#he become one of those musicians that hate their biggest song

[senandikadini]

Jesse said about how he's embarrassed to be linked to David Fincher cause of how great he is (he literally said: "I don't know, what would you learn after playing against Michael Jordan?" When asked what he get to learn from working with Fincher)

And then proceed to just called him "the director" when talking about the social network is so funny to me 😭

But, on the more serious note, I guess when it comes to this particular movie, he rarely give himself credit (almost zero probably). Even though David Fincher said it was him that basically did this (the social network).

Which kinda mirrored to his new movie a real pain where he direct, and how he credited all of it to kieran, and kieran just there be like "I'm just doing my job."

[cut-the-camera]

Superstar | Jann x Popstar! Male! Reader

Request: “HI! OMG I NEVER FIND ANYONE WHO WRITES FOR JANN!! Can I please request hc's for Jann with a singer or rockstar boyfriend reader! Thanks in advance!!”

Jann x Popstar! Male! Reader

It’s not uncommon that two famous people end up dating. He was likely an opener for one of your concerts or you made him go inexplicably viral overnight by mentioning his music and the two of you started talking from there.

It started small at first, with fans noticing strange things in the background of your live streams or noticing how many love songs there were on your latest album and it was only a matter of time before a picture of the two of you got leaked and the internet was flooded with “Who is Jann?: An Insight into PopStar Y/N L/N’s new rumoured boyfriend!” posts

He is absolutely the type to feed into the social media frenzy surrounding you. He’ll save tiktok edits about you, jokingly reply to comments thirsting after you, tease your fans with pictures of you and probably once accidentally leak one of your songs by playing it on repeat in the back of a live stream.

He’s just your biggest fan

The two of you do sometimes find it hard to be private though. You’ll inevitably get approached by fans in restaurants or have your picture posted on some “celebrity” fan account and it’s made the two of you a little bit more cautious.

Or at least it should have made the two of you more cautious. Sometimes you don’t think twice about attending big events or being photographed with Jann’s hickeys all over your neck and he doesn’t think twice about doing concerts in your clothes or merch

He’d be lying if he said he didn’t do it on purpose sometimes. Sometimes he gets really jealous and has to take a social media break before he starts commenting ‘he’s mine.’ under thirst edits of you

You two end up with a really interlocked fan base with most of your fans discovering him and his music when you two started dating and vice versa and they’re incredibly devoted.

Sometimes you do get harassment or hate, especially as queer artists but he is highly protective over you. He will fight homophobes in your comment section and tell creepy photographers to back off before he kills them

You sometimes have to have nights where you turn your phones off and pretend neither of you have ever been musicians if it all gets too much. You’ll sit on the sofa and he’ll have you run your hands through his hair to relax

You two have the worlds best shower singing duets.

Sometimes he’ll sit in your lap as you try and write songs, listening to you sing softly to send him to sleep.

You two are constantly writing each other love songs, some of them you release, some of them you keep for just the two of you.

Music is the way you two express your emotions, even the ones you don't talk about so you two are always wary of when a song feels too emotional. It's not uncommon for Jann to listen to your songs and cry at just how much you must have been hurting to write it.

He LOVES coming to your shows. Consider him your personal tour photographer.

Every tiktok you see making fun of ‘famous singers girlfriends in the crowd’ stereotypes? Yeah he is every single one of those stereotypes and proud of it.

He’ll tell anyone who will listen “that’s my boyfriend on stage,” even if it gets incredibly annoying but he’s just so proud of you

He helps you to find a more feminine energy on stage if that’s something you’d been struggling with. He’ll paint your nails or pick out cute outfits for you and just generally help you with your self expression as a bigger artist.

He comes with you to rehearsals for your concerts and loves learning dance routines with you or just likes to watch you in awe of your talent and in return, you teach him routine or attend his rehearsals

You two share outfits for concerts all the time with fans deciding that you must only have one wardrobe

After you both come out you become a real safe place for queer fans and people find it adorable how you’ll go on little tangents between songs at a concert talking about how ‘this next song is about my boyfriend and he’s perfect’

If he misses you he will definitely end up watching some of your videos online whether that's edits, interviews, vlogs or music videos though he does get the slightest bit jealous if you ever did a music video with someone else (you did eventually make him extremely happy by filming a music video with him after your relationship was very public knowledge)

If ever he feels you're stressing yourself out with work or being affected by touring he's always there for you and willing to do anything to cheer you up whether that's a special date night or a holiday away for a while

The two of you help each other through the trials that being famous can bring, sticking by each other's side and being each other's biggest fan.

[nerdy-sunflower]

Possibly an unpopular opinion regarding Panic! at the Disco:

Viva las Vengeance would not get nearly the amount of hate it does if it was done by someone else or done as someone's debut album.

There are some moments where you can kinda see what they're going for, but it's lacking in passion and Brendon Urie's voice isn't/wasn't what it used to be so it fell flat. And then there's all of the controversy around Brendon himself which also dragged him down (which is a whole other issue).

The album is very scattered and not quite sure what it wants to be; like a lot of musicians trying to find their footing and what works for them. I've always gotten debut vibes from the album; and I think if some up and coming artist was given this it would've been considered a decent first try, and some songs like Don't Let the Light Go Out likely could've become popular hits. It definitely did not feel like the album was written for someone who's been in the spotlight for nearly 20 years.

I don't think a different artist would have made this a Grammy worthy album, some of those songs are ROUGH (*cough cough* Middle of a Breakup *cough cough); but I believe that it would receive significantly less hate if Panic! wasn't attached to it. Yes, there are a lot of bad lyrics, but soundwise it wasn't horrible and one of the biggest issues this album had was Brendon Urie's fried vocal cords and the attitude he seemed to have during the whole era. The promotion felt rushed and any videos I saw of him from this era just seemed like he was on autopilot; and let's not forget the abrupt retirement announcement with less than a month of the tour left.

Overall, Brendon's controversies, attitude, and weakening vocals were the biggest contributions to the legacy of panic at the disco going out with a fizzle.

[septembersghost]

Made me think how I think shows had to use older or available songs because of licensing issues. Probably why investment companies have been buying UP catalogues. In a way it drew in and retained an audience. New (& old) generations (re)discover them via media via TV (like singing or performances shows like American Idol or Glee), movies, plays & shows. Emotions are tied to moments- for some it becomes a classic. Longevity. Ex. Mariah Carey’s Christmas song, Holidays songs (4th of July), etc.

i was reading the other day about when the beach boys' masters were lost and how devastating it was to brian wilson, and of course famously frank sinatra founded reprise on the principle that artists would have full creative freedom and ownership of their masters and publishing rights, which he did not have at capitol, and he recut a bunch of his biggest songs (i don't consider them re-recordings in the same sense as what taylor is doing because his intent wasn't to replicate and thus replace them, which he couldn't do anyway considering the vocal changes he'd experienced, having to use entirely different session musicians and arrangements, etc, but he did do that to gain back some control). it reminds me of how paul was very upset when mj acquired the beatles' masters too. what's astounding to me is how many massive artists ARE choosing to sell off their work to these investment companies for massive sums. i just could never do that, i understand why losing her albums gutted taylor and why she's been so strident in talking about the connection between an artist and their art, and retaining your own work. it's certainly lucrative for those firms, though, and i'm sure we'll see many licensing deals come from those sales.

licensing songs out for films/shows/commercials can for sure sure bring a new/wider audience to the music! (it's funny because my mom asked me the other day if i thought people knew that my way, currently in a commercial, was originally a sinatra track, but the irony is frank hated that song. another notable one right now is the car commercial using everywhere by fleetwood mac, they'd been using it before christine passed away, but every time i hear it now, it squeezes my heart a bit.)

not having licenses also presents a headache - the first season of supernatural has all the wrong music on streaming because back in 2005, the wb didn't secure the rights for their classic rock in perpetuity, and it's a detriment to that season of the show. moonlighting doesn't exist anywhere on streaming because that show was so music-heavy and they didn't secure the rights in the 80s either, so whole deals with many, many artists would have to be done to get it on a platform. this has happened with a number of shows (dawson's creek didn't even have its own theme song for ages, until they worked out a deal with paula cole a year or so ago, and i believe she re-recorded it, idk if they've ever restored any of the other music). the streaming landscape has caused networks/producers to be more vigilant about this and make sure they retain the usage rights for their series ahead of time.

"Emotions are tied to moments- for some it becomes a classic." very, very true! like i've said, there are scientific studies on this! music so directly connects to our emotions and core memories.

[chmydarling]

FULL NAME. louis james easton

NICKNAME. lou, louie, nabi (u kno who u are!!)

ALIASES.‏ world's biggest dumbass (alleged)

HEIGHT.‎‏‏‎ 5'8" (a hill i am willin to die on. turn on ur location canon, i just wanna talk)‎‏‏‎

AGE. 18 (psst the b-day i decided on for him is super soon and is july 30th folks- national frenship day :')!!)

ZODIAC. leo

SPOKEN LANGUAGES. ya boi is p fluent in both french and spanish. he also knows a lil bit of latin thanks to his private school upbringing (and absolutely detests it bc to him, it is unbelievably complicated and he cannot grasp it for the life of him). ALSO, a special sum1 may or may not be teaching him some korean... <3

𝐏𝐇𝐘𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐒

BODY TYPE. although he's naturally built pretty slim, he has some trouble eating healthily and/or enough, bc he ends up getting distracted by something or someone else. like, he can't get this one song out of his head, so he has to go work on it etc. most of the time, he keeps himself running on caffeine and candy

VOICE. it upsets me greatly that his singing voice had hella potential, had it been encouraged and nurtured (seriously, go listen to his lovely and incredibly talented va sing). aLSO, as one yt commenter helpfully pointed out during the scene where he's telling tenn to move, when he raises his voice, he's got a lil bass in it, which is something that u don't hear from him too often

DOMINANT HAND. i'm super duper tempted to hc that he's ambidextrous (esp as ambidextrous individuals have apparently been found to possess high levels of creativity). and yes, he would show off about this all the time

POSTURE. god awful. he was and is forever getting stick from his fam bc he will sit in the most absurd and inconvenient places n positions. tho he will often sit up straight if he's seated at like a table on impulse, bc his father made a point of correcting and scolding him for it every time he slouched (p.s. he hates that) ‎

SCARS. he's got one on his tummy ‎from having his appendix removed when he was younger‏‏

MOST NOTABLE FEATURES. ‏‏‎ ‏‏f R E C K L E S <3 a super beautiful n contagious laugh andd.. bIG ASS HANDS THAT I WILL NEVER STOP TALKING AND THINKING ABOUT

𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐃𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐃

PLACE OF BIRTH. idk why but i feel like he's a cali boy somehow

HOMETOWN. westlake village, ca maybe? (it even sounds money af sksksks)

SIBLINGS. only child

PARENTS. james easton, a very successful and self-made businessman, not so much as a parent (in lou's opinion) and elizabeth/lib easton, who once dreamed of becoming a famous actress. before she stopped

𝐀𝐃𝐔𝐋𝐓 𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄

OCCUPATION. ‏‏‎ i can see him working as a waiter and/or barista and maybe going on to be a stagehand and play at weddings and such. though, he does have dreams of making it big as a musician and/or singer

CURRENT RESIDENCE. in a mod au, i can absolutely see him moving to a big city like ny or something

CLOSE FRIENDS. vi, marlon ‎

‎FINANCIAL STATUS. incredibly irresponsible pftt. he is always broke bc his eye is forever getting caught by the latest tech and obscure ass items ‏‏‎

DRIVER'S LICENSE. in a modern au, he is honestly spongebob at boating school lmao. he has failed his test more times than he can count. instructors quake when they learn they have to teach him sdjfhsdjfh

CRIMINAL RECORD. squeaky clean (he's a good noodle). tho, i can absolutely see him getting in trouble w the law for pulling some of those super elaborate pranks, like putting laundry detergent in a fountain or something sksksks

VICES. ya boi has a taste for the finer things, so i can totally see him indulging in fancy ass expensive champagnes and wines (red wine is his fav)

𝐒𝐄𝐗 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄

SEXUAL ORIENTATION. pan

PREFERRED EMOTIONAL ROLE. ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‏‎‏‏‎he really wants to be a source of support, love and encouragement for his partner (and he is, regularly). but he also really likes and needs to feel supported and loved, too (though, often, he has no idea how to go about this)

TURN OFFS. greed, cruelty, lack of empathy

TURN ON'S. ‎bravery, confidence, passion in their interests

LOVE LANGUAGE. ‎a lil bit of all of them tbh, giving n receiving! (depending on his partner's preferences and comfort). he loves cheering on and supporting his partner and wants to do things for them and get them lil sentimental n big flashy gifts. he adores quality time and is all about physical touch. he's just basically a big walkin ball of love honestly ‏‏‎

RELATIONSHIP TENDENCIES. ‏‏‎ ‏‏i think he's quite prone to seeking validation and reassurance (he's genuinely that one meme that's like, me on our wedding day: r u still into me bless im)‎

‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐄𝐎𝐔𝐒

CHARACTER'S THEME TUNE. i hear him in a lot of motown love songs and many of stevie wonder's hits. like, anything romantic or soulful, upbeat n funky- that be him

HOBBIES TO PASS THE TIME. playing piano (learning and playing any instrument he can get his hands on honestly!), singing, baseball, gaming, movie marathons

LEFT OR RIGHT BRAINED. ‎‏‏‎ ‎right-brained, for sure ‏

SELF-CONFIDENCE LEVEL. undeservedly low and wavering. like, outwardly, he's this social butterfly, life-of-the-party type. but, he is v much insecure and not at all content w himself (largely due to his father's constant battering of his self-esteem over the years *blows a raspberry at louis' dad*)

tagging: all of you beautiful ppl <3

[racingtoaredlight]

I just don’t like this guy...

I’ve watched this entire video a few times...it’s fantastic even if the host is blatantly lying to you.

Jacob Collier, if you’re not familiar, is a very talented multi-instrumentalist that has gotten a good amount of buzz from doing a lot of online shit and lectures.  He’s really known for doing remakes of well-known songs where he plays all the instruments and does all the vocal harmonies.

I should revere him as a walking god.  At the very least, a living Mozart.  But I don’t.

The biggest reason I hate the Beatles isn’t their music or lack of musicianship.  They’d be perfectly forgettable if that’s all there was to it.  But you can’t mention the Beatles in any public forum outside of the most radiant positive light without inciting a near riot.  And Jacob Collier fans have quickly become just as zealous and violent.

What makes the video at the top great is that it’s one of the few criticisms of Collier that exist outside comment sections or forums.  The host does his absolute very best to stay politically correct and not justifiably rip into him...but his face tells the whole story.

Simply put...this guy is a highly educated, professional vocal coach who knows all the how’s and why’s.  His face tells the entire story.  He might go and say “oh he’s really talented and makes it work,” but down deep?  He’s disgusted at what he’s hearing.

***

The video at the top is peppered with these moments where his inner disgust comes to the surface.  And you gotta give this guy props if you listen to the whole thing...he does his damndest to stay objective and say nice things about Collier, but...

When you really devote yourself to the study of a particular area...where you painfully break yourself down and face truths that fundamentally fuck your head up...and some guy comes prancing in pretending to be a deity, there’s going to be some cognitive dissonance there.  You can only tell pretty lies for so long until the truth feels like it’s going to erupt sideways and cause a mile of mountain to displace itself at the sound of speed while Dave Crockett films darkness from beside his Seattle KOMO news car on a miraculously undamaged logging road.

Was that callback too hamfisted?

Maybe it was, but I like it.

***

The big difference between the Beatles hype and Collier’s is that Collier is actually trying to be proficient at the thing he’s supposed to be doing.  And I’m not going to shit all over this, because I think...for the most part...it’s really nice.  There are parts in there that are really, really nice...which is one of my biggest issues with Collier.

Those home runs should be the meat of the song.  The spoke of the metaphorical wheel.  They shouldn’t be quickly abandoned because of ADHD.

Check out 3:50-4:10.  My goodness that is good stuff.  He goes from a nice little counterpoint-style riff in the higher registers and gradually moves down, octave by octave, filling up the space...which is fucking awesome when he abruptly changes key at the bottom.  Just insanely good, high-level shit tucked into a simple presentation.  Men have made careers out of much less.

The problem is...this is a single moment.

If you pay attention to the majority of the rest of this...whenever he’s singing, the piano disappears.  Now, singing and playing at the same time is difficult, and something I can’t do.  But he can’t really do it either...and for that 20 seconds of greatness, we have 7 minutes of him trying to find the keys on the keyboard.

***

Collier’s big thing is that he plays a ton of instruments.  Singing, keys, guitar, bass, uke, banjo, drums, whatever...

Which is cool...I guess?...frankly the most impressive part of this is how it gets put together and edited.  Because when you talk to musicians specializing on a certain instrument that Collier plays, that’s when the real criticisms come out.  Almost immediately this gets dismissed as sour grapes or jealousy, but it’s not...

The vocal coach at the top...there are times watching Collier where he’s legitimately confused as to what he’s hearing.  It’s not because Collier’s not pulling it off, or because the coach is trying to be mean to an amateur...it’s because Collier’s billed as literally Mozart.

And for any musician who knows that instrument he’s playing really well, it’s readily apparent that he’s pretty mediocre on all of them.  Technique and musicianship matter to people like us, and when...say...a pianist sees Collier playing like this?

Are we back in 1st grade piano lessons again?  Because that’s 1st grade shit.  What about bass?

Lol tiny gif of Tiny Desk concert.

I wrote a post awhile back about how you can tell a musician’s proficiency by looking at their hands and wrists.  Specifically mentioning how bent wrists like that are an easy way to identify musicians that haven’t put time in on their instrument.

This is important.

When you go through the gauntlet of getting proficient, you quickly realize that everything technical boils down to efficiency.  Getting the most out of every movement.  Why is this important for bassists?  Because the number one responsibility a bassist has is THE GROOVE.  Keeping time.  Efficiency means better time being able to be sustained longer because you’re expending less energy.

Start the video below at 2:50

What we have here are three of the greatest slap bassists of all time, masturbating in public to their heart’s delight.  They are playing way, WAY more stuff than Collier is...and yet, do any of them have that jerky movement?  That bent wrist?  No.  Because he hasn’t put in the hours.

Yet, Collier has been a featured guest on the biggest bass podcast/YouTube channel in the world multiple times for insight into playing bass.  He’s presented as an expert.  But he’s not.

Does he have some profiency?  Yes he does.  He gets a good sound on his bass, it fits the role and the song, and I’m not complaining about him being able to lay down a 4th grade bassline...I’m complaining about him being hailed as some musical genius.

Lets look at guitar.

Lets move on incredibly quickly, otherwise I’ll spend another 3,000 words on everything wrong with this.  Goddamnit, I found another one.  This is some of the legitimately worst guitar playing I’ve seen from a professional.  And here’s a total no-show.  If you’re supposedly Mozart, how you gonna be completely invisible on a stage with 3 people?  Seriously, he might as well not even be there.

If he was behind a piano, it’d likely be a different story.  But he chose to bring a guitar up there, and you’d think a guy with his knowledge of theory wouldn’t be so shoved in the background by the astoundingly mediocre John Mayer...or his voice wouldn’t be able to cut through the cacophony of...a garden variety chick singer?

That’s exactly what the voice coach at the top was talking about!  His vocal technique works in his vacuum...but when you play with other people, technique matters.

***

There was a guy a two years above me at North Texas that is what people say Collier is.  He was the lead alto sax in the One O’ Clock Band (despite it being collegiate, it’s one of the best big bands in the world)...was as good of a guitarist as I was, played bass, led church bands on keyboards, played drums and did all sorts of computer programming for music composition and recording.

His proficiency on keys was as comprehensive as it was on sax.  He led bands because, not only did he know all the parts, but he could play all the parts on whatever instrument.  It was incredible to get the few chances to play with him...and after that, it’s pretty easy to see Collier’s not a musician in the same class in terms of performance.  Theoretically is a different story, but in terms of what his hands are doing, he’s pretty amateur on most of the instruments he plays.

Collier’s greatness is his mind.  His knowledge of harmony and theory is bulletproof from criticism as far as I’m concerned.  I don’t care for his voice, but I certainly respect his ability to match pitches and organize harmony.  His arrangements are excellent, period.

And while there’s novelty to being a multi-instrumentalist recording every part of a song, and that is certainly something that was very marketable during the COVID lockdowns, a lot that falls flat when the underlying foundation isn’t solid.

I don’t think you can make the argument that his abilities on guitar or bass are solid.  Criticisms there are completely legitimate, because it’s obvious he hasn’t put in the hours.  I mean, how could he?

I studied classical and jazz guitar at the same time.  While it’s “the same instrument” the disciplines are completely foreign to each other.  It was difficult to the point where I couldn’t imagine getting proficient on multiple instruments like that, for no other reason than there are only so many hours in the day.

When you look at his skillset, it’s obvious that his talent lies on the keys and with his voice.  But all the time he spends on these other instruments...merely for novelty and showmanship, not for musical reasons...and it neuters the overall production.  Delegation is not a new phenomenon here...a pro bassist can fill that slot so you can fix your sketchy piano technique, and make better music moving forward.

Just because you “can” doesn’t mean you should.

[itsallyscorner]

Can you write a little mix member x avengers cast?? Maybe?

Hello love! Thank you for the request, I apologize for taking so long to work on it! I’ve written this as a headcanon, since I haven’t done any of those in a while. I hope you like it❤️

💌.

The Marvel Cast Finds Out You’re In Little Mix

Why is this lowkey a crack fic/headcanon😭💀

Alrighty so, I feel like they probably wouldn’t know you’re part of a band or who Little Mix is.

Since SADLY, the girls aren’t as big in the States as we’d like them to be:(

The people who definitely might know you are ✨The Brits✨ and Scarlett because she has a young daughter who probably listened to Wings or something—kids find everything on the internet these days.

Working with Marvel was your first acting gig; so none of them knew anything about you or if you’ve been in other films, etc.

Except for Tom Holland, who was lowkey fangirling at the fact he gets to work with one of the Little Mix members.

Side note: he’ll be deeply offended when he figures out the others don’t know about Little Mix or that you can sing.

The rest of the cast (RDJ, Chris Evans, Anthony Mackie, Seb, Lizzie, etc.) had a hunch that you were some kind of writer.

You were always humming to yourself and writing in your notebook or typing down notes in your phone when something came to mind.

Though they didn’t pry at your business because—well, it wasn’t their business.

They could find out about your other job through many ways. Maybe you guys are doing promo and some interviewers mention the band and things about a new album, to which most of them were confused about.

“So (Y/n), I know this is your first time acting. How different was it from performing on stage and acting on camera?”

Everyone’s attention would be on you (this is a panel btw) Mackie’s looking at the back of your head in confusion, Robert fully turns in his seat to look at you, Lizzie is also curious, Evans is looking between you and the reporter—everyone is just confused.

“Performing on stage? Did you do Broadway (y/n/n)?” Evans asked. Tom (Holland) scoffed shaking his head, disgusted to be part of this group of uncultured swines.

You chuckled and shook your head, “No, I’m a singer. I’m part of a girlband.”

The whole cast gasped in shock. Mackie let out a loud “WHAT?!”. Robert leaned even closer to you trying to see if you were lying. Others whispered amongst themselves asking each other if they knew.

Tom (Holland) just sat back watching everyone’s reactions along with you. Amused at the amount of questions that were suddenly being thrown your way.

He’d also be quick to add, “NOT just ANY girlband, but the biggest girlband on the planet.”

For clarification, Tom’s a very proud Mixer.

Scarlett finally recognized you, knowing that she’s seen you somewhere before, but could never put her finger onto it. “Wait you’re from Little Mix!”

“THANK YOU! FINALLY SOMEONE WITH SOME TASTE!” Tom yelled, dramatically turning to Scarlett.

After the initial shock, everyone was very curious. They wanted to hear your music, wanted to know the other members, when your next tour was—they were very ecstatic.

When you guys finally reached London for the press tour, there was a lot of hype for Little Mix because you guys were going to finally reunite after months of being apart.

The girls were allowed to visit set, but since you guys were working on your new album, they were stuck in London. You were relocated to Atlanta, filming an Avengers movie and working on the album via FaceTime/Zoom.

You and the girls reunite the same night you land in London! As tired as you were, the five of you hung out in your hotel room.

You were all excited for the days to come. Not only were you doing promo for the movie but you and the girls were going to be performing again on night time talk shows and were having a Live Lounge session with BBC Radio 1.

The panel of the cast discovering you were part of a band went viral. Many of the fans couldn’t believe they didn’t know about your other job.

There were even edits going around social media of the cast looking clueless and or reacting to your ‘secret’.

Then there were ones like “Tom Holland being a Mixer for 10 minutes and 57 seconds straight”.

Your favorite one was where they zoomed in on everyone’s confused expression while that one Nicki Minaj song played in the background.

It was mentioned in almost every interview after it went viral.

“So none of you had a clue that (y/n) was also a singer? Like at all?”

“I didn’t even know homegirl could sing, matter of fact I never imagined her to be in a girlband.” — Anthony Mackie

“I had a hunch that she was a musician or artist, but no one ever listens to me.” — Chris Evans

“(Y/n)’s in a girlband? Since when?” — Paul Rudd

“After we found out, I listened to all six of their albums on the flight here.” — Elizabeth Olsen

“Of course I knew, my music taste is immaculate compared to the others.” — Tom Holland

“Shut the fuck up, Tom.” — Anthony Mackie

“I really enjoy Black Magic, it reminds me of Wanda.” — Paul Bettany

The cast was so eager to hear you sing and watch you perform with the girls.

They finally got to do that when you invited them to the Live Lounge session. They also got to meet the girls.

You were very happy at that moment; seeing the two groups of people you love meeting each other and getting along meant a lot to you. It gave you a lil warm tingle in your heart.

Since there were no fans in the studio, it was only you and the girls, the band, and a bunch of the Avengers.

While the cameras rolled and you guys were performing, they were crowded together behind the scenes. Some of them were sitting on the carpeted floors or standing against the walls.

They were absolutely stunned when they heard you sing. You had a powerful voice that ranged from high to low, something they never expected of you.

When they heard you and the girls sing or harmonize with each other, it was like they were all in heaven.

“They sound like angels.”

“My ears are tingling, but like in a good way.”

“Seriously, how did we not know she can sing like this?”

“Hear me out—this is a perfect reason as to why we should have an Avengers musical.”

“Chris if we hear you bring up a damn musical one more time I swear.”

“Their voices go so well together, how do they even do that?”

Scarlett would secretly film videos to show her daughter. I have a feeling that Evans, Tom, RDJ, Sebby, and Mark would record some parts as well and would post it onto their Insta stories.

When fans found out they were at the Live Lounge they freaked out.

Ever since they found out you were in a band, they’ve been the biggest fans and supporters of the group.

They’re always promoting your albums on their social media accounts without you even asking.

Privately and publicly praising you guys for performances or achievements.

Your two main groups clashed and now everyone was friends. It was definitely the most weirdest collision— Little Mix and the cast of the Avengers. But it worked out perfectly.

Everyone got along with each other and the girls would always visit you on set.

They’re always playing the band’s song in the background on set.

Most of them won’t admit, but they definitely memorized the lyrics to almost every song.

*cough cough* Mackie and Hemsworth

I feel like Samuel L. Jackson would join in on the action too, one way or another. Somehow he got looped in.

ANOTHER THING OMG, they would definitely stand up for you and the girls whenever Piers Morgan or some asshole hates on you guys or pulls a jab on you all.

Best beileve Evans will be calling him out publicly on Twitter.

“Why are you so worried about a bunch of talented women who are doing their job and bringing happiness to others? They’ve done nothing to you, you’re always the one making jabs at them. Leave them alone you fucking British meatball.”

I feel like Robert helped you and the girls find a better management company after learning about the unfair treatment you all faced under Simon’s care.

In conclusion: The Marvel cast would be ecstatic to learn about you being a singer and they’d become your biggest fans. They truly adore you and the girls for your amazing talent :’)

[thisaintascenereviews]

Slipknot - The End, So Far There are a bunch of people, mainly older, that would say that the late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain was the last true “rockstar,” but I would disagree, whether it’s because the term rockstar has changed over time or that there are musicians and bands from the last 20 years whose name sort of eclipses their music. Nirvana ended up becoming a band like that -- people buy their shirts all the time without knowing who they are, or if they do, they only know a couple of songs but think their logo is cool. There’s nothing wrong with that, but a great example of a band that came a little bit after them that has the same level of fame and notoriety is Slipknot. Yeah, sure, they’re a metal band, but they’re a band, like Nirvana before them, changed the face of rock and/or metal. Frontman Corey Taylor is a celebrity at this point. Even if you don’t know who he is, you know he’s the singer of Slipknot, and even if you don’t know Slipknot’s name, or their music, you’ve seen their logo somewhere. They’re one of the biggest metal bands in the world, right up there with Metallica. Their first two albums, 1999′s self-titled and 2001′s Iowa are records that revolutionized rock and metal, more specifically nu-metal and alt-metal, but there’s a lot of debate on whether or not Slipknot were a nu-metal band. I don’t think so, because they pulled from a lot of different sounds, but they had elements of it in their sound and helped to pioneer it, along with Korn and Deftones. I say all of this because it’s a big deal when Slipknot releases a new album. They’re one of those bands that everyone is going to be glued in, listening to what they’re doing now, because they have so many diehard fans (as well as a lot of people that hate everything after Iowa). Even if you don’t like them, whether at all or anymore, you’re still paying attention, most likely. I’m a couple of weeks late to this review, but I’ve been really excited to write it, as I’ve wanted to talk about the new Slipknot record, entitled The End, So Far. This isn’t their last album, so no need to fret, but their last album with longtime label Roadrunner Records, whom they’ve been with since 1999. This is also their first in three years, coming off the heels of 2019′s We Are Not Your Kind, which is an album I liked, but I didn’t love. Honestly, I wasn’t even sure I was going to listen to this, but something told me to check it out, because who knows, maybe it would be good. You never know if you don’t check it out, right? It’s been a couple of weeks, but a lot of that has been due to life getting in the way, thanks to getting married over the last few days, so I haven’t had time to review anything for the last four or five days, but I knew that this was the first review I wanted to write when I came back from our brief honeymoon, simply because The End, So Far isn’t just one of my favorite albums of the year, it’s also probably one of my favorite Slipknot albums. The End, So Far is an album that totally took me by surprise; I had no idea that I would love this album as much as I do, whether it’s because this is a late state Slipknot album, and Slipknot is a band that I’ve been spotty on. I love their first couple of albums, and everything else is hit or miss. On each album afterwards, there are songs I like and songs I’m not crazy about, but it’s because of how they’ve started experimenting with alt-metal, hard-rock, and progressive sounds and ideas over the years. This record is one of their most interesting albums to date, and it seems like people split down the middle -- people either love it or hate it. It took a few listens to really grow on me, but I can’t stop listening to it. The biggest reason that I’m really loving this thing is honestly because the band sounds great here. Every member is on fire, and the performances on here are incredibly tight, especially Corey Taylor. He’s one of those vocalists that just sounds better and better on each album. His vocal performance on this record is utterly fantastic. He’s got the best control of his voice, where he can passionately sing one second, but literally a second later in the same song, you hear his gnarly and beastly growls. He doesn’t skip a beat, and even on the few tracks I’m not as crazy about versus others, he sounds top notch. Taylor is one of the best vocalists in rock and metal today, period. I also really love how this album is a bit more experimental. Opening track “Adderall” is this six-minute slowburn that’s more on the post-punk / goth-rock / industrial feel, playing more with Nine Inch Nails than the nu-metal fury that they’re known for. It’s just Taylor singing, but it sounds awesome. I can see why that track might not grip a listener going into it, but it’s got my attention immediately, because it’s so weird and left-field for them, so I want to hear more. We get a lot more softer moments, such as “Yen,” “Acidity,” which has this blues feel to it, “Medicine For The Dead,” and a few other cuts. That’s not to say they don’t bring the rage, because on singles “The Dying Song” and “The Chapeltown Rag,” we get classic Slipknot. They’re heavy, brutal, and fun, but my favorite track on the album is also the heaviest and most vicious, which comes in the form of “H377.” but it’s a doozy. That might be one of the heaviest Slipknot songs I’ve ever heard. I can’t get enough of that song. That’s also one of the heavier tracks that doesn’t feel like a stock Slipknot song, and that is my biggest complaint here, that the songs we get that are more in the vein of classic Slipknot are just typical Slipknot. “H377″ is a cool song, because it transcends their sound, but still being brutal and heavy, whereas the singles are just standard Slipknot and nothing more. They’re great songs, but they do nothing I haven’t heard before, even though they do it well. The End, So Far is one of my favorite albums of the year, despite it being an hour long (I don’t know if it needed to be an hour, but it doesn’t really feel like it, especially by the end when I realize I’m on the last song), because it merges Slipknot’s heavier side with a softer and more experimental one. They place both sides of their sound pretty evenly on the album, but I have seen a lot of people say that this just sounds like (Corey Taylor’s other band) Stone Sour. I don’t agree with that comparison at all, because they still bring the house down, whereas Stone Sour doesn’t, so the heavy stuff is still here. Just because it has some soft moments doesn’t negate the heavy ones. I can understand some of the discourse behind this album, especially the heavy songs being more standard cuts, but the experimental stuff is what I like most. The heavy stuff is great, too, and a few of the heavy songs are some of my favorites, but I love when the band gets weird. It shows that after 20+ years, they’re still willing to experiment and not just make the same album over and over again. You’ve probably already heard this album, but if you haven’t, it’s worth hearing. I haven’t been into Slipknot for awhile now, but this is the album that got me back into the fold. I’ve been playing their first two albums again a lot, and those albums still rule, but it’s cool hearing their older material versus their newer material.

[natromanxoff]

11 - Van Halen...

Hi there one and all.

Can I first start by saying farewell to Cozy. I've known him for about fifteen years and would not say he was a close friend or anything, but whenever we caught up with each other there was always time for a beer and chat. He was an A1 guy and will be greatly missed as a person and as a brilliant drummer. When John Bonham died he left the crown for the best rock drummer to Cozy, and I can't think of anyone worthy enough to take over. When Bonzo died we were doing a show at Madison Square Gardens, and as they were going into Champions Fred said, "This one's for John Bonham." The place erupted. If that's Bonzo's song, then I think Cozy should inherit We Will Rock You, because he was THE best rock drummer.

My social life has been quite hectic again. Caught up with Status Quo when they played here recently, they're always good fun to chat with, and they still put on a decent show. Next Sunday I'm gonna see Matchbox 20. Have a listen to their album, it's really good. Last night was the all new Van Halen, and thanks to my mate Nick I had one of those wonderful VIP passes hanging round my neck. I, along with the rest of the world was curious to know what Gary Cherone was going to be like. Brilliant. This has to be the best VH line up yet. The show was being filmed by MTV, so if you see it and the camera pans around to the sound desk, just look for the best looking guy in the building and that'll be me, standing next to him.

Anyway, back to VH. They are still a great rock band, a great live act and great musicians, and I still hate drum solo's. But back to Mr Cherone. We all know what he did at the Tribute, and we all know he's a huge Queen fan, and he's the closest singer to Freddie I've ever seen. His outfit, black satin shirt and flared black satin pants. I seem to remember FM wearing that around 75/76. His mic stand is the FM 'wand', except it's a lot longer. His movements are very theatrical, and dare I say camp at times, with lots of twists and turns, very Freddie. Don't get me wrong here, I'm not knocking him at all, he is an amazing showman and doesn't stop all night, even jumping into the crowd and running up the steps to the top of the arena, and then tumbling down like a stuntman. It's good rock 'n roll, so try and check them out, I don't think you'll regret it. (I've become concert reviewer all of a sudden) At times he even sounds like another singer, but I won't keep on, I'll leave it to somebody else. On the rock station, Triple M, one of the jocks this afternoon said, "He's been watching to many videos of our dear departed friend Freddie Mercury. His movements were exactly like his."

The first time I ever saw Van Halen was at a place called the Circus Krona(!) in good old Munich. I went along to see them with the curly one, and when we got there I had to instantly phone the studio and try and get Rog to come along because it was the biggest PA system I had ever seen in a place that size. When they started the intro tape it was so loud I thought my chest was gonna cave in, the bass just pinned you to your seat. Needless to say Brian was like a pig in shit. Before I tell you my little Queen story, I have to tell you about what I consider to be the best onstage patter I think I've ever heard. David Lee Roth was talking to the crowd between numbers and somebody in the crowd chucked a paper cup or something at him, he stopped talking, looked round in the general direction and said, "Hey man, you can throw what you like at me. Because tonight I'm going to f**k your chick." 20,000 people loved it, and so did I cause I still remember him saying it.

OK. We were touring the States, probably around 81/82, and we were flying to Portland. The band entourage were traveling on a wonderful private plane, and as the crew would have been in the bus for about 24 hrs we took as many as we could with us. The date was Sept.1, I remember because thats my birthday, and when we boarded the plane there was a huge cake with 'Happy Birthday Crystal' on it, and even more booze than we normally had. (Somebody must have expected something) One of the nice things about private planes is that you can make detours and the pilot flew around Mt St Helens a few times so we could see right into the crater, and it was still steaming, an amazing sight. Back to my birthday and a few of us needed some privacy, so Jim 'Mary' Devenney, Jimmy ' Idiot Boy' Barnett, Peter 'Feebie' Freestone, Roger '*******' Taylor and myself stocked up with a couple of drinks and retired to the Master Bedroom for a discussion on world politics. When the plane landed we were still a few thousand feet up in the air, legless is the best way to describe us. Hey, it was my birthday after all. We fell into the limo's and headed to the hotel, and the crew went on to theirs.

On arrival I found out that Van Halen were staying there, and they were playing that night, so I secured a few million passes and went looking for somebody to go partying with. After all it was 4pm and if I went to sleep I'd wake up feeling awful so I had to continue. RT said he was gonna crash, but Feebie and Terry were ready to go, so we said we would go to the first bar we came to. As it turned out it was a topless joint, and needless to say I was shocked and stunned, but a deals a deal. We were drinking shots of peppermint schnapps with vodka and orange chasers, very intelligent. At about 8pm we all shot off to watch VH, and they were great. After the show both bands arrange to meet in the bar at the hotel, but the bar is one of those stupid ones in the middle of the lobby. So there we are, the four Queenies, Feebie, Wally, Tunbrige, Terry and me, and the four Van Halens, all sitting around having a slurp, and VH's minders running around like headless chickens in the CIA. Outside the main doors were hundreds of fans, with a VH gorilla keeping them out, even to the point of stopping Ratty coming in. I had to argue with this moron to let one of our crew in, and he said, "If he goes anywhere near David or Eddie I'll throw him out." I could only answer with that wonderful two worded phrase starting and ending in F. Because it was like being in a fish bowl we decided to leave the bar, and everyone wandered off to various rooms to continue, the biggest bash being in Rogers suite.

At some unknown hour whilst I'm having a very pleasant conversation with a charming lady who called herself 'Naughty Nancy,' Jobby says to me, "I've been looking for you, Tunbridge wants you to call him now, it's urgent, Brians had an accident." Jobby was very drunk and I didn't know if he was serious or joking, so I phoned Tunbridges room and there was no reply. What do I do now? If Brians asleep and I wake him I'm in trouble, and if he has hurt himself and I don't call I'm still in trouble. What do I care? I'm drunk and fearless, so I phone and Tunbridge asks me to get there asap.

When I go in, Brians lying on the bed on his side, with the waste paper bin close at hand, and Tunbrige is grinning and mopping his brow with a damp cloth. Brian was mumbling stuff like "Don't let me die." (I'm sure most of us have been there at sometime or another) I probably shouldn't say this, but I had to grin, I thought it highly amusing. I got an explanation and told Tunbridge not to let him sleep on his back, and call me if there were anymore problems. I then returned to NN.

It turned out that when we all left the bar, Brian had gone to Eddie's room where they consumed huge quantities of Jack Daniels, and Brian not being a bourbon drinker, went to the toilet to worship the porcelain god, and threw up with such gusto he hit his head on the cistern, split his head open and nearly knocked himself out. The following night we played the same place VH did, and Mr May with band aid on head, played a blinder. A couple of years later, in the Rainbow in LA, I met Alex Van Halens estranged wife, and that, as they say, is another story all together.

Crystal

[todayesterday]

hi! so there's this quote from this video that i found rather interesting: “an interesting comparison i like to make is bts have quite possibly become the antithesis of the beatles—a band that once started off with this manufactured sweetheart pop music but in their later releases experimented with texture and genre fusion because they had the means and resources to do so. they shifted the music industry in how people perceived boybands but instead bts are feeding right into it.”

i'm not even gonna get into the fact that the beatles were more than just manufactured bubblegum pop from 64-66 but thoughts?

oh boy... well, that is certainly An Opinion. and i certainly have Many Opinions on this too. so now that you mention it, here they go. you've endulged me, now prepare for my VERY LONG hot takes on bts' recent comebacks and recent career and how it compares to the beatles' later years (fair warning, i'm very bitter about hybe and i have very strong feelings about bts' management, so). and i love talking about their career in relation to the beatles, so bare with me here, i could talk about this for days on end.

i watched the entire bts part of the video and, beatles comparisson aside (i'll talk about this in a minute), i agree with every single word. it is UTTERLY frustrating to me, as someone who fell in love with bts's music for their incredibly unique and varied discography, to witness what they career has come to in 2021. i find it so hard to come to terms with the fact that the group has some of the most talented songwriters i've seen (namjoon's lyrics in particular are phenomenal and so full of substance), plus some very creative producers, such as hoseok and yoongi who clearly care about music very much - and some rising musicians too, like taehyung who has been doing a great job of writing and producing -, and such unique vocals has come to... that. generic pop that is a very obvious attempt to produce a hit, regardless of meaning or substance substance. really, the only word that comes to my mind is frustration, because i am positive that they can do SO much better than butter and PTD (and i don't even hate the songs btw, and dynamite i really love) if they're given the creative opportunity, and be is proof of that. so it bothers me to no end how this is what we are stuck with.

now, i can only imagine that this direction is not one really chosen by bts themselves, at least not fully. because those songs are not songs, they are business decisions (and bad decisions, at that). and hybe does the business decisions. i'm not saying that the boys don't have any authonomy or whatever, but some things (mainly namjoon's live he did on youtube after dynamite got #1, plus some weverse interviews) do make me think they're not totally happy with this direction either. watching them in those BE-hind interviews they did with each other, all of them talked about how into music they were, how they wanted to explore other genres, their relationship to songwriting, etc - to me, right then at the end of 2020 they seemed almost more connected to music-making then i've ever seen them before. so it came as a shock to me when all we got in 2021, after such a personal album - and after such a wonderful array of albuns and songs since their debut - were two comercial, soulless, generic pop songs. because bts is anything but soulless and that's what irks me.

really, it's been hard being a bts stan recently because of how much this makes me just *sigh*. because i love them for their art and their music, and hybe recently only ever uses them as models for overpriced merch and advertisements - that has been their main occupation in 2021. and i don't think that it is because they have regressed as songwriters or musicians, but because hybe's vision of what bts is has changed. and that's what i think the biggest difference lies between bts and the beatles when it comes to the progression of their career.

you see, i think that hybe is stuck in a very tight situation that they're handling the worst possible way. as bighit, they had only bts as their only chance, their lifeboat. bang pd had his philosophy of authenticity and Being True To Music, and he got lucky with finding the perfect people to carry it through. plus, they were a smaller house, i don't even think he'd have the money to hire overseas producers when they were working on their first albuns, so it was a process that i imagine was a lot more intimate and open than whatever went on with their latest singles. however, with bts, bh (and bang pd) always had their Extra Content, bring-bts-close-to-the-fans strategy. and of course that worked, the boys managed to gather the very loyal fanbase that we have today. but the thing is, as bts rose to success, i have the very strong impression that pd convinced himself that it happened because of the extra content, because of run bts, etc - and not because of the honesty of their music. i think it was in that harvard report that he said that he believes bh found the 'formula for success' with bts, citing the extra shows, the social media, etc. and so, as bts took over the world, hybe seems to have convinced themselves that they are to blame, and not bts. plus, they realised that they can make so much money out of them, but they also need to diversify their income as well.

now, the tight situation that i mentioned is explained by three main things.

they are obviously seen as The BTS Company

they don't want to be seen as The BTS Company, because what the hell will they do when bts ends? so they have now a bunch of other groups too. and social network. and everything else they can get, because they're DESPERATE to make money that isn't directly bts-related

at the same time, they CAN'T lose bts revenue, because none of their groups or enterprises make nearly as much as bts makes them.

in short, to me, it is a very clear goose that lays the golden eggs situation.

they want bts to become mainstream in the usa, and they want bts to get a grammy (probably desperate for it because it might mean that bts will get an exemption from the millitary, which would mean that they'd be around longer to make them money), and they're apparently willing to do anything for it. but at the same time, they don't want bts to be their only thing, because, well, the military. whatever will they do if bts stays away for two years!

now, as i said, i believe that hybe thinks that bts' success is due to their management, their ideas and their formula. and they seem to think that commercial success = easy pop, because that's what bts put out when they did the biggest breakthroughs of their career (boy with luv in 2019 and dynamite in 2020). so, naturally, when they had dynamite and it was such a smash hit, they thought, well, he hit the golden pot guys! this is it! and it probably didn't help that the sales were absolutely huge and they probably made so much money off it. they learned that the hot 100 is a very lucrative thing and they barely have to do anything for it, just release the song and army will buy it to oblivion to get the boys the #1. and don't get me wrong, i loved seeing them getting that #1, it's a very important landmark, but... what does it say, really? after the first two ones?

so there's another important point to the story, army's consuming power. army will buy anything, anything at all, music or otherwise. if the singles are in english that's a bit amplified, sure, but i don't think that hybe understands that most fans don't care about what language it is, and the general public doesn't care for generic pop. hybe is still trying to break the mainstream barrier while trying to keep fans engaged and ends up not really appealing to anybody. but, if they think that songs like ptd and butter are what's going to get them money (and they haven't been proven wrong), then they certainly won't release a song like tomorrow or butterfly as their main single. and they make so much money. they own bts in its entirety, so they can do what they want, basically. that's why they put so much merch out. they're not interested anymore in authentic music, they want to grow and have more things and more fancy buildings and grow and grow. they're a billionaire corporation now, and so they hire whatever producers they think will write the biggest hit, they do what they have to do to keep the ~winning streak~.

of course, they missed the mark completely. they're killing their goose of golden eggs. but, as of yet, they're only killing it creatively (and its musical reputation, tbh, but again, i don't think they care), because the money keeps coming in. did you see the amount of pointless merch they released last year? the amount of advertisement bts worked on? they sold bts water. music isn't a priority in their agenda anymore. but how does that work? bts are musicians.

as i said earlier, during be they showed signs to be super involved and eager to create music, to write, to produce. how come so many members have been writing mixtapes for the past two years, writing music, producing, and we haven't had a crumb of really authentic music from them all year? did their talents just vanish from thin air? how come?? we're going to have a jungkook song produced by yoongi for that pointless webtoon instead of putting it on an actual album. like, why??????????? we haven't had a yoongi produced song in SO long. and he's a well-renowed producer. but no, let's treat him like a model. this makes me so furious, honestly.

and that's where i think the comparisson with the beatles pales a bit. it is not wrong, necessarily, but i think the situations are very different, and i think it's kind of unfair to say that bts became what they said they wouldn't be.

to me, the thing that differentiates the situations is that the beatles formed, in the very start, a really strong bond with a single producer who they trusted and who trusted them, and with a team who recognized their talent for what it was and was prepared to let them do their thing. of course, kpop is a completely different industry than the 1960s british rock scene; however, putting that aside and talking only about music, i think that is a big part of why bts "regressed". in actuality i don't think they regressed: i believe that they are simply not given the space and chance to evolve.

with the beatles, george martin was really only theirs. they had a BUNCH of problems with contracts and with emi and shit, of course, but abbey road and george martin were there to let them go and do their shit. they trusted them to put out music that wasn't "common", they saw that they were huge and let them go for it. the bigger they got, the more trust and control they had over their creative decisions, and the more security they had to go and do things like what they did on the white album. by that point, they had their people, george martin knew how to work with them, they were making SO much money and nobody was really scared that it was going to flop or what the public would think. and the fact that they were english helped them to gain and secure that space, because it is true that the mainstream USA media doesn't care for anything else other than american and english people - and apart from the "we don't care about british people" attitude of the early-60s, the beatles were never really outsiders. not in the way bts is. so, essentially, they could go and do whatever they wanted, and they knew that. so they did.

with bts, the opposite happened. firstly, they don't have the security. even though they are huge, they're still outsiders to the music industry - so the company (and themselves too, in a way) is probably scared of scaring the public away in a way the beatles/EMI/apple were not. secondly, they don't have a team who is ready to ensure that they have creative freedom, and they don't have a secure team to work with them. to me it's pretty clear that hybe is more concerned with their business and making sure they're selling than they are with bts doing the music they want - and they made the most money when bts put out ptd and butter and etc, probably. that's the opposite of what george martin meant to the beatles creatively. in their recent singles (and we know it's hybe who decides that), they worked with american producers that they probably have never met before - that can't be a safe environment to be open and vulnerable about their music or to try something bold or experimental. additionally, if they spend so much time doing adds, recording stupid merch videos, working on a goddamn webtoon that has nothing to do with their art at all or games or whatever unrelated project hybe has, how are they going to have time to sit down and develop their art? the beatles stopped touring to dedicate to music in the height of their career. bts became full-time models because their ads probably give bang pd so much money he shits his pants just thinking about it. george martin never cared about john wearing fila for ads or whatever - because that wasn't such a thing then. EMI certainly wanted to make money off them, but things were different.

now, i have to clarify that i don't know for sure where does bts stand in this, and yes, they do make money too from all those things i mentioned. but not even nearly as much as bh does. and, to be honest, i don't see a world where people who care about music and art (and we know they do) and find themselves in this situation wouldn't be frustrated and angry about it. in interviews they have talked about questioning all of this, namjoon in particular, seokjin too.

i think this is, in general, a very telling tale of what the music industry has come to from the 60s to now, with mainstream artists (not only bts, i think this applies to a lot of people) really having become products and the objects of advertisement, hostages to what the creative industry as a whole has become with hypermodernity and the Internet as we so have it. it goes in line with what tiktok is doing to music, what instagram and algorhythms have done to art, and so on and so forth. it does raise the question of whether the beatles would have had the creative freedom they had back then if they were artists nowadays, and to that i haven't got an answer, but i think it's interesting to wonder. what if, instead of having time to record revolver or sgt pepper's, the beatles were stuck recording ads for partner brands that they are legally obliged to do? the paralells between the two groups fascinate me so much that my literal master's dissertation will be about this very thing, the differences in the consolidation of both of them as global icons in their different contexts and cultures.

as for bts, i just think it's such a shame to see it come to this. i think they have so much potential, creatively. they have so much talent, such great songs, and they could do many other things. they could release whatever they wanted and so many people would still love and support it. i think hybe is making a huge, huge mistake with all of this. they can't produce another bts, and they're putting a serious strain on the one they do have. and i don't think the problem is the english, but they soullessness of the songs they chose. because we didn't choose to love bts because they are cute, or because of run bts. we choose them because we resonate with them, because we fell in love with their music, with them as people, and not with whatever vision some american producer/songwriter has of what they think bts is.

i'm curious to see where 2022 will lead us, with them. there's apparently an album coming. i don't have any expectations for the single, but we'll see. i just want them to be free to create, honestly. i miss them and their music very much, and i wish dearly that they were in another situation because they're not a golden eggs goose, they are people who love art and who love to express themselves through it. i hope that's what they get to do, once this webtoon and merch nonsense is over. they deserve a safe space to create. they deserve their hearts and their voices to shine through, as they have always done.

[whitherliliesbloom]

heartbeat concerto

[ ffxivwrite2021 ] ★ [ masterlist ] ★ [ prompt #03 - scale ]

[ alphinaud/wol ]  ★ [ 2,605 words ]  ★ [ nodame cantabile au ]

scale: an arrangement of the notes in any system of music in ascending or descending order of pitch

Illya prays to the heavens that the man beside her does not hear the fortissimo that was her pounding heart. 

“Rachmaninoff?” Her voice was equal parts confused as it was alarmed, hiking in pitch that sounded like an ear piercing squeak, almost grimace worthy. Trepidation rings loud in her chest, like shrieking white noise that deafens her. “I’ve never played a concerto in front of somebody before.” 

She had hoped that admittance would allow him to grant her some fraction of mercy. After all... for as gracious and supportive a tutor as he was a diligently observant audience for her playing, he surely wouldn’t throw her into the deep end after she’d just barely able to make some progress, right?

The boy merely smiles, navy blue eyes softening in its gaze as he waves the music sheets in his hands before placing them delicately upon the piano stand. He exudes an aura of gentle reassurance, but knows that his resolve to push her past her comfortable limits is implacable. 

“Now would be a good time for a first then, wouldn’t you agree?”

Illya heart sinks, lips pressed into a thin, paling line as she glances at the score that awaited her - notes upon lines that were rapidly blurring into nothing but squiggles and incomprehensible doodles in her vision... as if taunting her, daring her to butcher one of the most iconic piano concertos to have ever been composed - by one of the greatest virtuoso pianists to have ever lived no less? 

Sonatas were one thing - it took Illya a good amount of time to be able to even bring herself to play the first movement of Sonata Facile to completion in front of him without breaking down into a mess of cold sweat and trembling fingers. 

But concertos... by the twelve, even saying the word brings her chills down her spine. 

She was nowhere near good enough for pieces that demanded such high amounts of skill, precision and talent... nowhere even close to being able to perform alone on stage for a crowd to behold... let alone in front of an entire orchestra. 

When she had met the violin prodigy that had been her new neighbor and he’d offered to help her overcome the performance anxiety that had crippled her ability to play the piano in front of others for years, she hadn’t expected for him to have such sky high expectations for her - expectations that she was certain she’d never in a million years be able to meet.

Alphinaud is a confident, assured young man. Performing was only natural to him, came as naturally as music does flow through his very veins - he had even stated so on the very day that they’d met. Music is for ears to hear, for the world to enjoy. What point was there to keeping music hidden behind four walls? To hide away the sound of their instruments is an affront to the very reason those instruments were made in the first place. 

He moved into this apartment complex for a very different reason than she did - and she understood that he too, in his own ways that she could not yet fully understand, had his own troubles which kept him from reaching the heights in which he, and his family had aspired him to be. 

But the notoriety behind the difficulty of the pieces he plays has never once made his bow once falter, nor has it ever put him off the idea of even trying. Certainly, there were aspects of his playing to critique... but his determination and confidence alone makes him more of a capable musician than she is - something she both deeply envied and admired. 

Would that she could even possess half the amount of talent as he- she’d constantly tell herself, and it was a thought that possessed her even as she hung her head in defeat, trudging to the piano that sat in the middle of the living room before sitting herself down on the cushioned bench, the dent in the corner of the wood still visible from their first meeting when she’d knocked it over onto its side from panic. 

Violet eyes glance down at the black and white keys with a gulp - her greatest friend in her darkest times of sorrow... yet also the cause of many of her biggest regrets and worries in life. 

She stalls for a moment to pick her train of hair up from the floor and let it unravel gently behind her on the bench, her cotton slippers kicked aside to place her feet upon the pedals that were propped up by a well used extender - a necessity due to her short stature. 

With stiff, slightly shaky fingers that now laid delicately upon the surface of the piano keys, Illya sharply inhales, and forces herself to quiet the raging thoughts of potential failure and humiliation as she presses down to play the first notes. 

Alphinaud stands behind her by the window, quiet so as to not disturb the girl... but even with his considerate silence, Illya could not help but be acutely aware of his eyes staring holes into the back of her head. She could only begin to imagine what he was thinking - and while she’s befriended him long enough to know he was a man who was above ridicule, she still hated to disappoint - especially the first person who has heard her play the piano for the first time in years. 

A symphony fills the apartment, bright as the rays of sunlight that shone through the window, making Illya’s starspun hair appear to glow like a halo. Like little bells, the piano sings out a melody that is as light as the air. It sounds easy on the ears, gentle and kind as the timid pianist who was weaving this piece into being with her fingers. 

And that was the problem.

Rachmaninoff composed Piano Concerto No 2 during some of the darkest moments of his life - the piece that would go on to save his career as a floundering, helpless musician had been written from the very pits of his own despair - a song of tragedy and sorrow that tells of a struggling pianist and composer who feared to lose the very thing that gave his life meaning; something many other aspiring musicians would surely understand... something Illya herself knew all too well.

And yet when Alphinaud listened to the piece being played, it conveyed none of that sadness, none of the essence of what made Concerto No 2 become such an iconic classical piece in history. 

Illya played without fault - that much he is certain. She’s taking great care to play the right notes, attentive to her own pace that would be fitting were a choir of violins and cellos playing after her tune. But he can tell, even without looking upon the tense, rigid scowl upon her face that she was focusing too much on the technicalities that she’s lost all of what made him so captivated with her playing before - a mistake that he himself has been criticized for countless times. 

Father has chided him for that before - praised him for being a genius and young violin paragon both while at the same time admonishing his lack of improvement even after three years of performing professionally - three years of the same critique that would come back to haunt him over and over again.

Music was more than playing perfectly - it was about the inflections, the subtleties in the way one moves their finger across the piano keys, or the way one draws a violin bow... The emotions that would stir one’s heart in a way only music would be able to convey and can never be properly emulated with computerized digital sound. 

When Alphinaud closed his eyes, he did not hear the disquiet of a child’s heart as he heard the echoes of church bells ringing on a Sunday morning... but, just as it is - a nervous pianist who was pressing keys because she was told to, because she is doubting herself. 

“Illya.” he calls her name, softly so as to not startle... but more importantly, to convey that he wasn’t mad, disappointed or upset with her - as she is wont to often assume. 

The piano stops abruptly, and the girl turns to look at him, her piercing stardust hued eyes shimmering with a glossy layer of worry - it suits her less than the rare blossoms of joy that sprouted in her eyes whenever she seemed to genuinely be enjoying his company.

“Y-Yes?” 

The young man pauses for a moment to casually stroll up beside her, before gesturing for the lady to move. Though confused, she scoots over to her right to allow him space on the bench, questioning expression apparent on her face about his intent.

When he sits, the close proximity between them brings him warmth, and he feels the corners of his lips instinctively pull into a gentle smile.

“I’m sorry, you must have been caught off guard with such an unreasonable request from me.” He apologizes before quickly holding up his hand when he sees the young lady’s lips part in an impulsive need to protest.. but it is quickly lowered when she draws back into herself and swallows her retort. “Maybe... a little warm up would be better before we move on to such a challenging piece.”

His slender fingers stretch, the pad of his index finger resting gently upon a D key, but not pressing down. 

Alphinaud has only the basic understanding of how a piano is played... and he has in the past tried to expand his musical repertoire to cover the undisputedly most popular classical instrument of all time, but he regrettably never quite got the time or chance to. But he is aware of a routine piano players would use to practice, not too dissimilar to the way violinists would warm up as well.

“May we perhaps practice scales? Just for a little while?”

The humility in his tone with his request compared to before doesn’t escape Illya’s notice, but she refrains from commenting on it as her eyes widen up at him.

“Um... s-sure.”

The hesitation in her response is only natural - after all he’d just challenged her to play a difficult piece of piano concerto only to reduce their practice down to repetitive scales - something even the most amateur of players could easily do. 

Perhaps he’d felt a tad sorry for his earlier forwardness and the not so subtle way he’d intimidated her into playing something she was clearly not completely comfortable performing for him.. and the only way he knew how to make amends was to correct the damage of his own transgression’s doing. 

Getting Illya to relax was important - not just for her music but for the sake of herself as well. If her Rapunzel length hair, lack of fresh foods in her pantry and well worn and weathered pink camise was any indication, the girl wasn’t the best at taking care of her own wellbeing in her pursuit for musical perfection. 

Illya’s shoulder is still relatively stiff as she begins to play, though not nearly as much as they were before while she was playing the concerto. Her fingers effortlessly glide across the keyboard to play an ascension of notes before moving back down. 

By the third repeat, she’s begun relaxing considerably and picking up speed, and her hands were moving with a practiced, ethereal fluidity that was akin to waves of the ocean... as were the sound of the notes being played - reminding Alphinaud of the push and pull of the tides upon a sandy shoreline. 

She transitions from C major to C minor, weaving in the scales of D-flat major and minor before the scales moves further and further up in pitch, so seamlessly that anyone who isn’t familiar with notes in the slightest would have trouble even realizing the switch in scales until she’s reached F major. 

In the face of something that comes naturally to Illya, she is at ease... and the piano is once more harmonizing in tune with her love for the instrument. 

It’s a not so subtle way of giving her a confidence boost, but Alphinaud claps as she finishes the B minor scale with a flick of her arms - and though her confusion is still apparent, he can tell just from the adorable tilt of her head that she’s relaxed now.

“Wonderful, Illya... It’s clear as crystal with the way you played how seasoned you are. I’d dare say you’re quite a prodigy yourself.”

Having a lofty title thrust onto her so suddenly without warning burns her cheeks a bright shade of red, and the girl is quick to shake her head.

“I-I... I appreciate it, Alphinaud... But I know you’re just saying that to make me feel better.”

“Be that as it may...” He retorts before leaning forward to close the distance between them, his blue eyes swirling with a sincerity that begins to mirror in Illya’s bejeweled ones. “My praises are always truthful and well deserved. You’re a wonderful pianist, Illya.”

Something compels Alphinaud to continue speaking. Perhaps it was the twinkling of Illya’s eyes that held the radiantly clear reflection of himself within... or the dust of pink speckled upon her cheeks and across the width of her little button nose and pointed ears... or maybe it was the soft sound of air being inhaled through her barely parted lips - glossy, pink and befittingly cute for a woman of such beauty. But he deigns to open up his heart and speak his mind freely- he finds himself being able to do so more easily towards her than any other person for some reason.

“Besides... It was because of my own selfish desire to be able to hear you play that I offered to be your tutor. Being able to be by your side here like this and watch you play alone is an honor I would always treasure. So you needn’t be so afraid of playing how you wish to with me.”

When Alphinaud leans back, he finds the delightful cherry pink shade upon Illya’s face to have darkened, and her flustered quivering of her lips as him self-reflecting upon his own statement which causes him to dart his head to the side in an attempt to hide his own blooming blush.

Not that it’d be noticed by Illya in the first place, as she tilts her head down to hide her thoroughly embarrassed expression beneath the shadows of her white bangs. 

“I-I’m sorry. Maybe I said too much.” 

Illya doesn’t respond, and the young man is almost thankful she doesn’t... because he’s determined to force himself to recover and continue on with their practice.

Clearing his throat unabashedly, his head turns slowly back to look at the girl beside him.

“Well. Shall we continue? I could pick out an easier piece for you to try, this time.”

She nods, as halfheartedly as she did earlier when he’d asked her to perform  Rachmaninoff’s piece for him. And though her playing of Mozart was even more shaky, off-pace and lacking in original intent as it did with Piano Concerto No 2 before... Alphinaud could only acknowledge her efforts with an apologetic and bashful smile on his part... for the deep red flush upon Illya’s face never once dissipates during her performance. 

Nor does the trembling of her fingers - which, if nothing else, conveys the pounding of her racing heart more than clearly and loudly for him to hear. 

[gayenerd]

Interview with Billie for the Kerrang Yearbook. Sounds like this took place around 2000-2001?

Hello Billie Joe. A bit pissed at the Kerrang Awards weren't you? "I was drinking with Papa Roach the night before. Everybody went to see The Cult in Brixton. All the American bands like Papa Roach and Queens Of The Stone Age were there. I felt terrible when I got out of bed to go to the Kerrang Awards." Who ended up worse off - you or Coby Dick? "Sometimes Coby can't even hold it together when he's sober! He's super-hyper all the time. You have to say, 'Coby, turn it off for 2 minutes - I'm in my bunk!' Then he'll turn it off and you can get into a decent conversation." You experienced some difficulty in getting off the stage after accepting your Kerrang Award. "Award's shows freak me out - I'm so scared shitless of those things so I end up doing stupid things. I never theought I'd ever win an award for playing music. Watching all our videos being shown up on the screen, I just looked at Mike and Tre and said. 'Does this mean we're old now?' I can be such a self-conscious freak. I just don't know how to be cool." What's the healthiest thing you've done this year? "I like to keep myself fit. I run, I skateboard, and i'll hit the weights every other day. You reach a certain age when you've gotta start looking out for yourself. I'm staring down the barrel of 30, you know? My dad really let himself fall to @#%$ and I don't want to end up like that. Theres a preconcieved idea about musicians and punk musicians in particular that we have to self-destruct, and I can't buy into that. I like to breathe. Like like it when my heart beats - Its a really cool thing." Have you cut down on your drinking recently? "When i'm on tour I drink all day long with the guys. There's nothing else to do. But i've been at homea while. There are many, many moods to Billie Joe. There's drunk me and theres not-drunk me." What have you learned about being a father during the past year? "You learn new things every day as your kids' characters and personalities are building. Joey is 6 now, he's not a baby at all, he's a little boy. And Jacob, who's 3, is a maniac. The one rule I have is that I never expose them to television." What have you learned about Tre and Mike this past year? "Wow (long pause). I learned that Mike is a Bob Dylan fan, which was kind of suprising. I'm not the biggest fan but I definately appreciate Bob Dylan. And Tre is becoming really fluent in Spanish. His wife is Nicaraguan." What color has your hair been this year? "I shaved my head when I got off the road. Its been black. I haven't really been changing it. When the boy groups started dyeing their hair, I had to stop." Any fashion tips you'd care to pass on to Kerrang readers? "I've been wearing the same pants since High School! Never been into the Versace thing." Best punk rock song you've heard this year? "Last Nite by The Strokes. They're not really a punk band, but those guys have a really cool outlook and a good sensibility about how they present themselves. All the rap rock metal bands have lost that rock'n'roll element, and i'm just a sucker for good rock'n'roll music." What song has been stuck in your head this year, even though you hate it? "Smooth Criminal by Alien Ant Farm. It was bad when Michael Jackson sang it, but it's even worse second time around! Y'know, I think Michael Jackson should join Slipknot. His face looks so bizarre now, its like he's wearing a mask." Are Slipknot still the scariest dudes in rock? "In about a year from now, if they're still as popular as they are now, they'll be as American as apple pie. That's sort of what happened to Marilyn Manson. When he came out he was really scary looking, like 'Jesus Christ! This guy is a maniac!' But now its, 'Oh, theres Marilyn, mowing the lawn, no big deal.' I like Manson, but it's funny how the most normal people end up being the most threatening, and the people who are scariest at first end up kinda normal. That's the dissapointing thing about shock value. Neil Young is more threatening than Slipknot just because he's smarter and has more of an opinion." How much fun did you have on tour in 2001? "It's really exciting at first because you're in different places every day, but after a while i'd rather be home. I get into really long conversations with my wife, I talk to my kids a lot, I'll write little notes and draw pictures for them and fax them to the house. Our sets are getting longer, sometimes we'll play up to three hours, and its because there is no rock'n'roll lifestyle for me other than that. I'm a devoted husband and a devoted father, and so all that decadent bullshit is not my thing. You start to wonder, 'Is this the life for me?' But then I get home and I dont know what the @#%$ to do with myself because i'm not playing music. People have looked at us and gone, 'Obviously these guys have no place to go after the gig because they're still on stage!'" Where were you on September 11? "I was on West Coast time, so it was really early in the morning for me. I saw the towers fall, and it felt like the world was gonna end. What amazes me is that Tony Blair is almost heading the coalition by himself! Does he realise what he's getting his country into? This is @#%$ serious! There's been a lot of shocking words used: the 'crusade against terrorism'. The las thing you say to someone from the Middle East is the word 'crusade'." After September 11, do you share America's renewed sense of patriotism? "No way. I can't really see myself as a patriot. I don't see what happened in New York as an act of war, it's an act of terrorism. Every country has had to deal with terrorism in some form, and this is the first time America has ever seen it and they dont know what to do, so everyone is clinging to these war slogans. All the flags is people's cars and homes - it just seems kind of gross to me." Has American learnt from the tragedy? "I hope some good stuff comes out of this. People have become so self-absorbed and dedicated to their careers. I'm not a person to wave a flag for family values or anything like that, but there comes a time when your relationships and your family is the most important thing, not whether you're making $100,000 every year. Thats what I hope comes out of it - that people realise the important things in life." Six Of The Best Best Friend: " Valium. Lots of plane flights, man. Valium only lasts four hours, so if you're on an 11 hour flight take two and a half." Best advice: "Put your head between your knees if you think you are gonna pass out." Best Ass: "Tre Cool. Not only because he has one, but because he is one." Personal Best: The pinnacle moment for me this year, musically, was playing Reading. It was a great show. There's so many bands nowadays who can't play live, but to actually do it and have people singing along and getting something sentimental out of it at the same time, thats rare, and we achieved that at Reading." Best Night Out: "The furst night I went out after september 11. I really went for it. American has these feelings of its days being numbered. It's like a country that has just got cancer, but the cancer's in remission. A lot of people are doing all the things they've always talked about doing. I hadn't partied really hard in a while, so that's what I did. I went to a couple of bars with Mike and Tre and our producer. We got loud and had a good time." Best Buy: " My cellphone. The ring tone is just a goofy tune. And it vibrates well in my pocket."

[seokmingiggles]

comfortable.

@gloryofroses19 requested on 201219: “Would you write a fluff Min Yoongi one shot where he’s crushing on Jimin and Taehyung’s fellow 95er best friend who’s birthday is 11 days before Taehyung’s (aka today), so she and Yoongi get together when he find her taking a break on a balcony at a surprise birthday party they threw for her (lying to her that it was for Taehyung) even though they know she hates the idea of being the center/doesn’t like making a big deal about her birthday?”

Pairing: Min Yoongi x female reader

Genre: fluff, friends to lovers(?), first confessions.

1.96k words

Warnings: some alcohol consumption.

At your surprise birthday party, you find yourself to be more enamoured by the musician accompanying you on your balcony than the happenings inside. Alternatively, where Yoongi has been waiting for the opportune moment to confess to you, unknowing that his feelings are mutual.

A/N: First of all, thank you for being my first request! I hope I’ve done your concept justice :) There are a couple of small details that I haven’t included, but the overall gist should be the same. I hope you enjoy it! And happy birthday if it’s anyone’s birthday who may be reading!

•• "I can't believe you two! This looks amazing. Thank you," Jimin beamed as he spun around to look at the array of decorations you and Taehyung had embellished his apartment with earlier that afternoon.

For Jimin's 25th birthday, you wanted to do something special. The boy was the biggest libra you knew—loving to host parties and social gatherings. While parties weren't typically your cup of tea, you and Taehyung knew that Jimin would appreciate the sentiment.

"I think we make a pretty good team, right, (Y/N)-ie?" Taehyung smiled back at Jimin's praise, patting your shoulder as he referred to you.

•

Only a couple of months later, you found yourself in a similar situation.

"Surprise!" A chorus of voices called out as you stepped into your apartment, Taehyung nudging you through the doorway as you were momentarily stunned.

"What's all this?" You forced a smile and directed the question to your tall friend beside you, slipping your shoes off and proceeding to remove your outerwear. You could already feel your face beginning to heat at all of the gazes directed at you.

Taehyung chortled, "It's for you, obviously. Happy birthday, (Y/N)-ie."

You had just been out for your annual birthday dinner with Taehyung and Jimin, your two best friends for many years. You should have suspected something when the elder suddenly stood from across the table shortly before he finished his meal, claiming he got an emergency text from his brother and had to leave right away. Really, the blond just wanted to make sure everything at your place was properly prepared before your arrival. Jimin picked up some last-minute snacks and drinks on his way to your apartment where everyone else was waiting patiently for your appearance.

You scanned the room around you. Where you'd normally have your comfortable, minimalist furnishings occupying the room, you found yourself standing before what had to be nearly a dozen people. You knew everyone here, that wasn't an issue. Instead, the matter was you simply didn't find joy in parties—even your own birthday party—despite the kind gesture from your two best friends who you knew put this gathering together out of love.

Your eyes landed on Seokjin, who was standing at your kitchen island having a conversation with Moonbyul and Sana; the two girls were laughing at something the eldest had said. Hoseok, Namjoon, and Nayeon, three you weren't completely familiar with, went to greet Taehyung behind you after wishing you a happy birthday. Mingyu and Jungkook were sitting on the sofa, each already with a drink in their hands. Yoongi sat in the armchair next to them; the youngest was beckoning you over to join them. As you were still a bit bewildered by the noise of the party, Jimin collected your hand and guided you to join him and the other three in the seating area.

Jimin took a seat on the floor after stealing a couch cushion to sit on, wanting to be close to the array of snacks organized on your coffee table. You figured it was because he had left the restaurant before he finished the last bits of his dinner (which Taehyung had no problem volunteering his stomach to handle the few remaining bites). You squished onto the end of the couch next to Mingyu, declining the offer of a drink that the boy held out to you as you sat down. Jimin accepted the drink on your behalf and the three gave a brief toast to you.

You eyed Yoongi for a moment. You knew him as a like-minded individual to yourself, in the sense that he also wasn't too fond of parties. Maybe that's why he was occupied with something on his phone. You noticed the slight pink tinge to his cheeks, likely from the beer, you considered, spotting the can on the side table next to him.

In reality, Yoongi was forcing himself to keep his eyes on his phone because he's sure he'd otherwise be caught admiring you. He already took in the pretty blush on the apples of your cheeks and the way you styled your hair nicely for your dinner with Jimin and Taehyung.

Yoongi didn't let himself have crushes very often, yet, he was unmistakably drawn to you. With your airy laughter and bright eyes and the most beautiful smile; how you'd appear lively even though he knew you were uncomfortable in party settings. Words couldn't encompass the effect you had on Yoongi. He was tongue-tied; smitten like a schoolboy having his first love.

He wanted to do something about his feelings for you, but he didn't know where to begin. Yoongi first met you through Taehyung when you were all back in college. He didn't know what to expect when the younger boy asked if he could bring his friend to Yoongi's piano recital later that spring but agreed nonetheless. Apparently, you were fond of classical music.

What was initially only some small talk at the end of the recital became a new acquaintance between the two of you. Sharing your favourite musicians and songs over coffee or the occasional study session after class happened naturally. Yoongi cherished the times you spent together during your studies. It was only natural for him to become disappointed when you drifted apart after graduation.

He thought that his feelings for you would subside from the distance created, but here he was in your presence once again, and it was like nothing had changed in his heart. He gulped down the last of his beer in an attempt to calm his senses.

•

Some playful conversation with your friends and a drink in you later, you found the heat radiating off your face becoming unbearable and decided to excuse yourself for a moment onto your balcony to regain your senses. For a one-bedroom apartment in the city, the balcony wasn't anything special to you. You typically didn't use it at all during the colder months of November to March, instead truly only utilizing it for the early summer sunrises that you had a front-row seat to.

Yoongi figured he must have done a poor job concealing his concern for you when Jungkook asked if he had too much to drink.

Yoongi just shook his head, muttering that he was fine as he watched you close the balcony door behind you.

"You should just tell her, hyung," Jimin had one hand on his full tummy and the other clutching a drink half-full, still sat on the floor. "Otherwise, nothing's going to keep happening between you two."

Yoongi tried to act like he was none-the-wiser of what the blond was talking about, only stopping his act when Jungkook interjected, "The least you could do is check if she's alright out there. Or maybe bring her a coat."

Yoongi wondered since when has Jungkook thought of good ideas? Especially after having a couple of drinks. The kid was more profound than he let on.

The nervous musician stood from the chair he'd been glued to thus far, wiping his clammy hands onto his jean-clad-thighs as he neared the balcony door after collecting your jacket. He told himself it was silly to be so anxious; he was only checking in on you.

Yoongi cleared his throat to prepare his voice from faltering, "Hey, are you feeling alright?"

You turned away from the cityscape to see him stepping outside, eyeing the bit of warm air escaping from inside as it became visible, mixing with the cool night atmosphere. The closed sliding door nicely muffled the overlapping voices and music from inside.

You nodded as Yoongi approached you, "I was getting a little bit stuffy inside. I'm good now, though. Crowds can wear me out after a while, especially in that small of a space."

"I'm the same way. I should've told those two to hold off on inviting so many people," the boy admitted. He briefly stood behind you to help you slip on the outerwear before taking a spot next to you by the railing.

"No, it's okay. I know how Taehyung and Jimin can get carried away when they plan something together. They were just excited and went overboard. Besides," you looked over your shoulder to peer past the door, "it looks like they're enjoying themselves, so it's all worth it."

The boy turned to look where your gaze was directed at, although he first admired the way your lips were tilted upwards as you watched your best friends dancing around in the living room with some of the other guests. Currently, Taehyung was trying to convince Seokjin to join him on the makeshift dance-floor between your furniture.

"This was supposed to be for you, though, (Y/N). It means nothing if you're not comfortable. If you're not enjoying yourself."

You turned your attention back to Yoongi, considering his point and then saying, "I'm comfortable. I feel comfortable out here with you, where it's much quieter other than the street noises below. You make me feel comfortable, Yoongi."

Despite the chilly December temperature, Yoongi's face never felt more warmed.

"You make me feel comfortable too, (Y/N)," he whispered. He saw your expression change as he spoke; you now looked genuinely content than how you were acting inside.

You maintained eye contact with the boy in front of you, taking in every feature on his face; the way his eyes looked in the moonlight, the small roundness of his nose, his cheekbones slightly flushed, his lips.

You'd be lying to yourself if you said you didn't find Min Yoongi attractive. From the moment you first saw him, you had been entranced by his performance on the piano; and it grew every minute after. Beginning to learn more about him as a person just made your admiration grow stronger.

"Forgive me if I'm being too forward, but could I kiss you?"

Your eyes widened for a split second as you processed the words leaving Yoongi's mouth, but you found yourself nodding before you could verbalize your thoughts.

Yoongi brought his hand gently to the side of your face, grazing your hair out of the way before he leaned in to connect your lips. His hand was cold from standing outside, but his lips were hot; you relished in the feeling of moving your mouth against his. He tasted slightly of beer but smelled of vanilla and musk.

You finally parted but kept your bodies close. You noticed how your hand made its way to his arm while his other one was delicately resting on your waist.

"Was that okay?" Yoongi timidly asked, not removing his gaze from you, your noses barely brushing.

"That was wonderful, Yoongi. The best birthday present," you smiled up at him and wrapped your arms around his torso.

"I can think of something better," he began, taking in the cute tilt to your head as you questioned his thoughts. "How about I take you out for dinner later this week. Does Saturday night work for you?"

You hummed like you were in deep thought, earning a light chuckle from the boy in your arms. "Tomorrow? I'll agree to dinner on one condition."

"And what might that be?"

You smoothed your thumb against his side, suddenly taking an interest in the collar of his jacket, "Could you kiss me again on Saturday?"

Now Yoongi was the one to pretend to be in profound consideration, finally replying, "I guess you'll have to wait to find out. But the odds seem likely. I like you a lot, (Y/N)."

"Good," you giggled, pulling him closer into your embrace, "I like you too. Otherwise, that whole interaction would have been uncomfortable."

Yoongi squeezed you back and smiled at your words, already wanting to kiss you once more without waiting for Saturday.

••

[airi-p4]

While it lasts

This was supposed to be kind of a S4 theory about akumatized Luka + a canon-verse Lukanette approach. I guess my hand slipped?  This is similar to my previous fic ‘Betrayer’, in which Juleka was the akumatized one. 

Warning: ANGST.

AO3 _________________________

"Jagged Stone is your father" Anarka had just told her twin children.

Luka's world was shattered into pieces.

Jagged Stone. His favorite musician. His inspiration. His mother's old music partner.

Their father.

One word occupies his mind: abandoned.

And the image of him takes a 180 degree turn. From admiration to despise.

His idol abandoned him. Him and his sister. His mother too.

Why?

He hates it. He hates all of it.

He hates it so much, not even his girlfriend Marinette can calm him down like she usually does. Not even her sympathetic voice or her sweet heart melody can heal him. Neither could her hand pressed on his in comfort.

Juleka's mind had gone blank for some seconds. Memories of how fond Luka was of Jagged Stone occupying her mind. 'Cool', she thinks, and then she focuses on her brother, who is clearly in shock.

In silence. In a trance.

He can't hear anything anymore, she realizes, after noticing how he isn't paying attention to either Marinette's, her mother's or her own calls.

His heart song is strident, loud, noisy- And his eyes lose all his light, all his kindness too.

'Abandoned'

This word keeps spiraling in his mind. On repeat. In an infinite loop.

"Luka!" He hears Marinette's voice call him in alert, finally making him snap out of it and find the strength to fight the akuma that just entered his guitar.

“Marinette… Don’t abandon me…” he begs, holding her while fighting not to lose control and fall under Shadow Moth's control.

“I won’t”, she assures him, clearly supporting him. She keeps encouraging him not to fall into the darkness of the dark butterfly.

Her melody is sincere. So sincere she can’t hide her still unburied feelings for certain blond hair and green eyes that make her heart flutter. And he can see it: the moment that is bound to happen, the moment Marinette will break up with him to go to Adrien. The moment all walls separating them will collapse and they will meet each other in the tangled maze of secrets they’re currently trapped in. The crumble of the castle that allowed him the miracle to have her by his side at this moment.

“You won’t” he whispers, feeling his biggest fear close: Silence- loneliness.

Abandoned.

His arms tighten around her, holding her even closer, impeding her from moving. He pulls her so close he's even hurting her a little. Marinette slightly protests in a cry, but she’s more emotionally affected than physically. "Luka-!"

She's scared.

She wants to assure him she’s honest. She wishes to be able to give him all her love, her existence-

And his newly appeared akuma form is willing to take it all.

His guitar is now a big fish net, his body has grown 3 times bigger and his looks are similar to a sea God. ‘Glaucus’, he calls himself. The name of the God of the fishermen in Greek mythology. His hair is longer, and his belly has become a transparent fish tank, where he plans to keep his loved ones, both safe and close so they don’t abandon him.

Punishment for the ones who abandon, lie and betray.

Protection for the loved ones.

'Justice', he calls it.

He doesn’t even need a big fish tank, because his loved ones are limited. A countable number of individuals is enough for him: Marinette, his mother, his twin sister, the rest of Kitty Section… Mylène too, maybe, since he would feel bad for Ivan if he left her out of it. And he would consider Marinette's family too, since he knows how much she appreciates them.

As for punishment? It's also clear: Jagged Stone comes first, followed by Lila Rossi among others who have dared to hurt his loved ones, such as Chloe Bourgeois and Bob Roth.

Marinette trembles at the vision after he finally lets her go of her to grab his fish catching instrument. A tear escapes her eye, and slides to fall from her chin. And then she runs: because that’s the only way she can help him: run, transform, defeat him and fix the damage she will fight to prevent from happening.

But she's ignoring the most important fact. The fact that that's exactly the action which will lead to her down fall, the sight that frightens Luka the most: Marinette turning her back to him, leaving him all alone.

His song abandoning him.

Rage, pain and despair fills his heart, unable to be contained with his meditation or her music. The music he himself turned into a loud mess, sounding just like nails scraping on a chalkboard, painful to his ears and his soul.

And that’s when he traps her, his net capturing her and turning her into a small, bright pink colored mermaid, he literally swallows to get her inside the fish tank he carries inside his transparent glass made belly.

A relieved sigh leaving his throat: Marinette is now secured. She won't leave his side again. ‘Who’s next…?’ He questions himself, looking at his horrified mother, Anarka as he smirks. He'll soon have all of them in his treasured fish tank.

And what will happen to those who deserve punishment? Fish out of the water- dry fins gasping for oxygen. Dead fish with eyes as cold as their hearts. Or even better- Jagged is going to be abandoned on his own before that- just like he cold-heartedly abandoned him and his sister.

And now that he mentions it… 'Where's Juleka?'

The akuma looks for her, but he doesn't see her around. 'She can wait' he decides, his chants summoning a big sea wave to carry him to his unwanted father's hotel suite.

__________

Jagged Stone can't believe his eyes. An akuma claiming to be his son has just turned Penny into a goldfish, who is now struggling with tiny desperate jumps for oxygen to breathe through her newly acquired fins. Impossible without water. Fang is next to join Jagged's personal assistant, now tiny and convulsing.

"Who are you!? Why are you doing this!? I have no kids!! Don't lie!! Stop this! Turn them to their original forms! They could die!" The rock star angrily begs under Glaucus lashes.

"You're the one who is lying! My mother never lies, so you are the one lying when you say you have no children! You're the one who abandoned us!" He yells as angry as Jagged. "All the admiration and respect I had for you is now hate and disgust! You deserve punishment for the sake of Justice!"

"Stop right there, mermaid boy. Didn't we already make it clear what the difference between revenge and justice was when you were 'Silencer'?" Chat Noir joined the battle, protecting Jagged from being crushed under the akuma's weapon.

The akuma attacks again, but this time he's stopped by someone else. Someone Chat Noir brought along with him- a new superhero.

_______

During the time Marinette was trapped, Tikki, safe and sound, had carried a Miraculous to Juleka, who was watching terrified at how the events developed on TV. She was too focused to notice the kwami, but she clearly noticed the box that fell on her hand out of nowhere. Reaching it, she curiously opened it, and a magical creature appeared in front of her.

"Hi there! I'm Roarr. It's nice to meet you, Juleka!" The little tiger introduced himself.

"What are you? What's going on?" Juleka questioned.

"I'm a kwami. I grant powers! Put on that jewelry and call for the magical words to transform into a superhero"

"Me? A superhero like Ladybug? I don't think I can-" she nervously mumbled, unconfident.

"The guardian chose you for this mission! You want to save your brother, right?" Juleka nodded. "Then say the words: Roarr, transform me"

"Roarr, transform me" Juleka said, and magic surrounded her. Her new appearance was purple with tiger-like orange colored stripes over her body. Her mask was the same colors of the suit, and a pair of tiny ears decorated her now tied hair, her ponytail loose in the wind.

Moments later, she ran towards the hotel, unknowingly followed by Ladybug's kwami.

And the battle started.

________________

"Luka! I know you're hurt, but Jagged is telling the truth! He never abandoned u- you! He never knew he was a father! He probably doesn't even know by now!" The new hero desperately yelled.

"Lies! All lies! He deserves punishment! And you do too!" The akuma points at the heroes and Jagged who is hiding behind them.

"I'll show you the truth!" The tigress announces, calling for her superpower.

Her claws become shiny and with one touch, she marks an ‘X’ on Jagged's forehead, and a purple cloud comes out of his mouth and surrounds them, as if they had just entered his dreamland- except it's, in fact, the rock star’s memories.

Luka is in denial. It is true. Jagged Stone never knew about them. Which means he abandoned them unknowingly. Was he innocent, though?

No, he wasn’t. Because he had indeed abandoned his mother.

_______

Meanwhile, Marinette had been trying to find a way out of the fish tank. She couldn't transform into Ladybug even if Tikki was free, because that would make her identity public. She needed another plan.

That's when she asked Tikki to get Juleka the tiger Miraculous- and it had, once again, been the right choice.

Marinette couldn't just stay still,watching. She fought to find a way out.

Making use of the constant moving water, and with Anarka and Kitty Section's help, she found a way up, arriving to his heart. Or was it the akuma’s heart? It didn’t matter to her as long as she could save him.

The sight was not what she had expected: a vast sea surrounded by colorful stained glass with the people he cared the most portrayed on them. Anarka, Juleka and Kitty Section were there. Big, colorful and shining bright.

Marinette continued swimming in his inner tormented sea of darkness until she found another glass under a cliff: hers. It looked beautiful, but unreachable, since a rose garden guarded and protected it. Untouchable beauty.

Was this Luka's vision of her? A beautiful flower surrounded by thorns, with green stains on paint messing with the almost perfect piece of art’s balance and making it painful to watch?

Marientte felt her heart ache in guilt.

She knew she was the cause of the hurt in his eyes which he sometimes looked at her with. He had always seen through her, despite how much she had been starting to believe her own lies about ‘moving on’ and ‘love’.

Marinette shook her head: no time to waste. Cry later. Focus now.

Her tail brought her to a cliff island with a broken stained glass window next to it. The one that belonged to Jagged Stone, as his name was written on a rock. It most likely broke at the revelation of Jagged being Luka’s father, but now the window was pitch black, with the pieces scattered on the floor. Silent.

She could feel his fears of being abandoned in her own skin, and froze at the realization: his endurance and his strength were only there thanks to music. A music his heart lacked at the moment.

Music.

That's the answer. Music was what healed his heart. This time too, he needed music.

But what could she do without musical knowledge? Or without any instrument to play?

'My voice' she notices. ‘I still have my voice’

Marinette starts singing her own heart song as composed by Luka, while the battle outside continues, now with their visit to Jagged Stone's memories.

Perfect timing.

And clouds appear over Jagged's glass window, the wind carrying some pieces back to its original place- partly reconstructed.

Maybe the mermaid form had another purpose, Marinette wonders. Maybe Luka couldn't completely let go of music, after all, whether he was akumatized or not. Or maybe...

Back to present, Marinette sees a light up that lifts her out of Luka's insides. Next time she blinks, she has recovered her original appearance- clumsy human girl Marinette.

"Run!" Chat Noir commands, and she obeys. As she runs, she gazes back at Luka, who shows her a painfully sad smile.

"Marinette!" Her kwami calls her before she can give it deeper thought. "Tikki! Spots on!"

Moments later, Ladybug makes it to the battle. "Lucky charm!"

____________

The battle ends soon. Too soon, to Ladybug's surprise. ‘Why did he offer no resistance?’

She'll have time to think about this later. First… "Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug rushed to recover Juleka's Miraculous so they could go back to Luka as soon as possible.

"Thank you, Ladybug" Juleka says, running off to hug her brother.

Marinette detransforms next and soon reaches them too. But she hesitates again. Should she be by his side when she hurts him so much?

Luka meets her gaze and smiles softly, apologetically and embarrassed, but clearly welcoming her. And she doesn't hesitate anymore to join their collective hug, melting in love after a swirl of emotions. They part from the hug and they all focus on Jagged Stone who is still processing what happened.

"Wait a second- Are you really my children…? You thought I abandoned you…?” Jagged asks the twins, before turning his head to Anarka. “Why didn't you tell me? Weren't we partners? 'Rock-'n'-roll until the crocodile controls'. Remember?"

"You said you wanted to go solo. You left me behind. Did you really expect me to go back to you after the humiliation I suffered? I gave you my heart and you threw me away as soon as you could!" Anarka yelled.

"I was young and immature, and not the best father figure, I admit it! But I deserved to know! You should have told me!"

"I'm telling you now! They are your children, Luka and Juleka. If you ever want to meet them, you know where we live. Don’t you ever come back if you plan to abandon them later" Anarka says, grabbing her children's shoulders and guiding them to move out of the hotel room with a push.

"I'm sorry…" Luka mumbles to Jagged, before leaving the room.

"I'm the one who is sorry…" Jagged admits to Marinette before she runs to follow the Couffaines and Kitty Section. “I’ll go visit sometime! I promise!”

“Are you ok, Luka?” Marinette asks after leaving through the hotel doors, seeing how Jagged is looking at them from the highest balcony.

“I will be. Eventually…” he returns his gaze down to focus on Marinette, reaching to hold her hand. “I don’t need Jagged’s music as long as I can listen to yours''

Marinette feels her cheeks burn.

________________________

On their way home, Marinette can’t take what she’s seen out of her head. ‘It was Luka's heart, right? And Luka’s true feelings. He truly loves me’, she realized. ‘But why…?’

With an instant of bravery, Marinette pulls Luka's hand to separate themselves from the rest of his family and friends.

"Luka… I- Am I painful to be with? To watch?" She bites her lip a bit and asks in terror. “Am I hurting you?”

"Of course not, Marinette. Never.” Luka assures her with a soft, faint smile. “You're more than I could ever ask for. You're the most beautiful song I've ever heard"

"Even if I have those unbearable to watch green stains...?" she whispers, embarrassed and angry at herself for not being able to make her feelings go according to her wishes.

"It can’t be helped, can it? And even if that’s the case, for me, you’re still the most beautiful despite those colors"

“Is my heart song really enough to cover for that ugliness? I hate it myself…”

“You shouldn’t. Imperfections can enhance beauty. I don’t mind them as long as I can hear your song up close” he answers.

“But-! Are you sure…? Aren’t you afraid I might end up abandoning you?” she finally asks, scared for his answer.

“I am. I’m terrified” he admits. “But how am I supposed to stand in the way of your wishes- your happiness? I can’t and I won’t do that” Luka shrugs, “Aren’t you scared of being abandoned too?”

“I am” she answers, after giving it some thought. “and that’s not the main reason for it, but I want to stay by your side” she realizes, “more than ever”.

Luka squeezes her hand and shows her a soft expression. “Thank you for always saving me. Akumatized or not,” he whispers to her ear. It surprises Marinette to see how his cheeks are pink over his fond smile.

“No-! I- I just sang a song and- It was all thanks to the new her-” she stopped herself. Luka couldn’t possibly remember what happened when he was akumatized. No one told him, no one showed him the news. He couldn’t know he turned her into a mermaid, or how she sang. Yet he thanked her for saving him.

‘Of course he knows’ Marinette understands. ‘Yet he didn’t reveal me to Shadow Moth and he let me go on purpose, too’. Her thoughts deepen. ‘I get it now’ she reaches her conclusion. ‘He wanted me to save him. He wanted me to take him back after he realized he was on the wrong side. It makes sense. He protected me despite being akumatized once again- like when he was Silencer’.

The girl’s feet stop walking for a moment at the revelation, causing Luka to look back at her. Taking one step closer, she raises on her tiptoes and gives Luka a kiss on his lips, surprising both of them.

‘I wonder what kind of music his heart is hearing now,’ she wonders, ‘because I can only hear a grateful and sincere happy tune in my own heart right now’

“Your heartsong is beautiful” she finishes with a smile he reciprocates.

Most likely, both of them knew deep inside that their relationship as it was now was bound to end at some point, sooner or later. Maybe both of them would always be afraid of loneliness and being abandoned, too. But wasn’t it enough to enjoy the music they created in that instant, while it lasts? Isn’t it the same with live concerts? They might end, but the sensations last forever in memories. Is it something to regret? Neither of them felt it was. And perhaps both of them secretly agreed with that logic as they continued walking hand in hand, enjoying each other's company and welcoming their mutual love and support, in whatever form their relationship changes into in the future.

[random-imagines-blog]

Control the Noise {General One Shot}

Requested by: @lunchawx Wordcount: 1807 Summary: You’re a songwriter with quite a bit of acclaim but you tend to hide behind a pseudonym to keep your private life private. But it doesn’t stay that way for long.

In your rather spacious apartment, you played the piano softly. The Grammies were being premiered tonight on the television, but you weren’t paying attention just yet. The cameras were all focused on the glamorous people that were walking down the red carpet. Beautiful gowns in every color, suits with different color ties. A few of the men chose to wear something that wasn’t just a simple black suit, and people applauded them for it. But you didn’t care for the politics of the music industry. You were in it for the music itself. The lyrics. The chance to have someone with an amazing talent showcase the words that you wrote.

You were feeling inspired tonight. Your fingers glided across the piano, coming up with a melody - and the words were just popping into your head. You stopped playing and reached for the pen that you kept cocked behind your ear, and the notebook that you kept in place of the sheet music. You wrote down a couple of words, then continued on. It was that constant back and forth which took up a large part of your day today.

“Welcome to the Grammies!” The host of the night said, their voice coming from the television. You pressed your last couple of notes, then looked over your shoulder to where bright and smiling faces were looking down upon you. The host was someone that you had written for, actually. One of his major hits only two years before, but you have both since moved on. You had written three of the songs that were up tonight, which was the only reason that you were watching this. You’d be receiving a phone call at the end either way, but you might as well see how people responded to your music.

You were not the type for the famous life. The musicians that you worked with, save for a special few who had become friends, were given an alias. You wanted your personal life separate from your professional. Your neighbors just thought that you played music for fun, and knew nothing about your career. All in all - life was actually perfect this way. You got the money without the cameras.

It all seemed to go off without a hitch. You had a glass of wine, and some food delivered, so you could enjoy it all from the comfort of your couch. Your manager was texting you every once in a while, asking if you were watching, your opinion on some of the other songs, and some gossip on the big music couples that were there that night. You joined in - it was a little fun to gossip.

The night was going swimmingly. One of your songs had just won an award. You were up on your feet and dancing around, excited at the bit of a pay bonus that you were going to be getting from this. And the fact that the song would sell more now, and you’d be getting a little bit more of a percentage. It was nice to have your work recognized, even if only a small handful of people knew that it was someone else who had written the song.

The beautiful singer went up to the stage, among all of the applause. There, she was given the award. You were down on your knees in front of the television, all sparkling eyes and happiness. You had both put a lot of work into this, and she definitely deserved the fame and attention. The song had been written with her voice in mind. With her background in mind. You were especially proud of it.

“It’s an honor to be nominated alongside so many incredible female artists this year,” The beautiful young woman said into the microphone. “I guess this year we really stepped up. I have my mom to thank, my best friends obviously, y/f/n y/l/n for writing this amazing song, and the rest of the team....”

You fell back onto the carpet beneath your feet. Your name was the last thing that you had expected to come out of her lips. It was the last thing that you had wanted too. Your real name had been told to her in confidence. And here she was just spreading it out there.

You could just barely hear your phone ringing from behind you. You reached for it, without removing your eyes from the television. Nobody on the screen seemed to realize that anything had been wrong. People were still cheering, and the singer walked off of the stage after her speech. You raised the phone to your ear to hear your manager in an uproar.

“No - you tell them that this is unacceptable!” He was shouting at someone, that wasn’t you. “Y/N? Hey, just saw what happened - hold on - No, you tell her that we’re never working with her again! They broke the confidentiality agreement! Y/N, you still there?”

“Unfortunately,” You said, holding the phone a foot away from your ear. You could hear him sigh. He sounded as stressed as you felt. “What was she thinking?”

“She wasn’t. That’s the damn problem. All of that fame goes to their heads and they forget about the business side of things! Goddamnit - why do these award shows have to be live when so much can go wrong.”

“So what do we do?” You asked, turning off the television. You didn’t care about who won what anymore - you were just exposed for the world to know. No doubt your neighbors were watching. It was the biggest thing that was happening tonight, and plenty of people were going to see it. Oh God, even your friends who didn’t fully know what you did were going to find out.

“I’m going to call in a publicist, see what we can do. Don’t worry, it won’t be on your dime. The diva can take care of it,” He grumbled. “Just hold on tight and we’ll figure this all out.”

-

It had been three days. You didn’t leave your apartment. There had been a lot of phone calls but you only answered the ones from your manager. It was too late - the world knew that you were behind some of the biggest hits of the last couple of years. Your real identity had been discovered. It was unravelling. This was why you never went public, because of this sense of having no control.

You had to leave the house eventually though. You had to go out and get groceries. You psyched yourself up, picking a rather dull outfit from your closet so you wouldn’t get much attention. Even Lady Gaga sometimes gets her own groceries. Brad Pitt has been seen doing it. Besides, it’s not as if a lot of people would connect your name with your face, unless you had to show some identification. Hopefully it wouldn’t come to that.

You kept a hat low over your eyes nonetheless as you went through the aisles of the supermarket, picking out the things that you would need for the next two weeks. It seemed to be going well, no one was looking twice at you. It was when you went up to the check-out that things started to go awry.

Right on the cover of the tabloid magazines which were always surrounding the check-out counters, was your face. And your name. ‘Star Songwriter’s Identity Revealed!’ The picture wasn’t the most flattering one either. It was taken off of your personal instagram account, which as private. You maybe had fifty followers on there, all people that you know, but somehow, one of those pictures had gotten leaked.

While trying not to bring any attention to yourself, you picked up the magazine like you were inspecting it. Then you set it down, facing the wrong way. Instead of your own face, what you saw now was an advertisement on the back. Then you did so with the rest of them, making sure that each one was turned around. Some poor salesperson would have to fix them but it was horrifying nonetheless.

You got out of there as soon as possible, moving from using the check-out counter with a smiling person behind it, to the self-check out. At least there you didn’t have to talk to people. And you could get out with your head bowed and no one looked at you twice.

Once you were back in the safety of your car, just one of the many in the parking lot, you called your manager again. He had been getting a lot of calls from you lately. Most of the time he wasn’t picking up because he was too busy trying to fix this problem. You caught him at a spare moment though.

“There’s no use,” You sighed into it. “My picture is on the cover of the magazines. Like I’m Madonna or something.”

“Oh honey, Madonna is never on the covers anymore. You’re like Taylor Swift now,” Your manager said. This did make you smile a small bit but it was still unfortunate. “But I hate to say that you’re right. You’re trending all over right now. You made it big - so now it’s up to you what you do with it.”

“I guess I should get a publicist,” You groaned. You liked it when it was just you and your manager, who was the one who worked with the record labels to get your song out there. It wasn’t the size of your entourage, it was the quality. And after so long of it being just the two of you, you were reluctant to bring another person onto the team.

“Leave that to me,” Your manager grunted. “At least then I’m still good for something.”

“None of this is your fault. I shouldn’t get close to the artists, I know, it’s mine,” You let out a long sigh. “I guess I have some thinking to do.”

“Maybe you’ll find some inspiration and come out with some new songs, eh?” Your manager said, flipping the conversation to work, as they always managed to do. “Your last few were absolute hits. And now that your name is going out there, people are going to be looking for it. Lots of offers already. Just think about it.”

“Okay. Thanks - for everything.” You hung up your phone and checked yourself out in the rearview mirror, slapping your cheeks to get rid of that blood-drained look that seeing yourself in the magazines had given you. At least your manager was right about one thing.

Inspiration really was running through you now.

[orrible-orrible-orrible]

You know what I noticed and absolutely hate? That it’s more socially acceptable to like Harry’s stuff now that he’s not part of 1d. I was listening to she and there were tons of people in the comments praising it for sounding like a pink floyd song. How much do you want to bet that these were the same people that criticised best song ever for ‘ripping off’ the who. And it’s all because harry now also has a male audience (also this applies to all the members, but his is the most prominent example) as opposed to 1d which had a female one. Everyone loves the beatles now but their biggest fans back in the day were young women/ girls.

(Sorry for the rant, also I know you’re a Louis focused blog but this has been on my mind for a while)

That isn't really shocking though, is it? Liking One Direction was bad because the fan base was mainly women/gay people so of course everything they did and achieved was irrelevant. As is the case with the Beatles. I don't know a lot about them but from what I do know when the Beatlemania was carried by women and girls, it wasn't the symbol of refined music but as soon as men appropriated it as a symbol of cultured music taste, they became a benchmark. Obviously there are other factors including the fact that their solo careers established them further and they are great musicians but public acceptability and respect of anything has always been defined by the comfort and acceptance of men. Women are either termed obsessive or incapable of being able to appreciate true art.

As for one direction, it's not that all of them produce widely different 'levels' of music or that only one of them has the musical genius to produce worthy music. Harry's music has become more socially acceptable because it was marketed as being appreciated by people who male critics think are the benchmark or even the general public think as worthy. Stevie nicks, 70s rock and roll, blah blah blah. I am not saying he produced a bad body of work but despite producing a nice body of work, all the critics noticed was Ahhhh, it's different from one d, so it's nice.

I am not saying Harry doesn't know how to make music, I enjoy him as a singer and performer, I really do but you only have to take one look at how his music was marketed to see where his acceptability comes from. HS1 was interpreted as Harry producing more serious music leaving his juvenline image behind..... Fine line despite being a pop and pop rock album has been touted as rock album everywhere because those are the terms acceptable to men, esp. white male critics.

Everytime Harry Styles™ gets appreciated, it's when he has been pitted against his boyband past and members. White men or Men in general will only accept someone from a boyband history when they can denounce that history as trivial and the artist has now grown out of that to make real music. Also Harry is on the charts and surrounded by the finest of Hollywood in a way his ex boyband friends are not. He is not just a singer who makes good music, he is a singer who makes good music and is the next rockstar who's representative of opulence in a way his peers aren't, loved and cherished by Hollywood's best.

Could Fine Line have survived without all that cushion behind it, definitely. It's a refreshing piece of work. Would Harry have the same public acceptability? Who knows?

It's a combination of misogyny, constant performance of masculinity and marketability that gives their, esp Harry's solo work more credibility than their time in a boyband.