#listening to: take me out by aly and aj

[man-down-in-hatchet-town]

VHSCC OH MY GOD

(no spoilers)

Starkid nation, you aren't ready.

So let's start with the obvious. Look, I spent thirteen years growing up with Starkid. That initial Michigan gang are deeply special to me and I will always miss Dylan, Brian R., and Corey in any show they aren't in. And this one's no different. But just as Janaya came in and took over Belle from Britney so flawlessly, Curt, Brian, and AJ were all WONDERFUL in their new roles. The gentle-but-high-energy, truly decent, romantic himbo charm Curt brought to our Springsteen boy Jim (you all are going to LOVE Jim, I promise) perfectly offset the defiant, sneering anger of Young Scrooge in "That Scrooge." Brian's reactions (particularly to the "rather take my own life" line) were so funny and some of my favorite parts of the show. And AJ... this is now my favorite thing AJ has ever done. And that's saying something. The smaller casting shake-up moments (Joey as Fezziwig, other little line re-distributions) were so fun as well!

The new act 1 is PERFECTION. I was actually surprised by how absolutely hysterical it was? Like, I won't tell you what was up with that clip on Instagram of Brian, Lauren, and Joey doing a freak-out dance, but I can tell you that their whole Act 1 deal threatened to steal the show every. Single. Time. I already mentioned Curt as Jim, but you will also love Della, who is so funny and real and truly carries us through the start of the show (Janaya is a STAR and she Curt have brilliant chemistry). Ali did a terrific job of balancing the sadness and hope that are both at the center of the devastating little Match Girl. And Jamie's Grandma... well, honestly I have no idea how to talk about Jamie's song without giving stuff away.

But the real star of the show in Act 1, as he should be, was our man Clark. I can't emphasize enough how much he nailed the writing of this whole new act. I mentioned that the new stuff is hilarious, but it's also deeply heartfelt, and also sad exactly when it needs to be. Like, the transition after Jamie's song? I can't really talk about it yet, but what that moment does with emotion is unreal. And, as expected, every song is a banger! My one complaint about this show, and it IS a big one, is that there is no cast recording of the Act 1 songs. I want to listen to them all the time.

But the good news is, I CAN listen to Christmas Carol as much as I want! The classic that started it all is back, with so many people reprising the hell out of their truly iconic roles (God I love the VHS Cratchits), and better than ever. I traditionally hate change, and I love the version of VHSCC Live! we already have so much, but I think I somehow loved this version even more? The staging is alive and clever and there are some additions and changes, particularly in "Final Ghost"/"Christmas Day," that frankly blew my mind and somehow managed to elevate the material even further. I can't wait for the digital ticket to come out so that I can talk about them. To put it simply, James Tolbert mastered his Starkid directorial debut like you won't believe. I'm so proud of him and grateful for the larger role he's taken in Starkid since they moved base to LA.

Also, the Ghost of Christmas Past is extra unhinged this year? Jaime pulled out all of the impish stops and it was the BEST.

Basically, everyone more than delivered. I haven't talked about Meredith yet but she rocked it in the band and continued to validate the hell out of my opinion that "3 Spirits" is the dark horse best song in the show.

And a special shout-out to June Saito for continuing to be a costuming GENIUS. I always love her work and this production is no exception. I honestly wanted to give the return of the Bob Cratchit costume its own round of applause.

You know, the world is a mess and everything is pretty much terrible. It's been a hard year in an impossible decade. But every once in a while you come across some art that takes all of that, acknowledges the truth of it, and somehow pulls back the curtains to harness the joy and hope that's still there under the rubble. To me, Starkid in particular has always been about finding and holding onto the hope and the beauty and humanity that allows us to endure an existence that can so often feel bleak. And VHSCC is maybe the most perfect encapsulation of that idea.

So thank you Clark, James, Meredith, Brian, and everyone who worked so hard on this little bit of magic. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Let's make a little light.

[partiallypearl]

her sense of style, it really rocks (lucy stone in the style of claudia kishi)

a/n: this, my friends is the result of a roadtrip to montana, a very bored pearl, and my slight obsession with lucy stone, early 2000s pop punk, and how female characters get mistreated in childrens tv shows. trigger warning for mention of beau being a jerk (him trying to take things too far and lucy saying no), parental neglect, and general teen angst.

taglist: @myloveforhergoeson @raging-violets @ceruleanmusings @zackmartin @fiyero3305 @icegirl2772 @selangkir @cant-get-enough-btr-forever @bishounenbtr

lucy stone finds the linda lindas when she’s 12 and has a realization of “oh. that’s what i want to be”.

she spends the next 6 years playing the dutiful daughter her parents want while listening to paramore and all time low and sleeping with sirens in between piano, violin and cello classes.

she dates beau because her mom keeps talking about how nice that lillis boy is, and how she’s so sad that lucy doesn’t have a nice sweet boyfriend like him.

the first time beau tries to take things further than lucy’s comfortable with, she goes home and listens to avril lavigne’s don’t tell me, on repeat for two hours.

she never tells her mom what happened that time. or the next.

she stays with him because honestly in their small town, he’s the only boy she really feels comfortable with, and because breaking up with a lillis boy is like dumping a kennedy - you just don’t do it.

so they play the part of the perfect couple, lucy going to all of his football games and acting like she doesn’t hate how all the cheerleaders fawn over him, and beau going to her violin concerts, acting like he actually cares and isn’t texting whitney cooper from up his block.

the night lucy turns 18, she packs everything she owns into three bags, and looks up directions for the palm woods - a hotel for up and coming stars. she has $2000 in cash, her belongings, and the guitar her wai po bought her for her 14th birthday despite her parents dislike of the instrument.

“you are music itself,” wai po had said in her soft voice. “my lucy. my musician. don’t let your parents hold you back. promise me that.”

and she did. 4 years later, she was fulfilling that promise. no matter what happened.

lucy takes one last look at her childhood and blows a silent kiss to it. she gets into her dad’s old ford F250 lariat, and plugs in a mixtape cd that she had scribbled, lucy’s getaway soundtrack, onto and as she peels out of the drive at 2:38 in the morning, collapsed by aly and aj starts blaring out of the speakers.

she gets to la, a day and a half later. she takes a pit stop at a super 8, and runs into a rite aid and gets cherry red hair dye and a bottle of root beer.

it takes two hours to dye the streaks in her hair, and to make her feel like she can actually go outside with her new look.

she looks in the mirror and sees the red in her hair and her first thought is, i look like me. and that, is what makes her break.

not the fact that she’s 2,342.0 miles from home, or that she never technically broke up with beau or that she’s trying to keep a dead woman’s promise, but that she looks and feels like herself.

she cries for what feels like forever before she shakes her head and begins to pull herself together.

“you are lucy stone.” she tells herself, “rockstar extraordinaire. you’re not lucy from laurens, south carolina anymore. this won’t break you.”

she leaves the super 8 and finds a goodwill two blocks away and spends $250 on a brand new wardrobe. she buys rock band shirts, skinny jeans, and low neck tops that would give her mother a stroke. she buys necklaces to layer, and skull rings.

an older woman, with whispy blonde hair smiles at her in the jewelry aisle. “trying out a new look?” she asks, and lucy bites her lip before nodding. “i wish i had the guts to do that. but an oldster like me? not an option.”

she pauses looking at lucy with a critical eye before she gently places her hand on lucy’s shoulder. “you’ll be okay kid. trust me on that.”

and for some reason lucy does.

[lightscamerabitchsmileee]

A&AV - A&A Version

Vote for your fave, reblog and share your thoughts and other faves whether on this list or not in the tags I would love to hear it 😊😊

Check out my masterpost for the other polls thank you and have fun 😊😊

[faeryclown]

the NO-SKIP albums: a tag game 🎶💖

rules: share the albums that you can listen to nonstop. those lightning in a bottle-albums that scratch ur brain just right. every single track, an absolute banger. u could not skip one if u tried. no notes. stunning, show-stopping, immaculate. ur no-skip albums. 🔎 bonus & optional (but imo, v fun) rules: 1) add a track rec for us to listen to! AND 2) share ur favorite line(s) from that track! 👀

Thanks for tagging me @apricotdeer 🥺🤍 Sorry for taking so long. I actually couldn't decide bc I had SO MANY no-skip albums that I kept changing my mind 😭 Tagging @padawanton @highway-stars @iidsch @darkwehl if you feel like :)

🎧 album info/track recs/favorite lines under the cut

💭 Lucid Dreaming by Say Lou Lou

Fav Track: Wilder Than the Wind ↳ We'll ride the night / Every second is like I'm dying here with you

🔮 The Magic by Lola Blanc

Fav Track: The Magic ↳ But I can't find it so would you please / Enchant me? Give me a potion / For my devotion to the emotion

🪽 Saved by Now, Now

Fav Track: SGL ↳ Starry-eyed / I was young and undone / But I could have died / With you there in the sun

🌙 Threads by Now, Now

Fav Track: Prehistoric ↳ It may be different now, but the pattern won't wash out / Covers up our eyes, leaves us knots and severed ties / We follow new lines

✨ Midnight Machines by Lights

Fav Track: Follow You Down ↳ So just call me, you know I will be waiting / For you as you walk towards that redemption sound / You know I'll be the stillness when you're shaking / And when you fall overboard, I'll follow you down

💗 Love & Desire by MYZICA

Fav Track: Endless Love ↳ Run with me following the stars above / Running free forever in an endless love / Run with me

🍒 Summertime by Luna Shadows

Fav Track: Cherry ↳ 'Cause darling if you call me, I’ll come running / Just let me turn out all the lights in the dead of night / 'Cause I'm, I'm your lovely / Burning for my turn to be your one and your only / Ready for your eyes, sweet on the inside by your summertime

💀 We Don't Stop by Aly & AJ

Fav Track: Good Love ↳ So I keep waiting to touch somebody / Keep you closer on my body / To love somebody /To kiss somebody

💫 MY GOD! by Tessa Violet

Fav Track: song without a title ↳ Left my love in idle, song without a title (Here I go again, take it back what I said) / It's not love (Again, again, again) / (Never gonna play with fire) / It's just what you get (My god, my god) / Tell myself I hate you, tell myself we're made to (All my love) / Fall in love and fall apart (My god, my god)

[idmakeitbehave]

Something Wonderful and Strange {S.R.} - a Playlist

series page

listen

Jackie and Wilson ~ Hozier

No other version of me I would rather be tonight; and, Lord, she found me just in time

Heavy ~ Birdtalker

And did you lose that love? Or have you never had it? Are you feeling sad 'cause you did a bad thing?

Vincent ~ Don McLean

Starry, starry night, paint your palette blue and gray; look out on a summer's day with eyes that know the darkness in my soul

Honeybee ~ The Head And The Heart

Look around, we made a garden of the love we found

To Noise Making (Sing) ~ Hozier

You put your emptiness to melody, your awful heart to song

The Louvre ~ Lorde

But we're the greatest, they'll hang us in the Louvre; down the back, but who cares—still the Louvre

Like Real People Do ~ Hozier

What did you bury before those hands pulled me from the earth?

Burning ~ Maggie Rogers

And you said, "Let me help you wake you up. Let me help you break you up. Let me help you open up."

Angels ~ The xx

You move through the room like breathing was easy; if someone believed me, they would be as in love with you as I am

No Reason ~ Toth

And I wanna love, I wanna be touched, but softly at first

Love You For A Long Time ~ Maggie Rogers

I saw your face and I knew it was a sign; and I still think about that moment all of the time

Happy Accidents ~ Saint Motel

Ever think what if we never met? You love me, but you don't know it yet

Somewhere Only We Know ~ Keane

Is this the place we used to love? Is this the place that I've been dreaming of?

Meet Me Here ~ Amy Stroup

Find some space between your fears and doubt; it's a give and take, don't let it get you down

Someone I Know ~ Margo Guryan

Then I saw someone who happened to remind me of bein' in love a long time ago

Something Tells Me ~ BAILEN

Something tells me I could fall in love with you

Bloom ~ The Paper Kites

You fill my lungs with sweetness, and you fill my head with you

You’ve Got Me ~ The Greeting Committee

You got a hold on me; built my life around sound to keep you dancing

Slow Dancing ~ Aly & AJ

The battle outside is blazing, and all I’m thinking about is you

Nightminds ~ Missy Higgins

But I will learn to breathe this ugliness you see, so we can both be there and we can both share the dark

An Art Gallery Could Never Be As Unique As You ~ mrld

'Cause I wanna look at you when we are apart; 'cause you're not just a human being, you are art

Dust to Dust ~ The Civil Wars

Let me in the walls you've built around; we can light a match and burn them down

Apple Pie ~ Lizzy McAlpine

I found you under an April sky, and you feel like city life, apple pie baked just right; home is wherever you are tonight

First Light ~ Hozier

But after this I'm never gonna be the same, and I am never going back again

[judasofsuburbia]

how the light gets in: a fan playlist

"You're a monster."

"You're Nancy Wheeler."

read here.

listen to the playlist here.

fell in absolute love with the series How The Light Gets In by my lovely pal @fastcardotmp3 and decided to make a fan playlist!! seriously this series is so special and so poetic. it is about chrissy cunningham coming back from the dead as a vampire and nancy wheeler finding her out while she's visiting barb's grave. together, they go on a journey of self-discovery and girlhood through monstrosity. and of course, fall for each other in the meanwhile. GO READ THIS SERIES i cannot recommend it enough!

song explanations below the cut!

anthem by leonard cohen: where the fic title comes from! a slow song about life continuing to move forward even after tragedy. very fitting for this series.

just a girl (cover) by florence + the machine: of course this had to go on here! chrissy has "come back wrong" and has to rethink and relearn what it means to be a girl again and the horrors associated with girlhood.

all the things she said (cover) by poppy: there is a moment at the beginning where chrissy can't communicate to nancy yet because vecna can hear everything. but she starts to make a list of all the things she will tell her once she can speak freely again.

talk to you by ricky montgomery: kind of the same as before! they wish they could communicate with each other and eventually figure out that vecna (who is possessing chrissy, so to speak) can only hear what they're saying. not see or read. so they end up writing down notes to each other to avoid vecna ruining their plans.

seventeen by sharon van etten: this one is kind of more vibes but basically reminscing on the girl chrissy once was and how she's growing.

way of nature, way of grace by aly and aj and joy oladokun: soft love song that explores the growing fascination the girls have with each other and the admiration of beauty through the pain/ the horrors.

girls against god by florence + the machine: ONCE AGAIN of course this had to go on here. florence just gets troubled girls<3 something about taking the reins of your life even when everything feels out of control.

please, please, please let me get what i want by the smiths: it's explored in this fic that chrissy struggling to want things and nancy being so giving to her, unselfishly. it's so beautiful :,)

hungry eyes by eric carmen: WOO MONSTER SONG basically here for the vibes of monster girl finally getting to consume. and definitely looking at nancy with hungry eyes.

i'll be here in the morning by townes van zandt: nancy promising that she will be back for chrissy time and time again :,))

leonard cohen by boygenius: kind of just for vibes but because the title song is leonard cohen, i thought it fit! it's about that particular song and getting lost in your happiness<3

waiting for a girl like you by foreigner: some 80's vibes now!! basically following chrissy never understanding her attraction to men but everything finally starting to make sense once she gets close to nancy.

me and the devil by soap&skin: nancy's defense song! it takes a lot of convincing from her to the group to let her take care of chrissy. this song explores following the devil and not being able to explain why you need to<3

lay all your love on me (cover) by pale honey: felt fitting for their first kiss in the woods up against a tree. dot wrote the emotion and desperation in this scene SO WELL!!

i will follow you into the dark by death cab for cutie: kind of an overall vibe song but also relates to chrissy going through the upside down again to help save max and destroy vecna. willing to go back to hell in order to find her autonmy again<3

NFWMB by hozier: also a first kiss song after chrissy tears apart a demogorgan to save nancy phewwww<3 but also just general vibes of them protecting each other from the others who don't understand!!!

fade into you by mazzy star: ties into the irreplaceable bond that chrissy and nancy are making with each passing day. they're fading into each other.

to be alone with you by sufjan stevens: chrissy is craving genuine alone time with nancy like how it was when she first found her<3

like lovers do by hey violet: sexy spooky song ooo!!! i would relate this one to the way they can't keep their hands off each other once they get a taste you know ;) that's just how lovers do!!!

the way i feel inside by the zombies: a soft love song about deciding whether or not to speak their feelings. nancy and chrissy spend time in this fic finally being able to speak their mind and their desires (esp for each other! eep!) and being frightened by the power but also enlightened.

[melroesplace]

Thank you my beloved @zutaralesbian for tagging me

Name: Melanie

Zodiac: Capricorn

Fuzzy socks or fuzzy blanket: I have a drawer full of fuzzy socks, but I prefer fuzzy blanket

Do you enjoy winter? No, it's the worst season for an anxious driver like myself. I hate driving in the snow, my screen doesn't turn on if it's too cold, and I hate that it's dark when I go to work and dark when I leave work

What’s your comfort book or movie? Comfort book is Absolutely Normal Chaos by Sharon Creech, comfort movie is Waitress (2007)

What’s your favourite way to wind down after a long day? Get in my jammies and listen to a podcast while scrolling through social media

Tell me something you like about yourself: You will never see me starting any fandom drama because my attitude online is the same as my attitude offline - kind & low-key

Favourite Artist: If we talking music, then I suppose Taylor Swift

How do you practice self care? I take long walks while listening to music or I'll just sit in the car and listen to an audiobook

A book you want to read this year: I have 22 unopened books on my shelf that I need to read so I can decide whether to keep them or unhaul and make room for new books. I'm currently halfway through book 1 - Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister

What’s a song that makes you feel joyful? After Hours by Aly & AJ

What advice would you give your younger self? Don't listen to the senior at your college orientation whose advice was to take the max amount of courses each semester (including summer session) so that you can graduate quicker & spend less money on tuition. You'll just overwhelm yourself until you eventually flunk out

And finally, you’re given a plane ticket to anywhere in the world, no strings attached. where are you going? I'm holding onto it until season 3 of IWTV is in production, then I'm flying to wherever they're filming. Not to meet the actors (I'm way too shy lol) but just to watch the scenes being filmed because I'm a spoiler whore

I tag @blackgirlasis @raspbee @soitamulle

[gillysims]

🎶✨when u get this u have to put 5 songs u actually listen to, and  publish. then, send this ask/tag 10 of your favorite followers   (non-negotiable, positivity is cool) ✨🎶 

I got tagged by @lazarish lol FINALLY doing this sorry it took so long

1. Lucky to Get Him - Aly & AJ (I used to love them when I was a little babby and I’m so excited they’re back. This song just takes its time and is so subtle and lovely)

2. Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve - Taylor Swift (The first time I heard this song I started shrieking at the top of my lungs and I haven’t stopped since. This song is like having a blade driven into your guts.... in a good way)

3. Gasoline - The Weeknd - (Turns out I like the Weeknd a whole lot more when he gets weird. One of my favorite song tropes - a brutally naive and untrustworthy narrator)

4. Tropic Morning News - The National (I can’t wait for this album! Please destroy me Misters Dessner!)

5. Mother’s Daughter - Miley Cyrus (”Flowers” encouraged me to finally check out some of Miley’s back catalogue and this song is SO good)

I tag @frizzyfruitydrink @siminycricket @disasterbri @diaryofthecoolestgirl @monets-pixels @bumblingbunny @xiapxls @sweet-berry-sims @cactusblossomsims @faetheegrey

[thenicestthingiveseen]

summer writing/reading list!

thanks for tagging me @displayheartcode

I am tagging @four2andnew @corneliastreet28 @liiilyevans @takearisk-ao3

1) Describe one creative WIP project you’re planning to work on over the summer.

I don't know which WIP it will be, but one of them will be completed. I want to do more with Chaos for sure. Years 3-5 are giving me a tough time but I'm excited because it's primarily character development, and discussions about identity (specifically for Hallie in terms of race, gender, and blood status as a Slytherin). But also figuring out how the changes I've made to the idea of Harry Potter influence how things are done differently and how that affects canon or doesn't affect it.

*I have other WIPs too that I'm really excited about, but the prompt says describe ONE*

2) Recommend a book.

I just flew through The Love Hypothesis, Love on the Brain, and Love, Theoretically in a concerning amount. of time (2 or 3 days I think) BUT, what I'm recommending (and currently reading) is Circe because guys, as much as I love women's rights, I loooooove a woman who is made out to be a villain more.

3) Recommend a fic.

If you aren't reading Already Gone, go ahead and do it :)

4) Recommend music.

the obsession I have with Seven - Taylor Swift is unhinged

Mermaids - Florence and The Machine makes me wanna go to Brighton Beach with a bottle of tequila and take it back to 2009 and put a feather in my hair or something

Slow Dance - Aly & AJ is really great easy listening music

the day isn't complete if I haven't listened to Don't Rain On My Parade (Glee Cast version) (Naya Rivera's version)

I Might Have Been Queen - Tina Tuner because duh.

bonus song: find someone like you by snoh alegra

[flieslikeamoron]

@skystamp tagged me and it took me a minute, but here are five songs I've listened to recently. 

Let Me Down Easy - Daisy Jones and the Six

I watched the show, and it's fine. The ending was lame, but I liked it okay otherwise. Riley Keough and Nabiyah Be were very good. And yes, I listened to the album by this fake band. It's also fine. You might as well just listen to Fleetwood Mac, honestly. But it has some catchy tunes. I generally like the live versions from the show a bit better than the polished "album" versions though. 

Waffle House - The Jonas Brothers

I'm still vestigially in Jonas fandom. It was never really about the music for me, I was in it for the fic. And for the codependent brothers. (Except I did love love love the DNCE album. Suck on that, Nick! Joe was secretly the most talented one all along!) But yeah, my favorite albums from my Disney era were Demi's Here We Go Again and Aly and AJ's Insomniatic. So although I still have feelings about the Jonas Brothers, they're not really much about the music. I still listen to their stuff though in the way that you might listen to music put out by someone you went to high school with or used to date or something. This one is fun, but I hate that one line about "headstrong father and a determined mother." It just hits my ear wrong rhythmically.

Fistfight - Ballroom Thieves

I added this one to my steddie playlist a while ago, and I listen to it pretty often. I really like the dirty groove of it, and the soar of the chorus. Love the line: They said love is grabbing blindly at a pit full of snakes/And wait to feel the only heel among the rows of all the venomous teeth and of course the chorus: You were a bright light/You were a fistfight. IDK I think that fits the way I'm writing them.

I'm a Man - Adam Lambert

This is from the covers album Adam put out recently. I don't like the Sex on Fire cover at all, but the rest is good. I think my faves are the Beatles-esque take on Getting Older, a sexy cool I Can't Stand the Rain, and a moody and modern Do You Really Want to Hurt Me that I like way better than the original. And this one, which is from Jobriath. He was an out gay rock musician in the early 70s. He had a big contract and a lot of marketing hype, and then his first album bombed, and he got basically abandoned by the industry and died of AIDS. Anyway, the Jobriath album is pretty much aping Ziggy Stardust/Bowie. Especially vocally. And it has several "space man" songs. But I kind of get more Elton John vibes overall. Jobriath was a pianist, so it's a lot more piano heavy than Bowie and it has these musical theater/showy/operatic tones. Like there's one song Movie Queen that just sounds like vaudeville/cabaret, not really "rock." Aaaanyway, Adam's voice is always A+ and you can tell he relates to this song. It's a great cover.

The One that Got Away - The Civil Wars

I guess Daisy Jones put me in the mood for fraught band relationships and tangled up feelings. This is so pretty and haunting. And I love that complicated dynamic of it was easier when it was just pining, and it was all potential, and it wasn't this hard, real thing.

[yourstreetserenade]

😅🎶🍷🤗

What's a scene or story you've created that you're a smidge embarrassed exists?

To be honest, I'm not really embarrassed about anything I've written. My fics are stupid, no doubt, but like, purposely so. I like to think I have a certain brand and that brand is ridiculous and I embrace it. I really love when an idea comes to me and my immediate reaction is ''that's stupid....how can I turn this into an engaging story?'' To date one of my most memorable reviews was simply ''I found this and expected crack nonsense but this is a masterpiece.''

There are certain things I can look back at now and think I could have definitely written better but I'm not embarrassed by those bits because writing them then is what helped me progress and I can't knock that.

Do you listen to music while you write? What song have you been playing on loop lately?

Okay don't laugh but lately it's been this Aly and AJ song while continuing to plot out a celebrity AU I've been working on for like two years.

Do I drink and write?

No, I don't drink, so.

What advice would you give to new fanfic writers that are just getting started?

Just to write where your heart takes you and where the characters take you. Sometimes it won't be what you planned and that's okay. Sometimes I'd work out some really elaborate way to get from Point A to Point B but in building the story, the characters led me down a different path entirely. It doesn't mean my planning or my final destination was bad, maybe those little bits and pieces were just meant for another story.

Another thing. You can not please everyone. There will always be people upset or angry because you don't cater to their specific tastes. You can't let those opinions factor into how you craft your story. Easier said than done I know but.

[jakeperalta]

Oh okay ya I get that about Lana. NFR is definitely one of her best. Cuz her albums can all be different vibes sometimes and some songs are slower than others. For this album..a lot of the songs were wordy and longer and she had different moods throughout it. Like it's gonna take a while to grow on me but the songs I liked..I liked right away and Margaret was one of them! She also has interludes in the album that I didn't care for..lol. anyway..I liked the new Aly and AJ album but I preferred their old one maybe cuz it was more upbeat but this style works for me too. For this album, I pretty much liked every song kinda equally..so nothing stood out as a favorite right away but I liked the whole album. With Paramore's new album..I had favorites but I also loved everything..like there was nothing that I disliked and then songs I loved so that was more similar to Aly and AJ I guess. Then there was Miley's new album..which I liked and had a few songs that stood out immediately as favorites but the rest is just okay and kinda like background music. Compared to Lana or even Taylor..it's like the songs that are my favorites are the ones that stand out but then the rest is just fine to me sometimes I mean with Taylor..I eventually like everything anyway eventually but she does have different moods and styles throughout the album like Lana and also long albums. Paramore and Aly and AJs were only like 10 songs so maybe that's why? Sorry..just interesting to me I guess but for Paramore I really recommend the whole album.

yeah just based on like the length and titles of lana's album i get the sense it's a bit chaotic and i'm not always a big fan of interludes, i can imagine i'll end up only picking out a few songs to keep in my library. i get what you mean about aly & aj, i think it's quite a cohesive album in both sound and mood so there's not necessarily stand outs in either way. i sort of skipped my way through miley's album and ended up adding four songs to my library (you, island, wonder woman and flowers demo). i'm definitely planning on listening to paramore too i just find i have a very short attention span when it comes to listening to music i don't already know lol

[winglesscrow]

January 31, 2023:

I woke up today feeling exceptionally overstimulated.

And for the past week, I’ve been waking up like that every day plus with immense pain. I’ve been trying not to take too much Tylenol, so I’ve just been braving it out. I’m just so uncomfortable and in pain. If it continues, I know I should consult my doctor - so I will. But my goodness, this is just awful. I mean, I already wake up groggy as hell most mornings - but the headaches? The joint pain? Standing up right when I wake up feels like I have knives connecting my bones to each other. I was taking Sam-E for a while, so maybe since I stopped taking it I’m just back to feeling like an absolute bag of shite. I should probably get back on that, with haste.

Anyway, I haven’t even had coffee yet and my phone/work emails are blowing up. I had to work late last night to finish up a project, and then jump back on it this morning because the team my company hires to do this project normally - is wayyyy behind. So I help out. Which I don’t mind. But here I am - still no coffee and it’s almost 12pm. That makes me want to put hot sauce on my eyes - because that would probably feel better than how garbage I feel right now.

BRB, going to find caffeine now.

———————————————————

Okay so I found caffeine, a breakfast burrito, and an açaí bowl. Also kisses from my puppy; that helped tremendously.

Still, exceptionally overstimmed.

A long time ago (what feels like a completely different lifetime), when I felt overstimulated or overwhelmed in any way, I would go to the studio or lock my bedroom door, put my headphones in, and dance until I couldn’t move my bones anymore. That used to be the only thing that helped. It could probably still help, but I haven’t been able to bring myself to move like I need my body to. I feel like a rock that cannot sway in the wind. I feel like when I want to dance, my feet are cemented into the floor and my blood freezes. It’s a skill that I’m not sure I possess anymore. I’d like to think I used to be good at it. Or at least, had the potential to. And it was so freeing, while I had it in me.

Now? I use apps on my phone that tell me how to breathe for 5 minutes, guided meditations that convince me I’m walking through a dewy meadow surrounded by trees made of love, and puzzles to distract my shaking hands. That’s what I’ve got. That’s the entire artillery I possess to fight myself in times of trouble.

- C.

Currently listening to:

Get Over Here - Aly & AJ

[bittcrsuite]

i appreciate that. it was definitely tough as a kid but it doesn’t effect me much now, thankfully. 

that was a bit of an understatement — harry often thought about how different his childhood was from others. he uses the hurt in his art, tries to use it in his favor. he can’t share that with mari, though. he doesn’t want all the questions that come with finding out that he’s an actor. asking for tickets to his shows, wanting to know celebrity gossip — it was the very reason he had a profile in spaces like chatnow! he didn’t have to be entirely himself here.

connecticut is nice, so is new york. unfortunately, if you lived in the city, you’d definitely learn to hate christmas here. the subway is constantly packed with tourists and my usual coffee spot is always full because everyone wants hot chocolate.

i’m being a pessimist. thank you for romanticizing the holidays here — i’m going to keep what you said in mind when christmas rolls back around.

he glanced at the time on his computer as he pressed send. shit — time got away from him. he pulled out his script, half reading as he waited for a response from mari. he was enjoying himself. the last thing he wanted was to say he had to go, then never hear from her again. his lines could wait — there were others in the cast that phoned it in daily and they did just fine. harry could enjoy himself for one evening.

my sister used to blast sk8r boi on repeat when we got ice cream. i’m glad that’s a universal experience. she played a ton of aly & aj, too. i still can’t listen to potential breakup song. she played it so much that my brain can’t take it. pennsylvania sounds like fun. do you still live there, or have you ventured out of the midwest?

you have probably heard this a lot while growing up, but i am sorry to hear that you dealt with that in your youth. i know it's not an easy thing for a child to experience.

although they had just started talking, mari appreciated the more intimate details that he was talking about. like they were in person, talking to each other and getting to know each other. although part of her believed that they would probably never meet, it felt nice to be able to have a real conversation with someone about real topics - whether that be something personal or what their favorite song was that evening.

i think i've been to connecticut a few times. i travel a lot throughout the year, and the people seemed lovely each time i've gone. do you enjoy living in new york? new york during christmas has always been magical for me. the snow on the ground, the twinkling lights, the smiling faces on those who just had a hot cup of hot chocolate. it seems surreal to me.

mari sat with the last message for a moment, trying to determine what details about her life that she could give him. it wasn't exactly like she wanted to talk about how she grew up under a fake name and built a following and a life for both herself and her parents. almost like she didn't have a childhood at all. she didn't want to completely lie to him - but she didn't want him to know her true identity (at least - not right now). finally, she began typing again.

i grew up not too far from new york, actually. pennsylvania. very fun state, i know. i feel the same way you do about how different music brings different memories. growing up and listening to avril lavigne blasting through our car radio while my mom and i drove down to get ice cream after a long day. these artists have a hold on our childhood and they never know.

[starrysamu]

take (me) out. 

miya osamu x f!reader.

wc: 2.2k, fluff.

how you go from being a regular at onigiri miya to regularly grabbing takeout for you and the restaurant owner. 

for @keiyoomi​, happy holidays dear! sorry it’s a little late, but i hope you can enjoy it some. much love, your hqc secret santa ♡ 

“let me buy you a meal.” 

osamu presses his palms to the table as he leans forward. the 30 inch table hitting your thighs is big enough to seat four and yet it’s a barrier that dissolves as soon as his nose is less than a few inches away from yours. 

he peers at you through his eyelashes. “come on. a treat for my favorite customer.” his voice is all things low and enticing, luring you in like a siren.  

your eyes are threatening to roll but they can’t seem to tear away from him. one way or another, you manage to rasp out, “i’ll think about it.” 

he’s far too close. too close, so much that you think he’ll be able to hear your pulse skyrocket. yeah, the food is amazing, but you stick around for the sort-of-friend and extremely attractive owner who’s got you trapped in his clutches.   

the corner of his lips curve up. “so it’s a date then?” 

“definitely not,” you huff, hiking your bag over your shoulder. your voice shakes a little and you’re trying your best not to let it show that your heart is doing jumping jacks and your stomach is flipping over like a pancake. 

it’s been almost 10 minutes since you told yourself you’d leave but your feet are practically shackled to the ground. it's also been 10 minutes since the place closed, leaving only you, the restaurant owner, and the poor part timer he hired a few weeks ago behind. 

there’s an odd sense of deja vu that consumes you. the two of you have definitely been in this position before, just without the fresh faced high schooler hanging around the back. 

“think about it,” osamu says, standing up straight. you straighten your back with him, forgetting how tall he was. curse his blessed genes.  

but while you’re busy cursing those divine genes (jeans?) of his, you do think about it. the line between friendship and dating is thin, and you’ve always thought you’d already crossed that point with him - that you learned too much about each other in just a few short weeks, crumbling any sort of potential to date him. 

you can’t help imagining it nonetheless - the fluff, the slice of life. it’s just too ideal, and you have no choice but to imagine since it’s not actually panning out. 

your lips tighten as you squint at him. he stacks his bowls up and it sounds like the world’s saddest song, truth be told. 

is he the friends to lovers type? 

you sigh heavily and set your bag back down, walking back to the table. “fine, yeah,” you mumble, heat rushing to your cheeks. “tomorrow at 7. the ramen place across town?” 

he grins loosely and you swear the corners of his eyes literally twinkle. how’s that even possible?

“you’re here early.” 

you shift on the balls of your feet and click your phone. “traffic was light.”

a half truth, half lie. it just feels like you’ve been injected with adrenaline and cortisol and you’re ready to bounce off of every wall known to mankind with how nervous you are.   

you’re fine. 

osamu hums and slips his hands in his pockets. you blink at him for a moment. what if he’s just the friends to friends type? you’ve always hated dtr, but what if he really is just treating his favorite customer? 

“what’re you looking at? do i have something on my face?” 

“tch.” you roll your lips under your teeth and swallow your smile. “you look out of your element.” you can’t deny that the black t-shirt suits him well enough, but this baby blue linen button down is a gift from the gods themselves. 

“next time i’ll grab that perfume,” he jokes sarcastically, “the one that smells like rice. that’ll make you remember how hard i work.” 

fighting your smile this time is a lot more painful. “i never said anything about how you slack off at work,” you lilt. “your poor part timer can attest to that.”  

he pokes the temple of your head and you laugh as you push the double doors to the restaurant. the bells jingle and you feel completely warm, inside and out.  

the receptionist seats you at a booth next to a window adorned with fake flowers. what kind of cottagecore fantasy is this? 

you glance at osamu, working on making a judgement of the place himself. is he into cottagecore? there’s not a moment to spare as your eyes rake him up and down - he’s definitely light academia. maybe dark academia, even. 

the booth feels stuffy with just you and osamu there. you clasp your fingers together under the table and goosebumps travel up your skin. 

a pretty twenty-something year old slips your menus on the table and osamu flashes her an easy smile, like he’s a model for hollister or something. your eyes grow wide for a minute and you glance back and forth between osamu and the waitress. 

you’re not even sure what they’ve said to each other because your mind is all white static. and when she says, “let me know if you need anything,” to osamu and osamu only, it feels like you’re the one who’s figured out e=mc2 instead of albert einstein. 

“why are you flirting with the waitress?” you whisper when she’s out of earshot. you’re not even sure what you feel, but you think your soul has completely left your body. 

you’ve always hated this trope too. 

he takes a sip of his drink and for a split second, you can see him poorly trying to hide a laugh. “who else should i be flirting with?” he finally deadpans. “you? you said this wasn’t a date.” 

“oh, so now you’re trying to get hung up on technicalities.” you lean back in your seat and fold your arms over your chest. 

osamu rests an elbow on the table and puts his hand on his chin. “so, are we having a date then?” 

there’s that indescribable ambivalence that floods you once again as soon as you look him in the eye. his eyes are unchanging - they look at you like they’ve always looked at you since you regularly showed up to his restaurant, since you became his friend, and since you accidentally stayed just a little too late after his restaurant closed.  

you toss your straw wrapper at him and avert your gaze back to your lap. “definitely not.” 

the door handle feels cold as you twist it. so it’s a friends to friends type of story? that’s fine. not the way you wanted it to pan out, but at least the date was good for one thing. osamu’s as good a friend as he probably is a partner. 

you sigh. you’re doing a shit job of convincing yourself, that’s for sure.  

“welcome in - ”

osamu’s grin wavers and then falls into a simple smile, like he’s been waiting for you. you wish your heart would just do the one job it has: beat normally and consistently. yet every time you look at him, it wants to participate in a ballet competition or something so ridiculous to the point where your lungs are struggling to keep up. 

“look what the cat dragged in,” he says, walking up to you. “i was wondering if you were coming today or not.” 

he’s back to wearing his black t-shirt and nothing has felt more familiar to you. 

“why wouldn’t i?” you test. you’re not even sure what you’re looking for by asking him, but you’ll consider even a response as the slightest win. 

he gauges you for a moment. “i thought you might’ve left me for the place across town.” 

and now you pray for your mind to do its job: objectively process and synthesize information. instead, you fixate on how he’s used the word ‘me’ instead of ‘us,’ as any owner would when he’s talking about a customer. 

“i would never,” you say breezily. “this place is the one and only for me.” 

he does nothing to hide his smile. “and what about me?” 

your brows shoot up the same way your pulse does, as if it already didn’t feel like you were running a marathon. “what about you?” 

you’re playing a dangerous game and toying along the line of dense, but maybe you’re better off establishing boundaries before you go into v-fib. 

he sets his tray down and slips his hands into the apron loosely tied around his waist. in any other world, you’d think it would be impossible for an apron to accentuate his broad shoulders, but this world seems to defy you day in and day out. 

there’s a sharp inhale as he leans against the table. for a moment you think he’s going to follow with, ‘when am i going to be your one and only?’ but you breathe in relief when all he says is, “this place is always here for you.” 

even that sends you hurtling down a cascade of different feelings, though. each conversation with osamu seems to be a different boss battle you don’t know how to defeat. 

“thank you,” you finally say curtly, setting your things down. "what’s the special for today?” 

he grins. “you can have me, or i guess i can make you some food.” 

just when you think you’ve dodged him, he comes back at you, swinging at full force. 

“okay, fine.” 

osamu’s brows arch as he watches you stack a few bowls up. 

“i’ll buy you a meal,” you sigh, looking up at him. “sure, maybe that high schooler’s been slipping me a boxed lunch every time i swing by before work.” 

you’re really just trying to catch osamu before you start your monotonous days at the office, but he’s always holed up in the back. honestly, you’re there more than you’d like considering you swing by in the evenings now too.  

“do you know how heartbreaking it was for me to hear my favorite customer’s been stealing from me?” he says dramatically. 

“you should really talk to that kid in the back,” you mumble, looking away from him. “i always thought you allowed it.” 

he pokes your head and you roll back on your heels. “i don’t even give my brother free food.” 

“stingy,” you huff, looking away from him. you’re conflicted between guilt and disappointment - clearly, this friends to friends storyline is a little more than you can handle. 

you fight the urge to gasp to yourself. what if it’s an unrequited love? 

he grabs the tray full of stacked dishes as he smiles at you, heading to the back. you watch as his biceps peek out from underneath the sleeves of his fitted shirt and you think that maybe you should save the drooling for the food and the food only. 

he sticks his head out from the back. “what’re you doing right now?” 

you look around the empty restaurant. “it’s 10 pm and i’m here, does it look like i’m doing anything important?” 

“you wanna try something i’m adding to the menu?” 

your eyes light up like a five year old on christmas morning. “so you’re giving me free food then?” 

he pretends to think about it for a minute. “only if you’ll take me out tomorrow.” 

you agree as if you hadn’t been thinking about it all along. 

osamu leans back in his seat as he takes a swing from his bottle. “this is what you meant by taking me out tonight?” 

“come on,” you say. the cocktail against your lips is especially sweet with osamu sitting next to you. 

he leans in towards you. you’re surprised that you no longer feel like you’re running a marathon, but your muscles still feel sore, like you’ve got knots everywhere that you can’t seem to untie. 

“i guess i’ll let it slide this time,” he teases gently. “you owe me food though.” 

you pucker your lips. “i guess i’ll spare some time for you.” 

“you should, considering you stole all that food from me.” 

“it was only two lunches,” you whine, holding up two fingers for added effect. “consider it your repayment for all those evenings i helped you out.” 

he laughs and the dull ache in your chest tightens. mutual pining would be the most ideal, but right now you’re stuck on unrequited love. you’ve long ditched friends to friends because only god knows you can’t seem to keep yourself together around the restaurant owner. 

but when he says, “you know, i’d been wanting to ask you out for forever,” you feel the gears click into place. “and not as my favorite customer.” 

you choke on the martini. why won’t it go down as easy as the words coming out of his lips? 

his eyes crinkle as your vision blurs. maybe you are running a marathon when you’re next to him, because you can’t ever seem to catch a break. the dim lighting of the bar does nothing to slow your pulse either, with almost every nerve running haywire. 

“and i know we just talked about you buying me food again,” he says slowly, “so would you like to come by tomorrow night?” 

if a bar was the secret to this recipe, you would’ve brought him much sooner. “i should’ve bought you a beer a million years ago then,” you mumble into your drink. you look at him through the corners of yours to see him smiling expectantly at you. “but i think i’ll take you up on that offer.”  

and that’s how your friends to lovers, mutual pining storyline has you bringing takeout to his apartment after he’s had a long day at work. maybe you’ll even get to explore ‘and then there was only one bed,’ but you’ll take it one bit at a time.  

[slightlyrebelliouswriter23]

[puts on pjs & pops popcorn for sleepover tuesday] 9, 17, 19

*heaves weighted blanket on bed, passes out cozy socks* 🥺❤️

9. best first date?

kaitlyn, when i said i've never been romanced...... i've legit never been on an official date 😂 it's always "let's hang out" this or "wanna chill?" that. and like sometimes they're fun things that wouldn't normally be classified as "just chilling". but no one has ever Planned In Advance. no one has ever Taken Me Out i'm tired of this shit buy me flowers or else 😤🔪

17. favourite food?

anything with carbs and cheese.

19. what am i listening to right now?

the ceiling fan lmao.

SLEEPOVER TUESDAY