepts may relate to, and the direction of the next game, don’t get too attached just in case certain plot threads or characters are cut or changed.  

Needless to say, me and Saria still have plenty of speculation videos coming up following the trailer, because we find enjoyment in speculation, and seeing how far off from the truth we were when the game actually does ship, I think that’s a good mindset to have.

Regarding the trailer as a whole, I think it’s fair to say it was created as a reaction to what was shown at EA Play. A lot of the fanbase, and people in general were upset with what was shown, however, BioWare listened to us, and delivered this behind the scenes trailer, two months after.  

We can tell it was recently filmed too, not to get too stalker-ry, but Patrick Weekes dyed their hair on the 19th, June, which was a day after EA Play.  

If they had done so before, Weekes’ would’ve had their natural hair-colour in the trailer.  

So, even with the current world situation, the developers took the time to film and create this amazing BTS trailer. Speaking on behalf of the entire DA fandom, thank you so much BioWare for giving us a trailer while in very early-production stages. It has been the saving grace of 2020.  

Romance Teases:

In other news, we have a few Weekes Tweets that regard romance in the future.

Patrick Weekes retweeted @nevarran-novice saying: “This is my formal request that BioWare give us at least one emotionally damaging romance for every Dragon Age game. Like, literally scoop my soul out and throw it at the wall with the angst. Please.”  

Patrick replied with: “I mean I like happy romances with fun positive endings, but the customer is always right!”

It really is true; we all love pain and tragedy in this fandom, as we play Lost Elf theme at 1 am, sobbing in the night. I’m not the only one, right?

Patrick Weekes tweeted: “Hi, sorry, stumbled across this while looking for something else. Just wanted to say:

- Disliking a character or ship is totally valid and does not hurt my feelings

- Coming into someone’s space to say that what they like or dislike is wrong is bad, sorry that happened to you.

And in games with romances, I believe that the same-sex romances should offer the same spectrum of sweet-to-spicy that the straight options do. If all our m/m romances feel dirty while our m/f romances range from romantic to raunchy, then we need to do better.

This clearly hints to BioWare making their future romances more tasteful for every type of romance, which is always good, more inclusivity for everyone! In my honest opinion, I don’t need sex scenes to drive romances, while I’m sure I’d love one for a potential Qunari female wife, I don’t need, or desire them for every single character. Sex and romance in moderation; while being tasteful, sounds perfect in my opinion.  

In the concept artwork, we saw a sexy, Qunari female, that many of us have dubbed the nickname “Harley Qun”, while it’s really hard not to get attached, it’s nice to see BioWare making this character idea more of a reality.  

In 2017, a fan asked Weekes about the idea of a strong female Qunari companion. Weekes replied: “definitely a chance. We like doing character types we haven’t down before, and that would be a biggie in hypothetical future game.”

 So, while Harley is still just a concept design, there’s much potential for her in the future. I wonder if Patrick is writing her too, not that I’m basing my news on retweets, but Patrick has been retweeting a lot of her fanart. But that could just be because we’re already obsessed with her.  

Final romance related tweet, because I didn’t know where else to put this one... Patrick Weekes tweeted: “Is "Dick in a Box" formally a Lonely Island song, or is it technically SNL? It's for work.”

So, erm. Yep, there’s that.  

Mark....:

Mark Darrah tweeted: “No release date to share at this time…” Obviously as a joke, for those who don’t know, the next Dragon Age is at least 2-3 years away, according to EA’s 2019 earnings call.  

Next Comic:

As a final, very exciting news update, Nunzio DeFillipis, the amazing Dragon Age comic writer, alongside with his wife, Christian Weir posted on Tumblr about the potential of a new comic mini-series:  

They replied to autopotion asking about the future of the comics, saying:

“We have another miniseries planned - and it would have come out this year if not for the current world situation shutting down the industry.  We don’t want to promise anything, because everything is so up in the air with the entire world right now.  But what we can say is that if and when there is another miniseries, it will wrap up the story we’ve been telling since Knight Errant.  We will then aim to tell more stories, but one thing at a time.”  

“Wish we could say more.  Because we have a LOT to say, we promise.  Hopefully we can talk about things soon.”

As an absolute fan of each of the Dragon Age comics, the fact that most certainly another one is on its way, and it will end the narrative since Knight Errant excites the crap out of me. Originally, it seems we would’ve had two comic launches this year, Blue Wratih to start year, and one following from that, ending 2020.  

I imagine we’ll see this project back on track soon. It sounds as if this one may be a conclusion to the current comic roster, and after that, we may get brand new stories explored in other comics. While that’s quite far off, I adore this team behind the comics, and eagerly await an update to their stories.  

With all that said, that’s a wrap for this most exciting news update, I’m honestly so excited to be creating Dragon Age content at the moment, making videos that I’ve dreamed about creating for so long. Check out my latest breakdown, and if you’re new, why not follow me, you’re in the best place to be informed on all things Dragon Age related. From the lore to speculation and news, I have it all here.  

[vulturepunk]

songs 4 2 dead punks

a playlist about me and my best friend hannah @rotwhyler (link to the unannotated spotify version here)

normal by the homeless gospel choir-- i picked up a guitar, and played it with my heart, and got in my car and i started driving.... when things are getting tough and i feel like giving up, i remember what my one friend said to me: you’re never gonna be normal, you’re never gonna be normal, you’re never gonna be normal cause you’re a punk! reminds me of playing music w/ you and going on road trips w/ you and comforting each other by being weird little punk freaks 2gether

FUCKING BEST SONG EVERRR by wallpaper. -- best friend, you are my fucking best friend, seriously, it’s like the best night ever!!!!! this song, i’m really feeling this song, this song, fucking best song ever!!! reminds of me of getting Fucked Up with you even though we really shouldn’t because we both take antipsychotics, and also the first party i ever went to with you when you played this song in the car on the way and i felt so happy and teenage and wild

 come on eileen covered by save ferris -- listened to this song with knifewife on our way to your house the first time i ever visited. i specifically remember it playing while we bought gummy worms at a gas station because i didn’t want to show up empty handed. and then we got there at like 3 am and you passed out on the couch immediately after greeting us. i still thought you were So Cool.

you! me! dancing! by los campesinos! -- we dance together every time we get drunk and sometimes when we’re sober, and also we first met at a los campesinos! concert 

brand new key covered by the dollyrots -- you introduced me to this song and it still reminds me of you. remember when we went rollerskating. that was so fun

do what i want by birdcloud -- i do what i want, damnit! whatever i want to, damnit! you always say this song reminds you of Us and it does have big Us vibes

let’s dance to joy division by the wombats -- let’s dance to joy division! and raise our glass to the ceiling! this could all go so wrong, but we’re so happy! we are always doing dangerous things that could go terribly wrong but having so much fun and being so happy and it’s ALWAYS worth it...

fuck the rest by falling in reverse -- i have really clear & fond memories of listening to this song with you while driving in the snow at night and talking about how we’ve survived our trauma. it’s over, i’m older, i’m alive, i’m sober, believe me, i’m living, i’m happy, i’m winning!

post party depression by days n daze -- who’s gonna be there to catch you when your plans all fall through? when you were flying your white flag, who never gave up on you?... you’re fucking awesome don’t you ever forget!

bad kids by black lips -- bad kids, all my friends are bad kids, probably got no dad kids, ain’t no college grad kids, kids like you and me...

the best ever death metal band out of denton by the mountain goats -- we are the best ever folk punk band out of [redacted] ohio B^)

muddy knees by days n daze -- remember those days we lost track of miles, punk rock love and dysfunctional smiles, living in the clouds, screaming our lungs out.. we were the only two that were conscious in that stupid fucking town... dropping out of high school, sneaking out of windows, playing music to cops that wanted to shut us down, that moment i looked into your eyes, you held me through all those bad times, all our friends that got locked up and all our friends that never made it through the night

die anywhere else from night in the woods-- you kin gregg.... i kin mae.... oh yeah babey, it’s all coming together

i fought the law by the clash -- CRIMEZ ANTHEM

free pizza for life by ghost mice -- i was from a small town, you were from a small town, we became the best of friends! this is where our story begins, this is where the trouble begins

this year by the mountain goats-- i remember listening to this with you on new year’s eve and new year’s morning (i think i was asleep at midnight because i’m a grandparent lmao)

big and chunky by will.i.am -- ;) ;) ;)

[takerfoxx]

Hey guys, I’m afraid I have some sad news.

It seems that Wowaka passed away recently from heart failure. He was 31.

If you don’t know who that is, Wowaka was a renowned Vocaloid composer, famous for such hits as Unhappy Refrain, Two-Faced Lovers, World’s End Dancehall, Unknown Mother Goose, and, my personal favorite, Rollin’ Girl. His songs were known for being very upbeat and catchy, but also also often dealt with heavy subject matter such as depression, relationship abandonment, and suicidal thoughts. And though I personally never experienced any of the above, he had a way of describing them through his music that just made you get it, and I always had trouble getting through Rollin’ Girl without choking up. I guess it’s going to be even harder now.

But more relevant to me and my blog, he was also the guy who wrote and composed the KyoSaya anthem, And I’m Home, the backdrop of which is actually my desktop’s wallpaper. I didn’t even know this until I was reading his obituary, and I wish I had, as I would’ve been able to appreciate him more before he was gone.

RIP, Wowaka. You will be dearly missed.

[broaku-blog]

The Golden Goal returns this weekend

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[queenofnabooty]

tagged by: @lordeasriel

rules: put your entire music library on shuffle and list the first 10 songs that come up, then tag 10 others to do the same!

Roses Are Falling - Orville Peck

Forces - Japanese Wallpaper

NFWMB - Hozier

13 Beaches - Lana Del Rey

Anthem - Michael Abels

The Killing Moon - Echo & The Bunnymen

Ancestral Plane - Ludwig Gorannson

Cold Little Heart - Michael Kiwanuka

Somethin About U - Astronomyy

Without Me - Halsey

tagging: @thewanderingnaivety my personal music expert

[twothon]

SWIFTIE OR NAH?

Love Story is the first song I heard from Taylor Swift; Back to December is the first song I memorised from her songs; We are Never Ever Getting Back Together is the first bop I heard from her; Wildest Dreams makes me feel dreamy; Look What You Made Me Do from her reputation album is the baddass comeback music video she has ever made; and then there's Lover which makes me feel long-in-love with my nonexistent boyfriend.

If you've read the about page of my blog, I stated there that I'll be talking about things and stuff I'm interested on this blog and that includes music. The love I have for Taylor's music and songwriting prowess is massive, if you would ask me. I grew up listening to her music playing on the radio, in public transportations, malls, and parties that it seemed like her music became the anthem of most younger generations including me. To sum it up, I like Taylor Swift when I was younger - not that I like her less now. I have to say I'm not a die-hard fan of Taylor Swift. I hadn't been able to watch her regularly and I hadn't been able to receive updates about what was going on with her life or career; I wasn't even interested at her Red tour here in Manila. I don't have a single album out of her seven albums. I'd only watch some of her music videos on YouTube if I'd come across them and if it interested me but I wasn't a person to wait for her album to drop back then and who would listen to all of them aside from the singles that were released. Yes, I downloaded some of her music before like Love Story, You Belong with Me, Speak Now, Back to December, We are Never Ever Getting Back Together, and other popular songs of her albums. I was just a lowkey person who likes some of her music without actually knowing and liking Taylor Swift.

I have a friend who really really really like Taylor Swift; my friend likes the colour red, number 13, and has Taylor's photos as her wallpapers and all. Occasionally, I'd sing some of Taylor's songs with her and listen to them together but that far I could only get that time. One day, I wanted to discover and listen to songs I haven't heard before then I decided to search for some of her greatest songs and downloaded some of them and since then her music started growing on me. That was between 1989 era and reputation era.

Then, I was in grade 11. One of my classmates was also a massive Swiftie and we had some small talks about Taylor and her music. He was the one who introduced me to the masterpiece, All Too Well. That time, I had a song cover of that on my phone but I hadn't really heard it before so I played it to him and asked if it was the song he was talking about and he agreed but he said it was shorter and that I should listen to the full version of it and so I did. He said that it will hurt and I was - still am - hurt when I listened to the song. I liked it the first time I heard it.

The day the Look What You Made Me Do music video dropped, I remembered thinking what a big change it became from her prior music but I love it! I love the song and the concept of the music video. The power it holds, I couldn't even... Especially the latter part of the video, it's amazing how she turned the hates and the harsh comments she got from people into strength and power. I applaud her for that. True queen.

When we had our Christmas party at school, my classmate (the one I referred to earlier) was playing Taylor's music through his speaker and there was one particular song I liked that I haven't heard before and noted mentally to search it up when I got home. But the only lyrics I could remember were the words "you" and "love" and I also forgot the tune of the song so I ended up failing looking for it.

Until I decided to download ALL of her songs from her self-titled album to reputation. I took my time listening to them. One day, I subscribed to her YouTube channel and came across her Swiftmas video in 2014 and because of that video I found the song I've been looking for! I also began to respect her as an artist, the effort she put in her passion and her fans is beyond amazing. Since then, I've watched many of her intervies, speeches, performances, and just everything about her. I've also watched her concert tours and she's a great performer; it takes such a talent to put on great shows. I've always admired her humility, her heart, and her talent and just like that I've become a fan. There won't be a day I wouldn't listen to her songs or search her name on YouTube to see if there's a new video from her, now I'm writing this and planning to write a book with chapters inspired by her songs.

One of the many things I've learnt from her is that everyone always has something to say in front of you and behind you whether it is good or bad thing (even though you try your best to fit in their standards) and sometimes the negativity just comes overflowing but it - they won't matter as long as you take away the power from the people trying to push you down and carry on and move forward. There is no better counterattack than showing these people what you are truly capable by just being happy with what you're doing and accomplishing great achievements with the people who truly care and love you.

I still have a lot to learn from her and there are many years to come so if one asks me if I'm a Swiftie, I'd say yes but still in progress.

[cajunroe]

♫ + one for Ron Speirs, Carwood Lipton, Brad Colbert, Nate Fick, what can I say, I'm greedy :))) as a bonus Ron+Carwood and Brad+Nate, if you feel generous *puppy eyes*

well damn i never back down from a challenge let’s do this

ron speirs:blood on my name - the brothers bright - how could i not do a total dark banger for sparky??? like this man enjoy the thrill of a fight and there’s something somewhat dark that lurks behind his eyes, insidious and not always present but willing to show its face when necessary; there something ruthless about the way he holds himself and it’s almost scary if you don’t trust him or know him; and i think a lot of ron’s personality and insecurities and fault are consumed and hidden away by this thirst for the fight; like i can imagine him in any war ancient or modern or anywhere in between because the way he handles himself is something that kind of transcends circumstance and i just really need to compile all my character studies on speirs into a paper or something; like i realize the way i’m describing him sounds almost non-human but there is something about his bravery that is a little deeper and darker than on the surface; the way this song progress and darkens and heightens from beginning to end just hit his character in the best way possible because there’s something about speirs that borders on a death wish and accepting one’s own mortality and that if you can’t outrun death forever, you might as well get your hands dirty in the process. 

carwood lipton:against the grain - city & colour - if anything stuck out to me about lip it’s his compassion and this song just...idk i can imagine him softly talking to one of the men having a hard time or even a stranger having a bad day, to follow their heart, and god this song just hits me everytime because it’s so beautiful and the lyrics are so real and so raw that i just break down; when you listen to it, just picture lip and you’ll see what i see; his compassion came from a genuine place not because he needed people to go on or do their jobs, the concern was real and his compassion was real and the communicates through his character; the songs reminds the listener that it’s okay to just live sometimes and not search for answers in everything, not everything has meaning and sometime shitty things happen, the worse things in life can happen without any answers and we have to go on without them; “you need not to reach for the stars when life becomes so dark and when the wind does blow against the grain, you must follow your heart.”; even if you have answers, they’re not always enough, trust yourself and your instincts more than anything; lip had an amazing sense of sympathy and empathy for everyone and took care of everyone around him before himself; selflessness and compassion are two traits that are invaluable and he had them both in spades; and the line, “you need not to find a cure for everything that makes you weak” just gives me so much hope during my dark times because it reminds me that i am allowed to have faults and that i can be weak and strong at the same time and that what i’m going through it okay so long as i trust myself to follow my instincts when it gets too be too much and that will always scream lipton to me

please, send me a ♫ + a character’s name or a ship and i will respond with a song that reminds me of them

this is a long post, so the rest are under the cut!

brad colbert:bad habits - fidlar - this song is a bit “showy” for brad but it’s such an absolute “i fucking do what i want and your opinion isn’t needed or wanted or should even be thought” type song; his issues are his own and brad is unapologetic about not opening up or sharing anything and it isn’t from a scared position or anything else, he has emotions and he’s not afraid of being vulnerable because he knows it’s not a weakness or a fault, he’s just genuinely so private that only those closest to him see the real him; he has his bad habits but they’re HIS, no one else’s and he doesn’t need help or anyone to chime in on them because he’s at least acknowledging the fact that they’re there; he knows that anyone who truly loves him will stick around and support him despite these bad habits and they do; anyone else who “can’t handle it” wouldn’t be someone he’d want in his life anyway; the line “i don't care if i'm damaged, honestly, i just think i'm bored” hit me because i always see brad as someone who feels like he should always be doing more and “reaching his full potential” for no other reason than the fact that he likes to keep busy and enjoys all that life has to offer; so bad habits are easy to pick up because he gets bored easy and “idle hands” and all that; not the song i think describes brad perfectly but one that makes me think of him...and ray, every damn time. 

nate fick:seein’ red - unwritten law - there’s something that always stuck with me in gen kill and it was leadership, like it was a main consistency running throughout the whole thing; and nate’s leadership especially was a big point for me because they’re adults but they’re also still relatively young and something about their leading just will always remain impressive to me; especially nate’s and this song is just a real anthem for him and never fails to make me think of the “don’t fuck with my men” scene and i get chills; but it also reminds me of nate always feeling like he had to play catch up or that he was failing even when it wasn’t his fault or when he wasn’t failing, which i think we can all relate to;  like “i confess, i don't know what to make from all this mess. don't have much time for sympathy, but it never happened to me. so follow the leader now.” there’s something about gen kill that forces you to see them as superficial and emotionless until they’re in the thick of it and the reality comes through and all nate wants is to get his men home alive because that’s what leaders do

speirton:life me up - mree - okay so...i like to think that there’s two speirs; pre-lip and post-lip and while he’s still the same, there are significant differences between the two because i really feel like ron “death wish” speirs unconsciously (or consciously) does have a real (small??) death wish before he meets lip and while his recklessness is just as much brave as it is illogical, there’s one person who isn’t scared or him or in awe of him and that’s lip; he jokes with ron and no one “jokes” with ron, he’s easy to talk to and understands the severity and harsh realities or war but unlike ron he doesn’t let them diminish the soft parts of his personality, if anything lip’s compassion and dedication thrives because it is a scarce but highly needed resource in the war and lip gives it freely and without question and ron is in deep before he knows it; lips softens him and you see a lot of ron’s hard line dissapate the more he’s around lip, he wouldn’t have given two shit is someone was sick or about promotions but lip had both and ron was happy for the promotion but worried about the pneumonia because anything could kill them out here and ron would die just to find lip and yell at him for dying from pneumonia; okay i digress but post-war when all is said and done, ron finds himself in a new world, he’d gotten so used to houses with singed wallpaper and missing roofs, that when they’re in a warm home, wrapped up in one another, with only the sound of a ceiling fan and the crickets outside that ron feels like he’s missed a step somewhere; lip came in and changed his entire world and ron didn’t even notice and tbh he can’t even be upset because he’s never felt so content and settled and happy in his life before; lip lifts him up and ron can only try to do the same for him for as long as they’re together

icefick: past lives by børns - something about icefick that always makes me think of them is not realizing you’re in love or being surprised to find that you’re in love and for these two that is on mf POINT.; like they’re so oblivious but in tune with one another that it isn’t until they’re deep in love with one another that they realize what’s going on and by then it’s way too late to do anything about it; they’ve lived so many lives between there and her where they are now and now that they think about it, it was only a matter of time but it’s still surprising and they find all these different moments where it couldn’t have been anymore obvious that they were supposed to be together but they missed it completely; i especially love the lines “past lives couldn't ever hold me down. lost love is sweeter when it's finally found. i've got the strangest feeling, this isn't our first time around.”; like they’ve been circling one another for so long that it’s almost comically it took them so long, but it’s so much sweeter that they discovered it so late because it gave them more time to know one another so intimately and intricately that it’s impossible to part

[thevividgreenmoss]

Lawrence, Sloan, and Nesbitt are not household pop names, but on Spotify they have each racked up tens of millions of streams and prime playlist placements, specializing in muted, mid-tempo, melancholy pop, a sound that has practically become synonymous with the platform. It’s a type of music that could easily fit on mood- and affect-oriented playlists like “Chill Hits” (a playlist with nearly four million followers that all three are currently on), “Chill Tracks” (with over two million followers, promising “smol and delicate notes to calm your bones”), or “Sad Songs” (“beautiful songs to break your heart”).

These artists’ individual backgrounds tell a tale of three streaming-era success stories. Lawrence was first a model with a considerable Instagram presence, the daughter of an actress, with celebrity friends. “I want to brand myself as a musician and have people love me for being a musician, not for being an Instagram girl or a model,” she told Women’s Wear Daily this year. Fair enough. A later interview with Lawrence includes a photo where she performs before a Spotify banner.

…“I’ve definitely been in circumstances where people are saying, ‘Let’s make one of those sad girl Spotify songs.’ You give yourself a target.”

…It makes sense that pop has been going largely in this emo-ish direction, one that is more “chilled” (to use a word that platform seems to like) despite taking on heavy topics. We live in an increasingly isolated culture, and, more and more, music listening is something that happens in solitude via headphones as opposed to collectively. Pop music today is less about big, upbeat, going-out-partying anthems, which have been replaced by smaller, more introspective tunes about internal quandaries. The sound of Spotify, as Matt defines it, is also “very Lana”—“When we think of pioneers of a sound, there’s almost no one else I can think of more than Lana del Rey … Her singing style and that bleakness, and the hip-hop influenced production, paved the way for all of this.”

…Musical trends produced in the streaming era are inherently connected to attention, whether it’s hard-and-fast attention-grabbing hooks, pop drops and chorus-loops engineered for the pleasure centers of our brains, or music that strategically requires no attention at all—the background music, the emotional wallpaper, the chill-pop-sad-vibe playlist fodder. These sounds and strategies all have streambait tricks embedded within them, whether they aim to wedge bits of a song into our skulls or just angle toward the inoffensive and mood-specific-enough to prevent users from clicking away. All of this caters to an economy of clicks and completions, where the most precious commodity is polarized human attention—either amped up or zoned out—and where success is determined, almost in advance, by data.

The chill-hits Spotify sound is a product of playlist logic requiring that one song flows seamlessly into the next, a formula that guarantees a greater number of passive streams. It’s music without much risk—it won’t make you change your mind. At times, these whispery, smaller sounds even recall aspects of ASMR, with its performed intimacy and soothing voices. When everyone wants your attention, it makes sense to find reprieve in stuff that requires very little of it, or that might massage your brain a bit. Both traits—its seamlessness and its chillness—reflect music that has become instrumentalized for the platform, whether it resulted from Spotify’s own preferences or the emerging tastes of artists who have developed in its wake.

Although in professional songwriting settings there might be Spotify-specific goals, Matt clarifies: “I don’t think most people are making it for Spotify. I think at this point it’s just young kids who are products of that. That’s just music they like. They’re not thinking ‘I’m going to make Spotify-core’—things move so fast. These are just kids that are influenced by Billie Eilish or something.” As the tastes of certain young artists are reflecting back the “tastes” of the platform, it seems safe to say we’re close to a type of pop genre that’s entirely Spotified.

>___<

[gayyogurt-blog]

The pain of loving Britney Spears' “…Baby One More Time” while looking nothing like the white pop princesses of the '90s

The pain of loving Britney Spears' “…Baby One More Time” while looking nothing like the white pop princesses of the '90s

Britney Spears' debut album, …Baby One More Time turns 20 on January 12th. Here, an HG contributor reflects on her childhood spent simultaneously adoring Spears's debut music video and navigating low self-esteem as a Black girl.

Twenty years after her debut album's release, I still remember the first time I  heard Britney Spears' “…Baby One More Time.” I was in the parking lot of Walmart, listening to the car radio after seeing The Rugrats Movie with my family. I was in seventh-grade, and that distinctive “dunh dunh dunh” immediately grabbed my attention. I instinctively reached for the radio dial and turned it up-and I've never been the same.

When I saw the music video a little while later on MTV, I was in love. It was, in my mind, perfect. The outfits, the dancing-this video had it all! I may or may not have chosen my all-girls Catholic high school based on the similar uniform I'd get to wear (I'm only slightly kidding here). But little did I know that Spears' video and song would begin a long, hateful relationship with my skin color and identity as a Black teenage girl.

Growing up I'd idolized R&B singers Brandy and Monica, often donning box braids to look like the Moesha star. Back in the '90s, #BlackGirlMagic (though it wasn't called that yet) was everywhere. Sister, Sister was a hit, and I'd sometimes sneak in episodes of Living Single-the Black ensemble cast that basically created the template for whitewashed favorites like Friends, Sex and the City, and, later, Girls.

But somewhere around the early aughts, the blonde pop princess emerged as the formula for mainstream success. And I took notice.

Brandy and Monica never quite received the amount of magazine covers and accolades that their white peers accumulated seemingly out of nowhere. And as someone who was easily impressionable and subscribed to nearly every teen magazine (a dangerous combination, if ever there was one), I began to feel self-conscious about my appearance.

With dark hair, brown eyes, full lips, a wide nose, and emerging curves, I looked nothing like the thin, busty, blonde-haired and blue-eyed singers covering my favorite magazines.

Being a typical teen, I'd tear out the covers and photo spreads, essentially using them as wallpaper for my bedroom. I so desperately wanted to look like Britney, Christina, Jessica, and Mandy that I'd pray to God to make me white so I'd be deemed beautiful by society's standards. When I'd share my insecurities with my mom, she'd assure me that I was fine just the way I was…but that's what she's supposed to say, I'd think. She's my mom after all.

Besides, when I was a 12-year-old girl no one's opinion mattered more than a 12-year-old boy's. And I already knew what they thought-two years earlier, I managed to sneak a peek at the “rankings” that the boys had given the girls in our fifth grade class. My light-skinned best friend with the “good hair” received three “pretty's” next to her name, while I earned a lowly two “ugly's” next to mine. Skipping a grade certainly didn't help my popularity either.

Oh, what I would have given to be able to emulate the looks of my favorite pop stars! In an effort to channel my inner diva, I dressed up as “Oops!…I Did It Again” Britney during the fall of my freshman year of high school. I wore patent red leather pants, a black tube top, and a Britney Spears-branded microphone headset as a finishing touch. (Yes, such a thing existed.) 18 years later, I still know all the choreography to “Oops!” You can say I was obsessed.

But, as is the case with most obsessions, it wasn't healthy. At a young age, I'd already internalized that I wasn't “good enough” or “pretty enough” because I was a Black girl. It wasn't until Destiny's Child's “Survivor” music video came out in the spring of 2001 that I started to come around to the idea that maybe, just maybe, I was perfectly fine the way I was.

As I mentioned in a previous essay, that song became my anthem, giving me newfound strength after years of enduring middle-school bullying and having feelings of low self-esteem.

I still loved Britney, but Beyoncé was quickly taking the throne of pop queen in my heart. I began replacing some of my Britney posters with pictures of Destiny's Child and Jennifer Lopez-their curves more accurately reflecting my own. In fact, I'd plastered the border of my mirror with their images so that I'd literally and figuratively “see” myself in them. They gave me hope.

Twenty years later, I'm still rocking out to Britney, for she'll forever hold a place in my heart.

But thankfully, due to learning a lot of self-love, unlearning internalized self-hate and nearly two years of therapy and inner work, I'm no longer the insecure Black girl I was back then.

The post The pain of loving Britney Spears' “…Baby One More Time” while looking nothing like the white pop princesses of the '90s appeared first on HelloGiggles.