#every imagine dragons song I listen to is the exact same song and that’s what I LOVE about them | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

kozykricket · 2 months ago

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okay well i might as well just get off my whining and stressing, and just write casually

so, heres an idea i dont think i ever talked much about. ive always wanted nether fortresses to get an update, but like...

yknow, i think a lot of overhauls to nether fortresses arent necessarily to my taste. I hear some people say they like the structure the way it is, and... honestly, I do really respect its simplicity. I just think it needs some more details in some areas, maybe a TAD bit more intentional level design but like, nothing too crazy. I mostly just want it to use a bit more blocks. But at the same time, the... weirdly liminal feeling of how its just, a buncha interconnected corridors and bridges, is really cool. I wouldn't be surprised if C418s song Concrete Halls was named after the fortresses. Cus I mean, they really are just... ominously empty hallways. Love em for that but you know what else has a liminal feeling and uses a fairly simple and clean palette? trial chambers. I think out of ANY structure in the game, nether fortresses would benefit the most from trial spawners and vaults. I mean, for one they have blazes which is connected to breezes (i would imagine they're both like, constructs. but this post isnt gonna get into lore too much despite the fact i do have thoughts on the wither and such) but i also! remember mojang! or at least... slicedlime, saying that they were hoping to redo the way spawning worked in fortresses, because its not really consistent since it works on the normal mobcap. thats... something that trial spawners fix!! they dont need to adhere to normal mob spawning logic!! also yknow. souls! wither skeletons! works great. ominous nether fortress would be cool so... not to say that every overhaul NEEDS some big new shiny content thing, but also... its fun to think of. so lemme introduce you to... my line of thought for said new thing, first :P ive found it neat how the Mace showcases like, a cool duality. You have the lightweightedness of the breeze, of wind itself, and you have... what could be considered either the opposite, or just another side of the coin so to speak: Heaviness. the drop that comes after the jump. I really like the light vs heavy theming, and ofc the heavy core also fits with the industrial kinda vibes the trial chambers have so! lets apply this... to blazes! it doesnt have to be an EXACT opposite, but something that sorta works in tandem... question is, whats the theming of the blaze? I mean, okay. if its wind for the breeze, then its fire ofc! but... what is fire known for? Listen there was... a lot of thoughts i had about making it Heat, and having some... freezeflame soulfire weapon, but no. I went with Destruction. thats the theming of not just the blaze, but the wither itself, I'd say. Decay and Destruction. So great, now whats the opposite of destruction, and something that'd kinda fit with the lore of people-trying-to-do-soul-magic ? Healing !! ghast tears literally make regen potions and end crystals that heal the dragon!! and!! wither skeletons are basically people who, in a messed up way, did kinda get to Live beyond death. but i mostly just think playstyles revolving around the balance of healing and damage are cool. SO THE ITEM ITSELF: The Soul Siphon something shaped sorta like a teacup, that you hold, and... as with how the mace works effectively with going up high, the soul siphon would work effectively by Taking Damage or just, damage being dealt to nearby things. maybe both. but. i think it'd just gain charge by you taking damage! and it is used... to heal things! its a support item, not necessarily a weapon but yknow whats cool? If we make it do instant-health effects, then that healing... could be used to kill undead monsters, hehe. so, take damage to build up charge for healing! it'd make fire charges maybe actually pretty good for just like, taking lots of small chip damage to charge it up without getting in too much danger. but what about wind burst? well, lets apply a similar idea, and say theres a unique enchant for the soul siphon that lets you self damage yourself! or as i put it a few months ago in discord:

what it does is it heals things, but it requires you to take damage to use it... and the enchant that it has, its equivalent of wind burst, is one that lets you damage yourself, hence letting you charge up the Thing and use it more effectively. just as wind burst lets you go high up to effectively use the maces mechanic of doing more damage from high up. and there now its an enchantment that makes sense as realistically being deemed an upgrade even though its a sidegrade in some ways

however recently ive rethought back to older concepts, involving "stuff nearby taking damage is what charges it" and... how to design it around that. like, i think it'd be cool if it was charged by general Destruction... and could have a feedback loop in a way, a combo system, of feeding off of like. i guess... it applying Wither to enemies? and so it'd gain charge by withering them? unsure. i think theres a lotta ways to take it and... i guess thats why i was so overthinking posting about this. but i think theres a lotta potential for a freaky twist on a lifestealing weapon / doohickey, considering ghasts and soul magic and... the beacon, maybe even! so thats my pitch. for some new unique reward for nether fortresses to have. not that i think it needs much more than a loot revamp and some more arena-type-areas. a soul banner pattern design would be cool tho as loot. maybe a ruined portal room inside the center...

#jake post #minecraft #minecraft ramblings #minecraft idea #minecraft nether

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elf-osamu · 3 years ago

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“THIS IS WHAT FRIENDS DO”

[ masterlist ]

angst to fluff, platonic relationship, kyōka izumi (bungō stray dogs) x gn!reader

warning(s) : ocean, slight mention of abuse/manipulation in the port mafia, you comfort kyōka (also kyōka's relatable af)

words count : 1,872

plot : ‘where you help your friend realize that she's a good person’. quoting the song i was listening to: “if i told you what i was, would you turn your back on me? and if i seemed dangerous, would you be scared? i get this feeling just because, everything i touch isn't dark enough”.

note : this is my first time posting a story of mine here on tmblr, so i'm quite nervous (plus english isn't my first language so i don't how many grammatical errors i've made 😭). i was listening to “monster” by imagine dragons when writing this story, so it turned out to be an angst to fluff one-shot instead of a completely fluff one :(. btw this was requested by my friend < @lvstali3n 3, hope you like it darling <3

it was a quiet evening in yokohama, where the only sound that seemed to matter was the one of the ocean. the waves were slowling rising and lowering, each time at the same pace while the sea breeze gently caressed your skin.

you checked your phone, to make sure you didn't err place. yes, it was the right address, the exact spot you had to be. however, you hadn't see your friend kyōka yet.

many ships filled the port (were they carrying illegal merch? you had no idea) of your city and there were a few people chatting with each other about daily stuff, like what they did during the day, what kind of job they were applying for. others were talking in abstract ways about dreams and hopes, pains and fears. they wanted to join the university but their parents hoped that, in the end, they'd choose to work with them; they dreamed about travelling around the world, meeting all kinds of people and making new discoveries about themselves; they feared the future, too many possibilities and responsabilities; they missed an old friend; they were saying goodbye to those who were leaving the town for a better opportunity.

you were in that place because kyōka invited you, it seemed urgent, so you hurried to arrive there as soon as possible. but where was she? you searched with your gaze through the crowd of people who was forming near the port.

she wasn't in there.

with a sigh escaping your lips, you took your phone and called her. you heared a familiar ringtone in the vicinity, walking quickly while you chased the sound.

you arrived at what seemed an abandoned part of the port, where was standing a ship: it was rather old, with the red rust clearly visible on the vehicle's flanks, but little compared to the others. it probably hadn't been used for a couple of years, forgotten by the sailors who once navigated endless oceans with it.

you observed for a little while the vessel. why would kyōka stay in that shabby boat for you two to meet? or... was she hiding herself from you? you shook your head, knowing that wasn't the case. she wouldn't hide from you, after all it was her idea to talk to you. did she changed her mind?

you saw a ladder resting on a side of the ship, so you approached it. there was dust on the ladder's steps, except shoe-shaped spaces that were relatively ‘clean’. someone's footsteps.

you climbed up the ladder, then cautiosly descend to the ground.

there, for your relief, she was, admiring the sunset.

her dark and shiny hair was moved by the wind; she was wearing her usual kimono. she was facing the immense expanse of blue water that surrounded the vessel you two were on.

you reached her left side, looking for what she was staring at.

you wanted to say something, you really did, but the silence that was fulfilling the air was contagious. so, you both remained silent for a long while, thinking about your lives and your pasts. you lived for so long and yet so little, making every kind of experiences that you'll never forget and that made you the person you were that day. maybe, if you had made other decisions, you'd be on a different path; maybe, you wouldn't have met the members of the armed detective agency... or maybe you'd have always ended up there. you knew that brooding on the past was useless, the choices you had made couldn't be canceled. not that you wanted it, you liked your life as it was, but sometimes thinking about different possibilities was rather interesting.

the great, golden star called sun was slowly setting, as if it were plunging into the vast ocean to rest. you glanced at kyōka, who had her eyes closed, probably reliving a past experience of hers.

“you want to know why i texted you, don't you?” she said suddenly. you let out a light chuckle. “only if you want to. admiring the sunset wasn't bad” you replied, and you meant it.

kyōka opened her eyelids, revealing her sapphire eyes. you could tell there was something tormenting your friend. “i... i had nightmares recently” she started to say, her gaze unusually concerned. “i didn't have them since when... well, since i joined the armed detective agency. maybe i had a couple of them during some lonely nights, but nothing too... disturbing”. she had lost her calm composure and her voice was shaky. “but now, they are back and more insistent than before”.

you had never see her cry. kyōka always hid her feelings, probably because she didn't want to seem vulnerable and ‘weak’ — as she stated months ago during one of her panic attacks — around other people. you wondered if she cried when she was alone, or if she preferred to hide her emotions even from herself.

you opened your arms, silently inviting her for a hug. kyōka knew she could have decline the offer, but in that moment she needed that kind of comfort. you gently pulled your arms around her figure, caressing slowly her back while murmuring “it's okay. let it all out”. she sobbed in your jacket, her tears running without anything to do to stop them. “i d-dream about... not being good enough. the nightmare is the same each time: it's me and the members of the agency. we are all happy together, we... we are a family. but t-then... many criminals arrive. we fight for our own lives and, after spilling blood and use our abilities, the battle seems to be over. however, we aren't aware of one more criminal, standing behind us. they have in their hands a bomb, that they throw right at you... i s-shout your name... the strong impact make all of us to fall... there are dust and smoke everywhere, i c-can't see anything. after a while, it all vanishes. and here your bodies are, scattered on the floor... lifeless. i'm the only one who's still alive”. kyōka tighten her grip around you. “then i hear a creepy voice, whispering... things. ‘see, kyōka? you're useless. your friends needed you, but you didn't have enough strenght to save them, to help the ones who saved you long time ago. they've done so much for you, but you never returned the favor. instead, you thought only about your safety, abandoning their lives for your own. don't you realize how selfish you are, kyōka? how unworthy of love and compassion you are? you didn't deserve them, they were better than you e you know that. you'll never become a good person, your soul is entirely made of pure evil. you fooled not only your caring and lovely friends, but even yourself’. though, the worst thing of all is that those words are true. i'm not and i'll never be a good person”.

now the moon shone high in the sky, painting the sea a silvery shade. it had started to get cold, in fact there weren't as many people as before. the seagulls squawked while the last working ship was leaving the port.

kyōka seemed a little bit calmer; who knows how long she had needed to vent to someone, how long she turned off her feelings until she couldn't take it anymore.

you wanted to make her realize her worth, you wanted kyōka to know that she was lovable and a good person.

and you knew she needed factual proofs to believe in what you were about to say.

“kyōka, look right there” you pointed out a group of people who were saying goodbye to their loved ones. “do you know them?” you asked, already knowing the answer.

she shook her head, quite confused at your sudden question.

“me neither. however, i'm certain about one - maybe two - thing about them.”

“what is it?”

“they made mistakes in the past and will make them even in the future. constantly.”

she was starting to realize what you were trying to do, and she didn't like it. not because you were wrong, but because kyōka knew she had to face a part of herself that she hated and blamed for a really long while.

“you see, as human beings, we make all kinds of mistakes and learn from them, but we already know that we'll make new ones. it's inevitable for our growth, even though sometimes they are hideous. mistakes don't define us: it's the way we try to remedy to them that matters. facing the past is incredibly challenging and scary, going through that dark tunnel isn't easy, but you have to trust yourself, to love yourself. to fix your mistakes, you must acknowledge them first.”

and you added to your monologue: “however, yours aren't really mistakes.”

kyōka looked up at you with wide eyes, as if she didn't believe those words were really said.

“but... i killed thirty-five people. i'm a criminal, so i can't be a good person.”

you sighed in a light-hearted way, hinting a smile.

“did you want to? you did it because you wanted so, or were you forced to do it?”

she didn't answered.

“osamu dazai was a mafia member too. he was an executive. he commited many crimes in his life, and not always we can forgive them. however, he decided to become a better person: he quitted the port mafia and joined the armed detective agency. now, he's the one to save people, instead of the one killing, manipulating or torturing them” you paused for a moment, taking a breath. then you thought aloud, whispering at the wind, the words escaping from your lips. “growing up in the port mafia... i can't even imagine how it must have been. i'm sorry you both had to go through it”.

you returned to reality and shook your head, not wanting to ramble in such a delicate moment. “the point is, everyone can change, if they are willing to.”

kyōka looked at the dark, vast ocean, weighing your words. you couldn't blame her, surely there was a lot on her mind.

“but ōzaki said that in me lies a deep darkness. perhaps... i'm predisposed for it, maybe it's my nature. i don't want to cause you - the agency members and the civilians - any trouble because of it” she insisted.

you knew how difficult it was to realize that you aren't always the problem when you thought so each time something bad happened. after years spent in self-pity, you realized that some things can't be controlled by yourself. some things happen regardless of your will.

you looked at your friend and smiled. “each of us has darkness within them. but there's also a light - bright or dim, big or small - that accompanies it. sometimes, being a good person requires doing ‘bad’ things, and sometimes a ‘bad’ person can do good things. what matters is the use we make of that light.”

a moment later you found yourself hugged by kyōka, who was crying again, but from joy and gratitude this time.

“thank you, y/n. thank you so much” she whispered.

“no problem. after all, this is what friends do: they help and support each other.”

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

[ do not copy, repost etc | by @ elf-osamu ]

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notebooks-and-laptops · 3 years ago

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Hi, hello, I spent the last few days listening to your Izzy playlist and aaaah!! I don't know where to start so I'm sorry if this ask isn't very coherent but aaaaaah.

First of all I very rarely listen to people's playlists because I feel like other people's music tastes don't always merge well with mine but I already knew and loved a few of the songs in that playlist and a good half of the ones I discovered I love so much! So thank you for making me discover cool songs, notably but very much not limited to This is love, Girl with one eye, Genghis Khan and 505.

Also, I feel like the combo 'not always seeing the characters the same way' (which is normal obviously) and 'having different music tastes' makes character playlists a bit meh to me? But I'm so so glad I gave yours a listen because I kept hearing the lyrics of the songs and going 'oh yeah that's an Izzy mood alright', I think the most obvious ones for me are like King and This is love? Especially that part at the beginning of This is love, the 'shut up' in 'this is love, love, shut up this is love' every single time I hear it (and I've listened to it a lot) my brain just thinks of him and Ed (and also like King, I will never hear it without thinking of them this is an Izzy song forever for me now) And obviously when I heard like, You me and Steve, Girlfriend, The masochism tango or Jolene I was like 'oh obviously, of course (affectionate)'

Also, and this is more personal but Die together is !! I love that song because not only is it genius to have put it in that playlist it also makes me think of - in middle school I took ancient greek and latin classes and one time the teacher had us listen to an intervention by a teacher who talked about how immortality was truly achieved by dying young and in battle, so that your tales would be told far and wide and forever, and this theme of immortalising people forever through death has not left me since, so finding a song that connects to it is just !!! Anyway excellent job, our music tastes may not be the exact same but I kept the majority of the songs when I downloaded my faves to my phone and that's impressive. Thank you very very much for sharing!!

!!!!!

(For others who want context, my Izzy playlist can be found by clicking here)

This is so much of a complement omg. I spend so much time making fandom playlists for fun (I think I have around 80 playlists for Dragon Age alone) and they're not things that usually get shared around because of all the things you listed (music taste, people having different opinions on characters/songs, or even how I tend to listen to the lyrics and use those to assign characters, whereas I defo have some friends who do it on 'vibes' or what the character themselves would most likely listen to) which is fine but it IS really fun when other people do enjoy them/want to chat about them because music linked to fandoms is like. The main way I consume music and I consume a LOT of music.

But I'm glad that you enjoyed so much! Also King as an Izzy song is literally haunting like holy fucking shit (also a great Steddyhands song if you're into that with that little bit about climbing up the stairs to the light) and 'this is love' is I think the number one song to get into the core of Blackhands from Izzy's perspective like he just sees love that way as this violent deranged thing.

'Die Together' is YES that song holy shit. If you didn't watch it in Eurovision this year, I recommend doing so because the staging was stunning and haunting (it was my absolute fav of the night, so glad it got into the top ten, wish it had done even better) - you can find it here. Also as far as Izzy is concerned it makes me want to chew on things like this idea of a very toxic love that can't go on, but also the idea of it being the worst thing to imagine it ending because that love is also EVERYTHING, and so how are we going to fix this well maybe we'll just die together, and that way we can't lose each other and just dhjadhkjfgjkagfkgf BLACKHANDS HURTS MY SOUL.

Also, PLEASE if you haven't already go watch the Genghis Khan music video here! It's gloriously queer with the premise of 'if James Bond fell in love with the villian' SUCH a good music video

But thank you so much for this ask! It honestly made my day and I'm so glad you enjoyed the playlist as a whole!

#izzy hands #ask #ofmd

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swimmingtvshowghostwoman · 2 years ago

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I have terrible memory. In everything.people,places,facts etc. In everything except imagine dragons.

I remember the first time I listened to demons. 6th grade. My friend opened the clip on YouTube. I remember thinking how sad and yet beautiful it is, and how my friend put in on because she also saw it that way.

I remember in 8th grade after thunder became super popular deciding i have to look up more of their songs. I remember coming home from school and laying on the couch with my blue headphones and listening to all of their discography on that old imusic app that definitely doesn’t exist anymore.

I remember the Friday where I woke up and opened the same crap app and listened to all the origins songs in those weird def not official lyrics videos while sitting at our dining table with my parents asking why I’m so excited.and me trying to explain but also why too focused on the lyrics and melody to be able to.

I remember always telling my dad facts about them and where they are preforming and ‘making’ him listen to all of their songs while we were in the car together.

I remember the day my dad told me he bought us tickets to see them live for my 16 birthday. I remember thinking there is no way he is serious.

I remember the walk from the Airbnb to the concert.

I remember the excitement I felt waiting for them to go on stage.the jokes my dad made during the show.the songs.the energy.the fireworks,both literal and not. I remember my face hurting from singing and smiling.I remember the sandwich my dad and I ate after the show in the one place we found in a strange country after an incredible night.

I remember when I asked my teacher if I can do my project about them and she said yes. And I learned so much more about how incredible and so much more then what people including myself think they are.

I remember starting to talk to someone here because I found someone who sees them the same way as me.and finding we have so much more in common.and having this unique awesome friendship with someone I never met who lives in a different country.

I remember that snow day where we had classes on zoom and I told my teacher I don’t have wifi because of the snow so I could listen to deep cuts and watch the smoke and mirrors movie.

I remember all those times I stayed up until 4am to watch the lives they did during Covid.

I remember counting the minutes until midnight when they dropped follow you and cutthroat and listening to both songs on a loop for hours until I just fell asleep.

I remember being on vacation with my friends and going to a bar and asking them to go back to our Airbnb before midnight so I can listen to wrecked. And once we got there waiting till midnight and getting emotional over this amazing song.and the next morning watching the clip and being even more emotional.

I remember becoming unbelievably invested in the clue hunt and staying up all night and constantly checking discord and even if i didn’t solve anything I felt a part of it .

I remember doing the exact same thing with all of act 1 as I did with follow you and cutthroat.and with eps on Spotify, and act 2(signals and album), and the NV extended version because it was either Covid or I was just so tired after my week at the base they are the only thing keeping me up.

I remember getting to my brothers house after enlisting to the army and being so scared of the next day in the base and just listening to their songs calming me down,and then I put on the TRF gala and cried and smiled and felt everything.

I remember the time I was in the car with a friend and I was in a mood so in order to get me to talk to her she just asked me ‘why imagine dragons?’ And I couldn’t stop talking after that.

And I remember this morning, waking up and my friend calling me to tell me they are coming to Israel, and me checking every website I can think of because I just can’t believe it, and my dad coming in and is about to say something when I tell him the news and then he says he knows and it is why he came to my room.

I remember not being able to stop smiling all day especially after buying my ticket.

I can never express how much this band means to me.how much I carry their songs with me.how much they have helped me over the years.and how much I know they will continue to be this force in my life.and how much I appreciate and cherish them.

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thoughts-on-bangtan · 3 years ago

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Hi! I hope you’ll answer this question bc it bothers me quite a lot.. https://www.quora.com/What-does-it-mean-now-that-BTS-are-partial-owners-of-Big-Hit-Entertainment do you think it is true what the second person (Christine Herman) said? After reading this, i started to wonder…what if BTS does really have only profit in mind while doing new projects these days? Maybe they don’t really care anymore about creative and meaningful lyrics and sound? With Butter and PTD…all this generic music sung in English. Of course they say “we wanted to make fans feel good”, “butter and ptd represent who we are” and all these things fans want to hear but.. do you really think it’s true? moreover, don’t get me wrong, i don’t find product placement in their reality shows as something terrible, i believe this is a normal thing, however, nowadays the members really film ads and do marketing a lot. so yeah, for some reason i began to question their integrity dhsjjss i hope you will understand from where my concerns come from and won’t find this ask stupid sjdjjdjd

After reading that persons answer I can immediately tell you that I basically don't agree with an overwhelming majority of what she said (even more so since a lot of it just makes her sound like a manti that hates the company and basically would want them to make music for free or something). Generally I don’t agree with most of the opinions this person holds, and also Quora really isn’t a good source for info or good opinions, most of it is written by mantis, haters, and toxic shippers with an agenda so most ARMY will tell you to stay as far away from that website as possible.

Anyway, her focus in that answer was on money, since BTS are shareholders (and how that’s a conflict of interest despite other artists doing the exact thing but no one really cares or ever thinks about it), but what she failed to consider and note was that Big Hit Music, so BTS' label, isn't part of HYBE in the sense that shareholding has no baring on it since BHM is private. So while BTS profit off of HYBE doing well, and have a small percentage of a voice as shareholders, that has nothing to do with BHM in the classical sense, even if BHM's earnings reflect well on HYBE numbers and the shareholder money.

BHM was made private to ensure their artistry would remain untouched, that was the whole point of that.

Even if they weren't HYBE shareholders, take Namjoon as example. He has more than 170 KOMCA credits, is among the top 3 Korean artists with the most credits and is also the youngest of them all. It is said that his earnings from that alone can sustain his family for 3 generations over. Look at Hobi and Chicken Noodle Soup, that song was a hit and he paid the original creator of that song 2 million dollars upfront and earned a lot back due to how successful it was. Same goes for Hope World which, again, was and is still immensely successful. Look at Yoongi and his work both as prod. SUGA, featuring artist SUGA, and as Agust D, as well as the credits he holds for his work on BTS songs (giving him as well a total of over 100 KOMCA credits, just like Hobi). Bangtan have worked and continue to work extremely hard for their music, put their heart and souls into it, and it shows even if their style changed as they grew older and more mature.

Yes, money is a major motivator, but looking at the above paragraph, do you really peg the members as these corrupt money hungry sellouts with no music related integrity? Who would need to sign major deals and would throw away their passion to just release empty shells of music for the sole reason of money? Am I naive enough to believe that they don't care about money? Of course not, we live in a capitalist society and even if BTS wouldn't care about money anymore at this point, HYBE very much does, and yet still I can't find it in me to agree with any of what was said in that answer that person wrote.

More below the cut:

And that point about how Hyundai cars were sold out because of BTS, isn't that the point why literally any company ever hires celebrities to advertise and endorse their product? And sure, again, I'm certain they earned a lot on these deals, they aren't the first or last or only ones in the history of ever to do so. Besides, look at JK and what he's done for small companies, or Tae who wore a brooch made my a small creator at the airport which catapulted that creator into the eyes of millions of ARMYs enough so that they could move to a proper studio and earn money with their work. Or the modern hanboks JK wore which led to the brand being able to move into actual stores in malls because of their sudden new popularity and demand. Or him wearing a bracelet that helps whales with a percentage of the money from the sales of said bracelet. And for all of that JK and Tae didn't earn any money at all. JK himself said that he's more conscious of the brand he wears now because he wants to help smaller businesses in these trying times, not because they pay him to do so (especially since they would never be able to afford that), but because he's aware of the influence he has and how he can use it to help others. Sound very much like a capitalistic villain, right?

As for the product placement bit, have you been on YouTube recently? Have you noticed that many, if not most, YouTube videos by “bigger” creators (and by that I mean even people who are around the 100k subscriber mark) begin with them thanking whoever sponsored that particular video and give you a scripted minute to two minute long ad before getting into the actual topic of the video? And In The SOOP featuring Chilsung Cider, FILA clothes and the random mention of how good Samsung phones are isn’t much different from it, though really, if you’re not someone interested in fashion much, would you really notice or care that they wore FILA? It’s just...clothes? If it weren’t a BTS related show, would you even notice it much? And it’s not even like they mentioned those brands every five minutes or anything, just a few times, which sure sounded a bit out of place at times, but personally I thought it was easy to look past. That’s just how things work nowadays and it’s odd for people to behave like somehow BTS are the first and only ones to use product placements despite literally every movie and show doing it in subtle and less so manners.

The answer by that person you sent also mentioned the Hyundai song for their car IONIQ and, unsurprisingly, that person wrote it off as just some commercial jingle but I’d actually disagree with that. Not to sound like a Hyundai and Samsung stan, which I am neither of, but I actually think those two knew best how to utilize the artist they have spent millions on signing a deal with. Hyundai didn’t just write them off as pretty faces with a millions strong fan army behind them and that’s it, they remembered that they are musicians so they gave them a song and made a whole music video for it as well. And say what you will, it is a good song. Then, just a few days ago, Samsung stepped up their game and we were given Over The Horizon Prod by SUGA of BTS. For those who aren’t Samsung users, Over The Horizon is their signature ringtone and basically their company sound, and over the years different artists were asked to make their own version of it. And this time they reached out to Yoongi and asked if he’d like to do it as well. It’s kind of a big deal. Sure, Butter is used in one of their commercials much the way Dynamite was last year, but that’s beside the point. Would that person make the same claim about Imagine Dragons whose song Believer is also part of the ads for the new Samsung phones? I have my doubts.

Furthermore, and I don't want this to come across as mean toward you but, I think it is uncalled for to question their artistic integrity based on a total of 3 (three) English songs when last year alone we received 50+ songs, most of which were in Korean, among them the entirety of BE which was, according to the members, the album they were most involved in ever when it comes to both music and everything around it.

You can dislike their English songs, that’s more than fine, they have a very extensive discography you can listen to instead, but questioning their integrity based on them doing something that most, if not every, artist on their level does (as in sign ad deals with brands etc) is a bit much if you ask me. Does that mean indie artists whose songs get picked up for commercials (or for Netflix shows or movies) and thus it catapults them into the mainstream are also just money hungry people with no integrity and ones who don’t care about their music? Or is that, again, just a standard Bangtan is held to (as in that their integrity is questioned based on everything, even the most trivial/normal things) that only applies to them and no one else?

In the recent Weverse Magazine article about how Permission to Dance came to be there is a lot of talk about not only that song but also Butter and Dynamite, among the things being discussed and talked about they mentioned how the original lyrics for Butter were much more materialistic but that the members didn't like that so they asked for that to be changed. Likewise the original lyrics for Permission to Dance, as you'd expect from the penmanship of Ed Sheeran, were much more romantic, almost proposal like, which wasn't what the members wanted either so it was, again, adjusted in a way that would fit what they, as well as the A&R team, wanted. While you may not like these songs, they still had a say in them to a certain degree, could say yes or no and ask for adjustments. Why else would PTD take eight months?

While they might outsource their English songs, their main focus, so their Korean (as well as Japanese) discography is still centered around them, their lyrics, their songs, their sound. Of course you’ll also find outside producers and some lyricists on those as well, because that’s how music works these days, as in collaboratively, that doesn’t change anything at large. Their integrity is still very much there, their hearts are still in it, what other reason would any of them have to say that they want to continue for a long time, for Yoongi to say they want to figure out how to make their career last as long as possible, for JK to say that he wants to sing forever?

Admin 2 also wanted me to add that in their opinion, to a certain degree (though not fully of course), their English songs are like a way to laugh at and expose how shallow the English-centric music industry is. As in, while they made music in Korean with deep and meaningful lyrics, the US industry didn’t care but once they switched to easy to listen to sound with easy to understand English lyrics, they suddenly paid attention, are played on the radio, and even received a Grammy nomination which they wouldn’t have gotten for a Korean song ( A1: regardless how much Black Swan or Spring Day really would’ve deserved it...).

#answered ask #BTS #hybe entertainment

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captainshazamerica · 4 years ago

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was tagged by @fives-cup-of-coffee

Thanks so much for thinking of me Amelia! (I also think it's so cool you live in Norway omg, my mom and I always talk about running away to Norway xD

rules: answer 30 questions and tag some blogs you’d like to get to know better!

name/nickname: Meredith/Mere/Merebear

gender: she/her

star sign: virgo

height: 5'6

time: 12:09am

birthday: September 21st

favorite bands: uhh I honestly dont listen to that much music, like mainly showtimes, soundtracks, disney, Christian rock, and 2000's/ 2010's pop, plus songs I've done a dance to or heard at a comp or recital, and songs I've heard in fan videos, and dark covers 😂 that was so long omg. But I do love Imagine Dragons, and may or may have not have been a directioner back in the day....

favorite solo artists: same as above, but I do like Taylor swift, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Beyonce, and Adele

song stuck in my head: There's A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow by the Sherman Brothers/Carosuel of Progress show at disney🤣

last show: Teen Titans

last movie: Rewatched Singing In the Rain the other day, but in terms of newest movie I hadnt seen before, Godzilla vs King Kong

when did i create this blog: omg gosh, I know I got tumblr in like 2011 or 2012, freshmen year of high school, but this one maybe 2013 or 2014?

what do i post: Ships, Character aesthetic Uquizzes,Moodboards, the occasional video edit, Fandoms weblogs, shitpost reblogs, random thoughts

last thing googled: Exact location of the disney pavilions from the 1964/5 worlds fair in nyc locations today

other blogs: @meres-fic-recs @jonathancranehyperfixation (tho I dont use it too much any more as im not as hyperficated at the moment), a Disney one I rarely use @meredithinneverland , a survey blog I rarely ever use and a few other ones I rarely use,

do i get asks: every once in a while, I love them so much tho, the ones I do get are mainly ships and moodboard requests that I take way too long to do🤦‍♀️

why i chose my url: I just saw Shazam and became obsessed and Cap has always been a fav and endgame was about to come out i think? And just thought of it and how they shared letters haha. I think it's pretty clever if I do say so myself 😂😎

following: 995

followers: 958 (mainly cause I've had this blog for so dang long, lots are ghost followers I think, I have been gaining since I've been doing ships and moodboards tho)

average hours of sleep: bro it's all over the place these days

lucky number: dont have any

instruments: nope

what am i wearing: my little mermaid onesie🤣

dream trip: Pompeii! I'm a history nerd and have always dreamed of going there, it's just so preserved!

Also Lithuania cause that's my heritage/my grandma was full Lithuanian, and Israel! Oh and all the over seas disney parks, mainly the Tokyo one tho

favorite food: bread lmao

nationality: mainly american but a quarter Lithuanian on my mom's side and a bit of native american on my dad's

favorite song: dont really have one?

top three fictional universes i’d like to live in: Narnia, HP, Middle Earth

No pressure tag

@swanimagines @fangirlings-things

@imaginesbymk @upsettiespaghettie

@nerdyalthea17 @elizadisney

@wolfgirlj @ramblingsofachristiannerd

@moonlit-imagines and anyone else who sees this and wants to!

#i got tagged #tags #tag games #tagged #about me #meredith thoughts

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bluebuzzmusic · 3 years ago

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Opinion: Let’s Have A Talk About Kygo

When Kygo burst onto the scene in 2013-2014, tropical house was everything. Names like Thomas Jack, Robin Schulz, Felix Jaehn, Sam Feldt, Bakermat, and Matoma similarly rode the wave, but Kygo, with his brilliant melodies and ear for remix-worthy anthems, gained an early edge and has gone on to become a worldwide star with over 27 million monthly listeners on Spotify. He released his critically-acclaimed debut album, Cloud Nine, in 2016 with features from John Legend, James Vincent McMorrow, Maty Noyes, and Julia Michaels, among others.

He’s played some of the biggest venues in the world, including the Hollywood Bowl and SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, the Ullevaal Stadion in his native Norway, and of course Coachella. He was the fastest artist to reach one billion total plays on Spotify in 2015 — no one can deny his magnetism and talent.

All of this is to say, he has every right to put out literally anything he wants. But it’s been eight years and he has hardly evolved beyond that pretty melody and vocalist paradigm. And it’s getting kind of boring.

He has a new song out today with X Ambassadors, “Undeniable,” and it follows that exact formula. Some pretty melody, his little reverb vocal effects, some soft drums, that recognizable piano, and vocals from a pop star. That’s not to say that the song isn’t inherently good or well written, or even that it’s poorly produced.

Kygo says, “Sam and I had so much fun writing this one together in LA then performing it last month at Banc of California Stadium. It’s a special song to us and I hope everyone likes “Undeniable” as much as we do.”

X Ambassadors lead singer/songwriter Sam Nelson Harris says, “I’ve always had an affinity for big-ass love songs but don’t often end up writing them. This one came together so organically and quickly— it was such a treat to write it with Kash, Nick, Whethan and Kyrre. I honestly couldn’t be more excited to sing it at all my friends weddings.”

Clearly, both artists found joy in writing and creating the song together, and they’re proud of their work. As a listener, I would never deign to impose my own will on an artist’s creativity. We’ve seen the same arguments made for Skrillex, Zedd, Porter Robinson, and others who have changed their sound, sometimes, perhaps, to the chagrin of fans. (This is not a comparison of Kygo’s stagnation to the others’ evolvement, merely pointing out fan reactions to what an artist wants to make.)

The difference between those examples and Kygo is that those other artists have evolved through new sounds, but they still sound like themselves. A couple perfect example of artists evolving and retaining the same sound are Flume and RL Grime. Both have an “undeniable,” to usurp the title from Kygo’s latest single, sound but have evolved and grown over time.

Yet, Kygo has remained complacent, putting out the same melodic, vocal ballads for years. And look, they’re working for him. He has been able to “resurrect” Donna Summer and Whitney Houston, and cover a classic from Tina Turner (which brings into discussion the topic of capitalizing off the back of black women’s work, but that’s for another time), has a 1.1bn play song with Selena Gomez, and multiple other hundred-million play songs. So clearly, fans enjoy his work.

But isn’t there something more beyond the usual? The familiar? The tried and true?

Before I began writing this article, I wanted to challenge my own confirmation bias. I listened to his last two dozen or so singles. Some have variations in tempo, like “Think About You” with Valerie Broussard; “Kem Kan Eg Ringe” with Store P and Lars Vaular is a notable outlier. But even as he’s teamed up with the likes of Miguel, Imagine Dragons, U2, Ellie Goulding, and OneRepublic, names that on their own sell out arenas, the result remains a predictable brand of ballad that he’s become known for.

Of course, I’m not naïve enough to believe that reactions to this opinion couldn’t be boiled down to, “Well if you think he’s boring, then don’t listen to him.” And that’s valid. But I also believe that Kygo is incredibly talented, and after seven years of doing this job and cultivating talent, I can’t help but mourn when I feel talent is squandered.

This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: Opinion: Let’s Have A Talk About Kygo

source https://www.youredm.com/2021/10/15/opinion-lets-have-a-talk-about-kygo/

#edm #music #music production #music news #edm news

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troop-scoop · 5 years ago

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Mistakes & Regrets V

Summary: When a trip to your Dad’s hometown of Hawkins goes wrong, you end up in the year 1983, and have to learn how to cope with being stuck in the past.

Pairing: Steve Harrington / Future!Reader (like, a really slow burn)

A/n: Italics are memories!

•••

You were scared, and alone.

The star and moonless sky sent chills up your spine, and the cold made you feel like it was winter. But this place didn’t have any seasons. It was just cold, and empty. And slimy.

It always felt like your feet were slipping whenever you tried to sneak around whatever those things were around you. They were terrifying, growling, and faceless.

And you made a big mistake, you’d ran away, you broke the rule of never going into the woods alone. This was on you. And you wanted nothing more for your phone to work. To be able to call your dad, either one of them. You wanted to apologize for being an idiot, for not being responsible.

You were hiding, holding your keys. They were too loud. All the keychains you had on it were jingling drawing attention. You were trying to take them off of the ring as quietly as you could, the first one to go was your Millennium Falcon keychain, quietly slipping it into your backpocket. The second was the Avatar keychain, that one being slipped into your hoodie pocket. You needed to seperate them, keep it so the jingle was no longer there. So you could get by them easier.

The last one you hesitated on. The rose quartz crystal keychain your brother had bought you from the dollar section in Target for your birthday. You didn’t really have an opinion of crystals, you thought they were pretty, so you kept it on your keyring.

You hesitated, before deciding against it, holding your pepper spray as if it would do anything, the pale pink can being gripped in your hand, fingers wrapped tightly around it, your nail polish a dark shade of purple, contrasting the pink, even in the dark.

“Could you find a way to let me down slowly.” You sang as quietly as possible, holding the keychain in your hand, trying to calm your down as much as possible. They’d seen you once. You didn’t want to risk it again. You’d lost your skateboard along the way, having dropped it the moment you saw one of those. . . things.

“A little sympathy I hope you can show me.” Tears were close to going down your cheeks as you grabbed your bag, holding it to your chest as tightly as you could. Your phone died a day before. And you’d been here a total of two. Evading the creature’s, never really getting a good look at them. Just knowing that they towered over you and looked emaciated, and their hands were huge, if you could even call them hands. They looked more like claws. And reminded you of the Windigo from that one video game whose name kept slipping your mind. And that’s what you called them, because that’s what they looked like, even if they weren’t because you knew these things had to be a different species, not a cannibal turned monster from Native American lore.

“If you wanna go then I’ll be so lonely.” Your low voice cracked a bit as your grip on the

sketchbook inside of your bag tightened. Your knees meeting your chest as you held the red material of the Jansport bag.

“If you’re leaving, baby, let me down slowly.” A loud noise came from down the street. Away from where you were hiding. Looking from the tree branches to the dark uninhabited houses you saw one of them moving. But you moved quicker. Hopping down from the tree and carrying your bag while you ran

•••

You didn’t know where you were going, you were pretty sure you were just running. Maybe there was something behind it. Some reason you were going towards the center of town, like a gut instinct telling you that you needed to go, run away from the motel you’d been living in for the past months.

The second the bowl had shattered and Linda snapped you out of it, you’d ran, going for your room again, and packing a few things you thought were necessary, and you went running down the street, it’d been 15 minutes now.

And at the end of those 15 minutes, you turned a corner, and almost ran straight into an older woman, who looked upset, and frazzled. An unreadable look on her face. But you knew it wasn’t a happy one. Maybe one of being deep in thought? Contemplation maybe.

It took everything in you not to call her what you knew her as, but you also knew that would get a strange look before she left. But as she steadied your by grabbing onto your shoulders, you grabbed her arms.

“Mrs. Byers! I was just looking for you.” Realization struck, your instincts telling you to run into town, where Joyce would be at the coroner's office, to tell her that Will couldn’t possibly be dead, because you were still there, you hadn’t disappeared like in all of those movies where something bad happens and someone was never born.

Or this could be like in Avengers, where something caused another timeline to happen. But then what would that mean for you? For the rest of your family here? For Will? Would he really be dead?

You refused to believe that. It didn’t feel right.

“I’m sorry? Do I know you?” Joyce looked more confused than she could have ever been in the entirety of her life.

“No, you don’t.” You spoke sadly, looking down to the ground, blinking away quick tears before looking back up to Joyce. “I’m new to Hawkins, just please listen, this is about your son-”

“If Jonathan told you anything-”

“There’s no way he’s dead!” You interrupted, grip on her sleeves growing tighter before she slowly pulled her hands away from your shoulders, eyeing you cautiously, almost as if you’d found out a secret.

“Wh-what?”

“You’re going to think I’m crazy, like, psych ward level crazy, like needing to be so heavily medicated that I wouldn’t be able to function normally-”

“Sweetheart, I’ve been the crazy one in town the past few days. I’ve seen it. . . What’s going on?”

You felt your heart swell a bit when she called you ‘sweetheart’ because that was what she’d always called you. Dad called you ‘baby’ and she always called you ‘sweetheart’. You blinked away more tears as you tried to muster up the courage to speak, but you couldn’t.

Carefully, and almost hesitantly, you pulled off your bag, and opened it. Taking out the large notebook and closing the backpack again, flipping to the page you were looking for, the image you and your dad had drawn together. You handed over the sketchbook, and you saw her eyes widen a little as she looked down at the carefully drawn image.

“This is- this is Will’s Dungeons and Dragons character-”

“Will the Wise, Right? A Cleric, a healer, he’s clever and smart, and he helps people! And that’s my character that he helped me make when I was nine, she’s a half-elf rogue, I named her after Elizabeth the first!” You explained.

Growing up, you played D&D with your Dad and uncles whenever they came to visit or you went to visit them. They weren’t actually related to you, but rather the kind of uncles that everyone else had, the uncles that were your parent’s best friends. They all helped you make your favorite character.

“When you were nine? Will’s only been playing with his friends for a year and a half? Right after he turned 11, he asked for the set for his birthday, there’s no way, and he doesn’t know you. He has three friends.”

“Check the date. Upper right hand corner.” You told her, watching as he eyes darted to the date on the paper, and you watched as her face fell before she looked back up at you.

“January 21st 2019? That’s. . . like 40 years from now-”

“36, actually.” You corrected quietly, a small shrug given when her face now turned into a scowl at how you corrected her.

“What are you saying?” She asked cautiously, flipping through the sketchbook. “I know I have no right to say someone else is crazy, I mean- I’m talking to Will through my christmas lights, you being from ‘2019’ sounds more believable.”

“There’s no way that Will’s dead, because I’m his daughter.” You admitted to her.

“Tell me something about him then. Only someone who knew him would know.” She demanded, closing the sketchbook and handing it back to you.

“He has a birthmark on his right arm, I had the exact same one, but then I burned myself on a pan, and it went away. . . Um- His favorite song, it’s ‘Should I Stay Or Should I Go’ from The Clash. Uncle Jonathan introduced him to it. Dad introduced it to me.”

Joyce’s face was once again, unreadable as she stared at you, eyes tracking over your face carefully, catching every detail, and everything that was asymmetrical. Everything that made you look like a Byers.

“Oh my God. You’re not lying.”

•••

“So, I’m your grandmother.”

You nodded as you grabbed the boombox, setting it down on the table, examining the christmas lights she’d put up around the house. It looked like something a crazy person would do. Put up this amount of christmas lights. And paint the alphabet on the wall.

“And you have two dads?”

You turned your head to her, giving her a look. You’d explained everything to her, how your dads had met, how you’d been conceived and born, how you’d grown up, and who your brother was. How close you were to your Uncle Jonthan, and that your favorite non-related uncle was Uncle Lucas, which sold her even more into the fact that you were really from the future, and were really her son’s daughter.

“Yes, I have two dads. But I’m biologically Will’s.” You explained once again.

“Okay.” She said quietly, taking the tape out of the boombox, rewinding it with a pencil. “Alright, one more question.” Joyce started again, making you sigh. “How’d you get here?”

You paused, looking down at your dirtied and almost ripped converse. You didn’t quite remember. All you could remember was running into the woods after getting away from Enzo’s, trying to take a short cut to the motel, and then you fell through the ground, into something cold, and gooey. What you imagined it would feel like to stick your hand into a dead body for an autopsy. But you didn’t remember anything after that. Just waking up, in dirty clothes laying on the ground in the woods, backpack on, skateboard gone. And you had gotten up, legs feeling weak, and wobbly, before you’d found yourself back in town, but it had all been different. You hadn’t realized that it had been a different century until you’d gone into Melvad’s and saw something with the expiration date of ‘November 28th 1983.’

“I don’t remember. But I remember I made a mistake, and I ran off. And I regret it. If I could take it back I would.” Looking back up you noticed she was looking up at you, sympathy written on her face, and you knew what she was thinking. And you knew that one day her sympathy or your situation would turn to empathy for your Dad. Who would be going through what she was now.

You reached down and pressed ‘play’ before standing up straight again, giving her a soft smile as you looked up at the lights. This was not the house you’d assume belonged to a perfectly sane woman. And yet, it did.

“Come on Will!” You yelled “Do your weird magic bullshit!” Joyce started a bit before standing up.

Banging came from the wall, and you turned your head to look over. Joyce stopped the music and went to the spot on the wall where the banging continued, with you following shortly after.

“Mom?”

Joyce gasped. “Will?”

“Holy shit.” You murmured

“Mom?” The boy asked again, banging on the walls continuously as if trying to get through. Something told you that it wasn’t as easy as Joyce thought it was by running outside while you placed a firm hand on the wall, nails digging into the wallpaper and peeling it away.

“Will?” You questioned.

“Where’s my Mom?”

“Will!” Joyce yelled, running back inside seeing that the wallpaper in her living room was ripped off and you were staring at what looked like a thin layer of skin. Maybe a membrane. You didn’t like it, and that feeling came back, of being on a roller coaster drop, but the drop never ending. It was a bit sheer, and you could see the outline of the small boy banging against the membrane.

“Mom!”

“Will! I’m here! I’m here!” Joyce yelled back.

“Hello? Mom?”

But when she put her hand over the membrane you froze up, standing and watching in terror, because all of a sudden, you knew how you got here, and the growling of something getting closer to Will made a shiver run through your entire body, goosebumps showing up on your skin.

“Mom, it’s coming!”

The image of what ‘it’ was was fuzzy, but you saw it, like a memory. Almost ten feet tall, and so skinny their bones protrude, and almost sickly pale, white skin stretched out over the body. And the claws. You could almost feel the scratch of one of them against the back of your neck.

Reaching a hand up to your neck you could feel a skinny and elongated bump in your skin

that had never been there. But it felt like a scab. Like a scab over a healing scar.

“Tell me where you are! How do I get to you?” Joyce cried, her hand over Will’s.

“It’s like home, but it’s so dark. . .It’s so dark and empty. And it’s cold! Mom? Mom!”

You couldn’t even attempt to hold back the tears that were burning at your eyes and making

your vision blurry as you could hear the echoes of your own voice, calling out for an older version of him, the version that knew you the entire time you’d been alone. You’d been scared, and freezing in just a t-shirt and pair of ripped jeans. Holding a broken skateboard that you’d landed on in your fall.

It came to you briefly, running into the woods after Pa had yelled at you at Enzo’s. But then the rain had gotten worse, turning into the thunder, and loud noises never really scared you, it was the lighting that was a little too close to you that had you running, searching for any way out, yelling and screaming for both of your fathers, for anyone.

And then you took one wrong step, in the wrong direction. And you fell into the ground, instantly feeling cold, and as if the temperature was going to kill you. It felt like falling through cold slime before you’d landed on your skateboard, breaking it in half.

Everything there had echoed, and it felt like the entirety of the town had been placed inside of an infinitely large and inescapable cave. You’d cried out even louder for your Dad, getting no response. You’d begged and pleaded for the nightmare to go away, but it never did. You remembered screaming out “Dad! Dad please, I’m sorry!” And then you remembered waking up in the woods, sun shining down on you, a real sky in view.

•••

Let me know if you want to be tagged!

@disneyprincessbuffyannesummers @jxnehxpper @yllwtaxi @songofcosplay @potatopooper05

#steve harrington #steve x reader #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x you #stranger things x you #stranger things x reader #stranger things slow burn #Steve Harrington slow burn

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worddevourer · 5 years ago

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Adventures in Autoplay

YouTube is an interesting place. More to the point, it’s a massive place, filled with people of just about every possible description.

That is to say that I, on a regular basis, really only interact with a miniscule fragment of what’s out there, because A. There’s just too much of it to interact with all of it, and B. I just... don’t.

The way I’m envisioning it is like a massive ocean, and most of us spend our time around small islands. I usually do, at least.

Sometimes, but not always.

I find it an interesting exercise to just drift with the current, and let autoplay take me wherever the hell it likes.

So, how has it gone?

Round 1: I believe I started on a video featuring Hank Green making drinks with someone. From there, I went into other videos with the same premise (same channel, different people making drinks with them). Then, I ended up on the channel of one of the guests. And then... I was on that channel for hours, and, in fact, autoplay didn’t take me away before I finished.

Round 2: The earliest part of this that I remember was a song from TAZ balance (Violet Wurm, or something similar). Then, and this is the one that really interests me, because I remember the exact chain, it went: More TAZ, TAZ balance trailer with Steven Universe, SU video to a P!atD song, multifandom video for Victorious, MLP Video for Victorious, and then I was in MLP hell for the next several hours.

No, seriously, it started off with music videos, then went into fansongs, and then I was basically just listening to The Living Tombstone (Currently best known for remixes) mixed with MLP fansongs for the next several hours (I didn’t know he had an early bunch of fansongs, but apparently.)

The uniting detail between them is you may slide through a few genres, but once you hit one with a strong enough pull, you basically just can’t leave without manual intervention. To use that ocean analogy, you follow the current until you hit a whirlpool, and then you’re just... in the whirlpool.

Now, those are the two rounds that I really remember the details of, which ended up in places that I usually would never have thought to go. However, I still occasionally do this, and the results have borne out, the whirlpool theory.

Common end-points:

Electro-swing: turns out, there’s a lot of electro-swing in the world, and if I get anywhere near it, it will pull me in and never let me go.

The Score: A band with a very specific vibe, which is mostly along the lines of ‘ ‘I’m unbreakable, let the world come, I’ll take it all on.’ This band has quite a few songs, and most of those songs come with multiple videos including: Album, lyrics, music video, fancy background. That in mind, that in mind, they have the material to lock me in for hours. Notably, there’s some overlap with Imagine Dragons (Which I’d assume to be fanbase overlap, since a lot of fans are like ‘wow, I’d love to see them collaborate.’) specifically ‘Natural,’ and similarly, I occasionally escape into Fallout Boy.

Fallout Boy: Speaking of which, Fallout Boy has locked me down for long stretches of time. They’re a lot like The Score in that regard, but more popular. Mona Lisa seems to be more popular than expected, but that might just be warped perception.

The Kobe Steak Loop: This one isn’t a band, so much as it is a tiny set of songs that somehow still have the power to hold the autoplay’s attention for quite some time. These songs include: Kobe Steak (which has way too many videos), Ten Feet (Daxten Remix), Just Like a Goldrush, and Six Shooter. This loop is interesting because, although they’re tightly grouped (at least according to my autoplay) none of them seem to be in quite the same genre, nor do any of them appear to be by the same artist. I’m singling out Kobe Steak here because one time, I got it, I believe 3 times in 4 songs. Fun Fact: While I was writing this, I pulled up Kobe Steak, and sure enough: Kobe Steak, Ten Feet, Ten Feet, Kobe Steak, Kobe Steak (nightcore). It feels like the SPAM sketch from Monty Python, honestly..

Now, having written it down, it technically qualifies as science, but, like, if this sounds interesting, please, try it, and then tell me how it ends up for you.

(If you do, a word of warning: Pausing for too long seems to reset the autoplay’s flow, and it will recycle songs. This is an especially useful warning because the other thing you’ll need is significant amounts of time; for me, I was playing Minecraft for hours on the one that ended in MLP.)

#Youtube #Autoplay #Algorithm #Autoplay Algorithm #Science

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fierypen37 · 4 years ago

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Virtue a Veil, Vice a Mask Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Jon cursed his lurching belly for the thousandth time. After falling into an exhausted sleep after dinner, he woke during the hour of the wolf to retch. Again. Even the fresh air above deck was no solace. Sleep was beyond him, thus he paced the deck. The damned sea churned beneath them, though the captain had been quick to reassure them that the weather was fine for sailing. The food was enough to turn his stomach—an overboiled pottage of grain and leeks. The berth bed was too small. Not that he minded sharing space with his wife. Still, he was unable to seek a more comfortable spot for fear of waking her.

His poor love. She suffered so much in her life. And yet, despite it, her heart shone bright and pure as a star. Gods, a festering rage boiled in his guts. He wanted rain fire and blood on those that had wronged her, exact every second of pain they’d inflicted on her tenfold on them. The love he held for her, so sweet and young yet, deepened into a fierce tenderness. A wave made the ship list drunkenly to one side and his thrice-damned stomach churned.

“Fuck,” Jon said, before retching up the remnants of the grain and leek pottage. He spit in the sea, rinsed his mouth with wine from his wineskin and spit again. The wine was weak and thin, more vinegar than any true vintage, but small sips washed the acrid taste from his mouth. Jon mopped the clammy sweat from his face on his cuff. The helmsman hummed some song in bastard Valyrian, another crewman cursed at a tangle of rope. Jon rested his chin on his folded arms, gazing at the waxing paring of the moon, falling now as dawn neared. The sky above was cloudless, stars shining cold. If he squinted behind them, he could make out the Ice Dragon. Ahead, he saw the Stallion galloping across the sky. The sharp salt smell of open water, the cool kiss of the breeze. Yes, if it wasn’t for his damnable stomach, then he could consider sailing to be pleasant.

Jon ambled along the deck, a fog of weariness blurring the edges of the world. The hours wore on as he walked. The moon sank toward the sea, the stars began to fade as dawn approached beyond the ship’s brow. A glory of colors: the black softening into indigo, then cerulean, seashell pinks and a brilliant limning of gold.

The captain approached him as the sun peeked over the horizon, a squat man with a long black beard.

“You’re up early, ser. Belly still troubling you?” he said in a thick Pentoshi accent, his voice sympathetic. Jon’s back went up regardless, disliking the implied mockery.

“Better today, ser. Thank you.” If the captain heard the ice in his tone, he chose to ignore it.

“A fine day for sailing,” he remarked, thumbs tucked into his belt.

“Indeed. My wife and I thank you for allowing us passage,” Jon said politely. The captain murmured something in reply, but Jon barely heard him. It felt as if his skull had been stuffed with cotton. He paused at the bucket of freshwater. Instead of risking waking Daenerys to groom, Jon finger-combed his hair, dashed ice-cold water on his face and rinsed his mouth.

In their cabin, Daenerys had her back to him, bent straightening the bedclothes. Jon’s mind was wiped clean at the sight of her ripe buttocks in those leather trousers. Gods, she was glorious. Jon felt a tug low in his belly, the mild strain of their recent abstinence piquing his hunger all the more. She hadn’t yet done her hair in their usual complicated braids, it hung nearly to her waist in a thick wavy silver tumble. Starlight on the sea. He loved her hair. Combing it, tugging it as he thrust—The lurid imagining was broken by her turning at the sound of the door. She smiled, folding her cloak neatly.

“Good morning, Husband. Are you feeling better?”

Jon cleared his throat.

“Much the same, but I’ll be all right.”

Daenerys set aside the folding and cupped his cheek. Those lovely big eyes, long-lashed and the color of twilight. A concerned frown marred her brow. The burn of desire deepened into devotion.

“You look tired. Did you sleep at all?”

“A bit.”

Daenerys made a low sound of sympathy, standing on tiptoe to drop a sweet little kiss on his nose. Jon wound his arms around her. It felt so right to have her in the circle of his arms. Like home. Daenerys nuzzled his chest with happy little sigh.

“I’m surprised to see you awake so early, Wife. Yesterday, I had to coax you from the bower like a yearling,” he teased.

Daenerys snickered, pinching his arse in reproach. Resting her chin on his chest, she peered up at him from beneath her lashes.

“Take it as a mark of how I esteem you, my dragon. I will seek you out before my morning tea.” Jon failed to stifle his grin at her casual endearment.

“‘My dragon?’” he repeated. A charming blush bloomed on the apples of her cheeks.

“Do you like it? You just have so many lovely names for me, I wanted to--”

Jon stemmed the surge of anxious words with a kiss. Mm, yes. That delicious yielding. She opened to him like a flower. The silky glide of her tongue, the eager little noises she fed him. Her arms wound around his neck, fingernails lightly scraping his neck. He was drunk on her, aflame with need. He would be her dragon. Her protector, her companion, her mount. Yes, yes, she could ride him as often as she pleased. A demented thought presented the image of just that: Jon tied to the bed, helpless and hard, ready for her to fuck at her leisure. Despite his mutinous stomach, despite his weariness, his cock had some very definite ideas of how to show his wife how he cherished her and any sweet name she wished to call him.

The pitch of the ship beneath their feet aided him a bit too strongly when he nudged her back. Daenerys staggered, catching herself against the berth bed with her elbow.

“Fuck. I’m sorry, love. The damnable ship--”

Daenerys shook her head in impatience, reaching for him.

“Come here, Jon.” That husky tone, the stern command had his stiff cock twitching. Hard and hungry and all hers. Jon fell forward into the cage of her arms, braced over her on the bed. The kiss was ravenous, a heated battle of tongues. Yes, he loved the teasing flicks of her tongue along the roof of his mouth. Jon angled his head, sucking gently of her tongue. Her fingernails bit sharp into the back of his neck, hips bucking against his. So sweetly responsive. Heat pounded thick through his veins. He could do this forever. Just kiss her. The heat and pleasure of it stunned and staggered him. Should he tell her she was his first kiss as well? Raised amongst guards and cousins, Jon had never even danced with a girl except at the occasional feast. Even then, there was always Uncle and Aunt Catelyn, watching with bright, avid eyes to see if a northern girl caught his interest.

Daenerys. He was fated to be hers and only hers. Jon smoothed his hands down her body, cupping the soft heft of her breast. Even through the smallclothes and tunic, her nipple pebbled beneath his careful plucking. Daenerys wound her legs around him, drawing his hips into the cradle of hers. As they kissed, they rocked together, aided by the ship’s roil. Yes. Yes. Even through their clothes, pleasure crackled like a stoked fire. Jon could scoop her up, fuck her hard against the wall . . .

No, no, no. Not even a hint of roughness today. Not after what she told him. Daenerys deserved his tenderness. All the pleasure her body could stand. Jon pulled back, breath heaving. His fingers fumbled with the laces of her trousers. With a husky laugh, Daenerys helped him, peeling off the butter-soft leather trousers. Jon pried her thighs apart, already salivating for the taste of her.

“Jon, wait. Wait. Are you sure? Your stomach--”

Jon grinned, nipping her thigh.

“Trust me Dany, your honey is all the sustenance I need.” Daenerys bit her lip, an over-bright shine to her eyes. His wife, his love. She was so surprised by pleasure, by care. Jon would change that, he resolved to himself. Lavish her with love and pleasure until she knew in her bones, in her marrow that she was worthy of it.

Jon bent to his task. He spent some time kissing the tender skin of her thighs, nuzzling her dark blond curls, breathing in the strong musky smell of her. Mm, her nether lips were swollen, flushed, and he’d barely kissed her. Daenerys carded her fingers through his hair lovingly. Jon’s heart gave a sharp twist inside him. Dany. He spread her open with his tongue, seeking more of that wonderful musky-sweet taste. Her cunt was so beautiful, a glass garden flower with petals in gradients of pink and red and scarlet. He wanted to overwhelm her with pleasure. Jon lapped at her nether lips alternating between broad and pointed strokes, listening to every catch of breath. He fisted himself, stroking roughly through his trousers. Yes, yes yes--

“Lighter, love. Gently,” she whispered. Jon kissed her thigh in apology. In his excitement, his strokers were too fast, too rough. He began again. Gentle on her sensitive little pearl of flesh. He licked in patient strokes, soft and slow, sliding one finger inside her, then another. Snug, plush flesh, slick with her honey. His mouth watered for more. Dany answered him with a broken litany of his name, begging for more. Oh fuck yes. Dany arched beneath him in climax, her muscles spasming around his finger. Jon groaned against her, easing her through it with gentle kisses. His cock ached, yearning for her. Dany’s dark violet eyes met his. Jon held her gaze as he kept at her, urging her on. Dany whimpered. He could feel the tension building and building again, quicker and sharper than before. Yes, almost . . . Daenerys’s cry was hoarse as she came again.

“Seven hells,” Jon muttered. Gods, watching her writhe under his ministrations soaked his brain in fire. He had to, he had to—he fumbled with the laces of his trousers. His cock throbbed in the cooler air, the head seeping fluid. He stroked himself, to clear a little space. Her pleasure was paramount. Jon kissed her cunt messily, drenching his beard in her honey. Daenerys’ heels dug into his back, her hands tangled in his fistfuls of his hair. Riding his face.

“Yes, Jon. My love, my dragon, my husband. I love you, I love you,” she said, hoarse and wrecked underneath him. Awkward with his left hand, Jon squeezed the base of his cock, overwrought. Desperate, Jon lapped at her pearl again, curling his fingers inside her. Once more, he needed her to come once more. The cadence of her breathing was harsh, gasping, tension quivering through her muscles. Yes love, yes Daenerys. Come for me. Come!

“Jon!” Daenerys arched beneath him. Her pleasure touched his like a match to a wick and he was ablaze with it. Heat and pleasure and glory. When Jon returned to himself, he was slumped against her thigh, come sticky on his hand, belly and trousers.

“Gods, Jon. You’re incredible,” Daenerys said, tugging him up to lay draped boneless on her chest. Jon hummed happily, his mind blank and empty. Though bare-arsed and sticky with sweat and come, Jon couldn’t convince himself to care, not with Daenerys warm and sweet in his arms, peppering his face with little kisses. They whiled away several minutes nuzzling and kissing. Sleep beckoned.

“Wait a moment, my dragon,” Daenerys crooned, wiggling free of his embrace. Jon grumbled, but rolled away, watching her as she rose to fetch a cloth from beside the ewer.

“Let me tend you,” she said. Tenderly, she washed him, adjusted his clothes, and tucked the blankets around him.

“Sleep awhile,” she said, kissing his lips. Jon fell into sleep with a smile on his face.

The warm scent of bread woke him. Jon stirred, cracking open one eyelid to find Daenerys sitting cross-legged on the floor, supping on toasted white bread and crumbly cheese. His stomach gave a long liquid growl.

“Good morning, slugabed. Hungry?”

“Ravenous,” he said with wink as he rolled free of the berth bed. Daenerys giggled. Jon sipped ginger tea and nibbled on the warm bread, grateful to feel it settle in his belly without a fuss.

“How long did I sleep?”

“Maybe a watch? It’s not yet midday,” Daenerys said. Jon nodded as he chewed. Missandei had performed her magic, twisting Daenerys’s hair into its usual intricate braids. Something was missing.

“Where is your wedding ribbon?” Jon asked. Daenerys gave a sheepish smile, wagging where it lay twisted around her wrist.

“I spilled tea on it this morning. I’m letting it dry.”

Jon nodded.

“How do you feel?” Daenerys asked, a trace of anxiety marring her brown. Jon captured her hand and kissed the palm, as he had in the Red Keep. A lover’s kiss.

“Much better. Especially since I had my dessert earlier,” he said. Daenerys blushed, her gaze skittering away. Who knew he could turn a fierce dragons queen into a blushing maid? Still, Jon felt a hint of disquiet.

“What is it?”

Daenerys busied her hands with tidying their breakfast.

“It’s nothing.”

Jon stopped her, drawing her to sit directly across from him. He cradled her cheek.

“Tell me, love.”

Daenerys chewed on her lower lip. Such a distracting habit. Jon’s gaze fell to her lips. He hadn’t kissed her enough today. Not nearly enough. Her answer startled him.

“You’re just so . . . so generous.” From her tone, he gathered it wasn’t coin she meant. Jon frowned. Had he done something wrong?

“Is that bad?”

Daenerys’ hands tightened around his.

“No, of course not. I just . . . I feel selfish.” Now Jon did utter a snort.

“Though I haven’t known you long, I can say with confidence that you are not selfish. In bed, or out. Your people love you, that means you put their needs before your own. And with me . . .” Heat stung his cheeks. Gods, why was is so strange to speak of it when he’d fucked her with his fingers only a couple hours ago?

“You—You are exceptionally generous with me. Do you truly think I’m not enjoying myself?” There was a heartbreaking doubt embroidering her expression.

“My former husband--” Jon stoppered the words she was about to say with a gentle fingertip.

“Is dead,” he said with some savagery, “Ash. You are mine. And it is my joy to give you pleasure.” With something like a sob, Daenerys fell into his arms.

“I love you,” she whispered against his neck. Jon stroked her back.

“I love you too,” he said, “no more talk of being selfish.”

The day wore on. Jon sat with Daenerys in their cabin, his head pillowed on her lap. Their conversation meandered to simple things. Horses, food, music. Her dragons. The places she’d seen. Stories of King’s Landing and Winterfell and all the lands in between. Uncle and Aunt Catelyn and his cousins.

“When he fled Dragonstone after my mother died giving birth to me, Ser Darry took me to Braavos. There was an old house with a lemon tree outside the window. I loved that place best.” Jon luxuriated in the peace of having her to himself and the sweet sensation of her combing his hair.

“We should find a beautiful place and build a house. We can plant all the lemon trees you want,” Jon said drowsily.

“Yes, that’s a wonderful idea. I think--”

A muted hail of shouting. Stomping feet. Jon shot up straight, already reaching for his swordbelt. A warning quell of nausea roiled in his belly. Seven fucking hells. A moment later Grey Worm burst through the door, along with Missandei.

“Corsairs, Jelmazmo,” he said.

Jon cursed, tightening his belt. He’d heard Tyrion speak of corsair kings raiding supply ships from Dorne, or the Stepstones. Raquira should be too small and poor a target for such an attack. What bounty was salt and wool to a corsair? A horrible thought occurred to him.

“If would risk attacking a ship like Raquira, then it’s not gold they’re after,” he said. Grey Worm understood, his black eyes were afire. Daenerys reflected that look of hatred, twining her hand with Missandei’s.

“Slavers,” Daenerys said. His father’s words echoed in his head. It might be sooner than later when you raise your sword in anger. It is not an easy thing, to kill a man. He would honor his vows to protect her. Jon bent and kissed Daenerys hard.

“Stay here. Stay hidden. Keep your dagger close.”

The door shut behind Jon and Grey Worm with a thud. In answer, Daenerys’ heart thudded hard against her ribs. Before leaving for King’s Landing, her bloodrider Rakharo bemoaned that she only chose to take three bodyguards. A khalasar would be better, he said. She had scoffed, thinking three was too many for such a short and straightforward journey. Now bloodriders and husband both went to defend her from slavers. Missandei’s face was pale and drawn. She muttered something under her breath in the Summer Islander language, her own mother tongue. Gods, this was a horrific echo her first kidnapping when she was a child. Daenerys wound her arms around Missandei. They rocked together on the floor as the din overhead grew louder.

“I can’t lose him, Dany. I can’t! I’m so afraid,” Missandei wept, her tears hot against Daenerys’ neck. Her heart gave a sharp twist in her chest. It wasn’t even for herself that put her in such a state, but the thought of losing Grey Worm.

“It will be all right, Missandei. It will. We have strong and skilled friends to protect us. Grey Worm will come back. Jon will come back.” He must come back. The Valyrian steel dagger felt heavy in her hand, awkward. She had no skill with it. Daenerys missed her dragons so much it was dull ache beneath her breastbone. Wait, dragons . . .

“Missandei, come. We can help!” Daenerys said. Missandei’s golden eyes blinked at her.

“He—Help?” she asked, cold hands painfully tight on her shoulders.

“Yes, we can help Grey Worm and Jon. Come!”

The corsair ship was twice the size of Raquira. Jon saw immediately they had no chance to outrun her. The captain and crew were trained fighters. Maybe they could win free. The helmsman veered sharply to one side to avoid the boarding bridges, but two landed hard, hinged iron claws biting deep into Raquira’s rail. Jon’s gorge rose and he had to turn to retch over the side. Gods how he wished for land. A shield. Ser Barristan at his back. A dragon or three.

Black-clad corsairs bellowed as they crossed, wielding swords and spears and boarding axes. With nimble ease, they picked their way across the boarding bridges, some swung across on ropes. Jon and Grey Worm, Kovarro and Aggo and the crew stood near the mast, in a rough approximation of a shield wall. The two Dothraki shrieked and howled curses at the corsairs. Aggo’s whip cracked like thunder, the end coiled around a corsair’s ankle. A deft yank and the men fell shrieking into the sea. Another lash opened a man’s face, he fell to his knees, blood pooling in his upraised palms. Two crewmen with crossbows shot from the rigging overhead. The corsairs staggered at the assault.

It was enough. Jon picked out the brute picking his way across the boarding bridge. With a shout, Jon lunged. His sword stabbed true, through the man’s belly. Blood trickled hot down the silver-bright steel. The brute fell off his blade and into the sea. Jon took a half-step back, staggering at the roil of the sea underfoot. Another corsair thrust with his spear. Jon darted back, not fast enough to dodge the spear. The edge sliced a jagged line of pain up his thigh. Jon snarled. The corsair pulled back and stabbed his spear at Jon’s belly. Jon caught the shaft and sliced off the spearhead. Blinking dumbly at the stub of his spear, Jon hamstrung him with a terse hack. As he fell to his knees, howling, Jon silenced him with a slice across the throat.

A tangle of men advanced toward him. Jon jumped back. He collided with someone. He swiveled; sword raised. Grey Worm stared back at him. Together they picked apart the group as if they’d been born fighting side by side. With a swift nod, they stood back to back. Somewhere to his right, he heard Kovarro and Aggo. Their sharp Dothraki war cries cut through the scrum of men, punctuated by the crack of Aggo’s whip.

Time seemed to crumple and tear like parchment. At once it felt as if he’d been fighting days and only heartbeats. A bearded corsair falling to his knees with Jon’s sword in his throat. The sour taste of bile. Retching on another corpse he’d made. Blood slid down his sword to slick the braided hilt. Grey Worm stalwart and unstoppable at his back. Throbbing pain in his thigh, the back of his shield arm. His sword arm growing sore and tired. Thirst.

“Fire! Fire!” a man shouted.

Jon looked up to find the deck of the corsair ship ablaze. Corsair and sailor alike stared dumbly at the orange flames licking at the mast and sails. Chaos erupted. The corsairs hurried back to the ship to quench the flames. Kovarro and Aggo gave chase, slaying many as they fled. Grey Worm uttered a harsh cry, almost a sob.

“Missandei! Keligon! Māzigon aril!” Grey Worm shouted, frantic. {Stop! Come here!} Jon followed Grey Worm’s gaze and found Missandei crouched atop the helmsman’s lean-to, holding a bottle of rum with a burning rag stuffed in it. Gods, Missandei had started the fire. Clever. Frightened golden eyes found Grey Worm and Jon. She pointed.

“They have Daenerys!”

On the boarding bridge, two corsairs, and a flash of silver hair between them.

Jon moved without thinking.

Dany. Dany. Dany!

“Come, we free the khaleesi!” Kavarro said, hot on his heels.

The boarding bridge wobbled beneath their feet. Yards below, the sea churned dark and cold. Thick with floating corpses. Jon hauled Kovarro over the rail on the corsair ship. The fire roared from the bowels of the hold. The heat seared his skin. Jon ducked low, coughing. Tears stung his eyes.

“Dany! Dany!” he bellowed, choking on the thick black smoke. Where? Where? Where was she? The corsairs paid them little mind, they were focused on trying to lower their dinghies or to smother the blaze. Kovarro’s square hand on his shoulder, they minced forward. Kovarro murmured under his breath in Dothraki. If they were prayers, they sorely needed them.

A woman’s scream. Jon flinched as if struck.

“Dany!” he shouted.

From the tail of his eye, Jon glimpsed her, struggling in a corsair’s grip. The brute had a fistful of her hair, dragging her. Jaw set, Daenerys planted her feet and tried to shove free. Time seemed to slow. Through watering eyes, he saw the corsair trip, fall. Fall toward the maw of flames. A breathless instant teetering on the edge before the flames swallowed them. The corsair’s dying scream.

The world fell from beneath Jon’s feet. Gone. Gone!

A shriek tore free from him. Of rage. Of grief. Madness swallowed him. He would kill them. He would kill them all before he followed her into death! Hard hands held him, dragging him back. His breath sawed harsh in his ears, blinded by smoke and tears.

“Dany, Dany,” he wept. He sat down hard, curling into himself like a wounded animal.

“Jon? Jon? Talk to me. Are you hurt?”

It couldn’t be. Jon lifted his head. Daenerys knelt beside him, naked, soot-stained, but whole and alive.

“Alive?” he croaked. Gods, his throat felt raw, “How?” Daenerys’s answering grin looked almost sheepish. Aggo thumped a cloak onto her shoulders.

“Thank you, Aggo. I suppose I should have mentioned it. When Khal Drogo’s pyre burned and my dragons sang to me, I—I heard them. I wanted to join them. So I walked into the flames. And when the sun rose, I was unhurt. The Mother of Dragons.”

Goddess. Jon’s mind flailed, drowning in the truth of her. His wife was born of some god, surely. How could a mere mortal walk through fire unharmed and tame dragons? Jon’s mouth worked like a landed fish.

“Are you hurt?” she repeated, reaching for his hand. Her grip, warm and real, anchored him. Jon yanked her into an embrace, needing her warmth and solidness more than his next breath. A formless need wanted to drag her closer, kiss her, fuck her, remind himself that she was here and alive and his. Into her smoke-scented hair, he murmured: “I thought you were dead.”

“I’m so sorry Jon. I should have told you.”

Jon grunted, closing his eyes. She was alive. That was all that mattered.

#jonerys fanfiction #fp37fic #virtue a veil #daenerys targaryen #jon snow #smut #fanfic

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lifetime-piling-up · 5 years ago

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Thank you so much @waitingforasong for tagging me!!

1. What’s your current phone wallpaper? It’s this crappy geometric lame thing but my lockscreen 😍😍

2. What’s the last song you listened to? Currently listening to McCartney because of its’ 50th anniversary so Teddy Boy by Paul McCartney

3. What’s the last thing you Googled? The time of the sunrise cause I’m boring

4. What’s the last meme you saved?

5. What’s your favorite movie and why? Two Of Us because I know it’s silly but it’s become like my comfort movie

6. Add a gif of one of your favorite TV shows.

7. Do you model your dress sense after anyone? I dress like I think I’m fashionable but in reality I wear the exact same 3 shirts every day but with slightly different accessories.

8. What’s your favorite hobby? Listening to music is a hobby, fight me 😤

9. Are you procrastinating about anything right now? If so what is it? Yeah. My English work is making me die slowly so we’re putting that off for a while.

10. What’s your favorite film score or song from a film? Charlie and the Chocolate Factory score by Danny Elfman11!!1!I!!!!!!11!!

11. Favorite vegetable? Broccoli is underrated!!!

12. How tall are you? Yes

13. Who do you think the funniest person alive is? There’s, like, a lot of people out there. How should I know?

14. What’s your zodiac sign? Does it’s description match your personality? Cancer, and yes I cry at absolutely everything. I saw a picture of Paul McCartney on Tumblr this morning and I cried.

15. Tea or Coffee? What kind? I don’t drink either, but the one time I tried coffee it was super disgusting so tea I guess? And um, the tea kind?

16. Soda or Juice? What kind? Water only 😠😠😠😠😠

17. Unpopular opinion? Steven Universe is a good show

18. What’s your eye color? Lame ol’ brown

19. What is your least favorite band? Hm. There’s not really any band I hate. I guess I don’t like Imagine Dragons that much.

20. What’s the last book you read? Brain On Fire by Susannah Cahalan

I'll tag @violent-femme2005 , @shamrocksadie , and @foamrubberusa :)))

#tag game

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chenoehi · 5 years ago

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My thoughts on Grammys, BTS, and the Academy's supposed 'diversity'.

Can't do 'Keep Reading' on mobile guys so if you don't care about it keep on scrolling.

The only BTS music I thought might have a slim chance for a nomination was "Boy With Luv (ft. Halsey)" as a pop duo collaboration. That was it. Anything more than that was just wishful thinking.

The Academy (both Grammy and Oscar's) talk about diversity when controversy comes up, they give some Black artists and actors awards, they look like try-hards, and then the next year they repeat history. Each year more men continue to be nominated than women, even in years that women dominated the industry. Each year artists who push boundaries continue to be overlooked or less favored than more traditional artists. Each year recognition continues to be bulk awarded to the most basic artists with the most basic styles with the most basic music, often times the same (mostly white) artists each year. No one get me started on always having to award artists like Taylor Swift or Ed Sheeran or Adele each year they make music, despite whether or not what they put out is actually good, original, or better than what they did the year before. I'm not singling them out, but I think they illustrate my point. I will make one exception for Adele because she is a phenomenal singer, although I did not personally believe 25 deserved to sweep; I've been told by fans that Ed Sheeran is a good performer, so I'll give him that but I'll keep my thoughts of his music and the rest of my opinions to myself. But I get tired of artists like these getting nominated every time or almost every time they put music out and then getting awards every time they're nominated, hence sweeping. It gets tiring when the music that frequently-awarded artists put out sucks and they keep raking noms because of who they are.

There is absolutely nothing BTS or any other Asian et al. artists can do to beat that system. None of the criticism in the world has changed it thus far and I don't know that anything ever will. It's a hard institution to tear down. They will use "diverse" artists for ratings by inviting them and having them hand out awards and, in BTS's case, making such a big deal as to even display their Grammy outfits in the museum, and then they will refuse to nominate them.

It's a back handed compliment to non-Western artists. The Academy is saying they're good enough to help win over a predominantly younger and more diverse generation of viewers but they're not good enough to be awarded for their achievements.

What's worse is, the only expectation I had was for the Academy to invite them as performers despite whatever minuscule nomination they might have garnered, because it's been clearly hinted they would attend another Grammys and the Academy would frankly be fools to not have them perform after the shitstorm going on the pop industry rn. If you know anything about the Taylor Swift situation (you may not be able to tell which one because there are always so many) who knows if she will be performing this Grammys, and her medley of her songs was supposedly going to be a highlight; something's always stirring things up so who knows if certain artists don't end up going at all or bow out of performing. Ariana Grande bailed on the 2019 Grammys because the Grammy producer wouldn't let her perform songs she wanted to, and these kinds of disputes happen and artists who are nominated become no-shows. So, the opportunity to invite a group with a huge following, who have already proved to increase ratings, seems like a sure move right?

But BTS can't exactly perform at the Grammys if they're not nominated for a Grammy; I don't see them doing a tribute any time soon either. And if the Academy even dares to invite them at this point for a performance it will be an insult and a transparent ratings grab. BTS may still go to avoid appearing as if their pride has been wounded or just because they want to go regardless. They know better than their fans how it feels to lose, to be discarded, to be overlooked. This is happening to them first and foremost, not us. And if they decide that they will deal with this the same way they dealt with all their other struggles, to push on, perform for their fans, and use the opportunity of exposure for what it's worth, then support them and their decision. I, for one, won't be watching it live regardless of whether they are there. If all the Academy wants is ratings from BTS fans when they are fine with treating them like garbage, they won't get ratings from me.

I fully believe that the Academy is not only discriminatory to non-Western, non-white artists but that failing to nominate BTS for any award at all is out of fear. Fear that their traditional, safe artists will be offended and boycott the awards if they lose out on a nomination, fear that their fanbases will retaliate, but more importantly, fear that BTS or any other gigantic force of a non-Western artist may be a shoe-in for whatever award they are nominated for and potentially sweep if allowed to compete with all other artists. This comes after BTS won Best Group at the Billboard Music Awards this year. Their first time being nominated for a major U.S. award category. It wasn't even a Best New Artist schtick. It was a main category and they were up against established, popular, Western groups like Imagine Dragons and Maroon 5. It comes on the heels of Super M earning number 1 debut album and beginning a successful tour they are on right now. It comes after Blackpink performed at Coachella and toured the country. It comes after NCT 127 and ATEEZ toured the country. Even TXT, a months old group, had successful showcases in major U.S. cities.

The Academy is too racist and xenophobic to acknowledge Asian artists--they always have been and they always will be. The most diversity we'll see is the nomination of Black artists, but still only 2 were nominated for SotY whereas 4 were nominated for RotY. I don't know the exact numbers, but any time I've ever kept up with the awards I don't see very many other diversity groups being represented in nominations either, such as artists with disabilities or LGBT artists who have different gender expressions and identities or sexual orientations that impact their music, performance, and artistry. Halsey's intimate performance at the BBMAs with that female dancer was huge because that's just not something that's really done. Still. And any time it does happen it's a Britney and Madonna moment all over again, it's a fetish to everyone. Progress has been made but it's very minuscule in comparison to the 'diversity' touting approach they've taken.

I'll just leave the words of this morning's Rolling Stone article here:

So, the Academy selectively extends its diversity goodwill just as they always have. No shade to the artist, but just using this example of Lil Nas X versus BTS, you have a young Black, gay artist who started his career in late 2018. He's nominated for some of top Grammys with a minimal discography--an 18-minute EP. This is groundbreaking, it's great. BTS, a 6-year-old established group of young Korean artists who break nearly every record there is and dominated Western charts this spring, and they continue to chart Billboard and Western streaming platforms. They earn no nominations.

The two artists ironically happen to have a collaboration in the form of Old Seoul Road.

Congrats to Lizzo and Lil Nas X (that's not shade at Billie btw) but this tweet from the New York Times is so unbelievably misguided because the Academy's conception of diversity is like seasoning with mostly salt, a little pepper and no cayenne (hate to use that analogy but am I wrong?):

I do appreciate that some artists who don't get nominated a lot got nominations, but looking at the list of top awards I just can't imagine how some of those got through. And I listen to a lot of different music and some BTS stans may have know idea who the fuck Bon Iver is and I'm not saying they don't deserve nominations period, but when you look at the list it's just mind boggling how a song like BWL that was listened to and appreciated like a summer anthem would be could not be included in that mess. (Vampire Weekend for Album of the Year, what, who the fuck, is that, they've been around since 2006, that's when I listened to nothing but metal and rock and I don't, know who the fuck this obscure band is? I may have heard of them once eons ago but they apparently made no impression? I'm sorry). I won't go as far as to say BWL was a Western summer anthem because much of the gp still doesn't know them, this is true. But apparently that's never stopped the Academy before. Bonus, anyone remember Bon Iver winning Best New Artist over Katy Perry all those years ago? No, just me? Good times. (Respect to Bon Iver, I'm just making a point that a lesser known artist won that award over a popular artist and the public went "waH?" Bon Iver being nominated for Record and Album of the Year this time honestly has the same effect as before because what is Hey, Ma even. I listen to Indie music so. What it is.)

Anyway. That's my thoughts. Expect nothing and you won't be disappointed is a myth. You will always have room to be disappointed in humanity.

Edit: while I'm at it, a big, massive fuck you to the Academy for never nominating Halsey for Without You.

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shewhowasbornlucky · 5 years ago

Text

Pushing and Pulling i

Your wish is my command.

Summary: Crown Princess Izumi of the Fire Nation knew she was going to love the avatar’s oldest ever since she was a child, the same way she knew the sun rose in the morning and hid on the horizon at night. It was only a matter of time until he noticed it as well. Fortunately for him, Izumi was a patient woman.

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Crown Princess Izumi of the Fire Nation knew she was going to love the Avatar’s oldest ever since she was a child, the same way she knew the sun rose in the morning and hid on the horizon at night. It was only a matter of time until he noticed it as well. Fortunately for him, Izumi was a patient woman. Certainty lulled her every day; after all, she had heard the dragon’s whisper in her sleep.

He’d only need time. Just a small push. She’d only need to wait. Just a small pull.

So, she occupied herself with books until her eyes ached and she had to wear lunettes. She found herself in every heroine of history –lovers and fighters, nurturers and knights of death, the conquered and the conqueror, dragons and roses – and imagined him imagining her. She found herself in the dusty pages, and his shadow clouded her mind. He’d be the hero of each story, the faceless knight, the faithful companion, and a loving soul.

She loved him when he was a round child with big cheeks and wild hair. She loved him when he was a lanky teenager with awkward mannerisms. She loved him when his voice quaked and his shoulders were bony. She loved him when he trained and pushed himself harder and harder. She loved him when he thought he didn’t deserve it. She loved him when he did not think he was that much. She loved him when she thought she was more than enough. She loved him when he did not seem to see how everyone valued him. She loved him when he felt the pressure of his father’s legacy on his shoulders, and he punished himself for not being what he was expected to be. She loved him when he was whinny and dramatic, found happiness in his theatrics. She loved him when he played dumb, and when he was dumber, and when he would fool everyone around him. She loved him when he went serious, and when that serious shadow fell on his shoulder.

She loved him as she knew him, like the back of her hand, like her mirror, like her soul.

And he loved her, too. He loved her later, when he was no longer unsure. He loved her when she was courted by foreign princes and she blushed the loveliest shade of red. He loved her when her hair reached her hips. He loved her when her eyes gleamed like gems. He loved her when her hands covered in cuts from her knife-throwing lessons. He loved her when she was powerful, red hot flames surging from her hands. He loved her when she was powerless, too tired to keep on talking but too stubborn to just go to her room already, falling asleep on the library, and every salon they ever found themselves in. He loved her when she danced, and her body moved in a rhythm that only she seemed to listen. He loved her when she fought, and when she brooded, and when she kept to herself. He loved her when she let him in, and when she shared what was on her mind without care because she trusted him.

He loved her as she knew him, like the back of his hand, like his armor, like his life.

Princess Azula was trusted with the creation of the United Forces. She and General Kanto trained the young recruits in their mission to protect the Nations from the shadows of a century-long war, following the premise of righting their wrongs. It was their own dancing, an old push and pull that went hidden by curious eyes and gossipy whispers. A song only they knew, and one no curious eyes ever dare comment on.

Bumi wanted to leave, naturally. He could not phantom staying any longer at his house, with perfect Tenzin and the weight of the Air Nomads’ culture reminding him of his failure. He could still serve the world. He could still prove himself useful.

“You’re being ridiculous,” she told him after he said his goodbye.

He managed to sound more annoying than hurt when he said, “there’s nothing else for me.”

“Your family needs you. You can still help them with—”

“I don’t want to help, princess. I want to fight.”

“You will be away from your family,” she said but meant more.

“So be it. They won’t miss me; they have Tenzin.”

He had the somber air he sometimes got whenever they spoke of their future, and their goodbye was whispered in the wind by voices more powerful than theirs.

She sighed. “I would miss you.”

He laughed it off, but the sound was alien to her ears. “You’ll get over it,” he said, and he rolled his eyes. His clenched fits told another story. “You’ll be queen, and you’ll get married, and there will be no time nor space for me in your life.”

Noticing the bitter tone in his voice, she knew it was time to pull. “I don’t want to get married if it’s not with you,” she said, and her voice was calm.

“You will have to.”

“I will be Fire Lord. I don’t answer to anyone,” she said in her princess’s voice and left no room for insubordination from men who knew better, but unfortunately, Bumi did not. He was never known for his sense of self-preservation, after all.

“Yes, you do,” he said, but he sounded soft as if it the thought didn’t cause anger but sadness. A regret that ran deep – a wistfulness she had never known before.

“So let’s get married, then.”

“Avatar son or not, I still am a peasant.”

“Doesn’t matter,” she rolled her eyes, her mouth a small line. It seemed as if he was only looking for excuses to run away. If that was the case, then a Princess will retreat and surrender; courageous as she was, Izumi had her pride.

“Matters to me,” he said, and his hands found its way to her cheeks, calloused fingers caressing the soft porcelain of the princess’ face.

“You don’t owe shit to anyone,” she said, and it sounded weird to hear her cussing in her soft voice. He laughed softly. “You matter, and you are enough.”

“Izumi.”

“Do you not love me?”

“How dare you suggest that?” his hands left her face, feeling like he was punched.

“Then prove it,” she raised her chin. “Stay.”

He looked at her, hands going to gently cup her face again. The warmth that her body emanated could have been able to burn it; he wanted to burn at her hand. Izumi closed her eyes in content, one of her hands coming on top of his. It pained him to see her this calm, the storm hid behind her eyelids. He sighed, “this is something I have to do.”

She understood, then. It didn’t make anything easier.

“Then go,” she said, though she wanted to say that she would miss him. Izumi took a step back, squared her shoulders, and her princess mask was on again. Bumi took a deep breath, dying with the want to crush her against his chest and never let go.

“I will always come back to you,” he whispered, and his hot breath caressed her face. “I cannot stay far, even if I wanted.”

That seemed to change. Her resolution wavered, and he could see the exact thought that crossed her eyes, for it echoed his owns. “Don’t get yourself killed,” she said, and she kissed him deeply.

His laughter was lost on her lips, and she drank it happily.

#atla fanfiction #izumi #bumi ii #lok #bizumi #??#how is this ship even called omg #my writing

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thesinglesjukebox · 6 years ago

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HATCHIE - STAY WITH ME [8.08] The album's called Keepsake, and it's one we might want to hang on to...

Ian Mathers: I don't care what the lyrics say when you look them up, in the moment of listening I cannot decide each time whether "Stay With Me" starts with "it's all better, now you're gone" or "it's no better". I don't think the song can decide either. It's far from the first song to have that sort of power, just like the drum machine-and-synth, loop-and-swoop approach, while beautiful here, isn't exactly new. But I've heard dozens of songs like this (some even by Hatchie) since the last time one made me feel the way "Stay With Me" is making me feel right now. And isn't that maybe the only true miracle of pop music: that mere human beings can make "just another song," one that on the surface isn't that different than a bunch of others we merely like, and yet it can hit us just as profoundly, as heartwrenchingly bittersweet, as hopefully, as this one is hitting me right now? I could write an essay about the things in my life "Stay With Me" connects up to, people and times and places and songs, but it wouldn't make much sense to anyone else even if it wasn't incredibly, tiresomely self indulgent. But the experience I've been having with "Stay With Me" is among other things a reminder of the worth of staying connected and engaged with the world, in art as in all things, and not just going back to listen to all the things I already love instead. The chances of any other given human being having this reaction to this particular song today ("if I met you in a different moment/if I met you would I be this broken?") are small, sure, maybe even tiny. But god, I hope we all get to keep having those moments, and that we recognize the wonder of them in each other. [10]

Katherine St Asaph: I know this was written as a deliberate experiment in writing a pop song (or so they say; I too have claimed my paychecks as experiments), and thus I know the exact places the mechanics are there to get you (unending wistful chords, the yearning "Everything Is Embarrassing" vocal, with an octave jump exactly where it needs to happen), and the places the mechanics clank a bit too loud (the ending sags before the [perfect] bridge; "I'm not done / I've come undone" is kind of circular, kind of on its own nose). It's also been out for months. But the second time I heard this song it just happened to catch me at the exact moment of flood of memory, of accreted stupid unrequited crushes and breakups and failures and regrets, until I was in tears in a cab, which is really the ideal setting to hear this song. [9]

Edward Okulicz: Oh god, this hits me so hard in my heart, it hurts. "Stay With Me" would have been incredible had it been sung by someone like Foxes as a glass-shattering EDM epic, and it would have been incredible done as a shoegaze number by an alternative universe Lush, but it's also perfect as it is, midway between those two extremes. The lyrics are simple, but they're no more complicated than they need to be. It's some heavy-duty yearning but at the same time it's as light as air. I want to go dancing somewhere this is playing and stare down at my sneakers all night. [10]

Ashley Bardhan: This feels like pretty straightforward dream pop. Super soupy, drowsy vocals over a synth loop. It's very fine, very reminiscent of making out with a 23-year-old mattress boy named DYLAN. [6]

Julian Axelrod: Hatchie's ability to craft grand, immersive synthscapes is impressive, rivaled only by her commitment to pushing semi-formed lyrical conceits past the four-minute mark. [6]

Will Adams: There's a heartbreaking circularity to the lyrics ("you're the one who's won"; "I'm not done/I've come undone") that nails the sense of uncontrollable spinning that comes from an unrequited love. The vacillation between confidence and doubt, the paper-thin façade of indifference, the endless what-ifs and agonizing of what could have been had the cards fallen differently: they all add up to a devastating crush song that, despite never resolving, nonetheless sounds like a massive, necessary release. [9]

Alex Clifton: Drenched in reverb, gorgeous synths and a lovely vocal line, and feels like a beautiful dream. It sounds like the end of a movie where there's a montage of the main characters heading off into the sunset, unsure of their futures but exchanging significant looks with one another. I hope this blows up, makes it big, becomes as iconic as it sounds -- everyone needs to hear this song. [8]

Joshua Minsoo Kim: With a sturdy and prominent drum loop, "Stay With Me" brings to mind My Bloody Valentine's "Soon" and the sped-up Zeppelin sample on Chapterhouse's "Pearl." The key difference is how Hatchie's vocals are always front and center, clear enough that each word can permeate every synth pad and twangy guitar line and snappy kick drum with a melange of hopeful desperation and knowing despair. That spacious, ever-comfortable void that her voice rests inside reveals itself to be a place of unnerving contemplation. Despite this, Hatchie convinces you that this purgatorial dream state is far more desirable than the living Hell that is life spent all alone. [9]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: The art of the fadeout is an intentionally obscure one. It's the art of making the encroachment of silence into an instrument of its own, of stretching a song's end into a beautiful eternity. "Stay With Me" has a gorgeous fade-out, ending in a heartbeat of a drumtrack as its shoe-gaze-leaning guitars depart, but it in itself feels like a fadeout, taking the dying hopes of some vaguely sketched relationship and letting them sprawl out before you. It takes a while to get going (it didn't click for me until the bridge), but it's the kind of song that deserves your patience. [7]

Alfred Soto: So THIS is the synth pop bauble that Chvrches have failed to write for six years? It stinks of the past, peeks through v-shaped fingers at the future, and in Hatchie's sweet lies ("It's so better now you're gone") an ever-present present. [8]

Joshua Copperman: The tedious, nearly bass-less first half of "Stay With Me" surprised me, especially as so many TSJ colleagues were raving about this song. The lyrics are concise without being cliché, the production is a mostly interesting mix of Madchester drums and modern dream-pop, but I'm left living someone else's nostalgia. Like Snail Mail and other, similar acts, I'm an outsider for not having the same childhood as every other music writer. That doesn't make this a bad song: Once the live drums and harmonies kick in at 2:51, it becomes difficult not to fall in love with the song. But even that is probably because it evokes my own nostalgia -- it sounds like "Wake Up," and not the "Wake Up" indie rockers used to reference. (A bit like this pre-"Radioactive" Imagine Dragons song too, which I loved when I was 15.) And I still remain locked out; the YouTube comments claim that "listening to this song feels like being in a club on ecstasy in the 90's." But really, this feels like hearing someone else remember that oft-reminisced-upon time period, reminding me once more that things were apparently better before I got here. [6]

Vikram Joseph: From sixth form through much of my twenties, I thought I didn't really like dancing; far too late, I realised I just hated having to fake it in bleak, sticky-floored provincial or university clubs, damp with straight machismo and broken dreams. These days, I can lose my shit to "Dancing On My Own" and "Make Me Feel" in queer spaces I feel safe and happy in, and that's wonderful. It stings, though, to have missed out on a kind of transcendence I feel like I should have experienced on the cusp of adulthood, and "Stay With Me" speaks directly, powerfully to that part of me. Those "Born Slippy" synths feel soft-focus and hazy like inebriated happiness itself; Hatchie's vocals in the middle eight feel like they're grasping for something intangible and impossible, chasing every lost night and doomed love into the first glow of sunrise. This is slow-motion, tear-streaked disco-ball euphoria to remind you of nights you're not quite sure belong to you or to cinema; a fever-dream summer dance anthem that makes me believe that the perfect places we have always aspired to are eminently real, flickering in spaces that our younger selves could never have imagined existed. [9]

Iris Xie: When I review songs, I repeat them in order to sink in their atmosphere and be flooded into their sentiments, because otherwise, it doesn't come clear to me. In this discovery process, I often find myself compelled to sing and ad lib along. For "Stay With Me," at 2:50, I found myself unconsciously singing the bridge when the midpoint of the kicks off into the instrumental, specifically these two lines: "If I met you in a different moment/If I met you, would I be this broken?" I kept singing these two lines over and over again as each repeat occurs, and then I realized that the bridge is the verbal personification of the instrumental, and it is the underlying sentiment that drives all the stark, urgent confessions, so naked in their desperation and knowing that it is futile and they won't be heard, but nevertheless, they must be said. This stands in contrast with the first two lines, which put on such a brave face that contains a bitter heart: "It's all better now you're gone/It's all better on my own." When you sing these lyrics over each other, the synths are so lively and comforting in this melancholy and blend together with warm guitar strums, and solid drums to illuminate these sentiments. Hatchie is in pain from having to deal with such a broken void, and the vibrant singing of the bridge contrasts with the reluctant, forlorn sentiment of the initial verse, so it actually reads: "It's all better now you're gone/If I met you in a different moment/If I met you would I be this broken/It's all better on my own." Even though Hatchie acknowledges it feels wrong, saying "stay with me" is the balm that she settles on to ease this pain of her lover's departure because she's responsible for this pain. The beautiful part about the instrumental is that it reminds me of why music, and art overall, is so deeply important: when one is able to access the space of these heartfelt emotions, and to use the tools at your disposal to create the specific weight and textures of those experiences, it also can help give shape to those who are also feeling these certain ways, and allowing them to release and transmit it. I've shied away from my own private embarrassment and shame about this exact situation for years, and have only recently started talking about it with my therapist and supportive friends, but yesterday, I allowed myself to look through old journals and communications about that relationship. In reality, I never allowed myself to feel comfortable with the endless weight of these emotions and regrets, for I never wanted to be haphazard about the textures of this experience, even in making art about it. I feared it'd only sour the reality and aggravate my anxieties about people not taking the level of pain I had seriously and mocking it. Putting myself in that impossible situation for not wanting to mar those moments, I shut it down for the past few years. But I've had to let those similar feelings wash over me in the past few months to create art and even give justice to the reviews that I want to give on TSJ and elsewhere, so now I have to acknowledge that buried sadness. I no longer feel shame about that plaintive way to express my emotions about those situations, for this song's fuzzy, warm haze of disorientation is so familiar, and now I trust myself to just go, which is what I did with this review today. I guess that's one reason why pop is so lovely -- a salve for private hearts, not ready to debut, until they are. It's clear now. [8]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox ]

#hatchie #TSJBestof2019 #pop #music #music review #writing

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