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theresa-of-liechtenstein · 3 years ago

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@lavstar i was so incredibly stupid and i deleted your ask while i was drafting it… i swear i didn’t forget to do it 😭 anyway i’ve FINALLY finished it so let’s jump into the compilation of the most planes i have ever brainrot ❤️ because no ❤️ you cannot expect me to pick one ❤️ it is impossible ❤️

two airbus A320s taking off from parallel runways, five nautical miles apart ‘cause they’re not gay!

btw i genuinely do not care about military aircraft (never have, prob never will) so these are all to do with civil aviation. also huge disclaimer i did all the commentary off the top of my head (i did have to wikipedia some of the stats im not martin fucking crieff) so if i mess up a term or something that’s on me

of course no post about my favorite planes cannot leave out the OG. my first love, the most plane i have ever ridden; the one, the only, the increasingly irrelevant due to industry shifts, the beloved Airbus A380.

(L) just look at this big beautiful girl! + (R) a view of i believe scotland? as approached from the north

i don’t know why i love this plane so much, because lots of other people certainly don’t for a lot of reasons. her size makes her the main character out of necessity at every airport she comes across, and she’s an inconvenience for air traffic controllers for that reason. her origin story is [twitter stan account voice] a bit problematic. given changes in industry trends, she is also quickly becoming irrelevant. airbus my beloved please just admit that the four engines thing was nostalgia and go. she’s a marvel of engineering sure, but when all is said and done…the B747 came, she served cunt, and then she got phased out. the A380 was made with the intention of doing the same…unfortunately, she didn’t really complete the second step.

wait holy shit. i know why i love this plane so much. it’s because this plane…is me ❤️

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and now for thee og in terms of famous big-ass planes that everyone loves: the B747. everyone loves the 747. even if they say they’re not into planes, they are. for me, not gonna lie: a very big reason for why i love the Queen of the Skies so much is mark vanhoenacker’s book, skyfaring. he flew the 747 for bri’ish airways (when they still had them) and loved that plane so much and man who am i to blame him.

(L) i think i teared up when i saw her through the big windows for the first time bc i was like oh my god. i am going to be on her. this icon of aviation, the arguable symbol of commercial aviation. so much history, so much significance… + (R) the past, the present, and the future of british airways in one image 🥺

i was on a 747 twice in my life. once on a cathay pacific flight to the philippines, and on my last flight abroad, on a british airways flight to heathrow. little did i know i was flying one of the last of their 747 flights—they phased them out completely the following year, a bit earlier than anticipated due to the pandemic.

as enzo ferrari once probably said, “ask a child to draw a plane, and certainly he will put a hump and four engines on it.” in terms of sheer iconic power and energy, the Queen (and she is the only earthly being to whom I shall ever refer as such) would far and away be the top on anyone’s list, save for the fact that i don’t have a top to this list and i have other planes to get to dear god this is getting long do you know what you’ve got yourself into!! the Queen really said “flight belongs to the people now” and the airlines just had to shut up and listen!! she is truly the main character!!!

genuinely don’t remember what river this is except that it’s in the UK… 🙈

i feel like everything else i say about her is just going to be a pale imitation of how evocative skyfaring was, so honestly i really recommend the book it’s so good and it’s one of my favorites. my copy is sort of falling apart now bc i kept bringing it around to places 😭 anyway, the number of airlines using her for passengers is decreasing, but you know who still use converted versions of her as well as purpose-built models? cargo airlines! anyway, ups and their brown planes my beloved 🤎

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this slot was going to go to the B767 and 757, and i was going to rhapsodize about how aesthetically the 767 looks like a nicer plane to me because of Chonk, but the 757 is really endearing because it’s a narrowbody jet and it’s got landing gear that is long in a useful but unusual-looking way, which in essence what i’m trying to say is that if the 757 were a person, it would be esteban ocon.

so i was getting ready to write all of this down in much more words than i needed, but i remembered suddenly the very reason i was making this post in the first place. and that, my friends, is the B777.

honestly you don’t fully understand how big the 777 is until you see it in person. because we are all acclimated to think of like the 747 when we think of ‘big plane.’ but the 777 is massive. even i forgot about it when i wrote That Fanfic.

the 777 and 787 are the future of long-haul commercial aviation (and i say this as an A380 stannie). widebody jets with 2 big-ass engines are most likely what we’re going to see in the sky going forward when it comes to long-distance travel, and the pandemic pretty much confirmed that.

that aside, i love the 777. so much that i wrote a whole fanfic around one making an emergency landing ❤️ i really pretended ETOPS (the thing where a plane can fly for a long time on one engine) did not exist for six chapters and an alternate ending and i think that’s just very quirky of me aha 🤪

dear god do not mind my hat i literally bought it because of fred fucking thursday of endeavour… what the FUCK was teenage me on 😭

the 777 was supposed to be a trijet (one with three engines, two under each wing and one built into the vertical stabilizer) but as the mcdonnell douglas and lockheed martin trijets (cba to look up the numbers) were not projected to continue to be successful, they got rid of the trijet 777 idea and instead made it have two engines. another thing i think is neat is that all the examples of the 777 that you will see in the wild right now don’t have winglets bc the wings themselves are so long and raked back that they’re not necessary. which would be a weird thing for me in particular to find neat, because if you know me well you know i have a thing for winglets. (the 2022 f1 car’s front wing my BELOVED WAKSKDKSJSJ!!!!!) i also think the way the wingtip lights are incorporated into the wings are so neat. the upgraded version they’re trying to make now, the 777X, will have foldy wingtips so you can DIY your own winglets and i think that’s hilarious (and also cool).

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genuinely i think i’m the only plane person that likes this last aircraft: the Embraer ERJ-175. i like her for purely nostalgic reasons. she reminds me of how i returned to my roots and decided to pursue engineering.

so okay this is going to have nothing to do with the plane, but i was lucky enough to be given a visit to the flightdeck after landing back home from a weekend trip. i was so excited to be allowed to sit in the first officer’s seat, and got to poke around the flightdeck for like ten minutes. which was cool, but all this was with the sinking realization that even operating a regional jet might be too physically demanding (read: unsafe) for someone of my… [exhales knowing EXACTLY what i’m about to walk into] height.

that is one fully glass cockpit. also those yokes are specific to embraer, boeing’s look more like f1 steering wheels with stuff cut out of them i think, and airbus’s are operated by side stick. it’s almost funny especially when watching flightdeck videos of the a380 cause it’s like… you’re doing All That *gestures vaguely at plane* with THAT *gestures at thing that looks like a chicken drumstick with semiconductors implanted in it*

so that was piloting as a career done with for me (much to my family’s relief.) and then i thought “hm i don’t have to be flying planes all the time to be working around them…why don’t i work on developing them instead?” and i was passively interested in matsci already, so that’s how and when i decided to pursue engineering, with hopes of working for airbus or boeing and in civil aviation.

we’ll see how that pans out, i say as i side-eye the exponential growth of my interest in motorsport.

thanks for the ask! i’m so sorry i was stupid and deleted it but i hope you like this very long, drawn out, and frankly deranged response 💚

#em speaks #lavstar #this is half me showing off my plane pictures half deranged rant i hope you enjoy

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life-rewritten · 4 years ago

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Giants of Thai BL AKA The MOST ANTICIPATED THAI BL SHOWS FOR 2021

It's weird to think that the year 2020 has ended. This has been a journey in the past year, on the surface everywhere you looked it looked like there was no place to be happy and excited because of all the things that happened. It was suffocating at times, tiring at best, and it was just astonishing how many things could go wrong in only one year. That being said, one genre/demographic that grew even stronger this year, took some time to impress and improve on its tropes, its ideas and concepts and that's BL. Which also took some of us by surprise, for the ones who've been watching BL since the first oldies, to the new people who joined and also became in love with the genre and have stayed since then. BL has been an incredible, interesting journey, and I am so happy to say that it looks like 2021 isn't letting go of that energy. So to celebrate entering 2021, a year hopefully for a release from all the worries in 2020, a year to restart, refresh and keep getting better, here are the Giants of Thai Bl making their way in 2021. We have so many insane ones, from more mafia dramas to new unique non-university storylines, to og actors, and new powerful ones, to interesting pairings and new channels producing shows for 2021 to many many more countries joining the fight to be the top of our affections and energy. Thai BL is not going anywhere, and you know what that's perfectly fine with me.

GMMTV

I already did a whole squeal about the shows upcoming from GMMTV here: But after careful consideration here is my top 3 most anticipated: Enchante, Not Me, Bad Buddy. I know Enchante beat out ATOTS, but for me, I'm obsessed with the way the writer plans secrets and meta to unveil, and I keep repeating it's by Theory of Love director and production team. I'm so excited. I just hope they put in the same energy and effort they used in theory of love for this you have so many potential incredible actors that can take over this genre if you give them a good script and hard work. Hopefully, GMMTV intends to do so for not just their royal couple shows but also for rookie actors because Book and Force in this trailer? Looks fantastic.

Studio Wabi-sabi

When I hear about Studio Wabi-Sabi, you see two juxtaposed reactions from me, one you see anticipation and excitement from seeing my most loved actors off-screen; however, you also hear a groan from me. I'm sorry I didn't use to be this way, I used to be so ready to embrace every show directed and created by New Siwaj; in 2020, New was one of the directors I kept having headaches about because of all his shows in 2020? What exactly happened? Why did they flop so hard? Why was he so slow? I'm hoping that it's because he had too many projects to handle at the same time since fair enough LBC was filmed same time as GMMTV My gear and your gown and maybe that was too much to handle? But the reason why I like News choices usually are because they're emotional, impressive with their plot lines and have good character arcs and couples we end up falling in love with. He could be an iconic director because he has so much talent in his company, so I'm hoping he uses his lessons and grows and becomes better in 2021. But Let's get to the shows announced so far for 2021 because they both have the potential to take over 2021. I said what I said.

Between Us

Genre: Friends with benefits, Romance, Comedy, PTSD, Angst,

Ahh, this is incredible. I'm so happy. Win and Team are from a great tv show already with Until We Meet Again and not going to lie, but seeing Buon as Win and Prem as Team? Perfection. Like guys I actually fell so hard for this couple despite their low screen time. Buon stole the scene each time he appeared, with his little smirks, and mischief, with flirty bad-boy energy and their relationship, was precisely what I live for passionate and full of chemistry. They're great, which is why it's so exciting to see that Between Us is getting its own show, the show based on these two love story in a parallel timeline to Until we meet again. I screamed. The book sounds interesting; we're getting some conversations about PTSD, some healing relationships, and angst and more passion. I'm so excited about this since I first saw BuonPrem. I knew they were going to get known enough to bring their own show. And they deserve it, let's hope we get an interesting script that keeps us invested, enough opportunities for these two to have softer and profound moments whilst still holding on to their passion, and let the drama not be stale but addicting. Please New, don't let this show also be slow-paced, I'll lose it if another show is ruined by directing from you.

Ratings: 4/5: BuonPrem, they leap off the screen, their chemistry is that great. From hearing about the plot I'm also excited to a more in-depth look into Team's insomnia and his past and psychological scars, and I'm hoping to see a deeper reason for why these two should be together.

Love Mechanics 2

Genre: Romance, Comedy, Angst, Drama, Friends with benefits, Unrequited love,

That's the thing about Wabi-Sabi; they have amazing actors that steal our hearts away. This shows cast is no different, it's YinWar and it's a collab with Channel 3. Like What? It's everything. YinWar from Love Mechanics trended with millions of people obsessed and wanting the show to be extended and actually appropriately done. In came Channel 3 and we have this gem coming on April. No words. YinWar on screen is thrilling; War is just outstanding as Mark, his nuances, his glares, his looks of pain and longing, man I was absorbed into it. Although LM's writing is toxic and really left me feeling confused and uncomfortable with the details pushed aside, it was hard to ship VeeMark when Yin's character made terrible decisions and was awful even in the book. I'm the queen of analysing damaged flawed characters, and I don't run away from toxicity as long as there is a growth and change later on, as long as there's a good reason we needed to see that. For Vee's character, his actions were unnecessary for us to know about his character; they were just messy and upsetting. That's why I think seeing more depth for his actions and seeing Mark regress and also make mistakes like him will even out their relationship and make me feel more understanding about how these two flawed characters came to be and why they should be together. Let's hope with funds from Channel 3, more effort and energy put into the show, it'll be great because with actors like War this show can be just as big as it was when it had errors. Maybe even better.

Ratings 3.5/5 Love mechanics messy storyline makes me worried about this, but I think I might have a great time watching and analysing Mark's revenge after being heartbroken. The angst and drama of it all just sound interesting.

Channel 3

2020 brought a new surprise with Channel 3 deciding to invest in BLS. BLs have always been not on mainstream channels, so seeing Channel 3 in Thailand decide to make their own shows, a collab with other companies, and bring some directors and writers and actors known in the BL world already, shows they are serious. This may be because of the success of 2gether and other breakthroughs in 2019 taking over the scene. But I can see that Channel 3 did not come here to play, they are researching, looking for ways to make a great BL with the information provided on the past BLs and they want to make it big. And you know what with shows like GEN Y showing up last year, I want to believe that Channel 3 is a competition for GMMTV and others. They invest in funds and have longer minutes for their episodes, and they also pay attention to international fans by streaming on new places like Iquiyi and others. It's exciting. Channel 3 has already dipped their toes with Love Mechanics, and in 2021 they have even more shows to give us:

Teddy Bear Miracle

Genre: Romance, Comedy, Supernatural, Drama, Friends to Lovers, Fantasy, Mystery, Lakorn

What a weird title for a show. What an odd premise. What a bizarre book. But you know what I'm so excited about this; this is meant to be a lakorn series that is BL. Like wow, it has a good cast, known faces in the Thai acting scene and a director/screenwriter who has won awards for his own script. That's even more exciting. But the best thing about this is that it's a fantasy and has supernatural themes, yep it's weird we're dealing with a magic system where teddy bears come to life, and other inanimate objects talk? But I'm so excited to see what this brings; we have a man transformed from a teddy bear with amnesia who's searching for his past and how he ended up as one and his owner who's not yet ready to let his comfort go. It's so interesting, with family history and drama and of course, a romance that will probably touch my heart. I'm excited for this zany, wacky and dramatic show. Normally, I shy away from the crazy because I don't like crack humour, and it just means a bunch of many irritating sound effects and editing choices. But I want to trust the whole team from Channel 3, from the behind the scenes the show looks great, the couple has chemistry, and I'm excited to delve into the mystery at play and see what this story is meant to become. So excited honestly.

Ratings: 4.1/5 The wacky magic system scares me not going to lie, but I have faith for some reason in Channel 3, so I think this might shock us all. I think we'll get good acting, and perhaps good directing too. The mystery might also make me want to analyse. We shall see.

Lovely Writer

Genre: Romance, Comedy, Angst, Drama, Acting/Writing Industry, Haters to Lovers,

Did you say Kao and Up and P'Tee the director of TharnType the series? Sign me up I'm there; I've been screaming a bit since I heard about this series. From the first time, it was announced that Channel 3 was turning the book into a show, I was like this sounds unique again? And it has an interesting plot, I guess, and it's also going to have drama. I'm hopeful then. When I heard about the whole team and watched the trailer, I got into it even more. Lovely Writer sounds right up my alley, to be honest, we have this introverted writer who is determined to write a masterpiece and stop his company from making him produce BLs for the hype only for his next project to be a BL show which leads him to his new sneaky, sly, wolf in sheep's clothing roommate. Kao played his roommate from Until we meet again who won my heart as Korn and made me cry buckets. So, of course, I'm excited, Nubsib (Kao) may have some tricks up his sleeve to get next to Gene, but I think things will be more complicated than he thought, I'm ready to explore the world of the film industry and dating scandals that Gene and Sib will fall into the more they fall for each other. The angst and drama. Can't wait. Also, TharnType is one of my favourite series, and one of the reasons is because of Tee so... That's even more reason to see Gene and Sip's love story develop. Will it be as angsty, passionate and filled with plot twists? From what I hear maybe.

Ratings: 4/5 I just think this is an excellent team for a BL backed by Channel 3 and also has an exciting plot filled with ups and downs. I'm excited to see what happens and from the behind the scenes they released in the new year I think it'll be right up my alley.

NADAO

It had to be mentioned that I'm still in shock that Nadao is investing more into BL's. I don't know why, it just feels too good to be true, after giving me show after show that's perfection and quality I'm starting to have high expectations and hope for more, despite my weary heart not wanting to trust that this is real. I'm dramatic, I know. Anyways Nadao has gifted me twice with two shows that have shocked me and made my jaw fall in awe. I'm just like wow, they really did that. Every single piece of work that comes from them is art. Every single script is exceptionally written. Every single show is acted beautifully, and every single director and producer makes me inspired by the way they create. This is when focusing on their BLs because Great Man Academy and I told sunset about you are masterpieces in their own way, they deserve to be praised and never forgotten. It's just incredible that with a company like Nadao, everything falls into place, even when we think it won't because of past experiences. Nadao has shown up and decided to create unique pieces each thoughtful. Deep and breathtaking. Why won't I be over the moon when 2021 announces that we're getting another part from them with I told sunset about you getting a sequel. You bet I haven't stopped screaming and looking at the time to hurry up, so we get to March 11. I'm serious.

ITSAY PART 2

Genre: Romance, Angst, Drama, University, Coming of age

And that's because of what ITSAY was to us in 2020. It was something that can't be explained concisely. It was everything. To hear that we're getting the second part of the story of Oh and Teh, I feel like I am already preparing my heart and mind for another invasion, last time I was a mess because of this show, I was all over the place because of this show, and I was incredibly happy for a moment because of this show. To relive that again would be everything. It's slightly worrying that Teh and Oh finally getting together and fighting through the odds to stay together will run into more obstacles. Are you kidding me? After all, we went through to see them together?? It makes me worried, I have this real distrust for sequels of BLs, and it hasn't changed despite 2020 producing some okay follow-ups. Sequels never meet the expectation set; sequels are always reduced in quality because the focus is now on popularity and fame, sequels lose their integrity of the characters we've come to know and love and sequels hurt. They make me sometimes give up on a show that is my love, and it hurts. It's a painful realisation that I can't take away or forget the sequel events, so these characters are now ruined infinitely for me—looking at Together with me next chapter. It's scary. But Nadao hasn't failed yet, I mean it when I say their scripts are like works of art, I mean it when I say you can tell they put blood, sweat and tears to create their shows, why would ITSAY part 2 be any different? These two shows I mentioned before are coming together because the director of GMA is joining the team of ITSAY to produce whilst Boss becomes the producer. As long as he's there, I'm fine, as long as we still get hard work, energy, effort and thought put into it. I'm fine. Because it translates on screen, I'll try to lower my expectations, but I can't wait to see BilkinPP as TehOh again. I can't wait to fall in love with the show all over again. Let's hope we all end up satisfied.

Ratings: 4.5/5 The being a sequel is what's deducting the 0.5. I can't come here and be a fool; I must guard my heart against disappointment somewhat, despite failing already to do so.

Other Affiliates

We have our other shows. These were a pleasant surprise. With all the growth of new BLs, it's starting to get crowded and saturated, but as much as it's hard to see which shows stand out above all the noise, some make you see it. These shows are the ones that stand out for me out of the rest in 2021. I don't know what companies they're from, all I know is the information given to me and past experiences.

KinnPorsche

Genre: Romance, Mafia, Angst, Drama, Friends to Lovers, Haters to Lovers, Bodyguard trope

AHHH. Can you hear me AHH. Okay, I'll calm down. But no really, KinnPorsche is finally preparing for filming and the cast has been set and I'm screaming. KinnPorsche was the book in 2020 that was announced as the most coveted; I remember so many fandoms wanted their actors to be chosen as the main cast. The reason? Because this is meant to be the first Mafia/Crime BL. Yes, you heard us, no more universities and engineers we're doing bodyguards and spoilt gangsters. I'm... But just knowing this, you just know that the show will also have angst, angst angstttt for days, drama, and a romance that probably involves haters to lovers, passion, and character development. We're coming in with guns blazing, with many side couples that look just as good and interesting, and many actors that look perfect for their roles. I cannot wait for KinnPorsche, especially when one of my favourite actors is going to be in it as a second lead Jeff Satur! Have you seen the posters, the character introduction, who they're casting for the rest of the show? This looks amazing, it seems well put together, and the whole team looks determined and ready to give us a great show. I'm honestly so excited, but I've also heard things about the book that I will have to wait for the show to be a judge of before saying. All I can say is quality of a show also includes the themes in the script, we're trying to evolve past the toxic plots and ideas in BL, so I'm hoping if there is any we cut it real quick and change that part. It's the producers and directors' choice to keep parts in that could be edited or removed. I haven't read the book, so I'm going to be wary about it for now, but from the whole cast, teasers, and posters I really think this show could be a favourite if appropriately handled.

Ratings: 4?/5 The question mark is for the rumours I've heard about the book. I can't lie that I want this show to be great and become one of my all-time favourites but with angst and violent personalities and passion comes leeways to toxicity and more and that's just not cute or needed.

My Engineer Season 2

Genre: Romance, Comedy, Angst, Drama, Friends to Lovers, Haters to Lovers, Unrequited love, University,

Okay, this is it, folks. My Engineer came in 2020 and knocked our socks off; it's the most underrated great show in 2020 (apart from why r u) in my opinion. It was brilliantly constructed with enough screen time and plot for every couple of the show. My Engineer is a great show; it didn't make it to my favourites because I had issues with the main couple, but it was my most enjoyed when it came to the side couples. Because we had KingRam, TharaFong, and MekBoss. (Sorry to BohnDuen Fans). These were some of the most exciting, heartfelt, loving couples in 2020, KingRam was just chef kiss. And to hear that we're getting a sequel based on them? Well you know what I did, I screamed. I loved both KingRam and TharaFrong they were done so well, acted so well, and they made me laugh and laugh and then squeal and blush. They were too cute. The ending of my engineer left both these couples on a cliff hanger; we had a depressing bro zone with TharaFong as Fong came to realise his feelings, we had a wait what moment with Ram telling King he wasn't drunk when the kiss happened which is essentially a 'we need to deal with this new situation' text. And it's got me so excited to see what happens next. The first part of this was excitement. The second part is sigh, sequels. I told you didn't sequels are just urgh. I couldn't stop my excitement about KingRam, and I went to read the novel, and I usually don't mind it, but I don't think if the sequel is based on their story that I'd like them in season 2. And that's ridiculous because they're finally the main couple of season 2, and TalayPerth is impressive to see on screen. Sigh. I wasn't happy when reading the book; there are specific actions and choices made that just shifts the dynamic of the first season into the opposite. And I'm not particularly excited to relive those moments. Let's just say I still have high hopes for My engineer mostly cause I don't know what's happening to the other couples; I really hope there's a change in the script, maybe more information, more reasons for the characters to act the way they do, more depth? Because I want to like this show, I want it successful, but I'm not a clown I can't pretend it will be if it's based on the books. We'll see if I'm proved wrong. I hope I am.

Ratings: 3.5- Why did I read the book why?? I should have come into it blind I would have given it a 5/5 just for KingRam. Sigh

Love Stage

Genre: Romance, Comedy, Gender Bender, Friends to Lovers, Childhood friends,

This was a shock. Thailand has started to remake mangas from Japan, and it's all the most loved ones. In 2021 we already have Antique Bakery being remade by GMMTV (Read my GMMTV Giants of 2021) and now we have Love Stage which is also getting a Japanese Movie remake out in 2021. It's a great manga, anime and it's going to be a fun show. I enjoyed the characters, and I liked the storyline. But what I'm the most excited about when it comes to this is Kaownah and Turbo finally, after years of waiting have a new series. YES. Kaownah plays Long in TharnType our villain, and he was incredible in that. I heard he and Turbo were meant to be in the show My Umbrella, but it was cancelled and forgotten which was disappointing. These two are so cute, they're known for their fanservice and their chemistry and friendship. And I like them a lot. I can't wait to see Love Stage. I think they'll kill it. Can't wait to hear more about it let's hope this time it sticks and comes through on our screens.

Ratings: 4/5 It's a fun storyline, and it has an excellent acting couple. I'm excited.

If 2021 already sounded brilliant because of GMMTV 2021, 2021 sounds even more exciting with these new shows; there's so many coming out, so many breaking stereotypes, so many unique plotlines, and so many great actors showing up. It's going to be a great year. I'm just glad BLs are growing, things are changing slowly, things are starting to have meaning and improve, international fans are being listened to, LGBT voices is also being listened to, we are getting there, not yet there but closer, every single time someone makes a choice to create a great plot and story that is more than just two guys making out, a show filled with heart, messages and essential representation with the good actors that also want the shows to mean something or are willing to put their all in it, every time someone chooses to make a good BL, you're paving the way for change and for the meaning of BL to change as well, for it just to be seen as something more in media. And that's needed for so many people who want shows like this to be respected and created for voices that need to be heard and displayed. Let’s see more with excellent quality in 2021.

#thai bl #bl series #bl drama #gmmtv 2021 #between us #love mechanics #itsay #i told sunset about you #my engineer #lovely writer #wrpup #2021

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shefanispeculator · 4 years ago

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I'm slightly disappointed to log onto Zoom and find Gwen Stefani in Los Angeles. I wanted to see the ranch. Stefani spent most of the pandemic in Oklahoma with her fiancé and fellow The Voice coach Blake Shelton, with whom she has recently collaborated on a string of country radio hits, alongside a kitsch Christmas song. For a ska-pop superstar, it's a pivot, but Stefani and Shelton are cute together — picture-perfect in their opposite attraction.

Country Gwen exists, her urban counterpart assures me, but on this particular MacBook she's nowhere to be seen. I'm not sure what crude regional stereotypes I was expecting (Stefani spitting sunflower seeds? Shelton line dancing in the background?) but I get Californian sunshine instead, illuminating a version of Stefani more familiar from my teenage years, when Love. Angel. Music. Baby and its follow-up The Sweet Escape spawned millions of fans, haters and imitators. She's platinum blonde, red lipsticked and wearing a black-and-white outfit that matches the decor. The checkerboard pattern can be traced back to an even earlier era, when Stefani and her No Doubt bandmates were '80s teenagers obsessed with two-tone acts like Madness and The Specials.

Cowboy boots wouldn't fit this picture, and nor would Stefani's glitzy showgirl outfits from The Voice, where she just wrapped another season as a celebrity coach. As she prepares to release her fourth solo record, and enters the fifth decade of an extraordinarily successful music career, Gwen Stefani is re-re-branding as... Gwen Stefani.

Top: Local Boogeyman, Pants: GCDS, Shoes: Valentino, Earrings, bracelets and rings: Dena Kemp (The Residency Experience), Necklaces: Gwen's own, Engagement ring: Gwen's own

"But what is that?" Stefani asks with seriousness, as we consider the possibility of some essential, inherent Gwen. "Everyone's interpretation of what I am and how I sing, I mean, that's what this era is about for me."

Said era kicked off late last year, with the music video for "Let Me Reintroduce Myself." It saw Stefani playfully revisit the wardrobes of album cycles past, from the ab-bearing tomboy tank tops of "Hollaback Girl" to the club kid blue hair mascara of '90s No Doubt. Her Harajuku Girls also make a return. The entire visual is a huge flex, not only for the sheer volume of iconic career moments recreated in dutiful detail, but the fact Stefani can still fit into the clothes originally worn during all of them. She looks eerily the same, frighteningly good, ageing in reverse at the same pace as her frequent collaborator Pharrell.

"It's really a blessing to be able to have such a long career, where there really is nothing to prove anymore."

Pop stars are expected to be young forever, in looks but also in their capacity to innovate new trends. Which makes the nostalgic music video a curious choice. Doesn't Stefani know by now that the cardinal rule of pop is to avoid repeating yourself? That even the hottest artists in the world are basically required by law to create completely new eras from scratch every six months in order to appease fans and maintain maximum TikTok-ready relevance?

Of course she does, but that doesn't mean she has to participate. Stefani isn't trying to chase down her contemporaries, despite clearly possessing the physical fitness required. "It's really a blessing to be able to have such a long career, where there really is nothing to prove anymore," she says. "It's a different energy. You know, it's really just about doing it to do it, as opposed to trying to make a statement or make a mark."

Corset: Ronald van der Kemp, Bracelets: Dena Kemp (The Residency Experience), Earrings: Lana Jewelry (The Residency Experience), Engagement ring: Gwen's own

Even the Saweetie remix of her latest single "Slow Clap" happened on a whim, after the younger artist happened to post a video of herself vibing to Stefani's 2004 single "Luxurious" on Instagram Stories. They knocked out the song and accompanying video in a day. Neither seems bothered by the Old Navy meme. "It was just this little video that we did on the fly," Stefani says. "It just happened. It just feels good to put new stuff out there."

Stefani completed a two-year Vegas greatest hits residency in 2019, which gave her a sense of perspective on her own legacy. "You make a new record because that's what is exciting for you," she says. "But people really just want to hear the records after a while that were the backdrop to their lives, a 'Don't Speak' or a 'Just a Girl' or a 'Hollaback Girl,' or whatever it was for them. So, you know, it's hard — you can only be new when you're new, and that's just the truth, and I know that."

She says she was pleasantly surprised that "Let Me Reintroduce Myself" charted at all, and that she only found out it did when Shelton walked into the kitchen to show her the iTunes numbers. "I burst out crying with joy, because it was like, 'Whoa, really?' I think I'd set myself up to be quite realistic about where I'm at."

Stefani, endlessly polite and self-deprecating in conversation, which on her end mostly consists of endearingly earnest run-on monologues, says she still has "tons" of insecurities. I get the impression she has been trying harder to give herself credit lately. She recalls recently hearing Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" on the car radio and finding herself in awe of the song's timeless catchiness.

Suit: Balmain, Earrings and choker: Lana Jewelry (The Residency Experience), Necklaces: Gwen's own

"But then I started thinking," she says, in a goofy Cher Horowitz tone. "Like, I have a few of those myself." She talks of this realization as a genuine breakthrough, which is a little worrying for a woman who has sold 40 million records. No shit, she has a "few of those." More of them than Lauper, actually.

More new music is coming along slowly, but I've caught Stefani on a day when the horizon looks closer than usual, and while things haven't quite fallen into place yet, she's feeling more confident that they eventually will. "I'm at the end," she declares. "The idea of going for a session and not being with my kids or the idea of taking time away from Blake doesn't fuel my fire like it did two months ago. I need to decide, wrap it up, put out the project."

Crucially, there's no rush. The album will simply arrive sometime this year, tracklist and title currently undecided.

"You're talking to me at a weird transitional time," Stefani says repeatedly throughout our conversation, which sometimes takes on the cathartic tone of therapy. But having time in the first place is a new feeling.

Bracelet and choker: Dana Kemp (The Residency Experience), Obsession necklace: Lidow Archive, Gold necklaces: Gwen's own, Clothing: Blumarine, Boots: Philipp Plein

NO DOUBT WERE A BAND for nine years before getting on the radio. Enough time for Stefani and bassist Tony Kanal to be in a long term relationship then break up and write a whole hit album about it. All of the Fleetwood Mac drama was resolved pre-fame, which enabled the group to capitalize on the surprise success of Tragic Kingdom singles like "Don't Speak" and "Just a Girl" with a world tour that lasted almost three years. Three more albums followed, and Stefani has reinforced her household name status in every decade since, launching a solo career and multiple fashion lines while never totally cutting the cord from her original musical project.

In other words, record executives have been dictating Stefani's schedule since the mid-'90s. She even sings about it on Love. Angel. Music. Baby opener "What You Waiting For," in which her biological clock ticks like a metronome. Interscope Co-Founder Jimmy Iovine, who discovered No Doubt and continued to work with Stefani on her solo output, was quick to point out that his client's prime childbearing years were also her last opportunity to cross over into pop stardom. And after her first record went number one, it only made sense to lay down some new tracks straight away.

"Whether or not I get the response that I would hope to get — because that's what I'm used to, because I'm so damn spoiled and I've tasted the blood of success — I still got to do the creative journey."

"I had the baby, the first one, and it was only like eight weeks after I had him, that Jimmy was calling me saying, you've got to go in the studio with Akon," Stefani recalls cheerfully. "Like, Akon wants to work with you. Like, no, I'm nursing my baby. But then I couldn't say no." And then? "We wrote 'Sweet Escape.'" And then? "I went on a world tour." And then? "In the month that I got home from that one hundred and whatever shows it was, I got pregnant with Zuma. So then that was that." (It wasn't. Admittedly: "Then it was like, No Doubt, let's do another record.")

Things are different now: "You can just drop singles and you don't have to put a record out. But if you want to put a record out, you can work on it slowly." But even as she talks of slowing down, speculating that she might not even go on tour after the pandemic ends, in the next sentence Stefani's back to admitting that there's more work to be done, that she wants to write a couple more songs for her new record, "just to make sure."

Earrings: Lana Jewelry (The Residency Experience) Choker: Chanel, Necklaces: Gwen's own, Gloves: Laurel DeWitt, Top: Local Boogeyman

"The creation is the thing that fuels me so much," she says. "Whether or not I get the response that I would hope to get — because that's what I'm used to, because I'm so damn spoiled and I've tasted the blood of success — I still got to do the creative journey."

Like any good lyricist, she reaches out to her listener, hoping to convey a more universal point. "It's just probably the same for you as a writer," she guesses. "You know, it's the anticipation. You're in it now. You're getting the information. This is what you live for. You're doing the interview and then you're going to write it. And that's going to be the challenge."

GWEN STEFANI WAS PUTTING out diary entry pop when Olivia Rodrigo was still in diapers and Taylor Swift was but a humble Pennsylvania Christmas tree heiress. She struggles to pen lyrics that aren't confessional ("I'm not a creative writer when it comes to like, 'Oh, let's just write a sad song about something that didn't happen to me'"), and occasionally re-traumatizes herself when performing old hits. Return of Saturn deep cut "Dark Blue" triggers "crazy, just horrible" recollections of a past relationship. Even "Don't Speak" felt emotional onstage in Vegas.

But after releasing an excruciating divorce album, This Is What the Truth Feels Like, in 2016, Stefani is back to writing happy songs only. She's getting married, after all. She won't be releasing any of her trademark breakup anthems anytime soon. "Girl," she laughs, "I think I've had my fair share."

Bow: Laurel DeWitt, Earrings: Lana Jewelry (The Residency Experience), Bracelets: Dena Kemp (The Residency Experience), Shirt: Vintage Archive, Dress: Erdem, Tights: Capezio, Shoes: Marc Jacobs (Lidow Archive)

Stefani and Shelton's relationship has puzzled some fans. Shelton, a country radio phenomenon, never endorsed Trump in the 2016 election, but he did come close. Earlier this year, he was criticized for releasing a song called "Minimum Wage," about finding small joys during periods of economic struggle, at the peak of a recession.

Is Gwen Stefani a Republican now? She's not offended by the question, or really anything I have to ask. She has been famous for so long that she expects and even embraces scrutiny. "If you're going to be a star, that's what you get," she says. "You know what I mean? You get what you get, and you don't get upset, at all."

As for her politics, it's read-between-the-lines."I can see how people would be curious, but I think it's pretty obvious who I am," she says. "I've been around forever. I started my band because we were really influenced by ska, which was a movement that happened in the late '70s, and it was really all about people coming together. The first song I ever wrote was a song called 'Different People,' which was on the Obama playlist, you know, a song about everyone being different and being the same and loving each other. The very first song I wrote."

One of very few multi-racial bands playing stadium shows for hoardes of American teenangers in the 1990s, No Doubt did very literally embody those second-wave ska principles of inclusion. Stefani even wore bindis and saris on stage as a symbol of cultural exchange with Kanal, who is Indian-American, briefly kickstarting a white girl facial jewelry trend that it's safe to say would not fly in 2021.

Rings (left): Dena Kemp (The Residency Experience)

"The Specials and The Selecter and all those groups, and what they were doing in the late '70s was this whole kind of anti-racism, we come together, Black and white ska movement," Stefani elaborates on the band's founding principles. "And we were sort of echoing that in the '80s when we did it, we were like the third generation of ska."

Ska she's always happy to discuss, but Stefani was brought up to keep her electoral preferences personal, and that rule has held for her entire career. "The whole point of voting, is you have this personal space to feel how you feel," she explains. "I use my platform to share my life story and to engage with people and to exchange whatever gift I was giving. I'm not a political science major. I am not that person. Everyone knows that. So why would I even talk about it?"

"I don't need to go on Instagram and say 'girl power.' I just need to live and be a good person and leave a trail of greatness behind me."

It never has been. Looking back, it's weird that "Just a Girl" is so integral to Gwen Stefani's brand. She's never written anything else with remotely the same message, and or publicly identified as a feminist. To Stefani, it's just a song about growing up, and "all of a sudden you realize your gender." It wasn't meant as a protest or anthem: in fact, being her breakout hit, she didn't think anyone other than her bandmates and some local fans would ever hear it.

"I don't even know if I knew what feminist at that time was," she says. "I was very sheltered growing up with my family. I wasn't political. I wasn't angry." Even now: "I don't need to go on Instagram and say 'girl power.' I just need to live and be a good person and leave a trail of greatness behind me. Stop talking about it and stop trying to bully everybody about it. Just do it. And that's how I feel like I've lived my life."

WHEN STEFANI WAS GROWING up in 1970s Anaheim, her father got a job doing market research for Yamaha, which required frequent business trips to Japan. He'd bring home Sanrio toys, as well as anecdotes about the Tokyo district of Harajuku, where teenagers were dressing like Elvis, and "taking all these American things and making them Japanese." His daughter was entranced. "He would be telling me these things my whole life, like my whole life. I had a deep fascination."

So when No Doubt played Japan in 1996, Stefani describes, "It was a pretty big deal for me." The tour was the first time she'd traveled outside of the United states, save one trip to Italy when she was 21. "I just was inspired," she recalls. "It's a world away. And at that time it was even further, because you couldn't see it on the internet. I don't think a younger generation can even imagine what it's like to not have access to the world."

From then on, Japan became one of Stefani's biggest career motivations, especially when it came to her solo albums. If she could just write more hits, she'd get to tour there again, see the street style, visit the vintage stores. "If you read the actual lyrics [in 'What You Waiting For?'], it talks about being a fan of Japan and how if I do good, I get to go back there," she says.

In the meantime, she decided she'd bring Japan to Los Angeles. "I never got to have dancers with No Doubt. I never got to change costumes. I never got to do all of those fun girl things that I always love to do. So I had this idea that I would have a posse of girls — because I never got to hang with girls — and they would be Japanese, Harajuku girls, because those are the girls that I love. Those are my homies. That's where I would be if I had my dream come true, I could go live there and I could go hang out in Harajuku."

Earrings, bracelets and rings: Dena Kemp (The Residency Experience, Gold Necklaces: Gwen's own, Top: Local Boogeyman, Pants: GCDS, Shoes: Valentino

Dancers Maya Chino ("Love"), Jennifer Kita ("Angel"), Rino Nakasone ("Music") and Mayuko Kitayama ("Baby") would go on to accompany Stefani for her next two album cycles, dancing on stage and in her videos while also making silent, but very well-dressed, awards show appearances. Kita, who'd grown up in LA, visited Japan for the first time on Stefani's tour.

In a 2006 interview with Blender magazine, comedian Margaret Cho compared the Harajuku Girls to a minstrel show. The backlash against them has been consistent ever since. Stefani, to this day, disagrees.

"If we didn't buy and sell and trade our cultures in, we wouldn't have so much beauty, you know?" she says. "We learn from each other, we share from each other, we grow from each other. And all these rules are just dividing us more and more."

Hello Kitty merch was harder to come by when she was a kid, but in other ways, life felt easier. "I think that we grew up in a time where we didn't have so many rules. We didn't have to follow a narrative that was being edited for us through social media, we just had so much more freedom."

Earrings, bracelets and rings: Dena Kemp (The Residency Experience), Necklaces: Gwen's own, Dress: GCDS, Shirt: Faith Connexion, Tights: Capezio, Shoes: Marc Jacobs (Lidow Archive)

Stefani's penchant for rule breaking has always been apparent in her music as much as her aesthetic. Genre-wise, she's a randomista. The chart success of No Doubt's bouncing ska beats felt like an accidental post-grunge-era glitch in the matrix, and it's insane to this day that one of Stefani's biggest solo hits samples "If I Were a Rich Man" from Fiddler on the Roof, by way of '90s British dancehall duo Louchie Lou & Michie One. That another, "Wind It Up," features earnest Sound of Music yodeling.

"I just make up whatever comes out," Stefani says of her songwriting process. "I don't even know where it comes from. I feel like it just comes from the source. It's not trained, and it's not perfect, it's just real."

She looks back on the Love.Angel.Music.Baby era as unusually experimental and artistically fulfilling. "It was just a really incredible time, and a very creative time. I feel like it was just a really creative project."

STEFANI VIEWS HER CAREER success as mostly a matter of luck. Pop stardom is God-given and mysterious."Because the fact I made it, it doesn't make any sense," she reflects. "It's written in the stars. You know what I'm saying? I'm not the most talented. I'm not the most pretty. I'm not the most smart. None of those things. But I made it, right?"

Clothing: Blumarine, Bracelet and choker: Dena Kemp (The Residency Experience), Obsession necklace: Lidow Archive, Gold necklaces: Gwen's Own

Every week on The Voice she watches objectively gifted musicians fail at becoming artists. "I watched people that went through that without seeing their faces, without knowing what color they are. And I chose the ones that pulled my heartstrings. And even though they were so talented, none of them have had careers. It's made me look at myself and even feel even more amazed by the fact that anyone cared or cares."

If all of this is actually so out of her control, then Stefani feels safe stepping back a little bit. "I don't have that fuel in me like I used to, because I already won," she says. And now she has other victories in mind. "Being a good human, a good mother. I want to have a good marriage. I want to be a good wife. I want to win at finding peace. I want to win at finding other hobbies that I'm good at."

But at the same time? "If I'm inspired, I'm going to try to do something with that inspiration." That's the most fun part: whatever else comes after has always been an amazing bonus.

The "Let Me Reintroduce Myself" era, whatever form it may eventually take, isn't a desperate grab at former glory. It's Stefani refusing to evolve for the sake of it. She's poking fun at the whole idea of having to compete with past personas alongside current ones, while acknowledging the fact she's grateful to still be in the game at all.

"You don't know what you're doing," she says, somehow both confident and resigned. "You're a cartoon of yourself at this point, and you don't know what people are thinking. They're wondering, what? Why are you still here? And I'm like, I don't know. They said I could be here. So I'm here!"

Photography: Jamie Nelson Styling: Nicola Formichetti Hair: Sami Knight Makeup: Michael Anthony Nails: Carolyn Orellana Wardrobe director: Marta Del Rio Production: Katrina Kudlick Digitatech: Sean MacGillivray Logo design: Luca Devinu Story: Kat Gillespie

FROM YOUR SITE ARTICLES

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your-lips-are-very-red · 4 years ago

Text

St. Vincent x Emma Madden Interview

This is the text from the St. Vincent interview that Emma Madden was asked to not use. Since Miss Madden has decided to take it down, I wanted it to be available somewhere online - in case she manages to get all the cached versions taken down, too.

SOURCE: https://archive.is/wFkLN

About a fortnight ago I was commissioned to interview St. Vincent, an artist I have been inspired by, impressed by, turned on by, compelled by, curious of, in awe of, occasionally suspicious of—for the better half of a decade. I try not to think about other journalists too much, but St. Vincent has developed a reputation for intimidating us. For her last press cycle, she made her interviewers crawl into a pink box; she would play a pre-recorded message on a tape recorder if a question bored or irked her. I found that quite funny—irresistibly imperious—but I considered it an act of degradation rather than an interesting switch of power. I love famous people but I also find them quite silly, like a Schnauzer wearing a bowtie.

I didn’t know why, but for around two hours after our call ended, I was reeling with nervous energy. I was vocalising it and trying to get to the other side of it, the way I sing songs when I’m walking through a haunted house. I woke up the next morning with a voice message from the editor who assigned this piece. I am fond of this person and I will not name them. MBC, the team in charge of St. Vincent’s publicity (which is helmed by Barbara Charone, who also works for Madonna, and is considered one of the more powerful and intimidating publicists in the industry) had been on the phone to this editor, demanding the piece be pulled. My editor’s words: “They said she’s terrified of this interview coming out.” The publication didn’t have a leg to stand on.

"Terrified"? That word didn't seem to square. I thought I had done a not-so-good job the night before. I ended the call thinking I hadn’t asked the right questions. St. Vincent and I didn’t feel like a good match in conversation (or at least not in this conversational setup set-up, for which I was given thirty minutes, and continual reminders from the person on St. Vincent’s team, who remained on the call with us, that we’d need to wrap up well in time for St. Vincent’s Instagram Live session with Paul McCartney, which directly followed our interview.) St. Vincent tended to interpret my questions in bad faith. I assumed she believed me to be a Bad Reader; presumptuous, judgemental, simple, anti-curious—all qualities that her latest album ‘Daddy’s Home’, which I’ve interpreted as a counter to the folly, inadequacy and meretriciousness of moral purity—counters. Anyway, she read me wrong. I love Lana Del Rey.

I got a call from MBC later that morning by a man who sounded quite nervous. I told him I was confused, I asked him what the matter seemed to be. He wasn't totally sure, he said, "she found the interview aggressive." Aggressive? I complimented her and cowed to her and laughed at her jokes. "Well, the message has been passed down a line of many messengers, she might not have actually said that." The man on the phone said that this—one of his artists demanding an interview to be pulled—had never happened to him before. It hadn't happened to me either. I felt annoyed by how easy it was for St. Vincent to kill something I had researched and expected money for. But the interview started to seem valuable to me after I was told that she didn't want it out in the world. "Can we draw a line under this and just kill the piece here?" said the man on the phone.

Below is the full transcript of my interview with St. Vincent (save for a short and-forth about Tool which didn’t make sense when turned into text). My questions are in bold, her responses are in italics.

**for the sake of this post, Madden’s questions are bold and Annie’s answers are not** Hi, how are you? Good how’s it going?

Not too bad. What’s your mood for today? My mood for today, well it’s good, I’m getting on an Instagram Live chat with Paul McCartney in a couple minutes so my mood is a little bit nervous but good.

I’m excited to talk about this album, I think it has a sick sense of humor that I appreciate a lot. I’ve had a really fun time listening to it.

Oh I’m glad, thank you.

I’m sensing there’s kind of a 70s trend at the moment in terms of fashion and the ways some other bands are presenting themselves. Is that something you were anticipating, is that something you feel you belong to, or was it just kind of accidental?

Accidental.

Do you feel bummed about that? No I don’t, I always just kind of do my own thing.

Do you think there’s a reason why people might be inspired by the 70s today? Do you see an analog with our world today and with the 70s? I guess this album is based in 1973, right?

Between ‘71 and ‘76, so post flower children idealism, post the Summer of Love hangover, but pre escapism of gay disco and pre nihilism of punk. Life was bad but music was good, kind of vibe.

Kind of when the trash aesthetic was taking hold, especially by Andy Warhol. Does trash inspire you? Um like literal rubbish?

No like the trash aesthetic, I guess in the PR you call it sleazy, grimy. Yeah but the difference with sleazy is that sleazy tries to present as glamorous but there’s something off, trash is just trash. I don’t know if trash pretends to be anything other.

Can you have glamour without sleaze? Sure, absolutely. I mean, like the 20s Greta Garbo way, I would say Golden Era Hollywood, I mean behind the scenes it was probably a nightmare but you look at it and it is very genuinely shiny and beautiful.

I love the sitar on this album especially on ‘Down’, the riff is so sick. How did you get to the sitar? Well it’s not a sitar per se, it’s a choral electric sitar guitar and so it was I think George Harrison made them kind of popular in the ‘60s, I think the one I have is from ’67 and it plays like a guitar but it has a resonating body on it so it sounds sitar-esque. It was made very famous in the Steely Dan Do it Again solo.

I guess the main PR bulletin point of this album is about your dad coming out of jail. Why did you want that to be the main way that people might read this album? More like an entry point, the title Daddy’s Home to me I mean one, it is literal but also it’s funny and cringy and pervy and also I think more than anything kind of refers to my own transformation into Daddy as it were. Yeah it’s probably not anything I would’ve really thrown out there except that it was made public without my consent but I didn’t really get to tell that side of the story and I don’t bring it up for sympathy. It simply is my story, it’s not intended to be indicative of necessarily anything, it’s just my story and I was gonna tell it with humor and compassion, all of that.

Did you anticipate a lack of sympathy for your dad’s crimes and the subject matter of this album and did that factor into how you shaped this record? That’s the tail wagging the dog my dear. No, no. A lack of sympathy, well, which crime would be the most sympathetic? I didn’t do anything, I’m simply writing about something that I think on some level everyone who’s ever had a parent can understand in the sense of you’re often going “How much of you am I?” and we kind of do identity projection through all these things so no, it’s again, it’s not really there for anything other than my own anecdotal story.

At what point did you transform into this daddy character? For how much of your adult life have you been the daddy? Oh I would just say over the past few years, I’ve just been quite a bit more leaned back and shoulder shrug and say let’s just sit down in the old beat up leather armchair and have a tequila and chat it out you know. Life is complicated, human beings are complicated and I wanted to just write stories about flawed people. There’s a whole lot of judgement going around and not a whole lot of understanding. And judgement is anti-curious. There are some people, perhaps the more sanctimonious and morally pure, who might not be interested in an artist’s reflection on their father’s white collar crimes. Do you have much sympathy for those kinds of people? I mean I think I can get sympathy for all people. If that is the reason why they decide not to spend 46 minutes with my work then I’m sure there’s plenty of other work out there for them that they can enjoy that is morally pure. They should find pure work from pure people and enjoy it.

I guess last year’s riots brought abolition towards the mainstream, during the time you were making this record, which is partially about your father’s time in prison. How did that square with your thoughts on prison and the US carceral system? Well I have plenty of thoughts on it, I’m not totally sure how it’s relevant to this.

Well I was wondering if you have a standpoint on it or if you’d rather just be ambiguous? I have so many thoughts and opinions, I don’t presume that my thoughts and opinions are relevant on every subject though. I don’t have that much hubris.

I understand. I was wondering about the Candy Darling inspiration, how does she come into the fold? Oh I just, Candy Darling to me is such a beautiful heroine in that she came from Queens and went not geographically far but worlds away to Manhattan and became her true self and in that particular kind of combination of glamour and toughness, where you feel like her name should be on the marquee and yet she could stick you with a shiv if you said the wrong thing. And I just find her inspiring and really beautiful, and I didn’t know but I found out a friend of mine was close with her and was at her bedside when she died so I was just picturing Candy Darling’s ascent to heaven as taking the final uptown train.

Wow. Did you feel like you were embodying her on this album or presenting as her? No not as such, but definitely taking inspiration from some of her energy for sure. I do hear a bit of her voice on the title track, I was wondering if you were kind of modeling your voice after her? On Daddy’s Home? Oh, no.

I love the sultriness of that song, even though it’s just about signing autographs in prison. I found it really funny. Yeah it’s definitely again, I’m writing about my own story with humor and compassion and self-effacement, all that.

Do you see this album as a movement, does it have a narrative? Yeah. It’s a full story, it’s a full collection of short stories. It has a shape and everything.

That’s just how I listened to this album, as a series of short stories. I was wondering how they interlink in your mind? I guess you have the person on Broadway, you have your dad, you have the person who’s maybe thinking of having a baby or not having a baby. I just could write stories of flawed people doing their best to get by because I’ve been most of the people on this album at one point of my life or another. And again I could write about them without condemnation and judgement just, here we are.

Are you a nostalgic person? No not generally.

Not even during the creation of this album? I’m thinking of the humming tracks, your mum cooking in the kitchen. Not exactly, I think that this particular kind of music with its sophistication and some of the jazz language in the harmony and its sense of time, it was a kind of music that I’d loved for so long but never really dipped into myself, and I think we kind of learn things a lot of times when we’re ready to, and I think I was kind of ready to learn some of the lessons that this kind of music had to teach me.

Do you think about shame a lot? Um, I think that shame is the reason why most people do the violence that they do. I think violence is an expression of impotence.

What was it about the post-idealist era in particular that you were drawn to, why not go through the flower power utopia sort of 60s route? I think that there’s an intellectual orthodoxy that is involved in utopian thinking and a lot of times it doesn’t allow for either a complex set of incentives or it doesn’t allow for the totality of human nature in its equation, and then it fails and because the structure of any kind of power is really complicated so I think in general the desire… and I understand that we’re living in, in some ways, I think just with the internet part of it, in some ways unprecedented times. And I understand people’s desire for certainty in times economic strife, cultural upheaval, all this stuff. I completely understand the desire for certainty. But I don’t think it’s as simple as demanding moral purity and punishing anyone who doesn’t fix the orthodox criteria. I understand the desire but I’m not sure it’s gonna get to where I think we want to be, which is just general more equality, whether it’s wealth equality, wealth disparity, all that kind of stuff I just think the matrices of power are really complicated.

You were saying earlier about Daddy and how you were thinking about your dad and the overlap between you two and how we all possibly become our parents. I was wondering how you consolidate the influences of your parents? I don’t know anything about them obviously but I know that your mum was a social worker, your dad was an entrepreneur, and those seem like two totally opposing worlds. Yes, my mother is a social worker and she instilled in all of us I think the idea that the work we do should be meaningful and she’s definitely really humanistic and that kind of thinking I think, that had an impression on me. My dad wasn’t an entrepreneur, my dad was a stock broker I think? But I grew up with my mom and my stepdad and my stepdad was a very different kind of guy, just was an army brat and grew up really poor, and was just coming from a different mindset and they’re just very different kinds of people. Not a judgement thing, just very different. Yeah my mom definitely errs on the very humble side. And yeah, my dad is a complicated, charismatic person who’s also very intelligent, and who went down a path that was full of consequence. Yeah they’re really, really different people so it’s funny to kind of square who was who.

What does your dad think of this album? Oh he loves it!

Yay, that’s good to know. Did you ever rebel against your dad’s lifestyle growing up as a teenager? I didn’t grow up with him, and he was in Tulsa Oklahoma. I don’t know what lifestyle you’re necessarily presuming but..

No I’m not presuming, just wanted a little background on your relationship with him I guess. So he wasn’t in your life that much where you were younger? I would go and we would spend summers there and Christmas, but I grew up in Dallas for the most part with my mom and my stepdad.

Was this album in any way an opportunity to get closer to your dad? Not in any way consciously, no.

But are you finding with age and with time you’re getting closer to him? Well him being out of prison helps in terms of just proximity. Yeah, here’s what I’m finding. I’m finding that we live by the stories that we tell ourselves and that sometimes we realize that the story we’ve been telling ourselves for a long time was either wrong or lacked a certain amount of information, and then we have the choice of whether to reject the new information because it’s too painful to rethink the story that we’ve been telling ourselves, or assimilate the new information and go, wow life is complicated, this is an interesting wrinkle. I choose to do the latter.

Yeah, it’s very easy to bullshit yourself, right? Yeah, it's true in all kind of ways you know?

This story, the story of your dad, it almost seems redemptive. I mean I would say so, and that’s not in any way what I intended and you know, a lot of times when you’re making something, I mean you’re a writer you know, you have the compulsion to make it but you’re not necessarily sure where it’s coming from or why or any of those kind of questions, but I think there is the possibility of redemption, I do, I think there is the possibility of people to change and I think there is a possibility of things like forgiveness and growth. And if I didn’t think that there was a possibility for human beings to change, to grow, to take in new information and then continue to write their story, then I don’t know what we’d really be doing, you know? And that’s not really the world I want to live in, we’re a moving picture we’re not a still photograph.

Do you want to try and change the world, do you feel like you have that power, do you feel hopeful that there can be a better future? Sorry for the cheesy language. No, I mean I don’t think that many people would accuse me of being an optimist in a lot of ways, and I don’t think in terms of my “power to change the world” I mean I think all I can do is try to study the human condition and write about the human condition in some way that resonates and then maybe people will hear that and that will resonate with them and I think that ultimately the best case scenario for music is empathy because it’s like psychologically this is why we like to listen to stories or this is why we like to watch movies is so we can go down the empathy exercise and you can see yourself as that person in the film, see someone who isn’t like you in any way, shape or form from a just box ticking kind of way, but then realize oh, we’re very similar in some ways or what would I do if I was in that situation, we do all these things and we live by these stories and I think those stories well-told can encourage empathy and empathy can go out into the world and have a kind of transformative experience. I don’t really think about, I mean I think once I make a thing and then it’s out in the world and it’s for other people to assimilate or enjoy or not, whatever, however they take it, is absolutely fine by me. But it’s for them, it’s not my place in any way to say how people should or should not enjoy it or assimilate it.

Yeah the reason I brought up prison abolition earlier is because that might be how some people contextualize this album. I would say that that’s one lens. That to me would not be the main lens.

[I’m told to wrap it up]

Yeah let’s wrap up. So Tool cover album next? No, I wish.

Someday I’m hoping. I love Tool.

I feel your Paul McCartney nerves Yeah, I’m gonna go shower.

That’s always a good idea. Okay take care, thank you again for you time Thanks, bye.

#st vincent #emma madden #interview #daddys home

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aggresivelyfriendly · 4 years ago

Text

Tis the Damn Season

Chapter Five- Santa Baby

Hello, I took a couple weeks, because life can be busy, and mine is changing, but here is a little 🎁!

Thanks to @dirtystyles, she’s the real gift!

"What are you wearing?"

"I'm sorry, but what?"

It was all she could think to say. Emma hadn't heard from Harry in months. In August he had sent her a random picture of him in a collar with long hair. She knew he had chopped his hair months ago, it had caused an internet flurry and was one of the few times he'd emerged from hibernation. She might be miffed that his year-off apparently didn't include visiting her. Not that she had asked him to.

She'd never ask.

Emma might also be incredibly miffed that he had cut off his glorious hair. She'd rocked herself to sleep many a night thinking of the way it felt trailing ver her chest, then stomach, in the crevice of her thigh. The crunch and silk of it between her fingers when she got it between her fingers at the end of that path or when he was rocking her to sleep.

Thinking about his hair usually made her hot for him, and thinking of it gone made her nostalgic, and a little mad. And that was when the memory was fresh and jot months old.

In any case, she wasn't feeling very soft for him, and that was a sexy question. She definitely wasn't feeling wet for him.

She had just walked out of class on a freezing cold day before she was ready for it to be this chilly, and she had to ride her bike. Her class was on individual contribution to global crises. Emma was the first to point out that individuals were not the true climate change culprits, but every bit helped. She just wished she'd ridden one of the clean energy buses today. Today sucked.

"Your teeth are chattering Emma, you outside?" she made an affirmative sound and he wisely knew better than to wait for an answer after that. He'd set up this mood, after all. "Sorry, came out wrong, it was meant to be funny." Harry had an apology in his voice. It was like the first knead of a dough, but he had a long way to go. "Anyway, what I meant is, I'm Christmas shopping, and I was thinking about what you might like, was gonna get you a jumper, and I think I have an idea of your style, but wanted a little guidance, I'd hate to buy you something and have you hate it—"

"Harry, take a breath!" She could feel that smile he had a way of bringing to her lips, despite herself. She really wanted to be upset with him, but seemed he'd proved himself, or distracted her at least.

Emma can't quite get a full grasp on why she's irritated with the phone call with him. She's not sure what she expected. They never had a conversation about it, about how they are just a little holiday fling. She's never even had a summer fling, so she doesn't know the rules but she assumes that they are not supposed to repeat year on year. Least not without some progress or a defining conversation where they decided on not a relationship. He was confusing. He'd been so happy to have a bit of extra time with her, she'd thought he might be in touch more, with his seemingly abundant free time. She's wanted him to be in touch more. But he hadn't.

She'd heard from him less than ever.

And now he was buying her gifts and making her smile. Damn him.

"I'm breathing, promise." He sighed. "I just could tell I'd pissed you off, and I don't want to. I've been thinking about Christmas, and well, I'm excited."

"I'm excited too. Holidays are exciting." Emma is not going to read into that. He's excited to be with his family. He's Christmas shopping for everyone. This is not about her, them.

There is no them.

There is no them, except between Christmas Eve and New Years. And that is purely physical.

These are the things she repeated to herself when she was sad, waiting for him to call or text. Sad from how he dragged himself from their pub bed saying he'd miss her and be in touch and then wasn't. His sweet nothings were like when people signed your yearbook K.I.T. She knew you weren't supposed to take those yearbook signings seriously, but he'd said it, not written it below some picture of him. That counted more, right? Than a picture? Those were cheap, especially of him; there were pictures of him everywhere, Emma was also upset that none of them looked like the real life him. Just a shade of his actual beauty.

She wanted to see him now. She missed him though she shouldn't.

Just over a month now until Christmas. And a busy one at that. She had so much data to sift through from the summer and a presentation she was basing on it was her culminating project. It would also make an early start on her field work come summer. Those things, academic, important things were her focused her life's work. Not delicious Harry Styles and his sweet holiday nothings.

"Yes, especially when I get my favorite for Christmas." Harry said bringing her back to the call they were on.

The meaning behind those words were a bit harder to ignore. All she could get out was "Oh?" Then she rolled her eyes at herself and cleared her throat and said, "Your mum's Christmas cake?"

He chuckled. "I am fond of that cake, I think I put on two stone last year from how much I ate. And she sent me home with one!"

Emma almost called bullshit on that. He'd expended all those calories, she'd been the apparatus.

She took a breath to speak, and he cut her off. "I don't mean the cake, anyway, I mean you: you're my favorite thing to have at Christmas. The best gift."

What was she supposed to say to that? Another eloquent oh? Instead she said, "Your favorite thing?" Playful offense on the word thing.

"Oh hush." He laughed. "You're my favorite, Emma. In case you want to be obtuse and miss my point. I'm very excited to see you."

She breathed in. All she could manage to reply with was "Me too."

She meant it, but as they got off the phone after setting up their usual tryst and a special meeting before the party to exchange gifts, she couldn't help but wonder if he did. If what he said was true, why the radio silence?

The gift on her lap on the train was large and ostentatious. She didn't have a ton of money for the it, student life, but her recipient was a millionaire, so she'd gone all out on the wrapping paper.

It was a frog in a Christmas hat, the motif on the paper. Emma remembered when she and Gemma had called Harry "frog boy" and he'd been mortified. But it had also found its way into their private rooms. Not when he was inside her, that would be weird, but when he looked up at her and grinned, all dimples and no teeth from where he likes to make her stomach a pillow.

How "Froggy" had become a term of endearment, she didn't know. The moment she'd seen the cute froggy in his holiday rig on the overpriced paper, she had stopped what she was doing, parked her bike with no lock, and popped in the shop.

She then had to find something to put in the paper. He'd been shopping for her this year, in October, and he'd said he was at the shop and she'd seen pictures of him hauling bags out of Gucci. That was not intimidating at all.

They had exchanged small things in years past. Harry had started it, he'd given a cookbook a friend recommended the year she went vegan. Then the next year he'd donated in her name to a clean air initiative. She'd just picked up odds and ends she thought he'd like, like a 100% recycled journal one year and a glass bottle set for his gym runs the next.

This year, she'd racked her brain, but she'd eventually found the perfect gift to fill her frog paper. She was getting better at this. He was entirely too good at it, and he was a quick learner. She'd been underwhelmed with the flowers he sent the first year and had explained that cut flowers made her sad. It seemed a waste to kill something for its fleeting beauty. Harry had nodded thoughtfully.

The next flower he sent was a gorgeous orchid, it arrived once she was back in Amsterdam and came with instructions. That first orchid had started a trend and between his gifts and her own new interest, her flat was looking very jungle esque.

Emma was always very excited to see him, but this year, after his call, there was more anticipation and preparation. If he was going to be ready for her, she would be ready for him.

She got a fresh haircut and trimmed her bush. The thrift store was kind to her, and her new Christmas jumper was perhaps less ugly than flattering, but that was ok with her. She particularly liked the way it lay over the skirt she'd planned to wear to the Twist's annual todo.

Her flights had been uneventful and her mother was elated and doting. Emma found it much more tolerable this year. Maybe she was just in the spirit, or maybe she'd been away from the village and her family long enough to actually miss them.

She definitely missed Harry.

He, predictably, had texted that his flight was delayed and he was trying to make arrangements, but he might not even make it in time for the party.

"I'm doing everything in my power to get there tonight. If I can't make my mother's party, but arrive tonight, can we meet? I'll call the inn."

"Yes." Was all she texted back. She found she was mourning their kiss beneath the mistletoe, and that he might miss her outfit. But Harry's power was considerable, and she had no doubt he would be at the Boar's Head in time to see what she planned to wear under the sweater.

Those pieces, she felt a twinge guilty about. They were pricey and definitely not second hand. Used pants were where she drew the line.

People, not Emma, bemoaned Harry's absence when those who still lived local or were able to travel home gathered for toast. Emma knew she wasn't the only one who came home partially to see Harry. It was why she was able to fly under Gem's radar, hopefully.

Gemma's only comment was, "He'll be here when he can." When Eloise asked where Harry was. She asked every year, it annoyed Gem, and took some of the heat off Emma. Eloise was so obvious, Gemma could direct some of her protective big sister vibes that way.

The night was winding down and Emma's third glass of champagne could use topping up. She'd just sidled into the kitchen to pop another bottle when a pair of arms came around her from behind.

She'd have dropped the bottle too if Harry had not pulled the most uncharacteristicly smooth and agile catch he'd ever made, whilst dipping her for a swoon worthy kiss.

"Harry!" Emma gasped, "What are you doing?" Her Hand went to find his hair, and she was sad to find it until she found his sharp, bare jaw instead. It cut through her nostalgia and she was able to appreciate his face on a new way. His lips.

"Getting my midnight kiss!"

"It's not New Year's." It was better, like new year's and her birthday combined, that kiss.

"Not yet!" He righted her but stayed wrapped around her while she popped the bottle. She poured him a glass too and had to refrain from holding his hand when she pulled him into the living room after they toasted.

He stole a kiss before they went to join the others.

It looked like his arrival was going to renew the party spirit, but he begged off as tired, and disappeared to his room by 1:30.

Emma wasn't sure what to do, or where to go, so she just slipped out the back at 2:00 when a car nearly gave her heart palpitations by pulling up right in front of her. The door popped open and Harry stuck his head out. "Cmon, it's our getaway car!"

She couldn't help but shake her head. "You disappeared and I didn't know what you wanted to do."

"Well, you obviously!" He giggled, high off the champagne and his conniving. "C'mon! We don't have that long. I wanna do Christmas morning with you!"

"It's still nighttime." Emma pointed out.

"Don't worry, we'll find something to do until the sun comes up." He looked up at her through his lashes and she couldn't help but bite her lips.

"What's the rush, Styles?" Emma asked as she climbed into the car. The driver seemed unconcerned and headed down the familiar lanes of a familiar place.

"No rush, I'm just excited and have to be back so I can sneak in for Christmas brunch."

"Oh." She knew that, it wasn't the first time.

"Not 'oh,' I want to give you your gifts on actual Christmas."

"Are you Santa Claus?" She teased as he pulled her into his chest.

"If that's what you're into? I'll be whoever you want me to be."

"Then just be you." She said with painful earnestness before she could stop herself.

Harry looked down at her in the cradle of his armpit and put his forehead to hers and gave her an Eskimo kiss. "As long as you're you."

Emma melted and if she hadn't been so tired and a little too drunk on bubbly she wouldn't have fallen asleep on the way to the Boar's Head.

"Baby," Harry whispered into her hair. "Wake up, we're here."

"I can't believe I fell asleep that fast."

"It's my voice, I've been told it has a sedative power."

"Sleepy is not usually how your voice makes me feel." What truth serum had she taken tonight?

"Well, I'll have to talk a lot to keep you up then. Hope you're refreshed after your little nap."

She was, and he kept her up but by 5:00, even his deep voice and other powers of persuasion couldn't keep her leaden lids open.

"Baby! Emma." Harry was kissing her awake and holding out a shirt for her slip on while slipping socks up her calves. "Present time."

"Ok, Santa baby." She yawned and let him drag her into the room where she had completely missed the tiny Charlie Brown tree in the corner. "Oh! You went all out." She looked at him in awe when she noticed the multicolored packages under the tree. "I only got you one thing," she was rubbing sleep out of her eyes and too tired to bullshit. "I'm feeling inadequate."

"Nah, I've heard it's better to give than receive."

"That's not what you said a couple hours ago."

"I'll give gifts if you give head." They both scrunched their brows. "Scratch the part where I made it sound like you were my sugar baby."

"Or a prostitute."She raised an arch brow.

"Nah, I couldn't afford you." He didn't even smirk.

So she responded, "I think you think that's a compliment."

He snort laughed and she couldn't help but smile with him. "I mean, you do it well enough to be paid for it, but by the face you're making I better quit talking and get to the spoiling to get myself out of trouble. Go on, open a present."

"Any order you envisioned."

"Um? No, the one where order matters I have a plan for."

"This isn't all?"

"This is most." He nodded and she felt a warm place under her breast that only ignited when he was being domestic.

Back in her old room in her childhood home, or in her flat in Amsterdam, she'd occasionally puzzle over these moments. They felt nothing short of boyfriendy, and she loved it. When she thought back on them, especially in the cold January days, they kept her warm and made her feel special. She hadn't ever felt that warm flush in her chest with anybody but Harry. She'd kind of avoided the feeling, usually.

By July, after long periods of silence where he was running around the world while she endeavored to save it, the glow of those days paled in the midnight sun. When he acted like a boyfriend, like they were more than a hookup and then ignored her, it hurt. When she was well into her yearly drought, and all she had were those shooting stars to wish upon, the sweeter he was, the more rich the ache, the aftertaste saccharine.

Emma could tell, his gifts and the joy he seemed to take in giving them would warm her to the backbone through January, and make her teeth hurt by July.

And still she couldn't convince herself to stop, to ask, to protect herself. She couldn't even detach a little, she was so excited about the little stuffed animal she had for him in return.

"Harry, this is beautiful!" She unfolded a gorgeous sweater dress of a fine wool knit that screamed warm.

"Yeah?" He smiled, pleaded with the praise and himself. "I was at Gucci, and I was gonna get you some stuff there, but they just didn't feel like you, so I started doing some research on sustainable brands and I found this one, and another. This one is good for day to day, it's called Ever Lane, and the next, Bode, it's great for retro pieces. Open the next one."

She'd been staring at him. He was going to buy her Gucci? This was better, but that seemed like a pretty penny to spend on your holiday hook up. She knew money wasn't really an object for him. He always paid for the hotel on their rendezvous and she never brought it up. It was always just taken care of. She wasn't a starving student, but she also wasn't an international pop star. These gifts felt big, bigger than what they were.

He liked to be generous. But, it felt like these gifts, the 5 packages and one coming later were a statement in a language she didn't understand.

"Harry, this is too much." Was all she could say. He didn't respond with words, just gave her a look and shrugged his shoulders like, 'what else am I supposed to do with it'.

Emma knew from Gemma that Harry took care of them, their vehicles and his mum's house and whatever they mentioned they wanted or he thought they'd like.

Gemma had said last year, when she was thrilling over her Christmas gifts, "It's the one time of year I let him get away with it. The rest of the time I've gotten to where I don't mention things I like or want, because they show up on my doorstep, you know?"

Emma had nodded even though she didn't know, but she did now. He was so thoughtful it hurt, but the implications troubled her.

"Open the next one. I'm really excited for it."

It was a beautiful jacket, mustard, her favorite color, and matching mittens.

"For when you want to ride your bike, but it's chilly. They're very warm." He remembered she was cold on her bike that day.

Emma knew he remembered her text after the 'what are you wearing' conversation about being grumpy because she had chosen to ride her bike but it was too cold. His big beating heart could melt snow.

She swallowed down the sentiments clogging her throat along with her worries. Should she ask? She'd have too, eventually. This was feeling more serious than it should be, like he wanted to call her babe for more than a weekend, like he wanted her to stay, with him.

It's what she wanted, in some part of her, but was completely out of the question. He had a big international life, and she had her own global ambition.

The rest was wrapped donation cards to causes she'd worked for or even mentioned. The last gift was a small box, and when she opened it, she cried, then laughed and handed him his box.

"What?" He said, "I can't tell if you're happy or sad about that gift?" He worries his bottom lip.

It was another frog, just like the one she'd picked as the tangible gift when she'd made the donation in his name.

Emma just shrugged and wiped her eyes. "Open it."

His bursting balloon laugh inflated her merry heart. "Did we really do the exact same thing?" His face had an odd look she could only call tender.

"Same wavelength, me and you." He was misty like she had been a moment ago. He leaned forward and kissed her. Then picked up their stuffed frogs and made them kiss like he was a small child playing dolls. "I almost don't want to separate them."

"Are we still talking about the frogs?" She laughed, because she had a feeling they weren't.

He shrugged and his phone began to buzz. "Can I take a rain check on answering that question? If I don't leave right now, they will know I stayed out all night on Christmas Eve, and there will be questions. I don't think we are quite ready to explain what we are." He chose that moment to yawn like a lion in the late afternoon after a long day of lounging and got up to leave.

Emma still had questions.He'd said not quite ready to explain what they were doing. Emma wasn't even sure what they were doing. Were they going to tell people, tell Gemma? Tell them what? That they were together? Wanted to be together? Belonged together. The frogs too, did the frogs belong together?

He was dressed by the time she was done freaking out. He looked tired, but exhilarated, like he'd spent a night getting everything he wanted and a few things he didn't know he needed. "Bye doll," he kissed her, right on the mouth, affectionately and with only a trace of the heat the December air lacked. "I'll see you tomorrow night. Merry Christmas! I wanna see you in the sweater," he was walking through the door. "Oh, and the other thing?"

"Other thing?" She looked at him confused.

He pointed underneath the tree. "Have another look."

Emma blushed when she opened the lingerie. She wondered if he'd had to check her pants and bras for sizes or if he just knew the shape of her well enough that he'd guessed accurately.

They looked really good.

She needed to be getting home as well. There would be no getting out of it, she needed an excuse for rolling in just in time for Christmas brunch, her parents were notorious early risers, as was she. Her plan was to tell them she'd just made too merry the night before and slept on the couch at the Twist's. It was truth adjacent. It was the best she could come up with, her head was full of Harry and she couldn't think.

Her Christmas passed in a blur of food and wine and wrapping paper. Harry had sent her a picture of him with a bow on his head and asked her if she felt spoiled enough or needed him to wear the bow the next day.

She'd told him to wear it. And only it.

She'd not expected him to follow directions both precisely and with some creative license.

"Do you really think your cock is a gift?" She tried to mock him, while he stood proudly, hips first in their room at the Boat's Head.

"Well, I intend to give it to you!" He raised his eyebrows and stalked toward her. "I like the sweater. Looks amazing, but? Probably better here." He swept it over her head and deposited it on the floor.

"That was atrocious!" She giggled, but felt no anxiety unlike the last day or so.

"Yeah, maybe, but I needed to see if you'd worn my other gift."

"I thought it was my gift."

"For both of us, I'd argue." He winked.

"You wink like a drunk pirate." She couldn't help but smile at him. His silly banter had completely removed the nerves she should be feeling, standing in front of him in a Santa red bra, panties, garter belt, and stockings. She'd sourced the Santa hat herself and the black heels were hers.

"I'm feeling drunk seeing you in this." His hands were running over the satin on her hips and the lace at her waist, then the bare flesh of her ass. "I think I even lied to myself. This was definitely my present." The last word was said against her lips and his big hands slid down the globes of her backside to between her thighs, hoisting her onto his hips. The trail his thumbs left had her shivering.

The bed rose up to meet her. Harry hovered over her before standing and staring.

"Are we on pause?" She was panting and really hoping they were not stopping let alone slowing.

He opened his hands like a director, "I'm just trying to remember this to keep me warm all year." He ran his hands from her toes to her curled hair, she'd gone all out, then back down. His face was full of anticipation and a hesitation she'd never seen when she was this bare, not even the first time when he was flush on bravado and international acclaim.

"What is it?" She started to sit up.

He groaned. "Wow, that move did great things for your chest."

Emma could only laugh. He was acting like he'd never seen a naked woman, when he'd probably seen more than his fair share, and had definitely seen her before.

"You're acting like you've never seen me before."

"It's always like the first time. You're overwhelming."

"I'm overwhelming?" She wanted to laugh, she saw him as Harry, at first her friend's brother, then the cute boy with the big career she'd hooked up with, then her favorite holiday surprise, and now she couldn't define exactly what he was to her, mostly Harry? Who she missed all year and cherished for a week at a time in person, a deeply in her heart the rest of the time. She remained aware, however, of who he was, at large.

"Absolutely, I can barely take you. Can't believe I get to have you." What did she say to that? She only nodded, it was mutual. "Listen," he continued, "Can I take a picture of you. I'll keep your face out of it."

She thought for a moment, thrilled that he wanted to save this memory, to relive this moment until they met again. She didn't have any pictures of him, and thought there were so many online, none of them were really of him. "Yeah, go on Harry."

Maybe she should take one back. Save the neck down one place and the neck up as her wallpaper, she could get away with it. She saw classmates with him as their Home Screen. Her plans kept the nerves at bay while he got his set up ready.

He posed a leg, had her lay back, and then sit up. He took about 5 pictures on his phone, then three Polaroids, and by then she was getting into it. She was moving in ways that made her feel sexy and he was getting antsy.

"I'll show you, so you can approve, after." He discarded the phone and pulled his jumper over his head before crawling up the bed and over her.

"I trust you Harry. It's fine."

She wasn't sure what it was about those words, but he grew, thicker between her thighs and larger in her presence before he was kissing her bra off and asking if he could leave the stockings and shoes on.

"'Mmmhmmm." Emma moaned from her perch on the pillows looking down watching him pull her panties free and reattaching her stockings. "Damn." He kissed both places and flipped her over to skate his lips up her thighs and ass and back. Her hair was over her face while he kissed her neck and rutted into her with his jeans still on. She grabbed a handful of his glorious hair and kissed him over her shoulder. "Like this?" She asked.

"Mmhmmm." He echoed and she felt him kicking his jeggings free and sliding on the condom. She was flat on the mattress and unsure if he wanted her to push back on her knees. She didn't need to think about it long, he hoisted her up, and pressed a gentle hand between her shoulder blades so her body arched like a slide. His fingers climbed up to cascade down her backbone in an echo of the ride he was about to take down. He was right there, hovering, and Emma pushed back, but the whine in her voice was the more obvious tell.

"Baby, I need you."

"I need you, so much. Miss you when I'm gone."

She missed him when she was gone too. He slid his head in and waited. Emma wasn't really in control of the clenching this caused and it made Harry lose his grip on his. The smack of his hips against her thighs reverberated off the borrowed walls they considered their own.

He stroked her inside out and commented on the grip of her onto his dick. "It's like you don't want to let me go," he whispered into her ear.

Emma turned her head and breathed, "I don't want to." The kiss broke his rhythm and lingered until her clenching started over, again. How was she so close so soon?

"No, no, no." She whined when he pulled out.

"Shhhh, I've got you." He knew she was onto something, they'd become practiced hands at each other's pleasure.

He flipped her over and smoothed her hair back, bracketing her face between his hands like an aside he needed to voice right at that moment. "I just want to see you."

He went back in with ease, and with anybody else she might be ashamed for how embarrassingly wet she was, for the squelch. "God! Harry!" Her thighs came up to his hips and he hitched one over his elbow and open, then lay a good portion of his weight onto her. It was just the right side of too much. Just like all of him.

"Let me find it again, that high you were chasing?"

She was nodding, babbling. He picked up the rhythm from before and added a tiny rut at the end to the swelling of her clit. She was back on the trail to the summit quickly. It had been good, if fumbling, from night one. By this gift season, it was like he had installed all of her buttons personally and could push her to the edge at will. Her eyes were closed and she was concentrating hard on the oasis just beyond her horizon.

"Baby," he whispered, his breath soft and scented like her lip balm. "Open your eyes." He was just over her and he wrapped her open thigh back and around his knee. "Watch me," he made a c with his body so she could watch the goings on and feel them too.

"Oh, fuck."

"I love your filthy mouth. When you get going. Demure driven Emma on the brink has a dirty dirty mouth."

She'd narrow her eyes at him if she could bear to look away from his cock.

"Baby!" She gasped.

"Hold it, stay, just a little longer." He kissed her and then compelled her eyes to his. "I'll come with you."

His nose touched hers at just the tip and he rocked her and watched as she trembled and held off and pleaded. "Now, now, come now." He grit his teeth in preparation, but he needn't have worried, the minute he commanded it, she obeyed and the body roll of sensation ran from the roots of her hair to the bends of her knees.

He seized and his head fell back, but as soon as he was in command of himself again, his eyes were back on hers. "I love...," he gasped and her mind raced over what the hell he might say. What she wanted to gasp back. It was a bit of a comedown as opposed to a denouement when he filled in, "...having you for Christmas."

He buried his face in her neck and breathed into the nooks and crannies she thought she had kept safe from him.

Which was why it hurt so much when she had to tell him no.

His final gift, complete with an aching grin, had been an open ended ticket. "So you can come to me, with me, on tour."

She knew her brow knotted up like a bundle of discarded yarn. That wasn't the agreement. And she couldn't, couldn't even allow herself to want it. She had her PhD program looming. There was no time to go anywhere this fall.

"Harry, you know I can't."

He looked crestfallen, like this was new information and not why they only got these stolen snowbound days once a year. "Can't or won't?" He was verging on angry and it would piss her off if her heart wasn't so close to fissuring.

Honesty was her only policy, "Both." She handed the ticket back to him.

It ruined their night, the movie they tried to distract themselves with, the goodbye sex they didn't have.

He wasn't even there when she woke up the next morning.

But the tickets were on his pillow with a small note, "Change your mind, please. I'll be seeing you. H."

#harry styles #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fanfic #ttds #chapter 5 #Santa baby #tis the damn season #song fic

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therappundit · 5 years ago

Text

Best of the 1st Half: 2020′s Best Rap Projects (*so far*)...

“I’ve had, the halftime of my life...!”

*record scratch*

2020, WHAT THE F**K. 😳

Ohhh what a first half it has been. If 2020 ended today, it would still be one of the most historic years in a century...and NOT in a pleasant way. Years from now 2020 will be studied for the long-term damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the potential breaking point (hopefully??) of this country’s ignorance to systematic racism and the need for a complete overhaul of our police departments, and of course, whatever the hell comes from the November Presidential election....and, not to mention whatever additional ‘tbd’ chaos rings in the second half of ‘20 that we haven’t even heard about yet!? These are trying times, folks.

My whole life, I have tried to use humor and entertainment to help me with processing high levels of stress and anxiety. This year, that process has felt more daunting than usual. I am writing less and less, and often find Twitter to be too dark of a place for me to navigate. It’s anything but a fulfilling “escape”. Still, I am constantly inspired by all of the new music that fills my headspace during life’s precious little moments, and it really keeps me grounded in the day to day.

At the end of 2019, I wrote the below in one of my posts. It took me back to a special feeling that I had, at a moment when the future seemed more like an opportunity, rather than a worrisome question mark. I’m going to work towards finding that place again, and I wanted to re-share this because it speaks to how the love of any art can be a healthy reminder of what we have to be thankful for in our daily lives:

“Regardless of how you feel about this list, I hope that you visit (or re-visit) any one of these pieces of strong work and find the same level of enjoyment that I did. I loved so much rap music this year and I could not be more excited about what the future holds. On a personal note, in 2019 I found myself even more in love with my wife, feeling luckier than I have in a long time, more satisfied with my hobbies and passions, and above all else, more in awe of my child (and anyone that ever raised a child) than ever before. I became a father for the first time in 2019, so as my baby daughter continues to fill my heart, I am beginning to wonder what she will think of her father’s love for this art form that has brought him so much joy over the years…I suppose time will tell.”

This list is long, because I think the talent that went into these projects is worth your time (and I put a lot of thought into creating this list as well...I do not work in the industry or know anyone that does, and I do not have any real platform - I just do this because I love the music).

If you are an artist on this list, I want to thank you, because you helped me stay positive and focused on a brighter future that I hope will soon come to us all...because everyone has been through something this year, and we deserve better. So salute to you and many, many others. 🙏🙏🙏

- THE Rap Pundit

The “Rules” for my list of the Best Projects of Q1-Q2 2020:

- the album/mixtape/EP/project/whatever you want to call it had to be released this year, by June 26, 2020

- the project must have at least 6 songs

- these rankings are a combination of my own personal preference, my take on overall quality of the project (whether it speaks deeply to my sensibilities or not), and how the final product compares to other work from the artists’ peers that occupy the same lane/‘sub-genre’ of rap music

So here we go 👀...

1. The Price of Tea in China by Boldy James and The Alchemist

Sometimes the greatest albums are not the most ambitious or flashy, they are remembered based off the strength of artistic chemistry and execution. Basketball fans know the beauty of a perfectly timed chest pass to a teammate streaking towards the basket can be more impressive than a behind the back pass that’s simply done for the sake of showing everyone that you can do a fancy pass. Staying with that theme, The Price of Tea in China is The Alchemist doing his best John Stockton impression, serving to Boldy James’ Karl Malone, and by album’s end you realize that Boldy scored a quiet 40 points while making this rap shit look like an easy lay-up.

TPOTIC finds Boldy sprinkling every ounce of his Detroit seasoning into Al’s pot to yield one of the most Mobb Deep-esque collaboration albums since Mobb Deep was dropping albums. In turn, this project is not only Boldy’s greatest work, but it serves as a re-introduction of a veteran MC that is suddenly more relevant than ever. Much like what Freddie Gibbs and Madlib did with 2019′s Bandana, this project is a great lesson on what MC and Producer chemistry can sound like when both parties are 100% on the same page when it comes to message, tone, and aesthetic goals.

It would make sense that Boldy James would fall into the Griselda fold, because much like Westside Gunn, Conway The Machine and Benny The Butcher, he comes from a city with a rich rap music scene that still struggles to reach the level of exposure that the NYCs, L.A.’s, Chicago's and Atlanta’s have basked in for so long. He writes from a place of “been there, done that”, showing a rich attention to detail that separates his street tales from that of his peers in the same way someone telling a story second or third hand can’t match the level of detail that an eye witness has saved in the memory bank. Boldy has survived both real world and music business challenges to rise from the ashes of “hey whatever happened to so & so, he was about to blow” conversations to reach a new peak in his mid-30′s. He deserved this suite of incredible Alchemist soundscapes (Al is deep in his bag here, delivering some of his most low-key impressive instrumentals in years), and like his super-producer buddy, Boldy is looking down at us from atop an already prolific 2020 at its’ midpoint.

I’m not sure anyone can match the chemistry that Prodigy and Mobb Deep had with The Alchemist, but in 2020, The Price of Tea in China delivers some of the most brutally subdued, occasionally humorous, stripped down rap records since P was throwing TV’s at us like he had nothing left to lose. If The Price of Tea in China isn’t holding the championship at year’s end, it still deserves to be mentioned as an impressive work by one of the strongest title-worthy unions running the pick and roll in the genre today.

2. Àdá Irin by Navy Blue

Okay let’s be honest: the “sub-genre” that is often referred to as lo-fi rap music (whether you consider it an actual lane or not, I know you know what I’m talking about...which I suppose proves its’ existence, right?), is beginning to suffer from the same affliction that all other sub-genres tend to suffer from once the word is out that this is “the thing” that the kids find trendy right now. A lot of folks in this lane sound *exactly* the same to the average listener. I’m not even the average listener, and I often feel that way. The irony that comes with being part of the sound that’s supposed to be bucking the mainstream clone machine turning into a mini-clone machine itself, means that the window is in danger of closing to avoid over-saturation of the artists that are already thriving between the gravelly, whisper-welcoming walls of Soundcloud URLs and Bandcamp EPs being slid to their heady fanbase with zero promotion. So with that all being said...why give Navy Blue a chance?

Navy Blue lacks the name recognition of many of his peers (for now), but he has now been thriving in the lo-fi pocket for some time as both a MC and producer, a young artist that’s closely connected to the lane’s most famous figureheads (Earl Sweatshirt, and to some extent, Mach-Hommy), as well as less heralded trailblazers like MIKE and the whole sLUms collective. Sure you can check out Navy’s Soundcloud page to get a taste of his work, but with this Àdá Irin album, we don’t just hear raw snippets of a freshly discovered unsigned talent. With this album we hear Navy as a self-assured solo artist, capable of sharing an inspirational song with the likes of Ka and sounding like every bit of the veteran next to the iconic soft-spoken lyricist. This is a very, very impressive debut full length album that showcases the best that the (sub)genre has to offer: some experimentation, jazzy loops, the diary-like intimacy of words that sit like dust on an old basement book shelf, and the raw emotions that come from working through love, pain and loss in real time. In 2020 there may be nothing completely new under the sun, but it’s the aesthetic choices that Navy Blue makes with every verse and every instrumental that make Àdá Irin feel like a perfect balance of beauty and sadness. If you want to dip a toe in this water but you’re not sure you can get into the mumblecore-ish world of MIKE, MAVI, Medhane or Earl’s work from the past two years, this Navy Blue album might actually be the perfect intro.

3. A Written Testimony by Jay Electronica (featuring JAY-Z)

Not a lot of positive breaking news in 2020...but when Jay Electronica surprised Twitter with a few cryptic Tweets back in February, implying that he was dropping an album (and Jay-Z would likely be involved), the rap game was set ablaze with excitement, skepticism, disbelief, and hope (albeit with some measured caution there as well).

This is something that fans, and arguably the entire rap world, had been clamoring for for a decade, many long since moving on believing that Jay Elec’s debut album had gone the way of Detox, sharing “1a & 1b” status as the most eagerly anticipated projects none of us seriously expected to hear.

Then it dropped....and then it went. In a Twitter-run rap world, quality is too often measured by how long a piece of art stays within the “trending” mix, as opposed to...well, whether or not it’s actually good! The truth is, A Written Testimony is not just good, it’s very, very good, and while it’s not the “Illmatic 2″ that some may have been expecting, realistically it’s superior to what I imagined a new project from such a reclusive artist would sound like in 2020. If you at least try to table the expectations laid out when “Exhibit C” came out in 2009...I think you will find a project (it’s up to you whether or not you want to count this a “solo debut” or not, but at this point, it’s new Jay Electronica - can we just leave it at that??) stacked with memorable moments, quotable gems throughout, stellar production (this is one of the best produced projects of 2020 by far, not sure how/why this piece of the puzzle would receive anything less than acclaim), and some moments of questionable preaching made more palatable by a strong overall voice and package.

Jay Electronica raps with conviction throughout, and while the project feels brief, it lasts long enough to be more than a quick feeling, even if many feel that it’s not long enough to feel like a full album. If "Exhibit C" was the teaser then this is the redband trailer, flashing enough skill and details to resonate for far longer than its’ duration. Much has been said about the heavy hand of JAY-Z on most of the project’s 7 tracks, but let’s be clear, this is not Watch The Throne 2 (even though at points, it may feel like something along those lines). Yes, in impressive fashion, Hov comes through riding shotgun to show a deeper shade of one of his more complex dimensions, with many of his rhymes begging for dissection with every bar. However, AWT features a JAY-Z that’s rapping through Jay Electronica’s lens, not by any means where 4:44 or Everything Is Love left off. This is definitely a Jay Electronica album. AWT dives in and out of Jay Electronica’s beliefs in broad strokes that appear and disappear rather quickly, but even when certain verses raise more questions than provide answers, every song still has at least a handful of the gripping words that remind us of what made Jay Elec-Hanukkah sound like the chosen one in the first place (his tussle with writer’s block and hesitation to put out any art make for some of the projects most engaging moments).

If A Written Testimony is the last Jay Electronica album we ever here - which I truly hope it is not the case - it is still a memorable piece of work. So if you were one of the folks that moved on from it after the “surprise” of Jay finally dropping a project subsided, I hope you change that stance and revisit it once again.

4. Descendants of Cain by Ka

“Quiet and frigid disposition, growin' up in the cold / Surprised I ain't get high from what I was low enough to behold / Like when Pops shot at the neighbor's shop, put one in his head / He knew how he grew me, threw me the gun, a hundred, and fled / Didn't play, 'fore po' arose dispose of exhibit A / I was raised to age a few years in a day / If not elite, didn't eat if you didn't pray / As much as I heal, had to deal, all my scars are here to stay / Our senseis spent days peddling / Our heroes sold heroin.” - Ka, “Patron Saints”

He makes it seem almost too easy. If the writing wasn't so gripping, you might not even revisit it. Ka’s Descendants of Cain arrived with little fanfare, except for the collective awe of his humble but religiously devoted fan-base. The religious devotion is an important piece here, as Cain adds to Ka’s quietly impressive discography another strong album that leans on classic scribes as inspiration to spin poignant metaphors on Brooklyn street philosophy.

This time, the classic work is the Christian Bible, and Ka being the brilliant MC/poet that he is, seems to have little trouble working with the medium to preach without sounding preachy, and wax familiar-sounding nostalgia over wax that sounds as dusty as it feels fresh, rich, and urgent. Producing much of the album himself, along with a few trusted collaborators, the album’s strength is in its’ density, as each song feels like it requires a pause to unpack every bar...and to be honest, that’s exactly the type of attention this work deserves. If you missed this one in the first half of 2020′s feverish dump of new releases, you need to remedy that immediately.

5. Pray for Paris by Westside Gunn

If The Alchemist is the overall rap music MVP for his many contributions to 2020 thus far, Westside Gunn may deserve at least a few honorable mentions. From becoming the ambassador of Buffalo New York to stepping up as an ambassador of the underground rap resurgence, I don’t think any other rap artist has done more to run with the torch that Roc Marciano has been waving for a damn decade than the Griselda mastermind. If you happened to hear Gunn name-dropping to Peter Rosenberg on Rosenberg’s long-standing Real Late show on Hot 97, you know exactly what I mean. Shouting-out close allies and lesser known peers alike, Gunn’s presence proudly announced the underground movement’s invasion of the highly known New York City radio station. It felt like ECW invading WWE’s Monday Night Raw all over again. Of course Gunn’s voice was met with more ears than usual during that interview, since that appearance came hot off the heels of the release of his much discussed side project turned full-blown album, Pray for Paris.

By now most fervent rap fans know the story behind the album (a project that miraculously arrived to completion while Gunn was suffering from the affects of coronavirus), but for many Pray for Paris is the introduction to the story of Griselda Records and the world that they revel in. If Conway the Machine and Benny the Butcher are responsible for the Griselda team’s grittiest street tales, Westside Gunn’s success leans on his ability to blur the line between all-too-real violence and cartoon violence, splattered with elite luxury references and shout-outs for his fellow wrestling addicts. The song titles are merely scattered trains of thoughts that may or may not have anything directly to do with a song’s actual meaning, it’s like naming your child ‘brunch in Williamsburg’ just because it was the last meal you happened to have that day. An audience brought up on Lil Wayne as the God MC may be completely lost at the appeal, but audiences brought up on Wu, DOOM and Sean Price know exactly what vibe Westisde Gunn is going for.

At times Gunn can come across as more of a talent curator than a stand alone MC, so if this is the album that takes Gunn to the next level as a rap star, it would make him the most unselfish rap star to come along in some time. A rapper doesn’t jump on an Alchemist produced track with the likes of Freddie Gibbs and Roc Marciano and expect to leave with anything but the Bronze medal. The same can be said for his chopped and screwed contribution to “Claiborne Kick”, which clearly belongs to Boldy James. That’s not to say that Gunn’s verse is a weak moment on any of the joints on Paris, but the fact that he consistently surrounds himself with high caliber writers confirms that he is well aware that the quality of the final product will be determined by the team involved, not just the artists’ name on the album cover.

For someone that considers himself more of an artist than a rapper, he continues to paint intriguing collages with every album, featuring him at the center of an ever-expanding portrait of MCs, producers, singers, designers, and dancers. Pray for Paris is a typical Griselda project that also happens to sport the potential of something larger than most of their fanbase ever imagined. Yes we get the dark backdrops, elite underground production, and quotables throughout, but we also get a few additional shades, as Gunn dabbles with a “beauty and the beast” dynamic that cleanly pairs his violent imagery with fashionista pomp and circumstance (which no doubt helped draw the likes of Wale and Tyler, the Creator to this project). But t’s all less of a solo album to push a mainstream solo career forward, and much more of a cannonball through the mainstream wall, just to allow some sunlight to shine on his people...and his city, for that matter - because best believe, Paris may be the inspiration behind the project but Buffalo, New York is still with him every step of the way.

6. Alfredo by Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist

A highly enjoyable surprise drop from two-thirds of the potent combination that gave us the fan favorite project that was Fetti (shout-out to Curren$y, though), Alfredo feels like the perfect treat to hold us over during these trying times. It feels rushed, but simultaneously sharp and activated. It has the feeling of a controlled experiment that was slapped together in separate rooms, rather than carefully curated by multiple artists hunched over the same mixer for days on end. Alfredo is more of a display of two power hitters putting on an impressive showing at a Home Run Derby, rather than the collaboration that has been slowly simmering for years...but that’s also part of the fun, because it feels like Al & Fredo (eh?) were just as excited to release it as we all were to hear it.

Neither party is reinventing the wheel here, but if you are going to have a rapper and a producer connect for an album of great rapping over great beats, you would be hard pressed to find a more natural pairing than these two. The Alchemist delivers with samples that channel the speakeasy jazz of an old piano, and Freddie is simply the king of hard-rap soul right now, so he excels on every song. There are moments of darkness, moments of hope, and moments of self reflection (Gibbs is a logical choice to swing haymakers back at cops abusing their power), all delivered by Freddie at a break-neck speed over Al's significantly less urgent production....as if Gibbs frantically spilled his guts to his buddy over the phone while Al was kickin’ back with a joint saying “uh-huh...yup, I hear ya man.” The final result is an effective one, if not a quick teaser of what a lengthier amount of collaboration time between the two might sound like. It should also be said that the guest verses on this album (especially those from Tyler, The Creator and Conway) took this album up a few spots on this ‘best of’ list. Alfredo is easily one of the strongest surprises of 2020.

7. Reasonable Drought by Stove God Cook$ and Roc Marciano

There is a tradition in the rap music biz that newer/younger artists are often shepherded along by more seasoned artists in order to insure that the less experienced artist is blessed with the built-in audience that comes with a co-sign. It doesn’t always work, but typically the initiation comes with a solid musical foundation on a debut project accompanied by a greener MC still finding his/her way. Not the case with Stove God Cook$, he is perhaps the most unexpectedly fresh MC to be cut from classic rap cloth since Griselda & Mach-Hommy began to build cult-like followings.

While Reasonable Drought (and seriously, how bold of a title is that for a debut!?) is blessed by the impressive production and mentorship of underground rap icon Roc Marciano, it truly is the lesser known MC himself that captures the imagination right from the get-go. When I say that in my life time, I cannot recall such a strong debut performance by a MC that I have heard virtually no work from prior to his 2019 emergence, with the help of minimal publicity/ad budget (if any? Cook$ was barely on social media until *after* his album had already been released) on his way to dropping an album with zero features...then you should take my recommendation very seriously. Fresh style, some of the most rewind-worthy quotables in recent memory (an Uncle Buck reference!? Bow down, people), and a new following built exclusively on the word of mouth of equal-minded folks that were blown away by a project many copped on a passing whim... it’s clear that this moment could be the beginning of an amazing, fascinating career.

Similar to Roc Marciano before him, Cook$ possesses a rare flare with his wordplay and delivery that makes even the ugliest tales of coke dealing and disrespectful criminal activity sound like the colorful exploits of a post-Blaxploitation hero. He delivers every bar with the uber-specific word choice of Roc, but the outgoing swag of a Max B. The man that has people that never touched cocaine in their life singing that they’re “smelling like a brick right now”, is smelling like a winner in 2020 and beyond.

8. Battle Scar Decorated by Monday Night & Henny L.O.

Last call to board the Mutant Academy bandwagon!

I have been saying that this deep underground collective of MCs & producers has been low key having a banner year all year long, and scrolling through this list you can see exactly what I mean. Henny L.O. is too good to be slotted as just a battle rapper, while Monday Night is far too strong of a presence to be considered a mere associate of the core Mutant team. When you think of Mutant Academy and their respective affiliated acts, think of them as a gathering of solo artists that happen to make dope rap music together, but all parties involved are capable of standing on their own two. I think that’s what consistently impresses me about their projects...hat, and the lack of filler material.

Along with a deep Rolodex of mostly under-the-radar talent, the hunger and confidence of a thriving Richmond, Viriginia rap scene is present on every track of Battle Scar Decorated. Much like many of my favorite albums of 2020, there is no reinventing of the wheel here, the triumph is in the execution. Monday & Henny tag in and out, each with the confidence that they have spit the best verse on the song before they have even finished. It’s that level of ability combined with a shocking amount of production talent that makes Battle Scar Decorated essential listening to anyone that wants to be reminded of a vibe that hasn’t been in abundance in the underground rap scene since L.A. in the late 90′s. It wouldn’t be fair to talk about how much I enjoyed this project without including the great producers involved, so a big s/o to: Sycho Sid, C.R.I.S.T.E.N, James Couch, Savvy, Heather Grey, and Ewonne.

9. Eastern Medicine, Western Illness by Preservation

Accompanied by a who’s who of underground hip-hop’s finest (Roc Marciano, Mach-Hommy, Your Old Droog, Quelle Chris, Nickelus F, Tree, Navy Blue, Billy Woods, Ka *and more* - I mean seriously!?), Preservation has assembled an impressively cohesive compilation album both sonically and thematically.

Incorporating record samples from his travels in China, Eastern Medicine, Western Illness feels born in simplicity even though it is anything but a casual collection of dope verses over tightly wound production. A quietly gifted producer, Preservation knows how to squeeze the best out of his guests without shouting the results through the speakers, the choices are more subtle but yield a high impact and replay value. Listening to the project feels more like listening to a secret, unreleased project, because it’s hard to believe that this much talent would gift this much high caliber writing to a compilation of songs...although that was not uncommon in the 90′s and early 00′s (ah, I’m showing my old age again). Perhaps that’s a testament to Preservation’s vision, a DJ/producer with a relatively small catalog built on curated quality (see his fantastic 2015 collaboration with Ka on Days With Dr. Yen Lo). Eastern Medicine has enough talent involved that it could have been a worthy listen even if it was just as a hodgepodge of donated loosies, so the fact that the final product is so much more than that makes it an album that warrants a great deal of more attention.

10. The Allegory by Royce Da 5′9″

No accomplished lyricist makes life harder on himself than Royce Da 5′9″. Be it his tendency to cram personal observations and disclosures in and around his punchlines, or experimenting production wise, the Detroit veteran is intent on finding new ways to approach fine wine music, tossing more complex offerings into his catalog over the past few years. Things are no different with The Allegory.

Not only did Royce once again pen an album that speaks to his ability to cope with his own past and present, he inserts himself in the producer chair as well, addressing the trials and tribulations of the increasingly problematic world around him, over backdrops crafted by only his hand a a few trusted peers. The effect is mostly successful, with the production exceeding the expectations of many (myself included), while the writing is at times both thought-provoking and in need of further exploration on Royce’s part. The guest features range from effective to scene stealing (not because Royce ‘s verse is outshined, but there are moments where it seems as if the guest is better suited over Royce’s own production than he is). If you’re Royce Da 5′9″ and you release an album titled The Allegory, no one should expect a simple quick fix of bars over easily digestible instrumentals. The highs come in abundance, and while the lows come in small trip-ups and the occasional skit that the listener probably could have done without, you get the sense that with some editing and further focus of his lofty goals, his sermons could have been sharpened into a more effective analysis of many of his topics (the music business, being black in America, history, conspiracy theories), resulting in an incredible album instead of a very good one. Nevertheless, it is all worth the ride to hear the latest work from one of rap music’s most gifted MC’s from the past decade. If The Allegory isn’t a home-run, it’s at the very least a strong base hit.

Top 50 (all belong in the Top 10-25, but...there’s only 25 spots in the Top 25, soooo):

11. Cold Water by Medhane

12. Shrines by Armand Hammer

13. Bag Talk by yungmorpheus & Pink Siifu

14. Try Again by ovrkast.

15. RTJ4 by Run The Jewels

16. Noise Kandy 4 by Rome Streetz

17. Innocent Country 2 by Quelle Chris

18. Weight of the World by MIKE

19. Sages by Henny L.O. & Ohbliv

20. Milestones by Skyzoo

21. Carpe Noctem by Big Ghost Ltd

22. Lake Water by SeKwence

23. At the End of the Day. by Fly Anakin

24. Sole Food by Deniro Farrar

25. The Oracle 3 by Grafh

26. The Blue Tape by Tree

27. lo&behold by lojii

28. Infinite Wisdom by Lord Jah-Monte Ogbon

29. FULL CIRCLE by Medhane

30. UNLOCKED by Denzel Curry & Kenny Beats

31. The Throwaways by The Opioid Era

32. Anyways by Young Nudy

33. PTSD (Deluxe) by G Herbo

34. Holly Favored by Monday Night & Foisey

35. THE GOAT by Polo G

36. Demon & Mufasa by Yhung T.O. & DaBoii

37. The Face of Jason by ANKHLEJOHN

38. My Turn by Lil Baby

39. No One Mourns the Wicked by Conway & Big Ghost Ltd.

40. Two4one by Jay Worthy

41. Free Drakeo by Drakeo

42. Alone Time by YL

43. Assata by CV$ a.k.a. Con$piracy & Teller Bank$

44. Thug Tear by Big Kashuna O.G. & Monday Night

45. Ways and Means by Rasheed Chappell & 38 Spesh

46. IMMORTALKOMBAT by Al Divino & Estee Nack

47. Young & Turnt 2 by 42 Dugg

48. Sleeper Effect by Sleep Sinatra

49. Juno by Che Noir & 38 Spesh

50. LULU by Conway & The Alchemist

THE REST OF THE BEST (all belong in the Top 50 releases of 2020, but..what can I say, blame 2020 for being such a stacked year for music/events I guess):

Black Schemata by yungmorpheus, The Smartest by Tee Grizzley, Polly by the Powder Keg by Chuck Chan & Pad Scientist, High Off Life by Future, Gotham City Album by Plex Diamonds, Memphis Massacre 2 by Duke Deuce, Poetic Substance by RIM & Vinyl Villain, Styles David: Ghost Your Enthusiasm by Styles P, MF Bloo by Bloo & Spanish Ran, LSD by The Leonard Simpson Duo & Guilty Simpson, Funeral by Lil Wayne, RAW UNKNOWN by Spectacular Diagnostics, Nezzie’s Star by Eddie Kaine, ShrapKnel (self-titled), The Bluest Note by Skyzoo & Dumbo Station, WUNNA by Gunna, Get Money Teach Babies by Heist Life & Spanish Ran, Open Casket by Killer Kane, 6 Rings by Yung Mal, The Beauty of It by Eto, Meet The Woo 2 by Pop Smoke, Fresh Air by UFO Fev & Statik Selektah, Vito by Vince Ash, GRIMM & EViL by GRiMM Doza, RUDEBWOY by CJ Fly, Rocket to Nebula by Killah Priest, EVERYTHING by Kota the Friend, NO Blade of Grass by V Don, Eternal Atake by Lil Uzi Vert, I’m My Brother’s Keeper by Yella Beezy & Trapboy Freddy, Carhartt Champions by Tree Mason, Viral Viral! by Dunbar, Rowhouse Whispers by Ray West & Zilla Rocca, Magneto Was Right #4 by Raz Fresco, DUMP LIFE by Tha God Fahim, Jay NiCE & Left Lane Didon, Burn One, Tap In, Zone Out by Dot Demo, FNTG: From Niggaz to Godz by Squeegie O, PANAGNL4E, Vol. 2 by Los and Nutty, Death 2 All Haterz 2 by Rigz & Symph, Thank You For Using GTL by Drakeo & JoogSzn, Adjust to the Game by Larry June, Martyr’s Prayer by Elcamino & 38 Spesh, BETTER by Deante’ Hitchcock, Attack of the Future Shocked, Flesh Covered, Meatbags of the 85 by $ilkMoney, No Cosign Just Cocaine 3 by Ty Farris, Hear No Equal by Chuuwee, MSYKM by Tsu Surf, Your Birthday’s Cancelled by Iron Wigs, Spring Clean by Curren$y & Fuse, Arctic Plus Degrees (The Sun Don’t Chill Allah) by Planet Asia & DirtyDiggs, Psychological Cheat Sheet by Vic Spencer, Glass 2.0 by Meyhem Lauren & Harry Fraud, Trust the Chain by Planet Asia & 38 Spesh, Director’s Cut (Scene Two) by Ransom & Nicholas Craven, and Son Of A Gun by Key Glock.

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angelamurkrow · 4 years ago

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We are two weeks away from the new Pokemon DLC and I just really want to believe that we’ll be getting at least one more piece of official information before Oct. 22nd. (an essay follows, and leaks are mentioned.)

First, I think it is important that Isle of Armor went two weeks before release without giving us any new “official” information. With it being the only precedent for DLC, it is currently our baseline to predict DLC news. If we’re going to predict off of that, then I guess I’ll see y’all on October 22nd.

However, it was revealed that the base games PLUS the DLC will be available for sale as cartridges two weeks later. It’s very likely that Nintendo will treat this as the yearly “Pokemon Game Release” and market it as such. But the question is, which release date will get the most hype? Oct. 22nd or Nov. 6th?

It’s entirely possible that they’ll treat this with respect to the Nov. 6th release. What was the pace of information last year before SwSh came out? In reverse chronological order and keeping in mind a Nov. 15th, 2019 release, we got new information on November 11th, November 8th (in a YouTube video that is now marked private), Nov. 6th, and a trailer with no new information on Nov. 1st. Now if we’re only projecting for the dates between Oct. 22nd and Nov. 6th this year, then the only other days of note for SwSh new info would be October 28th, 2019 and October 25th. This was the pattern that I noticed: info on the four Fridays prior to release, info the Monday before release, and info the second Monday prior.

How does this model translate to 2020? First, think it’s important to acknowledge that Nintendo has been making most official announcements this year on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. This past announcement was on Wednesday the 30th, and the announcement prior, Tuesday June 2nd. So it makes it unlikely that we can easily assume one year’s Monday information as the following year’s Tuesday information. With all of this being said, that doesn’t mean that they won’t follow last year’s “every Friday”/”every other Monday” schedule.

Friday October 9th is a prime date to release new information. First, it would be fourth Friday before the Nov. 6th release. Second, the Pokemon anime is moving to it’s new time on Oct. 9th at 18:55 JST, or 6am EST. And third, there are a series of event Pikachus being shared through the month--we KNOW the dates that each code will be released

If we take the the first point, and assume the every Friday/every other Monday schedule, then I think we can expect information on the following days: Oct. 9th, Oct. 16, Oct. 19th, October 23rd, October 30th, and November 2nd. This is also assuming that they would continue the trend of releasing news the Monday prior the game’s release. Coincidentally, that would give us some sort of information the Monday before each release date. This also leads to my second point, the Pokemon anime was moved to Friday nights in Japan.

Let’s start off by mentioning that tomorrow’s episode centers around a Raid Battle with the Legendary Pokemon, Zapdos. With Legendary Raids being a main focus of the DLC, it isn’t that much of a leap in logic to believe further information could coincide with the episode. Frankly, it’s the least likely option and the soonest to be disproved, but with the hubbub around the time slot change (ex: event Pikachu in Pokemon Go), I’m not ruling it out.

If we look at this how Pokemon treated USUM and the anime, then we can take a look at October 2017 and we can see that they began a new “season” of the anime on Oct. 5th with information around the “sequel” games coinciding. Serebii’s archives show that there was some information revealed on the 4th, but it appears Oct. 5th carried more substantial information (though accounting for time zones--some news in Japan was revealed early in the morning with more that followed in the evening).

While it’s hard to point to precedent for DLC, I think it’s worth looking at release information for a November remake that has relevancy to the anime. I don’t think the two are entirely dissimilar. One thing to keep in mind: the anime would air at 18:55 JST or 5:55AM EST. If news followed the episode, then East Coasters might want to set an alarm for 6:30AM. It could also get pushed back to follow the more recent convention of releasing info at 6AM PST/9 AM EST/2PM BST/10PM JST.

Going back to this year, two of the three following episodes specifically focus on elements of plot found in SwSh--the Slumbering Weald episode is projected to air on October 23rd and Darkest Day likely airing on October 30th. But that third episode-- Operation: Dub Pikachu Half Marshtomp--doesn’t rule out a connection to the DLC. According to the datamine back in June, it is all but confirmed that the Hoehn starters will be in the game. Could we see a confirmation by Nintendo on Oct. 16th to coincide? Mark your calendars.

Let’s now take a moment to consider the third point, the release pattern of event Pikachus. The first and second Pikachu got released with the various Pokemon news that day but two hours apart, around 9AM EST and 11AM EST. (Most of this is still homepage of Serebii) The Hoehn Cap Pikachu and third code was released during the Oct. 2nd Pokemon Anime livestream at approx. 6:15AM EST. We are expecting a code for a new Pikachu on the following dates: Friday Oct. 9th, Oct. 16th, Oct. 18th, Oct. 23rd, and Oct. 30th.

Right off the bat, Oct. 9th--considering the last code was revealed during an anime livestream at 6:15AM EST and we’re expecting a new episode of the anime at 5:55AM EST, then there’s the possibility some news may be shared with that next code for the Sinnoh Hat Pikachu. (Sinnoh remakes confirmed.)

October 16th? Another anime episode. Could just be the code, could continue their pattern of Friday announcements. Could just be a code for Unova Hat Pikachu.

But what’s up with October 18th? What’s planned for that Sunday? Pokemon has found a vehicle for each of the prior codes. With a precedent of the Hoehn Cap Pikachu, I assume that will stay true for the 9th, 16th, 23rd, and 30th. But no episode is set to air that day. The only other precedent would be using news about the DLC as the vehicle for the code. Then if you consider the episode prior involves a Marshtomp and a Marshtomp can evolve into Swampert. Meanwhile the code given on that day will get you a Kalos Cap Pikachu. AND KALOS is the region that introduce MEGA EVOLUTIONS AND SWAMPERT GETS A MEGA AND

“But Angela Murkrow,” you may say, “that’s a Sunday and outside the typical every friday/every other monday schedule. Or even the only tues, weds, thurs pattern.” Yes, that’s valid and it’s a good thing I’m only hypothesizing anyway. I am not a prophet, just a detective for a case that’ll be solved regardless of my input. Who knows what’s a hint and what’s a red herring, but I still think the Friday/Monday pattern can still be honored, with a code released on Sunday Oct. 18th--the code is released late afternoon Oct. 18th in EST, but the morning of Monday Oct. 19th in Japan.

But how do we get Friday involved if the DLC is coming out Thursday Oct. 22nd? Well, according to this Eurogamer article Oct. 22nd is the release for North American (and I assume Central and South too?). Everywhere else will get access to it on Friday Oct. 23rd. It’s very likely that we’ll get that Monday/preview to Friday/game release after all, but I also think that means that people in EST shouldn’t expect to play until some time between 7pm and midnight.

(I don’t feel like rambling on much longer, but I anticipate news regarding Gmax Melmetal and Pokemon Go/Home connectivity by Nov. 2nd.)

Finally, I just want to end on one note. Actually game journalists will likely get to play some form of a preview before the 22nd, so at least we can look forward to some legit secondhand information by Oct. 20th.

#pokemon sword and shield #pokemon swsh #pokemon #crown tundra #pokemon dlc #pokemon crown tundra #pokemon journeys

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lol-jackles · 6 years ago

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I am not in Hollywood or in the entertainment world but what I have observed from a distance is that everything is all about the money and Anything goes. But the fact that Jared was able to draw the line with AKF and not allow CW to exploit it it's a testament that he has principles that he would not compromise not matter the monetary rewards. I say kuddos to him at least he has been able to maintain that part of himself while in Hollywood.

Of course everything is about money. 90% of the “creative differences” is just another word for salary or budget dispute.

Alrighty, in honor of AKF, here’s a blast from past. The year is 2016 and the YANA campaign is launched and this is what fans saw: no messages on what the campaign is about but here is a video of Misha is making Jensen soooooo uncomfortable and haha Misha is stalking Jensen in the bathroom because when it comes to mental illness stalking people and making them uncomfortable is totally helpful!

Fandom reaction: WTF? WTF? No, really, WTF? Burn it down!

But before I get more into that, let’s back up 11 months:

03/15/2015 - Jared’s unprecedented success with AKF. WB sees Ka-Ching! And Jared is no, no Ka-Ching, AKF is near and dear to mah heart.

05/15/2015 - Jared breaks down and goes dark for 3 weeks and somebody (understudy Misha? Stand? Creation Ent? CW? Singer?) starts planning to take over Jared’s AKF brand. Ka-Ching!

06/29/2015 - Creation Entertainment’s Gary and Adam registered the Creation Stands LLC

08/16/2015 - Jensen and Misha “wins” TCA for best chemistry (my lol sides!) and they tweet their boat ride (me: it’s like you’re not even trying to look ignorant).

10/16/2015 - Creation Ent advertises the upcoming Chicago con with Jensen and Misha and the AKF tagline in their main banner. Fandom’s outrage forced them to take down the Jensen/Misha banner and replaced it with a Jared/Jensen banner three days later. CE and WB should have been clued in with this.

01/06/2016 - Jensen wins the PCA (me: another brought award?) and Misha just happen to be available on set for Jensen to make a thank you video with (me: riiiiiiight, just a coincidence)

02/11/2016 - Jensen and Misha launch the YANA campaign with series of videos filmed on SPN set and lines written by SPN writers. CE and WB are anticipating pocketing at least half million dollars in net profit. Ka-Ching!

Show of hands of those who saw this trainwreck coming a hundred miles away. Misha’s Variey interview said in he wanted to take YANA into many different fandoms, meaning WB behind the idea to suck in more money from fans though mental health merchandise. I’ll wait here while you go take a shower. YANA was obviously a piss poor hollow copy of AKF without genuine sincerity, but that might have been forgiven if Creation Ent wasn’t so obvious about lining it’s own pocket with a majority of the net profit and giving a measly 10% to charity.

Meanwhile, where was Jared in all of this? Let’s have a look:

05/15/2015 - Jared returns to the United States and starts treatment. New medication? New therapist? Who knows but something has to change.

06/06/2015 - Jared participates in a Gilmore Girl reunion panel. TWLOHA mentioned the $250,000 check they got from Jared. WB is thinking all that Ka-Ching could have been theirs.

07/13/2015 - Fans surprised Jared at Comic con with tealight vigil.

07/19/2015 - AKF 3.0 is launched with a last minute tealight design added to the shirts, 40K units sold

08/16/2015 - Jared wins the TCA in acting category (me: eh, it’s probably genuine, he’s been nominated 7 times before and he got bunch of positive mainstream press)

10/16/2015 - the infamous faux pas by Creation Ent advertising the upcoming Chicago con. While the fandom is starting to realize something is very off and noticing Jensen’s OOC behavior, Jared already knew about YANA being in the works from Jensen.

11/04/2015 - AKF 4.0 + Minute Maid commercial featuring Jared and his family. His first national corporate sponsorship. 46 K including Black Friday special units sold

02/11/2016 - Jared announced he is returning to Gilmore Girls, the news quickly become the #1 Facebook trending topic, which led to tsunami of media attention. None of Rory’s other boyfriends got this much attention for returning to the show. Oh and btw Jensen and Misha launched YANA. Did Jared hold on to news of his return to GG until the day YANA is launched? Of course he did.

02/14/2016 - Jared debuts his McDonald all-day breakfast commerical, gets the highest views and likes on McD’s Facebook. Oh and Jensen and Misha posted a new YANA video in their Facebooks.

02/29/2016 - Jared post his third national corporate sponsor commerical from Chevy, featuring his childhood friend, gets the highest views and likes on Chevy’s YT channel. Oh and Jensen and Misha posted a new YANA video wrapping up the campaign barely making the 40K mark after promising a Hawaii vacation to sweeten the deal. WB and CE will have to settle for pocketing $200K (instead of the projected half million)

Jared’s personal brand is Always Keep Fighting so he fought WB from using it in the show and making $$ of it. Then he went further and timed the release his GG news and commercials on the same day as those stupid YANA videos. Jared did what the Ackles Army always feared he would do; completely overshadowed Jensen and Misha. YANA never got the fraction of the mainstream media attention and fandom acceptance that AKF got. Well played, Jared. Well played.

#anti yana

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escapingburger · 6 years ago

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Final Fantasy XV Discovered: The Future of Final Fantasy

This is it, folks--I'm finally just about done with Final Fantasy XV, and with it, my nearly seven-year project to play through the entire series. Final Fantasy isn't done, though, with the vaguest hints of a Final Fantasy XVI already starting to float through the air. So as I finish up the series, for now, my thoughts have turned to its future, and what its recent past might suggest about what's to come.

Final Fantasy will be turning 32 this year, one of the few game series that's managed to continue uninterrupted for that long. As these posts have shown, it's taken many forms over the years, which is probably a big part of its longevity: Final Fantasy has never needed a reboot because every game is essentially a chance to start fresh. From a high level, it looks like a great example of how to navigate the many changes in technology and market trends as the game industry has matured. With fifteen games over three decades, we've gotten a new Final Fantasy about every two years, on average, which is quite healthy indeed.

Of course, if you follow the series a bit more closely, you'll know that the average is misleading. Fully eleven of the main series games were released by 2002, in Final Fantasy's first fifteen years of existence, many of them within a year of each other. In the seventeen years since then, there have only been four. Each of those games has its own story, but all told, one wonders if the series has actually ridden out the last couple generations that well. After the steady, frequent releases of the early years, here's what the later era has seen:

Final Fantasy XII suffered from a long development period and the health-related departure of its original director; it eventually released four years after FF11.

Final Fantasy XIII was pushed back by FF12's delays, then moved to a new console generation and a new engine, eventually releasing about three and a half years later.

Final Fantasy XIV came out only a year after FF13, but was so poorly received that they essentially scrapped the game and started over. The new, better version took three more years to complete.

And Final Fantasy XV, as you probably know, started life as a spinoff of FF13. It took so long to finish that it moved platforms, dropped the FF13 connection, and was promoted to the main series presumably because they had no other FF15 in production. It came out three years after the reboot of FF14, and ten years after its own development began.

Now, this may be painting too dire of a picture. I don't think Final Fantasy is in trouble, exactly, but it definitely doesn't feel like the well-oiled machine it once was. Producing a top-end AAA game has gotten considerably more expensive and complex over the last couple generations, and a lot of studios haven't been able to keep up. Square Enix is still pulling it off, but it's been a bumpy ride. Back in the PlayStation era, they managed to set a standard for scope and production values while still releasing a new Final Fantasy every year or two, but now it seems like each one is kind of a struggle. I do wonder: With as long and expensive as FF15's development was, what if it bombed? Will we someday see the Final Fantasy equivalent of Bioware's Anthem, and what will that mean for the series?

I'm not suggesting that Square Enix return to the frequency of their earlier releases; I probably wouldn't be able to keep up with them anyway. But it would be nice to feel that the development process was a bit more deliberate. The actual release of Final Fantasy XV was a bright spot--after years of seeing little aside from CG trailers, Hajime Tabata finished the game up pretty quickly after taking over as director. I get the sense that he brought a more structured approach to development, though he has since left the company, so who knows what means for the future.

Another possible solution is smaller, less risky projects, which Square Enix has actually done quite a bit of. The release schedule I described above is actually kind of misleading, because while there have only been four mainline games in the latter half of the series's life, there have been all sorts of spinoffs and side projects in between. They've released tons of nostalgic content like ports, mobile games, and occasionally something a bit more unique like Final Fantasy Theatrhythm. More critically, we have also seen some direct tie-ins to the main series, like the FFXIII sequels (FFXIII-2 and Lightning Returns), or Final Fantasy XV's updates and DLC.

I do suspect the DLC route is something we'll see more of in the future. From a financial perspective, DLC makes tons of sense: Games have gotten a lot more expensive to make over the last fifteen years, but retail prices have actually gone down if you account for inflation. DLC lets developers get more mileage out of their work, helping to earn back what they spent creating the main game. And FF15's DLC has been pretty good--I wouldn't call it truly critical, but it does fill in some noteworthy pieces of backstory, while expanding on the core gameplay in some often interesting ways. It's also important to me, though, that the DLC ends. While I don't mind picking up some new chapters in a game I enjoy, what I don't want is to see Final Fantasy turning into a service-based "forever game" that intends to monetize its players indefinitely. I play these games in large part because I can eventually get a complete story, a complete experience, and then move on. I'd hate to see Final Fantasy lose that to chase the Fortnites of the world.

Fortunately, this doesn't seem too likely, at least for the time being. It's actually oddly heartening that Square Enix cancelled the rest of FF15's DLC when Tabata left, because it meant they didn't want to hand his story off to someone else just to keep the money coming in. And if you want a Final Fantasy that never ends, that's what the MMOs are for. It does seem harder to justify a huge, expensive single-player game these days, but there will always be those of us who want to play them. And that's a role Final Fantasy has been fulfilling for years, whatever else has happened, so I'm hopeful that it isn't going to give that up anytime soon. I still expect the future of Final Fantasy to bring plenty of changes, but that's always been the case. I'm looking forward to what comes next.

The End And that's it, everyone. I'm actually still finishing up a bit of FF15's Comrades expansion, but I don't anticipate any more posts coming out of that, so I'm calling this the end. It's been a long journey, starting in September 2012, but it's finally time to put this series to bed. I am going to post a table of contents to make it easier to go back through everything, but after that, it's time for a nice long break.

So what's next? Honestly, probably not much. Whenever Final Fantasy XVI turns up, I may add it in, but otherwise this page will probably go dormant for a while. I originally started this series as a way to revitalize my blog back at 1up.com, and it kind of turned into something bigger than I'd really expected. But now that it's done, I'm looking forward to playing or doing whatever I want, without having to worry about writing it up for a few people on the Internet. Follow me here or on Twitter to be alerted if I do eventually add something new, but I wouldn't expect anything anytime soon. So long!

#ff revisited #Final Fantasy #final fantasy xv

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rksomiin-blog · 6 years ago

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*.☽ .* 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧' 𝐬𝐨 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜

( disclaimer !! i’m still working around learning what’s canon & what’s not, so i didn’t put the artist's names to be on the safe side !! if they’re canon, they’re canon !! if they’re not, you can assume they were made by some other npc group !! and if they’re planned to be used in the future just….replace it with another song you can conjure up in your imagination!! <3 )

- - -

“can they see me? am i on? is the camera on?”

curious eyes, dyed a silver that makes her seem less than human, peer at the camera in curiosity as she checks for any errors. the twenty-two year old is dressed in more seductive dance attire than usual, a choker surrounding her neck, as the silk of her cocktail dress hug her waist. despite her safety short’s and awareness of her outfit choice, somin just knew someone would comment on her outfit of choice. it didn’t seem like onlookers were being too understanding of her, either. being in the middle of a grimy train station, she was certainly getting some odd looks, but by the confidence she was exuding it was hard to tell if she knew eyes were on her.

“alright. hello, everybody!” the woman greets, as she waves to the camera. she watches as people rush into what would be her instagram’s first live blog, posted on her story for a small following to see. with luck, this would be what would set her a little above the popularity she’d had as of yet. truthfully, she couldn’t be bothered to produce a full, edited video for youtube, so decided it’d be best to just do a broadcast of her own.

it’s unknown what the dancer is doing in such an odd setting for a video, the sound of passing faces and halting trains diminishing her voice to just barely above a whisper, although she was projecting to the best of her ability. “you know, i’ve seen a trend going around lately - this or that, type of thing?” as she tends to do, her hands idly toy around with the ring she always wore on her left index finger. “anyways, i figured it wouldn’t hurt to try that today. so...today we’ll be playing a little game called my followers choose my dance routine! it’s similar to the trends i’ve sure you seen, but with a bit of a twist - i must dance, and it has to be in public. it’s up to you how i perform!”

somin was willing to sacrifice her pride for the sake of the challenge, it wasn’t like much of her confidence would be compromised, after all. she was sure of herself, and knew that end of the day she could perform well, so as long as she was getting some notoriety she didn’t mind embarrassing herself a little.

“let’s start with something a little easy, yeah?” she asks, to get the ball rolling. “okay, min-mins,” she calls, the nickname she’d given her followers months prior as if she had a true fanbase. sure, she’d gathered a small following over the dance videos she’d appeared in enough to become known, but nothing quite as significant to already have a fandom name. but - this was jeon somin. “here’s your choices - likey, or…. russian roulette! it’s up to you guys, what should i do?” instead of the typical voting system she’d seen, she stays on the live, using her visual cues to decide which was winning. both songs were outside her typical comfort zone, as of late she’d preferred dancing to american songs, particularly those that allowed her to perform hip hop styles she’d begun to fallen in love with. although the latter was her favorite, her phone floods with requests to perform likey.

standing up from the crouching position she’s been in, somin pulls out her phone she used at the dance studio to play songs and such without having to leave her main one around. as the viewers look on, she backs up, though there’s not much space in the bustling train station. after pressing play, the familiar intro comes on and it’s like somin transforms. cuteness was always a charm she’d had when she was young, but had somehow lost as she’d matured and favored a sexier image. however, she’d realized over the past few months she needed to be more versatile if she truly wanted to be signed anywhere, so had been getting back into softer dances. with a grin on her face, her movements light and bouncy, she signals a heart to the screen.

“렌다 me likey!” she sings rather bubbly, though she’s sure not to take herself too seriously. her singing’s definitely not up-to-par with her other skills yet, and the last thing she wants is for her chance to be recognized discarded because of a sour note. following the familiar motions, people cross her, some smiling and joining in momentarily while most others, such as the older generations, look on with both utter confusion. “but that’s not all!” she says to the camera as she continues dancing. while it’s partially for fun, she hopes her technique does show through, the product of years upon years of dancing under numerous studios. “let’s make this a little more fun! it’s up to you all to decide - should i try continuing with my eyes closed, or scream the lyrics, in front of all these people?” she asks, gesturing to the crowd behind her. a sort of observation rink forms, a few feet from her as they look on curiously. with dancing, though, somin was in her own world. no one, even those staring her down right beside her, could sway her from what she was doing.

after tallying the votes, she clasps her hands together, getting a rather unanimous answer. “screaming it is!” she announces, and though she’s not one to get flustered she feels her palms sweating in slight anticipation. “alright, let’s do this.” clearing her throat, she cups her hands over her mouth, as to call attention to herself by amplifying the noise. “did you hear me, hongdae university station? i said, 렌다 me likey!” like that, she begins yelling the lyrics to the best of her ability, trying as hard as she can to keep her voice stable as she runs through the dance motions.

“BB크림 파-파-파,

립스틱을 맘-맘-마,

카메라에 담아볼까, 예쁘게!

이거 보면 웃어줘,

그리고 꼭 눌러줘,

저 밑에 앙증맞고 새빨간... heart heart!”

just as the girl approaches the bridge a second time, she huffs in exhaustion, her body deflating as she stops the song. all around her, people are looking on in utter confusion, and she’s even summoned a guard to look at her angrily. but what’s better than an audience, right? the comment section is on fire, laughing emojis and further request flowing throughout the chat.

trying her best to hide her exhaustion, which was extremely difficult considering the extremity of her task, somin presents the next two options. “alright, alright. next two - lullaby, or the 7th sense?” two entirely different options, ones that get the comments in a heated debate. while some wish to see her charisma and sharp choreography in the first, the others hope to get a glimpse of her attitude and stage presence with the second. the woman sees some comments questioning her options, asking why she hadn’t chose a male song. “why, am i not able to dance to a boy group’s song, too?” she asks, her tone rather polite and teasing, while her anger flares inside her - the true, emotionally-leading somin threatening to spill out. “let’s see about that.” finally, deciding to break up the debate on her own, she decides on the 7th sense and puts herself in a starting position.

this dance is taken a little more seriously, truly showing the extent of her abilities. able to control herself, she locks her body into the desired movements.

“감싸주지 나를, hate is on me-” she decides to sing along, glaring at the camera as she sends an indirect message to the user who had questioned her abilities. was she being too menacing? it seemed the look had gone over as alluring, rather than rude, and hearts and emojis showing shock cover her phone screen. rolling with it, she decides to give the dance a sexier vibe, allowing it to appear more feminine than the original had. her movements are as sharp, but hidden between them are enchanting looks and slow, almost taunting movements. as she decides to pop as the beat of the song drops, she catches a rather angry older woman walk past her with a look dripping in disgust, cursing the teenagers of this generation. “somin-unnie, you look so cool?” she reads, letting out a laugh as she approaches the bridge, looking over to her phone. “thanks, iloveconvextodeath24!” she replies, finding it hard not to chuckle at the cheesy username. my group’s name will be on someone’s username too, someday, she promises herself, though the dream seems anywhere but close.

“now, like last time, it’s time to switch it up. would you rather me add aegyo, or try the rap?” either provided her with an incentive that’d be valuable to her - showing off her duality, or putting one of her developing skills on display. finally, after a brief moment of indecisiveness, the growing viewers decide on the rap - and just in time. just as she hears the familiar part approaching, she readies herself, putting the dance on pause as she steadies her body.

“uh, 여전히 어딘가로,

이름 모를 지역에, 난 이름 모를 hall 로,

몇 밤을 자도 편치 않은 어딘가 에서도,

결국 대부분 내,

시간을 보내는 explorer…”

by now she’s just getting curious looks, the crowd seeming to adjust to her odd behavior. to be fair, it wasn’t all-too-rare of a sight in hongdae, seeing that much of her time on the street meant passing my busking teens and hopeful trainees showcasing their talents. somin was no outlier.

“uh, and that’s a long ass ride!” she finishes, bursting into a fit of laughs as she collapses onto the ground, covering her legs to prevent her dress from riding too high up. the satisfaction of successfully finishing the rap without stumbling too bad was genuine, and she let out a cheer of victory at the accomplishment. the live had been going fairly well, and though she had a few slip-ups both her and the viewers seemed to enjoy themselves.

it was getting fairly late, however, and somin knows she’d better wrap it up soon if she wanted any chance at ending things before it got too dark out. “okay! mission two, complete. this one’s the last one, min-mins, so don’t disappoint me!” a thumbs up of encouragement is given before she finally speaks again, urging the remaining onlookers to share their opinion. “ko ko bop, or….” before she can say the last choice, a man’s enthusiastic voice can be heard in the back, and only when she looks behind her does she identify them as one of the people in the station who’d grown interested in the randomly timed performance.

“latata!” he calls out excitedly, no doubt a fan of the song by his tone. somin can only grin, and with a shrug she turns to the viewers. “well? you heard it here, what’ll it be, then? ko ko bop, or this lovely gentleman’s suggestion, latata?” turning, she puts on one of the smiles she’d rehearsed to use in situations like this, a romantic undertone as her hands twirl around to wave. whether it be for their genuine preference or keeping the man in mind, latata wins by a landslide. for the final time, she rises to her feet, setting the song up.

“let’s kill it!” she hadn’t been truly prepared to perform the song, but somin was glad she did. months ago, she’d picked the choreography up from a dance workshop. her lack of practice afterward was evident, and there are some parts in which she blanks on the upcoming move or had to rush to her next position, but tries her best nevertheless to save herself by way of charisma and improvisation. the song itself was perfect for her aura, the playfulness and sexiness she had inherited working together to produce an entertaining performance. just for kicks, she turns to the man who was looking on with excitement, mouthing the words “everyday, every night, latata,” before popping back into the powerful chorus. by her confidence, someone would swear she was someone of influence, though her skills didn’t yet match those of an idol.

“last challenge!” she calls, not stopping to check the comments this time around. “your call - should implement ballerina moves, or do everything at 2x speed?” for once, she’s surprised by the result, expecting the second to win due to its popularity on variety shows. however, ever since she’d mentioned her background in dance she’d by asked by some to post a video displaying what she could do, therefore over sixty percent of the comments favored the ballet. “so i guess you prefer somin the ballerina over me tripping over my own feet! okay, then, let’s do this.”

to be completely honest, somin was incredibly scared. she hadn’t practiced ballet in quite a while, let alone go on pointe. she decided to keep it rather simple, using a routine she’d learned when she was younger and somehow modifying it to resemble the rhythm of latata. échappé, pas de chat, and trying her hardest to finish the song by nailing a grand jeté. perhaps she’d been too ambitious, for the second she tries to land it she stumbles until crashing onto her feet. ouch. she’s using every name in the book, cursing herself for being so careless. was it the lack of training beforehand? or the dress? by now, it was basically a shirt, the shorts underneath protecting her from any potential exposure. nevertheless, she felt vulnerable enough as it is, as some concerned peers rushed over to ask if she was okay. breathe, somin. there’s no way you’re going to look phased by a stupid fall on camera. “i’m fine, i’m fine.” shooing them off, the dancer adjusts her appearance before flashing a smile of assurance to the flurry of worried comments. “i’m fine, i promise, everyone. but i think that’s my cue to stop.” while it is followed by a laugh, somin knows she’s reached her true limits, and perhaps had exceeded them in her attempts to impress everyone.

“so, i think that’ll be it for now! thanks for following my journey of dancing in public!” while she knows she’s not a true professional yet, and shouldn’t take it so seriously, there’s a visible tinge of disappointment as the girl deflates right before the viewer’s eyes.”anyways, this has been my followers choose my dance routine! i hope you’ve all had fun, and let me know if you’d like to see more of these youtube-style type of lives!”

and like that - with an air kiss, and a wave - she’s gone. the tapping of a button and the black screen marks the end of the live, as somin let’s out the biggest exhale she’s held in during her entire life.

#❝ solos. ❞#sorry i wanted to get this out yesterday!!#but my laptop wasn't posting anything rip #rkvlog #❝ points. ❞

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animesavior · 6 years ago

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“You got it all wrong, Pops. I don't give a damn about what happened in the past. This guy's in my way, so I’m going to beat him.”

- “Gearless” Joe, Megalo Box (Ep. 06)

The Toonami Trending Rundown for January 26-27, 2019. It’s a good night for anime as Joe has a bout against one of Pop’s old students in Aragaki, while Yukako visits a beauty salon in her attempt to get Koichi to like her more, and Asta tries to recover from his harsh injuries against Vetto, among other great moments.

On Twitter, #Toonami as well as every show from Mob Psycho 100 to Shippuden would successfully trend in the US. Character trends for JoJo’s and Black Clover with both Yukako and Koichi as well as Asta. On Tumblr, Toonami would trend alongside Naruto and #BNHA. The full list including statistics and tweet counts from the twitter app and Amr Rahmy’s analytics app can be seen below.

This week, Viz Media has partnered with CineLife Entertainment to bring out a limited theatrical run of the second Hunter x Hunter feature film: The Last Mission. If you’re interested, check out http://www.cinelifeentertainment.com/event/hunter-x-hunter-the-last-mission/ for tickets and showtimes near your area and give your support to the anime industry on the big screen.

youtube

Also in Hunter x Hunter news, Viz Media has released Set 5 of the Hunter x Hunter Blu-rays and DVDs, containing Episodes 76-99 or the first part of the Chimera Ant arc, and is available to purchase at all major anime selling retailers with a $54.97 MSRP.

Viz Media has also released Set 3 of the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Blu-rays and DVDs, containing all of the Stardust Crusaders: Battle of Egypt arc. With an MSRP of $69.99, it’s available to pick up in all major anime selling retailers.

Dragon Ball Super: Broly’s box office total increased by $3 Million over the weekend, with the total US gross for Broly is now $28,222,444. The limited theater release is starting to wind down, so if you haven’t already, check it out in theaters while you still can. On a related note, reports have surfaced that during NATPE Miami, Toei Animation seemed to announce that new episodes of Dragon Ball Super are in the works, however Toei has denied those reports as of now.

And of course, the big news of the week…

In a case of “it was a matter of not if, but when it was coming” unless you were one of those SAO haters who were praying that Netflix and Hulu would somehow get Aniplex to snake their way out of its contract with Toonami, Toonami and Aniplex have announced that Kirito and Asuna are returning to their US broadcast home as the highly successful Sword Art Online franchise will be making its return to the better cartoon show for its highly anticipated third season in Project Alicization.

Season 3 will make its debut on February 9 at 12:30 am Eastern/Pacific, taking over Mob Psycho 100 on the schedule as the dub for season 2 of the latter is not ready for release as of now (Kyle McCarley, during his most recent Unlocked stream as of this writing, had mentioned that he has still yet to be called in to reprise his role as Shigeo/Mob). As the first episode is an hour’s length, Megalo Box will have the night off to make way. Episode 16 just aired in Japan and on streaming subbed this week, so while this isn’t a simuldub like the ones we’re used to from Funimation, it’s a relatively quick one compared to what we usually see from Alex von David, Bang Zoom, and Aniplex.

In anticipation for Sword Art Online’s return to Toonami, we covered the Project Alicization premiere in Hollywood back in October and got the opportunity to interview Bryce Papenbrook, the voice of Kirito. For those who would like to know what to expect going into this new season, I recommend checking out those articles if you haven’t so already. And of course, for those who are late to the party or who just want to rewatch the previous two seasons and Ordinal Scale in anticipation, the show is available to binge on Netflix, Hulu, Funimation Now and Crunchyroll as well as available to purchase on iTunes, the Microsoft Store, and available on Blu-ray and DVD.

As previously mentioned, as Season 2 of Mob Psycho 100 isn’t ready to go just yet (when the dub will be ready and when Toonami will get to air it are both yet to be announced), the show will be going on an off-season after next week, so make sure to tune in for the season finale of season 1, among other great moments. Until next week, stay gold.

Legend: The shows listed are ordered based on their appearance on the schedule. Show trends are listed in bold. The number next to the listed trend represents the highest it trended on the list (not counting the promoted trend), judging only by the images placed in the rundown. For the Twitter tweet counts, the listed number of tweets are also sorely based on the highest number shown based on the images on the rundown.

United States Trends:

#Toonami [#8]

#MobPsycho100 [#7]

#MegaloBox [#7]

#JoJosBizarreAdventure [#7]

Koichi (From JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure) [#8]

Yukako (From JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure) [#17]

#BlackClover [#9]

#HunterXHunter [#4]

#Shippuden [#6]

Temari (From Naruto Shippuden) [Trended with #Shippuden]

Tweet Counts:

#Toonami [4,825 tweets]

#Boruto [4,544 tweets]

#MyHeroAcademia [4,335 tweets]

#MobPsycho100 [3,086 tweets]

#MegaloBox [1,369 tweets]

#JoJosBizarreAdventure [3,075 tweets]

Koichi (From JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure) [3,299 tweets]

Yukako (From JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure) [1,296 tweets]

#BlackClover [1,345 tweets]

Asta (From Black Clover) [5,597 tweets]

#HunterXHunter [1,770 tweets]

Amr Rahmy Counts:

#DragonBallSuper [#7 with 1,856 tweets]

#Boruto [#17 with 1,423 tweets]

#MyHeroAcademia [#7 with 2382 tweets]

#MobPsycho100 [#12 with 1,467 tweets]

#MegaloBox [#18 with 816 tweets]

#JoJosBizarreAdventure [#18 with 924 tweets]

#BlackClover [#17 with 1,008 tweets]

Tumblr Trends:

#Toonami

#BNHA

Notes and Other Statistics:

#Toonami: @WhoTrendedIT reported that @blumspew and @ToeiAnimation started the trend in the US.

#MobPsycho100: @WhoTrendedIT reported that @Kirbopher and @CaseyTheVA started the trend in the US.

#JoJosBizarreAdventure: @WhoTrendedIT reported that @DC_Douglas started the trend in the US.

Special thanks to @coreymbarnes and others I forgot to mention for spotting some of the trends on this list.

Split it evenly, 50/50. Only Toonami on [adult swim] on Cartoon Network.

#Toonami #Adult Swim #Cartoon Network #Toonami Trending Rundown #Megalo Box #Dragon Ball Super #Dragon Ball Z #DBZ #Boruto #Naruto #Naruto Shippuden #My Hero Academia #Boku no Hero Academia #Mob Psycho 100 #JoJo's Bizarre Adventure #Yukako #Koichi #Black Clover #Asta

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the-fashiongeek-blog1 · 6 years ago

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Top 20 Collections of FW18

It’s officially t-minus one week until NYFW! With next season fast approaching, I thought I would take a look back at some of my favorite shows from the last go around. (a.k.a. a very long post under the cut)

20. BURBERRY These days, trying to keep up with the turnover of designers at major fashion houses can make you feel like you’re watching a game of musical chairs. Christopher Bailey’s position at Burberry was one of the few constants. However, this season marked the end of his seventeen-year tenure at the British heritage brand. His final collection was an ode to the brand, the country, Bailey’s youth, and the LGBTQ+ community. Not only did he create limited editions Burberry’s iconic logo and check patterns with rainbows, he made significant contributions to charities and organizations like The Trevor Project that are focused on LGBTQ+ youth. While it isn’t my favorite collection Bailey’s designed for the brand (hello, FW16), there were many pieces I liked. Some of the looks seemed a little busy, and would perhaps benefit from simpler styling. Look 68, for example, works better for me than look 64. Nevertheless, the clothes are fun and have an undeniable sense of joy about them. It made for the perfect sendoff for Bailey’s time with the brand.

19. CHRISTIAN SIRIANO From one celebration of a designer’s career to another. This season marked ten years since Christian Siriano began his namesake line. I’ve been a fan of Siriano’s since his time on Project Runway, and his win at the end of the season came as no surprise. However, I haven’t followed his collections too closely since. It might just be a matter of personal preference - he plays a lot with ruffles and 80s-style proportions, which I’m not really a big fan of. But Siriano is clearly talented and his continued red carpet success is proof of that. This collection was one of his first in years that really stayed with me. Some of the simplest looks were the ones that stood out the most, particularly the ones in glittering black velvet. Many of the evening wear looks were elegant and seem like they were made for each specific model. Siriano has been committed to working with diverse talents and promoting a wider range of beauty standards for a while now. His shows often have some of the most exciting casts on the entire fashion calendar and this year was no exception; the addition of Danielle Brooks and Selma Blair didn’t feel like a gimmick. They looked radiant in their Siriano creations. Every model did.

18. BALMAIN Last go around, Balmain was probably the biggest disappointment of the season for me. I’ve consistently loved Olivier Rousteing’s designs for the brand, which was why I felt so heartbroken when I didn’t. This season had me falling for the brand all over again. The premise? Balmain, but in the future. The distant future. In a time when the world feels like a hot freaking mess, many look to the past, where nostalgia goggles have turned everything a nice rosy hue. Looking instead to the future is a nice change of pace, with a sorely needed dash of optimism. There was lots neon and PVC, as well iridescent and holographic materials. My favorite textile might’ve been the plastic that had an oil-slick-like sheen. Despite it being an unfamiliar fabric for the brand, the pieces still looked very Balmain. So what is classic Balmain? During Rousteing’s tenure, it’s a mix of 80s glam rock, military influences, and current party girl looks. We saw all of those in this collection. There were plenty of intricate, embroidered mini-dresses, as well as some very 80s jumpsuits (thankfully sans shoulder pads). There were, however, a few pieces that were over-embellished, and those dreaded shoulder ruffles made an appearance. Still, the majority of the collection was strong and filled with pieces I would wear in a heartbeat.

17. SELF-PORTRAIT I’ll admit I’m a sucker for collections with a strong central inspiration. (See above.) Han Chong’s most recent Self-Portrait collection was more subtle. The collection featured all kinds of garments, fabrics, and silhouettes. Rather than looks with variations on the same theme, he used many different techniques and details, blending them into a thirty-five beautiful looks. Each look was unique, but they could all conceivably be found in the closet of the same person. Of the different details, the use of large grommets in everything from skirt hems to dress sleeves was probably my favorite. One of Chong’s more well-known design techniques are his off-kilter ruffles. I know what I said about ruffles earlier, but his are brilliant. They never seem to add bulk to the figure or the garment. Those ruffles were on full display in this collection. Particularly impressive were the pieces that featured this technique in plaid. Matching up prints, or arraigning them in a visually appealing way, is particularly difficult. The way Chong has pulled it off here shows both amazing design skill and craftsmanship. Also, those leather hip bags - all of which were worn under belts, conforming perfectly to the body - were the most stylish answer to the fanny pack trend I’ve seen yet.

16. CHRISTOPHER KANE After one of my favorite Pre-Fall collections, I was eagerly anticipating Christopher Kane’s next runway show. Not only was the campaign/lookbook aesthetically pleasing, but I loved the use of crystalline fringe. So I was of course delighted when his most recent collection brought it back. Unfortunately, it wasn’t featured that heavily. Similarly disappointing was the fact that he used a particularly beautiful lasercut pleather-and-lace textile only once. His clever use of zippers on sweaters, skirts, and dresses was delightful and I would wear those rhinestone-covered shoes in a heartbeat. However, not every look was a homerun. The looks that featured marabou at the hems were mostly lost on me. Bulky hems, particularly on lightweight fabrics, can cause a garment to hang weirdly. Maybe it was just my dislike of marabou in general - I wasn’t a fan of those feathered shoes either. The finale looks featuring images from The Joy of Sex seemed a little too on the nose. Kane is no stranger to explicit garments (FKA Twigs’ Met Gala look, anyone?), but this seems a little too on the nose. It lacks the cheeky fun of his other collections. Some of the lace pieces, like Looks 9 and 12, were complex without feeling over-designed. On the other hand were simpler dresses, like Look 13, which called to mind the early aughts…and not in a fun way. As a child of the 90s and early 00s myself, I want to be excited about this revival - I’m just not there. Maybe it hasn’t been long enough yet. Twenty-year cycle of nostalgia and all that.

15. ANN DEMUELEMEESTER When the inevitable cyberpunk apocalypse occurs, I know which designer I’ll be wearing. Okay, I’ll gladly wear Ann Demuelemeester before then too. From reading the designer, Sébastien Meunier’s, inspiration alone, I knew I would love it. I mean, he name-dropped Mary Shelly. The clothes themselves lived up to my hype. My weakness for corsets, harnesses, and bondage elements knows no bounds. Actually, this was a pretty bondage-light collection from the brand, leaning more towards tough, almost survivalist pieces. Of the looks, my favorites were towards the beginning and end of the collection. While other tunic tops and miniskirts seemed to shorten the waist and add bulk to the hips, the ones made of leather were particularly flattering. And those sheer tops had me reconsidering my negative stance on shoulder pads. Hooded dresses are another great love of mine, and I’m sad there was only one in the collection. That being said, Look 6 is right up there as one of my favorites. I only have one final question about the collection; those hip capes…how do they work? I’m just as baffled as I am delighted by them. I’m being serious here. What were they attached to?

14. SIMONE ROCHA Given my general tastes, it would probably surprise most people how much I love Simone Rocha’s designs. Cute, flowery, and girly are three things I generally am not. That does not mean, however, that I can’t enjoy them. Season after season, Rocha’s flouncy, feminine designs continue to delight. Fresh off a Moncler Genius collaboration (the best of the bunch, in my opinion), Rocha’s collection was one of exuberant excess. Her usual fare of lacy frocks included beaded chains, chandelier earrings, and more bows than you could shake a stick at. There were many patterned pieces as well, and even a dress or two that featured a large amount of embroidery. Perhaps it was the season, or that Moncler collab, but many of the looks in the collection featured coats and outerwear. The sheer dresses layered over blazers were particularly fun. One of my favorites was an off-the-shoulder red pleather trench coat. Impractical for actual low temperatures? Probably, think of how cute you’d look! A couple looks did veer worryingly into cutesy territory, or featured enough fabric to drown the wearer, but there was only one thing that really bothered me. Even in the midst of the ugly shoe trend, I must ask if there’s really interested in wearing flats that make you look like a were-clydesdale. Unless you’re trying to sweep your floors and getting in all your steps at the same time, I just don’t see the appeal. Those beaded, lace-up numbers, however? I’ll take fifty, thanks.

13. SONIA RYKIEL In 1968, Sonia Rykiel opened her first boutique and kept designing for her brand until 2011. She unfortunately passed away in 2016, but her legacy as the “Queen of Knits” lives on. Rykiel is also credited as inventing many techniques and pioneering braless fashion. This collection marked the 50th anniversary of her brand and was a celebration of everything she accomplished. There were sweaters galore and models sporting Rykiel’s signature curls smiled as they made their way down the runway. The five women who closed the show even had glitter sprinkled in their hair. While the show was very Rykiel, I was surprised by the lack of details Rykiel was known for. It may just be my computer’s resolution, but I barely saw any unfinished hems and not a single inside-out seam. Nevertheless, Rykiel’s “gamine Rive Gauche” style was on full display. I particularly loved the lace dresses in Looks 35 and 36. The show was a touching tribute to a well-loved and talented. designer. Bananarama even performed! Now, that haute couture show, however…

12. SAINT LAURENT What can I say other than I’m predictable? Dark colors, leather, and rock & roll are a pretty much unbeatable combination in my book. This may be fashion blogger heresy, but I actually enjoyed Hedi Slimane’s take on the brand. His first outing at the house was definitely my favorite, but I did like a lot of his other collections. Still, when I found out Anthony Vaccarello was taking over, I was hype. He was a favorite of mine and his designs seemed to fit the “skinny rocker” aesthetic Slimane championed for the brand. So far, he hasn’t let me down. Well, aside from jettisoning his main line to focus on Saint Laurent. But, hey, it’s a big job. That being said, this might be my least favorite of Vaccarello’s collections for Saint Laurent. The majority of the looks didn’t offer up anything particularly new or exciting the way his previous collections have. And those twenty-nine samey mini-dresses that closed out the show? The ones with the floral embroidery that looked like 80s wallpaper? Not the biggest fan. With that being said, I still liked the collection a great deal. The majority clothes were still nice as well as wearable. I really liked the set of three black, floor-length gowns near the middle of the show - particularly when paired with those wide-brimmed hats. Special mention also goes to the earrings in Look 52. Who doesn’t want a pair of crystalline fish skeletons dangling from their ears?

11. OFF-WHITE Virgil Abloh is having a hell of a year. First, there was the mob scene created when gatecrashers and those with invitations alike attempted to enter the show space all at the same time. Then, shortly afterwards, he was appointed to succeed Kim Jones as artistic director at Louis Vuitton menswear. His first collection for the brand was met with critical acclaim, and not without reason, but his FW18 collection for his own line deserves just as much praise. Maybe it was just me being a biased Manhattanite, but I always seem to love collections inspired by the city. (Even if this collection was titled “West Village” and I grew up on practically the other end of the island.) Typically, when I say a piece looks like it was made from a tapestry, it’s not a good thing. Abloh literally used a “tapestry” fabric for several of the looks in the collection, but they only scream “high fashion”. A couple pieces appeared to have fit issues, but I really enjoyed the collection and liked so many of the pieces. The corsets and blazer-romper combos were particularly nice. I also liked the athleisure-style turtleneck, flowy silk dresses, lace-up boots, corsets, sequined pieces…

10. OLIVIER THEYSKENS Until recently, Olivier Theyskens was a name I associated with Theory. I liked his work for the brand (there’s a well-loved leather jacket in my closet as proof), but I love his work for his own line. His detailing is subtle, never calling attention to itself, but enhancing the garment. The seams on the leather trench in Look 2 is the perfect example of that. I also love a good leather pant and some distressed denim, both of which were on display in this collection. The only pieces I wasn’t particularly into were the Bermuda shorts, but that length is usually a no from me anyway. One surefire way to my heart is by combining soft and hard feminine - a major theme of the collection. Slinky slip dresses were paired with platform combat boots that made my inner emo kid sing with joy. Several looks combining chunkier dresses with long coats called to mind 90s media like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The Craft (two perennial favorites of mine.) There’s been something of a grunge/90s revival happening on the runways recently - the twenty-year nostalgia cycle, I’m telling you - which this collection could definitely be considered a part of. And I for one could not be happier.

9. COACH 1941 Discovering I liked Coach’s clothing line was the biggest plot twist for me of 2014 - and that was the same year Captain America: Winter Soldier came out. Before then, I only ever associated Coach with pocketbooks that screamed their brand name back at you. (No, I’m not a fan of the logomania trend, why do you ask?) Stuart Ververs’ clothing, however, is all kinds of 70s rock & roll, which I am very much into. That vibe was present here as well, particularly when paired with the muted and neutral fall color pallet of this collection. There were both slip dresses and more flowy pieces in a variety of colors and prints. The latter were more modest and called to mind prairie dresses, all without feeling dowdy. Some of my favorites were the ones that had a harder edge, with things like leather details. What can I say other than I’m consistent? Some pieces in the collection seemed laden with one too many details, or had an off-putting color pallet - like a metallic gunmetal and orange pleated skirt with a single, bright blue stripe near the hem. On others, however, the details absolutely made the piece. Some leather jackets, for example, had embossed inserts in a different color that really elevated them. And while I may loathe their C-print bags, there’s no denying Coach makes quality leather goods.

8. DION LEE Variations on a central theme? Check. Clever suit tailoring? Check. Lingerie details? Check. This most recent Dion Lee offering combined three of my favorite elements into one very strong collection. While pairing blazers with lingerie has been a trend in street style for some time now, Lee may be the first person I’ve seen to combine them into a single garment. With the smallest of cutouts just above the bust, many of these suits managed to be sexy without being obvious. Well, except for the opening looks which used contrasting fabrics for the bra insert and the rest of the blazer to draw the eye. That’s not a disparaging remark either - I quite liked those two looks, and I don’t fall for grey/warm color combinations easily. Another recurring element in the collection was the use of a fabric slashed in such a way that it becomes almost a fishnet. It’s a technique Lee’s spent years perfecting. On some pieces, the fabric was slashed more and pulled apart in certain areas to create varying levels of opacity. One element I didn’t particularly enjoy were the almost handkerchief-like hems on several of the dresses and skirts. Heavy hems are a hard sell for me and, while I adore cephalopods, I don’t think I want to go around looking like one any time soon. They worked a little better on the garments where they were pinned up, but that’s still going to be a no from me. Every single shoe in the collection, however, was right up my alley.

7. ROBERTO CAVALLI Glamour, opulence, and excess are three words that come to mind at the mention of Roberto Cavalli. However, that was the house under Cavalli himself. Paul Surridge’s vision of glamour is a little more subtle. Outside of a few evening wear looks - arguably some of the strongest in the collection - there was nary a sparkle in sight. Instead, the focus was on business dressing that featured subtle hints of sexuality. Several drop-waisted gowns used a combination of creative cutouts and thigh-high slits that oozed Cavalli. Handkerchief hems featured on everything from blazers to multi-tiered dresses….The effect was better on some pieces than others. Still, Cavalli’s influence on the brand was there. Many looks featured the kind of ombre prints Cavalli loved. (They were particularly reminiscent of the finale looks of his FW15 collection.) There were also the animal prints and straight-legged pants that were common staples on his previous runways. The blazers, however, were definitely Surridge; he is a former menswear designer after all. Interestingly, some of the looks could’ve benefitted from sharper tailoring. A few jackets and blazers had slits up the sides that were interesting in concept, but not so great in execution. Sensual business wear and understated elegance…Could this be what we can come to expect from Roberto Cavalli under Surridge? Of course, if you prefer the OTT glamour of Cavalli’s era, there were a nice pair of $91K crocodile leather pants that might be right up your alley.

6. TOMMY HILFIGER Okay, okay, Tommy Hilfiger uses the see-now-buy-now business model, so the most recent runway show was actually for SS18. However, it happened during the most recent fashion week. Also, I really liked the collection, so it’s going on the list. What can I say other than I love a good moto detail? It’s the first thing listed in my “about” page. And this was a whole collection based around moto looks. It also happened to be the final Tommy X Gigi collection. I can’t speak to how much creative input Gigi Hadid actually had in the the collection itself, but the outcome was wonderful. If her streetwear is anything to go by, she certainly likes moto too - along with the athleisure vibes that Hilfiger’s brand is built upon. In fact, this collection looks exactly like what current influencers, such as Gigi and co., already wear on the daily. It becomes a classic chicken-and-egg question. Which came first; a trend influencers picked up on, or designers picking up on influencer trends? Regardless, the clothes were still cute and wearable - if only for a specific demographic. Hilfiger is definitely marketing this collection towards a younger generation of social media stars and those that want to emulate them. There were crop tops galore and, of course, a pair of bike shorts or two. The only real problems I had with the collection were in fit and styling. Does anyone want a top that’s fitted under the arms, only to flare out at the waist? And then there were the shorts layered over, again, bike shorts. Other than that, I would happily wear almost any piece in the collection. Oh, crap, have I bought into the influencer hype? And if I have, can you blame me when it comes to collections like this?

5. JACQUEMUS And now we move from Instagram to Tumblr. No, Simon Porte Jacquemus was not inspired by this very website. The source of his inspiration, however, is one that is quite popular here. I must admit, I never really understood the wistful posts about reading classic lit on the Mediterranean - that is, until now. After spending some time in Morocco, Jacquemus created a collection inspired by the year-round mild climate there. The collection was filled with kaftans, loose shirt dresses, and clingy but light knits. Even the most substantial sweaters and coats felt breezy compared to most of the other outerwear shown this season. The collection was, of course, very French as well. The looks, nearly all of which had some slinky, body-conscious elements, oozed confident sensuality - the kind that’s endeared Brigitte Bardot to generation after generation. Small details were key here. Several looks included a tiny white tee that could easily be an updated version of the baby-tee that’s been gaining traction lately. Some also included a delicate gold body chain - which I need immediately. A sweater dress or two had a ribbed detail around the hip that flattered the body wonderfully. Clever draping on the jackets made you sit back and wonder just how the garment’s pattern had been drafted. Of course, Jacquemus also loves wild proportions. There were touches of that in this collection, but none more obvious than the bigger-than-big, wide-brimmed sun hats, which have been worn by Bella Hadid, EmRata, and more. With cold weather on the horizon, I’m already anticipating the moments I have every winter, where I’ll wish I was somewhere warm. This year, I’ll be fantasizing about reading Lovecraft on the Mediterranean - while dressed in Jacquemus, of course.

4. PACO RABANNE I’ll admit, I was slow to come around to Julien Dossena’s take on Paco Rabanne. Part of it might’ve been because I was bitter about the brand dropping Manish Arora so quickly. (And I still am.) But another part was the lack of the brand’s signatures within his collections. Sure, there were nods to the materials Rabanne first made fashionable, but they were never at the core of the collection. A metallic-sequined skirt here and a plastic dress there and that was it. That is, not until his chainmail-heavy FW17 collection. His following runway collection was one of my favorites of the season. This time around, Dossena finally took on the hardest challenge in Rabanne’s legacy; plastic and metal as textiles. To say that he succeeded is an understatement. The collection not only read “Paco Rabanne”, but Dossena as well. Each new piece felt fresh and exciting. Who knew there were so many different ways to shape metal and plastic together? There were hints of 60s mod influence, like a black and white striped t-shirt dress, but it was given a much more current silhouette. That particular dress was layered under a mesh made up of metal beads and rings. What’s more, all the pieces showed great movement. Just because they were made of stiff materials did not mean they had to be rigid or hard. A skirt composed of metal pieces shaped into flowers was even delicate and whimsical. This was classic Rabanne for the modern age. (Let’s just…not talk about those shoes, okay?)

3. CHLOÉ You hear a lot about sophomore slumps. Difficult second albums…difficult second runway collections? Not for Natacha Ramsay-Levi. In fact, this collection might even be better than her first. Chloé is a brand rooted in the 70s, and Ramsay-Levi’s clothes, while clearly inspired by the decade, didn’t feel dated. Garments were loose, but tailored in such a way that they still showed the figure underneath. Flattered, even. (A Surridge subtweet? Never.) Cutouts are still going strong, at least over at Chloé, and there were several variations I’d yet seen. Hip cutouts with a belt over top and even side-torso cutouts if you’re feeling a little more daring. The looks that created the illusion of a cutout by layering a plunging v-neck over a cropped turtleneck were also standouts. There were a couple pieces that did feel a little off, however. Namely the pieces that had a row of fur on them like some kind of edging or fringe. Those pants with the line of fur down the sides were particularly silly, sorry not sorry. On the other hand, the collection included a look or two with that shoulder frill so many designers have tried recently, which my mother and I joke makes you look like a nudibranch. But here it didn’t. Perhaps it was the bracelets over the sleeves that saved it. (A fashion risk, but one that definitely paid off.) There were so many other pieces I wanted to comment on - the flared pants, the jumpsuits, the updated Chloé boots, the jewelry, the aviator jacket…But what else is there to say some times other than I liked the collection?

2. ALEXANDER MCQUEEN In recent seasons, Sarah Burton has (imho) really hit her stride at Alexander McQueen. This collection in particular had an inspiration that was close to my heart. One of my mother’s best friends collects insect displays. Creepy and weird, sure, but also beautiful. Very much the McQueen M.O. This collection featured both beetle and butterfly motifs - some more literal than others. The “articulated corsets” could either be insect exoskeletons or butterfly wings. There were also a variety of garments in butterfly and beetle wing prints that were wonderfully geometric, if a bit busy at times. The most effective was probably a trench coat with an orange and red version of the butterfly print from the lapels down. (Though not quite as impressive as the coats with lace inserts, which were simply stunning.) The biggest surprise of the collection were the fringe dresses. Not so much the fact that there was fringe - it was ubiquitous this season, and Burton has used it before - but the fact that I liked her use of it. Her manipulation of the material was brilliant in the way it mimicked and integrated those earlier prints. The finale dresses that did not include fringe, however, I liked decidedly less. Decidedly. It’s a testament to how much I liked the rest of the looks that this collection was still my second-favorite overall. My favorite looks actually came earlier in the collection, both of which featured tulle embroidered with some very 3D beetles. Heavy? Probably. Uncomfortable to sit down in? Also likely. But stunning? Just like the rest of the collection, without a doubt.

Alright, I’m sure you can already guess my favorite SS18 collection (because I am tremendously predictable), but I wanted to give shoutouts to some honorable mentions first. The moto-reimaginings of Jackie Kennedy’s most iconic outfits at Moschino were some of my favorite individual pieces of the season. However, the unfortunate phrasing in the campaign has left a bad taste in my mouth since. Oscar de la Renta was gorgeous (that layered tulle coat Nicki Minaj wore to the Met Gala, wow), just not as exciting as the previous season. Likewise, Area had some great looks, and I loved the dark lip on some of the models, but it was about 50/50 for me. David Koma had amazing leather craftsmanship, as always, but the looks with embroidered feathers felt like something you could find at a department store. In another season, Elie Saab might’ve made it onto the list, I just happened to like other collections more. (Look 56, though. Wow.) And, with that all off my chest, my favorite collection of the season!

1. ALEXANDER WANG Do all of the earlier references to designs I like count as foreshadowing? This collection literally had it all; clear inspiration, variations on a theme, moto details…Well, and Alexander Wang is my favorite designer. From the first look, I was in love. There was something distinctly Matrix-ian about the collection - and it wasn’t just the tiny shades. Perhaps it was the trench coats and the prevalence of leather, or having the models stomp through a set that was, at one point in time, an office building - the former Condé Nast HQ, in fact. Wang’s use of zippers in this collection was phenomenal. The ones that hugged the hip were particularly beautiful, as were the ones that mimicked seams around the waist and bust. Perhaps the only looks I wasn’t feeling were some of the sweatpants. As much as I liked the rest of the seams, ones near the hips always feel a little unfortunate to me. But the rest? I was blown away. The ways Wang reinterpreted blazers in this collection; from the not-quite business wear at the beginning, to the mini-dresses at the end. Brilliant, all of them. Just the mini-dresses in general - an Alexander Wang girl is always ready to attend the hottest party in town. Those chiffon numbers towards the middle and the metallic looks near the end also deserve a mention. Honestly, even the things I don’t typically like, I was into in this collection. Pink is usually a hard color to convince me of, but I would absolutely wear the hot pink pieces here. Could I pull them off? Probably not, but I also wouldn’t care. I’m also not a huge bag person, but the Swarovski-encrusted Ziplock was pure genius. Unfortunately, this is the last collection Alexander Wang plans to show during the conventional NYFW schedule. In fact, he already showed his SS19 collection back in June. (And I loved it, of course.) My thoughts on that collection will have to wait for a little while longer. For most designers, SS19 will begin tomorrow. However, I already know Wang’s collection will make the list.

Alright, I think that’s enough rambling for one post. Those were my opinions on last season, but I would love to hear yours. What were your favorite collections of FW18?

#fw18 #fall 2018 #fashion week #fashion #blog post #tfg mini posts

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epackingvietnam · 4 years ago

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They're Simply the Best: The Top 25 Moz Blog Posts of 2020

Posted by morgan.mcmurray

Here we are again — that time of year filled with wrap-ups and lookbacks and “best of” compilations. 2020 was a year like no other, and that’s certainly reflected in the topics covered by the blogs in the list below.

We published 170 blog posts this year (including Whiteboard Friday episodes) — not too shabby for a year rife with personal and professional challenges! We’re looking forward to what 2021 has in store, but in case you missed anything, we’ve compiled the top 25 most-read pieces from the last 12 months*. You’ll find several Whiteboard Friday episodes (past and present), local SEO tips, and advice for empathetic marketing, along with the optimistic SEO predictions for 2020 and beyond — made in pre-COVID times.

So without further ado, here are the best Moz Blog posts of 2020. Enjoy!

*The top 25 Moz Blog posts listed below were published between January 1 - December 22, 2020, and are in order by unique pageviews generated during that timeframe.

1. What Readers Want During COVID-19: Content Ideas for Every Niche

Author: Amanda Milligan | Published: March 31, 2020 | Unique Pageviews: 49,889

Amanda tested a variety of keywords to see which ones exhibited a trend during the initial COVID-19 outbreak, and might warrant some attention from content marketers. Here's what she found.

2. Pay Attention to These SEO Trends in 2020 and Beyond

Author: Suganthan Mohanadasan | Published: February 4, 2020 | Unique Pageviews: 45,553

In the past several years, we've already seen a sea of change in how we think and execute on SEO, but the future holds even more change — and more opportunity. Explore a rundown of key SEO topics to keep an eye on in the future.

3. Are H1 Tags Necessary for Ranking? [SEO Experiment]

Author: Cyrus Shepard | Published: February 25, 2020 | Unique Pageviews: 35,414

In earlier days of search marketing, SEOs often heard the same two best practices repeated so many times it became implanted in our brains: Wrap the title of your page in H1 tags and use only one H1 tag per page. Despite assertions from one of Google's most trusted authorities that sites "can do perfectly fine with no H1 tags or with five H1 tags", many SEOs didn't believe it. So of course, we decided to test it scientifically.

4. Google My Business: FAQ for Multiple Businesses at the Same Address

Author: Miriam Ellis | Published: February 17, 2020 | Unique Pageviews: 31,883

How should I get listed in Google My Business if I’ve got multiple businesses at the same address? How many listings am I eligible for if I’m running more than one business at my location? Get answers to your top questions in this comprehensive FAQ.

5. Google's January 2020 Core Update: Has the Dust Settled?

Author: Dr. Peter J. Meyers | Published: January 27, 2020 | Unique Pageviews: 31,800

The January 2020 Core Update peaked from January 13-15. We dig into the numbers, including winners and losers.

6. Google's May 2020 Core Update: Winners, Winnerers, Winlosers, and Why It's All Probably Crap

Author: Dr. Peter J. Meyers | Published: May 14, 2020 | Unique Pageviews: 24,159

The May 2020 Core Update was the second-hottest update since the August 2018 "Medic" Update. Dr. Pete takes a hard look at the numbers, including why measuring winners and losers has turned out to be a tricky business.

7. Core Web Vitals: The Next Official Google Ranking Factor

Author: Cyrus Shepard | Published: July 17, 2020 | Unique Pageviews: 21,281

There's a new ranking factor in town: Core Web Vitals. Expected in 2021, this Google-announced algorithm change has a few details you should be aware of.

8. SEO for 2020

Author: Britney Muller | Published: January 31, 2020 | Unique Pageviews: 20,783

SEO Scientist Britney Muller offers a seventeen-point checklist of things you ought to keep in mind for executing on modern, effective SEO. You'll encounter both old favorites (optimizing title tags, anyone?) and cutting-edge ideas to power your search strategy into the future.

9. 4 Google My Business Fields That Impact Ranking (and 3 That Don't)

Author: Joy Hawkins | Published: October 23, 2020 | Unique Pageviews: 20,330

Joy and her team at Sterling Sky have come to the conclusion that there are only four things inside the Google My Business dashboard that a business owner or a marketing agency can edit that will have a direct influence on where they rank in the local results on Google.

10. Crawled — Currently Not Indexed: A Coverage Status Guide

Author: Christopher Long | Published: March 9, 2020 | Unique Pageviews: 18,354

Within Google's Index Coverage report, there are many different statuses that provide webmasters with information about how Google is handling their site content. While many of the statuses provide some context around Google’s crawling and indexation decisions, one remains unclear: “Crawled — currently not indexed”. This post will help you identify some of the most common reasons this mysterious status might be affecting your website, and how to address them.

11. How to Get Backlinks in 2020 [Series]

Author: Britney Muller | Published: June 26, 2020 | Unique Pageviews: 15,523

A little creativity and smart tactics can uncover high-quality link building opportunities. This week, Britney Muller kicks off a new Whiteboard Friday series on modern link building.

12. Position Zero Is Dead; Long Live Position Zero

Author: Dr. Peter J. Meyers | Published: February 5, 2020 | Unique Pageviews: 14,825

On January 22, 2020, Google started removing Featured Snippet URLs from organic listings. We take a deep dive into the before and after of this change, including its implications for rank-tracking.

13. 2020 Local SEO Success: How to Feed, Fight, and Flip Google

Author: Miriam Ellis | Published: January 6, 2020 | Unique Pageviews: 13,969

Feed Google the right information, fight spam, and flip it into an opportunity: these are the top three ways to chase local SEO success.

14. Which of My Competitor's Keywords Should (& Shouldn't) I Target?

Author: Rand Fishkin | Published: February 21, 2020 | Unique Pageviews: 13,638

Which of your competitor's keywords are worth targeting, and which can be ignored? Learn how to tell the difference in this fan favorite Whiteboard Friday.

15. 10 Basic SEO Tips to Index + Rank New Content Faster

Author: Cyrus Shepard | Published: October 16, 2020 | Unique Pageviews: 13,381

When you publish new content, you want users to find it ranking in search results as fast as possible. Fortunately, there are a number of tips and tricks in the SEO toolbox to help you accomplish this goal.

16. 7 SEO Processes That Get Easier with Increased PageRank/Domain Authority

Author: Cyrus Shepard | Published: February 7, 2020 | Unique Pageviews: 12,883

What factors are affected as you improve PageRank or Domain Authority, and how? Cyrus details seven SEO processes that are made easier by a strong investment in link building and growing your authority.

17. Marketing in Times of Uncertainty

Author: Rand Fishkin | Published: April 3, 2020 | Unique Pageviews: 12,861

Our work as marketers has transformed drastically in 2020. Our good friend Rand talks about a topic that's been on the forefront of our minds lately: how to do our jobs empathetically and effectively through one of the most difficult trials in modern memory.

18. A Beginner’s Guide to Ranking in Google Maps

Author: Alex Ratynski | Published: March 16, 2020 | Unique Pageviews: 12,836

The majority of your potential customers still use Google to find local businesses near them. In fact, 80% of searches with “local intent” result in a conversion. This begs the question: “What’s the best way to catch the attention of local searchers on Google?” The answer: through Google Maps marketing.

19. The Rules of Link Building

Author: Britney Muller | Published: February 28, 2020 | Unique Pageviews: 12,532

Are you building links the right way? Or are you still subscribing to outdated practices? Britney Muller clarifies which link building tactics still matter and which are a waste of time (or downright harmful) in one of our very favorite classic episodes of Whiteboard Friday.

20. How We Ranked a Single Page for 2.6K Keywords Driving 30K Monthly Searches [Case Study]

Author: Kristin Tynski | Published: May 4, 2020 | Unique Pageviews: 12,359

In rare cases, SEOs create content that generates results so far beyond what was anticipated that a single project can greatly move the needle. Kristin walks through one such instance for her team's client, ADT.

21. Understanding & Fulfilling Search Intent

Author: Britney Muller | Published: June 12, 2020 | Unique Pageviews: 12,262

Understanding what your target audience is searching and why is more important than ever. Britney Muller shares everything you need to begin understanding and fulfilling search intent, plus a free Google Sheets checklist download to help you analyze the SERPs you care about most.

22. Title Tags SEO: When to Include Your Brand and/or Boilerplate

Author: Cyrus Shepard | Published: August 31, 2020 | Unique Pageviews: 11,850

If your websites are like most, they include a fair amount of extra "stuff" in the title tags: things like your brand name or repeating boilerplate text that appears across multiple pages. But should you include these elements in your titles automatically?

23. How to Query the Google Search Console API

Author: Brian Gorman | Published: March 18, 2020 | Unique Pageviews: 11,095

If you’ve been an SEO for even a short time, you’re likely familiar with Google Search Console (GSC). It’s a valuable tool for getting information about your website and its performance in organic search. That said, it does have its limitations. In this post, you’ll learn how to get better-connected data out of Google Search Console and increase the size of your exports by 400%.

24. How to Choose Google My Business Categories (With Cool Tools!)

Author: Miriam Ellis | Published: September 9, 2020 | Unique Pageviews: 10,873

Your choice of your primary and secondary categories contributes a lot to Google’s understanding and handling of your business. With so much riding on proper categorization, let’s empower you to research your options like a pro today!

25. A Must-Have Keyword Research Process for Winning SEO

Author: Cyrus Shepard | Published: May 8, 2020 | Unique Pageviews: 10,745

Smart keyword research forms the basis of all successful SEO. Cyrus Shepard shares the basics of a winning keyword research process that you can learn and master in a short amount of time.

Sign up for The Moz Top 10, a semimonthly mailer updating you on the top ten hottest pieces of SEO news, tips, and rad links uncovered by the Moz team. Think of it as your exclusive digest of stuff you don't have time to hunt down but want to read!

#túi_giấy_epacking_việt_nam #túi_giấy_epacking #in_túi_giấy_giá_rẻ #in_túi_giấy #epackingvietnam #tuigiayepacking

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bfxenon · 4 years ago